Video: The Sweater That Changed My Knitting

This week's video is the story of my "Meh" Myrna cardigan and the way it changed how I approach every knitting project since then.

Head over to YouTube or click through here to watch :) Do you have any projects you see as a pivotal moment in your knitting? Do tell! I'd love to hear what you learned.

FO: Myrna Blue

When I was almost finished with my Endearment cardigan, I needed a project to take with me on a trip to North Carolina. I'm always nervous about flying with knitting - technically it's allowed, but you never know when you're going to get that one TSA with a power trip and they make you toss your needles of something awful like that. So the Endearment was out of the question - it had been such a long and ongoing project I didn't want to risk losing it. That meant I needed to cast on something new. I had recently thrifted this lovely yarn and really wanted to knit it up, so this sweater was born.

This is the Myrna pattern by Andi Satterlund (sadly, no longer available to buy). I made this once before back in 2014 when it was first released and Andi hosted a knit along. It became quite the turning point in my knitting even though I don't love the finished sweater because I knit almost the whole thing and realized it was entirely too big, so I ripped it all out and knit it smaller. Once you're willing to pull out an entire sweater as a newer knitter, you've turned a corner in your knitting. Anyway, that time I omitted the keyhole in the upper back, but this time I figured "Why not?" and just knit it as written. Does my hair always cover the hole? Yes, but oh well. Since I was knitting this on a plane, I cast on using my cheapest set of interchangeable needles - I had picked up a set of Knitter's Pride Acrylics. I had grabbed these over a year before in the clearance at Hobby Lobby for like $7.50 and never used them because I preferred my wood set of Dreamz. Not wanting to lose my nicer needles, I figured this was the perfect chance to try these needles, and I have to say they were much better than I would have thought. I normally avoid using plastic, but they really behaved similar to the other Knitter's Pride needles, just a bit more grippy, but with this yarn that was fine. I'm pretty happy to have this set for these types of travelling situations.

The yarn is really where this project began. This is Juniper Moon Farms Moonshine - a 40% wool, 40% alpaca, and 20% silk blend. I found 3.5 skeins in a thrift store ... for $2.00!!! I couldn't believe it. I live in Florida, so I rarely find good wool in a thrift store since it's so hot here. I snatched it up as fast as possible and set to finding a pattern. The yarn is soft with a slight halo from the alpaca, which does rub off on black clothing, but that's ok. The Myrna is a short sleeved sweater, and going off the yardage it took the first time I knew I could make this up with the amount I had. I got a lot of knitting done on my trip and managed to cast on and then already have it joined for the body and a few inches knit on the plane ride home.

I had a bit more yarn than I used previously, so I knew I wanted to extend the sleeves. I just knit the entire body like I normally would, then added the neckband, then divided the remaining yarn in half and knit the sleeves as long as possible. I used another one of Andi's patterns with 3/4 sleeves - Vianne - to get the decreasing right. I was able to squeak out the perfect 3/4 sleeve length, so I was really happy with that.

As always, I backed the button band with rayon petersham ribbon - ALSO from a thrift store for so cheap I can't even believe it. I never find actual rayon ribbon locally - I'se always have to order mine from Britex in California - but the same thrift store that had this yarn also had 3 whole spools of the light blue rayon petersham ribbon for $1 each on a different visit. Major score. I happened to be the perfect color and width for this project, so this was really all just meant to be.

The buttons were from my stash and are one of those buttons that has come in handy many times. They tend to match everything really well, so they have been used in many projects. Also they were dirt cheap, so it contributes to the incredibly low cost of this whole project, lol.

 

So that's my Myrna Blue cardigan :) It's turned out to be a great souvenir from my trip, being Carolina blue and all. I wear this a lot more than I anticipated when I made it up, which is always nice. I really enjoyed this whole project, and the price and how quickly it knit up makes it even more fun.

