effin-gamo's big nite out: oy

i met some of my friends for happy hour tonight and decided to take out the fake-a-gamo for its maiden voyage. it still needs a lining and a couple other minor tweaks...but i figured, WTF, let's go baby. well, my friends were all over it, lovin' the whole thang--esp since many of them have been privvy to the whole fake-a-gamo ordeal--and probably glad it's over with!

well, there i am, hangin' out at the bar at edibles and i hear the bartender, our favorite J.D., go OH NO. and i see my friend anne go whaaaa the-- and she has this horrified look in her eye and i whip my head around and somehow, someway, there's my fake-a-gamo sitting innocently on the barstool next to me...with four honkin' splotches of wine tarnishing her otherwise pristine image. ok, we're not talkin' sauvignon blanc here. oh no, this is not pinot grigio. it's effin' merlot. four splotches of deep, dark, oakey, tannin-laced red wine. emergency seltzer is dispersed, clean linens are tossed my way, and much blotting ensues. we even try a little white wine as my friend anne insists that white wine gets rid of red wine. four no-longer-red-though-now-quite-purply splotches remain. i decide they give the bag some much-needed soul.

fake-a-gamo: beta-gamo finito!

springtime in the rocky roc

there is a street in my neighborhood that busts out with magnolias every spring. the street is an old-school boulevard, with a center slice of magnolia trees lining it end to end. about 360 days a year, it's just a bunch of trees interspersed with the occasional rogue plop of dog poo, but for a few precious days in april it is transformed into a pink palace that would have barbie whipped up in a frenzy. it appeared to have reached its peak at about the exact moment that a photographer acquaintance made these amazing pictures.

fake-a-gamo: beta pattern

i originally emailed this out to about 25 knitters who agreed to help test and refine the stitch pattern. since then, so many others have asked for it, i finally thought it might be a good idea to post it. : ) sooo, this includes some of the tweaks from the original testers, but i'm still figuring out the top part of the bag. there are so many different ways to do that, maybe you just want to figure out your own. in case you do, here's a write-up of the basic stitch pattern, still a WIP, to try out. i used classic elite provence in "natural," held double throughout and US8 needles. if you find any mistakes, just let me know and i'll post a fix. thanks. NOTE: i still plan to do a write up of the whole pattern (not just the stitch as below) with the top of the bag worked out. i will email a free PDF of the pattern to anyone who wants it when i'm done figuring that out...but i have been making sloooow progress...so maybe this will keep you busy in the meantime.

cast on 71 stitches. (or whatever multiple of 17+1 for desired width)

row 1: (RS) K
row 2: K8 [P1, K17] three times, P1, K8
row 3: K8 [YO, K1, YO, K17] three times, YO, K1, YO, K8
row 4: K8, P3 purling through back loop of YO to avoid large holes [K17, P3] three times, K8
row 5: K6 [K2tog, K3, SKP, K13] three times, K2tog, K3, SKP, K6
row 6: K7 {P3, K15] three times, P3, K7
row 7: K7 (*[YO, K1] three times, YO, (7 sts for eyelet triangle), K15] rep from * twice, (YO, K1) three times, YO, K7
row 8: K7 [P7, K15] three times, P7, K7
row 9: K
row 10: K7 [P7, K15] three times, P7, K7
row 11: K5 [K2tog, K1, YO, K5, YO, K1, SKP, K11] three times, K2tog, YO, K5, YO, SKP, K5
row 12: K5 [P11, K13] three times, P11, K5
row 13: K4, K2tog, K3, [K1, YO] 8x (17 sts in triangle), SKP, K8, K2tog, YO, [K1, YO] 8x, SKP, K8, K2tog, YO, [K1, YO] 8x, SKP, K8, K2tog, YO, [K1, YO] 8x, SKP, K4
row 14: K3 [P17, K8] three times, P17, K3
row 15: K3 (double-wrap) [K17, K11 (double-wrap each st) three times, K17, K3 (double-wrap)
row 16: drop 3, turn, knit long loops together, turn, K17, drop 11, turn, knit long loops together, K17, drop 11, turn, knit long loops together, K17, drop 11, turn, knit long loops together, K17, drop 3, turn, knit long loops together.
row 17: K

kitty or devil?

hmmm...that certainly looks like the SNB kitty/devil hat on ms. lohan's noggin, doesn't it? soooooo, which is she? you be the judge.

fake-a-gamo: handle plan

i'm thinking i will continue in patt with one more rep, decreasing and shaping a U-shaped opening. the outer tabs will then be folded over and stitched to form a pocket for the bamboo sticks. i've never figured out the math for this type of shaping before, so this should be interesting...

