Road Trip!

Joe got a new car; he wanted me to show you guys. It's a Ford Edge and it's pretty sweet. I think I'll give him a week or two with it and then go ahead & "borrow" it for good. hehehehehehehehe. We, of course, had to take a road trip right away, so we went to Virginia to go yarn shopping.


I got some Colinette Jitterbug from Lettuce Knit. Because 1-I never learn & 2-Even though my socks don't match, I really love the way they feel on my feet.

Then, we went to Unravelled, & I got some Katia Jamaica to make a Tulip at some point.








And, finally the Knitting Basket, where I just got some junk (VK & my 15th needle gauge) because I didn't see any yarn I just HAD to have. They had a bunch of nice stuff, but I think I was overwhelmed at that point. We looked for Got Yarn, but the address I had written down was an office building, so I think we were at the wrong place. We also didn't make it to the Yarn Lounge, but I figured I'll save it for next time.

Am I gonna make it?

Will I finish the sweater? Yes. Before the end of the Project Spectrum blue months? We shall see. I should finish the knitting in the next day or so, but I am dreading the seaming. This is why I knit stuff in the round. Now I am wondering why I didn't just knit this in the round. What was I thinking? Anyway, wish me luck!

---crappy cell phone picture at work because I forgot my camera

Project Spectrum 2.0: The Redemption

I am doing so much better this time around with Project Spectrum! I really went nuts with the blue & white projects this time-and I actually finished some of them! First, here's the blue dress I started LAST JUNE when PS was in its blue month:












Then, I made this blue denim skirt (it's not completely done; I need to pick out all of those white threads that are getting shreddy-that's how you make it all fringey)





Meanwhile, I was making this So-Called Scarf out of some Malabrigo in Tuareg (a.k.a. blue).










Of course, I had to start on my socks for March (blue Schaefer Anne on Blue Comfort Zone Needles)








And, finally a blue & white skirt I made in sewing class that needed the perfect little summer top to go with it; and the perfect little pattern just popped up on my screen Thursday. What DID we ever do without Knitty?

Jenny's got a brand new bag

Jenny's got a brand new bag
Originally uploaded by jeneration-x.

Guys, I know I go on and on about how great Joe is. But, dude, look what he bought me! He went to Vegas for his annual work conference & won some award ( that came with a handful of cash) and he said we could go to the yarn shop & I could get anything I wanted. EEEEEEE!!!! I was in Creative Fibers about 30 seconds & I knew exactly what I wanted. Jordana Paige Knitter's Purse, duh! A piece of goo-filled candy broke in my old purse, so I needed a new one anyway. I figured kill two birds with one stone, right?

Cherry Tree Hill Knee Highs

Thanks to the wonder that is toe-up socks, I found out how far a ball of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn will go:

Up to my knees! Now, I have teeeeeny feet (size 5), and I'm 5'2". So, it might not make knee-highs for everyone.






Pattern: Knitty's Universal Toe-Up Sock
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill (I think Country Garden, but the ball band is at home & I am not)
Needles: Bryspun DPNs size 2

Um, OBSESSED much?

One of my little "goals" for the year was to knit one pair of socks every month. Well, I am off to a good start:

Left to right: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in "Jewels," Louet Gems Topaz (i think in French Blue), and Colinette Jitterbug in "Jewel." The whole jewel, gems, jewel theme was completely unintentional. I started with the socks for Joe on bamboo needles. Then I got a major case of hand cramping and had to go buy some flexible needles. The cramping was better, but I knew deep down that it was time to turn to the dark side.

I watched this video about 10 times and before I knew it, I was knitting continental. I was knitting continental A LOT. I couldn't believe how fast it was. What the hell have I been throwing for all this time?

