Jofrog is Knitfrog!
April 28 2004
I just got back from spending almost two hours at Circles, the newest yarn store in the Boston area. It's been there since November, and it's about time that I found it! My head is still spinning after stepping in there. It was as if it was the first yarn store I've ever been to. Everything was new and exciting. The majority of yarns that Circles carries are ones that I'd never seen before. The set-up there is wonderful as is the owner. Wow, what a great time. As an added bonus, I ran into Amy while I was there and got to meet both of her children, who were perfectly content to play in the kids room there. As my ballerina top comes to an end I'm stuck with the what nexts... I started a new sock Monday night, ripped twice and am on my way a third time, but socks can't be a main project... I'm working on Cian's sweater but I need something more for me too. I'm very drawn to Grace from the most recent Knitty but I'm not so sure about the yarn. With all of these great yarns out there I'm really tempted to try it in Cotton-ease. It's my fall back summer yarn. I just don't see myself wearing a summer top made out of Kidsilk Haze... hmmm. Thoughts?Knitting in Circles
April 26 2004
What's Up With That?
I rarely do gauge swatches any more because I almost always end up being right on gauge and then I get frustrated about the time I wasted swatching when I could have been knitting. For important projects, those I'm designing, or those for other people, I usually do swatch though.
I am making something now in Debbie Bliss Merino DK. I swatched, TWICE, and kept getting 5 stitchs to the inch, instead of 5.5. I was making up the pattern so I left it that way, fine. I just switched colors and now I'm getting 5.5 sitches to the inch with the new color! No difference in tension, just a different color! What's up with that? How am I supposed to work with that? I switched to a larger needle size for the new color to get 5 again but what's up with that?
April 22 2004
Foiled Again
I took the cutest picture of my ballerina top this morning, brought the camera into work, and as Homer would say "Doh"... no cord to upload it.
I split for the arm holes last night and poof, the left front was done, the poof so was the right front. I'll finish up the back this afternoon and then onto the sleeves! So fast!
In unrelated news, I defended my Masters thesis this morning and passed! Woo hoo, now only one final to go and I am officially done with school forever. What a feeling.
April 21 2004
The Long Awaited Last FO
I finally uploaded the picture of the last finished object of last week. You will be glad to know that you get a break from me modeling my knit items. ... a much cuter model I must say!
At the rate my ballet top is going that will be a finished object soon as well. I'm only 10 rows or so away from splitting it into two fronts and a back and doing arm hole decreases. Pictures will come at that point. I'm sure you can't wait.
April 20 2004
My ballet top is just dancing off of the needles. As you know, I chose to buy the Jo Sharp book so that I could follow the pattern exactly rather than messing around with it as I always do... I opened it up to start and what does it say? Cast on 78 stitches for the back. Wait a minute... I thought that this was a wrap top... wrap tops should not have side seams. I read through the pattern and decided that it would be very easy to do it in one piece until the arm holes (except for the fact that I had to cast on 234 stitches) and off I went. The cotton angora is very plesant to work with. I really enjoy it. It's just so soft. I can't wait to be hugged by this warm sweater! I'm already on the third of seven skeins of yarn and here it is. Ta da. I think that it is going to end up going so much quicker this way than if I'd done it in separate pieces and I don't have to worry about the seams being off if I tie it too tight! Of couse, I was working on this sweater, that is sure to be aweful warm, while it was 86 degrees outside for the marathoners! We went down to cheer them on and saw my buddy Joe running for the second time. Check out his time. 3:20, way to go Joe.Dancing
April 15 2004
I forgot, there is one more FO to show! Can you believe it? Thanks for all of the comments on my new finished garments! I really appreciate them all! So, as for my other finished object... I forgot to put the picture on disk so it is stuck, (for the moment), on my internet deprived computer at home! I'll just have you wait until Monday to find out what it is! Hopefully by Monday I'll have the HOT PINK Cotton Angora! I walked around the store with both of them in my hands the other day and although the pink is a bit PINK I really think that this top needs to be pink. I hope that I still feel that way when it's all done and ready to wear but I'm sure that I will. Hey, has anyone noticed that I'm about to cross the 100 days until the wedding mark! Wow! Two of my bridesmaids and I are going shopping for their dresses tonight! What fun what fun. I hope that we can find something without too much time and effort so that we can spend the rest of our time having a leisurely dinner!One More!
