25.7.07

finally, a finished basalt tank!!

i forgot to post it here, but i did post a pic of my finished basalt tank blocking over at the knitting nature KAL.. as always, i promised to post some modeled photos of it soon, and this time, i actually did! big pat on the back to me, as photographing knits on me seems to take an epic amount of energy and motivation. unfortunately, the dark brown color of the yarn i used made it very difficult to photograph well. so, while you can kind of see the fit of the tank, it's not as easy to see the hexagons. you'll just have to trust me that they look pretty tidy and nice (no modesty here...!) i also must have messed with some of my camera settings, because i just couldn't manage to get a crisper shot. i'll have to consult with my bff who happens to be a photographer - and who unfortunately happens to live 1000s of miles away...


pattern: basalt tank from knitting nature
yarn: rowan wool cotton in coffee rich, 6 balls and a tiny bit of the 7th.
needles: addis 24" size 5
size: medium, 39"
start: april 2007
finish: july 2007

what to say about this.. first, using the yarn that was called for in the pattern, i figured i could get gauge with the recommended needles (size 4), but my swatch turned out TINY. thank god i swatched - i sometimes (usually) don't. so i swatched with size 5s and my swatch was still way too small, so i moved up to the 39" size. in the end, my tank measured 36" and fits well in the chest. as you can see, i made half-hexagons instead of whole hexagons on the sides and added a garter stitch and eyelet border around the bottom. i really like the neckline on this tank - it's actually not so revealing as it might appear in the picture (i'm wearing a bad bra that seems to squish my boobs together) - and i think it fits with the summery-ness and openess of the tank design. i wish i had added some waist shaping like Kelp did - i love the way hers turned out... without the shaping, it looks sort of boxy and makes me look a little wide through the middle (which i am, but is it so much to ask that my knitting perform body miracles?!) also, the armholes on my tank turned just the tiniest bit too small, but it's still comfortable to wear and doesn't bunch up under the arms. i know some people had problems with the written pattern, but i didn't stumble across any bugs and the knitting went fairly well. i loved the yarn, and the pattern was fun, although i was nervous up until the very end about whether or not it would fit. it's really to hard to determine that while looking at some seemingly randomly-patched together shapes. norah gaughan is genius. pure natural genius.

some more views:



man i need a haircut...

more knits coming soon!

~r

23.7.07

the inappropriate and stupid knitting continues...

i think i mentioned it was one hunnerd n a zillion degrees outside and i was knitting wool socks. yes, i believe i did.. once i realized how silly that was..., i moved onto knitting thick wool hats. makes sense. so, without further ado, i present to you the thick-wool-hat-with-a-pom-pom:


you know you've reached an all-time low when your new cutie knitted hat has to pose on a lampshade. i took a picture of it on my head, but you could see beads of sweat dripping down my forehead, sort of dribbling out of the brim. ugh.

yarn: 1 skein manos (every last scrap), in a celery green color
pattern: LMKG basic ribbed brim hat
size: women's
needles: size 9, 16" addis, size 9 bamboo dpns

i love the color, i love the thick-n-thin, i love the pom-pom. this will be cute and cozy and snuggly on a cold winter's day. therefore, it will be gifted to someone who lives in place where winter actually happens.

in other news, i've made big progress on the syncopated cap. i really adore doing stranded color work and i love seeing the pattern emerge. this is my first colorwork project, however, and i was carrying the contrast color too tightly and so the green areas look kind of bunched up. i hope it will block out / stretch out when worn!

i have lots more to post about, so i'll be back soon!

~r

13.7.07

it's 107 degrees outside...

... so why am i knitting wool socks?


1) because i am retarded
2) because i am turning into a knitting-weirdo (i've stopped telling my friends about my projects cuz now they just kind of roll eyes at each other and mumble 'oooo-kaaaay')
3) because koigu is so soft and pretty
4) because i am still shocked to discover that i want to - and enjoy - knitting socks. even though i don't wear socks 350 days out of the year
5) because sock yarn is so awesome
6) because weaving in ends and blocking my basalt tank seems like a total pain in the butt and i don't want to do it
7) because socks are little and cute and i have a slight obsession with things that are little and cute (or miniature versions of big things). god help me if i have chitt-lins. i will probably buy them like 50000 pairs of cute little baby shoes

i'm off to go stick my head in the freezer for a second and enjoy the feeling of evaporating sweat and salt crust forming on my face. mmmm

happy weekends everyone!
~r

4.7.07

i am so weak!

after seeing this post from sknitty (the worst kind of enabler), i went straight to knitpicks and look what i ordered!


all the books are 40% off - what a steal!! thanks sknitty!!