All right already!

I know, two posts in one day! Crazy! Work has been crazy busy and it got WAY worse today. I got home at 10:00 tonight, and yes it is Friday night. So I had a very generous glass of wine and I am just about ready to hit the hay so I can be ready for another fun fulled day at the office tomorrow, and yes that will be on a Saturday.

However, what is making this work schedule bearable is knowing that I am *this* close to vacation. B and I both have next week off, so we are taking a well deserved vacation (that was fortunately planned several months ago, which is why I have the time off right now).

What will also make this particular trip fun, is that Jenny will be able to come with us! She usually stays behind (on her own vacation) since recently our vacations have involved air travel. However, this time we worked out our destination and lodging to allow her to join us.

My sewing machine will also be coming with us as I have a fun little project planned for the evenings:

So, have a wonderful week and I will see you all when we get back!

Cozy V-neck Pullover is ever so cozy!

I've always been a big fan of Stefanie Japel's designs so when I picked up my copy of Fitted Knits, I knew I wanted to make something out of it right away. I picked out the Cozy V-neck Pullover because although when I started it, it was very close to summer, I wasn't quite done knitting wool.

I had picked up some Classic Elite Beatrice (Hedgerow - 2372) in the 50% off rack at Lori's in Alpine a few months ago. Despite being a fundamentally busy yarn, I liked the nice combination of warms and cools. It is 100% merino, so it is super soft and I thought it would make a nice sweater for the office. Then when I started flipping though Fitting Knits, I felt that this yarn would make a nice Cozy V-neck.

All in all, the sweater gobbled all 12 balls of yarn in my stash as well as half of one to grow on. I knit the stockinette portion of the sweater on size 10 needles and the ribbing on size 9s. My swatch had told me that my gauge was off by enough that I could knit the next size up from my normal size to get something that would fit. Unfortunately, my swatch was a nasty little lier. This led for a rather interesting turn of events when it came to finishing.

However, I will start with the modifications that I intended. First up, the V. I really wanted a deeper V, not because I found issue with the original, but rather, I just really needed to scratch that particular itch. I deepened the V by knitting my neck increases every other right-side row and reducing the width of the neck band to one inch.

Unfortunately, what this did, was actually put the end of my V right at my bust line. It looks fine. But, I think the sweater would be much more attractive on me if it was a little higher up. As it stands, the V interferes with my own bust line and minimizes the difference between my waist and my bust...something I shouldn't be doing considering I'm only about 4" inches different between those measurements as it stands.


Knitting this sweater was also a learning experience for me. This was my second top-down sweater, the first being Green Gable that met with a very nasty fate last year. So, I hadn't yet figured out that I am someone who benefits from some shoulder shaping to add a bit of room for my swimmer's shoulders (not BIG, but square). While this isn't a problem big enough to make this sweater unwearable, it is a point well noted for my next top-down project.

The other lessen I learned was how to compensate for my own errors. Now, I could kick myself for not taking pictures of the problem before I fixed it (like a good blogger should). But I was so anxious to see IF I could fix the problem, that once I did, I sure as heck wasn't going to pull it out again to document what I did. Basically, by the time I realized that my gauge was off, I had already knit ALL of the increases and had taken the arms off the needles. I thought that if I could add some subtle decreases along the sides, I could take out the stitches that were turning what was supposed to be close to a 36 inch sweater into close to a 40 inch sweater on a 34 inch bust. It seemed to have worked as I tried on the sweater as I went, so I kept going. But not until I finished the knitting and seamed up the sleeves did the gigantic bulge I had created fully reveal itself. So the fix? I simply seamed up the increases I made. There was enough room in the underarm, that I was able to hide the difference there. And honestly? Not only can you not see what I did (there is a little pocket of extra fabric inside under my underarm), I'm not even aware of it when I have the sweater on!

Now, like most problems in knitting, I had to put this one down for awhile while I got the strength to do what I needed to do to make this a wearable sweater. However, what this also meant was that I kinda forgot which needles I had been using for the ribbing. This bring me to another 'design modification' that I made. Now, I could pretend that the fun bell sleeves were fully intentional and planned, but then that would make me as much of a lier as my swatch. I knew I wanted to lengthen the sleeves before I was finished, but by knitting the last 2 inches of each sleeve with the larger needles, I unintentionally created the bell shape at the cuff - a very fortunate mistake I think.

