dreaming of sweaters ....

believe it or not, i'm still debating over the fate of bristow or wicked. i actually did cast on for bristow, with my slightly smaller gauge than the pattern calls for. but, i don't think that's how i want to do it. i think i'd rather knit to gauge, and adjust for size in the body of the fabric by adding or subtracting some stitches, so i can keep the shaping and vertical length the same as the pattern calls for.

and i don't know if my brain wants to handle all that potential math.

so, when a project isn't really working out with the flow i desire, it's easy for me to look elsewhere for the next best/new thing.




which, very well could be this pretty cable yoked pullover from the patons book _cables_ as pictured above.
i just got this booklet fresh today, from miguel's.

wouldn't that look lovely in cascade 220's light black ?

there is an errata for this pattern which can be found here.



i was also in search of a couple of other booklets ... this cute publication of socks ....




and this very popular issue of street smart.

they are all mine now, though not in my possession. the cables book i did find locally, but the other two were just mail ordered today via elann.

the good thing about ordering from elann is they have an option of $3.00 shipping on lightweight orders, ie: wee booklets.

sometimes ....

... when you're stalled on other projects, you find something else to do.

like, um ... make something new for stuart!

i went home to visit mom & family last weekend. everytime i go home, i take a suitcase full of projects and promises. i will never learn my lesson and take only one project. i'm afraid of being without.

i had several things on my agenda. one of those things was to make stuart some bunny slippers. i didn't get around to it. but, my mom did !






i tried to make him some pj bottoms today ... but kinda messed that up.

specs:
caron simply soft
G hook
dmc embroidery floss
plastic safety eyes
love

oh, and stuart had a bath the other day ... you can see it all over here.

hypoteneuse debut

hey, i did finish something .... but, i just can't manage a decent picture of my hypoteneuse. it's full of drape, and wonderfully soft. as much as i'd like to wear it a few times before sending it off to its recipient, there's no chance in hell that it will be cool enough soon enough.

is it strange that i can knit an entire shawl and not finish a wee sock ?


i'm at my usual place with this sock ... the dreaded toe ! i don't know what it is about me and sock toes. i don't even care to analyze it. oh, and when i do finish this wee socken, it too will become an orphan =)

... kinda like this glove ....


i've had gloves on my mind lately. pretty gloves, like these and these and these.

but they all required more thought than i could muster up, so i went for something very very basic ... just to satisfy my bug, and my need for mindless knitting.

i made a pair last winter. it was fun ... something i had to try to see if i could actually do it. those were knitted with a worsted wt. wool. though they're very warm, and fit, they are just too bulky.

this time, i am using australian merinos, with a gauge of 7.5 sts/inch on crystal palace 2.75mm dpns. this glove definitely has the negative ease thing going on, and that makes them a better fit than my first pair.

i'm more or less following the instructions in ann budd's _handy book of patterns_.

finished goodies

i can hardly believe it myself!
the mate sat patiently waiting for the toe for about three or four days. i needed to feel some sort of accomplishment, so i finally took the time to knit the toe, and thus have a completed pair of monkeys.

mind you, there are still lots of little socken orphans running around here. and i will have to decide who's next ... and resist the urge to cast on for something new.

but, i will cast on something new. i changed my mind again and decided that i am going to knit bristow. i even swatched!


i'm using addi turbo size 7 circs for a gauge of 5 sts/inch. the pattern has a gauge of 4.75 sts/inch. but, the pattern is also in increments of 4" and i'm shooting for a finished 38" ... thus the modification.

i was set on wicked until stacey got me thinking again with the comment she left in my last post.

and swatching the cable sealed the deal ... though the pattern won't be as obvious as in rebekkah's version, i still think i will be lovely in light black.


these pot holders were crocheted by my friend debalicious. she gave me the pattern about a week ago, but i hadn't made the time to crank one out. these are certainly inspiration to break out the hook! the instructions for making these double thick pot holders is similar to this pattern i found on the net.

whew! even more to say !!!

this lovely stuff is new at my lys. it came in fresh today. there were lots of delicious color combinations, plus semi-solids ... and i snatched up the semi-black! it is black. sort of. it also has hints of the deepest, darkest, midnight blue. and the twist is very koigu. what will these little gems become? socks? perhaps. perhaps gloves. in all likelihood, they will marinate for a bit.


and this deliciousness ?! it's liisu's leili, a wool & mohair socken yarn. the colorway screams fall. perhaps, if i cast on, the weather will cool sooner?

many thanks to the secret agent that thought of me and knew i would love this yarn ! i love it love it love it kissy kissy lick lick ! mine !

