IK Preview, Summer 2010

It's up. I am underwhelmed. You?

IK Preview, Spring 2010

It went up while I was gone. But just in case you haven't seen it yet, here it is.

Knitscene Preview

It's up. Discuss.

IK Preview

It's up.

IK Holiday Knits Preview

It's up.

Interweave Weekend Knits Preview

Interweave is doing a new magazineinstead of Holiday Knits. The preview is up now. There are a few obvious Thursday patterns but all in all it looks great.

Interweave Knits Fall Preview

It's up. I'm liking what I see.

Interweave Summer Preview

It's up. You were all pretty lukewarm with the latest VK. Did IK do any better?

Interweave Crochet Preview

It's up. There's some seriously cute stuff in there.

I Love You, Sleeve

I picked up my barely-started sleeve for Bountiful Bohus yesterday and took it out with me. I knit on it on and off during the day. Wes and I were planning on going to the movies* and I realized if I could get past the cable rib I could knit the plain part of the sleeve at the theater. When I got home from the movie I was magically exactly where I needed to be to start the increases. I worked on the increases when I got home and now they're all done.



After the creeping pace of the ACS this feel nothing less than miraculous.

I also started Diminishing Ribs from the latest IK. I'm using Cotton Angora from my frogged Mia cardigan. I swatched and got gauge but I'm worried that my ribbing will get a lot looser as I knit. I may just switch needles on the fly.

*We saw I Love You, Man and it was hilarious. It's not (entirely) the infantile, gross out comedy the ads make it seem. It is a little but mostly it's a very funny look at male relationships. It cuts very close to the bone. Possibly too close for Wes who discovered that he and the main character share a bit more in common that he was comfortable with.

IK Preview

It's up. What do we think?

Syncopation

With my socks and baby dress and all the kid knitting done I was ready to start a new project. I have been promising Wes another hat for a while. I had planned on making this hat. After looking at the sizing and reading the comments about it on Ravelry I didn't think I would be able to make a hat to find Wes's huge head without completely changing the pattern. Instead I turned to Syncopated Caps by Kate Gilbert from the summer '07 IK. I'm using a skein of Socks That Rock in the medium-weight and some Henry's Attic Kona Superwash. The STR is a Rare Gems skein I got at OFFF this fall. The Henry's has been in the stash for years. I'm liking it and feeling hopeful that it will fit.

Interweave Winter Preview

It's up.

Intweave Holiday Gifts Preview

It's up. I'm not seeing any real knock-outs like last year's issue.

Interweave Crochet Preview

Is up. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that at first glance this looks like the best issue yet. There are a many attractive and wearable sweaters and a minimum of clunkers. As always, I'm curious to hear what you think.

Knitscene Preview

It's up. Your thoughts?

IK Crochet Preview

It's up. As always I welcome your thoughts.

Auburn Camp Shirt Progress Report

I brought only one project with me to Columbus, the Auburn Camp Shirt. I wanted some dedicated knitting time to make actual progress on the project.


My progress after the first leg of the trip.


After two days in Columbus (I think).

Every time I pulled out my knitting everyone around me would start asking me about it. "What are you making?"
"What size needles are those?"
"What yarn is that?"
"You're making a sweater in lace-weight?"
"Are you nuts?"
When I finally met Chrissy Gardiner, the pattern designer, I proudly pulled out my knitting to show her. Before even looking at it she emphatically announced, "I never want to knit that sweater again." I had hoped she'd be the one person who wouldn't think I was crazy for knitting it. It turns out she had a crazy deadline for the sample and had to knit the sweater in two weeks along with some socks. So I can understand her negative associations.

Look, even Annie Modesitt thinks I'm crazy.





Here's where I am now. I don't know about you but I am pretty impressed. It's growing. And I keep reminding myself that the sleeves are tiny. I will finish this sweater damn it. And I will wear it with pride.

Knitter Gone Wild

After working so diligently recently on getting old projects off the needles I lost my mind this week. It started on Wednesday when Wes innocently asked, "Do you think you could make a baby gift for my friends by next weekend?" Uh, hell yeah. I ran home and grabbed up the leftover Inca Cotton from a baby blanket from last year. I hit up the Ravelry Experimental Pattern Search. Are you using it? It rocks. Like really hard. I plugged in my yarn weight and a range for yardage. I was guessing I had 200-300 yards. Check for baby items. Answer the Soft Baby Cardigan from The Knitter's Book of Yarn (check for errata).



