Accessories! Accessories!!!

It's finally the weekend! I don't know why, but short weeks always are the most tedious the get through. But here we are!

I've made some great progress on my Stash-to-Accessory Knit-a-thon.
There's something so satisfying about picking up a ball of yarn on a whim, figuring out what it wants to be, knitting it up and finishing it all within the span of a few days. After deciding against a second Victoria mitten, I moved on to some blue Rowan Cork yarn that has been floating around my stash for a for a long while. It had a previous incarnation as a hat, but that life was spectacularly short-lived due to bad swatching and even worse needle choice.

I love it in its new skin, which will get a proper debut sometime this weekend.

So onto my next project. I was shortly sideswiped by this fabulous monstosity of a hat by the one and only Diane von Furstenberg, originally blogged about by Miss Kate. I dropped everything in search of the perfect yarn for a hat and inordinate amount of yarn for a gazillion pom poms. But searching for a yarn in the stash proved futile. I gave it some thought and something so marvelous really needs some serious thought and consideration. It's not a hat that can just be thrown together. So I'm going to meditate on it.

In the mean time, I've been intrigued by some kid silk and other delights in my stash. I originally intended on mixing the two like yarns together, but since then I think it will be lacy mohair scarves with maybe a hat or something. We'll see. I have a few patterns in mind, I'm going to swatch and see what sticks.

Vacation!

Happy 4th everyone and thank you for the wonderful compliments on my finished Buttercup.

Of course with a holiday weekend and a finished project, it begs the question, what's next? Well, I have a long list of things to make...a list that never seems to get shorter. Two hats for cousins and a small...hopefully quick project. I'll keep you posted on my progress...if I can pull myself away from all the 4th of July family fun.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Need Help Deciding...

So, Glint is almost off the needles. I should concentrate on fixing and seaming those languishing knits, but all I can think about is what to cast on next.

I have a few projects in mind, but one yarn in particular has giving me reason to pause. It just won't tell me what it wants to be.

Meet the yarn:

GGH Safari: The Salmon. 9 balls of indecision.

At first I was going to use this yarn to make another Rebecca tunic that I made two years ago in purple. I really love that sweater. It's comfy, it fits me well and it's a great summer top.

I've started rethinking that plan. Do I really need two of the same sweater in the same yarn, but different colors? It was quite an endless slog the last time, but the resulting tunic was totally worth it. Somehow I'm almost afraid I'll lose interest pretty quickly.

It's never as good as the first time, right?

Another option for this yarn is Teva Durham's Peasant Blouse.

I really like the look of this top. There's a really nice cable detail across the bottom back that I really love. But I'm not 100% sure of this one. There are 6 completed sweaters on Ravelry and they all look great, but something is holding me back.

Sometimes I'm convinced it's the sweater for me, then I look again and I don't feel the spark. Maybe it's my knitter's intuition telling me that the shade I have won't lend itself to this particular style very well. And I'm not sure how the Safari will do with cables either. I'm slowly talking myself out of this one.

That last option I have is Buttercup. Sorry, but I don't have a proper picture so you'll have to follow the link. I found this randomly on Ravelry and was immediately taken by it. It's simple, yet so summery and sweet. Wouldn't it be perfect for a weekend outing? I love both the short and 3/4 sleeve too...

Hmmm...me thinks I have just convinced myself which sweater to make.

Cleverly Titled Post

I've eaten horribly this weekend.

I just wanted to admit that having chips and salsa [even it is is yummy Newman;s Own Corn and Black Bean Salsa] for dinner isn't going to help me reach my diet goals. Sad, but true.

Now that it's Spring and it's windy and raining outside, I've pulled out my some lighter weight yarns and have casted on for a new project.

Have I finished sil's scarf?
No.
Have I finished the Cabled Coat?
Technically, no. Although I finish knitting the second 1/2 of the collar and plan to block whole thing out this weekend.

Pictures and details of the new project to come, of course.

I Learned My Colors Differently...

THE BABY YARN ARRIVED!!!!

