Were women in the 1940's anorexic?

Here's where I'm at with the vintage cabled cardigan. Uh...I think there's going to be a problem. Since I rarely gauge swatch, I just cast on and went with it. I've used this yarn before, Cara Mia, and the item actually grew....so, I figured what the heck. But, if you look closely, this is the back and it's not even 13" across. Now, I'm not a big woman, but this looks like it may present a new design challenge for me.
Also, the pattern said to do a double cross cable. Huh? I looked in my VK reference book...nothing that even resembled the photo. I've never done a cable with 9 stitches. Then, I started thinking that maybe it was a European pattern...Drag out the Mon Tricot that I just got at the thrift store and ...voila! Cables are figured out, and I love the look of them. Now, there's one thing I neglected to say in my last post, and it also is happening here....I really don't much care for reverse st st. What about you? But, being the type A personality that I am, I'm going to just settle down and love it if it kills me. Do you think I'll need to go on a diet to fit into this?

Hello. My name is Earl...er Chibisan

Yea! The Bon Jovi half sweater is done!! And none too soon for me. I hate being on a deadline...that's why I could never participate in the Knitting Olympics (a very cool concept, though). Shoot. As slow as I am, I couldn't even be a pre-qualifier! Anyway, the specs are below:

Pattern book: Filatura Di Crosa Zara/Zara Plus
Yarn: Lion Brand cashmere blend-9 balls
Needles: size 7 Plymouth bamboos
Start date-1-29-06 and well, we know when I finished

I definitely recommend this book or any of the Tahki books. The patterns are staight forward, and so far no mistakes in the patterns I've used. Oh yes, and the Earl titled post...remember when I mentioned the knitting gods were working against me? Yeah, I finish the cashmere sweater and the weather for the day of the concert? 80 Degrees. Karma. I tell you it must be karma.

Baby, it's cold outside!

Well, I would say, "Greetings from Sunny Florida", but all we have to look forward to is cold, cold, cold! (Great for knitting, though). That photo you see was taken yesterday morning...that's ICE on the top of my car. This morning was worse....the back and front windshield was iced over....and come Monday...it's gonna get colder. Brrr...

But hey. You came here for knitting. I'm on sleeve island if you haven't guessed. The Lion cashmere is a joy to knit with. I have 2 balls left with the sleeve caps and the 60" I-cord belt to do. Will I have enough? I hope so cause I don't want to have to make an emergency run to Hancock's. (not the close one) You may recall, this is what I'll be wearing Friday night to see Bon Jovi! I also need a new pair of black pants for the event, but it looks like that's not going to happen either.
And yes, I have selected my next project. Originally, I wanted to do another pattern from the Filatura di Crosa booklet I showed on an earlier post. This was going to include me using up stash yarn. Ha! The yarn gods frowned displeasantly on me...I didn't have enough of any one kind of yarn in the 5 containers of stash! I was so frustrated I wanted to scream. I kept saying to myself, what's the sense in having a stash when you don't have enough to make ANYTHING!!! Ok, then I calmed down. I surfed and went to the vintage knitting blog (look on my sidebar) and found a link to a pattern I like. And the clencher...I have enough to make the project! Yea! Ya gotta love it when things come together like that.

I got yer vintage knitting right here, baby!

I'm a pattern ho...I admit it. And if it's vintage, I lose my mind. I went to the thrift store yet again and hit the mother lode! All 6 of these for $3.89...including tax! I practically squealed right there in the store, but quickly regained my composure. I was combing through ebay last night, and saw the Aran Fisherman knits book and was lusting for it...(I'm going through my Aran phase right now)....imagine my delight when I saw it for 44 cents!!! I'm still in a state of shock. I can't wait to make something from any or all of these! (I know. I'll never get to all of them, but a knitter can dream, can't she?)

