The Sweatshop of Love Blog

Love

Cute Sleeves!

Yes, we finished on a rough note, but yesterday afternoon I finished the twelve rows of my left sleeve. I don’t want to toot my own horn here, but seriously? Seriously. Could this sweater be any cuter? I love the two different stripe colors. I love the collar. I love the sleeves! I love how it makes me look really skinny. I’ll be working on translating my notes to actual pattern form very soon so it’s fresh in my memory, in case, horror of all horrors, I have no idea what my notes mean. There are a lot of arrows on that sheet of notebook paper and it might kill me to have to deconstruct to figure out exactly what I did.

Next up? Using this basic pattern to write a cardigan pattern. Same needles, same yarn, just long sleeved cardie.

(Glances up at pictures) I’m feeling pretty confident that I can do it!

So I had to stop knitting my sweater and knit my grandma a hat. I had this hat in mind from the 2008 Holiday issue of Vogue Knitting that I really wanted to try. Very complicated looking and intricate with the cables and ribbing, and it will all be lost on my grandmother. In fact I can pretty much guarantee that she won’t like it. So what is the point? I want to knit it.

Grandma's Hat

I always say don’t knit for non knitters, and if you do keep it simple. I’m going against my own rule in this case because it is just a hat, it will be a beautiful hat, and I’ve never knit a tam before, but I don’t think I will look good in it, but I want to knit it anyway. I might as well have someone to knit it for, even if it is someone who won’t appreciate it, or even probably like it.

One Down, One to Go

I did finish a sleeve of my sweater, though, and it is turning out really beautifully. I also went ahead and bought the yarn for my sweater dress. More Carron Simply Soft in dark red. I am an idiot, though, and thought I needed 29 inch size 4s, but I already have them! I don’t remember ever using 29 inch size 4s before. I hate 4s! They are tiny! I thought for sure I would need to buy one.

While I was home I got to scope out my mom’s sweater. Please keep in mind that this is her FIRST sweater. First sweater ever! And I practically had to scream at her until she started it. I forced her to buy the yarn, I forced her to realize she understood the pattern.

Mommy Back

And now she has a beautiful sweater.

(cute cameos in that picture? Oliver my puppy, and PT in the kitchen)

Mommy Front

The left front still needs a button band, but look at how great that looks! My mom rocked it out! I’m exceedingly proud.

Mushroom Sandwich

On a completely different level I’m also exceedingly proud of this sandwich. I don’t like slimy veggies and therefore never order veggie sandwiches when I’m out at restaurants. Why can’t the veggies not be slimy? PT and I sauteed up some onions, mushrooms and green pepper and put it on homemade bread toasted in the oven with a few slices of melted pepper jack cheese on it, with sliced tomatoes. Not remotely slimy, ridiculously delicious and easy cheesy. So what the hell every restaurant in the world? Do this and watch the happy people line up to pay you $6 for it.

I can’t help but wonder, though, why everything that comes out of my crock pot ends up looking exactly the same?

Potato and Vegetable Curry (too much cumin seed)

Well it was bound to happen. And I know that I almost did it before, but…

but…

But it might be time for me to knit a dress.

I blame my mother, actually. She got me looking through all these old magazines I’ve collected over the years; I’ve got stacks and stacks of Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting Magazines and Knit Simples. She wants to knit a vest after her first sweater success. (I don’t make this shit up! My mom wanted to kick me out of her house when I wouldn’t her knit anything but a sweater. She yelled. She hit me a few times. And now? Now the woman can’t get enough. Pictures to come.)

So I’m glancing threw magazines and I come across this cute little dress. I flip by it because it is a dress and not a vest, but I keep thinking about it. I go back to it. I look at the pattern. I have my reservations – the skirt part of the dress is knit in a very annoying K1P1. Not as annoying as seed stitch, but you know. But the cowl is pretty. The sleeves are pretty. It would look really cute with tights. I could knit it in Carron Simply Soft.

But it is a dress? Who knits dresses?

