No longer MIA

Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I've been pretty busy, and actually have some finished projects to show!

First, I want to show off some new jewelry. These are creations of Lauren at Cult Designs. Aren't they adorable?

Kissing Kiddie Earrings


Message in a Bottle pin


I just adore them!

Now, for the things I've been making.

First, for my mom's Christmas gift, a hat and scarf set. The scarf is, I think, Paton's Pebbles. The hat is crocheted in good ol' Red Heart, and edged with the yarn I used for the scarf.


Scarf and hat set for my sister-in-law. I don't recall the name of this yarn, but it is so soft and cuddly. It was hard to give away, but worth it!


I finally tried my hand at making cards. I did some Christmas cards, for Dusty, his parents, and grandparents. I used cardstock, those cute lil scrapbook thingys, and construction paper. I printed words out from my computer. Sorry the pictures suck. I am a poor photographer, and I always seem to have trouble with things reflecting the light from the flash.


This is the one I made for Dusty's parents. I think it's soooo friggin' cute! Yes, I'm that modest.


I did this one for Dusty's grandparents. I just love that Santa!


Here's the one I made for Dusty. I am very happy with how it came out!


I loved making the cards... cute, fun, and not very time-consuming. I can easily see how they COULD be, but these didn't take me too long. I need to work on things to put on the inside of the cards. I had no ideas for that, so I just cut some of the background paper, printed out "Merry Christmas" or the like, and wrote a note in them. I definitely want to make more cards in the future... though I will still buy cards from the store as well.

For Dusty's mom's Christmas gift, I sewed this purse. I think she was pretty happy with it. She didn't realize I'd made it until Dusty told her, so that's good!

The pattern is Indygo Junction's Metropolitan Handbag. I'll review this pattern at PR, and link to it when I do. The fabric is an Amy Butler print I thought would be perfect for her. The fabric flower tutorial can be found here. I love the flower... so cute and easy to make!




Of course, I had to make something for myself, too. I used the cloche pattern from Lion Brand, written specifically for this yarn. Now, I don't know if my head is small or something, but the hat, knit to gauge on the specified needles came out WAY TOO BIG. I wish I'd taken a picture of it... it was really funny! I decided to be lazy, and instead of undoing the whole thing, and re-knitting it, I decided to try felting. I know, stupid. I should have realized that the added structure felting would give would be a bad thing for this hat. Anyway, I felted it and it still sucks. I thought it would be super cute, but it just looks super silly. I think it looks better in these pics than in real life. I have an idea on how to save the hat, but it will be very different from this style. We'll see if it works... nothing to lose now! That will be awhile, since I'm leaving for Kansas soon and didn't bring the hat with me.





I'm still working on Gatsby Girl, and since I only brought that and the Pomatomus, I should start really making some progress on it.

Edited to add: The link to the pattern review is here: Bag pattern review.

Edited again to add: I got the AB fabric from Fabric.com. Has anyone else had problems with their design wall? I got another fabric to use for the band originally, but it turned out to not be a match at all, though it looked very nice together on the design wall. How dependable is it really?

Fabric Questions

So, let's say you had the pattern for this dress and you wanted to make it. What fabric would you use? I am really planning on making up one of my vintage dress patterns soon, and this may be the one. I think it's just fabulous.

No update on the knitting progress, as there has been very little. I did start on a bag for Dusty's mom over the weekend, but I'm not completely happy with it yet, so it's not finished. I'll have pics of it when I do finish, though... fortunately, I never have to worry about her running across the blog, since she doesn't really use the internet. hehe.

Choosing Colors

So, I raved about the Venezia Sweater. We all know it's gorgeous. I've been thinking of it since I got the IK mag with the pattern. There are a few problems about knitting it, namely: 1) I don't recall how much it would cost for me to make the sweater in the yarns called for, but I do remember that it was much more than I can fit in my tight budget for quite a while, 2) That's a lot of colors, especially to someone who has done no colorwork, 3) I don't really wear those colors, and though the sweater is beautiful as is, I wanted to knit this sweater in colors I'd wear often. I wanted to use Knitpicks' Palette, but it didn't have enough colors, and I have no idea about matching/changing colors. Anyway, Superstitch at the Craftster Knit-Along posted the chart she'd revised to fit the colors and yarn she'd wanted to use, fewer colors than originally specified. So I messed around with her chart, and tried out some color combinations I usually like, to see how they'd work in this. I tried to keep my colors as close to the Knitpicks' Palette colors as I could. Not all of these combinations I really love, but here are some I fixed up, and I'd like to hear opinions on whether any of these work. Suggestions are welcome, too. I definitely want the pink in there, as I'm sure is obvious, since pink is the color that flatters me best. Note that these are not in any particular order of preference, and are rather in whatever random order blogger chose to put them. I have been particularly obsessing over pink and brown together, and pink and gray, but I am not sure how they will work in this sweater. The others are just fun color combos I was messing with, and didn't expect to work, but thought they actually looked pretty, at least on the chart... I don't know about a sweater. So, let me know what you think, please!

