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30May, 2008
Friday
09:41PM ET

you're going to see the pictures below and think "wow, she's all done with flair!" but no, sorry. i am not.

before blocking... (by gleek.net)
before blocking...
after blocking.. (by gleek.net)
after blocking...

i knew this yarn would grow upon blocking (according to my swatch which could have lied but didn't, thankfully) so i knit to the length proscribed in the pattern and bound off. then i blocked to see if it would look good on me, and it didn't. 10 inches in length is not nearly enough for a tall woman like myself. it was way too cropped and made me look all stumpy. sadness. i thought i was done!

after a week of mulling it over, i decided that 1) the yarn was too beautiful to waste and 2) this is my first major knit since the birth of the peanut so i want to wear it all the time. therefore, cropped was not going to cut it. so i had to cut it. yes, you heard me. i tried to frog it but the fibers were too sticky to make that worthwhile. i threaded in a smaller size circular needle as a life line and cut off the bottom with some scissors.

what i ripped out.. (by gleek.net)
what i ripped out

it was scary but worth it. i'm now going to knit on it to 12.5 inches and then do 1.5 inches of seed stitch. that is just the right amount of length for a girl of my height.

to distract from the negative progress on flair, here's a swiffer cover.

swiffer covers (by gleek.net)

exciting, i know. it works great but is a little large once wet and washed. the one i'm knitting now is a smaller version of the one i found on ravelry. (here's the one that i really made.) i can share the information here if you like. just let me know. i love the fact that these things save me time and money. for really-o. it's so much easier to use one of these than my wet mop and bucket.

on saturday next, we all leave on vacation for a whole week! i'm so excited! we're going to the outer banks in north carolina with my side of the family, and staying at a house with a pool that's only a block away from the ocean. i'll be reading and knitting the whole time. i can't wait.

oh, and there was some interest in the peanut last time i posted. she's great. teething like mad (she has 4 teeth coming in at once, no joke.) and changing up her nap schedule to boot.

mmmmmm (by gleek.net)
mmmmmm

we've been taking her out to the park as much as possible.

two seconds before i flipped out the screen (by gleek.net)
two seconds before i flipped out the screen

and she really loves looking at herself on the camera's screen.

loves to see herself in the screen (by gleek.net)
after

here are two videos to top off this post! hopefully it'll be enough to tide you over till late next week. i've got freelance to get done before the popknits submission deadline on the 15th of june. if you're planning on submitting, don't forget!


hiccups are hilarious from gleek on Vimeo.

p.s. i love how near the end of this video she sort of forgets what she's laughing about :) those babies have short memories.


cruising peanut from gleek on Vimeo.

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comments     total of 21 comments. jump to comment form


#1

 posted by jess

30May, 2008
Friday
10:46PM ET

I am rolling on the floor at the hiccup video :) the Peanut is sooooo cute :) I babysat my 9mo niece last night and she was in love with the mirror on my phone.

sorry about the flair, but I am glad you are going to lengthen it (and that you have enough yarn for it)! I love that yarn -- I think you made a perfect choice!

#2

 posted by claire

30May, 2008
Friday
11:56PM ET

that's terrifying! i do want to harden up and learn to cut my knitting, i am so glad that it worked out! that yarn is gorgeous, you definitely made the right choice to keep going with it.

peanut has such a beautiful laugh!

#3

 posted by femiknitter

31May, 2008
Saturday
09:35AM ET

Yeah, sounds like cutting Flair was the right thing to do. As a tall woman, I totally sympathize. I've just taken to tacking on another few inches to everything I know now.

#4

 posted by maya

31May, 2008
Saturday
10:40AM ET

oh dear! I have had to cut knitting before and it is not fun. But I'm sure it will all be worth it when your flair is a length you will be happy to wear.

#5

 posted by Lisa

31May, 2008
Saturday
11:08AM ET

Poor flair!! I'm sure you'll be happy that you cut & re-knit though. You're right--the yarn is too gorgeous to waste. I love that video of the Peanut laughing at KP hiccupping. So cute :)

#6

 posted by Stephanie

31May, 2008
Saturday
11:09AM ET

Sorry about the sweater, but it is always better to fix it so you'll actually wear it. Can't wait to see it after you rework it. That Peanut sure is a cutie!

