i can say with 90% confidence that i’m going to finish my olympic knitting in time and it’s due largely in part to the lovely blood orange gin and tonics that KP has been cooking up around here.
bloody good drink
this is the only good part about winter.. it’s when blood oranges are in season and they are a particular favorite of mine. blood orange gin and tonics remind me of italy which is the first place i had ever had one. drunk and insane partying with our italian friends all over veneto. good times.
i’ve also been working like a dog at work. this is a three-day week for me yet it felt like three months. so much to do and so little time.. and i won’t be there tomorrow for any of the craziness! huzzah! i’m going to sleep in late, knit, and get my hair done. i couldn’t ask for a better friday.
for those of you who have been stopping by from craftster, i’ve finally taken a picture of my underarm decreases on the somewhat cowl. this was the second iteration of this pattern and i believe that it’s the best fitting one for my body.
underarm decreases
the dilemma: my chest size is large in proportion to my arm size so the sleeves were coming out absolutely huge!
the first solution was to decrease a bit after knitting a few rounds. this didn’t work at all. when i put it on there was all of this bunchy fabric right under the armpit. i realized that i had to decrease away those picked up stitches (and then some) if it was going to fit. so i whipped up this little pattern…
pick up and knit the amount of stitches specifiied in the pattern under the arm. placing marker in center.
knit 2 rounds.
*knit to 6 stitches before marker, ssk, k1, ssk, k1, pm, k1, k2tog, k1, k2tog, knit to end of round. knit 1 round* repeat from * 3 times more (4 total).
*knit to 2 stitches before marker, ssk, k1, pm, k1, k2tog, knit to end of round. knit 1 round * repeat from * 5 more rounds (6 total).
knit to ribbing… decrease to a multiple of 4 for 2×2 ribbing.. etc.
looks like it’s working for now. anyway, i’m at 8.8 repeats of my flower basket shawl which i should really get to right now.. and there’s ice skating on! huzzah! (i’m so glad to be home.)
Colleen
MMM, BO G&Ts (she writes, while polishing off her glass of red wine).
The raglan line looks great. Can’t wait to see the whole thing.
Feb 23, 2006 @ 9:54 PM
lisa
you’re so smart. enjoy your day off tomorrow and see you at the point!
Feb 23, 2006 @ 10:19 PM
Iraida
Oooh a 3 day weekend. Lucky
See you tomorrow.
Feb 23, 2006 @ 10:28 PM
carrie m
i didn’t realize you were on craftster! your avatar looks like you.
i’m thinking about making the somewhat cowl next and will definitely benefit from your homework!
have a great three-day weekend.
Feb 24, 2006 @ 1:41 AM
Veronique
I can’t wait to see your FBS! Will you bring it to the Point tonight or will it be blocking then? I mean, if you have all day to knit…
I think you did a great job explaining the waist shaping and sleeve re-shaping on Craftster. I’m sure many will use your tips!
Feb 24, 2006 @ 11:07 AM
Amy
MMM, yummy.
The cowl is looking lovely. That pattern is definitel on my to knit list.
Feb 24, 2006 @ 1:34 PM
jess
so the g&ts are *helping* you stay on track for knitting olympics? kudos, woman! i wish i could figure out how booze could make me more productive.
Feb 25, 2006 @ 4:17 PM
teri
can we say you rock! thank you for your help…
teri
Feb 26, 2006 @ 4:02 AM
Wendy
I happened on your post when reading Lori’s Crafty Brainwave. That traditional raglan sometimes poses problems with those who are more endowed in the chest region than in the arms. I’m working with someone who is test knitting a version that will come out with skinnier arms and we are finding that we can do double chest increases in the fullest bust region and single increases in the arms. That way, when you place your sleeve stitches on scrap yarn, you’ll end up with fewer increases for the arm and a raglan line that is still neat and clean.
Your knitting is amazing!
Mar 02, 2006 @ 11:58 PM