What would you attempt if you knew you would not fail?

One of my friends posted that quote in her journal a couple of days ago, and I've been thinking about it since. Probably a lot more than I have.

Speaking of attempts, I forgot Christmas gifts! Actually, realizing it's Dec 1 made me realize I have only a couple of weeks to make my Christmas gifts, and I haven't even started yet. Yikes! So now I have to attempt to make Christmas gifts in a hurry.


I posted this at Pattern Review already, but not everyone goes to that site (though they should!). I love this coat. Unfortunately, they don't have it in anything near my size. Does anyone know of a pattern that I could use to replicate it?


Also, I fell in love with this bag:

I think I've posted about it before, but I couldn't find the post, and I can't find the site it was at. Anyway, I remember it was around $300 so there was no chance of my buying it, but I thought I could try something similiar to it. I love the print the most, but of course, I've never seen anything very close to it. I did find an Amy Butler print that reminds me of the fabric, which will work. Then I found this sewing pattern. The shape of the first bag is pretty similar, though I'm sure it's much smaller (which is ok, since I usually prefer smaller bags). I think it would be possible to use that pattern to replicate this bag. I just found the pattern today, so I haven't purchased it yet.

I also want to make the Amy Butler Weekender bag, and I found a great fabric for it, but it's one of her quilting cotton prints. Could I use that for the bag? I like a couple of other of her bag patterns if not.

Gatsby Girl has hit the point of "Omg, this sweater is taking FOREVER." I know it will so be worth it, but with the 29 degree morning, and 44 degree temperature right now, I wish the sweater was already finished!

Just Keep Swimming

That Finding Nemo tune is in your head now, isn't it? You're welcome. Who doesn't love it?

The title is in honor of this:



How cute!! I love the packaging. Pretty packaging makes everything better, even the things you didn't think could be any more awesome, like what's inside this one. Opening presents is such fun! Waiting inside were these:



My Sulu Design goldfish earrings! When I first saw these, I knew I had to have a pair. They weren't left on the cardboard for long. Almost immediately I tried them on.



And loved them so much I couldn't take them off. They are fabulous! I've gotten so many compliments on them today, too.

Go, check out her Etsy Shop! Just don't buy any of the stuff I want. Haha. No, go ahead, otherwise you couldn't buy anything. All of her creations are really beautiful. I definitely see more Sulu Designs in my future!

Larkin from Pattern Review, if you read this, I can't pm on that site... I don't have a paid account yet. You can email me at cnp71201 at hotmail dot com. I left this message on a forum at the website, but who knows if you'll read it there, so I thought I'd leave it here too, in case you dropped by again. :-)

FOs - Glampyre Sweater and Skirt

Well, I promised pictures, and I'm actually delivering almost on time, for once. I am really bad about meaning to update the blog, then forgetting to.

First, the knitting. This is a knitting blog, after all! So I mentioned that I was knitting a Glampyre pattern, but failed to mention which. I didn't mean to break my deal - this started out being an extremely simple, knit-with-eyes-closed thing... the minisweater pattern. Inspired by this beautiful modification, and the fact that I just had to have an entire sweater in this beautiful color, I just kept knitting. I made up an eyelet pattern based on the number of stitches I had left, and used that for the bottom of the sweater and the sleeves below the elbow. I did some shaping for the waist as well, but the sleeves are nearly straight. I planned on (and still do) knitting a flower to wear for the closure, but haven't done it yet. I don't know where this pin came from (possibly a thrift shop), but I've been saving it for something special... I really love it. I like the sweater pretty well, what do you think? Please excuse the lack of makeup, and the couple of pounds I think I put on over my break. I need to get back to the gym asap!!







Oh, and the yarn is Wool of the Andes in Hyacinth, actually a bluish purple (think What Dreams May Come or the purple in the LSU band uniforms). Wonderful color!!

And no, don't worry - I'm not planning on wearing the sweater with that outfit. I was too lazy to find a cute one to model (hey, I just got back to school after a long trip!), so I just kept on the top and skirt. The skirt is the one I just made, and I am pretty happy with it. The waistband turned out lower than I wanted, but aside from that, it fits just right.

The pattern is Simplicity 5914, view B. I lowered the waistband (a bit too much, actually), but aside from that, I made no changes. The fabric is some tweedy stuff that I found at Hobby Lobby. I love it! It is so cute. Several pictures to follow... I don't think I have a pair of shoes that really goes with this skirt, so I tried on two to see how they look.

Here's a close-up of the fabric:









This project also included my first ever attempt at a zipper. It actually wasn't hard at all... just a little tedious.



Next time I get near a sewing machine (sometime before Christmas), I will make my grandma's Christmas gift.



It's an Elvis throw kit. She is a huge Elvis fan. I hope she likes it!

