Wry Punster

Sewing Success?

I've been doing some sewing recently.  Word to the wise: one of the things I've made contains a word most people consider unsuitable for small people.  If you're reading this at work, or in front of your impressionable seven year old: proceed at your own risk...

The ever inspiring Cauchy requested this block, and it was enormous fun to make.  I didn't have a pattern, and the fabrics are all different weights of cotton: the white is a voile; the blue is fussy cut Marimekko; the orange is a vintage Japanese print I found in South Carolina. 

In a similar, patternless vein, I have developed a tiny obsession with online shopping at very, very expensive stores.  And by "shopping," I mean, looking at things and then closing the window because who spends $1450 on a shirt?

To whit: I really dug the metal and leather details of this Gucci dress.

I dig the bloused shape with the hardness of the shoulder detail.  But I did not dig the pricetag.

So, I made one of my own.

That was fun.  (shoes: J Crew; jeans: Gap)  Pattern?  We don't need no stinking pattern!  Fabric: Kaffe Fassett shot cotton from goodness knows where; leather detail poached from an old belt.

Exciting News!

Hello, Punsters,

I'm proud to announce the publication of my very own designs (yes, two!) in an ACTUAL BOOK!

Presenting The Winterthur Cowl and Beret, published in Knit Local.

Want to make queue the pattern? I highly recommend the yarn used in the pattern: it is supremely soft and the colors are delightful.

Happy knitting, friends!

A Balance

When the Winter Twist came out a few months ago, I was quite struck by the Oscillate pattern.  I liked the sinuous cables, and never missing a chance to knit an Amy Herzog design, I cast on almost immediately.

This is the sort of sweater which must be very carefully styled.  Twist was on to this, displaying the yellow sample on bare skin and with agressively teased hair.  Written with 3/4 sleeves and knit in Angora, I could easily hit the twee side of fashion, and I generally am not a fan of twee.  In contrast to the style of Zooey Deschanel, I prefer the more agressively structured shape of actual vintage clothing, rather than modern interpretations of vintage clothing.  There's a reason half my closet is older than I am.

I knit my Oscillate in a luminous silver blue from Sanguine Gryphon, at a larger gauge for drape and finished with antique French Silver buttons from the 1920s.  The gently bloused silhouette, paired with a pair of ankle length cords (Talbots, of all places) and a skimming flat is a pleasing nod to the gamine shapes of the 1960s.  For a sweater in such a delicate color, dark bottoms are a must, and they need to lean slightly downtown and dirty.  This is not, for example, a sweater I'd wear over a full skirt, even if the idea of a sweater girl pattern seems to beg for it.  Instead, I wanted to capitalize on the sexiness of a skinny pant with a softer top. 

The pattern is lovely.  I made the sleeves full length, since I got a tad bit carried away with my hipster aesthetic, knit the entire sweater on the same size needles and skipped the tubular cast on for structure.  I'm quite pleased, and think this will see a lot of use over my daily wardrobe of slim cut jeans, city girl flats and laptop appropriate purse.

Luxury

As a lover of lattes, manicures and shoes, unemployment has been a profound lesson in first world problems.  I have a huge apartment to rattle around in, a supportive husband and plenty of french press coffee.  But there are still the small aches, like the silence of a Monday morning when my husband has left for work and I lay in bed, hoping for a few more minutes of sleep so I don't have to face the heaviness that the rest of the world (or so it seems) is shuffling along the subway platform. 

It is funny the things I miss: the soft clatter of people around me, the sense of interaction that comes from a returned phone call or email (so distinct from job applications, which seem to go to Mars), the simple routine of a day.  There are perks to having your time to yourself, certainly: slippers and blue jeans, bright red lipstick and an unhurried meal, a curled up cat and a teapot of Earl Grey. 

And now, a simple thing, but an enormous luxury.  100% cashmere, knit into a simple cowl neck sweater, three-quarter sleeves and a beaded detail at the hip.

The yarn has been in my stash for many, many years.  It seemed time to bring it out and knit it into something.  Happy Monday, friends.

Of Warmth and Other Loves

Since returning the stomping grounds of my childhood, I've come to know a girl (a woman? we are the same age, but I cannot fathom the idea of adulthood..) that I only knew by reputation.

Beautiful, kind, intelligent and a beloved partner in crime, this woman celebrated the Holidays with us while her mother recovered from major surgery.  Now, less than three weeks later, her mother- another singular human being made of goodness, light and brass balls- is in the hospital for her third surgery.  Frankly, I am insulted cancer had the nerve to afflict a family as wonderful as this one.  No one deserves cancer, particularly not this community minded group of people who care profoundly for the world around them.

