Making it Fit

I've been knitting up a storm the past few days, trying to get enough knit so I can try on my top and see how it fits. Sorry about these photos, they were taken by Alice.

Here's the front:



Sorry for the self-mauling, it's curling like a mad thing so I held it to show the length. I'm happy with the front, I think the neckline looks great. Exactly how I wanted it to look. There will be a border round the neckline so it won't be so wide.

Here's the back:



The back is grand, too. Fits nicely, not too loose or tight.

The one problem is the underarm:



Too big. WAY too big. *sigh* So, how did I fix it? I got out a favourite sweater and I measured it. I was actually surprised that it was smaller than I thought. Maybe I'm over estimating the size of my bust! Anyway, I measured away and then placed my work on top of the sweater. It was really obvious that the underarms were way too big. I checked the measurements and using my gauge figured out I needed to reduce the armholes by about 17 stitches each side.

I've ripped back and re-done the armholes. I can't try it on until I get a few more inches done, so I hope I've solved the problem. Then I have to pick a waistband design and a stitch pattern for the bottom. Back to work I go!

I was thinking of doing an in-depth review of Interweave Knits, from the point of view of pattern by pattern how much it would cost to knit, difficulty level and sizes provided etc. Would you be interested in reading a review like that? Let me know.

Good knitting!

Basic Stitch

Beware, this post contains lots of exclamation marks.

Yesterday, hubby was working in Celbridge, Co. Kildare. It's not that far from our home, maybe 13 miles. We actually lived here for 3 years when we first got married, but moved back to my old stomping ground almost 10 years ago.

When he told me where he was going, I immediately replied, "Oh, are you? I believe there's a yarn store there now..." Heh. So, being the obliging bloke that he is, he stopped in on his lunch break for me.

The store is called Basic Stitch. No website, unfortunately. tsk tsk.


He said it's a small store, with a nice table in the middle to sit & knit. The staff were very friendly, and it is stocked with mostly the same yarns you'll find in almost every Irish yarn store (Sirdar, Tivoli, King Cole, etc) BUT they do have Brown Sheep Lambs Pride worsted and Crystal Palace yarns. He phoned me when he was in there, to tell me what they had and when I heard Crystal Palace, I asked him what types. I can't remember the names of the others, but they were slub yarns which are not really a fave of mine. When he mentioned this, though, I got a bit excited:



Crystal Palace Kid Merino. I suppose you could say it's their version of Rowan KidSilk haze. They had a fair selection of colours, but when he mentioned one that looked like Key Lime Pie, I knew that was the one. Plus, it was on sale! €3 a ball! Whoop!

When he came home he produced this nice surprise purchase for me. (Aw)



Now I know, I know it's tantamount to toy knitting, but look! So cute! (Warning, this is where the exclamation mark frenzy begins).

The Invisible Man!! So cool. I love his umbrella, glasses and gladstone bag.



There's lots of Hallowe'en stuff, and we all know I loves me Hallowe'en.

Spooky trees! With dangly spoooky bats!!



Mummies!! Squee! I love mummies. Alice has already ordered two, to make her own Egyptian tomb.



Spooky ghost! With ball and chain! And lots of little spookies like cats, spiders (ick, won't be making them) and black kitty!



And last, but definitely not least.... OWLS!!!!! Blurry owls, I admit, but still, OWLS!



There are loads more treats in it, but my cup runneth over. I itch to cast on for some, even though I know the sewing up at the end is a right pain in the derrière.

In other knitty news, I found out at knit night last night that a new yarn store has opened up in the last week in Dunboyne, Co. Meath (about 15 mins drive away). I'm off work on Friday, guess where I'm going! More yarn store reviews to come!

Good knitting!

Fastest Knitter in the West

I had a great weekend. I played with Alice, cooked, visited my parents and ignored my housework.
Oh, and I knit this:



Pattern: Centrique by the ridiculously talented Stolen Stitches, kindly modelled by Alice in the garden this evening.
Needles: 4.5mm KnitPicks Options
Yarn: Zettl Treviso sock yarn (from Lidl), 1 ball
This yarn is ridiculously cheap, but it was great for this shawl. Nice and light, but very good stitch definition.
I knit like the proverbial wind this weekend. I cast on for this on Saturday night, and blocked it last night at about 11pm. Did you ever just hit a knitting "sweet spot" where you get in the groove and just churn it out? That's what this was. Pure joy knitting. I think it was a combination of yarn, pattern and motivation. I'm making this for one of the ladies in my knitting group who's a bit poorly at the moment, and I think this should cheer her up.
We meet on Tuesday nights (Starbucks beside the Leisureplex in The Blanchardstown Centre, 7-9pm in case you're interested in coming along) so I really wanted to give it to her this Tuesday. And I shall!



