Black Olive Is: In The Loop

Rogue: FO (Finally)

Ok, people, here it is. Not only is it a picture of the (finally) finished Rogue, but also a picture of "yours truly."

I realized a while back that I'd never actually posted a picture of myself on the blog. So, there I am -- warts and all.

Don't say I never gave you anything. ;-)

Here's a shot of the back:

The pictures were taken by a very kind co-worker in our photo studio on the "down-lo" during lunch. Hehehe. Somehow, word got out that I'd knit the sweater I was wearing on Casual Friday (I LIVE for Casual Friday people, so please don't mock me...), and it resulted in a massively embarrassing display at our weekly update meeting.

In any case, I'm pleased with the results. The fit is just as I'd expected.

Here are the specs:

Pattern: Rogue by Jenna Wilson of The Girl from Auntie

Yarn: Cascade220 #4009 (100% Peruvian Highland Wool, 100 grams/3.5 oz. 220 yards)

Needles: Size 8 Addi Turbo Circulars

Modifications: I knit the 43.5" size from the bottom up to the start of the armholes, then switched to the 39" size for the bust and sleeves. I decreased 8 stitches at bustline before beginning size 39" in order to maintain accurate stitch count for the smaller size. Also, I eliminated the cable knot just under the armscye to prevent the increase set-up which completes the body shaping of the larger size.

Things I'd do differently: Shorten the sleeves a bit. They don't really bother me because I like them long, but I think they'd look better just a tad shorter -- say, two inches? Also, I'd make the armholes and sleeve caps a tad snugger (is that a word?). While I like all the ease and will most likely appreciate it when I start wearing it with turtlenecks and other assorted garments -- I think they could stand a 1 inch reduction.

Now that I've knit this once and tackled all the challenges, I feel like knitting a second one will be a piece of cake. So, I plan to start a cardi version in a nice heathered red using the same Cascade220.

But first, The Christmas Knitting...

Rogue: They Grow Up So Fast, Don't They?

They grow up so fast, don't they? [sniff, sniff]

Every time I dunk a handknit in the tub, I have a tiny little heart attack. I know as I'm knitting that I'll eventually have to let it go and throw it in there to be soaked and expanded -- but it never gets easy.

Is it going to grow to epic proportions? Is it going to betray the washed swatch? Is it going to run? Will all that knitting be for naught? (Did I just use the word NAUGHT? How old am I?!)

You really never know.

Here are some shots of the pieces pinned out and drying. I left out the part where I'm sacked out on the bed nursing my back from all the bending over and obsessing over getting the shape "just right."

No one needs to see that.

You'd think this would be the part where I could relax. The part where I excitedly wait for things to dry so I can finish it, already. Instead, this is the part where I completely second-guess everything. Things always look much larger when they're all pinned out this way. I can never tell if they'll bounce back a bit, or how it'll all be when the pieces are assembled.

This whole blocking business is not for the obsessives or the faint of heart.

In any case, the sleeves only took about a day to dry -- if even that. Here is a nice detail of the border which surrounds the cable:

Since the body was knit in the round, I had to turn it on it's back for another day of drying. Also, I waited until the cables were almost dry and moved them over for a light blocking to bring out the detail around the cable row. They seemd too bunchy and puckery (are those even WORDS?) and this seemd to help bring out the visual triangle of the space alongside the cables themselves.

As it stands now, I unpinned the cable "bat wings" and the whole thing is now loosely laying on the towel as the back dries.

It seems to have pulled in a bit and isn't looking as huge as it did when pinned, so I'm holding out hope that this may actually fit me and won't look like a very fancy blue potato sack. If things don't work out, it'll be a gift for my Mom and I'll knit another for myself -- which SOUNDS bad, but really isn't since this was such a fun knit. Plus, I'll know exactly what to do next time if these modifications don't work out.

While waiting for Rogue to dry, I managed to finish another WIP which I hope to get out of the blocking queue tomorrow as I spend the day seaming Rogue.

Phew!

Rogue: The Knitting, It Is Done.

Look people! That there is a soft mound of knitted fabric pieces just waiting to be blocked, sewn, blocked some more and finally...WORN.

Yes, it's true. Rogue is finally at the end stages of it's Life as a Project.

Tonight I head over to Target to pick up a nice soaking tub and some other odds and ends (a Nerf gun for our Nerf Wars here at work...hehe), and then it's home to begin the blocking process. Woo!

Here are the sleeves in their pre-blocked form:

I also plan to steam block the seams after sewing to ensure a nice smooth line.

Of course, we all know what this finishing business means...NEW PROJECT!

Actually, I already have something in the works which I placed on hold in order to work on Rogue. I'll be posting about that tomorrow. Also, I'm eager to finish my Backyard Leaves Scarf and Granny's socks.