But I don't know if I'm that pleased with all of it in person.
First off, we have the yarn for my new niece/nephew. The color is called Light Pastel Sage. In the picture from the website it looks like a really nice green...but in person, it looks like a drab khaki military green gray. Not at all the color I pictured when planning a lovely sweater for my new niece/nephew.

I sent a picture to my brother to see what he thinks of it...but I think I may just have to suck it up and return it. It's almost okay as I was toying with the thought of making a sweater out of some stashed butter yellow GGH Samoa, so if he doesn't like the color, I've got a back up.

It's just kinda disappointing though. * sigh*

Then we have the 3 balls for the baby stripey sweater. The Creamy Beige is fine. I was expecting it to be natural colored; it is what it is. The Denim I totally love. It's a great heathery blue color...like a favorite pair of jeans. The third ball. The one that is called Pastel Peach Heather? Hmmm. I have a peach on my desk...and yes, peaches are that dark red color in spots. But when it's named "peach", I expect it to be peach and not red. It's a Candied Apple Red Heather or a Deep Red Salmon Heather, but not a Pastel Peach Heather. I wanted [an orangey] peach, blue, and natural striped sweater, but it looks more like heathered red, white and blue. Which would actually be okay for my sister-in-law's sister.

While I mask my color disappointment, I'm going to hunt around for some more baby sweaters. I think I've decided to make Trellis in the yellow and either a striped One Piece Baby Kimono or a blue and natural Baby Baseball Tee. If you know of a really cute baby sweater that I'm missing...holla!

Fool Me Once...Shame On...

I need to stop opening these damn emails.

First Little Knits. Then Unwind. Friday, I received what I thought was a harmless email from one of my LYS...the usual 'hey visit us...we've got classes and stuff you might like!' email.

In all actuality, it said in big letters:

Kim Hargreaves Magazine
Nectar is at Unwind Now

Earlier this year, I wanted to check out the Heartfelt book, but had been told it was only available in the UK. What was I to do? You guessed it. Drive over there and check it out.

Not a bad book. A little expensive. But it has some nice designs and a few that I could make with yarn I already own! GO FIGURE!

Here are three of my faves that you might see popping up in Superstarra-ville soon.

Dawn

This is one of the first designs that caught my eye. So. Cute. Even though we're at the end of summer I still want to make this...asap. I'm sure I could find a way of layering that would make it work for Fall. Wouldn't this be cute with a long sleeved tee under it? And besides, how cold does it really get here in LA?

I have two yarns that might work for this, I'm just going to have to check the yardage and the gauge. One of the yarns I'm considering is the GGH Linova. I think it might be a good match, but I'm afraid that I might be a ball or two short. The other yarn is Plymouth Royal Bamboo, but I think that it might be a bit too soft and drapey. But the Royal Bamboo might be right for...



Nectar

The other design that immediately caught my eye. Simple. Sophisticated. Easy to wear. A little blousey for those not so skinny days.

Another 'I wish I would have found this in the beginning rather than the end of summer' kind of knits. Oh well. Layering is going to be the key word of my life this Autumn.

I think the bamboo yarn will be perfect, but the gauge may be off. We'll have to see once I get to swatching. I'm thinking if the gauge is off, I might be able to knit a smaller size and get the right result. Let's hope!


Glint and Glimmer

I'm considering a hybrid of these two. I prefer the shorter single button style, but like the longer sleeves. And lo and behold, this pattern calls for Rowan Summer Tweed! Of course, if I use the Summer Tweed I have, that will mean the demise of the Textured Tunic. Hmmm...I think I can live with that. My only concern is that it looks so cute in the subdued colors and the Summer Tweed I have is lively, happy green. I'm sure it will be great...and the shorter style will lend itself better to the bright hue.

If only I didn't have the Habu to finish and two baby knits to complete before October!

Gabi

Has anyone out there substituted a worsted weight yarn for Kidsilk Haze? I love Gabi from the latest Rowan mag, but don't really want to be bothered with KSH...no fuzzy yarns. But wouldn't this sweater out of...say a bamboo yarn be lovely [especially because the ribbing in KSH looks really shapeless]?

Sidenote: Participate! Put those knitting/crochet needles with tip lights to good use!

