Completing the Look: Part 2

I've got another necklace to share with you. While making what should have been a quick stop at Hobby Lobby, I saw that beads were half off. Well, at that price I have to look...

I bought a variety of glass beads in reds, greys and black to make a long necklace to match my Deep V Argyle Vest. I wanted something substantial enough to hold its own against the argyle pattern and long enough to balance the deep Vneck.

The simple strand can be worn long or doubled for a shorter style. It's pretty thick and chunky when worn doubled, but I think it'll work for some outfits.






The glass beads look too good to be true. Very luscious. The observant among you will notice that I used more of my dad's hematite beads, putting them on either side of the big grey squares.

I used the same wire cable as the last necklace to string the beads. In this case, I decided the necklace was long enough that I didn't need a clasp.
I just looped the cable ends around each other and caught each end in a crimp bead. (Keeping it simple!)

And a necklace wouldn't really be complete without earrings, would it?
I took a couple of long beads and the same wire cable, ran the cable ends through the bead and caught the ends with a crimp bead again. String it onto some fisherman hooks, and they're all set.

And how does it all work with the vest?
Not too bad, right?

Deep V Argyle Vest: Completed

As I was hoping, I got my wool argyle vest finished in time for fall. In lots of time, in fact, with the warm sunny weather we've been having. I have ventured to wear it a couple times anyway, but it has been warm!
It feels good to wear and, being shades of red and grey, matches a lot of things already in my wardrobe. It'll be fun to find new combinations of layers to wear it with.

So far it's been the red leather skirt and my new black linen A-line skirt, both with my grey and red plaid tights. I'm waiting for a little cooler weather to try it with my red leather pants (I know that combo will work) and when I need to be a little more sedate, I can pull out the grey dress pants which have been waiting for this vest to complete them.
When I first wore it, I noticed that the sizing is a little off. From the waist down, it feels a half-size too small, and from the waist up, it feels a half or full size too big. Project Stats
Started: 13 Jun 09
Finished: 11 Sep 09
Pattern: Deep V Argyle Vest by Eunny Jang $5.25
Materials: Evilla Artyarn 8/2 (A17a grey ~390yds and A85 red ~280yds) $28.89

With the long neck steek, I think it's almost impossible to know exactly what size you're getting, making it very difficult to know if you have to make adjustments. I chose one size larger than my measurements since the pattern called for zero ease and I wanted a little room for the shirt underneath.

The other possibility is that my gauge changed as I went along. I made quite a sizable gauge swatch which should have given me time to even out my tension in the pattern, but I may have continued to change my tension without realizing it. Some of the strands I left on the wrong size are quite long, and this is worse on the top than the bottom. Overall, however, I'm happy with how it looks from the inside:
If it still looks new enough to enter in the fair next year, I may get docked for some of the long loops, but I think it will wear just fine. The key is that the pattern looks even from the front side.

The long colour changes are the main reason why I wanted to use this wool. I was inspired by this version [Rav link]

that I saw on Ravelry. It was knit by ekittie with Kauni Effektgarn 8/2. (At first I thought she painstakingly chose the colours and planned the stripes. When I realized the wool did all the work, I said, "Let me at it!") In my version, I'm not ecstatic with how the red colours lined up against the grey because there's not always a maximal contrast, but it's certainly good enough.

I'm happy the brightest red (my favourite) ended up near the top, around my face. And I love that the neckline echoes the same switch from dark to light that the lower ribbing has. I saw that coming and managed to make that happen by knitting the neck ribbing before the sleeve ribbing.
Being able to pick up the neck stitches and knitting just a row or two before it switched to light grey allowed the neck ribbing to blend with the grey in the garment where I was picking up the stitches.

For the sleeves, I preferred a dark over the light. So instead of continuing with the light that I had just finished the neck with, I knit from the other end of the ball. Simple, right?! I also wanted to make sure the two sleeves matched as well as possible so I knit four rows on one, broke the thread and knit four rows on the other. Then went back to the first to finish with four rows and then return to finish the other. I used a spit wet join so that there were no extra ends to work in. This ensured that if the grey colour was changing, it would be spread out across both armholes.

I was also very pleased with how the neckband lies flat and does not distort the shape of the vest. As I was studying all the versions of this vest on Ravelry (and there are a lot of good ones!), I noticed that number of them had the problem that the bottom edge of the neckline pulled at the waist of the vest. It ended up looking up bunchy. I'm not sure I did anything specific to solve the problem, but I'm glad I don't have it!

One thing that may have had an effect was that I took the live stitches from the front that were supposed to be sewn to the side edges of the neckbands and did more of a grafting stitch. In effect, this would have added an extra row and allowed me to adjust the tension on the "seam" as I went to keep from pulling up too tight. In any case, I like it.

