can you r2?



another tiny tank (from Phildar's Summer 2003 catalog), in Rowan's R2 paper yarn

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The r2 saga is finally over! I fixed her and finished her, and she's everything I'd hoped for. I love the fit - the extra added ease is a nice change from my usual snug summer knits. There was some concern that knitting the r2 paper yarn down on US7's (the patterns call for like US11's) might make the top too hot, but the ribbon feels cool against my skin and that added ease leaves the top nice and breezy. I mostly followed the Phildar tiny tank pattern (from their Summer 2003 catalog) with modifications for my different gauge, but added the ribbing at the bottom, 'cause I've seen this paper yarn roll like a, well, you know. There's still some rolling in the back, but I think it looks sexy - I can handle being a little more naked on the back (no stretch marks back there!). When it came time to add the ties, I decided to simply use the ribbon yarn itself to make straps. The front ribbing wanted to poof out a little (a problem that I also have with my chickami), so I decided to run the ribbons from the shoulders through the ribbing and tie them together in the center. Not only did the solution work, it gives the whole tank a sweeter, more feminine look. Yay!

Conclusion: I can r2. Who knew?

sewing r2 back together again

sewing on the giraffe patch

I jinxed myself. I told the universe that "barring any unforeseen difficulties," I'd have my r2 tank done this weekend. Hello unforeseen difficulties.

r3?

It all began so calmly, I was knitting along on the back with the yarn I had left over from the front. Then, when that ran out, I knit for a bit with the leftovers that Jenn gave me. Then, my new ball arrived from The Knitting Garden, and I knit away with that. After about 4 inches in the new yarn, I noticed it - a stripe where I had used Jenn's yarn. I hadn't noticed any color difference the whole time I used it. And I didn't notice any difference when I started with the new ball. I think it was the change from daylight to indoor lighting that really made it show up. Well, I couldn't stand it. There was no way I was going to leave it like that. So I decided to remove the section knit with Jenn's yarn and graft the top and bottom sections together.

I undid the join and slowly picked out the loops, separating the sections. Can you see the faint stripe caused by the different dye lot? After a few hours, I had all the different yarns separated. Then began the long, tedious process of grafting it back together. Since the R2 is like a ribbon yarn and folds over on itself as you're knitting it, it doesn't lie perfectly flat and produces a fabric with some texture. I thought this would make it a good candidate for grafting, since the grafted row didn't have to match up perfectly with the other rows. Any unevenness would fit right in with the rest of the knitting. But still, it was a pain grafting with the ribbon yarn. Since the yarn wasn't being held with the same tension as when being knit, it wasn't folding in the same way. Long story short, I'm having to go back anyway, adjusting every other stitch to match the look of the original. And I'm still working on it.

make me whole again

Knitting on the go. We've had so many lovely summer days and spent so much time on the playground recently, that all my projects are packed in little ziploc baggies ready for transport. I'm like some crazy knitting junkie with a two bag a day habit!

In the bag today, the r2 tank. Keeping on track for my goal to be wearing it instead of carrying it to the playground next week!

I've seen the previews of the new Rowan magazine and am anxiously awaiting its arrival. Until then, I've got my R2 tank to keep me happy. I've just begun the back (don't know why, but I did the front first).

I've got another ball of the yarn on its way to me from The Knitting Garden and Jenn gave me some leftovers from her paper hoodie, so barring any unforeseen difficulties, I could have this tank done for the weekend! Especially if B keeps helping me.

Trip knitting!

I took the Acela down to NYC and knit the whole way down on my R2 tank. I stayed with the idea of making another tiny tank and solved the naked issue by knitting the R2 paper yarn down on US7's. I didn't want this tank to look exactly like my other tiny tank, so I added some ribbing at the bottom and about an inch in ease for a looser fit.

I like it. I really do! I'm excited about this tank now. I'm gonna need another ball of the yarn, but I think the final result will be pretty cool and well worth the trouble of hunting down more yarn.

You might recall that I have naked issues and am trying to come up with a way to use my R2 paper yarn without it being so naked. I decided to see if I could make another tiny tank. I figured that with the yarn doubled, I could get a relatively opaque fabric. So I brought it to Knitsmiths and recklessly cast on. Good news: no big holes and the stitch definition is great. Bad news: after knitting about eight inches of the back, I had to admit that the piece was not only too stiff and warm with the yarn doubled but too small (the thick stitches caused the piece to cinch in a bit). Well, that's what no planning will get you! Back to one strand and the drawing board for me.

PS - No pictures. In a fit of frustration, I immeditaly ripped and rewound, erasing all evidence of my embarrasing failure.

I thought I'd gotten out all my issues, but apparently not.

Issue Five: I can't knit lace. Well, I probably could, but I wouldn't ever wear it. I keep thinking that I'd like to try something lacy (like this top from Vintage Knits) and then when it comes time to knit it, I wimp out. It's the idea of having to coordinate and wear something underneath that seems so weird. If I'm already wearing something else, what's the point of this other thing?? I'm just not a naked girl - I'd like my garments to make me feel dressed.

I came to this realization when swatching up some cool R2 paper yarn that Kerrie sent me. I love the feel of the yarn, but it knits up with large, loose stitches and these designs are pretty gosh darn naked. Any ideas what a non-naked girl can do with R2?

Issue Six: Here's a good one for a change. I'll admit it - I like to seam sweaters. No, I love to seam sweaters! I just can't get enough of those neat, even seams coming together. I've even done finishing work for other Knitsmiths (remember?). And I really do enjoy weaving in ends, as long as I can weave them into the seams. With maggie, ava and the phildar baby sweater all at the "finish" line, I realize that I'm really excited about it. Seaming - yay!

Now you really think I'm crazy.