Uli's Creative Corner

Wednesday - middle of the week already.

I'm not having a very interesting week in terms of fun stuff to share.  Work, work, work.......

Last night, I did finish the back of the Spring Ribbie and started the front.  I'm just working on that because it's so much fun and knits up so fast.  Erika likes it, too.  And I worked about 3 inches on Mom's shawl.  My ball of yarn is getting smaller and smaller.  That must be a good sign that I'm getting closer and closer to completion.

I'm working on justifying that I really need no more yarn.  Mentally, that's a hard thing to do.  It's almost making me feel a bit sad.  I really feel like I'd love to start my project with the Araucania Nature Cotton but that's what caused the bit of trouble at home so it makes me feel guilty just looking at it - even though the waters are all calm again.  We don't ever have "long" arguments. 

Then there's the trouble with the Phil'Onde for myself.  I was going to make Le Pull, same as Sarah.  And she was working on it and decided she needed the fourth size in the pattern.  I thought that the fifth size would work for me until I realized that maybe it might not work if Sarah is working on the fourth size.  I'm a lot bigger.....  And then I read Erica's post about the ribbing and shaping of the pattern and I gained some images in my head about how it might not work for me after all and what I might look like in it. So in my head I've been toying with straying from a pattern.  I've measured up one of my favourite tops - just a very simple, basic long sleeved sweatshirt style top.  Not too big and bulky but not tight and fitted either.  So I am setting out on a mission to "make up" my own Phil'Onde pattern.  It will be with raglan shaping.  I haven't decided on the edges.  I'm thinking of a fold under hem or a seed stitch hem.  I don't want ribbing.  I wish I could make it top down but I do want the colour progression to go from dark to light and have as much light as it takes at the top of the sweater.  If I did a top down, I'd start with the navy at the neck line and then progress down into the lighter shades.  So, it will be a bottom up design.  It's not like I haven't knitted from my own patterns before but for some reason, lately I've been in a pattern rutt.  I guess I haven't wanted to think it all through.  So I started swatching my Phil'Onde in stocking stitch rather than ribbing.

Alison asked if the little sock yarn cardigan (Candace) was my own design and unfortunately, I can't take claim for it.  The pattern is from a local designer and her pattern company is called Bees Knees Knits.  She does not have a web site up yet.  This is the only pattern I've seen so far but apparently when she goes to LYS store to market her pattern she brings her little son to model the knits she has designed.

Be happy and keep on knitting!!!

Busy day yesterday............ it was warm and felt muggy and humid.  I had a splitting headache by the time I left the office.  It seemed to go away once I started relaxing a bit.  I quickly pulled a simple dinner together so that we could still go outside after dinner to plant a flat of pansies that I had bought on the weekend.  We got that done and then I sat down to watch the movie Mona Lisa Smiles with Julia Roberts.  It had to be back at the video store by 11 pm.  I certainly didn't get the chance to watch it carefully as I was multi-tasking watching it (knitting, playing with Erika, giving Erika a bath etc. etc.).  It was an okay movie. 

I worked a few rows on my neck-down t-shirt.  I finished the 3rd ball of yarn and was too lazy to run upstairs to get more.  Had I started another ball, I would have probably managed to knit all the way to the point where the sleeves and body get separated.  I might add a few extra rows there - once I slip it on to see the fit - to get a bit of extra width and then I might shape the body a bit - do 2 increase rows to add 8 stitches between bust and the hemline so as to accommodate my not so skinny hips.  It's a fairly short top but a bit of extra width would probably create a nicer fit.  I guess I can just keep trying it on as I go.

With a bit of time left last night, I worked a few rows on Mom's shawl.  Probably added an inch or so.  I'd like to get this one finished soon and block it and wrap it up so I don't have to have last minute stress knitting just to finish it in time for Mom's birthday - a month from today.

