Jultember: who broke who first...

i am having one of those days where i want someone to come to my home and make me cupcakes, then hand a plate full of them to me along with a very large cup of tea... then leave instantly without ever saying a word. you know... one of those days.

i have been failing miserably at finishing up a few knitted items i have on the go at present, but i want to share a recently completed thing. ta da!!!

the pattern is Saco Stripes by Pam Allen, and it was been the bane of my existence for a full year... or more. i was working on this top back when i was cyber-stalking newborn lambs last Spring—as in, more than a year ago. i finished it shortly thereafter—as in, i followed all of the designer's instructions (while only making a few minor alterations of my own). however, it never quite managed to seem done, so it remained at ninety-nine percent in my Ravelry projects for the next year... or more.

then something magical happened one day this Summer while we were playing a bit of Codenames: Duet. [random aside: i highly recommend that as a board game for two, if you are into that sort of thing. it is especially entertaining when being played with someone who you know far too well, because you get the added challenge of trying to think like they do when stringing together wholly unrelated things... but that is not the point of this thing.]

so, there we were playing our game, as you do. and i was sitting there with my ninety-nine-percent-done top on my lap, holding it up and turning it this way and that, while contemplating what i could do to salvage the thing.

him: did you block it?
me: not really. i want this to be a light summer top that i can wear and toss in the washing machine without worrying about blocking, but it is just going to keep curling along the edges, and that is going to annoy me exponentially.
him: it doesn't really take much for that to happen.

then i gave him the look that lets him know he is asking to be pinched.

him: maybe add an i-cord around the edge?
me: maybe... but i don't know.

then i took my turn at the game and returned a short while later to staring at the pile of knitted fabric on my lap.

me: actually, i am afraid that the fabric would just curl up along the i-cord.
him: yeh, i was just thinking the same thing. maybe some garter stitch?
me: meh. i'm not a fan of garter stitched edges.
him: then just do a few rows of ribbing. that will stop the rolling up.
me: yeh. i think that is the only real option. either that or i learn to love the roll.

then i paused for a moment and took a serious look at him, sitting there next to me on my favorite sofa, his eyes cast upward in a contemplative fashion as it was his turn to give the next clue in the game.

that is when it dawned on me...

there he was, casually tossing out one suggestion after another in an effort to cure my crafting dilemma... and—worst of all—he actually understood what all of those terms meant!

me: i feel like i owe you an apology.
him: why?
me: did you hear yourself a minute ago?
him: yeh. i was just thinking how crazy it is that i know what all of that means.
me: i think i broke you
him: yep. i think so too.

then we put aside our game, and watched the latest movie from that cult favorite Writer/Actor/Producer/Caterer known to the world of bad-movie lovers as Neil Breen. i spoke previously about him (and the completely bonkers dream i experienced after watching one of his films). well, after much anticipation, we were finally able to get our hands on a copy of his latest... uhm... work of art...?

this one is called Twisted Pair (2018). there are no words to describe how much he manages to outdo himself in the production of this particular one. forget the usual "so bad... it's good" label. this one was "so bad... i wanted to throw my computer out the window when i was done watching the thing". i am not going to dwell on the specifics of the movie (as that is not the point of this thing), but i would just like to make a prediction: the person whose legs we see during the film (but we never see their face), is in fact a third brother. i expect that to be the big plot-twist when he releases the sequel... because he is insane enough to think this steaming pile of garbage needs to be revisited.

we were somewhere in the middle of discussing said likelihood, when i had the second grand revelation of the evening.

if you go back a few years or more, you would arrive at the point where i would frequently walk past the studio door, then screech to a cartoon-like halt when i get a glimpse of whatever nonsense he was watching.

it was always the same thing.

me: uhm... what are you watching?

then he would clear his throat, which i knew from experience meant that he is about to put on his "announcer voice", which he uses when telling me the name of the most ridiculous movies. something like...

him: it's called... ahem... [super-deep voice]... Vampire Vixens from Ven.... hey!!! where'd you go?

because i would usually start walking away by the time he got to the second word of the title.

fast-forward to the present, and i welcome a dose of the absurd. we spent last October watching a ridiculous movie-a-day, and it was fabulous. i spend more time these days watching reviews of "so bad it's good" movies on the You Tubes than anything else.

