I missed the Christmas deadline for my shrug. By a long shot. It's not even finished yet. In fact every time it grows something goes wrong and it shrinks again - I have to unknit the damn thing.
At one point I even got up to 51 rows. Then - on Christmas morning, no less - I realised I'd done all the lacework for the armhole shaping wrong. You have to cast off 5 stitches at each end and then decrease by 1 at each end, keeping in pattern. So I dutifully cast off and decreased while counting in the number of reduced stitches on the chart. It was only later that I realised that if I'm decreasing at each end, I have to count in at each end. Which explained why I kept ending each row in the wrong place.
A variety of cock-ups followed - dropped stitches, following the chart wrong, ending up with the wrong number of stitches. I've knitted and unknitted the same 10 or so rows that I could have knitted several shrugs, had I only done it right.
At the moment I'm back down to 41 rows. I have the requisite 91 stitches. And I'm leaving it there. I surrender. Right this minute I'm waving a metaphorical white flag.
But note: I'm not frogging. I'm taking a break. I need some space between me and the shrug before I can go back and do it proud. So I'm returning to my much easier jumper for the time being. As for the shrug - watch this space.
Wednesday 31 December 2008
Thursday 20 November 2008
Another lesson learned
Wine and knitting just don't mix. How do I know this? I learnt it the hard way.
Picture the scene: Friday night, Idoru has the flat to herself. A bottle of wine, a shrug-a-long to begin and umpteen Smallville DVDs. Sounds like the perfect combination right? Wrong. I cast on OK, counted the number of stitches and everything was fine. Then I opened the wine. I carried on drinking and knitting and watching Smallville into the night. Then hit the hay. Next morning, sober and tired, I noticed the knitting looked a bit, well, holey. I counted the stitches. I had too many. I started unpicking it, carefully because mohair appears to be the stickiest of sticky yarns.
I found all kinds of mistakes. Dropped stitches, missed stitches, yarn wrapped round the needle, same stitch knitted twice. So I went from 16 rows down to about half that. I thought I'd caught all the mistakes so I started off again. It didn't take long to realise that things weren't quite right. So I ripped the whole lot back and, downhearted, put the thing down. This was last weekend.
But I'm not one for giving up easily so I soon picked up the needles and cast on again. This time counting the number of stitches several times, just to be sure. It's now Thursday, and I've only just got back to 16 rows. But this time at least it all looks pretty even and I've still got 101 stitches. I know because I count them at regular intervals.
At this rate, it's going to take till next Christmas to finish the damn thing. But be assured, I will finish it. Oh yes I will.
The yarn is quite gorgeous though, and the colour as pretty as the sea:
Picture the scene: Friday night, Idoru has the flat to herself. A bottle of wine, a shrug-a-long to begin and umpteen Smallville DVDs. Sounds like the perfect combination right? Wrong. I cast on OK, counted the number of stitches and everything was fine. Then I opened the wine. I carried on drinking and knitting and watching Smallville into the night. Then hit the hay. Next morning, sober and tired, I noticed the knitting looked a bit, well, holey. I counted the stitches. I had too many. I started unpicking it, carefully because mohair appears to be the stickiest of sticky yarns.
I found all kinds of mistakes. Dropped stitches, missed stitches, yarn wrapped round the needle, same stitch knitted twice. So I went from 16 rows down to about half that. I thought I'd caught all the mistakes so I started off again. It didn't take long to realise that things weren't quite right. So I ripped the whole lot back and, downhearted, put the thing down. This was last weekend.
But I'm not one for giving up easily so I soon picked up the needles and cast on again. This time counting the number of stitches several times, just to be sure. It's now Thursday, and I've only just got back to 16 rows. But this time at least it all looks pretty even and I've still got 101 stitches. I know because I count them at regular intervals.
At this rate, it's going to take till next Christmas to finish the damn thing. But be assured, I will finish it. Oh yes I will.
