Mylene Lacroix – Page 8

July 2, 2016July 3, 2016

Summer 2016

It’s summer. I love it and all that comes with it – except the grass cutting. Hahahaha.

Summer for me always starts when the spinning guild ladies get together for our annual spinning weekend at White Lake. We rent a bunch of cottages and hang outside, go for walks, eat, drink wine and spin/knit/crochet. It’s really wonderful.

Spinning

It came to me a few weeks ago that I hadn’t received a knitting/crochet order in months. Honestly, I’m thrilled. This means I’ve had more time than usual to work on things I want to work on. This also means that I get to start using up my stash – which is really getting out of hand. (What I should do is have a little sale. I could probably pay for a trip. That is not a joke.)

The workshops are going really well. Oddly, the crochet classes are more popular than the knitting classes. I never would have guessed. I’ve always preferred knitting. But crochet definitely has some perks. I’ll be starting over in the fall with beginner workshops and then some more advanced workshops for the girls who have been coming since the beginning. I’m already planning. 🙂

Did I mention in my previous posts that my friend Bonnie and I are working on our Master Handknitter certification? It’s been very interesting. Trying to get a perfectly even rib really sucks – my ribbing sucks.

I finished my Icelandic sweater and then tackled Still Light and the X-Stitch Shrug. That’s three sweaters so far this year.

I did, however, get a few orders this week after someone posted the Azel Pullover by Velvet Acorn Designs. It’s a super fun and pretty little knit. And I had no projects on the go or waiting in the wings.

These days though, for some reason, I’m feeling really really inspired. My creative juices, bla bla bla. I always want to be making something. I get annoyed when I can’t knit or crochet. Someone will say “can you do that” and the wheels start turning.

I purchased this course from Craftsy: Professional Yarn Dyeing at Home by Sarah Eyre. It’s so fun. I need a crockpot and some acid dyes. Now I want to dye everything.

I’m really frustrated that I don’t have more time. I want time to design and knit. I want time to spin (yarn). I want time to work on my Master certification. I want time to dye yarn. I want time to read books. I want time to do more yoga and to study things related to yoga so I can become a better teacher.

Somehow, my summer schedule is looking pretty ok though. I’m hopeful that there will be more Creative Time in my immediate future. I’m doing a few private lessons this month. How fun. I’m excited. I never thought…

Life is good.

May 20, 2016May 20, 2016

Good Things Brewing

Now that the sweater drama is over, and that the sweater is finished, blocked and beautiful, I’ve moved on. Happily.

I went to Portugal. It was amazing.

I went to Washington DC. Also amazing.

I’m so thrilled to be traveling again. There are no words to express just how happy it makes me to have my wings back.

The workshops have been a hit so far. I’ve got big plans and so many ideas.

I’m working on a new Facebook Page for Mimimustknit. It’s up but it’s not fancy. I’ll be posting all my workshops there. I also plan to sell some finished items on that page when it starts to get a bit colder.

I test knit a really fun hat for YYCKnits. I learned how to do brioche rib and helix stripes. You should make this hat.

Bonnie and I have been going hard at our Master Hand Knitter Level 1. Surprisingly, I’m learning a lot. For example, my ribbing really sucks! But my stocking stitch is rock star. Sometimes, a certain yarn really doesn’t want to be a certain item. Increases and decreases are… interesting. I feel smarter somehow.

Today is grass-cutting, teaching and working nights.

Happy holiday weekend!

January 20, 2016

The Sweater, Continued…

Working on this Icelandic sweater has become a very humbling experience for me.

First it was the tension in the sleeves. Then it was the oopsie with the reading of the chart. Most recently, as I was trying on the sweater to make sure the neck wasn’t too tight, I realized that I put one of the sleeves on wrong – my increases were displaying on the outside of the sleeve rather than on the inside, along the inside of the arm. At this point, I was a cast-off edge and underarm grafting away from being finished.

What to do? What to do?

I figured I had two options:

Rip back all of the yoke to where I joined the sleeves. (No thanks!)
Secure a couple of rows and cut out the sleeve. (Best option.)

So yesterday, I executed option #2. I was so nervous!

Icelandic 1

icelandic 2

Icelandic 3

Icelandic 4

Icelandic 5

Everything is secure now and ready for grafting. Let’s see how well I do at this. A toe on a sock is a piece of cake compared to this. If I don’t do it properly, it’ll look ridiculous!

Fingers crossed for me please.

January 8, 2016

The Sweater

So, my Icelandic sweater… by the time I’m finished with it, I will have knit it a few times.

It started with the sleeves. I was initially working them two at a time using magic loop. When I was about 15 inches in, I noticed that the sleeve gauge was a noticeably looser on the sleeves than on the body. I had to rip out both sleeves and started over. I made them one at a time, attempting to be conscious of my gauge. They turned out better.

THEN, I started working the yoke. About half way through, I noticed some (really little) notes at the bottom of the chart that said “start here for ladies’ small”, etc. Dang-it! And ripped all the yoke out.

Finger crossed that I don’t notice anything else before I’m finished.

LESSON OF THE DAY: Pay attention. Read through the pattern. Look for little notes.

Where I was yesterday.

Where I am now.

I started reading through some articles for my master knitter certification. I will henceforth do gauge swatches AND I will forever block said swatches. (I wish I had blocked the swatch for my sweater.) The more I read on gauge, the more I realize how important it is and how things I thought were insignificant (like the sweater body or a circular and both sleeves at once using magic look) can actually make a big difference. The authors of these articles keep stressing that the characteristics of the wool (or other fiber) almost always change once your piece becomes wet. People wash wool garments – it’s a given.

CONCLUSION: block, block, block everything (except acrylic).

Angie and I leave for Portugal in two weeks!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to be somewhere new.