FO – Molly Ringwald

VickiLeave a comment

Last Sunday, I finished my Molly Ringwald.

I think it’s pretty cute.

Pattern: Molly Ringwald by Michele Rose Orne, from Knitscene fall 2006 (on Ravelry)
Size: 43″
Yarn: Bernat Satin, 100% acrylic, 10-ply worsted weight, color 04232 Sage, 3.3 skeins or approximately 546 yards
Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 6 (4.00mm), Brittany birch crochet hook, size E (3.5 mm)
Modifications: added 1 inch length to body, used kf&b increases instead of m1, reversed strap stitch pattern for mirror symmetry, added crochet rounds at armscyes

Started: March 3, 2008
Finished: April 20, 2008

This was a lovely pattern, and I learned a lot in the process. It is full of elegant little design touches, like the way the ruffles are formed or the transition from the bust to the sleeves.

Because it is relatively simple, I knew finishing would be important. I was very careful with my seaming, and while I was tempted to avoid learning how to crochet for the neckline, it is now one of my favorite details. I like the clean, sharp edge so much that I crocheted around the armscyes as well. This is definitely a good skill to add to my knitter’s toolkit, as I’m sure I’ll use it again.

I really admired the way the sleeves were constructed, and that is another trick I plan to remember: the front neckline stitches are reduced down to 4 stitches on each side, and these are knit into a ribbed strap which extends over the shoulders and attaches to the back. Once the body is sewn together, you pick up stitches from this edge and knit outwards to form a pretty little shoulder. I imagine it would not be at all difficult to extend this to a cap or short sleeve. Way cute.

There were a few times when the 3×1 ribbing became maddening, but mostly I zoned out and got into the Zen of it. It was a good companion project for reading, or in this case, listening to the audiobook of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll for the Knitting 19th Century Novels group.

I’d been wanting to knit this top for a while, but when I envisioned it as Alice’s pinafore, I couldn’t resist bumping it up to have something cute for spring.

As I mentioned in my last post, I am completely entranced with this particular shade of soft bluish sage green, and I’m sure this won’t be the last project I knit in this color. The yarn was lovely to work with, and it’s soft and comfortable to wear. This was my first time using Satin, and it was just perfect for this project.

I do think I could have gone down a size. I’ve come across quite a few people online who’ve said there is a lot of ease built into the pattern, but I thought I’d rather have something slightly loose than too tight.

I would definitely recommend this pattern. It’s a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I think the effort I put into the finishing details really paid off, and overall I think this is a sweet top. I will probably not wear it with puff-sleeved embroidered shirts all the time, but I think it will still carry some of that charm with simpler styles too.

Now for my next sweater, something without ribbing!

Previous Entries on this Project:
– The C-Word
– Knitsomnia

FO – Seduction Socks

VickiLeave a comment

This weekend I finished my Seduction Socks.

And yeah, they are everything I thought they’d be.

Pattern: Seduction Socks by Ann Budd, from Interweave Knits spring 2007 (also available as a free PDF here)
Size: women’s US 9
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss, 70% Merino wool 30% silk, 4-ply fingering weight, color Dusk (dye lot 29279), less than 2 skeins or approximately 330 yards
Needles: Knit Picks 6″ nickel-plated DPNs, size 2.5 (3.00mm)
Modifications: worked toe-up with a short-row heel, added length to leg and changed cuff to 2×2 ribbing

Started: March 1, 2008
Finished: April 12, 2008

I absolutely loved this pattern, and these socks were a joy to knit. The 8-row sequence was extremely easy to memorize, as it was actually two very similar “patterny” rows, with 3 rows of simple filler in between.

If it were poetry, the stanzas might have gone ABBB CBBB (does that make sense?). In this case the difference between A & C was practically negligible, so it was really more like a 4-row repeat, where 3 rows were the same. My point is that it was very easy and fun lace that I worked from a Post-It for the first two or three repeats and from memory for the rest.

I am simply thrilled with the elegance of this approach. I’m a huge fan of patterns where you get a big pay-off for a simple effort, and the graceful, dancing movement of this lace makes me so happy for both its economy and beauty.

