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••• Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Vintage Pattern Gets Old 

I've completed 5 inches on the back piece of the Vintage Knits cardigan pattern. I'm quite frustrated because it's coming out way too big. And it's absolutely not my fault.

It's a pattern production error. An error that should be on a list with a nasty name. Errata. The list of errors.

I'm knitting the sweater in a size large, which according to the book, should end up 38 inches around, for a 36-inch bustable woman. The back piece (in stalled progress) is coming out to almost 21 inches wide. For the back, the pattern calls for 103 stitches, at a 5 stitch/inch gauge. This amounts to a 41 inch around garment, not the 38 inches indicated in the book.

And my gauge is perfect. I've checked it 718 times.

I posted this problem on the Yahoo Knitlist and received about a dozen emails telling me that for a 38 inch bust (not the case) 41 inches is good and proper sizing for bust ease...or...Boobease, if you will.

I certainly appreciate the reaching out. The kindness.

But I feel like I'm in a dream and on trial. Instead of being in a courtroom, I'm defending myself from behind a soundproof window. I'm trying to explain to a judge and jury that it's a misunderstanding, that there's been a terrible mistake. They can't hear me, but they're all nodding and smiling real pretty. And I'm wearing a pink sweater, with the greatest of ease.

I know it seems like I'm overfocusing on this (or dwelling as my husband and son call it. Mom, you're dwelling).

I just want someone, anyone, to tell me that they understand. Tell me that four inches is clearly too much boobease. That they believe I never claimed to have a 38- inch bust. Tell me that it's my sweater and I can rip if I want to.

Someone tell me that it's not my fault.

Switch-Swatching Gears
For Christmas I'm making my mother-in-law Vermont from Berocco's Lifestyle pamphlet. The yarn is Berocco's Uxbridge Tweed in Marionberry, Denim Tweed and Indigo Tweed. Instead of the block color pattern, I'm thinking of doing this three color stripe:


I swatched this up this morning, to keep my mind off the the pink puddle of despair that is on my dining room table. My camera/lighting/online photo service doesn't do the colors justice. The yarn making up the wider bands (on each end) is much more purply than the picture shows.

Cross Crafting
My sister makes and sells jewelry. She sells only to support an obvious bead- buying addiction. In the summer she holds Bead-a-thons once a week. This is an all day Open House, where customers design and create their own pieces, with guidance from the artist in residence.

It's very fun, although overwhelming for first timers. Last week I attended and made these earrings:

The pink ones were to go with the pink vintage cardigan ::stifling a sob::. I think the blue earrings are quite Judy Jetson-esque and the beads even rotate with body movement.

A Plug Against Outlet Protectors
My husband made an interesting observation yesterday. He thinks that outlet-protectors actually give babies the idea that one can and should stick things into electrical outletsMy daughter enjoys removing and replacing the plastic protectors. Yesterday she removed one and tried replacing it with the tail of a small plastic cat.

For those of you interested in following up on or checking out the "Chroni Culls," they are up and running again at "Girl From Auntie's" place. I don't know if her website is in full swing yet, though.

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# posted by Marcia @ 9:40 AM


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