Summary:

Yarn: 3.5 skeins of Juniper Moon Farms Moonshine in the Cotton Candy Blue colorway - $2.00

Pattern: Myrna by Andi Satterlund - $6.50 (but this is the second time making it)

Notions: Rayon Petersham Ribbon - $0.25, 5 iridescent white buttons - $0.25

Time: 2 months

Total Cost: $9.00

FO: "Meh" Myrna Cardigan

Well, today's finished object is ... appropriately named, lol. 

I was really excited about making the Myrna cardigan as soon as Andi posted it - it's cropped, short sleeved, and simple with just a basic detail in the eyelet design around the edges - perfect! Then she announced the Outfit Along and I was totally in. The idea was to make the Myrna cardigan and a dress to wear with it (an "outfit" - get it?), I figured this would be simple enough and just the fire I needed to get things moving with my sewing ... Sadly, life and other disasters happened causing me to just face the fact that I would not get this challenge completed in time.

Side view complete with post-blocking-crease :) I think my face sums that one up, lol.

I thought I'd done everything right - I swatched before I started and determined I needed to go up 2 needle sizes to get gauge (this was not alarming since I'm a notoriously tight knitter). I got the entire body about 6 rows from completion, tried it on, and discovered that it was huge. Somehow my gauge seems to change when you add the weight of a full sized sweater - or something like that. Could I have just gone on with it? Sure. But I knew I'd never wear the sweater in that size, so I made the painful decision to frog it and start over. This means that I made this sweater 1.6 times by the end. Obviously the sweater now fits well - like a charm, in fact. I think I have figured out my personal sizing with Andi's patterns now, which is good considering I'll be starting another one soon, lol. I want to emphasize that in spite of all my problems I ended up having with this project, none of them are the fault of the pattern. I found it really well written and fun to make - which was good because it would have stayed as a half-made pile of yarn otherwise :)

Back view - and yes I deliberately moved my hair out of the way to show the neck detail - just in case you thought my hair normally looked like that in the back, lol.

The other issue that gives this cardigan its name is the color. I bought this Cascade 220 online from WEBS as "white" - It is most definitely cream colored (the pictures make it look much more white than it does in real life - it was very difficult to photograph). I now know this is just about as white as wool can safely get, but I was really wanting a white cardi to replace a cheap acrylic ready-to-wear one I already have (that is falling apart, btw). Real white would get a ton of wear with me - cream, not so much. In fact I had to diligently think to figure out anything in my wardrobe to wear this sweater with for the pictures. Cream is just not in my color palette at all. I've come to terms with the color now ... only because I plan on dying it, lol. I have some yarn left over to test out different dyes with sometime in the future - I just have to pick a color :) 

*Oh and word to the wise on knitting a pale colored sweater when you have very dark hair - watch for stray hairs on your projects! I had to carefully pull out at least 3 or 4 long hairs that I accidentally knitted into the sweater with the yarn. I'm sure I've done this on accident with my other sweaters, but none of them have been light enough to notice the hairs. I never even thought about it before, but it was really obvious on this sweater.

**Also, I ended up washing this in Eucalan about 4 times to get the "wet sheep smell" out. I had to be really careful not to accidentally felt the sweater, but the smell was really strong when the yarn got wet. I guess because it's more natural (a.k.a. undyed), its smell reflects that. Even with all the soapy rinses, my whole hallway still smelled like I just bathed the dog while this was blocking. 

I think this picture shows the creamy color a little better. I did block the daylights out of that waist to get it to my measurements (I am not nearly as hourglass shaped as it is written for), but this worked a treat and I think the fit is spot on now. Another issue I'm having is that this sucker is really freakin' hot to wear. I mean, I know it's wool and all, but I've always read that wool "keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer." What a load of malarkey that is. I live in Florida, people! The people I've heard this misinformation from clearly don't know what summer is truly capable of heat-wise. I was sweating wearing this sweater even while I was taking these pictures in my air conditioned house. I was hoping this would end up as a nice cover up for my sleeveless tops and dresses in the summer, but this is most definitely a winter-wear-only item. So, that's one more strike for it.

