I recently took up several scarf projects.
Three scarves of the same pattern, same needle size, and in the same color but different yarn (so not *really* the same color, but still...).
I am done with one, half way on the other and have already wound the skeins for the third.
This project, which has the side benefit of showing off how different yarns handle cables, is so that I can having something to work on at work. The shawl I am working on has reached a point in the pattern that interruptions by customers could have a dangerous outcome. Not that I have been knitting the shawl at home either. I figure I just need a little break before tackling the next section which has nubs (a new technique for me).
During all of this, I decided I should make a scarf for an old friend. You know, a light something to knit when watching TV, because the shawl needs no distractions, you see. So I asked him what his favorite color was. I picked a super simple pattern that had a great texture and would be just fine for a guy. Then I settled on a yarn from my stash, because knitting from stash is very important and makes any project justifiable.
It is a very nice yarn. Soft and thick with layers of color qualities! Absolutely gorgeous! I had two skeins in the requested blue, two in brick red and two in bright red. In two days I knit up the scarf. It is perfect. The pattern, with one adjustment for knitting without turning, came out even better than I could have hoped for in this fluffy yarn. The scarf has already received acclaim for those who have come in contact with it. This scarf is everything one could love about a non-lace scarf.
Well, almost everything. The one thing it is not, is mine.
I have already promised it out. It ships this weekend. Soon it will travel 1500 miles away and hopefully be appreciated and not regifted. (I will hunt him down and do serious damage to him if this scarf ends up in the possession of another.)
So now I have four skeins of this yarn in colors I dare not wear. They can not fix this problem.
There is a fix though. A very simple one. One that even comes with a bonus of the words "SALE"......
So yeah. Yarn diet? That was so last year.... right?
Showing posts with label FO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FO. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A brief update
I have actually accomplished a lot lately.
For one, I can say that every project I have been working on since I moved to Virginia and learned to knit has been completed!
And just in time too! That is to say, my current job is closing the local office and I will be moving back to California at the end of May. I have accepted a position with my current employer at the location in Orange County. I will have new yarn stores to find and knitts to meet!
I am so very, very thrilled about this! Meanwhile, though, I have had to box up all of my stuff and get rid of many things. As this is a 3 thousand mile move into a furnished room, there has been a lot of letting things go, packing and repacking and so forth. It has been a series of decluttering attempts. And of course the other hassles of moving. Ugh!
In other good news, I will be getting a desktop computer when i get out there. This means more and better posts!
It also means I will probably begin getting some new designs up too!
So please, just bear with me a bit longer. We are almost back to having a good knitting blog again.
For one, I can say that every project I have been working on since I moved to Virginia and learned to knit has been completed!
And just in time too! That is to say, my current job is closing the local office and I will be moving back to California at the end of May. I have accepted a position with my current employer at the location in Orange County. I will have new yarn stores to find and knitts to meet!
I am so very, very thrilled about this! Meanwhile, though, I have had to box up all of my stuff and get rid of many things. As this is a 3 thousand mile move into a furnished room, there has been a lot of letting things go, packing and repacking and so forth. It has been a series of decluttering attempts. And of course the other hassles of moving. Ugh!
In other good news, I will be getting a desktop computer when i get out there. This means more and better posts!
It also means I will probably begin getting some new designs up too!
So please, just bear with me a bit longer. We are almost back to having a good knitting blog again.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A quick free gift pattern!
Having taken a long vacation from the blog, I now return with the gift of a free gift knitting pattern!
Behold! The Scrap Yarn Bags!
First step, find scrap yarn. You don't want a large ball, but you want more than a yard of it.
Next, figure out what needle size is recommended for the yarn. If you can't find this information, don't sweat it, just grab a size US6.
Next, cast on.
You can cast on as few stitches as you want.
On average, I am not casting on more than 20 stitches for a dk weight yarn and no more than 15 stitches for worsted weight.
Knit 1 row.
-Now, if you want to do a drawstring closure, a bit of math is needed. You are going
-to want 4 holes. So divide your number of stitches by four. If you end up with a
-left over stitch, save it for the end of the row. If you have two left over
-stitches, add a "k1" to the beginning of the row. Your final number, minus 1 stitch -becomes X.
*kX, k2tog, yo*; Repeat four times and knit any remaining stitches.
-For example, on my 15 stitch bags the yarn over row was: *k1, k2tog, yo; repeated 4
-times, knit last 3 stitches.
From here on we will stockinette until we are nearly out of yarn!
-If you would like, you can change between two different yarns every two rows.
-So you will knit two rows of yarn A, then switch to yarn B and knit two rows, then repeat.
Once you are nearing the end, you will repeat the yarn over row.
Knit one more row.
Now cast off!
The easy part is complete and you should have a rectangle.
Fold the rectangle in half so the yarn overs meet up and the purl side is facing out.
Now you have a choice, you can whip out a needle and thread and sew up the sides, or practice some crochet and seam the sides with a chain using any remaining yarn you have or maybe even some other yarn of a complimentary color.
The last part is finding a ribbon or taking other scrap yarn to make an i-cord for the drawstring.
