Various catching up stuff.

A long time ago, way back in September, we had one of the semi-local annual fiber festivals in Canby called the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. This was my first year to attend, and I was so excited to go. Unfortunately I got sick on the day of the festival. I went anyway, but I had that major head fog and feverish feeling all day. This is not a good way to go to a place that is overwhelming in the first place. There are so many wonderful fibers and people and wheels and I wanted to see it all, and I wanted to take home that perfect thing, but I could hardly make a decision because I couldn't think clearly. Even at my best I am a slow decision maker...I finally bought these two things from the same lady.

Two 8 oz rovings of merino and alpaca (70/30 I think). Unfortunately the tag and receipt don't mention her name or business name..I think she was from Roy, WA. She was selling these for about 20$ each, which was a really good deal IMHOP. I also got some yarn called Inca Organic Cotton in a pretty cream color.

And here we have the Montego Bay Scarf..the picture doesn't do it justice. This open lattice-like stitch pattern really looks great in this yarn. I don't have enough to do the fringe, so I am going to try some sort of button arrangement..I will post a picture when I am done so you can see how it worked out.

I am so frustrated with this sewing project..why is it that the sizing is so wierd on sewing patterns. I measured my waist to determine what size I should make this skirt. My waist measured 34", and the largest size, which was 16 said it was for a 30" waist, so I made size 16. I thought it was a little strange because I wear about a size 10 in skirts that I purchase at a store. It came out way too big, like it actually falls off.

Additionally, the fabric is really heavy, so it was hard to sew the waist yoke and the zipper smoothly. I bought this eons ago, and don't remember how to care for this fabric. So, if anyone out there recognizes it and has recommendations, they would be appreciated. I would just give it away, but I don't know anyone the right size who would actually wear something like this. I like it, but it does look a bit like curtains or a tablecloth...

Currently I am frogging the whole thing, and trying to cut it all down to a size that might fit, although who know what size that is, a 14, 12?

The Aran Sweater wakes up for Fall.

The aran sweater that I promised to knit for my friend has been pulled out of hibernation. I started this in June after finally finding just the right pattern. My dear friend Barbara who lives in Australia asked me to knit her a sweater quite a while ago, like maybe a year ago (eek) and I finally got around to it. (some friend I am!) Anyway, she said she has wanted one of these classic aran sweaters her whole life, and we sent pictures of patterns back and forth for a while before settling on this one from Lion Brand Online Patterns. It only cost a couple of dollars, but the pattern is a disaster to follow in its original format. The whole pattern is squeezed into a single page, very small font, no chart, and furthermore, the cable pattern is written out without abbreviations. (slip two stitches to a cable needle and hold to the back, knit two stitches and then purl two from the cable needle...) I had to translate it into something I could work with, and with the help of my pattern row counter (thanks again turtlegirl76!) I have gotten this far.. I probably would never have knit a sweater like this on my own initiative..but it is really starting to grow on me. The yarn is lovely (Knit Picks Superwash Bare), and the texture is awesome..you run your hand over the top of it and it feels so neat..smooth and bumpy at the same time.

And here is that stuff from Maine Woods Wool that I spun a while ago, but have not been able to photograph to my satisfaction. It looks really neat actually and is quite sproingy. I think this will be socks. Eventually. After I finish a billion other things..
And here we have a big, major, learning opportunity. My mother-in-law Penny and I bought some raw but washed alpaca fleece at the Black Sheep Gathering. We set to work trying to learn how to hand card, but it is hard..Penny is doing pretty well, but the stuff I did has these big lumps in it, like tangles. They make big bumps in the yarn. Maybe I just didn't card it enough? any suggestions anyone?
I may be getting too much fiber on the cards, but it is really hard to pull it apart into smaller chunks to load. Does fleece always stick together like this?

