in which i solicit your true and honest opinion, whatever it may be.
The title of this post reflects my constant state about everything, but in this case it’s really more about buttons. I haven’t been working on my Audrey in Silt sweater for quite a long time, since I started (and then upsettingly re-started) Marnie’s Moby sweater; I want to finish Marnie’s and get it off to her so she can wear it while she still lives in Chicago. More on that one in a second. But for now, I have a question for you about the buttons for my Audrey sweater. Over on knitspot, Anne Hanson frequently mentions Moving Mud as a source of buttons for her sweaters, and she always says the buttons she receives are more beautiful than what she’d have selected for herself. Since my Audrey sweater is really so beautiful, and I feel so inadequate about selecting buttons, I thought I’d give this a try, and commission the artist at Moving Mud to just make some buttons for me. I sent her my swatch, told her how many and what size, and just trusted her. They’re handblown glass buttons with a shank. I’ve placed them on the sweater — what do you think, honestly?
there will be 12 buttons -- this is just the first 5
I want to say what I think, but I don’t want to influence your opinion. I realize that seeing a few of them on an unfinished sweater lying flat on a table is a different thing than seeing them all on the sweater, on a real body, but I ….. well, what do you think. I am happy with Moving Mud, she was wonderful to deal with, so any concern I have isn’t about her and her business, it’s just about these particular buttons. What do you think?
Marnie’s sweater is coming right along:
the sweater body, blocked and dry. even though the waist draws in quite a bit, it's still not as tiny as marnie's waist. but it should look nice on her!
that rope cable will travel up the arm, all the way to the shoulder.
I’m very fuzzy-headed today and having a hard time getting my brain to work. I really need to get to work, and want to (I’m editing a great manuscript, such fun to read), but it’s like being encased in cotton today, everything’s kind of fuzzy and far from me, and I’m not feeling sharp at all. I hate days like that…..and hope yours is crisper and better!
Please, really do tell me your honest thoughts about those buttons. Perhaps my sure/unsure thing is about today’s fuzziness, but I don’t think so. I’ve had them for weeks now and still feel unsure. What do you think?
what do beans and the flu have in common? if i told you in this excerpt, what fun would that be?
First: beans. Don’t eat an entire small can of refried beans all by yourself and expect there to be no consequences. I’m just sayin.
Second: I’ve had the flu, but on the happy side, it was just one 24-hour period of hellish agony. You know the kind: that terrible, terrible headache that makes you want to cut off your head, the bone-crunched aching that makes you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. The kind where you’d have to feel better to die. But it only lasted 24 hours, so I feel pretty lucky, since the flu that’s been sweeping New York is of the 5-day variety.
Third: buying buttons online. Ordering buttons online is a risky venture. Will they look the same in hand as they do on my monitor? Even if they do, will they go with my garment? If you’re insecure about your taste in these things, as I am, it provokes a little bit of anxiety. (Until you lecture yourself sternly: you’re kidding me! It’s buttons! They’re inexpensive! Get over it! At worst, you add to your button collection! GEEZ you are a real pain sometimes.)
I got the buttons I ordered in the mail today (and let me once again recommend Sawyer Brook (http://distinctivebuttons.com/):
clay buttons (not made of clay - made of coconut shell. the color name is clay.)
taupe buttons
With the clay-colored buttons, the redder one is the right side of the button, and darker one is the wrong side. The taupe buttons don’t have a right and wrong side. In this photo, the right side of the clay-colored button looks like a pretty good match, but in person it’s just not quite right. The taupe buttons definitely aren’t right, unless I want that kind of look. We’ll see – I haven’t even cast on for the sweater yet! And anyway, even if neither button works in the end, I have a nice start for a new and improved button collection.
In one week I’ll be in Austin, visiting my oldest daughter Katie. After today I’ll be at the hour countdown (this is the last day for the day countdown…7 days). I get to see her for just a few days, but we’re going to soak it up. (top secret: I may try to teach her to knit…shhhhh….)
she graduates from UT Austin - and I am so proud
Katie and Will in NYC for a winter visit, both wearing handknit hats. Marnie knitted the one Will's wearing (and his scarf, too), and I knitted the hat Katie's wearing. I loved that hat!
the most recent photo I have of her, taken this past September. It makes me smile to see her face so close.
birthday kids always got the red plate. Here she is at age 10. awww....
So, to recap: Watch out for beans. If you have to have the flu, get the 24-hour kind if possible. Buying buttons online may just add to your button collection, but who cares!
where do YOU buy buttons? would you share?
One of the things about living in New York is that you can find anything here. And there are “districts” for so many things – the flower district, the handbag district, the sweat pants district (kidding, but maybe there really is one!), the garment district, even the button district. If you’re in the mood to spend a lot of time poking around, wandering, going in and out of dozens of shops, you really can find anything here.
