(F)inished (O)bject

FINALMENT!!! It feels so good to finish something. I might try and finish things more often :)

So here is the 40's Turban that I started in October.(Ravelry link here.) It is a Bestway pattern from the V&A archives. I used Knitpicks Shadow in a kettle dyed dark green. I bought 4 skeins and held the yarn doubled throughout. I knit 2 of these babies with the idea being that I would sew them together for a double layered extra warm midwest winter hat. But my head is too big for that so fail and I have 2 hats. You could easily knit one hat with 2 skeins and still have a bit left over.


This was pretty quick and easy to knit. You need to know knit, purl, increase, decrease and short rows. It was complicated enough to be interesting but boring enough to watch tv while knitting. I really like the yarn so far and don't have any complaints other than the fact that it is lace weight so balling it was a bitch. I don't own a ball winder or a swift so balling yarn is a bitch anyway. It is also a small project so easy to take with you. The pattern is not too confusing unless you think about it too much instead of just doing. There aren't any images or schematics either so you don't really know what you are knitting until you finish the first half. You wind up with 2 baseball cap shaped pieces like this:

You sew them together around the round cap part and then the ends of the "brim" together to form a loop. It is also the sort of accessory that once you put it on you don't want to take it off because (you look so damn cute!) it is kind of a process to put on. You put the cap part on your head and then twist around the front bands to make a "knot" and pull the loop over your head to the back. Best not to try this with a fancy hairdo. There is also a stocking stitch version that is constructed differently that might be less weird to put on.
I think the hat is a bit small for me. It doesn't stay on my head very well and doesn't quite cover my ears like I hoped it would. Not sure what I am gonna do about that yet. I think that could be easily remedied by using a slightly heavier yarn and going up a needle size. Maybe I will (gasp) frog all of it and knit another one with the yarn held quadruple through out. It is a quick knit so that wouldn't be so bad and it is becoming spring so there is time :) Now more work on the OD Henley I started 2 years ago!

something knitty...

I haven't had a knitting related post in awhile. My knitting is in a state of a very steady plateau. I have a core group of a handful of projects that sort of rotate in and out of my hands. This has sort of been the case for the past year or two. Occasionally a new small project will enter the bunch but I have been primarily working on the same few projects with out anything new for awhile. That includes buying yarn. I haven't bought yarn in awhile but I only buy yarn if I have project in mind for it (regardless if I actually make that project with that yarn or even at all.) I have a much larger fabric stash than a yarn stash.
I spent the night at one of my best friend's house a few nights ago and one of the things we did, well started, while her baby was napping was go through her knitting stash. She has a bunch of vintage patterns that she received from her uncle's mother in law. She didn't really know what to do with them because most of the patterns she either didn't like or didn't really think she would ever make. I suggested ebaying them. Keeping or xeroxing the few patterns she liked and selling the rest. Vintage is hot right now. She told me to take ones that I liked and I brought home these two:

I love the girls dress (made in the largest size as a tunic over leggings), the vest, and I am extremely intrigued by the bobble helmet and knee socks in the Blarneyspun booklet. The other booklet has some really wonderful late 50's cardigans as well as several men's patterns.

getting myself out there

So to help aid my search for the vintage patterns from VoNBBS and some others that I have found that just kill me with their beauty (like this one or the slim skirt I mentioned last week) I set up google alerts. I have mixed feelings about this because even though they are set to "as it happens" I don't really get alerted as it happens because it takes google a few days to search for them. This is particularly not helpful because the alerts I get are very rarely actually relevant to what I am searching for so when they are what I am searching for it is sometimes too late. I think the alerts are helpful when I am too busy to search everyday on my own. That being said I received my first google alert referencing myself!

Google Web Alert for: Advance Pattern 8425 slim skirt 1950's vintage

The Dart and The Hem: my vintage wardrobe...in patterns
I really liked the portrait neckline blouse and the idea of a slim skirt so ... (I am desperately in love with Advance 8425 but haven't any luck finding it ...

it is a perfect example of why i find google alerts not that helpful. I received the alert yesterday sometime and the post is a week old! But it made me happy in a different way (:

Update: Google does it again but this time in a more timely manner! I got this one a few hours after posting:

The Dart and The Hem: getting myself out there
By amy
Google Web Alert for: Advance Pattern 8425 slim skirt 1950's vintage. The Dart and The Hem: my vintage wardrobe...in patterns. I really liked the portrait neckline blouse and the idea of a slim skirt so ... (I am desperately in love ...
The Dart and The Hem - http://dartandhem.blogspot.com/

I think google just likes itself but I am wondering how long I can keep this up :)