Commuter Knitting the Summertime Tunic by Katie Himmelberg

Commuter knitting
Originally uploaded by k_purls2

Commuter knitting, every knitter needs one project you can take on the road. I've been knitting in the mornings on the train and have found, by trial and error which projects work best for me when commuting. Projects with simple, repetitive patterns (so I don't have to try and hold a book open or cart one back in forth in bag) work well. Smaller projects that can easily fit in a little sac that Ms. Williams made for me work too. Finally, I have to be able to complete at least two rounds in 10 minutes (I need to fill a since of accomplishment!). I worked on the fitted shrug on the train and this week, I decided to give Katie Himmelberg's Summertime Tunic a whirl. It is from Interweave's Summer 2007 edition. Summertime Tunic - Interweave
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I think it is cute and it is a simple stockinette all the way through. I'm able to knit this baby and talk on the phone or people see. Today I knitted in the back of the car while my husband and son sat in front. My son took this picture of me with my iPhone. I uploaded the picture to flickr from the phone and thought I would be clever and blog about it on the expressway during traffic, but it doesn't look like that functionality is available through flickr yet. If someone knows how let me know, I'm curious.

Anyway, back to the tunic. I'm knitting it with Sirdars' Baby Bamboo, It feels very soft and knits the color up wonderfully. However, I've been through 3 spools and each one there is some sort of defect with the yarn midway through where the fiber is knotted or split. Twice it caught me off guard and so I have a two little stubbles in my top.

The other issue is the sizing of the top, I'm a little worried about how it will fit and drape. I probably should have figured in some shaping, but we will see. The size jumps from 29 to 33. I added a few extra stitches to do a 31" bust fit figuring there was a lot of ease in the top as I looked at other finished projects.

Today, the tunic comes with me to a picnic, hope I don't knit BBQ sauce into it.

Fitted Shrug with Cap Sleeves from "Doublestitch, Designs for the Crochet Fashionista"

KC_fittedShrug2
Originally uploaded by k_purls2

Alright y'all! I'm officially a crochet fashionista! I spent years crocheting blankets and slippers, this is my first garment. I'm pretty excited. Last year, my friend Rochonda bought me Erika and Monika Simmons' book "Doublestitch, Designs for the Crochet Fashionista." I think a have a pattern book fetish that rivals my yarn. I really do enjoy looking at the photographs, creativity and even the book layouts. They are inspiring. Anyhoo, I flipped through the book and I liked a lot of the stuff, but some of it had a little more "ista" than I had in my fashion. I wasn't brave enough yet. But a couple patterns made it to the "to do" list including the Fitted Shrug with Cap Sleeves. At the time, I was shrugged out, so it was the bottom of my list. But, a few weeks ago, I gave into the "maxi dress" craze and got a long tube dress from Old Navy. The dress needed a light shrug for the chilly evenings or air conditioned hang outs. I started combing through my patterns for something quick and voila! I stumbled back upon this. Now, because as I already mentioned, I've only mastered blankets and footies, I was a little nervous, but I read through the pattern and saw that it was a simple construction comprised of double-crochets and chains. (Always read your patterns first!) I was hooked!





The yarn is Malabrigo worsted in the magenta sapphire colorway. It took 1.25 skeins. That's the thing I hate about crochet, it uses more yarn than knitting, this is definitely a one skein knit project. The color is wonderful, I love it. The remainder of the yarn will be a scarf for the winter. I was on the fence about using the Malabrigo worsted for a summer piece but given the pattern stitch, I thought it would be open enough where it wouldn't feel out of season. These pictures were taken tonight in 78/80 degree weather and I was comfortable. Malabrigo feels very soft on, this is my second garment with this particular brand.

It took 4 days to complete, on the train which amounted to probably a three hour crochet if I did it straight at home, a perfect weekend project.