Overall, I am very happy with how the sweater turned out. It feels really great when I wear it and although it isn't perfect, I feel like it will get a lot of use come next fall.

FO: Sarabeth

Cross-posted at the Create Along.

Nope, your eyes do not deceive you; it's another Peanut Dress...kind of. I know- I'm like a one woman tiny dress factory over here! Same Peanut Dress pattern, same occasion (1st birthday), however, whereas the PDs were made especially for my nieces, the Peanuts, this here dress was made especially for B's niece, Sara. How funny is it that both B's sis and my sis gave birth to their first babies within eleven days of each other?

Once I knew that the pattern worked and the first dress was in the can, I decided to roll out another one for Sara, time permitting (which it did). I wanted stripes, and wouldn't you know it, I adore this striped version as much as the others. All three dresses were knit with Classic Elite Premiere (love this yarn, I can't tell you), on US size 6 needles. I didn't plan out the striped pattern ahead of time. Rather, I let them unfold along the way. For all the improv, I think it turned out really cute, and as "balanced" as asymmetrical stripes can be (you know me- this is always a consideration).

A small modification: I lengthened this dress by about an inch to account for Sara's long legs. Although she is only 11 days older than the Peanuts, she is taller than them. (Sorry, 'Nuts, just keepin' it real.) ;) This mod should still allow for some growth over time, which was always the intension of these dresses. I mean, can't you see these as tops eventually over shorts or little people jeans?

Here's a close up of the stripey goodness. The colors represented in this photo are much closer to the actual colors. Happy, happy! Well, off to gift wrap this baby- Sara's party is on Sunday!

PS: I've been exhaustified by work lately, but I am planning to write out the pattern (legibly) and making it available a couple other sizes as well. Wish me luck...

Summertime!

Happy first day of summer everyone!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your compliments on the Peanut Dresses! I'm thrilled that you like them as much as I do! I'm even more flattered that several people have asked about getting the pattern. So...after some healthy coaxing and encouragement, I'm actually contemplating making the pattern available. My first pattern- really? I'll keep you posted! Thanks again to everyone for your support and encouragement...you have no idea how much I appreciate it. Warm fuzzies all the way around!

Another source of much joy this time of year: cherries!

Rainier cherries, in particular, make me really, really happy. They are so sweet, not to mention pretty, I just love them! My mom also loved them, so naturally, they remind me of her. And anything that reminds me of my mom makes me smile. They're pricey as all get out, but they make me so happy, I will allow myself this seasonal splurge.

Another sign of summer: the first fig on the tree!

This year, I'm making a concerted effort to get to more these before the pesky squirrels and birds (and other possible wildlife we shall not name) that roam around the yard when we're not looking. I'm dying to bake with these! I was never able to last year because I was obviously to slow. I got this recipe for Fig and Plum Cake last fall via, who else, Jess, which I can't wait to try. Also, Julia, I may be bugging you for that fig bar recipe. Mmm... All this, of course, hinges on if I can manage to get to the figs before the critters. (Marnie, I may need to borrow Miss Thea-Purl for the summer!)

I love our fig tree. It's been completely barren during the winter- merely sticks and bare branches. Spring brought the beautiful leaves back, and now it's lush and green again. (Our lawn, however, not so much.) And look- more baby figs!

Keep away, critters!

FO: Peanut Dresses!

Cross-posted at the Create Along.

Well, my friends, my first design project, the Peanut Dresses, are dunzo!

Two firsts

My goal for this project first was to stick with a simple design, small enough in scale so that I could get my feet wet with this whole designing-for-the-first-time thing, without psyching myself out. And although it was quite frustrating at times, I learned so much in the process, and am really happy with the end result. And best of all, they fit!

Peanut dress fitting (over a bathing suit). Hope to get more FO pics with both Peanuts soon.