And speaking of vintage knits, and I am....I can't believe I never posted about this sweater. Oh, the story. Back when I first learned how to knit, I saw this in Vogue Knitting and fell in love. My sister was visiting me in south FL and helped me do a yarn conversion. I immediately cast on with those size 2 Boye needles and began a long arduous journey. The only "yarn shop" available was a craft store called Poston's, and choices were limited. We figured out that I needed 10 skeins to make this, so I scooped up South Maid Cotton 8 in coral. Knitter's nightmare set in when I realized I didn't have enough yarn. I quit knitting completely until 1999. One day, several years later,
I found this old project and thought I'd finish it...uh oh! Not enough yarn. I frantically searched-almost daily- on ebay for 4 years!! Then one day, a seller had 1 skein in coral and I won the auction. This is one of the oldest ufos that actually became a fo.
Here are the specs....Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 1990 pg.53
Yarn: South Maid Cotton 8 in coral 11 skeins (this stuff washes and dries in the dryer quite well. shame that it's discontinued)
Needles: size 2 Boye straights
start to finish-1990 to 3-18-04
Oh yes, and her name is "Coral Castle"......after the edifice located in Coral Gables, FL.

Last, but definitely not least...you must check this out if you love vintage knitting...
http://www.vintageknitting.net/ What beautiful work!

Automatic Aran

Last weekend I hit my favorite thrift store and found this little diamond in the rough...it was rather nastified-pilled. Brought her home, gave her a good spin in the washer and dryer and then proceeded to spend 3 hours cutting off all the pills. Oh yes, and a shave. Love those sweater shavers! Unfortunately, it was made from acrylic-and a bit scratchy to wear-but I love it! Some wonderful knitter spent hours making this...and I HAD to have it...after all, it only cost me 70 cents. But, why I loved it so much was it reminded me of a vintage Coats & Clark ad I saw in my grandma's mags from the 70's..... For whatever reason, that little red haired kid in the sweater intrigued me. --and of course, the idea of passing the sweater down several times also fascinated me. Yeah, I guess I am a weirdo. You may ask where all this is leading...


I have tried in vain to get this booklet...and finally I just spent the extra dough and bought it off of ebay. I think the hoodie is great, and I may do it first after the half sweater.
I've got time to decide....all the patterns in here are what I like to think of as "my style". I've never knit an aran, and I hope I'll be able to concentrate on the pattern. They certainly are works of art, aren't they?

Here's The Skinny

Oo la la! This cashmere blend is super soft on the hands. I'm almost ready for the armhole decreases. This is what I hope will be a quick knit because I do have a deadline...the Bon Jovi concert. Today I found a camisole which I hope will work with this....ok, back to my knitting!

Bloggin' Is Good For The Soul

I'm really not feeling any better after my most recent crisis, but have decided that I might as well join the ranks of the living...don't get me wrong. I still may have my boo hoo moments, but as is often said..."life goes on".

Here's the obligatory sock photo... On the left...Opal Jaywalkers completed. Can you stand it? The middle sock-if you remember-is from the vintage men's sock knitting book. Lastly, my spring colorway for the third set of Jaywalkers ala picot edged. I have a sneaking suspicion that those two are gonna be loners for awhile. I have also got another sock on the needles...but all this sock knitting with metal needles is killing my right arm.(I'm a thrower) So, what next?



I've been drooling over this booklet since my birthday last month, but had set it aside for socks. I think the time is right for a garment. I'll be making a shrug, or actually, it's more like a half sweater using Lion Brand cashmere. Yes, it's taken this long for my town to get this stuff, and I've been wanting to see how it works up. Ya figure Zara retails for about $9.99 a ball. This cashmere was on sale this week at Hancock's for $6.63 a ball...yeah, I like to save when I can and it gives me a chance to play around with some new yarn. I've surfed around and can't find any bloggers who have used this as well as discussed this book. There's some great patterns in there, peeps. At least in my oh so humble opinion. Getting the cashmere was an episode...had to go to 2 different ones. Let me just say that I will be sending an email to Hancock's....there are some different issues I've had with them, and I think it's time I spoke up.

And my last subject is...my most favorite vintage knitting advertisement. I would love to get my hands on one of these t shirts. I think it's adorable in a schlocky kind of way. Maybe I'll send Boye an email, too. Hey, check out that circular needle set! I'm thinking of regularly posting photos of these vintage adverts to spice things up around here. What do you think?