I haven't had any socks on the needles for a few weeks. I was heading out with Wes and the boys and wanted a good take-along project. So I cast on for the Merino Lace Socks in Smooshy from an old IK. Two at a time on one circular because I was in a rush and I found my 40" size 1 needle first.



And then last night I saw this cool free pattern (Ravelry download) for a short row hat and thought, "That would look cool in that leftover handspun I have." So I cast on and am nearly halfway done.



Someone stop me!

Summer IK Preview

It's up. Discuss.

Nooooooooooo!!!!

I finally made it to the armhole decreases on my teeny weeny sleeve for the Auburn Camp Shirt which I started a week ago. I cast on the wrong number of stitches! ARgghghghhghghhh. I have to rip it out and start over. *sob* At least my gauge looks good.

Where's My Crafting At?

My knitting/crafting life has been very compartmentalized the past few weeks.

I started working on the Auburn Camp Shirt in Jaggerspun Zephyr (Ice Blue). I swatched on 2s but it was too loosey-goosey. I've switched to 1s. I've been working on a sleeve but only while sitting at the computer. Lace-weight yarn, size 1 needles and using the computer while knitting means I only have about an inch and a half of my sleeve done so far.



When I go out to knit I bring my Tailored Scallops. I have both sleeves and a good bit of the back done. It's a super fast knit but I don't seem to work on it while at home.



My evening sitting-front-of-the-tv project has been the ripple afghan. I don't have a photo but I've made some fair progress this week.

I've also been working on my Dear Jane blocks. These are all hand-pieced.


This one doesn't look so crooked in person. I also got gunk from my iron on the white part as I was pressing the final seam. Bah!

Tangled Yoke Cardigan

Pattern: Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang, Fall '07 Interweave Knits
Yarn: Silky Wool
Needles: US2 and US0
Notes: Okay, so obviously this sweater has not been blocked. I hope to get some of the puckering out of the neckline with a vigorous blocking. Picking up the neckline stitches was nearly impossible. I could not see the purl bumps in the dark slubby yarn. It is also too small. I swatched many, many times for this sweater. I finally went down to size 2 needles (it called for 5s). I think my gauge must have tightened up as I knit. The fabric is very firm--not in a bad way. It looks all right unbuttoned but buttoned up it looks a little silly. I'm working on losing a bit of weight right now so I'm hopeful it will fit me well really soon.

Interweave Spring Preview

It's up. Discuss.

Knitscene Preview

It's up.
Discuss.

Hola

I'm back from my retreat. I got some knitting done and lots of spinning. I chatted. I relaxed. It was wonderful. I also shopped at the stash sale. A lot. I came home with a big bag of stuff.

1 cone of Euroflax Linen (green)
1 skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock (also green)
1 skein of Tofutsies (blue)
4 skeins of Shepherd Sock (green--I know!Shut up!)
14 skeins of Noro Cash Laine (20% cashmere in browns and blacks)
Sweater Design in Plain English
Folk Mittens
Knitting Around the World
Knitting Ganseys
Patterns for Guernseys, Jersey's & Arans
Knit Your Own Norwegian Sweaters (Dale, 1974)
4 Old Interweave Knits
Knitter's magazine tribute to Elizabeth Zimmermann
Vogue Knitting Book (Spring and Summer 1955)
Shells for Every Occasion (1965)

These items were all being sold at amazing prices. Some were free.

Guess how much all this stuff cost and win a prize! Guess how many unread items were waiting for me in Bloglines and win a prize!

I will try to get my few, meager photos up tomorrow or Tuesday.

ETA: Contest closes at midnight Monday night. And a hint, I read lots and lots and lots of blogs.

Winter Interweave Preview

It's up.

IK Preview

In case you haven't seen it yet, it's up.

Blogger Makes the Big Time

Eunny Jang has been named the new editor of Interweave Knits (.pdf)! Whoa. Congrats, Eunny.

More IK Preview

There are now "bonus photos" online. I can now see that I don't want these nupps on my, er, nupps and that this fair isle looks pretty good. Kate Gilbert's sweater looks beautifully constructed but I won't be going anywhere near it unless I have some sort of major surgical renovation. Have a look for yourself.