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August 31, 2004
hodge podge
I am so excited about getting my secret palee. Not yet!
Thanks for all the Kyoto advice. My head is a bit swimmy with all of it, but I think I'm going to try at least one of the suggested fixes before consider frogging.
Knitting (&spinning) to do (excludes UFOs):
-swatch for cables for Melon Blast
-learn intarsia. I mean it this time.
-take pictures of some of my handspun yarn
-get out the crockpot for some dyeing
-organize yarn and fiber
-swatch for Shapely tank
-spin a full bobbin of mohair
-set up Kyoto gallery
-set up Stitch bunnies web ring
Right now I need some mindless, soothing knitting, so I think I'll work on the multidirectional scarf.
I really like Iknitative patterns and Natalie is very nice. She emailed me right away when I asked how many balls of Kureyon for the XL directions cardigan (14. I need to figure out how to get Kureyon 102 or 95 cheap, either that or settle for another color carried at places with a discount). I also really love her glam wrap. (Adrian, this is the same woman who designed Tilt). And her new pattern in Knitter's looks great, too. I can't wait to get my copy.
I got the summer Spin Off on Sunday when we went to Borders to look for the Fall Knitter's. I wonder why I buy that magazine, sometimes. Sometimes it is inspiring, but other times it just isn't. I bought this one mostly for the article on dyeing with food coloring and it wasn't impressive at all. And I bought the back issue with the unspun roving bowls, but I can't decide what the heck I would do (or anyone would do) with a felted bowl.
Oh, and I'm trying to do/learn a bit more crochet. I like this poncho, but I don't really understand the pattern, nor do I remember how to DC. Hopefully some of my stitchnbitch pals can help! I'm so susceptible to trends.
Kyoto knitalongers: if you've emailed me about joining, and I haven't added you, please comment or email me again.
Posted by Betsy at 05:51 AM | Comments (3)
August 29, 2004
site modifications
Omar is so clever. I love the changes, now it's easy to tell who is posting! Hopefully that will be a big help to our secret pals, whom we should have by the end of the week! eeee! I don't know why he's being shy about posting WIP photos.
Today at StitchNBitch I finished the ribbing for mitten #2 and worked on the sleeve cap for the second sleeve of the Melon Blast. Full house today, it was fun.
The great Kyoto debacle continues. Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I think I am going to try to modify what I have first, since it will involve relatively little knitting. If it doesn't work, so be it.
Here's an idea I had based on Delicious Yarn's suggestions, among others. If I could figure out a way to knit something that would fill in the area to the green lines, I would be in business. Click for larger image.
![]()
Posted by Betsy at 11:26 PM | Comments (3)
So I was wrong about being stuck
I flew ahead and more or less finished a mitten yesterday. Well, sans kitchener stitch and sewing in ends. Instead of the super-pointy looking "star decreases" used in the pattern, I hunted down a sock pattern in Weekend Knitting and took my cues from that. The side effect of which was discovering that I'd been doing ssk wrong all these many weeks, but only discovering it on the very last decrease when I wondered why there were these decorative edges on the mitten, when the sock I was modelling my decreases on didn't have them at all. The whole thing doesn't quite look sufficiently rounded for my tastes, but oh well. Perhaps alternating between a single decrease per needle, two decreases per needle, and straight rows will, in some combination, make the edge a little less polyginal.
This morning I got the ribbing on for the next one. With a touch of guidance from the girl, I've gotten the hang of ribbing by sight instead of count, which has made the whole thing much faster. Alright, so it's not much, but it's all I've got.
It looks like I will try to make use of the fisherman's wool for a little bit more of the sheep. However, this entails winding at least some of it into a proper ball, and I haven't quite talked my love into doing that.
The flappers hat still taunts me. The hole and that haunting sizing notion. Really, what I need to figure out is if the flap is attached to the end with the PCO or the other end. If it's attached to the end with the PCO, then great, my hat is a little wider at the top, but my guesses about final measurement increases will still be good where it counts. Otherwise, I do, in fact have four mour increases than I intended to. Still, that could only be, what, an inch or so? Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to frog the flap in empathic destruction. In the end, I suppose I need to know if I a couple of well pleace stitches around the hole will felt it close with only minor traces of its presence. It will give the hat character. Yup.
For my own note, I believe I'm in the middle of short row number six of eight. But I'll need to check that, too.
Posted by omar at 11:01 AM | Comments (1)
August 28, 2004
A photo of the Kyoto problem
Please pardon breast shot, and weekened wear.

