Frog Cupcakes
I frogged two projects over the weekend.
First, the official Penelope's Got Nothing on Me FUG, a truly hideous Paris Loop in Rowan Cotton Braid:
Next, a teeny little baby vest that my mom started for one of us in the late 70s / early 80s. (I didn't take a "before" photo.)
So I have Frog Cupcakes!
I have no idea what to do with the Cotton Braid. The yarn store swatch was so soft, I let it override my judgement. I can't think of anything to make out of this that wouldn't be ugly...
Apparently the baby vest was made out of the *only* nice yarn that existed at the time. It's a soft, loosely-spun 2-ply sportweight wool with green and burgundy bits. Yummy, and precisely 100g. That leaves the question: what should I do with 100g of sportweight? I'm thinking of using it as an accent with something in burgundy.
And now, my "hey, let's finish some stuff, I need something I can wear in the freakishly cold weather, OOOOH isn't Knitting Nature Awesome, wow, I love Beaverslide Drygoods" series of FOs:
Target Wave Mittens in fisherman weight:
I love the yummy springy natural wool. It's not especially soft, but just fine for mittens. (Their wool/mohair blend and McTaggart Tweeds are much softer.) I used between half and 2/3 of the skein.
Droplet Hat in wool/mohair:
I did this pattern in the round, rather than flat. If you try to do the same, cast on two fewer stitches; there are two extra allowed for seaming. I think, like my Odessa, I'll be giving this one away. I need better ear coverage.
Is it me, or do all the neat hat patterns not cover the ears? I think what I really need is one of those huge squarish hats with the enormous ear flaps. Maybe in some super-girly pattern (like snowflakes on a pink background). I'm liking this idea...
In other news, the Snowflakes and Arrows vest found a new home with my mother-in-law. Will post pics next time I see her.
I also frogged and restarted Tubey #2 in Aurora 8:
I didn't like how it was turning out with the needles I was using, so I switched to size 6s. Tubey #1 is 1/3 done, and has been percolating at the bottom of my project suitcase, but I think I'm going to frog it and start over too. I think I'll want to do that with some cable detail.
I've also been doing a little spinning with the Beaverslide roving in Thimbleberry that my SP7 gave me (on the spindle she gave me too).
I was struggling with the merino at first; it drafts very differently from the blue-faced leicester I learned on (also a gift from her). I had been using the inchworm technique (add twist, secure spindle, draft, repeat), which worked nicely with the BFL. It didn't work so well with the merino; I was getting lumps or "bald spots" (several times it was so bad that the yarn broke), and I wasn't too happy with the results. Then I got bold and tried drafting while the spindle was spinning, and it worked much better. I think the tension on the yarn (from the weight of the spindle) helped me control the draft & pinch better. Yay!
In other news, I have some new toys:
That's several pairs of Swallow brand casein dpns in sizes 3,5,6,7,8,9. I don't know if Swallow doesn't make size 4s (could be a metric conversion thing) or if the vendor just didn't carry them, but I don't use 4s very often anyway. I *love* casein, but I don't like doing small diameter tubes with my Denise set; the cables are a little too stiff, so I get laddering with either the two circs or magic loop techniques. I had bought bamboo dpns for the sleeves of my Zig Zag, but they were too slow & frictioney, so I bought a set of aluminums, and they hurt my hands after a while. So when I started Tubey, I ordered my casein dpns, and they are perfect; not too heavy, not too light, soft, flexible, pretty, and they even smell faintly nice. Yes, I smelled my knitting needles!
On the bottom are a set of freshwater pearl stitch markers from Zero. They are beautiful, REAL pearls, and the vendor will give you an extra set of rings for larger needles or for sock-size needles FOR FREE if you ask. Plus, they're CHEAP. Go buy from this lady; she's great.
The blue pouch is a leather changepurse from Florence that my sister gave me for xmas. With its neat spring closure, it's perfect for holidng my stitch markers and yarn needles (which I am constantly using). Thanks Becky!
First, the official Penelope's Got Nothing on Me FUG, a truly hideous Paris Loop in Rowan Cotton Braid:
Next, a teeny little baby vest that my mom started for one of us in the late 70s / early 80s. (I didn't take a "before" photo.)
So I have Frog Cupcakes!
I have no idea what to do with the Cotton Braid. The yarn store swatch was so soft, I let it override my judgement. I can't think of anything to make out of this that wouldn't be ugly...
