Valley of the Beads - a Brouhaha design!

You might well wonder who this class act is who dropped by my apartment yesterday (given that there aren't too many class acts who make it to one's place when one is living on the wrong side of the ravine...

Is it one of those English princesses who go around with the crazy wide hats, dressed down for the Canadian winter? Or Grace Kelly or Greta Garbo, paying a visit from the afterlife?

Nope.

Just little ol' me, wearing my newest design - a fancy new cotton/silk blend top!

(This is a photo of JJs breakfast, which he flung off the balcony in disgust after I kept whining at him, "Do I look fat in this top?!?!?! I know you say I don't, but DO I?!?":

And no, he didn't manage to toss it all that far. A squirrel came along, took it and stashed it there. Now at least I know where to look if any yarn has gone missing mysteriously... ! And 12 hours later, the food still sits there...)

The top was constructed with a Moebius tube for the top/bust part, courtesy of the fabulous Cat Bordhi's Moebius knitting technique. It was a bit of an experiment and halfway through I was ripping out the little hair that I have left - but all's well that ends well, I think.


Here is a close-up of the Moebius fold and how it works with this top, which I call the Valley of the Beads because of the crevices created by the magical Moebius:

Having said that, taking a look at Aphrodite's bustline, I'm inclined to rename it "Valley of the Silicone". I mean, check it out - she's gone from an A cup to a D cup overnight, apparently!

Her breasts are now bigger than mine!!! It's quite the site to behold, actually - even some of the local wildlife apparently came by to have a look:

(Damned pigeons... they probably just wanted to steal the beads! And do I spy with my little eye the footprint of Glasgow's answer to the Loch Ness Monster?

Eek!!!! ... but I digress...)

So how did a dressmaker's doll manage to get a boob job? Well, I must confess that it's all my fault. She came to me the other day whining that she was sick of wearing a training bra. I tried to give her the little "make the best of what you've got" speech but she wouldn't listen and just started snivelling about how the other kids were better endowed than her.

Well, she had a good point there. So I signed the consent form that she shoved right at me, and I guess the dirty deed was done on Saturday when I was running around like a jackass crafting. I think I'm just jealous because hers are firmer than mine now. Ah, foolish youth!

Anyway, isn't the top sparkly and lovely? I'll give you some specs below, and there's also the "Making of... the Moebius-bosomed top" Tutorial.

(Please note that it is not a "pattern" as such as in order to learn how to do the mosaic cast-on you will need one of Cat Bordhi's magical knitting books - highly recommended, by the way!)


Specs:

• yarn: Svale of Danegarn (DK weight cotton/viscose/silk blend)
  
• needle size: 4.00mm (47" addi turbo and 24" Clover bamboo)
• beads: 6/0 size gunmetal and olive coloured beads by Earthfaire.
  
• start date: 31 January 2008
• finish date: 2 February 2008
• size: 32" circumference for 34" bust (mine, not Aphrodite's)
  

Notes

• I'm so happy that the Moebius concept worked out for this top! I foresee many more... I wasn't quite sure it would work out.

• I knitted the Moebius first and bound it off, then picked up stitches around one side of it and knitted the bottom down in the round (see my tutorial for more info).
  

• I was originally planning a stockinette bottom part. However, I still had quite a few beads left so decided to adapt Sivia Harding's lovely River Rock pattern, using a larger rib and somewhat different rocks. Thanks, Sivia!
  

• I didn't quite know what to do about straps and mulled over several ideas (which I ramble about in the tutorial).> I finally just decided on a 12 stitch 4x4 rib with one rock in each strap:

Anyway, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. If anyone is interested in the concept and wants guidance beyond my various rambles, please feel free to Email me directly.

(NB. there is a tutorial of sorts, really more of a ramble, on how to design something similar for yourself - click here if interested.)

Cheers,

Kristina

vale Kristina, Queen of Lace!

Ahem... well, that might be overstating it a tad. However, bloodied but not bowed, I return from the Land of the Secret of the Stole II (Clue No. 1) - triumphant!!!
Obviously the photographic skills still need some improvement... but you get the drift.

Perhaps my wee rant yesterday got my demons out of my system, I don't know. However, I finally have a beginning that I can live with - just in time for the release of Clue No. 2!

Isn't she pretty?