These can be whipped up very quickly and make great use of left over yarn. Each one will make a different size. Sometimes you will think the bag is at risk of getting too big, so you just move to the last steps, cut off the remainder and save it for another bag. (Note that I made three in the picture and they are all the same yarn, but different sizes.)
What do you do with the finished bags? Why make gifts of them!
* Put gift cards in them and hand them out.
* Put some change or small amount of money and give them away.
* Fill them with potpourri or some cotton balls that have been dipped in scent or sprayed with perfume, then stick them in a personals drawer, or in the boxes in storage or give them to friends who need to freshen up closets, drawers or storage.
* Write wishes or dreams or what-have-you on to some paper, put the paper in the bag and set it free.
There are lots of things little bags can be used for, but remember these are little HAND MADE bags, so are great for gift ideas.
Enjoy!
Behold! The Scrap Yarn Bags!
First step, find scrap yarn. You don't want a large ball, but you want more than a yard of it.
Next, figure out what needle size is recommended for the yarn. If you can't find this information, don't sweat it, just grab a size US6.
Next, cast on.
You can cast on as few stitches as you want.
On average, I am not casting on more than 20 stitches for a dk weight yarn and no more than 15 stitches for worsted weight.
Knit 1 row.
-Now, if you want to do a drawstring closure, a bit of math is needed. You are going
-to want 4 holes. So divide your number of stitches by four. If you end up with a
-left over stitch, save it for the end of the row. If you have two left over
-stitches, add a "k1" to the beginning of the row. Your final number, minus 1 stitch -becomes X.
*kX, k2tog, yo*; Repeat four times and knit any remaining stitches.
-For example, on my 15 stitch bags the yarn over row was: *k1, k2tog, yo; repeated 4
-times, knit last 3 stitches.
From here on we will stockinette until we are nearly out of yarn!
-If you would like, you can change between two different yarns every two rows.
-So you will knit two rows of yarn A, then switch to yarn B and knit two rows, then repeat.
Once you are nearing the end, you will repeat the yarn over row.
Knit one more row.
Now cast off!
The easy part is complete and you should have a rectangle.
Fold the rectangle in half so the yarn overs meet up and the purl side is facing out.
Now you have a choice, you can whip out a needle and thread and sew up the sides, or practice some crochet and seam the sides with a chain using any remaining yarn you have or maybe even some other yarn of a complimentary color.
The last part is finding a ribbon or taking other scrap yarn to make an i-cord for the drawstring.
These can be whipped up very quickly and make great use of left over yarn. Each one will make a different size. Sometimes you will think the bag is at risk of getting too big, so you just move to the last steps, cut off the remainder and save it for another bag. (Note that I made three in the picture and they are all the same yarn, but different sizes.)
What do you do with the finished bags? Why make gifts of them!
* Put gift cards in them and hand them out.
* Put some change or small amount of money and give them away.
* Fill them with potpourri or some cotton balls that have been dipped in scent or sprayed with perfume, then stick them in a personals drawer, or in the boxes in storage or give them to friends who need to freshen up closets, drawers or storage.
* Write wishes or dreams or what-have-you on to some paper, put the paper in the bag and set it free.
There are lots of things little bags can be used for, but remember these are little HAND MADE bags, so are great for gift ideas.
Enjoy!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Two years and some erratic postings
It is hard to believe that I started this blog two years ago, and yet as of next month, that will be exactly the situation.
Admittedly there has been a great reduction in posting here, and over at my regular blog as well. I have my reasons but they sound suspiciously like excuses when put to paper or else wise shared, so I will keep them safe and strong in my mind.
I have been knitting.
Really!
When I haven't been doing other things.
I think that I am having an issue of only knitting for other people right now, having really large UFO's and not knowing what I would knit for myself if I was going to.
I did finish the purse. When last you heard of it the knitting was done and the sewing had yet to be started. Last month I cut the fabric. Last week I did the sewing and attached the handle (incorrectly, it turns out). Then, having decided that 1.5 skeins of left over Rowan Summer Tweed was a bit much, I decided to make an accessory. So I made a simple necklace. I might still make a bracelet, we shall see.
I am happy to report that the mittens got made and, while huge amounts of unwanted snowfall prevented the hand delivery, they did make it to my friend's mom. Thrumming was easy enough, though there was a bit of a learning curve before I found how I wanted to stick the thrum into the stitch. Plenty of online sources about how to make thrums, but until you do it yourself it is just a vague bit of fiddly pictures and words.
Shortly after the gloves I made the matching hat. I can post a picture of the scarf that the hat matches, but not the hat as I have unfortunately developed the habit of giving away the finished product without taking pictures. In most cases I have been able to arrange a photo later, like the situation with the purple scarf for my other friend. (See, I have more than one!)
In even older knitting news, the Surprise Stuff Toy is down to the body section which requires making more stitches and therefore more knitting than just what is there. The airy scarf and the drop stitch scarf are unmoved from their current stage. I think the airy scarf may have frogged itself, but I haven't gone looking for them and they haven't come looking for me and that is just how it is with them right now.
The Icarus shawl received a bit of attention back in February, but then I realized I had no idea where I was in the pattern and I am going to have to rip back so that I can move forward. This idea is not pleasant and as such the shawl is being treated to the silent treatment until we can get some couples counseling going on.
