Thursday, December 11, 2008

I FINISHED SOMETHING!!!!

Something from Vogue Knitting, no less. Remember the hex jacket (Russian Coat, according to Vogue), by Norah Gaughan? That one. It's not flattering. But I didn't knit it for flattering, I knit it because it was cool. So in that respect, it was a success.


...FYI, when an empire 'waist' line goes across your boobs? That's not gonna look right.

At least from the back, I look like I have a waist. Sorta. This was always intended as a knock-around-the-house winter cardi, perhaps a run-for-groceries cardi, so fit isn't a huge issue for me. Plus it looks better hanging open.

Other than the fit, which I knew from the get-go was gonna look much like it does now (I'm too long through the waist to look good in empire waist styles - petite women? this one's for you), this was a really cool knit. The modular part on top is all knit together as you go, and the bottom is one giant hexagon that, if you knit the top first, you can do in your sleep. All that was left was an underarm seam and joining the bodice and skirt. That part's - bodice to skirt - a little tricky and takes some fudging. In fact I'd say it's the only tricky-to-hard part on the whole thing.

TECH DETAIL FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT KNIT THIS: I substituted an I module for the H module at the wrist. This shortened the sleeve and made the point fall at the back of the hand instead of the palm. I also did it in garter, which seemed common sense, to avoid it curling up. If you actually knit this pattern, the above will make PERFECT sense by the time you get to the cuffs. Here's a photo, in case anyone wants one.




On a totally different topic, for the people asking about moving, here's the deal. The husbeast retires from the Navy in September of next year. His last day 'on the job', so to speak, is in mid-June, then he's got job-hunting leave and a slew of other similar things. (One of the very few benefits to the military.) So yes, we will be moving out of the bloody swamp. We've both agreed, we're headed north, where there are winters to kill the bugs; we both grew up in Ohio slogging through lake-effect snow, so unless we move to Buffalo (New York, as far as I know the craziest place in the world for lake effect snow), Siberia, or the Rockies, we'll be fine. No, we don't know where we're going yet or where he'll be working, or even what field he'll be working in. (He's amazingly overqualified for all sorts of high-tech industry. Yay.) Yes, we are starting to stress over this.

I have already suggested Canada, Europe, and Australia, and was sneered at soundly. Seriously, though, we'd like to stay within a day's drive of the in-laws and my father (who is in a nursing home and not in good health). Before the economy crashed, I was campaigning actively for Connecticut, where I've got a couple very good friends, but at this stage, a well-paying, safe (heavy industry, the more dangerous job, the better the pay) job anywhere that's not in a swamp.

13 comments:

Barbara said...

Woohoo! It's gorgeous from the back--and I'm not even a fan of blue. Can you hike the girls up above the empire waist?

Amy Lane said...

*Ooooooooohhh* Very nice! I love the subtlety of the overdying--it looks warm and very 'knock around the house'ish... in a spectacular, "I made this from a Vogue pattern that I had to modify" way!

As for moving? You're brave. I hate moving. Haven't done it in ten years, and I seriously think Mate is planning to have the house crumble around our ears--no one will notice, the crap will keep it up.

Anonymous said...

I love the back of it! But the front...well, I'm petite, all right, but empire styles remind me of my maternity clothes all those years ago. I have a waist, thank you. But it's really spectacular.

As to moving...what a lot of stress for you both! But he's retiring! Congratulations!

Leonie said...

Hey, didn't you have Christmas knitting you should be doing? Or has this been sitting on the sidelines complete for a while? I smell procrastination in the air!!

Alwen said...

You finished something and it snowed in Houston!

Are you at all scared by the coincidence?

I guess "no swamps" (not to mention no freakin' industry) kinda rules out Michigan, eh?

But we do get snow:
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/snow/recent.html

Ashley said...

Where I live we get snow. Not as crazy as Buffalo, as we're a bit further east than that.

Small town, however, as we just got our second stop light two or three years ago (as I was just beginning my college career at that point).

Good school district as well, but I've no idea how far north you guys are planning on moving.

But good luck with that, I'm hoping that by this time next year I'm in a stable job and in my own apartment. Here's hoping :)

Louiz said...

That looks wonderful - I'm actually tempted to make it now.

Europe is always a good choice - have you considered London?:)

GrillTech said...

Have you considered the Boise area? Big City with a very small town feel. And we do get snow.

Anonymous said...

Never been a fan of Empire waists - they make you look pregnant whether you have a waist or not, and I don't need any help to look big! But I love the back of the jacket!

As Alwen was too nice to say, we're circling the drain here in Michigan, so we won't look for you and the husbeast here next fall! I hope you get to go someplace nice!

Anonymous said...

Electric Boat is hiring!!! Come to CT!

PS--coat is fab! I think it's a great color.

Trish

Bells said...

You campaigned for Australia? he he. That's a little further away from the in-laws than you are now!

Love the jacket, despite the sort of unflattering front view. I can totally get that as a throw on cardi. It looks like something you can wrap around yourself really comfortingly. The colour and the back view? Spectacular.

Unknown said...

Come to Cleveland . . . we do get Lake Effect Snow but, as you pointed out, it usually skips right across the lake and nails Buffalo . . . a beautiful thing.

For your readers who don't know about Lake Effect Snow, I explained it here. I love Lake Effect Snow . . . if it goes to Buffalo OR starts early enough on a Sunday that we don't have work/school on Monday.

Unknown said...

Oh, and the other advantage to Lake Effect Snow, is that it makes weather forecaster look more moronic than they normally do!