I had planned on using ribbon to stabilize the button bands, but I didn't have any on hand in cream - plus I don't know what color I want this to eventually be - plus I was so ready to just be finished with this. I did slap some super cutesy buttons on it though. They have cartoon owls on them! Do I realize these buttons are designed for toddler clothing? Absolutely. Ask me how much I care :) They are my one little touch of fun on this sweater, so they stay.

Ugh, my bangs. I was actually sweating while taking these photos - thus the hair troubles.

So, all in all this sweater was quite the learning experience for me. I definitely plan to use this pattern again in the future, but maybe with a nice cotton yarn, lol, and in ACTUAL WHITE. I find myself constantly wishing I could wear my hand knits more often, and I'm learning the criteria that will work out that way as I go. I will certainly wear this in the winter, but it will sit unloved in my "box of sweaters I can't wear right now" for at least 3 or 4 more months. Ah, Florida - how I hate your weather. At least I am able to learn from my mistakes, right?! Here's hoping my next Myrna isn's so "meh".

Summary:
Yarn: Cascade 220 in "white", 2.86 skeins (630 yards), $20.00
Pattern: Myrna by Andi Satterlund, $5.20
Buttons: Toddler Owls from Joann's, $5.00
Time: 2.5 months 

WIP Wednesday: Biting Off More Than I Can Chew

It's been a fun week full of planning and beginning new projects :) To start with ...

I finished the knitting on my Myrna cardigan! It was an exciting Friday night :) I had several doctor's appointments and whatnot during the day that enabled me to knit the final sleeve while waiting, so I finished the button band that night et voilà! Now I just have to weave in the ends, block, and stabilize the button bands. I'm not in a crazy hurry to do that though since it's still 95 degrees out everyday. It's going to be a while before I can wear even a short sleeve cropped wool sweater. Finishing the knitting was kind of awesome yet bittersweet - this was my "travel" knitting project! What would I work on while I was out and about? And I was going on a long car ride the next day! I quickly got to work setting up my next project, which is ...

The Emelie Cardigan by Elin Berglund :) I picked up the yarn (Valley Yarns Charlemont) during the 40th anniversary sale at WEBS a few months ago, and I loved it so much that this project jumped my queue. Guys, this yarn is like heaven. It's 60% merino wool, 20% nylon, and 20% mulberry silk - I've decided this is the trifecta of wonderful yarn. It is so incredibly soft and drapes beautifully. I keep the swatch in my project bag with the project for no reason other than for me to be able to stroke it whenever I want, lol. I also really love the design of this cardigan and I know I will wear the daylight out of it. This project is a lot of firsts for me: my first fingering weight cardigan, my first bottom-up cardigan, my first large lace panelled front, and my first yarn with any silk content. I had to do quite a bit of measuring and math to make sure I get this fitting great since this will take A LOT of time to make. I've worked on it for several hours this weekend and I only have just over an inch of the ribbing done. Fingering weight is small! I know that it will be worth it in the end. I've heard that fingering weight is perfect for warmer areas, plus the design is one that I can dress up or down, plus it's black - it will go with everything. Anyway, I know this will take quite a while, so I'm sure other projects will come and go while this gets temporarily set aside from time to time. At least I know I will have a great take along project whenever I need :)

Over the weekend, Andi Satterlund announced her Marion Cardigan Knit Along due to start on September 10th. I've always loved this design and been so close to purchasing the pattern many times. She offered a discount on the pattern for the KAL, so I couldn't resist :) I'm going to use this KAL as an opportunity to stash bust some of my lesser loved yarn. Back when I first started knitting, I went a little crazy with buying acrylic yarn. Case and point - my local Walmart clearanced almost their whole yarn section about 22 months after I started knitting and I bought something like 30 skeins of Caron Simply Soft in various colors over the course of a few weeks. Yeah. In my defense, they were marked down to $1.00 - $1.50 per skein, which is still the cheapest I have ever seen this yarn, and I have used it here and there for other projects. I just have so much! So even though this cardigan is designed to be made in wool yarn, I wanted to be frugal and put some of my Simply Soft to use. Sin of knitting sins, I know!

