Note to self:

Ravelry really is wonderful. I never would have thought of getting my Boye points re-tooled to accept KnitPicks cables. But Ravelrist achrisvet had seen this and pointed me to it. w00t!

I’m all confoozled.

I can’t decide which is better: keeping detailed project notes in Ravelry, or putting them here. I keep going back and forth.

Anyway, I got through the ten rows of ribbing on the Hallowig, and started the setup for decreasing. I think the pattern is a little unclear on a couple things. Are you supposed to do the first decrease before the second marker on the bangs side? I’m pretty sure that’s what it says to do, and it pretty much makes sense, since the second marker on the bangs side is actually right at the beginning of the round, but the way it’s worded makes it sound like the round should be starting in the middle of the bangs . . . I had to read it several times to make sense of it. Maybe it’s just me, though, since no one on Ravelry seemed to have that problem.

Then, reading ahead in the instructions, trying to figure out if I was right or not, I saw the line, “Work this round every round until 6 sts rem between markers.” This, to me, sounds like there should be twenty-four stitches on the needles at that point (there are four markers). Except, you only decrease between markers one and two, not between two and one (really, it makes sense, go look at the diagram). When I copied the pattern to print it out, I didn’t include the actual photos, just the text and diagrams, so I had to wait until our computer was not being used to check, and yes, you only decrease between one and two. It’s very obvious when you look at the aerial-view picture of the actual wig. So, just a little thing I would have worded differently. Or maybe I shouldn’t have read ahead (isn’t that what they tell you in school?) and then when I actually got to that point, I would have known what was meant. Or maybe this should be a signal to me to stop being so cheap about my printer ink and copy the photos, too.

A Tale of Two Sundresses

I have now made two Summerlin dresses, and two Two Summer Sundresses (pattern available on Ravelry). Both patterns are free, and are very similar: a simple knitted bodice and a gathered woven fabric skirt. There are definitely differences, though.

First off, Summerlin is much better written. The two sisters who make up Kathryn Ivy have been knitting for a while, and that shows in the pattern instructions. Natalie Larson, the designer for Two Summer Sundress, had only been knitting for a year when she wrote hers. Two Summer isn’t hard to follow, it’s just not as polished, and the sewing instructions are seriously lacking. I do a lot of sewing, so I didn’t need them (and if I did, I could have just substituted the instructions from Summerlin), but for someone who isn’t a seamstress, they might be confusing.

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Summerlin is knit from the mostly-garter-stitch straps down to a v-neck bodice (knit mostly in stockinette), then you use the backwards-loop method to cast on extra stitches for the garter stitch empire-waistband. The straps are sewn down to the back of the bodice, a button is added to the end of the waistband, and you make a buttonloop for it. The instructions are written with definite stitch counts for each size ["Repeat last two rows until you have 15 (17, 19, 21, 23) sts."].

I don’t think backwards-loop looks as bad as some people do, but I do think it’s unwieldy for such a large number of stitches. Other than that, the waistband is stable. It lies flat, and provides a good strong place for attaching the skirt.

The straps, however, stretch. Badly. I need to take pictures of the first dress I did (which was, admittedly, in a bad yarn for this project). It’s cotton, and garter stitch. They’re going to stretch. I hoped they wouldn’t stretch quite so much as they did (even in the better yarn for this project). Combined with the v-neck, the dress was more revealing than I would care to wear, as an adult, and was far too mature for the little girls (ages 1 — 5) intended to wear it. I tied a ribbon around the straps in the back to keep it from falling down so much in the front. Another problem with the straps is that, while they don’t curl at the edges, they do fold in half lengthwise (row 1, k; row 2, k2, p1, k2). That line of knit stitches down the center kills them. Sewing grosgrain ribbon to the back of the straps stops both the stretching, and the folding, but is not part of the original pattern.

