tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180612752024-03-13T10:44:50.366-07:00Ivanova and Carter KnitWho we actually are:
We are female graduate students and postdocs in a male dominated field, physics. We are also a working computer scientist. And we all knit. We knit to escape from our stressful working lives, and because we love seeing something beautiful coming from her own bare hands that does not need to be defended or reviewed.IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.comBlogger188125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-67266572277514297982009-04-28T21:20:00.006-07:002009-04-28T22:10:39.122-07:00When life kicks your ass, knit socks!I finished another couple of shawls recently and I have a sweater languishing in my project bag, but I can't seem to focus on anything bigger than a sock at the moment.Forest Canopy (ravelry link) and the Fountain Pen shawl (ravelry link) were very quick knits.Fountain Pen got debuted at a friend's wedding a couple of weeks ago. If I can find a photo of it in action, I'll post it. Oh yes, and thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-86860875303605058712009-03-22T10:37:00.003-07:002009-03-22T10:48:47.630-07:00Wing 'o the MothNew projects are more fun than repairing old ones. I just finished a shawl that I actually get to keep this past week.This was a fun and easy knit, except for the bits where I didn't pay enough attention to the stitch pattern in the body of the shawl. I also added beads to the twin leaf border - not many, but enough to add a bit of sparkle (details on the ravelry project page). The yarn is a thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-88309106408452239682009-02-13T23:43:00.004-07:002009-02-13T23:57:30.139-07:00Winter gearFirst, some lovely alpaca mittens that Ivanova made me and I promised ages ago that I would post a pic of them:To go with them I made the wavy scarf from Knitty using Knit Picks Andean Silk yarn. This stuff is incredibly soft and warm. I highly recommend it. I'm not sure why this pattern got a "tangy" rating from Knitty. The pattern even says that it's easy peasy, as long as you use a row delennknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10709165413239034471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-67319637931004991912009-02-13T23:35:00.003-07:002009-02-13T23:41:24.596-07:00My favourite modelHere is my DS modelling the lovely Baby Surprise Jacket that Ivanova was kind enough to make for him. I've been meaning to post these pics for quite a while now...delennknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10709165413239034471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-49996459916937061712009-01-30T00:00:00.003-07:002009-01-30T00:00:00.477-07:00Sweater surgery preliminariesArisaig gets a lot of wear, and usually that's a good thing. Unfortunately somewhere between Salt Lake City and Boston during a business trip last week, I noticed a hole in the cuff.After getting really pissed, I realized that there's an easy fix. The sleeves are too long on the sweater, so I decided to rip back to a better length and knit back down.I used circulars as a lifeline through the thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-66318885110223309262009-01-29T22:35:00.006-07:002009-01-30T00:39:36.448-07:00Great big huge sewing project (part 1)So here's the deal: C and I got married (finally) on December 27. In a moment of insanity last winter, I decided to sew my own wedding dress (photos on Flickr).The bodice was sewn from a modified version of the Truly Victorian pattern TV490, which I altered to lace up rather than button up in the back. The skirt is TV221. The only reason why I'm still sane after this experience is that Truly thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-75069061683314706802008-12-13T09:10:00.003-07:002008-12-13T10:54:03.100-07:00The final step; hemming (ugh!)I'm quite happy that I'm nearly done this gown, and just in the nick of time for the wedding. I have ironed and pinned the hems (some are less perfect than others - oops!) and my remaining 2 evenings in town before crazy traveling will be spent basting the hems in place so I can sew them invisibly on the approximately 12 hours of train rides I will be taking in the next 5 days. And the 8 hour IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-85324974223645629252008-11-23T08:23:00.004-07:002008-11-23T09:10:51.254-07:00Up next... the sleeves!I've nearly finished the dress; all that's left is the sleeves which have to be pleated to fit the armholes. In my last post I showed the underskirt; as you can see it looked nicer on its' own thanunder another skirt. If I have time I will remove the skirt from the waistband and rearrange the pleats so 12 inches at the center