Earthwhisper Fiber Arts

Pattern: Child’s Party Tank Top by Dawn Leeseman
Yarn: Trendsetter Yarns Taos
Needles: Size 8

edited to say: I had interpreted the pattern to have some errors, one of those is when you crochet the borders the numbers do not match up. I figured the crocheted border would have the same stitch count as the knit border.

However, Andrea suggested (and the designer agreed) that in this pattern you must crochet 3 stitches and then slip the 4th stitch, and this is to adjust in the gauge difference of knitting and crochet.

The crochet section well…you can tell it was written by a knitter.

Also, I am not particularly fond of how the shoulder straps were knit and finished off. I really like 3 needle bind off for shoulder straps so I think I would do that a bit differently.

edited to add: I forgot to mention that one of the shoulder straps in the front and the back has one extra row of knitting. I ended up modifying the pattern so that when you join the yarn and the neck edge on the purl side that I only purled across 3 stitches and then bound them off, so that way I ended up with the same rows on each shoulder edge. I don’t really know if this is an error, but honestly I pondered if it was meant to have the extra row or not and then decided to do it how I wanted to.

Overall though the pattern was fine and any experienced knitter and crocheter would be able to knit/crochet this in a few days. I was happy with how it turned out and so was the recipient, Madeleine.

The designer of this pattern is going to be having a book published in July, called “Casual Elegant Knits-Classy Designs for Men and Women.” I look forward to seeing what this designer has done.

Finally, I wanted to point out that I sometimes forget how many people randomly come to my blog. I don’t always have very much time to write a blog post and at times just write off the top of my head, without edit. I suppose what I might have considered an error in a pattern, may just be a difference of perception and style. I did not mean for this to be a negative review towards the designer or design.

The top worked up really fast and Madeleine wears it all the time, which is a winner in my book. I am appreciative of the work it takes to design knitwear and am also thankful for the free patterns that are out on the web.

And, I like it.

I did a little bit of manipulations to get this pattern to work for me.

The first thing I did was I unseamed the side seams. I then resewed it to from the bottom up. I stopped the side seam at the garter stitches before the last 10 stockinette stitches on the front. This is actually what it looks like in the original picture. I think that the finishing details might have been off, because the pattern says to seam up to the garter stitch on the strap.

So, when I seamed to the garter stitches before the 10 st, I got a larger armhole, which was perfect. I tried it on and I still wasn’t happy with the straps, but they were better than before.

So, I ripped the straps down. I bound off 9 stitches on the outside edge and picked up 9 stitches on the middle section (the stitches I had previously bound off.) I then knit the straps back up and attached them in the back.

I did attach them towards the center, which I think I might move, because I don’t think they are as comfortable.

I love how it turned out and glad that I gave it some time to fiddle with it. I am wearing this directly against my skin and it isn’t too bad. This is definitely a top I can wear while at the ocean.

Pattern: Knitty Askew

Needles: Size 9

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden color 230 approx 6 balls (I had a little bit leftover.)

I am almost finished with the back of Askew. I have an inch or so left to knit. I will finish it today and block it. I really would like to seam it tonight or tomorrow.

Madeleine swallowed sea glass. I called my doctor and was told to wait for it to come out the other end. My motherly instinct told me that she probably shouldn’t play with it. Sierra was playing with them and Madeleine really wants to do what Sierra does. I told Madeleine not to eat it, which she later did. I think it tasted like salt… Atleast I didn’t have to take her to the ER.

At first Sierra told me she was choking. I ran into the room and heimliched Madeleine about 3 times, before I realized that it wasn’t coming up. I had to do the Heimlich on Sierra when she was 3 with a mint candy, so I am very familiar with this procedure (as well as the fact that I have been a certified EMT, twice.) Instead, it went down, into her stomach.

As I was talking to the doctor he told me my CT results came back and the pain isn’t from the urinary system. So, what I thought was a very easy, “I can’t believe you missed this” type diagnosis, wasn’t it at all. Instead, I am told I might have adhesions in my small bowel.

I don’t know what is going on, but I had another sleepless night, sigh. I googled adhesions and have learned that a lot of people with adhesions live a life of pain that has made them crazy, ruined their relationships, job functioning, and basically taken the happy out of life. This is how I have felt the past few months and I really hope this isn’t my road.

To change the mood of my blog back to happy, my garden is doing nice things:

This is a picture out my back window at my sunflower.  Notice how tall it is compared to the neighbors house/satellite dish.

Today is the first day for it to open.  The one on the right hasn’t opened yet.

Welcome Sunflower!  (ps…it is so cool to watch the sunflowers follow the sun.)

I Spy…a red tomato.   Actually, I have two red ones.

As I read a few blogs this morning I noticed I am not the only one with insomnia last night. I have been sleeping every other night and sometimes I will get a 4 hour nap mid-afternoon. For me it is my side that is bothering me that keeps me from sleeping. I am waiting on the test results, I should know something by Monday.

Since I couldn’t sleep, I knit Askew.   This is the left front.  The pattern suggests size 7 needles.  I had to use size 9 needles to get gauge.  This is such an easy and fast pattern.

The challenge is going to try to get the stripes to match up in the front.  I will do my best, but honestly I don’t care as much, it will only bother everyone else.

The kids went to bed late last night and were crabby and woke up at 6am this morning, again sort of crabby.  Tony has to work today, which makes me want to be crabby, but I am not.  I can already tell he is going to be crabby.

We were invited to a lot of things this weekend, a jewelry part, a friend’s wedding shower in Santa Cruz, my nephew’s birthday party at the lake…and well, we probably will just stay home.