#7

 posted by Seanna Lea

31May, 2008
Saturday
02:51PM ET

I liked the idea of the swiffer cover so much that I found a partial ball of the Sugar and Cream I had lying around. Of course, I'm too lazy to download a pattern right now, so I just winged it (and other than needing to find more yarn it looks great).

#8

 posted by sarah b.

31May, 2008
Saturday
03:26PM ET

I can't believe what a sweet little girl the peanut is becoming! It's so fun to watch them grow!!! Good solution to the length issue. I have that problem all the time and have yet to actually be brave enough to cut something and add on. Thanks for the inspiration!

#9

 posted by schrodinger

31May, 2008
Saturday
04:09PM ET

You were right, Mr B was very happy to see this post - Camille is really coming into herself isn't she? So cute!!

So sorry about Flair, you were so brave with the cutting, hope the mods work out well.

#10

 posted by Sharon

31May, 2008
Saturday
07:28PM ET

OMG, that picture of Peanut and her daddy had me laughing. I LOVE how they both have the same expression. She's getting so big! She's not just a baby blob anymore. Crazy.

Sorry flair didn't work out, but you're right. You've put so much effort into it and the yarn is so yummy, it would be a shame if you couldn't/didn't want to wear it.

#11

 posted by kat

31May, 2008
Saturday
08:23PM ET

Love the videos. C has such a cute girly laugh - it made me smile big!!! I don't even wanna talk about knitting - Hopefully when J is one I'll have lost the weight and be knitting for myself again!!!

#12

 posted by rebecca

01Jun, 2008
Sunday
12:07PM ET

At least you know exactly what you have to do to make Flair wearable! It's an easy enough fix, though a little annoying at this point, I guess.
Can't get enough of that Peanut! Those teeth slay me!

#13

 posted by melissa

01Jun, 2008
Sunday
08:11PM ET

although cutting the knitting is indeed scary, i'm glad you did it. it looks so great already, it would be a shame if it wasn't exactly right.

#14

 posted by Jessica

01Jun, 2008
Sunday
10:24PM ET

Yuck, that's tragic about Flair! I'm so sorry, no fun. I think I've gotta frog the last sweater I completed too, but I'm still avoiding the inevitable.
Love the before and after shots of the Nut. She does love her gadgets. Like mama like baby! ;)

#15

 posted by Jackie F.

02Jun, 2008
Monday
12:50AM ET

Hey, THAT'S where I'm going next weekend, too!!!! My family will be in the OBX Saturday pm (June 7) through Tuesday am (June 10). Jared (hubby), Marie (3yo daughter), Ian (8mo son), and I will arrive in Kill Devil Hills, NC on Saturday evening June 7th. I'll keep my eye out for you! We'll probably go to Jockey's Ridge State Park (near our hotel), the Wright Bros. Memorial, Roanoke Island (Lost Colony evening drama and NC Aquarium), Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Pea Island Wildlife Refuge, and maybe Ocracoke. Have you been there before? If not, you'll LOVE it :-)

#16

 posted by Fuji Mama

02Jun, 2008
Monday
08:11AM ET

You are so brave! Smart though--after all that time spent working on it, you should be able to wear it all the time!

#17

 posted by stacey

02Jun, 2008
Monday
09:46AM ET

hopefully the surgery on flair turned out ok! the swiffer cover is such a neat idea!

#18

 posted by brenda in toronto

02Jun, 2008
Monday
10:16AM ET

way to be the boss of your knitting!

and that before and after of c. cracked me up :)

#19

 posted by Katie

02Jun, 2008
Monday
12:16PM ET

I love the photo of her at the park. She's is adorable. I'm trying not to shudder at your knitting surgery ~ I can't even contemplate that right now.

#20

 posted by Alyssa

04Jun, 2008
Wednesday
02:54PM ET

When I was making my flair jacket I had the same problem. Luckily I noticed it while I was knitting and I didn't have to frog anything. Good luck adding a few more inches onto the bottom. I hope you enjoy wearing yours when its done. I love mine.

PS I think all knitwear designers are short wasited. I always have to add at least 2 inches to the length

#21

 posted by Casey

09Jun, 2008
Monday
11:35AM ET

Most sweater patterns are too short for me too and I don't have an especially long torso! What's up with that?

Have a great vacation and enjoy your poolside knitting time!