The yarn is quite gorgeous though, and the colour as pretty as the sea:
Wednesday 12 November 2008
My first '-a-long
I'm about to start my first '-a-long. I'm sure you know what I mean by this, and if you don't: read on. On this occasion it's a shrug-a-long, in which me and some knitting chums are knitting a shrug, kind of at the same time.
This is my chosen shrug: Cobweb, found on Ravelry and first seen in the January 2007 issue of Prima.
Mine will be much simpler than that one though, because I'm not doing the fancy-schmancy beading or the flowers - there'll be no Lurex Shimmer Gleam in my shrug. I bought the yarn at the weekend. It's made in Rowan's Kidsilk Haze, and I believe the colour is Glacier. I've not cast on yet, but that, time permitting, will happen tonight.
I fear I have lost before I begin, though. The venerable Super Monkey has already finished hers, bar the blocking. And giant Spanner la Moo is coming along nicely too.
This will be my first attempt at something lacy, so probably I shouldn't be using mohair, which apparently isn't the easiest to knit with. But no one ever got anywhere by not using fluffy yarn. Or something. Hopefully it'll turn out OK, and I'll get it done before Chrimbo, because it's meant to be a pressie for my mum.
For those of you who are signed up, here's a link to the pattern on Ravelry: Cobweb.
This is my chosen shrug: Cobweb, found on Ravelry and first seen in the January 2007 issue of Prima.
Mine will be much simpler than that one though, because I'm not doing the fancy-schmancy beading or the flowers - there'll be no Lurex Shimmer Gleam in my shrug. I bought the yarn at the weekend. It's made in Rowan's Kidsilk Haze, and I believe the colour is Glacier. I've not cast on yet, but that, time permitting, will happen tonight.
I fear I have lost before I begin, though. The venerable Super Monkey has already finished hers, bar the blocking. And giant Spanner la Moo is coming along nicely too.
This will be my first attempt at something lacy, so probably I shouldn't be using mohair, which apparently isn't the easiest to knit with. But no one ever got anywhere by not using fluffy yarn. Or something. Hopefully it'll turn out OK, and I'll get it done before Chrimbo, because it's meant to be a pressie for my mum.
For those of you who are signed up, here's a link to the pattern on Ravelry: Cobweb.
Monday 10 November 2008
Progress report
Things are coming along at a more than reasonable pace. In fact I'm pretty pleased with my progress so far. Started in September, two months on I've so far finished the front and I'm on the home run with the back. That leaves just two sleeves, sewing up, and I'm done!
It's hard to know what the finished article will look like until it's actually sewn up, but length is something I can measure - and it looks just about perfect. The stitches are nice and even and cast on and offs are neat. In short, I have improved hugely after my tee-shirt effort - and the evidence is right in front of me. Making anything like this is incredibly satisfying - following a written pattern to create something real and wearable. But to actually see your skills getting better from your very first project, now that feels good.
My next post on this subject will be to tell you that I've finished! My next post, however, will be something completely different.
And here's the photographic proof of my progress:
It's hard to know what the finished article will look like until it's actually sewn up, but length is something I can measure - and it looks just about perfect. The stitches are nice and even and cast on and offs are neat. In short, I have improved hugely after my tee-shirt effort - and the evidence is right in front of me. Making anything like this is incredibly satisfying - following a written pattern to create something real and wearable. But to actually see your skills getting better from your very first project, now that feels good.
My next post on this subject will be to tell you that I've finished! My next post, however, will be something completely different.
And here's the photographic proof of my progress:
Monday 3 November 2008
New project
Not really a new project actually, but an old one that got bumped in favour of the silk tee. Then, with my new-found understanding of measurements, I realised I had probably cast on the wrong number of stitches anyway. So I unravelled the whole thing and started again. According to the measurements given in the pattern the jumper should fit perfectly across my bust and be just the right length.
Other lessons I've taken on board from my tee-shirt include doing the whole thing in acrylic. I don't have much choice being sensitive to animal-based yarns, but at least I didn't substitute the given yarn, Cascade 220, for more silk!
