Audrey Cardi continuing

The Audrey Cardi is continuing. I've knit the body including the lace panels, and starting the top-down sleeves.

Here's the pre-lace progress pic:



Since the first pic I posted, I discovered I was on the wrong needle, I'd misread my project pages.
So, I had to frog back the 3" of twisted ribbing and re-cast on, on a US6. A bit of finagling later, I was on my way. I like doing the twisted rib, but it gets old after awhile..and I need to remember not to double-twist the stitches otherwise they end up being big and puffy, just like a stitch that isn't twisted properly.

Also, the bugga yarn on these skeins is stiffer..and I'm hoping it'll block out when I'm done.

My birthday came and went with lots of celebratory dinners out - Lao Ventiane for Laotian food, Lamb dinner and tiramisu at San Remo's, and a Large bowl of mussels at The Brentwood Pub. Also, since then, dinner at The Roost, recommended by Mandy, a gal in my knitting group. The roast beef was delicious and I kind of tripped down memory lane.

Some new yarn for my stash - (Happy Birthday to me! ... The lovely Coquette  in MCN Worsted-



and some new old yarn dyed over by my friend Emma as lovely teals:



The before pic below -  olive green (shown far right) and a mint green (2nd from right), both not my colors from a Pigeonroof Studios Grab Bag.  Both apparently were quite yellow - too much so for my complexion. The mint is some kind of fingering MCN very soft and I couldn't part with it. The Bacchus is a merino-silk blend with a lovely hand and bit of a sheen.

.
Not sure what the dark teal will be, but I think the blue-green will be some kind of shawl.

Pas de Valse cardi in Blue Lobster Done

Project: Pas de Valse Cardi by Marnie Maclean
Yarn: 3 skeins The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga in Blue Lobster (~1236 yds);
Needle: US 6 Signature Needle
Gauge swatch was 22st per 4" on US 6, so I picked the 33.5" size for 35", and negative ease as the pattern has 2" of positive ease built-in. Post blocking, I measured several different points on the cardi, and ended up between 22st and 24st per 4" on US 6.
 
Notes: Adjusted for gauge, as I didn't want the collar to be wrapping me in 3. I decided for now, not to do the lettuce edge as I like the way the collar curls. Due to the difference in gauge, I ended up only doing the first 2 decreases on the back piece, and then, knitting up so the back and fronts were matched. Then, I did the short rows at the shoulder as called for, and joined the extension to the back at the back neck so they matched. Like others, I had holes in the back of the neck, but I ran a yarn through to close it up.  In the original pattern, the collar is so big and floppy it covers up the back neck and the front where the extension is joined. Since I didn't want such a big extension, the reverse stockinette on the front shows more, and blocking straightened out the wows from the increases along the left side of the cardi. I also had about 70 stitches picked up for the top of the sleeve, so I followed that set of numbers on the top-down short rows, until I had 4 stitches on each side, as per the size I was making. Seemed to work out. The back is a bit tight still after blocking, but the cardi is very flattering, and the yarn softened and bloomed after soaking, blocking, and air drying.

Pre-knitted pic of the yarn - a lovely blue-green teal:



Pas de Valse pre-block:



Post - block:



Better pics when I can find someone to take a better pic.
Seems like my self-pics are too blurry to post..without give you a headache to look at them.

and my new love - The Blue Caterpillar colorway (from the Verdant Gryphon), also bugga. It is the most brilliant of blues - close to tardis blue, I think they've referring to it as - see for yourself...kind of burns your eyeballs off it's so bright.



I've started the twisted rib of another sportweight cardi.

The Cats Paw Cowl

Ta Da!

Emma has now made available her "Cats Paw Cowl" available on Ravelry.



Knit with The Verdant Gryphon Bugga, Sportweight, on a US 6 (4.0mm) in the Colorway iSkein, created in honor of Steve Jobs in 2012 (currently a Standard colorway at The Verdant Gryphon).

Pas de Valse progress - about 80% or so; I've finished the body, and knit 1 sleeve, and I'm about 2" in on the top-down short-rowed sleeve. It's been a brain-taxing week, so it's nice to let go and just do some plain knitting.

Back to regularly scheduled programming

I took a bit of a hiatus from my regular knitting to do test knitting for a gal in my group who has a new cowl she is releasing shortly (next week).  It took me about 2 weeks of elapsed time, and I substituted a sportweight yarn Bugga for the fingering weight it called for. Cats Paw is the pattern name and I'll post a picture soon. The cowl has turned out to be very soft.