Spring Sprung

Jacket #41

Despite my best effort to start a new project [the words 'short rows' in my intended pattern scared me into staying faithful], I continued working on the Jacket #41. Since the right side is the same as the left, I doubt you really wanted to see a picture of my progress.

I do have a picture of the first completed side. Since this pattern's largest size is a 34/36", I was a bit concerned that it might be just a tad too tight. I consoled myself with the notion that the modeled picture looks a little baggy at the side seams, so maybe me being a little larger in the bust and ribcage might do it justice. So I clipped up the bottom of the sleeve's seam and tried it on.

Not bad! Now things may change up a little since it hasn't been washed or blocked, but at least it's a good sign that the fit should be perfect. My only concern is the bit of bagging under the arm. Pulling the neckline up alleviated the problem, but there is still a 6cm cabled edging that needs to be knitted and attached around the neck. I'm going to think that it's going to be okay and that it will all work out. Rebecca hasn't let me down too badly in the past, let's hope that doesn't change with this project.

Babies!!!

Hey, did I mention to y'all that I'm going to be an aunt again?!?! Yes, my brother and sister-in-law broke the news when they were down in So Cal last week. Seems the baby items in my queue is ever expanding. Not only do I have to knit something for my friend who had a baby last month, I have a new niece or nephew on the way and my sister-in-law's sister is also pregnant and due around the same time in October. Thank god I have a lot of ones and twos of random balls hanging around.

Spring...

Ah, Spring! Such a wonderful time, no? Well, I've been doing a bit more Spring Cleaning to my queue over the past two days. I've taken a hard look at what yarns I have and what I've been really wanting to make and tried to match the two up as much as possible. Then, with Project Spectrum's elements in mind, I arranged my queue accordingly. I know I won't be able to get to all the queued patterns, but it seems a little more manageable if I can see what projects I have to choose from over the specific two month elemental period.

Speaking of Project Spectrum, April and May is the Earth element. Of course, I've started a little early. I could only take so much orange, red and pink, people.

I've also acquired some new yarn for one of my Earth projects.

Why does the stash keep getting larger rather than smaller?

I was clicking around Ravelry last week when I noticed a fellow Ravelrer was wanting to sell 10 balls of Plymouth Royal Bamboo for $20. $20? Um. Okay.

This will be my first experience with 100% bamboo yarn [perfect fiber and color for Earth, right?]. It arrived today and it's so shiny and soft and puuuurrrrtty. I'm resisting chucking Jacket #41 out the window and starting A Streetcar Named Desire with my new pretty yarn.

I don't think the Rowanspun would mind? Do you?

Whistle While You Work...

The quest continues to find the Superstarra 's Next Crafty Project.
Let's check out where we are in this round of auditions.

Helon

I was having some serious issues with figuring out the pattern on a small swatch size, so I decided to just start the sleeve and see how it goes.

As I worked row 2, I continually had a nagging suspicion I was doing something wrong. Well, I read and reread the instructions and realized I was reading and inferring what the instructions said to do, rather reading and then doing what was written. I have to rip back all those treble stitches, but I feel much more confident that I know what to do now. Whew. This was about to get thrown in a basket somewhere. All 14 balls of Electric Cantaloupe.

And for those of you who thought the Electric Cantaloupe [aka Tutti Frutti] colorway of the Rowan 4 ply was attractive, you can see it in almost all it glory in the above picture. Unfortunately, that picture actually doesn't do it justice. It's much more Electric. And Cantelopey.

Habu Kit 74

A lovely swatch on size 10's. What a sigh of relief! Big needles! Fast knitting!

My good judgment says that I should swatch on and then felt it so I know how the finished fabric will react. My better judgment says that the peeps at Habu know what their doing and I should just cast on and knit away blissfully and willy nilly. Throw caution to the wind!

I'm still deciding who to listen to...good or better judgment.

Chrissie

I swatched for Chrissie yesterday and was loving the Jade colorway all knitted up. I measured and the gauge that should have been 28st per 10cm was 24 stitches. And since I was swatching on size 3's I thought it best to just declare that the Rowanspun 4 Ply was not going to work for Chrissie. Sad but true.

