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bluFelicia
Rhymes With Mango
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| Sweater nuttiness... |
| 09.29.04 (3:22 am) [edit] |
I know, I know. I should have finished that top-down raglan sweater long ago. I got caught up in finishing my KoolAid socks and starting Clapotis. But I've picked the raglan back up and I can honestly say this:
I'm BORED. Ugh. Not with the actual project itself but rather this one problem: working the sleeves. As I go around and around I'm having to turn the ENTIRE sweater with it. I'm going tohave to devise a way to make the sleeve separately and then attach it. It shouldn't be too hard, as I'll always be aware of the actual stitch count at the area where I'd pick up the sleeves. I'll probably have to do a provisional cast-on and then graft them together.
I'll put up a pic of Clapotis once I've got a few more drop-stitch areas done.
Row markers!!
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| Back from the Abyss |
| 09.26.04 (8:05 am) [edit] |
Day 2 since the reformat from Hell. I'm glad I have Photobucket to hold some of the photos I treasure most. Though they're about to go to paid vs. free accounts soon. In the meantime I've made progress with Clapotis
and if you look closely you'll see an assortment of stitch markers that I'd been making as well. I'd found out that the markers I'd made before were NOT going to be sturdy enough to stand up to the abuse that is entailed in knitting. So, after seeing some markers made by a fellow knitter I have come up with a new method and this is the result...
Don't ask me what I'm going to do with all those.. I don't know. But I enjoy making them and who knows, I might be giving some away to knitting buddies down the line.. :wink: .
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| geez!!! |
| 09.24.04 (1:46 pm) [edit] |
I spent most of last night reformatting my computer.. for the second time in a year!!! Some sort of virus was wreaking havoc and I went to get rid of it. Then things REALLY got sticky. I went to move everything I wanted to keep that hadn't already been backed up to my second hard drive so I could reformat the main drive. Well, as luck would have it, somehow the second drive got reformatted, but not the MAIN one. seems I was supposed to disconnect the second drive.. so now All my music, most of my pics, and all my files, favorites, and emails have been blasted into cybernowhere.. Just $#^ing lovely. it's what I get for being so damn smart!
So On to other things...
I've been working on Clapotis, and the rest of the kool-aid sock. The sweater has been put aside because Clapotis is just too much fun. I do intend to get back to sweater and have it done by next Friday :). I would love to start Charlotte, but I won't because memorizing most of Clapotis is taking precendence. I don't want to confuse things and I don't want to have to keep referring to the pattern all the time either..
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| I'm on a roll... |
| 09.22.04 (5:07 pm) [edit] |
and I can't be stopped!! I went back to get the one skein of Kersti that I'd somehow forgotten to buy the day before. And while I was there, I got the workings for the Charlotte's Web Shawl. The pattern proved to be rather elusive(as I'd been hearing, but never believed) but of course, the Koigu PPPM was easy to find. Here's a pic:
I think these colors will look rather nice together. Don't you?
Clapotis has been started. I thought I was being cute making the 18 stitch markers I'd need for it. Each and everyone of them the one's I've used so far have lost their beads off them. Turns out the jumprings I used weren't sturdy enough. Then I ran into a knitting buddy online who made a few last night and she showed me a better way to make them!! So. for now, Clapotis is being made with plain jumprings. and then I'll remake the markers.
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| 18 Stitchmarkers!!??! |
| 09.21.04 (9:17 am) [edit] |
You gotta be kidding me... No really. Ok so Clapotis needs 18 stitch markers.. well :P cause now that I'm into Beading, I can MAKE them :twisted: So, there.
These are some earrings I've made and another stitch marker:
And THIS is my Clapotis yarn:
And, the sock yarn I got from Carodan Farm during their 20th Anniversary Sale:
I just realized I might be one skein short for Clapotis.. I don't want to go back and get the other one cause that would ruin my nice $200+ discount. Ugh.. What to do? If I knit at a larger guage, I'll run out even faster. And if I knit to a smaller guage.. I might have enough but then it will be smaller than normal.. hmmm..
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| Clap On... |
| 09.21.04 (3:16 am) [edit] |
Teehee, I couldn't resist. I know it's supposed to be pronounced, Cluh-POH-tee, but hell, I can't seem to get myself to say it that way so, I call it Clap-OH-tis. Take it or leave it.
