To be announced

i keep telling myself that i should be learning how to spin, but i am intimidated by it, so i've taken a bit of a break to moonlight on a freestyle sweater project with the Noro Yarn of Drama.

the project i take my inspiration from is called Klaralund (that's a ravelry project page, and i suspect you need to be a member to see it)

basically it's an incredibly simple sweater pattern. You knit up four rectanagles. two of them form the sleeves and the shoulder saddle/yoke and the v-neckline, and then the other two rectangles are the body. the self striping yarn makes for colour interest, and this is a project thati think is as suited to noro as things made from squares.

but I didn't dig where the yoke fell on most of the women. it worked best on ladies without a prominent bust - and while I cannot claim any sort of abundance in the bosoms department, i felt i could do better for my figure if i just... messed with it a bit.

and now it's not simple. :)

I came to knitting construction from sewing construction. so i address the challenge of wrapping a three dimensional figure with a 2-d surface in knitting in the ways that I would do with flat fabric. so I wind up creating things with very obvious visual shaping - but because I prefer to work in the round, on the fly and seamless, i find some crazed ways to create this shaping. ihave a lot of fun doing this, i and i think it lends a distinctive air to things that i make. ( here's an example of what I mean: )


now i'm going to talk about knitting in my own personal kniting jargon. i'm sorry, non-knitters. :) i'm sorry, knitters who aren't me. :) this is me recording an overview of my project notes, and i just decided to share it for no real reason other than whim.

i hate seams, so i decided to avoid back and forth knitting and seaming wherever i could. So i cast on 60 stitches on my wee 16" 6mm circ, knit a few rounds garter, and then 60 rows of stockinette - and decided that i much preferred the reverse stockinette side and the way it treated the colour changes of noro kureyon.

this sleeve length is just a wee bit past my elbows. i decided that with that amount of sleeve fullness i'd find the sleeves much less cumbersome if they were draping elegantly off my elbows rather than dragging in my meal at my wrists.

When i got to the shoulder saddle/yoke, i decided that I wanted it to be the bodice as well. so i crocheted a chain of waste yarn, picked up 15 stitches to make a provisional cast on, and started gartering back and forth. I wound up with a bit of a stockinette ditch at my cast-on points, decided that i didn't mind it, and then discovered that it was vital to my shaping.

i proceeded from that ditch for 13 ridges of garter, trying the sleeve on as i went, and then short rowed the front for bodice shaping - vertical bust darts. i wrapped the first 2 rows as every stitch, and then wrapped back every other stitch for four more. I don't need a lot of front on my front, and then symmetrically wrapped back to create the dart. (if you've done horizontal front row shaping on a sweater at the bust, or perhaps for a sock heel, that's what i've done here, except vertically, and only on one end..)

i gartered plain a bit - only three ridges, and realized that my center back was in the right spot, but I still needed some coverage in the front - so I short rowed the front in order to slant the neckline and get more yarn in the front where i needed it. when I'd gotten the coverage i wanted i just knitted along the whole row, past my wraps, because the short rowing was to create a \ shape and not a 3d shaping as for the bust, and bound off.

my right hand sleeve is the same, except mirrored at the bust shaping to be the right hand sleeve. once it's don, i will seam up a couple stiches at the center back and do a fitting to decide if i've got it right for the bust, right for the shoulder drape, how far to seam up the center back and the center front. when i'm happy with the bodice fit, i will pick up stiches along the bottom edge for the bodice, garter in the round for five ridges, and then mindless stockinette (to show reverse as the right side) while fitting to adjust for waist shaping... and then hem the bottom in the round in garter at a length suitable for wear with low rise jeans.

i prefer making sweaters top down in this way because I *can* fit them to me as I go. Which means that I'm a good craftsman, but i'm not who you want writing knitting patterns!

