Sleeveless T-Neck - Part 2

As I said before in my previous post about this project, I have been working on this for years.  I hate to admit it, but I'm really not even that interested in this sweater anymore.  It is not all that fashionable and it was sort of a starter garment / practice piece.  

Well, it is FINALLY DONE!  Yippee, raise the flag!

The one on the left is the one I just finished.  Normally you would block these pieces, but given the nature of this yarn, I'm not going to bother.  

The stitches on the tops of both of these pieces are live, meaning that they are loose, ready to go back or stay on a needle, usually to continue the project with a sleeve, neck or edging.  The original pattern called for a turtleneck, but I do not need a turtleneck in my wardrobe.  I am going to vary it but I'm going to be a free spirit and see where it goes.

First, I transferred the stitches to a circular needle because I am going to knit around the neck but not in the round.  I am going to leave an opening / slit on one of the shoulder, so I will be working side-to-side.

I decided to start off by knitting a k3, p2 rib for the neck.  My plan was to knit it long enough so that it will hang down in a sort of cowl neck, but not really.  I am not sure what the proper name of the neck I'm trying to accomplish with my thoughts, we'll just see where this takes me.

I was knitting for awhile and was getting bored with it and wanted it to be finished the day I was working on it.  There is no need for this project to linger on any longer.  Above is my rib fold-down neck.  Not long enough though.

So, I decided, since I am so confident in my crocheting skills since completing my Pima Pullover, that I am going to finish this collar with some crochet.  I bound off with knitting and picked up an I crochet hook and did a dc, ch1, dc thing along the entire edge, then did the same for 4 rows.  

This is how this collar came out!  Not too shabby.  I actually like how this came out.  The shaping of the body of the sweater could be a bit more fitted, but I'm not going to complain too much.

This one shoulder is only connected by a few stitches at the end, but not by the neck.  This is where I intentionally did not connect for the neck.

I can see myself wearing this, maybe at the end of the summer.  The sweater itself it warm, but I have to wear a tank top underneath it so you don't see through it.

I talked about not making myself finish UFOs in my stash in my Craft-no-lutions post at the beginning of the year.  I think because I was sick of moving this project out of the way each time I went into my craft corner, that I decided that it must get done.  Phew, so glad it is over and it came out wearable!

Related Link:

• Sleeveless T-Neck - Part 1

Books - Quarter 1

I'm off to a steady start with my reading list.  Even though the quarter isn't technically over yet, I am only half-way through my current read, so I won't be finishing it this week because I'm putting in a lot of time knitting the Seafoam Lace Scarf from last week's post.

Here is what I have so far....

1.  I started reading this in December and only just finished it in February.  This is the second book in the yarn series by DM (first book was The Shop on Blossom Street).  In a nutshell, women who have something going on in their lives (divorce, reluctant reunion with an ex-husband, overweight teen starting in a new high school & a bad break-up) join a knitting class at the yarn store on Blossom Street.  This class brings these unlike women together to form a lasting friendship.  I chose this book because I had read the first one and because the class they took was a sock knitting class.  Remember, I was knitting my own socks about the time I started this book (which, I still need to finish...)
It was enjoyable, but a bit slow.  I give it 2.5 thumbs up.

2.  I bought this book at the library sale because it looked interesting; I had never heard of this author before.  Apparently in 2008, this was a best seller.  The author wrote this book while he was in medical school, during his residency.  You quickly see the sort of thing they teach you in med school/working in the ER, in the first few pages of the book.  It goes into detail about how he dislocates a mugger's elbow in the parking garage.  Basically, the doctor in this book is an intern at a hospital in New York and his past reveals that he used to be a hit man for the mob, where he is now in Witness Protection.  He runs into a patient who knew him in his past life and now the intern must outrun the mob guys that are now trying to kill him.  This novel is very graphic with blood and body-related medical tricks that he uses to get him out of precarious situations.  I would say this is a high intensity read and I recommend it.  It even has it's own website with a game (BeatTheReaper).  I give it 3 thumbs up.

