Now for the pictures of the Oat Couture Applegate Shirt...


As you can see, all I have to do is put in the left sleeve and seam the side up. I'm debating the best way to put the buttons on. I did take pictures of them, but the finer points of digital cameras evade me. I couldn't figure out how to get close enough to the button for detail and still get a sharp picture. The ones I took are very blurry - maybe a scanner would be better.

I'm also looking for the best way to attach the buttons to the band. They're maybe 1/2 an inch in diameter and have a little hook (shank?) on the back so they'll stick out a little bit. The yarn I used for the sweater is too thick to go through the eye comfortably. Maybe some embroidery floss?

I realized when I was taking all these pictures the other day that this is the first time I've ever worked on 2 adult sized sweaters at the same time and I'm actually making progress on both. I think it has something to do with setting goals for myself and (without being anal) actually accomplishing them. It will feel very nice to wear these two pieces.

Here's what I should have posted yesterday...


The fronts are now attached to the back with the 3-needle bind off. I'm almost finished with one of the sleeves (can't remember which one). I don't know if you can see all the cat hair on the pieces. Why is it that cats have to sit right in the middle of a blocking piece?

Tomorrow, pictures of the Oat Couture sweater...

As painful as insomnia is - I can actually get things done in the wee hours of the morning without the phone ringing and the other inhabitants of my house wanting something.

I realized last night that I needed buttons for this sweater (don't ask me why I didn't think of this before). Luckily, I have a button stash (smallish, but cool). I found the perfect round, silver buttons. They have a swan curled up in them - I'll take a close up picture of them this weekend.

So, I finished the button bands and the neck on the very early this morning. Of course I slipped the vest-like thing over my head to see where it would fall. It looks like it's long enough, but I'm not so sure about circumference. It's hard to tell without the seams being done. I'm sure I can get a little more room when I block it, so it will hang right.

This weekend's task: finish the other sleeve, put the sleeves in, and seam up the sides! I'm nabbing the digital camera from the office, so I'll even have pictures. I'll make sure and take some of the Kimono too - just to prove it exists.

No knitting at my house last night. My daughter came down with strep throat over the weekend (actually on Saturday). She was fine all day on Sunday (it must have been a giant sugar high). By Sunday evening, however, she was in a lot of pain and those big, fat tears that only come from small girls were rolling down her face. We were up a lot that night - whispering to each other back and forth across the pillows. She's fine now, but I'm exhausted!

I'm caught up on my sleep and even came to work early this morning so that I could go home and get some seaming done on my weekend sweater in natural light. Watch this space for pictures!

Can anyone explain to me why when I get close to the end of a project, I slow way down? I'm anxious to wear this new Oat Couture sweater, but I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do the finishing details. The second sleeve is "thisclose" to being done and I started the button band this morning. I'm dreading doing the seaming. Maybe that's it, I always feel like my seams mess up the lovely lines of knitting - no matter how careful I am.

Here's a picture of the sweater (it's lifted from the Elann.com website). My sweater is a beautiful sage green. My sister saw it and wanted it (she always wants what I knit). I feel a little guilty because last summer she asked for a woven scarf and I never did get around to doing it - although I did buy the supplies!


And since I haven't been able to take pictures of my own Kandinsky Kimono, here are a couple from other sites...


Now just imagine that the back and left front are completely done, the right front is half done and the sleeves are just "thunk of". It will be lovely.

Ah, the trip up to my parents' house! My husband usually drives this 2 hour trip which means that I get a minimum of 4 hours of knitting time. We headed up there for Easter on Saturday and I had a splendid time with my Oat Couture sweater.

I believe I've knit this beast twice. The back has been finished for a while - it's the front that's giving me trouble. I mis-read the pattern and did the decreases at the beginning of the left front (instead of the end). To avoid having to rip it all back and have nothing to show for all that work - I tricked myself and knit the right front before ripping. Some how this makes me feel better about the whole mistake.

So I finished the left front (again) and started on a sleeve for the trip back. I finished it late Sunday night. At this point, the second sleeve is about 1/2 done. I think I'll be able to wear this sucker by the weekend!

The Kimono is on the back burner, but I've been knitting a couple of rows a night. Once the other sweater is done - it's back on this full time.

I have been avoiding posting because I had delusions of grandeur about posting all about my day off in Washington, DC a couple weeks back. (My main strength as a procrastinator is well know among my circle of friends and family.)

So, here goes. My favorite museum in the whole world is the Textile Museum (link on the side there). First off, it's in a beautiful area of DC. It's right off Dupont Circle along Embassy Row - 2320 S Street, NW. The first time I walked over there from the Metro, I was amazed at all the black cars with smoked windows. Each big, stone house has a plaque with the name of its country and a flag flying out front. Many of them say they're private residences and I can't help wondering who lives there and what the inside of the houses look like.

The Textile Museum was once a house itself and covers 3 levels. I wasn't all that interested in the Mamluk and Andalusian Rug exhibitions currently there, but only because I'm not crazy about old rugs. What I love about this museum is that everything is so beautifully displayed. It's very obvious that the people who set up these exhibits really care about the textiles and know a lot about them as well. The notes about each piece are well thought out and point out what's special about the textile at which you're looking. They also will reference other pieces in the gallery and how they all combine to show progression through a geographical area or time frame.

[As a side note, I went to the Vincent Van Gogh Face to Face exhibit a couple of years ago and was extremely disappointed not to find a detailed write up of each piece. I wanted to know why he painted certain things and where he was as an artist. Pretty much all I got was the year he painted it. Not a whole lot of new knowledge about Van Gogh there!]

On the second floor there is a permanent hands on exhibit. You can move from station to station and try out all different kinds of textiles "stuff." You can weave a little, learn about the life cycle of silk worms, compare the structures of several different pieces and on and on. When I was wandering through, there was a group of high school/college-age young women with note books who were furiously writing things down and playing at each station. It was a lot of fun to watch them discovering things. I think I forget about what it was all like when it was new.

Then, of course, I hit the gift shop - which I thought was way too small! They did have a couple of large book shelves that I parked myself in front of and plowed through the books. I managed to buy "A History of Hand Knitting," a book with Anatolian knitting charts, and a couple of the Museum's textile journals from years past (and some other stuff that I've already forgotten).

They also have a lot of textiles for sale in the shop. There were silk kimonos, kinte cloth ties, pillows, hooked rugs, straw woven bags, even textile inspired mouse pads. I was overwhelmed after spending some time in there - all those colors and ideas. It was very inspiring.

Bottom line is, if you're in DC for any length of time - take yourself to the Textile Museum. It's worth the trip - I promise.

Whew! I think I'm finally back to normal after traveling to Washington, DC. I love going there - it's such a cool city, but traveling for work isn't the most fun thing in the world. Imagine having to spend every waking hour with the same 3 people - now imagine one of them is your boss. Not that he's a bad guy to spend time with, it's just that being on my best behavior (read: being pleasant) isn't a strong suit. The flip side is that the man knows DC, so he knows the best places to stay and more importantly, the best places to eat.

Since I couldn't very well take the Kimono and its 27 colors with me, I swatched the Applegate Shirt and took that instead. It truly is mindless knitting, but it looks very nice and I love the drape of the fabric. It will be a nice summer shirt/sweater - one more thing to do before the weather turns nice.

Husband and son will be traveling to a fishing tournament this weekend. So the princess and I will have to do girlie things to keep ourselves occupied. I'm pretty sure this involves having my toenails painted some wild color (or several wild colors). She knits (a little), so she understands being quiet when I count - such an important life skill!