But hope springs eternal in Superstarra-ville. I looked through a few things and remembered this sweater that I fell in love with...back in August. With the yarn doubled, the gauge was spot on!Pretty, pretty swatchy swatchy.

Oblique

I am back and forth as to whether Oblique is the sweater for me. The jury is still out. I was considering this sweater [Ravelry link]. But how will a silk/nylon blend handle cables and lace?

Regardless, I knitted up a swatch on some size 7's. The resulting fabric measured 16 stitches over 10cm. It was pretty stiff so I did a little washy washy in the sink and put my cubicle's walls to good use. It's loosened up and has a lovely drape to it. The gauge on the 7's is a little off for the Rebecca cable sweater, so I may drop down a size or two and see what I come up with.

My only issue with this yarn is the color. Again, do I want to make a pullover sweater with a yarn that will probably wash me out and/or make me look nekkid?

Earth To Superstarra...

Hello, hello, hello!

Thanks for all the compliments on Flo. I'm so glad she's done! No more brainstorming on clever post titles utilizing the word Flo! Although she's not as exciting as cables or lace, I love that fact that she's definitely comfy and easy to wear. No pulling or tugging or adjusting...and she's a great alternative to a plain old sweatshirt.

So, that brings me to the obvious question. What's next? As much as I loved working on a single project [with breaks for smaller ones to break up the monotony] I think I'm going to have a few big ones on the needles all at once. I do plan on starting the Helon crochet dress...I just need to figure out the pattern. It's not making a whole hell of a lot of sense to me and an email to Rowan informed me that they don't make crochet charts. Disappointing. So I will probably start with the sleeve and see if I can make it work. And I think this will be my final Fire Project Spectrum knit.

Which brings us to the next Project Spectrum element...Earth. Green browns and metallics.

First off, I plan on starting the second of gf's Habu sweater kits.
Habu Kit #74. This sweater was my favorite of the ones she bought, and I'm kinda looking forward to making it. I'm a little afraid of the felting part of this sweater, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Oh, did I mention there are 37 buttons on this baby? I swear, I am becoming button obsessed.

The blue-ish yarn is A-99 cotton and the brown is A-178 angora. All stockinette on size 10's.

Sweater number two I found on the Rowan member's website. Chrissie is cute, casual, plain, and very wearable in my opinion. I like the little pocket and button detail [Button Quest Part XXI?]. Again, that's a lot of stockinette from the hem to the yoke...on size US 3. So many reasons to say 'no...I will not knit that'. But my knitters vanity says I must.

And the yarn I've chosen for Chrissie is Rowanspun 4 ply in Jade. I bought this quite a while ago, and when I first saw the color, I wasn't thrilled, but it's grown on me and I think it's the perfect Chrissie color.

UGh...US 3's. Am I a glutton for punishment or what?

The last pattern I have my eye on is Oblique from Knitty. Kendyl just finished hers and it looks really great...so I'm feeling inspired and the lacy and slants and craziness will break up the endless stockinette.
And the yarn for this pattern is the recently purchase $1 a ball Contrasto. I really like this linen/oatmeal color, but I don't really think it does much of anything for my skin tone. So this comfy slouchy cardigan that I can wear with skin tone brightening tees and tanks is the perfect choice.

Oh that's what?...4 projects on the needles at once? I haven't swatched yet, so all four may not work out. We'll see...

Stalling...

Nothing much to say, so I thought I would share some pretty pictures.

My copy of Rowan 43. Not a bad book. I decided to subscribe to Rowan. I would have a long time ago, but it just seemed so expensive. Then I thought about my knitting habits and I realized most of the patterns I have made either came from Rebecca or Rowan Magazines. In the years I've subscribed to Interweaves and Vogue, I've liked a lot of their patterns, but somehow they just never get made. Not very cost effective. So I think I'll let my subscriptions go and and keep with the Rowan [why can't you subscribe to Rebecca yet?!?!?!].

So these are the two patterns that I feel a certain amount of obsession about. I know it's a good one when I immediately get the starteritis itch and start researching yarn.

