Having gotten in the habit of exploiting the Brooklyn Public Library's decent collection of knitting books, I was perusing the list of holdings on the website and lo and behold... how could I have ever missed this gem? Look:
If you flip through the preview pages on Amazon, you will see pictures of a mom and daughter and their dog, and they are all wearing the same fur! Wonder how that smells in the rain? I must admit, this book disturbs me. Still, you have to respect the spirit of conservation that seems to be embodied here.
Pattern: Minisweater (aka Boobholder), free from Glampyre
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, Spruce and Tahiti Teal, 1 skein each
Needles: US 9 24" circulars
Recipient: yours trooly
Notes: What an entertaining pattern! I'll definitely wear this once spring rolls 'round. I modified the pattern a little to reduce the poofiness of the shoulders, doing a little less than 1/2 the increases on the sleeve. If you would like to make the same modifications, you needn't be too precise, just do about half what the pattern recommends.
I don't yet have a proper fastener - a yarn needle sufficed for the photos but I imagine a button at some point.
Here's the full (in a manner of speaking) frontal shot:
Related Entries:
Like a Madwoman
Those of you who have been reading for a while will remember that, last summer, while working at Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions, I had an amazing opportunity to work on a petition for executive clemency for Darnell Williams, whose execution was scheduled for July 5. In the weeks leading up to the execution date, a film crew from A&E shadowed Darnell's lawyer, Juliet Yackel, Darnell, and, sometimes, us. The result of that effort is Countdown to an Execution, a one-hour documentary film that is scheduled to run on A&E on March 16, 8PM EST.
On Thursday, March 10 at 7PM, however, there will be a screening at NYU School of Law's Vanderbilt Hall* followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers, Juliet, me, and probably a professor who will give a broader perspective on the role of executive clemency. While the film focuses on Darnell and Juliet and not really us students, I would be thrilled to share this story with you (and I am told that I'm the only student who gets to speak in the film :-) ). Juliet was named 2004 Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by the Indiana Bar Association for her work on this case. The screening is open to the public, so if you're in NYC and can make it, please come. There will also be another screening on March 8, but I'm not sure of the details on that one.
And if you can't make it, I encourage you to tune in to A&E at 8PM EST on March 16!
THE CAVEAT is that I haven't yet seen the film. I'm hoping to get a copy in a few days, so if it's crappy I'll consider revoking this invitation ;-).
I'll post a reminder closer to the date of both events, so check back in case anything changes.
* Vanderbilt Hall is on the corner of MacDougal and W. 4th St., across from Washington Square Park. Take the A,C,E,F,V,B, or D trains to W. 4th and walk East from there.
Pattern: Best Friend Dolls from Interweave Knits, Summer '02 with pattern corrections
Yarn: Various - Peruvian Collection Highland Wool, Peruvian Collection Pure Alpaca, School Products Cashmere, Lamb's Pride Worsted
Needles: US 5 DPNs
Recipient: Unknown (Public Interest Auction?)
Notes: Ani: she's cute and badass at the same time. As I mentioned in a previous post, Ms. DollFranco is so named because of her unintentional yet striking resemblance to Ani DiFranco, circa Dilate. I'm still looking for a little guitar for her and thinking of embroidering some tats or a Righteous Babe logo on her sweater! I'll post any of those updates later. Still trying to decide what I'll do with her - either put her up for the NYU Law Public Interest Auction later this week or send her to my five-year old niece, Lorin. Anyhoo, the pattern was pretty fun - I imagine it would be a good project for anyone just starting to learn how to use DPNs for smaller work.
Note that in these photos I have, in a slackerly manner, not taken care of her loose ends. Sorry!
Here's a stand-up shot:
I CANNOT believe I actually bought yarn for this project. So little was used! I definitely could have gotten by on scraps, and indeed, her hair and sweater are made of scrap yarn. Still, the Highland Wool was pleasant to work with. I can't say the same for the Pure Alpaca, though - I would NOT recommend this yarn to anyone who's annoyed by splitting.
