The last straw!

Okay, once again I ripped the Corset Top...  I got past the armholes and to the start of the bust decreases, only to discover I was off on the ribbing pattern - p2, k2, p2, k1... ugh.  I knew it would bug me to leave it wrong, so I did what I had to do.  I also tried it on before ripping and the armholes were way too tiny.  I need to work on a looser i-cord cast on/bind off.  I also took the opportunity to make a larger size.  I don't know, I just don't think I want it quite so tight fitting, though I may regret that decision.

Well, the learning curve certainly has me flying through Chart A.  Let's hope I can keep going this time.  I swear, this is the LAST TIME I'm attempting this one!  So darn frustrating!

Slow Progress

Slowly progressing on the Corset Tank.  I do love my yarn choice (Cascade Elite Premiere) and hope it will fit.  I will knit a few more rows and then try it on to see.  Although I love this pattern, it has been one of the most difficult that I have ever tried to knit.  It might be the pattern, or more likely my brain.  I know I've knit each step 2 or 3 times before it finally "clicks" and this morning I had to rip 5 rows because the bust decreases weren't stacking on top of each other properly!

I'm trying NOT to get discouraged, but it certainly is a challenging project.  I do have some lovely HipKnits silk to make my next one, that is if I decide to make another after this!  I got the Bluebell silk, and although it's lovely, it's not nearly as dark as depicted on their website.  I still like the color, though.

Knitting in the dark

Still suffering from pinkeye!  It's not nearly so painful now, but the constant tearing/blurry vision and extreme light sensitivity has limited my knitting ability!  :(    I did cast on and knit the first 9 rows of the Corset Tank.  Loving the way it looks!  I'll be happy to have my normal vision back, though.  Scary to think of not being able to see permanently!

I found someone on Knitter's Review that has 2 skeins of Calmer in my color and dye lot - woo hoo!  Ain't the Internet grand???

Two is not always better

What's worse than a case of pinkeye?  Well, having it in both eyes, thankyouverymuch.  Argh.  I'm not a baby, but this makes me feel like one.  It is such a nuisance!  I guess the saving grace is that the kids don't have it, but it will sure make me more compassionate the next time they do!

I'm excited to finish my London top.  I like the finishing instructions in the Dale book.  Seems like it will be easy to do.  I'm crossing fingers that it fits.  I did give it a mid-way try on, but the thing looks huge!  I guess I'll be even more disappointed if it DOES fit because I'm not that big, am I?  lol

Got a few more rows done on my NBaT.  It's pretty boring knitting, but I'm absolutely loving the feeling of the Rowan Calmer.  I think I'm going to scrap the one skein I reknitted so many times for Elspeth and see if Jimmy Beans Wool still has a skein in my same dye lot.  Fingers crossed!

Ready to finish!

I finished the last row before the bind off on my London top this morning.  Now to just bind off, sew up the sides and pick up and knit the armhole bands.  I haven't knit an actually sweater since the 1980s, so wish me luck with this!!!

London Progress

I've finished and bound off one side of the London Top.  Now I need to knit from the armholes on the second side and will soon be finished.  Although I'm a little concerned it will be too big on me - the thing looks huge.  I made a last minute decision to make the largest size and it might not have been a good decision.  I will try it on tonight to see if I need to rip and restart.

I have really liked knitting with the Svale - splitting aside.  Even though the sweater is knit on size 4 needles, I think it went really fast!

SABLE

Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy - that's me!  Not that I need any more yarn, but who could resist a yarn store liquidation sale?  Yarn and needles at 40% off, sale tables with 50% off and a table with yarn for $2 a skein?

I got the email late Friday afternoon, the sale started Saturday at 10 a.m.  Part of me was hoping everyone else in town would be gone for the long holiday weekend and that I could buy all the yarn for myself <insert evil laugh!>

I arrived at the store about 9:40 and was disappointed to see the parking lot full and the store already filled with shoppers!  I had to drive around a few blocks to find a parking spot, then dashed to the store to see the sign stating the sale started at 9 a.m. - bummer!  But I shopped til I dropped and found some really good stuff!!!

   I made a beeline for the first table inside and discovered that it was the $2 table.  They had a lot of single balls of Debbie Bliss yarn, but I found a basket that had small quantities of a few cotton yarns.  I got 9 skeins of Elizabeth Levold Cotton Patine in this warm pinkish brown color, and 11 skeins of Schulana Supercotton - a nice heavy worsted weight cotton/micro blend that is sproingy like All Seasons Cotton.  The Supercotton was mixed colors, I got 6 in black and 5 in a dark charcoal grey that is almost black.  I figure I could combine the 2 colors to make a short sleeved sweater or tank.

Then I went over to the 50% off table.  There was a box underneath with Rowan Summer Tweed Yarn, but one lady was grabbing all the coral color and one lady all the sage green.  They had an ecru color, but there didn't appear to be enough to make anything out of, plus I'm not such a big fan of the Summer Tweed yarn.

I started looking at the shelves and first came across some Southwest Trading Company Bamboo yarn.  I'd been drooling over this yarn to make this Heatwave tank, but couldn't justify spending $75 on yarn for a tank.  But for 40% off, heck - it was mine!  They even had the pink and solid pink that I wanted and the free pattern displayed next to the yarn!  Next, I found the Rowan area and immediately zeroed in on the Calmer shelf.  They had black, white, pink and 10 skeins of this lovely light yellow green called Sour.  I got the Sour.  No specific plan in mind, but I know with 10 skeins I'll be able to knit any sweater I want with the Calmer.  Mmmm, Calmer....  The other pink yarn here is Classic Elite Premiere - a really nice tencel and cotton blend.  They had a ton of colors, but by the time I made it back to make a decision, pink and a butterscotch color were all they had left.  I hope 5 skeins is enough to make something out of - another tank, possibly?

   They also had a great deal of Rowan All Seasons Cotton.  I got 5 skeins of a grey/white marbled color to make a tank.  I also picked up 2 skeins of Rowan Cashsoft Baby DK.  The only color remaining was navy blue, but I thought it would make a nice cozy pair of socks.

Waiting in line was a nightmare - it took me over an hour and the line barely moved.  However, it was 5 times as long behind me, and I read on another blog she waited almost 3 hours to check out!  Ay-yi-yi!

Well, it was a great stash day.  Now to get busy knitting!