ShihKnits » Shrugs

The Michelin Woman

winnie — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:13:00 +0000

There comes a time when you realize that you’ve been duped. We have all been victims of pretty pictures that we see in pattern magazines, and envisioned how magnificent our FO’s will turn out. Such is the trickery of beautiful models and professional photography. I, on the other hand, have an iPhone camera on the day the FO shooting took place. No awesome cameras, grumpy knitter, and this is what you get…. just a “Meh….”

(Do not be fooled by this picture. That’s the most flattering angle of the sweater)

(Notice how I am not smiling in the pictures. There is a reason. The truth will be revealed soon)

(Way too oversized batwings.)

(Trust me, I can gain an additional 50 lbs and this sweater will still fit)

(The side that the French model never bothered to show you)

Pattern: Phildar Gilet No 416-T4-159, Sz 34/36

Materials: Jaeger Baby Merino DK (13 balls in Teal), Sz 4 circs, 2 el-cheapo Walmart buttons

Notes: The pattern, though French, was pretty straight forward because it didn’t contain complicated shapings. The finishing instructions though, were a hoot. Basically, this is what it said : “Attach fronts to the back piece. Don’t bother trying to match up the stitches because it is impossible. Look at the diagram and use it as a guide.” Hmph! Great. The yarn that I used is a superwash yarn, and when I wetblocked the pieces, it grew to monstrous proportions. What is it with superwash yarn and gigantic expansions? I think that’s what contributed to such a floppy looking sweater.

I had grand hopes for this sweater, and spent 8 hours seaming this beast. I was going to find a kick-ass furniture store and look for a similarly shaped couch that the model was standing in front of and do the exact same pose for kicks and giggles. And then, BAM!, I tried it on. “Meh…” was about the best emotion the resulting FO elicited. Just “meh”.

At first I wondered if I should just rip the sleeves apart, but it wouldn’t be a cardigan now, would it? I have decided in the end to just make peace with it and move on. Oh sure I’ll still wear it, we all need a tent sweater some time right?

And with that.. let’s move on to better pictures of the Pimlico shrug in the outdoors. This is a drastic improvement from my bathroom shots. We must end this point on a high note. Yes we must.

(ahh..much better)

(collar up)

(and again, what the pattern doesn’t show you in the book)

New Year, New knits

winnie — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Alright, I’m a little late for a new year post, but better late than never right, guys? Let’s start with the end of year knits. First here, we have a pair of Lapland Mittens from Folk Mittens.

Project: Mittens from Lapland (Folk Mittens)

Materials: Leftover Baruffa Maratona (uber light pink and burgundy), and Knitpicks Merino Style (Pink), Sz 2 dpns

Notes: No mods to the pattern, and this was my first DPN project. I saw these short 6″ balene DPNs at the LYS and decided right then and there that I need to expand my horizons and move beyond the magic loop. Love the DPNs, surprisingly, and went out to purchase more sizes in the 5-6″ length for future mittens and socks. These mittens were a little tight on me, but they did keep my hands warm enough for my Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans two weeks ago. (Yes I saw breasts, and no they were not all pretty).

And because I didn’t want my friend to lose me in the madness on Bourbon St, I brought along my newly knitted Moss Stitch Beret in super bright yellow. It is Big Bird on Sesame St yellow. Little do I know that Bourbon St attendees would show me up with even brighter costumes that obscured my yellow noggin.

Project: Ken’s Moss Stitch Beret

Materials: Cascade 220 (used less than a skein), Sz 3 for the knitted hem, and Sz 7 for the rest of the beret

Notes: I loved the provisional cast-on knitted hem. Look! Lovely. The beret turned out a little slouchier than Ken’s, which is fine by me because I like my hats a little oversized. I may or may not have screwed up the decreases, but in the end my stitch count ended up just fine. Live and learn.

So what is with the cold weather and wanting to live in your blanket? I’ve had 6 skeins of pure merino from Uruguay burning a hole in my stash the last two years and couldn’t figure out what to do with them. Sure, a sweater would be nice, but this yarn pills too damn much. And then I found the perfect pattern.

Project: Pimlico Shrug from Knit2Together (Size S)

Materials: 5 skeins of 216 yd/skein pure merino wool from Uruguay, Sz 7 and 8 needles

Notes: Instead of 34″ of lace knitting, I shaved off some length and ended it at 27″. Since I CO provisionally, I just continued ribbing and joined the knitting in the round. No other mods to the pattern, and it is a dream to knit with this yarn.

