theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Oh, that is bad, even for us!!  I am finally seeing some progress on this crazy sweater!   I decided to do the neckline right away, instead of at the end as written.  I am so glad I did because it was problematic for me — I will say no more 😉 .

Here it is, unblocked as yet, on Lettie.  Lettie thinks it is too small. 

I am inclined to agree with Lettie — after all, she has nothing to gain by lying!  BUT, two things: I am trying to lose some weight via WeightWatchers, and I may be able to gain a bit of width with wetblocking.  XXXXXXXX Crossing all fingers and toes!!!

The back:

Here, I had it on the trash heap and now I will have a sweater.  I am pretty pleased with that turn of events!

Today is going to be fun and exciting:  I am involved in a Minnesota Knitters Guild event called Knit-O-Rama.   It is kind of an education day versus knitting workshops.  There will be a few speakers (of which I am one) and some fun activities, including The Ugliest Knitting contest.  I will report back!!

Do Ya Feel Lucky?

I finally got to where I was before my little rant!  Yay!  The right side will never be the same.  I am such a maroon — when I “fixed” it the other day, I offset the seam stitch by one!  So my count was off and I could not figure it out for the longest time.  Once I found the problem, I dropped the two involved sts down and re-laddered them and they really do look awful, but I am hoping that blocking helps.  Some projects just do not seem “lucky.” 

I love the sweater and I love the yarn!!  I am done with my stealth project, so I can devote time to getting this finished and then I am off to the next!  I am thinking of making the Greta Swagger Jacket from Swing Swagger Drape. 

I made my Boxes Vest from this book — it would feel like I got my money’s worth if I made two projects from the same book.  Woo Hoo!

Boxes Vest

Thank you, dear readers, for being so gentle with me.  Jean-Marie, Nancy, and Connie each received the pattern as a gift via Ravelry (I love Ravelry!). 

As for the sweater, I had started to rip it out, got angry and bored, and threw it down in a fit of pique.  That is the good news.  I had only ripped out about 5 inches.  The reason I was ripping it out is because I had attempted to “move” the faux seam to what I thought was the correct position and had laddered down several sts.  It did not work.  At all.  That is also the good news — if it HAD worked, the sts would now be in the wrong place!  

But, I was able to re-ladder the sts into their original positions…they will never look quite as good as they did before, but the sweater is salvageable — yay!

So, now I am back in business and all is right with the world.  🙂

Man, when I blow it, I really do a bang up job!  My stupidity is irrefutable and clearly documented in my previous post (which has been removed to stop the spread of inaccurate information).  I feel really bad about the negative comments I made about Connie Chinchio’s Alexandria Cardigan and indicating that there was something “off kilter” about the design.  The only thing off kilter was me:  it was my misinterpretation of the pattern — not the pattern itself — that is to blame.  I hope that Ms. Chinchio accepts my sincere apologies for any distress I have caused her.  I am really sorry and even sorrier for being caught with my ignorance showing!

Never Mind!

To quote myself (from March 25, 2006 — one of my first posts):

“I had not really thought about the fact that by chronicling my knitting progress in such a public manner, my mistakes will be on ready display.  

To quote Sally,

From now on, I will read directions. Really. I will.”

To show my sincerity, the first three commenters to this post (and please do not be TOO hard on me) will receive a free copy of the Alexandria Cardigan Pattern, courtesy of moi.

Well, as I said, I voted on Alexandria. 

It seemed like more of a summer sweater and therefore more timely, though with the yarn I’ve chosen, it is really a winter wear.   The knitting is going extremely slowly…partly because I had to grapple with size and gauge for a while.  Don’t we all? 

So far, I am slogging along.  The fronts and back are knitted together so that always makes it seem slower.  What I really am looking forward to are the sleeves:  you pick up around the armhole and knit around using short rows, before knitting the sleeves from the top down in the round.  It’s a technique I have not yet tried.

PS: Sally and I received a message from Betsy Hershberg, the designer of the beaded necklaces we just made:

“I am the designer of this necklace and I’m so glad you both enjoyed knitting it!  And you both did a fabulous job – both with the knitting AND the picture taking.  Just wanted to let you know that the kits are now available (as of 6/8/10) on the Just Our Yarn website: www.justouryarn.com.  I admit that we didn’t anticipate the immediate popularity of the kit, but lots of gorgeous color ways are now available online. There is also a direct link to the kit on my website at www.studiobknits.com.  Thanks so much for the great post!  Much appreciated.”

Thanks, Betsy!!!