The first pattern goof has been found! I take full responsibility.

Here's what the pattern says:

Right Side Panel

Row 1 (RS): Sl 1, work 8 sts in pattern, pm, ssk, work 10 sts in pattern, double decrease, pm, work 10 sts in pattern, k2tog, pm, work 8 sts in pattern, k last st.

Here's what it should say:

Row 1 (RS): Sl 1, work 8 sts in pattern, pm, ssk, work 8 sts in pattern, double decrease, pm, work 8 sts in pattern, k2tog, pm, work 8 sts in pattern, k last st.

I'll be updating this entry if anyone finds any other errors.

Ohmigod, you guys, I sold a pattern on Etsy! Because I opened my shop and didn't tell you. Hmm. But I sold a pattern! To a woman in Australia! International commerce!

Here it is.

It's currently named Miss McKnittington's Friend, because I still think it's cute and a nod to a favorite of Victorian literature. And that's very me, no? I need to write some copy yet for the profile and junk, but I've sold something! Go me.

Now everyone should go buy a pattern or a pair of cuffs! I need to buy my sister a blender. Or a toaster oven. Possibly I will also remember to put Bubba's name on the gift tag.

sora50, I think the fact that my sister is marrying someone whose nickname is Bubba should remove any doubt that I'm not Jewish.

*plays fanfare*

It is done. After a ridiculous amount of time (it feels like), I have the pattern written and the pictures edited. And now I will show you the pictures and provide a link for you to download the pattern. And then I will do the same in knitting and steamfashion. (Sorry, friends, who read both.)

Yes, I'm wearing a white silk scarf and a leather coat. Why? Because sometimes I can't help myself.

Vital Stats

Yarn: Recycled from a wool/acrylic sweater. It has 10 wpis. A good substitute would be 1 skein of Cascade 220 or 2 skeins of Elann Peruvian Highland Wool.
Needles: US 8 / 5 mm
Size: One size, which should fit anywhere from a 21-inch to a 23-inch head (Version 1 will fit up to a 24-inch head comfortably. I was saying 25-inch for Version 1 before, but I tried it on my brother, who has a 23-inch head, and there wasn't enough room to go that big.)
Knitting Time: 6 hours or so

( Pictures and info under the cut )

Download Bombshell Betty, Version 2

I think my next goal is to either find a styrofoam head to photograph hats on or to find a willing model. I'm so tired of taking pictures of hats on my own head. I just keep finding flaws in my face. Like when did I get such dark circles under my eyes? They never go away. Always there. Blah.

I posted this on steam_knits last night, and didn't get quite the feedback I was expecting. I don't really want to change the post enough to get feedback on knitting (what with the no-crossposting rule), so I'm posting it here in hopes that you guys can offer more insight.

Yarn: Salvaged from a sweater. It's 80% wool/20% acrylic, I think. It's felted a bit, and has a really nice texture when knitted up. It's on the heavier side of worsted.
Needles: Size 8 US/5 mm
Size: For my head (22"), but it stretches a lot, so I would say it fits up to a 25" skull
Pattern: Made up by me in a very scientific manner
Linkage: Ye Olde Ravelry Page

( Let's just pretend these were taken in an airship somewhere and not in my bathroom )

OK, so it's pretty cute right now, but what I'm fussed over is the decreases on the side panels. I feel that it might look better if the center triangle was wider, and the two columns of garter rib on the sides were narrower, so that the point where all the decreases come together was lower down -- closer to my jaw. The double decrease column has to stay where it is -- radiating from the crown -- because that's the one that makes the side panels curve right. The apex of the curve has to be on the crown. I'm concerned, though, that if I make the bottom panel of garter rib narrower, that it won't cup the bottom of the head right.

Plans to improve it:

-- try a stitch with a smoother texture -- that pretty much leaves stockinette or stockinette-based lace or King Charles brocade, maybe?
-- shift the decrease columns so that the center decrease section is wider and therefor longer
-- try moving the edge of the cap forward so it comes over my forehead
-- taper the center panel in the back so it cups the back of the head more

Anybody have an insight or opinions they want to offer?

I'm having a wibbly moment. I have the pattern for the cog cuffs all ready to go. It looks pretty, everything's clearly explained, but I'm wibbling. I can't decide whether to go with the very straight-forward "Cog Cuffs" for a title or the slightly more punny "My Sweet Cogette". Cogette = coquette, you see. French, flirty, and fun! Possibly also freaking stupid, hence the wibbling.

So, which should I go with? Cog Cuffs or My Sweet Cogette?

Guess what I just found when I went to look for the yarn leftover from my Thermal sweater? Purple yarn! Alpaca/silk from Elann, leftover from the stole I knit my sister for Christmas. It's fingering weight, unfortunately, so I can't use it with the frilly mitts, but I can make something purple.

