zip zoom bang ...

Heh ... that's what it feels like .. that I'm zooming along at mach 1 induced speeds doing the st st for the main part of the sweater! I knew that i was going to fly when I got the st st part of the sweater, which is 90% of it I'd say .. the 'ribbing' is the texture and bobbles, and there's a bit of that at the wrists and the button band .. i'm still saving that as my escape hatch for size considerations .. the pattern calls for buttons and a button band .. but I do have that zipper that I bought for the belated hoodie or NOT .. and it does match this just bout perfectly too! So I do have the option of turning this into a zipper cardi .. or doing the button and adding some 'room' if need be ..

Yes I'm all paranoid about the size on this .. can't say I blame me after the fiasco of the last one .. and my math was right! This time I'm just going to totally avoid it by following the pattern as close as I can with little or no modifications.

Once the back is done, then there's the front to do, then the sleeves .. and I'll do my normal trick of doing both sleeves at the same time .. that way I can copy my mistakes from sleeve to sleeve .. and no I'm not about to be stupid enough to ask .. what kind of a mistake can I make in just st st .. heh .. yeah right ..i am sooooo NOT going there ..

As for the recycled materials project, my friend Gina is developing an online community for it where we are going to have chat if I understood her correctly, email, photo albums and everything .. this is just going to be awesome! She's working like a fiend on it, has trashed it at least twice so far because she wasn't happy with it LOL .. poor gina ..

Just a recap .. we've expanded the challenge to include any project that you want to do .. the only requirement is that MUST be a recycled material - meaning got from the thrift store, dragged out of your husbands (or your) closet, attic, basement where ever you may find it - so have fun hunting and digging for your materials for the 2010 challenge .. and you can make as many projects as you want!

Thank you

I want to say Thank You to all the men and women that have given their life for their country so that we can remain free. With special thanx to my great-grandfather, Gavin Lambie WWI (deceased), my grandfather, John Lambie WWII (deceased), my step-father Phillip Dmetroshko Viet Nam.



Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

2010 Challenge - Recycling

I've a few other projects on the burner (the one i've plotted for my red yarn specifically - I'm really excited about that one, but that can wait ... for now ;) ), including a huge scheme for 2010. Now you've either run away screaming or are listening intently.

While i was hunting around for the rest of my costume for Hallowe'en, I saw sweaters at the thrift shop .. pretty nice shades of green that I liked .. and I thought .. I bet I could frog this and re-use this yarn for something that **I** like instead of someone's cast off .. (blinding nova light moment .. ) Well geeze why can't I?? so the mental plotting began .. but I didn't want to do this alone ... this seems like the perfect thing to do with your friends .. thrift shop shopping, frogging and knitting!! Yeah i was a wee bit pumped on it

I mentioned it to my one friend, Helene and she really likes the idea and is almost as excited as I am about it! Another friend of ours (Gina) was out of town and we've not had a chance to mention it to her yet, but I'm sure that she'll get kick out of it and be in full speed ahead .. (update .. Gina's in ;) )

I want to invite anyone that wants to recycle yarn for a knitted / crocheted project are more than welcome to join us .. we are all on ravelry, so it makes sense to do it there with postings to our blogs, web albums, etc etc etc .. Or if we opt not to do a ravelry group, we can use my blog here for links or even create a new one .. plenty of options to choose from!

Rules / Recommendations .. random thoughts ..

1. The basic plan is we start this in january 2010, you MUST use a recycled knitted garment garment / sheet / blanket etc.


2. Suggest frogging it from the collar down (thanx for the reminder T - who is joining us on the challenge ;))


3. This challenge is year-long - no rush for it .. something to pick and do when the urge pushes you


4. Yarn type, weight, colour, preferences are totally yours


5. You can do any pattern, but we are pushing for a sweater / jacket / cardigan type thing


6. For Yarn related projects, I recommend getting the largest size sweater to frog to ensure you have enough of that yarn colour - Men's sweaters can also be scooped for this

So this will be a recycled yarn knit a long (KAL) materials project for 2010 .. if you get it done before then, great .. start another if you'd like

I think this is going to be great - no group has been made on ravelry as yet - the logistics of it still have to be worked out, and of course there are ladies I want to invite personally before the group is active.

So welcome to the 2010 recycling challenge KAL .. If you're interested please drop me a line by email, here by leaving a comment (please include your return email addy so I can contact you) or send me a message thru my ravelry profile If your not a member of ravelry, you might want to join - if only for the pattern database. It seems to have the largest database in one spot for free patterns that I've found!

I look forward to hearing from everyone that wants to join us and sharing our projects and adventures while shopping for it!

One thing I should add .. if you don't knit / crochet, but want to do a recycle challenge .. then thrift shop clothing could be great for a quilt, new coat whatever .. as long as you use someone's castoff .. the whole idea of this challenge is to reduce / reuse / recycle ..

bobbling along ..

Progress has been made And not frogged :D **knitterhappydance I've made it thru the chart .. what I get to do now is 3 rows of purl, then 2 more bobble sections .. then the straight stocking stitch .. how cool is THAT?? I'm relieved that I've gotten this far and not had to frog it again ..

I got a few pics, and sorry that they aren't all that great .. a wee bit fuzzy and the colour (of course) is off .. I've not been able to get a consistent colour in any picture with this yarn .. but you do get an idea of the texture and pattern - which is part of what I wanted to do ..

knitless ...

This picture was taken on 27^th of October at our Knatter nite .. I meant to get this photo and a blog post up titled "Knitless since Tuesday", but it just didn't happen .. spending the next 2 days after this as a lump on the couch sick is reason enough .. I just didn't have the energy or inclination to hunt down a sweater that I wanted to do.

BUT

You knew there was a but .. heh .. I found one :D **knitterhappydance. And it is just wayyy to cute for words .. NOW .. I wasn't sure if I would use the purple still or try the cardinal red I have .. but I really do have that earmarked for a different project (I'll tell you about that one when I actually get to making it .. )

I found the Bobble-Edged Cardigan, a free pattern at unicornbooks.com. What I really like about this is that it's got texture, but a LOT of stocking stitch .. I've never done bobbles before so I really intrigued by it .. and of course the pattern ... what's rather unique about this is that it doesn't have traditional ribbing ... it uses bobbles for the ribbing .. how cool is THAT!

I've named this Bobble Cardi (ravelry project page) - for now .. until I can get more inventive with a name. The instructions are pretty straight forward - altho I did manage to have to frog it when I was at the 17^th row .. yeah i know .. you are NOT surprised ... What I had done, (even tho I made notes) reversed left front and right front on the chart .. I'm doing this pattern pretty much as written. Notice I said .. pretty much as written .. the one difference i'm doing here is that I'm doing the fronts and back as one-piece .. (no pics yet) and I'm doing the size 38 instead of the 40 since the last one I did was a 40. I still have the zipper that matches this yarn and I just might do a double bobble front ribbing instead of 1 row button band - the juries still out for now as I'm going to wait and see just how this fits me.

Gauge is "18 sts and 26 rows = 4" in st st using larger needles",larger needles being size 7. Well when I used the 7s for my swatch,I was like ½" smaller - so .. gauge for this yarn is same rows and stitches on size 8s .. and I tend to knit to gauge .. so I listened to my gut and we'll just have to see how right it is .. course I AM leaving wriggle room with the 'button' band :D

I just started the chart again and have hilighted my notes and specific points to remember lol .. I think that this one is going to work out .. I swear if I doesn't .. I'm going to trade off, throw out, sell, or burn this yarn!!