But it takes that kind of effort, unless you get lucky in your first stop. Sometimes the idea is daunting, and I can’t even begin. I need buttons for my new sweater……ugh, it’ll take a lot of walking, wandering, poking, I wish I could just walk into a supersized store and pick up what I need. Like snaps, for instance – I don’t need special snaps, just large plain snaps. If I lived somewhere else, I could just drive over to JoAnn’s, park, run in and pick up snaps, and head home.
At Rhinebeck, I was specifically hunting for handmade buttons. Sure, Tender Buttons has all kinds of amazing buttons, and I can always go there, even if it’s on the east side and so not that simple to get to. I could do that. I’d pay an arm and a leg, too, because they’re Super Fancy, but I could always do that. But I’d like to find a source for beautiful handmade buttons, and I did find some at Rhinebeck but I needed 11 and could only get 6.
So I feel a little bit bad, complaining about buttons when I live in a place with a button district, for heaven’s sake, but here I am, complaining anyway. Do you have a good online source for beautiful buttons? Handmade buttons, in particular? I don’t want the kind that are made with that plastic modeling clay you buy at Michael’s, and bake. If you have an online source you can recommend, please let me know!
This morning I woke up just before 5am – wide awake – so I made some coffee and sat down at my computer to catch up on ravelry, blog friends, etc. As I kept thinking about it, I started thinking that maybe the Laar sweater wouldn’t be nearly as flattering on me as it is on this beautiful skinny model:
I have a much more busty shape than the model, for one thing, and I’m probably 25-30 years older. I am not sure if the style is too young, or if it would work on a bustier figure. I’m starting to think the answer is no. I bought this yarn for it:
Spirit Trail Fiberworks - Clotho (colorway dragon's blood, isn't that deliciously named?), 3 skeins
I don’t know. I’m thinking the answer is no. No one else has made it yet, so I can’t see different versions of it. I have a bunch of other things in my queue, so maybe I’ll work on them (and finish my Eve Shrugged) and by that time, someone with my shape will have made it.
edited: Thanks to Karie’s comment below, I’m much more confident about the Laar sweater! And thanks to a new plug-in I installed that lists related bookmarks in my del.icio.us account, I found a site I’d bookmarked a long time ago and forgotten about Sawyer Brook….and promptly bought two different sets of buttons as potential elements of my future Laar sweater:
Anyway – other button sources anyone?
my buttons look like Milk Duds. Is that because I’m dieting??
….and so I face the final button.
Peasy is in the last stages of drying; it’s just a little bit damp, but I don’t want to rush it. I took a little trip across town this morning (sidetrack: it’s so easy to go north-south here in Manhattan, which is good since it’s longer than it is wide, but it’s a real pain in the butt to cross town. Getting to the east side of Central Park either requires a cross-town bus, walking across the park, or taking the subway down to Times Square, transferring to another line, and going back uptown. Hassle). ANYWAY, since I had to be across town this morning anyway, for a dentist appointment, I took the chance to walk a few extra blocks to Tender Buttons, the charming little button shop at the edge of the button district, where I bought the buttons for Marnie’s wedding dress.
It’s so hard, picking the right buttons. It can feel like there’s so much pressure: must get the right ones! The wrong buttons would suck! Dizzy! And then I remember….it’s buttons. Geez. Pick some you like. So, after trying a few little wooden ones, and a couple of coconut shell buttons, I ended up with these oval woven leather buttons, handmade in Italy. At $3.50 each I want them to sing Nessun Dorma whenever I wear my sweater:
my little leather buttons....but don't they look like Milk Duds??
And here it is, nearly dry. The next time you see it, I’ll be wearing it. I’m going to take my tripod and remote control over to Riverside Park, so you can see it out in the world.
Peasy, so pretty
atsa lotta stitches my friend
I love it. All the boredom of all that stockinette, forgiven and forgotten. And now I’m super motivated to finish my Mondo Cable Cardigan too. I nearly finished sock #1 while I was waiting at the dentist office this morning. I haven’t had an FO in SO SO LONG, I’d forgotten what a high it is.
.
For full project details, check my rav page for all projects completed in 2008.
#1 – I hadn’t knit in a couple of decades, and this was my ‘welcome back to knitting’ project. This pattern was written as a shawl, but I used a heavier yarn so I could use it as an afghan. Since I completed it, I’ve probably used it every single day. It lies over the arm of the couch, where I sit, and if I don’t drape it over my feet in the mornings while I drink my coffee and read the paper, I drape it over my legs in the evenings while I knit. I love it. Rav project page here.
Continue Reading–243 words totally
For full project details, check my rav page for all projects completed in 2008.
#1 – I hadn’t knit in a couple of decades, and this was my ‘welcome back to knitting’ project. This pattern was written as a shawl, but I used a heavier yarn so I could use it as an afghan. Since I completed it, I’ve probably used it every single day. It lies over the arm of the couch, where I sit, and if I don’t drape it over my feet in the mornings while I drink my coffee and read the paper, I drape it over my legs in the evenings while I knit. I love it. Rav project page here.