I love sweater. I love the stitch pattern, I love the style...I'm not in love with the fact that it's made out of Kidsilk Haze. No more fuzzy yarns, people! I just can't do it. I swore off hairy, hairy yarns after making gf's Habu. I did see some lace-weight merino over at Knitpicks...might have to try it. I'm also a bit concerned about the bottom band. It seems a little lifeless, but on the plus side [I originally type 'plus size], it's not clingy.

And this dress. OHMYGOSHTOTALLOVEATFIRSTSIGHT. Reminds me of a sweater/skirt set my mom made for my sister. So pretty. MUST.MAKE.NOW. I love the 3/4 sleeves, I love the bottom lace, I love the drab color even. I hate that it's made from Rowan 4-ply Cotton. 100% cotton yarn is so hard on my hands. It drys them out and won't cotton get all wonky and stretched out? Not a good choice, especially in a dress this length, I'm thinking. Any suggestions for a substitute?

Distraction

Although the subtle call of 100% acrylic yarn was calling me, I resisted and just went straight home last night. Spending money on yarn that I would only use for two or three [or fifteen] super happy crochet cute animals [including the piggy] seemed a little bit of a waste. Besides, why spend money when mom has a ton of acrylic yarn I could filch from? Not that I would just outrightly steal her yarn...but I could trade her for something in my stash! But what? I don't think that I have a sweaters worth of anything that I could willingly part with. But what if I knit her a lap blanket...or maybe a pair of socks???

Of course the brilliant trade thought didn't come to me until after I had already started something else.

I had originally wanted to make the Carnival Shawl with the leftover alpaca yarn from my Maggie sweater. Unfortunately, I couldn't get gauge. So, I doubled up the yarn and started the Jacuzzi Shawl instead. I would give her the completed Jacuzzi, but her sensibilities would question a pretty, yet very holey shawl.

What To Do? What To Do?

Life throws me lemons, I eat mini chocolate bundt cake.

Today hasn't been the greatest day at work but at least the shit that hit the fan wasn't mine. Ew. Bad visual.

So last night I took one step closer to a finished Patti. Since I wanted to get as much of the knitting done as possible, I decided to knit up the button bands pre-blocking. I used one ball for each side...so I can adjust the length and place the buttonholes accordingly.

Do you ever wonder when you're blogging if what you type makes sense?

Anyway...with Patti as completed as it could be, I decided to get ready for my next project. So I went into my stash and pulled out all the yarn that I would use for the first Project Spectrum element: Fire. Lovely reds, oranges and pinks. But what to make? Well, there were a few considerations besides Project Spectrum to consider. I decided that first and foremost I needed to knit something that would be gifted [per my Christmas-New Year's Resolution]. Also my hands and wrists have been telling me how much they have been disliking this long period of nothing but smaller needles, so it would have to be knit on size 7 [as the smallest] and/or be a crochet project. What to do?

Well the first thing that came to mind was using some stash pink and red yarn to make the Anouk dress for a friend's baby. I was able to get gauge, but I just wasn't excited about it. Then I had a brilliant idea...

SUPER HAPPY CROCHET CUTE!

Put my Christmas present to good use! I could make one for my friend's baby and one for her older son too! Oh I'm so excited!

But then I ran into a bit of a conundrum.

The author suggests using 100% acrylic for these projects as they have the least amount of give. That means buying yarn rather than stash busting. On the bright size, the acrylic is super cheap...it's not like I would be buying 8 balls of Calmer or anything.

So, do I buy some yarn to make something I'm excited about or do I make something I'm not excited about and stashbust?

Knitter's Existentialism

I've been seeing a lot of talk around the blog circles about folks questioning process or product knitting. For me, personally, it depends on the project. If it's something complicated like cables or lace, then it really is about the process. With a plain stockinette sweater, it's all about the finished product.

Thinking about this, I've also realized I'm also not much of a pattern modifier. I pretty much just knit the pattern straightforward as written...and I haven't run into too many problems, so if it ain't broke...you know the rest. I'm also not a designer. I can't make stuff up on the fly nor do I have the desire to create new patterns.

That may change just a little.