So, you see, I'm not certain adding a collar of any width is going to correct this shaping problem.
*sigh*
(see two entries previous for the full story)
Posted by Betsy at 07:45 PM | Comments (1)
Weekly Status Report - Still No Pictures
This status report comes, naturally, because I am at a point where I am more or less fed up with, stuck on, or facing tearing out the three projects I have going at the moment.
The world's most appalling felted sheep is just sort of at a color impasse, while I decide what will contribute the next shade in its awful spectrum and simultaneously provide the proper fuzziness. Betsy offered the possibility of some of her hand-dyed Fisherman's wool, which would actually be just about the right colors to pass from where I am to where I want to be, although I admit that I have my doubts about the fuzziness. Still, it is a very good possibility to tide me over from yellow lopi-lit strnaded with a green and blue Cascade Quatro over to the turquoise full-sized Lopi.
There's nothing really wrong with the Broad Street Mitten, apart from its overall shoddy quality, except that doing seventten rounds of staight knitting in threes is making my wrists hurt in short order and is not very exciting, to boot.
A hole has cropped up somewhere in the Flappers hat, which might still be sewn together or something so that it would look alright once felted, however there's also a matter of having more more increase in each of my increase rows which has given me pause. It could be that neither problem is really that pressing, and I should just press on, but it has sort of stopped me in contemplation of my means.
And then there's that kufi. I ought to fix that. Really.
Posted by omar at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
Kyoto Meltdown
I've hit a serious roadblock with Kyoto. I finished knitting the collar tonight, which I picked up and worked for about 2.5 in garter. It looked awful, I picked up way too many stitches to knit in the same gauge as the body (plus it is at a slight angle). So I frogged it.
Worse than that, I'm just worried about the general fit of the garmet, specifically of the bust. The bottom of the frontspieces fits around my ribcage just touching as per the pattern. However, even with a collar of 2 or 3 inches, there is way too much of a neck opening and no room to overlap to close it. I should have put short rows in the front pieces. I thought the overlap structure could substitute for them but I didn't realize there is just not enough fabric to cover my boobies, let alone do a shaped overlap.
The worst part is that with the way I have knitted Kyoto so far, reknitting the front sections would also mean reknitting the sleeve since I picked up the stitches for it.The sleeve is the largest single piece of knitting in the garmet so far. I wish I could forget about the collar issues and just knit the other sleeve, but I don't want to do that if I'm just going to end up having to reknit the damn front pieces.
I don't know if these were my first tears of knitting frustration but they were my most deeply felt. The temptation came to frog the whole thing and abandon the project completely.
I also feel deeply frustrated at having to rework patterns to fit me because the pattern specs stopped at 1x. Omar and I did extensive calculations but we just didn't allow enough room for the bust, nor at the time did I know enough about short rows to incorporate them into my changes.
I have three options. Make your vote now.
- 1. Try to knit a collar at a smaller gauge yet very wide (4"-5") and see if that will provide enough coverage while correcting the bunchiness of the previous collar. I'd also want to just do the wider collar at the sides and keep back of the neck at about 2", and I haven't quite figured out how to do that elegantly.
- 2. Frog entire project, to be reknitted at a later date, or not.
- 3. Frog sleeve and two front pieces. Reknit front with short rows, reknit sleeve with much patience.
It has been a long night, my friends. A long night, a long knit.
*sigh*
Posted by Betsy at 05:26 AM | Comments (5)
August 26, 2004
Blogroll
Posted by Betsy at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2004
New Kyoto Knitalonger!
We have a new member of the Kyoto 2 KAL: Ann of If It's Fiber.... She's about to go yarn shopping!
How is everyone doing with your Kyotos? I am working on my collar, which I picked up stitches for. Then I just have sleeve #2 and it's seaming time :)
If the knitalongers want, I think it would be fun to start the gallery now so we can see everyone's yarn choices. Let me know!
Posted by Betsy at 09:32 PM | Comments (2)
Yarn pirates