Sewing Talk (pretty patterns)

I did finish my skirt. It is really cute! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, although not completely happy. I'll post pictures soon, and do a review on it as well, and I still have to post the sweater I completed, too. I've also been working on the Gatsby Girl sweater, and have gotten pretty far on the front. I imagined I'd have it done over Thanksgiving break, but it just didn't happen. Ah well. I will finish it soon... I want to get it over with, so I can try to have the Spencer done by Christmas... I think, in the color I'm using, it would make a fabulous sweater to wear on Christmas day (assuming it's not 70 degrees then like it's been here the past several days).

Hey, guess what! Check out these beauties I found. Vintage (and one not-so-vintage) sewing patterns! I really love the styles from the 40s and 50s... and some of the 60s as well.







I'm hoping to figure out how to combine the empire waisted vintage skirt with the ruched bodice of the slimmer pattern, to make something very like this dress. Any tips on combining patterns? Or on making a huge, gorgeous ruffle like at the bottom of the dress? Make sure to scroll down and see the detail. It's divine! I want to find fabric in that deep rosy color.

Edited for ginaT: The first pattern is a Butterick from 2000. The pattern number is 6761. I found it on eBay. Let me know if you need additional info!

Edited again!: ginaT, I just found it on ebay. Dress Pattern. Hope it's the size you need!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Although, technically, it is not Thanksgiving any longer. It was a great day. Much food was eaten and much fun was had. Yay!

I'm checking in to say that I finished the Glampyre sweater, but I'm not sure that I'm happy with it. Pictures and a discussion to come soon... tomorrow? I also have been sewing, and have nearly completed a skirt, so stay tuned for that as well.

I also finally got around to doing a couple of reviews of things I've sewn, so here are the links:

Burda Blouse

New Look Tote Bag

If you are fortunate enough to wear a size 8.5 shoe

I envy you, and I'm about to show you a great deal (at least, imo)!

This eBay auction, for these shoes:



Aren't they gorgeous? They can be yours! Stupid me bid on them, without realizing that the size 6 meant UK, not US sizes, and since I normally wear a 5.5 in US, they are going to be much too large for me. According to various sizing charts online, a UK 6 is equivalent to a US 8.5. I am so heartbroken. I looked on ebay for these shoes for the longest time, finally found them, and now they aren't going to fit.

A little knitting progess report

The Hyacinth sweater is coming along, and I'm not telling which Glampyre pattern it is, but it is looking even more gorgeous than I imagined, and is knitting up so quickly! She is a genius! In fact, I'm so impressed and delighted with how my project is coming out, that I broke my rule of no new complicated projects until the current ones are finished to volunteer to be a test knitter for either of her two new patterns! They are both gorgeous and I think I have yarn that would work with both. I probably won't be selected, since my size is probably pretty common, and I'm sure lots of people volunteered... and I did warn her that I'm a slow knitter. But... I am going on vacation and hope to have more knitting time during that time, so I could get a lot done then! Maybe I should have mentioned that. Oh well, if not, I'll just have to wait until the patterns are released for sale.

And the Gatsby Girl sweater is a couple of inches nearer to completion. Yay! I may have it finished before the year is over. Haha!

Edited to add: I wasn't selected for the test knit. I'm disappointed, but it's probably for the best. I can continue to focus on things I already have going rather than start something new, though my "knitter's add" side really wants to!

IK, VK, More "To-knits", and Lorna's Laces

I've no knitting progress to discuss, due to the upcoming finals week, so I'll write about something else for now.

The previews of the IK Winter and VK holiday issues have been up for awhile now, but I am just now getting to posting about them. I don't have the issues yet, though I hope to obtain both, so I am only mentioning the things on the website previews. And no, this will not be full of insulting-yet-somewhat-funny remarks. I'd rather play nice, especially as my failure in designing has helped me to realize how hard it is, and I know the magazines aren't catering to my taste only.

IK Winter:

I really like the Arctic Diamonds Stole, but I have yet to really get into lace knitting, so I'll just admire photos of this for now.

A Cardigan for Arwen - I'm a LotR nerd, so I fully appreciate the use of the name Arwen. I also like the cabled edging on this a lot. It doesn't appear to have shaping, though, and it doesn't close (both things could be remedied). I'll probably have to see some finished ones to decide on this one.

Love the color of Cabernet Ribs. The v-neck is too low for my taste.

The yarn used for the Cable and Bobble headband is in gorgeous colors. I don't have much use for knit headbands... or any other kind of headband either, for that matter. I think they look good on short-haired girls, but they look awful on me.

I think I am the only person in knitblog-land who really loved Annie Modesitt's Corded Yoke Pullover. I think it would be nice knit in a cotton blend that has a sheen, with short sleeves. The bared shoulders make me think of summer. And some beads on the cords. That would be cute, I think.

Cowgirl slipper socks are knit in worsted (warm!!), use a feather and fan patterning, and are short. Three things in their favor. I like them.

I love those sweaters with fair-isle yokes, so yes, I do like the Enid Cardigan.

I adore the Equestrian Blazer. It's knit in a shade of purple-pink, simple, and beautifully shaped. Add this to the "To-Knit" list!!