I decided to go toe-up so I could make the most of my yarn and decide on the length of the leg as I went. Conversion was simple, and I’m really happy I made that choice. I used a figure-8 cast on (12 stitches to start, for a wider toe) and increased to 56 stitches. I worked 5 rows after my increases to get a toe length of about 2″. I determined this length by looking at where the decreases were supposed to begin in the original pattern.

I worked 64 rounds of lace (8 pattern repeats) on the foot, then worked a short-row heel calculated from this pattern. Because I had 56 stitches, I worked the heel over 28 stitches, with 10 in the middle and 9 on each side (if you’re looking at that pattern, E=10). I am really happy with these heels – the fit is spot-on perfect. I hope it’s not immodest to say they are probably the best heels I’ve ever worked.

I worked 96 rounds (12 repeats) after the heel, to give a leg that came just to the point in my calf where I’d have to start thinking about increasing. I had an abundance of yarn leftover, probably enough to have made knee socks. I used 2×2 ribbing with a stretchy bind-off at the top, and they feel marvelous.

The yarn is more than heavenly to use, with a decadent feel and insane softness. They really are luxurious on the feet, and worked on such large needles, I worried they might not be strong enough to wear with shoes. Because of the silk content and the fairly open lace, I was planning for these to be lounging or bed socks from the beginning, though once I’ve worn them around the apartment some, I’m no longer concerned about their strength.

I would absolutely recommend using Gloss if you want to fall in love with socks. The new colors are especially appealing, and I am exercising tremendous self-control by resisting the urge to buy every available color immediately. As for this blue, it has a seductive power all its own, and I’m really pleased with the fit of yarn to pattern.

I think these socks would make an excellent beginning lace project, and I actually think they’d make great first socks. Using a row counter alleviated any anxiety I had about having to pay attention or making sure they matched, but it’s simple enough to see what’s going on in this pattern by itself. I think I’ve reached a comfort level with sock-knitting that there was no point where I worried about not knowing what to do – actually, I knit these socks on autopilot, so they were wonderful stress relief and downright meditative.

In conclusion, I am utterly, thoroughly seduced… and now rather smitten.

Previous Entries on this Project:
– More Socks on the Needles
– Seduced

FO – Tempting

VickiLeave a comment

I actually finished my Tempting a while ago, but I only just had a sunny afternoon and the inclination to photograph it.

As a sweater it’s lovely… but I am not completely sure how I feel about it as a sweater on me.

Pattern: Tempting by Jenna Adorno, free pattern from Knitty Winter 2004
Size: L (40″)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, 100% acrylic, worsted weight, color 2710 Gray Heather, 2.2 skeins or approximately 726 yards
Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 8 (5.00mm) and Knit Picks 8″ double-pointed needles, size 8 (5.00mm)
Notions: Offray 2-1/4″ wide black grosgrain ribbon
Modifications: added a touch of length

Started: August 18, 2007
Finished: February 16, 2008

I actually finished knitting this way back in October 2007, but it took me several months to thread the ribbon, tie the bow and call it finished.

The construction was fantastically simple, though I did have some bones to pick with the way the arms are attached. Nothing major, but I keep wondering if there is a better way of doing it.

I’m tempted (heh) to stammer lots of things in my own defense, that this sweater looked a lot better on me a month ago, but let’s just lay it out there.

It’s a style I’ve never worn before, which was a lot of its appeal. Knitting is pretty fabulous for the opportunity to make a completely new-to-me silhouette and try out fashions which are custom-fit for me.

The trouble is, I actually think this came out a little big on me in some places, so rather than the ribbing clinging in a sexy, stretchy way, it kind of hangs in a baggy way. I didn’t really have the right gauge with this yarn, so I needed more than the pattern called for to get the proper row gauge. The top then ended up a little long once the yarn stretched with the weight of hanging on the body. Live and learn.

Onto the positives. I love, love, love the neckline.

I cannot even begin to describe how many tries it took me to thread the ribbon in a way that it wouldn’t curl (simple solution: fold it in half).

I also figured out the bow largely by trial and error, and I must humbly retract any statements I’ve ever made along the lines of “how hard can it be to tie a bow?” and “it’s just like tying your shoes, but with ribbon!”