On the reverse side of the neckline, you can see the facing from the steek (the long vertical lines of light red and grey).
The dark red is the reinforcing crochet stitch done along the edge to be cut.< There are steeks along the neck (back and front) and the arm openings. This was the first time I've done a two-strand steek, and the designer had you knit alternate colours through the steek. It was a little wider than some of the others I've done--9 stitches versus as few as 5 that I've done before--presumably because each colour only gets half as many stitches. I'm sure this has come through in the post, but let me state plainly that I am really happy with the vest! I've been itching for some argyle for a long time.
PS: Many thanks to ekittie for letting me share her work and, of course, for being an inspiration in the first place!

Too Much Excitement

I have finished all the knitting of my Deep V Vest! There is so much excitement welling up inside of me, I'm not sure I can sleep.

I was working on the ribbing for the last couple days living in a cozy state of equal parts confidence and denial. Confidence because I did not even try it on after I cut the steeks--just dove right into knitting the ribbing. Denial because I was not going to even consider the possibility of it not fitting me.

I told Troy at some point that if it did not fit, I was going to be completely crushed. I was falling more and more in love with the vest as it neared completion.

Tonight I cast off the last stitch; worked in the last end; and finally tried it on.

IT FITS! IT FITS!

I resisted the urged to sleep in it and instead soaked it and blocked it and can now look forward to wearing it on Sunday to Red Purl.

Life is good.

One Thing [Almost] Started; Another [Almost] Finished

I have thus far restrained myself from waxing poetic about the British Sheep Breeds 100% undyed wool that I picked up the other day. I was afraid I would not be able to stop myself once I started singing its virtues, its ease of use, its silken feel as it slides over my fingers. In short, its status as fiber from heaven.

I bought the stuff for an idea I've been hatching for a sweater to give to my sweet hubby. He has worn previous knitterly gifts with such appropriate appreciation and care as to "deserve" another. I'm not going to follow the specific pattern, but I did fall in love with a woven cable design by Nancy Marchant from the Best of Knitter's Aran & Celtics.

A swatch was started the very evening I got the wool home. That reminds me, in addition to working with really wonderful wool, I get to use my [second] favourite needles: the 4 mm bamboo straights. (My first favourite being the 4.5 mm.) The bamboo and wool get along very very well. Oh yes, I am pretty much bouncy with glee whenever I knit this stuff with those needles.

Needless to say, I got the swatch done in fairly short order since I couldn't keep my hands off of it. It's probably the widest swatch you've ever seen, but I wanted to do two repeats of the pattern to get a more accurate gauge measurement. (And when you love the knitting so much, who's counting stitches? And even, who's in a hurry? The sooner you're done, the sooner you have to stop knitting it.)

And then I was very good and blocked the swatch too. It is close to being dry and looks great. The blocking has straightened out the stitches; the pinning has squared the whole thing up. And guess what...I only love it more. (Troy had better watch himself when he wears this sweater...then again, I doubt he'll mind!)

I have decided on EZ's "Brooks" sweater from her Opinionated Knitter for what shape the sweater will take. I like how the center sleeve continues up the shoulder like an epaulet. The shaping will only help to emphasize the pecs Troy's got from all his lifting weights. And I should be able to center the cable pattern so it will continue from the sleeve right up the epaulet.

Now I just have to calculate my gauge, apply that to the measurements of the sweater I want, and figure out how many stitches that produces for every piece of the sweater using EZ's percentage system.

On the other side of the coin, the project [almost] finished is my Deep V Argyle Vest. I have finished knitting the body of the vest; another project I finished sitting in the parking lot after work. It is a very odd shape right now as I have not cut any of the steeks at the sleeves, front neck or back neck. This also makes trying it on rather impossible. I have to decide it's going to fit and then cut the steeks. Because once the steeks are cut, it's hard to go back.

The back.

The front. (The vertical stripes--well, horizontal on the picture,

but vertical on the vest--are the steeks. Visible here are the two sleeve

steeks and the long front neck steek.)

After the steeks I have some ribbing to do on the armholes and neck and then it will be done.

Both projects are at a point where I will let them be for just a bit while I think about them and gear up for the next stage. Just in time for this break I have another smaller project to fill the gap. More on that soon.

And what happened to my girl's pinwheel cardigan/wrap that I was just writing about? Once again, it has been abandoned for more exciting projects. Sorry, Cardigan, but I know you'll wait for me.

One Final Vacation Post

I lacked an internet connection the last few days of my vacation, so let me sum up:

1. I finished the body of my Pioneer while sitting in the sun looking at the in-law's horses and cows and enjoying the company of their dog, Reba. She couldn't take the sun as long as I could, but sat as close as she could in the shade. She's was good company.