The Jawbreaker Cardigan is not my style, but the yarn is really pretty, and I could see this looking great on slimmer figures (then again, what doesn't?).

I wish the model wearing the Nantucket Jacket hadn't been slumping. Is this shaped? The bonus photo looks like it is, and if so, it's a gorgeous design that could work for me. Another of those that I'll have to see knit by others before I decide for myself.

The Pewter Coat looks nice. It's pretty... I like the cables and the collar.

The Provincial Waistcoat, I think, would be more "knittable" with sleeves. Of course, that defeats the purpose, and changes it into a jacket, but there's my opinion. If it had sleeves, I'd really consider it. It's pretty, and I love the shaping details. Maybe it would look good over those collared shirts I love to wear.

Another Rambling Rose! Very different from the one I have knit. Very lovely... I adore it! I'll add it to my "To-Knit" list if I see that it looks good on other people. I love all the patterning and details, but am not sure that they'd flatter me.

The Refined Raglan is cute... it's almost boring, but I like the patterning on the raglan increases. It gives some interest, while still keeping the sweater simple. Simple is often a great thing, and works in this case. Another fun thing about this sweater, is that it can be knit in a bright color due to its simplicity... but not many people can get away with the particular color shown. My biggest question is whether it's shaped (yes, I know, that may be getting old, but it is a huge concern for me).

I don't know any guy who'd wear the Retrograde Pullover... maybe it's the color, but it looks awfully feminine.

I LOVE the Rustic Holiday Stocking! GIMME! It is adorable!

The Thrummed Mittens are cute, but I'm not really a mitten person... I like to have the use of all 5 fingers.

The Touch Me Tunic is not my style, but it's not ugly. I like the bonus photo better than the main... it definitely shows off its good features more. The lace pattern is nice.

Tweed Beret - I love hats, but I don't know if I would look nice in a beret, and I'm not going to knit one before I find out.

The Venezia Pullover is my FAVORITE! I love it, I have always loved fair-isle sweaters, and this one is SHAPED, meaning I could wear it without looking enormous. The teeny needles I'm sure are used to knit this don't bother me. I've never knit fair-isle, but I ain't afeared! The major holdup (aside from the million things I have yarn for now), is that I don't want to knit it in these colors, and I don't know anything about matching colors for fair isle. I want it in pinks and mauves, with maybe some smokey grays and cream... and I don't know. It calls for TEN colors! Anyone have references for choosing fair isle palettes? This one's added to my "To-Knit" list, for darn sure. I even updated it on the sidebar list.

I love the Wine and Roses Mitts, but I'd have to figure out fingers. My fingers are always cold, too, not just my hands.

The Blue Skies cardigan is not my style. I kinda like the collar.

I'm not into knitting baby stuff, so I won't bother with the booties. Maybe if I ever decide to have children.

Eunny Jang also has an artcle on steeking in this issue! Can't wait to read it... her articles are great.

Notice I said nothing about the subsciber-only flip-top mittens. I'm not a subscriber, so I won't have access to the pattern. But they are a dime for a dozen, so I'm not overly concerned.

VK Holiday:

I love the two sweaters that gorgeous Asian model is wearing. The third picture looks like a wrap in some very beautiful colors, but that's all I can tell about it.

Nothing in the "Purple Reign" section really grabs my fancy. I really like the collars on the mauve and navy sweaters, but I'm not too fond of turtlenecks. The first one, although cute, looks really bulky, and while it's tempting, I know better. The third one I can't really tell too much about. The collar and cabling are nice, but the shaping? Who knows. The purple vest thing reminds me of Mrs. Marigold (by Zephyr Stle), but not as cute.

In "Town and Country," I love the lace ruffled skirt the first model is wearing (too bad that's not a project). The sweater is nice, but doesn't interest me that much. The fair isle beret is pretty, but I've already discussed berets. I don't really care for cabled camisoles, and the twinset is no exception. I feel like there is nothing to balance it, or something. I ADORE the bag and the scarf, and completely understand why so many people have mentioned wanting to knit that periwinkle shawl-collared cabled wrap cardi... it's beautiful! I'd like to have a go at it, myself.

I love all three of the patterns in "Grace Notes," especially the last one.

I was all excited, thinking my mom had gotten me the VK I just reviewed. It turns out that she picked up the KnitSimple holiday issue instead. That's ok, it's not a bad issue, and was thoughtful of her. :-)

The knit birds are really cute, and it has a stocking that is alright, but nothing special. There is a very pretty afghan, and a cute crocheted teddy bear. There are also some cute "elf accessories," including the hat, mittens, scarf, and socks, and there is a nice blanket, made of huge granny squares and squares of garter stitch. IMO, the highlight of the issue is Nicky Epstein's amazing felted poinsetta wreath.

The sweaters aren't too interesting... there is one I really like, one piece, knit sideways in garter, which seems a neat construction to me, and the sideways garter gives it a really neat texture. But I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how to add waist shaping, so I don't think it's an option for me.