"Avast, Smitty! We have landed on a treasure island of Classic Elite Flash in Clementine! And you scurvy canine, it be 30 % off! Arr, I feel in my bones the call of the sea, and the suspicion that someone will be making an orange tank top! " says Paprika.
(In case you didn't know, Playmobil pirates live on our coffee table, the Isle of Gladom, sea of Ikea)


Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Either I'm auditioning for Annie or I finished a mitten!

I also finished the first cup of Zaftig, much to the surpise of the small wind up rabbit. Starring a skein of polar yarn as my breast.

Here's an Actual FO, a comissioned hat that took forever to make becuase I'm lazy and I didn't write down how I made the first one. From my commerical knitting days.
Yeah, people like pictures.
Posted by Betsy at 03:08 AM | Comments (3)
August 23, 2004
You envy me + rabbits & Japanese yarn that's not Noro!
You envy me because Saturday afternoon I got to spin with Adrian, of Hello Yarn fame. I got to pet her sprightly terrier Shambles and all of her gorgeous yarn and fiber, and hang out in her lovely apartment with my favorite 70s aesthetic. It was pouring the entire time. I hadn't really spun in months but I managed to whip up a bobbin of some brown+white superwash that begs for overdyeing. I am soooo rusty, if one can get rusty at something when one is such a newbie. And my spinning wheel broke, and we fixed it and now the treadle doesn't clunk, which is very reassuring. We got to dish dirt about the heroes and villians of the fiber community. We probably talked about you.
Anyway, I just hope some modicum of Adrian's fiber magic rubbed off on me. I tried to spin some tonight but got frustrated and quit. The rabbit duel going on in the background didn't help.
Speaking of rabbits, I have registered the web ring for rabbit owners who knit, StitchBunnies. Here's our button:

I have knitting progress to report, as well. I finished my first mitten today at the Stitch 'N Bitch. I am also almost done with the first cup of Zaftig. I will post pictures later today.
Omar came back from the Woolcott sale telling tales of a multidirectional scarf in a yarn of varigated color AND texture. I just happened across it here. The yarn is Japanese: Diadrey from Diakeito. Looks cool, eh?
Posted by Betsy at 03:08 AM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2004
Omar makes mistakes.
Oh sodding hell.
I never seem to be able to write an entry, except in peaceful contemplation of a mistake. This time, I discovered that I decreased along the wrong one of three needles when making the thumb of the glove. The whole thing was a little risky anyway, since I had also somehow managed to put two more stitches into my thumb guesset increase. All this may have something to do with why the phrase "fits like a glove" would not be used today if I were knitting gloves back in the age of proverbs.
At any rate, I aquired some elevens, to start on the amazing technicolor sheep, and I have to restart the hat. So I have something else to keep me busy.
Posted by omar at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2004
Talk about knitting; help out a friend.
I have a fabulous online friend whose name also happens to be Betsy. She's writing her sociology dissertation about--you guessed it, knitting! So in interest of helping her, and because I know that you, fair reader, love to talk about knitting, I present her questions. Please email them to her.
i'm currently writing (not to mention fretting over) my dissertation, which is about knitting and its current resurgence. now that knitting is no longer something we have to do (in order to clothe ourselves and loved ones), why are we doing it?
if you have a minute, please consider the questions below. it would help me in my research a great deal and is relatively painless, i promise. and yes, despite what it may seem, i am way over 12 years old.
1. how did you learn to knit? how old were you then and old are you now?
2. knitting = nesting? is your knitting a way of getting back to simpler times?
3. in regards to the current resurgence in knitting, when do you think it started and why?
4. do you have a crafty group that you meet with? how often? why do you dig it?
5. where do you go online to discuss/learn/share your craftiness? how do these sites inspire you in ways that real life conversations don't?
6. is there a subversive element to knitting? a punk rock element? or simply a DIY smugness?
7. why do you knit?
8. what other crafty things do you do besides knitting?
9. the future of knitting- is there one or are we just kidding ourselves?
10. do you prefer to knit alone or with other people? why?
11. true or false: can craft save us all? (elaboration here would be nice, but not necessary.)
send your answers to betsy@craftivism.com
Posted by Betsy at 06:13 PM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2004
Searching for Bobbi Bear