The edge is a sort of elongated seed stitch with two rows of K1 P1 that line up, and then two rows of P1 K1, repeat. Seed or moss stitch can "spread out" compared to stocking stitch, so I did some decreases before I started the edge stitching. I was going to aim for 10 per cent (a la Elizabeth Zimmermann) but it worked out better to decrease every 9 stitches. As long as I ended up with an even number of stitches so the pattern would work. I think it worked to keep the edge pulled in instead of stretched out.

I did not bring supplies to do the sleeves, so I had to put it aside.

2. I dug into my argyle vest as long as I wasn't in a car:

I got past the division for the neck and have started that steek (at the top--where you see the hole and yellow string). Things are moving along well but I am impatient for a darker red to show up.

3. I did get bored enough with the other projects that I started the lace scarf I had brought supplies for:

Here you can see the bottom border is done, and I'm barely into the main pattern.

There was a mistake on the pattern which pisses me off. After a lot of time was spent one evening figuring it out, I put it aside and went to bed. The next morning I actually backtracked and fixed the problem.

I've learned my needles are not really sharp enough for lace knitting, but I'm not sure I'm going to buy new needles just for lace. We'll see.

And the Christmas surprise? Let's see...I finished the yellow and orange unit referenced in Saturday's post. And one more just like it while driving around with Peggy on Monday.

She's running a sort of taxi business for some of the local Amish and I tagged along to the produce auction. I knit as we drove, and later in the day when we were waiting for the auction to finish I worked in the ends of all the units I had knit. Phew! was that a lot of work.

It needed to be done, however, and is not the sort of thing I can do while driving, especially on the crazy hilly and curvy roads of Missouri. While knitting I can look up and around me, but not while sewing in the ends. That would make me sick right quick.

After dropping off the passengers and produce, Peggy and I headed to a nearby town to enjoy some lunch and shopping in "olde time" shops. I did manage to find a fabric shop and picked up a nice red fabric. (I tend to buy for specific projects and don't generally build up a "stash" but I've been picking up reds here and there because I know I'll always find a use for a good red!) We had a good time.

On the long trip home, I got next to no knitting done. For one, I was tired and could hardly think straight. For two, I did a lot more driving.

We stopped to visit my sister who lives right along the way and I had a great time while she had "show and tell" with all her recent projects. I really wish I had remembered to pull out the camera and capture the 20 hats she's knit over the last year. She heard that the local library collects them for a cause. They lost their "big knitter" two years ago, so I'm sure they'll be glad to see them!

On top of that, she's been making bags and purses out of "found" fabrics (yard sales, second hand stores, etc). They are looking really good. And sorry again that there are no pictures; you'll just have to take my word for it.

Ok, this is long enough. We're home and I have to get back to work. First up: laundry and then some canning. I suspect a lot has come up in the garden while we were gone.

PS: I want to give a shout out to Myrna who dropped by Tom and Clures' and mentioned that she likes the blog. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you!

Dust off the Argyle

I have been working on my Deep V Argyle vest. With the two-colour stranding, it's not exactly something I can pick up and put down easily. Hence it doesn't make the trip to work with me and get worked on in the drive thru, for example.

My latest plan is to just leave this project on the couch and then when I'm there, I can work on it. To a certain extent, it is working:
I'm just not on the couch nearly as much in the summer as in winter. But you can see that I have a full repeat of the pattern done. (Look for the grey diamond.) The grey has gone from a beautiful shade to a gorgeous shade. (What can I say? I'm in love with this wool.)

The red has not changed much. Or I thought it hadn't. Tonight I was working on it while I was waiting for dinner to cook. (I make it sound like it just cooks itself, don't I? Anyway...) The stitches on the needle and cable kept looking dusty. I wondered just how long it had been sitting on the couch...

But it was true for several rows: the stitches all looked dusty. Then I looked at the ball and noticed that it was the start of the next colour! Ha ha. Look at the center of the red ball up in the pic. The light pink is, in a sense, dusty; and since the light pink is just a little mixed in with the darker red right now, it really makes the whole thing look dusty.

Glad to have gotten to the bottom of that little mystery. (I'd hate to think the solution was to dust more. Housework--bah!)

Tutorial: Provisional Crochet Cast On

When I was in Canada a few weeks ago, my sister asked me to show her a provisional cast on. In general, a provisional cast on is one which will be taken out at some point, leaving you with some "live" stitches which you can start knitting. (This may be used in a scarf, for example, with a one-way design. It would allow you to start at the center back and knit one side, then remove the provisional cast on, pick up those stitches and knit the other side. Both halves would then match.) I forgot to show my sister while we were together (we were a little busy with other things), but perhaps this tutorial will suffice.

There are at least several styles of provisional cast on that I've seen or tried, but once I tried the crochet version, I saw no reason to use any other. It's easy, neat, beautiful, and did I already say easy? I don't know why I don't use it as a regular cast on more. I really should.

