Any knitters in the house?

nicolethegeek

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Just a temporary threadjack here, but I had to say congrats to Maggie on the release of your latest book. I will be adding it to my indigo wish list for sure. Your Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques has been very highly recommended to me for some guidance with a few designs-in-mind I have, as well as just being a great reference!

</slobbery fan gushing> ;)
 

K1P1

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Just a temporary threadjack here, but I had to say congrats to Maggie on the release of your latest book. I will be adding it to my indigo wish list for sure. Your Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques has been very highly recommended to me for some guidance with a few designs-in-mind I have, as well as just being a great reference!

</slobbery fan gushing> ;)

Nicole--Thanks so much. Just try not to slobber on the books or your yarn. :D

And some obligatory knitting content: I spend several hours knitting on the train ride to NYC today, adding to the bottom of a sweater that I decided would be much more flattering if it were longer. Does anyone else go back and "revise" their knitting after it's done?
 

nicolethegeek

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It's all good... most of my yarn stash is washable, and sheet protectors are my friends! :D

My hands have been misbehaving a lot. I swear they know when I have deadlines to meet, and they refuse to knit a needle's worth of stitches without going numb. At least I've been able to crochet a bit. I took advantage of my insomnia (and my Earth to the Moon dvd's) last night to finally finish the photography samples for the last of my gumdrop series. Next in line is an afghan I started for my DH well over 10 years ago!

The kids aren't in school today so I can forget any of my editing and formatting work that I need to get done; it will simply have to wait until Monday. Instead I'll head off to town to get the supplies I need to make a DIY light box to improve my photography. One of my teenagers needs special paper for an art contest she's entering anyway, so it's not like we're going just for me!
 

moth

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Does anyone else go back and "revise" their knitting after it's done?
I have yet to unpick a bind-off, if that's what you mean, but I've been known to tink or frog back quite a ways (my 'record' is about 75% [*ouch!*]) due to noticing something wrong that I hadn't caught earlier.

My very first 'big' knitting project, a top-down Easter dress for my niece, has a two-inch-long mistake near the neckline that (at the time, as a new knitter) I thought was no big deal. She's outgrown the dress now (and my SIL has already passed it on) but it still drives me crazy. That dress is what taught me it's better to rip than to regret.

My hands have been misbehaving a lot. I swear they know when I have deadlines to meet, and they refuse to knit a needle's worth of stitches without going numb.
:Jaw: Numb?! Oh that's awful. And I thought I had hand problems! :Hug2:

The kids aren't in school today so I can forget any of my editing and formatting work that I need to get done; it will simply have to wait until Monday.
Ha! Tell me about it. Truer words were never spoken. ;) lol
 

Jamiekswriter

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Hi knitters!

I wanted to bounce a question off you guys. I'm going to be wearing this bridesmaids gown in my SIL's wedding:

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Chiffon-Dress-with-Floral-Detail-and-One-Shoulder-F14010

In the color Sangria, though, not the green that comes up in the link.

I want to knit a lace scarf because I have fat arms. :D The wedding is July. Should I go with cotton? Bamboo came to mind too. . . Any suggestions on yarn?

I don't have a pattern yet, I was thinking just a rectangle lace pattern, but a triangle pie pattern is also dancing around in my head too. Have you guys worked on a summer shawl pattern that you really liked?

Thanks :D -- Jamie
 

nicolethegeek

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Does anyone else go back and "revise" their knitting after it's done?
I'm like Moth, where I have frogged insane amounts of a project. Whenever I can, I will take shortcuts to completely frogging something, knowing that blocking often hides/ can cure a multitude of ills in uneven stitching. I do alter (OPPs) patterns somewhat to suit me... typically lengthening to cover my assets fully.

:Jaw: Numb?! Oh that's awful. And I thought I had hand problems! :Hug2:
Carpal tunnel and tendontis... both hands and forearms. And my braces are in a safe place. Mainly I can't doing any knitting or crocheting until after lunch; I use my mornings for housework and computer work.

I want to knit a lace scarf because I have fat arms. :D The wedding is July. Should I go with cotton? Bamboo came to mind too. . . Any suggestions on yarn?
I haven't worked with bamboo much, but cotton typically won't hold its blocking all that well. My best 2¢CAD would be a wool or wool/ silk blend in a laceweight (no thicker than fingering for a summer shawl IMO). I've used both Knit Picks Shadow and Gloss with excellent results.

