mayflower

Remember my lovely knitted tube of pinky silky wool goodness that was destined to become a sweater of some sort? I had decided it would be knit bottom-up raglan style, perhaps with a double V neck (front and back) with belled sleeves....but after awhile it just didn't feel quite right...and in the usual Mayflower style, I abandoned it and started on something else.

mmm, silky wool!

That is until I saw this in the latest Interweave knits...

hah! not the most fitted, feminine sweater ever....but I love it! (or maybe it's the model's artsy glasses and nose piercing?) On top of that, the 'Retrograde Pullover' is a top-down knitted on 9s, while my little number is a bottom-up on 4s. With a little math and a lot of tweakage, I'm determined to transform this potato-sacky sweater into a super cute, feminine number....

So here she is! Almost ready for a whole crapload of grafting (yikes!)

knitting a sweater on 4s takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r

Speaking of grafting.... someone HELP!!! My dear Mariah is almost done, minus the zipper, and hood grafting. I tweaked the pattern a lot, and the arm cables continue through the hood. I have NO idea how to graft cables, and all the info I could find made very little sense.

After some browsing and poking around, I realized that this is the exact cable on Rogue's hood! And since almost EVERYONE has knit Rogue, there's gotta be someone who can explain it to me! help!

Oh! and I now have an 8-5 job....as a secretary! Yes, that's what a studio art degree will do for ya ;) After 5 1/2 years of art school (plus work for 4 1/2 of those years), I needed a BREAK and a total change of pace....so I'm a secretary on campus! :D This is of course not my career goal in life, but it's a nice breather for a couple years.

Happy knitting!

We just returned our family RV adventure through Joshua Tree Nat'l Park and Anza Borrego State Park. The scenery and rocky landscapes were absolutely GORGEOUS, and RVing was such a fun experience. It was definitely one of our more memorable Christmas holidays!

We were in a 34 foot RV..yowza! HUGE! My dad, in the big-headedness that arises from weilding a vehicle this size is quoted as saying "It gives me great pleasure to see cars inch away from me!!" *insert crazy maniacal laughter* what silliness!

Christmas Eve picnic at J-Tree...

Christmas hike in Anza Borrego...

Stopping for a food/ photo break at the oasis....

We were on the Palm Canyon Trail, a 4-5 mile loop from the campground. We hiked through a rocky, desert landscape for miles, then all of a sudden reached a cluster of palm trees, living in an oasis that had sprung out of nowhere! Bright green vegetation flourished by the streams of water...quite amazing!

Remember this stuff? It's the Plymouth Sunsette I picked up for 40% off ($30 for a bag of 10!), and is one of the nicer synthetic (rayon/ acrylic) yarn I've knit with.

During the RV trip I started on this sweater, Rebecca Editions "Ribbed Sweater w/ Fantasy Cable", a pattern I bought over a year ago. It's a very simple knit, but the raglan ribbed decreases are really quite unique, a technique I haven't utilized before. You can't tell from this crappy pic I found online, but I'll shoot mine as I make more progress. I'm about halfway done with the front and back.

SURPRISE! It seems like I'm full of these finished and almost- finished un-blogged projects.  I started Mariah on a total whim in May, in the wild frenzy of packing for my grandfather's funeral. As you might recall, I somehow misunderstood the day of our flight (haha...it's hilarious now! read the madness as it happened here) and ended up having a couple hours to leave town. I somehow thought it was a great idea to bring WOOL to the very hot and humid Malaysia...mm, not so pleasant! Without much thought, I printed out the pattern, bagged up a handful of Paton's merino, and grabbed a pair of Addis. Some projects have stories behind them, experiences and emotions that were such a part of the process, and this is definitely one of them! More on this when she's done...

Sleeve shot in all its unblocked glory...

yummy cables!

I'm currently working on the yoke....

so many stitches... It feels like it's taking forever!

I'm off, have a GREAT New Year's Eve!!

(oh, and I swear art show pics are coming soon!)