Larger than Life Bag:

Side 1

Side 2

I need to buy some bright fabric to line the bag and am still contemplating on how I will work the handles. I took this picture at night in my house with the flash, so the colors aren’t exact, they are the old cotton-ease colors.

I crocheted the squares using dc, in red. For me, it was easier than sewing them together.

Sidewinders: (I was intrigued by this pattern by other knit bloggers and had to try it. I am going to try again, real soon…really, really soon.)
I worked the gauge swatch and was excited I got gauge. I cast-on on Friday and was addicted to this pattern. I had half of the sock done Saturday and decided to measure gauge, on a whim and wasn’t getting gauge, which is suppose to be 30st/4 inch and I was getting 26st/4 inch. Since I was knitting these for my sock-A partner, I decided I am going to frog this and look for another pattern. (I will post the pics, just so you can see how odd and cool the socks were looking before I realized I had to frog them.)

I want to use this yarn as my sock partner has purple shoes and green shoes. However, this yarn is so busy, it is hard to find a pattern that will work. I tried RPM, but they were coming out too large, too. Though I can easily change it. I might just cast on less stitches on the RPM and start over, I don’t know. I am so indecisive on this and the clock is ticking.

Askew:

I casted on, and worked up a few inches and wasn’t getting gauge. The cast-on stitches are small, so I figured it wasn’t worth making a gauge swatch. I am this way. I think I need to work with size 9 needles, instead of 7

I casted on Askew tonight…

I think it is going to be a fast knit. You know how I like lots of WIP’s!

ps…Lyndy, you should know I like asymmetrical.  Since the yarn is self-striping, I don’t know how easy/hard it will be to line up the stripes.

For a close up of this picture, click here.

Pattern:  Prosperous Plum Tank

Needles:  Size 5 and then 7 (but wasn’t getting gauge, so switched to size 6 to get gauge.)

Yarn:  LB Cotton-ease - Violet

I loved working with this yarn.  I loved working with this pattern.  Really, this was an really fun and nice project.

I didn’t have any problems with the pattern, except for my own clumsiness…which Andrea pointed that that I couldn’t blame you, because I never posted a picture of the finished straps…so…how would you know I was off?

I got the crab stitch done.  It looks awesome.  My left thumb is happy I am not working on that anymore.

I am still working on Prosperous Plum, and am up to the straps. The pattern calls for you to measure to get the right strap size. Since I am not knitting this to my size, I don’t have anyone to measure. Any suggestions? I guess I could call around to some size small friends tomorrow…

I am happy with this progress. I have no doubts I will have this finished by Friday.

ETA:  I did a bit of reading and it seems that standard size “small” armhole length is 7.5 to 8 inches, so that is what I am going to do.

First, I am madly knitting the Prosperous Plum tank.  It is knitted in cotton-ease in violet.  I am knitting a small as it will be the sample that I will be teaching in my classes.  It has a provisional cast on, picot hem, lace and cable knitting, shaping…basically lots of things I can teach on.  I rarely actually get to teach the projects that I plan out, so hopefully this will be one of those times as this is really one of the funnest projects I have done in a long, long time.

Seriously, the chart is really interesting.  It is easy to remember and is really working up fast.  Of course, I am knitting the small (rarely get to do that) but it is still a fun knit.

I casted on for this on Saturday.  As of tonight, this is where I am at.

Front:

Back:

There is this cool asymmetrical-ness, yet oddly symmetrical that this top has.

I need to be finished with it before Saturday and at my current pace I think that is possible.

I started out using size 5 needles for the picot hem, then switched to size 7.  However, as I got a few inches up, I realized my gauge was off and so I dropped down to a size 6 and am getting the 19 st/4 inch gauge.  It actually worked out good doing it this way since the hip part is a little bit wider than when it decreases into the waist, so the change in gauge isn’t noticeable in a bad way.

Once I get my class knitting out of the way, I hopefully will have more knit/crochet time for myself again for the next few months.  I love my classes, but the prep for them is very time consuming.

I did do a little bit more knitting on my sock (not shown.)  I am almost at the toe decreases.

Here is a picture of my dad’s sweater:

Sorry dad…it is hard to wear this way, I know.  I don’t have the back to block this as I would have to pin it to my floor.  I am sort of waiting for Tony to help me.  I swear I will finish this soon…luckily it is still cold and rainy where you live even in the summer.

Speaking of rain.  This was Saturday:

And lastly, as if there are not enough pictures on this post, a picture Sierra drew.  Her teacher suggested in a report card that Sierra needed to color better within the lines.  Seriously…something is wrong with her teacher.  Isn’t coloring outside of the lines better?

She has Tony’s artistic ability.  I NEVER colored like this in kindergarten.

Well…minus the buttons, which I will pick up later today.

Pattern:  Light N Lively Tank

Hook:  Bates G

Yarn:  Cotton-ease - Violet

Pattern changes:  Well, I had a bit of a problem with the wording on how to do the bodice.  You can find all of that here.  In addition, mine has a pretty visible hole in the front of it, whereas I don’t see that in the picture on LB’s site.  So, I am assuming there is some type of problem there.  I don’t know if I will leave it or close it…I might see if Michaels has a large bead I can put there.

I also need to find some nice buttons or something…

I am going to make this for myself, as this is just the store sample.  However, I am going to change some things…like the front tank part.  The bodice part is cute…hopefully a top like this won’t look like a maternity top on me.   (not yet…anyways…)