Texture?

Ok, I finished the textured tunic a while ago and still can't decide if I like the color. I was very proud of my self with the sleeves. I finished one of them completely and cast off and that is when I stoped deluding myself that I liked how it looked.

I didn't read the instructions until after I had knit the whole textured section only to realise that I should have been decreasing. Well I just decreased after like in the body and thought for some reason it would be ok. Also for the 'bell' part at the end I followed the patter and just don't like it at all. It took all my strength to rip it all back and admit that I had waisted the past 4 hours of knitting.

I have officially worn the sweater twice, once to a 5K that my husband ran in and once to work. I love the eye-hole in theory and when my bra strap isn't showing. I'm thinking about sewing it shut since my bra straps rarely stay where they should, I have slopey shoulders.

I really like the buttons and button tabs the way I made them. No key-hole down there and if I where to make one small change it would be to knit one round even and separate and not start increasing on that first round (ie separate the round before I did).

This being the first wool sweater I have finished I am very scared to wash it. Also, blocking question, what is the point of blocking? Wouldn't you have to do it again every time you wash the thing?

I will make this dress one day or my name isn't...

Ok it's not a very good picture of it, I saw it in a catalog before and they have a shorter version that is a sweater but I love the dress. (from Victoria secret by the way and it is very creatively called cable dress) I would consider just buying it for the low low price of $69 which is probably how much I would spend on it if I used wool but I'm not a yarn snob so acrylic yarn here I come.

Lets Add a Little Texture

The first pair of socks are done. I tried wearing them last Friday (finished last Thursday) but they hurt like mad when I put my feet in my shoes. I got as far as the train station and had to take them off. I washed them thinking that this would help. Well, they took over 2 hours to dry in the dryer!!! I hand washed them since I was afraid the dye would still come off (it did but don't know if there was enough to dye my clothes pink) and threw them in the dryer by them selves for about 1/2 hour while washing machine finished. Then add the load in with then, another hour and 1/4. The load of laundry dried completely, took it out and left the socks in there with the jeans and turned the heat up. They still did not dry in the last 1/2 so I had them air dry in the car. I really wanted to show them off. Well they felt much better but I really should take off a few stitches to wear with shoes. (yes, yes, I know that lama told me to reduce at least another 4 stitches but I just didn't listen) But after that drying escapade I just don't know if I will knit any more socks out of my cotton yarn.

On to my next project. I am just as unsure about the success of this one. I started on the Textured Tunic from Fitted Knits (the sweater pictured on the cover). I used the clearance yarn I got from JoAnns and now know why it was on clearance. The different colors look so nice in the skein but not so nice all knit up. When I first tried the sweater on with the front all finished, my hubby exclaimed that he would never be seen in public with me wearing it. That might be a bit rash on the colors, they aren't that bad. But they aren't perfect. Here it is with the front and back all finished.

Colors aside there were a many things not to like about this pattern. Do a quick search on Raverly, I'm not the only one with these complaints, but there are some things I love about the pattern that many people complained about.

1) the key hole at the neck line. I love it. This detail is why I wanted to knit the thing in the first place. True it does present a problem with the bra strap but I always have that problem (I have sloped shoulders so shirt and bra strap are always sliding off anyway)

2) cast on neck line rolls. I love it. Look at the pic in the book, I'm pretty sure it is mean to roll. I think the look is very cute and goes right along with the key hole.

3) not a fitted pattern. I made adjustments. This is the most disappointing thing about this pattern. Looking at the pics it looks VERY fitted but looking at the schematic it shows there is none. I reduced 16 stitches right after the textured section (k2tog sm ssk) at each end every other row 4 times. Then I increased 12 stitches back in the side slit set up rows using kfb and disguised it as a k1 p1 in the moss paneling.

4) the button tabs. I love/hate it. As written the button tabs would have created a key hole and I did not like that, so thanks to Raverly I was able to make a few adjustments with out froging that much. What I did was to knit 5 rounds after the side slit set up with out separating. Then when I did separate on round/row 6 I increased 1 stitch each end for the next 8 rows instead of the cast on 5 stitches each side in row 12. Then followed the rest of the pattern as is. I really liked how the buttons rested on the front hip bone and did not want them on the side of the hip so liked the idea of the tabs to wrap around. Just not the idea of having a big hole right on my love handles.