Some of the scarves are cute, but you've seen them all before. There's a really nice hooded scarf, a seed stitch scarf, crocheted medallion scarf, a scarf in something called a bamboo stitch, which is actually pretty cool, a chevron scarf, a couple of lace scarves.

The hat pattern is adjustable, but again, nothing special. There is a cute drop stitch wrap I really like, and a cami with only one cable on it, which is actually cute... the cable isn't overwhelming. There is another sweater I like called the Flower-yoke Pullover. I may knit this as a gift. There is a cardi made of a pretty sparkley yarn. For the kids, there is a cute earflap hat, a pullover for toddlers, a vest, and striped socks.

I will definitely make that wreath someday. I think the issue was worth it just for that pattern!

I'm finally getting my hands on some Lorna's Laces! Two skeins of Lorna's Laces shepherd sock in Mardi Gras to be exact. Here's a link to the only picture I could find of the color:
On Ebay

I'm hoping that it's a truer Mardi Gras colorway than the picture shows - more gold instead of orange. The lady I'm getting it from couldn't remember. I know, I know... only Louisianians think that purple, green, and gold look great together. I have a major weakness for Mardi Gras colored yarns. I'm worried though... I don't have a ball-winder or anything like that and I think it comes in hanks. How will I wind it if it doesn't come before I head to South Louisiana? Should I knit socks or gloves? I'm thinking it would be awesome to knit gloves in this colorway and wear them to Mardi Gras! Can anyone recommend a MG-esque sock or glove pattern? Or one that just looks great with varigated yarns? I'll consider either. Any suggestions, really, are welcome. I know sometimes a pattern works well in a var. yarn, and sometimes the yarn obscures the pattern entirely... but I have yet to work out how you can really tell without swatching.

Oh, and thanks to Knitter's Review, I got mine for less than half the price of that eBay auction, including shipping. Score!

I don't talk about cooking too much, but over the weekend I made my favorite dish, crawfish pasta, and a carrot cake, and both turned out so well! Mmmm, delish!

Oh, and by the way, I still haven't found a scarf pattern for my lonely ball of Malabrigo... but it is crack in the form of yarn. This stuff had to have been spun in Heaven, by the angels. It is the softest stuff ever! Anyone know how it wears? I'd LOVE a silky-soft, beautifully colored cardigan out of this stuff!

Edited to add: After more searching online, three other photos of the Mardi Gras Lorna's Laces show a yellow-gold color rather than orange. Yay!!! Cannot wait for my new yarn!

Name Change!

I never really figured I'd post much in the blog, so I never spent any time thinking of a name for it. And, I've kept to that, somewhat... haha. I don't really post often. I normally only post when I have something to post about, or feel I haven't posted in so long that people may think the blog's been abandoned. I like to write about patterns, yarns, and all that great stuff for my own purposes... but I never figured I'd be one of the bloggers with tons of readers and witty posts, although it is cool when someone "drops by." But I was never happy with "craftycrystal" as the name. It was the first thing I thought of, and while I thought it was pretty lame, I just couldn't think of anything to replace it. But, as I'm a Louisianaian, and rather proud of it, I decided to try "Knit on the Bayou" and see if I like it any better. What do you think? You have to sing it, to the tune of CCR's "Born on the Bayou." ;-)

Also, I am NOT admitting that I started another project. Using the Hyacinth Wool of the Andes I was going to use for the Drops Design cardigan with flowers... for which I'll now need to find another yarn. I was never certain about that sweater in this color, anyway. I'm thinking maybe a lilac.

Editing this to say that Susan had a much better suggestion for a name, and I am so taking it. Thanks! :-D

FO - Short-Row Hat

Wow, I can't believe I've finished another project! Quickie projects are great, though I really would like to work on and finish something more substantial. I actually had a reason for knitting this hat, though, since it's been pretty chilly around here and all the winter hats I made last year were left at home. Figures it would have been warm today, since I'd finished the hat and could have worn it.

I have yarn for a couple of hats, but since I decided I dislike the beads I bought for my Odessa, and can't find yarn to match my Silk Garden for the entrelac hat, and I had some more Paton's SWS just waiting to be turned into another hat, I went ahead and started on the Short-Row hat from IK's website.

This pattern confused me at first... I'm sure if you had done short-rows quite a bit, it would be no problem for you, and though I've used the short-row technique twice before, I still don't didn't totally understand it. I'm not sure that I could use short-row bust shaping for garments yet... I think I am going to have to work a pattern that includes them to see how it works. But this was really good practice, although my turns are not very well hidden. Some of them look pretty good, but there are some pretty big gaps between the diamonds.

Also, there is a pretty obvious mistake I made, and didn't notice until after I'd not only seamed the hat, but felted a bit and blocked it as well! I don't know whether there's a way to fix it, since I obviously can't rip. This pattern goes really quickly, and definitely does not get boring! The SWS yarn looks beautiful with the diamonds, too.