These are simple dresses that are made to fit a 12-18 month year old, with room to grow. I purposely chose this a-line, empire waisted shape with spaghetti strap ties at the top, so that as the girls got bigger, the dresses could become tops, by adjusting the straps. It's knit in the round from the bottom up, with side decreases spaced evenly throughout the skirt and armholes. I changed the stitch pattern at the top, where the color change happens, and at the hem, to add a little bit of visual interest and also to tie everything together.

A few simple, but important lessons learned about designing:

1. Writing out a pattern takes work - and more knitty math than I am comfortable with at present - but I'm sure this will become easier with time (...right?). Me calculating the number of stitches and decreases...let's just say it wasn't pretty, though I'm sure it was funny to watch. Thankfully, Dis can do math, and I have her phone number. The way I went about writing out the pattern- I'm not sure how *real* designers do it, but I started out with a vague sense of the size and measurements and I wanted, what I wanted to do, and where, in terms of the decreases, and the general design in mind, but I actually wrote out the pattern as I went along. Yay for pencils and a good eraser!

2. Revisions are just part of the process. Sometimes you have to just try something out and if it doesn't work, you have to rip it out and start over. I lost count of how many times PD1 was tampered with. I learned to embrace the two steps forward, one step back, and repeat method.

One major modification to my initial design: I had planned to embroider flowers all around the bottom. However, after testing out various stitching methods on my swatch, I found that none looked all that great, plus it ended up being too bulky, and I didn't want the dresses to end up looking messy. In the end, I decided to keep it simple: one flower motif instead of many. I made a trip to F&S Fabrics and found cute daisies. I sewed them on, and simply added a stitched stem. Not what I had in mind from the beginning, but I'm pleased with the solution I was able to come up with.

Another slight change in plan involved the strap construction, if you will. I had initially thought crochet chains would do it, but once the dresses were made, I realized crochet chains wouldn't be sturdy enough. Many people suggested i-cords. While I liked the idea of i-cords, I determined that standard 3-stitch i-cords would be too bulky once tied into bows, especially on a baby-sized shoulders. So, I went with 2-stitch i-cords. Still very sturdy, but less bulky. I really like how they turned out.

top detail

3. Patience is key. Designing and knitting a garment of one's own is challenging, because you will encounter bumps (if not giant potholes) in the road, but it's ultimately very rewarding. Knowing that I set out to design something, plotted the whole thing out, knit them up, and they fit- I can't help but be proud of this accomplishment. I definitely see more designing in my future!

hem detail

Many thanks to my pals and designing mentors, Julia and Marnie, for creating the Create Along, which allowed me to fulfill my desire to try my hand at designing for the first time. And for their encouragement, along with that of fellow CALers, bloggy friends, and of course my Loopy Girls, which helped to push me along.

Post-script: This is really turning into THE first birthday dress of the season. As if two dresses weren't enough; I'm now knitting up a third for B's niece, who will also turn one in a few weeks. It's the same, but different. I'll post a picture soon. :)

Back from the dead...

I can't believe I have only one more year left of law school. I can't wait until I'm done, so I can start working crazy hours and start paying off my school loans. Sarcasm, you say? After finishing my finals, starting a new summer job and grading almost 60 student papers, I finally gasped for some air today and finished my sister's VERY belated originally-a-birthday-gift-converted-into-a-Christmas gift: Tempting II. The neckband is still a bit loosey-goosey despite making some alterations...but I'm done. Yatta! ("I did it!" in Japanese.)


Now onto my other projects... Socks that Rock man-socks on two circs and a Kai Cable sweater for an expecting friend. I finally found a project from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms for the two skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton that have been sitting in my closet.

Wax Off, Wax On?

With two WIP recently turned to FOs and one more painfully close, I needed something else to work on besides my Manos blanket. I also realized that it is June and I needed to get some summer knitting done. In trolling the internet, I ended up picking out two of the free Berroco patterns.

First up is Badia (also a recent nomiation for the next Sexy Knitters Club KAL). I had picked up enough Cotton Ease in Violet (191) for a tank of some sort while on sale recently. I had no specific plans, but figured something would inspire me. The gauge isn't exact, but if I knit the Cotton Ease the way I like it, I can make the size down from what I would normally make and it should come out right. (At least so far so good!)