3. Here is a book that I came across at a yard sale and I couldn't not buy.  The Nancy Drew series is what got me into loving reading in the first place.  Originally published in November 1930, this book has sold over 2.7 million copies as of 2001.  Rereading this book as an adult, I still find it stimulating.  Yeah, it is written for young readers, but so was Harry Potter and Twilight.
This book introduces Nancy as an 18 year old that gets interested in a case that her hometown of River Heights is upset over when an inheritance of a recently deceased townsman was willed to a very snobby and social-climbing family.  Nancy and others do not believe that the heirs are truly these people and goes in search of a newer will that must exist.  I really did not remember any of the details from when I read this book at the age of 10, so it was very nostalgic to reread it again.  I will always love my Nancy Drew stories.  Fun-fact: Carolyn Keene was just a pen name given to the variety of ghostwriters that wrote the stories.  There was up to 11 different writers.  I give it 4 thumbs up.

4. This is the first book in a mystery series.  It takes place in the year 1900 in Indiana, when houses still had servants and maids.  The head maid, who is the main character, Hilda, finds a dead body in the lilac bushes.  The person is unrecognizable due to the gruesomeness of the crime.  You soon learn that it was an affluent neighbor's sister who has just returned from China.  This novel takes you back to a time where servants were not seen as equal, so Hilda has to sneak around to solve this murder.  The police are corrupt and her friends and family thinks she is crazy for trying to help.  She gets herself into several sticky situations but eventually solves the murder and is able to keep her job.  I thought that the ending and conclusion were rushed.  I was on the last two pages of the book where the conclusion came together, then the book just ended.  It was still enjoyable, though.  I have the third book in the series so I might as well read it to get it off my bookshelf.  A funny note about this book: it takes place in a section of IN called South Bend and that was a crossword clue in my daily newspaper the other day.  It said to name the school in South Bend; which there is a scene where Hilda walks across town to Notre Dame to gather clues.  If I was not reading this novel, I would not have known that!  I give it 2.5 thumbs up.

So, apparently, you can learn life lessons reading fictional stories.  Let's go over what I have learned:

1. I can make friends by joining a knit class.  Well, not always true.  Some women that visit yarn stores on a regular basis tend to form a clique and not welcome you right away.  I don't want to offend anyone by saying that, but I find that to be true in my neck of the woods.  In MA, the Wool Patch was very open to my friend and I when we went a few times to the Thursday Sit N Knit.  So, not every shop is like that.  Take away lesson:  you can't be shy when you go in...just act like you know yarn and talk to those ladies about their projects and you'll do fine.
2. I can make weapons out of my own bones, if I do not pass out from the pain first.  Yes, in the Reaper novel, that is just what the main character had to do to save his life.  I would pass out at the sight of my own blood, never mind having to actually cut myself deep enough.  So, that lesson is not that practical.
3. That riding around in a convertible is way cooler than a regular car and it does not cause any extra attention to you when you are tailing bad guys.  Hmmm, I always found this funny that an 18 year old drives a convertible and nobody thinks this would stick out.  Yes, Nancy Drew's father is a lawyer, but back in 1930, wasn't convertibles really expensive?  I also learned that a closet clothing rod can be used as a lever to pry a locked door from it's hinges when you are trapped inside.  I will try to remember that the next time I break into an old house to find a clock. (psst, the will was hidden in the clock)
4. Finally, I can pick a lock with the stays in my corset.  Well, I wear an underwire bra these days, so I guess that would be the next best thing.  Picking locks sounds fun, but I'm not sure if I have the patience to do it under pressure.  I will rip apart one of my old bras and try breaking into my own house.  I'll report back later.

These are valuable lessons that I may need to reflect on in the future.  So don't ever think that reading novels is a waste of time.  If you are reading anything now or have just finished one, please share what it is you have learned, however unpractical.

Craft-no-lutions

I have been reflecting on my Craftolutions from 2011 and I have not really accomplished many of them (to be truly honest).  I attempted to do something with a few of them, but then forgot about them and never completed what I started.  Go figure.

