Sweatergirl starts to stress
Here's Sam, circa 8 AM Wednesday. The (optimum) due date on this project is, ahem, Thursday. Thursday night, but, still, Thursday. Wish me luck. BTW, although this photo is really fuzzy, it shows the colors pretty well - who knew I needed fluorescent light and a lack of focus to make it work?
I learned a new trick, though, from Jamie. Slip the last stitch before the bobble, then go ahead and make the bobble as usual, mostly. The last row of my bobbles, at least, was always slip 1, K2tog, PSSO. But now I am passing the slipped stich from the bobble AND the stitch that I slipped before the bobble over the K2tog. Does that make any sense? I don't know if I described it terribly well, but it does make the bobble look nice! On the next row, I increased in the arm of the slipped stitch to get the count right again. This wasn't noticeable because the bobble is on a reverse stockinette ground. Thanks for the idea, Jamie! And check out Jamie's beautiful bobble-y Rowan gansey, Raewyn. Anyway, I am really much happier with the bobbles on the back than the bobbles on the front, but, c'est la vie. Perhaps that's why patterns always tell you to start on the back? Maybe one of these days, I will learn to follow instructions.
Sweatergirl and Sam - so happy together
I finished the fronts of Sam while ignoring Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, and George Stephanopolous. I cannot get the turquoise to photograph well. It's a bright color, to balance the bright orange-y color
I spent the rest of the day at work, but I did catch this pic on my way out! Happy spring!
Sweatergirl packs her Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival survival kit
Yay! It's almost time for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! I have been to the festival 3 times, but this time I am going with the MaterialGirlz (um, that's be me, TrixieChick, and another local spinner/knitter type), so it should be loads of fun. Since it is about an 8-hour drive, we'll need snacks - pretzels, skittles, and carrots for me, please! And some Diet Pepsi. And some sock knitting that is not on those Brittanys - they break too easily, and I would hate to be stuck without some car-knitting (don't worry - no knitting while driving).
Friday night, we're going to relax and rest up for the big day!
So - what is the appropriate knitting project strategy? Do y'all go through this, too? I hope Sam will be done by then, and I will be bored with my sock after working on it during the day, and it won't be the right environment to cast on for the body of St. Brigid (the sleeves are done - yay!), and the tan sweater is too awkward, since I am just finishing the sleeves which were picked up from the body. Oooh - I have a purple lace cardigan out of Jaeger Trinity that I can work on! Perfect. Just challenging enough - I will cast them on this week (I am going to try to do both sleeves at the same time - then I only have to count the increases once). And - a new project introduction (boy, I am shocked - SHOCKED - at how many projects I "have going" at once...hopefully this blog will keep me honest!).
| Name: Trinity in Lace |
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 The larger part of a sweater set in Jaeger Trinity (violet). Lace with cables and a picot edging done with crochet. Pattern source - hmm - better dig that out sometime here...
Status:
Started July, 2002, in a class at Yarn for Ewe taught by Marcia Carpenter. Shoved aside to start the coordinating sweater for Sarah's Seamless Sweater class from August, 2002, which I just finished in March after leaving it behind for a while (see a trend?). But now - it's in the student gallery! The Trinity in Lace body is knitted and seamed. Two sleeves left to go - hope to knit at the same time. |
We'll be on our feet all day Saturday, so I'll need a backpack with water, the program book, my drop-spindle, and lots of room for objects to be acquired...and a raincoat - looks a bit ominous.
And then Sunday, we're back in the car again...a short, but hopefully wonderful, trip!
Sweatergirl's sheer torture
 | These may appear to be normal, conservative, sensible black pumps, but every superhero has her kryptonite. Combined with the nylons, it's been a rough week. |
So glad it's the weekend and I can kick off my shoes, kick back, and, well, do some serious work. But at least I will be wearing my comfy Birkenstocks...
Not much knitting, but I did post a picture of the Sunshine Hat - I hope you like it!
Sweatergirl introduces...
Brand new to the blogging stage (ok, I've been here for maybe 2 weeks)...TrixieChick. She spins, she knits, she has sheep (and dogs and cats and horses), and she's a lot of fun and lives right nearby...it's a work in progress, but go check it out!
Sweatergirl thwarted by bad directions
I was really enjoying the MMKG knit-in - good food, great people - but....(always the negative with you - I think this is a Yoda quote?)
