Monday, April 30, 2007
I like to knit. And to layer.
My outfit I wore this past weekend to a little house party,
topped off with a dash of Chevron Scarf.
Not all knitted projects work out the way you might initially envision it to,* but I don't think I would knit at all if I didn't like some of what I make enough to wear it out in public.
The Apricot Jacket is nearly two years old. It's practically vintage, and given the haphazard way I "sewed" on the buttons, I can't believe that small children haven't yet choked any! And how little the yarn has pilled! Go Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, go!
Do you wear what you knit?
* Some FO's that have departed to the Great Knitted Graveyard in the Sky:
Electra, due to poor color choice and ill fit (I gave it away).
Ballet Top from Loop-d-Loop, due to incredibly stretched-out fabric that led to unflattering drape.
Tank from Rebecca 29, due to undeniable fugliness. What was I thinking with that one?
Filed Under: General Knitting | Rebecca 27 | Apricot Jacket
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Finally there is sun!
Pattern: Apricot Jacket from Rebecca 27, duh
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (80% cotton/20% merino wool) in teal, 3 1/4 skeins.
Gauge: itty bitty on 6/4.25mm needles
Everyone's seen it, everyone's made it. Judging from photos on various sites (it's amazing how different the same sweater can look on different people), and from the magazine itself, the sweater looked like it was running a little big, or had the potential to. I mean look at the photo in the mag: it's probably knit in the smallest size and the model is wearing a frilly, poufy blouse underneath the sweater and it still looks a bit roomy. Dare I even say...ill-fitting? There I said it. Also very very long in the arms. All Rebecca patterns end in very long arms, so this time I took care to revise that.
Notes on knitting AJ:
- Update: I didn't mention the pattern error because my English copy included a correction insert in the magazine. The correction is still on the rebecca site, despite reports that it no longer exists. You just have to search through their news archives. Find it here.
The error is on the back pattern. It should say "10 sts. pattern A, 34 sts. (instead of 40 sts.) as they appear..." That's it.
- Substituted yarn, again. Cotton Fleece was nice. Great yardage. A little splitty but I guess all cotton is like that to some extent.
- Went down two needle sizes for a better fit on my person. I'm practically collapsible so any bit of roominess and suddenly I'm wearing a deflated balloon.
- Stitch markers are powerful allies. Place a stitch marker before starting row 1 of chart, and if you follow the chart up to row 7, an extra stitch will appear after each row before or after the marker (depending on whether you're working left or right side). Once row 8 is completed, move the marker in front of the yarn-over made in row 7, and repeat chart from row 1.
a
- Wow was that above bullet confusing or what. Sorry. I wrote that because the textual instructions in the magazine had me spinning. It was trying to explain the chart but just made it more muddled instead. I would have fared better without having read the text. Just use stitch markers my friends, repeating 1-8, and keeping the yarn-overs in diagonal pattern, until pattern A and B are separated by 2 purls, and then continue repeating rows 9-10. At the point the yarn-overs will be stacked on top of each other.
- Used the back piece as my visual guide for knitting the fronts, as the front left is the same as the left half of the back, and vice-versa. Again the textual instructions confused me a lot.
- Reduced the length of the body ribbing by about 5 cm. Same for the sleeves.
- The front bands, that go in the back. Ah yes. Those things. It was a very ad hoc process. First of all, I disregarded their call to join another ball of yarn to cast on one single stitch. That seemed silly, so I just made an increase.
After knitting the prescribed amount of cm's I kept the stitches live on both sides in case. Just, in case. As I was getting ready to sew them to the back piece, I ended up knitting an extra several cm's more to the bands. They seemed too short that the back neck area would likely bunch up when seamed. So I would seam a little, working from outside in, then knit more length to the bands, a little on one side, then on the other, seamed a little here, and little there, until they met right in the center. Then I grafted the bands together.
- Seaming: the pattern has purl selvedges for the sleeves and body ribbing, which means come seam time you'll be mattress stitching reverse stockinette. In the sleeves it leaves a very visible seam, almost like a ditch running underneath your arm, which can either be interpreted as decorative or ugly. I thought it looked fine, but technically I found it more difficult to seam reverse stockinette. If I were to do this again, I'd knit, rather than purl, the selvedges.
- Did a slip-stitch crochet edging along the fronts and neck, making button holes on the front right. Pain in the butt. I find slip-stitching to be difficult because I always have trouble pulling that yarn through the loop, it naturally wants to tighten as I'm drawing the yarn through.
- Sewed 6 buttons on the front left, going from top to bottom instead of bottom to top. I actually crocheted enough loops for 8, but decided I'd never close the two bottom buttons and it looked funny to have them just dangling.
Very careful consideration (aka preening in front of the mirror) went into deciding where to put the first button, and how far apart. I wanted a deep V-neck, so I started the first button at the point where the ribs stopped, and sewed on about every 3 cm's. It took many many many hours to sew on these few measley buttons, just a clunky, yicky process that I did not like it at all. But now I've learned and the next time it won't be nearly half as bad.
