A few weeks ago my friend Isabel and I decided to challenge each other’s photographic creativity with a prompt for the month. This shot was a response to the following:
“Use the sleeves of my sweater, let’s have an adventure.”
Yes, it’s pretty clear that I will use anything as an excuse to feature my favorite book.
I’m hoping the title comes off less as a reference to “it’s clobberin’ time” and more towards “a stitch in time saves nine.” Or does that even make sense? True, the latter isn’t a perfect fit because sewing this up isn’t preventative, it’s necessary, and to be quite honest my sewing skills are so rudimentary that Thing could probably do a better job.
Unblocked & clockwise from top: hood, two pockets, two sleeves, back piece, front pieces
I actually finished knitting up all these pieces nearly two weeks ago, but put off the seaming until now. As I write this, I’m waiting for half the pieces to finish blocking (sleeves, hood, and pockets) because I have so little room for just leaving cotton knits to dry. Given another two, three days for the remaining half, as well as a few frustrated days of sewing… well, here’s to hoping I finish this within the next two weeks! With autumn quick on our heels, I’ve still got a few other sweater/cardigan works-in-progress that have been neglected for far too long.
Or, “what not to do when you’re knitting.”
You might have seen from my instagram that I caved and bought the Tara Stiles x Wool & the Gang TS Street Hoodie, complete with their gorgeous rosewood needles that I really did not need. This was not the most logical decision, given that not only do I already own this Denise Interchangeable Needle Kit, which includes a US size 15 needle, but I didn’t know whether I could get that gauge. Of course, I hoped I would.
Same needles, different styles. Left: Continental. Right: English.
Naturally, as it always happens when one relies purely on hope, and as evidenced by these photographs, I didn’t get the right gauge on my first try. However, nor did I get it on my second. The swatch on the left is my first attempt and it’s about half an inch smaller than it should be. Now, as every knitter knows, the solution is just to use a different needle; in this case, a larger one… which I didn’t have. Instead of doing the smart thing and going out to get the next size up (a whopping US size 17), I decided to keep trying my luck by abandoning my usual Continental style of knitting for the English method, which, for me, results in a much looser gauge.
It kinda worked.
Width comparison.
Height comparison.
With this second swatch I was able to gain a quarter of an inch in width and got the height I needed, however the width is still about an eight of an inch too small. While this should compel me to bite the bullet and buy another pair of needles, buyer’s remorse (for just the needles of course) and obstinacy is telling me to just go with the English style. The TS Street Hoodie is a one-size-fits-all garment, and although I’m not as lithe as Ms. Stiles, so long as I stay mindful (this is yoga, after all) of my tension, this could work out.
If not, I can always frog it.
I’ve graduated! Now that I’ve more free time, I’m excited to devote my time to all those projects– such as this one- that have fallen to the wayside. If you follow me on instagram, you might have noticed that I’m working through the Brooklyn Tweed Stranger Cardigan by Michyio. I’ve finished the cabling and now I’m working at the stockinette, but as much as I love the yarn, I’m starting to get a little bored. However, it’s the best kind of stitch to work on when marathoning television (need to catch up on Game of Thrones and Doctor Who!).
Now enter the collaboration between Tara Stiles and Wool & the Gang; it combines my two favorite cathartic activities: yoga and knitting. I’ve been a fan of Tara for a while– I adore her relaxed and gracious personality and approach to yoga– and when she started tweeting about her knitting adventures with Wool & the Gang, I fell in love with their company. Their branding and design is so fresh and forthright, and their tag line? “Fabricated tales.” Be still my fantastical heart.
I need this hoodie in my life. The color is perfect!
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[/wpcol_1half] [wpcol_1half_end id=”tswatg_shorts” ][/wpcol_1half_end]As if I couldn’t be more obsessed, the mint and hot pink colors in the collection are right up my alley and absolutely perfect for summer. The price tag is a little steep but considering it’s pima cotton, it’s not much more expensive than other non-acrylic yarns from comparable companies. That being said, I still wish the patterns were available on their own, but it seems as the pieces are only sold as kits. In any case, I still have quite a project backlog, so the price is probably a good deterrent to keep me on track.
Do any of you have some knitting or crafting projects that you’re excited about?
