Anouk musings

So I've been having a heck of a time getting gauge on Anouk. The recommended size 6 needle gives me 5.5 stitches per inch. Going up a size gives me 5.25 stitches per inch. The gauge on the original pattern is 4.5 stitches per inch. On Ravelry, my BFF Kate Gilbert told me she thinks Cascade must have reformulated the Pima Tencel since she originally designed and knit the pattern.

Oh well. So I plowed ahead and knit the front of the largest size with size 7 needles. It looks HUGE. The drape is nice, but the fabric is a tad bit see-through, and I wonder how on earth it's going to hang on a big baby or toddler, and I'm starting to wonder if my BFF Kate Gilbert actually tried a size other than the smallest one on a real baby. Plus, I don't know if it's me or the pattern (I suspect it's me), but the directions as written for the shoulders are backwards. Still, it's a super-cute design. I'll finish it and see how it works; if it doesn't, I'll rip it out and start over again on smaller needles. With any luck, I'll have it finished in time for Melissa to take with her when they visit Sophia, and by then, I hope the Guatamalan government can get its act together and let the adoptions in limbo go forward before the deadline.


In other news, my sister tried on her Tempting! We still need to get a nice ribbon, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I joined a KAL

I've never done this before! I joined the Tilted Duster KAL, thinking I could use all the help I could get on this one. I feel like I'm making my first grown-up sweater, which is odd considering how long I've been knitting.

I allowed myself to cast on last night because I'd finished almost all the projects I started last summer in my Fit of Startitis. Tempting is now completed except for threading the ribbon through! I'm not 100% happy with it and I've decided that I just don't have the finishing skills to deal with those underarm seams. But to a non-knitter, it probably looks fine, and I'll post a picture when my sister tries it on.

I also swatched for Anouk, and I can't quite get gauge without it looking too open and airy. I'm terrible at this gauge thing, but if I'm getting 5 stitches per inch instead of 4.5, would that really be so bad for a baby garment? It would just be slightly smaller than it's supposed to be, right? Or maybe I should just try again with bamboo needles instead of my Denises. I know I sound like a complete idiot, but since I stopped working at a LYS, all common sense I had about gauge seems to have left my brain. Sigh.

So many projects, so little time

I've decided I NEED to make the Tilted Duster, pictured on the cover of the latest Interweave Knits. Something about it is so appealing to me, from the beautiful drape of the "skirt" falling from the empire waist to the jauntiness of the asymmetrical fastening. It's been staring at me from the cover of the magazine ever since it came in the mail, and I finally succumbed. Jimmy Beans pulls through again with the yarn pre-packaged by size. Mine is going to be a beautiful heathered gray.

The other really lovely thing from the latest issue is the Minimalist Cardigan. I was daunted by the amount of seaming on it (I have vowed to knit in the round as much as possible) but my mother kindly volunteered to do the finishing work for me. Woo Hoo! These two sweaters are truly lovely and unlike anything you can buy in a store these days. I feel fortunate that I can knit well enough to make what I like.

And as always, I need to finish some projects before I begin the new ones. The boyfriend scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts is done. Henry's placket neck pullover, also from LMKG is also just about done, except for (what else) the finishing work. I think I will make myself finish Tempting and allow myself the pleasure of casting on Anouk, and then I can begin on my own sweaters.

Hello from Wyoming!

For the month of August, I'm writing from Jackson Hole, where my husband plays in the Grand Teton Music Festival each summer. I'd put off doing any blogging until I uploaded pictures to share, but this morning, I realized I must have forgotten the cord for the digital camera at home. Ooops. I'll have to show my readers (all two of you) pictures of the mountains and moose-sightings when we get home.

This also means I have no knitting pictures. But here's an update, done Amy-style, of my projects.

1. Socks: I was rolling merrily along, comfortable in the knowledge that I have an extra skein in case I run out. I was also feeling smug that after my rough start with knitting on DPNs, I didn't have any ladders in my knitting. Lesson #1: Never feel smug because it will bite you in the ass. I stretched out the sock to see if it would fit around my calf and what did I see? Ladders. In my defense, I didn't have them before; I'm thinking my gauge changed when I started knitting out here.
2. Placket Pullover: I'm ready to do the sleeves and I see the same confusion about attaching the sleeves as I encountered on Tempting. I'm just going to do it my way and see what happens. Also, the idea that this is a four to six hour project is a LIE. Maybe for the newborn size, but definitely not for the toddler size. And finally, this Cotton-Ease, is, uh, growing. I thought the acrylic was supposed to prevent this issue?
3. Speaking of Tempting: nothing to say. It's in the bag, looking at me reproachfully for neglecting it in a recent fit of Startitis.
4. Men's scarf: I'm doing the Men's Cashmere Scarf for my husband for our anniversary. Did I mention our anniversary was two days ago? I'm loving the Panache yarn from KnitPicks, but I cannot get the gauge right: size 11, as called for in the pattern, is too loose. Size 10 is too tight? And guess where my size 10.5 needles are? Yes, they're at home. Oh well.