We’ve seen some cold nights here in California, and I’ve loved every moment of it. Why? Because I now have an oversized blankie to keep me warm. It’s soft like buttah, and the perfect piece of clothing to keep me cozy while I knit.

So there we have it. And lest you think I’m taking a break.. you’d be wrong. Project on the needles right now… tadah!

It’s French, it’s pretty, and it’s….. one giant headache. Google translator to the rescue!

Ponchette for Spring

winnie — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 06:47:00 +0000

The original pattern called for hemp yarn (DK weight) to knit this ponchette… but since I was trying to use up stash I figured Rowan Felted Tweed would make a lovely substitution as well. A friend of mine has been wanting a little poncho for a while now.. and I finally came across one that I actually like myself. Great use for stash yarn! The ponchette is modeled below by the lovely giftee…

Pattern: Hemp Ponchette
Materials: Less than 2 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed in Melody, Sz 7 needles.
Other than the little easy peasy knitting above, I’ve been working on the Sunrise Circle Jacket. Adding some minor modifications to the sleeves… but that will come in a later post.

SYNO – Turtleneck Shrug

winnie — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 23:38:00 +0000

My SYNO package is here! Heidi did such a wonderful job with it. Her expert finishing touches are so perfect that even after staring at it for a long time, I still couldn’t figure out how she managed to hide all the yarn ends. I’ve never seen such mad skills! Without further ado, here’s her FO on me – as a shrug, as a long scarf, AND as a keyhole scarf.
Heidi also included a pack of Halloween candies and a bar of lavender oatmeal soap in her package. She didn’t have to, but I’m so thankful she did. Thank you so much, Heidi. I love them all!A big thank-you also goes out to Jac and Kris for organizing this wonderful swap. This was a first for me and I had a wonderful experience. Yay!

I brain-farted

winnie — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 04:06:00 +0000

So gentle readers, I’m plugging away slowly but surely on my Phildar Stripey, and I’ve finally reached the shoulder/neck shaping instructions:

Keeping pattern correct, cast off at beg of next and every foll alt row 7 sts 4 times and 0 sts 0 times AT THE SAME TIME cast off at beg of foll every alt row 12 sts once and 11 sts once.

Okay, so the blue part of the instructions I get, but what the hell is the red part trying to tell me? My brain just about farted right there and decided that it would not decipher any French-glish. WTF? Oh for those who possess higher intelligence, please help a girl out. I’ve already knitted 185 rows at 127 sts/row..which comes out to 23495 sts total.. but who’s counting?
And for helping me decipher the above French-glish, I hereby present to you, OSW #3 in GGH Samoa in delicious light red. Yes, light red, not pink..says the closet pink-lover.

Choo~Choo~..hop

winnie — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 21:00:00 +0000

So I hopped on the bandwagon for this one. The infamous One Skein Wonder by Glampyre. Like Diana and Andrea mentioned, this was a quick knit. I had two balls of Rowan Wool/Cotton lying around (123 yds/50g) and I was determined to stash-bust. I knew that with the 17 sts/4″ gauge (double-stranding) that I had, this was not going to fit me even if I were to use up every last yard of the yarn. Nevertheless, it’s instant gratification, and it will make a wonderful gift for my friend (yes Naily, that’s you. Stop giggling.)
Carolyn and Tara made bee-you-tiful Tivoli-tees.. Go check them out. I am tempted by their fabulous knits, both custom-designed by Grumperina. That gal’s relentless pursuits with The Maths amaze me.
So not much else has been going on. I finally received my cheapo knitting needles for the Phildar Stripey. Haven’t been motivated to knit much these days, this could be my first official slump. But that’s ok.. nothing wrong with taking a short break..since everything else in life is totally kicking my ass now. Adieu for now~

Creamy Hot Lava

winnie — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 06:01:00 +0000

Pattern: Hot Lava (size Small) by Jenifer Paulousky
Materials: SWA Laine Chunky yarn (less than 600 yds), US 10.5 circular needles
Techniques: Magic loop all the way baby
Notes: Yarn started thinning at the last stage, so collar region appears more transparent than the rest. Oh well. Made my sleeves 1″ longer since I have long-ass arms. Since the last ball of yarn was thinner, made 10 rows for collar instead of the 6 called for in pattern.