The instructions for sewing the skirt are really good. One thing I recommend (and this goes for Two Summer, also), is to sew the basting (long) stitches that you use for gathering in two segments, each covering half of the upper edge of the skirt. Then, divide the skirt and bodice into four even sections, and gather the fabric one section at a time and match it to the bodice. That way you know you have it divided evenly, and you aren’t trying to pull the thread through the entire upper edge of the skirt.

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The Two Summer Sundress is knit from the empire-waistband (with a yarn-over buttonhole) up, with a square neckline and garter stitch straps with two yarn-over buttonholes each. You sew a button to the end of the waistband, and one each at points about midway between the center back and the side. The straps are adjustable so it can be worn longer (hence the name) — with the straps criss-crossed for the first year, and straight the second. The instructions give a total number of stitches to be cast on for each size, and a length for the straps, but after that, you have to do a little math (“Bind off 25% of your total stitches.”). It’s never more than figuring out 25% or 50%, so it isn’t difficult, and this also makes it easier to substitute different yarns, or to make the bodice at a different gauge. Another thing with Two Summer is that after you’ve knit it, you sew ribbon (I recommend grosgrain) to the straps and the waistband, which keeps the straps from stretching, and adds stability to the waistband for the buttons. It also allows you to cover the edge of the gathered fabric (which looks neat, and keeps the fabric from unraveling), and any yarn ends that you didn’t feel like weaving in anymore (you *do* still need to weave them in a little, though).

I hate yarnover buttonholes. They are just too stretchy and not neat-looking enough for me. I’m not real crazy about doing loops for buttons, either, so I don’t know which I really prefer. With the Two Summers I’ve made, I stopped the ribbon backing before the buttonholes (on both the straps and the waistband), because I thought it would be a pain to try to line up buttonholes sewn into the ribbon with the yarnovers. If I make another, I’m going to try doing just that, and probably at least tack them together. It will look better (to me, at least), and the ribbon won’t stretch the way the yarnover will, so the buttons should stay buttoned better. I think shank buttons are better (for either dress, really) than sew-through buttons. On Two Summer, the buttonholes are really too thick for a 1/2″ sew-through button.

I think the waistband would be better in garter stitch, instead of mostly stockinette, or at the very least, do four rows of garter stitch, two rows of stockinette, then another four rows of garter. As it is (three rows of garter, five of stockinette, and three of garter, I think), it rolls. The ribbon backing stops it from doing that, but sewing it on is a bit of a pain because, well, it rolls. I also think it makes more sense when you cast off for the ends of the waistband to cast off 25% of the stitches, then knit to the end. On the next row, cast off 25% of the stitches purlwise, then continue with the bodice stitches. That way you don’t have to break yarn and reattach.

Another thing I did with the waistband was I cast on four extra stitches, so the buttonhole could overlap the button without the fabric of the skirt having to overlap. [So when I cast off the waistband stitches, I actually cast off (# of stitches cast on - 4) x 25%, k to end, next row cast off (# of stitches cast on - 4) x 25% + 4.]

The instructions for the decreases on the bodice say to do your ssk or k2tog right at the edges, and I prefer the way it looks doing k2, ssk, k to last four stitches, k2tog, k2. I think the edge is cleaner that way.

Then there’s the straps. According to the instructions, the straps are four sts wide. I think five would be better. There’s less chance of the ribbon showing along the edges that way. I have not successfully sewn the ribbon to the straps without the straps getting skewed. It happens a little on the waistband, too, but it’s not nearly as bad. I strongly recommend taking the sewing slow and having both sides of the strap pinned to the ribbon, although this can be a pain if the pins are long (the pins along the side you sew second might get in the way of sewing the first side). I haven’t actually tried that yet, but I think that should help.

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Overalll, they’ve both got their good points and their bad points. Personally, I like Two Summer Sundress better. It has a square neckline, it’s knit from the bottom up instead of needing all those stitches cast on for the waistband, and the instructions are easily adaptable for other yarns. Any problems I have with Summerlin are easily enough fixed, though. Turn it around and knit it from the bottom up, then add ribbons to the straps and waistband for stability.

The world is in trouble now

Say hello to Fuzzyhulhu.