I like this top because you can wear it over t-s (pretty much my uniform) as well as tanks. However, I think I will need to do a bit of playing with the straps so that it looks more 'tank over t' than VEST. I don't tend to wear too many vests and they aren't something I usually grab, so I may make the straps thinner so lessen that look. I'm toying with the idea of making the back solid, but then that seems to increase the vest look, so it may be left as written.

I also fell in love with Britannia when it was first emailed around in the Berroco update. It was actually me looking for this pattern that brought me to Badia in the first place. Britannia has a simple, classic retro look to it, maybe reminiscent of the 40's? I like that it is soft and feminine enough to wear with a dress, but could also be paired with jeans and (you guessed it) t-s!

I'm using some Kona Bay Cotton in Taupe (CPIA-73) that I've had in my stash for a while now. I knew it would be a challenge to find a suitable project for this yarn because it is just so dang floppy. It doesn't hold a rib well and I've been advised that it falls out of shape in fitted garments quickly. When I saw this pattern I instantly thought of my Kona Bay, the ribbed portion is actually a twisted rib that really doesn't seems to do a lot of work. The top is blousey, so I'm also not expecting any drooping to affect the overall look of the sweater that much.

The yarn is a little splitty, but the rib has turned out to be a real thorn in my side. All the twisted stitches (although beautiful and will be worth it in the end), keep me from getting any momentum when I work, especially when I have to watch out for them splitting. As a result, the ribbing has turned into my group knitting project, because it is the only way I will sit down and work more than a couple rows at a time. I'm currently focused on the fact that I FINALLY made it to the stockinette portion on the back...and NOT on the fact that there is a whole lot more of that ribbing in the neck and collar!

As for a funny photo, I saw a convoy of military vehicles on the way home a couple days ago. They appeared to be training as they all had yellow "Student Driver" signs hanging below each vehicle. However, check out the sign below this student driver:

That's right, it's upside down! (hee, hee)

Happy Friday

I am supposed to have today off, but this is the state of my inbox:


However, I will be dreaming of this:

Have a great Friday - especially to those who are working instead of knitting today!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread Recipe

Knitzalot asked for the recipe for the banana bread I baked a couple weeks ago, and so I thought I would post it here, in case anyone else might want to try it as well. Sorry its taken a while, but I've been knitting away at some dresses after all. So without further ado, below is my modified version of a basic banana bread recipe found in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

Now, I'm not one to monkey around with baking recipes all that much. Bad things can happen when you mess around with the ingredients. That said, I will, however, play with flavorings and make other minor tweaks here and there. In this case, I used whole wheat flour in place of regular all-purpose flour and I used a little more banana and, therefore, cut down on the granulated sugar the recipe originally called for. Oh, and I added extra nuts. But for me that's pretty standard place in my kitchen. I like nuts, and always err on the "generous" side when adding them. (Same goes for garlic when I cook with it. Nothin' wrong with a little extra garlic, I say!) But, back to the recipe!

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
approx. 1/2 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/3 c. butter
2 T. milk
2 eggs
1/4 c. plus a little extra chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixer bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add mashed banana, butter, and milk. Beat in an electric mixer on low speed until blended, then on high speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and remaining flour, beat until blended. Stir in walnuts.

Pour batter into a greased 8x4x2-inch loaf pan. (Nonnahs' baking tip of the day: if you want the rounded loaf top shape, only grease the bottom and part way up the sides of the pan instead of all the way to the top. This goes for rounded cake, cupcake, and muffin tops as well.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Note: the recipe says to wait until completely cooled (it actually says cool overnight) but -hello? Who can resist warm bread fresh out of the oven? I say slice into that thing whenever you want. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: You may not enjoy the banana bread as much as the Peanuts enjoy their baby food, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!

PS: Madge- Apricot bread - sounds yummy!

Design Class Wrap-Up and FO

Before I show off my latest FO, I first wanted to say thank you for all the nice comments on my Cable-8. I had grand plans of thanking people individually, but my workload at the office is out of control. I've been working lots of overtime and when I get home the last thing I want to do is get back on the computer. I'm also getting royally behind on my blog reading, but that's another story...on to the knitting!