I do, admittedly, fuss with it a lot still when I’m wearing this top.

I really like the way the neck curves around the shoulders, and it’s incredibly comfortable to wear. The yarn feels great against my skin and I hear it washes beautifully, which is encouraging.

With an improvement in my gym habits, I think this will easily become a favorite top. I wore it out to a party the day I finished it, and my friends were all very kind and enthusiastic. I wondered if I would have a use for a short-sleeved, open-neck sweater, but it turns out it’s the perfect thing to wear to a crowded bar on a cold night. I suspect it will fare as well this spring and summer too.

Previous Entries on this Project:
– Notes from the pile
– Knitting is good company
– Tempt tempt tempt
– Unconscious Knitting
– A Tempting Tempting
– Moving Right Along

FO – Toe-Up Eye of Partridge Heel Socks

Vicki4 Comments

I haven’t slept in about 34 hours, and somehow these socks fit that mood just right.

Crazy socks? Don’t mind if I do.

Pattern: Generic Toe-Up Slip-Stitch Heel Formula (PDF) by Sarah Keller, free pattern posted at Knot Another Hat Blog.
Size: women’s 9
Yarn: Regia Color 4-ply, 75% wool 25% polyamide, fingering weight, color 5346
Needles: Knit Picks 6″ nickel-plated DPNs, size 1.5 (2.25mm)
Modifications: used Eye of Partridge in place of slip stitch in heel

Started: February 1, 2008
Finished: March 8, 2008

Almost everything about these socks was a new technique for me.

I started with a figure-8 cast-on, which was a lot easier and more straightforward than I thought it would be. I was following the instructions exactly, so I started with 8 stitches. I think if I were to do it again, I’d use 12 or 16, since I was increasing to 72 stitches circumference for these socks.

I enjoyed the gusset shaping and toe-up heel flap. It gives the sock a more comfortable fit than a short-row heel, though I wish the heel flap were longer.

Eye of Partridge is a really easy stitch. You simply alternate knit and slip stitches between rows (you could think of it as staggering every other row by one stitch). This heel flap started with a slip stitch. To make it Eye of Partridge, I worked as follows:

Row 1: Slip 1, *K1, sl1* – Repeat from * to end of flap.
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Slip 1, K1, *K1, sl1* – Repeat between *’s to end of flap.
Row 4: Purl

Alternate Rows 1 & 2 for heel flap.

(Other descriptions can be found here, and this page has directions and a nice chart.)

Lastly, I finished them with 2×2 ribbing and I used a stretchy bind-off, which I learned about in a Ravelry forum. Essentially it goes:

Knit first 2 stitches. Insert left needle through loops of stitches on right needle and knit them together. With one stitch on the needle, knit the next stitch, then knit these two together. Continue thusly all around cuff.

It made for a very nice, comfortable bind-off, and it’s a rather neat solution for toe-up socks.

I think the most obvious and prominent feature of these socks is the yarn. In the skein, it really looked pretty tame, but as I began knitting it, it started flashing these crazy color sequences.

Eventually they pooled together into psychedelic designs that traveled all over. Whereas normally I hope variegated yarn doesn’t ever do stuff like this, I found myself rooting for it. When faced with one awesome Shazam sock and the possibility of a mismatch, yes, I actually did find the same color sequence for the beginning and tried to get them to flash in the same way.

Though these two skeins were from the same dye lot and looked identical in balls, one had definitively more white than the other. At first this really bothered me, but as I look at them, I don’t think normalcy is the real goal at hand here.

(By the way, these are most definitely wear-around-the-house socks, whatever super powers they may bestow upon me.)

I had a lot of fun knitting these because the color was constantly changing every few stitches and leaving wacky hallucinogenic trails in its wake. I kind of love these socks because they are so, so weird.

(And yeah, all these pictures enlarge.)

Now I think I’d better take some medicine and attempt to rest, before these happy feet dance their way straight to the insane asylum.

Previous Entries on this Project:
– Colorful Frogging
– About those resolutions…

FO – Butterfly Hat

VickiLeave a comment

The crazy cold weather lately persuaded me that I needed a new hat. I decided it should be as green as I could make it.

