Progress on the Tivoli…
Posted: September 29, 2005 Filed under: Knitting, Sweaters 11 Comments »…is coming more slowly than I planned, and I ran into a couple of minor issues.
First is that I did an absolutely horrible job with the armholes…and this is one of the better ones!
So I had to “fix” them…I’ll use the word “fix” loosely here, since what I did may or may not be considered a true remedy to the problem. I just attempted to close the gaps a bit.
Then I noticed that there is some weird bunching where I wove in the ends…am I pulling the yarn too tight? I don’t seem to have this problem with wool.
Lastly, I ran into this near the end of a ball:
In spite of these issues, I’m enjoying the project:
My goal is to finish Tivoli by the end of next week. I’m not working on anything else at the moment (other than my socks here and there), so hopefully I’ll meet my goal!
ZigZag Modular Scarf
Posted: September 25, 2005 Filed under: Knitting, Scarves and Cowls 8 Comments »Yay, another scarf is off the needles!
This ends my season of Christmas gift knitting. Now it’s time to move on to the Tivoli Tee!
Birthday Gift
Posted: September 25, 2005 Filed under: Knitting 5 Comments »I celebrated my birthday a few days ago, and DH bought me this from my wish list:
It is the Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder. I tried it out already, and it works very well! The center-pull ball is great, and I like how the winder looks next to my Oregon Woodworker swift. Yay!
Finished Ribbed Scarf
Posted: September 22, 2005 Filed under: Knitting, Scarves and Cowls 1 Comment »Yay, the ribbed scarf is done!
Here is DH modeling it for me:
Doesn’t the scarf look lovely with the cut-off shirt? It’s not quite scarf weather here yet…the high yesterday was 86 degrees.
While I am happy with the scarf, I have made a resolution. No more 2×2 ribbed scarves, and no more double seed stitch scarves. From January 2005 until now, I have knit two 2×2 ribbed scarves and two double seed stitch scarves. All four have been with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. While I am a fan of this yarn, and while I really like ribbing and double seed stitch, I must admit that I am getting really bored with knitting long scarves in these patterns. I realized this about three-quarters of the way through the red ribbed scarf for DH. I wonder where my brain was when I decided to knit a second ribbed scarf for DH? Hello??? I could have at least tried a different pattern! So no more! Gotta move out of my comfort zone!
Another Sophie Bag
Posted: September 18, 2005 Filed under: Bags, Cooking, Entrées, Knitting 5 Comments »A couple of weeks ago, I completed Sophie Bag #2, which will be a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law.
I made several unsuccessful attempts to line Sophie Bag #1. After wasting fabric with my failed attempts, I decided to take a bag-lining class from Knitique in November. I’m looking forward to getting these two bags truly finished!
There isn’t much knitting news to report. I have been feeling very overwhelmed with having multiple projects on the needles. I feel like I’m not making much progress with anything. I decided that I would finish DH’s ribbed scarf, the ZigZag modular scarf for my sister, and the Tivoli tee before moving on to the Kepler, Freida, and Salina sweaters. It was a hard decision to make, because I’m so excited about knitting the sweaters, but I am really bothered by the fact that I’m not finishing anything. I really, really need to switch to a one-project-at-a-time approach!
In cooking news, DH and I recently tried a Pasta Primavera recipe from Cooking Light’s Superfast Weeknight Dinners. I was a little bit skeptical about whether I would like it (can you really make pasta sauce from just a little bit of white wine, whipping cream, and lemon juice?), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dish was really yummy! And the answer to the question is yes, you can make pasta sauce with just a bit of white wine, whipping cream, and lemon juice!
Many thanks to our friend Jeannie for giving us the wonderful pan that fits an entire pound of pasta plus veggies!
Lastly, thanks to everyone who looked at my de-stashing sale. I have added several more items and reduced a few prices, so please take a look.
Have a wonderful week!
Sock with Twisted German Cast-On
Posted: September 11, 2005 Filed under: Knitting, Socks 7 Comments »Yesterday, Cyndi and I met up at Borders to knit together! It was much fun to catch up with her and see the pretty sock that she was knitting. I was also thrilled because she taught me the twisted German cast-on! As soon as I got home, I practiced this new technique. This picture doesn’t show much, but here it is anyway:
The cast on works really well and is very neat! Thanks for teaching me, Cyndi!
Beginning of Kepler Sweater
Posted: September 11, 2005 Filed under: Knitting, Sweaters Comments OffI just started the Kepler Sweater. Kepler is very cool because the cable pattern runs horizontally along the bottom edge. My gauge is way off (with the swatch being ½” too small), but I’m hoping that I can compensate by knitting the sweater in a larger size. This is the first cable band for the sleeve (almost complete):
If you are interested, there is also a knit-along.
ZigZag Modular Scarf
Posted: September 11, 2005 Filed under: Knitting, Scarves and Cowls Comments OffThe Zigzag Modular Scarf (pattern p57) is another project on the needles. This short-rows scarf will be a Christmas present. I haven’t worked on it much, but it’s going pretty quickly.
Ribbed Scarf for DH
Posted: September 11, 2005 Filed under: Knitting, Scarves and Cowls Comments OffI’m using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in dark red (color #300611) for DH’s ribbed scarf. I know I’ve raved about this yarn in the past, but DB Cash Aran is one of my favorites because it is so soft and easy to work with!
The color is more accurate in the yarn photo, not in the scarf photo.
I’m about halfway done with the scarf so it should be complete in plenty of time for winter.
Need to start Tivoli again…
Posted: September 11, 2005 Filed under: Knitting, Sweaters Comments OffI have been really excited about knitting the Tivoli Tee, but I had a little incident with it on Friday night. I finished the increases for the yoke, divided the stitches for the armholes, and was a few rounds into the even bust section. I decided to try it on, and found that it was way too small for me. I know that it is supposed to stretch, but my Tivoli was very, very uncomfortably tight, especially at the armholes. I knit a flat gauge swatch beforehand and achieved gauge, but perhaps my gauge changed for knitting in the round? I’m not too sure. So I ripped the entire thing and started over (thus no picture right now). Hopefully the next size up won’t be too big for me! If you are knitting the Tivoli/Picovoli too, we have a knit-along!