April 13 2004
The last two days have been too cold to go outside without a jacket, but warm enough to go outside with my spring jacket! I did one better, yesterday I wore my leaf cardigan out all day while running errands around town, and today I'm wearing my bulky sweater jacket. Okay, so it's a bit too cold for the sweater jacket today, but only because it's raining, and I wasn't freezing, just a little bit chilly, but what fun it is to wear things I've made! Some of you may remember that I finished my "Purple Ox" sweater ages ago, but that I never showed it off. Well, I finally got around to weaving in the ends and washing it to block it and see if I could get another few inches out of the sleeves that I'd knit too short. Well, I dunked it and it GREW! At first I was devistated. I thought it was huge, and I could never wear it but once it dried... well, you can see for yourselves how it fits. I wore it to my LYS and they all thought I'd bought it at a store; what a great compliment! I also finished my Summer Tweed sweater "Chamomile" but I don't have the leather tie for the lacing yet. Here's the racey picture for your viewing pleasure. And one last FO... presenting Gyrid! I love this tank, I loved making it, I love the way it looks, I love the self finishing arm holes... but it's not for me. It's a store sample for my LYS. Before you get too sad for me I will get enough store credit for making it to get the Cotton Angora for my ballerina top! Now the question is, Hot Pink or Teal?Wearing My Wares
April 12 2004
Life got in the way of finishing the Summer tweed sweater this weekend. I did have a wonderfull weekend with family in upstate New York for a sedar and a great Easter in Danbury, CT with my mom and Mike. I finished my second sleeve this morning and will seam it up tonight and wear it tomorrow! How's that for instant gratification! I think that I'm going to buy the Jo Sharp Village book for the ballerina top pattern. I love it so much, I'm sure that I could motify Otis from Knitty but I always seem to motify patterns and wouldn't it be nice for a change to have the only motification be lengthening the arms? (Sound familiar Kerrie?) I need to make my decision soon because I'm going to need a new project ASAP. Until then I'll work on finishing my second Opal Mexico sock so that I can wear it. Don't eat too much candy today (this coming from the girl who has had almost nothing but since she woke up this morning).Summer Tweed and Life
April 7 2004
When I was searching for something else I came across this going out of buisiness sale at Charm City Kids. All of their yarn is 50% off. Any takers?FYI
My Summer Tweed sweater looks so great as just a tank... I'm debating sleeves at all! Really I know that it will be so much more useful with sleeves so one is almost done already and the other should be done tomorrow (can you believe how quicky this is going?). I'm kicking myself that I forgot to take pictures last night so you'll just have to wait for Monday for a completed picture. So... what's next? I've been looking for the right ballerina top pattern, preferably a leaflette and not a book. I LOVE the one in the Jo Sharp "Village" book, and it's the right gauge to do in the Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora. I'll probably end up bucking up and buying the book but I've still been looking. Then, lo and behold, what shows up in Knitty? Otis! Totally a ballerina top, totally the right gauge for the Cotton Angora, but too short for my liking... what to do? I haven't looked at the pattern at all yet, but do you think that it would be easy to lengthen? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.Tweed Tank
April 6 2004
My students are superstars! I can't keep up with them! There are still three weeks left in my knitting class at the elementary school and they are doing so well that it's time to move on from the scarves that they keep working on. I've been bringing in projects that I'm working on to show them other things and they are just full of questions. (See the 20 questions post below) Today they will learn to increase! We are going to make little dishclothes that start with one stitch, increase up and then decrease down again. I wrote up a pattern for them last night that I adapted from the pattern on the band and I started on one to show them. I can't wait to see how they do. Most of my students are definitely ready for a new challenge. We'll see how it goes. Superstars
April 5 2004
I started on the pattern Chamomile from Rowan's "Summer Tweed Collection" on Saturday night and look at it now. I can't believe how quickly it has knit up. I actually haven't had much time to knit on it at all, but it goes so fast! It's looking so cute right now that I think I might seam the front and the back, once it's done, and wear it as a tank until the sleeves are done... well, looking at the snow fluries outside... maybe I should just wait for the sleeves afterall! I am enjoying knitting with the summer tweed almost as much as I enjoyed working with the Silky Wool. Just call me a silky girl. I love that raw silk content. Okay I love all silk. Has anyone had the opportunity to touch Fiesta Yarn's La Luz? Ooh 100% silk luxury! One thing with the summer tweed that I didn't get with the silky wool is this. I like to call it summer crap! It's not horrible, definitely worth dealing with to use this yarn.What I did this Weekend
April 1 2004
Kerrie is having a baby! She's due in August! Go say congrats!Hello Baby!