Omar and I went nuts when we saw Bobbi Bear in the new interweave. He's a blue sky alpacas pattern, but they don't have a retail website.
So we've been searching for him online. During this search, we discovered some very interesting things about Bobbi.
·He's 2' tall
·He's made with 7! 45 yd hanks of Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky, which retails for about $10-$14 a skein.
· Operation Bobbi Bear is a program for sexually abused children in South Africa.
· Here's a place to order the pattern.
·Here's a shop in VA where they love Bobbi. Scroll down for pictures.
·Here's a place to order the ridiculously expensive kits, if you're so inclined. Is it just me, or are they having you buy a whole hank just to do the nose and eyes?
Omar wants to make one, and I want to make one for my friend's daughter, who's 1.5. I'm thinking Lion Brand Thick and Quick. =P
Posted by Betsy at 04:05 PM | Comments (7)
August 17, 2004
graphic yarn photos
I know why you are REALLY here. Not to listen to us blather, but for hottttxxxyarnpr0n. I've got it right here, baby. Here is the Kersti mitten as of 10 minutes ago, both sides. Full frontal! ...I need to stop. But I wanted to show both views because the color pattern is different. I want you to realize why we think Kersti is the sexiest yarn ever.


Okay now for the love of my life and the bane of my existence (I could be talking about Omar, or the bunnies) but I'm not, I'm talking about the Zaftig "bralette", the summer surprise from Knitty. This is testing my patience. It took me SIX tries to get the short row sequence right. This is my first experience with full-blown, wrap, turn, hide the wraps short rows. I must caution everyone new to short rows about making your first short row project something stretchy like Fixation where it must be perfect. Nonetheless, I persevere, mostly thanks to this short row tutorial someone on the lj knitting community made. This is 2 out of 10 sequences for cup #1.