And here are some pictures:
Last time I promised a photo of my Ally Pally haul. So here it is:
Quite impressive, I'm sure you'll agree.
Other lessons I've taken on board from my tee-shirt include doing the whole thing in acrylic. I don't have much choice being sensitive to animal-based yarns, but at least I didn't substitute the given yarn, Cascade 220, for more silk!
And here are some pictures:
Last time I promised a photo of my Ally Pally haul. So here it is:
Quite impressive, I'm sure you'll agree.
Tuesday 14 October 2008
It's show time!
Or at least it was at the weekend. The Knitting and Stitching Show came to Alexandra Palace, bringing with it all kinds of yarny goodness as well as knitters and stitchers from all over Britain. Including my mum, who came to stay with me over the weekend so we could share the experience. This was our first ever KSS so we were understandably excited. We'd been forewarned about a possible lack of decent food and water, so we prepared ourselves with a trip to Starbucks for breakfast and to M&S for fruit and water. Good thing we did, because the food situation was indeed dire, especially so us as we're both vegetarian.
Apart from that, though, the show was grand. Three huge rooms of stitching heaven. It got pretty packed at times, making it hard to see what was on the stalls, but as the day wore on there seemed to be less people. Now, this show isn't just for knitters. So there are lots of stalls that didn't interest me - beads, sewing machines, bags, card making etc etc. But that didn't detract from the fact that there was loads of us knitters. Books, accessories, lights, yarns, pretty little notions that you don't actually need but really want. It kept us busy for four hours and we didn't even manage to see it all.
I had gone with the aim of subscribing to as many magazines as I could find (I really wanted those show offers!) and finding a decent merino to make a jumper for the bf (and risk the dreaded jumper curse). I found three magazines, subscribed to them all and got some great freebies. But I can't say as I was too impressed by the people on the stand. I actually had to ask what the offers were! And at one stand the woman I spoke to couldn't help me and directed me to another woman who was inundated with people. Which begs the question why was the first woman even there? The other two stands weren't much better, with people more interested in talking to each other than possible subscribers.
Now I work in publishing and I've worked at these sort of shows before and I know it can tiring. But we were under strict instructions to sell as many subs or issues as possible. We were to approach anyone on the stand (or even near the stand) and talk them through the offer. Not one person did that on any of the magazine stands I approached. And I actively wanted to take out a subscription! Anyone who was wavering would simply have walked away. Is that really the way to market your mag? Let's Knit, Knitting and Simply Knitting - I mean you!
As for the merino, there wasn't enough of anything to buy it there, but I did get a shade card from Biggan Design so bf can choose his own colours. My mum's aims were black 2-ply cashmere and buttons. Mission accomplished on both counts.
We also got some fantastic self-patterning yarn made from bamboo and nylon - a great find for both of us because we can't wear wool and it's really quite hard to find sock yarn that doesn't have wool in it. And I got something secret for a certain birthday monkey who shall remain nameless. I've got pics of my haul but I won't be uploading them till the pressie has made its way to its new owner.
We might not have managed to see all the stalls, but we did find time to indulge in some champers! Rowan had put on a champagne bar for its 30th anniversary and of course we had join the party. Especially when we saw the fancy glasses: tall black flutes that looked as glamorous as glamour can be.
And after a hard day's shopping, it was home for curry and to play with our purchases. And to watch Equilibrium on TV.
Apart from that, though, the show was grand. Three huge rooms of stitching heaven. It got pretty packed at times, making it hard to see what was on the stalls, but as the day wore on there seemed to be less people. Now, this show isn't just for knitters. So there are lots of stalls that didn't interest me - beads, sewing machines, bags, card making etc etc. But that didn't detract from the fact that there was loads of us knitters. Books, accessories, lights, yarns, pretty little notions that you don't actually need but really want. It kept us busy for four hours and we didn't even manage to see it all.
