Part #5 - #17 Vogue Knitting Holiday 2008 - Lace Cardigan

Yesterday morning, following the first Snow storm to hit Pennsylvania, I was greeted by this view from my deck.

Two huge limbs literally were almost sliced off my Bradford Pear tree. Ugggh! I turned around and went back for another bolt of Java.

and decided, that it was best to walk the dogs in the front yard. I had things to do...and just could not face the mess in the backyard.

And that was just the beginning. I want to say here, the coffee was one of the highlights of my day.


I decided to trade some stock, got stuck in a position, and literally willed it to finally go back up........and just as I hit my profit point, and go to click the sell button..........my computer seems to have no internet connection....

I turned it off and on, but, no help. I am freaking. go to call the broker, and NO PHONE either...LOL! It is 3:30p and the market is closing....and I WANT OUT OF MY POSITION BEFORE it is closed.

I finally get a broker on the phone that wants to lecture me......while he does the stock plummets 35 cents.......yes, out of the profit, I sell and wake up this morning...to find the stock opened at ...15.50 about $2. 35 higher than what I sold at......Was fate trying to tell me something ....?

With the tree, I knew what to do.....go out the front door....and forget about it, enjoy the morning...with the stock I forced the issue........and lost out big time......$2, 350. to be exact.

Money I could have used....big time! Lessons surround us every day...if we learn to accept ....as opposed to forcing our will over our world.

In any case, next was comcast.........to reset the cable modem.......move the table to stand on a chair.........and what is there? A DEAD BABY MOUSEY!....too frazzled by that time to scream..and hey who was gonna hear me........the cable tech guy in DELAWARE...LOL! Grabbed the pooper scooper...great tip....and got rid of the mouse....

fixed phone and internet. It is now 5:30p, should be in the shower getting ready for the knitting guild meeting........outside, trying to figure out how to make a pathway through the giant limbs for the dogs and I to walk in the back yard....till 7:30P. No guild meeting....worked on the nemisis, left sleeve..........half way done after frogging the entire sleeve. Have the fronts and backs sewed together and the right sleeve is sewn together. I am nearing completion of this
Lace Cardigan from HELL! Hopefully, by tonight....it will be off the needles and awaiting finishing touches.

I am thinking of using a crochet lace border for the front edges and bottom edges. I am also seriously contemplating using satin ribbon.......for the ties. I do not like the I-cord ties....just not pretty enough for the sweater. If I finish the sleeve this evening. I will post the photos in a separate blog post.

Anyway, my day today was much better, made a nice profit in the market, and knit when I grew tense. Now just have to figure what to do with the mess outside.......

Here is a great Xmas gift to buy for family and friends......I found this today when I was shopping around. What a fabulous idea.....with the high cost of razor blades today......



wishing you a fabulously warm evening.......filled with the clicking sound of your needles.....
SMILES to YOU,
DC

Part#5 - #17 Vogue Knitting Holiday 2008- Lace Cardigan

First, this is how the correct Chart C pattern looks when knit properly. It is nice.

This is a photo of my right sleeve after

blocking. I used Charts A, C and B.

I used Charts E, D and A for the left

sleeve below......

sorry about the photos...

they reflect my mood,

depressed!

Here is the left sleeve blocking in all its mistaken glory!

Uggggh....there is a mistake in this sleeve, that I just noticed while blocking it........

DO you see it? The Line in thelower third of Chart D of the sleeve...which, is most of the knitting that I did on the sleeve TODAYYYYYYY!

Do I hear FROGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG?

This sweater is my nemesis, it has a life of its own........it hates me, it is torturing me.....LOL! I actually looked at it...for 10 minutes, then got a glass of scotch...I figured I needed something extra strong to take this in...hoping that a couple of sips, might make it look better. It did not work.

This means the Lace Cardigan from Hell, is going to have to be ripped back and instead of doing ebay this evening, I intend on finishing this sleeve, if I have to stay up all night to finish this up. UGGGGGGGH!

Here's hoping your knitting went better than mine this weekend,
Smiles to you,
DC

Part #4 - #17 Vogue Knitting Holiday 2008 - Lace Cardigan

Well....I am just finishing the last Sleeve. The left sleeve. I got to the cap and there were more errors in the instructions. I am finished writing Vogue. They should pay me for tech editing this pattern. Someone should.

Here goes.

The right sleeve says Bind off 4 or 5 stitches twice, then dec 1 st each side on next row, **then every other row 5 times.** 30 sts left size small

the left sleeve says the same.........except ....from ** then every other row 4 times." 28 sts size small. ( my math gets me to 32 sts left size small.....but, hey what do I know, I am unemployed....)