I'm glad I finally managed to figure out this diamond pattern in the middle:

It may be a bit messy, but it's mine! And I'm glad I switched back down to the 3.25mm needles - I like this fabric better than the first one I came up with.

So - clouds, silver linings, all that!

(It strikes me in hindsight that I should have been much less hard on myself - after all, I have managed not so long ago to come up with these works: the Montego Bay scarf:

...whic, as you may recall, morphed into this tunic:

...as well as these two scarves:



So, a couple of tips from the front line for other neophytes to lace:

• be patient and don't go flinging UFOs off balconies - in only because you brain a neighbour, you might get evicted, and then wouldn't have anyplace to keep your laceweight stash!

• as beautiful as it is, avoid using Malabrigo laceweight for a first major project. It sticks to itself a bit too much, making the inevitable frogging more difficult.
  

• do not delude yourself that you are so skilled as to not have to use LIFELINES. Millions do, apparently.
  

• do not attempt knitting lace when your eyes are tired from having spent 11 hours that day revising extremely boring legal papers on computer screens.

• did I mention LIFELINES?
  

Anyway, I'm quite chuffed. In addition to finishing Clue 1, I managed to get this little hat done as well - to go with my new car coat!

It is actually still in progress - maybe. The pattern is the Beaded Tresses Hat by Cat Bordhi. I may or may not add the tresses... but don't you like the beads?

Yarn is Manos del Uruguay 100% yarn. Initially I wasn't too fond of the bumpy texture, but now I think it works with this design quite well. The scarf, by the way, is done in Fleece Artist Goldielocks and is also Moebius in nature.

And what are the big plans for the weekend, pray tell? I plan to get a good start on a design project using this:

(Handmaiden Silken. The colourway is Sangria - more red than I can manage to reproduce here. Beads by Earthfaire.) I have submitted this idea to Interweave Knits sometime back but have heard nothing - so I suspect I'll be putting up photos next week regardless.

But not tonight. Why? Because tonight is the monthly summit of the Tenant Advocates!!! Today's excuse: it's Rabbie Burns Day!!!! So right now I'm sipping on a wee dram (of diet coke - can't stand whisky!) in honour of the grrrreat JJ, King of Tollcross... and will be hoisting something a bit stronger come 3:30 p.m 5:00 or so. I will be toasting all those (Scottish or not) who left me kind messages and words of hope regarding my lace travails.

Slainte!

Knitextravaganza: intentional Moebius and Montego Bay tunic!

I guess one could say it's official: Brouhaha is back off the knitting wagon!

Here are some concoctions over the past two days:

1. Moebius Capelet


I bought the yarn for this while on an unsuccessful quest for Handmaiden Flaxen at the LYS - but this project seemed fated in light of a dramatic error I made in sewing together my last knitting project, the Brioche Man's Vest...
And here is the back of the Moebius:

As usual it looks far better on Aphrodite than me. This is likely because Aphrodite, although Greek like me, does not talk with her hands. After the first fifteen minutes it was on, here is how it looked:

Finally, halfway through the day I gave up on it and started wearing it like this:

Good perhaps for bad hair days - but as you can see it doesn't necessarily work to hide anything. All I wanted to become was a classy capelet-wearing doyenne (is that too much to ask?!?), but I guess it wasn't to be! So, it will be going to a better home very shortly.

Specs:

Yarn: Fleece Artist Grande Godiva, two 100g skeins (174 metres) - 50% silk, 50% wool
Pattern by: Cat Bordhi (sold with the yarn)
Needle Size: 9.0 mm with 47" cord
Time spent: 3 hours approx.

Notes: This was rather fun to knit - that is, after I got over the initial hurdle of casting on for the thing. This involved casting on 75 or so stitches over the coiled cable attaching the needles, then stretching them around enough to knit the first round. This took me about an hour to figure out and by the end of it I was just about ready either to wrap the addis around my neck or fling the whole thing over the balcony.

Patience won out though... and the rest of the knitting was surprisingly easy. It didn't hurt that the yarn. And I think I have finally exorcised my little "stupid, stupid knitter" voice by making an "on-purpose" moebius. Goddess knows I've made enough of them inadvertently when trying to knit in the round!

Highly recommended - and I will be picking up one of Cat Bordhi's books. I'd like to make a hat with a Moebius brim and hope she has a pattern!