I had gone with the aim of subscribing to as many magazines as I could find (I really wanted those show offers!) and finding a decent merino to make a jumper for the bf (and risk the dreaded jumper curse). I found three magazines, subscribed to them all and got some great freebies. But I can't say as I was too impressed by the people on the stand. I actually had to ask what the offers were! And at one stand the woman I spoke to couldn't help me and directed me to another woman who was inundated with people. Which begs the question why was the first woman even there? The other two stands weren't much better, with people more interested in talking to each other than possible subscribers.
Now I work in publishing and I've worked at these sort of shows before and I know it can tiring. But we were under strict instructions to sell as many subs or issues as possible. We were to approach anyone on the stand (or even near the stand) and talk them through the offer. Not one person did that on any of the magazine stands I approached. And I actively wanted to take out a subscription! Anyone who was wavering would simply have walked away. Is that really the way to market your mag? Let's Knit, Knitting and Simply Knitting - I mean you!
As for the merino, there wasn't enough of anything to buy it there, but I did get a shade card from Biggan Design so bf can choose his own colours. My mum's aims were black 2-ply cashmere and buttons. Mission accomplished on both counts.
We also got some fantastic self-patterning yarn made from bamboo and nylon - a great find for both of us because we can't wear wool and it's really quite hard to find sock yarn that doesn't have wool in it. And I got something secret for a certain birthday monkey who shall remain nameless. I've got pics of my haul but I won't be uploading them till the pressie has made its way to its new owner.
We might not have managed to see all the stalls, but we did find time to indulge in some champers! Rowan had put on a champagne bar for its 30th anniversary and of course we had join the party. Especially when we saw the fancy glasses: tall black flutes that looked as glamorous as glamour can be.
And after a hard day's shopping, it was home for curry and to play with our purchases. And to watch Equilibrium on TV.
Friday 19 September 2008
Finished!
It's all done - my first ever knitted tee-shirt, just in time for the cold weather... Never mind though; my next project is a jumper. I expect to get that done just in time for spring.
Anyone who's read my previous posts will know that I'm not entirely happy with this tee, and if I were to do it again I would most definitely change things. It started out badly, with the wrong tension given in the pattern. Having sorted that out by emailing the magazine, I found it's fine up and including the waist band, but from then on, not so much. It's wonderfully shaped into the waist band and then the tighter rib pulls the waist in even further. But then there's no bust shaping. So it's fine if you're a classic English pear, but not if you're big up top. Then the length isn't great. I added four rows and it still wasn't long enough so I had to crochet a hem.
The pattern says it's great for girls who want to show of their curves and will fit 12-16. And this isn't really true. It is very stretchy but I still don't think it would fit a size 16, unless it was extremely stretched and who wants that in a new tee-shirt? The arm holes aren't huge and I think would be very tight on anyone with biggish upper arms. And as for being ideal for curvy ladies, I assume it only means those with curvy hips, because the lack of bust shaping means it's not that great for busty girls, like me.
So what would I do differently? I'd many more stitches after the waist band, giving the ladies more room, bringing the band itself down to my actual waist and making a better length. I'd incorporate bust shaping to give me a bit more room up top. Just these two things would have turned an OK tee-shirt into a fantastic tee-shirt.
In my last post, I promised pictures. So here they are.
Don't worry, my head isn't really blurry, it's because I'm in disguise. Front view of the tee. I think you can see it's kinda stretched over my lady lumps and could do with being a bit longer.
Side view: looking a little bit busty there ... It could have been worse though.
The tee in all its glory. You can easily see here the fantastic waist shaping, which is totally lacking round the bust!
Close up to show the beading and crochet hem. Also, the fabulous colour and fabric. The silk is gorgeous and the colour amazing.
Anyone who's read my previous posts will know that I'm not entirely happy with this tee, and if I were to do it again I would most definitely change things. It started out badly, with the wrong tension given in the pattern. Having sorted that out by emailing the magazine, I found it's fine up and including the waist band, but from then on, not so much. It's wonderfully shaped into the waist band and then the tighter rib pulls the waist in even further. But then there's no bust shaping. So it's fine if you're a classic English pear, but not if you're big up top. Then the length isn't great. I added four rows and it still wasn't long enough so I had to crochet a hem.