Apparently the baby vest was made out of the *only* nice yarn that existed at the time. It's a soft, loosely-spun 2-ply sportweight wool with green and burgundy bits. Yummy, and precisely 100g. That leaves the question: what should I do with 100g of sportweight? I'm thinking of using it as an accent with something in burgundy.
And now, my "hey, let's finish some stuff, I need something I can wear in the freakishly cold weather, OOOOH isn't Knitting Nature Awesome, wow, I love Beaverslide Drygoods" series of FOs:
Target Wave Mittens in fisherman weight:
I love the yummy springy natural wool. It's not especially soft, but just fine for mittens. (Their wool/mohair blend and McTaggart Tweeds are much softer.) I used between half and 2/3 of the skein.
Droplet Hat in wool/mohair:
I did this pattern in the round, rather than flat. If you try to do the same, cast on two fewer stitches; there are two extra allowed for seaming. I think, like my Odessa, I'll be giving this one away. I need better ear coverage.
Is it me, or do all the neat hat patterns not cover the ears? I think what I really need is one of those huge squarish hats with the enormous ear flaps. Maybe in some super-girly pattern (like snowflakes on a pink background). I'm liking this idea...
In other news, the Snowflakes and Arrows vest found a new home with my mother-in-law. Will post pics next time I see her.
I also frogged and restarted Tubey #2 in Aurora 8:
I didn't like how it was turning out with the needles I was using, so I switched to size 6s. Tubey #1 is 1/3 done, and has been percolating at the bottom of my project suitcase, but I think I'm going to frog it and start over too. I think I'll want to do that with some cable detail.
I've also been doing a little spinning with the Beaverslide roving in Thimbleberry that my SP7 gave me (on the spindle she gave me too).
I was struggling with the merino at first; it drafts very differently from the blue-faced leicester I learned on (also a gift from her). I had been using the inchworm technique (add twist, secure spindle, draft, repeat), which worked nicely with the BFL. It didn't work so well with the merino; I was getting lumps or "bald spots" (several times it was so bad that the yarn broke), and I wasn't too happy with the results. Then I got bold and tried drafting while the spindle was spinning, and it worked much better. I think the tension on the yarn (from the weight of the spindle) helped me control the draft & pinch better. Yay!
In other news, I have some new toys:
That's several pairs of Swallow brand casein dpns in sizes 3,5,6,7,8,9. I don't know if Swallow doesn't make size 4s (could be a metric conversion thing) or if the vendor just didn't carry them, but I don't use 4s very often anyway. I *love* casein, but I don't like doing small diameter tubes with my Denise set; the cables are a little too stiff, so I get laddering with either the two circs or magic loop techniques. I had bought bamboo dpns for the sleeves of my Zig Zag, but they were too slow & frictioney, so I bought a set of aluminums, and they hurt my hands after a while. So when I started Tubey, I ordered my casein dpns, and they are perfect; not too heavy, not too light, soft, flexible, pretty, and they even smell faintly nice. Yes, I smelled my knitting needles!
On the bottom are a set of freshwater pearl stitch markers from Zero. They are beautiful, REAL pearls, and the vendor will give you an extra set of rings for larger needles or for sock-size needles FOR FREE if you ask. Plus, they're CHEAP. Go buy from this lady; she's great.
The blue pouch is a leather changepurse from Florence that my sister gave me for xmas. With its neat spring closure, it's perfect for holidng my stitch markers and yarn needles (which I am constantly using). Thanks Becky!
posted by Nadira at Thursday, February 08, 2007
6 Comments:
Frog cupcakes... I love that! I think I might need to make come frog cupcakes of my own :(
Good lord, you've been busy. Go girl!
(we miss you ... )
HI JESS!!! YOU - are the BEST!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the goodies you sent me...and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE reading about your projects (I especially love the latest hat, even if it doesn't cover your ears! I will have pix of my gifts on my blog soon,but couldn't wait to THANK YOU here!
Hi Jess - thanks so much for the info on the yarns. I have to search for a pattern that will be just right for each yarn. Having the correct guage and type of yarn helps alot. I usually take showers, nto baths, so I will save the salts for when I travel - that's when I like to "luxuriate" in a tub! Thanks again! Jody
Hi from Kimberly! NYC was a blast with you. Please check out the Flickr group I created "Knitters Representing in NYC (and Everywhere Else)" when you can. And feel free to add photos or discussions because we want everyone's stories!
Bunny hugs!
=:8
Ah what to do with ugly yarn ... time to donate. Thank goodness there's someone else out there that will knit or crochet with it. ;-) I've got a donation bag almost filled now, LOL.
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