May 19, 2004

I love me a good stripe pattern.

I really love a neat stripe pattern.
[Click me for a closeup of the fabric.]

The weather here has gone from dreary to downright HOT. (Check out the view outside my window now. Helloooooooooo, gorgeous skies!) I've put away the boot cut jeans and pulled out the capri pants. I've also put aside - just for a bit - all the ribbing I've been knitting. I got tired of knitting ribbing and besides, I want some STRIPES this spring. Colorful, bright, hello kiss me it's springtime stripes. Just like the ones in the striped sweater from pattern 8 of Rebecca 22, using Estelle Young Touch Cotton. Magazine courtesy of Janet, yarn courtesy of Alison G. (I got great knitting buds.)

Knitting this top is fun! I cast on for the back piece of the top on Monday evening and worked the first pattern repeat. Yesterday evening brought me past the armhole shaping, and I should finish the rest during this evening's knitting. I knit more quickly on finer gauge yarns because I have better control of the needles. It's just plain stockinette, but I don't get bored because I have fun working stripes. Only downside to working stripes [enter scary music]: the ENDS I'll have to weave in. I only carry the yarn up the side when the stripes are short and close together. If I have to carry a yarn up for too many rows, I prefer to cut it and weave it in afterwards. Yeah, I'm a cutter*.

On another note, I've got some new toys to share:

Thoughtful Claudia sent me a Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival tote! I appreciate that Claudia thought of me while visiting the festival, and shared it with me by sending me the tote, which I'll now use to carry around my knits. (She had also sent me something from Rhinebeck last year. And that is why Claudia is a golden goddess.) Athena, who I'll get to meet in just a week [wheee!], kindly sent me the latest Gedifra and Rebecca magazines, and there is some really cool stuff in those. Like I said, I got great knitting buds.

In addition to my new tote and mags, I've gotten some - get ready for this - BEADS. Oh beads! How I love to go into La Droguerie and look at you! Every time I've gone into La Droguerie, I've drooled helplessly over the beads, staring at them inside of their glass jars like they're candy. So, I've finally decided to take a dip into beading by trying my hand at making stitch markers. On Monday I met fellow knitter and Lyon resident Michelle for lunch, and we went into La Droguerie where I picked out beads and bought myself some dangerous-looking pliers with a built-in cutter. My first crafty pliers, ever. They make me feel like Martha, before her insider trading stunt. I'll be investing in a glue gun next.

*I thought of the movie Breaking Away when I wrote that. Hehe.

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43 comments to this entry:

Ooh. I love your stripes! I've been watching the progress of the Cardi Raye knit-along enviously. Now I can enjoy watching the progress of your stripy sweater, too.

[Katie on 19 may 04 @ 03:10 pm]

Oooh those beads are pretty... making stitch markers... what fun!

[ms. amy on 19 may 04 @ 03:15 pm]

Great stripes! That's going to be a really striking top when you're all done. (ps - knitting buds rule!)

[alison on 19 may 04 @ 03:35 pm]

I love Breaking Away. My sister and I always make references to it ("That's OK, Cyril!" "No more ini's in this house," etc.) but it seems like no one else ever gets them.

[susan on 19 may 04 @ 03:53 pm]

Beautiful colours in the stripes! And the beads!

[Maud on 19 may 04 @ 04:01 pm]

B- Love the stripey sweater. I hoofed it over to Rebecca online to see the whole deal - tre chic! I forayed into the world of beading a few months before the wedding. I found a beautiful 5 strand sparkly necklace that I wanted in a bridal store and the place wanted $360 for a necklace/earring set. I taught myself and made them for under $60. Here's a great link for learning techniques: http://www.jewelry-tools.com/WJU/techniques/index.html I will never buy earrings again! Have fun.

[julia on 19 may 04 @ 04:10 pm]

Love the stripes! Quick question, you don't have to answer if you don't have time. I assume the sewing on of collar on son's Tweedy Jacket was neck line bound off stitches and collar was live stitches? I am doing a Dale Baby sweater and must attach the collar. Wanted to try your method but didn't know whether to bind off the neck line. Thanks!

[Chris on 19 may 04 @ 04:40 pm]

Oh, those stripes are cheerful. Once again, I'm in awe of how quickly you get things done. (And I love Breaking Away too!)

[Jackie on 19 may 04 @ 04:45 pm]

woot!