Sam had been progressing nicely - and I got to the neckline on the fronts. Now, from the picture, you would never ever know that it's a v-neck. OK, I thought, that'll look alright. (Actually, I thought - ooh, less surface area for drool...can you tell I am not ready for kids yet?) But - I hate when patterns don't consider how the decreases will look. Well, maybe they did, but I didn't agree. If you look at the front of Sam, you've got 2 purl stitches, a 4-stitch cable, 2 purl stitches, a 2-stitch cable, then the zigzag cable. Here's a picture of the pattern:
I have to decrease 9 stitches. So - if I kept the 2 purl stitches on the edge, I eat into the zigzag cable by one stitch. Maybe I am supposed to leave one purl stitch on the edge and decrease. Decrease type is not specified. So - odds are, this thing is so small and cute that no one will notice/care, but I really want to do this right...
A second solution is to do a wide round neck, and BO 6 stitches at the neck, then decrease one stitch for three RS rows, one stitch in from the edge.
Sarah insists I am smarter than the pattern, but I am not so sure...
Ever been frustrated by incomplete patterns? Agh! Sometimes, you just want to trust the pattern, but I am always second-guessing them (and myself...)
Sweatergirl reveals an addiction
Ok, OK - I am one of those people - but I love Survivor, and I also love elimiDate (I am so embarrassed by this, but it is true) - so last night's Mr. Personality premiere was right up my alley. Anyone else watch it? C'mon - fess up.
Sweatergirl and the busy weekend
 | Whew. On Saturday, a friends and I demo-ed spinning at a mall. They were having some sort of animal day - there was a 3-day-old calf (awww), and lots of bunnies (in lots of breeds, too), and 3 week old goats and hair sheep - and an alpaca. My friend works with the alpaca guy, who was so nice to come with his entourage of animals for the kids to pet all day! We set up spinning, and soon had crowds of people mesmerized. I think I taught one or two people to actually spin - to the point that they were going to try to take some lessons or pull out the wheel they had from long ago. But I must have worked with over 50 kids - letting them treadle while I drafted or letting them try to draft while I treadled. It was really fun, but exhausting! I only got to spin about 80 yards of a 2-ply while I was there - what to do with 80 yards? Just put it in the basket with other oddballs? The roving we were spinning was beautiful - my friend was spinning a mix of black and white alpaca, I was spinning a heathery brown alpaca with fuschia and blue and green mixed in (that's it next door), and the new spinners were spinning a red-brown alpaca, which looked a lot like the alpaca on display. |
I started the fronts of Sam - I think I am going with this wild and wacky Cotton Classic color combo.
Here are the fronts (so far): I like that they echo each other, and I like that they are only 28 stitches across! |  |
Sunday, I cooked all day - not that I needed to, I just don't have my timing down. Here's another recipe for you - I serve this with crackers:
4 oz. light ricotta cheese
2 oz. whipped cream cheese
1 "bunch" of scallions, sliced
4 baby carrots, shredded
1-2 tablespoons mustard
Dash of cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients together! This would be good with fresh herbs, too.
Sweatergirl starts a sweater
I love making gifts for babies! But - I have never made a baby sweater for a baby whose mom (or dad) knits. Until now. And this baby has a mom who is incredibly creative, talented, and precise. So I started the sweater last night and ripped it out about 5 times. I'm trying to plan ahead and think about how to make the seams extra neat and such. A good and worthy challenge.
The nice thing about knitting for this baby is that I know the gift will be appreciated! I mostly knit for myself though, and I definitely appreciate my handknits.
| So this baby will be receiving my version of Sam, a pattern from Wee Knits by Mags Kandis at Mission Falls. This book was given to me by a good friend whose kids are now too big for these patterns. But - now she won't be able to make any of these adorable things for my kid (should there ever be one). Hmmm. Anyway - I'm trying to decide whether to do it in one color (as written) or colorblocked. |  |
I have always liked the colorblocked stuff in MinnowKnits. I mean -
just look at this cover picture! Awwwww...
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Weekend plans - a day long demo of spinning alpaca at a mall (weird, but free food and free alpaca fleece...), and I have to read my book club book - The Secret Life of Bees - which is very good so far, but I have been working a lot this week and haven't had time to read, and, of course, the big ham dinner... |
An aggravating Bear episode - Bear ate my pincushion! Like for sewing. Yes, with pins and needles in it. They are now strewn across the back yard waiting for a bare foot. So, as I said, she's a sweetie, but with a mind of her own...A demented mind that would think eating a pincushion could be fun...
Oh, Bear is fine, by the way - no signs of puncture or anything. I think she probably grabbed it and fought with it so that the pins flew out of the stuffing.
Sweatergirl presents...
The Sunshine Hat!