I was able to finish the top I designed for my design class last week and wore it to the office on Thursday. As you may recall, I had initially planned to work on a modified Urban Aran for B, but with some early gauge issues that I couldn't resolve by the second class, I opted for something else. It is a simple design and I am very happy with the results. I looked through my copy of Knitting on the Edge for inspiration and found the Gazebo Lace panel. I pictured a simple knit top suitable for office wear in San Diego and reminiscent of the kind of knit top you might find at Ann Taylor. By the end of the second design class, I had my road map and I set to work.

My top is pieced together with set-in picot hemmed short sleeves. Although, I'm not a big fan of wool short-sleeved sweaters, I thought the 50% cotton in the Rowan Wool Cotton would keep the fabric appropriate for the design. The body is fitted, but not tight so it was worked pretty much to my measurements with no ease. The neck is a simple open neck modeled after one of my favorite Gap tanks. In fact, the neck is so simple, it is just bound off. I worked the neck deceases with short rows, which eliminated the stair steps and thus the real need to add a separate neck edge to smooth everything out. The neck lays nicely without anything else to help it do so.

The bobbles at the bottom edge of the top do tend to roll a bit, especially in front where they turn up when I sit down. But, for the sake of honesty, I decided to show what the top looks like after a day of wear. The bobbles can be pressed flat, but I'm sure those in front will always roll a little and I really don't mind.

I took the waist decreases and increases into the stockinette portion of the lace pattern. It worked out with my size that I could maintain the yarn overs and double decreases next to the side seams.

The top was made with just a bit over 6 balls of Rowan Wool Cotton in Still (964) on size 5 needles with a stitch gauge of just under 6 stitches per inch. I also consider this a stash project as the initial 4 balls of yarn were purchased during a 50% off sale with no plans for their use. However, that meant that I ended up having to add the other 3 balls as I went at virtually full price. The yarn was great to knit with and it did not split at all. It was soft, smooth and sproingy. I know I will use this yarn again for future projects...in fact, B is already hinting at how the leftovers would be nice in a beanie for him. :-)

Overall, I rate this project a success. Working though all the calculations in a "safe" classroom environment, has given me the confidence to make modifications to my current projects easily. I feel like I can just do it, instead of having to sit down and think through the logic and re-invent the wheel every time I want to lengthen the body or sleeves of a top, which is pretty much all the time. Plus, it was so dang fun. If you get a chance to take a class from Dave Kraft, do it. He is a knitting guru and a great guy. We always had so much fun and yet we learned so much. I know I could have read about basic sweater design in a book, but you just can't beat gleaning hints and tips from an experienced instructor. I am so glad I took this class and I am very happy with the final product.

And Then There Were Two

Well, I committed myself to working solely on the Peanut Dresses, and much as I'm itching to knit something for myself, like a summery cami or tank, it seems that my one (project) track mind is paying off. PD2 is done! Well, mostly done. Both dresses still remain sans straps at the top and embroidery. Knitting PD2 was so much easier, since I already had the pattern instructions written down from the trial and error stages of the PD1 process.

And let me tell you, there were repeated attempts, various trials, and numerous errors. I lost count of how many times I ripped back poor PD1. But, PD2 is all the better for it. Yay for copious note-taking! I must admit-they look pretty cute together!

Next, I need to figure out what I want to do about the spaghetti strap ties for the top. Initially, I thought of attaching crochet chains, but on second thought, I fear those wouldn't be sturdy enough. I'm going to have to sit down and play around, methinks, and see what I can come up with.

My biggest concern at this point, aside from how to handle the ties, oh- and how the embroidered details will turn out (my embroidery skills are rather rusty), is how they will fit on real life Peanut bodies. But, after spending some time with the real life Peanuts at a picnic over the weekend, my estimation is that I think they should fit just fine. *fingers crossed*

Then again, maybe if I just give them enough paper napkins to hold their attention, they won't care how the dresses fit...

