More knitting adventures -- A new exciting project!!!

Helloooo!!!!!
In my previous post I wanted to talk about this, but then the post became so long with all the other things I wanted to share that I have to save this for a new post.

Here it is:

Last month, when I was visiting Mexico, I took time to visit some of the local yarn shops. I went to 6, and I know of about other 8 or 10... but Mexico city is so big, that I'm pretty sure I don't know even half of the exsisting yarn shops there!!!
Now that I'm "living" the daily life of a yarn shop and that I saw (with the moving of my LYS that I helped) what it takes to put a yarn shop... I'm dreaming about opening my own yarn shop whenever we get back to Mexico City!!! wouldn't that be wonderful???
But that's another story, that hopefully will happen some day...

For now, what I have in my hands is a new project. I saw a sample of it in one of the yarn shops I visited in Mexico and I LOVED it...

I can't really show you what it is because I didn't take a picture, and I don't have a pattern for it.
But I can try to explain it... it is a cardigan for myself that pretty much has this shape:

But instead of being worked top-down or bottom-up, what I would call vertical direction beacuse it grows vertically.... it's worked from the opening on one side to the opening on the other, so the rows are worked from bottom to top to bottom again, and the knitting grows in a horizontal direction... (hope it makes sense...)

I think I have figured it out, but I don't know if I can explain it yet... here's the drawing that the lady at the yarn shop made for me as an explanation of the pattern::

She said, using worsted weight yarn (I got 100% mercerized cotton, Fontana yarn by Omega) and 6mm&10US size needles, you cast on 80 stitches and knit 1.5in of 2x2 ribbing... leave the last 12 stitches to work a 1x1 special ribbing that will be worked in short rows respect to the body to form the neckline. For the rest of the stitches choose whatever stitches you want and work your numbers to have them divided in the total amount of stitches that you have... work until you've reached the side and put 40 stitches on hold and keep working with the top 40st to make the sleeve... when you've finished the sleeve, pick up the stitches you had on hold and work the back of the cardigan until you get to the other side, then put your stitches on hold and make the second sleeve as the first one, pick up the stitches and get to the end (the opening) and finish with 1.5in of ribbing.

Simple huh??

Well, so with that I came, hoping not to forget what she had said and explained... I spent an afternoon on Ravelry looking for stitch patterns to use in my project and found a lot that I liked... discarded, reasses, discard again...
When I've decided, I spent more time reading each pattern carefully, working math and numbers to have the right amount of stitches for a repear of two of the pattern... how many stitch patterns do I need? how many total stitches can I use? how will this work???????

Finally, adding some stitches to be worked in garter stitch in between each stitch pattern I decided I was ready to start...
I took my yarn, my 10 US size needles and casted on...

90 stitches to start (because I'm bigger than the lady at the yarn shop), 2in of ribbing... start with the pattern......... Oh no!!!! the numbers match but the fabric is TOO open and you can barely distinguish the stitch patterns wich is the whole point of this vest.

So I took some pictures:::

Rip it all and started all over again... in 8 US size needles...

I added 10 more stitches to compensate the needle size reduction. So I'm working with 100 stitches now. I have 6 stitch patterns going at once. I changed some of the first patterns for cables and for that I changed some of the garter stitches division for stockinet and reverse stockinet, so the patterns and the cables show better.

I've finished the first front and I'm about to put on hold the bottom stitches (60) to work the top 40 for the sleeve... I don't have photos of it at this moment... hopw to take them in a while... when I'm working on it...

I'm SOOOO truly excited by this project... I'm happy that the numbers are working, I'm delighted on how it looks!!! and I'm SOOO proud of myself of being able to figuring it out and actually make it work. It's a big thing for a No-Knitter like me!!!!
I guess I've learned something from watching my friends knit all the time!!!

I'll be back soon with photos of the project... now I'm off to the shop to keep working on it!!!

See you soon!
S.

Knitting Adventures

Back in May, when we had our trip to Rochester, I bought some Vintage Chunky yarn to make a top...
It has been seating in the closet since then and is hoping to see the light sometime this fall to go from this

To this...

you might remember that last year I made a little dress using this free pattern on Ravelry
Well, now I want to make the same one, but for my size!!!!! it'll be interesting for sure...

It looks like my fall will be full of knitting, to have a change from crochet... not really. Is just that I've came along several knitting projects that I've postponed till the fall.

