Finished Object: Gretel

I finished Gretel! Thank goodness, for I needed a finished object. I'm not sure how happy I am with it - the yarn (Malabrigo) couldn't be nicer, the pattern is so well written, and the hat itself is lovely... but I am still unsure of how wearable it is for me. I made the slouchy version, and I'm afraid that it may be TOO slouchy.

These pictures were taken on my camera phone, and seriously suck. Hopefully, better photos to come, when I get batteries for my digital cam and after the hat has finished blocking.




Now I've been struck by the desire to finish the long forgotten Sideways Spencer, but I've lost my place! I have no idea what to do there now and hope I don't have to do anything drastic, like start over. Ugh. I really want to finish one of my sweaters now!

Oooh, IK Summer preview is up!

The link is here. And it is looking like a great issue!

My thoughts:

I can't wait for the extra pictures because a few things I'll need to see close up to decide on, but here's what I think.

The On-Your-Toes Socks are socks. I will need a close-up to appreciate them.

The 1824 Blouson will be adorable on the girl who can pull it off. I am not that girl.

The Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt might be cute on the same girl who can wear the 1824 Blouson. Not on me. Also, I hate the color used. It's not brown and it's not grey... it's drab. Ugh.

I like the Notre Dame de Grace Pullover, but it looks a little masculine to me. Maybe it's the color, could be something to do with the shape. I really adore the collar, though.

I LOVE the Josephine top, gorgeous, beautiful, adorable! I will definitely be knitting that. It looks like my beloved Brown Sheep Cotton Fine would work. What color do you like for this top? I like Perry's Primrose or Wild Sage, I think.

The Little Smocked Cardigan looks pretty cute. This is a maybe... there's a chance I'd love it and a chance I'd hate it (on me), and right now I don't know which is more likely.

The Wing Top looks really pretty from the back but I want to see the front.

Lutea Lace-Shoulder Shell could be cute with some waist shaping.

I really like the Wheat Ear Cable Yoke and the Lacy Yoga Bags, but am not too likely to knit either.

I LOVE the Origami Cardi, but I think it would look awful on me. This is usually the case for me with Norah's designs... they're beautiful but don't work with my body type too well. I'll look forward to seeing others' FOs though.

The Summertime Tunic is cute, but I'll need to see FOs before I even think about it.

I cannot imagine wearing gloves made from crochet thread, but the Motorcycle Chica Gloves are cute.

I actually really like the Luvtröja Måns sweater, but I don't have any guys to knit for (my bf would never wear a sweater).

The Hand-in-Hand Cable Sweaters are sweet. And if it comes in the right size, possibly something that would be good for my grandmother.

Love the Syncopated Caps! Definitely going to make this one.

My favorite in this issue is Oriel Lace Blouse. I will definitely be making this one as well, but I may change the neckline. I'm not crazy about wearing turtlenecks. The yarn is superexpensive (although beautiful) and way out of my budget. I will not be using it. I hope to find a sub... any suggestions? I was looking at Artfibers, but I don't know if they have anything.

Can't see enough of the Montego Bay Scarf to have an opinion on it, other than that the color is very pretty.

The Ogee Lace Skirt would make a cute swimsuit cover up, but the yarn'd have to be washable, for sure.

Love the Spiral Boot socks, but I would shorten them because I can't stand long socks.

What is the Lace Chuppah?

What I can see of the Pomegranate Blouse looks really cute, but not for me (though with added shaping... maybe), and I also like the Summer Wheat Top, but I don't know how I feel about those bobbles.

All in all, great issue! Can't wait to get my hands on this one!

Oh, I picked the Sideways Spencer back up, and have been working on it. I forgot how quickly it knits up. I've finished the left sleeve and side, and am working on the back. Of course, after I finish the main body I'll have lots of (ugh) stitches to pick up and ribbing to do... so I'm sure I'll slow down after that. I've also finished the waist shaping on the back of Rapunzel, and have ~5in done on it (I think). I'd take pictures, but my digi cam batteries are dead, so I need to get some more.

Whoops.

My stockinette project turned out to be a mostly stockinette with a few hidden tricks, which means there are parts of it on which I cannot work and study at the same time. I can read and knit st. st., keep track of a couple of increases/decreases, but nothing else. I knew there was a little shaping, which didn't interfere... guess I need to learn to read ahead in my instructions! Instead of just looking at the picture, and thinking, "Hmm, that looks like it will require no attention!" Ah well, it is still MOSTLY stockinette, which means most of it can be worked on during study time with no negative impact on my grades (!! not even knitting is allowed to interfere with school). But it also means I'm going to have to use a little real knitting time, or, more likely, tv-knitting time, to work on it as well, as it doesn't require MUCH attention, just a little. It is an awesome knit though, and I'm wondering why I haven't seen anyone else online make this.

I also have one entire sleeve of the Spencer finished! YAY! Now only a whole lot more to knit. Good thing I loooove working this pattern. I enjoy it so much, and it goes by so fast, the thing seems to be knitting itself. I'm half convinced my needles are sneaking a little work in when I'm not around. The body is looking a bit more complicated, so I've hesitated working on it. I'm afraid the chart + new shaping is going to give me fits again. BUT... ohmygosh, I am so in love with this sweater. I want it to be done already so I can wear it! Argh! Annie Modesitt, you are a freakin' genius!