I'm still not to sure about the color, think it would work better with lots of cabling. I'm going to go ahead and finish the sleeves and wear it to work and then decide if the whole thing will be froged or not. (Let me know if you have an opinion on the color)

When The Moon Hits Your Eye...

My family is a big Italian family (ok so not at all, we are big on being part Italian but small in numbers, my great grandfather was all Italian but this is all I have in me) We used to have a yearly ravioli party. We would make enough to cover a queen sized bed, they eat ourselves silly. We haven't done this family tradition in quite a while (family drama) but this year it has come back. We didn't quite cover a queen sized bed, only 3 cookie sheets, but it was scrumptious.

Also, this year I was old enough to help make the ravioli, not just crimp the edges with a fork. It is actually pretty easy to make the ravioli dough (but then I think making bread is pretty easy now so...) The recipe is also simple enough to memorise it from just one go around:

4 cups shifted flour

2 tsp salt

2 tbl oil

1 egg

1 cup warm water

put flour and salt in bowl and stir. create a dip in the middle (shove it all to the sides) and add egg, oil and water and slowly incorporate in flour. Once incorporated, kneed for 10 min, adding flour as necessary. Cover and let rest for 30 min. Role out, cut, stuff, fold over, crimp with fork.

Let rest for 10 to 20 min in fridge or for the time it takes to boil the water, boil in water until done. A good indication of when they are almost done is once they start floating to the top.

Voila!! That's-a-good-a-meat-a-ball.

The view from my grandma's backyard is also great!!

My Kind of Town Chicago Is

Yes, I am in downtown Chicago every day of the week for work and school but don't normally go in on the weekends. This weekend me and the hubby took a trip down to see the Art Institute and the architecture. When we got there is wasn't open yet so we stood outside long enough for me to find this:

Can't quite see why this no parking sign is interesting? Lets take a closer look:

Talk about knitting upholstery, some one made a sock for this sign post. True I'm pretty sure it is crochet and not knit but still, quite impressive. Whoever made this must have made it right on the pole, maybe everyday while waiting for the light (quite along light since it is Michigan Ave) they chained on a new row? (or whatever the correct crocheting term for another row is)

Found this inside the Art Institute, it used to be a panel under a stair railing,

This would make a very nice stitch pattern. I'm now going to try to invent such a thing. Cables and yarn overs all in one, this will make a very nice pot holder.

Also, can you say Native American quilt?
The repetition of basically the same design reminded me of exactly a quilt. This is painted on a animal skin but still looks of the thing. The sign on the wall says that it was actually a partition to separate off a holy room for the chief or something like that. I didn't read that far in because me and hubby started arguing about whether it was outside-inside wall or inside-inside wall. The sign clearly said inside-inside (without using those exact words but the point was pretty clear) but sometimes men just don't listen.

After the Art Institute we stepped right into the 1950's. This is Patty Burger just a half block down Adams. It has a very small street front but the colors were just to much to pass up. I didn't actually now the decade we were traveling to but my mom-in-law confirmed the date. Very good food.

I Met A Celebrity

Yesterday I went to YarnCon with the local snb group. I hadn't planed on going until I discovered that Ann and Kay of Mason-Dixon Knitting were going to be there (I would use exclamation points here but to convey my excitement would use to many, lets just say it would be similar to the excitement of winning on a game show ) I met Ann and she signed my book, and I have proof. (Kay wasn't actually there so I couldn't show her my applied i-cord potholder)

Now I will take a minuet to explain why I am quite so crazy about the Mason-Dixon Knitting Gals. Their book was the first to show me the vast on-line knitting group and I will always be extremely grateful. I am now officially obsessed with knitting and now know that I am not alone. I had been knitting for a little over 5 years before I read their book but it was never obsession (my friends will tell you otherwise but I never really went over the deep end until I read there book) Their writing style was just so different from the other pattern books, IE it had a writing style. They talked about knitting the way I had always thought about it, but never had anyone to talk about it with that didn't look at me like I was mad. Now, I have never actually knitted anything from their book... but just love the way they talk about knitting. I fully intend to eventually knit the after dark nightie and tailgate rad rug (I actually have yarn for this one) and a log cabin blanket and many more from their new book (once I finish reading it).