I was browsing through some pictures on the computer and I came across some pictures I saved a few months ago. Somehow, somewhere, I was alerted to the designs of Lily McNeal and became quite enamored with a few of the creations. Now as much as I would like to purchase one of these lovelies, $200+ is just out of my price range. Here are four of my favorites.

I decided that I had to knock one of these off.

All four designs have a common thread of the wide turtleneck/collar and a double-breasted front. The sleeve and closure varies a little, but it's pretty much the same sweater. So I searched around for some more detailed pictures. Up close, I was a little less inspired. The pictures on the Lily McNeal website were supercute, but on other website's models, they were a bit less. With the exception of the one I added on as an afterthought [but kept around because it was a variation on the theme].

I'm in love! In the detailed shots I found, I could see that it was a raglan sleeve, reverse stockinette stitch, a three button closure and had just a slight overlap in the front. Oh my gosh, knocking this off is totally doable! Of course, I would love to start this now [I think I even have stash yarn that will work], but I have to stick to my plan. I have to focus. And besides, I need to do a little more research on it before I just cast on willy-nilly. Oh I can't wait!!!

Oh, and did I forget to mention that I finished Patti's second sleeve last night? Yep. Oh the light in the end of the tunnel is closer than ever!

Project Spectrum Plans

Thanks for the many compliments on the Habu sweater. Finishing it was a definite milestone. With its completion, I can turn my attention to my other major WIP - Patti. I'm one third of the way through the second front...then just two sleeves and some serious blocking and seaming. Not a lot to do, but certainly enough to keep me busy until the beginning of February, which is also the start of Project Spectrum.

This will be my first foray into Project Spectrum, so I'm pretty excited. I'm using each two-month theme to break up my queue according to the color, concept and theme. The February/March theme is fire and the colors are orange, red and pink.

A little bit of my inspiration for the next two months.

1. Wildfoote Sock yarn
2. Lace Tunic from Rebecca #27
3. GGH Safari yarn
4. Knitpicks Mainline yarn
5. GGH Samoa yarn
6. Carnival shawl from RYC Classic Holiday
7. Rowan Calmer yarn
8. Aura skullcap from Rowan Calmer Collection
9. Anouk dress from Knitty
10. Incatops alpaca yarn
11. Jaeger Luxury Tweed yarn
12. Flo from Rowan #30

Feeling Romantical

First off, let me extol on the virtues of our knitting community.

A few weeks back I received a Ravelry message from Chocolate Stitches' Yaya She saw that I was also making the Cropped Jacket in Lace Pattern from Rebecca, was stuck, and asked for a little advice. I told her what I guessed may have been wrong and after a few e-mails back and forth, she had solved her problem and was making progress. She's still working on it, and I look forward to her finished project. Last week Yaya e-mailed me and said she wanted to send me something special as a thank you for helping her out. I said sure, send me a card...we're all here to help each other out and when it comes to knitting, we all need help...and that I was just glad she asked and that I could actually help her out.

I certainly wasn't expecting this! People, you're forcing me to become an obsessed sock knitter! I don't know how this is happening! She sent me some of the most beautiful green sock yarn from Doodlebirds Creations! Oh, it's so heavenly soft and the color...oh the color. I love it. So, here are my sock plans. I will use this for the Spiral Boot socks, and use the Ragtime Wildfoote for the Twisted Tweed. It's so perfect, since I wanted the Spirals in a solid and the Twisted in a variegated. Everyone wins! AUGH! I can't wait to start! Thank you! Thank you!!!


Ahem...Now on to my other current love...

Romantic Hand Knits by Annie Modesitt.

I usually take my time when it comes to new knitting book releases, but as soon as I saw a few previews, I knew I had to get this one as soon as possible. And I really love this book. The photography is gorgeous and the patterns are varied [tops, skirts, dresses and accessories] and so beautiful. Not all of them suit me, but they all have a lot of appeal. Here are my personal favorites...



A Streetcar Named Desire.

Well, first off, I love the color. I also like the light femininity of it. It looks comfy and great for layering. Over a tank in the Spring and paired with a long sleeve tee in the Fall.