In the meantime I have been working on a stripped scarf for a coworker. He picked out his colors and said he wanted stripping that wasn't too plain. So I worked out to vary the stripes in a spectrum style. It is over half way done and if I really put myself into I could get it down this week or next. The scarf has the advantage of being sized to take to work and be knit. The Surprise Stuffed Toy is very large and the stuffing has a tendency to make fly aways that spread like milkweed seeds upon the breeze. This would not be appreciated in the office.
I have been able to maintain not buying more/new yarns. Excepting of course the $60 skien of light fingering weight silk in gorgeous colors of purple, gold and green. That totally doesn't count.
So, that is our catch up for today.
See you again next post (which hopefully will be sooner than later this time).
Admittedly there has been a great reduction in posting here, and over at my regular blog as well. I have my reasons but they sound suspiciously like excuses when put to paper or else wise shared, so I will keep them safe and strong in my mind.
I have been knitting.
Really!
When I haven't been doing other things.
I think that I am having an issue of only knitting for other people right now, having really large UFO's and not knowing what I would knit for myself if I was going to.
I did finish the purse. When last you heard of it the knitting was done and the sewing had yet to be started. Last month I cut the fabric. Last week I did the sewing and attached the handle (incorrectly, it turns out). Then, having decided that 1.5 skeins of left over Rowan Summer Tweed was a bit much, I decided to make an accessory. So I made a simple necklace. I might still make a bracelet, we shall see.
I am happy to report that the mittens got made and, while huge amounts of unwanted snowfall prevented the hand delivery, they did make it to my friend's mom. Thrumming was easy enough, though there was a bit of a learning curve before I found how I wanted to stick the thrum into the stitch. Plenty of online sources about how to make thrums, but until you do it yourself it is just a vague bit of fiddly pictures and words.
Shortly after the gloves I made the matching hat. I can post a picture of the scarf that the hat matches, but not the hat as I have unfortunately developed the habit of giving away the finished product without taking pictures. In most cases I have been able to arrange a photo later, like the situation with the purple scarf for my other friend. (See, I have more than one!)In even older knitting news, the Surprise Stuff Toy is down to the body section which requires making more stitches and therefore more knitting than just what is there. The airy scarf and the drop stitch scarf are unmoved from their current stage. I think the airy scarf may have frogged itself, but I haven't gone looking for them and they haven't come looking for me and that is just how it is with them right now.
The Icarus shawl received a bit of attention back in February, but then I realized I had no idea where I was in the pattern and I am going to have to rip back so that I can move forward. This idea is not pleasant and as such the shawl is being treated to the silent treatment until we can get some couples counseling going on.
In the meantime I have been working on a stripped scarf for a coworker. He picked out his colors and said he wanted stripping that wasn't too plain. So I worked out to vary the stripes in a spectrum style. It is over half way done and if I really put myself into I could get it down this week or next. The scarf has the advantage of being sized to take to work and be knit. The Surprise Stuffed Toy is very large and the stuffing has a tendency to make fly aways that spread like milkweed seeds upon the breeze. This would not be appreciated in the office.
I have been able to maintain not buying more/new yarns. Excepting of course the $60 skien of light fingering weight silk in gorgeous colors of purple, gold and green. That totally doesn't count.
So, that is our catch up for today.
See you again next post (which hopefully will be sooner than later this time).
Monday, January 18, 2010
And I bet you thought I forgot you....
Well, that was a long hiatus.
I was not really knitting, so I was also not blogging about knitting. In fact, I had gone so far as to stop visiting Ravelry and was filing off my emails from knitty rather than even read about craft related stuff.
Why?
At first I blamed the weather. It was slow to get cold this winter, but then we had this very unpleasant cold snap and weather was no longer an excuse.
The fact is when I come home I watch TV and I don't do anything. This is a bad, bad habit. My only knitting has been at work.
Because of my work schedule, I can not attend any knitting meetups. This means I have been rather lacking of chances to play show and tell and have people asking me how things are coming along.
I mentioned before about Christmas knitting and I figure I can give you some updates at this point.
First, the Pillow. See the completed glory:
The sewing for the back was a hurdle that caused much procrastination, but eventually the whole project was tamed just in time for delivery. Unfortunately I had to work on Christmas day, so I missed the presentation of the gift. I am told it was claimed as a wonderful example of my crafting skills. (I am guessing she wasn't looking too closely at those seams.)
As for the purse/clutch, well that has taken even longer and has not only missed the Christmas presentation, but also missed the birthday just a couple of days ago. It took me forever to settle on a pattern. When one as finally resolved it was canceled because it didn't work. A second pattern was selected and discarded after several rows. Wash, rinse and repeat with two more pattern selections and finally my desire to get the stupid thing started overrode my desire to make a stunning piece of knit-work. I settled with a simple moss that was expanded into a vague checkerboard type style. The knitting part is complete. I have only to sew on the lining, seam the piece up and attach it to the handle/closure-thingy. This might take some time.
Currently there are no update photos for the purse.
