A Problem With Fit

I've never had much luck with knitting sweaters for myself.  When I first started knitting, I thought the measurements on the patterns were like sewing patterns.  If it said "bust 38 inches" then it meant that it fit a person whose bust was 38".  After a few failures, some quite expensive, I learned that the numbers represented the finished measurement of the garment when you obtained gauge.  I then thought I was guarenteed success from that point forward.  But sadly, that wasn't so because there is that little talked about thing called ease.  I made a few sweaters, picking the finished measurement that I thought would work for my body, only to realize that I didn't allow enough ease to suit the intended fit of the sweater.  Couple this issue with an extreme propensity to not finish projects in a timely manner and another factor in ill-fit was introduced:  my measurements at the end of the project were not the same as they were when I started.  (Thanks a lot, Mother Nature!!)  I have several sweaters in progress.  I intend to finish them.  I've come to the realization that if they don't fit me, I can give them to my daughters.  They should be able to enjoy them for a while since they are young enough to not have to worry about mid-life weight gain.  I just hope it won't only be for 'Ugly Sweater Day' at school.

All of the pieces of the Go Live Minimalist cardi have been knit. I finished that last sleeve 2 weekends ago. Now I need to do is sit down and sew them together and pray that it fits.  Stay tuned for pictures of the finished project.

I'm making progress on my Through The Loops KAL shawl, although I've fallen behind the pack. The fifth, and final, clue was released this week. I am just finishing up the third clue. The fifth clue has two alternate endings, depending upon the amount of yarn left after clue 4. Here are a few pictures of my progress.

I've also made a little progress on the Pi Shawl.  I am totally in love with this project and want to do nothing but knit this.  Since this was my own initiative and I have the TTL KAL going on, I'm putting this aside until I get the TTL KAL shawl completed and the Minimalist cardi sewn.

It's going to be tough to not spend time with this. 

Feel Like Pi

It is still graduation party season.  We have 2 more to go to this evening.  My niece is having one tomorrow, but we won't be able to make it since we don't live in the same city.  The next couple weekends have one each.

Last week as we were pulling in the driveway, returning from one of the many parties, something in the front yard caught my eye.  After getting out of the car, I discovered it was a $20 bill.  There was no one else out on the street, so I invoked the 'Finders Keepers' rule.  When I find money like that (has only happened a couple other times in my life) I figure I am not meant to keep the money, but to spend it so that the bill keeps on its traveling ways.  I promptly grabbed the LYS gift card my daughters gave me for Mother's Day, and along with that $20, headed off to my LYS.  I spent about an hour browsing through every shelf of yarn and fiber and paging through every book.  After I was done, I walked out with 4 skeins of Malabrigo sock in Primavera colorway.  When I got home I promptly cast on the EZ 100th Anniversary Pi Shawl - Hearts.  Here are a couple pictures. 

I absolutely love the colors and the way they are scattered around the circle. 

This is the first circular shawl that I've ever made and also my first Pi shawl.  I understand the theory behind it, but I still am having trouble understanding how keeping the same number of stitches  for many rows is adequate for keeping the shawl flat.  As the increase rows become further and further apart, intuition tells me that intermediate increases would be necessary.  I guess it all works out since the pattern is lacey.  The design will stretch on the outer rows and will apear larger than on inner rows.  This is a learning experience for me, so we'll see how it turns out.

I'm not sure who will be the owner of this when I'm done.  Part of me wants to give this to my daughter who is going away to college in August.  But since I am not sure of the color scheme of her dorm room, I may just keep it for myself and design something original for her.

Clue 2 of the Through The Loops 2012 Mystery Shawl came Thursday night.  I haven't had a chance to work on it.  I'm anxious to get moving on it, but I have a few chores to do first.  Stay tuned for an update on that project and the Pi shawl.

Mysterious

The other day while browsing through the blogs that I follow, I saw that Through The Loops was going to start a Mystery Shawl KAL.  Feeling like I needed something for me after the exceedingly busy month I've just had, I signed up.  The clues come each Friday in June.  Clue 1 came bright and early Friday morning.  All day I was anxious to get home from work and get started.  A few rows into it I realized I needed stitich markers.  Since I cleaned my house for the graduation party last week, and that cleaning involved boxing up all of my knitting stuff laying around, I couldn't find my markers.  Luckily I found my box of beading supplies.  I quickly made up a set of markers.  Here is a slightly blurry picture of the markers with the bunched up Clue 1.  If you want to see a clearer picture of both the markers and the knitting, go to my Ravelry page. (SPOILER ALERT)