and there i was in that moment, where we followed up discussing how to salvage my knitted garment by watching a Neil Breen film, and all i could do was shake my head and wonder...

who broke who first???
_________________________________

[the rest of this post is meant to serve as project notes for the top.]

as noted above, i finished the top at the end of last Spring, and i (frankly) was not crazy about the thing. all of that rolling fabric at the edges was driving me insane, and i was not going to commit to blocking what was supposed to be a quick wash-and-wear garment every time i wear the thing.

for the non-knitters reading this: this top is made of the same basic knit fabric as a t-shirt (just with much thicker yarn). if you ever cut into a t-shirt, it instantly rolls up along that raw edge. the hems and collar are the only thing that stop that roll from happening. this top of mine lacked any such borders, so it was behaving like cut t-shirt fabric on every edge. you could see how that would drive a person crazy.

after rejecting several possible fixes (see above for his contribution in said process), i decided to go with a very narrow trim of two rows of ribbing followed by two rows of stockinette stitch (plus the pick-up and bind-off rows). the ribbing was just enough to stabilize the fabric, while those two rows of stockinette made for an attractive tiny rolled edge. this bit of re-finishing was applied to all the edges of the top.

you can see the difference it makes in this one image. the armhole on right side of the photo has been re-finished while the one on the left has not. likewise, the back section of the hem was re-finished, but the front was not (neither was the collar edge at this point).

a closer look at the shoulder straps (?) shows the difference between the two armholes.

but the most dramatic difference is at the hem. the front and the back of this top were the same length before i added that trim to the back.

see? same length.

i went with a split-hem with four rows of ribbing at the front edge and six rows of ribbing at the back (plus the aforementioned two rows of stockinette before the bind-off), so those two trims are more substantial than on the collar and armholes.

right off the needle, you can already  see the effect that bit of re-finishing had on those edges.

the top was given a soak previously, so i just gave it a blast of steam from the iron this time around to relax those new edges.

i love how neat that looks at the underarm.

not bad, eh?

one-hundred percent done!!!

high fiber diet: but am i ever going to wear them...

my little grey shadow is napping in a cardboard box, so it is mama kitty's (the calico one) turn to keep me company. she is stretched out next to me on the bed, demanding belly-rubbing while i am trying to type. which part of "i want to get this posted before midnight" does she not understand?

so, as i mentioned last time, i ordered a couple patterns from a yarn shop in the UK, and i was eagerly awaiting their arrival to cast on my next project. i was binge-watching videos on Knit Nottingham's You Tube channel (be warned, she is bawdy and has a potty mouth), when channel host/yarn shop owner, Eleanor, quickly held up a project she was working on for self. it was the perfect thing for my 'Summer of cottony knitting' insanity, so i contacted her in search of the name of the pattern. turns out it was discontinued, but she had a few paper copies in stock. not wanting to waste her time for a single leaflet, i added another pattern (for the navy blue lacy item pictured below) to the order. one Pay Pal transaction later, and both patterns were on their way. all i had to do was wait.

i do not do patience very well, either with other people, or (most especially) with myself. i was in the zone. i wanted to knit all the things. one quick stash-dive later, and i had a bag of pink and white yarn, the same stuff i promised myself i would turn into a cardi at some point last year. this is why you should never make promises... especially to yourself.

i had just gotten through watching Amy Herzog's online class about modifying sweaters for a custom fit (i will save the first-world-problems rant about being a curvy girl is a straight-figure universe for some other day). i wanted to test out her approach to sizing, so i started said cardi... then left it sitting in a bag... in the depths of my stash... until that day when i needed a quick-fix. so, what was supposed to be an educational cardigan, ended up as a distraction tank top.

the pattern is Aster (by Dawn Catanzaro). there is a subtle bit of shaping in the body of the garment, which causes it to lay in a very flattering manner along the curve of the lower back, so it is not just another tent-like, boxy top. i will definitely be making a few more of these in the future.

i had forgotten how rough this yarn was on my hands. this was supposed to be finished in a week (or less) of evening knit-while-watching-stuff time. it ended up taking five weeks, as i had to give my hands time to recover in-between working with such nubbly yarn. that being said, i do love the texture of the end product, and i am keeping an eye out for the perfect pattern to use up the rest of that yarn... although there is always the possibility it may end up being tossed on the bbq grill as an offering to whatever gods are responsible for such torturous things.