Before I forget...I want to give a public shout out to Purse Ho for the kind words. You were the only knitblogger to acknowledge my post, and it really does make a difference! :)

Absence Explained

In Memory Of "Mister Boo" 1-29-96 to 1-16-06

My Best Friend
My heart is broken and the grief is searing.

Music news

How could I even forget this? Red sent me an mp3 of Manilow's latest..."Unchained Melody". He is really in his element when he sings a love song!

Opal-y goodness aka Flamingoed in Florida

Yeah man, I'm lovin' Opal sock yarn albeit a bit pricey. I still find it to be splitty, but I still like the feel of it. As I've said, anything has to be an improvement over Wildfoote-dissin' 'em out again. I love this Jaywalker pattern....it's so perfect. I've decided to do yet another pair, but I will make a picot edging like I saw on Amelia Raitte's site.

And of course, sock knitting is like Lay's potato chips (you can't just eat one), I've started another pair of socks.... The pattern is from a 1952 Jack Frost men's knitting book. I love vintage. The yarn is a complete mystery. I got it over a year ago at a thrift store, and it was already wound into the "cake". I'm doubling it since I don't like a flimsy sock. I've been doing a lot of "mental" knitting these days. I'm seriously considering only knitting with something vintage...whether it's the yarn or the pattern. Think I can hold out for the year?


And last but certainly not least...I'm concerting again!!! Yea for entertainment! Sing us a song, you're the PIANO Man! These days, every concert is a sellout. Good thing Red talked me into this one. I've seen him twice before....once was in 1979, I think...6th row tix! Those were the days! Then I saw him with Elton John at the old "sombrero"-you Tampa folk know what I'm talkin' about! Boy, that last time, he really made Elton look like a reject from American Idol! Billy Joel can really work a crowd! Should be a great night with Red. I'll give me review later this week...until then..."A bottle of red...a bottle of white..." sheesh...the songs keep flowing!

Happy(?) New (FO) Year!!!

This promises to be a longie with a lot to say, so if you're in a rush...you better by pass this post.
First off, I was able to squeeze this in as my first FO for 2006...or is this a delayed 2005 FO? Be that as it may, I now present my first pair of Jaywalker socks!
Specs-pattern from Magknits
knit on size 1 circulars with LB Magic Stripes yarn (my color name-Key Lime West)
Alterations-I had to size them way down because Magic Stripes is a much thicker yarn, and I gotta say, I love the denseness of the fabric it creates. Will I make them again? You betcha! And I already got the yarn to do it with...Opal Sock yarn (a first at my LYS) in Flamingo! How appropriately named. As you may have guessed, pink is my Favorite color....think I'll cast on with a size 0 first...if not I'll move up to size 000. My LYS didn't have any 00's and said addi didn't make them in that size for circulars? Isn't that strange?


Now for the bad news....the day after Christmas, my dog started seizuring for no reason whatsoever. I have been in a panicked mode for a week. I rushed him to the vet where they did bloodwork, and as I suspected...it came back normal. Oh sure, if I want to know more, I can go to a specialist where they have the audacity to charge $500-$1000 for an mri. Frankly, I can't afford it. Trust me, I would do anything to help him...I have for other dogs that I have owned. But, the speculation is that my vet thinks it's a brain tumor. When you have had your pet since they were a baby, you get a feeling about them...I refuse to believe it's a brain tumor. In my heart of hearts, I think he had a mini stroke. Anyway, they did prescribe phenylbarbitol(sp?), but he seized again. I called the vet the next day and he said I could up the medication...well, as they say, knock on wood...no seizures since the last one Thursday. He IS different now....all those little behaviors that you have come to know and love are gone...But there is light -so far- at the end of this tunnel...last night I got him to play with his favorite toy. A bone. This my friends, is the ultimate in relief and delight for me. I thought I was going to have to make a decision that I didn't want to have to. Man, my eyes are tearing up as I write this. Please send him all your healthy vibes. I know he can make it through this. If there are any knitters who happen to be vets, I'd love to hear your take on this.

