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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

My, that's fierce!



There's something that everyone needs to know about me, I am a total Project Runway addict. Because I live in Canada, I don't get the new episodes of the American PR as soon as they come out, so I go to the next best thing: YouTube.
I decided to use Sunday to catch up on season four, so I watched all eight episodes in one sitting accompanied by my knitting. On Saturday I took a quick trip out to get some yarn for the Bold And Bulky Mini Cardi from Stephanie Japel's Fitted Knits. I haven't knit anything for myself in a long time (not counting a mistake in a couple of scarves that I was intending to sell), so I thought that it was the perfect thing for me, it was inexpensive, it's flattering on almost everyone, and it's super quick because it's so bulky. And I measured myself and worked everything out before I left so that I only bought exactly what I needed for the project (I'm trying terribly hard on de-stashing..and so far..so good)


I cast on during the first episode (once I had gotten my cuppa tea and a sammich) and by the time episode eight was over (and I was all caught up on the drama) I was finished weaving in all the ends.
I honestly can't remember the last time I was able to start and finish an entire project in one sitting. Usually I get bored and move on to something else, or I start to cramp up and need to move around. But no, not this time and I had a lovely thing to throw on the next morning.
I think I owe a lot to watching commercial-free Project Runway, though. I was so involved in every episode, I don't even remember knitting most of it. My only complaint is it's sooo hot and it has to be super cold for me to wear it for long periods of time. I modded it a bit because I foolishly forgot to buy buttons and didn't have any that would go with it, but I wanted to wear it immediately and strut my fierce walk in it, so I skipped out on a few border rows and added a sparkly clasp, which also totally doesn't go, but I'll find something else later.

While I was buying the yarn for that I was rocking my very first entrelac project. I improvised the pattern after reading a bit about how entrelac works. The hardest part was finding a nice yarn that I already had in my stash. (I went with Moda Dea's Tweedle Dea in Cinnamon Twist)
Ever since last winter when I was completely ill prepared because I had gifted or sold every scarf I had ever made, I made a small collection just for me, so the last thing I wanted was another scarf I probably wasn't going to wear. I also have an issue with having a really noticeable wrong side on a scarf, I like to wrap my scarves around a lot and I hate when I have to line it or make it twice as wide and fold it in half so no one sees a bunch of ugly wrong sidedness. That, and just about everyone has an entrelac scarf, but because I love the texture it needed to be something that was useful. And nothing is more useful that a nice purse. I had originally planned to sell it, but I fell in love with it and needed to keep it.
So I took this yarn shopping with me (I had finished it about ten minutes before I left) I was so pleased with it because on the inside it's closed with magnetic strips under the lining (which is a nice leaf kind of fabric). But what made me especially happy were all the compliments I was getting on it, I'm usually not very flattered when I do get compliments on my knitting, but this was different. This was my very first entrelac project, I had been fearing it for so long because it looked so very complicated, but much like cables it turned out to be much easier than I had thought, especially because I can knit/purl backwards so I never actually had to turn my work.
There's really nothing better than purchasing yarn with a lovely new knit bag.
When I returned from yarn shopping, I was just about to cast on various projects from all the lovely yarn I had bought that day, but then I remembered I have quite a large stash of UFOs. Luckily there was a Cosmo TV sneak peak on that night, and I ended up watching a bunch of terrible girly things while finishing up a very long-awaited project. I can't even remember when I first cast on for this project but it had been sitting in a pile for a long long time. You know, calling out my name while I neglected it for much fancier yarns, and prettier patterns. it's a top down raglan with a puffed sleeve and crossover buttoned front. (it's hard to see, but the button is a very sparkly blue flower, classy) I had only finished 1/4 of it, and decided it was a rather boring knit because it's mostly stockinette with a couple of increases or decreases here and there. But because it was so boring, it was either finish it now or banish it to the bottom of the bin for years to come. I decided to finish it and I actually rather like how it turned out. It's made with Vanna's Choice in Silver-Blue. I have a soft spot in my heart for Vanna, so I bought a bunch of this stuff when it first came out (and was on sale for like $2) and then I realized it was acrylic, but it's actually fairly soft (and once washed, it's even better) It's a nice bang for your buck, but I probably won't knit a lot with it. The colours are major, though.

And now back to more past-seasons of Project Runway while I await the next episode update