Stash Flash with a difference

Here's my stash:


Surprised? Fabric!! What's that doing in my collection? Be not anxious for my yarn stash. It is doing well, thanks for asking! In fact, it's growing faster than I can keep up - I'll address this matter eventually, there is no running away.

Regarding the fabric, I fancy garment design. Period. Obsession of the moment is knitting, sure, but fabric is where I learnt all my charting fundamentals. You really have not much use for knitting in the climates I've lived in for most of my life. And who can resist such vibrant cottons anyway, huh??

That was some eye candy. Now for some updates. Rose Twilight is nearly finished. For your reference:



The first Rose Twilight picture has many pieces one laid out on another. If you can figure out what the exact shapes are in that pic, you are genius!! One sleeve is completed as you can see in the other picture. The other one is underway. Looking at the top as it stands now, my only concern is a shabby neck edge. I gartered a few rows below and a few stitchs to either side of the neck but that's not helping much. Picot could be a solution and I'm betting the success of my top with it.

Okie. The yarn stash. New addition: I've ordered enough sock yarn to make 2 pairs. Also, a pair of US #1 circs so I can use Cat Bordhi's method of knitting 2 socks simultaneously on circs. That's going to be an adventure alright. One of the pairs will have a split toe. I tracked the parcel - it's on its way, scheduled to reach me on the 29th. That'll give me just enough time to complete my current predominant WIP, ends woven, label attached and all.

That reminds me of the labels that I have found a way of creating. Or atleast, the prototype turned out well and withstood a wash too. A separate how-to post on that will be published soon. Until then, cheers!

An Inconvenient Truth

Folks, this one's a brilliant movie. An Inconvenient Truth is a movie that lends perspective to the global warming phenomenon. It talks to the audience and takes us to be thinking individuals with the power and will to act on the causes we stand for.

Global warming is an issue I'd been very passionate about in my teenage years. Making a movie of this kind on an international platform was my absolute dream - it seemed foolish then and perhaps even now, considering that I'm no Angelina Jolie (or Al Gore for that matter) to have people want to listen to me. This is my contribution to the cause - to encourage friends and all to watch it inspite of conflicting political beliefs and skepticism.

The website to visit: climatecrisis.net

What a steal!

Actually, let me make that 2. ie, 2 books at incredible discounts:

Big Book of Baby Knitting (Mary Healey) - love it for its vintage look, feel and content. From a first look, this one seems to be a dependable reference.

Wrap Style - coz I'm wrap-challenged. My mind finds it easier to design a regular garment but when it comes to a rectangular piece that sits on the shoulders, it balks. So, a reference. Now my mind can take a hike and I'll still be able to make wraps for gifts.

What made the Big Book of Baby Knitting irresistible:

Peaches and Cream Pinafore

I made good progress with one of my WIPs last night knitting and playing friendly poker among buddies. The big idea was to inspire them to learn knitting but as a convenient side-effect, I finished the second half of Anouk. This morning, I knit the neck band, wove in ends, sewed on wood buttons, knit the pocket in intarsia and crocheted around the neck band and the pocket. Phew! That's a lot of work for a dress for an infant. I enjoyed every bit of it and quite like the final look.

Project details follow:
Pattern: Knitty's Anouk
Yarn:
MC peach: TLC cotton plus worsted weight, 51% cotton, 49% acrylic 'tangerine'.
CC1 cream: Valley Yarns Longmeadow 60% cotton, 40% microfiber 'Natural'
CC2 green: Valley Yarns Longmeadow 60% cotton, 40% microfiber 'Olive'
Gauge: 4 stitches and 5 rows per 1"x1" square
Needles: US size 8

Alteration: I mattress stitched the sides waist down. I attached a second button on the right shoulder for the symmetry, although only the left shoulder opens, just as in pattern. I omitted the side tabs and attached only 1 pocket instead of 2.

What I might want to change the next time I knit this: use a lighter weight yarn for the MC and one with very little or no acrylic. TCL cotton plus just is wee bit heavy. I rather like the cotton-microfiber blend from Valley Yarns and I just might knit the entire garment with this.

What I like about this pattern: the 'grow-as-you-go' design, and the button on the shoulder giving the mom less grief while putting it on a wriggly baby. I also love the flower on the pocket - isn't that adorable?

Whatever happened to monogamy!