For GG, I totally screwed up the beginnings of the front (back? they are both exactly the same, so I don't guess it matters which). I did the cables wrong, and didn't catch it for quite a few rows. When I finally did catch it, I thought surely there could be an easy way of fixing the cables without ripping all those rows. So I dropped the stitches on the cables, and had to figure out how to reknit them... which, I believe, may be taking longer than just redoing the whole thing! Argh!!!! It is aggravating, because every time I glance over at my bag with this project in it, I want to pick it up... I adore the yarn so! But I need to save it for when I can give it all of my attention to finish fixing the cables. Two are ok now, but the other two still need to be redone.

The only thing worse than having a project that frustrates you, is having a couple of projects that are wonderful, and not being able to work on them ALL THE TIME! :-)

Of Delphine, shoes, and evening gowns

If you read this blog, you know I love sweaters. If you know me, you know I love shoes. And if you REALLY know me, you know I secretly love, love, love skirts and dresses.

Delphine and I had a spat. A major one! I'm not sure what made me think I could knit a sweater without a pattern. With major shaping AND cables. And all kinds of intricacies that I don't know whether I can handle. It's not coming along well at all. The shaping isn't making me happy, the sizing is making me want to cry, and I won't even go into the cables. AND I think with my bust, I'll have to figure out how to add short-row shaping to a cabled section! Let alone that I've never done short rows for shaping a sweater at all. I really don't know how they work, or exactly WHAT kind of shaping you are supposed to be doing with the short rows. Wow, I really did not think this through. I don't even know that this style of sweater is going to flatter me. Apparently, I am just a pattern knitter... NOT a designer! It's disappointing, but not surprising. I gain more respect for knitwear designers every time I pick up this darn sweater. I'm not exactly giving up, but I think I'm putting this sweater on hold... again. I guess I need more experience. *sigh* I just don't know what to do about this sweater. I've attempted all these calculations, read all of these articles on shaping... ugh! I'll feel like an absolute failure giving up, so I don't plan on it... but don't expect to see this thing any time soon! :-( I think I'm going to have to work on something else in its stead for now. I need to learn more!

Soo, since Delph annoyed me so... I worked a little on GG, and quite a bit on Sideways Spencer. I didn't have the concentration time I needed this weekend to work on Butterfly.

Here's a *gasp* progress shot of SS. The color is waaaay off. It is not a bright red as it appears in the pictures - it's really a deep, jewel toned red. NOT burgundy, either.



It is turning out very pretty. One thing I found out, though, when I blocked my E-town hat, is that this yarn seems to GROW. So I'm a little worried that this thing will end up too big for me, although it seemed ok in the swatch. I'm not worried that it will turn out too small, since I've read the stitch pattern really stretches.


Now, shoes. As already stated, I love shoes! One thing I always have problems with is finding a great pair of well-fitting shoes. I sometimes wear a 5, sometimes a 5.5, and, very rarely, a 6. It's hard finding cute shoes in a 5 or 5.5, believe me! My roommate happens to wear near my size also, and today she was wearing the cutest pair of shoes she'd just got. I tried them on, and they fit! I NEED them! Well, I don't NEED them, but I do hope to get a pair - they are very nice, dressy, black slides with a heel that isn't TOO high... the exact pair of shoes I've been searching for FOREVER! Here's a pic:



UGH! I love them!

I also love evening gowns. The only reason I ever bother to look at magazines or sites with celebrities is the beautiful gowns. For some reason, I'm usually most attracted to red gowns. Here are some I just adore:

This one is from Loralie.com, and it's called Show Stopper, for obvious reasons.



This one, also from Loralie, is called Passion:



The last dress from Loralie is called Salsa. I LOVE it!



The final beautiful red dress, from Yosa.com (she sells the most fabulous wedding and costume gowns!!), is appropiately named The Red Dress.



I wish it was considered OK to be married in red here. I would definitely be married in this dress!

Gatsby Girl progress

I've made it to the lace chart on the back. I am such a slow knitter. I see all of these other bloggers who finish things within a couple of weeks, and I know the same project would take me months! I don't know... I don't have the best concentration skills, and I am very easily distracted, so that is probably part of it. My wrist problems probably don't help, either. But, after about 2 weeks of a lot of knitting, I still really haven't made a lot of progress. And I'll be much slower when I get back to school. Classes start a week from Wed, and I will no longer have much time to knit.

