Here is the latest project on the needles – scrapped the Tomato in favour of a tank tee modelled on the Lorelei and the Pppy in Shobhana Mason’s Yarnplay. It’s turning out to be a good scrap/stashbuster!

🙂

PS. In the ongoing quest for stashbusters, and having had to content myself with reading for the past week on the TTC… last night I hit upon a brilliant idea. At least, I thought it was brilliant at the time.

Namely, I figured I could use scrap and “one skeins” left over from other projects to make… wait for it… a log cabin blanket.

That’s right – a blanket.

I started this blanket today (right now the temperature is 32C or 37C with the humidity…). I won’t go on about my “humidex” pet peeve. Suffice it to say that it doesn’t seem like the best time of year to knit a blanket. However, I’m stubborn and I have no other portable projects at present… so, we’ll see.

Wish me luck!

Well, it’s been another long weekend of the tank for me. This one was started and finished yesterday!

Specs:

Pattern: Spicy Fitted V-neck Tee in Fitted Knits (Stefanie Japel)
Yarn: Lana Gatto Summer (50% cotton, 50% acrylic, bulky weight) – 6.5 50g skeins
Needles: 6.5 mm

Notes: quick to knit, but the pattern contained some errata and was rather hard to read. Will try to get it together to post the errata. For now, be careful of where you are told to place stitch markers for the increases and decreases. I ended up having to rip several rows, which did not make me happy.

It’s also perhaps a tad *too* fitted. I probably should have gone with 7 mm needles but wanted to start right away and the shops were closed yesterday for the civic holiday. Oh well!

Next up: another Tomato; the Goddess top from Stitch Diva

New: Action photo!

What a great pattern this is – Stitch Diva rocks!! I’ll be making one for myself one of these days in Eden Madil bamboo (This one is for one of my coworkers). It is as yet unblocked – soaking right now.

No modelled shots as yet as it is not for me and won’t suit my body type too well. I’m hoping the coworker will agree to model it!

Specs:

Yarn: Ella Rae Silkience (cotton, modal, rayon, silk) – main colour and Eden Madil Print (bamboo) trim and neckline

Needles: 4.5 mm and 4.0 mm

Time spent: 20 hours approx.

Notes: I absolutely loved working with both the Silkience and the Madil. Highly recommended. They feel very luxurious! The pattern is lovely too – and hardly any seaming!

and won’t fit my body type,

Hi all:

The few of you who visit here will note that I have undergone a name change. Otherwise, same old same old!

My other news:

(a) Progress is being made on the
Sahara for my co-worker… I have started the waist shaping and will hopefully have something to show you next week!

(b) Next up: Another coworker has asked me to knit her the
Goddess. We hit the LYS the other day and picked out Opal Maxi (on sale!) – a lovely chestnut colour similar to the one shown in the link.

However, before I start the Goddess I may have to sneak in another Tomato (NSFY) or Spicy Fitted T (Fitted Knits)… depending upon which will work better with the yarn. I have some very loud orange Super 3 left over from my Samus. The Super 3 is discontinued but I think I’ll try to find some Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in a complementary colour (!) or else check out the sale room at the LYS today for more mercerised cotton.

Nothing else new, really. Looking forward to a long weekend. Nothing much planned other than knitting and perhaps a movie or two (I hope Shrek 3 is still playing!)

Cheers,

Kristina

And I even get to wear my red suede shoes! Now all I need is the Royal family-style wide brimmed red hat! 😉

I *love* this dress. Although it’s 50 million degress with the humidex up here, I don’t care – I’m wearing it tomorrow to work!

Specs:
Yarn: Romni (work-handy LYS) Linen – 100% linen tape (worsted weight) – 12 50g balls.
Needles: 5 mm
Pattern: Saturday-in-the-park Perfect Fitted Dress – Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel (with some adaptations) – smallest size
Time spent: 30 hours approx.
Finished length: 35″ approx.

Detail from Centre Panel:

Notes:
– I really like Stefanie’s patterns but the book has quite a few errata. This pattern started off with one!
– original dress length in the pattern was 42″ (for all sizes!). This on me would come down to about mid calf, so I made adjustments to the length of both top and bottom, comparing the length to the longest dress I own 😉
– the linen is simply lovely. It is my first time working with linen but will definetely not be my last. I was amazed at how well it blocked.

Currently on the needles: the Sahara by Stitch Diva (www.stitchdiva.com).

Here it is blocking (I hate doing this but figured it was essential with the linen… and I seem to have been right!

In the current humidity… it will take a couple of days to dry, dang it all!

Now, on to the Safari (after I do some cleaning in my sadly neglected apartment…)

(edited on 29 July after apparently way too much knitting time spent on 28 July, to show progress report:

Looking decent so far… although the neckline is a tad low. Oh well! 😉

I am loving working with this linen (it is the LYS brand) – and the colour (which photographed here somewhat lighter than in “real life”) reminds me of that of my first fancy dress in high school (which I held onto for another 10 years after!). I just realised this halfway through where I’m at now!