fake-a-gamo: beta-gamo

here's the first nearly-done workup of the beta-gamo pattern. all that's left is the top and the lining. this is a smaller version of the pattern--a 55-st CO as opposed to an 83-st CO. my next version will be wider by at least one more pattern rep and longer by two or three to make the overall bag the larger scale i'd prefer. i'm also hoping to work with my purse designer neighbor to create a leather top and straps.

this scaled-down version is cute, though. i could see it with simple gold handles. but for now, i think i'm going to use these straight bamboo handles i found. my plan is to create two tabs on either side that will be sewn over the top of the straight bamboos to make a nice handheld handle.

this version took less than 4 skeins of the classic elite provence with two strands held together. the mercerized egyptian cotton is perfect for the bag. very sturdy, yet soft. and don't you just love the little piggy-tail curlicues?

after i'm done with this prototype, i'll write up the final pattern for this bamboo-handled version. i've made quite a few small tweaks to the original beta pattern based on my experience knitting it up and others' invaluable feedback. the new version should be very workable and hopefully much easier and more accurate.

march of the sweaters

i always knew knitting was good for my health. little did i know it was also good for penguins. a group of ladies in new south wales is knitting teeny sweaters for the tiniest of penguins. the so-called "fairy" penguins are so wee, they can get stuck in oil spills. snug wool sweathers keep them warm and prevent them from ingesting the toxic oil. really.

mini me

nobody's ever named their kid after me. but this is the next best thing. yahaira is launching her own gig, including luxury yarns from fable handknit, brooklyn handspun and other hot indie fiber makers. she also has her own hand-dyeds--including this lustrous bamboo, in a color called "kate." the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. as for me, well, it's directly through the sticks. you go yahaira.

awwww dept.

while visiting my friend joselyn, i noticed she was wearing a beautiful locket. i was so touched to find that, inside, was her adorable new baby sawyer...wearing the stripey hat i knit for him!
isn't he the best knitwear model ever??

fake-a-gamo: the eagle has landed

this is it. this is really it. am beta-testing a smaller version of the bag, based on tester linda's pattern.


i love how the garter tri's are coming out really poufy...and also how the eyelet fans are really fanning out at the top--just like in the real sal bag.

i promise i'll share the directions soon. i'm tweaking a couple of things and want to make sure it works all the way through before i post them. yeeeeee-HA!

strange but true dept.: i was out walking the dog this morning and started chatting with a woman from the neighborhood who was out walking her dog, too. long story short, turns out this woman is a PURSE DESIGNER who makes leather handbags. she has a studio in her home with an industrial sewing machine. of course, i told her the saga of my fake-a-gamo obsession and she was nice enough to offer to help me with the top. is that kismet or what?!

name that knitter

took a knitting workshop last week from this red-headed knitting superstar...can you guess who?

what's on your bookshelf?

i got inspired for this little show 'n' tell by amy's reading rainbow. i never really thought about what a weird little collection it is until i shot this. click to see larger view. my laptop faces this eye-level bookshelf, and i find myself gazing toward it all the time while i'm thinking about stuff. dewey decimals be damned, there's something oddly comforting about the disparate subject matter nestled together. i like the juxtaposition of maira kalman's chicken soup boots with the family of man...or tips for teens on top of rem koolhaas' mutations. i've never actually read the latter, but i like to look at the pictures.

stay tuned for the next episode: what's on your KNITTING bookshelf?

oscar, oscar, oscar

from oscar de la renta fall 06 collection. the runway version isn't as appealing as the version being carried at retail (seen in black & white above), which is lighter, more fitted, and seems to have more body overall. but this is pretty incredible any way you slice it. so many sculptural cables. annhb had a wonderful idea to knit it in elsebeth lavold's silky wool...for extra-drapey effect. if you were so inclined.

WTF: knitting on grey's anatomy

Joe: Dude, is she knitting?
Derek: You know, as a friend, I gotta tell ya. You look a little weird.
Meredith: I am making a sweater.
Joe: You're knitting, in a bar. You can’t knit in a bar you're scaring the customers.
Derek: Come on, have a drink.
Meredith: I can’t have a drink, I’m celibate.
Joe: You mean sober? She means sober.
Meredith: No, celibate. I’m practicing celibacy drinking does not go well with celibacy, because it makes everything and everyone seem kinda porny. Even my head gets cloudy and the next thing you know, I’m naked. And my point is that I’m celibate and knitting is good for surgical dexterity so I’m making a sweater.
Derek: You celibate? I just don’t buy it.
Meredith: No more men.
(Addison walks up)
Addison: No more men? Really? You? (Derek gives her a look) I’m--I’m asking we’re friends.
Meredith: Every guy I meet turns out to be married.
Derek (Makes face): Ooh! Ouch.
Meredith: Sorry. Or Mark.
Addison: Okay, I’m gonna go over there now. (walks away)
Meredith: Sorry. Or remember the horrible thing I did? Remember George?
Derek: You’re making a sweater.
Meredith: I am making a sweater.