And didn't I mention somewhere that I felted the hat a bit? Yes, I did... and no, it's not called for in the pattern. The hat came out a little too big. I carefully felted a little bit by hand, trying the hat on in between. It's still a little longer than I like my hats; if I had my way, I'd remove three or four of the garter stitches in the band, since I have to fold them under now anyway. I had to stop felting because it was getting too tight. The felting did another nice thing, too... it made some of the gaps from the short-rows a bit smaller. The hat is very warm (I'm sure that's due to the slight felting), and overall, I'm pleased with it. Despite the obvious mistake I made, I think it will get a lot of wear this year.

Also, I didn't knit the "nipple" at the top, because Dusty looked at the picture of the pattern, and said, "Why is there a nipple on the top of that hat?"

Pattern: Short-Row hat from IK website
Needles: recommended size (7?)
Yarn: Paton's SWS, Natural Geranium, ~1.25 balls
Mods: felted a little, left off the icord thingy

I know, I know... quit babbling, you nut, and show us the pictures!!

Here they are... aren't the color changes beautiful?






This is my attempt to show how much the wonky part sticks out. It's actually in the back of the hat, but I turned it so it would be easier to get a picture.


Here is a close up of the mistake. I don't know what to do about it, other than pretend it's not there. It's pretty noticeable, but since I worked pretty hard on this hat and don't know how to fix it, I'm choosing to not notice it. Haha. Unless you have a suggestion that doesn't involve ripping.

I have one skein left that I am going to use for a scarf. I really do love this yarn!

Oh, and finally fixed the cables on Gatsby Girl. Yay! Now I won't dread picking it up and working on it a bit when I have spare minutes!

Not a Fashionable Girl (photo heavy, sorry!)

I think, in my last post, I mentioned that I received a skein of Malabrigo, in gorgeous shades of purple. I'm in love with this yarn... and so worried that this one skein won't be enough for a fantastic scarf. I've been hesitant to start working with it due to that.



I also received 3 skeins of Noro Silk Garden, color 84. It's just beautiful... pretty much every color in the rainbow is in this one skein! Dusty said it looks like Fiestaware. Hehe. The ladies at the yarn store I got to visit on vacation told me it would take three skeins to make a bag I'd been eyeing... I ended up needing only a yard of the third skein to finish the bag. I think I also have complained already about my desire for an entrelac hat pattern to use the third skein. I don't know where the pattern is from, sorry! If you recognize it, please let me know. I definitely want to give credit.





Here are all the new yarns, including an in-progess shot of the bag.



And here's the finished bag:



Unbelievably easy, I started on this bag on Saturday, and finished it Monday, I think. It's all garter stitch, and some very simple shaping. It knit up so quickly, and while it's small, it's a great size for me - I never carry large bags! I love it!

I also finished this vest from Knit.1, Spring/Summer '05. I've never seen anyone else in knit-blogland make it, and I can't understand why! It's darling! I'm very happy with the finished product. I am a little worried that the sweater vest adds some unwanted bulk, though. I made the smallest size, and used under 3 skeins of Cotton-Ease in Pineapple for this, and made only a couple of mods. The vest was too long when I finished it, so I undid the seams, and removed a few (2 or 3?) inches from the bottom, picked up the ribbing, and knit until it was right. I also knit the armband ribbing in the round, as opposed to flat.



As the subject line states, I'm definitely NOT a fashionable girl, but in this outfit, I feel that even my super fashion conscious ex-roommate would approve. Hehe.

Here's a close-up of the vest.



And the side:



The details really are important:



And, just because I love it, a close-up of the fedora:



Those shoes could fool anyone into thinking I've got style!



Yes, I've posted them already, but the shoes really work with this outfit!

Is it too much to ask?

All I want is to knit an entrelac hat using my remaining skein of Silk Garden. Is that really asking too much? Apparently. The few patterns I have found seem to require more than one skein of yarn. Is entrelac really that much of a yarn hog? I can always get an entire hat out of just one skein, even with crochet... usually, I even have leftovers! So why would an entrelac hat need more than one skein of the Silk Garden? I'm afraid to start up anything if I'm going to need more or contasting yarn, because I've discovered this stuff doesn't like to be frogged very much. Well, I didn't actually have to rip it, but I did have to drop a couple of stitches to pick up one I'd dropped a few rows down, and that was more difficult than usual. Argh!

I have two FOs of which I'll be posting pictures soon (hopefully this week). Unfortunately, they are neither the Spencer jacket nor the Gatsby Girl sweater, but they are cute. I've only had time to work on easy projects, and it's annoying me... but school must come first!!

Oh, and not only was this my first Silk Garden experience, but I also finally got a skein of Malabrigo. That stuff is heaven! I am in love with it.

Future Knitting Projects

On the sidebar, I posted links to projects I am either going to knit, or considering - probably enough to last me a couple years... or several, considering how slowly I work (and no, I don't work slowly due to perfectionistic tendancies; every thing I've knit has mistakes in it that I didn't bother to fix). Since I have no interesting progress to talk about, or pictures of an FO to show, I'm going to talk a little about (possible) future projects. I like to do this every now and then, so I won't forget what I want to make, and what yarn I want to use when I make it... and after all, the only thing as fun as the knitting itself is the dreaming of a new project!

