Today's prompt is to write about the fate of a past project. I have found myself doing this a lot anyway, so in the spirit of the blog week I am modifying this prompt to write about something different -- my longest standing UFO.
Back in 2009 I discovered that knitting magazines are not all about kittens and toilet paper cozies (hey, I was still new to the concept of an actual knitting community ). I bought the summer issue of Interweave and was immediately overwhelmed by all the projects and the many kinds of garments people could actually knit. Even though I had seen all sorts of projects on Ravelry it was still like opening an entirely new world of knitwear.
The first project I decided to make is still the only Interweave pattern that I have attempted (I've since discovered I prefer Vogue, but that's another story). Something about the Great Gatsby Dress just appealed to me
Even though I worked on it all summer, and even though it got me through a flood and life on the fringe of homelessness, when I finally started the semester it somehow got put away.
I used to be a little ashamed that I never got past the second hem. The bag sits in the back of my closet hiding. But I've decided to no longer be embarrassed by my giant UFO. Instead I view it as insurance. In this economy you never know where your next yarn money will come from. So against that day I have at least a month's amount of knitting to fall back on.
I'm sitting on the same couch from which I wrote my previous post, only in a much better frame of mind. After three really long weeks I have an apartment! I'm moving in next week, so in the meantime I'm living with my aunt and uncle. I have been blessed to have a lot of people help me as I deal with everything that was going on, and now am happy to report that next month things should be more settled.
In the meantime, I have, of course, been knitting. Last week I misplaced the pair of circulars that I needed to knit the next section of my Great Gatsby Dress, so I stopped by AC Moore and picked up supplies to knit the Grace Lace Beret. This beret is a fast knit, but intricate enough to yield a stunning result. I used NaturallyCaron.com Spa in "Green Sheen", which as you can see is quite a nice color. This is the first time I've used a bamboo yarn, and I've been very pleased with the result. It's a very soft texture that is different from other yarns I've worked with. Smoother, I think would be the word for it.
I've also been continuing to work on my Great Gatsby Dress. The picture below is of the completed back skirt, but I've finished the ribbing on the back bodice and am starting to increase up to the arms. I had a lot more completed but unfortunately I somehow misread the pattern to read "three inches" not "three rows." To those who don't knit this might not seem so bad, but in a tight knit, this can be very long. Add the fact that the section is done in stockinette, which bores me to no end, and I was not a happy camper when I found out my afternoon of knitting was for naught. However, my summer job ends this week and then I hope to put more of my attention on finishing this garment.
Earlier this week (I guess now it was last week) I picked up a copy of KnitScene for Fall 09 in celebration of finally finding an end to this madness. I love the style with which the designers approach garment knitting. Every page made me think "I want to wear that." Ultimately I bought it for the Balmoral Vest pattern, but I see myself making time to knit most of these pieces if I have the funds for all of that yarn. It has definately succeeded in reminding me how much fashion is influenced by knitted items right now, which makes this so much fun.
My last bit of news is very exciting. My friends Frank and Andrew host the Echo Alert Podcast about the show Dollhouse (I believe I've mentioned it before). In their last episode they interviewed Miracle Laurie, who plays my favorite character Millie/November/whoeversheisnow. On a whim I had the guys ask her if she'd wear something I knit, and she said yes! Now I'm searching for patterns for a light scarf that I can make in a really soft yarn (I'm pretty partial to bamboo right now). She said her favorite color is purple, so I'm waiting for something to inspire me. Right now I'm just very excited that one of my favorite actresses on current television is willing to wear one of my handknits.
I finished it! Well, mostly. I've finished all of the pieces of the Wicked Vest except for the seaming and buttons. I'm off of work tomorrow, so the plan is to put all together then.
In the meantime, I have begun the Great Gatsby Dress from this summer's Interweave. It's really pretty, and I was prepared for it to take forever, but . . . the lace section is kicking me in the butt. It's much more complicated than anything I've ever knit before, but I'm on the fifth repeat and I think I'm finally starting to get it, so that's good. I have several other projects that I should be working on, but I'm enjoying this one, so we'll see how long I can stick it out.
While I was visiting my family, my mom and I went to visit my aunt. We went to one of the local yarn stores in Hickory, NC, A Strand of Pearls. I don't know much about yarn shops, but I really enjoyed this one. All of the yarn was organized on the walls with a table in the middle of the main section at which several people were knitting. In one section was a reading corner, with knitting books along one wall. The other wall featured a large tree made out of balls of yarn. The owner was very friendly, as was her 10 week old korgie.
They were having a sale while I was there: a basket of Loop D Loop by Teva Durham Moss, buy one get one free! So of course, I bought some. Two beautiful skeins of bright raspberry pink. Now what am I going to make with this yarn? I'm not sure. This is the first time I've bought stash with no intended purpose. Common for knitters, but very uncommon for me. I may just have reached a new level of obsession . . .
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