Designing More Knitting: Tree Greens

Tree - The Original Photo

Following what I did many moons ago, in Photoshop, I turned this photo into stained glass using the texture tool:

Tree as stained glass

Color was sucked out of some of the panes with the dropper tool.  These were then painted into a new file:

Tree Palette

The next step is to find yarns with similar colors.  Oh, and decide what I am going to knit with them.  I’m thinking something modular as I still have a freestyle project ongoing.  Hmmm.

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As always photos are Copyright © 2008 CDavies.

FO Friday: Fluttery Top

Fluttery Top

Pattern: Fluttery Top/Camellia by Kate Gilbert (Ravel it), heavily modified to be knit top down.
Source: Make It Modern (Classic Elite Yarns)
Materials: Cotton Bam Boo (Classic Elite Yarns)
Amount: 6 balls (~780 yards)
Needles: US 2.50 mm 
Start Date: 8 June 2008
Finish Date: 2 August 2008

Comments

So this is the project that broke the proverbial camel’s back and convinced me that I should never even think about following a pattern again.  I shall take ideas from patterns while prepared to modify everything to fit my knitting.  Additionally, I discovered that lace patterns are ridiculously hard to turn upside down.  In fact, I could not do it and ended up kniting the bottom lace pattern upwards and joining it with the top which was knit downwards.  It is a very good thing I like to kitchener!

After blocking, it is a about a half - one inch too wide on each side of the shoulders.  If it was a bit narrower the sleeves would fit like sleeve caps rather than just hanging there fluttering. Oh, hum. In addition, for a slightly better fit, I probably should have put in breast darts. 

On photography: After talking to my friend and photography mentor, Keith, I took this picture using a tripod with the camera on self timer.  The great thing about my camera is that the LCD monitor is on the top and swivels right round.  So I could see what I was taking a picture of before pressing the shutter.

WIP Wednesday: Training for Ravelympics

Luscious Yarn

I decided a few months ago that I had to knit a pair of socks, just so I can say I’ve done it and move on.  Socks appear to be the only knitting that I have not tried.  I lacked enthusiasm for knitting socks because:

1. Sock knitting requires tiny needles and so would I end up knitting with 0000 to obtain gauge?
2. Most sock yarn contain wool of some variety, which I cannot wear next to my skin
3. Abundant ideas and plans for what to knit next without adding more

These issues now seem irrelevant.  I shall knit socks despite these issues.  It shall be my Olympic challenge for 2008.  My determination was strengthened when I found out about Ravelympics, a challenge to knit something from start to finish in the two weeks of the summer Olympics.  A spin-off of the winter Olympics challenge that was founded by the Yarn Harlot; for Ravelympics you cast on at the opening ceremony (8 pm Bejing time August 8th) and try to finish by the end of the closing ceremony (11.59 pm Bejing Time August 24th).  Lacking TV reception, it seemed pointless to participate as the point seemed to be an armchair athlete with needles.  Fortunately, I can participate in the Ravelympics without actually watching the games, an added benefit since I will be away next week, singing and dancing, at the Southern Week of Ashokan’s Fiddle and Dance Camps.

My Ravelympic event, the Sock Put,  allows me to knit any pair or style of socks I chose.  In my case they will be from the toe up, one at a time.  I was thinking of trying two at a time, but most instructions give the impression that this means working a few rows on each sock at a time and then moving to the next sock.  Additionally, this requires buying 40″ circular needles between now and Friday am.  I can still change my mind - I have two days.

For my first socks, as I am unable to follow only one set of instructions,  I am blending:

• Judy’s Magic Cast On
• Universal Toe Up Formula, both in Knitty;
• Ann Budd’s Working from the Toe Up Socks (Rav) from Interweave Press,
• Two at a Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes (Rav)
• Two At Once, Toe Up Sock Pattern from Knit Picks.

Choosing the yarn was the easy part.  I have long admired the colors of Ruth’s yarns so when she used one of my favorite flowers, the forget-me-not, to influence her dyeing,  the damage was done (see here). I am now the happy owner of 1 skein of Forget-Me-Not Sock Yarn in merino and nylon.  It is even more gorgeous in real life than in the photo and very soft.  A pleasure to knit too.  I’m in love!

Sock in Training

Oh yeah, like all athletes, I did some training.  After all, I have a small large gauge issue (ha ha).  So, using double points US 1/2.25 mm, I cast on 68 stitches as if starting a sock top down.  I did a cuff, a few rows in stocking stitch and finally a few rows in pattern.  Actually, the pattern may end up being stocking stitch/twisted rib basket stitch pattern as I love yarn in st st .

Once I had my gauge, I duly frogged my training work.  Now I am impatiently waiting for Friday morning to cast on for real.

On other projects:

The shout out for Mystery Stole 4 happened earlier this week.  I have signed up without totally committing to participating.  Sept 5 is four days after the beginning of the school year which may be overwhelming, my first semester at a new college.

