Back to "Normal"

Well, we're back from Paris and settling back into normal schedules. It's weird not having wedding planning to do anymore. And, as you all know, I have a hard time not having anything to do, so I've thrown myself headlong back into knitting!

Firstly, I finished the Kingdom gloves:
Despite not being wild about the pattern, I like the way they turned out. Now my only complaint is the way the cuff is set up, so I decided not to keep them. Vicki will enjoy them much more than I will. I really liked working with the Knitpicks Gloss yarn, though. Highly recommended.

After all those tiny cables, I wanted to work on something with a bigger gauge and a much simpler pattern, so I found the Francis Revisited Sweater by Beth Silverstein. The gauge was so big, the whole thing only took me about 5 days, 5 glorious days of mindless stockinette. This picture doesn't really do the sweater justice--it makes the thing look a lot more see-through than it really is, but you can see how loose the gauge is. The opacity is a lot more like the previous photo and the color/fit is like the one below.Really comfortable, really cute. Here's the back.Next on the agenda is my slew of Christmas gifts. Since we're doing Christmas with the Matthews this year, my list has expanded quite a bit and, as you can see by the sidebar, I've started early. I've been working on the batch of Matthews gifts first (partly because the Wilkes have asked for considerably more complicated gifts!) and once I finish with the last one (about halfway done) I'll dedicate a blog post to all of them. I decided it would be easier if I split the two posts up.

In fact, I should have started posting this stuff ages ago, but the reason I waited was because I wanted to include some wedding photos in my next blog post! Yes, they're up and if you really want a print, you're more than welcome to order one from her site! I don't have the hard copies or the digital disc yet (should get them later this week), but I wanted to share them with you guys as soon as possible!

Happy stalking! And to wrap things up, here's Jericho making a fort out of a yarn shipment box.

Cheers,

-Allie Matthews (!)

2 More Days!

Wow, I can't believe it's so close! My to-do list is done and the in-laws have arrived. I just wanted to get a few pictures up for all of you to enjoy while we're on our honeymoon in a couple of days, so this will be a short post.

First on the list: the skinny empire sweater. I wanted a cute little warm-weather sweater (which is now already obsolete until May) so I made one! I got the pattern out of Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits and knit it with Knitpicks Telemark. If I'd had more cash lying around, I probably would have picked a more luxurious fiber than straight wool, but I really liked the way the telemark kept the ruffle in the collar. I like the mint-green color too.



If I did it again, I would probably have made it a little longer, but I still think it's super-cute. Here's the back:Next on the list is the first of the Kingdom gloves that I've been working on since about June. I'm just not that interested in the pattern. It's too complicated for something I'm not very excited about. I got the pattern off of Knitty, I think it was the summer issue. I've just had more interesting things to work on, so these have been neglected some. I will finish glove number 2 when we get back from Paris (eee!)

And thirdly, and most importantly, is the shawl I've made for my wedding day. Obviously I wasn't thinking straight when I thought I halter dress would be a good idea for Maine in October (I don't think I would have cared then, anyway, it's a gorgeous dress). And I didn't even think that I would need more warmth until about 4 weeks before the big day. So I ordered the yarn (Valley Yarn's alpaca/silk lace, which I love love love--so soft!) and set straight to work. I think the result is quite lovely. I finished it in exactly two weeks, even making it a little wider and a little longer than the pattern called for. I got the Lilac Leaf Shawl pattern out of Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. It was very straight forward worked up really quickly. Here's a closeup of the lace edge:

Well, I think that's all for this update. I have to scurry off again to do wedding things. Once I get back and get back into the swing of things, I'll have more to tell you. I'll even see some of you tomorrow, yay!

Cheers,

-Allie

Dum dum da dum...

Only 7 more weeks left, yikes! We've actually got almost everything under control. We're in the middle of a month-long lull, waiting for my dress to come in and for everyone to RSVP (hint hint). Once September hits, things will start getting crazy, but for now, I'm enjoying the extra knitting time!

Firstly, Dad's birthday is coming up on Monday and I had no idea what to get him. So I decided to find something obnoxious to knit him and I found some patterns for some patterned golf club covers!

What guy wouldn't want pink argyle protecting his driver? Actually, I enjoyed knitting the Dots and Spots one better. Slip stitch is a lot easier than argyle--there are fewer strands in the way and the argyle one is pretty scrunched, which is a shame. I think he'll enjoy them all the same. I knit them with two different Knitpicks yarns: Maine Line (pink and green) and Shine (ivory). I have to say that the Main Line was a lot easier to knit than the Shine; cotton is not my favorite material.

I cannot say the same thing about alpaca, however, for the shrug I designed myself for the rehearsal dinner is finished, a vision in Knitpicks' Elegance, a silk and alpaca blend. I’m VERY pleased with the way this project came out. This was a totally improvised project and it fits and looks exactly the way I had imagined it, yay! I love love love the yarn, too. Knitpicks’ Elegance is so soft, I didn’t want to put the project down!

The only problem is that I didn’t keep meticulous notes while I was knitting it, so I only have a vague idea of what I did. Basically, it’s a cropped raglan with seed stitch trim on the sides and bottom. I added a picot edge to the neckline and a lace edging from Knitted Lace of Estonia, I forget from which project.

Unfortunately, I didn’t account for how much it would ‘swing’ in the back, resulting in a lot of curling, so I pulled out the needle and thread and nipped it in on the sides. So now it fits great, but you can’t close it at the bottom, which was not what I made it for, anyway. I’m so excited to wear this to our rehearsal dinner in October. I think it’ll look great over the pink floral dress I got the for the occasion. Yay!

Here's the picot edge:

And the lace cuff:

I've also had some time to work on the Venezia Sweater, which is not progressing very quickly. I have, however, finished knitting the bulk of the torso. Here it is with the steeks uncut:

Looks funny, doesn't it? Since I took that picture, I have cut the neck steeks and have been working on the neckline, but I don't like the way it's turning out, so no pictures yet. I might have to rip out what I've done on the neckline and try again, but that's irritating me, so I've started the left sleeve (pictures of that when I've made more progress).

Here's a close-up of the pattern stitch. I'm very pleased with the color selection I spent so long making. Totally worth the deliberation.

I still can't predict how this sweater will turn out, since I can't try it on until I cut the arm steeks and I'm afraid to do that until I have a sleeve to put there. I love the pattern, though, and I really really hope it turns out well, especially since it's taken so much time to get to this point. I want to finish it before the wedding, which may or may not happen, depending on how busy September gets. I really don't know why I gave myself that deadline--maybe because I want to show it to people coming into town? Maybe I just can't wrap my head around any date after October 10th? We'll see. Apologies in advance if this is my last post before the wedding. It's not because I don't love you guys, but because I'm too busy preparing things for when I see you in October!

Oh, here's a silly Jericho picture to wrap things up:Cheers,

-Allie