My one beef with the pattern: check all these ends to be woven in!
Of course this is to be anticipated for such a small project with so many parts. There are just as many ends to be woven in her sweater as in a full-sized sweater. I should really learn to love weaving, but I don't.
This pattern can really produce some uber-cute dolls, much cuter actually than those pictured in the magazine! Thank you, James, for the lead!
Related Entries:
Yarn Purchases & Plans
BFF
Nudity Alert
Please, someone, teach me how to crochet*, so I can make one of these for my sweetheart. [via Midnight Knitter]
* but please don't do it until I've scratched off some of the jillions of projects already on the docket. thanks.
Thimble got me all inspired to head down to the Salvation Army to seek out sweaters to recycle. Three candidates volunteered themselves, and here they be (with Inspector Moses):
The apricot one in the center was a rayon-cotton blend that was HUGE and lovely, but I soon discovered its seams were serged and the yarn therefore, sadly, unusable. Lesson: check for serged seams before you get suckered in by an orphaned sweater.
The magenta sweater was $3, and is made with a cool ribbon yarn, 65% acrylic and 35% nylon. The cream sweater is really my prize. It was a little steep at $5, but was a biggish, sparkly French Connection sweater made of 63% acrylic, 19% mohair, 10% angora, 5% polyester, and 3% metallic. Each sweater produced about 12 oz. of yarn. If you're interested in doing the recycling thing to the max, here's a fantastic detailed tutorial my pal Carrie Grunion recommends. Here's, on the other hand, the lazy way: First I cut the seams of each sweater, taking care not to cut the yarn, separating each into its separate panels. Then it's just unravelling till you're blue in the face. Here are the results:
The ribbon yarn is rather curly, so I'm going to try to steam it before winding it into balls:
Four balls of sparkly yarn:
Closeup of Sparkly McGee:
All in all, recycling yarn is probably a worthwhile pursuit, particularly if you're on a budget. I'm so excited to use Sparkly McGee! At the same time, however, it was quite time consuming and, boy, does my arm hurt.
Does anyone have any experience working with these two yarns?
Karabella Frost
Dalegarn Svale
I'm trying to decide between them for a Honeymoon Cami. Intuitively, the cotton-based Svale seems more appropriate for a summer garment, but the Frost is so uber luxurious it's hard to resist and perhaps the silk and viscose will balance it out the cashmere re: coolness. If you have ideas about this, or other reviews of either yarn, please share!
Well y'all, you're officially cool. Style.com says one of the hottest fashion trends for Spring '05 is handicraft. [via Creazativity]
Sarah, all this macrame reminds me of you! It's a compliment. I think.
It's unclear exactly what happened to me this weekend, except that Chris was out of town, and I became possessed by a pattern... must... make... this... sweater...
Lo and behold, it's done. Here's a peek:
A full post is forthcoming, after blocking.
Here she is so far...
My friend Sarah pointed out that with her hair down, she really looks like Ani diFranco, circa Dilate. So I'm calling her Ani DollFranco.
Next on the agenda for the Public Interest Auction? Perhaps a Dean Ricki Revesz doll - he has the hair for it...
I just cast on for a Best Friend Doll, to be donated to the NYU Public Interest Auction next week. I found a few more examples for inspiration...
Corrina - This one, by Poor Miss Finch, is probably my favorite.
L'il Jen - strangely lifelike
Eva - this one has a bigger wardrobe than I do!
I got tagged, finally! No one tagged me w. the music meme, but the lovely and talented Yifaa AND the lovely and smart SmartCard lady Hilari both graciously pegged me on this one (thanks! I feel loved now!) Of course, there are reasons why I'm not the best candidate for the...
TV Meme
1. How much space is left on your TIVO or Comcast box?
Weeeell, I suppose now is the time to say I don't really have TV, much less TIVO. A year or so ago Chris and I received a TV which we keep in the closet and roll out for DVDs, but we don't get "channels," in the parlance of our times.