2. Montego Bay Tunic

This is a reconfiguration of my first lace project, the Montego Bay Scarf by Amy Singer.

The scarf was beautiful - but I just have to face facts. I am scarf challenged and could not manage to wear this long slim scarf without it getting all tangled around my neck (I detest those who can carry it off - but they could make some money giving people like me a seminar).

This is how it used to look (damn and blast Aphrodite!):

...and this is what it morphed into.



From this:

...to this:
The original scarf was made out of Handmaiden Sea Silk (swoon...) on 4mm needles. To put it together, I measured it around and marked off 16 inch increments. I then crocheted two thirds of it together in a tube at the edges, then brought the end edge over the right shoulder and crocheted it into place with some raspberry sea silk I had lying around. The right shoulder strap was crocheted with some old Fleece Artist stuff I had hanging around.

I'm thinking of doing a trim all around - but got lazy last night and want to wear it today. (It looked fine last evening on me - even better than on Aphrodite for once, I would say! But I suspect it will stretch badly. Having said that, I like it.)

I should note that JJ is concerned that I am going to wear this to work (or, for that matter, the staff holiday party) without any undercovering. This, I intuit from him calling me Barbarella last night when I pranced around with it on. I reminded him that the average temperature is -4 C these days, but he didnae seem convinced. Oh well.

And, finally: here is my progress on the Tilted Duster - I managed to complete this much of one sleeve during my commute!

I will never dread sleeves again. I would never have thought I'd find anything that would make me stop abhorring slowdowns during rush hour on the TTC....

Happy Tuesday! And, any proud Canadians visiting should be happy to know that today marks the 76th anniversary of legislative freedom from (and equality with) the United Kingdom. Why anyone thinks it's a good idea to make laws from thousands of kilometres away, I have no idea (but then I guess half of Canada can say that about Ottawa...SIGH).

Cheers,

Kristina

just call me Lady Godiva...

(and no, you're not going to get any pictures of me on horseback. My hair is not long enough, yet - and I'll probably be taking the scissors to it any day now.)

I made a sortie to my work LYS, Romni, at the lunch hour yesterday in search of Handmaiden Flaxen. Alas, they do not carry it! In retrospect this is probably a good thing - although the ever-helpful Jonathan said "Why don't you try [another place in the east end - I have blocked the name from memory because I really do not need to know about any more yarn stores in Toronto!!]".

So, instead, I saw this:




Chunky half silk, half wool!

The actual reason for buying this was... well, do you remember this?

Check this out!

Now I can learn Moebius knitting for real! (Although having said that, I will probably manage to mess it up and it will turn out straight. Sigh.)

On the way back to the office, I stopped into a deli called Prague on a co-worker driven quest for cherry cheesecake. I do not myself like cheesecake, but have a look at this:

Czech smarties!!!

Which I had to get because it goes so well with the book purchase I made this morning at the newsagent:
I love these books that talk about the history behind common foods. They jump all over the world with one unifying theme: salt, cod, chocolate. (If you haven't read "Salt" by Mark Kurlanski, it is highly recommended.)

But the festivities did not stop with shopping. After work, a couple of us repaired to an old favourite pub for a couple of cocktails:


But it was closed!!! For good!! One of our favourite spots is no longer.

Perhaps it was "condo-mned?"

The Lady Tenant Advocates then met en masse for a big Indian dinner at Dhaba. Sadly for me, this is another partial casualty of Condoland. What used to be my favourite Indian buffet place has morphed into a high end pretentious indian fusion place, offering such bounty as seafood samosas and venison curry. My favourite dish, chicken vindaloo, was nowhere to be seen. I will say that the chairs were rather cushy. This somewhat softened the blow of the price increases of standard items on the menu - one samosa for $5.00! The food was great in quality as ever, I hasten to say. But I won't be back.

(Hmm... maybe had I stripped off all my clothes and wrapped myself in Grande Godiva I would have had a discount? Or at least a free ride home in a police cruiser instead of a $20 cab).

Well, I'd bet get off my lazy @$$ and get JJ out of bed so that we can head out into the day - a trip to the Yorkdale Mall for necessary holiday shopping. Grrr. The parking lot there of a Saturday in December reminds of the Colesseum in Rome on gladiator day.

In parting, JJ will surely be chuffed to hear that Mary, Queen of Scots was born on this day in 1542. I wonder if he knew her...??