Increases ... Bleh

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words on Monday. Today is really the first time all week I've been able to sit down for a break ... we had a lot going on at the Day Job, and last night I went to Houston for a show.

I haven't done a lot of work on the Turtleneck Tube Vest; the shorter neck ribbing seems like it will make it flattering on me, after all. My problem is the increases. I was using M1 instead of the RLI/LLI in the pattern, and it looks all wonky on the right-hand side. Bah. I think I am going to rip back to the neck and start over with the bar increase -- which I never used until the Two-Tone Ribbed Shrug, but I am sort of digging now.

The other night I bought Knitting Lingerie Style ... wowza. So many things I want to make!! I'm thinking that after the TTV, I will take a break from Fitted Knits and start something from this book.

On a completely unrelated note, does anyone out there cold-brew coffee? I read an article about it in the NY Times and am intrigued. I think I will get some going overnight and see how it is tomorrow.

Today was not the best day ever. Our eldest ferret, Eris, passed away last night.

It wasn't unexpected -- she was at least eight (I got her after she was grown up, so we don't know her age for sure). Over the last couple of days she wasn't eating or drinking much, so we sort of knew what was coming. But even earlier last week she was still happy and active; she didn't have a long illness or suffer, and I'm glad for that.

I'm thankful for the seven wonderful years we had with her. We will miss her very much.

Of Half-Finished Shrugs and Turtlenecks ...

I am going to seam up the sleeves on the Retro Redux shrug tonight. I've decided not to bother with the ribbed collar for now ... it looks fine as it is, and I want to wear it for our office open house on Tuesday. (It covers my arm scarification nicely. My office normally doesn't care about such things, but I don't want to spend the entire day explaining it to our clients!) Maybe I'll go back and do the ribbing -- I still have an entire skein of the celery green 220 for it.

I have a LOT of stray 220, actually, since I use it for so many projects. Maybe I'll make that Leftovers vest from Knitty someday.

Yesterday I officially joined the Fitted Knits KAL, so I decided I'd work on another project from the book next ... specifically, the Turtleneck Tube Vest. Yes, the one that made me look so awful that I frogged it right after the front/back join. I think the reason it didn't work. I've seen several that were done with just a smidge of ribbing instead of the turtleneck, and I think that will be more flattering. If it really, really doesn't work ... I can use the yarn for the Loop-d-Loop ballet t-shirt.

I got two skeins of bright-sky-blue Cotton Fleece. I've never used it before, but it seems nice. When I bought the yarn, I found out that one of the girls at my LYS wrote the pattern for the Russian Winter Hat in SnBN. I love that hat.

Shrug It Off

I'm very happy it's the weekend. The Day Job is exceptionally crazy right now: one coworker left, I'm training two newbies, trying to get all my ducks in a row for my new position, and getting ready for a client open house next week. Insanity.

I'm still working on my Retro Redux shrug. The pattern is very easy but it's also very dull! I think I finally finished the main back section and can start the last 8 inches for the sleeve. Then I need to pick up stitches and work short rows for the ribbed edging. I think I will see how it looks without the ribbing and maybe just call it finished after I seam the sleeves. :-)

Back-to-School U-Neck Vest

Pattern: Back-To-School U-Neck Vest

Source: Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel
Yarn: Cascade 220 (about two and a half skeins)
Size: 34" bust, altered to fit 32-33
Color: Heathers 2449

This was a weird choice of project for me. I don't know the last time I wore a sweater vest, and we're on the cusp of another brutal Texas summer. It's much preppier than I usually wear (now that I work for a laid-back dot-com, and don't have to wear business casual).

Apart from it being super-cute, I don't know why I knit this. But am I ever glad I did! It isn't the most flattering thing ever for my small bust, but I do like it a lot and will wear it plenty in the winter. Yay!

I think there are some mistakes in the pattern that aren't in the errata, so I had to deal with those on the fly (the math on the back didn't work out right). I also made a mistake of my own in downsizing the bust ... I skipped an increase on one bust "dart" but did the increase on the other side. Whoops. Someone would have to stare pretty hard at both sides of my chest to find it, though.

I did M1 increases instead of RLI/LLI -- because I loathe them.

Overall, I'm very pleased.

PRGE and Other Musings ... ;-)

My last PRGE package came this weekend ... here is the big ol' post on PRGE (complete with a photo taken just as Houdini landed in the roving). The fiber really, really wowed me. It's incredibly soft -- a chevoit-shetland-corridale blend. The spindle is much nicer than the one I made myself. :-) I couldn't be happier with the PRGE. It has been a great experience and I got to know a wonderful new person!!!

I finished the Back-to-School U-Neck vest yesterday afternoon. When Mr. Fury awakens, I'll have him take a FO picture. I am very happy with it, even though I made a mistake in down-sizing it and the bust darts aren't symmetrical (someone would have to stare very hard at my bust to see the mistake, though). There seemed to be some mistakes in the pattern that weren't in the errata, though ...

I'd been thinking about doing the ballet t-shirt from Loop-d-Loop next. But I happened to get a Borders coupon in the mail, so I swung by there and picked up Lace Style on a whim. I love to knit lace but I haven't done it since ... I guess when I did Branching Out earlier this year?

Anyway, I cast on immediately for the Retro Redux shrug, using the heather-y pale green Cascade 220 I bought to make the Turtleneck Tube Vest. I love it when things work out!

Long Time, No Post!

I have been busy, busy, busy since we got home from Vegas last week. We did make it to Wooly Wonders while we were there, which was a bit disappointing compared to my LYS; they did, however, have roving! I bought undyed merino top, royal purple merino top, and 1 oz. of undyed merino silk noil. (I'm not totally sure what silk noil is. But it's so soft!)

Day Job has been keeping me hopping; I got a promotion, and there are two new hires, so there's quite a bit for me to do!

On Friday, I got to attend the sentencing of the girl who robbed me in January. She got five years prison, and then will be on probation for ten years after that. I'm highly satisfied with the resolution.

Last night I finally got to the part in the turtleneck tube vest where I could try it on ... and it's so unflattering, I don't think I can keep going. Not sure what happened there; it's looked good on everyone else I've seen. So I'm going back to the u-neck vest I'd started; I didn't work on it in Vegas because I made an error decreasing and need to rip it back. (That required too much thought for vacation knitting.)

Greetings from Fabulous Las Vegas!

I forgot Mr. Fury would have his laptop with him, so I'm popping in to say ... I saw alpaca today! We went to the Secret Garden animal habitat at the Mirage, and they had suri and huacaya alpaca hanging out in one of the habitats!!

I've convinced Mr. Fury to take me to Wooly Wonders tomorrow -- it is only a couple of miles from the hotel. He wants to visit a magic shop, so I think it's a fair trade.

Haven't found a sheep-themed slot machine yet.

Adios!

I am Vegas-bound today ... and probably the only person flying into a 102-degree city with three balls of Peruvian wool in her carry-on bag. Mr. Fury wants to check out some magic shops while we're there; maybe I should check out some Vegas yarn shops!

Shannon: your package should arrive any day now. I can't wait to see mine when I get back!!

See y'all on Wednesday!