In the midst of all of this, I decided I needed to make a scarf for a friend. So I cast on some rather fun purple yarn and did a nice entrelac pattern with some finishing fringe. It was relatively quick and is being enjoyed by the recipient. Pics to come eventually. This project was finished after its intended birthday due date, but because the birthday girl in question was sick that day, the truth shall just be our little secret. Okay? Good.
After the scarf, but before the purse was really going, I got fidgety for some knitting that wouldn't join the ongoing UFO pile. I took some left over Mountain Colors Mountain Goat yarn (left over from making a child's knit cap), and did some quick and dirty no pattern fingerless gloves.
They are actually rather nice and if I lose one, I have just enough yarn to make another. They are interchangeable and there is no wrong way to wear them (unless you mistakenly try to put them on some body part other than the hands).
Just recently I decided I could continue this forward momentum and finally cast on the matching hat for my friend's two-row scarf. I pulled up the seaman's watchcap pattern. I went out and found some more Galway Paint yarn and set aside the correct needles.
Then said recipient of planned hat called me to remind me that I had promised to knit some thrummed mittens for his mother after her husband had passed away. Specifically he called to ask if I still planned on making them. Of course I did. Great, he said, she will be in town with in a month and they can be hand delivered then. Absolutely, I said.
After I got of the phone I thought about all the mittens I have made before, which is none. Can I do a pair of thrummed mittens in less than 30 days? I don't know and honestly I didn't even have the yarn for the project. Yesterday I picked up some yarn and hopefully today I will be able to get started. These will be my first mittens and my first bit of thrumming. Boldly onward and all that.
Meanwhile, his hat will just have to wait.
So that is where we find ourselves now.
I have started poking around the knitting blogs again, made some posts on Ravelry and have even thought about catching up with my knitting related email. Small steps to getting back on the knitting horse. (How is that for a mental image?)
I was not really knitting, so I was also not blogging about knitting. In fact, I had gone so far as to stop visiting Ravelry and was filing off my emails from knitty rather than even read about craft related stuff.
Why?
At first I blamed the weather. It was slow to get cold this winter, but then we had this very unpleasant cold snap and weather was no longer an excuse.
The fact is when I come home I watch TV and I don't do anything. This is a bad, bad habit. My only knitting has been at work.
Because of my work schedule, I can not attend any knitting meetups. This means I have been rather lacking of chances to play show and tell and have people asking me how things are coming along.
I mentioned before about Christmas knitting and I figure I can give you some updates at this point.
First, the Pillow. See the completed glory:
The sewing for the back was a hurdle that caused much procrastination, but eventually the whole project was tamed just in time for delivery. Unfortunately I had to work on Christmas day, so I missed the presentation of the gift. I am told it was claimed as a wonderful example of my crafting skills. (I am guessing she wasn't looking too closely at those seams.)
As for the purse/clutch, well that has taken even longer and has not only missed the Christmas presentation, but also missed the birthday just a couple of days ago. It took me forever to settle on a pattern. When one as finally resolved it was canceled because it didn't work. A second pattern was selected and discarded after several rows. Wash, rinse and repeat with two more pattern selections and finally my desire to get the stupid thing started overrode my desire to make a stunning piece of knit-work. I settled with a simple moss that was expanded into a vague checkerboard type style. The knitting part is complete. I have only to sew on the lining, seam the piece up and attach it to the handle/closure-thingy. This might take some time.
Currently there are no update photos for the purse.
In the midst of all of this, I decided I needed to make a scarf for a friend. So I cast on some rather fun purple yarn and did a nice entrelac pattern with some finishing fringe. It was relatively quick and is being enjoyed by the recipient. Pics to come eventually. This project was finished after its intended birthday due date, but because the birthday girl in question was sick that day, the truth shall just be our little secret. Okay? Good.
After the scarf, but before the purse was really going, I got fidgety for some knitting that wouldn't join the ongoing UFO pile. I took some left over Mountain Colors Mountain Goat yarn (left over from making a child's knit cap), and did some quick and dirty no pattern fingerless gloves.
They are actually rather nice and if I lose one, I have just enough yarn to make another. They are interchangeable and there is no wrong way to wear them (unless you mistakenly try to put them on some body part other than the hands).
Just recently I decided I could continue this forward momentum and finally cast on the matching hat for my friend's two-row scarf. I pulled up the seaman's watchcap pattern. I went out and found some more Galway Paint yarn and set aside the correct needles.
Then said recipient of planned hat called me to remind me that I had promised to knit some thrummed mittens for his mother after her husband had passed away. Specifically he called to ask if I still planned on making them. Of course I did. Great, he said, she will be in town with in a month and they can be hand delivered then. Absolutely, I said.
After I got of the phone I thought about all the mittens I have made before, which is none. Can I do a pair of thrummed mittens in less than 30 days? I don't know and honestly I didn't even have the yarn for the project. Yesterday I picked up some yarn and hopefully today I will be able to get started. These will be my first mittens and my first bit of thrumming. Boldly onward and all that.
Meanwhile, his hat will just have to wait.
So that is where we find ourselves now.
I have started poking around the knitting blogs again, made some posts on Ravelry and have even thought about catching up with my knitting related email. Small steps to getting back on the knitting horse. (How is that for a mental image?)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Knitting, where have you been?