I would add a clasp at the waist, so it would stay closed and maybe add length to the sleeves. I think for it to be transitional, color would be key. Although don't think that I would go dark, like I did with the Powder Jacket.

I have some more lavender All Seasons Cotton in the stash, so you might see this one on my needles before too long.



Charade

I love a wrap sweater. One really can't go wrong in a wrap. I think they compliment many, many figures...and we all need waist definition, right? I really like the lace pattern.

I don't know if I'll make this one, though. It is similar to the Airy Wrap from Fitted Knits...at the moment, I like them equally. The Airy Wrap looks a little more on the casual side, and I think that I might be leaning to the more elegant nature of this sweater. We'll see if I even get around to it. The way the queue keeps growing...



An Affair To Remember

The cover picture of this skirt of one of the primary reasons I wanted this book. This girl needs some booty enhancing! The inside picture, however isn't as flattering. I can't tell if it's the way the model is standing...strangely pigeon-toed, or if it's the skirt itself that is making her look hippy. That's to be expected with a fluted skirt, but I'm not sure if I'm 100% on board with this one. I might have to see some fo's before I go there. I need booty, not hips. I have plenty of those.



Now Voyager

Another instance of love at first sight. I'm almost blocking out the thought of 500+ stitches...in the round...on size 6's.

It's so simple and elegant. I love the long, long length. Oh it's so beautiful! I could take or leave the embroidery, but if I make this one, I would probably go there.
And did I happen to mention that I have yarn in the stash that I could use for this one too? It won't be done anytime soon, but I may cast on and work on it...for the next 5 years.





Cleopatra

When I first saw this pattern, I though, OOOoOOoOoo..pretty, then I thought of Saun's dress. Then I thought...Hey...I've seen that somewhere before. Oh yeah, Grumperina! Almost a year ago, she made that dress for the book. Beautiful job, huh? She's so talented!

Again, I probably won't ever tackle this, but it's so gorgeous! I wouldn't change a thing...except maybe my body fat percentage.

Great job on knitting it up, Grumperina!



Jezebel

Ok. I'm getting on those sit ups.

I would love to rock this dress.

What's not to love? It's super fitted and cleavage enhancing and shows off the gams. Living in LA, I know I could get away with wearing this out and about.

My only issue would be a bra to wear with it. I"m not a huge fan of halter bras, and this one cuts so deep that wearing a regular strapless would show...and I'm not about to go bra-less, peeps. There would have to be a way of making it either a tank or criss-cross. Don't think that I'm not seriously considering this one.

After a few million squats.



High Society

Hats! There are hats in this book! Two really pretty hat patterns, this being one of the two. I want to make a hat. How cool would it be to make a hat? A really cool sophisticated lady hat.

I wanna make a hat!


Well, that's it folks. You really should check this book out in person. Some of the other patterns don't suit my taste, but I can see the potential of all of them being very popular with many, many knitters.

And if you decide to make one of the patterns, there is a Knit-a-long set up already. They are looking to start in November, so that gives you plenty of time to get the book, choose a pattern and find your yarn.

Oh, and of course, there's Notorious. But you already know about Notorious

Distracted. So. Distracted.

Ok...I'm having some serious issues here. Yesterday, Kamika blogged about a pattern from Annie Modesitt's new book Romantic Handknits. Now I have been wanting this book since she first posted about it [and the booty enhancing cover design] back in June. So...Notorious is this free designs name. I'm in love. For the seventeenth time since I finished the Cropped Sweater.

It's only been 4 days, folks.

Now ask yourself? What did Christie do then?

1. Dismissed it, since she's already started Patti and has big sock plans.
2. Printed the pattern and queued it up in Ravelry.
3. Filed it in the back of her mind for next summer.
4. Dropped both Patti and socks for a last ditch effort at summer knitting.

If your guessed 4...

For the second night in a row, I literally dropped everything as soon as I got in the door and swatched. Swatched I did. Time and daylight hours were a-wastin'! I started out with some worsted weight GGH Samoa in purple, but I knew it was too thick and I would never wear it... besides, my yardage was short. Then my mind shot to some GGH Safari [the same yarn with which I made the Tunic with Lace pattern]. 4 balls in a drab green/putty colorway. I love the yarn and I have more than enough yardage.