Knitting goals for the evening include finishing the neverending Kyoto sleeve and doing at least one more short row sequence on Z.
Posted by Betsy at 05:41 PM | Comments (1)
August 16, 2004
progress?
I've done a ton of the Kersti mitten, I have about 2 more inches until I do the decreases for the mitten tip, and then I have to pick up the thumb from the hole created by the waste yarn. Omar has the camera in his bag at work or I'd show you right now.
I have sleeve-block. I have two sweaters waiting for a few inches of sleeve completion (Kyoto and Melon Blast).
I bought some white silk ribbon to try some embrodiery on the Kyoto sash.
I also cast on for Zaftig in this perfect Betsy-color, variegated coral. I am having trouble with it, though. Specifically, with the last row of the short-row sequence where I am supposed to pick up the wraps on the purl side. I've asked for help on the AK list, because everyone there is so nice and famillar with short rows!
My fingers are a little sore from yesterday. We stayed at the stitch n bitch for 3+ hours (after a friend cancelled plans) and then knit all the way through Camelot. I finally put it together in my head that Dumbledore=King Arthur and was greived anew. I'm reading Once and Future King right now, so we've sort of got a theme going on.
I really want to spin but spinning often makes my hands sore, so I won't, for now. I think I am just going to make some plain orange singles out of some of the Coppermoose bfl I have left. I really need practice. I need to discover the secret to not ending up with slightly felted roving when I dye my own.
Oh yeah, we're going to do something so it's easier to tell who is posting. Everyone realized that there are two of us posting in this blog, right? Hence the name. We'll try different type colors or something.
Posted by Betsy at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2004
now begins the ripping times
Coalescing insights into both the Broad Street Mittens and the Flappers hat have led me to the conclusion that there shall be a mighty ripping soon. Flappers is 'agawn t'have t'be tore out completely, and the mittens are going too have to go back to the ribbing, which is not so much of a loss. Still, we contemplate the ephemeral nature of string, and arrive at peace. It is better to tear out work on a hat than to have a felted hat that you can do nothing with. The felted hat represents our fixed routines, and if our fixed routines are flawed then we are in a much deeper peril than when we can still mend our ways.
That's about as philosophical as I can get over this today, ladies and gentlemen. I don't really want to work on either project right now, and to be honest, the idea of trying to get that kufi back into some sort of malleable, salvageable state gives me the willies.
Posted by omar at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2004
Joiner, WIPs, future projects
As you can see from our sidebar, I've joined a ton of knitting related stuff recently. Four webrings, Secret Pal III (yay!), and most recently, the Knit Kersti For Me knitalong.
WIPS
The Kersti mittens, cast on yesterday. Done in Kersti Color 801.