2. Have you ever bought a DVD of a tv series and if so which one?
No, but we have a bunch of VHS tapes of Woody Allen movies.
3. What was the last tv show you watched before reading this message ?
Taxi. I saw this episode where Latke hilariously bakes cocaine into a batch of cookies and feeds them to the Taxi crew. The hilarious denoument of the episode ends with Latke and the rest of the Taxi crew hilariously going through withdrawal. Ah, 1980. Did you realize Tony Danza has not aged at all? Freaky.
4. List five shows you won't miss:
I pretty much miss them all, but under different circumstances I'm pretty sure I could put The Simpsons and Days of Our Lives (fondly known in our household as "Dool") somewhere on that list.
5. Three peeps to pass this on to?
Vanessa, Andrea, and Sandra.
My friend Jimmy, who loves babies and used to regularly check the Mt. Sinai Virtual Nursery until they, er, password-protected it, introduced me today to the Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager. Here's the official explanation of what it does:
"An interactive portrait of America's name choices. Start with a "sea" of nearly 5000 names. Type a letter, and you'll zoom in to focus on how that initial has been used over the past century. Then type a few more letters, or a name. Each stripe is a timeline of one name, its width reflecting the name's changing popularity. If a name intrigues you, click on its stripe for a closer look."
You will spend more time than you think playing with this thingamadoodle, regardless of whether there are children in your future. You will look up your name, your grandparents' names, your pets' names, the name of your nemesis.
Who knew, except maybe Wil Wheaton, that people started naming their children "Ryker" in the '90s, or that "Pink" was a boys' name in the early 20th century? It's also fascinating to see which old-timey names have come back in the 2000s wave of retro names, and which haven't. Ella, Isabel, Daisy, Grace, and Oscar have come back, but not Violet, Eva, Harry, Hazel, or Leta.
Thank you sooooo much for feeding the stash monster, KnitPicks. I am comforted by knowing that only 1/5 of this yarn belongs to me.
Hey, did you see Spun Magazine has launched?
A few of my favorite shots from "The Gates":
Click here to see all today's shots of The Gates.
Oh, and here's the one where we saw Jeanne-Claude and Christo (J-C is in the burgundy legwarmers)!
I am not an arty person, mind you, just a layperson. That said, thoughts:
Positives: The sheer magnitude of the installation was impressive; even more impressive is the fact that Central Park is so huge that, at points during our walk, no gates were in sight. The Gates also highlight the terrain of the park magnificently, different elevations, etc.. The contrast of the saffron gates against the bleakness of the park on a rainy / sleety day like today was stunning - absolutely made the whole thing worthwhile. The park itself was stunning too - half frozen lake, browns and greys and whites, cold birds.
The whole affair reminded me of something people who know me have heard a million times. When I lived in England, I knew, surprisingly, about 10-15 Finnish people. Every Finnish person I knew owned a piece of orange clothing, usually pants. I once asked a friend about this, and she told me she kept orange clothes around to wear in the winter, when there was only an hour or two of daylight. Putting her orange pants on made her happy. The Gates was kinda like that.
And it was even, oddly, romantic.
Critiques: Think: construction cones.
Interestingly, the installation has been criticized for being authoritarian (despite the fact that the artists insist they have no meaning). I can see where this comes from, but honestly the anarchic, random movement of the fabric with the wind says more to me that there's balance there, between the authoritarian and the anarchic.
My rough-and-ready assessment: go see The Gates if you're in New York. Even if you don't like it, the park in winter is an underrated gem.