Doesn't it look great? I'm delighted with it. Definitely something I'll make again, I think.

Alice & I made her a Get Well Soon card this evening too. I think it's cute:



I also managed to finish this:



It's the dress for Alice's teddy/bunny. A bit tight, methinks. Perhaps she could do with laying off the carrots for a while. Still, it's an outift, and it has a hole for her tail, too:



This is my attempt at a Lindsay Lohan type red carpet photo where they contort their heads round so you can see their butt. I know, I'm no Lord Litchfield, but you get the idea. You can see the tail poking out. :D

In other FANTASTIC news, I've been nominated for 3! (THREE!!) Irish Blog Awards! Two are for this blog in different categories, and the other is for a joint blog run by myself and Wyvernfriend: Irish Knitting & Crochet. In fairness, though, most of the credit for the Irish Knitting blog really should go to Wyverfriend, she does an amazing job of work every week posting the Irish Crafty Blog update. I just tinker in the background and add the odd bit of news. Still! Whoopee!

Good Knitting!

Busy Busy!

I was thinking I'd been really busy this week, but now I look at the photos I've put up, I'm not so sure! It doesn't look like much, but it does represent some work...

First up, here's the beginnings of my new design. I decided to park hubby's idea and do this one first. He did a great drawing for me, so I won't forget!

I've decided to call this Ethereal, as the yarn is floaty light and I hope some of the lightness will rub off on me when I wear it!



Shocking stuff, huh? Yeah, not so much. I decided in the end to use the Drops Alpaca in my stash and to be a good girl. I love this yarn, but it's like knitting a jumper with laceweight; lots of knitting does not equal lots of inches of progress! I've done the shoulder shaping on the back and am working my way down to the armholes. The bottom of the picture (under the yarn roll) is the stitches I've put on another needle for the front. I'll probably do that tomorrow or Sunday, as I have to do the short row shaping in one go, otherwise I'll lose my place! Then it'll be plain sailing down to the armholes. (I hope).

At knitting group on Tuesday I saw some lovely dresses people had knit for their daughters/grand-daughters teddys. I know, I know, NO TOY KNITTING, but this is different. I'm not knitting the toy, but merely creating some accessories for it. Not to mention it'll be a damn sight cheaper than buying an outfit in The Bear Factory, it'll also look better too. It's Alice's birthday in just over a month, so I decided to make a dress for one of her animals. Meet Rose the bunny:



Now I know I just said I was making a dress, but I cast on 50 sts and ribbed and it was too small to fit over her damn arse, so I decided to make a matching hat too. Anything to avoid ripping back. See how I made holes for her ears to go through? I know, I'm a genius :D This knitting is strictly after Alice's bedtime knitting so she won't see it.

In other fantastic news, I got my prize from NerdyTogether today!



Rose was in the mood for more photos today. I freaking love this chain/necklace! I can't see the joins anywhere on the chain links, Amanda is one talented crafter! Thanks so much for my prize, I love it!

So, remember at the top of this post I was crowing how I'm being good and using stash yarn for my new top? Yeah.



I blame my brother for this. He's up visiting at the moment, and Dad asked me to buy a new duvet for his bed. This necessitated a visit to Lidl today. Ok, so I didn't have to go there, but in a way I'm glad I did! I was actually going to buy the duvet in another (more expensive) store, and popped into Lidl to see the yarn that went on offer yesterday. Hence the acquisition above, which I'll get to in a mo. Anyway, when I was there, what did I spy but an All Seasons Duvet (the ones with two layers) for a much cheaper price! So in a way, my buying yarn saved my Dad money. heh.

So the yarn above is called Senibel. I know, means nothing to me either, except that it's a knock off version of Rico CanCan. This stuff is apparently the latest "craze" yarn. It's kinda like netting, and when you knit it up it turns ruffly. I just wanted to try it out to see what the fuss was all about, and this stuff from Lidl is way cheaper than the real McCoy. If it turns out mad, sure I can always donate it.

So, a longer post than I thought, maybe I was right, I have been busy!

Good knitting!

Swatching Stage 2

I have washed the swatches, and they turned out well.



This is the 3.5mm Muskat. This stretched a little, it is now 24 sts x 34 rows, a growth of 2 rows.