the yarn was too thin for this project, so i held it doubled throughout, but i managed to drop one of the two strands on one single stitch, which most people would never notice...

unless i point it out. no worries. it is an easy fix, which i will get around to doing... some day.

so, there i was, admiring all of my Summer knits, when it dawned on me: they look great hanging together by my closet door... but am i ever going to wear any of these things? yes, i enjoyed making all of those items, and i really am quite proud of myself for turning out so many projects in one season... if you do not count the three years i took to finish that one top. so, while i was pleased to see my stash being put to good use, that was still a whole lot of pink, and i am still not into pink.

i was so traumatized by this realization, that i grabbed one of my UK patterns and went diving again through the stash for something that was a bit more me. i am still convincing myself that it was pure coincidence that my nails happened to also be navy blue. i am loving that pretty lace fabric.

my fluffy grey shadow approves.

speaking of grey, i recently completed this thing, which is already my new fave knitted item ever. i will talk more about that one next time. it is wonder-ful, trust me!

taking a forced-break from knitting is kind of like being between projects. i get restless, so i usually use that time to rummage through the hundreds of swatches living in colorful containers throughout our home. they are reminders of projects past, and inspiration for project to come.

i usually knit up a swatch when i get a new yarn, or before starting a new project, and i always take the time to wash and pin the swatches out while they dry. the navy blue yarn in the upper-left corner is the swatch for the navy blue sweater above.

i have been known to carry swatches from one room to another, just to see how they look in different light. bonus points if you spot the grey kitty lurking in the shadows.

the lacy swatch in the upper-left is an idea i was exploring for using up the light-salmon yarn leftover from the three years later top. maybe i will get around to that one for next Summer. the tiny light-grey swatch on the lower-left corner is the grey item i plan to talk about tomorrow. size was not an issue with that one. i just wanted to make sure that the fabric would have the level of squishiness i desired for this project. yes, there is such a thing as too little or too much squish.

my favorite animator uses my swatches as a handy excuse for buying cookies and chocolates in decorative metal tins, which can later be put to use as storage spaces. the red tin was from last year's Christmas cookies.

it currently houses the (mostly cotton) swatches for yarns that would be ideal for summer wear, except that brown swatch, which is already earmarked for a specific project... one of these days.

then there is this chocolate tin.

it contains the swatches for yarns i hope to use in the coming cold months.

i sometimes go overboard and swatch a few times, just to be sure. here you can see different swatches of the same yarns done on different sized needles, so that i can compare the resulting fabric. the green and navy blue swatches stacked together on the bottom row are the same yarn in different colors, because my brand of OCD demands such things.

here i casted on the same number of stitches, and made swatches on three different sized needles. note the difference in width of the three swatches. multiplied across the width of a whole garment, you can end up with something that is too tight, fits perfectly, or that has room enough for company... unless you are into that sort of thing. this is a judgment-free zone.

some knitters think it is wasted time, but swatching saves frustration. i originally intended to make my cabled cardi in a black yarn, but i had so much trouble seeing the individual stitches, that i knew it would be a nightmare for working such complicated cables. i kept the one ball of yarn i used for making the swatch, and took the remaining nineteen balls back to my local yarn shop, to be exchanged for the same yarn in a much lighter color. the alternative would have involved fire and twenty balls of burnt black yarn.

you may notice the notes everywhere. i measure a 2" x 2" (5cm x 5 cm) square on each swatch, count the stitches, then double those numbers and write it down for future reference as #stitches x #rows that would be in a 4" x 4" (10cm x 10cm) square. this is where i would need to break into basic math to explain why that matters, but just trust me when i say that it is important in determining the size of a finished item. i also note the size needle i used for the swatch, and i usually tie a series of knots in the tail end of the yarn to indicate the size of the needle, just in case i lose that piece of paper. one can always remeasure the stitches, but the only way to remember needle size is to take good notes... or have a really good memory... or just count the knots!

and, yes... some of those swatches are pink. clearly i have learned nothing from this Summer.