Knitted Slipcovers

Saying that makes people look at you a little funny. I've learned to ignore it, but I suggest you practice shrugging when you plan a project this big, because believe me, you'll get some pretty odd looks. I personally like to keep in mind the fact that no project is too ambitious if you crave the result enough. I think there was something about that over at Mason-Dixon Knitting (link on side bar, and I strongly urdge you to take a look) a few days ago, which is probably the only reason that it's in my head.

I've got about half of an inch of my slipcover. That's a lot better than yesterday. Maybe tomorrow I'll break one inch, but don't hold your breath. I personally kind of like having this big of a project. It's like baking bread (which I did today) you just feel better for doing it. Depending on how sick of this thing by the time I'm done (probably about ready to choke myself with it.) I may even add a cushion to the cover. This ain't exactly the most comfortable chair, and could use a little padding.

But my plan of action is to simply cast on at the bottom of the chair, and knit till I get to the seat. I'll put that on a holder and wait till I'm ready for it. Then, I'll knit a strip that's as wide as the top of the back, pick up stitches all around it, and then knit till I get the to the seat. Then I'll graft the back of the back to the back of the legs (follow that?). Then I'll work on the front of the seat to the front of the back, and then graft there. The sides of the legs will be bound off, and sewn to the sides of the seat.

This would be a lot easier to understand if you could see the hand gestures that I make while I do it.

What's on my needles?

A much better question would be what isn't on my needles. I've got a lot on the go, but yet it feels like I've got nothing. All the projects, except one, are at the stage where they need a little counting, a little TLC and a little caring. I'm a little short on all those things at the moment. I'll do it, I'll just mutter bad things while I do it.

Anyway, here, in list format, you have my knitting. (Heaven help you.)

1. Finally, the knitting slipcover is on the needles, almost. Earlier today, I sat down and in a 45 minute episode of Buffy, I was only able to cast on 280, of the 350 that I need. I still can't believe this. I just can't. I can't believe that I need 350 (Well, I can, I just don't want to. I am going to cover 70 inches around). It's just unfathomable that I can't cast on 350 stitches in 45 minutes. I thought I could cast on ANYTHING in 45 minutes.

Tomorrow probably, I'll do a detailed post about my plans for this . . . bigness. That way, you can point out to me that it uh, might not have any relation to reality. I'll be lucky if I live to tell the tale at this one.

 

2. A pair of socks that haven't been seeing that much action. I work on them now and then, great for car knitting. I have to do a little counting so I can figure out where to put the toe. I need to get on these, I can't have too many pairs of socks.



3. The sweater that never ends. I'm actually working on this, and it's the one project that I don't have to count. I really am liking working on this thing, something that I never did before. I'm on the back of it, with one front and one sleeve finished. The sleeve cap doesn't look like it will really, uh, fit into the cap for it, but I think that is normal for set in sleeves. I'm prepared to fix and/or fudge it. This sweater might actually end. Not anytime soon, I started this thing in like June.

4. The Baby Surprise Jacket. I don't think that I've ever not had one of these things on the needles. Or at least it kind of feels that way. I still haven't sewn the (TWO!) seams on the other one, but I'll do them both at the same time. Don't ask me why, but I think it'll be a good way to put this thing to rest. I still love the pattern with this odd and deep love, but to be honest, I'm getting a little sick of it. I'm considering making the adult one (four times the knitting, four times the fun!) but that will be . . . later.

I want to do some color work soon too. I mean like Fair Isle, thought those mittens the Yarn Harlot is churning out seem to look pretty good as well.

What?

Okay, so you know the sweater below, the one that I said I liked a little. Well, I've change my mind. A while ago, I decieded that I didn't want to keep looking at it in the state that it was in. So, I just did a crochet steek up the center, chop, chop, chop. I have a cardigan. I'll post pictures of it once I get up the gumption to sew in a zipper, and can find someone to take a picture of the sweater.

Other that that, I really am not knitting anything now. I'll probably pull out a WIP and let it have a few hours of attention till I feel that I'm ready to start my forray into knitting upolstery. (I swear, I thought that this would be a bigger idea than it was. I tell people my plans and they just look at me.) I just swatched for it, and I think that I'll even that swatch. It's one thing to get bitten by a sweater that's to big, but when you're doing something as crazy big as knitting a slipcover, you need to watch this kind of stuff.

I take back that whole not knitting anything at the moment. I am working on the Baby Surprise Jacket. But that is out for a few days for two reasons. One, I have to count. Two because I have to pace myself on this thing a little. It is a Knit-A-Long after all, and I'm blowing them out of the water. I want to finish first, but I don't want to finish too soon. It doesn't help that I knit fast, and this was really the only thing I worked on for several days and nights.

 I've got some mindless socks on the needles because I like to keep them on the needles, but I hate to use those for my main, go-to knitting, it feels like I'm cheating. So I'll probably pull out the sweater that never ends, and maybe help it get a little closer for to that end.

It also dosn't help that I've got a really restless feeling. About everything. Writing, knitting, reading, all of that feels slightly off. I don't know why, but the only thing that really feels right is spinning. Of course, having to re-write a >60,000 word novel by the end of March means that I'll have to hunker down a little, whether I want to or not. I will, I just won't want to. I think I need to go for a long walk.

I think that I may even want to get startitis.*

*To non-knitters, this means that you have the inexplicable urge to start and finish a whole bunch of knitting. I usually hate it, but I think that it would be good for that restless feeling if I channeled it into something. Sane people would tell me that I should get out a little bit more, and maybe get those knitting books off my desk.

Is that a sweater?

Today was going to be about what's on my needles, but well, night before last had other plans. I finished up a little sweater that I had on the needles, and now it feels like a lot less. Maybe a few days worth of knitting and then I can move on to THE BIG THING. Now, I really feel like I could start it, but I'll wait a day or two. (That and because I'm spinning Alpaca.)

But I finished a sweater two days ago, washed it today, and on the third day I present it to you, and the reasons why I don't really like it.

Though I do like it more in this picture

It makes me feel frumpy though. You know what I mean. I've lost a lot of weight, and I really haven't been able to adjust myself to it yet. This would have been great for the pre-weight loss, but now it's just to big. This is odd, given that I made the pattern up to fit. The main issue is the sleeves, which are too big. If I was feeling really energetic I could rip them out, and then decrease more while I knit them. Yeah, I'll get right on that. Just as soon as I finish licking the kitchen floor clean.

I'll wear it for a while though, Maybe it'll grow on me.