Knitting, sewing, and other creative adventures. Featuring: The Bad Kitty Diaries!
Every now and then I get restless and change things around in the blog themes.
Next plan in the blog housekeeping is to update some links in my pages up there.
Okay, this was a boring post. To spice it up, here are some kitty photos for you.
Have a good weekend!
I was wearing my not-quite-lettuce-coat the other day, and I was rather pleased by how the garment felt on me after its summer hiatus. The yarn is still soft and, despite a faint halo that seems like it may develop into pilling, keeps it shape well and feels wonderfully soft. What also pleased me greatly was the actual fit of the cardigan. Every part fit exactly where it should, exactly how I had wanted it to fit as I was making it.
I can not attribute this success to anything but the fact that it was knit top-down. I had made sweaters before that, and although they did fit well enough, it was because I followed a pattern, and the pattern was good. Not perfectly suited to my own body, but it fit, and it looked fine, but I felt I had no control of the outcome or the process.
Deciding to make my sweaters top-down freed me from the need to follow a pattern faithfully (in fact, I haven’t done it since…) This is great, because I knit the way I cook: following guidelines roughly and “substituting creatively” as I go. Yet everything I ‘ve made in the last year has fit better than anything else in the past.
I am sure there are many good books out there that present the basic concepts of top-down construction. I used these guidelines/pattern, and then this book, and both helped greatly with my understanding both how to know what fits my own body and preferences, and how to make it happen.
Oddly enough, the same concept called “top-down” in knitting sweaters is in fact “toe-up” in knitting socks. They both enjoy the same benefits of measuring as you go, reducing the fear of running out of yarn or having too much left over, and getting the hard stuff out of the way in the beginning. Yet, I have been lazy so far, and haven’t switched to what I will obviously prefer, that is, a toe-up sock making habit. Perhaps I will, when I start the next pair!
Meanwhile, stay tuned for my fast-growing Francis Revisited!
How negligent of me to not mention my latest finished object earlier! After *only* six months (including summer hiatus) and lots of procrastination due to indecision over certain aspects of the cardigan, my not-quite-February Lady Sweater is done (Ravelry link).
The yarn is Ella Rae Shibu in some beige colorway with specks of gold. I really like the feel and smell of the silk, and the drape of the finished fabric is really luxurious. I am very pleased with the outcome, despite the adventures in getting there.
First off, I began with an effort for a half-hearted knitalong of making the Lady February Sweater, the popular pattern designed by the talented Flint Knits. As soon as I began the lace part, I had re-discovered two important things about myself:
1. I do not enjoy participating in knitalongs
2. I do not enjoy knitting lace patterns, or any other pattern that involves counting and paying attention, for that matter.
So I changed the pattern to a simple stockinette stitch in place of the lace, and hoped the end result would have a rustic look that I felt fitted the texture of the yarn.
The next obstacle also related to my lack of counting at crucial moments, resulting in a rather tight cardigan. I was able to save it thanks to recent fashion loopholes, by putting just one button on top.
Speaking of loopholes, I just crocheted a chain, attached it to the one front, and then sewed the button where it made sense for it to fit through the loop. Easy, simple, effective.
Overall, I am very happy with it. I learned some valuable lessons, was able to put previous knowledge into practice, and created a finished object I enjoy wearing.
And in case you missed the kitties, here’s a photo of Sunny sleeping in my closet. I like to blame their love of digging in there for the “Tower of Pisa” tendencies of my sweater piles.
It is fall, and as always all my thoughts revolve around red, orange and yellow things: leaves (of course), and food, and the warmth of fire, suddenly appealing again.
A couple of weeks ago, I had 2 hours to kill at a mall. I was with my nephew, and neither of us had any desire for window shopping or spending money. So we invested in 2 steaming cups of mint tea and a pile of books at Borders, and had a lovely time of silence. I managed to go through all this pile, and learned many interesting things in the process, like how hoods are knit into a cardigan, and how to make certain quilt patches that seem hard but are made in an ingenious way.
I also had a lot of root vegetables to play with, and came up with a meal of 3 side dishes, all complementing each other (no main dish). I found an excellent recipe for Garlicky baked butternut squash from All recipes. We made it without cheese (because we didn’t have any), and it was still very tasty. I also mashed sweet potatoes and yellow potatoes, with their skins on and lots of grated garlic. It was a very yummy meal, perfect for showcasing our new square dishes.
Even the buns looked orange.
Last Monday (which I had off from work) we went up Bear Bare Mountain. It was a lovely walk, and we were rewarded with soothing views from the top.
I walked along with a very nice woman I had just met, and we had a nice, easy hike talking about this and that. I liked looking at the familiar images through her eyes. She is an artist, and made visual comments I had never thought of, such as the fact that this little fern looks like a forest seen from above:
I also took a walk down the bike path, which was more yellow than red, but still beautifully dressed in its fall look.
Looking out the window, my view is now all shades of grey and not much else. It is nice to think of all the color from the previous weekends.
I was sick last week, and although most of the time felt too tired to even knit, I managed to make some good progress on the twin baby blankets.
I assembled the girl’s blanket (ladies first!), and I am ready to assemble the boy’s. Seven helped lay the pieces.
Next comes the border for both, a good wash, and they ‘re ready to be presented to their mummy.
As for today, feeling a bit stronger, I decided to make onion soup. I am not sure if this is the right way to make it, but I fried 3 small onions until they changed color, put them in a crock-pot, added some salt and water and left them to their own devices. They are still cooking, but I feel optimistic.
Another, not-so-fun, task I got out of the way was to wash all the vegetables L brought yesterday from the CSA. I generally don’t like washing vegetables as I cook, and I admit that sometimes I won’t use something because I can’t be bothered to wash it. Talk about laziness… Having everything washed immediately makes such a difference for me, it is definitely worth it.
I usually fill a big bowl with water and dip, swish, and rub everything in little batches, then pull them out and transfer them, still dripping, to a colander next to the bowl. I change the water often and shake the colander well to get rid of as much water as possible before I transfer them to their containers for storage.
In kitty news, Skid decided today to look super cute, and I couldn’t resist taking photos. Come to think of it, she always looks super cute. I guess the camera was handy today…
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