front are unpleated and the remainder of the skirt is pleated.If I IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-51157735661353325302008-11-05T23:47:00.001-07:002008-11-05T23:47:55.956-07:00Finally an FOI'm behind in blogging by a couple of months. In August, I finally finished sewing up the hem facings on Arwen (Ravelry project link). A good steam blocking smoothed out the bottom of the sweater nicely. It also caused the bottom to stretch out a bit, but I'm sure with a few wearings everything will even out nicely.The finished product is big and warm, which is very welcome now that there's thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-23233292790159489672008-11-05T19:31:00.006-07:002008-11-05T23:45:16.523-07:00RelievedYesterday was a great day for the US, and I hope that President-elect Obama's administration will be able to implement the reforms that the US so badly needs. Sadly, there's a ways to go before equal marriage rights are a reality here. On the other hand, if a person of colour with a foreign name can get elected President, anything is possible.Enough with the politics...I'm in the middle of a thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-56420004563313225152008-10-26T09:23:00.003-07:002008-10-26T09:54:58.148-07:00One step at a time...(do I need to say it? More sewing!)I finished the shirt last weekend and started the underskirt. It took less than a week to finish! It was really easy and although I consulted a few websites for construction tips, I did not need a pattern. First I cut out 3 pieces of my 40" wide fabric 41.5 inches long. (I measured from my waist to the floor and added 2 inches for hemming.) I did the same for the lining although I had to piece itIvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-64969205163521747512008-10-12T08:21:00.002-07:002008-10-12T08:48:36.401-07:00The chemise is almost there (yes.. more sewing)For the last week I've been assembling a high-necked chemise to go under the corset I just finished. The pattern I'm using is An Elizabethan Shirt Instruction by Grace Gamble, available here as a free pdf download. I think it's working out OK, other than the problem that there is no mention of finishing techning techniques for fabrics that fray very easily. I decided to use french seams and IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-58772593713336554382008-10-05T06:28:00.004-07:002008-10-05T07:27:02.659-07:00It fits! (A sewing post)Here's my latest F.O., an Elizabethan corset to go under the gown I will be making in the next few weeks.Front:Side:and Back:This is a reasonably comfortable corset; I could walk around, sit down, and consume fluids while wearing it unlike a commercial monstrosity I had purchased many years ago to go under a formal gown. I also think it looks quite cute. My husband was disappointed that I IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-74922302913593546922008-09-27T07:36:00.004-07:002008-09-27T09:52:33.004-07:00Who is this thing supposed to fit, anyways??? (A sewing post...)In my last post, I mentioned that I was interested in sewing the positively drool-worthy dress featured as a Masterclass on Your Wardobe Unlock'd. Pictures can be found here...Before ordering any fabric, I purchased the recommended bodice pattern, Reconstructing History's 1670s-1690s bodiced gown. I followed all the recommended steps starting from the beginning, which was to cut out a pattern IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-57676076263854395832008-09-07T07:51:00.005-07:002008-09-07T09:58:08.472-07:00Warning: Viewer discretion advisedMom: this means you. There is one rude (but funny) photo below. Skip this post if you are easily offended. Otherwise read on. So... as Thrace has posted on more than one occasion, whe likes to go camping on the weekends. Well, I like to dress up funny and also go visit medieval cathedrals. I've been doing both those things in the last month, hence the lack of posts. I went to Cologne and saw theIvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-9068898570289892392008-08-10T19:41:00.005-07:002008-08-10T20:16:15.393-07:00Dragging my feetIt really does take me forever to finish an adult-sized sweater. I started Arwen in September 2007. Machine knitting the stockinette parts on the LK-150 (tension dial set to 6.5) went quickly enough. Unfortunately, the sleeves turned out too narrow to be comfortable with a long-sleeved shirt under the sweater. Since I had planned the sweater as an outdoor jacket, this wasn't going to be thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-64331830230875854672008-07-27T07:48:00.003-07:002008-07-27T08:51:58.876-07:00Wow, no posts for a month!Well, that's what happens when you're busy and then running around on the weekends! First Thrace came