Victory!

I finished Mesilla today (minus the embroidery)! HOORAY! I ended up frogging the waistband and adding 2 1/2" to the MC then reknitting the waistband. It was definitely the correct decision because it is now the perfect length for me. I can't wait to tackle the embroidery again once it's dry from its blocking.

In its place, I cast on the Dollar and a Half Cardigan from the Spring 07 Interweave. Loving it so far! It's bound to give me angst at some point, but it's starting off strong, which is always favorable.

The first bmp is nearly complete, so I'd like to finish that off sometime soon. Also the baby wrap cardigan, though I found out the shower is mid-Sept, so I've time yet. It's nearly done though, so I'd like to count it off as another FO.

it might be finished one day

I conquered the neckline on Mesilla and it is now very satisfactory to me. I wish the length of the sweater were the same. When I had originally tried Mesilla on (when I discovered the neckline was probably not going the way it should), I noted it was rather shorter than I'd've liked. This, however, is no fault of the pattern, as it gave measurements.

See, measurements plague me. I possess the type of brain where I must actually measure something out in order for given measurements to mean anything to me. When glancing through a catalog and seeing a skirt I'd like, simply printing that it 23" in length, for example, does nothing for me. Does that mean it hits me at mid-thigh or mid-calf? I need to physically get out a tape measure and see where 23" from my waist hits.

It takes time though. And in knitting, it means having to refigure things if you're not happy with the result.

Normally, I probably would've left it. I am tall and have a long torso, longer legs and arms that are reminiscent of an ape, so I am rather used to my clothes being on the short side. But given how much grief this sweater has already given me, I want it to be something I will wear regularly.

With the striping on the bottom, I think I'll be able to get away with keeping the lower band separate (and not frogging the nearly 30 rows it consists of), adding some rows of the main color (no real plan here other than to use up what I have left of the main color. Even a couple of extra rows will be well-received.), then if I can figure out a way to reattach them without casting both off, I'll do that (unlikely). And failing that (likely), I shall bind off both and seam them together and no one will be any the wiser. It's more fiddly work, but less reknitting, which is why I went this route.

I've since started the bmp socks for Mag. Of course Hubby saw them and wants a pair now too. :/ Corrugated ribbing = teh suck, fyi.

The knitting gods are telling me not to knit Mesilla. I managed to make it out to the LYS last week. Guess what? They had overflowing bins of just about every color of Mission Falls 1820 EXCEPT Merlot. Argh. I was most disappointed. I didn't even buy anything while I was there.

So I ended up ordering online like I was trying to avoid. Yarnmarket carries it and had it in stock, but of course I couldn't justify the shipping costing more than my one little skein of yarn, so I ended up getting two skeins of Rowan cotton for socks. It is the softest yarn I've ever felt.

The yarn arrived today thankfully, so my task this week will be getting Mesilla done.

I've been knitting my Vesper sock yarn using the Jaywalker pattern because I felt justified in starting a new project when Mesilla is being such a bastard.

I got a copy of Favorite Socks the other day. Everyone who knits socks needs this book! There are absolutely gorgeous patterns in there. I love that they run the gamut too. Lace patterns, colorwork patterns, men's patterns, a basic sock that has countless (!!) modifications for sizing, cable patterns. God, just everything. And it's hardback spiral bound, which is genius. I promised myself I wouldn't start anymore socks until I either got one of the pairs I'm currently working on done or finished the other two *main* projects I'm working on done.

In Mesilla news, I finally finished angsting out about it yesterday and ripped back the neckline while Scoot slept. I tried to pick up more stitches on the first go round. I also decided that for the striping, I'd only do three rounds of each color as opposed to the five that are on the waistband and sleeves. I don't think it will look disproportionate at all and I actually think I prefer the smaller stripes. Oh, hindsight! No way am I ripping back the sleeves or bottom though to change the stripes.

I also decided to just straight up do one round of decreases and one round of plain knitting instead of the dec, knit, dec, knit, dec/dec, knit, dec, knit, dec/dec, knit, dec, knit, dec that the pattern says. Two reasons: 1. since I went to only three rounds of each color instead of five, it would've been odd. 2. Eliminating the number of decreases. Even if I'd done dec, knit, dec/dec, knit, dec/dec, knit, dec I think it would've been too many decreases. I'm planning on hopping out to the (notso)LYS tomorrow to get the skein so I can finish this damn thing in time to wear some before summer is gone.

