Homework!

I have to pull my head out, and do my homework. I signed up for a TKGA finishing class in Philly, and gotta swatch.

Description: The student will learn to work stockinette, reverse stockinette, and perpendicular seams. Both 3-needle and sloped bind-off will be taught as well as duplicate stitch, grafting, weaving in ends and blocking.

Homework: 4 swatches of stockinette stitch in light colored worsted weight yarn with stitches bound off, 5 swatches of stockinette stitch in light colored worsted weight yarn with open stitches

Sounds dull, but if it makes my finishing something OTHER than running up seams on lil' Miss Pfaff, then it's worth it. I've always wanted to really get comfortable with duplicate stitch, too.

Sunny Soleil

Ok, so it's now straight on with Soleil. Sonata knit at gauge isn't a good T-shirt fabric, so I have no regrets about frogging. The horseshoe pattern is straightforward. I've heard rumblings and grousings that the zero ease built into this pattern is problematic, but I think I should be ok as long as I keep it relaxed. Knitting too tightly has never been a problem for me (my informal survey indicates it's less of a problem for continental knitters), but the wrong size is sometimes an issue.

B2 and I were talking last night-even tension in stockinette is the Holy Grail. If you look at the Soleil sample, you can see a trouble spot. Glad my yarn is a variegated yarn, because it will confuse the eye! Knit on!!!

Ditch it or not?

Oh, look! The Picoveli yoke is done-in spite of itself. I had a frog incident yesterday when I had a serious look at exactly how big 31 stitches (cast on for the underarm) was. It was BIG. I tried it on, and said "Yeah, it's gotta go." So I frogged. About 20 rows, and then cast on 21 stitches for the underarm.

But in doing so, I have seriously undermined my confidence in my ability to create a top DD actually wants to wear! I added 12 stitches at cast on so the neckline would be more open-but it's REALLY open.

And so I have to make a decision this morning-press on, or frog the 2 1/2 balls that are knitted........and cast on Soleil that's shown in Knitty http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/PATTsoleil.html instead?? Hmmm. Gotta pick. Soleil is looking better and better because I don't have any confidence in this project. Damned frog!


Mark made a "ditch it or not" choice yesterday. He walked into the shop yesterday, and we all did a double take-he got a haircut and donated it to Locks of Love. He said the girl at the salon didn't want to cut his hair. Several women walked in to the cafe and sulked about Mark cutting his hair. Living proof that yes, my DH has the best hair in the universe. I like the way he looks with short hair (he only had the ponytail for a year), but on the other hand, we can't kid him about looking like Jesus anymore.

It's a rough choice...to ditch it or not?

With fond memories-

This post is to memorialize Jackie, who was killed last Thursday in a wet weather car accident. I went to her memorial yesterday afternoon, and it hit me. Instead of a rowdy "Heeeyyyyy Guuurrrrrrllllllllll" in her thick as peanut butter on Wonderbread drawl, I see her, a deflated Jackie balloon. No more grousing about this or that, no more pleasantries shouted across the parking lot. Oh Jackie, I am sorry.

Crystal did a good job with her mama's hair and make-up, I am surprised she managed to do it at all. I saw her darling son-gosh, he'll be a looker, I hope this won't send him into Stupidland. He's only 16.

Somehow, and I truly believe this, I think Jackie's heart and her personality were too big to turn off suddenly, like a well gone dry. I think she'll be around to peek in on the kids. Her messages won't be delivered in a cheerful bull-doggin' yell; I think they will be in little breaths, the kind that stir dust into sudden tiny vortexes late on summer afternoons.

Jackie, it's been a pleasure knowing you. I wouldn't have prayed so hard for rain if I had known you were the price we'd pay for it.

Ehhh-what an underachievement

After 4 years of wringing my hands because I didn't UNDERSTAND the Japanese schematic, and being so proud that I figured it out, it's knitted. Ehh. Nothing special. It's got a petite scale, which my DMIL will appreciate, but really, it's just a t-shirt. What a let-down. It's all over but the sewing.

I cast on for Grumperina's Picovoli. Find the info at http://www.grumperina.com/picovoli.htm. I'm using Elann's Lilac Sachet Sonata DK cotton. When I say I am making it, I mean I am not hacking and slashing the pattern to bits-I tweaked it by using YO increases at the raglan, because the color is soooo girly girl, and I opened up the neckline a little, which will be MUCH more flattering for the giftee, who's a little busty. I am also going to use Ladder Lace on the "side seams" to correlate with the YO increases. It's such a girly color, anything more lacy would be overkill, but I wanted to add a little pop!

Some things are endless....

I've been working on a pattern I got from Yuzawaya in Tokyo several years ago. They wouldn't let me take a picture of the sample garment, so I was stuck with an incomprehesible Japanese pattern. I happened to run across an old Nihon Vogue from the 80s, and that gave me the keys to unlocking the pattern. I'm working Elann's Sonata in Cypress Grove....and now that I understand the pattern, it's just endless stripes of stockinette with bands of dropped garter. My enthusiasm needs a boost!

Speaking of other things that seem to go on forever, Natalie Mains is whining again.
"The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism," Maines resumes, through gritted teeth. "Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country… I don't see why people care about patriotism."http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/06/15/bmdixie15.xml

I gotta say it, because obviously she fell asleep in Civics class-Freedom of Speech comes with responsibility...if people pay to listen to you, they can take their money elsewhere if they don't like your message.

Sheena swings!

Detail of my Sheena tank in Elann's Mayan Treasure Sonata-

I bought seven skeins of Elann's Mayan Treasure Sonata. When it came in, I was a little non-plussed; the yarn was a good deal more orange than I anticipated. I don't wear tiger stripes or leopard prints!

After privately rechristening this yarn colorway "Tigress", I dug out a 2002 copy of IWK, and made a mitered tank. The original pattern was for a cap sleeved shell in Muench Touch Me, but I did a few modifications and ended up with SHEENA!

It's the most beautiful color EVER.....I got a box of Elann Sonata in. Despite an inbred loathing of brown clothing, I have to say I TRULY love this color. I have several things I have to get out of the way, but I cannot WAIT to hit this color.

I also got a few others in, but this one just SENDS me.