On and off the needles: cutting and stitching

January 06, 2008

Looking at my recent projects I'm most excited about a man's vest that has been problematic for all kinds of silly reasons. It was based on an abandoned sweater body I found in the back of a cupboard a week before Xmas. I suspected I had too little yarn to finish it but went ahead anyway. Hey, it seemed like a bonus at the time!

I got her done, using an alternate yarn for the armbands and wrapped her up. Lo and behold, at the trying on of the vest an unappetizing gap between the bottom of the garment and the wearer's belt became evident. Sorry, no photo. Back to the drawing board.

Last night I found a super tutorial on how to lengthen a sweater by picking up stitches above the ribbing and then cutting it off and knitting downwards. I'd read about this procedure in the past, but was intimidated by the instructions I came across at the time. I only found this particular post because I misspelled the word "lengthen" in my Google search. I like it because the words and pictures are minimal and plain and gave me confidence. This gal in British Columbia should be writing manuals and instructions for a living. Thank you Knittypants!

I got the scissors out this evening, successfully completed the operation and am now happily knitting downwards with what original yarn I could salvage. I'll knit the ribbing in the alternate yarn. Will post a photo later this week.

Here's a little mosaic bag big enough to hold sunglasses. Wish I got a shot of the scarlet lining before I gave it away.

Here's the first in a series of tams. I'm trying to make the ideal hat for a particular person at their request. Huh!

This is the Star Tam without colour changes from the book Homespun, Handknit.

I'm also working on the last details of my Galina Khmeleva shawl - "A Warm Orenberg Shawl." There's a bit of tedious edging at the end which I'm dragging on. Hope to have a finished picture soon, but here's the beginning of it.