On a side note, there is a new yarn shop in our area. Sit N Knit 2! (or too! or two!) is now open in Wethersfield. FYI, they are JUST as snotty at this one as they are at the West Hartford location. I love one of their employees (Jodi), but the rest of them can go screw. I was in there for 20 minutes and they didn't say a word to me (I was the only customer this whole time). Then, two wealthy-looking women came in and the three employees that were too busy to talk to me fawned all over these two women. To my delight, the women told them they weren't knitters, they were just curious what kind of shop had opened. I left without my usual "skein of guilt." (You know how you always have to buy at least one skein so you don't leave empty handed--even if you don't want anything, you HAVE to buy something. Not this time.).

I just.....I can't......Why did it........AAAAAHHHH!

I’m baffled. Absolutely baffled. This yarn is from the same ball. No lie. THE SAME BALL. Stupid Colinette. I have the worst wrist cramp from trying to finish them because I was so excited about this yarn. Now I want to just cry.
















The legwarmers are what I made the step-daughter for Christmas. They’re American Eagle “knock offs” and are my first knits without a pattern (not counting garter stitch scarves, of course).

More proof..........

Lookie what I did this weekend!!! IT WAS JOE'S IDEA!!! He rocks.







If you ever go to Webs, this little shop is about a mile away & should not be missed. They are so nice there & really helpful. It's tiny, but you can find stuff there that will make you dance around.















Case in point:
Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn. SCORE!!!







I also got this trekking (which smells like apple pie for some reason) and the short Plymouth needles that I look for every time I go to yarn shops. The long needles annoy the kitty when I'm knitting with him in my lap, so he was happy too.









This is my loot from Webs. Some Schaefer Anne & some purple Trekking.









I had not planned on getting 2 balls of Trekking when the day started, but we went to Webs first & I wasn't sure if I would find anything good at Northampton Wools.

Silly me.

Joe is maybe the best husband EVER

Check out what he made me:

A yarn swift!!

I saw this link on Carrieoke's blog the other day and asked him if he thought he could make something like it. He is not one to be outdone, so of course he had to improve the design to his standards and he painted it so my yarn doesn't snag. And he put little rubber feet on the bottom so it won't scoot around on the table when I'm winding the yarn.

See? Woo-hoo!!

And since I can't be outdone either, I finished his sock (And am winding the yarn for sock #2 in the picture above). It is Gems Topaz yarn and the Universal Toe-up Sock from Knitty.

Christmas Goodies

I did get some knitterly gifts this year.

I got THREE Stitch n Bitch daily calendars, one knit pattern a day calendar,

the Knitter's Companion book (which I've used twice already!),

I got this awesome row counter from the Yankee Swap at SnB (there were 2 in the package-1 is currently in use).

My fellow SnB-ers will be glad to know I got a new knitting bag (the old one was a grocery store sack).

I'm using the pencil holders as dpn holders.

I also got a Senseo coffee pot and a lap desk for my laptop that totally rocks. Oh, and a DVD recorder so I can get all my episodes of Knitty Gritty off of Tivo.

Resolutions

1. Blog more. I really suck at this.
2. Stop using sunglasses to pull hair back. Buy clips for this.
3. Get better at sewing. I signed up for a class, so that should help.
4. Keep the house organized. We spent 2 days getting stuff in order this week, so it would be nice for it to stay that way.
5. Brush the cat more often.
6. Cook every night except Fridays (and sewing class night).
7. Do not drink soda except when migrane is coming on & Dr. Pepper is the ONLY cure.

Happy New Year Everybody!!

