Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Debbie Bliss Cabled Seed Stitch Jacket, using Cashmerino Aran which is so YUM.
This cute little number is for the nephew who will be arriving in October. My SIL's baby shower is at the end of the month, so I'm hurrying to finish. I should have plenty of time, but I have not and will not have an entire weekend to myself for a looong time, and the hours at home after work have been short. So far I have the back and one front finished...eeee.
I really love DB Cashmerino. I need to make something for myself in it. But, the yarn is really the only thing about DB that I love, really. Her pattern books drive me mad. No schematics, hard to read row-by-row instructions that leave you crosseyed, and TONS OF ERRORS. I understand the one or two typos, but please. Take this jacket for example. Entire sections were completely left out. The book I have is like a second edition with the errors corrected, but only some. Can't get it right even the second time? If you breeze through her website's pattern revision section, you can tell this is a common occurance. The revisions are in 5 paragraph essay form, dude. For a "high-end" knitting retailer like DB, I find this a huge turnoff. Am I getting what I pay for? This is why I keep hemming and hawing about buying Simply Soft.
By the way, I got the Baby Knits book from the library. Now I'll get off my soapbox.
Filed Under: Debbie Bliss | Baby Jacket
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Help me.
Here is the front of Allegra after having just done the tie-twist. Knitting the front took a lot of effort up to this point, and now that I'm at this point, I'm totally not into this piece anymore. After all that work, it just looks unsatisfyingly...weird. I've had so much stop and go with Allegra that now I'm thinking we just weren't meant to be, so though I loathe to do it, I'm dumping it. Sorry dude.
What do we think of this bolero jacket, from the new Debbie Bliss Simply Soft. I saw this last week at WEBS, didn't buy it, but have been thinking about it everyday. It uses the new Cashmerino Chunky, and I definitely want to have something in Cashmerino. This would be perfect for the chilly to really cold weather transition.
What I do not definitely want is to pay $16 for a so-so book with hard-to-read instructions for that one pattern I want. So um if anyone who has a copy of Simply Soft um wants to do a one-for-one pattern swap, like a copy of the bolero jacket for a copy of one pattern from whatever books I have, so that I don't have to buy the entire book, DO NOT (as in please DO) give me a shout.
Woo! I have a name!
And it's not Mona Lisa
Hey! I have ID'd the ubiquitous knit model. Aren't you excited, because now I can finally shut up about it. I found another blog that was wondering the same thing, and the answers were the same, different but funny to me, identical in the difference: she's Pam Allen's daughter, she's some relative, no she's a good friend, no her name is Christina Allen, no her name is Caitlin Fitzgerald. I had to find out once and for all.
So. I got caught in a sudden rainstorm while in Harvard Square on Friday, ducked into the bookstore and decided to do some sleuthing. In America Knits(aka Knitting in America, circa 1996), there is a contribution by Pam Allen, and her "daughter Caitlin" is modeling the piece. The girl looks about 10, 11 years old in the photo, sporting an open-mouthed smile. Ah, so it starts young. The grown-up Caitlin does only Mona Lisa smiles, and even though the hair looked exactly the same, you still couldn't be sure if it was the same girl.
I grabbed another book next to it, Weekend Knitting, and boo yah wouldn't you know it, there she was again. I think the editor was the same as for America Knits, and again Pam Allen had a few contributions. I flipped to the acknowledgment section in the front or back hoping to find names of the models used, and noticed one "Caitlin FitzGerald." It had to be her. Crikey does she have to model in everything her mother does? I'm starting to get a little annoyed/jealous at this point.
I took Scarf Style off the shelf, found the acknowledgments, and there was CF again.
Thus my super powerful skills of deduction leads me to positively say that the girl we see here and there and everywhere is Caitlin FitzGerald, daughter of Pam Allen. I'm guessing she's probably 20, 21, and does not color her hair. And that's the scoop. THE END.
Filed Under: Adrienne V | Allegra | General Knitting
Thursday, August 04, 2005
DAMNIT. Lately I've been receiving referrals from SPAMMERS and now they've managed to leave comments. I HATE THEM I HATE THEM SO MUCH.
So now I've had to enable Captcha in comments to prevent these disgusting filthy bastards from infiltrating. To submit a comment you'll have to enter one more field - please don't let that stop you knitters from commenting though!
Ergh.
About that popular knitting model. It turns out afterall that all those publications I mentioned below DO have something in common - the author/editor. I didn't even notice. Pam Allen. Would make sense if the model was her daughter. Nepotism is a good thing.
Filed Under: General Knitting
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
OK this has been driving me coo-coo for awhile. Can someone please ID this model? She in every other knitting book/magazine on the planet, across different brands or publisher or whatever. Why does everyone use her? Who is she?!
Hi, I'm ??? You've probably seen me in
publications such as Knitting for Dummies, Scarf Style, and all the Interweave magazines.