In that spirit, I made a small token of warmth and love, to wrap around themselves in cold, impersonal hospital spaces and achingly silent houses.

A riff on the Log Cabin, worked in vintage French paisley toile and the softest, most gentle lemon yellow shot cotton.  At six feet per side, it's not big enough for a bed, but I hope it keeps the whole family warm in my love.

I particularly enjoy the geometric quality of the log cabin contrasted with the soft feminity of the blues and yellows.  The strips almost look like birds to me, appropriate for a family so devoted to the outdoors.

Should you wish to share your support with these wonderful people, please leave a comment.  I'll print all the comments and good wishes to go with the quilt when I deliver it later this week.

The New

Sharing my newest sweater is a little bittersweet, since I've got a lot more time to knit on my hands.  Laid off earlier this week, I anticipate that WryPunster is going see a lot more self published patterns in the coming weeks.  Tell me, friends, what do you want to see?

Schmaltz ended, CHECK IT: I love this cardigan.

The Emelie Cardigan, knit in Sundara Sock (color: Arabian Nights) on US 1s with Tagua Nut buttons.

Modifications: Many and sundry!

I added about nine inches of length, changed the shaping, altered the placement of the lace, shifted the setting of the buttonholes, shortened the sleeves, scooped the neck and added short rows to the bust. That said, stupendous pattern!

Verdict? Giant win.  Now to get the rest of my life in order! Is your museum hiring?

(shirt: vintage, jeans: Gap, 1969 Always Skinny, boots: Frye)

Now for Something Completely Different

Thank you, one and all, for the very interesting responses to my post on Ranger!  Since we last spoke Jared Flood has issued two updated versions of the pattern; I haven't had a chance to closely examine the changes, but I am hopeful that the issues are resolved. 

Ready for some knitting?  Me too! (It's worth mentioning: I took NONE of these photographs.  That's why they are in focus.)

 
Dude.  I KNOW.  I love this picture.

I like to knit dresses; they are the red-headed stepchild of the knitting world.  I have a butt to reckon with, and I think knitted fabric, with the right structure and construction, can be extremely flattering.  Exhibit A: The Allegheny Dress by Thea Coleman.  (Photo by Kirsten Kapur, used with permission)

My feelings about this dress should be pretty clear.  (Photo By AnnMT, used with permission.)

The super-fine lady on the left is none other than Earthchik Stacey and this picture is from Rhinebeck.  While we had not planned on matching, once we realized we were making the same (excellent!) pattern, Stacey lent me the fabulous tights so we could be twinsies.  It's not often that you can walk around with someone as beautiful as the Divine Ms. S in something as lovely as a knit dress.  That, my friends, is what we call WINNING.

 

(Photo by AnnMT, again used with her permission)

Yarn?  Sundara Worsted Merino.  Needles: US 7s.  Modifications:  Lots!  I crocheted an edging, rather than the specified turned hem; I added length to the sleeves; I omitted the belt and buttons; I alternated balls every row to prevent pooling.  Could I have done a few more sit-ups?  Probably.  Whatever. 

Verdict: Love, love, love, love.  And more love. 

The Knee Bone Connects to the Leg Bone

Recently, I've been a part of some exciting, non-crafty projects.  In chatting with in-person friends, they've mentioned that they think how I spend my days is really neat, and other people might get a kick out of it, too. 

When I am not knitting, I work for a natural history museum.  Part of my job permits me to handle traveling exhibits.

Traveling exhibits- at least the kind I handle- typically come in a tractor-trailer.  This picture is from when the truck was already partially unloaded, but you can imagine what it looks like when we start.  A little like Raiders of the Lost Ark... and those crates are heavy!  We use a forklift, a pallet jack, all kinds of levers and bars, dollies, and the like to unload the truck.

This particular show had nearly 30 crates.  While that might not seem like a lot, you can get a sense of scale from the image above.  We put the crates into the Exhibit Hall; the Hall is a 3,000 square foot space and where I spend most of my time.

The first step in taking things out of the crates is getting something to attach the pieces to.  Some museum exhibits travel entirely assembled, but that's really unusual (not to mention: hard on the objects!).  In most cases, an exhibit arrives a little like Ikea furniture: packed for maximum efficency and object safety, not necessarily ease of assembly.  The big (about fifteen feet long and seven feet wide) welded steel plate in the image above is the base for what I have to assemble for this exhibit: DINOSAURS!

I am not a paleontologist, nor a dinosaur assembling expert.  Thankfully, the pieces arrive partially articulated, or assembled.  We gently- very gently!- remove the pieces from the packing material and bolt them to the steel base from above.  Well packed objects come in their own, custom made housing.  This is a cavity packed crate; the pieces sit directly into a specially made platform of blown foam covered in a non-reactive plastic film.