The surprise stuffed toy, the blanket, the airy scarf and the drop stitch scarf which is awaiting a decision about the stitch pattern and the possibility of frogging for a different pattern, are still in the same stages that they were back in July.
The Icarus Shawl has been going along pretty well and I restarted my toe up socks for tension reasons.
Then I had several projects to knit for the classes, which ended up being this month instead of last month.
The entrelac class went fairly well. No one quit and every one seemed quite happy with my offer of continued assistance if needed.
The MultiDirectional Scarf (pattern by Ann Norling) class started last week and concludes this next Tuesday. This one is going even better, mostly because it is a bit easier of a technique.
I have finished my knitting for classes, but now I have knitting for family. I have a pillow front (in entrelac) and a purse/clutch.
After that I hope to get some Me knitting in, but let us not hold our breath yet. We are coming up on the holiday seasons and I still have a hat to knit to match a scarf I already did. Oh, and a summer weight willy warmer. And I have a stuffed toy to complete.
Good thing colder weather is coming on!
The Icarus Shawl has been going along pretty well and I restarted my toe up socks for tension reasons.
Then I had several projects to knit for the classes, which ended up being this month instead of last month.
The entrelac class went fairly well. No one quit and every one seemed quite happy with my offer of continued assistance if needed.
The MultiDirectional Scarf (pattern by Ann Norling) class started last week and concludes this next Tuesday. This one is going even better, mostly because it is a bit easier of a technique.
I have finished my knitting for classes, but now I have knitting for family. I have a pillow front (in entrelac) and a purse/clutch.
After that I hope to get some Me knitting in, but let us not hold our breath yet. We are coming up on the holiday seasons and I still have a hat to knit to match a scarf I already did. Oh, and a summer weight willy warmer. And I have a stuffed toy to complete.
Good thing colder weather is coming on!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The heat is on
Here it is, just past the middle of July and not a post made.
Currently, my roomie is knitting more than I do.
I am working on a new scarf pattern which I will be teaching at KnitWits Knitting and Yarn Specialty Store in Virginia Beach.
I will be teaching Entrelac, Multi-Directional Knitting and Knitting without Turning in two part classes. The first class is August 4th, 6 p.m. and then the second part and finishing will be August 18th at 6 p.m.
Once I finish blocking my demo, I will be putting it on display at the store (where my Mini Mochi Rainbow Shawl is already on display). After the first class is over I will be posting more information about the new pattern.
---------
Other than preparing for my first knitting class, I have been working on a hat for a friend's child. I knit this hat once, but that one didn't work. So this time I am taking a teddy bear head pattern and adapting it to be a kid's hat. My roomie says I need to knit the ears too.
Ear issue aside I should have the hat done today.
---------
I finished knitting a box.
I made it so I would have a place to put my female necessities that was not just a plastic bag or the manufacturers container. The picture isn't the best, but I wanted to get my projects page updated so it will do.
It worked up pretty easy, but not too boring.
Could have been made a bit shorter.
I added a simple crochet edging to the top, to make it cover the box more, after it was done.
Next time I might simply cast on an additional 5 stitches on each side.
---------
I suppose I have been a bit productive, if you don't look at the surprise stuffed toy or the blanket or the airy scarf or the drop stitch scarf which is awaiting a decision about the stitch pattern and the possibility of frogging for a different pattern.
With warm weather comes slower progress.
The heat and the humidity make working on the blanket out of the question.
The stuff toy is at the larger body section and besides being unwieldy, I am puzzling out shaping again. I don't want to end up tearing back, so I wait for inspiration to come along and provide a solution.
I will be tearing back the scarf, I am not happy with what I have so far. I want it more airy. I want more negative space. The kidsilk needs this.
Thus, if I can finish untangling the lace weight merino yarn I will be casting on for a lace shawl.
Perhaps I will find the lace I am looking for and will get it done too.
Currently, my roomie is knitting more than I do.
I am working on a new scarf pattern which I will be teaching at KnitWits Knitting and Yarn Specialty Store in Virginia Beach.
I will be teaching Entrelac, Multi-Directional Knitting and Knitting without Turning in two part classes. The first class is August 4th, 6 p.m. and then the second part and finishing will be August 18th at 6 p.m.
Once I finish blocking my demo, I will be putting it on display at the store (where my Mini Mochi Rainbow Shawl is already on display). After the first class is over I will be posting more information about the new pattern.
---------
Other than preparing for my first knitting class, I have been working on a hat for a friend's child. I knit this hat once, but that one didn't work. So this time I am taking a teddy bear head pattern and adapting it to be a kid's hat. My roomie says I need to knit the ears too.
Ear issue aside I should have the hat done today.
---------
I finished knitting a box.
I made it so I would have a place to put my female necessities that was not just a plastic bag or the manufacturers container. The picture isn't the best, but I wanted to get my projects page updated so it will do.
It worked up pretty easy, but not too boring.
Could have been made a bit shorter.
I added a simple crochet edging to the top, to make it cover the box more, after it was done.
Next time I might simply cast on an additional 5 stitches on each side.
