(no subject)
Jun. 5th, 2008 10:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
labellementeuseSo there's been a lot of blahblah UNIVERSITY STRESS blah blah HOLY SHIT YW FIC DUE IN APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES blahblah THANK GOD FOR EXTENSIONS blahblah PAID WORK blahblah NO FREE TIME ARGH ARGH ARGH blahblah *KILL EVERYONE* blahblah HAVE PSYCHOTIC BREAK AND WATCH THE X-FILES S1. Also, a bunch of knitting, which turns out to be a GREAT way of procrastinating since a)you feel productive and b) you can do it while, for e.g., watching Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny want to believe, but c) you can't knit and do anything productive for your education. Knitting and reading is very hard!
Seriously tragically, I think my ancient (ANCIENT) digicam finally died, so I can't show you gorgeous pictures of my fabulous knitting (or even budget pictures of my lame knitting, since I also can't find the USB cord that connects my phone to my laptop.) However! I knit a pair of Labour-red fingerless mitts for a friend who just turned 21; knit to this pattern, but flat. I've used it before but knit in chunky yarn, 2x2 ribbing instead of 4x2. This was convenient because it makes for easy pattern modification, but I think that the end product is a lot nicer with the out-of-proportion rib; the 2x2 mitts the garter side of the rib really stretches and looks kind of un-nice. I really like the originals and the new red ones, though, so I'm calling it a win (and I kinda wanna make myself a pair. Trouble is I knit them in acrylic because the colour was perfect for what I wanted to do and acrylic was cheap. I still like the colour a LOT but I don't know if I should knit in acrylic! I feel like only downmarket knitters knit in artificial fibres! Will I ever escape my pretentiousness?!)
In-progress right now: a green feather and fan scarf for my friend Meg, which I'm about half-way through. I was going to just knit it with one skein, but it's a bit short, so I bought another skein and now I'm all conflicted: on the one hand, I could knit a pair of mitts to go with the scarf and then use the remaining yarn to finish the scarf, or I could just use the whole lot to finish the scarf. The latter is good because I don't have to worry about putting the scarf aside and I know that the scarf will be long enough. On the other hand, what if the scarf is then TOO LONG and heavy? I personally love a long scarf but the yarn is quite heavy so I just don't know! Self-doubts about this one: it's my first time knitting lacework and while I'm finding it fun and challenging and I think it looks great, I worry whether or not I picked the right yarn - I used a really ordinary, reasonably think yarn and all the projects on ravelry look so delicate and drapey that I'm wondering whether I should have picked something silkier or something. Oh well, it's warm and if it doesn't look all elaborately lacy the pattern gives it a really beautiful texture. And who knows how it will look after I block it? It'll be my first time blocking and I'm quite excited to see how it'll affect the FO!
AND FINALLY: I left a needle in a friend's car the other day so I can't work on the scarf, so I decided to use the red yarn left over from the mitts to make an Amelia Earhart cap. I love the look of this hat and it's knitting up really well in the yarn, looks great, and it's a super-relaxing knit (although you definitely have to take the pattern with you), my first project with short rows. I really wish I could show y'all this because it looks wonderful! I did some seat-of-my-pants modifying. It recommends worsted on 5mm and I'm knitting in DK on 3.75mm and... not altering the pattern at all. Chiefly because I'm too lazy to swatch and find out how it's going to affect size (but I have a small head to start off with and I like a firm hat); reading some of the stuff on Ravelry about the pattern suggested that it produced a large hat, too, so I think I made a good decision. We'll see how it turns out! If it's teeny-tiny I'm sure I know someone with a small head :P
Seriously tragically, I think my ancient (ANCIENT) digicam finally died, so I can't show you gorgeous pictures of my fabulous knitting (or even budget pictures of my lame knitting, since I also can't find the USB cord that connects my phone to my laptop.) However! I knit a pair of Labour-red fingerless mitts for a friend who just turned 21; knit to this pattern, but flat. I've used it before but knit in chunky yarn, 2x2 ribbing instead of 4x2. This was convenient because it makes for easy pattern modification, but I think that the end product is a lot nicer with the out-of-proportion rib; the 2x2 mitts the garter side of the rib really stretches and looks kind of un-nice. I really like the originals and the new red ones, though, so I'm calling it a win (and I kinda wanna make myself a pair. Trouble is I knit them in acrylic because the colour was perfect for what I wanted to do and acrylic was cheap. I still like the colour a LOT but I don't know if I should knit in acrylic! I feel like only downmarket knitters knit in artificial fibres! Will I ever escape my pretentiousness?!)
