March 31, 2004

Seaming party!

6:00 p.m., France time. Why, it's a seaming party!
[Pops open a bottle of champagne.]

No procrastinating over seaming my son's raglan sweater for Easter! And I started just in time for an evening ap�ro, which takes place at 6:30 p.m. if my husband doesn't have a graduate class to attend. No class tonight, so that means I get to enjoy a kir while seaming. Cocktails + seaming + chatting husband's ears off = seaming party.

To double the fun, this sweater has raglan sleeves, which were entertaining to knit (in spite of all that 2x2 ribbing) because the raglan shaping - done via double decreases worked over several rows - was fun to do. I love how the decreases look in the ribbed pattern:

Texture, texture, texture!

After seaming: Knit the collar and sew in a zipper. I think I'll need another kir for that one.

Speaking of texture, I'm still puttering around in the kitchen in search of a chocolate chip cookie that tastes like the ones I grew up eating. In my latest endeavor, I followed my visitors' tips and added more flour, used sweet butter and chilled the dough. The cookies have the texture of a moon rock, but mmmmmm boy. They tasted damn good and were pretty much what I was looking for. We definitely got a winner!

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23 comments to this entry:

Champagne, cookies, seaming parties, man, what a wonderful life! Sweater looks fantastic, can't wait to see Captain Destructo in it.

[Jackie on 31 mar 04 @ 08:30 pm]

Very cute! I've never done raglan sleeves - it looks like fun!

[Julia on 31 mar 04 @ 09:00 pm]

That sweater does look like a lot of fun to knit, and certainly looks great, too. Oh, how I wish I could get my hands on a Kir right now! At 3.34 pm EST, not very likely, though. And, oh, how I wish I were done seaming my baby nephew's sweater! Happy to hear the cookies are working out ... how's that felted necklace doing? Oh, and merci infinimment for the two-needles-size trick. I ALWAYS purl looser than I knit, and will use my new Fluffa! trick on my next project.

[Valentina on 31 mar 04 @ 09:36 pm]

Becky, do you EVER put off doing anything? If it were my son's Easter sweater, it would still be clinging to stitch holders on Good Friday. But that is why I knit things for children and then have to hold on to them until some other child gets a little bigger and I can intersect the growth curve. (Works out well as long as you aren't the oldest kid in the pack!) Love those clever ribbing decreases. Call it the Kir sweater; it's almost the right color.

[Evelyn on 31 mar 04 @ 10:00 pm]

I've never known anybody to knit as fast as you do! Those needles of yours must smoke, you go so darn fast! Raglan looks great, and don't worry about the zipper. It's only ever as scary as you let it be!

[Leisl on 31 mar 04 @ 10:52 pm]

Ooh, the cookies look yummy! Now I want to make some! Oh, and good job on the sweater, too, of course. ;-)

[Kat on 01 apr 04 @ 01:14 am]

Yay, I can see the photos! That sweater looks so beautiful. I can't wait to see the bunny boy dancing around in it.

[Mariko on 01 apr 04 @ 01:37 am]

oh i so enjoyed those Kir when I was visiting France, somehow they are not the same in the US. I love the color of this sweater! perfecto for Easter. A tennis friend makes thee best chocolate chip cookies and she told me that butter makes them harder & marjarine makes them softer -- she used 1/2 of each & I'm tellin ya, yummy to the tummy. Not sure if you have marjarine in France -- ingredients are usually so pure over there. try it in your next batch & see if they are a little easier on the jaw.....

[janet D on 01 apr 04 @ 03:55 am]

I love how the decreases worked out with the ribbing in that sweater. Very neat design elements. And there are definitely lots of reasons for champagne today ;-) Thanks for all your help today!

[Theresa on 01 apr 04 @ 06:52 am]

To loosely paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, "Now that's a decrease!" What a well done design. Part of my undergraduate admission essay was my "Pursuit of the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie" as one of my major hobbies. Am still convinced that got me into Berkeley, they got the munchies yah know...

[Silvia on 01 apr 04 @ 07:32 am]

Those raglan decreases are so perfect - I wish I could fit into them myself! Can't wait to see the finished article. There's going to be lots of matching red ribbing in your house, what with your son's sweater & your Audrey!

[Sarah W. on 01 apr 04 @ 08:55 am]

I do love how that ribbing is worked as it is bound off. What a great detail. And that's my kind of seaming party. All the right elements for successful seaming. Also, I must ask what you do to get such clear, crisp pics. You can always see the perfect details that you knit up. Is it a matter of daytime photo taking or do you just have great lighting? The cookies look delicious. Pass the milk, please.

[froggy on 01 apr 04 @ 11:40 am]

Becky, One of my high school friends, Mary, lives in Italy. Whenever she visits her family in Ohio she packs a suitcase full of bags of chocolate chips and everything else she needs to make those cookies. I think it's the only "american" thing she makes. Maybe your relatives can send you a care package.

[roseanne on 01 apr 04 @ 12:47 pm]

Nice texture, beautiful raglan! One question: Do you always take your kir... royal? I want a seaming party too. Bisou.

[Marie on 01 apr 04 @ 12:57 pm]

When you come for our party (someday), you must introduce me to this Mr. Kir. I think I would like him, very much. ;)

[Rachael on 01 apr 04 @ 03:16 pm]

Those cookies look right to me! Exactly like the ones I grew up with. mmm, cookies.

[Amber on 01 apr 04 @ 05:09 pm]

I'm in love with those decreases! Alison 'heart' raglan shaping in 2x2 rib.

[alison on 01 apr 04 @ 05:22 pm]

What a lucky Captain! HBomb hasn't gotten anything as grand as a sweater. Mostly socks, slippers, hats, and mittens. Although, I'm thinking of knitting that alien and spaceship for him for his birthday. The chocolate chip cookies look so yummy too. I'm unfamiliar with Kir or Kir Royale. I know it's a drink..how do you make yours?

[Chelee on 01 apr 04 @ 06:47 pm]

Yipee! I am happy to hear some of the suggestions worked. Those definately look like American Chocolate Chip Cookies. :) Nice sweater too.

[Kathleen on 02 apr 04 @ 12:18 am]

ooOH - that's looking really really neat! I love the color and those nifty cable-type decrease... I can taste the champagne from here!

[Alysia on 02 apr 04 @ 02:27 am]

Thanks, everyone! Froggy: I'm glad you like my pictures! Except for resizing, I don't do anything to my photos which may be why they remain clear. Hee! I have a pretty good camera, and that helps. I photograph my knitting on neutral backgrounds using high resolutions, and I take photos during the day. Marie: I try to go for the "kir royal", but sometimes I "cheat" by using cremant instead of champagne. It's the same thing, just from different regions. If it tastes like a kir royal... Chelee: Check out one of my favorite sites, ffcook.com. There are all sorts of authentic French recipes there, including one for the aperitif!

[Becky from fluffa! on 02 apr 04 @ 04:33 pm]

everything looks so damn good and yummy, don't think i'll ever be as elegant as that in sewing...or knitting...but i'll try.

[Orli on 04 apr 04 @ 05:01 pm]

Hi, This is the first time I have visited your blog and I have spent nearly the whole afternoon browsing through it, you are a very talanted knitter! I'm from Australia and although things are improving we don't get the same variety and quality of yarns that you get in Europe or America, I'm always very jealous of the selections you have available. Love your work.

[Katie on 05 apr 04 @ 09:46 am]

March 31, 2004

Seaming party!

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