I absolutely love this hat!

Pattern: Butterfly Hat by Sofiya Cremin, free pattern posted at Alice in Dilbertland.
Size: adult 20-22″ circumference
Yarn: Debbie Mumm Traditions by JoAnn, 75% acrylic 23% wool 2% other, worsted weight, color 08 Pine Needle
Needles: Knit Picks 8″ nickel-plated DPNs, size 5 (3.75mm) and size 7 (4.50mm)
Modifications: none

Started: February 14, 2008
Finished: February 20, 2008

As written, this pattern came out perfectly. The fit is cozy and snug to my ears, without being tight at all, so it won’t leave marks in my forehead or mess up my hair like a lot of my other hats do.

It actually stretches large enough to fit my boyfriend’s head, but I think if I were to knit him one I would add a sequence of butterflies to get a better length. He said how much he wanted one until I referred to them that way, then he recoiled in horror and asked if he could have beetles or scarabs instead. I suggested we call them Mothra, and he was happy. Such a boy.

I did the ribbing for it on Valentine’s Day (immediately after casting off my Hedera socks), but I actually knit it all in a few hours yesterday, as I started feeling progressively sicker. I should note, by way of excuse for my appearance, that I am home sick today after staying up most of the night with something gross (you don’t want to know). That I could still genuinely love knitting this hat while sick is a testament to what a fun, easy, and charming little project it is.

What really makes this hat for me is the butterflies. As I showed yesterday, this little butterfly stitch is made by a series of floats, which are then picked up and transformed into a charming detail.

As an added bonus, they kind of pull the fabric around them a little snugger like smocking, which makes cute puffs. When strategically placed at the edges of the DPNs where I usually get ladders, they remedy it beautifully.

The math in this pattern is intuitive and elegant, which of course I love. It has perfect symmetry all around, and it’s addictive knitting at its best. I got really lucky with the way the colors blended to the crown, and I love the star shape of the bright green decreases.

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk a little bit about the yarn. The initial reviews I read about it were that it has gorgeous blending colors, but that knitters hated working with it. It got panned on Ravelry, and I noticed very few people were making projects with it. (I actually found this hat pattern because I saw the designer had made a hat in this yarn, and I loved it so much I just needed one of my own.)

It completely surpassed my expectations in terms of color. It is so rich, saturated, and vibrant that I am instantly happy just looking at it. The color transitions are nice and gradual, forming subtle bands.

Where I think people have a problem with this yarn is in its structure. It is essentially a tube of loosely spun wool (hence its crazy softness), wrapped around a black acrylic core (which gives it strength and integrity). The reviews I read complained of its tendency to spin and bunch up on itself, revealing the black core. I checked it out and resorted to my primary reaction to most things in life: “It is what it is.”

Recognizing that this was just its unique structure, I had to adjust my tension, hold it very gently, and work at a slightly looser gauge than I usually knit. This actually ended up being very good for my hands, as well as preserving the design elements of this hat.

I found that if I worked from the center of the ball and gently pulled about an arm’s length or two of yarn out at a time, very loosely, I could knit without straining the yarn. As soon as an obstacle got in the way or I started holding it too tightly, I saw the effect others got, but it was easy enough to redistribute the wool and keep happily knitting. Once knit, the stitches were firm and well-defined, yet wonderfully soft against the skin. I had no trouble with splitting or snagging.

I would definitely encourage others to try this yarn and enjoy its beauty without stressing about its handling properties. In the end, I think that its structure is what makes it such a pleasure to wear. I definitely would not wind it on a ball-winder or over-handle it, and sharply-pointed metal needles are definitely the way to go. The way it is packaged will tell you everything you need to know about how it wants to be handled.

It is possible that the care and gentleness I exhibited toward the yarn is part of why I feel such endearing tenderness toward this hat. I am almost certain I will knit this pattern again – I really can’t recommend it highly enough. I also like the yarn so much I’m going to make matching mitts with my second ball of it.

Previous Entries on this Project:
– You’re my butterfly, sugar, baby…