I'm going to be knit-along-ing Clapotis with a bunch of other knittyers. It calls for 3 skeins of Lorna's Lion and Lamb but at $50 a skein, HELL NO! I'm going to peruse the other knitters' WIPS to see what they're using but I think I'm going to go with Koigu Kersti, which I believe at least two others are going to use.
Sorry I haven't been posting pics, but I haven't really been finishing anything TO photograph. The Tree Elf? I'm going to rip that back and make it taller/deeper before decreasing. but I really need to get started on finishing this Overdyed Kroy sock pair. (started on finishing, does that even sound right??)
So, TTFN!
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| What now? |
| 09.20.04 (3:07 am) [edit] |
I'm still working on Striped Raglan, so don't ask.
As for the Adventures of Tree Elf.. I've still got about half a ball of the Koigu I used for it, left. And I still have the other untouched ball. Hmm.. I'd post a pic but the recipient is still in lala-land and I can't seem to get the hat to stand up nice like in the picture linked in yesterday's blog. Unless she's got something stuffed under there...
Now I need some pinkish Koigu to do another one.. It's too cute and the pattern is rather easy, even if I can't stand reverse Stockinette stitch.
it's time to start reducing this stash for real. I'd donate most of it to the Knit Out which is being held here in the city on Oct 3. But, I'm not sure if I'm even going. Of course they probably want me to donate it long before the event so that shouldn't be much of an issue. I need to run through the stash and see what I'm going to be using and donate the rest. I'd love to join the Fiber Random Acts of Kindness(R.A.O.K.) but from what I've been seeing on blogs, RAOKers only send the good stuff and well, I don't have any I'm willing to part with, and certainly they don't want the cheap acrylic I've got here. So... no RAOKing for me.
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| Change of pace |
| 09.19.04 (12:24 am) [edit] |
Because I got so into the Striped Raglan business, I hadn't really been thinking about starting any other projects. Not even a sock! But after I saw this I knew my one-project-only days were numbered. My Knitty buddy Westieluvr knitted that hat after she found the pattern and it inspired me to go look too!! The pattern is here.
Speaking of the Raglan... I've finished off the one sleeve and am almost done with the body ribbing(gee, did I say that already?). Then it's onto the other sleeve, which oddly enough, I'm dreading because I didn't put any particular rhythm to the decreases on the first sleeve. The pattern tells me to just decrease 'every inch or so' and that's what I did. Or so. I don't think I did the tapers steep enough. Oh well, live and learn. I think next time when I make this for myself I will make the raglan shorter, which will result in less stitches being reserved for the sleeve area. This should result in a more fitted torso because right now, this puppy swims in that area where the armhole meets the torso, which is good if you're layering the sweater with a button-down, or you want to impersonate a flying squirrel. What's even more odd about it is that the 'standard measurements' chart indicates that for my chest size... the raglan should have been even LONGER.. maybe I'm just measuring wrong...
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| beads |
| 09.17.04 (4:52 pm) [edit] |
[image]ladybean_349696090 .jpg[/image]
I've gotten myself in to beading, it seems. I made a pair of earrings, one of which you see on the left; and some stitch markers for my knitting. I've been wanting to make my own markers for quite some time and I finally got the nerve to get the supplies to make them. Eventually I will make a few row markers as well.
The difference between row and stitch markers, you ask? A stitch marker has a ring or loop which you can put onto the needle in a particular spot. It helps you to remember that this place is where something should occur: the beginning of a round, a decrease, or increase. A row marker, helps you to remember a particular row, so you'll know how many rows you've done since a particular event, a decrease, increase, a change in pattern, etc. Row markers are designed to attach TO the yarn at the point you're trying to keep track of. I've been using them interchangeably in some projects. But clearly they can and do serve different purposes.
I'm almost done with the body of the striped raglan. I added in the natural colored yarn, just as I said I would. It's the only way the sleeves will match if I make them long enough to fit me. I just hate transfering it to that long Denise cord to try it on...
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| Please.... |
| 09.17.04 (12:35 am) [edit] |
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Forgive the appearance of my blog. It seems Photobucket has crashed or something and some albums are not working right now. Thanx for visiting anyway.
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| Ripping back... |
| 09.16.04 (2:04 pm) [edit] |
turned out not to be the headache I thought it would be. I managed it in short order and am well on my way with adding in the last color. I might have to use an undyed skein(aran/natural) because the sleeve is just not long enough. Otherwise, the sweater is coming along nicely. I've decided, however, to not bell the sleeves(maybe next sweater when it's all one color :lol:)
I went to Rag Shop to check out some items and to look for Lion Brand Fisherman's wool. NO wool, but I cleaned up in some nice jewelry making supplies. I want to make my own stitch markers and ring markers! I was inspired by one a knitting pal gave me a few months ago. Hopefully, mine will come out just as nice.