Ok, back to knitting stuff...this is something I had planned to write about for Dec. 31st, but due to circumstances beyond my control...it's a day late. These are the things that I have learned this year:
1. How to knit continental-although I can do it, it's not natural to me
2. I designed(copied) my first sweater.-dolman cardi in previous post
3. I learned how to do an attached I-cord
4. I made my first sweater on circulars-Soleil from knitty

Hmmm...I thought this list was longer..well, who knows what's in store for 2006? I want to try magic loop and of course, I want to design my own stuff.
I just looked back at my diary of FO's and I started 2005 with the skull socks from Hello Yarn.
Oh yes, and I actually completed 25 projects this year! Phew! No wonder I'm tired. Ha! It should have been more...I got a bunch of UFO's over here...maybe this will be their year. I know it will be mine! Happy New Knitting Year!

Happy (insert holiday of choice)!!!

Here ya go! A photo of purl lace socks...ribbing on size 0 addis, and the body done on size 1. This photo is the closest to the actual color. Knit with Wildfoote in "Kansas Sky".





I left this sock inside out cause I don't want to give away the whole view yet. Yep, it's Jaywalker sock 1 done with unnamed Magic Stripes yarn. I absolutely love this pattern, and I can see why so many knitters round the net are doing multiple pairs...Count me in, too! And I am making them the length the pattern calls for-a first for me. I usually like a 4" high leg. Here's a name I'm dabbling with-for the color-Key Lime West.


Well it's back to the retail grind for me...hope to catch up before the New Year!

It's Christmastime again!

This was always my favorite Christmas movie...shame I haven't caught it this year...Those "puppets" they used were like magic to me. Ah...fond childhood memories.

In other news...the purl lace socks of doom are done! I plan to wear them with some mary janes to work. I'll post a pic later. Also, since I'm on a sock knitting spree, what better time than to cast on for another pair? Yes, it's the famous Jaywalker sock in a little seen nor named Lion Brand magic stripes yarn. Frankly, say whay you will, but I really love the sturdiness of magic stripes yarn. Why oh why can't Lion Brand make this in solid colors? Maybe if they receive enough requests from sock knitters, they'll do it. BTW, I haven't seen any of this yarn around the local retailers for months, so I'm glad I bought all the colors over this year. If anyone out there knows, what's a comparable yarn? So far, I've tried Wildfoote-hated it-Bernat sox-colors too washed out-and Regia-not impressed. I've got some Lorna's Laces, but no pattern in mind. Would love some comments on this one.

Anyway, have a very happy holiday and knit on!!!

Lonely Hearts Club-NO More!

First off, a FO! Yea! These are the Bernat Sox finally finished.....on my birthday (Dec 11). A day late, but done nonetheless. Sorry for the darkness of the photos, but it is cold, wet, and dreary...and I didn't feel like an outdoor photo shoot. Anyway, my experience with the Bernat Sox yarn was ok. I used size 0 needles instead of the recommended size 2 (I think) and it gave me a tighter fitting sock which I like. I believe it was on Sockbug's blog where she used the term "muddy" for the coloration on the socks, and I'm in total agreement with her. I had searched high and low in FL for this yarn, and almost used an etailer to buy droves of this yarn...so glad I didn't. It was an experience, and certainly something to learn.

Now, the dratted purl lace socks made from the ever unpopular (with me) Wildfoote. If you remember, I started these socks on too large a needle, and went down to a 0 for the cuff, and size 1 for the rest of the sock. I gotta say, these are some of the ugliest socks I have ever made...when they are laying flat...they actually come alive when you have them on. The yarn is splitty, and drives me crazy, but I am determined to finish them. Now, in the photo...you may have to click to enlarge it...I made a HUGE error. I was going along just fine until I started the heel flap-problem number 1- then the gusset decreases-major problem number 2. I decided to live with the heel, but look at that ungodly decreasing!! For what ever reason, I read ssk as sl 1, k1, psso. Don't ask me how that happened... all I can say is that on sock 2, it won't happen. Do you suppose I can pass this off as a new design element?

Surfing around, I found out a lot of knitbloggers are Saggittarius. Wouldn't that be a cute idea for a webring? I also found some cute buttons for proclaiming you're a "thrower" and an "english knitter". I'm hoping to figure out how to add this feature to my side bar.