The surprise knit of the day is my little spring ribbie I'm making for Erika.  All I did was cast on Sunday night and knit a few rows of ribbing.  Well, I took it to work yesterday and worked on it at lunch and a bit right after work and you should see what happened............. well, sorry, but I didn't get a chance to take a picture.  I have 7 inches of red ribbing with a cute wavy navy border at the bottom.  That's over half the back all finished already.  It's so cute and I'm so pleased.  It will be a really quick knit.  For a slow knit on the other hand............... the little cotton lacey spring fling for Erika will take me forever and ever on 2.5 mm needles.

Another crazy day.......... and since I forgot my gym bag.......... hopefully a lunch hour filled with red ribbie knitting.

Another weekend gone but Candace is done!!!!

It's awfully big on Erika.  An oversized spring cardigan is the gentle way of naming it.  But she looks so cute in it.  She went off to daycare in it today.  What a nice feeling - finally something she wanted to actually wear.  I asked her if she wanted to wear her new cardigan and she said: "No, Mommy, ladybug jacket".  Then she looked at her ladybug jacket and turns back to me and said: "No, Mommy, I try this one" and she turned around to get help with her new cardigan.  The still shots are over in the knitting gallery 2004.  Here are a few action shots.  These ones were taken before it had buttons so it's basically falling off her.

Do you like the stripe detail on the back?

It wasn't a big knitting weekend.  The weather was nice so we spent lots of time outside, especially yesterday.  The garden was waiting for some TLC.

On Friday I came home early (just a little earlier than usual) and so I ended up pulling out the Tiny Tots DK shirt project and started working at it.  Well, before I knew it, the front and back were finished.  So now I just have sleeves to knit up for it so it's back on my to-do list because I know I can turn it into a FO fairly quickly. 

That's a little ruffle at the bottom that will need some blocking.

I worked a bit on Mom's shawl but only got about 1 1/2 inches done.  I need to really focus on that this week, too.  Last night, I did start a quick little cotton project on a whim.  I had the pattern forever and I had some re-claimed cotton.  It's a little ribbed short sleeved top in red and navy.  It has navy edging on front, back and sleeves.  The back is all red ribbing and the front has the red ribbing broken up by a little lace strip going up the middle that will be done in navy.  I only have about an inch done but the navy and red look great together.  Pictures whenever I get a bit more done.

My last yarn purchase last week will be the last for a while.  I got in a bit of trouble over it and I certainly don't need bad feelings at home over buying too much yarn.  We need to give some of our other priorities some attention like a new BBQ, finishing our basement, doing some painting, and maybe even planning a summer vacation.  It's not like I'm going to suffer because of that.  I have all (and more) spring and summer projects already in my stash.

Very busy day today so I'd best get going.

Thursday........... almost the weekend again.  I am going to a professional development type of day tomorrow so this is kind of like Friday today.

I brought my vest to work to show.  I was wearing something that remotely worked for wearing the vest with so I tried it on and the verdict of all that saw me with it on was that it didn't need a zipper.  The edges were finished so nicely with the twisted ribbing and it isn't big enough on me to comfortably zipper it..... so, it's not getting a zipper.  That means that it's officially a FO.  I have the worst picture in the knitting gallery and I'll post it here as well but believe me, it's a terrible shot.

And here is a very unprofessional looking blocking shot of Candace.  I have to get a bit more fancy with my blocking surface.  Right now, it's just the guest bed with just a plain sheet.  At least a checkered type fabric would give me some straight lines.  I've knitted my whole life (or so it seems) but am only now learning more about blocking.  Blocking for me used to be one of those things that I did if an edge curled to much.  I really didn't do it on a regular basis but I'm trying to be good as it really does produce a more finished looking garment.  So, curly Candace as I should call her is blocking as we speak.

I'll try and get her all put together this weekend some time.

Last night I worked a bit on my tote.  It's good practice to get me back into some colour work - in preparation for Erika's Garden Path sweater.  And then I switched over to my V-neck top and I get to the joining point.  So, now it's clear sailing all stocking stitch in the round.  I was on a roll last night but unfortunately it was time to make lunches and head for bed and I ran out of yarn (in the yarn basket only - I have plenty upstairs).