[athena on 19 may 04 @ 04:57 pm]

Be carefull! Beads are like yarn - totally addictive. I went looking for beads for the Variations on a Frill shawl from Knitty and walked out with a bagfull of stuff! :)

[Bdot on 19 may 04 @ 05:39 pm]

I love your stripes. Those color are pretty awesome too. I guess I need to go check out Rebecca and see how lovely the sweater will be when finished! And what a view outside your window! Yay for warm weather. I love knitting tank tops!

[Carrie on 19 may 04 @ 05:55 pm]

Those stripes make me want to get up and do a happy spring dance! They look so fun! My friend and I used to make jewelry but I turned over my whole set of beads and tools to a bride-to-be a few years ago. After seeing all the great stitch markers on all the knitting blogs, I'm very tempted to make some of my own. Where are you getting your instructions? Or are you just winging it?

[Evelyn on 19 may 04 @ 05:57 pm]

Very hip colors and love the stripes!

[nicole from boston on 19 may 04 @ 06:12 pm]

beautiful stripes...i want me some. i got into beads when my cousin from japan arrived toting cases of beading of supplies last summer...would love to send you one of the rings i've made...

[kat on 19 may 04 @ 06:19 pm]

Oooh, stripes! The sweater is looking really great, Becky :)

[Amy on 19 may 04 @ 07:03 pm]

Becky, I have 3 Phildar coupons I got with catalogs I ordered. Would you have any interest in them? Let me know. They are 5 Euro off a 30 Euro purchase. Cheers, Stacy

[stacy on 19 may 04 @ 08:11 pm]

Those stripes are delicious! The black really makes the other colors pop. Can't wait to see more!

[jean on 19 may 04 @ 08:16 pm]

Hooray! She's beading! Those beads look lovely, I want to go to La Droguerie! Looking forward to seeing your stitch markers, oh such fun :)

[jen on 19 may 04 @ 08:20 pm]

Becky, you make me dizzy. Blue ribs one day and then a just started and already almost done (slight exageration, but only slight) new project the next day! Very nice stripes - I totally agree, they make stockinette so much more fun to knit. Bdot already warned you, but let me back her up: beads are insanely addictive. Proceed with extreme caution. My bead stash (currently) is bigger than my yarn stash ... I know of what I speak :-) (Anybody need jewelry? I need to get rid of it ;-) ) I hope you'll share your forays into beading. It is so much fun.

[Valentina on 19 may 04 @ 09:16 pm]

Becky, you knit so fast! It's such a delight to see something new all the time on your site. I *LOVE* that you know Breaking Away. My husband loves bicycles more than life itself (we have EIGHT in our tiny duplex) and therefore I have seen it more times than I care to recall. ;-) ("Refund! Refund!")

[Jenny on 19 may 04 @ 11:29 pm]

The stripes are very clean lined and nice. Great color choice. I've been going to make beaded stitch markers for a while now, you've inspired me. Maybe we should start a stitch marker exchange group? HBomb says to type "HI!" to Captain.

[Chelee on 20 may 04 @ 03:48 am]

Stripes are so much my favorite that it's now something of a family joke. I am almost guaranteed to like -anything- that has stripes on it. I especially like happy, colorful ones such as yours!

[jess on 20 may 04 @ 03:59 am]

Cute stripes - very crisp and snappy looking! Hubby just brought me a Kir Royale and I thought of you and had to check out the latest! Cheers!

[Linda on 20 may 04 @ 04:25 am]

Great stripes. So crisp! Can't wait for the model shots of that one and your husband's sweater -- we're all wondering, of course, will he dance? :)

[alison on 20 may 04 @ 05:41 am]

Thanks for the encouraging comments re the stripes AND beading! My photo doesn't show it as well, but the stripes on the top are pretty bright. The darker stripe is actually a deep forest green, only it might appear as navy blue or black on some browsers. I'll try to take the next shot earlier in the day so my camera will pick up the bright colors better. Julia: You ROCK. That site is excellent! The salesgirl at La Droguerie had shown me how to make a simple wire loop, but that site shows how to make coils and everything else. Will this begin my foray into jewelry making? Merci, mon amie :-) Chris: For free-loop backstitch, you sew open stitches to a cast-off edge. That's how I do it for most of my son's garments. Check here for other cases where I use it: http://www.skinnyrabbit.com/projects/002286.php Give it a try! You'll have fun. Valentina: So true, so true. Yesterday I went into DMC and went bonkers. And I haven't even made my first stitch marker yet. Hee!