Oh yes, and in closing....several months ago I read on "A Mingled Yarn"'s blog that she was told she was knitting "wrong". At the time, I couldn't figure out what the "wrongness" was. Guess what! I know now. When I was at knitting group on Wed night, I found out that I, too, am doing the knit stitch "wrong". I pass the yarn over the needle instead of under to make the loop. For next group, Allison-a prolific knitter- and I have agreed to bring swatches of st st to see if truly there is a difference. Imagine...I have a homework assignment for knitting group!

Old Projects Revisited

As you know, I am still working on the socks made from Bernat Sox yarn. This week has been so busy, and I was hoping to have them done by today. No such luck. When my knitting frustration sets in, I usually start a new project and/or shop for yarn. Since I bought yarn last weekend, I decided to look at one of my old projects.

Here is last week's yarn purchase. I've been dying to try Lion Suede, so what better time to buy it than when it's on sale. I'm thinking a bolero. Then, I've been thinking a lot about those ballet wraps.-minimal shaping, no fancy stitches, and I sure could use one in blue to go with jeans. Voila! That's the pattern I'm going to use from the latest VK, and I'm going to try some of this Bernat boucle. What the heck! Throw caution to the wind.

Now, about the old project....I got some Wildfoote for $2.00 a skein, and this was the only color choice--Kansas Sky. I fell in love with the name of this yarn, and immediately cast on to make Purl Lace Socks from the book Socks Socks Socks. Once I started the lace portion, I knew something had gone astray. The size 2 needles made this horrible big sloppy sock. R-r-r-rip! I am going to attempt them again. Do ya think O's will be small enough? If not, I may have to treat myself to some Addis in OOs. I tried to find them in KC, but the shops were sold out.
Have I mentioned that Bon Jovi had to schedule another concert because the first one was sold out in 48 hours? Wish I could afford to go to both, or at least win the contest to go onstage with them! That would be killer!

Anthropologie Made Me Do it!

After lusting for all the clothing that Anthropologie has, I decided I'd do it myself. So, this is what secret project #1 was all about. They call this little number "openwork dolman cardigan".

Front view Back view My own pattern: Inspired by Anthropologie

The top was done making 2 squares and flame stitch courtesy of Rhoda Ochser Goldberg's The Knitting Dictionary. I used 6 balls of Coats & Clark's TLC "Cara Mia" and knit on #8 bamboos. This was started on 10-31-05 and I finished it on 12-1-05. It is super soft and kind of warm, which will be great for the meat locker (work). I gotta tell ya, it's not that sloppy looking in person, but hubbo didn't feel like snapping the pics. I also did my first attached(applied) I-cord, but I was disappointed. I thought it would prevent the front edges from rolling. Guess it will have to be blocked or maybe steamed. I just did a quickie crochet flower for the closure and used a stick pin I've had since I was but a wee teenager. I am happy with the results even though I did have to use a ball of a different dyelot. We'll see what the folks at work have to say.

Am I ready for secret project #2? Honestly, No! It's going to require some mathmatical calculations, etc...and I'm still undecided if it will be a shrug or bolero. So, what to do? Pick up a pair of socks that have been languishing in the stash... I finished #1, and have already cast on for #2. I am energized again for sock knitting! You forget what it's like to accomplish something so quickly when you are working on a larger project.

These socks are being made with Bernat Sox-Hot Tamale and Aqua Hot. When this yarn came out, I was in a veritable frenzy trying to find it. One day this lone skein of Aqua Hot was at Joann's and I added it to the stash. If you recall, I went to KC in August, and Bernat Sox was on the list to find. I found a small amount of it at several different Hobby Lobbys...and there was one lone skein of Hot Tamale. So, I guess these 2 loners were meant to be together!

Oh yeah...and I stashed again. More on that later.

Phew!

Yep, Black Friday is officially over, and I must say...this year was extremely smooth. No nasty complaining customers. Guess they were pooped out from doing it at Wally World.

Knitting still progresses on secret project #1. I am doing the attached I-Cord, and it's going kind of slowly. So far, I can't see that it's making that much of a difference with regard to the edges rolling. Maybe a good steam block. We shall see.