For Pas de Valse, I took a detour as well as I'd gone to knit the shoulders and back and realized that the stitch count was off, so I ripped back the armhole decreases to a number closer to what I needed, and just did the first few armhole decreases, and knit the back straight again. It has worked out well.
I was able to do the short row shoulder shaping, and extension increases and short row shaping to join the extension to the back of the neck, and do a three needle bind-off.

As with other patterns, it helps to read others' projects to see what modification you have to make. Although following the pattern from the designer makes the process of the assembly work out..I had the same problem as everyone else where the back of the neck is hole-y, so I will have to run a thread through there to make it closed up and look pretty.  I think it may have been somewhat intentional as the collar is a shawl collar and will flop over the back neck and hide this problem..also it's helpful here to have long hair..which the designer has.

Also critical to have looking good is the increasing on the extension on the front of the cardi as it can be seen when it is on the wearer. Since I'd planned to make my shawl collar less, it's more noticeable. I hope to run a strand up the back as well to tighten it up and make it more presentable. I might try this again and see if the increase can be made at a different spot - at the edge, or further in from the actual change point. It's turning out to be a very flattering cardigan.

Sleeves:
I'm on the sleeve now that I did the short rows (for the first time!) on the top-down sleeves.
I will surely do these again, although there is probably a better way to pick up so the sleeves are not so markedly recessed as mine look.

I had 71 stitches on the armhole as opposed to the 60 I was supposed to have. I think it's better to pick up more anyway to avoid holes there, and then, decrease to what you need. So, I just followed the short row instructions for the size that said 71, but went until there was 4 stitches on each side as per my regular size. The sleeve is fitting well. I will have to try it on as I go, and not blindly follow decreases - which looks like approx 1 every 9 rows for most of the length of the sleeve. That part will depend on me, so no point in knitting to someone else's arms.

I am itching to knit with my mondegreen as the yarn is so soft and it's a light weight yarn perfect for a spring or summer cardi..but still undecided about patterns. I like to read ahead and make sure I want to make them, and check out mods etc.

I'm also adding German Short Rows videos to the left side under tips.

Pics coming soon..

The bonbons 2013

The 2013 Valentine Bonbons from Verdant Gryphon - yarn love in a box:

Osmia Avosetta Nest -



Normally, I am not into baby pinks, just hot pinks. This one is a bit more sophisticated with the cream mix.  Lovely.

Weevil Wasp -


A redder version of Peacock Butterfly..no purple. This is going to a new home soon.

Pink-tipped Satyr -


A surprise for me..the lavender is hooking me in..and the pink is very pretty in natural light.

White-Faced Meadowhawk:



The Ultimate jewel in the box...
 and of course, many of VG's fans are clamoring for this to return. Sadly, they are tired of dyeing pink, so we'll have to wait for these to show later.

The silver lining is that I discovered another company who offers almost this exact same colorway -
Dragonfly Fibers - their Save the Ta-Tas colorway is almost exactly the same colors - red pink and purple. Djinni sock is the same as the former SG Skinny Bugga base.

Pas de Valse pics and new yarn

I've knit to the armhole, and tried following the pattern for the armhole decreases, but it's just too loose the way the designer has set it up, in keeping with the loose gauge which she's designed, which I'm not knitting. I've made a firmer fabric with my bugga, so I want a firmer armhole decrease. I'm going to adapt the Larch cardi decreases and then, try to go back and do the top down sleeves as per the pattern.

so far:



The purl part is the extension, which starts at the bottom of the front on both left and front, and gradually increases out as it is knit up.

Left side (facing); right side for wearer:



Right side is looser - I switched how I did the increase for the extension, so this will have to be tightened up at the end.



and some new yarn loves:

Canon Hand Dyes custom self-striping yarn in "The silence often of pure innocence persuades, when speaking fails ~ Winter's Tale" from theamyleeshow



I'm so on a blue kick right now..and still loving pinks and reds too:

VG Samhain in Traveller - this was my winning colorway inspiration last fall. I finally buckled and bought the colorway on VG Traveller which is a superwash merino when it was re-offered in January. The skeins that came were much more orange than I expected, but still beautiful:



and White-Faced Meadowhawk from the VG Valentine Bonbons 2013 box:



so in love with this. Cold. Dead. Hands.

Here's the rest of the box; better pics to come...



As with last year, I have been tracking yardage out and in. Even with the yarny acquisitions, I'm ahead, currently 9K yards out (thanks to some older lys yarns that I've given to a friend to fundraise with).

mid-Feb Bugga knitting

It's mid-February, and I'm one skein into a hopefully 3-skein bugga cardi again - The Pas de Valse.
It's intended to be made with 2" of ease, but I'm knitting the size down, so I can get some negative ease. So far so good. I ended up knitting the extension to 50 stitches on each side. One side looks very clean (right side for cardi wearer), and the left side is pretty ragged. I'm hoping the stitches will relax once I've blocked it at the end. The yarn again is a dream to knit with and a very soothing blue-green. So enjoying this.

