Pineapple Part Two

This is my second time with this. We loved it the first time but I think we needed more of the glaze and well, we didn't have enough so I made more.

Not bad, eh?

ps: Whole Foods at Bowery is as good as I thought it would be. I'm not being snotty but it's the best one I've been too - including the one in Atlanta where Alton shops. I could definitely spend at least 2 hours a day there.

FO: Hourglass Sweater

Pattern: Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Hardware: 24” size 6 bamboo
Software: Knitpicks Andean Silk in Orange – 12 skeins.
Start: December 26, 2006
Finished: March 14th, 2007

I really like this sweater in the end. If you look back or notice how long it took me to finish, you can tell that I kind of lost interest along the way– starting and finishing CPH before wrapping this up, etc. I think the reason is that, well, if you're in the stage that I'm in - which is eager beaver new knitter who has a short attention span and who wants to try every new technique she crosses, this could fall by the wayside.

But in the end, I love it. While it's easy and some could say boring (your call - it's many many rounds of stockinette), someone could probably whip this out in 2 weeks and it's just a classic sweater with a bit of a twist.

The first picture I took was this one below. This shows me wearing the sweater before I blocked it and how short it was. This was tres scary.

But then I blocked. And this next picture was the first picture taken post-blocking. The sizing made me very excited and I requested an immediate photoshoot. We were just back from Loreley and several beers (hey, it was that first of the season 70 degree day and what better way to celebrate than at an outdoor German beer garden). Hands on hips and stilll wearing work skirt is indicative of excitement level.

Here is the final photoshoot:

The above and first photo of this post were taken this past weekend (with new camera, btw). You can tell I am in the exact same position so that I could see pre-post blocking. Important to note is that I actually wore the sweater to work on Thursday and then took these pictures on Saturday. Maybe I’m crazy but it seems to have shrunken in length from the previous picture?

Details/Modifications

In terms of yarn/gauge/amount – the pattern calls for a different yarn using size 7 needles. As you may know, Andean Silk has been widely used as a substitute, calling for a size 7 needle. When I swatched, I was running too big, which is kind of weird because I’m a really tight knitter. I probably wish I used the size 7. Blocking did a lot for me but I do wish this was a little roomier. It’s not too tight, it fits well, I just wish it was looser.

In terms of Modifications - I saw a lot of sweaters with serious boat neck action – which is really not that obvious when you look at the picture in the book. This is, in reality, the style of the sweater. This works for a lot of people, mostly those who wear strapless bras or have super bra strap invisible powers, but it doesn’t work for me.

I read a post by a woman who started doing decreases every row instead of every other row, to make the neck more narrow. I am fortunate enough to live close to Purl (owner is author of book), and so I strolled in for some direction. The staff recommended that I NOT decrease every row, but that I instead knit more rows, but continuing in the pattern of decrease one row and knit the next straight. Instead of 38 rows (I knitted the size for 37) of decreasing (19 decrease rows, 19 regular), I knitted a total of 44 – which nets 3 additional decrease rows.

I really wish I would have knitted this longer and while the blocking did wonders for me (added 3 inches in length without looking wonky/stretched)

And about that finishing. Yes, it’s annoying but it wasn’t at all hard. I have since seen some references to attaching/seaming the “turning round” as you go, vs finishing it after, and I would recommend that.

If you want a couple more pictures, click here.

On Cooking

First, I seriously am on the verge of a heart attack because I’m so excited about this:

Opening two blocks from my house!!!!! Opening this Thursday!!!! I feel tears coming on right now. I went vegetarian when I was 14, which was, wow, a long time ago. At that age, Bread and Circus came into my life – which was the most amazing upscale veggie-friendly grocery store in Boston/MA (where I grew up). When I went to college (in Boston) I worked there and then it was bought by WF and I've hearted them ever since.

Second, I just want to say that I have cooked two times in the last month and both meals have come from Veggie Meal Plans, which is one of my new favorite things ever.

I frankly have a lot to learn and realize that I’m so underdeveloped in the cooking area that you will find humor in my commentary.

Dinner #1: Pineapple-Chipotle Glazed Tofu, Grilled Asparagus, Jasmine Rice

Rundown

Great – pretty easy except that I cooked the glaze too quickly. The tofu was great although it could have been cooked a bit more – I can’t seem to brown tofu all that well – it just seems to hang out and not cook. Can anyone at all help me with this?