In the yarn's defense it is a lovely color :) This is the Blue Mist colorway and I bought ELEVEN SKEINS OF IT! What was I smoking?! So, this yarn will become a Marion Cardigan come September. I was so excited about this project that I already swatched to make sure the yarn would work (and it was spot on!). I also devoted some time to customizing the pattern - I've knitted 2 of Andi's patterns before, the Miette and the Myrna, but I've never altered the fit before. I've learned that my waist doesn't nip in as much as her patterns are written for so they tend to be a bit more snug than I like in the tummy area. My others are still perfectly wearable, but now that I know a bit more about fitting my body I wanted to give it more attention on this next make. I spent my lunch break yesterday marking up my pattern and I think I have it worked out so I that will use the size Large pattern until the waist decreases, then switch to the XLarge instructions for the waist, going back to the Large for the sleeves. Hopefully it works out - I'm not a big fan of math, so I've kind of got my fingers crossed, lol.

Until the KAL starts on September 10th, I have all my components waiting patiently in one of my WIP baskets. I love these things - they are so handy for keeping everything together but being cuter than just a plastic bag or something.

I also am working on a custom design for a commission! A friend of mine wanted me to make a Hulk amigurumi for her son's birthday in September. I couldn't find any patterns that I loved, but since he will have a body shape that I have made countless times I felt confident in making my own pattern. At the moment I am trying to give him bobble muscles and maybe a six pack - I'm just trying to play with it so they don't look like a row of boobs down his chest, lol. I'm excited to show him off when I'm done and if he works out well I may put up the pattern on Ravelry, we will see :)

And to top off all these other projects, I am all geared up to participate in the Ashton Mystery Crochet-Along with FreshStitches! I love these mystery group projects, so I always sign up when they come around :) This will be the 3rd one I've done with the FreshStitches crowd and I am really looking forward to it. I've already got my pattern purchased, but I still have to pick out my colors. I like going with crazy colors since you have no idea what you're making anyway - last time I ended up with a mint green kangaroo and joey :) The clues begin on September 1st, so I will update you when I get the first set of pieces made!

So, that's what's on my plate this week. Funny how I went from worried I had nothing to work on to having all this lined up now, lol. Feast or famine, I tell ya! If you'd like to see what others around the web are up to, head over to Tami's Amis' Blog.

WIP Wednesday

Well, I find myself yet again with a project that I finished last night, so it won't be debuted until Friday. In the meantime, I have some progress on my sweater and a new project started :)

I have one sleeve done! Yay :) Progress is always nice, right? I will say, the ribbing really pulls in the arms and ... it doesn't seem the most flattering on my larger arms since the ribbing is completely extended out when I put it on. I have absolutely no idea how to change that at this point, so I'm just soldiering on. I'm about 1/4 done with the other sleeve cap. I love doing the short row sleeve - so much fun!

 I also started my final commission piece for the moment. I spent some time on it last night and I'm already changing the pattern, big surprise. Any guesses what/who it is?

In other news, I've been doing a lot of canning this past week. I bought a crate of peaches plus some grapes and cherries, so as of now I've made 3 pints of grape jam as well as 5 pints and 4 half pints of peach freezer jam. I just got some quart jars so I'll be doing just regular canned peaches in a day or so. I love canning, but man it does take a lot of time!

Also, I've started listening to the audiobook of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte this week. I'm about halfway through, and I'm really not a big fan. The people really just have nothing about them that makes me care what happens to them, lol. I've seen the old Vivien Leigh movie of it a long time ago, so I kind of knew what to expect but I still don't love it. I guess I'm just confused as to how it is considered such a classic? I'm sticking with it though - it's one of those books that it's good to be able to say that you've read.

That's it around here this week. Check back on Friday for another super cute reveal :) And head over to Tami's Amis' Blog to see what others have going on this week!

WIP Wednesday: Myrna Progress

Well, I have an exciting finished project to show on Friday, which leaves me with just my Myrna progress to show today. I did get to work on this quite a bit this weekend (I've taken to knitting in church, lol, yes - I am THAT lady). 