---------
I suppose I have been a bit productive, if you don't look at the surprise stuffed toy or the blanket or the airy scarf or the drop stitch scarf which is awaiting a decision about the stitch pattern and the possibility of frogging for a different pattern.
With warm weather comes slower progress.
The heat and the humidity make working on the blanket out of the question.
The stuff toy is at the larger body section and besides being unwieldy, I am puzzling out shaping again. I don't want to end up tearing back, so I wait for inspiration to come along and provide a solution.
I will be tearing back the scarf, I am not happy with what I have so far. I want it more airy. I want more negative space. The kidsilk needs this.
Thus, if I can finish untangling the lace weight merino yarn I will be casting on for a lace shawl.
Perhaps I will find the lace I am looking for and will get it done too.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Three Crazy Days
When my friend told me that our local Pride event was coming up, I knew what I had to do. She told me on Thursday and the event was on Sunday.
As soon as I got home, I cast on for the Northern Lights shawl with my Mini Mochi in Rainbow.
I dedicated myself to the project.
No other projects received a single stitch nor a second glance. Not that the neglected projects in my life are surprised by this treatment. Goodness knows they have gotten good at being left alone. I expect that any day now those projects will start knitting themselves.
It was my first full chart/lace chart knitting.
On the second day of knitting this project, I had to call my LYS for help. They were wonderful and, although we never came up with an answer, I found out it was my own mistake that was solved by simply knitting that segment three times.
I decided to keep it at one skein because as I was reaching the end of my first skein, the long color repeats were turning out not to be long enough. I feared bad pooling ruining the project.
As it was, I was seeing colors come in at one side and were nearly gone by the time I knit back to that section. The yarn goes across colors as smoothly and gracefully as I have ever hoped to see in yarn. This means that while I was seeing the yarn go from yellow to orange, put in perspective with the rest of the project, it still looks like the colors are stretching all the way across.
I knew it wouldn't last, so I did not carry on to a second skein.
So I made it a Shawl-ette.
Of course, this also means I was able to complete the project with time to spare.
It was a wonderful coincidence that probably saved me from bulling through even though I knew it was better to keep it small.
I have never owned a shawlette before.
Honestly, I could have probably squeezed out one more row, but I didn’t want to risk it. There have been too many times that I have run out of yarn in mid-cast off or had to make the last few stitches tighter to stretch the yarn just that much more.
This time I did not do that. I saved myself and I am proud of my restraint.
I knit row 85 and then did a very loose cast off.
I think it is nice.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Who me?
Yes, I feel bad. I have so let the blog slide into silence again, but I have good reasons this time. Really!
I finished the Windmill bag. It is quite lovely and modern and I can only think of two changes I would make to the pattern. The first is the handles, I would have made them shorter. The second is the gauge of my yarn, it could have been more consistent between panels.
Immediately following the cast off for the Windmill bag, I decided to cast on for a box.
Yes, I am knitting a box.
It is a Rose and Espresso colored box for feminine items to be stored in. I did it in four parts. There were two sides and a front piece. The bottom, back and lid were done as a single piece. The lid boasts some stranding work of a rose.
I finished the box, but I am going to tweak it by adding some crochet edging to the lid. Perhaps the box could have been a bit shorter, but it seems to be doing fairly well.
Before I could finish the box, my Roomie who now knits, decided to start the Debbie Bliss Teddy Bear. I suggested a knit-a-long. Then I explained what a KAL was and grabbed some yarn. The next week of knitting was the bear (and since I knit faster than he does, when I caught up I would do a bit of work on the box).
What about my other projects? Like the blankie that has gotten a couple of pattern rows in the last month? Or the custom lace scarf? Perhaps I could do a bit on the socks that I want to knit for myself? Maybe I could get some progress in on the Surprise gift?
Ha!
Serious knitters know that if you don't have a deadline, you don't have to work on UFO's!
Now that I have done those, I am going to work on my first lace shawl.
Yep. I am already on the second chart of three!
If I don't look at the UFO's I won't feel bad for them. Right?
I finished the Windmill bag. It is quite lovely and modern and I can only think of two changes I would make to the pattern. The first is the handles, I would have made them shorter. The second is the gauge of my yarn, it could have been more consistent between panels.
Immediately following the cast off for the Windmill bag, I decided to cast on for a box.
Yes, I am knitting a box.
It is a Rose and Espresso colored box for feminine items to be stored in. I did it in four parts. There were two sides and a front piece. The bottom, back and lid were done as a single piece. The lid boasts some stranding work of a rose.
I finished the box, but I am going to tweak it by adding some crochet edging to the lid. Perhaps the box could have been a bit shorter, but it seems to be doing fairly well.
Before I could finish the box, my Roomie who now knits, decided to start the Debbie Bliss Teddy Bear. I suggested a knit-a-long. Then I explained what a KAL was and grabbed some yarn. The next week of knitting was the bear (and since I knit faster than he does, when I caught up I would do a bit of work on the box).
What about my other projects? Like the blankie that has gotten a couple of pattern rows in the last month? Or the custom lace scarf? Perhaps I could do a bit on the socks that I want to knit for myself? Maybe I could get some progress in on the Surprise gift?
Ha!
Serious knitters know that if you don't have a deadline, you don't have to work on UFO's!
