Got shape?

Blocking a sweater can feel like "just another step when I'm so close to the end."  Blocking, however intimidating or time-consuming, is essential.

See what I mean?

On the left -- back, armhole, blocked, shape!
On the right -- left front, armhole, shapeless!

If you look closely you'll see that the edges of the unblocked piece are curled under and the curved edge of the armhole is sloppy looking.  Blocking delivers this chaos from its misery into order and shape -- factors that make the assembly easier and neater, and lend polish to the final garment.

The cable is also much more visible with each of the elements showing face.

Blocked -- take my word for it.

Right front will be finished tonight and on the blocking board.  One more skein of yarn is set aside for the hood.

Hank to Hoodie -- I'll wind it with my swift and winder
and then cast on for the hood, which is stockinette (knit
one row, purl one row) with a bit of shaping and some ribbing.

I wish my camera skills were better -- the color of this yarn is so rich and wonderful.  Here's a link, just in case you wanna see how Lion Brand shows the color on their site.  Lion Brand LB Collection Organic Wool.

Please check out Lesley Reynold's intriguing and fun site.  She uses a technique she calls "Shower Thoughts" to quickly alert you to the 4-6 things on her agenda for the day.  It's fun and clever.  She also has a poll going:  she'll be knitting a hat and she's letting her readers choose the pattern.  Again, interesting way to engage readers.  My Ordinary Journey.

Life's ordinary journey often takes us to extraordinary people and places.  My journey today has taken me to Crossfit and Safeway, perhaps 'ordinary' but Emily the trainer is fun and skilled and Denise at Safeway made me laugh.  Extraordinary!

Vested Interest

The teal vest is shaping up nicely.  I've put the back onto the blocking board, sprayed it down with cool water and given it several shots of steam.  Meanwhile the fronts are making their way to neck shaping.

Side by side, both on a long circular needle, the left and
right front of the vest have armholes now.

After all the armhole shaping, I'll knit for a bit and then work on shaping the neck.  Hope to have these two pieces on the blocking board this week.

The back will take a few days to dry, but no pressure so will leave it alone.  I've inserted US9 DPN's to hold the shoulder stitches.  After I block the fronts I'll use a 3-needle bind-off to join the shoulders.  If you haven't tried this yet, find a YouTube or tutorial.  Makes for nice smooth seams.

Schematic to the left -- the diagram that gives all the
measurements so I can block to the size I knitted.  At
the top you can see the wooden DPN holding the shoulder
stitches.

The little kitten has her nose in everything.  Here's a close-up of the cable.

While the fronts are on the blocking board, I'll finish the hood.  Soon I will have a new vest!  And in one of my favorite colors.

Worked a bit on one of the garter stitch (knit every row, no purls) squares for the mystery KAL afghan.  When I reached what I thought was the end of the square I counted stitches and wouldn't you know, not the correct number.  Had to rip it (frog) back to the correct count.

Blame it on Downton Abbey.

Promises -- the white shawl is done.

Yup, it's on the blocking board.  The white shawl has had every last stitch knitted and every last edge stitch crocheted into a ruffle.

<<<<<   Before blocking














And on the blocking board --

I blocked in sections.  First I dampened and pinned
the center piece.  Using that as a guide, I folded over
the left section, dampened and pinned.  Finally,
the last section.  The ruffle is in the lower left corner.

I broke another 'rule' but that won't surprise any of you.  I blocked before I wove in the pesky ends.  I just couldn't think of doing anything else with that shawl on my lap. 

Now here's my big 'what if' -- the fiber is mostly cotton, so I'm not sure how much of the shape will be 'set' after it dries.  But it is what it is.  Or rather, it will be what it will be.  It's a que sera sera thing, I reckon.

Meanwhile, I've started a pair of gloves for myself, if you can believe it.  The pattern is from Textured Stitches by Connie Chang Chinchio, published by Interweave Press.  I bot the e-book and have it on my iPad.  The gloves are called Giorielli Gloves; I'm using Regia 4 fadig color (Flusi), with an umlaut on the 'a' in 'fading.'  (I will have to discover the keystrokes for special characters, huh?)

More later but here's a quick peek.

Size US 3 sticks, Lantern Moon from Vietnam -- elegant and
smooth needles.  Yarn is intended to strip or pool but it hasn't
yet made up its mind.  Cuffs use a smocking stitch.
Note the long yellow orange threads across the pink
stitches in the bottom center of the picture.

We have a bit of snow here and more is coming down pretty hard in those flakes as big as small saucers.  Here in the Pacific NW we get all crazy about our snow.  We cheer and make snow angels using the 1/2" that covers our grass.  We worry about school closing and baby-sitting arrangements.  We hope for it and then we hate it.  Supposed to get 5-6" which is like 14 feet for us!

I'll be knitting and working on the notebook.

Crochet Interlude

Started knitting swatch #1 last night but meanwhile . . .

If you're a project person, you know what it means to have several things 'in the works' -- some folks call these UFO's  (UnFinished Object)  You do not want to know how many of these are secreted in my yarn closet, inside tote bags, stuffed into boxes, and otherwise hidden so that I can be surprised when I run across them.

So every so often I take a solemn oath that goes something like this:  "I will finish two UFO's before I start something new."  The project pictured below is one of the solemn oath projects.

Read the title of this post again -- it doesn't say anything about knitting.  Maybe you don't play with fibers using needles or hooks or thread.  A little clarity might help -- the project pictured is a CROCHETed scarf. This means I used a hook, instead of the clacking wooden needles that you see knitters working with.

The yarn was a gift from friend Fiona, during her US Labor Day visit from Perth, Western Australia.  She bot the yarn at Churchmouse Teas and Yarns on Bainbridge Island, WA, USA and presented the yarn and a pattern as a hostess gift.

Well knitters are all rebels at heart so -- i didn't knit it, I didn't use the pattern she gave me, and I didn't use the crochet hook that might have been recommended for the size of the yarn.

I like it a lot.  I will wear it on November 9 to the Glitter Gala where I will be the guest of colleague Cathy Gibson and her Evolve Partner Group at the annual benefit for Goodwill of Seattle.

The Bit of Leftover Yarn -- just squeaked by on finishing

Leftover yarn with small brooch

Here's the shawl wit a pin to show you relative size

(But before I block it -- more later)

Another close-up so you can see the colors

Lumps -- wet and lumpy and ready to apply cold water

Wet, heavy, drippy and draining

Squeezed gently in the Sham-Wow (can you see the words)

Ugly orange color, quite obscene but they serve a purpose

And finally on the blocking board -- damp wool, stretched and anchored with pins.

I'll let it dry overnight.

Next project will take me back to knitting.  Swatches await.