This is the 4mm Muskat. This stayed exactly the same, 22 sts x 28 rows.



This is the Silke Tweed. I had a hunch this would grow, and I was right! It is now 24 sts x 36 rows, a growth of 4 rows. Definitely something to consider when knitting with it!



This is the Lin. While it did soften up nicely, it is still a little rough. The drape is gorgeous though. This grew both ways, both in stitch count and row count. It is now 24 sts x 36 rows, a growth of 2 sts and 2 rows.



I went stash diving to see if there was anything else I could use for this garment, to try and save some money. I discovered 10 balls of a lovely dark red rosy colour Drops Alpaca (swoony soft) that would be really nice I think, so I grabbed this leftover in a different colour and I'm going to swatch with it.



I think this has been a really interesting experiment in swatching and how it affects different fibres. The silke tweed definitely confirmed what I'd seen happen to my Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool Tangled Yoke cardigan. It stretched like nobody's business.

While I was searching through the stash, hubby came up to help. I was describing what I wanted to do, when he spotted something else in my stash and proposed what I think is a super idea, too.
This is what he spied:



Absolutely faboo Cushendale DK that I have 10 skeins of. This is Irish yarn, spun in Kilkenny, that you may remember I ordered when I visited the mill last year. Delish. The colour is called Autumn, and it's a bit lighter than the photo.
He suggested a long jacket/coat thingy that sounds fab, and would be perfect for wearing during the spring. He's drawing me a picture of what's in his head and I'll do a swatch with this for it.

So now, I have a dilemma! Do I continue with my idea for the first design or do this one? Also, if I do go ahead with the first one, do I destash and use the Alpaca or buy more yarn? (I have so much yarn it's ridiculous). If I make the second project, it'd be something I could really use a lot and it's Irish yarn (yum) and it's already in my stash.

This is when I need to spontaneously grow another pair of arms, and perhaps a second brain as I don't really multitask very well. I'm reminded of Inspector Gadget, "Go Go Gadget Arms!"

Whatever decision is made, it needs to be made soon, as I need to have something on the needles quickly before I have a meltdown!

Good knitting!

Swatching Stage 1

I've finished my stocking stitch swatches:



Going on colour so far, I think my favourites are the green and the dark red.

Swatch No. 1:



Garnstudio Drops Muskat (100% Mercerized Egyptian Cotton) using 3.5mm needles. I got 24 sts x 32 rows over 4". This is a lovely tight fabric, and not too harsh to knit with. I wondered if it might be a little too tight, and I would lose drape as a result, so I switched to 4mm needles:



I think this is a bit better, I got 22 sts x 28 rows to 4". Just enough of a difference to make it more fluid. This is the more accurate colour, a really rich emerald green.

Swatch No. 2:



Garnstudio Drops Lin (100% Linen) using 3.5mm needles. I got 22 sts x 32 rows to 4". I had originally done this on 4mm needles, but it was way too holey. Even the 3.5mm is a bit too holey for me. I want this top to be something I can wear without having to layer underneath it. Plus, it KILLED my hands to knit with, especially my little finger on my right hand. I have a tendency to "push" the stitches along with it, and I have a red welt there now. Boo. Although, I have heard this softens up after washing really nicely. Stolen Stitches had a great idea to wash the linen before knitting with it, as this really helped to soften it up. I might try that!

Swatch No. 3:



Granstudio Drops Silke-Tweed (52% silk, 42% wool) using 3.5mm needles. I got 24 sts x 32 rows to 4". This is a lovely textured yarn, but again a bit rough. It feels almost identical to Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed, but way cheaper! I'll be interested to see how this looks after washing.

Which one is your favourite so far?

So, that's swatching stage 1, bring on stage 2, the wet round!

Good knitting!

Pointelle

I finished my Pointelle Socks today:



Pattern: Pointelle Socks from Knit. Sock. Love. by CookieA
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine, about 3/4 of a skein
Needles: 2.25mm dpns

I enjoyed this pattern, it was nice to see the pattern emerging. The only complaint I would have is with the charts. They are really long, and it's easy to lose your place, even with chart keepers. The yarn is really soft and squishy. I hope it wears well.

So, now I have nothing on the needles, let the swatching begin! I also have to read Barbara Walkers Knitting from the Top for guidance.

In great news, I won a prize! The lovely Amanda at NerdyTogether (brilliant blog, btw) held a giveaway for any scarf from her posts and I won! So, I chose this one: a Crazy Chain scarf. I love it, thanks Amanda!

Good knitting!