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The Knitting Corner
Someone who is near and dear to me is knitting the Honeycomb Vest from Knitty.
After getting a long ways into the project, it's been decided to add sleeves. I offered to write a pattern for a sleeve.
It'll be easy once I get my schematic down. The question I have, and this is really a construction/pattern drafting question and not a knitting question, so all my sewing friends, this question is for you. Must I redraw the armscye? I think so.
My inclination is to rewrite the pattern for the top of the bodice to add shoulder width, in addition to writing a pattern for a sleeve. I'm thinking that the armscye is cut in so far for the vest that it'll be impossible to get a nice sleeve set in. Oh, and I'll need to eliminated the ribbing and add pattern stitches anyway at the armscye.
Below is the schematic.
Confirm my thoughts? I've drawn the line I think I need to have in red.
edit to ask:
This is being knit in the smallest size. The wearer is a size 0-2 RTW. The depth on the armscye as written is 7.75". Since the consensus seems to be that the armscye needs to come up, anyone have any ideas about how deep that armscye should be? Sommerset? Jae? Someone who's petite or sews for that size typically?

The Sewing Studio
Meanwhile, I've pulled some real bonehead moves in the sewing dept lately.
One is failing to stop by either Joanns or Hancock last weekend and pick up a Simplicity pattern.
Awhile back someone posted some Anthropologie items on Stitchers Guild, among them this top

Photo of Anthropologie Top, no longer avail on their website
I heart this top. Mostly the fabric, and the sleeves. I don't so much love the actual fabric as the idea of it. The color at the hem bleeding into the monochrome of the top. And the texture. And I love the sleeves. Right after I saw it, I began thinking about how to duplicate that sleeve. The next week I saw the Simplicity pattern offerings, and there was a blouse, with this sleeve. Or something close enough to an approximation of it. Cool! Look up when Simplicity will be having a sale. Can't make it.... Look for the next one. Even write it on the calendar. Then forget and don't even look at the calendar. Dang!
The blouse: Simplicity 2501

In any case, That top, the design elements, have stayed with me. I think I have to keep thinking on it, and see where I end up with it.

Tomorrow: The incident with the plaid. Just plain dumb move on my part.

The things you find on Ravelry

Warning, this post is almost all about knitting.

Gotta love Ravelry.
I finally got around to putting my Judy's Colors stocking on Ravelry, and by the time I did several other projects for this stocking have appeared. When I bought the kit there weren't any.
Well, along with the other projects was a link to an errata page at Judys Colors.
Wouldn't you know!
First, the colors in this brocade knit fabric are close enough that it's hard to see that some of the trees look as if they're missing a limb in the center. It only shows up when you get out the camera. So I just blithely knit the leg of the stocking, following the chart, as written. Yesterday, when I took pics, I thought "those trees look lopsided".
Well, duh, there is an error in the chart. I like to think that if I had been working in a higher contrast yarn combination that I'd have seen it. I have to confess, I'm not ripping it out.

So, this probably isn't the best segue into announcing the fact that I'd like to get into the pool of test knitters for Minimissimi's new wrap cardi Winter Rose. (isn't it pretty?)

Photo belongs to Minimissimi at www.vaivai.com
Gotta love that Friend Activity function on Rav, since it helps filter what you look at by showing you what your friends are tagging. This sweater first came to my attention when Tany tagged it as a favorite.
A couple of years ago I knit the Adrienne Vittadini lace cardi with the surrounding ruffle for Helen.
I found then that I work well with deadline. And, I'd like a sweater like that for my own wardrobe. I've been thinking about going back and knitting the Vittadini for myself, but then this came along, and it's a bit more updated. So I tossed my name in the hat to be a test knitter.
I think that Minimissimi's sweater coat is brilliantly designed. How to take bulky cables and make the design actually visually slimming in a coat is brilliant, IMO.