I'm slipping.. slowly, yet assuredly. Yeah well, there are benefits to project polygamy (Ha! I know my acronyms!!) but let's face it, the so called 'benefits' do nothing more than justify a weakness. Everyone's guilt conscience knows this for a fact!! Yet, here I am, with 3 projects on the needles, and a few experiments needing more attention. To add to the confusion (which my dear friend chooses to call 'creative chaos'), are many ideas just waiting to get drafted into concrete patterns.

Now, the evidence for my claim:
1. New project: Anouk for a friend's baby girl. I plan on joining the front and the back using additionally knitted side-panels so the pinafore not open at the sides. And I've used different colors and yarn. I like how it's looking so much that I had to reveal the pictures.

2. New project: A swatch begging to be knit into a version of the vest. But I'm adventurous and will probably structure the vest to suit my frame, add a hood and some feminine touches to make it all mine!! The stitch is from VK's Stitchionary and is called 'herringbone rib'. The stitch pattern shows much more character in the swatch than in the pictures. You say it's my knitting doing that? Ah! I'm flattered.

3. UFO #1: Rose Twilight - it's been beckoning me but my loyalties are elsewhere currently. Babies come first. Twilights happen everyday!! Maybe not the rose ones but they're out there.

4. UFO #2: Triangles. This one gets me all excited. Now if only my shoulders allowed me some more time with my needles etc without getting all cranky on me..! Sigh.

5. UFO #3: Ruffle scarf. This is a project I'm saving for public/social knitting where I can multitask between knitting and a reasonably intelligent conversation. But what can I say.. ever since I kept this project aside for the 'occassions', they've been eluding me.

6. On the threshold: yummy yarn purchased at the Oakland TKGA convention. Some have been turned into knitwear but the others are hankering for my time. Especially the denim blue cotton and the variegated cotton.

Everything aside, what all the 'evidence' does establish is that I have not had to deal with a single vacant moment of boredom ever since I dived into knitting. And do I love it!

Rose Twilight

I've christened my glowy cotton top 'Rose Twilight'. As promised, below are some pictures.

The inspiration for this top was derived from a pattern 'square-neck ribbed sweater' from 1000 Sweaters (Amanda Griffiths). The neck, sleeves and all size-related matters have been altered to suit my mood! This is where the top stands now:

This is Addictive!

If you're reading this entry in my blog, you'd already have noticed a few changes to the look. My eyes were tiring of the colour-rich page, with too much empty space and room for better arrangement. So, I got on with the style changes and now I'm hooked to it! In fact, once every few months, I just might give my blog a facelift.

Knit-wise, I'm currently reading up on combination knitting - just curious. I'm a continental knitter who began as an English knitter. Now that I've come this far, I figure, I might as well go the extra length and judge the combination method first hand.

My glowy dusty pink cotton top is making headway. Pictures next time. Promise!

Onto another experiment (triangles)

That's what I do when one.. uhmm.. fails. Which leads me to believe that I am better with maths than I am with hosting radio shows!

I'll prove this to ya:


See those triangles? Perfectly equilateral. Using high-school trigonometry. How cool is that! Here are my objectives with making equilateral triangles:

• user defines the length of the sides


• user defines the stitch and row gauge


• user chooses the method of making a triangle

Among the methods ofcourse, I went in for the three I know: short rows, k2tog-SSK at the edges and mitering. The picture shows the triangles I made using first two techniques. I am yet to knit one using mitering, for which, I'll have to cast-on enough to make the entire length of the perimeter and do double decreases in 3 corners for the 3 angles.

Returning to the subject of the 'test' scenario for this experiment, the 60 degree set-square sitting on top of the knitted triangle screams out loud: PASS.

Okay, so my intentions with the funky maths: to be able to control the 'flatness' of a knitted geometric shape. I should be able to derive - using maths - how much pucker I want at the center of the symmetric shape. For caps and likes, I might want a curvature, with a giant triangle sitting atop my crown. See where I'm going? It's insane, how we can accurately manipulate the structure without having to make 'guesstimates', 'educated' or otherwise.

This series of fun-with-maths will be pursued with much excitement.

I'm trying something new today

Folks, here's my first ever audio recording, unscripted and unedited! It's a small tutorial on how to pick up dropped stitches. Please please plzzzzzzzz give me your feedback - it will be hugely appreciated and constructively applied. Oh, and the name of my audio alter-ego is 'the knitwork engineer'.


powered by ODEO