Hopefully, pics to come later.

Swatching and new stuff

ok, so I have been busy this month swatching - I've been swatching for 2 projects - Pull me Over which I am knitting with a worsted weight yarn as per the pattern, but which is a BFL-silk blend, so it stretched a lot in blocking, and seems to have sprung back up post-blocking. I had to re-jig the numbers and now I've set it aside to re-calculate and test to make sure.

the second is Pas de Valse which is a wrap-like cardi which I want to make with bugga - but Blue Lobster is the colorway,



and I'm wanting to make it with more negative ease so it'll be more flattering.

yes, still on a blue-teal kick.

Last week I went to the new Sizzling Tandoor Restaurant that's opened at Uptown. Super busy for lunch and well worth it to make a reservation. Buffet is $12.00 + tax and really good. I went through twice for a variety of curries, salad, and went back for the rice dessert. They bring naan to the table. Not a huge restaurant considering Uptown has been needing restaurants for awhile...but seats about 40-50 people. Mostly what's in the space is large wood tables and comfy bulky seating. A few booths..and really good food. I haven't been for dinner yet but I expect that will come about soon.
They haven't updated their website - but they also have a location downtown.

Also, Good Earth Coffeehouse opened  - I went down for the free coffee on their grand opening day on Thursday..but haven't been in for the variety of lunch options offered, and also lots of baked goods. I did try the chocolate chunk cookie which was really yummy. They also have good seating, and a few seats along the windows facing Future Shop..also, a few outdoor tables which I imagine will be very popular come summer.

The candy shop at Uptown closed. Not sure when as I haven't been out walking as much..or I'd walk down the new part, and not go in. Also, Shaw is open on the upper deck to the left of the escalator/stairs.

I've also been exploring Pinterest - lots of cool ideas on there and I added a button on the upper left there if you want to see what's fascinating me today.

Mitts and a Hat, Lessons, and Resolutions.

Mitts. These mitts were promised to the wife of a colleague at work last year:



The mitts took EIGHT hours of my time. yep. 8 hours. Mostly it was enjoyable..but I'd offered to knit the gloves in 3 colors. The welts are black and brown (2 different yarns), and the light brown in between is the same as the main body of the glove. Needles to say, a lot of ends to weave in ! and I haven't finished weaving them all in..and this pic is pre-blocking.

I'm not sure what I was thinking. When I offered to knit these fingerless gloves, I was thinking they'd be a quick knit, and I was trying to make a point to my friend about how friends do things for each other. The lesson has almost been lost now. I pretty much have realized why I don't knit for others.

Up until the last couple of years, I'd say the word mooch and my friend were pretty much synonymous. He was always checking out the free food leftovers (I know, a lot of guys do this)...even if they weren't always safe (old food, expired food, creamy sauces / salads left out on the counter top for god knows how long - ewwwww!), always angling to get a free lunch somewhere, to get an advantage over someone else. In the first 3 years I knew him, we never traded lunches..it was always.."are you buying me lunch?" Well, you know, we are all unique in this world.

To put this in perspective, my colleague does computer consulting on the side. To help me with my network at home, he spent 3 hours with me, rearranged some cables, and wasn't able to diagnose the issue. He wanted to charge me $50/hr for 3 hours, but instead, he settled for me buying 3 lunches.

His wife is offering to pay.for.the.yarn. The yarn was in my stash and cost maybe $30-4- !!
8 hours at his rate would be $400.00. I'm trying to be the person who offered to knit gloves.

Hat

This hat



is a hat I knit to donate, again hmm..knitting for others, reinforcing again why I shouldn't do these things...and why knitting hats is not something that I do often. Knitting the hat itself was fairly enjoyable..until my mind wandered away by itself and I found myself making a pattern but not necessarily the one that I was supposed to be following.

It's done and ready to mail. The yarn is Verdant Gryphon Mondegreen in Dirty Deeds done with Sheep.

It was this:



Content is  60% Blue Faced Leicester wool, 20% baby camel, 20% silk
4 oz / 200 yds;  4.5 sts/" on US#8 4-ply worsted weight
It is really an enjoyable knit, and didn't seem to change shape much when washed. Very soft pre- and post-blocking.

and now this:



Hopefully, it makes someone happy.

