Huckleberry Ascot
Posted: March 27, 2008 Filed under: Knitting, Scarves and Cowls 19 Comments »Have you ever finished a knitting project and then realized that the item does not suit your style whatsoever? That’s how I feel about my Huckleberry Ascot.
There isn’t anything wrong with the pattern itself. The scarf was a quick, simple project that I finished in just over a week. But I am not pleased with the way it looks because it reminds me of tucking a dinner napkin into my shirt. It appears quite flattering on the model in the pattern photo, but not so much on me. Also, it doesn’t cover enough of my neck to keep it warm. So, this is definitely not a keeper and will be going to a new home.
There were still some positive aspects of the project. I learned how to make bobbles, and they were much easier than I expected. While the yarn sheds a bit, it is incredibly soft and drapey and I would use it again.
Pattern: Huckleberry Ascot from Interweave Knits Gifts, Winter 2007
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Melange, Color #812 Blue Cheese, 2 skeins
Needles: US #7
A Rosemary-Themed Dinner
Posted: March 24, 2008 Filed under: Cooking, Entrées 10 Comments »
Rosemary Beef Skewers from the March 2008 issue of Everyday Food. Very easy, very yum. We like our meat pretty much cooked, so we just broiled it longer.
Rosemary Potatoes. An old favorite from Cooking Light.
(Chocolate) Cream Cheese Cookies
Posted: March 20, 2008 Filed under: Baking, Cookies 13 Comments »
My mother-in-law has a tradition of gifting assorted homemade cookies at Christmas. By far, our favorite cookie is this fudge-y tasting one. I finally remembered to ask her for the recipe, which came from the Betty Crocker cookbook she received as a wedding present in the mid 1970s. I was rather surprised to discover the “secret” ingredient: devil’s food cake mix.
I found the gist of the recipe online here. The original recipe calls for either yellow cake mix or devil’s food cake mix, although obviously your results would be different if you use the former. I used reduced fat cream cheese. Also, if you make petite cookies the yield is more like six or seven dozen instead of three…which is a lot of cookies, so we gave most of them away!
Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag
Posted: March 17, 2008 Filed under: Sewing 15 Comments »I was inspired to sew again after seeing Monique’s gorgeous Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag. If you click the link, you’ll see that I totally copied her.
I love this little patch on the front
Inner side of strap (the outside is wool)
A ribbon wrapped around this button closes the bag
Interior zippered pocket
Pattern: Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag by Montessori By Hand
Mods: I used a slightly heavier interfacing because I couldn’t find the one listed in the pattern. I also changed up the fabric combo a bit and used four fabrics instead of three.
Thoughts: The pattern instructions are absolutely stellar. I was a little nervous about making the interior zippered pocket — I’ve never done one before — but I had no problems understanding the process. I’m the type of person who likes very detailed instructions and I was completely satisfied with these! I also liked the full-size pattern pieces and the photos accompanying the directions. If Meg came out with more bag patterns, I would definitely buy them!
My Central Park Hoodie
Posted: March 6, 2008 Filed under: Knitting, Sweaters 46 Comments »
I don’t have a great track record when it comes to sweater knitting. I finished a total of three sweaters prior to the Central Park Hoodie — Klaralund (worn only once), Kepler (never even worn), and Frieda (worn exactly twice). I wasn’t happy with their fit so they remained hidden in my closet. A couple of months ago I finally donated them to the Goodwill. I know many knitters would unravel the sweaters and re-purpose the yarn for some other project, but I just wasn’t interested in taking apart completely finished garments. I hope those sweaters are now in good homes elsewhere.
The road to completing my Central Park Hoodie felt like a long one because I started it six months ago. The actual knitting of the sweater was quite easy; the pattern is well-written and uncomplicated. For awhile I struggled to get off sleeve island, but in hindsight that wasn’t even the hard part. The challenge for me was the finishing.
I was a bit alarmed when the pieces came off the blocking board because they looked very big. I had read in multiple places that this sweater runs snug, so instead of knitting size 32 I went with the 36. I prefer my sweaters a little looser anyway as I tend to wear a shirt or turtleneck underneath. But when Hubby remarked that the pieces looked like they could fit him tightly (he’s 5’10″!), you can imagine why I got concerned.
Next, I severely underestimated how long it would take me to knit the hood, knit the ribbed border (which involved picking up a total of 300 stitches!), and do all the seaming. I am absolutely terrible at seaming, and while struggling through it I actually considered frogging the. entire. sweater. Because I was convinced that it would turn out horribly and wouldn’t fit me anyway, so why bother? But that seemed like giving up without a fight right before the finish line, so I pushed on.
I spent at least half an hour at Joanns trying to find the right buttons but I still couldn’t make a decision. I came home with five sets (with the intent of returning four ) so I could get a second opinion from Hubby. I ended up using these 3/4″ buttons and I like them a lot.
There are many imperfections in my CPH. The buttonholes look appalling (they were my first ones and clearly I should have read up on techniques beforehand), some of the seams could be straighter, the hood is wonky, and the sleeves are too long (don’t know why I didn’t think about that when knitting them). I’m not necessarily showcasing all of these problems, but trust me, they’re there. And I probably should have knit the smallest size. But. When the sweater came off the board after its final blocking, my doubts started to fade away. My Central Park Hoodie is actually wearable despite its flaws and I am so excited about that!
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Color 8013 (Walnut Heather), a little over 5 skeins
Pattern: from Fall 2006 KnitScene
Needles: US #7 and #9 to obtain gauge
Modifications: Lengthened the body by half an inch
Chevron Scarf
Posted: March 3, 2008 Filed under: Knitting, Scarves and Cowls 31 Comments »
Yarn: Socks That Rock Mediumweight in Puck’s Mischief and Downpour
Pattern: Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Needles: US #5
Size: 5.5 inches by 70 inches after blocking
