Sunday, 5. June 2005
Project: Bella Paquita (Small) by Marnie Maclean
Materials: Baruffa Maratona (6 balls at 121 yds/ball), US 7 circular needles
Techniques Learned: 2×2 tubular cast-on and off
Notes: waist shaping inc/dec still looked a little wonky. Marnie recommended lifted increases for the shaping. Did not complete all the rows as specified in the pattern (5-6 rows short). Just kept on trying until it is the right length for me. Increased sleeve length by 2″. Provisional CO for body, tubular BO for body, 2×2 tubular CO for sleeves.
Close up for the lace pattern along the neck-line (8 repeats total..I think). This is probably the truest representation of the color of the yarn. It’s a deep mauve/purplish worsted weight merino. Overall this could be considered an easy knit, but I was just too anal. In the end, I compromised with the wonkiness because I had to move on to a new project. Bella is still considered as a learning sweater because the shoulder seaming isn’t perfect too. Next….
**It’s an overcast day outside I know, but my shades just look too good with my new hat..**
And now, for a little stash-busting. This is the Amelia Earhart hat pattern that’s been around for some time. I wanted some instant-gratification, and with the pink Wool-Ease I had lying around plus a few hours of vigorous knitting, here are the results. Me thinks me needs more stashbusting projects like these.. very tempted by the One-Skein Wonder by Glampyre…hm.
Posted in FOs, Hats, Pullovers by winnie -
Friday, 27. May 2005
Me: Bella.. I’d like you to meet bella_sleeve
Bella: Oooh.. look at her. She’s so purdy. Oh look at that tubular cast on.
Me: I know.. isn’t she a beauty? She’s perfect for you.
Bella: ……
Me: What’s wrong? Don’t you like her?
Bella: I feel…I don’t deserve her. I’m flawed..
Me: What? Nonsense. I made her just for you! You belong together.
Bella: Look me in the waist and tell me I am perfect!
Me: …..
Bella: Unless you plan on wearing me and never raising your arms..
********1 hour later********
times like this I wish I had a yarn winder..
I guess those astrologers know a thing or two about Virgos being anal. Yes. I’m anal, on certain occasions. This yarn is too soft and too beautiful for such sacrilege. And hey, when it boils down to it, there’s just one question to be answered. Do I want to (a) wear Bella Paquita indoors behind these four walls, or (b) parade her shamelessly in public? I choose (b). I’m not a show-off, but my sweater is.
Posted in WIPs by winnie -
Thursday, 26. May 2005
I have discovered the ultimate 2×2 tubular cast on! All instructions talk about the 1×1, but hey, where’s the love on the 2×2′s? And you know there’s alot of sweaters done in 2×2′s too. bwa ha ha.. My bella paquita sleeves are going to be so so awesome. I was trying my darndest to post a step by step tutorial as I was knitting this, but unfortunately my camera (well it’s not technically mine) isn’t good enough. Whaddaya know? Came to lab today and all this time there was this awesome Nikon camera that is able to capture and focus images up close. Here are my fabulous sleeves. (Maybe I’ll post a 2×2 cast-on tutorial if anyone’s interested, or I might be the last person on the planet to discover this..)
Check out the neat-o cast-on baby
Oh I just can’t help it. Here’s another one.
Now to find the ever elusive perfectly tubular 2×2 bind off..
Posted in WIPs by winnie -
Wednesday, 25. May 2005
The good…
My clappy made it’s debut today! Where you ask? Um..yea.. in my lab. woohoo. I know, such a geek. But it’s so soft and pretty, and I just had to show it off…even though it’s only to my lab-mates. Hey, some audience beats no audience. right?
The bad…(swatching like a good girl)
I received my Knitpicks yarn yesterday! woohoo. Couldn’t wait to swatch. Notice how I don’t have a gazillion loose ends hanging on either side by the time I’m done with each stripe sequence? It’s magic baby. Okay, I might be a total retard to realize this magic goodness, but it’s all in the circular needles. The back and front pieces of the Phildar stripey top will be knit in two flat pieces, so each time I get to the end of the cream and have to start the green sequence, if the green yarn is on the other end, I just slide my piece down the other side and knit/purl to get the stockinette stitch right. Not bad eh? I’m such a goofball. So stripey sweater, here I come. Since I labelled it “the bad”, here’s the reason for it. The pattern calls for US sz 2 and sz 5 needles, and my swatches turned out larger than the gauge. So it’s down to sz 1 and sz 4 I go…unfortunately, I have neither. Ah..more money to spend. The yarn I am using is KnitPicks Shine in Cream and Green Apple (or apple green..whatever) and although it’s a little splitty, it is soft. and cheap. and there’s that. The fugly…
What is this, what is this? Well it’s Bella Paquita! I only have 660 yds of yarn so I gotta get my priorities straight. And for this sweater, my priority is to have enough length in the body section to cover my long torso. Sleeves will come later, depending on how much yarn I have. If I have enough, it’ll be 3/4 length as indicated in pattern. If not, I’ll make it into a short puffy sleeve thingie. Its 2×2 ribbing is growing slowly but surely, but if you look at the side pics , the inc/dec for the ribbing at the waist is damn fugly. I tried making the stitches as invisible as possible, and tried increasing the stitches so that it would seem as if there was some pretty curvy line emanating from the center sts (suggested by Marnie herself), but I guess my knitting skills aren’t up to par…yet. I’ve already ripped this out twice, and no more. If it’s fugly, it’ll stay fugly. At least it fits. But still, if you all know how to do inc/dec on k2p2 ribs right, please shed wisdom on this clueless biatch here.There’s the progress of the week. My new needles should come by the end of next week, which is when Andrea and I will cast-on together for the sweater. And who knows, I probably will have a finished, albeit fugly waist shaping Bella Paquita for your critiquing pleasure by next week. Stay tuned….
Posted in FOs, WIPs by winnie -
