Yarn Crawl

Fabric and Yarn Maximization

Yesterday when I came home for lunch and started working on the green/brown wrap top, I discovered that I had cut two right fronts! I didn't have enough fabric left over to cut another one, so the fabric bit the dust. It was a cheapo remnant from Vogue Fabrics and probably only cost me $3 or $4, so no big loss, but I was a little bit annoyed.

I want to make the wrap top (version 2.0) to go with a brown skirt I really like, and so I searched my stash. I have a lot of larger pieces of knit fabric - 3 yards - because I generally like to give myself the most options for garments for each piece I buy. With 3 yards, I can pretty much make any normal length dress I would want to make, even bias cut ones, but I need 4 for a longer bias cut (evening type) dress. I generally buy in 3 yard increments, though. So then the problem becomes that I don't want to cut into any of those 3 yard increments, because I want to "save" them for dresses.

It's similar to the yarn-related problem in which you stash an amount sufficient to make a cabled sweater (about 1300 yards for me) and then hesitate to knit it for a sweater that might only take 800 or 900 yards. Maybe I'm the only one who does/did this. Anyway, I've now managed to get over this on the knitting side - I knit with whatever yarn I feel like from stash, and then give away (or less often, sell on Ravelry) the leftovers. I really have no desire to knit small projects so I know if I wait for that to happen, the yarn will clutter my stash forever and I'd just rather not. My idiosyncracy is your gain!

So on that note, and speaking of leftovers, I found that blue-green variegated skein of Brooks Farm Riata I thought I didn't have, when I was looking for something else in my stash over last weekend- so I am giving that away today as a reward for listening to my ramblings. Leave me a comment on this post about how you manage your stash quantities - i.e., do you wait until you have a project that will maximize the yarn or just knit into the yarn anyway even if it won't use it all up? If you sew, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that as well in a fabric context.

So anyway, I am going to get over this sickness of not wanting to cut into larger pieces of fabric, just as I have on knitting. I have a 3 yard piece of this (a larger remnant I also got at Vogue) which is also a brown print.

It's a little larger of a print than I wanted for the wrap top (I restrained myself from getting online and buying something else! can you believe it?) but I think the white with brown will look fresh and springy and it would probably be a little too Rebecca-of-Sunnybrook-Farm for a whole dress. So I'll probably use the leftovers for a little slip to wear to bed or something - I bought a pattern to make some of those with my 1 yard leftover increments of fabric. I used to buy them at Victoria's Secret, now I can just make my own!

Have a great weekend, and I'll pick the winner randomly from the comments on Monday. Please remember to leave me either your email address (preferred) or blog URL so I can contact you if you win!

Mid-Week Update

I didn't have too much to blog yesterday, so I skipped it. But I do have a lot of things to show today!

First, yesterday I almost finished Panel D - I may have called this by the wrong alphabet letter the other day, but this is the one I started as a mindless panel after working on the more challenging Panel B. I have about 1.5 inches left to go on it. I plan to do one each of A-E and show how one of the four sections will go together. Haven't started A or E yet. A and B are really the only "difficult" ones; B, C and D are all pretty mindless.

I got my Gorgeous Fabrics knit fabric that Jenny gave me a gift certificate to purchase. It is super silky and will make a beautiful dress. I bought four yards to make sure I had enough for a bias cut knit evening/going out dress, if I decided to go that way. And now seeing (and feeling!) the fabric, that is exactly what I'm going to do.

Here it is "artfully draped" over the couch:

and a close-up:

Thanks again, Jenny!

Next up, another birthday gift from my Amazon wish list from Debby, on the new slate coffee table:

This book has so many great charts and ideas in it - I know it will be a great reference for designs down the road. Thanks, Debby!!

Speaking of Debby, we are going to be knitting one of the designs from the French Girl knitting book called Paloma together, once we clear some projects off our respective plates - probably early summer. I ordered the recommended yarn, MerLin, in "Shamrock", as it only needed two (major yardage each) skeins and I figured it would be hard to replicate a merino/linen blend in another yarn.

I really like the feel of this yarn. I wouldn't like knitting with plain linen, but mixed with the merino, it is really pliable and soft.

In sewing news, I woke up early today (5 am), did my workout early, and had enough time to cut out the fabric for another wrap top like the one I showed on Monday - here are all the pieces draped over J.Lo, waiting to be sewn. I swear the most difficult part of sewing is getting up the gumption to lay out and cut out the pattern pieces, so with the help of a little coffee, I knocked this out this morning. I hope to have this sewn up sometime in the next few days.

I also found out that my PB armchair is ready sooner than expected, and will be delivered on Saturday! I'm so excited about that. I hadn't expected to get it until around April, when the rest of my furniture from Dania arrives.

