Sleeve on the ground

Sleeve #1 is complete awaiting further instructions from the mother ship.  OK, kidding – but it is done.

I decided to just make the sleeves based on my arm measurements rather than following the pattern as written and then make it work after joining up with the body.  All that means is to decide how wide you want the sleeve at the wrist and bicep, do some math to figure out your rate of increase and get going.  I’m glad I did because the bicep  would have been too tight if I’d kept to the pattern.  My biceps aren’t big and muscled, so perhaps the Garnstudio folks have very underdeveloped arms and design their patterns thusly.  Whatever reason, it’s an easy fix.

Now off to hunker down and enjoy my day off.

 

Cherry blossoms!

After working the flight from hell yesterday (as purser no less – the repository of all problems), I ended up in San Francisco with a 28 hour layover.  I’m being paid to go home and sleep in my own bed.  If that payoff wasn’t enough, what do I see on 19th Ave.?  My first sighting of cherry blossoms of the season!

I LOVE cherry blossoms.  To me they mean spring, newness, endless possibilities and my birthday.  My birthday is still a month and a half off, but here are the blossoms that made me happy after a crappy, long day.  I shoved my iPhone (with it’s cherry blossom skin) out the window at the traffic light and what you get a a crappy pic, but I hope they make you smile today too.

 

Meet me…

Today’s edition of “What can Silvia see out her hotel room window” is brought to you by The Arch.  I rather like the nighttime edition too…

Stay warm!

 

Green girl knits

I seem to have zipped through knitting most of the body of Drops 109-3.  Because I subbed a yarn with a different gauge I’m ending up using the measurements in the pattern and not the “repeat motif 3 times” instructions.  A note to Drops pattern writers:  THANK YOU for putting in the measurements AND the repeat 3 times business.  So freaking helpful – whether you sub yarn or not (do you think the Rowan pattern writers can hear me?).

At this stage of the knitting I switch to garter stitch.  Since I’m not sure about my garter stitch gauge, I’m going to make the sleeves and put off the problem.  Very mature I am.  I will have to knit a garter stitch gauge, I realize that.  But then I’ll have to do math and pull out the very wonderful Sweater Design in Plain English to calculate my rate of yoke decreasing.  Now you see why I’m making the sleeves first, don’t ya?

 

It’s Cable Time!

I’ve unexpectedly ended up having a week off because I don’t have to work my trip this weekend!  Yay!  A weekend off, the first in months!  It’s rained everyday and I don’t care.  We need the rain, it’s not cold and I’m not working!  It does make for poor photo taking conditions though.

After finishing my Origami Cardie the other day, I should have picked up my other Phildar sweater in progress and worked on that.  I should have done that.  I did not.  I wandered out to the stash in the garage and picked up the gorgeous green Foxhill Farm Cormo Cross purchased last New York Sheep and Wool.  I always buy one sweater’s worth because it’s my absolute favorite yarn, evah!

After falling into the cormo’s grasp, I even knew what pattern I wanted to knit.  I’ve loved Drops 109-3 for ages and thought I could fudge the gauge of the cormo enough to make it work.  So far I think it’s working well, I just have to see how much yarn this sweater is eating as I go.  I know I don’t have enough for a hood because I have 1375 yards of worsted weight, but I should have enough for a sweater with cute collar.  (Yes I bought all the yarn the vendor had in this handdyed one of a kind colorway – there was no more so this one won’t be my fault if I don’t have enough.  Defensive, aren’t I?)

What else has my lazy self been loving this week?  I read Reginald Hill’s latest (from the library), watched Murphy’s Law Series 1 (from Netflix - love them), cooked the easiest Braised BBQ Beef (4 hours braising in Stubbs Original BBQ sauce – yum) and found Robertson’s Thick Cut Marmalade in the British section of my local supermarket.  I may just pull out the sewing machine and make something too!  Maybe.

This weekend I’ll be watching Up in the Air and not be up in it.  How’s that for perfect irony?

 

Oh ye of little faith

I finished my freaky triangular Phildar sweater (my rav link here)!  During this quick break in rain I rushed outside to try to photograph the finished sweater (but sadly did not think to brush my hair…).

The sweater is a bit bigger than anticipated, but I prefer big and loose so I’m not displeased.  Clearly I could have made a size or two smaller, but for this design precision isn’t key.

I followed the pattern because I pretty much had to.  This thing is knit in a odd shape for the body and then you add triangular bits for the sleeves.  I didn’t finish the sweater as written though.  The pattern called for single crochet around the fronts, bottom and sleeves.  My cast on is neat and pretty, so we don’t need to crochet over that.  At the CF I used a chain selvedge and they are also neat and pretty.  They turn in a bit, but I rather like that – so no crochet there.  The sleeves were all jagged looking from the decreases used to shape them and single crochet wouldn’t really fix that.  I decided to use a 4 stitch applied icord edging and I rather like how that came out.

Next up is to find a button that doesn’t stand out since there’s enough going on without added distraction.  I’m also thinking of trying to cover a button with a little scrap of knitting.  That may not work because of the bulk, but I’ve got some covered button kits around here somewhere.

Triangle power baybee!

 

Saturday stroll in Savannah

I’m back in Savannah this Saturday morning and it’s a bit rainy and quiet.  A great time to grab the camera and find a cup of coffee.  Enjoy the view with me.

 

Origami body

I just couldn’t wait to sew up this sweater to see how those weird sleeves would work.  Well it turns out it wasn’t too tricky to carry out, just needed lots of pins and a bit of steam.

After the sew up I now see that either my gauge is off or the sweater grows under its own weight.  Layed out as you see it, this is about 7 cm too wide.  Obviously in a big, loose sweater like this,  7 cm isn’t a deal breaker so onward.

I’m working on the collar now, it’s knit with double strand and half fisherman rib.  You make the collar and fold it in half and sew it in.  This may or may not work, but I’ll try it as written first.  If needed I can always think outside the box, but I’ll save myself (the labor) at this minute (quit giggling).

Here’s to a rainy day off.

 

Strange shapes

I’ve knit away on my Origami Sweater (rav link here) and have completed the body piece called “Back and Front Sides” which is a big rectangle with four triangles protruding at various angles.  I’ve folded those triangles down to show where the “sleeve” I’m knitting will go.  Yes that triangle bit is where the sleeve goes.  Now you’d think the sleeve would be shaped like the hole it’s meant to fill.  But no bucko!  The “sleeve” is shaped like those fairy wings you smack on your kid’s back on Halloween.  You apparently make the wings, fold them into some form, keeping a hole free for your appendage and sew them in.

I can’t believe I was complaining about the finishing on those damn felted slippers, this sweater will be so much worse.  I’m still working on the first “sleeve”, but I think a trip to the wine shop will be needed for the finishing effort.

 

Snow Day

I’m enjoying the snow from the warmth of my hotel room.  Perfect snow day.