I am very wispy.
Filed Under: General Knitting
Monday, August 01, 2005
Another reason to love summer besides ice cream is summer cocktails. We're big boozers here, and during the summer, the mint out back is flourishing (mint is scary aggressive like a weed, but a weed we're happy to have around). So in addition to the requisite glass of wine or pale ale at dinner, our livers are working overtime to break down the vast amounts of mojitos and mint juleps we're knocking back. Yeah!
The mighty mint julep
Growing up in the South I had always thought mint juleps, along with Coca-Cola, as one of them Refreshing Southern Drinks for Civilized Ladies, Particularly Those from the Civil War Era Who Wore Petticoats and Owned Slaves. I thought it was some special kind of lemonade. Excluding the slave part, everything about a mint julep screamed Southern gentility and charm.
That was until I actually had one. We were 19 and my friend and I drove to Louisiana JUST after they increased the drinking age from 18 to 21, but that didn't stop us from trying to get ourselves into any bar in the French Quarter. Eventually the popular Pat O' A Brien?slet us in without checking our ID's (suckers!). I ordered a mint julep and ah yes when it came, in a tall hurricane glass, stuffed with mint and icy condensation beading along the side, it looked delicious and refreshing and exactly how I had pictured a mint julep to be. I took a big long swig, and gagged. Coughed, choked, eyes watering, nearly died. Southern ladies drank THIS?! That liquid swirling like an oil slick in between the sprigs of mint was 110% straight up bourbon. In a decidedly non-genteel and suddenly vulgar HURRICANE glass. I kept at it anyway, hoping the more I drank the more I'd like it, when really the more I drank, the more my vision blurred, the more I felt like I had been conned. Mint julep, you were supposed to be dainty.
The back of Allegra. Underneath is my first attempt at the back, in the petite size that's still too large.
Back to knitting. I've finished the back of Allegra and am in the middle of the front. Pictures of the front to come. It's a very interesting construction. I had to read the instructions a million times to understand it. I like having a preview of the outcome in my head before I actually do it, but it turns out if I had just followed the instructions as written it would have all fallen into place.
The back piece has a little hole smack dab in the middle, of course. It was an errant yarn-over. I noticed it maybe only 5 rows after the hole was made, but did I rip back to do it over? No. Am I stupid? Yes. This hole is going to be SO noticeable when the piece is on and stretched. I will figure out a way to sew the hole shut later.
This weekend we were in western Mass for a birthday party. We stopped at WEBS, the most glorious discount yarn store on the East Coast, and ladies and gentlemen, I came out of there EMPTY HANDED. I had loaded up my basket with some DB Cashmerino and Classic Elite Lush (it's not even on their website yet), but had nothing specific in mind for any of them. So, after wandering around asking myself Do I want or do I need? I put them all back.
Now matter how reluctant I was to walk out of there with nothing, at the end of the day I dislike stashing. It's a pretty recent discovery. I find myself getting stressed out about yarn that's just sitting there, continuing to be a yarn ball and not a sweater. And I know myself. Unless I will cast on within 5 minutes of bringing the yarn home, chances are, I won't use it. Chances are, I won't love it anymore. Then it becomes backup, or something you feel you need to get rid of, and I want to treat my yarn much more nicely than that.
It's weird the things that drive me nuts (yarn stash) and the things that don't (extra YO hole in sweater). I think most people are the exact opposite.
Filed Under: Adrienne V | Allegra | General Knitting | Life
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
So if cats are missing the sweet tooth gene, why then is my cat's ass so big?
I dare you to find a larger cat bottom than this.
Hee hee I'm always picking on Veebs. Of course he doesn't eat sweets. It's only good ole fashioned Cat Chow that makes him so shapely. And I like him shapely. He's great to cuddle to, to sling around your shoulder, your arm supporting that great big butt as his great voluptuous excess spills over, and he's purring purring purring like a gigantic bumblebee.
But speaking of sweets, this is what we got going on here at Chez Kitty McKnitty. Homemade ice cream!
We've had this ice cream maker for the last 3 summers and this weekend was the first time we used it. Idiots! We made strawberry ice cream and oh my god is it good. All day long I think about strawberry ice cream and how soon it will be til I get to eat some. And on a hot hot day like today it is even more exciting.
So not much going on with the whole knitting thing. The past weekend found me in a RARE mood to clean up the jungle that is our yard, so I ran with it and removed the dead shrubs, de-weeded, even varnished the deck. But yep I think that'll be it. When I'm in the yard again it's to sit in a lounge chair with a knitting project on my lap.
I was so into gardening last year, and now I barely care. Such a shame. I wonder if this time next year I'll feel the same way about knitting? I hope not. As Duck has pointed out, knitting has been my longest running obsession ever.