Since I couldn't finish the neckline, I did weave in all ends aside from the neckline ones (in case I need to rip back again...) and started the embroidery this morning. I'm doing a sort of slightly modified daisy stitch for the circles. It's not perfect, but I'm liking the way it's looking. I reckon I'll have the thing blocking by Tuesday provided the neckline does in fact look OK when I'm through with it.

So, surprise, surprise, I'm still a little shy on the second contrasting color even though I'm doing two rounds less. *SIGH* I'm really pissed I have to buy another skein of yarn for less than one round a a couple embroidery stitches. :/ Ah, well, I'll find something to do with the leftover because I really do love this yarn.

I've not posted because I've not been knitting. Mesilla pissed me off enough to make me not touch it for a few days, so I worked hard on the booties because they were due to be given this past Wednesday night. Unfortunately I only got 1 1/2 done, so I brought my friend the one and told her I'd mail the set to her as soon as I've finished. Life this week has been really crazy and not conducive to time for knitting, so that's why I didn't get done.

I still have to frog the neck on Mesilla and go to the yarn store to buy another skein of the color I ran out of. I'm burnt out on the socks I've been knitting for the past few months here and there, so I'm going to start the tulip socks as soon as I have a chance. I need something that will keep my attention and not make me angry.

I did buy a skein of self-striping yarn from a seller on Etsy that is gorgeous; it arrived yesterday, but knitting just a plain pair of socks right now isn't what I want.

I have decided for sure to try out spinning and dyeing. Next time I have some extra money, I'll buy the spinning kit that was recommended to me and add some naked yarn to the Knit Picks order I need to make. I reckon I'll try kool aid dyeing first because it's cheap. I'm sure the dyeing will be very satisfying once I get the hang of it because one of my biggest hangups with self-striping sock yarn is I have a hard time obtaining colorways I like that are affordable. I can't afford to knit $25 pairs of socks all the time. ;)

more Mesilla woes and a question

This shitting pattern! Argh. The freaking neckline pattern is SO off. First of all it doesn't give an exact stitch count, which is annoying as all get out, but that's probably just personal preference. You have to pick up and knit along your cast on edge divided into the back, top left sleeve, front left sleeve, front, front right sleeve, and top right sleeve. Each of these calls for one stitch per cast on stitch or two for three. So there is a relative stitch count.

Then there is the five round repeat after the first contrasting color, just like for the sleeves and bottom band. I am pretty damn sure that something is wrong in this repeat. Round 1 you decrease a total of 8 stitches. Round 2 you knit all stitches. Round 3 you decrease a total of 8 stitches. Round 4 you knit. Round 5 you decrease a total of 8 stitches. Then this repeats twice more with the two consecutive color changes.

Does anyone see the first issue? Rounds 1 and 5 contain decreases and they are supposed to be knit one right after another. That's not very common in patterns, so that could be the mistake. The other thing I'm thinking after looking at the photo with a magnifying glass is that the creator didn't do a FIVE round repeat. The bands of color look a lot slimmer to me than on the sleeves and bottom band. I'm thinking she did only three or four. When all is said and done, there is a total decrease of 72 stitches. For a top that has a squared scoop neck. This is going to end up a flipping turtleneck if I do anymore decreases. I tried it on after the first set of five and the neck was already looking smaller than in the photo.

I see I have two options in how to correct this. I only do half as many decreases, though I'm not sure how that will affect the squaring. However, I think this is the option I will try first. My second option is making the color bands slimmer, which, contrary to what the photo looks like, I'd rather not do. I think in person it will be glaring that the colorbands are slimmer by one or two rows.

So if I decrease the decreases, I think trying a few different things will yield an acceptable result. Maybe knitting two rows between decrease rows and just continuing that regardless of color changes. That will give only a total decrease in stitches of...40 instead of 72. If not that, than perhaps skipping round 1 and going to round 2 for each color change, just continuing a decrease round, a knit round, etc. That will give total decrease of...40 also. Maybe that will actually be the way to go then instead of putting two knit rows, which could potentially alter the shape too much.

Also I have to go BACK to the LYS AGAIN. My SECOND contrasting color ran out today three rounds (and a wee bit of embroidery) before it should've (the aggravating rounds of above...).

I need to knit up some baby bootees too before next week, as I am meeting my expecting friend for dinner. I'd like to break from Mesilla to do this but I am at the point in that bastard now that I don't want to stop.

