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and so was the predictable pun, sorry!
It is of course, the February Baby Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann from her Knitter’s Almanac. I found the book available on an Indian website and so I ordered it. I wasn’t sure I would get it, because some crochet book I ordered on a site once never got to me. The order was simply cancelled, because the book was out of stock. I don’t remember what it was. But after waiting for 6 weeks (and periodically checking the status of my order), I finally got it last Monday. I had to cast on immediately, of course because it was for this pattern I ordered the book in the first place! I had yarn left over from my Waffle Vest. Now that yarn is greyish blue while this pattern is a lace pattern, but I wasn’t too concerned about gender correctness. Nor do I have a target/victim in mind for it.
I was finished knitting by Friday although I must confess I still haven’t sewn on the buttons…they were a present from Cordi (hi, how’s the hibernation?), but did not photograph well. They are small bunnies (pinkish, but again, no gender concerns Chez Fife).
Here are the specs in the time-honoured format.
Yarn: The same acrylic that I used for my Waffle Vest. Regular baby yarn. About sport weight, I should think.
Needles: Unknown silvery circulars in 4mm (US 6). I think Heide gave me these. I really like them and they’re probably my most-used size/pair. The only issue is that the cable tends to curve in on itself, but that is manageable. Perhaps a spot of hot water treatment is called for?
Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann’s February Baby Sweater on Two Needles (Ravelry link) from her Knitter’s Almanac (scroll down).
Time: 5 days (I dithered about sewing the seams and did a bad job anyway at the end)
Size: 21″ at the chest, 10.5″ long
Extra #1 I was surprised at the slimness of the book. I suppose I should have expected it from my copy of Knitting Without Tears (an amazing book sale find).
#2 The instructions for the sleeves puzzled me. I was first confused whether to cast on the extra 7 stitches on either side or not, but realised I should. Then when it came to picking up stitches to continue for the body, I confused myself about how to pick them up! I got the cast on stitches twisted, before realising that the extreme ends should be together, therefore you start picking up from the side of the cast on which is closer to the older stitches. Does that make any sense at all? It would probably help if you seamed the sleeves first, or if you did them in the round, thus eliminating the beginning of cast-on/end of cast-on confusion altogether
#3 My finishing as usual is horrendous, although I have improved the area under the armpits somewhat from how it looks in the picture. My picking up stitches for the body under the sleeves was also pretty bad.
#4 The lace pattern was extremely easy to memorise. Perhaps next time I shall actually challenge myself (imagine!) and choose another 7-stitch lace pattern. If there is a next time.
#5 I think this is the most beautiful thing I have ever knit for a baby. (In the intent, if not in the execution).
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Thank you everyone for the encouragement on my attempts at crochetising the BSJ. I have sent the project into temporary hibernation prior to what I realise must be inevitable ripping. Sigh. A friend is working with me on it and seems to be making better progress. I am wondering if I should perhaps use Pandaman’s stockinette adaptation instead of the original as a base, because the primary problem with the current oeuvre is the row gauge of sc rows versus garter rows. As far as I can understand it, of course. We shall have to see.
I met someone on the Georgette Heyer mailing list who mentioned that she crochets. I couldn’t stop myself, and wrote to her, asking her how and what. She sent me this photo of a debutante dress she made for her daughter. I thought it was amazing, and had to share with you:
She made it with double knit cotton and most amazingly, made up the pattern herself. I thought it was lovely. Don’t you? Clare lives in Ireland.
A few weeks ago I’d asked for suggestions on what to make for a baby girl in a hot place. This was the compromise solution I arrived at.
Thread: Anchor knitting cotton (I think it is bedspread weight) in cream, about 3 full balls.
Hook: Clover double-ended hook, with 4/0 on one end and 6/0 on the other. I assume those are size numbers rather than mm. I got two of those in a CAT PAC. They’re wonderfully light. I’m all about lightness in hooks. I used the 4/0 end.
Pattern: From Crochet World June 2005. Toddler’s Spring time dress. Errors found.
Time: A while.
Size: About 14″ long and 22″ wide.