I'm taking a sweater class at the Yarn shop, that will be knitted.

I just finished this nice shawl

It's made with one of those self texturing yarns, something similar to ChaCha  but from a French company. I got it in Mexico, and 2 balls were enough to make this estole (is that the word?)... Here's a close up of the texture:::

It was very fun to knit... I felt like I was knitting with a cloud!!!

Also in Mexico, I worked on a cable hat... which was my first succesful cable project and I am very happy with it and proud that I was able to make it!

It has a long ribbing for the brim, so you can fold it:

 Look how pretty they are!!! I'm still excited about them!!

I used a free pattern that my LYS gave me... and again Vintage yarn (by Berroco), this time in Worsted weight. I sooo love that yarn!

Last, I leave you with a photo of myself in the Annie's Attic top that I told you about here...

I finished it in June I think, but it wasn't until a week ago that MG took me a picture wearing it...

See you soon! more knitting adventures to come!
S.

I'm back!!

Oh my!!! it has been a month since my last post!!!
I knew it had been a while, but it didn't feel like that much.

I was away in a lovely trip back home, and (very luckily) this time with MG.
He hadn't been home since our wedding in March 2009, so it was important that he made the trip, see family and friends and enjoy the food and good company that Mexico offers us.

I, as always that I'm there, was very happy... very pleased with the trip in general and just happy to be there.
We had my Grandma's 91st birthday, I loved how her hat turned out! she didn't notice a lot but we put it on her and she wore it the whole afternoon, so I guess it was fine.

LOL!!! I can't stop laughing at Grandma's face... she loves to make faces....
She had a great time at her party, we had a "piñata" and by the time it broke grandma was tired, but she played with the points of the piñata star and wore them as a hat...

 

My niece also enjoyed the piñata, and used a star point too.... to pick up and gather her candies!!!!

I did another hat, from the same Eco Duo yarn (Baby alpaca + Merino) for my mom, and another one with lines of 2 colors of the same yarn that came out really small so I gave it to a friend.
Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of those, so no showing this time...
I made another hat while I was in Mex... I'll take a pic soon and tell you about it.

I went to a bunch of yarn shops in Mex... all different yarns of whan I'm used to now here!!!! but still a few good things... I have to put them in order and wait for a sunny day to take photos.

I went with my mom to a party... I always have a great time with her!!!!

And we had my Dad's Birthday party too.... I don't have photos of that because they still are in MG's camera... but I do have this one I took from that day!!

Is a crochet carpet made by my Grand Mother (the other one), I don't know if you notice from the photo, but it's made with thread!!! soooooo tiny!!!!
Here's another one where I put my ring next to it so you can see the final size of the carpet...

It was very pretty............ there are some days where I wish so much my Grand Mother was still here so I could talk crochet with her...

And last of all.... my enchanting handsom Husband before a job interview...

He was so handsome that day that if I wasn't his wife yet, I would have fallen for him on that moment... (does that makes sense??)

See you soon my friends!
S.

I got an Award!!!!

Hello guys!!!

I'm excited and honored to share with you that Deirdra at A Storybook World has given Wires and Yarns a Creative Blog Award!!!

Thanks Deirdra!!!!



See you soon!
S.

Knitting a hat...

Hello guys!!!

I hope you all are having a great day!!! My day here is beautiful and not so hot, it is very hot, but not extremly hot... And I totally love to have the sun out!

Yesterday I started a knitted hat... I haven't done any knitting since May, when I finished my Rosa's Sleeveles Tunic... There has been a lot of crochetting in this time thou. And I'm in the middle of some crochet projects, but I decided to knit a hat because in 3 weeks MG and I will be traveling to Mexico!!!! I'm so so so so so SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!! it will be our first time together there in 3 years, he hasn't been there since our wedding and I think is absolutely great that he'll go with me this time...

Anyway..... on the 22th (of August) my grandma will have her 91st Birthday!!! so I'll make her a nice and comfy hat for the rainy and cold days...
I am using Cascade Eco Duo yarn... and let me tell you::: is a dream!
It is 70% Baby Alpaca and 30% Merino Wool... it is undyed, so it comes in about 4 or 5 natural colors and it's super pretty, warm and SOFT!!!!

Here's what I've done so far...

The colors are a little bit darker in real life...

I'm so very happy so far!

See you soon!
S.