But as a provisional cast on, the idea is to crochet a chain of stitches around a knitting needle. Then it is a simple matter to knit them, and off you go.

You will need

• a crochet hook close to the same size as your knitting needle (This is where using metric sizes is so helpful!)
  
• some small amount of waste yarn--using a contrasting colour will make it easier when you're taking it out. It should be smooth.

1. Make a slip knot in the waste yarn. Crochet 2 or 3 chain stitches by pulling the yarn through the loop with the crochet hook.

2 or 3 chains have been made

2. Position your knitting needle and yarn as pictured:

3. Moving the crochet hook over the needle, grab the yarn:

4. and pull it through the loop on your hook:
(You've just made a chain stitch over your needle.)

5. Now use your left forefinger to move the yarn to the back of your knitting needle by slipping it over the point of the needle:

You are now set up to make the next stitch:

Repeat steps 3-5 for as many stitches as you need.

Here is a video which may help to illustrate the motions:

Tip: I found it helpful and convenient to position the knitting needle very vertical, as opposed to how you might hold them when you are actually knitting.

After you have the required number of stitches, make a couple more chains which do not go over the knitting needle:

Then pull the yarn to make the loop about 2 inches long:

The resulting cast on edge is very neat (with a little practise with tension, of course):

Keeping in mind that it will be ripped out at some point, I guess it actually doesn't matter how neat it is. But of course, neat edges will make you happier in general. They do for me.

Now since you do not want the end of the waste yarn to get in your way, you will want to cut the loop and put a little knot in its end. The knot tells you which end to start at when you want to pull the stitches out. To do that, you simply pull the knotted string back through the end loop and start undoing the crochet stitches one at a time. Make sure you have a knitting needle handy to pick up the stitches which are released as you undo the crocheting.

Loverly!

I am probably going to use a provisional cast on on my Deep V Argyle Vest because I'm not sure which colour of yarn to use for the ribbing. So I can start knitting on the body of the vest, and then later remove the provisional cast on and knit the ribbing down from the body. As to the Vest, so far I am enjoying my large swatch which is proving very useful to 1. try out the red and grey together, 2. get familiar with the pattern and 3. even out my tension; but I have not starting on anything "real."

Two Steps Forward...

Need I really finish that title? Here are some "one step back" moments from the last week:

1. Lack of Skill

My sister "Delicia" wrote to me on Facebook that the necklace I gave her fell apart as she was putting it on; she thought it gave out at the clasp. I'm gratified that she was wearing it even when I wasn't around to see, but very disappointed in my work. Only days before I had contacted a local bead shop owner about lessons on attaching clasps, which I think is a real weak spot in my current skills. Obviously, I really do need it and now have something to bring to class to work on.

2. Bad Judgment

When casting off the second pedicure sock, I ran out of yarn. I had a whole ball of yarn to work with and I didn't cut a long enough end to sew it off with. So this didn't need to happen, ever. I just didn't estimate enough and had to have two extra ends in the sock. I wouldn't have been so worried about it if they were wool (wool ends are so much easier to deal with) but they are made of cotton so these ends may rear their ugly heads in the future. (I won't answer the question begged in the last sentence: can an end have a head?)

But after berating myself sufficiently, I put the self-condemnation aside, cut a new (long) piece of yarn and finished the sewn bind off, working in the extra ends. These kind of problems loom so large when you discover them, but are so much smaller after you've solved them.

3. Blending Colours

With the knitting on my Mariah finished, I finally finally finally allowed myself to start a swatch for my Deep V Argyle Vest with these fabulous colourways

that I famously said would "play well together." They played so well together that they were indistinguishable. :sigh: I started the swatch from the center of the balls and happened to get the grey against green. Both colours are pretty, but do not work at all in a pattern that needs some contrast. Thank goodness the one ball didn't start with orange because then I would have had no idea of the disaster awaiting me some long time later in the vest. Phew!!

There was a simple solution for this that my hubby put very succinctly after I had laid out the problem to him. He said, "You know what this means...you need to buy more wool." So happy he understands how this all works.

So I slipped to Red Purl on Friday night and picked out this equally fabulous red to be used with the grey.
I'm disappointed not to use the green/purple/orange colourway because I love it so much but I am confident another project will come along that will be perfect for it. Just not this vest right now.

In summary, no setbacks that I couldn't recover from, but some of it was not very encouraging! It is empowering, however, to be able to fix your own problems and to know that you can better your skills with lessons or practice.

It reinforces my view that knitting is for the brave. Only the brave can start a project that will take hours of work without a guarantee that it will turn out how you want or expect. Only the brave can recognize a mistake and rip out hours of work to fix it. Only the brave can eschew instant gratification and take the time to work at something they can call all their own.

I encourage you to be brave in whatever projects you take on in life.