Don't even ask me who does their math for them........they are hopeless. I would think that after I wrote so many comments to Vogue, someone would have gone through the entire pattern with a fine tooth comb. Obviously, NOT!!!

and I decided I am not working for them for free. So this error notice is only found here.

I am going to use the right sleeve decreases as written for the left sleeve. It looks good and like it will fit. The right sleeve is blocked and looks good. I am praying to the knitting gods, that this sews up with my adjustments and is wearable after all this angst.

The funny part about this project, is I started it as the stock market began crashing, for some stress relief and none was to be found. This project has been sheer hell!!! Just hope it was worth it. I do like the yarn, it is fabulous and highly recommend it.

Wishing you a wonderful sunday evening,
Smiles to you,
DC

Konoponop Designs Jewelry Is NOW on Sale.......

Announcing for the first time ever, Konoponop Designs Original Handcrafted Jewelry is available for purchase on the worldwide web.

Please visit my ebay store to see my Handmade Original Designed Jewelry. It is all sterling silver .925 except, for the cast items which, are over .950. This higher fine silver content makes the silver less prone to tarnish. The fishbone earrings are an example of a cast piece with the higher silver content.

This is the first time I am selling my jewelry on the net, so it is a new experience for me. I have always done the juried fine arts and crafts fairs, in the past, but it is such unbelievably hard work to set up the booth and set up and take down the jewelry every night, I decided to try this in its place.

Sorry about the photos, this is not my art medium and jewelry is one of the most difficult things to photograph. Forgive me, I have!!! LOL!

I will eventually take custom made orders from my blog, after the holidays are past. So if you are interested email me at konoponopdesigns@comcast.net or feel free to leave me a comment in the comments section, I will respond the first chance I get.

If you click here you will land in my ebay store. I only have a few pieces up at the moment but, more will be going up throughout the weekend and next week.

Please do not hesitate to make a best offer, if you are interested in something.

On knitting news, I am half way done the left sleeve of the Lace Cardigan from HELL! I will be happy to get this off the needles and sewn up....and listed as a finished object. I am getting near the end of my patience with this garment....which, should be no secret if you have read the previous posts.

Happy friday to all....and wishes for a weekend of knitting bliss.......

Smiles to You,

DC

The POOL IS CLOSED............

one day later. What a mess, the wind was blowing crazy today. It was cold and damp. The pool was covered in leaves, it took an hour to remove them and just as I finished, the guys arrived and more wind did too. It took three hours to finish it up and get it covered.

YIPPEE!!!

No more pulling leaves out of the pool for the rest of 2008!

Summer is officially over, everything has been put away for next year....it always leaves me a bit sad....as I know, it is also means we are now heading into the final days of the downward spiral into darkness. The toughest time of year for me getting through the shorter days with short sunlight hours.

Until the 21st of December, the next 60 or so days are brutal.....til Winter Solstice begins....because from there, each and every day we are one day closer to springtime....and knowing that gets me through the cold but, ever lighter days of the winter months.

Time to light the fires in the fireplaces and sit down and knit, knit and knit some more......

Wishing you all a wonderful fall........evening!
Smiles to you,
DC

Part #3- # 17 Vogue Holiday 2008 - Lace Wrap Cardigan

The leaves are falling more heavily in Bucks County now...and it is growing too cold in the evenings for open windows. Saturday I actually used my electric blanket and got out the winter PJ's. It is coming.

Friday I spent the day one with my leave vaccuum. I can not say enough...about this tool. It is my favorite. Of course, just my luck as I got the backyard finally leave free...and bit of a storm blew in. One hour later, it looked as if I had not done anything.

Okay the water is a bit green....Okay very green...It needed chemicals.....it got them. In fact going out now to put more in there. It is very important to close the pool with NO ALGAE evidence or you will have a scummy pond next spring.

The pool is closing tomorrow......can't wait till they arrive....pulling the leaves out every morning is becoming a major chore as well. One more morning left. Yippee!

I love to keep it open as long as possible, for the waterfall. It is way too cold to swim now....and budget can not afford to heat the pool during these very, very cool fall evenings. So I don't.

Made some progress on the Lace Wrap Cardigan from Hell.....I finished the right sleeve and it is blocking. Sorry no photos yet. Started the left sleeve today. I changed the patterns used on the right sleeve to…. A, C, B.