Burned the asparagus. Pre-cooking I emailed my friend Lucy and asked her for advice on cooking asparagus. She said either broil it or use an asparagus cooker. You think I have an asparagus cooker? Nein. I opted for broiling but didn’t know that this doesn’t require a whole lot of time.

Dinner #2 – Spelt Linguine with White Beans and Vegetables

Rundown

This was awesome – a lot of moving parts (a lot of ingredients) but worked out great and lasted several days.

I didn’t realize that you could steam without a steamer (pause for laughter) – I had to call my mom after reading: “heat veggie broth and garlic in a sauce pot. Add cooked beans, broccoli and asparagus. Cover and allow vegetables to steam until they are barely tender”. This seriously almost threw me over the edge. Anyway – mom told me putting the lid on would steam it just fine. A few notes:

- This was my first time using broth.
- Didn’t need all that garlic – it was a little too much
- I used whole wheat spaghetti – this was in our cupboard and given that we cook twice a year – I knew I should use it up. Point is that I think this could have used a thicker/”meatier” pasta to suck everything up.

Conclusion

It was super fun and I’m ready for more. I will do a resolution round up (and it has to be before mid-2007) but I am committing, right now, that I will cook at least 18 times before 2007 is over.

“18?”, you ask. Well, it is basically equivelant to once every 2 weeks, but since that’s too much commitment, I’ll just say 9 months x 2 times/month = 18. Worse case scenario, if things don’t go well I’ll just cook soup for 2 ½ weeks straight in December.

I really need to step it up in the post-frequency department. I have so many random things to say but instead of doing 5 minute posts every day – they all stew in my head and come out all at once in a marathon post. Sometimes it's so overwhelming I quit before getting everything out. It’s not efficient and it makes me unhappy.

A bit of knitting progress to report – an almost FO and a new project.

Almost Finished: Hourglass
I almost finished Hourglass last Saturday. It is blocking as we speak and more on it next time with lots of details but here’s a final progress shot.

Next Up: Rusted Root
I finally made the decision last Thursday, when it was really hot out. Knitting Demi seemed entirely impractical. I raced over to Downtown Yarns after work to buy this yarn – at least right now Downtown Yarns (need my apt) and Yarn Connection (near my office) are the only places carrying Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece.

As for the color – I was envisioning yellow and while I was hoping for a brighter more pastel-ly yellow, this buttercream was the closest option and I’m happy with it.

I have a LOT to say on experiences with Hourglass and Rusted Root – more next time.

sneak peeks and more

Sneak Peeks
sneak previews are now available online for vogue knitting and knit1

vogue, eh. not really exciting. but am kind of liking this sweater, in the exact role that it's playing here- on top of a black dress.

Knit1, to me is way more promising. If there is a sock that is going to force me to jump on the bandwagon, it is this pair.

sans weird ribbon and fly swatter, i'm into this thing below. let's hope she's just ultra boney and there are no shoulder pads involved.

More

I'm in the home stretch of Hourglass and I'm not sure what's next. There are a lot of things out there but I guess it's just a matter of choosing. Plus, I want something I'm passionate about, like how I felt about CPH, and I'm not feeling it. Outside of random hat from last post and the Demi, plus those above, I am somewhat into Rusted Root. The only thing is that I need a pep talk - required layering (as said sweater definitely requires it) is a lot of work for me.

What I'm REALLY getting into is sewing opportunities.

Er, HELLO? is this amazing or what?Those dresses are amazing. Given the fact that I, er, own/bought a Miu Miu dress that looks like the one on the right makes me, well, a little nauseaus.

I will definitely get in trouble if I come home with a sewing machine.

Finally, thanks to Parikha I have been shown the light on above sewing and have been introduced to this amazing vegetarian cooking site, which is genius. More to come on that.

status

First, thanks for all the kind comments on my Central Park Hoodie. Like in all parts of life, it is incredibly motivating and great to get words of support and encouragement about my knitting :)

So I don’t really have anything exciting to share but there’s a lot I’ve been thinking about. I have a habit of turning into a psycho surfer, discover 45 cool websites and then forgetting them all. What I should really do is set up that link list on the left. That would be smart, right?

