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Our new ISP is still not quite set up properly. We're using the phone company, and while I have great internet access, I keep losing phone service. This is the problem when using a new service. They haven't worked all the bugs out yet.
So I worked quite a bit on the Spring Forward Cardigan yesterday and got a good chuck of the sleeve done. The nice thing about doing sleeves top down is that they get smaller as I go (oh, and I can check length... as I know I'll need to shorten them from the pattern).
Well, no pictures and nothing else much to blog about... a long weekend ahead. Maybe I'll do a little stash cleaning (I'm thinking I may follow Carissa's example and set up a "for sale" page for stuff I know I'll never use). Oh wait, I probably need to be able to post pictures to do that, huh?
Hope everyone in the States has a great and safe holiday weekend!...and Happy Canada Day for our friends up north!
Kristi
Jacq
Lauren
Nicole
Rhonda
Rosie
sUsAn
Theresa
to a seperate page.
Spring Forward Cardigan
Cropped Cardigan Redux
Cable O's Vest
Leisure Arts Sampler Afghan
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Anyway, the Spring Forward has been the focus the last couple of days and it's progressing well. I have both fronts and the back down to the armhole so I'm ready to pick up the sleeves. I do have a picture to prove this... but I obviously can't show it. So you'll just have to believe me.
After the last couple of days of frustration with my crochet projects, it feels good to be back in my comfort zone. Cables. I love cables. I love Janet Szabo's patterns. I love the top down construction. I love the cotton/acrylic yarn. I love the pink color. I'm not sure why I ever get distracted from this project.
Let's hope the sleeves go quickly, and that I don't get bored with the body (once the sleeves are done, I just have miles and miles of the body to work. I'm guessing that will hit the dreaded... "work for hours for 1 inch" phase fairly quickly). I'm not sure how long I'm going to make this... my plan is to go until I use most of the yarn (only need to save enough for the buttonband), but I may decide "cropped" would be better (on my body and my sanity... )
Anyway, I'm jumping ahead of myself here... gotta get those sleeves done first!
Cozy Shawl Collared Aran
Cross Over Top
Denim Socks
Crowing Ram
for the button.
I had ordered some DMC Senso in wool/cotton to make Ida's Favorite Cardigan from Crochet with Style. I love this little cardigan, and this is, at least, my third attempt at finding a yarn for it. (the Delicate Summer Jacket yarn was actually ordered for this, but didn't quite work out). I diligently did up my swatch for Ida and was thrilled that my swatch was exactly on gauge!!! Woo-hoo! So I started the back. The nice thing about crochet is that you get a good chunk done in a short time. I had decided to do the 46" finished size, so my back should measure 23"... right? I mean, my swatch measured 4" so that would make sense. However, my back measures a lovely 25.5". (insert favorite curse word here).
So screw it. I'll never bother with an other official swatch again. I'll do it to see if I like working with the yarn. I'll do it to see how the yarn washes up. I'll do it to practice the stitches... but I will never ever bother to see what my gauge is.
So what's my solution for Ida? Well, I'll probably just go down to a smaller size. I like the fabric I'm getting with the Senso wool/cotton (and this is nice yarn... would knit at about a fingering weight) so I don't want to go down any more in needle size.
So I started a little page for the Project Linus Crochet Sampler Afghan (PLCSA?). I used a wizard to create the page, and I'm not thrilled with it (notice the lack of links?) so I guess I'll have to break down and actually do some coding.... anyway, if you link to it, you'll have to use the "back" button to come back to this page...
Donate to the JDRF Walk For A Cure
The installers were here much much longer than expected. Since they were in and out of the house for most of the day, I decided not to try and tackle the zippered hoodie's hood yesterday. I'll probably try today.
So what did I work on, you may ask. Well, the Spring Forward Cardigan. I got the left (or is it right... I always get confused) side done to the armhole and I've picked up the stitches and started the other side.
Well, that wasn't the only project I worked on yesterday. I did clean up my knitting nest, but of course one day and it's all junked up again (hey, what can I say... I need a lot of projects around me). I also worked on the Project Linus Crochet Sampler. These blocks are great! Small, fast and colorful. I'm going to try to scan the blocks in instead of taking a photo. My scanner can handle the 7" blocks, and I think I'll get a much more accurate representation.
The weather continues to be tropical and I didn't make it to Wegman's yesterday (did I mention that the ISP installation took longer than anyone expected???) so I must go today. Maybe I'll swing by Joann's and get me a pink seperating zipper for my hoodie....
I'll also be doing some site clean up (deleting some archives, etc...
First, let's just say it's hot. We're trying to stay nice and cool in our air conditioned house... but Gena is thinking that maybe a double thick fur coat isn't the way to go...
Matt's new bike arrived on Friday. He's been beaming all weekend. Sadly, he wasn't able to ride it for the races on Saturday (needs to get a few miles on it to be comfortable with it before he races). He had 2 races (a Cat 5 and a Cat 4/5). He's getting close to moving up to Cat 4 and may petition to move up early. Here he is (and you should know that he's the one with the beard).
Today we'll get a new ISP. However, we'll keep the current set up until Matt has it all arranged. Later this week, my comments and tagboards may be down due to the switch over.
Okay, let's talking knitting (and crocheting!).
I was cocky after the success of the Delicate Summer Jacket. However, the shaping on that was very easy. Suzanne (the zippered hoodie), not so much. It has set in sleeves and a hood. I have the back and fronts done and the first sleeve done. I did have to pull back the cap shaping on the sleeve to make the sleeves shorter so I decided to try to tackle the hood. Argh, I keep getting thrown off on the pattern now that I'm at the increase rows. I'll try again today.
I'm about halfway thru the next block on the Leisure Arts Sampler Afghan. I guess I also need to distinguish that it's the knitted afghan, as I've started the Leisure Arts Crochet Sampler, too. I'm actually using two patterns (the 63 blocks and the 63 more blocks patterns) to make it. Right now I'm using up some scrap yarn and making a multicolor afghan, as this one will be going to Project Linus. I had ordered earlier this week some yarn to make me one, too in a single color (not cream... 2 sampler afghans in cream and I need a break!). The blocks are small (only 7" square) and I'm trying to do simple blocks for the Project Linus. They're nice "filler" projects. I guess my version of sock knitting. A good way to play with pattern stitches, mostly mindless and a good project when I need a break from something that's frustrating me (like the zippered hoodie).
I also put a little time into the Cropped Cardigan Redux (still on the first sleeve) and a few rows on the Spring Forward Cardigan.
I have to say that my knitting nest is out of hand again. Too many projects piled up around my chair again. So I'll sort them out to what I'm actually working on and put the rest away.
I'll try to get some pictures today of progress (and hopefully of a hood!) for tomorrow's blog.