I heard from lisa at vogue….here is another change they made from my reported errors:

The right front says use patterns D, B and E. The photo shows Patterns D, A and E were used.

While completing the right sleeve, I found another re my earlier comments about chart C, being wrong, and now understand why I read Chart C wrong....again consistency, magazine editors, PLEASE:

Chart B says "SK2P"- BUT MEANS = you pass over a k2tog.

and Chart C says "sl1 knitwise, k2, psso the k2 " = in this chart, you pass over a K2.

Personally, I do not see in the info provided, the difference lisa claims I should have seen. DO YOU?

The meanings look the same to me, albeit Chart C's is written out….BUT ARE DIFFERENT. So i will write to her tonite…to ask her to note this somewhere on the vogue errata pages…I think Chart B should say: SK2togP to make this difference CLEAR!!!

She did Not agree…but asked her to write to teva about, my belief the shaping on the front decreases for the small should be modified like the extra small…….otherwise the bottom weight throws off the top and causes too much stretching in the front part of the armhole after blocking. The weight is just too much for the 12 stitches remaining. I have not heard back yet.

Here is what I wrote to Vogue:

Since, I last wrote.... I pulled the fronts and back off the blocking pins and pinned the seams...

First off my blocked pieces measured correctly. My gauge was PERFECT! It fits well if about 1 1/2 inches are taken off the two fronts.

If I shorten the front arm holes then the bust measurements work. This is lace, so it grows when it is weighted and it just so happens these particular stitches grow long more than wide, when they are weighted...

I hope you are following me.... we are now going from a garment lying flat to one that IS HANGING ON A BODY.....it's principles will change.

The interesting thing is that the bottom below the narrow twelve stitch top part........keeps perfect gauge after pinning and so did the back... and when hanging on my body or a hangar.

What I think is going on with this design:

Is when it is assembled...NOT LYING FLAT...but on a body..... the weight of the front bottoms are too heavy for that twelve stitch wide upper armhole fabric section and because these particular stitch patterns have a propensity to elongated with weight....and this would happen more with narrow fabric than wider fabric....hope you are following me.

IN THIS SIZE ( small )...this PATTERN does NOT execute well from drawingboard to actual functioning hanging on a body garment.

....The front bottom pulls too heavily on the front armholes elongating them more than the back does to that part of the armhole.....capische?

So to be a good design....it either needs wider fabric in that upper armhole area...to prevent the more intensive stretching ( which will result if the front neck decreases are less steep, ie. not every other row )....or the armhole rise needs to have less height for the fronts...to compensate.

I just ripped out an 1 1/2" of both fronts....and it works...plus I hung it on hangar to and with the adjustment...it creates the perfect measurements.

I have been knitting since I was 4 years old......incessantly...for 47 1/2 years...at a certain point
you can tell when a pattern will not execute well, as you knit it. I knew there was going to be a problem with the front armholes....due to those 12 stitches from 63 stitches.

From 12 stitches at the bottom to 63 at the top...NO PROBLEM, weight is not an issue....but reversed..it is too much weight hanging from those 12 stitches...IN ANY WOOL YARN, which will stretch. That is why I suggested the decreases were too steep for the small and should be changed as teva, did do, with the extra small size. talk to teva....

You won't have a problem with the larger sizes....the weight is more evenly distributed....because
there are more width stitches left on the upper armhole........in proportion to the weight at the bottom.

Note this is without the sleeves attached and IT IS POSSIBLE that the sleeve seam might compensate and stabilize the armhole stretching but, probably NOT ENOUGH and WILL still result in a problem on the outer bottom.

I started left sleeve tonight and modified pattern Chart E, as follows:

I just did not like the pattern, which is the only purl pattern, in the group.

I reversed it…so I knit where you are supposed purl and my bobbles are purled instead knitted.
(p1, yo p1, next row K3, next row p3 tog : to make bobble on knitted background.)

I like it much better with the rest of the sweater. I am hoping to finish this sweater by the end of the week. I am also thinking of adding a crochet border to the bottom and neck edges....rather than leaving it plain. But, will decide this after I sew it together.

I can not wait to finish this project....because, it has been so frustrating... it is my sheer willpower that is keeping it off the UFO heap.... I am totally focused and praying to the knitting gods, for no life interruptions before the knitting is complete........or else...I just know it will be a UFO for life!!! LOL!

No ebay additions so far this week, because of this Cardigan. Hopefully, I will have the chance to post some later.

Wishing you all a Happy Monday........and the powers that be on Wall Street too. Lighten up guys, just a bit!!!

