Knitting Escapism: January 2006

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

The Sock That Needs No Introduction

Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina
Materials: Sz 0 addi turbo, Regia Mini Ringel #5340 (2 balls, with tons of leftover yarn)
Notes: I cast on 76 sts for the smallest size in Sz 0 needles, and they still came out a bit loose. I usually cast on 60 sts on Sz 0 addi's for my ribbed socks.. so I guess 76 sts is a bit too much, even for the zig-zaggy pattern. I'm going to reduce it to 68 sts for my next pair...Yes that's right..there is going to be a next pair.
Aside from knitting Jaywalkers.. I haven't done much knitting the last few days.. feeling just a wee bit uninspired. But I've had that before.. and I'm sure things will pick up again soon. And you can be damn sure I ain't jaywalking in L.A.. a few years ago one of my friends did a little bit of jaywalking and got slapped with a $90 ticket. OuCh! That's enough money for more jaywalker sock yarn!

Labels: FO

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The Color of Prosperity

As I've mentioned earlier, the red Cascade Tweed is the recommended yarn for Stephanie Japel's Forecast. I've been working on it for a while now, and have spared you the in-progress shots of the bobbles on this cardigan. Trust me - it looked like ugly tumors. There was no question that it needed a good blocking. But boy does this yarn bleed....

And look at the stain on my Denise needles!

But the results are worth it. I just have to remind myself not to wear any white shirts underneath. Or maybe wash it with vinegar next time.. Chinese New Year is around the corner, and even though my family is split over 3 countries, sometimes it's nice to conjur a little bit of celebration. I'm glad I found this yarn in red, because RED is the color of prosperity. I hope this new year ahead brings good things.

Pattern: Forecast
Materials: Cascade Tweed (less than 4 and a half ball at 220 yds/ 100g), US Sz 5 and 7 needles
Gauge: 16 sts and 32 rows to 4" in garter stitch on US 7 needles
Notes: Ah.. changes. The smallest size in the pattern was for a 32.5" chest, and the next larger one a 36.5". Now I fall somewhere in between, and there was no schematic in the pattern, so I calculated for a 33.5" measurement. The armpit at the yoke looked pretty short, and I was worried for a while that it wouldn't fit, but I figured the yarn is sproingy enough to accomodate. This is basically the top-down raglan with interesting details. You are more than allowed to try it on as you go along. Now for the bobbles, initially I knit the 5-sts bobble stated in the pattern, but didn't quite like it. They just stuck out too much for me. I want textural interest, but something a little less protruding - in the end I changed it to a 3-sts bobble. Here's a picture of my bobbles...

One additional change was the sleeves. In the original pattern, the bobble/cable feature extended to almost wrist length. Aside from the fact that I was a bit tired of knitting bobbles, I didn't want my lower arms to look, um, so billowy. I decided to stop the bobbles at elbow length, and knit the rest to my wrist with Sz 7 needles. I made the sleeves 20" long, which is still a bit short in reality, but knowing that I would dunk the sweater in water during blocking assured me that the arms would grow in length - and I was right. It came out to 23" - perfect for me. Oh and the yarn, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I expected it to be a bit rough, it being tweed and all, but on the contrary, it's springy, not itchy and shows the pattern quite well.