88-17

Here we go : the DROPS cardigan I started in February is finally completely finished. I used up almost nine skeins of Lana Grossa Cool Wool 2000 (in a color called lavender). Originally I started out with 7. So much for my magnificent calculation skills.



The cardigan was done last week. From February to May, that is the longest I've ever worked on a knitting project. Hell, on any project. The cardigan is knit form the bottom up, sleeves are done separately and then added to the same needle as the body. This part was a bit touch and go, as it was a total pain to knit the round sleeve part back and forth on one long cable needle. But it turned out well in the end, I think.

The lowest lace border has a ton of mistakes in it, I ripped and reknit that part three times before I gave up and left it as it was. It's hard to notice, anyway. At least that's what I tell myself.



It was a wee bit short before blocking, so I tried to stretch it out a bit. Turns out I stretched too much.
Now it's about 3 cm longer than I'd like it too be. But I think I can live with that. The buttonholes should have been closer together - when I button it up, there's some gaping, and not a nice closed buttonband.

(click to see biggers pics, sorry about the glare, it was sunny)


I guess I'll just have to wear it unbuttoned. It's going to the closet now. Because I finished this 100% wool cardigan just in time for 30 degrees Celsius weather. Go me!

Pattern: DROPS 88-17
Yarn: Lana Grossa Cool Wool 2000 (lavender), 8 and a half skeins
Needles: 3 and 3.5 mm
Time it took: 73 days (OK, 59 if you count in the days I waited for the extra yarn to arrive)

Hello Kitty!

Finally back at my computer. I've been on vacation, took a little trip to Zagreb, bought a ton of Madeira embroidery floss there, did some cross stitch, finally finished my 88-17 cardigan and now I'm back home and counting the hours I still have before going to work.

The cardigan is still wet and blocking, but here's a good example of why you shouldn't do cross stitch without writing down the color number of your thread.

Notice something off in Hello Kitty's head? Off white, that's what! I started with some leftover white thread by Madeira, ran out and threw away the little wrapper it came in. When I went to buy some more, they only had that what your see above. Silly me, thinking white is white. Nope. There are shades, apparently.

I still finished it, even if it is with the wrong color. I'm impatient like that, I just wanted it done.
Someday I might unpick it, or start again from the start.
There are a lot of things I'm not happy about - my thread keeps twisting (letting the needle drop and untwist doesn't work) and I keep pulling little thread strands to the front of the work. The back is a mess, in case you were wondering.
Oh well, practice makes perfect, right?

Hello Kitty pattern is from Sanrio DIY Crafts.

X-stitch

Cross stitch is time consuming. Really time consuming. It's a craft for patient people. I'm not sure I'm one of those. It's also a great way to loose your eyesight, especially if you're working on teeny tiny squares. I'm sure this has a name, but I don't know it. Thread count seems to pop up all over the place when you google cross stitch. So, let's call the tiny squares issue the thread count problem.

But despite of all that I have to admit that it's kind of fun when all those little x's begin to take shape of your design.

These were my first attempts. Both designs are from a DMC pattern book, the heart is my very first cross stitch ever.

DMC Light Effects

Look what my dad brought me from his business trip to Italy! It's DMC!

I feel like I'm eight years old again – you know, when your parents go on a trip, and you expect them to bring you something. 17 years ago it was mostly all about toys from Germany and foreign candy you couldn't get here. But this, this is even better than Milka chocolate... OK, I might be getting ahead of myself here. Chocolate is chocolate. But super quality embroidery thread is probably the next best thing. Or the third, after yarn. Damn, now I seem ungrateful ;-)

Anyway, I got three kits of DMC floss, in three different color schemes, each with five different cross stitch patterns and an extra pattern book. The only problem is that I don't do cross stitch. Well, no time like the present to start, right?

I already went and bought a whole meter of the white fabric with little square weave, the name of which I don't know. I think the lady at the store called it Panama?

So, this is how I start a new hobby. My seventh. Or is it eight?

As for the DMC floss, this particular version is called Light Effects. A sparkly metallic thread. I tried it on some embroidery and I regret to inform you that working with it sucks!

It's splits easily, which is great when you need to separate the threads, not so great when the thread gets separated on your embroidery piece. The texture of the thread is rough and coarse, and it's hard to pull trough the fabric. And it puckers. I tend to pull my stitches very tightly, which usually goes fine with normal cotton thread. But not with this one.

I don't know, I'll try again on a sturdier cloth. Or maybe this DMC was just meant for cross stitch?

Etsy fabrics

Online shopping is a wonderful thing. How else would I get my hands on nice German yarn and knitting tools? My latest discovery is a wonderful place called Etsy, where crafters from all over the world sell handmade stuff. And supplies. Emphasis on supplies.

A while ago I bought two fat quarters from a wonderful seller in Taiwan, theheydayshop. It took them 18 days to arrive to Croatia (I know this because I crossed off each day on my calendar) and the wait was worth it. The cutest fabric ever!

I immediately pulled out my sewing machine and started making stuff. Zippered pouches (hey, you haven't seen those on this blog for a while ;-) for my friends from the adorable mushroom printed cotton.


And a bag for me from the tree print on linen.
The orange stuff is also linen, from a local shop in my town. I added interfacing to make it stiffer and it got all wrinkly when I turned the bag. I hate ironing linen, no matter how long or hard I press, the wrinkles stay put. Perhaps I should iron it while it's still completely wet.


I already see myself buying more stuff on etsy. I think I'll go bankrupt with all my crafty purchases. And I'm supposed to be saving my money. There is an economic crisis after all.