Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Kyler's Komplete (Kouldn't Resist)

As long as I was spreading out my latest project to dry after its first bath, I thought I'd snap a few pictures. It photographs about as well as a bowl of oatmeal, doesn't it?

This hooded cardigan ended up having a ribbed collar at the last minute when I found that I liked the 2x2 ribbing that was setting up the base of the hood instead. It took me a little fidgeting to get it to look right, but I think I'll like this better. (My quick notes on what I did can be found here.)

There are a few mistakes in the pattern, and it seems like a lot of knitting, which is not always a bad thing when you can accomplish other things at the same time--reading or watching a movie. But it's a good, practical sweater that I'm sure will get plenty of use.

Here's a warning to anyone who hates to do any hand sewing on their knitting. You do have to sew the seams under the arms. No big deal. It's garter stitch. The real treat comes when you have to sew in the full length zipper. There are directions for buttons, but the zipper is the way to go. You'll just have to grit your teeth and do it. A tip? Never try and hand stitch a zipper in a garment without basting it in place first. Use some heavy, bright colored thread that will pull out easily when you're done. It's an extra couple minute step that will save you much aggravation.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Lifeline

I just needed to be reminded of what is waiting underneath the snow and ice outside my window.

And the Twins open their preseason on Wednesday.

I'm okay now.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Garter Stitch Guru

Lately, when I've had a few spare bucks around, I've been picking up some of the Elizabeth Zimmermann books that were missing from my library. I think she could write about welding and make it fun and interesting, but lucky for me, she was a knitter. A garter stitch guru.

When I received some birthday money last week, I decided to treat myself to the DVD set of the old PBS series, Knitting Workshop. It was delivered today, and I quickly popped in a disk to see if Elizabeth was as appealing in person as she is in the pages of her books. How great! Her manner is no-nonsense and her words are kind. The first lesson is winding wool and casting-on--real basics--and it's still a kick to watch. I even love her sturdy, capable hands. I will have to pace myself to make this set last a long time.

Speaking of garter stitch, the Kyler's Kardigan is coming along. I have made a few modifications from the pattern--making the sleeves a bit longer and with fewer rows of ribbing around the wrist and adding a little length to the body before starting the pockets to allow for less ribbing around the waist as well. It's an easy enough knit that I've even been able to read my book as I go. (Usually when I try this I either forget what I'm reading and get engrossed in my knitting pattern, or I get too engrossed in my reading and mess up my knitting. This, however, never seems to deter me from trying.) I am hoping to have this finished up by the time the "I can't stand the sight of my winter coat" weather hits in early spring. I don't think I have ever sewn a full length zipper in a handknit sweater before, so this will be a first.

When I started this cardigan I grabbed the shopping basket I was given as a Christmas gift to hold the my supplies for the project, and I love it as a knitting basket. It's a Reisenthel Carrybag that is lightweight, folds completly flat, and comes in great colors and prints. They are available in a few shops locally and through Sur La Table's catalog. Isn't this a beautiful color? Can you imagine putting ground beef in such a gorgeous bag?

Besides my EZ fun and a little knitting, the week has been mostly a nose to the grindstone effort. The house needed a thorough cleaning and a few minor repairs, and I've been out shopping for some new flooring for a few rooms--yuck. Last night I did watch an interesting documentary--Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired. He directed two of my favorite movies of all time--Tess and The Pianst, but he's such a controversial figure. It was good, but still not as good as Man on Wire. If you have not seen this yet, it is definitely one to get on the Netflix queue. Even the extras on this disk are fascinating.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day

Hearts and flowers. Champagne and chocolate. Not a bad day. And my very first 49th birthday. Good practice for my second one next year.


Enjoy your day with your loved ones.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Dirty Laundry

Eeewww. This is my ironing board cover. Somehow, it looks even more disgusting in the picture than it does to the eye. Ironing is not my favorite chore and having to look at this every week didn't help.

I needed a new cover, but if I was lucky enough to find one that fit my extra-wide ironing board, it was always in a boring muslin. Today, I finally decided to make one myself. After I finished getting my groceries, I ran over to the fabric store and picked up a couple yards of the brightest and cheeriest cotton I could find. I went with a heavier decorator weight, brought it home, and threw it in the washing machine with the water temperature set at "hot" to shrink the heck out of the fabric.

I did a little checking online to see if anyone had some tips on the best way to stitch it up, but in the end I just went with the quick and dirty--turning the ironing board upside down on top of the fabric, cutting enough for a casing, stitching it up with some buttonholes on the wide end to run the cord saved from the old one. And ta-da. Why did I wait so long?

It's not like I can't wait to get to my husband's work shirts next week, but it's one of those nagging to-do list projects that I can check off of the master list.