this isn't a pattern so much as it is a method that each knitter would have to adjust for themselves. when i say that I knit for 13 rides of garter, that is an incredibly personal measurement, meant to fit me. if you were to try the same sweater, even if you used the same yarn and got the same gauge, 13 ridges might not be enough. or too much. doing a provisional cast on at the underarm for 15 stitches to make the bodice might be too short, or too long. i'm going to shape the body as an hourglass to fit my figure, and because I can do a bit of fit and flare with this yarn - but i can see how a drapier yarn could be much better suited to an a-line drop from the underbust band. I can see a way to do this so the body stripes run vertically, and wouldn't that be fun? but i think if i tired to explain how to do that i would fail miserably.

Anyway, I'll post pictures of this sweater when i'm done, and show you what happens when I decide to modify an existing pattern.

and then take another crack at explaining it again. :)

and I don't need them, because I have contact lenses in.

I got one month disposables. I've had them in for like eight hours, and I barely feel them. The optician said that I could leave them in for a few days, if I wanted to.

I think I believe him.

I can wear sunglasses! I'm so amused - I lose the spectacles and the first thing I think is now I can buy all the cheap sunglasses I want. It's like I can't lose the shielding that frames provide.

I also did a little shopping. I bought a new purse that's of a size to carry knitting in, even if i was knitting with straight needles, which I hardly ever do. I also bought a down filled knee length winter coat. I wanted a new winter coat all season but I made do with what I had.

Until I saw the $29.95 pricetag, marked down from $170. A bargoon. I snapped it up.

Yeah, I know, it's not lingerie. but so what? puffy winter coats are sexy. because puffy winter coats keep me from dying of exposure.

Now on my to-do list is keep up my review of season one criminal minds episodes, crochet fluffy pink mohair, test one of these frimps of BPAL I got with my last order, lounge in a bath with this Kate Elliott book I'm reading, and gaze at my orchids.

My beautiful, beautiful orchids.

and then tomorrow?

Project Bunny Slippers commences.

I have to admit to you people that I have a problem.

I can't stop thinking about yarn. I'm crazy. I have this knit along I'm going to do in conjunction with Black Phoenix Alchemy lab, and I'm going to make the girliest little capelet ever and name it Peony moon

because I bought pale pink lace weight mohair. WTF? pink? me?

I have a problem. but I'm going to knit a cute and girly capelet that will not go with anything else in my wardrobe because my aquisition brainstem activated at the sight of it.

so! YARN DIET!

I may need to find one more ball of mohair for the capelet, I don't know, but NO MORE BUYING YARN until I finish Durrow! IMEANIT!!!! I will allow myself to buy size 0 addi turbos for my stupid stupid fiddly little sock but that's just more Yarn diet because no more buying yarn until those stupid socks are done! IMEANIT!!!!!

I mean, I have stash. Stash, folks. it's not enormous stash, but I have enough yarn to keep myself amused, at least.

oh and

there's something that I would very much like to do, so I'm going to say it here.

I would like to take an evening class at Bow Valley College. Specifically, Biology 20. I think they might force me to take science 10 because I took Chemistry 10a and Physics 10a but I didn't take biology (I didn't have enough room in my grade ten schedule to take all three sciences, and I didn't know that I would grow up to be more interested in the life sciences than how to build a trebuchet out of popsicle sticks. shutup.) but I think I can jump it at Bio 20. I dont know. I'll ask.

it's just that the courses are self paced but in a classroom environment and the course costs $140 which isn't really a lot of money. I'd go twice a work and work until I was done and then go on to Bio 30 and - well okay, I'll take pure math 20 because I flunked it BAD and then get my 30 level pure math and then go beat English 30 into the FLOOR because it cannot withstand my rhetorical might...

and then?

Why, then I would have true prerequisites for university application, instead of "yo I'm 37 let me in!"