I've finished the body and I'm almost finished with the right sleeve. The sleeve is done with short rows, which I've used before on toys and whatnot on a small scale, but this is the first time that I have done anything nearly this large and IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! Seriously, I'm actually excited to get to the next sleeve, lol. If only it wasn't for that dang ribbing - 22 rows of k1p1, ugh! So, I make up for the short row fun with the ribbing, but I am loving how this looks. You can actually tell it's a sweater!

Here's a detail shot of the sleeve. It has the same eyelet detail before the ribbing and the ribbing really cinches it in. I even managed to work on this while watching a Spanish show on Netflix - no joke, subtitles and all. Still knitting. It's called El Gran Hotel (The Grand Hotel) and it is exactly like watching a British period drama like Downton Abbey except it's in Spanish. So far it's pretty good :)

I also finally weaved in the ends and blocked my Miette cardigan that I finished knitting back in May, lol, you can't rush, you know. I used my new foam mats I bought at Home Depot and my Knitter's Pride T-Pins ... but when I pulled the pins out a few days later ...

(I know it's hard to see the spots - just look where the little raised dots are.)

My sweater had tons or rust spots on it from the pins! I was livid mad - for real, I used all "knitting" pins and they rusted. Turns out all blocking pins are nickel plated steel, not stainless. That's just false advertising in my book - anything that is known to touch something wet shouldn't be made of anything other than stainless steel. They are just being cheap. Anyone else had this problem? After lots of online searches (including contacting yarn.com where I bought the pins - still no reply a week later ...), I decided to get some Carbona Rust Remover because it was recommended by someone in a similar situation and it's designed for use on fabric. The last thing I wanted was to use CLR and have it eat holes in my sweater or something. Anyway, I have the cleaner, but I haven't been able to officially use it yet. Hopefully this poor sweater gets finished sometime soon!

That's about it that I can show today :) Check back on Friday for one doozy of a FO Friday! Head over to Tami's Amis' Blog (she's back!) to see what others are working on!

WIP Wednesday

This week has been a bit more non-knit/crochet focused than my weeks have been in a long time, lol. I still managed to get some projects worked on, but I'm in kind of a strange transition period. I'm not really sure what clicked, but all of a sudden I am desperate to get my house organized. I've been sorting through our junk room that has remained untouched since we moved as well as putting everything where it goes/making a large pile for a yard sale in the near future. And I still managed to get some stuff made! lol I'm pretty impressed with myself, I must say :)

Anyway, I started on a new commission this week just for a change of pace. Want to see her?

It's Princess Jasmine! lol She is the first in a series of 3 Disney princesses I will be making over the next few weeks. They will be for a little girl in Japan!

I already have all of Jasmine's other pieces made and ready to put on, so I'm hoping to finish her up tonight :) I just have to fix her hair and put on her jewelry. I used the Jasmine Amigurumi pattern by Sahrit Feurd-Weinstein (specifically requested). I will say, this pattern is definitely not for a newbie! The pattern includes both written row-by-row instructions along with diagrams of the stitches - believe me when I say that I there were many times that I had to look at both to figure out what the designer is trying to say. The wording can be pretty confusing, so I would have to check the diagram and go from that. Also, just the eyeliner and the hair took me a solid hour to finish! And I had to add quite a few more hair strands than the pattern recommends to get her hair to look full (translation - so she didn't have any bald spots, lol). In spite of the issues, I am really happy with how she's coming out. I can't wait to get her finished!

Like I said, after I finish Jasmine I will be making two other princesses. I think I will leave them as surprises on here :) So stay tuned for more Disney cuteness!

