I know I should be asleep.
I am on the world's strangest sleep schedule, even for me this is ridiculous. Thought I'd take advantage of still being awake and take some pictures.
Since I stopped working on Rogue for the time being, I had to work on something else that elicited some form of excitement. So I did a gauge swatch using the ripped out Chamonix on smaller needles and got a perfect 4 sts/inch. And since I wanted to cast on immediately and all I had lying around was the newest Vogue, which needless to say didn't inspire too much. . . I'm doing a variation on one of the super-basic sweaters in there, it's # 9 and is shown in dark red. It's a super-simple v-neck pullover, but I'll be making it shorter.
This gauge flies off the needles. I cast on last night at a similar god-awful hour and today I have one sleeve done and the second started. Here's a picture that doesn't show you much (this color doesn't photograph all ALL):
The yarn is so amazingly soft!My other current knitting is the scarf for the boy, which was half-done two weeks ago but I needed another skein of black wool. Which the store didn't have. So I'm now making him a Jets fandom scarf instead, and as of tonight I'm almost done, here's what it looks like (how boring):
One of those projects that's a "only because I love you" project. . .I have taken to making most scarves like this one since last year. It's a "beaded rib" pattern, alternating rows of k3p3 rib and k1p1 rib. Makes the scarf completely reversible, flat, and doesn't pull in like traditional rib so it's not like you're doing twice the work for half the fabric. Plus it stretches wider when you block it. The yarn for this is Paton's Country Wool & Patons Canadiana, the stripes are green IRL. I suck at digital photography.
Speaking of which, I managed to get a photo showing the texture of the SOA stitches! Look!
The color's off of course. . .I got this picture by using the high flash setting, for future reference.
I think I never mentioned before that I think I hate the SOA. I tried it on the other day to see if it's long enough to start the ribbing (I need 2" more I think) and when I looked in the mirror all I could think was FRUMPY. It makes me look like a cheesey old woman. My mother would wear this sweater. Worse, my mother would have picked this sweater out of a store 20 years ago and continued wearing it to this day after it's pilled horribly and shrunk unevenly. I may never finish it.
And that just goes to show yet again why I have such a finishing issue. SO MANY of my projects are a lot of fun to plan and shop for, tons of fun to work on, figure out the kinks, even to sew up and block. But then I put the item on and I'm all, "what was I thinking when I thought I'd want to wear this?!?!" Not only does the finished item not always fit the way it should, but often it's just not something I like to wear. I love fashion but I dress very plainly normally. I appreciate the athetics of clothing and shoes, but I end up wearing yoga pants and v-neck t-shirts every day of the week anyway.
It's really depressing. And partly explains all the UFOs. If it's not finished I can't be dissapointed in it. How sad.
4 Responses
claudia
Wow, that’s alot of progress for middle-of-the-night knitting! I completely understand the disconnect between fun knitting and fun wearing. My favorite sweaters are pretty plain. Although fancy texture or wild colorwork is fun, it doesn’t get worn. You may want to rethink the SHAPES of the sweaters you choose to make. Do you think you would like wearing Rogue?
kathy
I’ve started thinking the same way about my knitting Ivete. I spent a huge amount of time making an aran that looks horrible on me, and it make me realize that it isn’t just the process that I should enjoy – I want to be able to wear what I make too!
Kerstin
I’m with Claudia. The plainer, the better. Unfortunately, they aren’t the most fun to knit. The sweaters that look best on me are teeny-tiny gauge that I couldn’t possibly achieve by handknitting. I’ve started giving all my sweaters a good look and measuring the ones I like the best. Definitely worth taking the time as I’m finding my favorites to be pretty consistent. Little ribbing, lots of waist shaping. High neck or low neck but not crew neck. You get the picture. Finish up the sweaters you’ve started and donate them. That way you get the satisfaction of completion AND you’ll make some sweaterless people very happy.
Rob
February 12, 2004
Hi,
Just found your blog. I agree with the problems in making something that looks good on. I have gotten very picky about armholes, shaping and necklines — which means I have started tweaking every pattern I do. It is much more satisfying that way. It also means that I have started using finer gauges, most of the time, though I just finished Knitter’s Round Trip with Noro Shinano, which I think I got to 4.5 or 5 per inch. I have started collecting, and modifying, DK and sport weight patterns. And noting, and appreciating, designers who actually work to SHAPE their garments! By the way, what’s SOA?