News and photos and, uh, stuff.

STEEK-ALONG NEWS:

Trish asked if I would post some photos of the red-and-brown jacket to help her visualize for choosing colors. And maybe would I offer some guesses as to yardage needed. (Worst thing about making up your own patterns - you gotta guess how much yarn you need.)

This is a man's jacket (though really men's/women's in this situation is only a matter of where you put the buttonholes) with a 50 inch/110cm chest measurement. It used about 550 yards each of the beige and the red Lopi, knit up at about three stitches per inch/12 stitches per 4cm (ABOUT. I did not use the stitches-per-inch gauge measurement.) on size ten/6mm needles. This jacket is on the short side 'cause that's how my father-in-law wanted it; if you want longer, obviously, buy more yarn.

Also, this sweater was knit to be an outdoor jacket/coat for much of the year in Ohio, so it's heavy. I plan to knit mine using a lighter yarn that will be more like 4 or 5 stitches to the inch. You will each custom-fit your sweater pattern to your gauge, so it doesn't matter how heavy your yarn is; if you want a coat, get heavy yarn. HOWEVER, lighter yarn means you need more yardage for the same amount of fabric. And it will take longer to knit.

Here's a closeup of the pattern for more color visualization:



I will even show you guys how to sign your work, if that kind of thing amuses you:



Sienna has suggested we call it the Jacket Steek-Along and it works for me, so that's what it's gonna be. I'm not getting my yarn for this until the end of October, so take your time - that was the idea with this long lead-in.

TATTING AND HOARDING NEWS:

Alwen came through for us. I knew she would, 'cause she's the tatting goddess. She suggests the video available here. Click on 'demo' and learn to tat!! Obviously streaming video takes some bandwidth, so don't even attempt this on dialup.

I'm so excited. Because I need a use for this:



Yes. This is the bulk of my oft-referred to crochet cotton stash. There's a ruler on top of the box for scale. Approximately forty balls of the stuff, coming out to a guessed-at 16,000 yards. (That's nine miles, or about 14.5 kilometers.) Oh, but wait! That's not all. I've also got a smaller box of threads, perle cotton, and tatting thread like the #70 stuff I knit the damn doily with:



Although I think I have a plan for some of this stuff. Involving custom dyeing and something like this:

Because I don't have enough going on around here, or any idea what to knit next.


STATE FAIR NEWS:

Still no word on the judging, which was yesterday. When they have their minds made up, they're supposed to post the results to the web site.

There is no final shot of the Blue Shimmer, finished. I was so sick of looking at it I just took it to Columbia and turned it in. Heeheehee.