Jenny Check

Giant Baby Sweater

Inspired by Nicole's baby sweater, I decided that what I wanted was a gigantic one for myself. After some recalculating, I came up with this.

I cast on 64 stitches and did the increases according to EZ. I put in about 10 rows worth of short rows to raise the back (5 extra ridges) after the first round of increases. After switching to gull stitch, per pattern, I divided for the sleeves. I should have held 31 stitches for each front, 37 stitches for the sleeves and the rest for the back, but I messed up and only held 25 stitches for the fronts. oops. So my back is particularly poofy (see pic below). I did the sleeves in the round to avoid seaming and cast on an extra 19 stitches for the sleeves. Then when I joined the body, I cast on an extra 16 stitches at each underarm. then I followed the pattern, decreased 10%, did the garter stitch border for 6 ridges and cast off. Next time, I will hold 31 stitches for the fronts, maybe divide for the arms an inch earlier. These pictures are pre-blocking. Now I just need buttons...

I used a cone of School Products merino/cashmere blend. The yarn is bulky weight, and it's very pink. It started with 2426 yards, and I'm not sure how much I used. The cone is still huge, and I think I have enough yarn left for several more baby sweaters.

A dirty little secret- I did not do a gauge swatch before I started. I took the written gauge (3-3.5), assumed I would knit a bit tighter than specified on size 10 needles- a needle size smaller than recommended (10.5-11). After a few rows, I took my gauge in garter stitch, which ended up being about 3 STI. Because it's not a tight fitting sweater, more kimono-bedjacket-like, I think I got away with it. I like the style of it- not just for babies!

tagged

So I just got tagged for a 7 random facts meme by Shamrock Knits.

1. I like to reread books and rewatch movies and tv shows over and over and over etc. Specifically, fantasy/science fiction from my childhood, the 6 hour Pride and Prejudice and other romantic type comedies as well as the Harry Potter movies and the Lord of The Rings, Sex and the City, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (all 7 seasons). It's comforting, what can I say? I feel like I am spending time with old friends.

2. I eat everything, but I don't really like raw bananas or raisins. ?

3. I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I love potato chips and french fries.

4. I have recently become addicted to Fresh  cosmetic products.

5. I have recently become addicted to O magazine.

6. I kind of hate to shower.

7. I am an arachnophobe.

I'm not much for tagging, but Nicole, do you want to take a shot?

Strawberry Shortcake Hat

I wanted to make a hat that poofed a little at the top like those doll hats. I cast on 75 stitches, made three eyelet ridges, increased by 50%, then used concentric circle decreases. I thread a ribbon through the eyelets and made little bows. It's a little odd, but I like it.

The whole stash in the living room

when people come over now, they say: wow, your husband must really love you.

Alinea (or the many expressions of my father)

While in Chicago, we were very excited to eat at Alinea. We were a bit nervous to take my parents there since the food, while delicious, is definitely edgy and innovative. I decided to take a photo of my dad after each of the 25 courses to judge his reaction. I think he liked it... but I'm not sure.

(No flash photography at Alinea, so a few pics are blurry... also, the other exciting thing about this dinner was that El Hijo del Santo was sitting in the corner with his Mexican wrestling mask on the entire evening. We sat next to his body guard to get the DL...)

mom's shawl!

In my recent travelings to the midwest, I went to Chicago with Harold and my parents. My dad went to a conference while Harold, my mom, and I explored the city. Somehow we ended up at Wicker Park in front of a yarn store- fancy that! Nina's yarn shop is an elegant space with a very well edited selection of yarns. Nina deals with companies that have good causes (like Be Sweet and Manos del Uruguay), unique products (Habu Textiles) and great work horse yarns (Rowan, etc.), and I found that I wanted to knit with almost all the yarns on the shelves. Damn you, Malabrigo! She also carries Twinkle yarns, which I found intriguing, because I just got that book- but I resisted.

Then my mom picked up a ball of Be Sweet's Magic Ball in peachy tones, picked up a store sample shawl, and said- I wish I could have this! So I bought that Magic Ball, 2 Be Sweet mohair boucles in pink and wheat, and a skein of Blue Sky Brushed Suri in light pink. The store sample shawl was a pattern from Karabella for their gossamer yarn. You start at the bottom of the back, increase on either side for a long time, bind off at the neck, and then decrease on the outer edges for the fronts. Then you pick up stitches all around the edges and double the stitches every other row for the ruffle. By the end, I had over a thousand stitches to bind off. Yeesh. I had to make some gauge difference adjustments (the pattern's gauge was 4SPI and I was getting 2.25 SPI) and I striped the Magic Ball, the pink Boucle and the Brushed Suri throughout. But I knit to the schematic's measurements and then proceeded to plow through the yarn in a gigantic effort to complete the shawl before I left and use all the yarn so I wouldn't have to add to the excel spreadsheet. I used the last ball of boucle in wheat for the last two ruffle rows. So this was what was leftover:

And here is the finished result!

Ruffle close up:

And a detail of the effects of Magic Ball:

Magic Ball is kind of crazy- lengths of all kinds of yarns in complementing colors tied together at random intervals. I had this weird bobble yarn with boucle, feathery ribbon, sparkly nylon, etc. Everything pretty much blended in except for the feathery ribbon and these bobbles.

An action shot: