January One -- Brie
December 19, 2004
Please Help!
Okay, so the pattern says to decrease at the beginning and end of the third row and every 8th row after. It's a 2x2 rib. I decreased in the knit stitches - p2, k2 (this is where I decreased) p2 pat to end.
What do I do on the next row - start over with k2, p2 and keep going regardless of what the ribs were before? What about the 8th row?
I don't know why this is confusing me. But it is. Thanks so much for your help.
Posted by Cara at 10:45 AM | Comments (2)
Dont' Eat the Plastic...Oh Wait...
Maybe You Can
ca·sein ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ksn, -s-n) n. A white, tasteless, odorless protein precipitated from milk by rennin. It is the basis of cheese and is used to make plastics, adhesives, paints, and foods. From Dictionary.com
Does anybody else find it a little strange that the plastic your cheese is wrapped may actually also be cheese? I'm not quite sure how milk can turn into plastic, and frankly, I don't want to know. But god damn I like these Swallows!
I cast on last night (after I finished the Vest) for the Brie gloves. Things were going along swimmingly with the beguiling hairy dental floss until I realized I was on row 6 or 7 or something (how can I be expected to know what row I'm on with this blasted yarn! I can't even count the stitches!) and that I was supposed to start decreasing on row 3. I was so excited that I was actually knitting with this imposter yarn that I forgot to re-read the pattern.
Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!
Have you ever tried ripping this stuff out? I hope there supposed to be a lot left over after making these gloves because with all the cutting of destroyed ends I'm doing I'll be lucky if I can make it to the thumb. I WILL PREVAIL! KSH WILL NOT BRING ME DOWN!
I think I'll work on my Ribby Cardi today since I finished the Vest. I sent an email to Carole last night to join the Ribby Cardi KAL. It will be my second ever knit-along. The first, of course, being the Man-Along. But now that I've finished the Vest, it's time to move on.
And you people are killing me! After seeing Cari's and Froggy's, I'm totally convinced I HAVE to make a Clapotis. It's a good excuse to try out some new yarn, right? I've never tried Lorna's Laces and I hear good things.
I'm also trying to find a project for my Jo Sharp DK Tweed in Cedar. I want to make some kind of Cabled Hoodie Cardigan. All the patterns I've found that seem remotely interesting are for Aran weight yarn. I'm not sure I'm good enough to do the math to convert the piece to DK weight. I like Mariah from the new Knitty because the intricate cables are really on the arms. I've had that idea in my mind for a while. Will it be really hard to convert it? Or should I give up and look for something in the same yarn weight? I like this Debbie Bliss pattern, but again, it's calling for Aran weight. I probably don't have enough yarn to do it anyway. I have 20 balls of the Cedar. I know I don't have enough to do this, also a Debbie Bliss pattern. (Great job Shannon!) Of course, this one's in the right yarn weight. I guess I could try to find some more yarn. I'd probably only need about five or so. It's times like these I wish I was a designer extraordinare so I could make myself a Shazam or Lovie like Bonne Marie.
If anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear them. I really want to start knitting with this yarn - especially since I finished the Vest.
Posted by Cara at 08:49 AM | Comments (3)
December 17, 2004
Lucky Girl
Yep. That's me! Well, besides the sick thing.
Want to hear a sappy, romantic story? Too bad. I'm gonna tell you anyway!
I had to go to Staples today to get some more photo mailers for client work. I really didn't feel like doing it, but I threw on some clothes, my baseball cap and my favorite cozy clogs. After I got the car warmed up a little bit, I noticed that there was a CD in the 6-CD player. We don't always have CDs in there. Sometimes the same six will languish because we're too lazy to change them. Sometimes I get in and find that Georgie's put in the most surprising, eclectic mix. He does have the most crazy taste in music. But I digress.
So I turn on the CD, anticipating my surprise and the first song is Waitin' On A Sunny Day, by Bruce, of course. Now this is significant because WOASD doesn't start any albums. So immediately I know this is a homemade CD. And homemade it was! Such love, such tenderness, such in-depth knowledge of my heart and soul. My honey left me the equivalent of the sappiest, most sentimental love letter. I had a smile from ear to ear! I am the luckiest girl! I reciprocated by leaving him an equally sappy voicemail message thanking him for being the best lover, friend, and husband a girl could ever want. I am, truly, a lucky girl. (Okay, before you want to kill me, we do have our moments. Like, for instance, the CD was in there the night before when he picked me up at the train, but I bitched him out so bad he didn't even turn on the radio. I'm sorry honey!)
Enough about our crazy love - look what I got!
Some beautiful, beautiful needles:
Straight Needles
Double Pointed Needles
Aren't they fantastic? I bought them specifically for the Kid Silk Haze and Brie Gloves I'm going to make for my sister. I can't wait to knit with them. Although, now I wish I had gotten some of the Pearl ones as well!
But here's really why I'm lucky. Look at my sweet niece in her Chanukah hat!
My god - couldn't you just eat her up? I'm dying!
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. While I was in Philly I stopped at a few LYSs - The Tangled Web, The Knit With and Rosie's Yarn Cellar. The Tangled Web was disappointing. I bought a couple of patterns and a pair of Addis at The Knit With and at Rosie's I bought four more skeins of Manos in the camel/pink color. Now I'm thinking I need more to make a garment. Or maybe not. I do have some great ideas for expanding on the Sophie.
My nose is running again. Thanks, by the way, for the get well wishes!
Posted by Cara at 03:37 PM | Comments (4)
November 29, 2004
bloat...
Thanksgiving's over. Let's move on. Please.
It's not that I hate the holidays per se, but I don't really see why singling out a special day for thanking those you love is necessary. Don't you do that every day? I try to. I try very hard. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't, but I like to think I don't need a day to remember. Same goes for Valentine's. I don't even like turkey.
I did get some knitting done even though the beloved children keep me very busy. They're definitely the goofiest, craziest, most wonderful people I know. There is almost no greater pleasure in my life than being their aunt. Sometimes, I miss them so much it hurts. Okay, okay. I almost made myself cry.
Back to knitting - this is the progress I've made so far on the Geometric Scarf:
I'm not sure about the yarn - it splits, but it is very, very soft. The scarf will have to be blocked well though.
And since these days finishing one project means starting 18 more, I bought a couple of pattern books. Samara, my baby sister (12 years my junior), was in for the holiday from Michigan with her man Ted. I picked up the Rowan Vintage Style book and Magazine 36 at Ewe and I. (First time I've ever been able to find what I needed there.)
I also bought a ball of Kid Silk Haze #598 (Toffee). I'm going to make the Brie gloves in the magazine for Samara. They'll go perfect with the "vintage" (read Salvation Army) coat Ted bought her. We also decided on Laurent, from the Vintage Style book, for her birthday present in March. Should be a good project for me since I've never done intarsia. I so want to learn.
 Brie |  Laurent |
My sister and I both enjoyed perusing the Rowan books - so much so I'm considering joining the Rowan club. Could be a nice birthday gift to myself.
Progress has also been made on G's Vest. Not enough, but progress still.
Posted by Cara at 02:34 PM | Comments (4)