Note that these are not necessarily in order of when I want to knit them, or of which is my favorite.

So first, I've got Rapunzel. Ok, I lied... just a little. I've wanted to make this since I saw it on another blogger's... blog, back when I thought rowan was a tree. It's numero uno on the list right now (of wants... I don't know for sure that it will be my next knit, depends on if I can find yarn). I have no idea what yarn I'm going to use for it... it calls for Kid Classic, so I figure just about any worsted weight wool would do, and Lamb's Pride may work really well, since I am pretty sure both yarns have mohair content. I have never worked with Lamb's Pride, nor seen any of its colors, so I don't know about this. A sweater knit almost entirely in seed stitch - I don't think I'll want to do this again, so I'll have to get it right the first time, including the yarn and color. I've been thinking Wool of the Andes in Mulled Wine, since (at least on my monitor), it is a fantastic mauve-ish color I've been wanting to use for a very long time. Although, I may want washability, in which case Swish in Bordeaux would be just the thing. I've been dying to work with Andean Silk... but I don't know if it would work for this sweater. I've heard all about the stretching and shedding, and would hate for this sweater to lose its shape! Sangria would most likely be the color I'd choose for this yarn. Another problem with this sweater is that it is finished with a yarn called Rowan Lurex Shimmer something or other, and none of the colors I've seen for that would match the color I want the sweater to be. Which basically sucks, because I haven't seen anything yet that would work as a sub. Also, I think I will need to learn short-rows for bust sizing for this. Boo. Whew, that was long!

Next, I've got Eunny's Deep V Argyle Vest. I've got Telemark for this, in Bayberry and Snow Leopard. Sometimes, when I look at these colors, I love them together. Other times I hate them. Anyone want to trade some Pesto or Aubergine for some Bayberry? Actually, I bet Pesto and Aubergine would look good together...

Serrano is just what I've been looking for and thinking of (no, I don't care that I'm ending this sentence with "of," tyvm)! A fitted, simple, lacy cardigan. I've got Palette in black for this. Yes, black. How boring, right? I need a sweater that will match everything, and you can't get more neutral than basic black.

Technically, I think it's called "Jacket with 3/4 Sleeves" or some such boring name. I dubbed it Phildar "English Riding Jacket", and I love it! It's the reason I got this book. I've got some red (Cherry? is that the color?) Cotton-Ease that I think will be great for this sweater!

The Knitpicks Kimono Styled Sweater will be, I believe, in Merino Style, maybe in Petal or Rhubarb (yum!). I've also thought of using Storm, but it may be too dark, and I don't want to hide the cables.

This Garnstudio design,Drops 87-03 (Wrap Cardi with Flowers), I think I will knit in my Wool of the Andes Hyacinth. I LOVE this color so much, I could never say it enough!

Glampyre's Simple Knitted Bodice, aka Guinevere. Again, no idea what yarn to use. It calls for a silk Tilli Tomas yarn, and all silk yarns are super expensive. I thought this sweater could be more appropiate for Andean Silk than Rapunzel. I've also wondered about Elegance from Knitpicks... it's a smaller weight, so I don't know whether it would work... but it's alpaca and silk. Ideally, I'd knit this in white... but in reality I won't. I refuse to knit in white if at all possible (with the exception of Odessa, since I've procured a skein of white Cashsoft for that), because I know me, and I hate, hate, hate dingy whites. So when it started to get dingy and I realized I couldn't bleach it, I'd never wear it again. But maybe a cream color.

Cookie A's fantastic sock pattern, Baudelaire, will be knit in some purple shade of Palette I was going to use for Pomatomus socks, which will now be knit in some purple/blue/green shades.

I bought *gasp!* Red Heart for Tubey. But wait till you see it... I think it's going to look great!

What else would I use for Orangina other than Brown Sheep Cotton Fine? I love the yarn! BSCF has so many lovely colors, and I know I won't knit this until next summer, so it will depend on what colors I'm really digging at the time... but right now, I really like Oriental Jade, Dusty Sage, Spryte, and Rue.

Delphine?. If I decide to knit Delphine, which I probably will someday, since it is an amazing, beautiful design, well, I hadn't really thought about yarn for it yet, probably Wool of the Andes again, maybe Hush and Violet.

Something Red? This is probably less of an "if" than a "when??" I don't know what yarn it'll be, but it will definitely be in red. ;-)

Fetching? If I ever get just one ball of Trendsetters' Kashmir, I'd probably use it for this, or a small neckwarmer... something to wear it close to the skin and feel how nice and soft it is! It is really the softest yarn EVER. I think the lady at the yarn store I go visit when on vacation is tired of my petting it every time I go in... I'm sure she wishes I'd buy a ball and leave her yarn alone! haha.

Forecast? Another pattern I've wanted to knit since I saw it, I'd definitely knit Forecast in a tweedy red yarn. Some blogger had made some changes to it that I'd want to do also, so I'd have to find that blog again.