The pattern says it's great for girls who want to show of their curves and will fit 12-16. And this isn't really true. It is very stretchy but I still don't think it would fit a size 16, unless it was extremely stretched and who wants that in a new tee-shirt? The arm holes aren't huge and I think would be very tight on anyone with biggish upper arms. And as for being ideal for curvy ladies, I assume it only means those with curvy hips, because the lack of bust shaping means it's not that great for busty girls, like me.
So what would I do differently? I'd many more stitches after the waist band, giving the ladies more room, bringing the band itself down to my actual waist and making a better length. I'd incorporate bust shaping to give me a bit more room up top. Just these two things would have turned an OK tee-shirt into a fantastic tee-shirt.
In my last post, I promised pictures. So here they are.
Don't worry, my head isn't really blurry, it's because I'm in disguise. Front view of the tee. I think you can see it's kinda stretched over my lady lumps and could do with being a bit longer.
Side view: looking a little bit busty there ... It could have been worse though.
The tee in all its glory. You can easily see here the fantastic waist shaping, which is totally lacking round the bust!
Close up to show the beading and crochet hem. Also, the fabulous colour and fabric. The silk is gorgeous and the colour amazing.
Thursday 11 September 2008
Lessons learned
My First Big Project, a tee-shirt, is done all bar the weaving. And I have learned some important things along the way. I shall blog about the actual tee later, but here I'm going to list some of the things I wish I'd known before hand.
1. A knitting pattern isn't gospel
Just because it says something in the pattern doesn't mean I have to do it. People are different shapes and sizes and look better in different things. A pattern that claims to fit a size 12 might not actually look right on a real size 10 lady (i.e. me), and one that says it fits size 12-16 is frankly lying. Which leads me to...
2. I need to know my own measurements
Every single one of us is different, and just because I buy size 10 clothes doesn't mean that I measure the same as a size 10 dummy. In fact I already knew this: I have to wear a belt because my waist is smaller than size 10; I can't get skinny jeans because they don't fit my hips and thighs; I often have to get size 12 tops because otherwise my lady lumps don't fit comfortably. Now I just need to apply that to my knitting. In fact, I've already begun. Last night I sat down (well, stripped off and stood up actually) with my tape measure and some of my favourite clothes and measured myself and my tops to give me a better idea of what I want.
Because, of course, the other thing that's important here is finding out what I actually like to wear. I'm over 30 so tend to avoid crop tops, so it's no good slavishly following a pattern that stops a few inches short of my waist band. I'll need to lengthen any pattern that does. Do I prefer long sleeves or short? I guess that depends on the weather, but it's something to keep in mind.
All of this means keeping a note of my measurements in my knitting bag at all times and then working out the maths to ensure that everything fits perfectly and to my taste. I should probably get a calculator too.
3. Working your first big pattern in silk isn't the best idea
And that's exactly what I did. Pure silk. It cost nearly £45. And I made mistakes, there was much of the pattern I didn't properly understand, I did the decreases wrong, it turned out too short so I had to add a crochet hem. As it turns out, it looks pretty good, especially for a first attempt. But an acrylic jumper would have cost about £10 so any mistakes wouldn't have mattered. My next project is an acrylic jumper and it did cost about £10. I feel much more confident playing about with this because even if I do mess it up, I can just buy more yarn without doing a Lehman Brothers (too soon?).
4. There is still much I need to know
This semi-magical process that is known as 'blocking' - do I have to do it with all knitted garments? Or just those that say so in the pattern? How exactly do I it? Especially with delicate fabrics such as silk - I can't steam that so do I just pin it out and leave it or use cold water? Do I need to block synthetics? I'm sure I read somewhere I don't, but now I can't be sure. I need more info. More books. More magazines.