I crocheted the size 34-36. I measure 34." Though it fits comfy, to get the snug shrug fit of the book, I probably should have crocheted one size smaller and then added rows to the front panel as needed, which is easy enough since you can try on the piece during construction and edit as necessary. Also, my shrug flares out, which may be because I picked up more stitches than I should have for the final trim. I also did an additional 2 rows on the fronts to increase the width of the panels. I'm small chested but thought the panel needed a tad more. I felt like the shrug was slipping down and off to easily. I'm also a closet conservative so I could be playing it a little safe, while wearing a tube top dress! Oh, the contradictions. Summer love ya'll!

Adventures in Tanis Gray's Short Sleeved Cardigan, (ATGSS)

Yipee! I already have an update! Knitting to work this morning on the Metra was a wonderful. I successfully knit 2 rows. The stitch markers worked like a charm. I wish the idea had popped in my head sooner.

And Ms. Gray responded to my post. How cool is that? Wow! Thank you!

Pictures to come!

Adventures in Tanis Gray's Short Sleeved Cardigan

Summer Vogue Knitting 2009 is on the stands and I love it. I settled on Tanis Gray's Short Sleeved Cardigan. It is beautiful and sassy. It's dreamy.

It's also a tongue twister and a riddle! Let me qualify that by saying it is for me. As Prince would say, "It's the Beautiful Ones..."

I don't have pictures to show of my progress because I have been knitting and ripping for about 1.5 weeks add to that another week of trying to get gauge and master the repeats triton lace pattern and the gauge on the wavy lace pattern which is the heart of the tongue twister. It is series of yo's and SKP and S2KPs that if you aren't careful...Arggggh!

But this is a lesson in patience and hard work and I'm ready, I think. This post is an official encouragement to me. Keep it moving Kaye!

The pattern calls for Jade Sapphire's Silk Cashmere. I'm using Debbie Bliss' Prima, which is 80% Bamboo and 20% Wool. The color is this amazing teal, 35715. The yarn feels soft and the color is rich. However, I realized that I don't really like knitting with Debbie Bliss yarns because I always experience splitting. My gauge swatch has several areas where the needle went straight through the yarn and only caught a part of it coming back through the loop. And, as I knit this piece, which is a series of K3tog and PSSO and SKP, well you get the picture, it is slowing me down as I try and avoid and/or fix splitting fiber. It's the Beautiful Ones.

Now, when I did my gauge, I knitted the wavy lace pattern at 29sts/26 rows at 3.5" instead of 4." However, the garter stitch was exactly 4" as the pattern calls.
The triton lace pattern, the other pattern for the sweater (there are three total), came out to 4" as well. Since the bodice is sewn separately to the front, it was recommended to me that I knit the wavy lace pattern portion at the larger size and in so doing, that part would actually come out to "size." The hiccup came when the pattern uses the same number of cast ons for the first four sizes! Add to that the work, when completed, will be turned 90 degrees so the knitted x-axis is actually y when completed. Arggh, the beautiful ones.

So, off I went, and ripped out it was, five times over. Last night I got my pencil and tried hard to figure out the math. The pattern repeat is 15 stitches plus 1! I decided to decrease from 91 cast on to 76. I think it is working, but I can't tell because I keep messing up the pattern repeats! As I muttered to myself walking to work after another frustrating rip out on the Metra train this morning, I had an idea...try placing stitch markers at the end of each pattern repeat so if I make a mistake I can see where it was. It worked. Tonight I got see that I messed up the second repeat. Dang.

I'm going to get this sweater finished. It's the beautiful ones.

Wound and A Wound I'm Bout to Go

Whooo Hooo!

My birthday was last Wednesday and my mother gave me a great gift! A swift and ball winder! It was finally delivered Tuesday and I had the opportunity to bust it out and wind one skein this evening. I'm about to be a ball winding fiend! I have a gaggle of skeins waiting for me.

She bought both through Amazon. The swift is through Franklin Crafts, it is plastic. It works pretty good, the stop tab isn't heavy duty firm, so I'm curious to see how it holds up with bulky yarn. The swift can easily mount to the dining room table. It came with a plastic carrying case, which I think is fantastic. It was very easy to use, it's like opening an umbrella pretty much.