Judy Jetson? I FREAKING LOVE this pattern! This design is awesome! Will I ever knit it? I don't know... could I wear this in real life? I'm not sure I've got what it takes to wear this knit.

Arisaig? I love Arisaig. It's really beautiful... light, airy, almost wispy. Will I knit it? Hopefully someday.

Lucy in the Sky? Lucy in the Sky is a very cute, almost casual cardigan. The diamond patterning really sets it apart from the casual cardigan you could find in a store, which is why I'd knit Lucy. Not to mention the Beatles reference is awesome, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is a fantastic song.

From Knit.1's Art Issue, I want to make:
this Lace Tunic. It's one of my favorite sweater designs right now, and my only hesitation has been that you're supposed to find lace inserts for the jacket. Two inch lace is hard to find, and non-white 2" lace is even harder. So that's why I haven't started this yet. I'll alter it, though... mine is going to be shorter.

Butterfly Shawl. Love this shawl! Love it! Where would I wear it? Argh!

Cropped Cardigan. This is just a little edgy, and very cute. I've seen a few finished ones, and they all look great. I would love to do it in the green, but I don't know if I can wear green... especially that shade of green.

I don't knit many purses, but this polka dot bag is adorable! I am soooo making that! Another knit purse I want to make is this one, and soon. Out of wool, or a wool-blend... not alpaca, are they crazy?!

There is also a twist top from VK Summer 2005 that I am going to make out of some Cotton-Ease, either a bubble-gum pink or a pale green. And a gorgeous cardigan from this summer's VK I want to make also. Why are pictures of patterns from VK back issues so hard to find?

I'm also unofficially adding to this list a Clapotis, and a red Shetland Triangle. I'm also wanting to make a Morehouse Merino Camilla scarf, but using their varigated Monet yarn instead of a solid. I don't know if they'd do that, but I've really been wanting to use that yarn!

Anyway, I'm sure you're thinking "Geez, this girl sure does have a lot of things planned for herself!" Why yes, yes I do. No one I know really even WANTS me to knit for them, and I do knit for charity, but I feel it's fine to knit for myself as much as I have time. And I don't have a time limit set for any of my knits - it could be years from now that some of these projects finally are finished (or even started!). I do have a few things planned for others, but I can't post about them here.

By the way, as a progress update, I can say that it turns out I still need to work a bit on SS before the neck shaping, the darn messed up cables on GG are driving me nuts and I should have ripped it, but now I'm too stubborn, since I've already invested this time into fixing it without ripping, and I finished one stockinette project awhile back - a fabric knit purse. I don't know when I'll be able to line it, and finish putting it together, so it's not TECHNICALLY finished, but it's not my fault I have NO ROOM for cutting fabrics in this dorm! Otherwise, I'd have cut out the fabric for that darling little tweed skirt I've been planning for months... ANYWAY. So I started another stockinette project, and am, I'd say, around 40% done with it if you don't include the finishing time (and let's be realistic - I DON'T include the finishing time, because that means I'd have to think about it! That might slow progress).

Well, this was a good 15 min wasted. :-p

Mermaid

Why doesn't Hanne Falkenberg sell her patterns outside of kits? I would knit Mermaid in a second if I could get just the pattern. I could knit it in colors I actually like, for, I think, way less than 1/3 of the price of the kit. Sigh...

I feel the same way about a few of the designs from Kim Hargreaves' site.

I wonder if they really make that much more money selling only kits.

Spencer is going well. But I'm getting to the hard part. The neck shaping. Oh yay. I feel frustration coming on. :-(

My feet are freezing! I really should knit those Pomatomus socks soon. And some fingerless gloves for my hands. And maybe a shawl, since I'm wrapped in my cozy blanket right now. My room is actually cold for a change! Brr! Could the a/c finally be working? Unlikely.

I Hate the 80s (fashions)

I really, really do. So why do I LOVE this look (on the model; I'm sure I wouldn't like it on myself)?!


Image from Newport News website.

Other things I'm loving - the ballet flats (particularly with bows). Also, faux animal skin, but only in the form of shoes (and one particularly hot dress I own but have never worn). Pointy toe slides. Vintage 40s and 50s dresses, or new dresses made from vintage patterns in that time period. Round toe tweed heels... actually anything tweed! Pointy, red, mid-calf boots, with a heel, of course, and military style jackets (though I doubt I'd wear one, the style is really cute). Trumpet skirts. My beloved button-down shirts. Pink, red, turquiose/blue-green, seafoam/mint, grey. And, of course, lacy or cabled knits. The Kara Janx Kimono dresses (see below).


Apparently I even love red and pink together now.
Here's a link to Kara Janx

Things I am definitely NOT feeling: skinny pants, tunic length anything, leggings, jeans under skirts, balloon skirts, those boots with all the fur... this list could get long... very, very long.

On the knitting front, I've gone into the body of the Spencer, but not very far. That's it. School is not leaving me much time for knitting! :-(

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! :-)