cascade 220, colorway 4002
.... you'd think i'd have a fur ball by now .... so. here's where everything gets kinda muddled. i have been having these thoughts of fall. thoughts of wool. thoughts of sweaters. thoughts of SAFF.

i want a sweater. i want a sweater soon. i want an everyday sweater. i have a favorite sweater. it's old jcrew. it's a very basic cardigan, with a few cables here and there. it's quite warm. though, it's that hideous day glow red that grandma may have knitted for you, i love it (it keeps me warm warm warm in my cold cold apt. in the winter). and, it's classic.

so, i have been perusing ravelry. i love ravelry. it's such a great database. check it out. if you haven't added your name to the waitlist, go ahead and do that now. it's not about who's who, it's a database. seriously.

so, (i like to say "so") ... i have been courting two sweater patterns. the first, wicked by the zephyr girls, and bristow by ms. melanie.

both sweaters i would wear. i love both designs. they both have positive reviews/feeback. and i love both these versions of each (click ! each !).

but, there's always a butt, isn't there ?! but. i think i will be knitting the wicked sweater as i want something more like my favorite jcrew sweater. something very wearable, something very understated. something of which the pattern sizes (w/o tons of modifications) is closer to a bust size i can work with). something everyday.

note: the pattern for wicked does not give you instructions for converting the pullover into a cardigan.

i love bristow. i will likely end up knitting that design as well ... but not before wicked. i want both, but i only have two hands! and i must sleep! and i still have 17 orphans !


but, this mate is about to be united with its orphan
(i'm suppose to be cleaning house right now. and i will, as soon as i hit publish post. which means, socken toe will have to wait until tomorrow night.).

stuart thinks he's european ...

because he thinks in centimeters ! (they're more precise, right ?!)

anyhoo ... i am here to enable any special clothes making of the wee pixie. we had a little photo & measuring session here this afternoon .....


on the frontside .... stuart is only 16cm tall. he's kinda rotund. his waist is larger than his inseam. just around his pseudo-waist, he measures about 18cm. his inseam is about 4cm (not to mention the 4 cm gap between his legs). yikes!

the tops of his legs measure from 5.5 to 6cm in circumference (hey, is anyone perfectly symmetrical ?!)

from the tops of his legs to his wee arms, he measures approx. 3.5 cm vertically.

his total chest measurement is 19cm!

he doesn't really have shoulders ....


his underarm length is 4.5 to 5cm in length. he's 9cm from (if he had shoulders) shoulder pt. to shoulder pt. (the width across his back, just above his arms).

his arms measure just under 6cm in circumference where they're sewn to his body.

now, his tail ... it's just under 4cm in circumference, and is centered on his backside just 2.5cm from his crotch seam (ewwww !). his tail is a whopping 6cm long!

what? oh! his ears are about 9cm in circumfrence at the top if his head, and measure out about 4cm to the tips.

and, he measures about 5cm from just under his lower lip to his crotch seam.

whew ! i didn't know i had so much to say !

i am truly enjoying the knitting of hypoteneuse, and i'm not just saying that because anne is way cool. i so badly want it to be finished asap, though it's still a million degrees out, so i can block it and enjoy its wonderful drape!


and i wish it was going to be mine. and i'm kinda selfish, and it could still be mine ..., but i feel confident that corbett will love it too, so i know it's going to a good home.


and then, today, i was thinking, i bet jim (corbett's partner) would love some man-lace too, but perhaps something crocheted. which means, when this baby is off the needles, i will be shopping for a stitch pattern of something manly-crocheted. seriously.


stuart. stuart feels a bit neglected, because he's jonesing for something new too. but, i don't know what he really wants. well, i think he wants lots of things ... a sleeping bag, a man-shawl, new pantalones, pj's, etc .... but, what he'll actually get ... hmmm, i don't know !

ps. please feel free to email for measurements and favorite colors of my little pixie !

i could not capture the true beauty of this socken yarn. the colors are more vibrant, more green, more blue, more beautiful ! this is lorna's laces shepherd sock in 407 devon. of course, these little hanks will someday be a pair of socks.


and we save the best for last .... buttons !!! handmade by my lovely artist friend leanne. she's the same one who made my knitting bowl (which, i use all the time, at home, as i knit hypoteneuse).

these buttons are about 3/4" square ... but with one a bit longer on one edge at a whopping 1". i love them ! thanks troll !

gracias !

dear natashua of yarnia,

thank you very much for this very cute book!
i am a hooker, as you know ...
and i am especially excited about the little hamster.
(i know that sounds kinky)
.... but he's so CUTE !

muchas gracias,

senorita gris

... it's so excellent to get prizes in the mail!