pepperknit

My yoga teacher and I have a running joke about my perfectionism. She finds it laughably funny, but at the same time, I think she respects my innate need to get it “right.” This in contrast to my friend TL, who will just throw herself into the pose. Ellen will say to her, “You are compensating for precision with flexibility,” but she will say to me, “Let your hip be out of alignment. Go ahead. Try it.” It’s helping me explore the poses from new angles, but it goes against everything I think I should be doing.

I’ve had to take out nearly all the orange of my USMP and will be starting back up again. Why? Because I tried to be a little less ‘count and re-count more than three times,’ and I placed the marker for the other side in the wrong spot and didn’t check it over. It’s off by one stitch.

I seriously considered leaving it–to go with it, let it be off by the narrowest of margins–and just moving the marker now and going on from here. But you know what? It will nag at me. It’s not “right.” I’ll be back where I am now in less than two days, so it’s not a serious setback. Must give in to inner nature and doublecheck all counts from here on out.

I took this “opportunity” (as it were) to take the work off the needles and put it on. I only have a little more than 4 inches done, and it curls like crazy, so it’s not a very accurate measure, but the size around seems perfect. It’s got a few inches of ease, which seems right in a winter sweater, but not too much.

Thought it was fun to see that I was watching the Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movie Desk Set at the time. Ah, the Kate Hepburn (Class of ‘28!) love.

I’m trying out this method that I read about somewhere–Knitty?–where you put the needle into the stitches down where you want to stop the frogging, that way the yarn automatically stops there. Or something. I hope it works! I’ve never done it before. It’s taking so long to get the needle in.

Is it bad that I skipped yoga today so that I could knit? My boyfriend is out of town from now through the weekend, and I’ll be having multiple visitors, thus not as much alone time to knit as I might like. So I came straight home from work, and plan to knit all night!

I did a proper gauge swatch for my Union Sq Mkt Pullover, and I’m pretty close. Using Addi Turbos size 3, I get 27 sts to 4 inches if I spread the stitches out by the smallest amount. The row gauge is off in that I get fewer rows to 4 inches, so my pullover risks being too long. But it shouldn’t be a problem to keep an eye on that (that is, for any straight work, I could go by measurement and not by row count, but it’s close enough that I can leave shaping the same and not worry).

So I started it properly. Well, marginally properly, since the only size 3 circular I have is a small one–16″. So all the stitches are squished onto the needles. But they don’t seem to be at risk of falling off, and they move around pretty well (ok, I need to push them along).

The pattern calls for a provisional cast on that I’ve never done before, and some people in the KAL found it was difficult to get consistent tension on the cast on. So I used some scrap yarn and did a single chain crochet, then worked into the backs of the stitches. I’ve used this before when I wanted to work back off the cast on, and it works nicely for me. What’s funny is that I used the same yarn as the Garter Stitch Baby Bootees and Jacket, and I’ve fallen for the color combo! The cool, minty color and the brown makes me think of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Almost makes me wish I’d gotten a blue to go with the brown! (Too late!)

I just finished the 9 rows in the brown, and am about to start in on the orange. I have to remind myself how much I love deep burnt oranges, which I do, and which is why I chose the color combo in the first place! Once I get it on the needles I’m going to be thinking about pumpkins and fall and crisp cool days and hot apple cider, and I’ll be happy.

I got to work yesterday and no one said anything about the Tivoli. This, in some strange way, was the biggest compliment I could get. When someone asked me what I’d done over the weekend, I told the story of the party we went to, and then said, “and I finished this.” Then I got a “you made that?” and that, too, was a high compliment.

But then I went downstairs for a meeting, and when one person who hadn’t seen me yet that day laid eyes on me, she immediately said, “did you make that?” And I was kind of disappointed. Is that sad? I’m trying to remember, but I do think she’s asked me if I’ve made most knitted items I wear, even when store-bought, so I suppose it wasn’t her saying, “Damn, that looks totally homemade and like crap.” Still, it’s weirdly what I don’t want to hear–and yet, I want people to know that it’s my work. As people found out throughout the day, though, I got a slew of nice compliments (everyone loved that the shaping was visible).