But that's going really far ahead, kids. For now, I'm just eyeing that Biology 20 course. Because it would be interesting. and I spend that much on yarn anyhow, so why not? *sneaks up a little closer*

my paper journal is going well. I see all the scans on embodiment and people have these wonderful jornals with their own handmade touches, and I have a 6x9 Hilroy 350 page spiral notebook.

Teh fuglee. but I wrote in it yesterday and I wrote in it today and I'm trucking along - I mean I filled up pages and pages. I went off on a screed.

and there is already a to-do list.

next I need to angst about how I dont know what's supposed to happen next in a story, and then jot down a phone number, and the darn thing will be complete.

What the chelsea wantses for christmas, 2006 edition!

Books - i made a wishlist on chaptersindigo a while back, even though I hate their store. I do not turn my nose up at second hand books. at all. so there.

Books on Knitting that I especially want:

Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman
the First (and Second) book of modern lace knitting, by Marianne Kinzel

Beauty Booty

I'm trying to find gentle soaps that smell good. I'm curious about goat's milk soap.

my BPAL bottle wishlist right now has

GC Bottles
Van Van
Black Rose
white rabbit
Snake Oil *
Xiuhtecuhtli
The Music of Erich Zahn

Salon
TWO MONSTERS

TAL
blessing of isis
Nocturne

Bath Bombs. I love these silly things. all out of proportion and unreasonably.

a bath pillow would be cool, my cervical vertebrae have hastened to remind me.

Knitting materials.

I loves the alpaca fiber, I do. I've been really loving the misti alpaca - it's all purpose awesome. I'm really curious about Manos del Uruguay - the colors look so neat but I think it'd reserve it for a scarf or something. I still haven't bought the paton's merino I need to build a Pirate Hat. Lorna's Laces yarns look and feel wicked, and I want to knit with them when I get better - I imagine an aran knit madness done with fisherman in Tahoe or Safari, Aslan or Baltic Sea.
more knitting needles, because there is never enough - arcadiax swears that I must learn to magic loop, and so another excuse to buy a set of Addi Turbos cannot be turned down.

I'm not buying any yarn until I'm done this sweater. I'll buy another skein of yarn if it turns out that I need it, but it's only five bucks so it completely does not count. That reminds me. I need to give it another uninterrupted hour today. I didn't actually get an uninterrupted hour on it yesterday, but I did give it four interrupted hours. I want to finish knitting the yoke today. then it's sleeve and cable madness!

A vacation in Cuba.

or someplace warmer than here. first cold snap of the winter coming up this week, and I'm filled with hate. stupid cold. of course, if I took some kind of winter vacation to a tropical land I probably wouldn't want to come back. and I can't be a lazy old expat until I get rich. darnit.

okay, so I'm ready to make the sweater of DOOOOOOM!

It's called Durrow, and it's full of celtic knotwork cable goodness.

I decided to do this first sweater on inexpensive yarn, so I bought a bunch of Briggs & Little Heritage 100% wool. so the yarn cost me a bit under 30 bucks from the Sweet old ladies yarn store.

Then I went off to Ultra-Hip yarn store and bought a skin of 100% alpaca worsted in a creamy white to make myself another coif (or two) and bought circular needles size 0 dpns, a stitch holder, and some stich markers, and that came up to a bit over 50 bucks. (Hey, they were addi turbos. yeah, I spent 25 bucks on knitting needles. Hush.)

hey, I havn't tested these yet! (runs to get yarn)

my, they are fast. and smooth! and shiny chrome whoo! they will make my sweater good.

so I suppose I have to update my yarn report now -



danica entrelac scarf 95%

Cascade 220 100% wool, stash 100% wool. the last of the yarn ends and blocking. I decided to leave it the length it is, mostly because I want to move on.

alpaca coif 0.5%

just starting the I-cord. I want this for my portable project, as the sweater project is more an at-home thing.

Durrow sweater 0%

I have five skeins of yarn to wind. by hand. the sweet old lady yarn store doesn't have a ball winder set up like the Ultra hip yarn store does. Also, I want to double check my math, as I've scaled the pattern down.

