Lucky Sweater

January 25^th: Oh, my Lucky Sweater. Taught me one, very, very valuable lesson: be very, very careful when substituting one kind of fiber for another in a pattern. This was supposed to be made in cotton, and I made it in mohair. Smallest size, perfect gauge, and it’s HUGE. Why? Because mohair is lighter, and without that weight it acts like it’s two sizes bigger. So, the back collar is so big it flops down, and I’m constantly having to cover up the straps of the tank I wear underneath this. If I pull it down it’s OK for a time, but what a pity, a lace project on TWOs that doesn’t fit right.

Clapotis

January 24^th: Ever since I finished my Clapotis I have regretted not making it wider (I worried that I was going to run out of yarn, turned out not to be a problem), so I often find myself pulling it down so it covers my boobs, but I always get compliments on it, and when it’s lying properly it really does look nice.

Lacey Skirt with Bows

January 23^rd: My 5-year-old self would, I believe, be quite pleased to know that 30-year-old Sara has not given up on her love of pink and lace and bows. This skirt may be the girliest thing I have ever made, but I still really like it. It’s true that the slip that I have to wear under it has a mind of its own, leading sometimes to the unflattering situation in which the slip is at my waist and the skirt is at my hips (looks like granny underwear, yik), and I wonder how I could just sew it in so it won’t be a problem. Still, for the most part it’s not hard to wear, and I like the way it looks, girly and summery.

Lelah

January 22^nd: Still love my Lelah, and so glad I put in industrial strength elastic on the top of it. I do periodically have to pull it up, but not often, and I think it is quite flattering on me. Has stood the test of time.

Neckwarmer

January 21^st: Peggy gave me this beautiful cashmere out of her stash, and I made this Neckwarmer out of it. I love it, and it’s an accessory I go to when I want to feel a little dressed up. Love the buttons, love how soft it is. Successful project.

Twist Cable Socks

January 20^th: I raced to finish these socks (on zeros!) before today so that I could wear them to an event where I needed to be dressed in more professional formal attire (thus, no strange knitwear), and I’m happy to say both that I finished last night, and that they’ve stayed up in my boots all day. They weren’t much fun to make (holding those needles made my hands hurt), but they look great and they’ve held up in the real world, so I’m happy.

Tubey

January 19^th: I think this Tubey was the first time that I used the exact yarn the pattern called for. Despite that, and despite getting gauge and knitting it in the smallest possible size, the darn thing has still stretched out a lot. It’s not terrible, but it would be a whole lot more flattering if it had kept its shape. The ‘unique’ construction on this is not standard for a reason: it can’t maintain its shape at the neck. Also, I’ve decided that 3x1 knitting does not provide enough stretchiness over the long term. Overall: sloppy, and I didn’t help things with the bands on the elbows. Oh well.

Bella Paquita

January 18^th: I hate to admit this, because it took me so, so long to make but my Bella Paquita is sloppy and hard to wear. It’s still pretty, but I’m constantly pulling it down and the neckline is never symmetrical. Also, I think I should have used smaller needles, or maybe shouldn’t have used any ribbing; it’s the ribbing that looks sloppy. And the shoulders are always falling off, and it’s not pilling exactly, but it is getting fuzzy, which doesn’t help. Sigh. And, the yarn is oddly shiny. Pretty, but several things make this hard to wear.

Silk Camisole

January 17^th: I don’t wear my Silk Camisole (it’s knitted in alpaca) nearly enough. The neck has stretched out enough that it’s inappropriate to wear to work on its own, but I added a matching silk scarf and buttoned a cardigan over it so the neck was fine. Plus, I LOVED seeing the lace edging below the cardigan. And it’s so soft! I’ve found a new favorite work outfit.

Stripey Scarf

January 16^th: This crochet cotton scarf is a nice accessory on a warm day, and I didn’t mind wearing it for the full 8 hours. I’m not a great crochet-er, so it curls like bacon because the cast-on row is too tight, which makes the scarf less pretty, but it’s colorful and cool so I still quite like it.

Button Obi

January 15^th: The design for this Button Obi is flawed, and my execution amplified those problems. I’m not sure why the designer thought it should be wider in the middle than on the sides, and the double and triple crochets means that it bunches in a really unflattering way, such that I can’t wear it as it was meant to be worn: tied in the back. I have to tie the bows right on my tummy. In an outfit where it doesn’t take center stage, it’s fine, and an obi is a pretty cool accessory idea, but this one has issues.

Vanilla

January 14^th: My Vanilla sweater was a lesson in what not to do: don’t 1) substitute fiber content (cotton for wool), 2) knit on significantly bigger needles than the yarn wants and 3) trust that cotton will keep its shape. This sweater is a schlubby disaster, where the lacey yarnovers that make up the raglan increases are now large and droopy, and the whole thing is just stretched out and sloppy. I have it folded over on the bottom so it sort of looks a little neater, and it’s OK to wear over a bathing suit, but it’s really not a good office look.

Excuses

January 13^th: The band on my Excuses doesn’t stay where it’s supposed to, so I’m constantly pulling it down, and think that I probably should have put some sort of elastic into it when I was making the piece. But, I like the colors and the fit, and the kimono sleeves. Good project, not perfect.

Snow White

January 12^th: I love my Snow White sweater, which is flattering (wide necks look good on me) and the ribbing and yarn maintain the shape beautifully. Wish I didn’t have to wear a strapless bra with it, but it’s otherwise fantastic