Yarn Installation

A new yarn bombing installation has appeared downtown in celebration of the holidays. I can neither confirm nor deny any involvement in this installation.

Fingerless mitts knitted in the flat

I like to knit and wear fingerless mittens but they seem to take way longer to knit than they should. The main reason is that I have to knit a small item in the round, which I hate doing and it's always slow going fussing with the needles no matter which method I use. For this latest pair, I decided after knitting one mitten to just do the other mitten as a flat knit. This took a lot less time. I added extra selvedge stitches and the mitten is seamed on the outside edge. Here it is before seaming.

And, here is the finished pair. I'm probably going to knit all of them that way from now on.

FO: Humboldt non-raglan

This is Humboldt Raglan from Knitscene, spring 2013. I didn't want long sleeves for a spring/summer sweater, so I decided to turn it into a mild dolman shaped sweater. After completing this top, I decided that I really like the easy fit of this type of sweater. It works especially well if the yarn has a lot of drape and the gauge is at least 5 stiches/inch. The yarn for this sweater is Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima, which is probably my favorite all-cotton yarn. It's really soft, has great drape, and seems very durable.

I kept the main features of the pattern but did my own sizing and shaping, and I love the end result. It's very comfortable to wear. When the weather is colder, it can be layered over a thin top.

I've been published!

I have a knitting pattern that has been published in the Knitscene Winter 2013 issue! My pattern is the Manganese Cowl.

I knitted myself a version of this cowl in March and I decided on a lark to see if I could get the pattern published somewhere. Knitscene was accepting submissions for Winter 2013, so I sent in a swatch and a description, and lo and behold, it got accepted. My original name for it was "Egg carton cowl" because that's what the stitch pattern looks like.

I'm afraid I might be a one-hit wonder as far as designing knitwear goes. I like to improvise my own sweater patterns, but I don't think I'll ever have the patience to learn sizing and try to write up the patterns. If I get another interesting cowl idea, I might try submitting a pattern again.

I went to Paris and all I knitted was...

One cowl

and 2/3 of one fingerless mitt

I thought would have knitted at least two cowls, but I guess airplane knitting goes slower than I thought. In the meantime, here are some photos from my trip to the City of Light.

A classic view from the top of the Arc De Triomphe looking down over the Champs-Élysées. Everyone takes one of these shots.

Pastries! These are from the ever-so-famous Ladurée pastry shop. I didn't buy any fancy pastries, but I did get some macarons.

This is a fountain next to the Centre Pompidou. Every one of those art pieces squirts water in one way or another.

The stained glass windows in Saint Chapelle.

The view from the Eiffel Tower at the top.

Here I am standing in front of the mother ship Louis Vuitton store. No, I didn't buy anything. I did go in and look around though. If you're a Louis Vuitton fan, it's definitely worth a visit.

A steam punk dude

Shopping in the ever-so-trendy Marais neighborhood. We stayed off of Place Bastille, which is on the eastern border of Le Marais.

A ginormous line waiting for take-away (ooh, I just said "take-away" instead of "take-out") at what must be the most popular falafel shop in Paris. This is in the Jewish Quarter which is in Le Marais. This was on Sunday, which is a very happening day in the Marais neighborhood. This also happened to be on the Sunday after Yom Kippur so I don't know if that added to the crowds or not.

Walking along the Promenade plantée

Jardin du Luxembourg

A view from the sixth floor of the Galleries Lafayette department store. (It's free!)

And of course, the Eiffel Tower

Paris is lovely, but not nearly as lovely as portrayed in Woody Allen movies. I re-watched Midnight In Paris on the return flight and I liked it better this time around. I don't know if it's because I just left Paris or because I was stuck on a plane with nothing else to do. I'm happy I didn't develop Paris Syndrome!

FO: Step Function Cardigan

This sweater is more or a less a basic worsted weight cardigan with an uneven hemline. I had this concept of knitting something like a high-low hemline that is so popular right now, but I thought I would try knitting it with discrete steps instead of a smooth transition. Hence the name of "step function cardigan". The yarn is Malabrigo worsted weight merino wool, which is one of my favorites.

I used a simple two-stitch lace pattern that matches up with where the hemline changes happen. I used that same pattern on the sleeves. The sweater was knit in the round for the body and separated out as front and back pieces at the armholes. This is unusual for me since I like to knit flat pieces and seem them, but in this case I really didn't want a seem on the side where the lace pattern travels.

I really like how the back looks, but I'm not sure about the front, mainly because it's at least inch shorter than I would like. I could have gone with a longer front and even longer back. It's a bit warm now to wear this, but colder weather will come sooner or later and I give the sweater a better test drive then.

Knitting tip:

This sweater has a lot of edges that are K2-P2 ribbing. For all the end pieces that start with K2 or end with K2, I would do a K3 and also slip the first K or P stitch when starting the row. That way, the first K1 ends up rolled under a bit, but remaining 2 knit stitches show to match the rest of the ribbing. If you just do one knit stitch, it tends to roll under and the end pieces would look just like K1 instead of K2.

Sewing FO: New Look 6144

This is New Look 6144, sewn with a linen/cotton print from Jo-Ann. The pattern does not call for a lining, and this fabric is medium weight so it doesn't need a lining for a summer dress. I wanted some sort of contrast at the shoulder but I couldn't find any contrasting solid or print that I liked, so I purchased some very lightweight mesh lace fabric and used that as an overlay over the print. I'm very happy with the resulting look.

This pattern is really easy to sew and make fit. The shape and size can be easily adjusted with the side seams and the center darts. The pleats at the neckline give the dress a little bit of ease above the bust line, which makes it really comfortable in warm weather. I love this dress and it's gotten quite a bit of wear since finishing it a few weeks ago.