May Resurrection: Cable 8

My May UFO Resurrection Challenge project was my languishing Cable-Eight Top by Joyce Wu from the Spring 2005 Interweave Knits. This was a special project for me because this is one of the first patterns I ever wanted to make. My sister-in-law had given me a gift subscription to IK that year for Christmas and this was the first issue I received. I fell in love with the classy patterns and focus on quality. I had always planned to make this top, but there was always something else to make.

Then last year, this was one of the patterns I brought requirements for when I went to the Yarn Lady Bag Sale. It was also an ad-on purchase I made after I had already bought the rest of the yarn for that day. We made one more run though the bins after lunch and I found a bag of GGH Goa in color 23, which must be SO discontinued the color isn't even showing up on Yarndex.

I promptly cast on during last year's heat wave, finished one panel, and then it sat...for almost a year! I really wanted at least one summer top this year and felt I better hurry up since I have a feeling the summer is going to be over before we know it. So, I thought Cable-8 would be perfect! In the end it took approximately 6 1/2 balls on size 11 needles (although I have a sneaking suspicion that I knit the first panel on 13s. Shhhh, don't tell, you'd never know).

Modifications included skipping nearly all the crochet instructions in the pattern. I was supposed to crochet each selvage edge, then crochet the front and back together. I gave this an honest try, but a consensus was reached at our knit night last week, that it was just too stiff and too ugly. I ripped out the crochet and then seamed up the sides like normal. I then only did one crochet row around the sleeves given the bulk of my yarn compared to what was called for in the pattern.

At first, I didn't think I would like this top all that much. I thought I'd probably wear it every so often, but it would never be a favorite. But, then I wore it yesterday and promptly changed my mind. I like it a lot. It is a little bulkier than the clothes I normally wear, but it fits nice and I love how unique it looks compared to most summer attire. The best part about the bulk? The, um, accentuation of my, err, frontal area. Hey, you gotta take it where you can get it! So, overall, I am very pleased with this FO!

Green, Yellow and...Black?

I wanted to post a Project Spectrum update before the end of May (the end of the second color group), but I've been fighting with the light. Once again, I'm still not happy with these photo representations of the Manos I've been using for my Four Seasons Blanket, but you will get the idea. Since April and May were green, yellow and pink. I worked up the following squares.

"Zigzag" in Citric (68)

"Textured Rib" in Olive (55)

"Dashes" in Goldenrod (40)

I also worked up a couple more since this project has been more fun than I expected. But I figure if I don't finish the blanket before Project Spectrum is over, I'll just continue to share them as they fit in with the colors of those months. June and July are red, metallics and black, so I'll only be contributing in the red family for this 2 month period. But I'm really looking forward to knitting the red I have, in fact it was the first color I picked out for the blanket!

Today's trip to the park was not as tranquil and relaxing as usual.

I don't know what it is, but police with weapons drawn tend to take the "ahhhhh" out of Sunday.

Another Friday...More Random

It seems that I usually like to do my random posts on Thursdays, but I thought I'd mix it up a bit this week. I know, I'll try to be more consistent in the future.

1. I resurrected Cable 8 for my May 2007 UFO Resurrection Challenge. It took me almost a year to complete about 2 days worth of knitting.
2. I seamed it up last night and now I just need to make some satisfactory crochet sleeves and I will be done.
3. 'Satisfactory' being the operative word. I've ripped it out about three times now. I may try a bigger crochet hook because something is definitly NOT working.
4. I finished all the bits for my Ann Taylor top for the design class I am taking.
5. Our last class is tomorrow. We will set in the sleeves and work the finishing in class.
6. It took way more yarn than I ever thought...a recurring theme in my projects of late.
7. I am also close to finishing up the Cozy V-Neck Pullover. I've got a gameplan. Now, I just need to implement.
8. The sweater WILL work out. That has already been decided. The reality of what actually happens is moot at this point.
9. I wanted to share another Knitting In Action photo I received back in March. I knit up this wool hunting cap for my retiring boss. Although it did come out too small (it is supposed to be a fold-over brim), he says he loves it nontheless and has found a way to wear it regardless.

10. This makes me very happy.

Happy Friday everyone!