I wish the ball winder had a carrying box. The ball winder is through JoAnn Fabrics, though I wonder if it is similar to the one that Knit Picks is selling. The impetus is to wind fast, but each time I picked up the pace without guiding the yarn, it got tangled on the bottom. Because the handle is so light, it is Mercedes Benz CLK350 gas-pedal easy to start flying through (LOL). But, when I took my time, it worked like a charm. Overall, I like them both and am very thankful.

Isn't my first skein cute! This skein is actually special. When I visited New York last year I went to School Products. This skein was given to me as a "gift with purchase." I've wanted to knit it up for some time.

Thanks Mom! I'm feeling like I'm going to be saying that all weekend. Just in a knick of time.

UFO Landing

I made it to the finish line twice since I last blogged. Maybe blogging brings back the knitting mojo? I'm very happy with the socks I knit for my husband. I like the colors and how the variegation came out. It's just a simple knit, but as he would say "me likey!" I lost my tag so I don't know what the color is, but the yarn was purchased last October at Chicago's Yarn Con

The yarn is called Sophie's Toes. It was the first time I purchased indie yarn. I like it. The color held true throughout, no heavy pooling or fading and the yarn was sturdy. It didn't ply apart. I would buy another skein.



I knit the socks together on circulars, thanks to the class I took last summer at Nana's Knitting Shop. I'm really digging the two at a time on circulars.

I also finished my habu kusha kusha scarf. Pictures to come on that. I'm very close on the Nikki Epstein bag.

This weekend I started my gauge to make the Tanis Gray sweater in the latest Vogue Knitting. I'll blog on that when I get some pictures.

Happy to be back. Me.

Runaway Bride

I haven't purchased a single skein of yarn in months (mind you I used to go to the yarn store at least once a month). I don't know what is. Overall, I really love knitting, but I can count on my hand the number of projects I've finished and enjoyed. Maybe I pick bad projects, ones that take too long, that might not really enjoy, those that seem interesting at the time. Or maybe I'm a knitting flake?! I need help. How do you pick projects? How do you get them finished?

I haven't blogged in some time, and a lot of it has to do with not knitting. I decided today that I would knit and write something on my blog, so at least I have a step towards making a change, beginning anew! But...everytime one tries to make a change, resistance and its bootleg friend discouragemenet steps up their game...listen to this.






1. I wanted to work on my Nikki Epstein intarsia bag. I really want to finish this bag, which has been on the needles for 2.5 years! I took a class a Nana's Knitting Shop in the Winter of 2006. This is an example of project that has been daunting. It's a large felted bag, so just miles of knitting and intarsia with a way too many colors for a newbie. Since it is a mammoth project, it isn't portable. Now, I can't find my magazine with the instructions. It was in the bag, but now I can't find it and I want to finish this bag. Boo Hoo!





2. Then I look at my Kusha Scarf and I'm ashamed that my last post in August was about this scarf and it is still not finished. Now this one, looked beautiful, seemed like a good idea, but I quickly learned that the whole dental floss knitting is not for me. My relationship with this scarf is dragging. It's not just that it's miles of stockinette, I'm really not feeling how it is turning out. It could be the color, I've come this far, probably have about 5 inches to go.






3. Socks - at least I had the thought to learn how to knit two at a time on circulars. I literally have about 3 inches before decreasing for the toe. I've been working on these for months too. I bought the yarn for my husband. He agreed to go to YarnCon with me and the least I could do is make him some socks, I'm sure it was painful, but he was a good sport. YarnCon was in October by the way.






4. Finally something finished! I finished this darling Side Cloche from Boutique Knits. Love this hat, made it in 2 nights with malabrigo to match a scarf my husband bought me for Christmas. Unfortunately, the hat didn't match the scarf once all of the variegations came a calling. That sent me back to square one to make another hat with a different yarn. But, I loved this hat and wore it anyway. Now....the hat is lost! I can't find it!

I don't know what is happening to me and knitting! Does love really hurt this much? Somebody share some ideas with me on how to get a project that I love and can finish. I feel like the runaway bride.