Extra: #1 There was a row count error in the back instructions. It should read Row 44 instead of Row 43 (and so on). I found the pattern stitch instructions quite confusing and it took me several attempts to get it right. In Row 1 of the skirt part, it should read “Work 66 sc … ch 6… ” instead of ch 3. There was also some problem about right and left, which I don’t recall now.
#2 I left off the sleeves and improvised on the edging. (ch3, sc around for 3 rows). I was afraid I was running out of thread and didn’t want to buy any more, since I was stash-busting.
#3 My first dress.
I agree with Sara about finishing. Mine is very, very poor.
Well, sort of. I took some very bad pictures (are there any other kind I can take?) of a cardigan I made for my niece when she was born, as well as a UFO I finished and gave her in my recent trip to Hyderabad. (Yes, I’m back now in Vizag.) First up, we have the cardigan:
And here are the details.
Yarn: Acrylic from the Munirka market in Delhi. Look at my list of yarn stores in India for the exact address. The link is over on my sideboard.
Needles: Who remembers? I made it in 1998! Probably 3.75 or 4.00 mm
Pattern: Fleisher pattern book from the 1960s, it was my mom’s but I have had it now since 1998 (or earlier) since she stopped knitting.
Time: It was a labour of love. I don’t have the faintest idea now how long it took. As usual I didn’t have the time to find nice buttons for it.
Size: Totally forgot to measure it
Extra: #1 What a pathetic set of specifications I’ve given! Might as well not have written anything down. I have better (somewhat) specs for the next project, I promise!
#2 This was in the days when I used to twist my knit stitches (by knitting them through the back leg). I found the mini-cables hard going, I remember.
Next up we have the bag I finished from my mountain of UFOs.
Specs:
Yarn: Mainstays from Walmart (I don’t remember now who sent it to me). Two strands held together.
Needles: I am growing old. But perhaps they were my favourite size, 4.5 mm (or should that be 3.75?)
Pattern: Coats & Clark free pattern (Mine is supposed to be the blue bag)
Time: It was a UFO! The longest part was actually making the handles (strips of hdc) and deciding on and sewing the zip for closure. I’d actually bought the zip ages ago.
Size: 9″ x 9.5″
Extra: #1 I wish I had better options for handles than the tacky round plastic ones (or the tackier odd-shaped steel ones). I should have explored stores in Hyderabad, but what with the auto strike and the absent driver and various other distractions, I didn’t. Thankfully my niece isn’t very discriminating in her taste yet.
#2 The bag isn’t lined either.
#3 If you click through, you’ll find a couple more pictures of the bag in my Flickr photostream.
Right now I have no mojo. I badly want to have something going but have been in a sort of depressed state the past few days. Let’s see.
Next up, I’ll do another post rounding up the books I’ve read between my last book report and now.
Yes! I’ve actually started a sock!!!! I’m using Wendy Johnson‘s Generic Toe-up pattern with Paton’s Kroy yarn and Pony 2.75 mm dpns (set of 4). The reason I’m showing it here is because I don’t know if I will ever finish it. It is a bit loose on my foot, apparently I should have cast on 56 stitches, not 64 for my foot size. But I’m thrilled to see it looking like a sock. Also, the pattern calls for 5 dpns and I’m fudging it by cramming half the stitches on one instead of two dpns.
I’m always in awe of the sockknitters who seem to borrow a toe from here, a heel from there, a stitch pattern from elsewhere and a yarn at random and then magically produce beautiful, perfectly fitting masterpieces. Amazing. And as someone I know would say, “Awwwwwwwesommmmmme”!
Being of uncertain fate, here are a few more pictures of the selfsame sock:
Enjoy them, you may never see the finished product!
So, I got these three skeins of Lion Brand Cotton (about 220 yards each) as a CLBFX package from Joanne. Since it was in natural colour, any dishcloths I work up will not be too dashing, obviously. So I hit upon the brilliant idea of making myself that top I’ve been promising myself for ages now.
I also happened to win a bunch of crochet magazines and pattern books in a Crochet Partners recycling contest, and one of them was the June 1989 issue of Magic Crochet, that had a nice top pattern.
This was my first time working with a pattern from Magic Crochet and I’m impressed at the amount of instructions they fit into 2 pages. This included a full view photo of the finished object, introductory written instructions, a schematic for the entire garment, a symbol chart for the pattern and a symbol legend as well. Wow.