by and it was very nice to see her. And her knitting which she is not posting about regularly! Hellooo blog collaborators! Then a handful and a half of the inlaws came by and we wandered around the countryside in a rented car looking at the castles in the area. Very nice!This one is Burg HansteinIvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-85511112177273701402008-07-08T22:03:00.003-07:002008-07-08T22:49:55.500-07:00Dodecahedron basketLooking back at the blog's posts, I realized that I forgot to write about my stitch 'n bitch one-skein swap object from January. Since I'm not feeling terribly inspired in this heat, I thought I'd look back at this project.The basket had a number of sources of inspiration: I got the pentagon idea from Knitting Nature, from this project, and from this pattern. Essentially, it's the knit soccer thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-12852100629900624242008-06-01T07:37:00.004-07:002008-06-01T08:02:01.996-07:00The baby pinwheel is (almost) done!I went to Berlin a few weekends ago, and got lots of knitting done on the train. Even took the wrong one by accident (right platform, right time, wrong train? Guess it happens...) which increased the knitting time by 1/3. Ooops!I went to many places, and even did some shopping. I love Berlin. I ate great food cheap, had some very nice wine at a Parisian-style wine bar in Kreuzberg, went to a gothIvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-10583763866845619522008-05-29T09:32:00.003-07:002008-06-03T10:29:34.230-07:00Still hereStill here, still knitting.That's a Queen Anne's lace shawl I'm knitting on the train from Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (cute town, very touristy).I'll post more once I get home from vacation. The Blogger interface is a nightmare on my internet tablet.thraceknitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788701574928888969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-8386296307815485272008-05-12T07:10:00.004-07:002008-05-12T07:41:24.142-07:00Spring/summer funMedieval festival season has officially started for me with the early May festival at Freienfels. I snapped a few photos of stuff I saw. I had a pretty good time and saw several historically accurate fabric stands with nice stuff, but I had to travel light, so not much browsing occurred.I also saw some handmade drop-spindle vendors, as well as fleece and yarn boots selling fibers that were dyed IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-24948780159243731902008-04-13T06:53:00.003-07:002008-04-13T07:57:02.602-07:00Almost Ready...Between work, the internet outages and sewing, there hasn't been much blogging, knitting, or blogging about knitting going on at my place. Instead I'll discuss on my latest sewing WIP, which I expect to finish sometime this week.This is my cloak for the medieval festivals I expect to attend in the spring/summer/autumn.There's LOTS of them in Germany in general, and many of them within an hour andIvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-38661396223883060242008-03-16T10:50:00.002-07:002008-03-16T11:05:41.079-07:00I almost have a sleeve!I'm within spitting distance of being done! This is a nice and easy mindless knit, and I think that it's even cuter than I imagined now that it looks less like a blanket and more like a garment.I like the seamless design, though I'll have an awful lot of ends to sew in. Yuck! I'll take seaming over sewing in lots of ends any day of the week! I also made another change to the plan; I thought that IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-56568227292770875462008-03-09T08:08:00.006-07:002008-03-09T09:35:37.046-07:00Gloria/Pinwheel HybridI spent my precious knitting time this week figuring out the construction of Hanne Falkenberg's Gloria, and swatching a kiddie-sized version of my own hybrid of the original I thought was absolutely stunning in Ribbels' window, and the very popular Pinwheel Sweaters for Women and Children by Shelley Mackie which is a free pattern from Elann. (To be honest I was kind of meh about the pinwheel IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18061275.post-2067895813512640432008-03-02T07:17:00.003-07:002008-03-02T08:15:44.147-07:00One month, two conferences, and two countries later...I did a LOT of running around, and had nearly no time for knitting except on ridiculously longtrain rides, but I managed to make decent progress on my cape. Here's the full-body-so-far shot:I am using the vague-ish instructions from Barbara Walker's Knitting from the top.The idea is that a cape/cloak is just a raglan that does not separate at the underarm for sleeves.Simple enough, I wrote out IvanovaKnitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14225353817644023675noreply@blogger.com0