Smiles to You,
DC

Part 2 - Vogue Holiday 2008 - #17 Lace Wrap Cardigan

Okay, I'll admit it.......I have some humble pie to eat....from yesterday's post. The good news is I was not entirely wrong. I got a response from vogue knitting today. Here it is from Lisa Buccellao @ Vogue Knitting:
"There is an error in the RS/WS instructions, beginning with Chart B on the Back. The corrections are copied below:

Vogue Knitting

Holiday '08
#17 Lace Wrap Cardigan
photo on pg 79, instrux beg on pg 113

BACK
Beg chart A

…K 3 rows, ending with a WS row.

Beg chart B

Row 1 (RS) P1, work 5-st rep 12 (14, 16, 18, 20) times……..

Armhole Shaping
…K 3 rows, ending with a WS row.

Beg chart C

Delete P 1 row, beg with Row 1 of Chart C.

RIGHT SLEEVE

Beg chart B
Row 1 (RS) P1 (1, 1, 0), work 5-st rep 6 (6, 7, 7, 8) times, end p1 (1, 0, 0, 0)……

The symbol in Chart C is not a double decrease but a single decrease, as the sl st

goes over the 2 knit sts, and these 2 sts are not a k2tog. ----Lisa B"

OOOPS.....and big double OOOPSSSSSSSSS...

I stand corrected. While that symbol looks like a k3 together symbol........IT IS NOT! When I went back to look at it and carefully read it, IT DID SAY, Knit 2.....NOT KNIT TWO TOGETHER.

Turns out I was right about the WS/ RS problem ......even though I finally decided that was my error not Vogue's.... and was wrong about the Chart C error. LOL!!!

I am blaming it all on the banking crisis....and the fact my 2007 tax return is due tomorrow and I have not started to fill out the form! I ran out of extension time! LOL!!! I do this every year...my inner child does not like to do taxes....and there is just no reasoning with her.

I also wrote to Lisa, about the following other questionable issues with this pattern:

1. The right front says use patterns D, B and E. The photo shows Patterns D, A and E were used.

2. The armhole decreases for the fronts....and the back are different. Is this intentional or an error?

For the small size, I did 7 additional decreases to end up with the 12 stitches. 8 times would give me 11 stitches.

3. I also questioned the decreases at the neck edge, which I am concerned are too steep. In the extra small they suggest the last 8 decreases should be done every 4th row instead of every row.

I will await Lisa's response before, I post the solution here.

I did finish the back and the two fronts and decided to block the pieces. I am concerned that the decreases on the front neck edges are so steep they will not even cover my boobs and I would hardly say I am overly endowed!

I am fairly certain both back and front will need to be frogged and started over. Do you believe with all this, I had the guts to start a sleeve, without lisa's further response?I am definitely frogging my Chart C, it is too lacey against the other stitches used.

And another piece of good news out of all this mess.......is that I do like the lace pattern created with my corrected Chart C as described in the October 13th post.......I think I will use it to design a scarf or sweater. It really looks great blocked. very interesting. I wonder if I created a new stitch pattern....is that possible? Or does this have a name?

Here are my further modifications for the sleeves. I just do not like them as they are shown in the photo....so I am using these patterns. For the right sleeve, I am using Chart A first, then C, which I do not have a photo...because I did not read the chart properly, and panicked prematurely. Did I mention that I hate knitting charts? LOL!

and then possibly Chart B.

For the left sleeve, either Chart D or C, then E, A. It differs slightly from their photo. I just think pattern stitch E is too solid next to pattern stitch D. I do not like the look.

Sorry, about the not too good photos, but the best I can do in my blocking room which, does not have good lighting. Also please excuse my foot....I should have at least been wearing a nice pair of handknit socks......LOL!!!

I am determined to finish this sweater, for some reason unbeknowst to me....even though it is a prime candidate for the UFO heap! Wish me luck. Only the left front is dry, the other two parts are still damp. I am sure the armholes are way to deep on the fronts and are going to require frogging. And I am definitely going to frog My Chart C and Do Chart C correctly, now that Lisa, was kind enough to point out my inability to read knitting charts correctly.

Oh and that is another point. These charts are read all rows, left to right. Not left to right, right to left as knitting for dummies suggests. Honestly, there needs to be some standardization of symbols used and method for reading these knitting charts if they are to be useful.

I am going to rename this pattern on ravelry Lace Wrap Cardigan from Hell!

Wishing you a great evening....

Smiles to You,

DC