Wednesday, July 28, 2004

no time for knitting...


I didn't get to work on Rosa while I was in Florida. I didn't really have as much quiet time as I thought I would. I did make a little progress on the flight home though. I really want to finish this project soon. Hopefully this will be a slow weekend and I can concentrate on it.

Thursday, July 22, 2004

c'est trop petit...


I finished the top to mon petit chou yesterday and decided to try it on before adding the ribbon. Using a piece of yarn, I laced up the front. Well, she's just a bit too snug for my liking! I made the size to fit a 34" ribcage, even though mine is barely 32". So, the only thing I can think is that my gauge must be way off.

I am, in some ways, determined to make this pattern work. I think it's just so cute. So, once I get back from my weekend in Florida I'm going to frog the bra and try again. I'll also go back an re-check my gauge before casting on for this one. On the bright side, the pattern does work up quickly so i'm not overwhelmed by restarting. I think this has been a really good project to work on. The lace pattern and short rows are a good challenge, but it's not so big that I want to throw in the towel.

Monday, July 19, 2004

loosing direction...


I'm trying to "plan" out my next few knitting projects. I think I'm going to devote the first couple of weeks in August to finishing projects. First, I still need to seam Daisy. Second, I'm almost finished with the front of Rosa. Hopefully that will give my fingers some time to rest -- they've been feeling a little stiff lately.

There's a little voice in the back of my head that's telling me to start checking out patterns for the fall. But, it's just too hot out. I know that I want to knit a sweater for the fall, probably something like this:

or, maybe this:


I'm also still lusting after a poncho. I think they're really overdone, but I just don't care. At this point I'm going to hoping to make something similar to this:



All I need to do is find a nice, open stitch pattern that I like.

better on top...


I didn't do much knitting this weekend. I was really nice out (for a change). Also, since I was struggling with the back of mon petit chou, I thought I'd give it a break before making attempt number 3. Instead I cast on for the bra top. This has gone much better. I have run into a few spots where the pattern didn't seems to jibe, but I was able to work it out. I will probably finish it today or tomorrow and then cast on for the back again.

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

frogging on the bus...


Yesterday I started the back of mon petit chou. I've only done short rows a few times to I knew that the back was going to be a bit tricky...but I plowed ahead. Well, I got to the last of the short rows where it says to knit as front starting with row 9. Well, about halfway across the row, things just weren't looking right. The lace pattern just wasn't lining up. For some reason, I kept ending up with an extra stitch at the end of some of the short rows. So, this morning I ripped all the way back to the beginning of the lace pattern.

I'm going to give her one more chance. If I can't figure out the pattern myself, I'll have to ask for some assistance.

Monday, July 12, 2004

knitty weekend...


I was feeling rather out of it this weekend. I got up on Saturday morning and my body let me know that it wasn't really up for doing much of anything. So, it was a good weekend for knitting.

First thing Saturday, I just right into mon petit chou. Working with the elasticized yarn is kind of fun since it's springy. However it takes a little getting used to. I had to figure out a way of keeping a good tension without making the stitches so tight that I could move them along the needles.

I should have practiced the stitch pattern a little while before jumping in. Reading the lace pattern takes a lot of attention, but it gets easy once you get the hang of it. I made one mistake early on -- I'm sure most people wouldn't notice it -- and that was my warning that I should slow down a bit. I left that mistake alone since I had knit about 8 more rows before I even noticed it.

Later I made another mistake that I was able to go back and fix. If you knit this pattern, take your time. Ripping back is tricky since the stitches all "shrink" once off the needle. Not to mention keeping track of the lace pattern itself.

I'm almost done with the front. And, I love the look of it so much I ordered more yarn to make a second set!

Friday, July 09, 2004

mon petit chou...


My package from elann came in the mail yesterday! That means that it's time to start new project. I know it would seem that I shouldn't even try starting something new since I'm having a hard time focusing on Rosa. Nevertheless, I'm going to start mon petit chou. My BF's birthday is coming up soon and I think it would cute "gift."

can't focus...


I feel like I have knit and re-knit the same 8 rows at least 3 times in the last 2 days. I keep forgetting to place a bead! Even worse, I don't notice it until I've done 2 more beaded rows. This is making Rosa even slower going. I wish I were still working on the back, that way I might actually entertain the idea of just letting it go. Since I'm working on the front panel now, I want everything to be perfect...or as close as I could ever get it.

Perhaps I shouldn't have taken Rosa on the road. I seem to only make these mistakes on the bus. Unfortunately, I can't fix these mistakes as easily on the bus. I can't imagine trying to frog my beaded rows with someone right next to me and the bus bumping along over potholes. So, tonight when I get home I'll be ripping out my mistakes and plugging forward again.

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

This is a knitting blog...right?


Yes, it is! I've been really scatterbrained lately, and don't really know why. It could be the fact that I actually put myself on a diet last month and am still adjusting. Or, it could be that work is getting hectic.

Well, even though I haven't bee blogging often, I have been knitting. Over the weekend, I finished the back of Rosa. And, here's the proof:






I also cast on for the front and have made good progress.

Thursday, July 01, 2004

knitty gritty...


If you haven't checked out the new edition of knitty...what are you waiting for! It has some of the coolest designs you could ever think of. It's the "adult" issue and I'll have to admit that it made me blush a little bit. Of course my next move as to buy more yarn.

So, joining the future projects is mon petit chou and betty. I think that these will be the first object that my BF will actually want me to knit.