Granny's feet are still cold, people!

What Scarf?

I know, I know.

Before anyone says anything, I KNOW I have two socks, a silk scarf and Rogue on the needles already. I KNOW I had this whole "resolution" a while back about trying to stick to only one big project before starting another of the same complexity. I KNOW I really don't need another project right before holiday gifting season.

But, but...

I couldn't help it, ok!

I LOVE this pattern and have been eyeing it since I first purchased the Scarf Style book. And, like Rogue, it was just too late in the season to start another scarf, so I put it off for this year.

PLUS, did you people see the snow last week? Did you?

My neck was cold!

I figured I could just sort of, you know, sneak this in and no one would even notice. :-)

But I had to come clean -- otherwise, people would wonder "Hey, where did THAT thing come from?"

(Actually, I'm sure no one would wonder...I mean, who does that? Who wonders or ponders about anyone's knitting projects when not actually reading their blogs?)

I have to say, this is a clever little pattern. That edging is just, well, clever! I'm using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran on size 7 Addis and it is heavenly. LOVE it.

It's my first time with Cashmerino and I dig it so much I'd make a sweater out of it if it weren't for the pilling issues.

Now, just because this thing is almost finished when I only started it last weekend, doesn't mean that I haven't knit anything else.

Here are my Rogue Sleeves about a third of the way finished.

See how I have to justify the new project with progress on the older projects? I am truly a product of my guilt-driven culture. Hehe.

There has also been much progress on Granny's Bearfoot socks, but I'll just save that for another day.

Rogue: Joined at The Head

After last week's post detailing my newbie status when it comes to grafting things using methods other than your basic Kitchener and how I had no clue (due to lack of necessity) how to go about transitioning from a knit graft to a purl graft on the hood of Rogue -- I was on a mission.

I had all this ammo at the ready: my Montse Stanley book and a clear plan of attack for tackling this grafting challenge. But it was all for naught (do people still use that word? did I just say that? how old am I?). PumpkinMama came to the rescue by emailing a pointer to her website where, located on the sidebar, is a link to a Hood Grafting Cheat Sheet (I'd link to it, except it's a PDF download) specifically for Rogue. SPECIFICALLY FOR ROGUE.

Did I mention it was specifically for Rogue?

I know I must be WAY late to the proverbial game if a cheat sheet is in existence, so I apologize now for my "late-comer, newbie, grafting Rogue's hood" post. What can I say? I had projects to complete last year! Rogue had to wait and so this means that all my "discoveries" or "problems" are old news to all the Rogue veterans out there.

But that, my peeps, is how the cookie crumbles over your head. ;-)

In any case, this cheat sheet proved MOST helpful. As I worked the graft, I paid close attention to what was actually happenning and I realized that I'd almost figured it out the night before when I tried reversing the Kitchener stitch whenever there was a purl about to happen. However, I think I missed a stitch somewhere during all that experimentation because it ended up a bit skewed and I then assumed I was wrong to reverse Kitchener. Turns out I just made a small error and reversing Kitchener was the right course of action.

Live and learn.

But now, thanks to this FABULOUS cheat sheet, I not only have a completed hood, but a better understanding of grafting different types of stitches.

Thank you PumpkinMama. You saved me from a potnetial bad Rogue experience when, so far, it's been a pleasure all around.

Here is a close-up:

I have to say, the purl rows look great. The knit rows where the cables meet look a but bumpy compared to my first attempt which was close to perfect. I think ripping back the graft twice felted the yarn so much that "tweaking" the stitches won't get rid of the slight bump.

But, overall, I'm happy with it -- especially since it's my first attempt -- and I'm hoping that a good blocking will smooth things over.

We'll see.

I'm about half-way through both sleeves and am hoping to have them finished by this weekend. I need to wear this thing before Fall ends damnit! So, I'm just going to have to make time during the week for these sleeves...these weekend chunks of knitting time just don't offer the quick gratification I'm looking for.

There was "other knitting" this weekend as well as some stash enhancements which I'll be posting about throughout the week.

You know, just in case your sick of Rogue. ;-)

Rogue: You Learn Something New (Sort of)

As you can see, Rogue's hood is complete.

Well, almost.

What you see here is a failed grafting attempt after the fact.

You see, I haven't ever had a need to graft purl stitches. As a matter of fact, the only grafting I've ever had to do has been on the toes of my various sock projects. So, once finished with my first attempt at grafting, it was PAINFULLY CLEAR that something went awry.

I have to say, my cables and tension matched up perfectly. So, really, it's just a matter of figuring out how to graft purl stitches.

Now, after consulting my knitting reference library, I came to the conclusion that most knitting handbooks PALE in comparison...I mean PALE, people...to Montse Stanley's "Knitter's Handbook."