Pattern: Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts (w. pattern corrections for 1st edition)
Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha, 7 balls @ 50g each
Needles: 29" US 7 circulars, 12" US 7 circulars
Knit-Along: Hourglass Knit-Along
Recipient: me
Notes: So here it is, the famous first sweater. For a first effort it is, I think, not bad, and I do think I'll wear it. It's soft and comfortable, and has enough drape to be classy when called upon. Sorry again for the just-rolled-out-of-bed look, I keep trying to justify it by saying I'd just rolled out of bed, and I had, but those who know me probably realize I always look this way a little (i.e., unkempt - it drives my grandma crazy). A few thoughts:
(1) The finishing was torture! Worse than hangnails. The sweater is knit with hems that must be sewn down during finishing. The hem at the neck opening is comprised of live stitches, meaning you have to sew down every single stitch in a straight line. Fig and Plum to hems: you suck.
(2) The pattern is relaxing or dull, depending on one's mood. There's a whole lotta stockinette going on.
(3) Yes, the neck opening is wide, as many who've made this pattern have noted. I left mine wide because I don't mind it; don't mind wearing a tank under, and my chest is modest (trying to be generous to myself here) enough that I can go without a bra, or can wear one with straps that don't scream "BRA!!!!". Some people who've made this have added a few extra rows to the neck to avoid, as it is sometimes called, the "Flashdance" look.
(4) Lots of people who've made an h-glass have run out of yarn or come really damned close. I didn't, obv - I used 7 x 50g=350g (UK balls), and the pattern calls for 8 x 40g=320g. If you're buying from the US (I got mine from a UK seller on eBay), save yourself a headache and buy one more ball than the pattern recommends.
(5) I've heard Cash Iroha is being discontinued. Some people hated knitting with it, and I get their point about weak spots in the yarn. I still really loved using it, and I love the feel of the finished garment. So do what you will, but if you want Cash Iroha, order it soon.
A few more photos:
Closeup of sleeves (which are a bit long)
The raglan line
Pattern: Nakiska (Knitty)
Yarn: School Products Cashmere
Needles: US 5, 16" circular (calls for 12")
Notes: This, my first cable pattern, made probably almost a year ago, was a bust since I made the wrong size. For some reason I thought kids M/L would be a good idea, without even measuring my head. It's a leeeetle bit snug. Didn't feel like calling in the frog... Any peanut heads out there want a nice, soft headband?
Hey dyers / spinners, Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk is on sale at Purl. Do you think the white would take dye? I've heard true whites can be harder to work with than natural whites. Opinions?
Pattern: Exotic Tank (free!)
Yarn: Phildar Exotic, 2 skeins
Needles: US 11 straight needles
Notions: two buttons
Recipient: The Very Charming Miss Lorin
Notes: Doesn't this just make you long for summer? I finished this project, er, probably last June. My sis sent me a photo of my charming now-5-year-old niece, but I was waiting until I got a scanner, then finally just gave up and photographed the photograph with my digital (hence, the weird photo quality). ANYHOO. This free pattern from Kerrie's place was tons o' fun! Not only do I owe Kerrie for the fun pattern, and my sister for the photo, I owe Nipper from Nipperknits for the yarn trade that made the tank possible.
Speaking of the yarn, it's been discontinued. But any flat ribbon yarn of similar gauge should work, like Crystal Palace Deco Ribbon, for one.
AND speaking of Nipper, she made a gorgeous grown-up version of this pattern.
Pattern: Voodoo Wristwarmers from Knitty
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, 1 skein, Color #095
Needles: US 5 DPNs
Recipient: Yours Truly
Notes: Can you believe these were my first pattern using DPNs, and I'm just now putting them up? I think I started these sometime in 2003, set them aside for a looong while, and finished them during jury duty in September 2004. The pattern was dull, but the thumbhole was educational, at least.
Many of us believe knitting can be a radical act: now the UK Guardian knows it too - "Political Protest Turns to the Radical Art of Knitting". The article includes the free pattern for a hand grenade purse from Cast Off. [link via Gidget Casts On]
God, I love The Guardian - when will we have one in America? There's always the Indy.
I'll admit progress shots don't usually send me, but I want to share this one with you because it's my first aran cable, and I'm in love with it. It's the first 3" of the Aran Hot Water Bottle Cover from Summer '02 Interweave Knits. Slow going, but so entertaining compared to the stockinette wasteland of the Hourglass sweater (photos tomorrow), which had me in fits by the end. Yes, it's true: fits!