The Apres Surf Hoodie

I feel that no blog post, photo, or description will do justice to the amount of time that I spent on this sweater. I am very happy to report that I love it. I love the yarn, the color, the lace pattern, the fit, and the fact that I learned really cool new things while knitting it. I didn't alter the pattern in any way, and still everything fits me just perfectly. The waist shaping is in the right place, the sleeves are the right length. The amount of ease in the body and arms is similar. (Most garments that fit me in the body are too tight in the arms and shoulders.)
The hood seemed to take forever, but there was some interesting short row shaping on the top which I was a little worried about in combination with the lace pattern, but it worked out just fine.
I did knit the hood and neck edging narrower than the pattern required because where they are sewn in here was only about an inch. Instead of knitting 1.5 inches and then doing the i-cord bind off, I did 1 inch, and to me this looks right.
And though I blocked the edge down flat, I wore it all day to Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival and it started to roll again. I hope this will settle down a bit after it gets washed and blocked a few more times. I am really happy with this sweater, but after almost three months of steady lace knitting on size 3 needles, my hands are complaining, so I am going on some larger gauge projects for a while.
Pattern: Apres Surf Hoodie from Interweave Knits Summer 2008 issue by Connie Chang Chinchio. (A very well written pattern, I will definitely try more of hers in the future!)
Size: 39.5 " (.5-1 inch of positive ease)
Yarn: Wolf Creek Wools Toe Jammies Panda (color CARO 688) 4 skeins, small amount left
Needles: Addi Turbos, size 3 and 2
Alterations: Only the width of hood-neck edge mentioned above

The last appearance of...

The Apres Surf Hoodie in a WIPs Wednesday post because it is almost done! Cool details on this sweater..see the i-cord bind-off on the sleeve. Isn't it neat how different this yarn looks in different lighting?
Meida's Socks are making some progress.
And a new project for my mother-in-law. A Christmas present. She chose yarn and asked for a scarf with a very open stitch pattern. So the Montego Bay Scarf seemed to fit the bill. The yarn is Mountain Colors Bearfoot.

Back to School U-Neck Vest

I finally give you the U-neck vest in finished form. I also have to thank David for pictures. We seem to be getting better at him taking pictures of me. I always feel stupid, so I make weird faces. However, playing the piano gave me something else to think about, which helped a lot! I had this Classic Elite Skye Tweed in my stash for a year or more from a closeout sale at Fiber Nooks and Crannies. (Whenever Michelle destashes, my stash grows!) Anyway, I loved this tweed and really wanted to make a vest, but there were only 5 balls of it. So I embarked on this vest from Stephanie Japel's Fitted Knits book.
I made some changes to conserve yarn. I cast on 144 st which was halfway between the 35 and 37" finished bust sizes, which for me should have produced about 2 inches of negative ease. I only knit 8" in the lower section instead of 9. I didn't do the last set of bust increases and I narrowed the straps a bit.
I also narrowed the neck and sleeve edgings quite a bit. I think I like them better this way anyway to be honest. I really like this vest. I think maybe the pattern is written a bit large, because FO fits perfectly, and I expected it to be a bit tight. My gauge is still right on, even after washing. The yarn softened up a bit after washing too. It was really stiff and harsh feeling to my hands while knitting it.
The one thing I don't love is the way the fabric bunches at the front of my arm. Partly this is because I should have made the sleeve opening longer, but I think it should also be written to bind off and/or decrease a little more there in the pattern.
Pattern: Back to School U-neck Vest by Stephanie Japel
Yarn: Classic Elite Skye Tweed, 5 balls
Needles: Size 8 Addi Turbo
Size:35-37", (3" negative ease)

Will I make it?

I am going to chime in this Wednesday with the WIPs. The Back to School U-neck Vest is almost done, and I am still not sure if I will have enough yarn for the edgings to be done as described in the pattern. I may have to go begging on Ravelry for someone's leftovers. (Classic Elite Skye Tweed anyone?) It is discontinued of course. Meida's socks have made it through the heel flap and turn, but I have been pretty wrapped up in other projects, so these are a bit neglected.
Still spinning the Maine Woods roving.
And the Apres Surf Hoodie, still on the sleeves. All that lace and the fine gauge makes it a bit slow. I seem to have a fingerprint on my camera lens..