Now that I have done those, I am going to work on my first lace shawl.
Yep. I am already on the second chart of three!
If I don't look at the UFO's I won't feel bad for them. Right?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Stranges things that happen with knitting
I seem to have recently developed a gauge problem.
This is notably visible in certain projects that have been knit over time and are supposed to have shaping.
In fact, just this last Saturday, I cast on a worsted weight yarn onto a size 9 needle and started a top down knit cap for a friend's child. At first I thought it was knitting a little thin, but I felt that a thin hat wouldn't be too bad.
I finished it yesterday and it totally lacks shaping. The knit is so loose that even when I switched from increases to stockinette the hat continued to bell out. I finished it only to have to frog it. I am going to have to get yet more dpns so that I can get a smaller size going.
This shaping problem also infected my laundry soap bag. While that project was done on only one size needle and with set yarn, the top half and the bottom half do not seem to have the same tension. The bottom bells out so much that rather than looking like a jar or old Grecian urn, it looks like a knitted U.F.O. The irony is that the project is no longer a UFO as it reached the point of FO last week.
Oh, you want to see the wild hair stranding that I made?
Just remember, there was absolutely no pattern for the whole thing. Nothing inspiring to look at when I was knitting it up and deciding which color was going where. It was totally play.
This is notably visible in certain projects that have been knit over time and are supposed to have shaping.
In fact, just this last Saturday, I cast on a worsted weight yarn onto a size 9 needle and started a top down knit cap for a friend's child. At first I thought it was knitting a little thin, but I felt that a thin hat wouldn't be too bad.
I finished it yesterday and it totally lacks shaping. The knit is so loose that even when I switched from increases to stockinette the hat continued to bell out. I finished it only to have to frog it. I am going to have to get yet more dpns so that I can get a smaller size going.
This shaping problem also infected my laundry soap bag. While that project was done on only one size needle and with set yarn, the top half and the bottom half do not seem to have the same tension. The bottom bells out so much that rather than looking like a jar or old Grecian urn, it looks like a knitted U.F.O. The irony is that the project is no longer a UFO as it reached the point of FO last week.
Oh, you want to see the wild hair stranding that I made?
Just remember, there was absolutely no pattern for the whole thing. Nothing inspiring to look at when I was knitting it up and deciding which color was going where. It was totally play.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
An End & A Beginning
Even longer if you count the time spent trying to get the recipient to select a yarn.
It was an on again, off again project. Months of work and months of not touching the yarn, the needles or even the measurements.
There were highs, when precious stitches were saved and new techniques learned, and there were lows, when inches of ribbing were ripped back and stitches were left hanging in the air and needles snapped in my hands.
Was the journey worth the effort?
Perhaps.So far my roommate seems happy with his new socks.
(Of course that might be because I have made it clear that he will be happy with them or else.) (The kitten thinks she has a new something to chew holes into.)
- - - - - -
A few days ago, in a fit of "it would work if I knit it this way", I cast on for a new stuffed toy.
This one is a secret surprise for a friend of mine who happens to like pink birds.
Can you guess what it is?
Monday, March 2, 2009
Now what?
As I mentioned before, I finished the red scarf.
Then I finished the green scarf.
I have cast on for the second sock, but progress is a bit slow. The math question was solved with "subtract one stitch per inch", so I am going to get this bit finished.
I am still working on the blanket and the laundry soap bag should be finished after a few more weeks (remember, I am only knitting on the bag when I am at the laundry mat).
This means I only have three projects in process.
For some people, this would be enough. Many would say it is more than enough. To me, it means I need to get planning my next project. I don't think I am feeling like a productive knitter if I have less than half a dozen or more projects stacked up. It means it takes longer to finish any given one, but if timed correctly I can get a whole week of FO joy, one right after the other.
So I have been flipping through patterns again, going through my stash and trying to pair things up. I think this is the part of knitting that is the most fun. I have some really, really nice yarn stashed up and there are some great patterns out there and sorting through them all fills me with hope and inspiration and almost lets me forget that on this second day of March everything outside is covered in ice.
As I am typing this, it has started snowing again.
While I was moving through patterns and looking at my Project Queue '09, I started eying the shawls I have lined up. They are top down, but apparently top down means the last rows are even longer as you knit down and up the triangle sides, which kind of goes against my idea of purpose of top down shawls (which is shorter rows as you reach the bottom tip). In general, the starting section confuses me a lot. A really really lot. I shall be needing help to translate what the pattern wants me to do.
Thus, I started looking at different patterns for some of the other yarn I have. I looked at a very nice beret/tam had done in entrelac, which I have yet to try.
Then I got to looking at knitted bags and such and queued up a market bag for some aran weight cotton yarn I have. The pattern is nice and just about screams for some improvisation. Which lead to me thinking about designing.
I do plan on being a designer and I need to increase my knitting skills to get there. I also need to get done with other patterns I need knit up and write out. For example, I have a few variations on my wine bottle that I want to work on. I want to make some adjustments to the pattern and see if I can make more and better wine bags.