I’m not really sure what I’m going to knit next. Two things on my mind are Demi and this crazy hat that I saw on Knitty Gritty.

1.0 Demi probably needs no introduction:

BUT – I did discover something cool that everyone else probably figured out years ago, but that is The Knitting Garden. You can go on there and look, CLOSE UP, at all the patterns in Rowan, not only in their books but in their magazines. LOVE this. This takes browsing for patterns to a new level.

2.0 The Sundown Lid
As for Knitty Gritty, I’m not sure there has ever been anything on KG that I’ve wanted to knit but I just like Vikki Howell and love the Knit Bits. But then I saw this crazy hat – unfortunately there isn’t a good pictures but here it is.

This pattern is by Lisa Anne Auerbach. If you’re a tivo-er or dvr-er, this is actually a great episode, although unfortunately it’s not names so it’s not really searchable. I just love that it’s a. unique/cool looking without being too much and b. that it looks really functional. Plus, look at this math action. I happen to LOVE math.

Summary:
Er, it’s March, it’s getting warm out, and neither of these projects are practical. I have to admit – I am very scared of non-winter-associated-knitting. I have never worn anything knitted during warm months but I think it’s mostly just because I haven’t been exposed to what’s out there. I have a standard uniform for summer which includes various skirts paired with Old Navy tank tops. I swear they are the best thing ever – I kid you not, I have about 20. They are like a dollar and fit perfectly. Ah, I digress.

As for status:

Although I’m staying with her and I hope I’ll be wrong, I’m not feeling it with Hourglass – no matter how much I want to love her. I love knitting this because it’s easy and the yarn is soft. I’m just worried that it’s going to look awkward and frumpy at the end and if I had taken a step back before I even started, I would have realized that this is not a style of sweater I gravitate towards.

I have done two sweaters so far – Ms. Marigold and Central Park Hoodie. I love both and I’m happy with how they came out, except they just don’t fit me perfectly. I haven’t tried this yet but when I blocked Ms. Marigold, she came out too big around the neckline. I should just buckle down and re-block. Right?

There’s not much exciting about status shots of a sweater knit in the round in stockinette, but:

FO: Central Park Hoodie

I'd like to make an introduction. Here she is, my Central Park Hoodie, in all her glory.

This was such a great project for me. I love it and I loved making it. This was also my first time doing a KAL and the amount of help and support I received along the way was great.

Pattern: Central Park Hoodie (Knitscene Fall 2006)
Software (as Alton calls it): 8 skeins of Tahki Donegal Tweed in Deep Purple/845 bought from The Village Sheep. I used a full 7 skeins of yarn and probably 20 yards of the next skein (each skein approx 183 yds).
Hardware: Size 6 and Size 8 circulars plus a size 6 DPN for cabling. My buttons are from The Point
Started: January 25, 2007
Finished: February 24, 2007

Details:

Sizing: There was a lot of press around sizing – a lot of people were saying this was running on the small size. The pattern offers 34, 36, 40 and up. I am 5’6 and if I were knitting a t-shirt I would knit a 34, so I assumed that the 36 would be too snug. Therefore I went for the 40. This is definitely not too snug on me – I wish it were a little smaller/more fitted but I still think the 36 would have been too small.

Modifications: I knit the ribbing on the body a little over 4 ½ vs the 4 inches called for in the pattern, so that it would be a bit longer. I also only did 4”ribbing for the sleeve cuffs vs 5” called for in the pattern. I kept seeing pictures with very long sleeves and many times people were rolling them up bc they were too long. I think my sleeves are the perfect length and maybe could be about ½ inch shorter.

Other:
I love this yarn and highly recommend it. It does soften up a bit with blocking but it’s not the softest stuff you’ll ever knit. But it’s gorgeous and incredibly warm. I love the color I chose as it pops and is vibrant and bright, yet it is still a somewhat neutral color. When I went to the Point to pick out buttons, I pulled the sweater out and several people came over to see what fiber I had used and there were lots of oohs and ahhhs. While they were complimenting the yarn, and not me, I felt very warm and fuzzy.

I also had a great experience with the Village Sheep. I have limited experience ordering online but this came lickety-split, which is always greatly appreciated when you're eager to get going.

Front shot is affected by light so not the best rendition of color/depth