He's going to eat me first for this.

My mom got tired of my griping about not having a digital camera, so she got me one for an early birthday present.

My biggest reason for wanting a digital camera is that I’d like to try selling some things I’ve designed, or have plans to design, and these days it’s kind of hard to do that without pictures. It’s hard to find someplace that does good film developing for a reasonable price in a decent amount of time. And I hate feeling like I’m possibly wasting film taking crappy pictures. So, a digital camera seemed like the best way to go.

Now my problem is to decide where to submit designs.

I like Knitty. Its submission guidelines are clear and easy to follow. The guidelines say, “This is what we want from you, and this is what you’ll get in return.” It doesn’t have a set style, either. It’s a knitting magazine. The patterns they publish range from stylish to silly and useful to purely decorative. There are very few things I want to design that I think would be out of place in Knitty.

Then there’s Twist Collective. This one, I think is more of a fashion knitting magazine. The layout and patterns are much more likely to be stylish. Some things I’ve designed or plan would not be good for them. I have a couple things that are pretty utilitarian or geeky, and I don’t think Twist would be interested. Some other things would maybe be better for Twist than for Knitty. They definitely fill different niches. One thing that bothers me about Twist Collective is the submission guidelines. I kind of like the idea of patterns being sold through the magazine instead of getting a flat fee for them, but I’d like to know before I submit something what I’ll be getting. At least a ballpark idea. Twist Collective doesn’t advertise that. You have to wait until your design is accepted before you get a publication contract, which outlines the compensation structure. I don’t like not knowing what I’m getting into. It feels vaguely shady to me. And before anyone gets their skein tangled in a knot up over this, I’m not saying Twist has abusive or exploitative practices. I’m saying I can’t tell what their practices are until after a design is submitted and accepted, at which point, sure, I can say no thanks, but how much time has passed since I finished work on it? Would it be a good time to submit it elsewhere? Or will I have to sit on it for most of a year, during which time fashions will change, possibly too much for my design to be marketable? If the guidelines said, “E-mail us for our current compensation structure,” that would be great.

And, of course, there’s Ravelry. With Ravelry, you don’t have to submit your patterns to anyone, you just put them up for sale (well, that’s oversimplified, but not by much). Of course, Ravelry doesn’t really advertise for you, either. It’s a marketplace, and you’re competing with every other designer to get people’s attention.

I haven’t looked much into print magazines, although I should. I like actual magazines. I like holding things that I read. The kick from having something published on paper would be great. (However, I’m not even going to think about Vogue Knitting. I’m not that fashionable, ever, and from what I’ve heard they expect you to give up your design’s first-born as far as copyright and reprint goes.)

I know there are other websites and internet magazines I can try, also, but for now, I’m limiting myself to these (plus looking into print magazines more).

Things I have done instead of posting.

1. I am almost finished with a gargantuan scarf I’m making for my friend Grace. I’ll be out of yarn sometime real soon now, and then I’ll have to find a stretch of floor long enough to lay it out and measure it. It’s got to be close to nine feet long (it’s long enough if I hold one end in my hand and stretch my arm way up, it still pools on the floor). And she keeps saying, “I knew we should have gotten another skein!”

2. I made Grace a womb. I’d teach her how to knit for herself, but she’s tried it and not done well, and has decided it’s not for her.

3. I made Little Cat Z a Summerlin dress. It’s very cute, even if I did run out of yarn and have to do the last row and bind off in a different yarn (and a different color). It turned out very big, especially the straps, and I’m not sure if that’s because of the yarn I used (KnitPicks Shine Worsted), but I think it might be. I was going to make one for my niece, but my sister-in-law has not sent me her chest measurement yet. I could always guess, but I think my SIL might be pissed at me, in which case, I’ll just make another one for Little Cat Z instead.

