Amira's cropped hoodie is technically finished. It is knit, seamed, ends woven in, and steamed. Amira likes it, too. The top shot is her getting ready to go to ballet class. However, I'm thinking of undoing the bind off on the edging and adding a couple/few more rows to make the ribbing deeper and extend the hood a little, since I have enough yarn to do at least two more rows plus the bind off. What do you think?



Besides that, I am permitting myself to work only on my NaKniSweMo project, Driftwood, three design ideas I'm working on for self-publication, and seaming Cross My Heart this month. Have you heard of NaKniSweMo? I hadn't until last year, I think. It is much like NaNoWriMo, which challenges writers to write a novel of at least a certain number of words inclusively in the month of November. Only for knitting an adult sweater (or any sweater which has at least 50,000 stitches). My choice, which is not that large a sweater, is around 95,000 stitches, and I'm using one of my Magnolia Society sweater club shipments. I had a slow start on Sunday, with our festivities, but thought I was doing pretty well to catch up last night, at least to a point where I could catch up enough by Wednesday or Thursday - I'm aiming at knitting around 3170 stitches a day, which works out to around 14 - 18 rows a day, not that bad. I chose a sweater knit in one piece, at a larger gauge, five stitches to the inch, with only one closure and minimal finishing, to give myself a better shot (see the Cross My Heart, which has been awaiting seams for over 10 years). It actually seems doable when seen like that, but this photo is of where I was last night when I realized that I had made an error seven rows back that wasn't easily dropped back to to correct, so not only am I still behind, I am behind-er than I was. I stopped at that point, because I didn't want to stay up tinking, or threading a needle through the row seven below to frog. Perhaps a fresh day and a good night's sleep will get me further today.

There is only one error in the pattern, it says that a certain decrease reduces two stitches when it reduces (and should reduce) four, and there is nothing in the instructions even indicating where to put a closure, let alone how to do so. I'm using a lovely carved bone button that is made to look like a sea star. It was really pricey, but beautifully made, and I went back and forth on it, finally deciding that for one button, I could justify it. If I had needed 10 buttons instead of one, the buttons would have cost more than the yarn and the pattern book I bought put together. When Rich heard that, he said he was going to learn to carve bone and sell his work on etsy. I'm only making minor changes to the pattern. Based on others' recommendations, I am doing more aggressive waist decreases and, like I said, I'm moving the position of the closure to the waist from the neck. I think that's it, but I'll make note of any changes on my project page.


Swatch for Amira, which needs testers in about a month.
I will be needing testers in late November for a woman's, sleeveless shell. This requires seaming, but only two seams, one on each side. As you can see from the swatch, it involves texture and simple lace. The pattern requires standard chart reading skills, ability to increase and decrease, make yos, knit in the round, and pick up stitches. Right now, I'm working on my own top in a deep red. There are no specific brand requirements for the yarn, simply a DK weight yarn that knits up at 5.5 stitches per in in stockinette (the gauge for the top will be about 5.25 spi, but I want a yarn that will drape well at that gauge). I'd like to have at least two testers per size: 29", 34", 39", 44", 49" finished bust. Yardage requirements are calculated for each size, respectively, as: 790, 900, 1000, 1100, 1225 yds. This is still an estimate, however, so I recommend getting an extra skein of whatever you buy, or if you are using stash, making sure that you have an extra ball's worth of the yarn. I'll want you to join a Facebook group for testers, if you are able, but will strongly request a Ravelry entry, tagging me in it, and a link up when the pattern is released. The specific details will be given if you take this on for me. I will give the finished copy of the pattern to testers when the pattern is released, a percentage/amount off coupon to my Ravelry Store for those who complete the test, and a coupon for a free pattern for those who provide photos and link up to the pattern page. If you are able to do this, please contact me. Here's the weekly reminder to like Arabian Knits Designs on Facebook, if you haven't already. That's where I put updates and testing opportunities and other design news. Thank you!

Amira and I are still reading The Sanctuary Tree, the family is still reading The Restaurant at the End of the Universe in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 25th Anniversary Edition together, and I've only picked Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe up once.



Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Family, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, NaKniSweMo, Yarn Along