Kimono Shawl, by Cheryl Oberle (in Folk Shawls, by Interweave Press)
#2 – I wandered into Knitty City and saw this orange malabrigo sock yarn. I loved it so much I bought way too many skeins – 6 or 7, I think. It made a beautiful Lace Ribbon Scarf; I get compliments every time I wear it. It’s a lovely combination of wonderful yarn, fabulous color, and fascinating design. Nonknitters look at my hands in awe…you made that?…but the rest of us who knit know it’s a simple and great fun to knit pattern. Here’s mine [rav here]:
Lace Ribbon Scarf, by Veronik Avery (in malabrigo sock, terracotta)
the pattern is easy to memorize and fun to knit!
#3 and #4 – I had some beautiful Blue Sky Alpaca Suri Merino in this icy blue color, and wanted to make a scarf for a very dear friend. I had enough left over to knit a beret, which I have since lost! WHY! WHERE? So disappointing. The Reverse Cable and Eyelet Scarf was interesting to knit, since it seemed to be creating a diagonal. I loved the scalloped edge, which had a nice depth to it. I’d planned to make one for myself after giving this one away, but I got distracted!
Reverse Cable and Eyelet Scarf, by Jeni Chase
And here’s the long-lost beret, which I don’t think I ever wore except for the moment it came off the needles. I think I wasn’t all that satisfied with it, because it was too floppy and I should’ve used smaller needles. Anyway, here it was, my Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, by Natalie Larson [rav here]:
Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, by Natalie Larson
#5 – The Beaded Braided Hat by Lee Ann Bonson. I did mine sans bead, but this is a pattern I love, and have knit several times. The braiding around the band is very simple to do, even if it looks complicated, if you’ve never done it before. Really, easy peasy. Rav here.
Beaded Braided Hat, by Lee Ann Bonson
the hat before blocking - you can see the pattern on the band.
#6 – I made this cashmere neckwarmer (by Sarah Keller) for another very dear friend. The yarn is amazing: ArtYarns Cashmere 5, and fun to knit even if it’s splitty, so you have to pay attention. It does interesting things with pooling, which can be OK. What I didn’t know, and here’s where swatching would’ve saved me, is that I should not have wet blocked it. It completely lost its body. It became a limp, structureless rectangle. I have another skein, so I’ll try again one of these days. Rav here.
ArtYarns Cashmere5 - Cashmere Neckwarmer by Sarah Keller
#7 – This was a case of walking into Yarntopia, looking for something interesting, and falling in love with a yarn. We were going on a trip, as I recall, and I wanted something to knit but I didn’t have a clear idea. Before I knew it, I’d bought 9 skeins, and I still have a bunch in my stash. I made the Nancy Pygora Merino Lace Scarf by Myrna A.I. Stahman, and promptly gave the scarf away to my daughter Marnie when she was visiting, and needed something warm. My rav page here.
Nancy Pygora Merino Lace Scarf by Myrna A.I. Stahman, in Berroco Jasper
#8 – This Airy Scarf was another holiday present. My friend Yvonne is extremely feminine, girly, and I thought this little scarf would look great on her….and it does! I used KnitPicks Shimmer, hand-dyed lace yarn, and the only photo I have is pre-blocked. [rav here]
Airy Scarf by Brenda Overstrom (from Last Minute Knitted Gifts)
#9 and 10 – I participated in a neckwarmer swap here in New York City, and made this Celtic Cable Neckwarmer by Lindsay Henricks, using Berroco Jasper. The perfect buttons were purchased at Knitty City. Again, picture pre-blocking. This was before I got some discipline with both photography and blocking! I enjoyed the cabling, so I made a scarf with the same yarn and pattern, and just kept going past the neckwarmer length. First, the neckwarmer:
Celtic Cable Neckwarmer by Lindsay Henricks - cables are fun!
And now the scarf:
same yarn and pattern, but in longer scarf form
#11 – and now I got on a neckwarmer jag. I’d just moved here from Texas so I was new to the whole needing-to-warm-your-neck business. 
Here’s the same pattern, but in malabrigo. And again, absolutely perfect buttons courtesy of Knitty City [rav page here]:
Celtic Cable Neckwarmer by Lindsay Henricks, in malabrigo worsted
#12 – It was a tradition in my former husband’s family that each person who came into the family received a stocking, knitted by his mother. She had 6 children and 20 grandchildren by the time I came along, and she made a stocking for me, and for all 3 of my kids, just as she did for all the others. My kids still use theirs every year, so it’s up to me to make stockings for the newcomers in my clan. This was made for the 1st new entry to my family, my son-in-law Trey, who married my daughter Katie in June of 2008. The pattern is available, amazingly enough: Personalized Christmas Stocking From 1945 by Rae P. Burbank. [my rav page here]
Trey's stocking
By the end of this year, I’d become a full-fledged addict. I became a better knitter, a better photographer, and I had a LOT of fun.
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