Filed Under: Cats | Life
Friday, July 22, 2005
The pros about being a contractor are many: flexible hours, better pay, no office politics, no pressure of having to be on some "career track." The cons about being a contractor are too few to mention. I'm even ok with paying health care out-of-pocket.
But there is one con that has me a little sore. I didn't get to partake in the company summer outing which went something like this: catered seafood lunch; yachting in Newport, RI; clambake dinner; dj and dancing; hotel rooms for that one too many drink. I am shocked at the extravagance during a non-dotcom era that resembles more like a millionaire daughter's wedding than a corporate outing. Goddamn. I've always wanted to do a clambake!!! And I love sailing! I love Newport! And I love love love to drink free booze!
Also since I missed the outing I missed the announcement that went out telling everyone to stay at home the next day (today), so when I came into the office this morning I was all, "Bueller....Bueller...Bueller...?" Sigh. There is no love for the contractor.
With my sudden free time today I finished Harry Potter.
Blossom's OSW came in the mail yesterday. It was too small for her, she offered to give it away, and I kindly accepted the offer. I too however found that it was too small for me.
But it wasn't too small for a certain fiery-haired beauty...
And I'm breaking my No Knitting For Me, Only Knitting for You vow. I'm disappointed in myself but hardly surprised. I did start on a few baby pieces and they seem to be going pretty quickly, and since it's still blazing hot outside I thought, I could totally squeeze in one more summer piece before the season's over.
So Allegra, I'm comin' back for you and this time I mean to finish you up and finish you up good.
Comparing the width of Allegra to the width of my favorite perfect-fit tank. Look at that!
I started this back in May and have been starting/stalling on it ever since, because I had more than an inkling that it was going to be monster big on me, despite knitting it in the smallest size. But I was loathe to make any sizing adjustments. The pattern motif is too involved and I was too lazy to re-plot. So what does one do when one cannot make one's mind up? Keep on knitting, just keep on knitting! Yes it's too big but if you just Keep On Knitting the piece will magically shrink or you will magically grow to magically fit you perfectly!
Anyway I made my adjustments to the back and cut the width back by more than 3 inches. The adjustments to the front is going to be so so gross, but I'll think about it when I get there. The goal is to finish this within the month. And THEN I will concentrate on baby stuff only, yes. I will.
"I hate you."
Filed Under: Adrienne V | Allegra | Cats | Life
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Ce-ce-Celia!
Pattern: Diagonal Stitch Top from Adrienne Vittadini Spring 2005
Yarn: Rowan Linen Drape, 4 balls
Gauge: approx 20 sts = 4in on US5 needles
I wore this to work today paired with white capri pants and ballet flats, feeling a little like Audrey Hepburn if Audrey Hepburn would be the type of gal to ever be caught with unbelievable shine (or grease, however you choose to put it), or a hairdo that's impersonating a dog playing dead. It was that hot today. You walk out and it feels like you someone slapped your face with a warm wet towel, and then tried to muzzle you with it. Am I back home in Atlanta? Did someone set fire to it again?
But really I'm not complaining. Ever since winter squashed spring into a no-show, I've been loving the heat. BRING IT ON.
I'd like to thank Carolyn again for the generous gift of Linen Drape. I think it made a fabulous yarn substitition for Celia which orginally calls for silk. I made other modifications too, sizing being one. Also because I cast on less stitches than the smallest size, I sort of just willy nilly decided how many decreases/increases I wanted for waist shaping. I did only one set for the waist. For the neck shaping, I followed the pattern but left out just a few decreases so that the overall circumference of the neckhole would be consistent with the smallest size. I'm small everywhere EXCEPT my head, which is the size of a dirigible, so no sizing modifications can be made there.
I must lament on one thing though: I SUCK AT NECKSHAPING. I don't know what happened but the front neck is just, yuck. A little more Jaggedy Cliffs and a lot less Gentle Green Slope. I've always suspected from past pieces that my neck shaping was yuck. Now I know beyond a reasonable doubt it is yuck. Binding off in a middle of a row = yuck. I haven't been able to learn from past yucks. Even with a row of single crochet finishing didn't hide the fact that it is so yuck. Yuck.
I usually like my PORTRAITS taken in natural light, because flash is so yuck, but the flash really made the eyelets pop, so I went with it.
What else, what else. That's it. I really like this piece and would definitely do it again. But not anytime soon because I am putting a stopper on projects for me. From now one, it's baby all the time, all the way.
Change of topic: You know what really made me smile today? The commute into work. Why? Were the trains actually on time, air conditioned, and not at all crowded? No. Was every other commuter carrying and reading the latest Harry Potter book? Yes. Dude, it was SO CUTE to see men, full-grown adult men, balding men, men in suits, men with a Blackberry clipped to their belts, sitting on the train with their briefcases on their laps and their noses buried in that book. It totally made my day.
Filed Under: Adrienne V | Celia | Completed Projects
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