In other happy news, our 10-K (year end annual report) is going to be filed today, so my friendly auditors that live next door are going away after tomorrow. Yay! This is the first year in a while that Jim and I aren't taking off right after the "K" is out, so I expect a few very quiet weeks in the office as a lot of people take off now. However, this is also the first year in a LONG time that I haven't been in school, so we can pretty much go on vacation whenever we want and aren't tied to the academic vacation schedule, which is a good thing.

B5246 V 2.0 Done and Knitting WIP Update Post

Here's Butterick 5246, version 2.0. I had previously made this from a sweater knit fabric and decided to try it again with a knit print. I think this is it for this one - it is cute, but it's not as flattering as the wrap styles. Good for something different though! No mods except wrapping the ties around the front, not just tying them in the back (too maternity).

Here I am in Dawn's office - there is no natural light in here:

Now for the knitting WIPs:

Vienne - just separated sleeves, continuing for one lace pattern repeat before joining in the round. This is going to be a pretty deep V, but I was going to wear it with a cami anyway. I think it will be cute for spring with a white cami and white pants!

Habanero - working on second short sleeve. I'm not loving the way the color on the Tess Silk & Ivory 2nd skein is so different from the first. I bought these two attached together at her booth and so I'd expect them to be the same. I'm over it. It might be OK when I wash the whole thing. OR I might be applying some dye to the whole thing.

And the Sampler Afghan - true to form, I can't manage to knit only one panel of this at a time (after the first one.) I finished the first Panel D:

and am about 1/3 of the way through Panel B - major concentration needed on this one - I even used two cable needles at once on the last row, a new trick for me

so then I started Panel E as it's pretty mindless - cables every four rows.

No progress on Tang's reknit neck or Mirepoix's (?) remaining neck/shoulders.

Simplicity 4095 - Finished!

I decided yesterday to make a knit wrap top from Simplicity 4095, a new pattern to me.

I had one of my co-workers take my picture just now as I'm wearing it to work today:

This pattern was super easy. I made no adjustments to it, except for a fix to a boo-boo I made on the neck trim. It really has to be stretched to fit the neckline opening and I didn't really do that, so there was an end that wasn't covered by trim. So I decided to use the coverstitch machine to go around the trim after I sewed it on, and also fold under the other part of the wrap (a few inches) and coverstitch that too so it looked the same. It turned out pretty well despite that little mistake, which I don't think anyone would really notice. I plan to make a few more of these for spring!

As far as the rest of the weekend, I finished my knit cowl dress (2.0) that I started a few weeks ago and I plan to wear that tomorrow, I finished one panel on my sampler afghan and got about 1/3 of the way done with another panel (there are 22 in total, so moving right along!) and finished both sides of the upper body on Vienne (ready to join/separate the sleeves.) Still slacking on Habanero's second sleeve and Tang's neck re-do. I got my chaise lounge for the bedroom, and after some initial concern about the fabric as there were a few dents, it evened out with use and I like it very much. I moved a side table and lamp from another room to accompany it and it looks really good. Also, Japonais was FAB on Saturday - perfect food, wine and service. Loved it! Pics of everything else to come soon!

Follow-Ups

Here's a front view of the sunroom, which I just took. There will be another chair across from the couch, but this is what it's looking like now.

And in one hour I'll own this free and clear - it's monthly vehicle payment freedom day!

Like my license plate frame?

I hope no one thinks I'm showing off. Believe me, both Jim and I have lived through our share of financial stress and drama, and that is why I'm so happy to be where we are now. It can happen, it just takes time. I think that is one of my favorite things about being in my late (yikes) 30s now - financial stability. I would never re-live my 20s (or my teens, for that matter) with all the stress and worry and studying. I never ever felt secure, and wasn't handed anything except some help from my grandmother (God bless her) when I bought my first condo at 25. Jim and I have been good for each other and have helped each other make good choices. So I'm very thankful for everything I have!

37 Candles

I’m having a great (birth)day so far today! After waking up to snow (not my favorite part of the day but I guess it's to be expected for February in Chicagoland)

and finishing up my workout on the treadmill this morning, I walked downstairs to find an unexpected gift on the kitchen table. We went out for dinner at Parker’s last night (had a delicious cedar-planked Caribbean Cobia, a fish I had never tried before) and we’re going to Japonais with some other friends for sushi on Saturday, so I guess I didn’t even think about getting a gift too. I figured I was supposed to open it as it was sitting there, staring at me with its nicely wrapped self, so I discovered that Jim got me this:

It’s kind of like a keg-orator (which he has for kegs – he usually has Guinness on tap!) but for wine. We saw a similar setup at a hotel restaurant we visited in Michigan, where they had multiple bottles of wine “on tap” and preserved perfectly through the nitrogen tanks attached to them. I usually order half bottles of wine, but I also get some great full bottles as gifts (or there are ones I buy in Michigan) and I like to savor them. As Jim doesn’t really drink wine, I don’t want to feel like I have to let some of the bottle go to waste, so this is perfect!