Brunch

I wrote this entry months ago, but could never get the picture to load. It is the cheesy puff sweater in action:


Well, brunch was great. If you live near Hartford, the brunch at Dakota's steakhouse is phenomenal. Here's the pic of the happy bellies:

So cheesy

I had to stay up until 12:30 last night, but I finished Joe's wedding gift in the nick of time! We are having a party tomorrow for our family members that can't come to Aruba for the wedding, and I really wanted to finish the sweater so I could give it to him then. Well, here it is:

(Sorry for the ridiculously bad picture. I think the carpet in my cubicle freaked my camera out) It is Cheesy Puffs from Knitty (I am a free pattern whore, apparently). He really wanted the orange yarn like the pattern calls for, but I cannot trust him with 100% anything. Plus, 100% alpaca in a bulky yarn just sounds really hot to me. I looked and looked for bulky weight, partly acrylic, bright orange yarn, but oddly enough, there is not an abundance of it around. Who knew? I actually found the perfect yarn (Opera Feza) when my LYS went out of business, but there were only 3 balls of the orange and no other store on the entire planet had any more of it. ANYWAY!

Modifications:
I used Plymouth Encore chunky (perfect substitute!)
I knit the body and the sleeves in the round inside out. (reduced purling)
I knit the collar in seed stitch (to match the waist band and cuffs)

This was actually pretty fun (and quick) to knit. I loved torturing him every 5 minutes to try it on, take measurements, asking his opinion and then doing the opposite. It was great! It took me exactly 2 months to knit (it was my MAIN project, not my only project).

I'll try to talk him into some modeled shots after I give it to him tomorrow. I know I always promise these things and never deliver, but we're going to brunch on Sunday and I know I can guilt him into wearing it when we go. Stay tuned!

All kinds of busy

Where the heck have I been? Well, we went to the big E:







Mmmmmmmm. Millennium fries.















Then we went to a Yankee game. They lost. Oh, well.










Then I went to North Carolina to see my bff get married! The ceremony was great. Very romantic. It rained the whole time we were there until about 1 hour before the wedding. As it turns out, their beach house was decorated with an Asian theme, so there was a statue of a Buddha in the living room. Aimee offered a fifth of vodka to the statue in exchange for some sunny weather. Buddha did not let her down.

Finally!

Well, here she is:


Clearly needs blocking and end-weaving, but otherwise done! I would have modeled it, but I wanted it to be a prettier picture than just me and my hairy legs and all those ends hanging out of it. So, maybe later this week, we'll have a nice little photo shoot for her. It looks really short, but keep in mind I'm only 5'2".








OK, 5'1.5"

Early Honeymoon

Woo-hoo! I finished something! I worked on this little baby during my lunch hour and at Stitch n Bitch only and I finished it in a month. I know it's plain stockinette and no sleeves and all, but I am still impressed with the quick progress. I really like it (and Joe LOVES it). If you want to know, it's Knitty's Honeymoon pattern & my new favorite yarn, TLC Cotton Plus.

Sadly, it is too friggin cold to wear now in CT, but I'm thinking it will be perfect for Aruba!

**The dress is almost done. I don't know why I get so close to finishing something and just give up on it, but I'm trying to work on that. Hopefully it will be done by the end of the week. :)

Hey, Knit Happens.

Joe & I went to Virginia this weekend to see our friends down there and look where they took me:






Knit Happens in Alexandria!







Wasn't someone wondering where the heck all the Koigu in the world was? I think I found it all:









Those are buckets of Kersti on the side.














They also had an impressive amount of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock.














Lots of Regia......














And look at all this Art Yarn. Crazy! Karen would have been in heaven!



I was pretty good. I bought some Lorna's Laces, some Koigu, some Debbie Bliss Soho for a hat (25% off! I had to buy it!), and the new Interweave for the plane ride home. They had some cashmere stuff that was $35 a ball. I quickly put it down. They also had a BUNCH of Noro including Iro, which I had never seen in person before. Pretty neat stuff. Kinda regretting not getting some. Oh well.

Short row success!

Well, pretty much. After a .discussion at Karen's blog and Wendy at knit & tonic saying they caused her to get so stressed that she got a case of BO from the adrenaline; I decided to give short rows another try. One of Wendy's commenters recommended this link for an easy version with no wraps, no backwards yarnovers, and no knit 3 togethers. And, look! No holes! And there's none on the other side either! (ok, there's one tiny one, but it's because I wasn't paying attention, not the fault of the pattern).

