Clapotis Casualty

At Stitch ‘n Bitch last night, I completed my Clapotis, deciding it was about time I cleared some WIPs before adding to the list. There it is in all of its glory. Yes, I realize not all the stitches are dropped and that there are ends to be woven in. But, it’s an FO right?

NOT!
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Impressed and Stimulated!

I’m currently having a flare up so knitting on the now heavy Clapotis with cotton/rayon tape yarn is not really agreeing with me, nor was knitting on the Sockotta anklet, as that yarn is very non-giving. So, I read a lot this weekend, including about 100 pp of Maggie Righetti’s Sweater Design in Plain English. I am appreciating this book a lot! It is very stimulating and has me wanting to break the seal on my Cascade Sierra and start swatching. However, I’m trying to be disciplined and wish to read at least the majority of the book before I actually get down to the designing. Mostly so I know what points I’ll want to go back and reference while I’m doing the designing. :-)

Now, I haven’t read a ton of other design books, I have checked them out from the library or borrowed from generous friends, but I haven’t done more than skim them. But, I am amazed at the depth of information in the book so far. She goes into all the different body types and includes special measurements that are required for each to ensure a good fit. She also goes into the general characteristics of certain families of stitch patterns and in some cases problems that might arise when using a particular stitch pattern.

Now there are some “rules” she makes note of that designers do not always follow, and some that I don’t wish to follow myself. At first I was little upset about the emphasis she was making on those points. However, designing sweaters is no different than designing a collage or a hand bound book. There are rules and as long as you know and understand the impact that will result when you don’t follow specific ones you are okay. So, yes, I won’t have a tight ribbing on the bottom of all my sweaters or sleeves, but I will enter into making such sweaters knowing full well that they will elongate in time, especially if they are made in yarns from plant fibers or silk rather than wools (I did, incidently know this before reading this book - mostly from experience with store-bought sweaters).

Other than test driving cars this weekend there was a lot of movie watching because of my flare, so I finally gave up my knitting moratorium for the weekend and cast on a new sock for DH. He is quite excited, though it has turned out to look like a camoflauge sock, which if you know my DH, you now camo is definitely not his style, though the colors in the yarn are colors he wears which was why I picked it out. It’s Regia Stretch and I couldn’t find the color on-line anywhere. I was annoyed though because I couldn’t match up the balls at all. I tried both ends of both balls in both directions in case one was wound backwards or something. But, no luck. But I’m guessing it’ll be okay. I’m kind of bummed that DH’s first socks from me are not going to really be a color that he likes. He swore he’d still wear them, but would anxiously await the ones I plan to design him with a greek key detailing.

Speaking of designing, I just need to get my Spearfish sock pattern read through by a few people and it’ll be set to release. I’m hoping to have it ready to go by the end of the week, so check back soon if you are interested in that sock pattern.

And, tonight is Stitch ‘n Bitch! Yeah! I’m so glad we have Stitch ‘n Bitch on Mondays because it gives me something to look forward to on a day that is often dreaded.

It’s Been a Great Week - NOT

Okay, so we have car troubles for the last week - with both cars. Then I run out of yarn for Clapotis. Then I get some yummy yarn from mail order and it definitely will not work for the intended project. *sigh*

Quite a difference! I looks like perhaps the photo for the online swatch was taken with a flash that totally washed out the colors. The photo I took looks almost exactly like the real thing. This yarn was order with the intention of knitting some Spearfish socks for myself with it. However, this color definitely won’t do. I’m thinking I might go for the Wildefoote Gunsmoke that I picked up last week… I’m really itching to get a pair made for myself and I know many are itching to get their hands on the pattern, so the sooner I get this made, the happier everyone will be!

Of course I really should wrap up that darn Sockotta sock the is quickly approaching it’s 9 month birthday without completion of the second sock. Plus, soon it’ll be skirt and capri season and it’ll look great to wear such a bright and funky anklet for everyone to see. Of course, a glance out the window this morning says Spring really isn’t here yet (there is snow on the ground with more supposedly on it’s way over the next two days), but I can pretend!