I also got a Gorgeous Fabrics gift certificate from Jenny, which gives me a perfect excuse to go over there and pick out a great piece of knit fabric for a new dress! That was a real treat and totally unexpected! I also got some nice cards from my friends at work and one of them gave me some Partylite candles. Then today they are taking me to lunch at Sushi House! Tonight I have my usual hair and nail appts, which at first I tried to move to another day (to no avail, due to vacations at the salon, etc.) but I think it will actually be fun. It can be my own miniature “spa day”.

Tomorrow, I took the day off as a vacation day as my car is coming off its lease and we decided to buy it instead of getting a new car and incurring a new lease/purchase payment. It so happened that my bonus (paid tomorrow) will almost exactly equal the amount I would need to pay off the car and also turn it into a “certified pre-owned” vehicle, which will extend my bumper-to-bumper warranty to 4/15/2013, or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. So I took it as a sign. Now we have three paid-for vehicles (including the Harley) so I’m a happy person. I also got a voicemail that my chaise lounge is ready to be delivered, and so I’m going to try to get them to do that tomorrow afternoon as well if I can get the dealership rigamarole done in the morning.

So far, 37 is starting out as a good year! I wasn’t feeling that great about this birthday this year, because ironically, this is the first year ever that I’m happier with my body than my face! Not to be crass (but you know I will) - you know that saying about “at a certain age, you’ve got to pick either your &ss or your face?” I think I must have chosen my &ss. But that’s OK, because I feel young and healthy on the inside because of it!

(Long) Weekend Update

On Friday, I decided to take the afternoon off as a vacation day, as I had Monday off for President’s Day and wanted to make an even longer weekend of it. I haven’t been online too much for the past few days, so now it feels like forever since I last blogged. I’ll just go through it day by day to give the update.

Friday – hung out at home in the afternoon knitting, and finished the 2nd sleeve on Tang. Then Jim and I went to Sakura to see our friend Soon for sushi. As always, it was fun and tasty.

Saturday (Valentine’s Day) – Jim got me one of his usual heart-shaped boxes of Godiva chocolates and a very nice card.

Do you know that they consider FOUR of those candies to be a 220-calorie serving? I don’t feel so bad about eating one a day anymore. For a few years there, I had told Jim not to get me the Godiva hearts as I didn’t want to eat the candy, but knowing that they’re really not that crazy bad for you, I don’t care anymore. I only do eat one a day, if that, so I’m OK.

Later that morning, we picked up the coffee table from Dania, and then hung out at home as we were waiting for the furniture from Pottery Barn to arrive. The couch got here at about 12:45 (a little earlier than the window of 1:30-3:30 they had provided us with) so it was a good thing we had stayed home. I still need to take an "after" picture straight on (duh) but I do have some before and after shots.

Before

(and there really was nothing in there, more than that - lots of artwork and candleholders, but nothing else. Kind of a "gallery" look, as it is a weird "pass through room" with a lot of doorways.)

After

I'll take the head-on view, but it will change after I add the chair (see below.)

We put the slipcovers on all the cushions (I didn’t know it came un-slipcovered) and promptly proceeded to sit on it and knit for the rest of the afternoon and finish the neck on Tang and then wash it.

I’m not sure I’m feeling the crew neck on it, and I may rip it out and do some sort of cowl neck. I didn’t want the original turtleneck shown on the pattern as I’m not a big turtleneck person, so I took the easy way out of doing a crew neck instead of trying to figure out how to create a cowly type neck. I'll model it as is and you can tell me what you think.

Also Saturday afternoon, after setting up the new couch and coffee table, I decided that we needed another matching armchair for this narrow (60” wide) wall that I have across from the couch.

Ordered that and also saw that the quilt I wanted that was only available in twin previously was now 1.) available in queen and 2.) on sale. So I ordered it.

I also have my eye on this chaise lounge for the summer. Is this thing not the Cadillac of chaise lounges??? I would get the cushion in another fabric - the same green, but the "palmetto" (green palm tree) print.

Next, we went out to a 50th birthday party for one of Jim's co-workers. We ended up having a really great time. It was at a restaurant that had a second floor just for parties, so for our party we had an entire bar, dance floor, and even a DJ booth to ourselves. It was a fun place, and they had good food there too, so we would book this place for a party if we were throwing one. I really liked the private setup of it. We didn’t get home til about 12:30 (really late for us!)

Sunday – went out for breakfast and then I debated going out to buy fabric at Vogue. Decided I had enough already in my stash (especially seeing as I haven’t been sewing lately – next time I get the itch to stay up a few extra hours to finish a dress, I’m just going to DO IT as I didn’t last time with my most recent project, and now it has been languishing for the past three weeks.) Saw email from Bonne Marie re: her latest (gorgeous) pattern – Sandrine. Bought said pattern.