It is really difficult to see how the dress might look when done right now due to the mock cable pattern…

This is approximately 8 hours in.

I’m hoping to start knitting the Sahara this weekend for a co-worker (part of a staff gift for a milestone birthday) – that is, if I can tear myself away from my red linen Perfect Dress!

Here is the Sahara (right now I will be making the long sleeved one):

… and here are the yarns and colours my co-worker chose:

Ella Rae Silkience (41% cotton, 39% modal, 12% silk and 8% rayon), colour #10:

and Eden Madil Print Bamboo, colour #40:
<a href=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_wXEBWu6h
p8/RqootsBHmMI/AAAAAAAAApU/1niJqMniDm8/s1600-h/EdenPrint021.jpg”>

They both feel so luxurious and soft… my only concern is that I will refuse to relinquish the sweater once it is finished!

But I do have plans for a (short sleeved) Sahara for myself also in Eden Madil (blue and black).

The photo I like (more or less):

the photo DH likes

Specs:
PatterN; a variation on Spicy Fitted V-neck t-shirt in Fitted Knits (Stefanie Japel)
Yarn: Sari-Rainbow-Mix (Infiknit), cotton and rayon – 3 200g skeins (approx 600 yds)
Needles: 6mm bamboo and 6.5mm plastic
Start Date: 22 July
Finish Date: 25 July
Time spent: 13-14 hours approx

Notes:

This did not really turn out as I expected, but I like it anyway. My gauge was off for some reason (although I did a large swatch – but not in the round). Note the “design feature” on the left neck… I couldn’t get it on otherwise (I’ve stretched it in blocking).

I was put of initially by some errata in the pattern… some of them were probably just me being obtuse! Due to the nature of the yarn, I gave up on the eyelet pattern as it wasn’t showing anyway.

I enjoyed working with the sari silk (although I would suggest washing before knitting, at least this version. There is a finer worsted weight one that feels softer to the touch). I would not, however, recommend it for this particular pattern for others… although maybe going up a needle size would work.

I am hopeful that blocking will fix the neck a bit:

This (because I can’t resist) is a close-up of the lovely fabric, but my camera does not do the colours justice…

Next up: the Saturday in the Park Perfect Dress in red linen (I think, anyway).

(and to stop procrastinating at work, apparently).

Here we are almost at the end of July… and I will be turning 37 in the middle of next month. It seems a convenient time to take stock of my knitting and craft work during my 37th year… all were knitted for myself unless specified otherwise.

Finished Objects
August – October 2006

– 2 Irish moss sweaters in the round (one for DH, one for me. How cute. AWWWW)
– 2 felted boxes from MDK book (housewarming gift for a friend)

October – December 2006

– Samus cardi from Knitty (for DH)
– Baby Blanket Moderne (MDK book)
– 2 felted buttonhole bags (www.masondixonknitting.com)
– 2 pairs of slippers (one for me, one for DH)
– 1 felted winter hat
– 2 non-felted winter hats
– “Slip of a Thing” felted purse (Knitty)
– “liquorice allsorts” bluky sweater in the round
– 2 scarves (one for me, one commissioned from someone at my workplace)
– “Nina” blanket (from Nina shawl pattern in MDK book, for my mother)
– felted rug
– 3 felted bowls (from One Skein book)
– 2 felted boxes (from MDK book)

January 2007 – today

– cabernet ribs sweater (IK Windter 2006)
– 2 scarves
– Curve of Pursuit blanket (www.woollythoughts.com)
– pinwheel blanket (inspired by a rug pattern in MDK book)
– 2 hats
– freeform log cabin blanket
– 1 pair of socks (1st and last!)
– Lorelei sleeveless top
– TTC tank top
– periwinkle bag with wooden handles
– “perfect sweater” (www.masondixonknitting.com)
– Tomato top (NSFY)
– “Crazed Harlequin” dress
– shaped tunic dress (inspired by Fitted Knits)
– Bacardi cardigan (NSFY)
– ribbon dress
– He Gansey (NSFY)
– Samus cardigan from Knitty (for me)
– ribbon x-back tank top (from knitty.com)

Plus:
– 3 felted bags (felted from sweaters at Goodwill, with knitted/crocheted edging)
– 1 felted bulletin board (felted from a sweater from the Goodwill)
– 1 rocking chair (I painted and applied glass beads)

Started and Never to be Finished
– “advent blanket” (may try again next year… ran out of patience, then needed the yarn for the Curve of Pursuit)
– log cabin blanket (didn’t like the yarn)

Current UFOs

– Spicy Fitted V-neck top in sari silk (sleeves and neckline remaining – will finish tonight)
– Leggings with Mesh Sides (Knitting Lingerie Style)… abandoned but not for long
– 2 knitted bags (I just need to line and sew them. I should just get on with it).
– knit/mosaic wall hanging (knitting done and canvas bought. Just need to put it all together one weekend).

Phew!!! Too bad I couldn’t be so productive at work! 😉 If I’m counting correctly that is something like 45 FOs… and 3 weeks to go!

Query: do socks/slippers/etc count as 1 FO, or 2? Hmm…

Kristina