Monthly Archives: October 2019

Fifth time’s the charm?

Posted on by
28

I have finished my lovely Sparkling cardigan, except for weaving in the ends and sewing on the buttons.  I don’t have any modelled photos for you today, but I can tell you that it fits perfectly and is so comfortable.  I just love this one.

20191030_165822.jpg

I had to re-do the front edging four (!) times, as follows:

1st attempt – picked up 307 stitches, US2 needle, buttonholes on row 5
2nd attempt – ripped back to row 2, buttonholes on row 3
3rd attempt – ripped back to row 1, changed to US3
4th attempt – ripped all the way back, picked up 371 stitches, US2

On the first attempt, I put the buttonholes on row 5 of the ribbing and this made the ribbed edge too wide; I wanted it narrow to match the ribbing at the sleeves.  Thus, the second attempt which merely ripped back to the beginning of Row 3 so that I could make the buttonholes on the correct row.  However, as I mentioned in a previous post, the edging was “bunched”, so I decided to rip back to the first row of edging and then change to a larger needle size (only because I was too lazy to pick up the stitches again).  This was a fail.  Thus, attempt 4, in which I ripped all the way back and re-picked up the stitches at a different rate, ending up with 64 more stitches on the needle, and then knitted the rib as intended with the smaller needle (US2).  So far, so good, one might think.

Imagine my surprise at discovering that I had knitted the buttonholes on the wrong side!  (I even knitted them on the wrong side FOUR TIMES)!  I spent a few days cogitating on this debacle and trying to convince myself that I didn’t care what side the buttons were on.

I finally decided to mention the problem to Doug, knowing that he would tell me how silly this was and that I should just sew on the buttons and wear the thing! But Doug said: “Oh no!  You put the buttonholes on the wrong side? How did you manage that?”  Epic fail.  If Doug thinks I should rip, when he is always in favor of not ripping, this is bad.

At just that point in the conversation, Emma calls, and I tell her that I have put the buttonholes on the wrong side.  And Emma says: “Do you mean to tell me that you care about some antiquated prescriptive clothing rules?  Do you mean to perpetuate non-essential gendering of clothing?”  Uh-oh.  EMMA, the queen of “rip it all out Mom” is telling me to let it be, while DOUG, “Mr. let it ride” is telling me to fix it.  Not only that, but I have strayed into political hot water.

We then have the following conversation:

Emma: “Historically, women’s shirts have the buttons on the wrong side, because it was assumed that women would not be dressing themselves.  And that doesn’t mean a man, but rather that a maid would be un-dressing her. It was a class thing.”

Kelly (doggedly sticking to her dilemma): “So, does that mean that you think I should re-do it?”

Doug: “No, that means that you should get a maid.”

Argh!  I’m left-handed anyway!  If things made sense, the buttons would alternate sides depending on handedness and not gender.

What do you think?  Fifth’s time the charm?

 

Sweater design: A cautionary tale

Posted on by
17

A humorous piece in the Guardian today is about an unfortunate sweater design being sold at the retailer FatFace.  As the tag line on the article says: “Shoppers have spotted an image that ‘cannot be unseen’ in the design of this FatFace sweater – much to their amusement”.

a cautionary tale

Photo: Publicity Image, from Guardian, “What a boob! Why this fair isle jumper is turning heads”, October 28, 2019

I looked at the sweater for a few minutes without seeing anything off; however, I can truthfully testify that once you see it, it cannot be unseen.

I asked Emma and Doug what I should name this post.  Emma, ever the smart alec and word pundit, came up with the following options within seconds:

  • Breast in show
  • Breast laid plans
  • Man’s breast friend
  • No breast for the wicked
  • Breast seller
  • Get it now before it’s laid to breast
  • Breast Buy

Doug, not to be outdone, provided the following (with help from Emma and Kelly):

There once was a girl from St. Jude
Whose sweater was terribly rude
With boobs by the row
It made quite the show;
Fair Isle's not meant to be lewd.

(Perhaps, as a family, we need to find a hobby?)

To all of you budding sweater designers, take this as a precautionary tale.  This could have been avoided with a change in colour scheme or pattern placement.  A test drive might be in order for your next design.

Gorgeous quilts by textile artist Bisa Butler

Posted on by
4

I was completely blown away when I saw Bisa Butler’s latest works in a photo article in the Guardian last weekend.  These quilts, with the subjects drawn from old black-and-white photos of African-Americans, are gorgeous – so completely full of life and colour.  The artistry is amazing and the fabrics are fantastic.

