Pretty in Pink

Well, I finally finished those sleeves. I must have knit them three or four times before deciding on a final version. Even now, I am not totally satisfied with how they look. They are a little baggy.



Also, I was unable to block it properly, given that all I have is this piece of styrofoam. It has worked for me well with all my sleeveless projects but now there was not enough room for the sleeves. I had to improvise, block it sideways and fold the bottom lace section up at the seam and pin the lace edging to the body.

It did not work. That bottom part took two days to dry and the lace was still a bit curly.

After adding the crochet edgings, here's the final result:





Yep, the sleeves look baggy, but so be it. Either I learn to live with them or I bring the whole thing back to a plastic bin to age for another three or four years.

I wore it to work, got a few compliments, and nobody said anything about the sleeves, but maybe that's because they're too polite.

Remember the lazy pink thing?

This blog has been all about small projects (socks, mitts and hats) for too long. I am kind of fed up and want to go back to larger things. Which brings me to the lazy pink thing that I started back in 2007. I hated it then, having made some mistakes when modifying the pattern and then having to start over. Also, I was a little fed up with pink back then.




I am less averse to working with it now. Except for the sleeves. They are designed so they stick out, just like t-shirt sleeves. My first attempt at a sleeve looked really awkward when sewn in. My poor sewing abilities are partly to blame but I also think they would look ugly anyway even when sewn in by a pro.

Here's when ravelry saved me. NaiadKnitter finished this project but wrote on her notes that she would pick up stitches and knit the sleeves down from the shoulder on the next one.

And that is, precisely, what I am attempting to do:



I hope it works...

Chess Whim

The husband wanted a very thin hat, in a solid color. I chose "Merino Dream" by Lucy Neatby.

Oh, how I regret that decision.

I started with 3 mm needles (the recommended needle size on the label), and ended up going down two needle sizes and using 2 mm. That's US 0. Which meant that I needed hundreds of stitches (Oh, how I miss the joy of the Addi hats, with their 46 stitches).

The yarn is also splitty, and uneven in both texture and color. The label warns you about color variations, but what I encountered were spots where the hank had been tied too tightly and the color did not penetrate. I seriously hate, hate, hate this yarn. I have about 55 grams left, enough for another hat if I wanted to, but I don't. The spouse suggested matching mittens and I growled at him.

Another problem was that the spouse wanted to have chess pieces as decoration. Without the benefit of a contrasting color, my only choice was garter figures. As I found out, those work well with light colors, but not with pitch black. So even after spending some time charting the figures and experimenting until they satisfied the spouse, once on the hat, they are very difficult to figure out.

Oh well. You can't always be happy with all your knitting projects.

Another Hiatus

Well, I have been knitting, but obviously not blogging. Rest assured, all is well and it's just been a matter of being too busy. I'm still enjoying the new job.

I finished the tabi socks. I followed the method described by Lyn Vogel in the Twisted Sisters' Sock Workbook. Here's a picture of the sock before the big toe was finished.



My, the spouse really has an ugly toe.

And here's the final results.



I hope they fit my father, who is the actual recipient.