My fave Thanksgiving memory this year? As soon as I walked into my parents' house, my sis who's visiting from CA, immediately wanted me to pull out my knitting so she could work a few rows. Her current job is so demanding that she has given up knitting for several years. I know she must feel the itch every once in awhile. It was neat for me to watch her knit, and our tension was the same. Who knows? This project may become my favorite knitted object.

If this isn't enough, I get a wild hair and want to work on some socks I started in August with the yarn in bought in KC. Does your knitting mind wander, too?

When You Care Enough To Send The Very Best...

First off, I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving! (Photo lifted from Hallmark--you gotta love 'em). Many of you will be having a mini vacation with the holiday...I'm so jealous! Being in retail means up at the crack of dawn for Black Friday, and then back again on Saturday. Can anyone tell me what it's like to not have to work during the holidays???

In my last post I told you the tix for Billy Joel were near the Bon Jovi tix...In my haste to post, I misinterpreted Red's email. The tix are near where we were for Neil Diamond. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. Again, the whole Ticketmaster conspiracy!


What's that on the right? Well, I've been meaning to post about this for awhile, and I'm hoping some of you might give me some info on this...I call it the knitting ring. Evidently, it's a row counter...this was the best pic I could get of it. There are dials to turn the numbers on the top, and another dial in the center of the ring. It's stamped "British Made and at the bottom, M.P. Knitting Ring". Ever hear anything about this? I found it in a bag of yarn I bought at the thrift store.

As far as knitting goes, I'm still trying to plug away at secret project #1. I'm working on sleeve #2, and well, you've seen sleeve #1. That's it for now....happy knitting on your holiday!

What's this? No photo?

Yeah, nothing much to show on the knitting horizon, but I felt like updating. I'm still trying to crank along on secret project #1, but I gotta tell ya..it's sloooow going with flame stitch coupled with the fact that the piece has to be so large, but I can see a pay off. Last night I placed the 2 pieces side by side, and I think it's coming out just fine. My nerves are wracked, though. I had to make a side trip to Joann's for more yarn since it's discontinued and I didn't even have a 40% coupon to use. It was a bummer, but now I at least have enough to finish...hoping there won't be a glaring dye lot issue. Beggars can't be choosers. And I've decided to use an applied I-cord around the edges...when I brought this up at knitting group, there wasn't a single book at Barnes & Noble that discussed this technique. Anyway, one of the other knitters suggested this website to me, and I gotta say...Yay for knitting videos. Here's the link:
http://www.knittingatknoon.com/home.html

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man..." yep..I'll be concerting again with Red. Got the confirmation from Red as to where we're going to be sitting, and it's pretty coincidental that it's 2 rows closer than Bon Jovi, but in the same section. Weird, huh?

New stuff and old stuff

Back when I was first teaching myself to knit, I decided to invest in this book...The Knitting Dictionary. It saved me a few times, but as my knitting progressed, I found that there wasn't really any book out there to really, really answer all my questions. I surf the web a lot, and alot of people have reviewed this book by Vogue Knitting and have recommended it. Well, when I got my latest 40% off coupon from Joann's, I made a beeline top the store to get it. So far, I haven't had a chance to look at it because I also picked up the latest Knit1. Can't decide if there's anything in there I would make.

Anyway, I've also included a shot of secret project #1...part 2. I'm using flame stitch from The Knitting Dictionary. Imagine my horror when I discovered that there were 2 errors in the pattern. It's not like I could look up to see if there were any error corrections on this book...it was published in the 80's I think. Well, I'm happy to report that I figured out both errors, and as you see the knitting progresses. And while I'm working on this, I need to figure out if I will go to see Billy Joel in January with Red. I've seen him twice before, and he really puts on a great show...I'm stalling on this because it'll be another hundred bucks out the door, and I haven't paid Red the hundred for the Bon Jovi ticket yet! Yeah, and all this after the Christmas shopping, too.

I'm also happy to report that I did indeed get my beads for secret project #2, and I also got the chance to sit down and graph the 2 designs I want to use. The Swarovski wouldn't work, and I had to get a cheapo substitute. I hope this thing won't look too cheesey.

This week is my knitting group. Yea! I'm gonna have to pick some brains there regarding these 2 secret projects. Catch ya on the flip!