I don't have a pattern yet, I was thinking just a rectangle lace pattern, but a triangle pie pattern is also dancing around in my head too. Have you guys worked on a summer shawl pattern that you really liked?
Most of the shawls and stoles I've made would either be too large, or too thick of yarn for your purposes. I'm working on a few designs of smaller ones, but that doesn't help you right now! :D If you haven't already, get thee over to Ravelry and search the wonderful pattern database! (that search result has just over 1700 matches, but you can refine it more than that!
 

Jamiekswriter

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Nicole, Thanks! :D Good info. I had originally wanted to do wool in fingerweight but thought it would be too hot. I'm glad you told me about the blocking issue with the cotton. :D I love Knit Picks site I go ca-razy there!
 

nicolethegeek

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I've had problems (and I'm not the only one) with pure silk and pure cotton not holding their blocking very well. The "wools" I find too warm for summer are mainly alpaca and mohair. You will probably want a lace stitch pattern that is very open. I made KP's Summer Seasons shawl last August and find it a really nice weight (laceweight held double) for the evenings around here. Both the Gloss and Shadow spit-spliced quite easily too.
 

Niiicola

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Hi knitters!

I wanted to bounce a question off you guys. I'm going to be wearing this bridesmaids gown in my SIL's wedding:

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Chiffon-Dress-with-Floral-Detail-and-One-Shoulder-F14010

In the color Sangria, though, not the green that comes up in the link.

I want to knit a lace scarf because I have fat arms. :D The wedding is July. Should I go with cotton? Bamboo came to mind too. . . Any suggestions on yarn?

I don't have a pattern yet, I was thinking just a rectangle lace pattern, but a triangle pie pattern is also dancing around in my head too. Have you guys worked on a summer shawl pattern that you really liked?

Thanks :D -- Jamie

I made this as a coverup for a springtime wedding:
http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2005/12/patternia.html

Not sure if the pattern is too busy for that dress or not. I used Misti Alpaca lace weight yarn and it has held up really well and is incredibly lush, soft, and lightweight. I'd definitely use it again for a lace pattern.
 

nicolethegeek

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This has been a frustrating week for me. I finished the photography sample for a design, and was trying to take my photos of it before sending the FO to the company. 4-5 days of fighting with my camera and editing software later, I discover that it's my MONITOR that's buggered colour-wise! I'm emailing the co-ordinator tomorrow to find out if my un-corrected images are good enough, since they seem to match the thumbnail of the yarn I got from their website. I am at the heel of one contest entry, and barely started a second. I won first place last year so I'm hoping for a repeat! /end shameless boasting

I haven't worked on my shrug at all because all it needs is a few inches of stockinette... it comes in too handy for knitting in the truck during the 3-hour-each-way trips I have to take into the city every week or two. I did start the ruffle on a cardigan for my daughter. I want to get it up to the point of straight knitting so that it can become my truck knitting. I can then finish up my shrug. After the "sleeves" are done, I have to sew them up and then pick up stitches for the body ribbing around the opening.

I also have to whip up a pair of slippers or two in the next day or so. My DH informed me when he was home last time (2 weeks ago) that he has already blown a hole in his "work" slippers. I made them for his first trip out in January, so they didn't even last 2 months! These ones are gonna be out of his work sock wool leftovers! :) I know he's expecting to find his afghan finished when he gets home on Wednesday, but he will be sadly disappointed. I have been working on it a bit in the mornings when I can't knit, but can crochet. The week spent with my dining room set up as a photographer's studio cut into my "free" time way too much.
 

K1P1

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Wow, you all sure are busy.

I have knitted entire sweaters, then decided that they aren't the right length, took the bottom border off and lengthened them. And I've gone back and taken them apart at the underarms to bust darts to improve the fit.

I like silk for summer. I find that it does hold it's shape as long as you don't abuse it by stretching it a lot when you're wearing it (which does make it lose its blocking). But I don't think bamboo would keep its shape either. Perhaps you should consider linen, which (if lightly starched) might be the best hot weather option. But, silk with just a bit of wool would indeed be a great choice.
 

VanessaNorth

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I too, like silk for summer, or cotton, or linen. I don't like actually knitting linen, but don't mind cotton too much.