The only problem is, although the Safari is listed as a worsted, it's much thinner. I'm going to make a go of it anyway, because I think it will be gorgeous in this yarn. I love this yarn! I'm taking a chance, folks.

So far, I've gone down a needle size and have omitted the center cable [because I definitely think a cable in the Safari is a bad choice]. Oh, I'm so excited! And Patti doesn't mind, she knows it's too hot to knit with alpaca and wool anyway.

And did you notice my stitch markers in the above picture? Just in time to add fuel to the fire of starting something new, these new stitch markers arrived in the mail yesterday. I bought them from Hide and Sheep on Etsy. Aren't they beeee-ooootiful? This one a Dangle-free marker with a speed loop. VRrrRRRrrooOOom! The loop is extra long, so transferring from one needle to the other is fast, fast, fast! I love it! And the dangle-free-ness keeps the marker from getting caught up in the back my work...which happens to me all the time. I love Todd and Susan. Not only do they have beautiful things, they will gladly work with you on custom orders. So easy and friendly. Go over. Buy something. Tell them Christie from Superstarra-ville sent you.

Stick A Fork....

The Poppy-head sits in the Lap of RYC Cashsoft luxury.

Well, I finished the Blue Curacao Shawl last night. I washed it and did a very poor blocking job. I thought maybe I could take a cool picture here at work, but it's just not going to happen.

With that done, I picked up the Rebecca Cropped Jacket sleeve #2 that has been darkening my doorstep. I want it done, but I don't want to work on it. Go figure. Right now, I'm 1/2 way done with the sleeve cap and would work on it at lunch if I hadn't forgotten to pack extra yarn...bonehead! Regardless, it should be done this weekend.

You know what that means...

Say it with me...What do we cast on for next?

I, like Jody, have been feeling the Call of Fall. And with the arrival of the new IK in my mailbox, the call is even stronger! Sure it's still 80 degrees outside but I want to knit something snuggly and warm! Let's see what I might could be starting on next week...


Rowan Patti

I really love this sweater. I have the yarn, I have the motivation, I just need the weather to cool down. It's merino/alpaca, how hot can it be?

I really want to wear this as soon as it turns cooler [in December], so I could wait a few [or many] months to start this project. Or I could start now and keep it as one of those 'I need a break from lace projects' sort of thing. What if I start with the sleeves? Then move on to the collar. Then the little bitty fronts? Before I know it, it will be so cool I will be ready for the first sign of semi-cloudy 65 degree weather!

Don't be surprised if I cast on for this soon...very soon....like tonight soon.

Lady Eleanor: 2030


Gf has be wanting me to make her a sweater for the longest, and I have a pattern in mind, but no yarn. I also thought about revisiting Ariann, since I have the yarn that the style would suit her.

Then there's Lady Eleanor. She spied my scarf and wanted one of her own. I bought some Silk Garden Lite 2030 on the eBay and am looking forward to working with this colorway. It should be lovely, dontchathink?

That Which The Superstarra Never Knits

Yesterday I was blogging around and I noticed a comment in which Michelle said that it was her birthday. So, being a part of the Leo pride, I went over to her blog to wish her a happy birthday. Lo and behold, she was having a contest and guess what? I won a prize! [Whoo HOO!] Now the prize is two skeins of Wildfoote sock yarn, a cookie cutter, pancake mold [I have a star pancake mold too!] and a sheep tape measure. Now for those of you new to Superstarra-ville, I'm not really a sock knitter. I tried it once, and it wasn't so good. But, in honor of this prize and birthdays and starting something new, I'm going to give it another go. I'm going to knit a pair of socks, people. Now, I need some proper suggestions. I love Beth's Spiral Boot socks, but I think that the Wildfoote is a smaller gauge. So, I'm putting it out there, sock knitters of Superstarra-ville, what socks would you suggest? Now there are obvious choices, like Jaywalkers, which might be the pattern of choice, but I want to know what you guys have to bring to the table. And any tips are welcome, as always.

Time to go to lunch...maybe I can find a nice patch of grass on which I can lay the shawl...