Yes, I using up my stash. Because the odds and ends from other projects are taking over my bedroom. It's kind of scary.

I completely spaced on time while knitting tonight, and somehow ended up knitting for two and a half hours without taking more than a five minute break. Stupid "League of Their Own"! Being such a good movie that I lost complete and total track of time.

In that time, though, I got the bulk of the knitting done on the second frilly cogwheel cuff. I would say it took me about two and half hours to knit to the picot bind-off, and that time includes eating dinner. Unfortunately, it took like half an hour to do a third of the picot bind-off, which means that binding off is going to take nearly as long as knitting it. Why, O cruel world? Why?

All this knitting means that either tomorrow is going to be a no knitting day or a pattern writing day. I wrote out the charts for the cogwheel frill cuffs* after dinner, and I realized that their construction is a lot more complicated than I thought. The skills involved include: knitting in the round, knitting on DPNs, lace, reading from charts, two different decreases, picot bind off, and ribbing. Some of those are really basic ones (knitting in the round, DPNs, ribbing), but I know that reading from charts and lace really scare some people. I just sort of whizzed through the first one, despite ripping the whole thing out two or three times for gauge reasons. It was kismet? I dunno. Like most things I do, I feel like I could probably have worked harder on them, but I can't find anything to change, even given my directional decrease goof-up that I ended up liking.

Anyway, I have knit another (very simple) fingerless mitt, and I need some input on it.



Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: Size 4 US

That above is the prototype, but it's the first picture I wanted to show you, so there. Click on it for a bigger picture.

( Mitts with two color frill )

( Cogwheel cuffs in action )

Er, yes. Look at all this knitting that has suddenly appeared.

_{*These so need a better name.}

Here's my preliminary frilly neo-Victorian cuff, all pinned out and blocking.



It's pretty big -- a little smaller than a dinner plate. The frill on it is a full circle with a picot bind off. It's knit from the cuff down in an eyelet rib on small needles, and then for the frill, I switched to larger needles so the fabric would be drapier.

These are intended to be worn under a jacket or bodice with long fitted sleeves. They keep your hands and wrists warm, and give some frilliness to what can be a severe silhouette. They're good for early autumn or when spring is still cold.

( Details under here )

So, what does everyone think?

OK, so I just did a search on "boot jack" on Google, because I need to know more about tightly fitted riding boots for my own purposes, and this video was the first thing to pop up.

Canadians. Who knew they were so weird?

My fish turned out very well, I think. I ended up baking it with bacon and onions and shallots, but I think my recipe needs some tweaking.

( Ingredients and assembly )

What can I do to improve that? I think it needs something to lighten/brighten it up. Lemon juice? With bacon? I don't know. Lemon juice and fish is so boring. Maybe it could go salty and sweet. So something like marmalade or an orange glaze?

It was pretty good, but not all it could be. More vegetables? I could take a cue from the recipe I linked to in my last post and bake it with sweet root vegetables.

How delicious does this sound? Cod fillet, wrapped in pancetta, and served with pan roasted carrots and shallots.

That would also be good with sweet potatoes or rutabagas, I think. Both have natural sweetness.

So. Damn. Hungry. Must think of something to do with cod fillets for dinner. Mom is frying everybody else's, but I don't eat deep-fried fish, so I'm in charge of my own. I usually just bake it in the oven with a dab of butter, pepper, and lemon juice, but I'm contemplating wrapping it in bacon and baking it with shallots and onions, and then sticking it under the broiler when it's done baking to crisp the bacon up a bit. Does that sound like a go to anybody else?

ETA: Must make some day. I will be the only one willing to eat it, but I bet it will be delicious. Ooh, spicy fish! Traditional Italian cooking!

Has anybody used the duchesse satin from Fabric.com? Is it chintzy looking or does it do the "ooh, it could be silk" thing?

Has everyone seen this site?

From Piecework, November/December 2002:

Les Petites Dames De Mode (The Little Ladies of Fashion) is a collection of more than fifty scale model mannequins, each 29 inches (73.7 cm) high and costumed in the intricate fashions of the Victorian and Edwardian eras that were created by John R. Burbidge (see "Redesigning the Past," PIECEWORK, January/February 2000). Their website, www.lespetitesdamesdemode.com, includes information on the merchandise related to the collection and schedules of lectures by Burbidge and exhibitions of the mannequins. The ladies are on display through November 2, 2002, at the Fairfield Historical Society, Fairfield, Connecticut.

OK, obvious that information is out of date, but the website does have pictures of the mannequins. They look pretty amazing. There is a book, as it appears that no exhibits are planned in the near future or are currently ongoing.

It's only raining on one side of the house? WHAT?

Seriously, weather, you're being real wacky today. It's been dark like it's going to rain since noon, and now it's only drizzling on the south side of the house? I guess I didn't need to run around like a loon closing windows when the wind kicked up.