Anyway, so I THINK, thanks to a fellow knitblogger, I've fixed my problem with the Spencer... for now. That doesn't go to say I won't have the same problems elsewhere in the pattern. I learned I needed to wait until I have the full number of stitches needed for the chart before I attempt it, and just knit stockinette until I do have enough stitches. But I've been taking short breaks from the small needles I use on Gatsby Girl, and working a few rows of the Spencer pattern now and again. I've gotten a few inches of the left sleeve done. It is going to look marvelous in my yarn, if I dare say so myself. I just hate that this color, I'm sure, will not appear at its best when I take pics for the blog. I'm already thinking about buttons for it. I believe buttons can make or break a project... it really is all about the details, and those are such an important, obvious one. I always thought the lovely pewter and pearl buttons I used for my corset top and partially for my Candy would look particularly beautiful on this design, but I don't know about using the same button so many times.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the Cascade 220 superwash just didn't work out for GG. I got CLOSE to gauge, but not near enough... so I went back to the yarn store, and one of the ladies recommended Rowan's Felted Tweed. I chose a teal color (online, I found it to be named "Watery"), and I was able to get gauge with it. Teal is one of those colors I never knew for sure that I could wear, but at the yarn store, they said "With your complexion, how can you NOT wear it?," which made me decide that maybe it would look nice. I have a very hard time decided which colors are good on me, since I have very fair skin (and I think cool-tone, rosy, but of that I definitely cannot be certain), very dark brown eyes, and a natural hair color that is hard to distinguish between light brown, dark blonde, and strawberry blonde, depending on the lighting. So normally, I've just worn colors I like, but lately I've been trying to wear colors that look good as well. At first I worried that the yarn would be too busy for the pattern, but when knitted up, it is actually quite subtle. I love working with this yarn so much, although the alpaca does shed, the yarn just feels so nice in your hands. It's my first time working with an alpaca blend, and I believe I can say I'll be trying more of them in the future. This sweater is going to be fabulous! Also, thinking of buttons for this one (the shoulder has a few small buttons on it), I don't know if pearls are going to be the best look for this sweater; a shame, because I do dearly love pearls, and that little detail was one of the main points that attracted me to this sweater to begin with. There is enough white that it could possibly work, but I really think pewter or even faux-wood buttons may be a better choice. We'll see when I get far enough into the sweater to really decide.

Oh yes, and how could I forget to mention that the kind ladies at the knit shop also told me I should knit myself another corset top, since it looked so great on me. Glad to hear it, since I have decided I'd love one in another color, and maybe with long sleeves. But what color? Maybe black... although that might mask the beautiful, intricate details that make this top so wonderful. The corset top has, I believe, been the most complimented thing I've knit to date. The fish bag is close, or maybe equal, and RR has received its share as well. I can't believe I forgot to post that awhile back, a local artist saw me wearing my corset top, and loved it so well that she asked me to pose for a drawing in it. I don't know whether she will actually get around to painting it or not, but still, that was pretty neat.

Am I bad?

Is it bad to drop the two projects you're working on, that you've been dying to make for so long, and really want to work on, out of frustration, and instead, start on something completely new?

If so, then I am bad. Instead of working on the Spencer or the Butterfly, I swatched for the Gatsby Girl pullover from the new IK. It is my favorite thing in the issue, and one of the loveliest sweaters I've seen in a long time. It's sooo elegant! It calls for a DK weight, but I thought I could possibly get gauge using a worsted, and tried Cascade 220 superwash in a lovely shade of a deep, peacockish teal... at least, that was the shade it looked in the store. Here, it appears to be more of a hunter green, at least to someone who's been staring at it for an extended amount of time. I'm not sure I like the hunter-greenishness of it. I loved the teal. The Cascade is nice, but I really think the less-expensive Knitpicks' Swish is much softer and more pleasant to knit. I've been bragging so much about this yarn lately, but I really think it is nearly the perfect yarn - soft, pleasant to knit, washable, affordable. In a word, wonderful. Imo, the Cascade has only two advantages over it - a greater range of colors, and probably a greater availability (although not to me normally, since there isn't a yarn store near me unless I'm visiting down South Louisiana).

At least I don't have to feel bad about not picking up an old project when these two started giving me problems - they are all at home! Though I really wish I'd brought the Noro Butterfly, since it's really been going along well, and it's a simple tv, distraction friendly project.

I WANT to knit the Spencer so badly! I didn't want to put it aside for any reason, but I am having a major problem with the chart, and can't figure out what I'm doing incorrectly. I've wanted to make this thing since I saw it, and particularly since I saw a modified version of it, lengthened and given a flared rib. I hope I can figure all that out... assuming I ever figure out what I'm doing wrong on the chart now. I also couldn't love the color I chose for it more. I am really disappointed, because I figured this would be a knit that forced my attention, but was still do-able. My heart is broken. :-(

Ripping out lace sucks. I can't even talk about Butterfly right now. It's too painful.

Ok, so I'm being a drama queen, but I really do wish these projects were going better!

Oh yeah, and I wore Rambling Rose to the yarn store today... what a reaction I received! All the ladies there thought it was just beautiful, and were very impressed with my knitting... I guess they didn't realize how simple it really was! I was very pleased, considering that I was unsure of wearing it and worried that it didn't look right on me, or looked "grandmaish."

Argh!

I only brought two knitting projects on my trip - the Butterfly dress and the Sideways Spencer. I didn't even think to bring a simple, mindless project. Now both of these have annoyed me, and I have nothing to knit that doesn't make me want to rip my hair out... which would probably be much more enjoyable than trying to frog that darned mohair for the 85th time! Apparently, I suck at charts. I just have such a problem keeping my place. How do all of these other knitters do it?!