not knitting, but...

I am making this shirt! The one you see in the picture's my
practice version - both to figure out the sizing, and to deal with the fact that I haven't sewn since, oh, seventh grade. I'm amazed! It's going along really well, and the screwups I've made are all stuff that'll be way easy to fix when I do the real thing. I'm making my final version one size smaller in dark/light purple (dark on the yoke/diamond part, light on the bottom) and I just finished cutting out the pieces tonight! Let the sewing-up commence! The pattern I'm using is Simplicity 3964 (it's in the middle of that page) and uh, yeah it's awesome. Also, my back hurts. I will be watching the upcoming season of Project Runway with a newfound respect for how much work this is! I mean, I've only made one measly practice shirt and I'm a little wiped out.

There is some knitting occurring too, not to worry. It's just that I'm a little afraid I won't have enough yarn for my 2nd Salina sleeve. I finished the first sleeve using an entire skein, plus my unraveled gauge swatch, plus a little extra of the felted tweed. And all I have left is one last whole skein, plus a little extra. So it all depends on how much that 'little extra' is. And then seaming? Yipes. I'm pretty sure Rowan's yarn estimates were off, cause I'm making the small and it lists six skeins as the needed amount for the extra-small, small, AND the medium. I'm way on gauge and I know I'd've run out long ago if I were making the medium.

Yargh. So that explains a little of why I've turned to sewing the last few days. Also, sewing is awesome and also, it was making me a little sad to have spent all that money on a sewing machine that wasn't getting any use. Well use it will get! I don't care if I have to neglect all my schoolwork to do it!

sooooo........

I don't really have new content. I was sick all last week, school's kicking my ass, my progress on Salina sleeve #1 is kinda non-existent (and will I have enough yarn?!?), but I kinda had to post these. If only so that later I will see this and remember to make them.

CUTENESS

And do I have a whole stash of corks lying around just waiting for me to draw little eyes and noses all over them and put tiny hats and sweaters on them and bring them to my office to keep on my desk because my officemates/students don't think I'm quite odd enough yet? OH YES I DO.

yay! kinda

My camera got here! But... I was not here, so it did not stay - it got back on the FedEx truck and so I don't actually have it. I signed the little slip and stuck it back on the door, so let's all cross our fingers for tomorrow.

I started on the lapel section of Salina this afternoon - I am so close to being done with the entire front and back sections! I also got the yarn I ordered for Neaty (see two posts down...) and it's kinda chartreuse-y. I plan on making it work, because I'm pretty sure that's what Tim Gunn would tell me to do. In the same order I also got a copy of Knitting From The Top. I am way excited, I've had an urge for a while now to get in on the designing-side of sweaters, and from what I hear/see related to this book, it'll be a fantastic start.

Also I am down to being 9578th on the ravelry list. Less than ten thousand away! Yay! Kinda!

grar-inverse

Yippee!! I just got the email that they are fixing my camera... should be done in about a week! Pictures pictures pictures to come. There will be lots as I am knitting approximately 4438422 different things at the moment.

That's really all - knitting news is that I'm still working on all the things I was working on before, and waiting for some other things to arrive in the mail, which is pretty much the usual.

So to sum up: yay! and ...yup.

grar

My camera is gone, well, for right now. I hope to know in a few days whether or not the fixin'll be free. That would be soooo lovely, what with the being a grad student and all.

I finished the back of Salina today! For some reason the neck shaping confused me, but I think I got it all worked out. Did I mention yet how superawesome Felted Tweed is? Because it is. I need to find more felted-tweed-using-patterns, now!



I also bought some yarn for Neaty from Rowan 42. The Rowan Cocoon called for looks soooo nice and soft and all that, but I'm not feeling quite up to spending the hundred-odd bucks that'd take right now. I found Laines du Nord Softlights on elann.com though, which looks to be a good substitute... and the order, with some extra for longer sleeves (because I apparently have freaky long arms and ew, unintentional shorty sleeves!) hit somewhere around $30. That I can do. I looked up the Softlights on google as well, just to check out that it was a decent yarn, and found this. WHICH IS SO CUTE. And she comments specifically on its soft-and-snuggliness, which is what I'm all about for this sweater.

I made a really snazzy MSpaint picture to figure out the colors, too. Because I like to utilize the miracle of technology. Technology that is as old as me.


These are the two greens I ordered - my dilemma was which one for main color. Based on these extremely lifelike models of the hypothetical sweater, I came out liking the one using the light green as the main color, and darker green as the collar/cuffs. The Rowan pattern does it in a similar way with tan and brown, and I think it just has a really cool look. What do you think?

Yippee! Now back to grading (in the world of what-should-I-be-doing) and watching Buffy (in the world of yay!). I'm mid-season-six right now and whoa. Lots to process. Also I cry a lot (in a good way!) when I watch Buffy by myself. I have lots of feelings, what can I say.

oh em GEEEEE

these are SO CUTE.
I wants them NOW.
WANT.






There are like 17000 more at Crafty Alien.

I originally saw them through this blog, which made for some good reading as well :)
I'm loving the entire knitblog universe at the moment, for just general awesomeness and inspiration.

And my camera may be getting fixed for free! Apparently what it's been doing is actually a malfunction that's pretty much showed up in ALL Canon PowerShot A70s. So they're letting anyone who owns one send it in to get fixed, gratis. Pretty classy of them I think!

eep!

I was all psyched cause I finally found my camera (what with the moving and all, it got slightly forgotten about). And so, yay! Pictures of what I'm making!!

But then here is its sad attempt at a 'photograph':



Or maybe not so much so much 'sad' as 'belongs in a haunted house'...
If you look closely you may be able to make out the Juliet-half-on-the-needles I was attempting to model. But I'm guessing no.

So the pictures of the actual objects will not soon be forthcoming :'(

However, here are some other pictures, of what these actual objects will someday look like, just in different colors and all crazy-professional and junk. So yay! Kind of, but less yay! than if they were my own.


"Lily" from the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Collection

I'm using Cashmerino Aran (yippee for softy-ness!)
in Cranberry color (013).

So far I've finished like 1.5 inches of the back... it's going verrry slowly.






"Salina" from Rowan Vintage Style

in Felted Tweed - color watery


Extra special bonus note: Felted Tweed is awesome. It knits up all super-even and into the studiest fabric. And it's preeeetty... my color is a kind of muted teal, with little white and gold and black and grey and purple bits thrown in, and is nowhere near as gaudy as that list of colors suggests.



Lastly, I recently found craftster. Where was this website all my life? It's so awesome to have all those pictures, discussions, pattern advice, and so on grouped in one place, and I'm pretty damn amazed at everyone's mad skills and even madder creativity.

Yay for inspiration!