The Sweatshop of Love knits dresses. So bring it on. As soon as I’m done with this:

Bottom Done!

I’m about to bind off the bottom section! I think I need one more skein of the Homespun and one more skein of the Carron Simply Soft in Blue, but I can get that this weekend and then see where we are. Its cute, right? I like how the Homespun stripped subtly. I love the blue with it! It is going to be a cute one.

This weekend PT and I are jetting off to Michigan for the weekend, before my weekends are spent sweater knitting with you all on Sunday mornings and my mom starts calling me to say that she forgets what I look like. I hope to get some good car knitting done. Because, and I hate to say it! but I’m excited about the dress. Gah!

Oat A Licious Bowl O Fun

And you know when I’m getting anxious for warm weather because I start throwing fruit into everything. Here is oatmeal with frozen peaches, grapes and cherries, oranges, raisins, almond slices and a sprinkle of brown sugar. If I squint I can’t see the snow on the ground and can imagine eating this fruity bowl on the back porch in my sweater dress.

Yay!

Done! It is slightly bigger than I would have liked, like maybe 10 stitches around too big, but other than that I’m in love.

Pretty

Not that I’m complaining, by any means, but of course I finish the sweater and it decides to be 65 degrees. But I’m going to wear it soon! It is very warm and soft and will be perfect for another two months, I’m sure.

Since finishing the sweater I’ve been working very hard on Valentines presents that I’m almost done with. I don’t want to ruin the Valentines Day surprise for anyone (PT and Mommy), I’ll save the pictures for next week. I’m also fashioning a class around what I’m making! Stay tuned.

I feel like I spent the entire weekend in the kitchen! Slaving over the crock pot making chili and curry.

Veggie Pot Pie

We knocked it out of the park with an impromptu veggie pot pie on Saturday night. I made a quick pie crust, and we threw in all the vegetables laying around in my fridge with a can of cream of celery soup. Don’t let the portion fool you! PT and I ate all but two pieces that night.

Toy Class tonight! I’ve got to print some patterns and get needles ready. I think I’m going to start knitting my Fitted Knits Sweater that I was supposed to knit for sweater class, but that I’m going to get a head start on. I love it and am excited! It has taken everything in me to get these Valentines presents done and not just tackle that sweater. Pictures to come! I ended up getting some fun yarn at Joann that I’m excited to show you.

Ok class time! And now all I want is a huge pot pie to stick my face in.

For a girl who used to spend 8 hours in front of the computer Monday-Friday, I’ve had a rough time these past few days! I transferred domain hosting sites, I redirected my Sweatshop email, I canceled my old hosting service, I built my website, I set up a new blog, all using a Mac! A computer I have no idea how to use. Basically, I was so lost these past few days I didn’t even know enough to form intelligent questions to help me. I yelled. I cried. I swore. I scared my cats. But here I am, at the end of day three, with a working website, a working email, and a (hopefully) working blog correctly linked to my working website. Whew!

Since I quit working the 9-5 I haven’t spent this much consecutive time in front of a computer. Or, in front of two computers! PT’s Mac and my old lady. I just had a misspelling and tried to Mac-double click. That might be a sign that I need to call it a day and Hulu me some Kitchen Nightmares and work on my sweater.

Coming Along!

I’ve been working at a pretty good clip. Somewhere with the yarn overs and k2togs I messed something up, but I’m just going to go with it. I was looking at the picture in Vogue and the lacework looks nothing like the picture to begin with so it might be a pattern issue. Which is irritating.

AMAZING Colorwork!

I still can’t believe I did that. I hate changing colors and doing elaborate shit like that. It turned out so nicely! Anymore and I would have thrown it out the car window on the way back from Michigan Sunday. That is about my limit, no matter how good it looks.

And, because I can’t blog without talking about food…

Potato Stew

I crockpotted this potato stew up Monday overnight. It doesn’t look like much, but it was very good. I had some creamy potato soup in mind, though, so I will still be on the lookout for that crockpot recipe.

And, it has been long enough. Knitted Happy/Sad Poo pattern is coming right up!