My 'little red riding hood' jacket

As you might have guessed from the title of today's blog, my jacket is taking shape. The entire body is is done. The front panels the back and also one sleeve.
My current dilemma is that I am not using any written pattern and have to size and try everything before going on to the next step.
These decisions were paramount to a successful Jacket design:

• - for the first piece, the right front section, deciding the cable design and the length of the Jacket
• - for the left front deciding that the pattern should be knitted opposite ( the cables are starting in the opposite direction )
• - for the back deciding the new middle cable design. I have trial knitted swatches to see what will work in concert with the front. I was only sure that I wanted to come up with a bigger diamond design that what is framing the front panels.
• - for the sleeve there were many little decisions and it took a few days to decide:
• how wide at the start
• how wide at the end
• how long of a sleeve
• what pattern, if any

 Now that I have both front panels, the back and one sleeve completed I dare not just go ahead and knit the second sleeve. I need to loosely sew the body together and sew on the sleeve to see what it will look like.
I don't have a mannequin!
The sleeve has been done since Saturday and I am avoiding the sewing chore, I wonder why? I feel like I am stuck like a writer with writer's block.
But today, first things first. It is election day in America, after all.
Today really means so much to me, a proud first time Presidential Election voter.
I can not believe it took me 60 Years to arrive at this point in my live, better late than never.

one down - one more to go

My husband's hoody is finished and I am really proud about how it turned out.

Now it's on to my hoody.

The plan was layed-out months ago, on my visit to Germany.

Step one, buttons:

The PhildarWolle store near my mother's home always has great buttons and I found the perfect 'red' set.   picture of the 6 red buttons

Step two, shoes:

Yes, please don't laugh. The right shoes did come next. I saw them in the window of our new Adams Ave. shoe store and knew they were 'it'. The perfect pair.

Step three, finish the previous project:

I am glad it is done and extremely excited to be able to do the next step.

Step four, yarn shopping:

My husband agreed to go with me. I am not sure if he actually regretted that decision because it took me 4 yarn stores and almost 100 miles until I found the perfect yarn.

Seta Tweed, raspberry color from Lang Yarns. It is made out of 75% silk and 25% cotton. Super light, 100 meters only weigh 25 grams. Half the normal weight. Super soft, as you can imagine.

Step five, designing the look:

What will the finished hoody look like? I did not know but I was certain that I have not found the right pattern and it was up to my creative side to let loose and create it.

As you can see it will be a "kimono - style" hoody. All the edges will be straight. That will enhance the straight cable pattern. The front diamond design will continue on to build the edge of the hood. I think this will work.

Step six, knit a trial section to determine gauge:

I did try different diamond sizes and settled on the smaller, 8 stitches inside. The gauge with needles size 3,75 (German) size 5 US. turned out to be 19 stitches and 30 rows.

Step seven, size the finished garment:

It was time to measure how wide I wanted (needed) the finished hoody to be to fit me. I pulled out my measuring tape and measured hip ( 46 ) and bust ( 46 ) inches. Remembering that the garment will be straight, so it has to fit both wide areas comfortably. 50 inches all the way around will generate a loose fitting jacket. So that was that.

Step eight, calculate the cast on stitches:

Here, as always, I wrote out the pattern number of stitches to be sure the idea in my mind translated correctly. The first section to knit will be the right front. Considering 50 inches all the way around will require one quarter, or 12.5 inches for one front panel. Because I will also add a small button band later I had to make the cast on number for only 12 inches. from the gauge 19 stitches on 4 inches = 4.75 stitches per inch, which calculates to 57 (4.75 times 12) stitches for 12 inches.

Step nine, write out the pattern

from left to right: 1 edge stitch, 2 knit, 5 snake pattern, 3 knit, 5 snake, 3 knit, 5 snake, 3 knit, 5 snake, 3 knit, 5 snake, 2 knit, 14 diamond, 2 knit, 1 edge stitch = 59  Perfect. Lets GO!

Step ten, knit the right front panel

I think it turned out just like I knew it would, it is light and soft and 'very red'.

Step eleven, knit the left front panel

Here I had to let my creative side interject a little. Even though I knew what to do, my inner voice said: "Wait a minute, think this through"! the other side will have to have the designs go the other way. The diamonds are crossing over opposite and the snake pattern is starting by going into the opposite direction as well. So even the starting ribbon section needed to go the opposite way. Thank you Intuition, I could not do it without you!

I promise that this time I will write down the pattern. I have already approached my husband with the task of designing the Yarn-Stube logo for the page I will need to generate a professional looking pattern. Free or for sale on ravelry - I am not so sure yet.

Finishing the Checkered Past

Yes, I have finally named the hoodie "Checkered Past".
It fits the pattern and the person that will wear it. There are still a lot of finishing tasks left, but the big knitting job is complete.

I had fun using the heel knitting technique to construct the hood.

 

 

 

Select all the stitches around the collar, include the 8 stitches of the button band sections on both right and left sides, knit the hood up in St stitch ( both button band section continue the buyyon band pattern) in brown 10 1/2 to 11 inches.  Then divide the stitches into three sections.

Knit the middle section in green:

At the end of every row knit a green and a brown stitch together until there is only the button band left on both sides.

