Fiber Fool

I’m so excited…it’s all done and I only spent 2 hours finishing up the second sleeve last night. Unfortunately, Isaac was already in bed then. Hopefully, I can get him to try it on this evening…and I’m crossing my fingers that it fits fantastic. I have slight fears that my tension was a little off and the sweater will therefore be smaller than I aimed for. But, this is a pre-blocked fitting and a multitude of sins can be corrected with a good bath (that goes for more than just sweaters). I can’t wait for the fancy photo shoot we’ve got planned for this weekend.

I haven’t weighed the leftover yarn…but there’s a decent amount. Enough, I’m sure, to knit Jacob (nearly 1 year old) a coordinating vest. I already drafted the pattern using inspiration and sizing from Sundog. I incorporated the same stitch patterns, and details but modified to a saddle shoulder vest. I’ll be sure to share the pattern when it’s complete.

Just a quick note to let you know I will be in a double booth my My Sister Knits at the 2009 KnitWear Fiber Arts Extravaganza this Sunday at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. The show starts at 11am and runs until 4pm. Admission is $5, $3 for students and free for children under 11. There are free demos all during the event as well as door prizes and a wide variety of vendors, including regional yarn shops, yarn companies and designers and artisans. There are also plenty of tables and chairs for just sitting and working in public with friends old and new. It is a really fun event that is not to be missed.

Come by and fondle samples of most of my currently available patterns as well as samples from the many classes I teach in the area. If you have any of the books or magazines I’ve contributed to feel free to bring them with you to get signed if you’d like.

Full details can be found on the Lincoln Center’s web site at http://www.fcgov.com/lctix/galleries-events.php#knitwear.

I finally had an excuse to get a duct tape dressform made. It seemed I always put it off for some reason or another - “I’m loosing weight right now so it doesn’t make sense” or “I don’t have anyone to wrap me” or more accurately “I don’t want to make DH wrap me in duct tape as he is already so busy with other things.” But, I decided to lead a workshop on it which was just the kick in the pants I needed to finally get one made.

Nearly 2 years ago now I think it was, Amanda and I had a little fiber day for ourselves and one of our stops was at A Knitted Peace down in Littleton. When we were there several employees had forms around the shop wearing samples. Each one was unique in shape and proportion, but all of them were beautiful and I fell in love. We got to talking with one of the lovely gals and she mentioned that they had done it as a group and really had a good time. After seeing that all sizes and shapes looked great I really wanted to make one.

About 10 days ago or so DH took a little over 2 hours and wrapped me in duct tape (you should have seen the responses to our criptic Facebook statuses, LOL). I just put the finishing touches on it now. Not because finishing it was that difficult, but the duct tape we bought must have been exposed to smokers while in the warehouse somewhere as it smelled horribly of stale cigarette smoke so I wanted it to air out a bit before I sealed it up.

I learned a lot of things in the process of making mine and I am really excited to get share what I learned with those taking the workshop this Saturday, September 19th. The fun starts at 9am at My Sister Knits. You’ll need to call to reserve a space (407-1461). As we’ll be outside (you can go inside to be cut out of the form of course) there are 11 possible slots for the workshop. You may be more comfortable signing up with a friend so you are wrapping each other, but it is not required! You’ll need 2 60-yd rolls of duct tape and an old scissors. You should also wear your most commonly worn (and flattering) undergarments and I suggest pull-on pants with the least bulk at the waist, i.e. yoga pants. Also put your hair up off of your neck. It is not fun to get duct tape stuck to your hair! A sheet with all the details is available at the shop which includes supplies you’ll need to finish off the form at home.

My second self here is modeling my Seraphim Shawl I knit a few years ago. If you are interested the details are on Ravelry.

If you’re wondering what else I’m teaching this fall, everything is on my Google calendar (iCal and XML versions) and will be getting added to the class page here shortly. Some classes have already had sign-ups so I suggest reserving your spot early to ensure you get in!

This has been an awful technology week for me (well, weeks probably is more accurate). My point and shoot (p&s) camera died a few weeks ago. I hemmed and hawed over what to order and ended up with a choice that was very near my beloved previous p&s and it arrived last Friday. I’ve been putting it through the paces this week and it has not held up. The images that are taken in anything other than direct sunlight are grainy and noisy and not sharp. Images taken in direct sunlight are sharp, but always have the highlights blown out.

While I have a fancy dSLR that I use more and more, it just isn’t practical to carry with you everyday and I like having a decent camera at hand as you never know when some opportunity will hit. The other most common use of a p&s for me is for any self-modeling. This was more because my previous p&s had a flip out screen so if I was near enough to the camera I could still frame the image even while being a part of the shot. I could not find a p&s with a flip out screen that was in my budget (not that I really had one, I had no intention of replacing the p&s anytime terribly soon, but the E00 on my screen necessitated it) and most that had that were larger than my previous camera which was already kind of pushing the limits of tossing it in my purse or knitting bag comfortably.

Anyway, all this to say I’m feverishly working to put out two more accessories patterns today (one of which is pictured above). However, technology may thwart me on that as I still don’t have quite the shots I’d like in the image quality I expect for good printing. But soon I hope to have A la Carte Hats and Woodland Trails (shown above) available. In the meantime, Square Riot is available if you are on Ravlery.

I decided on knitting the 24″ (3 yr size) for my 2 3/4 yr old. He still wears 2T clothes so I waited until the last possible point to commit. Basically, I knit until the instructions for the 22″ and 24″ deviated. Then I transferred the yoke from needles to waste yarn and had Isaac try the yoke on.

The 22″ would have certainly fit but I concluded the 24″ wouldn’t look particularly sloppy and therefore would be the better choice. If you plan to do a similar fit-to-where project, do note that the yoke is not the end of the increases on this garment. In other words, the yoke doesn’t need to reach the armpits. This is because there are some raglan increases after the yoke is complete. This should make for a much better fit, but is something to be aware of as you plan for the intended recipient.