Consigned to Stash and the doom of procrastination

lace alpaca scarf 0%

I just don't know what I want to do with this stuff, that's the problem. consigned to the stash until I figure it out.

wrap dress - about 40%.
Bernat Harmony 100% arcylic, aran wieght. front right panel, half the back, and one sleeve knitted. added a ribbing detail at the back for some extra shaping.

I hate this yarn so much that I don't know if I'll even manage to finish this. I've dropped it into storage, for the nonce - I'll do something about it later.

what I have learned - don't buy cheap synthetic yarn.

and the BOOT report -

I found a pair of boots.

They are not like the boots I said I wanted.

but that's okay. they have a fairly pointy toe, and it's a long point. they have stacked spanish cowboy heels. They come all the way up over my kneecaps. but instead of looking like overly tall cowboy boots, they are piratical. I swagger in them. I just about feel the cutlass swinging at my left hip. I want an eyepatch, a tricorne hat, mended lace cuffs and the constituional right to buckle my swash, wearing these things.

and the girls at the ultra hip yarn store were agog at them. agog, I say.

( The yarn report )

okay now, I'm having very little luck with this and I'm hoping you guys can help me.

my unnatainable desire for fall clothes this year is a Pair of Boots. I've been sorta looking but I haven't found what I want.

my checklist:

Heel: flat, or low heeled/sturdy. teeny stilleto heels or tack heels=no good.
height: calf length is the shortest. I'm hoping for knee, if I can get it
toe: pointy. and I mean 80's fluevogs pointy, if I can get them. not the demure little short point, but long and wicked. they could be squared off, but I'm looking for a long pointy squared off, if you see what I mean.
detailing: they could lace up like granny boots, but they should have an inside zip. they could have an english riding boot style, but western is a last resort.
price: I'll go up to 300 if I gotta. but really I'd like to just throw down 150 and get the hell out. if possible.

any ideas? notice anything anywhere?

i made a chapters indigo wishlist.

how many books on knitting can one woman possibly need?

I'm weird.

i'm spamming LJ today, it seems.

I got my BPAL in the mail.

I totally win, because of my five frimps, two of them were on my to-get list. (Hades and Vinland) I also got frimped Grog, Dity, and fenris wolf. grog smells like butterrum hard candy. i LOVE butterrum hard candy! hamlet_alas doesn't like it, though.

Peony Moon is what I put on as soon as the order came. it's beautiful. light floral, girly as all get out.

and I bought fabric today. I got fabric for my pattern McCall's 4868, and I actually got enough fabric for two dresses in that pattern, just because I like it so much. both dresses will use plain white as the contrast bands.

first fabric is black cotton with with oriental style chrysanthemums on it in white. the ones with the long skinny curling up petals.

the other one is orange cotton with a big magnolia floral patter on it in white.

I like my choices - floral prints, but not frou-frou, since the colours are so strong. and orange will look really good on me, too.

Direct from Lab:

Lady Macbeth
Tintagel
Siren
Embalming Fluid
Szepasszony x2
Nanshe
Absinthe
Juke Joint
Cobra Lily
Nephilim
Absinthe

Swapped from:

matociqalaJuke Joint

after I discovered (much to my horror) that someone had thrown away the envelope containing my simplicity 9769 pattern, I had a mad idea to draft a pattern myelf. I bought some cheap canvas from fabricland, and put together a very makeshift mockup. I'm pleased with how it worked out in general, but I think that I should have been more careful in placing my busk and my lacing holes to get a better idea of how it works.

and I think I might need to take the top in a wee little bit.

( Pictures back here )

I think I understand why so many of the corsets I see have the bone casings on top of the seams - what a NIGHTMARE trying to sew them in the back!

crossposted to corsetmakers

flossing mockups for bone casings soon, I promise.