I also made some progress on my Myrna over the weekend - gotta love travel knitting! I managed to do all the waist decreases and I'm onto the ribbing. It still looks like it's going to fit right! Hooray :)

I really love how the waist shaping looks - so neat and tidy :)

And here's the ribbing thus far. I've pretty much accepted that I will not be able to complete this sweater for the Outfit Along because of all my other projects I need to finish by the end of the month that are for other people. It's kind of a bummer, but honestly I have come to terms with the fact that I've got to majorly cut back on my knitting/crocheting if I want to get other things about my life organized, and I am ok with that :) As fun as it is to participate in the online knitting/sewing/crocheting community, real life is more important. Plus, I've got the sewing bug again, lol. I've been desperate to try out Simplicity 2444 for a while and that desire is major amped up since I got those awesome printed cottons lately. I've already traced the pattern and cut out a muslin - in actual muslin! Novel idea, I know. I'm not sure when I'll actually get to sew it up and tweak it, but steps have been made and that's exciting.

And since I've worked so hard on this, I will show you my junk rooms even though they are incredibly shameful, lol. The photo to the left is what used to be the "room of doom" - so much so that you could barley walk in the door. As much as I was embarrassed by it, I wish I had taken a before photo just to show how far it's come. The middle is my freshly organised closet in my sewing room. The buckets now are organized by type/size of yarn (one of Caron Simply Soft, one of wool and blends like Patons Classic and WoolEase, one of Bulky, one of "fancy yarns", and one of sport - fingering) and the drawers are all my acrylics I use for amigurumi. The drawers are now organized by brand of yarn (one is Vanna's Choice and Everyday Soft Worsted, the other is Red Heart With Love and Super Saver). I have another drawer unit out in the room that is all cheap thrift store acrylic like Caron Sayelle. I also organized all those boxes at the top with sewing notions, trims, etc. It's been a ton of work. The final pic on the right is my pile thus far of "things to sell" - some will be ebay or craig's list items, but most will be in a yard sale. It's coming along!

So that's been my week :) Head over to Tami's Amis' Blog to see what others are making too!

WIP Wednesday

Things have taken a nice turn around these parts lately. I had my husband ask the zombie-recipient's-dad when the birthday is (meaning when does it need to be done), and I found out it's July 31st! Hizzah! My husband has just told me "July" from the beginning, so I've been really worried it wouldn't be finished. Now I don't have to doggedly plug away at the zombie while forsaking all other responsibilities like I was doing for the past few weeks. In celebration, I spent a little time on my Myrna :)

I knitted a few hours on it this weekend and it is almost back to the point it was at before I frogged the whole thing. Yay! And even better - it fits! My gauge is still tighter than listed in the pattern, but I'm knitting the same size. It looks like it will come out with just a bit of negative ease - perfect! I can't wait to get more done on it. I'm fairly certain I will be dying the finished result though. I've been mulling over it while I knit and I honestly don't have anything to wear with a cream colored sweater. Now to just pick what color I would wear. Decisions, decisions.

On the zombie front, I have the actual doll completely finished except his hair. I've finished the fronts of his sweater and I'm almost finished with the back. I still have to finish the sweater, make pants, and make a rat - then it's done! I can't wait, lol, mostly just so I don't feel guilty it isn't done anymore.

 Don't you just love how his sweater compliments his ... eye :)

I've also been in a very "get-stuff-done" type of mood lately. So much so that I did a mega deep clean on my living room. It's been an embarrassing wreck ever since our office flooding incident, and now it looks great :) As a reward for my hard work Sunday night, I spent Monday night working on my long anticipated dress! I finally put in the zipper and honestly it doesn't look too bad. This is my first time doing a slot seam zipper, so I'm really happy with it. That said, I'm not happy with how the dress fits now. I'm not sure how it happened, but when I put the dress on with the zipper it looks like my boobs are being bound down and I get wrinkles above them at my arm pits. Also the arms are weird, but that's my fault for not including them in any of my 3 muslins of this bodice. Rrrrr... Oh well. This was meant to be kind of a wearable muslin anyway, so I'm not too beat up about it. I just wish I knew how to fix these issues so that I could make it in the future without all the problems.

That's all that's going on around here (except for a crazy amount of sorting and cleaning and getting-rid-of). Head over to Tami's Amis' Blog to see what others have going on :)

WIP Wednesday: Limbs and Pieces Everywhere!