When we have bolted the first piece to the armature, the fun begins.  Fossils, fossils everywhere!

Here are many ribs.  They are helpfully labeled left and right, or rather, L and R, with a number indicating their proper placement.  Ribs are numbered from the top down when placed on the skeleton.

With the careful use of bolts and steady hands, we get the partially articulated pieces into their proper position.

We use ladders and spotters to ensure the safety of people and dinosaurs.  No one wants a broken bone.  Here, we are installing the tail.  The tail is held in place with a welded steel armature that runs through the vertebral column and attaches to the pelvis, in the same way that your spinal cord runs through your back.  While your spinal cord doesn't provide structural support, our armature uses the same space to lift up the object.

Once we have everything else together, we set the skull into place.  The skull arrives in disarticulated pieces; teeth are always shipped pointing upwards for their safety.  We have to be careful we don't cut our fingers as we gently place the final parts into place. 

                                                      Afrovenator abakensis.  Roar!

Would you like to see this exhibit in person?  Giants: African Dinosaurs is on display at the Delaware Museum of Natural History through February 26, 2012. 

On Lousy Pictures and Patterns

For someone who loves the sunlight, it is totally bizarre that we live in a windowless apartment.  (really.  there are only sky-lights. it's hard to explain).  That, in part, explains why the following picture is so awful:

Also, our floors are not that filthy; we live in an old warehouse.

The sweater (aka, the important part of this post) is one of Punsir's holiday gifts; the pattern is Ranger, knit in Plymouth Tweed.  He picked the yarn and pattern, so it's not precisely a surprise, but no modeled shots until after he officially gets it.  Until then, let's chat about the pattern, shall we?

I don't mean to slag on Jared Flood; he makes beautiful photographs, writing so lovingly of knitting, wool and design.  He's got a great thing going- and good for him- but his patterns drive me mindbendingly insane.  This is the third of his patterns I've knit this year (the others being Brownstone, also for Punsir, and Peabody, which was published by him but written by Leila Raabe) and everytime, EVERYTIME, I swear I am done.

My issues with this pattern, in particular, and Jared Flood in general:

-The short rows.  They are everywhere.  And basically not necessary.  This is a raglan in a stitch pattern with vertical stretch.  There is no need for 32 different short rows.  I mean, SERIOUSLY.  I appreciate a well constructed pattern, but there's a limit. 

-Speaking of well constructed patterns, if you are going to devote three paragraphs of text to "how to line up the yoke," those three paragraphs should probably be ACCURATE.

-And speaking of accurate: if someone adds FIVE INCHES to the body, they should not still come in under yardage. 

-That five inches I had to add to the body?  Why?  WHY?  If you are designing sweaters for men (and the tagline on the pattern is "Men's Textured Cardigan" is kind of grammatically dubious if you parse it), those sweaters should at least approximate the size of men-people.  I get grumpy about heteronormative sizing- like Koolhaas, where a "woman's" is small and a "man's" is large, but if you are going to get on that boat, do it.  The length of a 42 inch chest sweater should not be 15 inches.

-I get where Jared (I should call him Mr. Flood, since I'm getting nasty, I guess) is headed: a "blueprint" with the finished dimensions, a slick layout (when on a computer), loads of pretty pictures of hipster boys in knitwear, but can we think about the knitter for a second?  And more specifically: the knitter's printer.  Mr. Flood's patterns are so prodigious of ink that he might own stock in Canon.  Why all the extra lines?  Why all the colors?  Yes, the patterns are pretty to look at, but the security permissions of his patterns are set such that you cannot print them in black and white.  RAGE INDUCING.

-Lastly, do not say "increase in pattern" when the pattern repeat and the increase number do not work out.  You will make a knitter angry.

 So, basically, I'm done.

No.  Really.  I mean it this time.

Just In Time

To be completely irrelevant.  I finished this sweater for Punsir in April, when it promptly got to 110 in the shade. 

Away it went.

Now that it's sweater weather, I could get him to stand still long enough for pictures.

 

The pattern made me want to take up another hobby (like, say, banging my head against a wall) and the yarn is a pilly, pilly mess (Miss Babs Yowza! in Vlad's- a color that Punsir picked.  I know, right?!) but he wears the dickens out of it. 

Would I make this again?  Absolutely not.  Why? You know what men who are almost six and a half feet tall have?  Really, really long arms.

 

Which is obviously why I am making him a long sleeve cardigan for the Holidays.  Smart girl.