I visited my LYS yesterday at lunch.  I sucked myself into buying some Araucania Cotton.  Pretty stuff.  Today Elann has it up on their site for definitely a reduced price.  After S&H and the fact that my LYS gave me a bit of a discount I could have saved a bit at Elann but not tons so I'm not too upset.  However, the have a few really nice colours that the LYS didn't have.  Bummer..... had I only waited a day.  But now I'm not going to return it.  I bought a nice blue to make some cute.  I'll tell you later what when I figure it out.

Have a good one.

Finishing Night.............

Yes, last night was finishing night but I have no pictures to show.  I got the Oregon Vest all put together less the zipper but I am really debating whether it needs a zipper or whether it will be just an open vest.  I doubt I'll ever zipper it up.  I brought it in to show some people today and I'm ending up wearing it right now.  So now I'm going to parade it around and get some opinions on zipper or no zipper.  Other than that, I think it looks pretty good.  I'm fairly pleased with it.  Not as ecstatic as I was about Earnshaw but after all the vest and I have gone through it has become a bit of a love hate relationship.

Then I had a bit of time left and I started weaving in ends on Candace.  I think I only have a few more little ends to weave in and then it's time for a good blocking and then assembling it all.  Button bands and the neck edging will be last.

That will take my project list down to 7 projects again but I don't really want to start yet another one until I finish something else.  I need to get cracking on Mom's shawl so that's my next target project and I really want to get my V-neck T-shirt further along than it currently is really soon.  Better get off to do some work now so I can come home at a reasonable time this evening and do some knitting.

It's Wednesday already.  Hump day.

It was a quiet knitting night last night.  Things didn't seem to fly off the needles.  I got to the first fair isle section on my Tote and I worked a few rows on the neck-down V-neck T-shirt.  I'm not too far off the point where I join in the round after the V-neck shaping is complete.

After I came home, I did sit down and undid the 3-needle bind off on Candace.  Ouch...... that was a real pain.  I kept dropping more stitches and making just a mess in general.  I think it mostly happened because of the fine gauge.  Little stitches run away so easily..... come back little stitches, come on back onto the needle.  Well, I did finally get it done.  Now I have to contemplate blocking and doing all the fun finishing stuff. 

I think I'm going to declare tonight as finishing night.  Weave in ends, knit some arm and neck edging on the Oregon Vest.  Sew a few seams.  I don't think I'll tackle the Oregon Vest's zipper though.  I'll have to be in the mood for that.  I'd like to have it ready before Friday though so I could wear it on our casual day.

Lainy pointed out to me that I linked to info about the 2003 Sewing and Crafts Show.  Oops.  I'm sorry.  Try this link.  It's this coming weekend (Friday and Saturday) at the Tradex in Abbotsford.  As for favourite stores in the area, the ones I frequent are Knitopia (White Rock), Knit Cafe (Walnut Grove/Langley) and Village Crafts (Coquitlam) and sometimes Kept in Stitches (Fort Langley).  There are certainly others but these are the ones I'm most familiar with and would most certainly recommend.

I did get one thing in the mail last night and that was the Phildar Pitchoun summer 2004 collection - in French.......  I got it mostly for a cute little tunic to make for Erika from the Phil Onde I bought for her a few weeks ago.  Now I'm thinking of making that little thing X3, one for Erika, and one each for her 2 cousins in California.  But realistically, I just don't have the time to make the same pattern 3 times.  There are some other very cute little patterns in there - one of them is a little hooded tank top using the Phil'Eponge yarn.  I've seen it at one of the LYS stores I go to so I have to check it out again when I'm back there.  But first of all I have to muddle through the French to see if I can understand the whole pattern.

Hope you're having a great spring day.  I love spring and I love spring knitting.

What a Monday morning.............  I had a great post almost all finished and then I hit that silly little X up in the corner of Internet Explorer and poof.............. all gone.  I can't even blame the computer 'caus it was my fault.