But I'm about ready to move on to my next project now. I'm already making tension squares for it. And my next post will be about the finished tee that I've learnt so much from. And there'll be pictures. So far my blogs have been far too wordy.
1. A knitting pattern isn't gospel
Just because it says something in the pattern doesn't mean I have to do it. People are different shapes and sizes and look better in different things. A pattern that claims to fit a size 12 might not actually look right on a real size 10 lady (i.e. me), and one that says it fits size 12-16 is frankly lying. Which leads me to...
2. I need to know my own measurements
Every single one of us is different, and just because I buy size 10 clothes doesn't mean that I measure the same as a size 10 dummy. In fact I already knew this: I have to wear a belt because my waist is smaller than size 10; I can't get skinny jeans because they don't fit my hips and thighs; I often have to get size 12 tops because otherwise my lady lumps don't fit comfortably. Now I just need to apply that to my knitting. In fact, I've already begun. Last night I sat down (well, stripped off and stood up actually) with my tape measure and some of my favourite clothes and measured myself and my tops to give me a better idea of what I want.
Because, of course, the other thing that's important here is finding out what I actually like to wear. I'm over 30 so tend to avoid crop tops, so it's no good slavishly following a pattern that stops a few inches short of my waist band. I'll need to lengthen any pattern that does. Do I prefer long sleeves or short? I guess that depends on the weather, but it's something to keep in mind.
All of this means keeping a note of my measurements in my knitting bag at all times and then working out the maths to ensure that everything fits perfectly and to my taste. I should probably get a calculator too.
3. Working your first big pattern in silk isn't the best idea
And that's exactly what I did. Pure silk. It cost nearly £45. And I made mistakes, there was much of the pattern I didn't properly understand, I did the decreases wrong, it turned out too short so I had to add a crochet hem. As it turns out, it looks pretty good, especially for a first attempt. But an acrylic jumper would have cost about £10 so any mistakes wouldn't have mattered. My next project is an acrylic jumper and it did cost about £10. I feel much more confident playing about with this because even if I do mess it up, I can just buy more yarn without doing a Lehman Brothers (too soon?).
4. There is still much I need to know
This semi-magical process that is known as 'blocking' - do I have to do it with all knitted garments? Or just those that say so in the pattern? How exactly do I it? Especially with delicate fabrics such as silk - I can't steam that so do I just pin it out and leave it or use cold water? Do I need to block synthetics? I'm sure I read somewhere I don't, but now I can't be sure. I need more info. More books. More magazines.
But I'm about ready to move on to my next project now. I'm already making tension squares for it. And my next post will be about the finished tee that I've learnt so much from. And there'll be pictures. So far my blogs have been far too wordy.
Tuesday 9 September 2008
In the beginning
I wasn't going to do a knitting blog; I really wasn't. There are plenty out there without me adding to the millions of words dedicated to the art of knitting. But as I near the end of my first big knitted project I find I want to record my thoughts on it. I want to note down what I did, what I learned and what I still need to learn. There may well be other people out there who read this blog and are entertained by it, but mostly it's written for an audience of one: me. Or possibly two, because my mum might want to read it. Three if you count my boyfriend. But yeah, mostly me.
My First Big Project is currently on the hook, waiting for me to finish. I should be done tonight and then I'm going to pin it out on the ironing board. I learnt a lot doing this project, mainly that I shouldn't believe knitting patterns and that a project in pure silk isn't really the best one to start out with. But there you go. My blog, which will come as soon as I've got a completed item in my hands, will explain these lessons and others. Stay tuned...
My First Big Project is currently on the hook, waiting for me to finish. I should be done tonight and then I'm going to pin it out on the ironing board. I learnt a lot doing this project, mainly that I shouldn't believe knitting patterns and that a project in pure silk isn't really the best one to start out with. But there you go. My blog, which will come as soon as I've got a completed item in my hands, will explain these lessons and others. Stay tuned...
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