I have to admit, I totally ignored and poo-pooed this book for about a year. I'd go to the bookstore and see that "Reader's Digest" affiliation and just skip over it completely -- not opening it once.

Not ONCE!

This is so unlike me, it isn't even funny. I mean, I browse and peruse and browse and peruse my ASS off at book stores. I pick up EVERYTHING, no matter how insane or odd it may seem. So, why, WHY did I just completely ignore this treasure, this jewel?

WHY?

We may never know, but one thing is clear -- two things, actually:

1. It is BY FAR (I can't emphasize this enough), the best knitting handbook I've ever come across. It has instructions for 30 different cast ons , people. THIRTY! And THRICE, it's saved my ass when I couldn't find the info I was looking for anywhere else.

2. Grumperina is a font of information. A library unto herself. She is the one who prodded me to pick up this book despite my issues with the whole "Reader's Digest" thing (I think my issues may be rooted in too many bathroom visits where I've encountered it on someone's magazine rack...ew!). And MAN, am I grateful. Grateful, I tell you!

3. I am an idiot for exhibiting such snobbery and prejudice against the fine people at "Reader's Digest." So, I'd like to issue a formal apology here and now:

"I'm sorry 'Reader's Digest!' Please forgive?"

Ok, that was three things. I lied.

So back to the grafting:

After looking far and wide for info on grafting purl stitches, I finally found what I was looking for in the aforementioned book. Not only did it explain your basic Kitchener, but it also had instructions for single rib, garter stitch and basic rib grafting.

Did I mention how much I love this book (and really, you'd think I'd just go straight to this book -- ignoring all others after the second time it saved my ass, but NO, I keep holding out hope that I didn't waste my money on all those other "highly recommended" tomes)?

I came to the conclusion that this must be done with both pieces laying flat, top-to-top with a thin thread through all the live stitches -- otherwise I just can't figure out how to weave the thing together. I know most of you have probably already done this a million times and that my conclusions seem pedestrian, but please bear with me.

It takes a while, but eventually I get there.

Anyway, I gave up and decided to wait until I was fresh to attempt this again. But at least I have a plan of attack now and plenty of resources to back me up.

In addition to almost finishing the hood, I cast on for both sleeves -- also a new thing. I think working both sleeves will help with the psychological barriers to finishing that second sleeve.

I'm hoping. ;-)

Soon, my people, soon Rogue will be finished!

(I'm hoping...)

Rogue: Reunited And It Feels SOO Good!

Can you believe how long it's been since I've knit on Rogue?

Neither can I.

Sunday, I started feeling woozy and the craving for Rogue was intense. When I stopped to think about how long it had been since I'd basked in it's fiery glow, I realized it had been almost TWO WEEKS.

Two.

WEEKS.

See, the past two weeks have been jam-packed with work and life stuff. Some nights there was no knitting. At all. There was even a two day stretch with no knitting!

I almost never go a night without knitting. It keeps me sane. So to go more than one night was rough. On top of that, I had a few knitting obligations that took precedent and had to put Rogue aside for a while RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOVE FEST with this perfect pattern.

So, by Sunday night, I was in deep, DEEP withdrawal. DEEP. It was so deep that I actually thought about Rogue during the Dead Can Dance show on Sunday.

Now that's some deep-ass shit, no?

Finally, I caved. This weekend I decided to just knit what I was in the mood to knit -- otherwise I'd end up hating the other projects out of a feeling of obligation. And the other projects are also cool and fun and worthy of my attention, so hating them would not be good.

Knitting is the one thing in my little existence that is totally for and about ME. It's the one place where, creatively, I have total control. The one place that satisfies my need for tactile sensation when creating something. The one thing that keeps me even.

So, my policy from now on is to still knit things which people request, but to never (or as much as I can avoid it) allow the projects I'm experiencing "flow" with, dangle in a knitting limbo.

And so, I was reunited with Rogue this weekend, and MAN was it good! We cuddled by the window on my papasan while listening to (appropriately) Dead Can Dance -- which, I've decided, is really the perfect music for knitting Rogue.

As you can see, the front is finished. The neck stitches are on holders ready to be picked up for the hood, which I will hopefully begin this evening.

We're back!

Rogue: The Progress Continues

Rogue progress has moved along at the Black Olive household.

At this point, I have finished the back piece after dividing the front and back for knitting flat. There was a little bit of thinking at the end of the side cables when I realized I couldn't apply the bind-off instructions as written in the chart. Since I'd modified that area to eliminate the bust increases and transition into following the instructions for knitting the 39" version from the 43.5" version, I needed to make sure the cables would end up centered after the division.

Once that was worked out, it was on to the back panel.

