the ultimate neglect

Here are the few things I have done since February, which I have already ripped out. Even with my new policy of only pulling out legitimate mistakes I managed to accomplish almost nothing in 3 months.

 

This is the third iteration of this sweater. Still too short and misshapen.

 

Here is the base of an alpaca lace sweater that I already knit up and ripped out 3 times. I was totally winging it, and it took a lot of experimentation to find a suitable lace pattern. This particular version created strange gaps between the lace repeats. Later versions were lacking sufficient positive and negative space.

 

It was also a little too scalloped at the bottom. There was no real focus on scallops in the pattern, so it mostly just resembled a mistake. So I treated it like one and ripped it out. Since sipping out two more versions, I'm almost done with the current usable one.

I love Series

Series of things are awesome. It's probably because the brain craves repetition. I just discovered this series at its end. It's wonderful. Click through for the images. It's totally worth it.

This makes me wish I had more to show for my efforts. I was recently wondering where I spent all my time, and realized that I have redone most of my projects immediately after finishing them. Then end result is that I feel like I've accomplished nothing. I've had to start a new rule, where I am not allowed to change my mind, only fix mistakes. More on that later.

And, for amusement: Knitted bus cozy and more.

One redone

This is the image of me a year ago right before I took apart this sweater. Since then I've completed all but one and a half sleeves. Hopefully this means that the new version will be more wearable.

Some of the changes:

• better raglan shaping means I can lift my arms without the sweater rising up
  
• longer body means it will reach my waist
  
• longer body ribbing provides better shape
  
• v-neck should prevent a lot of the bad wool reaction I was having
  

I didn't do any of this over the summer. Now that I've picked it up again, I'm using my new rule: no changing my mind. As long as it fits, I will consider it done.

ready for kitchener

ready for kitchener, originally uploaded by hairycarrot.

I love when I get to the end of a piece and I'm ready for kitchener stitch. It's exciting to be almost finished, and kitchener is fun.

This piece ends with two four-count knit rows. The tops meet, making an improper kitchener join. To counter, I offset the two sides creating a mild slope.

Each side, viewed from its own perspective, is slightly to the right of the other. It has 180 degree rotational symmetry.

giotto top new yarn

giotto top new yarn, originally uploaded by hairycarrot.

This is the perfect match I found to complete my Giotto top. Even though I know I said it was finished, I hated the back. Now I can change it. The yarn is mission falls 1824 cotton.

Remember this?

It got worked on today. The back has been ripped out, and replaced with the lovely 1824 cotton. I was contemplating a lace panel, but I didn't like what I was seeing. The yarn didn't look like it matched as well with yarnovers. The last three rows of Giotto were knit with 2 strands of yarn together, and then the switch to just he cotton. The match really shows up well, and I expect to be finished tomorrow.

Bikini Experiment - Failed Hypothesis

Well, the bottom is just not the right size for my butt. The pattern clearly warns about butt cleavage, but it doesn't account for the fact that I hate things coming up really high in the front, so even though I almost avoided the back being too low, the front was just way too high and the legs buckled at the crotch.



My first attempt at fixing it was to pull the front panel apart starting at the leg taper. I had already altered the pattern order to start at the leg tapering so that I could work the crotch from front to back and then pick up stitches to knit the body in the round. This meant I would be ripping the piece from the wrong end, which is usually more time consuming that is worth it. If you rip a piece from the starting point instead of the ending point, each row will end with pulling the entire length through the turn. This is tripled with the knit two together stitches.

Of course after I did that I still wasn't satisfied. The legs still buckled and the front was too high. So i took it apart and started over from scratch. At this point there's really no part of the original pattern in my bikini bottom. I'm starting at the crotch with the front leg tapering. I knit through to the back and then knit short row extensions of 35 stitches over 10 rows before picking up the front panel. Then it's knit in the round for another 10 rows. This makes a bottom that comes up significantly higher in the back and lower in the front, without the buckling at the legs.

The band is cast on in contrast and purled, then it wraps from the back to the front around the elastic. I'm using a kitchener stitch that matches the purls and knits which also gives the illusion of running stitch from the contrasting colors.

The Bikini Experiment - Trial Two

I undid and reworked the front panel on the bikini bottom, to account for the weird leg tapering. It would have made sense if I wasn't scaling down the project, but since it's smaller than their small size, the shaping needed to be more abrupt.

But wouldn't you know it, I can't find my plastic needle to do kitchener stitch! I had it only a few hours ago. I think I might have mailed it out with an etsy order. I do own more than one plastic needle, but seriously. It's like I am doomed to never finish a project.

I'm going to dig out another needle and finish. This suit is getting done!

The Bikini Experiment - Analysis of the Data

Bikini Top - First Go

My bikini top was completely finished. This shot shows the band being picked up. It was the perfect width. I knitted my casing, but when I drew the elastic through it, a stitch got snagged on the interior, requiring me to reknit. No worries there, because 6-8 rows go by so fast. I triumphantly tried on my creation, and immediately decided to reknit the whole top smaller, except for the total band length. That would have to stay the same.



If you are aware of this pattern, you can see that the sizing up and down results in the band length going up and down with it. So to solve around this, I made a spreadsheet. Excel has to be the best program in the world for doing knitting calculations. Decide on your formula and fill series for size options, do calculations for pattern repeats, and generally save yourself a lot of paper.