 

 

So now the next steps:

• Bind off the green hood top stitches
• finish the button band and sew it onto the hood (I have 8 stitches for the button band but left an additional stitch to use for sewing the band onto the green hood top)
• work all the yarn ends into the knitting on the left side (using a crochet hook, as always, is really the easiest method)
• sew on the buttons
• make one more photo with the new owner
• Since the use of this garment is 'in the garage', blocking is not required, ha ha ha
• find the right 'red summery-type yarn for my hoodie' - I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO GET STARTED

 

In between knitting though I do have to remember that there is another creature in my house hold. Maxy keeps waiting, sometimes really patiently, sometimes not.

Either way, going for a walk with her is never boring. She explodes, just like a little terrier. She wants to be friends with every living thing out and about. What she does though is bark, bark, bark, bark ...... bark, and bark, and scare everything away. Poor Maxy!

 

Today is Sunday though and before I can pick-up my knitting project again I have to go to the local swap meet and 'break' Jaquina, my mother-in-law. This usually is Ruben's pleasure, but he is in Florida, so it falls onto me. I like the swap meet. It's bustling, you never know what you might find, or whom you might meet!

 

 

 

webecca says: Tilta Swift

If you ever get tired of unraveling a skein of yarn around the back of a chair or some one's legs you have to check out this home made gadget. It's amazing, portable and really works very well.

http://webeccasays.blogspot.com/2008/05/tilta-swift.html

Almost there

All I can think of is putting the pieces together, but it is so warm I am extremely hesitant to pick up my knitting. I have so much time to do it too. It's a three day weekend. I am by myself. What better opportunity, right?

OK, I went on Ravelry yesterday and gave myself a deadline. I told everone else that I will be done with the hoody for my husband by the end of the week. That's all I have been doing and thinking about every time I have a few idle moments. Not really!!!!
I am very good at creating distractions:
- Walking Adams Ave.
- Buying a new pair of shoes
- Thriftstore hopping
- Gardening
- Doing Laundry
- Grocery shopping
- Walking the dog
- Walking the dog
- Walking the dog
- Cooking
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- where did all the time go?

On top of that, I miss Ruben. Hurry up Rozanna and get better soon!

Summer Fun

Yes, I like knitting and traveling
Yes, I do other crafts and projects like crocheting, sewing

Yes, I make it a special mission every year to read at least one book in English and one book in German

and Yes, sometimes another 'new' passion sneaks into my world.

I have discovered cooking soup.

First it was just a few soups to have something different than the same old meat. It was actually my husband's constant searching for 'other' meat that brought my idea to the fore front. Soup can be with or without meat and does not take long at all to prepare, usually about 30 minutes.

I have settled on a few favorites now.

• Fennel soup, with Fennel, Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Garlic, Chicken broth, and a big Potato
• Sicilian Wedding soup, with Spinach, baked Meatballs, Noodles, Garlic, Onion, Carrot, and Celery. The broth for this soup can be Chicken broth or Beef broth, both work well.
• Potato soup, with Potatoes, Leaks, Carrots, Celery, Garlic and Steak strips, Chicken broth, and Onion
• Chicken Noodle, with Celery, Carrots, Garlic, Chicken pieces, Noodles, and Onion

There was something else that contributed to this soup idea and that was my little raised garden bed out front. I started growing Basil, Tomatoes, Hungarian Peppers, Green Beans, and Chives last year.
All the best ingredients to spice up a home made soup.



on the left, below my porch, my husband built the raised garden bed for my plants



Today, I spent some time at a Nursery to buy this years second growing season plants. I researched on-line that San Diego has the right climate to plant some winter vegetables. This afternoon I was busy planting 2 Tomato varieties, one regular and one purple. The purple came very much recommended from our friend the gardener. I also bought two Pole Beans, and seeds for Cool Weather Pees, and Kohlrabi.

 I have also reviewed some Garden Magazines last month. Hard to believe that there was still time for that between the knitting, the Olympics watching and the finishing my 900+ pages Dragon story book.

In the magazine I found the chairs I wanted for my porch that my husband built for me 2 tears ago.

Finally the right chair, I thought. Luckily there was a store in San Diego that had the chairs. I wanted the yellow ones. The woman at the store recommended to take the chair outside to be sure the color was what I wanted. I am so glad she did that because the yellow was more orange glowing than I wanted. Seeing them up close and in the sunshine made me change my mind. The ones I bought are red and beautiful.



Now I sit out there in the morning shade and cool air to celebrate the beginning of
another day with the first cup of coffee



As you can see the chairs are also used for modelling some of my knitted wares, like the Poncho I made years ago



Don't you agree the icicle shawl from 2007 does look better on the chair than on me



Man's hoodie progress

While I knit when I can some evenings go by without progress. Working sometimes becomes the draining culprit and sometime life just happens without any time for the HOBBIES.

I have made progress though. The back is done, the right front panel is done, the left front panel is about 1/2 done. Before the left front was started I layed out the right front panel and trial positioned the buttons. I needed to know where and at what row distance to make the button holes.

First I tried to lay-out the buttons to match
the lumberjack pattern but gave up the idea.
I wanted more than just 5 buttons and
10 would have been too many.

Laying the buttons out on the pattern
has always worked for me.
I finally decided the distance of
18 rows works out great for 6 buttons.

So now I am working on the left piece
and include a button hole every 18 rows.







For the 'life just happens' comment I do have pictures for you.
A friend of mine had a baby in April and we, my husband and I, spent Saturday afternoon with 'the Baby' Allison. Isn't she adorable!

Who is this strange woman, MOMMIE help I am being cuddled

Never mind, I am being fed now, let's just let her do it.

Perhaps this stranger is not so bad. I could just smile a little.
She did feed me, after all

This guy has my toy?