Scrumble Saturday: Blue

Blue Flower Scramble

When I started putting my blue freestyle vest together, I was short of pieces, so I knit some more using the Nicky Epstein designs as I had for the Pink Project Scrumbles. So I have flowers as above and leaves:

FO Friday: June’s Washcloth

June's Washcloth

I finished June’s washcloth a little late. I think it will make a great scrubbing washcloth for some one as it has a rough surface.

June Washcloth:

Pattern: Pi Openwork Dishcloth by Liz Knits

Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Cable Cotton color 10

Needles: US 5

Started: June 29 2008

Completed: July 10 2008

Scrumbles Saturday: Putting a Freestyle Design Together

Having made the pink scrumbles, I decided it was time to get back to working on my Blue Vest.  It has been over an year and a half since I first purchased the yarn.  Back then I had an idea what I wanted the vest too look like:

Blue Vest Original Design

On the left is the patterns I found to use in the different scrumbles. This is a knitted only project and I wanted to move away from doing all my scrumbles in even garter or stockingette stitches.  I needed  to find patterns that had a very small repeat. The best have 4 stitches and 4 rows as my scrumbles are typically 8 stitches by 8 or 10 rows.

On the right of the photo is the original sketch. From this sketch and knowing my own measurements, I drew a scale diagram using the squares of my knitting journal (the squares is why I like these as knitting journals):

Diagram of Vest to Scale

Using tissue paper, I cut out the pattern in three portions: two fronts and a back and then stuck them together:

Template for Blue Vest

Once the template is made the scrumbles can be placed on top of the pattern. This is when you realize that you don’t have enough scrumbles:

Blue Vest Scrumbles on Template

Despite the shortage of scrumbles, with mattress stitch and yarn of a similar weight and color to the scrumbles I started joining scrumbles together.  I often use the sewing to stretch out or shorten scrumbles to exaggerate their shapes.  What is nice about mattress stitch it that it can add an extra row of knitting between the scrumbles or it can be invisible if you chose.

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Copyright ©2008 cdavies

WIP Wednesday: Startitus

I have been having a spasm of startitus.  This is partly because slogging through the Fluttery Top is doing my head in.  Yes, I want to finish it so I can wear it but at 10 rows per inch and 8 inches to the bottom…  My startitus is also due to the fact that I am about to travel for two weeks.  I need traveling knitting and something to keep my hands occupied when I am with my family.

Baby Bear Sweater

Saturday Scrumbles: Pink Flowers

Still following ideas from Nicky Epstein’s Signature Scarves, I decide to make my next pink scrumbles based on her roses.

Pink Rose Scrumble

Pink Rose Scrumble 2

Pink Rose Scrumble 3

As I mentioned previously, I knitted these as part of the Pink Project [Ravelry link] started by Prudence Mapstone.  These are now ready to be mailed.

WIP Wednesday: Fluttery Top Still

I can see this project is turning into a slog, even though I am now working in the round having got to below the armholes.  I still have a long way to go to reach the end. My knitting is much smoother now that I am just knitting and I don’t have the purl rows to mess up my gauge.

The bottom third is knitted in the round and looks more even. I wonder if I was just purling it would look as even.  I should try that sometime.

I like knitting from the top down as you can try the project on as you go, which is why it doesn’t have any needles in it currently.  I can also add the sleeves and see what the top looks like.

It is very girly, which is not “me” at all.  I love it despite the cuteness.  A disadvantage of top down is that I now have to slog all the way to the bottom.  At least this top has a pattern at the bottom.  As I failed to alter the neck patterns (which did not seem to matter), I wonder what I will manage for the bottom.  Anyone know how to turn lace patterns upside down?

Just to prove that I am not only knitting the fluttery top, here is June’s dishcloth:

I know it is July and I know I’m behind.  I need more time…

WIP Wednesday: Modifying Fluttery Top

My current knitting is not very exciting. The Fluttery Top is still giving me grief - I finished the sleeves successfully; even though the photo makes it look as if they are different sizes, they are similar:

I started the body as written from the bottom up, except in the round.  After an inch or two, I was struggling - all was not well - in fact, I was majorly messed up. Not only had I twisted my join (I hate it when I do that despite checking a dozen times); the diameter was too large by a third, so instead of the desired 95cm, it was ~125 cm. Aggh.  After screaming and cursing a little I unraveled and decided what to do next.

This is it - I am never ever following a pattern again as I always have to modify.  At a minimum, it is to fit my loose gauge.  So I will take ideas from interesting patterns and adjust it to what I want to knit.

This time I started knitting from the top down, using Barbara Walker’s excellent book (or buy it from Schoolhouse Press).  I have worked the short rows for the back shoulders and have another 3 cm (~9 rows) to work before switching over to start the front.  I am a little worried about the lace edges to the neck, I have tried working them out on paper so that I can knit them upside down to how they are written but until I knit them, I will be uncertain of my success.  It may be case of trial and error.  I know I should knit a sample first before doing the whole top but this is against my nature.  Feet first, pull out of mud patch afterwards, is the way I knit.  I am not so much like this in the lab so perhaps I should put my lab cap on and be more cautious.  I’ll let you know next time, what I do.