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| Closer.... |
| 09.15.04 (1:12 pm) [edit] |
I don't know how, but I might have misjudged the overall length of this sweater.
As you can see, the sleeve is but two colors away from the ribbing and yet, it's at a 3/4 sleeve length. I'm hoping the sleeve will be long enough to hit my wrists with the ribbing because I've already started some of the body ribbing and I'd REALLY hate to rip back on this. In an earlier post I mentioned how I would likely not be using one of the stripe colors. But if the sleeve length isn't right before the ribbing, I will have to use it. And that would mean ripping back the ribbing so I can add that last color in. It wouldn't be so bad if there weren't over 250 stitches to tink. But... we'll see.
I've got more sock yarn coming. I know. Bad Bean. Carodan Farm is having their 20th Anniversary sale this month and THIS week is the sale on sock yarns so I had to get it while it was on.
After careful rethinking, I've decided that I won't be using the leftover yarns for a sweater for the baby. This is not superwash wool and that means it'd be hell trying to keep it/get it clean. So, it's Acrylic for SugarBoogers :).
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| Progress |
| 09.14.04 (9:28 am) [edit] |
Striped Raglan is coming along spendidly!! See?
It's longer than I thought it would be at that point. So, I'm going to leave out one color and go straight to the ribbing WEEEEE :lol:. Then it's time to work the sleeves.. *biting nails*..
And I've realized something.. I might yet have enough left over to make a similar sweater for little SugarBoogers here
when it's done! We'll have to see..
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| If you've seen this... |
| 09.12.04 (10:48 pm) [edit] |
and passed it up because you thought it was just another tutorial.. You're Wrong! Get this booklet. It's full of cute little patterns for all sorts of easy-knit goodies. Although the sweaters won't fit me, I know I could make use of some of the other items listed inside. And they have this pretty shawl made from Lorna's Helen's Lace!! That stuff retails for about $50 a hank!! Granted, Helen's comes in a 1250 yard hank but still! So, I've got a while before I have to decide if I want to do that one, or the ever-popular Charlotte's Web Shawl....
I should have seen this coming: I have a HUGE hole in the heel of one of my Crusoe socks.. I should have reinforced with nylon/elastic thread but did I? No! Smart move. Heck I don't even know WHERE to find such a thing. Live and Learn.
The Striped Raglan is back on the knitting needles. It was on a Denise cord while I tried it on and then I set it down to let it stew while I worked on the overdyed Kroy sock. I keep telling myself I need to start and finish the mates to previously started pairs before I do more socks. One of these days, I'll actually LISTEN to myself.
The new issue of Knitty is out!! So far I see quite a bit of patterns that I'd like to make, including a few of the sweater tops. Right now I'm engrossed in this raglan business and my hopes were to make some for the kids and hubby but I might have to switch gears and make one of the Knitty projects first :lol: Hey as long as I use up stash, why should it matter?? heehee
I got it! I got the sewing machine I need to sew up my tote from Stitch N' Bitch. My old sewing machine is shot to hell and I can't get it to work. I have NO idea how much my mom paid for it more than 15(?) years ago but I figured for what I'll pay to diagnose/fix the thing I could just get a new one, right? So while I was at Target I got one that was on sale. All I need now, is quiet time to cut out the fabrics and sew them up!! Still trying to think of what to put on the patch, though.
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| Lookie!! |
| 09.11.04 (7:36 am) [edit] |
Well, whataya know? This is the Kool Aid sock I made from the overdyed Kroy in Fancy Feet.
[image]ladybean_371047865 .jpg[/image]
And this is part one of an experiment I've started:
[image]ladybean_684244053 .jpg[/image]
I mixed the Wiltons and KA directly with vinegar before putting the dye onto the yarn. Then I microwaved it all for about 2 minutes. So I'm beginning to think that adding the vinegar directly to the dye mixture is better than mixing it in with the soaking-water.
Next Up: making a whole skein one color in the same way.. I might have to forgo using a dyebath on the stove.. the amount of water probably caused a dilution of the vinegar.