In addition, the pattern was fairly easy to grasp and do and worked up quite quickly. So I went as far as this:
That’s quite far, wouldn’t you say? The cotton is soft and the pattern easy. B U T. The yarn doesn’t have a sheen (naturally) and I have a feeling it will be too heavy. I always feel crocheted wearables will be too heavy. So I am going to frog this. Perhaps I have miles of vanilla-coloured dishclothes ahead of me. Whatever.
Here’s a close up of the pattern. Very nice.
So I went to cheer myself up at my usual haunt (the thread wholesaler) and came home with six balls of this for Rs 330:
Nice, no? This is “knitting cotton” by Madura Coats, a nice mercerised cotton thread which is about size 10 or bedspread weight, I think. I hope it will be enough for a top for me. I am trying to make up my own pattern and am starting from the sleeve. This is how far I have come:
As you can see, I am borrowing the crossed dc pattern from the Magic Crochet design. But perhaps not the bobbles. They might look like pilling. Let’s see how far I get with this one.
I don’t usually show “in-progress” pictures of my work. There’s always a first time, right?
ETA: Deneen pointed me in the direction of Bron’s blog, where Bron has courageously 😉 come out and said it out loud: crochet wearables are usually can be heavy and bulky! As Cordelia and I were describing it a few weeks ago, it is like chain mail!
Sorry to be so vulgar, but I’ve finally finished my first adult knitted garment. The candy stripes cardigan is done and here it is:
Front
And back:
Yarn: Acrylic from Shillong. Less than 600 gms both colours together.
Needles: Pony 3.75 mm and 4.5 mm straights (pattern calls for 4.5 and 5.00mm)
Pattern: Robin Wools sheet from Shillong (Rs 10 per sheet)
Time: Over 2 weeks
Size: Me!
Extra: #1 First-ever adult garment!
#2 Used the largest size number of stitches and worked it to my size measurements
#3 Read what Nona says about process vs product. I’m not sure I like the fit of this cardigan either, but I liked making it. And of course, I look nothing like this: :-p
So I've been working on my piece of fluff cardigan from this pattern:
And so far I have the back:
And one front panel, the left one:
You might be forgiven for thinking the white bit is the sleeve cuff, but not. It's the bottom ribbing. Seeing how stretchy the whole thing is, it might be too large for me. Then we shall have to look for an innocent victim delighted surprisee for it, shan't we? Candy stripes, anyone?
Oh, and does anyone know about these Robin Wools and Wendy pattern leaflets? They're British and I know the yarns are still being sold (not the ones in the patterns, but from the same companies), but I don't know when they were published. Any info you have is welcome.
What have we here? An FO!!
The Short rows baby jacket that I read wrong and made a right royal mess of is finally done. It ain’t pretty and won’t stand up to close scrutiny, but done it is. Here are the gory details:
Yarn: Froya Narvik 100% wool, 3 50gm balls, 131 yds each (120m).
Hook: Pony 3.75 mm straights (the label calls for 4mm)
Pattern: Garter stitch short rows
Time: Over a week (come on, you don’t really expect me to give you exact times, now, do you?)
Size: 21″ around, 10.5″ from neck edge to bottom edge, 10″ sleeve, 4″ cuff.
Extra: #1 Learning short rows
#2 I read the pattern wrong, else the shaping goes from one front panel to sleeve to back to sleeve and second front panel.
#3 The pattern doesn’t give measurements of the finished product in inches, only says ‘3-6’ month baby. Could somebody please tell me what size baby this might fit? Please!
#4 The binding off had to be done imaginatively because I ran out of yarn and I invented a technique of binding off which involved picking up loops and slipping over themselves and a spot of black magic…
#5 I also joined the fronts together at the top because of the same issue of yarn shortage. More abracadabra there.
#6 Skipped the 3-4 rows of ribbing at the neck edge. See #4 and #5 above for reason.
This is what you'd call a narrow squeak:
Notice how close I've come to the end of the yarn on this front panel. Luckily, I have this in store:
that my SP sent me. Yay!
We are now on sleeve #2. Heee.
Most of my projects are determined by the amount of yarn I have rather than anything else.
swakrta.com 