And now it's not raining anymore, and it's really close. Like it has been for two days. It even rained last night, and it only cooled down for maybe two hours before it kicked back up again.

Not looking forward to August.

Does anyone think this hat is sufficiently 1920s enough to work as a garden hat? Here it is on Ravelry.

It is kind of cloche-like, but it is a modern pattern and it's crocheted. Has anyone run across any crocheted cloches from the 1920s?

I'd probably end up using mercerized cotton for it, since that's easily accessible around here and I like the shine. The Drops Paris that is suggested is cotton and is listed as aran weight on Ravelry, but the hook size is only 3.5 mm/size E, which is a little small for aran. The Garnstudio site says it's worsted, and that sounds better.

Ah, man. I want a tambour stand. A hoop with legs. Eighty bucks? This one's only $28, but still. It's a wooden hoop with legs.

I've got find some popsicle sticks so I can rig up one of my own. Or something like that.

I need a hobby that's free. Reading doesn't count. And neither does cursing the weather.

Dear friends who have much more sewing experience than me (so pretty much everybody on my friends list),

What do you recommend for lining silk satin? (Oh, yes, we have decided on a fabric and my impatient sister is raring to order.) I think for the pattern* we're using, it doesn't need to be too substantial. So it's not like I need to break out the silk organza and cotton twill. I definitely don't want to use the terrible lining fabric they have JoAnn Fabrics, which would be like flinging holy water on a vampire (or a vampire on holy water, maybe?). All the bridesmaids dresses I've bought have had some variation on a lightweight poly even weave -- the good version of the hideous lining fabric.

Would a firm cotton be good enough? The skirt's unlined, and if I needed to line it for body, I'd flatline it, so I wouldn't need to worry about the skirt moving over an underskirt.

Hang a tick, my Vogue Sewing Book says that silk organza is a good lining fabric for silk satin. What say you, best beloved internet friends?

_{*Rachel agreed that bras were good ideas.}

I'm not the only one who sees something wrong with this dress, am I? I'm thinking of attack_laurel's narrowly avoided boob wreaths. (Blue and white dress, people who aren't me.)

So, I have the Summer 2008 issue of InStyle Weddings, and while there's a lot of fug in it, there was something in the etiquette section that just made me grumpy. I'm just typing it out because I don't feel like paraphrasing.

( Not all of my guests sent me gifts! Waah! )

Is it just me, or does this operate on the assumption that every guest should and will give a gift? Now, I know it's usual for a guest at a wedding to give a gift, but it should absolutely not be assumed that they will. The role of a wedding guest isn't a potential giver of gifts, but a loved one who is there to help you celebrate your marriage. That's it. They're guests; you're the host. It's especially not right to think of the expected gift as an "admission fee". I'm not saying that this answer does, but there are people who have that mindset.

There's also an ad in here that features a model in a Victorian corset worn backwards while feeding tulle through a pedaled Singer. AGH.

I think it's silly to get all tetchy when someone doesn't bring a hostess gift to a dinner party. I mean, a bottle of wine or dessert is a nice gesture, but I never invited someone to my house for dinner because I was angling for booze or chocolate. It was always because I enjoyed their company (and I hate to eat alone; handicap of growing up with a large family).

I just measured my swatch for Bella Pacquita again, and it's shrunk. Maybe it wasn't completely dry yet when I measured it before? Whatever. It's now at the stated gauge for the sweater: 18 sts/4 inches.

That's really annoying because I already cast-on for the bodice of the sweater. I did, however, make extra chains in my COWYAK provisional cast-on, so I can pick up extra stitches.

What will this swatch do next?

I just measured myself to see what sort of adjustments I'll need to make to the front bodice of Bella Pacquita. The length of the front bodice from the shoulder to the bottom is 12 inches. The distance of that measure on me is 14 inches, which translates into 13 rows that currently aren't in the pattern.

Here are my options:

1) Work two inches on the bodice before starting the shaping at the neck and side seams.

2) Just work it as is; hope for the best.

3) Knit a larger swatch, wash it and let it hang with weights on it to see if the cotton will stretch monstrously once on. (I don't think it will. The yarn started out as a sweater from The Gap, and it was very resilient.)

4) Figure out how to work short rows for the front. *screams* Math . . . Unless two inches is too many short rows for such a little empire bodice.

So, knitting friends, what do you think is the best option? Anybody have experience with short-row bust adjustments in cotton?

While I wrote this, I ate a salad composed entirely of vegetables from the garden. Leaf lettuce, spring onions, and icicle radishes sliced into coins. Yum! I'm thinking about grabbing another spring onion and just chowing down on it, because they are that delicious straight out of the garden. Or more radishes. (Yes, aesiron, radishes.)