Christmas

I had a great Christmas holiday, 2 weeks off from work including all of the holidays. It was a nice break. My family had unexpected visitors. well, my dad expected them but didn't tell my mom until the day before. So, it was rushed and busy, exciting, and energetic..from Christmas eve until the 28th..and the rest of the time I unwound and did relaxing activites from my lists. I did some knitting, some organizing, put up my tree, found some shelves for a cabinet I have that I'd been looking for for about 3 years...and baking. No cookies this year, but I did make quiche. So, I'm pretty happy with what I accomplished, and returned to work feeling refreshed and happy.

Lessons and Resolutions
I learned that everyone's family looks perfect from the outside...and I'm astonished by how little we really help ourselves when we are growing up. Family dynamics can be so enlightening.
I also learned a lot about myself and how much I've grown in interacting with my own family and its own dynamics.
  
For knitting, I realized again that knitting for others can be a chore and a blessing. It frees you up to give a little to others, pour some love in, but it can add pressure too, depending on the timelines..and it can just feel boring if the yarn or the pattern isn't right...which can basically end up killing the love you felt when you volunteered to do it.

As with the last two years, I am trying to be a better person this year..to relax more, and reduce the pressure that I create. Almost all of the pressure these last few years has been perceived by me...and projected. I have intuited, interpreted, reacted, apologized, stepped back, reflected, and now......
I'm done, and I'm letting it all go to just enjoy life as a it comes.

• Friendships change, some new people have come into my life, and some people have moved away. Some have come and gone, and some have moved away but still stay close. 

Really, as my friend Lynn said..it's all about them.."what a person thinks or does is all about them, it's not about you"..and not about me.

So, again, I'm knitting what I want when I want, and not worrying about deadlines or requirements or going to conferences, and trying to rush around to do things.  

• Speaking of such, looks like Sock Summit was moved out a year to accommodate the 13 being potentially unlucky..so I'm off the hook there. Ironically, 4 at the end of a number is superstitiously bad for Chinese, being death at the end. i.e. never buy a house or get a room number at a hotel ending in 4. So hopefully, they've figured out a way to counteract that by then.  

I've also been letting go of a lot of stuff these last few years..physically, and emotionally and so I'm sure that I'll be doing more organizing and letting go of more stuff this year...continuing eating healthy and trying to get out more, and sleep more.

I'd like to try doing some sewing again, knit more sportweight sweaters as I really like this weight for knitting and wearing, and possibly some travel towards the summer or fall. We'll see, as I said before, I'm just going to take it as it goes..and try to steer a little.
 

Merry Christmas - pssst...it's a sale!

Sweet Fiber yarns is having a holiday sale - 30% off all purchases over $30 (before shipping) - expires December 31, 2012. Canadians - shipping cost is $6 and don't forget there's HST.
Also, the Knit City colorway is still available on the Super Sweet Sock base, and also the Cashmerino Worsted base.

Free pattern from Tin Can Knits on ravelry.

and I'll be updating my Enabler tab as I see more sales, so if you get an update, and don't see any new changes to the Pages, look on that tab.

Happy Holidays.

Ta Da - # 12 of 12 Done!

Bound-off, finished, blocked, and pics -



Project: Blue Water Mahogany Cardi
Pattern: Water and Stone by Veera Valimaki
Yarn: Verdant Gryphon Bugga in Dyeing Poison Frog (3.16 sk)
Needles: US 6 SN,
Size 38" for the 36" - but I adjusted the stitch count to fit me, rather than blindly following the pattern.
Time taken: 7 weeks elapsed from swatching to bind-off. Mostly knit in the evenings, weekends, and some lunch hours for the parts of the body. 1-1.5 weeks in there, I also took a break from knitting as I was doing a lot of keying for work..Need to save my wrists.

Mods: The pattern is intended to be mid-thigh, I shortened this so it's a length I'll really wear year round. I used a provisional cast-on for the start. I also did a twisted rib instead of a rib, and matched the length of the cuffs to the hem, and I added an inch at the waist, since I'm long-waisted. Bind-off is using JSSBO, purl side on the cable portion so it curled less.

The yarn softened up so much and it's so drapey, it's really lovely, and the yarn shows off the cables nicely. I really enjoyed knitting this pattern, and made the cables without a cable needle. It took a bit of attention at the beginning to make sure the shoulders were set up correctly, and I was a bit frustrated that the design required you to pick up the sides of the starting piece, but it turned out great, and it's a necessary evil to place the cardigan on the back so that it sits below the plain stockinette piece.

Details:

Back cable and neck (left), and double cable on the front (right):



Front cable (left) and cuff (right):

 

I had hoped to finish this by the end of the year, and ended up finishing earlier than expected.
So, now I'm swatching for my next love - Pull me Over, with SG Codex from my stash (a BFL-silk blend). It's worsted weight, so a  bit of a shift from the last project. Colorway is Captain Nemo which is a blue-green teal..more on the green side to my eye than blue.