I really like how AJ turned out. Fits well, color is nice, perfect for spring (IF IT EVER ARRIVES). I am suddenly in awe of just how labor-intensive knitting is, especially with a piece like this. Next time I'm going to start the clock everytime I pick up a project. Forget about materials, using labor alone something like AJ would cost about a gaBILLION dollars.
AJ mows too!
I love it when I don't have to figure out what to wear to work the next day.
Filed Under: Completed Projects | Rebecca 27 | Apricot Jacket
Monday, May 09, 2005
But pictures will have to come later. The lighting is bad (sun covered by cold, gray, decidedly un-May-like clouds) and I haven't showered.
To celebrate, I'm making a lemon bundt cake!
Filed Under: Apricot Jacket | Rebecca 27
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
I picked out little mother-of-pearl buttons for AJ yesterday at Windsor Buttons. The buttons' own bluey iridescense matches the teal of the yarn. Fantabulous! Only half a sleeve to go...and the slip crochet edging (slip-stitches not so easy, maybe I'll try single)...and the sewing of the buttons, which hey, just occurred to me, I don't think I know the proper way to sew buttons?
I also purchased two more Phildar magazines - the latest spring and the latest spring Famille. I don't know the reason why I haven't completed anything from Phildar when I love their stuff, AND their patterns are easy to follow. Everyone gets a chart! My second sweater was supposed to the Drapey Shoulder one, but it's so far been woefully neglected as I plough through one Rebecca project after another. It's funny how I've been totally on the Rebecca-only train. Kind of just happened.
Tulips in Copley Square
Still too brisk out to really feel like spring, but it sure looks like it. By the way, thanks for all the nice comments you guys left about AJ. I hope to take her on her first Grand Day Out this weekend. Fingers crossed...
Filed Under: Phildar | Rebecca 27 | Apricot Jacket
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Front half of AJ seemed
Instead of casting on immediately for the next sleeve after finishing one, I decided I'd start seaming one side so any adjustments that might have to be made can be done before everything's been knitted and sewn up. I learned my lesson after unwittingly knitting up The Sweater with Gorilla Arms that, after much cursing and way too much math, later became Savanna.
For AJ I went down two needle sizes to a size 6/4.25mm, and for awhile there it looked as if I'd have the complete opposite of the gorilla arms problem, but (angels singing) all is well. In fact I think this is the best fitting sleeve/shoulder I've knitted and seamed so far. No lumpy frumpy bumpiness, and the sleeves are hitting right below my wrist, instead of down to my knuckles as usual with Rebecca patterns.
Two minutes after the post on the Adrienne V. shaped top, I derailed on the lace pattern for the right side and could not reconcile it enough to get back on track. Ripped out a few rows and will return to it once I black out their chart with a big black marker and rechart it myself, following the textual instructions found in the first pattern, in the same book. So same lace pattern, but instructions for one piece uses text only, and instructions for other uses chart only. How odd is that? I did a cursory row-by-row match of the text and the chart to confirm that they actually don't match. So yeah, the chart is crap.
Spring in the Boston Public Garden
To celebrate my favorite month that is May, the month my favorite flowers that are lilacs will be in bloom, I present this lovely picture of spring that is currently awash all over Boston. Unfortunately this picture was taken last year, because this weekend it did nothing but rain. I am so looking forward to warmer weather (not this 55, 60 degree crap) and pleasant sunshine. Boston is so very nice when the weather is too.
Filed Under: Adrienne V | Rebecca 27 | Apricot Jacket
Friday, April 22, 2005
It's unbelievable what changes while 10 days away from New England in the middle of April. Suddenly now there is what appears to be FOLIAGE. I'm seeing things that are green, yellow, and PINK. All my daffodils are in bloom. The hyacinths are at peak. The tulips are ready to party. And the peonies! Just before I left for Taipei I was searching in vain for their little pokey heads in the dirt, and now they've seemingly bypassed the Pokey Heads stage and headed straight into Twelve Whole Inches of Fluffy Leaves with Even a Few Buds Included stage!
All the perennials planted Spring '04 - ah yes that magical season of unsurpassed gardening frenzy because I wasn't working - are coming back as well. I know it's their job, but I'm still surprised.
 Back to knitting talk. I finished the left side of AJ. I will say again: the instructions for this piece are f'ed up. I continue only because I really love this cardigan, and because every knitter and their dog on this planet has managed to complete this piece well enough to wear it in public. And so will I damnit.
So first the good news: the mystery that is the front bands has been revealed - they're knitted at each shoulder of the front pieces. You bind off about half of the stitches for the shoulder, and then continue knitting the other half for some inches which will then constitute "front bands." Ahhhh.