In-progress right now: a green feather and fan scarf for my friend Meg, which I'm about half-way through. I was going to just knit it with one skein, but it's a bit short, so I bought another skein and now I'm all conflicted: on the one hand, I could knit a pair of mitts to go with the scarf and then use the remaining yarn to finish the scarf, or I could just use the whole lot to finish the scarf. The latter is good because I don't have to worry about putting the scarf aside and I know that the scarf will be long enough. On the other hand, what if the scarf is then TOO LONG and heavy? I personally love a long scarf but the yarn is quite heavy so I just don't know! Self-doubts about this one: it's my first time knitting lacework and while I'm finding it fun and challenging and I think it looks great, I worry whether or not I picked the right yarn - I used a really ordinary, reasonably think yarn and all the projects on ravelry look so delicate and drapey that I'm wondering whether I should have picked something silkier or something. Oh well, it's warm and if it doesn't look all elaborately lacy the pattern gives it a really beautiful texture. And who knows how it will look after I block it? It'll be my first time blocking and I'm quite excited to see how it'll affect the FO!
AND FINALLY: I left a needle in a friend's car the other day so I can't work on the scarf, so I decided to use the red yarn left over from the mitts to make an Amelia Earhart cap. I love the look of this hat and it's knitting up really well in the yarn, looks great, and it's a super-relaxing knit (although you definitely have to take the pattern with you), my first project with short rows. I really wish I could show y'all this because it looks wonderful! I did some seat-of-my-pants modifying. It recommends worsted on 5mm and I'm knitting in DK on 3.75mm and... not altering the pattern at all. Chiefly because I'm too lazy to swatch and find out how it's going to affect size (but I have a small head to start off with and I like a firm hat); reading some of the stuff on Ravelry about the pattern suggested that it produced a large hat, too, so I think I made a good decision. We'll see how it turns out! If it's teeny-tiny I'm sure I know someone with a small head :P
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 01:39 am (UTC)THAT HAT LOOKS SO CUTE. What color are you knitting it in? I really want a picture when you're done! D:>
no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 11:38 am (UTC)In red! :D I'm excited about it too.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 10:42 am (UTC)AND THAT SCARF IS AWESOME. i love the choice of yarn for it, and the colour is amazing! rule of thumb i've heard for scarves is that the length of the scarf should be about the height of the person, or about 1.5m-ish, to give enough length to wrap around the neck. of course, there are all sizes and types of scarves, but if you're worried about how heavy it might be etc, i think if you don't go too far over 1.5 there shouldn't be any problems. :)
i can't wait to see Amelia!!! you are so much more adventurous than me. XD and quick! i only have one more project to go, due next thursday, and then i'm free! yay!
do you have choir over the holidays? even if you do, we should have knitting-and-dvds at some point. i think rachel has offered to have a "knitting field trip" to her place one day, because she has a lush bigscreen tv and lots and lots of dvds. :D
i've been knitting Tas a headband with the leftovers from her glovethingies - it has a cable! i am SO FREAKING IN LOVE WITH CABLES. i know want to put a cable on everything. XD
!!!!knittingsqueee!!!!
gawddamn i need a knitting icon!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-06 11:43 am (UTC)THANK YOU. I do feel good about it because I know the person I've decided to give it to will love it, but you know, there's doubt, so thanks for the encouragement! :D
The Amelia is SO much fun to knit, I really really recommend her, the problem is that she is DEFINITELY too small. I think I'm going to knit right up until cast off and double check that it's not going to stretch enough, but yeah, I think I'm going to end up frogging her and knitting her at a higher gauge. Sigh.
Definitely keen on knitting and dvd's especially now that I know I can totally pay attention to both knitting AND telly. :D I so want to learn cabling because it looks so great - do you have a proper cable needle?
no subject
Date: 2008-06-07 02:00 am (UTC)bah, gauge, thats how it works sometimes. maybe look through the projects of amelia and see if there are any done in DK already with the modifications written in? i love finding them! XD
knitting and tv is great, knitting and reading, a wee bit harder. :P one day, i dream... imagine the knitting/reading time we'd have!