Melon Blast sweater sleeve, (modified from a pattern in Knitter's Spring 04) I've almost got two of these babies. I'm still trying to decide on how I want to knit the body. Yarn is Classic Elite Zelda in, uh, Butternut, I think.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to knit for myself next. For a long time I was really fixated on knitting Salt Peanuts from the Winter 2003 Interweave. I've swatched twice using two different yarns, and have thusfar not been satisfied. I ordered one ball of the Bergamo try try one last swatch, but I realized that in the largest size I would be paying around $100 for yarn. I am not sure I want the sweater that badly, especially thinking what other yarn I could by with that (ahem, more Kersti!)
Then there's my new obsession with Charlotte's web, or at least with knitting a shawl in KPPPM. I've made several posts asking opinions about a first lace project, and I think I finally have settled (I reserve the right to change my mind) on the Lotus Blossom Shawl from Fiddlesticks, which I think I'm going to knit in 5 different colors of KPPPM, a la Charlotte. It's almost a shame not to buy that kit, though, because it's affordable and the yarn looks lovely. But I do want the color gradient.
I have been on a total mental vacation daydreaming about knitting for the past 24 hours. :) Well, except when I took the boy bunny to the vet. ;)
Posted by Betsy at 04:43 PM | Comments (4)
August 12, 2004
Kyoto Knitalongers!
We now have eight people, including me, participating in the Kyoto 2 KAL.
I want to welcome all of you, especially the three of you who have just started blogs (Pam, Shandree, Cheryl)! This blog is a relatively new one, too. :)
Allison has finished her sweater, it looks great! Unfortunately, it doesn't fit her. She's got a great attitude about it, though, and someone's going to get a lovely gift.
Now, if my Kyoto doesn't fit, my wrath will rain down upon all. I am slowly inching my way to the finishing sleeve #1. Then I'll pick up the collar. Lastly, sleeve 2, finishing, and voila!
Finished Kyotos, from the web! A gorgeous bunch. Let me know if you see any others.
Astuce
VelvetDahlia
Marcela
Marla
Sarah
Posted by Betsy at 04:32 PM | Comments (2)
little needles and sore knuckles
The good news is that the other night I escaped from the k2p2 ribbing and thought I was being so goddamned clever because the True Grounds ladies made it known that ribbing is usually one size smaller than the rest of the work. However, I have discovered the place in the pattern where it calls specifically for larger needles to be used.
Well, that and by some trick of math, repeating k3inc1 across 48 stitches was supposed to yield 60sts. I just can't figure that oe out, so I knit a few things back together. Basically, yes, these mittens are a world of hurt.
Specifically on the knuckles.
On the side, I've got the flappers hat in the works, and am improvising the size increase as I go along. This also hints of bubris and disaster, but I still think there's not going to be a lot of extended math. Maybe I ought to stick to the larger needles for a couple days, maybe I ought to just put down the damned knitting sticks.
Posted by omar at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)
Of dangerous needles & knitting snobs.
First, just in case you haven't seen it, the exploding knitting needle.
I went to Fabic Place and I didn't buy yarn. I swear, I've actually been pretty good for the last few months. I bought one skein of novelty yarn for a gift, and one skein of Fisherman's Wool on sale, to dye. (Oh, and then there was WEBS, but I just got two lone skeins to swatch with and a bag of Lana D'oro so we'd have enough for the Basketweave Pullover for the boy.)
I have the blues, and the only cure for the summertime blues is to knit mittens. I'm going to cast on a pair in the Koigu Kersti that Omar got me at the Woolcott sale. I am loosely going to base it on the pattern in Weekend Knitting, but I want ribbed cuffs instead of garter.
I had the unfortunate experience of listening to knitting snobs today at Fabric Place. There was a woman complaining about how she can't find her "yahns" because all of her non-knitting friends have started knitting scarves. Oh come now! You are surrounded by retail yarn bounty. You're just bitter because people aren't in abject awe of your knitting skill because they discovered they can do it, too.
I really hate knitting snobbery in all its forms. I don't care if you don't want to knit with acrylic, that doesn't mean you have to look down on people who use it. And so what if there are people who only want to make scarves? Why does that suddenly take away from your fair isle abominations that are complex enough to kill small animals within a 10-mile radius? I really hate the "yarn store lady" attitude. Omar is always taken for a "yarn widower" and I am generally just plain ignored because I'm not old enough to have earned respect. (I have a knitting scar where a #8 metal dpn clipped me in the side, do you?) Share the love, damn it.
Posted by Betsy at 03:47 PM | Comments (1)
August 10, 2004
spinning
I got a Babe wheel in February, and used it for about three months until I fell off the wagon (and into summer school.) I want to start spinning again soon. These were some of my last efforts. (I had a lot of pink roving, can you tell?)