Please tell me my ankles are not that huge. It's a funny angle, right?

I suck at Project Spectrum

I started Project Spectrum in May. I started a green Nothin but a T-shirt. It still needs sleeves. And a neck. So, in June, I thought I would make Joe a pair of blue socks. I made him one blue sock. So, for July I thought I would make all kinds of cool stuff. Cause purple I can do. I have tons of purple stuff. I have a purple truck:

















I have a purple cubicle:

















I have a ton of purple yarn in the stash:
















The car I really really really really want more than anything is purple:
















So I thought that I would just ROCK at project spectrum in July since this month's theme color is and always has been my favorite color. All I managed to make was this stupid farmer's market-type bag:




I like it though. I think it will really come in handy in Aruba, and as you can see, it's already making itself useful. Cause I needed more yarn.

Back in business

Back in business
Originally uploaded by jennylewinsky.

(Sorry for the white on white. I know it's hard to see. And, also, sorry for the jammies. It's been one of those days) I have been looking for a full slip to wear under the dress that doesn't have a lace neckline, but am having zero luck. I guess I have to break down and sew a lining after all. Bummer. I'm loving the pineapple pattern so far, though. Memorize a few stitches, then repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat................

If you see this man.........

Jenny 039
Originally uploaded by jennylewinsky.

If you see this man, don't tell him his hat makes him look like he has pigtails! This is knitty's Swell pattern. It's reason #325 to avoid crocheting my dress. I HAAAAADDDD to finish Joe's hat! Cause it's 100 degrees outside & he needs his wool hat RIGHT NOW!

Anyway! About this Swell pattern.... What is up with the gauge the pattern calls for? 16.5 stitches on size 5's with Cascade 220? Um, how? Are you supposed to double the yarn? It doesn't say to doulble it. I got 23 stitches on 6's. So, I changed the pattern to fit my gauge instead of using 13's to get gauge & having a holey hat. I ended up with 121 stitches instead of 99 like the pattern called for. Also, after you incorporate the earflaps into the round, it says to purl for 2 rows. I'm no expert, but there are not two purl rows on the hat that dude is wearing. So, I skipped the purls & did a round of single crochet around the bottom of the hat to keep the thing from rolling. Other than that, I eliminated the colorwork & changed the peace symbol to a Harley-Davidson logo. I could not get my camera to catch the light good enough to photograph it, but it's there, trust me.

Edited to add: I emailed the designer of Swell, and she said she is working on fixing the pattern's glitches. :)

The dress is finally out of the time out corner. After trying to graft the thing every way I could think of, I finally just gave up. It's 12 rows of ripping back. Not going to kill me.

My 'future' Mother-in-law ROCKS!

I called my future MIL about my little mis-hap with the dress. She asked me to send her a picture of the problem and then she would get back to me. She crocheted a mini version of the waistline and cut it to see what happened when she did. How awesome is that? Anyway, she said she cut one row of single crochet out of the work, picked out all the little yarn ends, then slip stitched the whole thing back together & it worked like a charm.

So.........

Are you guys as nervous as I am? I decided to add a few rows of sc to the bottom of the bust/waist line since it was a little short. So, while I do that, the bottom part will hang out on the cutting board. I am terrified these little loops are going to unravel. But I have been assured they will be fine.

Lovin the lace

After just ONE day on the lace part, I am already done with the first diamond pattern. Woo hoo! Now, if it were remotely close to being centered, I would be doing great.

Off by two stinkin' stitches. AAAAHHHHHH!

Any advice? Pam? Help!

Well, that took forever

Here is the progress on the Lily Chin dress. I finished the top! It seems like it's slow going, but I have been working on a bunch of other stuff. There is a mistake on the back that I am counting on my hair to cover, and there is a total fuck up on the front near the left sleeve (my left, your right). Can you see it? Be honest!