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OK, so the weather is a bit, well, fluxible this week, at least in the home of the Spartans. Not much I can do about that - but I did write up a pattern for y'all last night based on a hat I made for baby Abby O. I got a lot of postive comments at guild on Tuesday, but it IS quite a supportive and loving group! This hat is slightly interesting because: So, if you've never knit a ruffle, which I hadn't, here's a good excuse to try. And that's why you neeeeed to start another project, no matter how many you've got going! Besides, it's small. So without further ado, I present - the sunshine hat! |
| Pattern: The Sunshine Hat |
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Gauge: 18 stitches, 24 rows = 4 inches in stockinette in the round. I used size 8 dpns to get this gauge. Row gauge not terribly important. Yarn used: Classic Elite Bazic (50g = 65 yds 4 st/in), color 2925: more than one ball, but a lot less than 2 (sorry!) - completed project weighs 2 ounces. I also used a bit of Plymouth Encore for embroidering flowers. Credit where credit is due: Thanks to Joan Schrouder's Fittin' Mittens pattern, I have made a lot of top-down mittens - this is an easier extension of the concept (hey, heads are round-ish, whereas hands - well, read her pattern). Also thanks to Pam Allen, who wrote a wonderful article in Interweave Knits, Summer 2002, in the Beyond the Basics column, titled Knitted Ruffles. Anyway - use the sunshine hat pattern, sell items made from it - I don't care. But, please don't directly copy it as your own! Link to it and give the sweatergirl some credit. Cast on 8 stitches on a double pointed needle, leaving a long tail for sewing. You could use a provisional cast-on here, but I didn't. Round 1: Increase in every stitch by knitting into the front and the back of each stitch. (Stitch count = 16) Here endeth the increasing - for now. Just knit around without increasing until the hat measures 6 inches from the cast-on row. Now for the fun and ruffly part. Pam Allen calls this a "Flared/Symmetrical Gore". We're going to start the numbering all over agin from this point, so: Now bind off loosely, slip it on a kid, and feel warm and fuzzy all day long. |
Sweatergirl and the ham
I am just starting to ponder Easter dinner. Here's the tentative menu:
Spinach salad with hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, and a sweet dressing
Ham - with a raspberry glaze (2nd recipe down)
Potatoes au Gratin
Carrots in an apricot sauce
Asparagus - just steamed, since I loooove asparagus
Fruit salad
Lemon angel food cake
Thoughts?
4:30, my place, Sunday...any takers?
OK - I better go get some dinner! I think this is a sign that I am seriously hungry!
Sweatergirl rolls out the welcome mat
Welcome! I think I am officially public now - since the fruit salsa was well received by the knitters, and the recipe is here! I'll be adding links and such, and getting the comments working, but to anyone passing by - hi!
Sweatergirl versus the bear
 | This is my Bear - we have our second to last obedience class tonght...Tonight we learn "come" from off-lead. Wish us luck. She's a sweetie, but has a mind of her own. |
Last night I made some goodies for the Mid-Michigan Knitters Guild meeting tonight (handknitter is giving the program - she is always a wonderful teacher - check out her samples). But anyway - I made a fruit salsa that we had at my Pampered Chef party last week. Here's the basic recipe:
1. Get a bowl.
2. Peel and chop 2 apples and 2 kiwis. Add to bowl.
3. Chop a bunch of strawberries. Add to bowl.
4. Zest and juice an orange - add these to bowl (throw out the orange guts and such).
5. Mix with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon apricot preserves.
6. Serve with baked tortillas sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Yum.
So, a food writer I will never be. But there's a low-point snack. I hope the knitters enjoy, despite the potential for strawberry stains...
Sweatergirl gets back to her roots
A pleasant spring weekend inspired S and I to - dig a vegetable garden??? What were we thinking? But after two days of hard labor, we have a 12x17 area desodded, turned, fenced, and enriched with compost. Whew.
I also went to the Starbucks Knit-In and worked on an afghan square for MMKG's charity projects. Inspired by the out-of-doors, I used a pattern in 365 Knitting Stitches A Year Perpetual Calendar from April 5, called Lichen Twist. I love having a new stitch to think about each day. The Lichen Twist has a sort of checkerboard effect - here's a sample of my square: |
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I finished the Rusty Froehlich socks - 
(wow - they match exactly ;-), so I got to restart a stalled second sock:
| Name: Flowerescent Regia Socks |
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 A pair of socks for me out of Regia Jacquard Las Vegas. 72 stitches on size 1 Brittanys which keep breaking. Luckily, the replacements are free!
Status:
Started, oh, a way long time ago. Second sock was stalled at heel for months. Restarted 4/11/03. |
And - although I don't need more yarn - there is a great sale at WEBS!