Here is the piece called Broom Jumpers:

Bisa Butler 1

photo copyright Bisa Butler; from Guardian article 19th October 2019

If you check out Ms. Butler’s Instagram account, you can see that these quilts are very large, and totally stunning.  I am taken with their vibrancy, with the skill of the artist, with the exuberant fabric, and with the subjects.

Here is one called Dear Mama:

Bisa Butler 4

photo copyright Bisa Butler; from Guardian article 19th October 2019

According to the article, Ms. Butler is currently exhibiting at the Claire Oliver Gallery in New York.  If I was anywhere near New York, wild horses couldn’t keep me away from this exhibit.

Cool Boots Redux

Posted on by
4

Last week, I flew to Johannesburg on business.  This meant two very long flights and a week by myself in the hotel.  This meant that I needed some travel knitting – something that is easy to carry, easy to knit, lightweight, and fairly mindless.

I had some very beautiful skeins of Blue Sky Metalico, three skeins each in the three shades Opal, Silver, and Gold Dust.

20191018_151300.jpg

This is fantastic yarn, so incredibly soft and shimmery.  I bought it at Tribe Yarns in Richmond, London, on my first visit there over the summer.  It is a great shop, and one I plan to re-visit.  (I just received a newsletter from the owner, Milli, saying that they have moved into bigger premises – right next door.)

For a while, I have been thinking about knitting another Cool Boots Shawl:

P1020536

I designed and knitted this shawl to celebrate my 300th post on this blog.  The original was knitted with Isager fingering weight yarn in very bright shades of red, coral, and fuschia.

P1020523

I thought it would be fun to make one in neutrals.

20191018_151100.jpg

This is a sportweight yarn, so the knitting is much faster.  I have almost finished the third of three, long, asymmetrical stripes.  Here is one end, as it stands now (the gold stripe is half-finished):

20191019_133022.jpg

And here is the other end:

20191019_132939.jpg

The shawl takes on a whole new look in the neutral tones, I think.  The Metalico is 50% Baby Alpaca and 50% Silk,  and is all natural – no dyes.  I love that it comes naturally in these soft, glimmery, metallic shades.

20191019_133248.jpg

I’m still recovering from my sprained ankle, although I can see some progress.  A big thank you to everyone who is marching today in support of our wonderful, safe, strong, multicultural European Union!

This and that

Posted on by
12

WordPress woes.  I’ve been having lots of trouble with WordPress lately.  For some reason, I cannot write a post on my laptop; it will not save.  I have tried with both Firefox and Chrome with no success. To make matters more mysterious, I now have a brand new laptop and I can’t get it to work on that either.  It works fine on Doug’s laptop, no matter the browser.  This is both mysterious and annoying.  I am leaving for Johannesburg today, so am trying to put out a quick post from Doug’s laptop before I head out the door.

Big yarn knits fast.  I have finished both sleeves for the Snoning pullover for Emma.  This is knit using an Aran weight tweed held together with a mohair lace and it makes for fast knitting.

20191005_121333.jpg

Third time’s the charm? I picked up over 300 stitches around the fronts and neck of my Sparkling pullover, and then knitted the ribbed edging, complete with buttonholes, started binding off, and realised that it wasn’t going to work.  The front edges are bunching together.  I decided that I either needed to (1) start all over with the edging and pick up more stitches to begin with, (2) pull out everything but the pick-up row and re-knit with a size larger needle, or (3) trust in blocking to fix it.  I went with Option 2, ripped back to the cast-on row, re-knit the edging with a US3 needle, bound off all of those stitches, and – lo and behold – it still looks bunchy:

20190930_174507.jpg

When I get back, I will revert to Option 1, which is what I should have done all along but laziness and self-deception prevailed.  With any luck, third time’s the charm?

Surprise.  It is always nice when you forget that you have ordered something and it suddenly shows up.  Some time ago, I signed up for Carol Feller’s new book showcasing the Wosrsted version of her Nua yarn.  It showed up today, just in time for a pick-me-up. I am loving the cowl on the cover:

20191005_121150.jpg

The dreaded ankle.  I am slowly but surely recovering from my ankle injury.  I am still using a cane and having troubles with stairs, and I still have swelling which means I can’t fit into any of my shoes.  (I’ve been wearing trainers since the fall.)  I walk very slowly, making me feel old and cranky.  I am worried about the 11 hour flight ahead of me today, plus negotiating my way through two airports.  And then the teaching once I get there.  But the physio tells me that everything is progressing as it should, and that I need to start using it.

Sunshine.  It’ll be warm and sunny in Jo’burg.  Hooray!