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| @#$^%*^% |
| 09.10.04 (6:33 am) [edit] |
Thought I was being cute. Got this Spin IT Kit with some roving, a spindle and booklet. I can't make sense of anything in that book!! The instructions are long-winded, and extremely complicated..
Well at least now i know why yarn costs so much; there's a lot of effort involved in spinning. More than I'm willing to deal with. I've got enough on my plate with dyeing and knitting what's already dyed. I sure as hell don't need to spin it too.
Why did I get the kit? I don't know.. I didn't think it would be that complicated.. Oh well now to find someone to take it off my hands...
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| No needles... |
| 09.09.04 (10:53 am) [edit] |
but I did get the fabric I'm going to use for my SnB Tote bag. I've tried my hands at knitting a knitting tote, so this time I'm going to sew one. I have a rusty old Brother sewing machine but it's shot to hell so I won't be using that. I want one of those hand-held joints but I can't seem to find one.. I was thinking about trying that As Seen on TV site. So I'll check them out. They actually have a kiosk at the mall here but I'd like to know they're going to have it there before I make that long trip.
There it is!! Nice huh?
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| Learning never ends |
| 09.09.04 (3:55 am) [edit] |
Remember the Wiltons? Yeah, that stuff. I dyed some aran Patons with the 'brown' and it came out the exact same shade of ORANGE.... that I got with orange KA over the natural mix Patons.. Lovely...
So now I'm soaking it and I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to a)overdye with Orange KA, b) more brown Wiltons, c) black Wiltons in the hopes that that'll darken up the 'brown', or d) the Orange wiltons.. and maybe get a truer orange than what I already have... Decisions, decisions...
In other news I've been knitting up some of that overdyed Patons Kroy I made last week. It's.. not as WOW as I thought it would be.. I'm not sure what it was I was trying to acheive, I just knew I didn't care for the color the yarn already was..
You see those needles in there? Those are some handmade birch needles I picked up in the city.. I HATE them... Why? because first of all the tips aren't all the same, some are toothpick-sharp and one is blunt. And honestly I just don't like the feel of them. I guess I'm used to either the plastic, metal, or bamboo needles I usually use. I might get a set of them today cause these are just IRKING me.
Off to dye more yarn! :lol:
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| Wow, coming along... |
| 09.08.04 (6:29 am) [edit] |
I finally got my sweater to a point where I wanted to try it on and see how it was going to fit me. If it fits over my bathrobe, it'll fit nicely over a button-down blouse; 'cause that's how I intend to wear it. I'm more than likely going to have to add another ball in there somewhere. I'm up to the deep purple now and I've got about 8-10 more rows before I can change to another color.. Then if it's not where I want it, add in the new 'color' before I do ribbing. I'm seriously contemplating not tapering the sleeves and in fact, making them bell sleeves.. we'll have to see how that goes.. Here's a pic so far!
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| We have Wilton-age!!! |
| 09.07.04 (4:53 pm) [edit] |
Well, who'da thunk? I found the Wilton's colors at Party City downtown. Why didn't I just think of them first?? So I got an 8 vial set, and some of the ones that the set didn't have.. There was a 12 vial set but it had some of the colors I'd ordered already and am still waiting for, so I just got the difference between the two sets minus the doubles.. Did I lose you there? :lol:
I've got a spindle kit coming soon, thanks to ebay. I want to try spinning first to get the hang of it. If it's a go, then maybe after Xmas I'll get some more roving to dye and THEN spin.
I'm about halfway down the torso of my striped raglan. I think I'm going to have to add another yarn in. I have the Natural Mix Patons I've used in the past to dye. I'll just leave it natural! I can't imagine what other color I could dye it except brown and it's already kinda.. brown!
I'm itching to start a Sophie. Now that I have the makings for more vibrant colors. I might just go ahead and make it.. hmm what color combos this time?? :twisted:
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| What? No pictures? *gasp, faint* |
| 09.06.04 (4:14 am) [edit] |
Well I do have a pic or two, but they're of my daughter and cousin at my cousin's birthday party yesterday. I didn't get any knitting done on the trip there or back... but I DID get to show off my WIP and learned that one of my cousin's oldest friends crochets and is trying to learn to knit!! She had a really neat haltertop she crocheted herself. And she doesn't follow patterns.. I don't know for sure if the thinks that's a bad thing, but I told her You GO... 'cause to me, that's a GOOD thing, if you can make up your own stuff without following instructions... I wish I could do that...