I'm about to cast off on a clapo-ktus (a triangle derivative of the clapotis) and realized I have mountains of small balls of fingering-weight yarns from all the lace knitting I've done recently. I'm contemplating doing some kind of scrap scarf project...
 

VanessaNorth

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Vanessa, there's a popular pattern on Ravelry called The Beekeeper's Quilt which is perfect for fingering leftovers.

I'm busy trying to meet a few deadlines, but failing terribly right now. Got my toes crossed that I can catch up in the next week or three (crossing the fingers makes it pretty hard to type!).

That is cute! I had never considered making anything like that with them.
 

nicolethegeek

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I started a mitred square shawl years ago when I was participating in a sock yarn marathon... 16 pairs in under 6 months while working full-time midnight shift outside of the house! I should pull apart one of the squares to write up the pattern since it was stockinette not garter stitch... my original notes were lost when my DHs desktop pooter went BOOM!

I have a ton of work I need to get done over the next week. At least I've managed to get my charts to look a LOT nicer... but that means MORE work updating all of my old ones! Here's hoping that next week isn't nearly as hectic as the last two have been around here. At least my DH bought me a voice recorder so that I can record notes while driving now. Can't wait to try it out and see how it helps me.
 

VanessaNorth

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I started a mitred square shawl years ago when I was participating in a sock yarn marathon... 16 pairs in under 6 months while working full-time midnight shift outside of the house! I should pull apart one of the squares to write up the pattern since it was stockinette not garter stitch... my original notes were lost when my DHs desktop pooter went BOOM!

I have a ton of work I need to get done over the next week. At least I've managed to get my charts to look a LOT nicer... but that means MORE work updating all of my old ones! Here's hoping that next week isn't nearly as hectic as the last two have been around here. At least my DH bought me a voice recorder so that I can record notes while driving now. Can't wait to try it out and see how it helps me.

Wow, writing up patterns is a TON of work. I do a lot of "by the seat of my pants" knitting (especially for sweaters and stuff, because I've worn the same size since I was 12 and pretty much have the cast on numbers memorized for whatever gauge I get). Friends ask me to write up the patterns for them and I'm all "um... " lol!
 

Jamiekswriter

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I started a mitred square shawl years ago when I was participating in a sock yarn marathon... 16 pairs in under 6 months while working full-time midnight shift outside of the house! I should pull apart one of the squares to write up the pattern since it was stockinette not garter stitch... my original notes were lost when my DHs desktop pooter went BOOM!

I have a ton of work I need to get done over the next week. At least I've managed to get my charts to look a LOT nicer... but that means MORE work updating all of my old ones! Here's hoping that next week isn't nearly as hectic as the last two have been around here. At least my DH bought me a voice recorder so that I can record notes while driving now. Can't wait to try it out and see how it helps me.

Nicole, how is the voice recorder working out?
 

crazynance

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After Christmas I decided it was time for me to make a ME present. I'd gotten some great wool from a lady who was selling off her stash. So I started my cardigan from Stitch and Bitch (Debbie Kroller). I do not have enough wool to make the arms! Erm.. the main colour is a wine tweed, and I have enough wool to put a stripe or two in the sleeves. Should I pick an off colour from the tweed (one of the contrast threads)? Or go with a navy tweed? It's parked under my table until the decision is made. :)
 

Yeshanu

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I made this as a coverup for a springtime wedding:
http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2005/12/patternia.html

Not sure if the pattern is too busy for that dress or not. I used Misti Alpaca lace weight yarn and it has held up really well and is incredibly lush, soft, and lightweight. I'd definitely use it again for a lace pattern.

Nice! My son is getting married next spring, and I was kind of thinking along the same lines, so thanks for the pattern.

I recently started knitting again after years of not doing much craft-wise. I'm almost finished the vest I'm working on! Go me!
 

Yeshanu

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After Christmas I decided it was time for me to make a ME present. I'd gotten some great wool from a lady who was selling off her stash. So I started my cardigan from Stitch and Bitch (Debbie Kroller). I do not have enough wool to make the arms! Erm.. the main colour is a wine tweed, and I have enough wool to put a stripe or two in the sleeves. Should I pick an off colour from the tweed (one of the contrast threads)? Or go with a navy tweed? It's parked under my table until the decision is made. :)

What about finishing it off as a vest, Nance? I bought some wool I really like before I chose a pattern, and same thing. Not enough for sleeves. So it's going to be a vest. :)