I must say, this pattern continues to impress. The armhole and shoulder shaping is nice and smooth. No funky, awkward steps. The shoulders are shaped using short-rows and they look awesome (I didn't have pins at my disposal, so you'll just have to imagine it)!

Once the back panel was finished I began the front. Here's where things start to get even more exciting:

I'm pretty much in love with these damn cables.

Here's a shot of the upper portion as a whole:

Once the front portion is at the point where I seam the shoulders, I'll be trying it on for fit.

Wish me luck!

I don't know why I'm so motivated to work on this pattern. I think it's the weather. Last night, as I was walking around, I thought to myself "Self, Rogue would be the perfect garment to be wearing right about now. Get back home and work on it some more, Self!"

Is it wrong to already be plotting another Rogue -- the cardi version?

Even More Rogue!

I know it doesn't seem like it, but there has been significant progress on Rogue. I just completed the last round before splitting off for the armhole shaping and knitting flat.

It's pretty exciting. (It IS!)

I would be farther along with things were it not for the fact that somewhere on row 67, I realized that the 43.5" size I was knitting might be a tad large around my 36" bust.

Yeah.

I started with the 43.5" size because my hips are wider than my bust and I didn't want any cling -- especially since I'll most likely have jeans on when wearing Rogue. But, somewhere after the pocket, it dawned on me that 43.5" would probably make me look as if I were swimming in Rogue. I want it to be loose-fitting, but not so loose it looks freakish.

So, I consulted with the expert.

Miss Claudia is one Clever Cookie. SO clever!

She suggested that instead of beginning the increases for the bust area by including the fancy cable under the armscye (or, "armpit" for us lay folks), I should just ignore it and continue with the single cable.

Brilliant!

See, Rogue's waist shaping is all in the cable design. Once the single cable starts, everything decreases to about 41". And, since that fancy cable is under the "pit" (as I like to call it), you can't even see it.

I went one further and included one round of four straight decreases (a decrease of two stitches per each straight decrease) on either end of each cable panel to eliminate another eight stitches. This brought the stitch count to exactly 176 -- the number I should be at if, from this point on, I am to continue with the instructions for the 39" Rogue.

I chose the Straight Decrease because it seems to be the most invisible.

This is all just an experiment. Hopefully the fit will be acceptable. It won't have that slight hourglass shape. It'll be more like a slight a-line. But the whole thing is meant to be loose -- and I like my hoodies loose -- so I'm hoping it'll be ok.

As a result of all of this thinking, there was a bit of "tinking (sorry, I'm in a goofy mood...I promise it'll pass)." I couldn't rip because it would be a nightmare (for me, anyway) with those cables. So I had to tink back about 12 rows!

Not a task for the faint-of-heart. Luckily, I've gotten pretty quick with the tinking, so it wasn't as bad as I'd originally thought -- but I did lose precious knitting time figuring it all out and tinking back.

Here's a shot of the front so you can see the actual progress from the pocket on up:

The Rogue Knitting Adventure Continues...

More Rogue!

Never one to disappoint my peeps, I am happy to oblige Miss Grumpy with "More Rogue!"

Miss Grumpy was quite impatient that my Rogue progress post wasn't true-to-life and "requested" more Rogue goodness. Hehehe.

I have to say, it did feel odd posting that tidbit yesterday when I knew I was so much farther ahead. But daylight constraints and general malaise got in the way of a proper photo session. What can I say?

I'd rather be knitting. ;-)

In any case, I've received quite a few emails from Rogue Veterans who seem to be super-excited about my Rogue adventure. It's quite nice! I feel like I've embarked on a Mythic Knitting Experience of some kind.

Or something.

And, I have to say, so far, everything about this pattern has just clicked. Everytime I reach a new milestone, it is SO satisfying, I could burst!

It's cleverly written (many, many clever things about this pattern), unbelieveably thorough, the advanced parts are very easy to understand and -- I never thought I'd say this about a pattern (maybe about the act of knitting itself, but not specifically about a pattern) -- it's FUN.

Of course, I'm only about 1/4 of the way there (I'm counting the hood as an entire fourth because it's pretty hardcore), but so far it's been a pleasure -- so much so, that I can't wait to get home to knit it after work.

And, really, all knitting projects should be that way, right?

Here is a progress shot showing my fabo kangaroo pocket. I thought this pocket was going to be rough, but it was SO EASY. LOVED it!

Also, the hem is worked in twisted stockinette which reduces curling and makes it easier to seam. I think I may seam it soon and weave in the pocket ends so that when I reach the end of Rogue, it truly is the end.

All of this progress was made from a large chunk of knitting time this past weekend, some knitting on Monday evening and a few hours of knitting last night. Given how fast (or slow) I knit, I'm shocked I'm this far along.

Could it be that I may actually be able to knit a cardi version before end of Winter?