Other happenings at Ravelry:
Hands On Retreat has been announced. It's a knitting retreat scheduled for May in Chicago. Terri Shea and others will be teaching. Franklin Habit is the keynote speaker. How much fun can that be? So, I already booked my room and plan to go. ... Guess what! It's at exactly the same time as PR Weekend in Philly next May. Last night I told Cidell this, and she just wailed at me "I don't want to hear this!" oh (expletive deleted). Registration and class sign up for Hands On Retreat is coming up soon, and I need to make a decision. Philadelphia or Chicago in May?

Ravelympics have been announced and teams are forming. What to knit, what to knit?

photo from Karabella pattern circular

I do know that before the winter olympics in February I'm going to get my USA scarf knit. I bought this pattern and yarn just after the last winter Olympics, knowing that I wanted it for the next one.

So, did you participate in the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics? In Ravelry's Ravylmpics? are you thinking about it for February?

ohhh, wouldn't it be great if the Winter Rose pattern were ready for test knitting for February, and That could by my Rav project.? First I've got to get selected though. Cross your fingers for me.

Finding my Voice

Lighthouse at the Entrance to the channel at Holland MI.
Note the direction the flag is blowing - the wind is out of the south. We had about 5 days all summer long with winds out of the south. Weird winds this summer.

Well, when I wrote that last post, June 14, I had no intention of being off-line so long.
And the longer it got, the more difficult it became for me to find something important enough to blog about.
I'm still not certain that I have a enough to write about that is relevant and worthy of your reading time. But I do have some friends out there in the blogosphere who've been encouraging me to get back online, so I'll give it a go again.


First up, I'd like to finally, 4 months later, acknowledge those who left links to their lists.
NancyW wrote a post about lists here
Rose's sewing list is here
Jenny made up a list specifically after reading that last post, then decided she was overcommitted (a not uncommon state of being for those who play with fabric and yarn).
Trudy left a link, but alas no list. She more than made up for that though, with a link to her 8 year old daughters sewing blog. How cool is that?
Most everyone else admitted to making lists, either on paper or in their head. And nearly everyone confessed to rather sketchy follow-through on the lists.
I do think it would be interesting to check back on those lists now that summer is over and see how closely anyone met their listed goals.

I did make a list of sorts last spring.
1. Go sailing...
dh and I made a long list of places we planned to sail to over the summer. Ha! Mother nature was not cooperating. We got in about 1/2 the sailing we'd hoped. The rest of the time we hung out on the boat at the marina, and made new friends. Had a great time.
Generally There was too much wind, generally coming from the wrong direction, however sometimes there just wasn't any wind at all. And, it was the coolest summer on Lake Michigan in recent memory. Cold actually.
I'll add sailing pictures over the next coming months, just so that you don't get innudated all at once. I wouldn't want to bore you with a whole bunch.
This is a pic from a glorious day out on Lake Michigan. We were sailing back to Lake Macatawa from Pentwater Lake and had perfect winds and sunshine
item 2 on my list:
Make a needlepoint Christmas Stocking for my daughter-in-law.
DS#2 asked me to make her one just before they got married last October. When I reminded him that it took me 7 years to make his, he replied that I didn't have to finish hers for This Christmas.
He wanted an angel, so we looked and looked and found an angel that he liked, and I began stitching on this in May. I worked on this project all summer, almost to the exclusion of everything else. And, I finished the stitching in September, right after Labor Day.
I ordered Velveteen and cording, and now I just have to block it and put it all together.
She was stitched on 18 count canvas using a variety of fibers.

detail photo of the "ribbon" line at the hem of the angels dress. I used metallic threads, silk thread and beads to stitch that area.

I'm reasonably certain that she never looks at this blog, so I'm thinking she'll be surprised in November when we give the kids their Christmas stuff. I have a box of ornaments and decorations as well as my own kids stockings here. This is the year that both boys are married and both are in their own houses, so it's time to give them their stuff.

But, I can't be without stockings for the family. So, I've started knitting the stockings from the "fabrics" collection from Judys Colors.

For the little bit of knitting I did this summer, this is all I accomplished.


Next time: More sailing pics (or at least "living on a boat" pics), another project or two, and more of my 2009 lists including the Reading List!

I hope you find me again. I promise not to go AWOL again, at least not without notice.