First of all, curse you Queen Bess, for tempting me to knit a dress. I saw that pattern and gave it an idle thought (in its sleeveless original, though your add-on sleeves turned out so damn perfect I am in awe!) and then dismissed it. Now that I've seen your lovely finished dress on you (modeled on Facebook, but I can't figure out how to add that link here) I'm seriously tempted by the thought, to the point where I scored some Louet MerLin on eBay, so I can knit a little sundress/jumper for Supergirl as a swatch/test drive of the yarn that seems right. It's linen and merino, my two favorite fibers together like chocolate and peanut butter! And it's machine wash and dry! It's perfect, at least on paper, but damn, it ain't cheap. Hence the baby dress test drive. I'm sort of hoping I don't like it, and yet guessing I will.
Otherwise, things are good! My real estate classes are reminding me that I really do love this business and know it, and learning a whole new world of Western NC issues just makes it all fresh and new and fun again. I'm networking and thinking and have figured out at least a fall-back plan for what I'll be doing around March 1-ish. I say "-ish," because the completion of the licensing class is still subject to weather and rescheduling, and then I have to schedule the state exam, and presumably pass it, but those dates are still a moving target. Soo, maybe I should say...what I'll be doing on the first day of Spring? I have plans and a target, thought that target may slide a bit if we miss more mandatory class hours due to snow, and have to make those up too, then schedule the state exam. But anyway, I am enjoying the hell out of what I'm doing.
Back to knitting: I've been really, really good about using up stash (buying that eBay sample of MerLin was research). I'm still working on the brown Cascade 220 cardigan, and started and am a third of the way through a second linen stitch scarf from stash Koigu KPPPM. Truly, this is a wonderful way to use up stash, because when I started this project I was entirely in crash test dummy mode - it might be awful, or maybe it would survive! I'm loving the way these three random colors came together! One is a multi leaning toward yellow, one is mostly greens, and one is mostly purples/blues, and the end result is nowhere near as yellow, green or purple as you'd think - it's a mellow blend of soft watercolors. I am fascinated by and loving this, and am now looking at the stash as a font of really cool random scarf combinations. I've seen this done before in garter stitch knit lengthwise scarves and even afghans, but I think the linen stitch variation is just plain genius.
If the sun is shining on Friday when I am home and have time, I'll take pictures. I swear. Really. I'm not kidding.
I knit a dress once, when I was young and wee. Or, should I say, wee'er than I am now. A fabulous cotton linen slub in navy and white - it was a French yarn, I think. Wore it once, and the only description could be "butt-sprung". I finally threw it out in the move last year. So I shall tip my hat to you and QueenBess and admire from afar.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear that you are interested in the classes and things may be percolating - that is just wonderful. I will keep the good karma wishes coming your way.
And I thank you for pointing out the linen stitch scarf- I have to agree it it fabulous. My first go round was easter egg barf- I frogged it. Then I took one of my easter egg skeins and mixed it with a dark navy/olive/rusty marinade from the stash and oh shoot, just had to order some more KPPPM that was on sale in Idaho or Des Moines or somewhere- I think the third piece will be a hot red/orange/purple. It is a lot of fun to put together. I currently have a sedate chocolate brown, caramel and soft green/aqua/brown mix which is turning into something even my husband might wear.
Kimmen
Knitting a dress? That's a whole lotto stitches! I'm just completing a crocheted afghan gift and then I'm on to the Brigitta cardigan, for ME!
ReplyDeleteBwa ha haaaaaaaa
ReplyDeleteI felt like a fashion model all day yesterday and this elegant gentleman asked me "Did you make that dress? My mother used to knit the most beautiful dresses and suits...."
So southern.
cast on, my dear, cast on
@Kimmen - that's why I'm testing the yarn I think I'd like to use on a baby dress - I want to see how it wears before I even think about investing the time and money into a dress for myself! I may lose interest in making a dress for myself, but it did at least stimulate me to try the yarn on a small project.
ReplyDelete@Bess - what's the "So southern" part?
ReplyDeleteIt's so southern - a guy - no, an elderly gentleman - knowing that his mother knit dresses - and recognizing a hand knit dress when he sees one.
ReplyDeleteIt's not exclusively southern. The south doesn't have an exclusive on elderly (or younger) gentlemen who recognize a hand knit dress. ;-)
ReplyDelete