Well, I'll try and summarize as I don't have much time left now.  Startitis led to feelings of guilt and being overwhelmed by the # of WIPs I have in the knitting basket.  So, I took a long good look at my list of WIPs and came to the conclusion that there were a few things just hanging on waiting for my motivation to kick in.  Candace was the big one.  So all of Saturday and Sunday I worked on nothing else.  I finished the back late last night.  That's means I accomplished all my goals I had set out for last week and it means that Candace is almost ready for the finishing basket.  It was late last night when I finished and I shouldn't have attempted doing a 3-needle bind off after 10 pm on 3 mm needles.  But, I did..... I ended up having fewer stitches on my front shoulder than my back.  So I thought I'd fudge it by adding the extra stitches to the neck opening.  And then I saw..... I dropped 2 stitches on the front as I was going along.  All I had the energy left to do was to put a couple of pins in to secure the wayward stitches and to go to bed.  I'll try to fix that up tonight and then off to blocking as this little guy needs lots of blocking.  No pictures as of yet.

And then I basted the side seams of the Oregon Vest because I wanted to check out fit with the length etc.  It's actually not bad.  Maybe a bit longer than I wanted.  Maybe a bit smaller - but I'm never going to  zipper it up anyways.  I'm not a zipper up kind of gal.  Here is a really bad shot of it.

Off to the finishing basket it goes.  That will be in my this week's list of things to do and finish.  I don't usually mind zippers but I"m not looking forward to this one as it's a long one.

And just quickly.......... look at what my sweetie did for me on Saturday.

Shelves in my crafts room..... all for storing all my cross stitch, knitting and quilting magazines and patterns.  Thanks sweetie.  I love my shelves!!!

And last but not least I need to tell my LYS story really quickly.  I went to one of my LYS stores on Friday.  The first time I went in, I bought a needle and a pattern book from Sandnes using mostly Mandarin Petit cotton.  I mostly bought it for one cute pattern with ladybugs, bumblebees, flowers, butterflies etc. called the Garden Path.  I fell in love with it for Erika.  I looked through the colours they had and they had about 5 of the colours I needed and were missing about 3.  So I left the yarn.  Then I paid and went back to the car where Evan was hanging out with Erika as she was napping.  He was talking to his mother.  His mother needed some needles and so I got sent back into the store to get her the needles she needed.  So I went back in and inside, the Mandarin Petit I had nicely arranged for the sweater in question jumped into my arms.  I figured that I had planned on buying something yarn related, I probably should just get a start on the pattern and pick up the other colours as I could find them causing the one-time cash outlay to not be so drastic.  So they came home with me.  Then on Saturday, somehow, I found a way to sneak out to another LYS.  So Erika and I went off in pursuit of the other missing colours (she told me that she "needed" that sweater after she saw the pattern).  So a few more colours for the Garden Path sweater and then a bunch of other colours for another cute project followed me home.....  Mandarin Petit is nice soft cotton and the colours are truly spring inspiring.  Look at my little tower of yarn:

Aren't those beautiful, bright colours - just right for a little girl?  So now I need some more needles - or I need to free up some.  With finishing Candace, my 3 mm bamboo circular is free but I don't overly enjoy working with that needle.  I wonder what it will knit like with the cotton?  Maybe a swatch is in my future!!!

So here is the long and the short of my first post today.  I'd better go and quickly update my list of goals and my progress bars.

Enjoy your day.

I've been kicked out of bed............... at 6:30 am or shall I say that ever since 4 am I've been hoping that a "more reasonable" time for getting up was coming around.  Erika joined us in bed about 4 am and she was so restles.  Made my back very sore so it's time to get up.

Last night was the Lucy Neatby workshop on socks.  It was a fun evening.  I worked on Mom's shawl while sitting and listening.  I have her book "Cool Socks, Warm Feet" and even though I haven't read it cover to cover, I've skimmed it and most of the tips she shared with us were in her book.  But I did pick up a few things that I might try because when you hear a person explain them with their own words, it sounds differently and sometimes makes more sense than when someone writes them down.  She had lots of her knits with her and they were fun to look at.  Some of her stuff is way eccentric for my taste but some other stuff is really cool and other stuff is so intricate that I probably would never consider it.  There was a fish wall hanging.  It was all knitted.  That was a pretty cool piece.