4. I started a Storm Cloud Shawlette for myself. I’m using the whole ball of KnitPicks Palette I had leftover from my Shetland Shorty. I had to figure out (yes, it was imperative) what rows would put me at 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of the way done. I did a spreadsheet (I know, I’m a geek) to find the total number of stitches it would have after I do my last row (I’m doing the blue version with the ruffly bit, and I’m taking a cue from Ravelry member akabori and I’ll bind off on the wrong side with all stitches and yarnovers, to keep it really ruffly), and then see which rows would be the quarter-marks. I came up with 7227 stitches total, and row 43 is about 1/4, row 62 about 1/2, and row 76 will be about 3/4. I’m on row 48, so I’m over a quarter of the way done. (ETA: Yes, I probably could have used the formula for the area of a circle to figure it out, but I imagine this was faster.)

5. I took pictures of the patchwork afghan I made for my good spouse. I also took pictures of something else, I’m pretty sure. Yarn, maybe (which my good spouse thinks is hilarious). Now I need to finish that roll and take it and the one that’s sitting in the fridge to get them developed so I can post the pictures.

It’s perfect!

I am an inveterate and veteran web-surfer. I’ve been spending far too much time following links for at least fifteen (hmm, maybe fourteen) years. Ravelry does not help this. It starts out innocently enough. I look at my friends’ activity. Of course, the only person who has any activity on there is the lovely Triskellian, so that doesn’t take me long, even on days when she has a lot of activity. So then I look at her friends’ activity. And that’s when it all starts to get out of control. I start looking at patterns people I’ve never heard of have put on their queues, and finding new yarns that I just really want to get my hands on, and new on-line magazines and . . . two hours later, my queue and favorites pages well filled (in fact, I have completely emptied my queue in a fit of pique recently and need to refill it), I’ll have gotten absolutely no paying work or knitting done.

Another thing I really like about Ravelry (and yes, as much as I might complain about wasted time, I do like surfing the ’site), that I’ve had a chance to witness a lot with all this surfing, is the comments people leave about patterns. My absolute favorites are where someone will say, “Oh, I <3 this pattern! It’s faboo! Absolutely perfect! I’m going to make it in a different color, with a different yarn, and I’m going to make the ribbing an inch longer and turn it into a cardigan and I think I’ll add a cable detail to the neckline! It’s perfect!” Okay, so I exaggerate. But not by much. And you know it’s true.

Now, let me tell you about my new favorite pattern and how I’m going to do it differently . . .

Does this yarn come in “The Colour out of Space”?

Amigurumi seems to have really caught on in the western world. There is some really cute stuff out there. Triskellian has found quite a bit that she’s put on her favorites list over on Ravelry, including a couple of Cthulhus (this one and the one from Creepy Cute Crochet).

They really are cute.

I just have one problem with this. There are a few things in this world (or out of it) that are really never supposed to be cute. Cthulhu is one of them. Trolls are another (I have never liked those Norfin things). I think nuclear warheads would fit well on that list, also. (Oh, but now I have a great urge to write a pattern for one.)

I suppose you could try to argue that Knithulhu is cute, too, but it’s just not the same.

I do think I need a copy of Creepy Cute Crochet, though. And I added needlenoodle’s ‘blog to my Google Reader. And then I spent way too much time toodling around in Ravelry, finding neat things like a pattern for a cuttlefish, which I feel it is a moral imperative I make.

ETA: Oh my . . . I’m sure someone else has come up with this, and I’m not actually coining a term but . . . are the amigurumi Cthulhus . . . cutehulhus? I think I’ve just turned my own stomach.

Another short update

I’m almost finished with the Shetland Shorty! All I have left are the bands around the front/neck edges and the armholes.

One problem I have had with this pattern is that I absolutely hate weaving in ends, and it seems like there are a lot of places where the pattern has you break yarn where it’s unnecessary. Maybe it was less clunky to write the pattern that way, but I think in practice it could be done differently. If I decide I like it as much as I think I will, and I make another (my good spouse even suggested a color — purple! — he thought would look good on me), I will try that.