Now the bad news: With the front pieces joined together by the front bands, the piece will resemble a halter top. So the front bands then are really back bands, wrapping behind your neck. In the back. Not the front. The back. Back bands. BACK bands you fools. That yes, are knitting from the front. If You Pattern Writers had just mentioned this very quickly somewhere in the footnote of the pattern I wouldn't be so upset.
More bad news: What REALLY bugs me is that for the front/back bands, the pattern says to cast on an extra stitch "anew" at the edge. Anew is too quaint a word for a task so clugey. Unless I misinterpret, anew requires dropping/snipping the old yarn and attaching a new ball for the sake of ONE cast-on. Why not just do a simple increase? Or, why not bind off a stitch less? Or, why not account for the extra stitch in pattern? Or better yet, why don't we just not do it?
I need to find me an AJ support group.
I'm hoping that like the front band mystery itself, when finished this extra stitch tumor will reveal itself to be useful if not totally mandatory. For now I'm a little put off by the whole thing and have taken a break from AJ, and started AV.
Adrienne V that is, Shaped Top #6 from Spring 2005. I'm going to give it a less clinical name and call it...Dianna. After the name of the yarn. This name will work if I knit in this yarn this one time in my life only.
Filed Under: Adrienne V | Life | Rebecca 27 | Apricot Jacket
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Errrrgh! I want to throttle the instructions for the Apricot Jacket. I don't know what's up, but this is the fourth Rebecca pattern I've followed and having by far the most trouble with it. The textual instructions are pretty much useless. I should instead carry the back piece with me and use that as a visual guide - the front is really just the back in two parts - but it's too bulky carrying that all over the city. I've started and restarted the pattern for the front panel so many times that the yarn has started to become frayed.
Also the finishing instructions say to sew "front bands" together and to the neck edge. Uh, what bands...?
My mom and I visited a yarn store yesterday, giving ourselves plenty of time to browse/buy before a dinner engagement later in the evening. It turned out we browsed for all of 2 minutes. The prices ranged from $700 NT to $2000 NT ($20 to $60 USD) per ball. I think we must have asked the owner about one hundred times if the prices was per unit or per bag. FOURTY DOLLARS FOR A SINGLE BALL OF WOOL. They were mostly Anny Blatts and Bouton d'Or and other French imports. What's the big hooha? I don't get how anybody, no matter how irresponsible with money, could stand paying $400 to knit a plain ole wool sweater.
So yesterday Duck and I spent part of the day at Taipei 101. I wanted to go up on the observatory deck but it's been cloudy and foggy and unseasonably cold. We spent the morning eating pastries til we turned green, then walked around, then had lunch, then had dessert. For dinner we ate sushi again (an obscene amount that I think I'm actually scared of sushi now), then spent some time with my grandmother playing mah-jong.
We're staying with my cousin at what I like to call the Kennedy Compound: Uncle and Aunt #1 along with my cousin Paul and wife live on floor 2. Other cousin Francis and wife with 2 kids live on floor 3. Grandmother and Uncle #2 live on floor 6. We're staying with Francis. The kids (aged 1 and 3) stare at Duck like he's from outer space. Yaya, the eldest, won't call him when she sees him, but she apparently talks about Uncle Duck all the time when we're out. She's warming up though. Today she was willing to get close enough to take a picture with Uncle Duck!
I appreciate the kind comments left in the previous post! Til next time...
Filed Under: Life | Rebecca 27 | Apricot Jacket | Travel | Taipei
Monday, April 11, 2005
Here's what I got going on with the Apricot Jacket. I gotta say, the instructions for this are really confusing. Glad I didn't start off with this as my first sweater project. I would've given up on knitting altogether.
Bunny feet on Jacket
I'm knitting this on size 6/4.25mm needles to obtain a much smaller gauge. I like 'em tight. I've also shortened the length 4 cm and plan on doing the same for the sleeves.
So I am here unexpectedly again in Taipei. When the Pope passed away last Saturday, he took my grandfather with him, mercifully ending years and years of suffering a slow and painful death. None of us can be too sad about him finally being at peace. It was so hard for me to see him so broken and bed-ridden and tied with a mess of feeding tubes and whatever else. He spent over 10 years like that, never speaking and wholly unable to do anything on his own, but breathe, sleep, and blink. Several times he was on the brink, and each time he was pulled back in.
Duck and I set up a living will a couple of years ago to ensure we'd never have our low threshold of pain tested in such a way. If either of us so much as develops a chronic rash, that's it dude. You have my leave to pull the plug.
I love Taipei but need to stop coming here for the purpose of mourning. Fourth time in as many years, third time since Jan 2004. However it's always great seeing family again, and of course it's great to do ALL THE EATING.
So we're here about a week. Brought the Apricot Jacket but doubt I'll find any time to knit. Also I left some knitting materials on the plane - a small bag of crochet hooks, stitch markers, a beloved tape measure and grrrrrr.
Filed Under: Life | Rebecca 27 | Apricot Jacket | Travel | Taipei
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