We had a lovely day off yesterday.  We didn't even do a whole lot.  I went to one LYS and picked up a 6 mm Addi Turbo to start the Tote of Many colours as I just didn't quite have the right length.  On my way back out, Evan was on the phone with his Mom (Evan and Erika stayed in the car because Erika was taking her nap) and she needed some needles.  So I ran back to the store to get her needles.  On my first trip to the store I escaped without yarn.  I was looking at the Sadnes Mandarin Petit cottong for a little sweater called Garden Path.  It's a sweater hat Erika really likes.  It has butterflies and bumblebees and ladybugs and flowers.  I looked at the yarn and they didn't have all colours I needed and so I left it the first time around.  The second time around I just grabbed those that they had and figured I could get the other 2 or 3 colours later.  But I got my MIL's needles, too. 

As far as knitting goes....... The Oregon Vest is blocking.  We don't have a very good relationship right now.  It has dried right now so I should take it off and start putting it together but we're not on the most friendly of paths.  There's just something about all the things that have gone wrong with it that are driving me nuts.  I'd like to be able to take it off the WIP list because the WIP list has only been growing this weekend......  I have major startitis and here I was trying to get my number of projects back down to a reasonable level.

I did try to work more on the back of Candace and it's growing.  I'm making an intarsia vertical stripe up the back and the thing that's frustrating me is that I do intarsia perfectly nicely as long as I don't have it running up over the same stitches all the time.  In this case, it is always the same stitches and I'm getting lose stitches (I twist my yarns and all so there are no holes or gaps - just lose stitches) on either side of the colour change.  I've tried a few things but I can't seem to get them just ever so perfect.

I started my T-shirt.  It's a top-down V-neck in Phildar Cotton Lame.  So far I'm shaping the V-neck so I'm not going in the round yet.  I'm looking forward to getting into the round.  It gives you a rythm to just be working round and round.  It's boring but a good thing for a good movie on a Saturday night or a take-along.

Well, and then I brought needles and a ball of yarn down to start the Phil'Onde but I'm not sure about sizing now.  I think I may size it up a bit.  My next project this morning - playing with some of the numbers.

And last night on a whim, I cast on for my Felted Tote of Many Colours a pattern by Amy over at Indiknits.com.  But that's all I did.... cast on.  I haven't even joined the round.  I did that after I came home from the workshop just to wind down a bit and I didn't get far.  Evan seemed a bit grumpy.  I think Erika tired him out and he had let her stay up until Mommy came home anyways.  So it was time to get her into bed.

So as usual, I'm probably working on more things I can handle at any given time but it's fun.  Evan is going to get me some shelves for my room today to start the organizing process.  3 shelves to hold magazines and patterns. Yeah.........

Hopefully a few pictures tomorrow or on Monday.  Next week will be busy so I'm not sure how faithful of a blogger I'll be. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

TGIT......... well, it's my Friday today as I have tomorrow off. Yeah. So tomorrow will be a nice day puttering about at home, maybe going out for lunch with Evan and Erika. Hopefully some knitting and definitely some blocking. Today I have stuff to get finished at work though. And then tomorrow evening I have a Lucy Neatby (the author of Cool Socks, Warm Feet) workshop to attend. I'm looking forward to that. I'm not sure what it'll be about or what exactly she will talk about but I thought it was knitting related - what could be bad about that??

I so want to get into spring projects that I knit like crazy on the Oregon Vest last night. I am only about 10 rows away (over only about 34 stitches) from finishing the second front. I might still lay it out tonight to block so that later tomorrow I can put it all together. I've completely lost my inspiration for the vest. I think it's too long now that I lengthened it. But I will finish and reserve judgement on whether I like it enough to keep it around for a while or not. I love the yarn, I love the style. I'm just worried about length.

A whole bunch of my things are off to the Sewing & Crafts Show today. It starts tomorrow in Victoria and next week it will be in the Lower Mainland. Originally only the ladybug set was going but I brought a few other goodies into the LYS yesterday - just to show off - and they ended up wanting to take those as display models, too. All I could do is fight for my Earnshaw. She was going to give me a cardigan to wear so she could have Earnshaw. I'm still a little too attached to Earnshaw to send it off to a show and not have it around for over a week. Earnshaw may end up making a debut at the show in the Lower Mainland next week though. We'll see. I guess it's an honour to think that my stuff is good enough to pass being showed off at a tradeshow like that.