Sweatergirl collapses after eating too much chocolate cake
Again - a day without serious knitting. You know how when you haven't eaten something for so long, you forget how much you looove it? This chocolate cake thing is going to be a serious diet setback...
I definitely crashed last night and only had the energy to knit a few rounds on the rusty socks. I'm almost to the toe on the second, so a new pair of socks will grace my lovely feet soon!
Here's a link for something very strange - purling with the yarn in back. Hmm. I will have to try before passing judgement.
Sweatergirl blocked from knitting
I had to spend all evening cleaning and shopping for tonights Pampered Chef party. No fair. And never again!!!
Sweatergirl takes stock
This Knitblog is (hopefully) going to help me get through projects. So - I thought I should account for my (active-ish) projects. Each day, I'll describe at least one...could take a while!
| Name: Seamless sweater with Fair Isle bands |
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| This is a sweater made purely from Mid-Michigan Knitters Guild yard sale finds. In May of each year, our guild has a day when we swap stashes. The sweater is made of Dale Tiur (bands only) and some other wool-mohair blend. Scrumptious. But - I'm undecided about how to end the sleeves and neck - just ribbing, or with more Fair Isle? And if Fair Isle, then the same band? A smaller one? Should the bands on the arms line up with the band on the body? I really like how the hem turned out - I started the sweater with ribbing, but didn't like it much, so I valiantly cut it out and knit a facing and hemmed it - without having to undo the Fair Isle band. Neat trick, huh? I also like the color combos in the band. The band pattern is very similar to one in Kim Hargreave's A Season's Tale, in which it is used near the top of a raglan cardigan - see the inspiration sweater (Firth) here And it fits great, because I made it with the pattern from the seamless sweater workshop with Sarah Peasley, Handknitter. Status: Started on the ride home for Christmas, but had to rip out all but the band when I returned (umm - my Fair Isle gauge was a lot tighter than the stockinette in the round gauge - doh!). Pattern on US5, reknit plain part on US4s. Decided it needs a zip neck - I-cord edging on the zipper opening. Did neck in ribbing, but may rip it out to do it in Fair Isle. Both sleeves are done below the elbow as of 4-9-03. |
| Name: Rusty Froehlich socks |
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 Just a pair of socks for me out of Froehlich Wolle Blauband Maxi Ringel #7708. As expected, these socks have wide stripes! Well, actually, the size of the stripes varies by color. I got this yarn for Christmas from my mother-in-law - isn't she great? Well, she knits too and thought this yarn was pretty fun.
Status:
Started over Christmas break on size 2 bamboo needles (a lot less break-y for me than the Brittany DPs. The first sock is done (short-row heel a la Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and round toe). The second sock is nealy to the toe as of 4-9-03.
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Sweatergirl gets crafty
| T and I bought beads and stuff to make counting bracelets. Not so good for knitting, but good for counting WW points. Here's mine. T is going to help me with making a new charm, and I also need some guts to cut the remining elastic cord. | 
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| I also got these: | In all these colors! |
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S asked, "What are those for?"
Coloring, of course! But they are also a knitting/design tool, which I had sort of discounted until 4-5-03...More to come.
4-6-03 - Sweatergirl crochets her way out of a paper bag
After many hours (3 of watching Patton, 1 of MASH, 1 of 24, and 2 of sunday morning talking heads), I finished the picot edging on my seamless sweater. I am somehow not wired for crochet - so it went really slowly. This sweater was started in a class by Handknitter and uses some great techniques - and no seams. And it fits really well. Check out the details. Even if you can't take the class, the handouts walk you through the process really well - you can do it as a virtual class!
4-5-03 - Sweatergirl goes to class
I spent the day in classes with Melissa Leapman (author of A Close-Knit Family and a ton of other patterns). Not only were the classes fun and informative, but they were the best-organized workshops I have seen. Great handouts, and the homework was useful, well-explained, and easy enough. It allowed us to jump right into new techniques. Melissa brought bags full of sample sweaters and swatches - and she was brave enough to show us her mistakes.
In Color Design for Fair Isle, Melissa had hand and machine-knit samples and asked us to point out what was going on with the colors and if they worked. We ended by each designing and knitting a Fair Isle sample. Amazing variation with the same yarn and design criteria (X and O).
In the borders class, we talked about, saw, and swatched a variety of alteratives to K1P1. I'm really interested in the lace ripple borders - feminine, but not too much so.
And she likes Brown Sheep yarn too! Yay! I think it is a great yarn, especially for the price.
I got to spend the day with Sarah Peasley, Handknitter, and I got to meet Valerie and some really nice members of the Woolgatherers Knitting Guild of Plymouth, MI (scroll down) - thanks to the guild for organizing and hosting!
