Central Park Hoodie Complete!

Central Park Hoodie is complete! I'm just squinting in the sun by the way - I am happy. It was a lovely day in Glasgow today, and we found this fabulous tree hidden away in Shawlands which looked like a great place for a CPH photoshoot.

Pattern: Central Park Hoodie from Knitscene Fall 2006.
Yarn: Cascade 220 in colour 9430.
Started: August 2006 - finished April 2007
Skeins used - about 5 and a bit for size 36.

Modifications - grafted the hood rather than 3-needle bind-off for neatness.
I found the front side panels to narrow so knat an extra inch of ribbing on either side.

If I did it again - I would knit wider front panels, and probably the sleeves for the size up. It was a bit snug but blocking helped. I'm a 32-34 inch bust and I knit the 36. I think I might knit another in the next size up for 'fat' days.

Skills learned - buttonholes and picking up stitches [thanks Granny :0) ]

A shot of CPH with my newly arrived Gamerchix t-shirt. Personalised with my gamertag 'Vyol8' [violate - get it?] It's a gamer 'club' [2000 members at the moment] for the girls of the Xbox - sometimes it's tough being a girl in a largely male-dominated community, so we have our own online hang-out.

I'm quite pleased with the shoulder seams - I didn't do a 3-needle bind of because it would have required short rows [haven't done yet] so I was a bit worried it would be messy. I think it's OK though.

Icarus has begun!

The yarn has arrived and Icarus has begun! 100% wool hand-dyed laceweight from handpaintedyarn.com in colourway Bombon. I love all the beautiful colours - exactly what I was trying to create - hot, burnt, golden, sun, Icarus.

But see below ... this is what happens when I think the following;
I've never tried a lace shawl before, but hey - this bit of the chart is easy - I don't need a life-line... Even as I thought this I could see Lilith's expression. I tempted Karma further by thinking; Och I'm on the 2nd repeat - I can do this at the Knit n' Stitch meet up without problems - there is a rest row after all...

And then the final carefree thought that brought Karma stampeding my way; I don't need the central stitch markers, I'm not an idiot - anyone can see where the centre line is.

I discovered what I had done this morning before work. Every line of yarn overs has the following pattern: k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk except the central line of yarn overs, which [in order to make the triangle shape] is only yo, k1, yo.

I have learned that if I don't have stitch markers in the central line then I will do 2 extra decreases and lose a couple of yarn overs and ... well a bloody mess i what I have learned! I can't even begin to describe it. I know exactly what I've done though.

And if I hadn't seen it [pre-caffine] this morning before work [and before rational thought] I probably would've been OK. As it turned out I thought that I could fix this without knitting back 3 rows. I thought that I was 'cleverer' that Karma.

I have been slapped down.

At tea break I realised that going back stitch by stitch was inevitable. Resigned, I set to it.

Continued through lunch ... [and renamed the lovely laceweight 'Fusion; never-gonna-separate']

And late tea ...

Now: I get to the bit where I tried to fix the tangle of this morning's bright spark ideas. Hmm ... the tangle was such that the only way to continue was to force a ball of yarn through a hole the size of a stitch. Now how the [expletive] did I manage to do this!? I mean how! There would have been a photo but I was busy crying and growling.

Rage took over - I yanked about 20 stitches off the needle and pulled the yarn to try and release it. I thought I could 'scare' both the yarn and Karma. But [as with the students at the academic library where I work] once you show that you've lost control the battle is lost.

And the photo is where I'm at. It's not a lost cause - I'm still in the 'I can fix this' bubble. Watch this space.

Restless knitter

It's been a while since I blogged - I can't seem to settle and just 'get on' and 'focus'. Above - I received the yarn for Rogue - Texere Yarns Aran weight Blue-faced Leicester in Petrol Blue. It is SO soft and delicious!! I'm in love with Blue-faced Leicester! So I immediately set down to start tension squares [for all the good they'll do...] Got one done before I realised that I didn't have enough Addi Turbo straights in any useful sizes. So I ordered some from Angel Yarns - I received an email a week later saying that they were out of stock. This is not the first time I've ordered from Angel Yarns only for the item to be out of stock - they clearly don't understand my impulsive spirit! So the project has stalled for now ...

And so I cast on for another Branching Out in a sockweight yarn that I bought last year from Ysolda at the Miso Funky markets. She dyed it herself - the colours are so spring-like and natural - perfect for a leafy lace scarf.


I finished the back, and started the front of Earnshaw for a bit of mindless knitting. I thought straight garter stitch would be great, but I haven't done it since I learned to knit - it hurts! Maybe I'll take this opportunity to learn the other way [I think I'm continental but I don't know - I'm a 'thrower' with the yarn]


And this is my next big project - Icarus. I felt it was fate - the boy and I went to see Sunshine at the pics last week and that ship was called Icarus. Perhaps not the best name for a ship flying to the sun as it's mission ... After the film [good until the last third, then pants til the end] I was blog-browsing and found myself at the designer's blog.

I am in love - the pattern illustrates the frame of Icarus' wings with the feathers all gathered at the ends, having slid there due to the melting wax. So I've bought some 'hot' coloured yarn from handpaintedyarn.com - only $8.20 shipping with tracking to the UK for 5 skeins of laceweight [I couldn't pick a colour - so I have enough for about 4 Icarus shawls should I feel so inclined... I love tracking - at the moment my yarn is in Argentina.

A pic of the kitty - he has been all sad lately and I think this pic shows his mood well. After a visit to the vet he is on a diet ... my poor little fat cat. I didn't realise how big he was getting. I wish someone could restrict my food like this so I could shift a couple of pounds. He doesn't seem to appreciate how lucky he is ...


A trip to the Miffy Birthday exhibition at the National Library, Edinburgh. Too cool - drop in if you're about. Also the Pixar exhibition is definately not to be missed!


And finally ... some blueberry cookies from Cookies Galore. Delicious and totally easy to make! Oh yes, and Central Park Hoodie is complete!! I'll take photos probably this weekend if the weather is good.

Easter Holidays

On holiday for a week, so plenty of knitty content. We went up north to visit my folks - the obligatory mountain shot at Badenoch & Strathspey above, and below a lovely sunlight tree shot from Brodie Countryfare. I popped in for some inspiration for my latest Craftster swap "My Country Doesn't Have That" - my swapee is looking for traditional Scottish paper, ribbon, buttons, tins, old postcards and so on.

My granny gave me a lesson in picking up stitches and I have it cracked at last! I tried to take action shots, but I'm not sure how successful they are... The main tips are - right-side facing you, much smaller needles for the pick-up. When picking up from a knit edge there is a 'bobbly' bit, a 'long' bit another 'bobbly' bit and so on. If you pull the long thread it will open a hole in the 'bobbly' bit that you put the needle straight through to the back of the fabric. Wrap new yarn around the needle and knit ...

And look below - much neater! Beautiful - thank you granny! :0)

And the buttons to go with it, from John Lewis. It's as close to the ringed wood buttons that I was after as I can get.

Earnshaw is getting on well too - only another couple of rows and the back is finished - easy-peasy with no shaping. I'm a little concerned that it's going to be a knitted mini-dress, but I suppose they are 'in' at the moment. I'm not sure that they're quite as 'in' for nearly 30 year-old librarian types ...

And I also suffered a minor lapse in the knitting from the stash resolution and bought the yarn and pattern for Rogue. The yarn is Airedale Aran made with Blue-faced Leicester in Petrol Blue from Texere Yarns.

Right! I'm off to watch nature programs and try to finish the edge ribbing on Central Park Hoodie for this evening's Knit n' Stitch meetup