Posted by Betsy at 10:44 AM | Comments (1)
Knitty surprise 2
We saw a preview of this earlier in the summer, when JMM showed us her flipped thong-th-th-thong-thong. I need more Cascade Fixation, like, now! :)
Posted by Betsy at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2004
%^^$# WIP #$#@( UFO
I was going to have pictures. I guess I still could, but Ugh.
Project: Melon Blast Cardigan from Knitter's Magazine, Spring
Yarn: Classic Elite Zelda, aka, NoooO! Don't tear me out! I'll hold on for dear life!
I really was an idiot and didn't do the sleeve cap right at all on the second sleeve. I was so proud, I thought I would finish the sleeves, put them aside for a month or so while I finished Kyoto, and then cast on the body so I could have a super cozy sweater in time for winter.
Okay, this is still possible, but I wasted SO much time making a sleeve cap that was about twice the length it should have been.
I read "Rep Dec Row every RS row 5 more times" as "Rep Dec Row every 5th Row 5 more times" Ugh! Idiot.
This yarn is a serious bitch to rip out. I ended up doing some snipping.
In other news, I'm just like everyone else. I have Koigu fever. Omar got me three skeins of Kersti at the Woolcott 25% off sale (he didn't even know what it was, he just was ordered to bring home something fabulous.) That boy is a natural knitter. I'm so not a natural knitter. I have good taste in yarn, color, maybe an eye for conquerable patterns (?) but my brain lacks the mathematical and spatial dexterity that would make knitting from patterns easier. Anyway, I haven't decided what to do with the Kersti. But now I want a Charlotte's Web. I want it bad. I dreamed about it last night. I'm such a sheep! I'm a handpainted PPM sheep!
Of course, the eternal issue of the Charlotte, besides the money, is that I would want to find somewhere (several somewhere's, probably) where I could go look at yarn and design my own colorway. They have some at WEBS, but not 5 colors that blend that I like. And I might want (need?) six skeins, anyway.
I think I am going to be a disaster as a lace knitter.I know that this pattern is supposedly easy, but I also have seen many have trouble with it, and I'm sure I'd be part of the many.
This is all just projection. I don't want to think about Kyoto and the sleeve that will not end, or the Melon Blast, or the stupid homespun afghan.
I need to come to peace with the fact that I will never be a serial monogamist knitter. I am a philanderer!
Speaking of, I bought one skein of two different yarns on special at WEBS to swatch for Salt Peanuts. I am totally in love with one of them, and if the gauge won't work out, or if all of it is gone by the time I get my student loan check, I am going to cry a lot.
In other knitting news, we got another bag of Lana D'oro in Dark Olive so I can make the Basketweave Pullover (Interweave Knits Fall 04) for the mister. No, not the olive oil mister, the boyfriend. Wouldn't it be nice if while I was doing that he made me a Charlotte's Web (Do I really want to knit this myself? I can't tell. Maybe I just want to pick the colors and feel it up)...and then finished my Einstein coat?
Posted by Betsy at 09:11 AM | Comments (1)
August 08, 2004
T H E · F E L T I N G
In spite of Lopi the Llama being finished for quite some time, I have not quite gotten around to posting pictures of em. (Note the use of the spivak gender.)
When I got done with all the various knitting and seaming, e looked something like this:

In the first round, we attempted to felt by hand, which worked somewhat, but it felted the legs a little unevenly and produced a fairly giraffe-y llama, overall.

From there, we tossed em into the coin-op machine in the basement with a pair of khakis bound for Goodwill. Whereas the Fuzzy Feet produced a whole lot of schmutz in the bottom of the washer, this run was almost schmutz free. Now, that might have been because we interrupted the fuzzy feet before it could complete the wash cycle and wash all the schmutz into the pipes to plague our landlord and future tenants. Anyway, Lopi eventially ended up looking more or less like this:

Our key-chain monkey, Bingy-Bongy-Boongy-Boo (Bing, for short) has decided to form the Somerville Light Llama Cavalry, and has asked to be referred to only as "The Son of the Morning Star."
Posted by omar at 01:44 PM | Comments (1)
Pictures! At long last
First up, an actual finished object. It's the reverse bloom washcloth from Interweave/Weekend Knitting, knitted with sugar 'n cream cotton for the budget-conscious. I upped the needle size from 6 to 8, and voila, dishcloth!

Now for two of my seven or so UFOs. Let's talk Kyoto. Coming along. I'm anxious about fitting. I will pick up the stitches for the collar next. I'm going to make it wider than 2" because I don't think the front pieces are quite big enough for decent bubby-coverage. Then one more sleeve, attach the sash, and cross my fingers.

Lastly, a pretty little multidirectional scarf project started with a newly discovered ball of Noro Kureyon colorway 95 (which is a bitch to find). I need about two more balls to finish.

Posted by Betsy at 01:21 PM | Comments (6)
August 02, 2004
Kyoto Knit-A-long 2
As I'm making steady progress on my Kyoto, and the last knitalong didn't last long enough for me to finish, I proudly present the Kyoto knit-a-long 2.
To participate, save this button on your own server, put it on your blog. Send me an email
There's also the Kyotoknits Yahoo! group that you can join to discuss knitting this sweater. :)
Posted by Betsy at 12:31 AM | Comments (7)