Pattern Porn or Barcelona Finished.

Still have not tried it on - have been too sick. This project's name comes from the trip Jimm and I took last year - it was going to be the travel project for that trip. But I did not knit - had too much champagne on the way there and back.
It languished for almost a year. Today I finally finished it, button loop, button and all. It looks really nice, but I am afraid that I made it two sizes too small. I did not gain that much weight since then! (Actually I gained no weight since then, so I must have measured something wrong). This sweater will likely join the ranks of well-executed projects that just aren't as great in real life as they are on the page of a glossy magazine. Pattern porn, if there ever was any.

Hyperbole Be Gone!

I finished the second Summer Meadow and did it straight. I figured out that in the first case I was doing YOs every row as opposed to every other row. And I ended up with hyperbolic plane of sorts that would not block itself out.

This time it is straight. But if it was so simple why didn't somebody from Ravelry or this blog tell me what I did wrong? After all, I did ask for help.

So what is the point of this blogging?!

Mattress Stitch Cont'd or Yarn Porn

I think that I finally got it. I spent two hours yesterday seaming Jack's Rover and I am very pleased with the results.  This is some great seaming if I say so myself. Outside and

  and inside!

Then I went and got some buttons to finish it and Barcelona (only a year in the making and still needing the collar knit up) and got a skein of black lace weight for a scarf that need to go with my new lace dress. Of course there was no black laceweight in my yarn closet, why do you ask?

Mattress Stich.

I think I've got it!

 

 

 

Could be a lot neater, but for the first time and in this flimsy yarn (excuses, I know) it's pretty good.
 And I get to practice much more with Jack's sweater that I am knitting right now.

Spot the difference!

and when you do, you are allowed to call me a complete idiot!

 

I have no idea how this happened, I was not drinking, I was not toking, I was only watching Criminal Minds!
And I went on to block the darn thing before I noticed it!

To Frog or Not To Frog?

I will out myself as a complete idiot here, but I have discovered another mistake in my Mimosa Shawl! The knit stiches are supposed to be twisted, i.e., knit into the back leg. Yes, it is clearly stated in the instructions, yes, I remember reading it, and yes, in the whirl of broken needles, wrong size needles, and forgetting the rest rows I forgot to twist the knits! So sue me!

The designer, Andrea, says that I could just continue with the patters without twisting the stitches. A part of me wants to, but that other, loud and insistent, perfectionistic part, wants to frog.

I have not decided yet!

Koumbaros Scarf

Two weeks ago my husband and I got married again in the Greek Orthodox Church. He proposed to me again on our twenty-second wedding anniversary on October 6th. In front of our sons!

We wanted to have as many people from our small family there so we arranged the wedding to take place when my Cambodian-living sister and brother-in-law were in town for Christmas. Having settled the date for January 4th, 2013 we only had one thing left to do - find a koumbaros.

A koumbaros is a very important part of the Orthodox wedding ceremony - he holds and exchanges the crowns and exchanges the rings three times after the priest puts them on. And as he does so, he becomes a part of our family. Usually it is the groom's best friend. Well, Jimm does not have any friend that are Greek Orthodox and his only brother who was our best man at our first wedding died four years ago. We were in a bit of a pickle until Father Theo asked John M. to be our koumbaros.

We liked him instantly. He took his duties very seriously and took great care of us. So I made him a Striped Noro Scarf.

 

 

And then I wrapped it really nicely. Made labels.

 



It took nearly as long to wrap it properly as it did to knit it! Well, may be not, but it was quite a production.

End product.

And he loved it!

Thank you John!