Well, Birthday Zombie 2.0 is coming right along :) I finished his head yesterday, so all I need to do now is add hair and velcro to call the actual zombie completely done. Now I just have to make his clothes and his rat, lol. I took this opportunity to take some fun pictures this morning.

lol I think it's funny how this one looks a little confused just from his eye-to-nose-distance. I also really like the eye ball bead. I searched high and low for them when I made my first zombie. I ended up ordering them on Amazon and I think it was about $4 for a bag of 20 or 25 beads. They are glass so each one is slightly different. I had become so used to seeing the other zombie with a long, dangling sinew for his eye that I wasn't sure I would like the actual eye ball bead, but I really like it on this one :)

And of course, I had to take some silly photos. I love that you can turn the eye ball - it's like one of those pictures that is looking right at you no matter where you stand, lol.

Here are all my pieces so far :) As much as I love how these come out, I can't wait to be finished. It feels like they just take absolutely forever. He is pretty cute though.

I also was able to make some progress on my Myrna this weekend. I hadn't touched it since the previous weekend, but when it comes time to go to a family gathering I grab it. My zombie has so many little pieces and parts that I don't want to cart around and chance losing. So, Myrna got some attention :) I've finished the upper back and now I'm just about to start the increases on the right front. I am thrilled to say that I was able to hold up the pieces that I have done and it looks like they will fit great! I was so worried after my first go at this. I will say - my gauge is definitely tighter than the pattern calls for, but it seems to work out so I'm not worried about it. I love that this is such a quick project, and I really can't wait to give it more undeterred time.

So, that's all around these parts this week :) Head over to Tami's Amis' Blog to see what others are cooking up!

WIP Wednesday

Well, the zombie is coming right along :) I have completely finished the torso, guts and legs - meaning they are completely assembled and embroidered. 

I seriously saved so much time this time around just with rethinking the order of assembly. The pattern has you knit two full leg pieces - an outer and then an inner one for the "wound". The thing is, the only area that you need the inner one for is that big red spot - so why do I need to knit a complete red leg? That's just silly. So I basically just knitted a patch that was slightly bigger than the opening and sewed it on the back. The pattern also has you sew everything completely together and THEN do the embroidery. Again, that's just silly. You have to try to hide your knots and ends after the fact when you do it this way. So, I did all my embroidery before I sewed up the back seam and seriously it was so nice to not have to worry about hiding my knots (I know the patterns always tell you that you don't need to knot it, but for real, I'm making this for a 9 year old child - I doubt she will be gentle). I also sewed the toe nails on one foot before seaming, but it turns out this wasn't a great idea - when I stuffed it the fabric shifted and now the nails are very loose. I will redo them nice and tight, but I'd rather do this with sewing thread than yarn so it's all good.

The intestines were another design choice - I knitted i-cord instead of seaming. The torso is exactly the same as my first zombie meaning it has a dark purple inner pocket. I also tied the cream yarn for the ribs on before I sewed up the seam. I had to embroider the second rib cage twice - I always have trouble trying to match two things side by side - please tell me I'm not alone, lol. I also waited to put the velcro on until I had both receiving sides ready just to make sure they line up right.

I'm really happy with how this is coming out :) And it is so much nicer to work on it for a few hours a night instead of one solid day of assembly like the last one. Incidentally, this pattern has apparently been posted online and you can get it for free! I literally just discovered this today. It's only for the 'classic zombie', so to make the other pieces you'd have to get the book, but most of what I've used is all in the pattern. Just head over here to get it for yourself :)

(sorry for the clothing shaver, lol, it's all stockinette so it just curls up without something to weigh it down.)

I also managed to restart my Myrna cardigan this weekend :) We had some long drives to Orlando and I don't like to take projects with lots of little pieces in the car - that's just a disaster waiting to happen. So, I cast on on my birthday and kept knitting it when I could all weekend. I'm past the would-be-keyhole area and into the main back. It's kind of crazy how simple (and therefor how quick) this sweater is. I'm hoping to get to really devote some time to it soon.

That's it around here this week :) Head over to Tami's Amis' Blog to see what others are working on!