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Well, she’s progressing slowly, but still moving along. I had a bit of a dilemma when I got to the sleeves.  The circular needle I’d been using was just right for knitting back and forth on a cardigan, but it was too short to “magic loop” the sleeve.  So, after trying out a couple of other needles in the stash, and hitting the same brick wall, I remembered the good ol’ Denise needles, and something I’d read a while back about if you needed more than one of a certain size, just put that size tip on one end, and any other size ont he other end.  The actual loops knitted depend on the size needle you actually knit with, not the one they’re coming off of…and, well, as we know, even if it MADE a difference, I’m quite prone to just “shrugging” and moving on.  So - enter “two circs” - like Cat Bordhi teaches so amusingly on YouTube.  I actually learned it from her book years ago, but still enjoy watching her teach.  So, anyway - the sleeve dilemma finally solved, off I went.  I decreased out the seven stitches I added at the armpit for this sweater, because the sleeve looked like it might be rather cavernous, so I just gently eased it away over a few rows, and it seems to have a nice fit now.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to make the sleeves 3/4-length…pretty sure….maybe.

Tags: Cat Bordhi, February sweater, Knitter's Almanac, Pamela Wynne // Add Comment »

…and then I made this hat.

It’s named “Ardelle”and here is the Ravelry Link to the pattern.  Non-Ravelry link here.  Very easy and fast knit. I of course ended up on the wrong side of the street a couple of times, and had to shrug and fudge, but that’s pretty much par for my course.  Only problem I found with bulky yarn is it S H O W S really well when you do that!

So, anyway here’s the specs.

Used my size 9 Denise needles, and made myself a little cable needle out of the short cord and size 8s.  (That is the one thing I absolutely love Denise needles for.  Cable needles and DPNs in a pinch!)

KnitPicks “Swish” Bulky.  I used about 3/4 of a hank for this hat.

The yarn sheds like a cat in the wash, but boy is it soft, and plump, and feels like it will be a nice cozy hat.  The pattern seems to make a hat stretchy enough for a medium size head to a big one, but is of course easily adapted either direction.

Tags: Hat, Yarn, knit hat, knitted cables // Add Comment »

Slowly but surely - she’s getting there.  I still love this yarn,  although it’s got some interesting “splices” in it that spring up when you least expect them. :(  They aren’t “knots” per se, but hard little spliced spots that will act just like a knot, so I’ve had to snip those out and start yarn again in spots where I’d rather not, but after it’s all woven in, hopefully it’s not going to make a difference.  Heaven knows I’ve got my own additions that weren’t planned for to weave in too.

So,  I’m “down to the sleeves” and since they’re knit right on the garment, it doesn’t feel like I’m just knitting a sleeve.  I still have my lap warmer to wrestle with (boy alpaca is WARM!) and the gull-lace is down to a rhythm and is “readable” so it’s a great TV watching project too.

Tags: Elizabeth Zimmermann, February sweater, Knitter's Almanac, Pamela Wynne, Yarn // 1 Comment »

I have had some requests from my granddaughters for panties for their Barbies.  Those tiny little undergarments are tricky to work with because everything’s so LITTLE.  So, after some thought, I came up with a reasonably “easy” method for constructing them…and then made a movie about it!

Patterns used were from here.

Although I failed to mention it in the slideshow, after you’re finished, you peel the stabilizing paper off the little garments.  Here’s the entire slideshow - Sewing Barbie Panties - for the complete step by step - Flickr sort of “abridged” it in the embedded version above.

P.S.  I didn’t make Barbie’s dress.  But a very talented seamstress did.  She’s in her 80s and it’s her hobby.

Tags: Barbie, sewing, video // 3 Comments »

Slowly but surely, it’s gaining length now.  I sure hope I have enough yarn.   It seems like I might have enough… I hope.

Anyway, it’s sure a relaxing knit, and the yarn is sooo soft.

Tags: February sweater, Lace knitting // 1 Comment »