There was a knitting group that had a great idea, they destashed their yarn and sold it in surprise bags for $5. I really wanted to get one just cuz it was a great idea. They also had the crazy cool row counter that was a bracelet.

I found another new plant fiber to knit with. This time it is banana (ok to the dried trunk of a banana tree) and silk. I got five hanks of the plum/brown (bottom right) from BodhiYarn. I now have to come up with what to knit with this find. I have about 750 yards and am thinking a 3/4 length sleeve shirt (if possible) sleeves to shorten if needed (here I go again)

I'm Dyeing to Knit

I had a very slow day at work a few weeks ago and this is what I found. How to dye.

A while back I had bought a 5.5 lb cone of cotton yarn that I intended for my Ikea Tube Chair Slip-Cover. Well the 5.5 lb cone of yarn turned out to be a sport weight, not exactly something to knit a slip-cover with. I'm eventualy going to buy Peaches & Creme double worsted weight but need 7 lb to finish (didn't take into consideration that cotton is heaver then wool when buying only 5.5 lb) Since I'm chaning to cotton it will be less exspensive than wool but the very idea of buying 7 lbs to knit right now is crazy. I need to destash and bit and finish school before I start on this indever.

So the question arouse, what to do with the 5.5 lb cone of cotton that I have? I got it in a cream color, originaly with the idea that I could dye it to whatever color I wanted the chair cover to be. So I thought why not go ahead and still dye it. I had always wanted to try the kool-aid dyeing. I did a little research and found that kool-aid will not dye cotton (a very sad day). But did find that tye-dye will work. My little cousin originaly gave me the idea at once of our family parties but I didn't remember the conversation untill I had done my research.

Now that I was for sure going to use tye-dye the question was what for? Since I had just made my first sock (even if it was on size 6 needles) I wanted to make another. Plus then I could use the self striping tutorial I found. Plus this yarn was the perfect weight for my first real socks. (I got the 5.5 lb cone on ebay from Frank's, and he has alot more bulk cotton in off white colors if you would like to give it a try). From the book I got at the library I determined that most socks used 400 yds so I wound off 6 400 yd hanks. The first hank was around two chairs 20' apart, the next 10' apart then three 5' apart that the last one with the chairs right next to each other (about 3' apart). From my calculations the 20' would make about 6 row strips with 3 diffrent colors.

I did not think to take picks of the whole dying procces but I basicaly followed the tutorials I found online. What I did discover is

1) Do not use the gloves they give you in the tye-dying kit. I got a hole in mine and half my hand was completly blue. Thankfuly durrng my reasrech I found a comment to use baking soda to get dye off your hands, and it worked but I still had to wash them about 5 times.

2) definatly do it on wet yarn, the only way to get a even color is to 'kneed' the dye in, or else you will by using way to much dye. I had the kind with a squirt bottle instead of puting it in bowles, that might work out diffrent. But then all that kneeding is probably what put the hole in my glove.

3) one kit with 3 dyes is enough for 3 1/2 400 yd hanks. The 20' and 10' hanks i did as the self striping and a 5' hank I did all crazy like, to use up most of the dye and only had blue left (by far the strongest dye in the kit I got)

4) if you let the dye set for 3 days all wraped up it will STINK when you take it out. After rinsing out the exsess dye, wash it with soap. Twice if need be.

I have now finished my first real sock (with a proper guesset) however I thougth this was fingerling yarn, and it most definatly is not. I used 60 stiches for this sock, and I really need to use at least 12 less stiches. So I have now declared it sport weight yarn and have cast on 48 stiches for the next sock. Also, now that I'm doing all this winding of hanks into balls and do not yet have a ball winder I found this really great tutorial on how to hand wind center pull balls.