What Kind Of Knitter Am I?

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it's not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you've never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people's patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.http://marniemaclean.com
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Another FO (Finished Object)

So, I haven't finished my Bold and Bulky Cardi. I'm almost done, though. It's just that the whole picking up stitches and knitting the button band is tedious as all hell, soooooo I decided that I'd make another Shopping Tunic. This time, I made a 2x2 ribbed band at the bottom to prevent it from curling. I thought about adding a kangaroo pocket, but the sweater is bulky enough as it is, so I didn't. It only took a day and some change!

Taa Daa!



Close up



This time I made the medium and it's definitely not as snug, but I'm not sure I'm happy about that. I used 1 and 1/2 skeins of Lion Brand Thick n' Quick in Lemongrass and some brown stuff that I had hanging around (pretty expensive stuff, an alpaca super chunky). I like it. Up next is the Steek Tunic that I never finished.

New Stuff

So I've all but turned my back on my sewing projects. I've finished a few things, simple things (my skirts). They're okay, but I'm not in love with them. I guess I'll have to step up my skirt-making game.

Skirts

I went from this:



To this:



This is the other completed skirt:



So anyway.

I've decided that pictures of me wearing my finished knitting projects look like soft core porn (see here for proof), so I've decided to make use of my decidedly less offensive mannequin.

First up, another Ballet Tee from Teva Durham's Loop-d-Loop.

I used this yarn:



It's 100% extrafine merino wool from Karabella and feels fantastic. It stretches wonderfully and will probably hold up quite well under machine washing (though I won't chance it). The only thing is that it knit tighter than the cheapo Bernat stuff, so it shows more of my belly than I'd like to reveal to the general public.

Here's the new tee:



And I finally made an item from Twinkle's Big City Knits, which I've had since March or so. I decided to start with something simple, the Shopping Tunic. Because I'm cheap, I did not use Twinkle's yarn but Lion Brand's Thick n Quick. I think this may have affected the fit; it's a bit snug. I striped in Fisherman (cream), taupe, and black. I think I like it.



Close up of turtleneck:



Now, I'm working on Stephanie Japel's Bulky Mini Cardi also in Lion Brand's Thick n' Quick. It's the cardigan in the top row, second from the left or right (why didn't I just say, "the one in the middle"?)



This is what I have so far:




I figure I'll be done with it by next Tuesday or so and will be able to move on to a sweater dress.

Well, that's it for now. Progress must be made.

And I Sew Too

So, about a week and a half ago, I fished my sewing machine out of the throwaway room and decided to start making cute summer stuff since I'm broke. True to my hoarding behavior, I made several trips to fabric stores and have amassed quite a fabric stash. Of course, my laziness and my inability to finish things will not allow me to complete each and every project I have planned for these gorgeous fabrics, but a girl can dream ... and plan ... and draft with the good-natured intention of actually doing all this work.

Since you may never see finished projects, I thought I'd at least share the materials and plans with you.

Lettuce begin (hardy har)

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1. I saw this gorgeous Martin Margiela skirt on sale at aloha rag the other day and immediately decided that I wanted it.



I almost simultaneously decided that I didn't want to pay 400 bucks for it, so I set out to Vogue Fabrics (that place is like crack, so hard to walk out without spending your life [no offense to those struggling with actual crack addiction]) to find suitable fabrics with which to emulate the look. What I found was pretty cute, and I can't wait to make it.



Next up is a journey through my obsession with loud, colorful "African-inspired" prints.

2.

These (the yellow-based prints, exclude the green one) I hope to turn into a cute halter dress, as shown in this cute little Vogue pattern:



I've actually made some progress on this one, so it will probably be worn. We'll see.

3. The next combo will also be a dress, probably of the strapless variety. Since I'm lazy and get frustrated easily, I'm thinking something super simple, like this (the yellow, strapless one):



This will be the fabric; hopefully, they're not too busy. (I may use a bit of black to break the patterns up.)



And finally a few simple straight skirts. I saw this one:



at Nuvany Nice (great blog and shopping site, check it out), and decided to make a few of these since they're simple, cute, and can be made without a pattern. Mine, of course, will be much longer, probably knee length. My fabrics:

4.

5.

6.


So that's six projects to complete before summer (assuming that I'd like to wear them anytime soon). Barring death, I'm really gonna try to complete these. We'll see.

The Effects of Boredom and Idleness

Since becoming obsessed with knitting, I've bought a zillion books, one of which was this one:



It's by Teva Durham. One of the projects in this book kept beckoning to me saying, "make me, make me." So, after much procrastination and dilly dallying, I finally made it. This is the original:




And this is mine!





It started as this:



And progressed to this:



Then finally became an actual garment, and it only took two days. I'm making another in pink and gray. Stay tuned for pictures.

I recommend the hell out of this pattern and book. I made the small/medium, and though the book states that the finished chest measurement would be 28 3/4", you must keep in mind that it stretches by virtue of being knit on 15" circular needles. The instructions were very clear (unlike those in Twinkle's Big City Knits [see Knitting The Pain Away]) and is super suitable for beginners. You're essentially just knitting in the round and making a few increases (knitting into the front and back of a stitch). The only marginally unsure moment was when I had to cast on stitches at the end of the row using a single loop method. I figured it out in no time despite having never done it. Trust me, this pattern is gold.

I Haven't Knit a Thing

There may seriously be a smiting coming on.

Knitting the Pain Away

Or something like that. No, actually I learned how to knit because I had just finished my student teaching assignment and thought I'd be unemployed and idle for some time, so I took up knitting. My goal was to make cool sweater dresses. So far, I've actually completed nothing. Just like anything else, I'm a great beginner, not so much a finisher.

Project #1
This

was supposed to be Stefanie Japel's Better Sweater, as seen here:

However, I'm really not a fan of the cropped look, so I attempted to make it longer through rows and rows of simple garter stitch. Unfortunately, the wide curved front looks weird on my boobies. The whole thing will be scrapped.

Project #2
When I first saw the evening shell from Twinkle by Wenlen, I was in love:

I was doing so well (only a few hours of knitting had yielded the entire body) and had almost finished. Then, I hit the armhole and neck shaping and got lost. That was about three weeks ago, and I still haven't tried to finish.
The front:

The back:

At some point, I'll finish cuz it's just too cute. I must remark on how super soft Twinkle's yarn is despite its thickness. Check out the book,
Twinkle's Big City Knits, because the patterns are gorgeous and despite the misleadingly small bust measurements listed everything stretches, so don't be afraid that some patterns only go up to 30 inches. That 30-inch sweater is actually at least a large.

Project #3
After abandoning my former projects, I decided I'd go for something sleeveless and seasonless. I figured I'd do a brightly colored sweater vest that would easily knit up and could be worn with anything. Enter Teva Durham's Loop-d-Loop.
Check out her website here. The Steek Vest

called out to me. It said, "I'm easy and would look great in watermelon," so I bought some of Caron's Simply Soft Quick, and got on it. Unfortunately, I'm easily distracted and have been too busy to make it beyond this:


At this point, I have to finish something. All these unfinished projects are just not cute, so I vow that I will have a finished something ready to post here by May 26th. If not, I'll smite myself.