My only weekly goal that's left after I finish knitting that bit on the Oregon Vest is the back of the Candace cardigan. Arrrgh..... I brought it with me today to take a look at during lunch. Tomorrow if I have some knitting spare time, it's time to start a spring project. Will it be the Phil'Onde sweater or the V-neck T-shirt. Both have been swatched for. Both are ready to go. It's a tough decision. I might cast on both so that they are ready to go as inspiration guides me.

Yesterday, I did pick up a copy of FC Easy Knittig magazine.  It's okay.  There are a couple of things in there I could see myself making.  I don't think I'll jump to any of the projects though. 

Have a good day today. It's Thursday. Enjoy the day.

Ladybugs Everywhere!!!

Another FO.  Aren't they cute?  The details are in the Knitting Gallery 2004.  The biggest complaint I have about the finishing of this project was making up the handle and attaching it so that it looks nice.  The pattern says to attach the handle first and then finish the ladybug ie. sew on spots, eyes and antennae.  I would change that and do all the finishing on the ladybug first and then sew the handle on.  It's just more manageable that way.

So, remember I was talking about trying another swatch for this little lace sweater for Erika I was planning.  I swatched a bit at lunch and figured out I had decent gauge.  My kid is skinny, my gauge is a little tighter than the pattern calls for - making up exactly the difference in size I was looking for.  However, I will be knitting on 2.5 mm needles.  I swatched at first on 3 mms and was getting way too big of a gauge and a very loose fabric.  I didn't like it.  The yarn with 2.5 mm needles is perfect.  So when I had my little swatch made up, I had another half hour left at lunch and what did I do????  Yup, you got it.  I broke all my resolves and I started on the little sweater which I will be calling spring fling.  I ended starting on one of the sleeves.  Don't know why.  I'm a very linear person so I always follow the pattern and if it lists the front first, that's what I'll do etc.  Mind  you, my standard for a sweater is back, front, and then sleeves.  So I'm being a rebel by starting with the sleeve.  I don't have much done but here is a shot of Spring Fling - spring knitting therefore has officially started.

However, to be good, after I finished the ladybug last night, I started on the Oregon Vest second front and I got a good 7" done.  A couple more evenings and the front will be knit.  I should have another FO by the end of next weekend.  And then spring knitting is truly on. 

I do have a few lingering things - one being Candace - arrrrgh.  It's so cute but I so don't enjoy knitting the back of it.  The Fleece Artist shawl needs to be done by April 30th so I need to bring it into the loop of working a bit on it regularly.  Erika's Tiny Tots DK Shirt is one of those take-alongers for now.  I'm not too concerned about when I finish it.  I'm almost at the armholes with that.  Found a dropped stitch yesterday so I have to fix that first.  The socks, I never worry about.  I pick them up as I get a minute.  I'm going to have to decide what to do about the Magical Mitered Vest.  I started the bottom triangles and started working the first full square and even I checked gauge with a swatch before starting I don't think I'm getting close to the needed square size so I need to start over and pick a bigger size.  I'm just not sure whether I'll keep it in the loop of projects for now.  I think it is a spring like project.  It would be a fun vest to wear over a T-shirt on cooler summer days.  What to do, what to do.  Right now, I know what my two next projects will be but I just want to start everything that's out there.......

The lovely Jackie at Karpstyles also sent me a couple of lovely patterns yesterday.  Two Cabin Fever tank top patterns.  They are both DK knit and I'd really like to get some more of the Sonata cotton from Elann.  There are a few of the variegated colours there that are my favourite colours.  But I do have one nice DK Sirdar yarn at home that needs to be turned into something nice so I think one of the tanks will be good for that yarn.  This tank and this yarn in the light blue shade (740) I think would work well.  What do you think?

Wednesday already.  Enjoy the day!!!