I had also thought maybe it could be done nicely top-down. I’m not sure about the ties, though. Casting on a few stitches in the middle of a garment isn’t bad, but I don’t know that I’d like to be casting on 120 stitches (60 for each tie) like that. I’m sure you’d want to do it ten at a time, to mirror the “short” row shaping (have I already complained that when the smallest number of stitches being worked is 180, it’s just plain wrong to call it “short row shaping”?!?), so that wouldn’t be completely horrific, but I still don’t know that I’d like it. Maybe I’ll try it someday.

As for the legwarmers, I still don’t understand why you have to move the end-of-round marker after you’ve finished the lozenge pattern. Why didn’t they just write it so that there was one more round of the lozenge? Or have two setup rounds for the open twist chart, or move the fifth row down to be the first . . . I just think it’s silly to change where you start keeping track of rounds when you’ve only got about five more inches to knit.

I added a whole bunch of stuff that I’ve knitted over the years, and some yarn, to my Ravelry notebook. Of course, I don’t have pictures, but bibliogrrl has offered to give me an old digital camera of hers, so I may be able to take and post pictures sometime soon! I’m going to have to add some of the patterns myself, but I think I can handle that.

If it was a snake it woulda bit me

So I got to work this morning and started looking through my purse for my flashlight so I could shine it around the garage floor to hopefully find the missing needle. I didn’t find my flashlight. I think I’d had a Maglite, and I never have great luck with those, so when I switched purses most recently, I probably left it in the “old” one. (The purse I’m using now is probably a good ten years older than the one I had been using.)

Instead, I found my missing needle. I have absolutely no idea how it got in there, particularly in the place where I found it. I think the car fairies (fairy? I don’t know, it’s a compact car, maybe there’s only room for one) took pity on me, and gave it back without my even asking.

In case you did not know this, when you lose something in the house, like your car keys, or your wedding ring, or whatever, if you really look and you still can’t find it, you can say, “House fairies, please help me find my [whatever you've lost],” and then you’re likely to find it. Often in a very strange place, like your car keys in the freezer, or your lucky underwear in the medicine chest. I am completely serious about this. And I am not saying that the house fairies were at fault in the original loss! Not at all! Really!

So, I can get back to the legwarmers. I don’t know how much I’ll work on them over the weekend, because I won’t be doing a lot of knitting and walking, which means I’ll be better able to work on the Shorty.

Speaking of which, I finished the back last night and had my good spouse help me “try it on.” I was a little concerned that I might need to do another four rows, or eight, but it seems okay. I’ve started on the right front now. I’m still on my second ball of yarn (although not for much longer), which makes me think I might have only needed to get three. If it seems like I have plenty, I might try to add short sleeves to it. Someone on Ravelry (yeahyeahyeah?) did one with long sleeves which is absolutely gorgeous (it’s on my favorites), so I know it looks good with long sleeves. I just want caps, pretty much, and I think that should look all right, too. We’ll just have to see what happens.

Just a reminder for myself: “preview post” is your friend, and you know this, and you keep ignoring her anyway. Stop doing that.

I am mispleased.

The further along I go with my legwarmers, the less happy I am with them. I was willing to overlook all the times I crossed cables the wrong way on one side of the lozenge pattern (the four stitch wide cable that crosses to the outside, I crossed six or seven times to the inside instead). I was even thinking I could overlook the huge (for me) ladders at the ends of my needles. But the cables aren’t lying flat on the left sides, and the stitches to the left of them are stretched out, and it’s too long, and I’m just about ready to rip it out. You know, now that I’ve only got three rows left to the lozenge pattern. I don’t know if it’s me, or the yarn, or the pattern, but I’m just not happy with it.

I’m not going to do that, though. I’m going to be good, and patient, and set it aside until I can take it to my mom’s and see what she thinks of it, and maybe by then I won’t think it looks that bad. But until then, I think I’m going to start working on the Shetland Shorty I have in my Ravelry queue.

I’ve enjoyed working with a fine yarn on a delicate looking pattern. It is a nice change from all the chunky yarn/large needle stuff that’s been so popular for so many years now. I just hope I decide to finish it.