Happily, there is a LYS here, and a very nice little one it is, tucked under a chichi shoe store in a side-street of "downtown" Jackson. I added to the stash:

• one skein of PURPLE varigated Manos
• three skeins of Brown Sheep Handpaint Originals, which I've never found at home, and
• one skein of Trekking sock yarn

Other things of interest: I picked up the anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting, and it has two wonderful, informative roundtable discussions, one from the "Old Guard" of knitting (Meg Swanson, Alice Starmore, Kaffe Fasset, etc), and one from the "New Guard" (Debbie Stoller, the Yarn Harlot, Vickie Howell, etc). I'm dying for someone else to read it and discuss it.

And finally, HOORAY! I heard through the Ravelry grapevine that Martha Underwood is re-opening her yarn shop in Friendship. Hooray! Her shop is sorely needed, and I'm so excited for it to open.

Tempting Sleeve

I am pleased to say that I have Achieved Sleeves. The Ann Norling method worked, and I note that Jenna Adorno changed her directions for attaching sleeves to sweaters knit in the round to basically the Norling method in her pattern featured on Knitty Gritty and Stitch and Bitch Nation. My only problem is that the join is a mess; the stitches are all stretched out, and I hope that can be repaired when I graft the armpits. Well, okay, my other problem is that it looks teeny tiny! I got gauge when I swatched. I guess this is where I trust the yarn and hope the ribbing stretches appropriately.

Speaking of gauge, is it me, or do they never, ever talk about gauge on Knitty Gritty? On the old shows, they would give the specific yarn and a needle size. On the new shows, they don't mention any specific brand but talk about yarn weight in a very offhand, vague way. Granted many of the projects don't require gauge, but I think this does a huge disservice to new knitters who need to know 1. what gauge is, and 2. how to substitute brands of yarn, both in terms of weight and yardage needed.

And now for some Mason-Dixon knitting, which of course I started up again as soon as I got my new needles. I am a junkie for sure. Both of these are gifts and you all will note that none of the ends are woven in, nor are there any buttons. Have I mentioned I hate finishing work?

Tempting sleeve join - thinking out loud

I'm at the point in Tempting where I've knit most of the body and need to join the sleeves, working in the round.

I've done this before using the Ann Norling children's sweaters from the bottom up pattern. Her method goes something like this: The beginning of the round is the back of the sweater. Knit x number of stitches until you get to where the sleeve begins. Place a marker. Slide y number of stitches to a stitch marker. Take the sleeve and knit from the DPNs or stitch holders onto the circular needle. Leave y number of stitches onto the holder (the same amount as you left on the body). Those two sets of stitches will be grafted together or joined by a three needle bind off later. Place another marker. Continue to knit across the front, then repeat the process when you get to the other sleeve point.

In Tempting, though, Jenna Adorno gives these instructions:
Place next 12 [14,16,18,20] sts on waste yarn, work across 60[66, 74, 82, 88] sts, place next 12 [14,16,18,20] sts on waste yarn, work to end of rnd. Set aside. Do not break yarn.

[Sleeve instructions, blah, blah, blah]

Join Sleeves to Body
NOTE: Read through this entire step before beginning.Using circular needle and ball of yarn attached to body, and working in 2x2 rib as set, work across 40[46, 52, 58, 64] sts of one sleeve, work across 60[66, 74, 82, 88] sts of front of body, work across 40[46, 52, 58, 64] sts of second sleeve, work across 60[66, 74, 82, 88] sts of back of body.There should now be 200[224, 252, 280, 304] sts on the circular needle, and the sleeves and body should be joined, ready for the yoke to be worked. At the underarms, the sts on waste yarn from the body and from the sleeves will be opposite each other. These sts will be joined later on.

This makes no sense to me, in part because I tried to work it out last night at 10:30 while watching Munich (not exactly an uplifting or subtle film - were you all aware that terrorism is wrong, no matter who does it? Thanks, Stephen Spielberg!), and in part because I'm so used to Ann Norling's method. Adorno's method, as far as I can tell, leaves long floats across the armpit? Do you knit the stitches before putting them on the waste yarn? If you don't, how do not join the sweater inadvertently before adding the sleeves?

If you've made this before, help! Is there a reason to this madness, or will this work using the method I know?

Okay, knitting-related things to be grumpy about:

• Everyone is on Ravelry except me! I feel like I'm looking in, my face pressed up against the glass. Let me in!
• It's June 25. Do you know where your CotLin is? Apparently Knitpicks doesn't either. New date? July 11.

Knit One yarn sale

I am proud of myself. Lisa and I hit the big sale at Knit One this morning around 9:30, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not completely crazy as expected. The checkout line was actually quick and efficient (note to Knit One: whatever you did today to get people through the line quickly, do that again all the time).

Usually at these things I get overwhelmed and turn into a magpie, buying bits and bobs of yarn I think are pretty or interesting and then they sit unused in my stash. This time. I bought yarn for three projects and spent "only" $110:

• "UltraFemme" from Stitch and Bitch Nation, also shown on Knitty Gritty, yarn as called for in the pattern
• "Tempting," from Knitty (what can I say, I like Jenna Adorno's designs), Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a beautiful pewter blue color. I'm currently making one in taupe for my sister, and after all the MDK knitting I've been doing, it was so nice to knock out a few inches of that sweater while visiting with Lisa.
• Two skeins of Koigu sock yarn in a lovely red colorway. I've never knit socks before! Any tips or hints for a beginner? What pattern should I use? Should I teach myself the Magic Loop method or muddle through on DPNs?