What else did I do? I started my first blanket square – one of Panel C – with the skein I had in stash that I used to swatch.

I’m about halfway done with it – it’s fun and going quickly. I haven’t gotten the crazy “box-o-wool” yet from Elann but I figured it didn’t matter too much about the dyelot for a blankie, especially one with different squares.

Monday – Had an early dentist's appt (7 am) and got my two lower implant crowns done - they look and feel great. Can't WAIT until June to get the final one done on the top right as it's driving me nuts. Again, debated going out to Vogue for more fabric or to a LYS to buy yarn. Decided instead to sew and knit from stash. Swatched some Classic Elite Premiere from my stash for Sandrine, and swatched some purple Tess Cultivated Silk & Wool for Vienne. Cast on Vienne, and got almost all of the left upper body done yesterday!

I'm really having fun knitting this. This will be my first top-down set-in sleeve project in which the sleeve is knit simultaneously with the rest of the upper body and is only partly picked up.

Next, we went to Holy Mackerel for dinner and I had something lovely – Coquilles St. Jacques. It was like a scallop and mushroom casserole and was delicious with a nice glass of viognier. Love!

Anyway, that was my weekend! I have been slacking on all things internet and sewing but doing quite a lot of knitting!

Got it!

After swatching Elsebeth Lavold Chunky AL, Cascade Ecological Wool, Berroco Peruvia, Cascade Pastaza, and finally some plain old Elann Peruvian Highland Chunky, which I happened to have in my stash already in "light grey heather" (the color I was looking for) - I decided on the Elann!

Although it is going to be the most economical option, that's actually not the reason I chose it - I ended up liking the way it swatched up best, they had the color I wanted, and it wasn't scratchy like I remembered, either. I think I really just don't like their Peruvian Highland Worsted, as I like their Chunky now that I swatched it, and I also know I like their Bulky version. Here's another cool thing - I had unused Elann vouchers to save on shipping AND a $50 yarn credit to use because I had recently reached $500 in cumulative Elann purchases. So 44 balls of wool, all in dyelot 515 of "light grey heather", are on their way to the Chicago area for a total cash outlay of $70.37 - not bad, especially as that is the yarn that swatched up the nicest! I'm in now!

Obsessed!

Of all things, with a BLANKET. This is really sick. I have admired the "Sampler Afghan" from Melissa Leapman's book, Cables Untangled, for a while, and now that I've been getting into decorating my house, I really think I want to make it.

Here's a picture I found of it online, and in the book they show it in a pale blue color (which is pretty, but isn't "me".)

The yarn they use for it is Classic Elite Montera, a blend of llama and wool that knits up at 4 stitches to the inch. I was yarndexing it (new verb) and discovered that Cascade Pastaza is the same composition and gauge, and I know I love working with that from the leftover skein I swatched that Amanda gave me.

I'm thinking maybe a pretty heathered gray for it, or some shade of light green. The afghan is knit in squares, and I'm a little afraid of taking on such a huge endeavor, but I really WANT IT! It takes 3,302 yards, so it would take about 2 and 1/2 full bags of yarn (assuming 10-skein bags.) Maybe I'll wait until Stitches to look for something. I think Brooks Farm Riata would be a little too fine of a gauge for it. Or maybe I might get crazy and just buy all the yarn for it now.

I thought about finding a sub on Elann, but I'm not the biggest fan of their Peruvian Highland Chunky, and I know I love the Pastaza. It's probably not worth it to try to be cheap if I'm going to work on it that long. Probably the best approach is to just buy a few skeins of it in different colors that I'm considering, and swatch them to see if I like how the cables look.

New Spring Interweave Preview is Up!

It's here! I like the wrap cardigans the best. I also am intrigued by the article about starting as many projects as you can to keep yourself energized about your knitting. That would clearly have been something I would have agreed with, before I also started sewing and got a little overwhelmed by having more than 3 or 4 knitting projects going at once. If I didn't sew, I'd probably still have like 8 sweaters going at a time...

I had been wondering why I didn't have my issue yet, but now I see it is not on newsstands til Feb. 24th.

Going crazy with the genealogy thing - I tapped into a bunch of other family trees and now I have almost 600 people in mine. Can you believe it? I haven't even done any serious digging yet into Jim's family or my Sicilian or Portuguese ancestors. About 2/3 of the 600 has come from my paternal grandfather's history - English, Scottish and Irish. I always was told I was "Scotch-Irish" or "Scots-Irish" but it turns out that it's a mixed bag - made up of more English and to a lesser extent, Scottish, with a bit of Northern Irish thrown in. It's been super interesting!