My cousin was reallllly in awe with my scrapsocks... Yes, I wore them, it wasn't really that hot yesterday.. in fact, by days end we needed jackets(which, dummy me, I didn't bring except for the baby), so the socks came in handy!! We got home late, so no knitting time, just straight to bed!
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| On a Roll!! |
| 09.05.04 (9:17 am) [edit] |
I've finally made it past the armpits of this striped raglan I'm making.. I've got to remember to find a better mid-piece cast-on than the backwards loop; it's a bitch to knit into when you come back around to it..
Here's a pic!:
From here it's just a simple tube until it's time to decrease for shaping at the bottom and then doing the ribbing. I'm still thinking about not even doing ribbing, I'm not really sure yet.. Hell I might even Flare it a bit but first I'd need to complete the sleeves so I don't run out of yarn.. next color up is melon.. then who knows? :wink:
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| Finally knitting again |
| 09.03.04 (2:20 pm) [edit] |
Ok so I've been dying myself silly and forgot to knit. This is the beginnings of the raglan sweater I am making out of the dyed Patons yarns.
I was initially planning on putting a row or two of black between each color but thought against it. It would add to the overall length of the piece and I might not have enough to do the cuffs and ribbing afterwards. I'm also not really sure how many rows each stripe will be. The original plan for 12 rows of 11 colors didn't work out as I wound up making like 16 rows of the fuschia just to get the neck area started.
So there you have it! As for the dyed sock yarns I have yet to wind them into balls. I called myself trying to wind them with only the ball winder and my left arm.. wasn't happening.. Tangle City anyone? So that's on hold til I get bored enough to try untangling that mess I have created...
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| Look! It's Acrylic, it's a blend...it's Superwash!! |
| 09.02.04 (3:10 am) [edit] |
Dying wool yarn is cool. Dying superwash wool, is better. Oh yeah. After you dye it, and let it cool enough for handling, you can rinse it at ANY temperature you want without worrying about it felting... and... You don't have to be as gentle with the washing and rinsing.
That said, I wish all the wool I ever dye could be superwash :lol:. I know, that'd be expensive unless you are sleeping with the(or son of the)owner of a wool manufacturing company!!(or the daughter if you're a guy or whatever, you get the drift lol) Or, if you buy all your superwash cheap on cones(does it come that way anyway?) or you have the patience to wait until something is being discontinued and it's being sold dirt cheap in order to move it out!
Sigh, I need to lay off this dying mess and start knitting again!! Hubby comes in and smells KA cooking and says, What's for dinner, Tropical Punch Stew??? At least the kids appreciate it; in fact, they appreciate it SO much I have to hide my KA in an old potato flake can up on the top of a bookshelf so they don't DRINK it. I'm not going to bother with the pics of the grey Lane Cervinia I overdyed yesterday. I'll just show you the socks I eventually knit from them :lol:.
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| 9/1/2004 |
| 09.01.04 (7:46 am) [edit] |
Lately I haven't really been working on much of anything. Just testing a sock made of worsted weight yarn. Personally I think fingering weight yarns are best for socks, at least for my foot size. I have yet to try sportweight though, so I guess I should try that before deciding if I only want to use finer yarns for socks.
Speaking of such, I had some Patons Kroy laying around that I didn't really care for. since I've been dying yarns like a fool I thought I'd try to overdye an already colored variegated yarn. Since this yarn is simply different shades of pink, I figured I'd overdye with colors I know go well with pink: orange and blue. I've decided I won't be using that Jacquard acid dye anymore(seems like everywhere I read they want me to use dust masks and separate utensils so I'm guessing it's NOT so non-toxic, is it?), so until the Wilton's I ordered(just blues and greens, as those are the colors you can't get but so dark with Kool Aid), I'll be using, orange, and ice blue raspberry KA to overdye.. This ought to be interesting...
As for the Wiltons, I was trying SO hard not to order online, but it seems NOBODY here has in person. I've called several baking supplies stores but they all only seem to sell pots and pans ONLY. I even tried called Party City and they claim they only have food coloring. They just might have the icing dye, but are calling it food coloring because they're knuckleheads who don't know what they sell.. So I ran through Joann.com, craftsetc.com, and even the Wilton's site, and decided craftsetc.com would be it for me. They're the only ones who offer UPS delivery for cheap AND they charge less for the same size bottle Wilton's direct charges!
Edit to add:
This is the overdyed Kroy sock yarn drying:
Nice huh?
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Hi there! I'm LadyBean and this is my journal home on the web. Hope you like my blog!
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