I have never exactly used a hot water bottle, but, much like the case with iPod covers, a cool accessory is enough to get some easily-swayed people (like me) hooked on the thing itself. Anyway, it seems like a good idea.
In other news, The Gates open tomorrow in Central Park!
Resist. RESIST! Those enablers at Knitter's Review ran an article about the new KnitPicks yarn lines today. I'll admit I have already ordered some of these yarns for the Kool-Aid dyeing experiment into which I've dragged my friends Dena, Sue, and Jenny Narcoleptikov. We got some plain ol' Wool of the Andes, some Andean Silk, and one skein of Elegance. If all goes well with the Elegance, which is 30% silk and 70% Baby Alpaca, I may order more to dye and make into a Clapotis. Though Elegance does seem a little fuzzy, and I have to admit I'd much rather order some of this droolworthy 50/50 Silk Merino from Mystical Creations Yarns, it's worth a shot!
Things have improved from yesterday (thanks everyone for your words of encouragement!), or shall I say the small hours of this morning, when I got home from school. It was just one of those days when I had so much to do that I could not afford to pry myself out of the building and spend an hour on the train before exhausting every wee bit of productive energy. It was one of those days when the security guards looked at me on the way out like "these law students are completely insane, do they ever go home," even though I almost never do that.
Oh, and in homage to the now-defunct-but-periodically-resurrected webzine Beef: The Meat, here's my early-Valentine's Day Valentine to you Fig and Plum readers, and especially to my Partner in Beefy Crime, Joy Olivia:
Courtesy of HipsterCards.com, where you can get all those valentines with naked butts on them that you can't find down at RiteAid. [via Awful Cufflinks]
I am still at school. I have been at school since 8:45 this morning. I will remain at school for the foreseeable future. I will return to school tomorrow at 8:45 in the morning.
My contacts are killing me, and I'm tired. Bleeeeeh.
Dear NY Post,
Everyone I know seems to be in the Post these days but me (or, alternatively, in Glamour magazine). What am I doing wrong? Should I display more decolletage? Please advise.Love,
Jessica
On p. 44 of yesterday's NY Post, if you can get your hands on it, there is a HUUUUGGGEE, we're talkin', J.Lo-in-the-Post-sized HUGE photo of Matt doing his schtick accompanying this article on The Rejection Show!
I have an extra 128MB SanDisk SmartMedia card, purchased for $60 just before the Big RNC Camera Disaster of 2004 (RIP Olympus Camedia) and used just once, that I'd like to get rid of. Do you need it? E-mail me with any reasonable offers or trades. I might even throw in some yarn from the stash, for the right deal :-).
For the insatiably curious, here's an update on my boot dilemma of a couple of weeks ago, about which many of you so stylishly weighed in. So I'll admit now the boot thing was a whim in the face of a coming snowstorm. I ended up ordering the Bear, and they came, and while they were both cool and badass, I felt, wearing them... sort of... sort of like a person driving a Ford Expedition (with cattle guards) in Manhattan. Clearly they were way, way more than a New Yorker really needs in the snow. So naturally, as an alternative, I ended up exchanging them for the coolest sneaks, in my opinion, ever!
I smell a project coming on! Lately I've become interested in learning to hand-dye my own yarn. I'm thinking of (a) taking a yarn dyeing class at Church of Craft next weekend and/or (b) trying kool-aid dyeing at home (or rather at the home of someone i know who has a microwave AHEM who's stepping up?).
In the spirit of self-education, here are some links I dug up on hand-dyeing. The majority of good resources out there are for kool-aid dyeing, but my sense is that the process with other dyes is roughly similar.
Example 1
Example 2 (kool-aid and cake dyes)
Example 3
Do you have experience with hand-dyeing with kool-aid or normal dyes? Have good resources to share? Please post them, svp!
