11.11.2005

Completed: iPod Shuffle Cozy


oh so cozy


I created this Shuffle case out of necessity. I had been carrying my iPod around in my backpack for about a month, and it was getting dirty from pencil lead and other miscellaneous muck in my front pocket.


merv is happy and warm

Specs:
Pattern: My own.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Brites in Blue Mint and Limelight. I used very little of each skein.
Needles: US size 4 bamboo.

This was really easy and quick to make. It gave me a chance to make a small buttonhole for the first time, and to try mattress stitch. Besides, it serves a complete functional purpose housing Merv, my Shuffle. ;)

11.07.2005

Christmas List

I'm going to keep a running list here that will be updated as needed. Check back often.

Notes: Obviously a lot of knitting-related items will be included on the list. This items will in large part be available online exclusively. I will try to provide links to the best websites to order from, as far as item prices and shipping and handling. In general though, some of my favorite knitting websites of the moment are The Knitting Garden (fairly good prices with free shipping on orders over $75), and Kaleidoscope Yarns (good selection, shipping is free on orders over $100). When denoted, KnitPicks is great because it has free shipping on any order over $30. It is most likely (but not definitely) a bad idea to buy me anything knitting-related that is not specifically requested on the list. Oh, and M will probably use some of these ideas, so you may want to check with him before making your purchases. Email me with any questions or for further advice.


The Christmas list is officially finished.


Yay!!!

11.06.2005

Completed: Straight Neck Pullover

Straight-jacketed is more like it. My first attempt at a sweater could have ended more happily. I'm tempted to say that I understand why unrest exists at the thought of a Suss Cousins pattern, but I fear that the biggest problems may be due merely to my non-skill. In defense of myself, whether I have skill or not, whether the pattern was well-written or not, I think it was an ugly sweater regardless (I can say that now, looking back. I thought it was infinitely beautiful before I started.).



Sadly, this photo does not quite do justice to the patheticness that is this sweater. I wish things had turned out better, folks. I truly do.

Specs:
Pattern: Straight Neck Pullover from Hollywood Knits
Yarn: Two strands held together of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Worsted in Seaspray, which is apparently discontinued. I don't remember how many skeins it took; I think it was six.
Needles: US Size 13

There will never be pictures of me trying this sweater on, for a number of reasons:

1) The gauge was a terrible disaster. The sweater turned out much too small for me. I thought about giving it to my mother, but for the following reasons, that didn't happen either.
2) The sleeves ended up being too big for the armholes. Consequently, they puff out at the shoulder like a Snow White dress.
3) This was the first time I ever had to do major seaming work. I redid the shoulder-to-shoulder seams three times each, and the sleeve-to-body seams at least three times. My efforts were to no avail. I need seaming therapy.
4) I tried to use M1 increases on the sleeves, but something went wrong there too. I'd like to claim that the resulting pairs of holes all the way up the sleeves are the result of my first time tries at M1 increases, but that wouldn't be right, as I did at least twenty of them, and not one came out any better than the first. Sigh.

I am very tired at the thought and sight of this sweater, so I decided to play with it. Having read an article recently about steeking (and not caring much what happens to this abomination they call a sweater), I undid a shoulder seam and sewed it back on. It seems to have been entirely reckless now. I definitely think the seam looks better, but I'm scared that the yarn is going to unravel to under the seam. Does anyone know if that is a legitimate worry? If so, is there anything I can do about it? I'm going to try and figure out the answers to these questions before starting the next sleeve.

Now that I have my first sweater out of the way, I'm sort of looking forward to my next one. I'm also sort of dreading it. I'm scared that I'm not going to end up liking any sweater that I knit for myself, since it will probably be a large, and consequently not as beautiful as any picture shown in a pattern.

If things turn out well with the fake steeking (feeking?), perhaps I'll post. Otherwise I'll sulk away in shame.


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