Knitting!

Ladies of the knitting world, I have a question.
What looks flattering on the very very flat?

I'm a 32AA & even the smallest "enhancing" bras that I've found leave about an inch between the cups & me. I'm not thin like models, I have some indentation for a waist and big hips.
But most knitted patterns (especially summery ones) are designed for at least someone moderately curvy & would look horrid on me. I've made things with shaping & they've turned out OK but there must be SOME flattering shape.
Ideas?

I'd like to start knitting a sweater from a pattern found in a "vintage" (1986) craft book. The gauge it calls for is 20 sts/26 rows to 4 inches in size 6 needles. I get gauge (row and stitch, hooray!) perfectly with US size 8 needles. However, the pattern uses 2 different needle sizes, 3 and 6, and there are no gauge measurements for the size 3s. It's fairly important, since the smaller size is used for the back, front, sleeves, and neckband. The larger size (which I know the gauge of) is only used for the yoke. Should I just go down 3 sizes from the 8s I'll be using for the yoke and use size 5 needles for the smaller bit, or is there a more accurate way to determine which needle size I should use for the rest?

(I'm writing this post just a few minutes before I'm leaving town for the weekend, so my response to your responses will be delayed. Thanks for the help.)

i bought the book alterknits yesterday. i flipped through it at my LYS a couple of weeks ago, and i've wanted it since then. some very cool projects in there. but i'm a little strapped for cash, but i had some cascade pastaza in my stash, which is what the pattern for the PDA cases called for. it said one skein, but it was pretty small, so i figured 1/2 would work. but i don't have a PDA, so i modified it to fit my cell phone. i cast on 20 instead of 25 sts., knit to 11" instead of 17", and skipped the front closure part.

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So I got Sensational Knitted Socks as a Christmas present from Tony, and I started on the "class sock" (to get familiar with working a sock). Well, I put it aside because it really involved a lot of work with the book, which wasn't really conducive to knitting while on mass transit.

Last night a friend of mine had a semi-weekly gathering of "let's get together and get work done" -- minimal conversation, but a good place for me to break out the book. I finished the class sock before going over there (click on the pic for a larger image):

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Well, I spent an hour or so trying to figure out long-tail cast on. I hadn't brought my computer otherwise I could have looked at knitting videos (now that I have I realize that I wasn't taking the yarn off the thumb after finishing each stitch). I couldn't figure it out, but the yarn called for something "stretchy" (and with the class sock I just cast on normally because I figured I could think about it later) so I just cast on double the stitches necessary and the first row was k2tog 2, p2tog 2, for ribbing. The next inch or so was k2,p2 ribbing. Will this work?

If so, how come I've never seen this? I'm sure long-tail cast on is better, but this seems like a great hack and I can't imagine nobody's every come up with this. I would call it "double cast-on" if that name wasn't taken (maybe I should call it "awfief cast-on"?)

My sock wip (click on the pic for a larger image):
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(these are worked on 4 size 2 dpn's with Plymouth Encore Yarn Heather (75% acrylic, 25% wool) if anyone wants to know). My gauge swatch was 7 stitches per inch.)

Hi all--well, all Canadians, I guess!
I'm living really near the Briggs and Little yarn mill in Harvey NB this summer (amazing, as I'm not near very much else!) and was wondering if anyone has any experience going to the mill (or is it even open to the public)? I checked the website, but there isn't that much info (and it seems not to have been updated in years!).
SO--
-is it worth going for interest?
-is it worth going for the prices (i.e., are they likely to be cheaper at the mill than in Fredericton or where ever)?

ALSO--
What have you made with their yarn? I love it--mostly because it is local and my grandma used it--but it is SO scratchy. I made a sweater with some recycled B&L yarn which is a bit softer, but it has been knitted at least twice, and washed many times. Does anyone know if it felts well?
Thanks!

my first adult FO - link to personal journal.

its tank girl from SnB in Araucania Nature Cotton. 

i was so excited to buy this book! but i only found 4-5 flowers that i really liked. Has anyone else purchased it? what did you think?

knit this a while back and was VERY displeased with it, so i tossed it aside and moved on. But the other day on a whim i tried the top on and thought "this could be fixed."
so i picked up extra stitches along the bottom of the top and made it a bit longer.

I plan on re-sewing the lining so it's not as tight on the bottom, but over-all i'm happier.

Also, thanks for all your replies regarding the knit bikini my friend is tackling. it just was a problem of pattern reading. She was reading it to me and skipping the whole 1st part so it seemed crazy. Now we have both started them and we will post when they are done!!!

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Seems the LYS here is having a $40% off sale tomorrow. Now I've never been to the LYS -- work schedule and 5pm on Saturday comes way too fast. But from talking with others -- THE PLACE WILL BE MOBBED. I'm told of lines at the door at 9am and checkout lines with 30-45 min waits.

Given these details and that I'm making my first visit tomorrow but would also like to reap the benfits of the sale prices I come to you with my question:

Care to give me a recomendation for a cotton/cotton blend that I must try?