To resize this pattern, I set up my spreadsheet like this:

Row #	# vertical st	# side st	total stitches
1	=[# vertical st] -(rounddown[Row #]/4)	=roundup([# vertical st]/2)	=[# vertical st] + [# side st]
**	**	**	**

Then, I filled series down for about 30 rows. Since I knew how many stitches I wanted to have on my needle when you make the turn in the cup, I was able to select from the rows that provided the desired number of stitches. Note that some of these Excel terms might be spelled wrong, but Excel will give you the correct spelling if you search in the help menu. These are spelled to give you the understanding of what they do. Excel is powerful. Use it.

I just finished the second cup last night at D&D. I'm picking up the stitches for the band this weekend, and hope to have it finished by Monday.

The bottom is finished, including the elastic in the casing. I'm not satisfied with the shaping in the front, so I might rip that portion and reknit.

left sock

left sock, originally uploaded by hairycarrot.

I'm starting the left sock in my toe-up socks. The right sock finished up nicely with a substantial cuff. Just by trying it on, I'm wondering how people like making their own socks. This is fairly thin yarn, knit on size 1 needles. It's still pretty thick on my foot. The tedium required to get socks as thin as those in stores would just be so much more trouble than it is worth. That was one of the benefits of the industrial revolution - we got to make much thinner knitwear.
I'm not even bothered by knitting the left sock now that the right one is finished. I just think my feet will look big.

sockheel

sockheel, originally uploaded by hairycarrot.

This is the end of the decreasing short rows. The next step is to start working the back of the heel with increasing short rows.

I like how my first pair of socks is going. I just can't see myself following a pattern for future socks, though. It's just like sewing. I started doing that because I didn't like what was available to me, so I made my own clothes. They always fit better and required the same amount of work as alterations. I am not satisfied with the fit from most patterns or I don't have the yarn choice, so I usually don't finish patterns that I start. I more often than not end up designing my own thing to accommodate the yarn that I do have.
In the case of socks, most interesting patterns are top-down, which I just can't get behind. I prefer to knit toe-up. Once you make that switch, the rest of the pattern is pretty much a do-over. I also don't like the standard heel flap. Every time I see one, I think, "Why do people like that?" It's too triangular. It seems like it would be lots of fun to make, but I would never want to wear the sock. I would be too preoccupied with my triangle feet.

giotto top new yarn

giotto top new yarn, originally uploaded by hairycarrot.

This is the perfect match I found to complete my Giotto top. Even though I know I said it was finished, I hated the back. Now I can change it. The yarn is mission falls 1824 cotton.

I don't know where my size 11 needles are . . .

baby rib socks

baby rib socks
Originally uploaded by hairycarrot

I made these baby socks for a friend at work. I followed up with a matching hat, which I forgot to photograph. The socks are knit, and the hat was crocheted.

I didn't wrap it or make a card - just stuck it in his mailbox. I don't know why.

zelda hemline

zelda hemline
Originally uploaded by hairycarrot

I started zelda, from Naughty Needles. It seems like the perfect thing to use my SWTC Bamboo for. I completed the first pattern repeat. It goes fairly quickly, but I already know I'll be working on it in bunches at a time because I only have metal needles in that size.
I'm probably going to use a pattern from here for a bathing suit, also. The patterns are written the way I like to read them, so it's really satisfactory. An added bonus, all her finishing example photos are in a yarn that I have, but don't have the ball band for, so I might finally find out what it is.

Knitting at D&D

my scarf start and my buddy 
I'm practicing to use the f-stop on the camera. I'm pleased with this picture. It even captures the page-turning action.

So, I bought this yarn at la droguerie. I really like it. I'm starting out with 50 grams of alpaca in an asparagus color. The pattern might be similar to feather and fan. It is a multiple of 17 plus 1, with a moss stitch border of 2.

k1 *yo k1 yo k1 yo, p2tog 6x, yo k1 yo k1 yo k1, repeat from * until the end. p 1 row, k 1 row, p 1 row, repeat from beginning.

Just because I'm knitting doesn't mean I'm not paying attention. Last week I threw two fireballs from my necklace while knitting.

I Made It! Mine

I Made It! Mine was so popular that I didn't make the deadline cut. This show always has something new and exciting going on. There are so many quality artists in Pittsburgh.
I got to shop for myself. Cosy Knits Literally is totally awesome. Be sure to look over her really nice yarn which she takes beautiful pictures of. Her naming system is especially ingenious, too. It's like audience participation, but without having to go to the theatre.
It's nice to see the street team. We love working together. Our trunk show should be really fun in a couple months.

Giotto top finished

I have been slowly and indecisively working on this top made of Giotto for about 2 years. I didn't have a pattern, a plan, or a goal. My only real stipulation was that it could only take 1 hank, because that was all I bought. I knew I wanted to make it like a tank top. I really had no idea about the back, and I made it twice.

This is the final product. I split the front and made straps. The back has a single center strap and the three are grafted together. The side seams are sewn together with the tails from the cast on.

I have had this yarn long enough that I don't know what the color was called. I tried to locate it on the website, but I can't identify it. I don't know where the tag went, but I'd like to know what colorway this was. I remember I picked it out because it reminded me of apool of ink, with all the light reflecting off in different colors.

A new age is upon us

Sewing and yarn-crafts can be balanced, and I have figured it out - finally.
Tomorrow is Art Harvest, and Next weekend is I Made It 3. If you're in Pittsburgh, check them out. Check my calendar or drop me a line for directions.