Nice Sweater

And here's the handsome birthday boy in his new sweater. Isn't he a cutie?
On a side note, I felt like a baby photographer. I had to make faces and babble nonsense sounds to get him to smile.

Happy birthday to Richard

I know, I'm a little late for Richard's birthday (it's in October) but I've finally finished the sweater I've been working on for him. I think that maybe I will start making him belly sweaters, or maybe vests only, because WOW was that a lot of knitting.

sweater blocking

This sweater is infernally difficult to photograph. I really had to diddle with the flash and the colours and the contrast, and it still looks pretty rough. Hopefully by the time it's dry (couplea days, probably) it will be sunny and Richard will wear it and I can get a Sears model picture of him in it.

For the inquiring minds out there, as I've mentioned before, this is an adaptation of Ann Budd's gansey pattern from an old Interweave knits. Richard is much longer and much bigger than the sweater in the magazine, and my gauge was a little different, as well.
I ended up having to add in two extra pattern panels (the ones with the diagonal stripes) and I used a fudgy-cheater type math in which I multiplied the pattern numbers by the % I needed to increase and then rounded up or down to get the closest number possible and have the right number of stitches for the cables and so on. I think other people might have been more thorough and calculated all the numbers exactly and done it on a to-scale diagram where one square equals 2 inches or something... but I like to live life on the edge (aka am lazy) so I just did it as I went.
I also had to rip out and restart the first sleeve after the first fudging of numbers resulted in a sleeve that was only big enough for me (it looked really funny when Richard tried it on, though. Like a cabled hot-dog). But other than that it looks great, I think. I hope Richard thinks so too. I know he likes it - he chose the yarn and the pattern, but I hope he wears it to bits. But not too soon. I need a five-year break before I knit another sweater that big.

close up of one of the cables. My favourite part. I love cables.

The worst part is we've been having ridiculously cold weather the last couple of days - one was -35 C with windchill - and now that I've finished this thing, they're calling for rain today. Figures.

And I had a dream last night that Richard washed the sweater in the washing machine and it shrank. What a nightmare.

Apron from Pillowcase

Here is my first finished craft from my stash project for the year:

Before
(groovy, baby)

After
(taken in the bathroom, thankyouverymuch)

I like to think that I am creative and intuitive when I cook - I don't often measure, and "consult" a recipe rather than "follow" one. Richard says that I am messy. I don't deny that I seem to throw stuff around a lot more than I should, and spilling all over myself is a given. I don't know why I didn't do this before, since I've been ruining my clothes and regretting the lack of an apron for a while. So I sat down this afternoon with a crazy pillowcase I found at Value Village for all of sixty-nine cents and made myself an apron. I've made a few aprons before, for Doon, so I just kinda winged it.

Project: Flowery apron
Materials: pillowcase from Value Village, thread
Pattern: none, winged it
Time to complete: 1.5-2 hours (I always forget to look what time I start)
The design I was going for is a bit of a hybrid apron. I started with a pretty basic bar apron shape (rectangular with two ties) and then added a bib with a loop to go around the neck. It's hard to tell from the picture (darn these grey days) but the ties are just long enough to wrap around and tie in front with a square knot. Or, if not feeling square, I can tie a bow at the back. The aprons we used to make at Doon would have gathers and more length, but I like the clean front of a bar apron better. Though I might try a ruffle next time. Heh.
I used virtually all of this king-sized pillowcase for this project. It's quite sturdy cotton, too, and if I'd had a flimsier fabric I probably would have made it double think (reversible!) but that would take 2 pillowcases. You'd probably be able to make an apron without bib or one that doesn't wrap as far around with a standard pillowcase. (I need one that wraps further around because I have a tendency to lean on things.) I've got just enough fabric left over for a pocket or two, though I'm not sure I need them on this thing. We often made the aprons at Doon with pockets, but I only ever used them for carrying keys and things, never when cooking.
I'm quite happy with this apron. I'll have to make another one so I have something to use while this one's in the wash!

Happy New Year!

Before the yarn resolution, I will first show you a picture of the yarn that Richard gave me for Christmas. Yarn! From Artfibers in San Francisco. Notice also my New Year's present to myself: 4 dollar cabled sweater from Value Village. Hooray sweater!



The Resolution

In 2007 I will craft from my stash.
I will not buy any new craft supplies with the following exceptions:
1. Books and magazines. I don't buy many books anyways.
2. Replacements for necessary supplies. (For example, sewing machine needles or glue).
3. Gifts (for other people) for which I absolutely don't have the appropriate materials. This includes swaps.
4. 15$ monthly for thrifted (second-hand) craft supplies.
5. If I manage to use everything up. Hahahahaha.

Starts today!