[Becky from fluffa! on 20 may 04 @ 09:27 am]

Stripes! My favourite. Your colour choices are always so cool. I'm a bit of a chicken on the colour front and usually just stripe 2 colours together.... Maybe I'll be inspired by you and branch out... go wild and add a third colour or something!

[Sarah W. on 20 may 04 @ 09:58 am]

Those colors are really great and the pattern repeat is particularly snazzy! What great goodies to receive and can't wait to see those markers. I have a weakness for bead stores. I have actually made a few necklaces. I may have to pull those out again. And revive the beading.

[froggy on 20 may 04 @ 10:09 am]

You read my knitting mind. I am thinking about stripe sweater, think the pattern is from Rebecca, blue, orange, white. Yours is fab :)

[Eva on 20 may 04 @ 10:19 am]

I was just thinking of La Droguerie...my friend was visiting from Paris and I was wishing I had bought more there. He happened across one in Japan though. Your new striped sweater looks great. Love the colors. Good luck with the stitch markers. I just tried my hand at it the other day but don't have the patience.

[Kathleen on 20 may 04 @ 02:34 pm]

Beautiful stripes and colors!

[Marianne on 20 may 04 @ 03:13 pm]

Fantastic stripes! I love the boldness--that blue, that orange! It makes me want to break out in spontaneous French...but I don't know how.

[Em on 20 may 04 @ 03:49 pm]

Just stay away from the semi-precious beads and the damage should be manageable. And thank you very much for bringing back to mind he VK cover wrap - I like the pattern much better than what I had planned for my warm summer wrap! It looks good even with tiny Koigu on size US5.

[valentina on 20 may 04 @ 05:17 pm]

Becky calls me a golden goddess AND I kick some serious *ss in the courtroom...all in one day! I'm feeling lucky. /heads out to buy lottery ticket/

[claudia on 20 may 04 @ 08:58 pm]

Becky, I am a cutter, too! I hate weaving in the ends, but stripes are worth it. Your stripes look great! Love the colors. -Angela

[Angela on 20 may 04 @ 09:12 pm]

Everybody's redecorating! Darling new digs, Darling.

[Leslie on 20 may 04 @ 10:08 pm]

The colors for the striped sweater are dazzling. Retro. Fun. Xox Kay

[Kay on 21 may 04 @ 05:38 am]

oh man, doesn't it make me green with envy to see you knitting the top I love oh-so-much! I swear, I am going to get to it one of these days. Former Girl Scout Honor!

[kim on 21 may 04 @ 09:33 am]

B- You have NO IDEA how addicted you are going to be to beading. I taught myself everything that I needed to know on line. If you need advice on which tools to buy, etc. just send me an e-mail. The tiny pliers can overwhelm you! I'm no guru, but I can do basic wire curling techniques and have taught myself to crimp for necklaces on illusion cord. You can make stitch markers in minutes! (oh, yeah, I even have beads lined up for knitting projects - there are some that look cool rather than cheesy!)

[julia on 21 may 04 @ 03:47 pm]

Thank you for the praise. I want to try it on another sweater, this time a closed collar, to see if I really like it. But it did make a nice join and I am glad I tried it. I am so glad that I found your blog to move me to try new things.

[Chris on 21 may 04 @ 04:14 pm]

Such cute stripes, chica! They just scream "I am going on vacation and I will look tres chic!" :) I second all the comments on the creativity of the pattern and colors... that is one thing that really seems to lock me down because I get scared/ feel like I can't come up with good combos/ etc. etc. Must learn to live a little with the stripes, as I love them so! :)

[amisha on 21 may 04 @ 04:47 pm]

Having only seen beaded stitch markers in photographs, are they on a ready made jump rings or on wire made into loops and if so what guage wire works best? I am very jealous of you being able to visit la droguerie, I drool over their adverts in Marie Claire idees, though the last thing I need to buy is more beads or come to think of it more wool or more fabric!!!

[yvette on 21 may 04 @ 06:11 pm]

What a great top! The colors are fantastic. New to blogging, and your site is definitely inspriational! Happy knits!

[Melanie on 07 jul 04 @ 07:48 pm]

I am an avid reader of Marie-Claire and just dream of the day when I land in Paris to go to.... La Droguerie, it sounds like heaven :)

[Marie-Lynn on 22 jul 04 @ 10:21 pm]

May 19, 2004

I love me a good stripe pattern.

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