The question, for anyone out in knitting land reading this, can anyone recommend how to start spinning? I'll be honest and I know next to nothing about it other than it looks fun and relaxing. A book you can recommend? Tools that I'll need to start?

the last skein

I went to the LYS and bought THEIR LAST SKEIN of the color I needed. I also bought some bright pink sock yarn. I can't even remember what kind it is because I have been woefully sick since Friday (actually Thursday, but Friday afternoon was when I began feeling especially poorly). Poor Mesilla has been sitting untouched for days while I've been sleeping in bed and taking care of the baby when he's needed to eat or husband needed a little break. In my getting ill stupor I forgot to ask them to wind my skein of sock yarn. Bugger.

I caught Porter gnawing on my sock and its needles the other day too. Freaking dog.

ARGH

I hate when designers make very stupid mistakes in their patterns. Or, to be fair in case it wasn't the designer, but the person who adapted the pattern into different sizes. Early on in Mesilla I discovered the stitch count for the stitches put on waste yarn for the sleeves was incorrect. It was off by 3 stitches per sleeve, for a total of a 6 stitch difference. That is huge! I feel fortunate that I am intelligent enough to not only have caught it, but to be able to figure out what the eff was going on and not just take the pattern at its word.

Now I'm on the second sleeve and have just looked at what remains of one of my contrasting colors (the most important one) and thought, "Shit." I doubt I'm going to have enough to even complete the sleeve. Nevermind all of the embroidery that needs to be done. Oh, yeah AND THE FREAKING NECKBAND. Argh.

I first doubted my own pattern-reading skills, thinking I mistakenly read one skein instead of two. So I double-checked that first. Are we surprised to find that it is the pattern that is incorrect and not moi? I'm not even certain one more skein will be enough; it will be very close if it is.

My gauge was perfect when I started this, so I know it's not anything I've done. I fortunately had the foresight to purchase an extra skein of my main color, especially since I was debating on nixing one of the contrasting colors and using the main color in its place. It will be used, but only for that reason. I've never purchased extra contrasting color yarn because typically you're left with tons anyway.

Why does this most annoy me? Because I was just at the LYS yesterday. It's not horribly convenient to go to (about 25 minutes away), but at least I'll be near enough it tomorrow that I can stop in. More importantly, we're on such a budget now that I only went in to see and touch all of the pretty yarn and inhale the fumes (I was next door to it already and couldn't stop my feet from going through that door). I showed enormous restraint and didn't. buy. anything. despite everything I wanted to. I'm not sure I can handle that pressure again and buy only my one skein of Mission Falls 1824 cotton. ;)

Mesilla is coming along swimmingly. I buggered up yesterday and forgot one of the decrease rounds, but fortunately caught it only a few rows up and was able to correct it. There's a little gap, but I think it can be corrected in blocking. Just a handful of rounds left until I get to the lower band, which I'm looking forward to as switching colors seems to make knitting go faster. I'm still undecided if I'll make the stripe in MC or just leave it out. I reckon I'll have enough yarn since I did buy an extra ball.

There are SO many sweaters I want to knit, but I am trying to use up some stash first. My next "main" project will be Tulip Socks.

I wouldn't normally have socks as my main project, but since these are stranded with seven colors, they're hardly portable. Plus I want to ensure I've got color-working down (I dunno, I'm just being paranoid because of my one colorwork mishap...) before I make bmp for Mag. I'd hate to gift something that she can't even wear because it's too tight.

I want to take up spinning, but I'm restraining myself for now. I *am* however requesting a ball winder and swift for Christmas this year.

new books!

I've been scouring the internet for just the right baby sweater and I can't seem to find it. The Easter Bunny brought me a Barnes & Noble gift card, so today William and I ventured out there. I bought Simple Knits for Cherished Babies that has a sweater nearly what I wanted, so it will work, plus a couple of other really cute sweaters. I also bought One Skein that has a few cool patterns. I saw about ten other books I wanted, but as I already had to put the balance on my credit card, I refrained.

I did, however, join another bookclub. *shifty* Great news is I got Vogue Stitchionary 3, Mason Dixon Knitting, Knitting Beyond the Edge, Family Knits, and The Best of Vogue Knitting Magazine, which I haven't actually seen (it was at the store today, but I didn't even take it off the shelf), but hello! Vogue knitting patterns; it's certain to have something fab. Anyway, all 5 of those books for $32. Nice. And only have to buy one more within a year. Their titles seem to rotate, so I'm sure something will pop up that I'll want.

I've just joined in the round on Mesilla, so now the actual body begins. I'm not sure I'll have enough yarn. :/ At least I won't get there though until after I get back to work, so I'll have some money to spend at the LYS if I need to go back.

The second baby sock is on the foot now too, so that should be finished by the end of the week.