Clapotis Calamity…

Well, it became very apparent yesterday evening at Textiles that there indeed was not enough yarn to complete Clapotis at her current length. That was a total of 850 yds! However, the more I looked at the safety line I had put in to mark where I should have started the decrease section, the more I was convinced it would not be the length I wanted. What to do, what to do?

Buy more yarn of course! However, there was none left like what I had used. So, I decided to “tip” the last corner with a solid color that is present in the varigated variety. I was originally hoping for the peach that is jusr barely in there, but she only had the 100% rayon tape in that color and not the cotton/rayon blend. So, I pulled the lavender, green and blue. Of everyone there it was split 50/50 between the green and the blue. I really liked the green myself, but it seemed like it was maybe too subtle of a change. If I was going to make Clapotis assymetrical, it needed to look deliberate! Sooo I chose the blue.

Now, you can see I bought another 850 yds of this cotton/rayon tape in blue and I certainly don’t need that much to complete Clapotis. However, had I only bought one I probably would have had a good 325+ yds left and not a whole lot do with it. So, I picked up two and am going to make a coordinating shell to go with my Clapotis! I had a shell design in mind for using eith KnitPicks Andean Silk and Silk twist or two colors of Berocco’s Denim Silk. I might use it for that design, but I might go with something a little more simple, as the design in my head really calls for a contrasting yarn for a fairly large section and I’m thinking it wouldn’t look so nice with a wrap. But, I think I want to finish Clapotis and do the summer sweater out of my Cascade Sierra first so I have time to make a decision about the Clapotis coordinate shell. I might go as simple as the Sigma/Shapely Tank hybrid like I did last spring for my SIL2′s Seguential Sigma.

Now on Clapotis, I need to decide if I want to rip back to where I began the decreases, or exactly where I wish to start tipping it in blue. Last night I was thinking I’d do the entire decrease section in blue, but today it seems like that is more than just “tipping” it in blue. So, I’m contemplating doing another 12 row repeat in the varigated before changing or possibly even just run out of the varigated before switching to the blue. I’ll probably go for one of those last two options as I don’t relish trying to rip and pick back up this slick yarn without a life line, and I think the smaller the amount of blue the better, so it is more of just a slight accent.

Thoughts? Comments? I’m stuck in bed on drowsy enducing drugs today, so I have more than enough time to discuss and digest comments on this alteration of Clapotis…

Claoptis Continues…

Sorry, no pics today. I’m stuck all day in retirement land today. DH’s car is in the shop and with my back I didn’t wish to spend 2 hours commuting so I’m camped out in his company’s meeting room, hooked up to their Internet connection.

I will get to pop out a meet a fellow SnBer for lunch today! I don’t think DH was real happy about that, as I think he enjoys having lunch with me. But, we’re going to a restaurant I’ve never eat at because their vegetarian selection leaves more than a little to be desired. It’s Bavarian, and being ~1/4 German, I’m quite excited by that.

Clapotis began decreasing last night. I put a safety line in again ( like I did with DH’s multidirectional), one repeat before I started the decrease section in case I run out of yarn. But, I think I’m safe. But, if I’m not, it’ll make it easy to go back and start the decrease section 12 rows sooner. I dropped a total of 14 stitches before decreasing, but despite the fact that my gauge appeared to be on, I don’t think I’m going to get the size given in the pattern and I’ll be using roughly 1000 yds! Yikes! Well, we’ll see what happens once I block it I guess.

I have successfully done all the work that needed to be done today already, and I grabbed my Gilmore Girls, Season 1, Disc 3 from Green Cine and will pop that into my laptop here soon and pick up Clapotis. My goal is to be able to block it no later than tomorrow morning so I can wear it to Textiles A Mano late tomorrow afternoon.

Of course, there is the chance that I won’t be able to make it. The last time DH took his car to this garage, they did a good job, but at the end of the day it was scheduled for they hadn’t looked at it yet and they had to keep it a whole second day. If that happens, DH takes my car to work tomorrow. Now, Textiles A Mano isn’t that far from my house (unfortunately there isn’t an easment from the green belt to her street) so I can walk it in about 30 minutes (I don’t walk fast due to my disability, so it’s probably about 1/2 mile or so), however, thundershowers are in the forecast. But, if I can get over there dry, DH will pick me up after work to go retrieve his car.

Well, time to go meet my peeps for lunch!