I will highlight them quickly:

1. Complete UFO's:  I did give away some yarn that someone else can repurpose, but I have not finished any of my UFO (unfinished object).  There is a reason why they are unfinished and it is because I don't really like them.  Life's too short to work on something that you dislike.
2. Organize Projects in Binders:  I did buy a binder and page protectors, I grabbed all of the projects, patterns, ideas and the such and placed them in a project bag, but that's about it.  I have added to the bag occasionally, but have not put them in page protectors.  One thing I am doing is my current patterns, I'm putting them in the page protector right in the beginning so when I do get to that binder, they are good to go.
3. Have Patience: Yes, I believe that I have gotten better at this.  I give myself more time and often come up with a Plan B, in case something goes awry. I can give my first Check to this one.
4. Craft for Charity: I did not do this.  I feel awful not having time to do this; I have no excuse.  I have enough extra yarn and extra scraps of fabric, I just need to commit to this.
5. Teach Someone to Knit: I think a friend or two may be interested in learning, but I have not pressed anyone to learn.  I can't make someone learn!  They know I do it, I knit in public (in front of them, often) and some read this blog.  If that's not enough to convince someone that this is the hobby they have been missing out on, then I'm okay with that.
6. Realistic Projects: I was very realistic with projects this year.  So realistic, that I only knitted 4 toddler hats for Christmas.  I knew I was not going to finish a project for each family member and friend, so I just went real and bought gifts.  So much less stressful.  The hats came out cute, that is good enough for me. Check #2.
7. Jog in 5K's: I have been jogging.  I jog about 3 times a week, but I could never get past 2 to 2.5 miles.  A 5K is 3.2 miles.  This year I have signed up for a 5K this February and have been jogging a 3.5 mile loop in my neighborhood once a week.  It ain't pretty, but I can do it.  It's all in my head, I convince myself that it's too hard, but I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and I will eventually get to the finish line.
8. Read More: I already did a post on this just this month and I am no longer putting a "must read" number on my leisure book reading.  I was only one book short and I could have squeezed it in, but I just did not care for the pressure.

So, if you have been counting, I only completed 2 Craftolution.  To solve this issue, I've changed it from Craftolutions to Craft-no-lutions.  I have already made a few (although they may seem sort of self-centered).  I might be able to stick to these better:

1. I will make less for other people and consider myself for projects first.  I get the feeling that not all handmade gifts are appreciated.  So, that being said, I will make what I like, for me.
2. Read as many or a few books as I like.  This was an internal battle for me, but it is for the best.
3. Not stress over things that I have no control over.  This is a huge one for me.  I am a worry-wort, big time.  I worry about everyone else and not enough about me.  This has already taken effect a few months back, so I'm managing the real stress by jogging, thinking with a clearer head and not being such a perfectionist (Just let it go...).

That's it.  Yes, no "I will do this and I will do that."  I will do it, if I feel like it.  Yea to the new me.

I have started a new fitness thing (so cliche, I know), that counts calories.  It is called MyFitnessPal.  It is an online data base and food diary (also have apps for the iphone, Android and Blackberry).    My sister turned me onto it and I started it for fun.  Now, I am thinking that this is a good thing and I really want to stick with it.  It allows you to search their food and exercise database for just about anything and everything.  It shows nutrition info and helps determine calories burned during an exercise.  It teaches you to take notice what you eat and how much of it.  It is a tool to help you change your mindset on food and how you live based on that.

I am learning about portion size.  My portions were not normal; they were too large.  If you want to eat more, guess what?  You have to exercise to build up your calorie bank again.  It makes me want to get out and get moving so I can eat something good.  I'm sure after a time, I will not crave bad stuff.  You have to make the switch from eating a little bit of bad-for-you food, to a lot of good-for-you food.  It is hard at first and I almost quit (I know, it happened after only 1 week on the food diary/calorie counting) but I came to terms with how I'm living now (bad eating habits and an embarrassing waistline) and how I want to live (healthy eating habits, an active lifestyle and a toned body).  That is my goal.

I've only lost a few pounds and don't look any different, but I feel so much better, physically and mentally.  It's a great feeling.

If you check it out and join, add me as a friend.  My username is silvermox.  We will motivate each other!  Go ahead, try it!!