So here is yet another work in progress. Probably the easiest (most mindless?) project going on right now–even the Central Park Hoodie requires counting rows once in a while to get the cables right, but this type of endless, endless moss stitch is easily done while watching TV/catching up on reading for 3 criminal justice lectures, oops/helplessly cramming for theory and music history :x
The pattern is from the Fall 2007 issue of Interweave. The yarn is Knit Picks Main Line, which is a nice 75% cotton 25% merino blend. It’s kind of thick-feeling, but overall the texture is smooth and makes a nice fabric. So far there seems to be pretty good drape, so I’m happy. Hopefully Main Line will come in more colors in the future, though; I haven’t been thrilled with what I’ve been picking lately; this is in “ink” which unfortunately is not “jet-black” ink but rather “gone through the wash many times” ink… I’m torn between disliking it and appreciating that the finished product will look comfortably worn-in.
Still, for this kind of non-form-fitting garment the yarn works quite effectively and most of my black pants are already this color anyway… and moss stitch looks awesome.
By the way, I finished the back of the CPH and am almost done with the front–just 2 more inches of the arm hole shaping I think and then the neck. So that’s slowly progressing… blocking is also difficult since the sinks are tiny at school and so I have to do my piece soaking/washing in the shower… damn. So I either need to overcome the awkwardness of walking out of a dormitory shower with a bucket of wet knitted things or I need to ask someone who lives in a house/apartment a favor. More posts with WIPs coming up!
So the back is almost done. Yeah! Just a few more inches around the armhole area left. I was a knitting idiot and didn’t swatch, but stretching this just enough to define the cables was enough to get roughly 16.5″… probably all I need.
By the way, this is a really horrible representation of the color. See the previous hoodie-related post for better coloring.
In anticipation for my parents’ birthdays (or Christmas, depending on how long all of this takes) I am making two mitered squares blankets out of Lion Brand Wool-Ease. Instead of using making the blankets “psychedelic”, though, I’m only using three (maybe four) colors for each; Dad’s is a sunflowerish theme (or a lion? Maybe that is more masculine) with LB Wool-Ease’s chestnut heather, avocado, and gold, and Mom’s theme is inspired by one of her necklaces that she likes: peacock (I hope this actually looks like turquoise), plus either oxford grey and camel or maybe blush heather or white thrown in there somehow. Depending on how far the Wool-Ease I have takes me, these might be full size cover-the-couch-or-bed deals or just lapghans. The squares knit up pretty quickly, so I don’t think I’ll have trouble doing two large-ish blankets; decreasing on every other row just makes me feel a strong sense of accomplishment somehow… :)
My only complaint is the chestnut heather color that I mistook for a deep brown when I first saw it. In the picture above it also looks kind of okay, but in reality it is almost a purplish-red-brown, especially next to the avocado; hopefully avocado-gold and chestnut heather-gold squares will not clash as much as these do. In the future, though, I’ll definitely go with chocolate brown instead.
I also started on the Central Park Hoodie (Interweave Knitscene fall 2006). My somewhat unreasonable fear of cables will be conquered! This is in a deep but wonderfully vivid green color of Cascade 220 superwash (an indulgence in yarn snobbery of sorts), further deepening my love for things I really cannot afford but luckily find on eBay.
Progress as of this morning. There are still awkward holes next to and behind the cable twists like all of the other cables I have tried to knit in the past, but I was pulling on stitches with a crochet hook and it might really just be a tension issue. Hopefully I can fix it while actually knitting, however, or else my patience will probably run out if I go up every row pulling on stitches to close holes. Other than that I’ve read the whole pattern and it doesn’t seem horrifying; the only other fear I have is the actual fit; more on this later.
Yarn: Lion Cotton
Pattern: “ribbed lace bolero” from 10 feet high
Completed: September 10, 2007
The genius behind this pattern is that it is really only a rectangle. The fit is surprisingly good; mine is a little loose under the arm (even looser than the usual extra folds at the arm pit of many shrugs like this) but if I just reseam it’ll look okay. And the lace goes very, very quickly–only, I cheated and just skipped the cabling that makes the two sides symmetrical. Fold the collar over, however, and no one can see the omission. Incidentally, I also finished watching Ouran High School Host Club as I was binding off :)
Here is another Barbara Walker mosaic pattern called maze. The chart is from a Knitty hat pattern and I tried it out–it knitted pretty thickly, but the chart was easy to memorize. I’m now thinking of making something felted with some of these mosaic patterns as soon as I get my hands on some animal fiber yarns.
Paycheck came in and I have a zero balance on my credit card (!!), so under the pretext of purchasing music history textbooks I spent hours on eBay buying yarn. However I did still spend loads less money on the yarn than the books (3 books + 12 CDs for one class = empty wallet); this is my trying-to-stay-guilt-free line of thinking. I am a bulk buyer for everyone I can buy in bulk, after all, so I can’t resist eBay.
Recent purchases/wins include:
- Interweave Knitscene magazine, fall 2006
- 6 skeins of Patons SWS (“Natural Earth”)
- 5 skeins of Cascade 220 superwash (color #801, some type of darkish green)
- 2 skeins of Cascade 220 (color #9430, highland green I think)
- Addi Turbo circulars, sizes 3, 4, 5
- the whole set of Norton Western Music related books
And hopefully 6 skeins of Rowan Cotton Glace (color: “passion”) that I have really high hopes for.
Moving in was quite a difficult process. Randomized student allocation led to my placement in a poorly designed room leading to an approximately 9′x7′ of space. Throw a bed, dresser, and desk in there and I’m not even sure how much floor space I have. From this picture it is probably apparent that I had trouble making the transition between living in a two-bedroom apartment to here:
Fortunately everything is in order (no picture yet, though) and there’s been time for some quality TV/anime (hereby blaming Hannah for all current addictions) which inevitably leads to knitting:
First, that bottom-up raglan is finally growing. Yeah! more pictures when I get to sleeve level.
And now, a mystery swatch… ? Today’s after-rehearsal time was spent figuring out how to do these “mosaic” patterns. I will invest in the Barbara Walker book soon, but for now I’m managing by counting stitches from various swatch pictures (this Barbara Walker Mosaic Knitting pattern, called “chain,” is featured in a post in the Walker Treasury Project) and the explanation of mosaic/slip stitch color knitting from an older knitty article. Where will the pattern go? How will other patterns turn out? I have several other patterns drawn out on graph paper still to be swatched before I decide on which one to use on an article of clothing… or something. Blocking and then decision to follow.