I'm a big fan of cotton but haven't really had to opportunity to check out anything beyond the cottons offered the big box stores -- Sugar and Cream, Peaches and Cream, Patons Grace. So I don't even know the names of what I might want to look at tomorrow or qualities to look for in a higher quality cotton/cototn blend.

I don't have any projects in mind as of yet -- so this is purely an exercise in stash bulding ; tho I'm sure soemthign will immediatly tell me what it wants to be. Given that I'm open to any wieght and any composition featuring cotton.

Also given that I like cotton are there any other fibers that I MUST try?

Suggestions?

Thanks!

Can anyone give me directions for the single eyelet rib stitch? I can't find it in any of my books. Maybe it goes by another name?

Just a quick lace question!

I'm working on "Lucky" from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation and it calls for a clover lace pattern throughout. I'm working on the back section, and I need to decrease two stitches every nine rows, while keeping up with the lace. How do I keep track of the lace when I'm supposed to be decreasing? Because I've completed a few rows of the lace pattern and now it looks awful, lol. Should I draw up a chart or something? Is there an easier way?

Thanks!

I know, I know, it's an annoying question. But seriously, if you got this yarn, what would YOU do with it?

My mom just got back from Moscow, Russia and brought me back a bunch of yarn:

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The yarn on top is 50% wool/50% acrylic. The gauge or weight is not given, but it looks like DK, maybe? I have 400g/1000m of this stuff -- enough for a fitted, normal-length sweater. I would love to make a sweater or cardigan with it, but am afraid that any fancy texture would be lost in the variagated patterning.

The bottom stuff is weird. It's a mohair/acrylamide (I think) blend, and is very fine white mohair with black inclusions throughout. The black inclusions are actually quite chunky. The recommended needle size is US3/3.5mm. I have 400g/800m of it, and am having trouble finding patterns for ANYTHING with mohair, let alone mohair with that fine a gauge.

So, what would YOU make with it?

A friend has requested wristwarmers (I'm going to use Knitty's VooDoo pattern) to wear when she goes bike riding.

I'm wondering what kind of yarn you all might suggest for these, as they will get dirty, and they may receive some tear, I wasn't sure whether wool would be the best idea.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance!

Last month I ordered a batch of some Alpaca Peru, intending to make a snuggly shawl or stole as a surprise for my mother, who is always freezing. :o) Unfortunately, none of the patterns I found said "Yes, make me!" So I ended up just telling my mother about the yarn and asking what she'd like made out of it. To my surprise, she asked for a vest.

"Okay!" says I, happily thinking that finding the right vest pattern would undoubtedly be easier than finding a pattern for a stole had been. Oh, how wrong I was. Bulky, chunky, but do you think I could track down a pattern written for worsted weight? Noooooo.

So I made one up.

It's far from perfect, as I had to pretty much wing the whole thing and pray I wasn't messing up too badly. There's a lot I would be changing if I ever attempt to make another vest like this and actually write out a proper pattern for it. Like the armhole shaping and border, for example. Instead of knitting the underarm edging as part of the body of the vest, I'd just bind off earlier and pick up and knit the whole thing.

But in the end, I think it turned out not too badly, and I know that my mother will love it just as much for the 'learning element' as the finished wearable product.

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Yarn: Alpaca Peru, worsted weight
Colours: Purple, medium blue, light blue
Needles: 5.5mm (US 9) circs, generic plastic bought cheap at the LYS
Stitches: Stockinette and moss (seed) stitch border

Each panel was knit flat, then joined together.

I've been knitting a lot on circs and short needles lately. Tonight I went to swatch for Cherry Bomb from Big Girl Knits, and after finding the size I needed on my shorty needles (US8), realized the circs in that size were occupied.

So I pulled out the long straights. It was unbearable! They were so heavy and unwieldy, I ripped out the 3 rows I managed and will just wait until my circs are free, which hopefully shouldn't be more than a couple of days.

It was really surprising though. I knitted for years on nothing but long, straight, aluminum needles. Who knew it was so hard?

So I've looked around the internets, and I can't seem to find a good felted cell phone case. So I'm thinking of just designing it myself, but I've never felted before and I have a question.

-How much does Cascade 220 lose in length when felted?

I have a feeling I'm just being dumb here, but I'm having some trouble with the Katrina Rib pattern (which I am loving so far!).

It's knit top-down, and increases are worked from the neck to the underarm. Then you put stitches on holders for the arms, cast on a few more, and keep knitting the bottom. I thought this made sense to me but I've just read that step in more detail, and I'm confused. The instructions read:

"Cast on for underarm – 15 stitches
Provisionally cast on 15 stitches for underarm and work 15 stitches in 3x3 rib"

The first line is telling me what I am doing next (ie, casting on 15 stitches for the underarm) and the second line tells me how, specifically, to do this. I know how to do a provisional cast on (in theory, anyway - I have yet to get it to work out right though!), but I'm not quite sure what it means in this instance. Should I do a crochet chain of 15 stitches, and then with my working yarn knit into it for 15 stitches? Do I do the crochet chain and then knit 15 stitches into that with waste yarn, and THEN knit on THAT for 15 stitches? Do I do something else I can't figure out?

I apologise for asking what is probably a basic question, but Google is not helping and I am just very confused!