Anyway, these are my own random psychoses coming through. I wonder if other knitters suffer them as well. I actually feel incredibly self-conscious wearing sweaters I’ve made (mittens and hats don’t make me self-conscious, even when they’re incredibly complicated or good, somehow). I’m going to have to get over this, as I’m currently in more of a sweater-knitting mode.

Ok, it’s time to wrap this baby up.

Tivoli T by Grumperina; participated in the KAL

• Knit Picks Shine in Cream
• Size 5 needles (Addi Turbos)
• Started out with 144 stitches, but proceeded with increases per the pattern
• Did 3 inches of straight knitting at the waist (as opposed to the prescribed 2″)
• Did an extra 1/2 inch or so at the bottom
• Steam blocked with a hot iron

Bottom continues to curl just a bit with wear–it rolls up along the edge of my pants. It’s not a big deal. Super comfy. Success!

Photos of me in the Tivoli might have to wait, because my boyfriend isn’t back from his run yet and the light is fading fast outside. (I will see how well it comes out with flash, etc.)

But! I just dashed outside and took some shots of the yarn that arrived today. I’m not sure even the outdoor light did justice to the colors.

I can’t even express my excitement over the delivery of the yarn!

The office manager sent me an instant message before lunch today: “You have a box.” But on a quick glance, I totally thought it said “You have a fax.” Now, I never ever receive faxes, so my response was “!? weird,” and she said, “Yeah, from Crafts Americana.” I was so confused. Then I thought to read back, and when box became clear, I got all excited: It meant my yarn order for the Union Square Market Pullover had arrived. Joy!

I tore open the box while at her desk, and we pet the small skeins of yarn together. I’m a bit worried that I didn’t buy enough, though I tried to get enough based on yardage. Whatever, if I have to buy more, I have to buy more. I’m so excited to start working on it.

What perfect timing, too, since I blocked the Tivoli last night (just a simple steam) and am wearing it today! Yes, it’s 90 degrees out today and so a tank top sweater is perfect.

All I’ve done this weekend is sew in the ends on the Tivoli. We’ve had a pretty crazy last few days–mostly just because we’ve had houseguests coming and going and partying to do with them–and so I haven’t even touched my knitting. I had these romantic notions of finishing it all Friday early evening, and wearing it out on Saturday. But instead I got a call from my boyfriend–out with one friend–telling me that a different friend was headed to our apartment right away. So I hung out with him until the guys could get here, and, well, this guy is really cool and all, but I just wasn’t feeling up to knitting in front of him!

I’m thinking of blocking it tonight or tomorrow and wearing my Tivoli this week!

I have finished the knitting of Tivoli.

This isn’t my sum up post, however, describing all the details of the project, because I still have to block it and sew in all the ends. Sigh. A woman’s work is never done!

Very happy that I added the extra inch to the length in the middle, plus about another half inch to the bottom. I’m wearing jeans for this photo shoot, and I feel that with blocking the length will be perfect. (Previously, I’d always been in my yoga clothes, which while comfy don’t really give a sense for how something will fit with real clothing.)

Tivoli still problematic for me. As in, too short.

My instinct told me it’d be too short, but I blithely went on. I’ve now frogged to just before the increases and will be adding about an inch to the body part. Then I’ll add a bit at the bottom, too.

I know that it’ll stretch out upon wearing, but I just can’t start out with it that short. I felt all hiked up. What sucks is that I was done. I’d bound off (though kept the yarn attached to the ball). I was ready. Heck, I’d even considered hiding the ends and wearing it tomorrow, unblocked. (So long as no ends dangled out the back, I’d have left ‘em!) But now it’s all balled up. Boo!