This got me thinking that maybe I need to make a list of knitting skills I need to practice and things I need to learn to knit:
Entrelac
Drop Stitch variations
Color work
Sweaters
Top down shawls
Gloves
Cables
I am considering re-doing my Project Queue '09. As long as I knit from stash and have a minimum of one project per month (which I am already a bit ahead on), then I will be keeping to the original plan.
The other day I was lamenting to my friends that I have yet to actually knit myself a warm scarf. (So far I am planning on keeping the silk scarf, but it is not warm, really.) Of course, my knowledge of knitting has improved enough that now I can't settle for just a garter stitch scarf. Nor will I knit myself a scarf of a pattern that I have already done a few times. I think, in order to make a scarf I will be happy with keeping, it will have to be a self designed scarf.
And it will need a matching hat.
Perhaps even gloves to go along.
I think on my next day off, pending it is not a beautiful weather day that begs for outdoor exploration, I am going to pull out all my yarn and reorganize it.
I also need to recount my knitting needles as I seem to be missing some.
This will be an all day affair.
-----
Stay tuned: Big news coming later this week!
Then I finished the green scarf.
I have cast on for the second sock, but progress is a bit slow. The math question was solved with "subtract one stitch per inch", so I am going to get this bit finished.
I am still working on the blanket and the laundry soap bag should be finished after a few more weeks (remember, I am only knitting on the bag when I am at the laundry mat).
This means I only have three projects in process.
For some people, this would be enough. Many would say it is more than enough. To me, it means I need to get planning my next project. I don't think I am feeling like a productive knitter if I have less than half a dozen or more projects stacked up. It means it takes longer to finish any given one, but if timed correctly I can get a whole week of FO joy, one right after the other.
So I have been flipping through patterns again, going through my stash and trying to pair things up. I think this is the part of knitting that is the most fun. I have some really, really nice yarn stashed up and there are some great patterns out there and sorting through them all fills me with hope and inspiration and almost lets me forget that on this second day of March everything outside is covered in ice.
As I am typing this, it has started snowing again.
While I was moving through patterns and looking at my Project Queue '09, I started eying the shawls I have lined up. They are top down, but apparently top down means the last rows are even longer as you knit down and up the triangle sides, which kind of goes against my idea of purpose of top down shawls (which is shorter rows as you reach the bottom tip). In general, the starting section confuses me a lot. A really really lot. I shall be needing help to translate what the pattern wants me to do.
Thus, I started looking at different patterns for some of the other yarn I have. I looked at a very nice beret/tam had done in entrelac, which I have yet to try.
Then I got to looking at knitted bags and such and queued up a market bag for some aran weight cotton yarn I have. The pattern is nice and just about screams for some improvisation. Which lead to me thinking about designing.
I do plan on being a designer and I need to increase my knitting skills to get there. I also need to get done with other patterns I need knit up and write out. For example, I have a few variations on my wine bottle that I want to work on. I want to make some adjustments to the pattern and see if I can make more and better wine bags.
This got me thinking that maybe I need to make a list of knitting skills I need to practice and things I need to learn to knit:
Entrelac
Drop Stitch variations
Color work
Sweaters
Top down shawls
Gloves
Cables
I am considering re-doing my Project Queue '09. As long as I knit from stash and have a minimum of one project per month (which I am already a bit ahead on), then I will be keeping to the original plan.
The other day I was lamenting to my friends that I have yet to actually knit myself a warm scarf. (So far I am planning on keeping the silk scarf, but it is not warm, really.) Of course, my knowledge of knitting has improved enough that now I can't settle for just a garter stitch scarf. Nor will I knit myself a scarf of a pattern that I have already done a few times. I think, in order to make a scarf I will be happy with keeping, it will have to be a self designed scarf.
And it will need a matching hat.
Perhaps even gloves to go along.
I think on my next day off, pending it is not a beautiful weather day that begs for outdoor exploration, I am going to pull out all my yarn and reorganize it.
I also need to recount my knitting needles as I seem to be missing some.
This will be an all day affair.
-----
Stay tuned: Big news coming later this week!
Friday, February 20, 2009
A bit better
I am feeling a bit better now. Still not sure what was going on, but since then I have quit smoking, increased my exercise routines and finished the Red Bunny Scarf (which was supposed to be a Raspberry Bunny Beret, but alas there is no yarn left).
Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me to get a picture of it. So that part will have to wait.
The last two days of working on this project were FULL days of knitting. Wednesday I took it with me to the optometrist and work, garnering around 7 hours of knitting. Thursday I took it with me to laundry and then worked on it at home, for 4 more hours of knitting that was nearly uninterrupted. Then I gave it a rough steam blocking and some tassels.
The scarf was bagged for the trip and I turned to my stash to figure out what project I was going to take with me. I always take knitting with me to her house so that I can stay busy while her husband flips restlessly through TV stations and her and her son are in the kitchen cooking.
This time though, a strange thing happened.
I wanted to grab a project to knit, but I wanted to not knit for a bit.
I was worn out.
Tired and arm-sore of knitting.
Needing to take a break.
Yet.... I wanted to work on something.
Sigh.
In the end I took nothing with me. I enjoyed the respite and managed to get control of the remote, thus stabilizing the tube for a while.
Yes, she loved the scarf and I told her about how to care for a hand knit object of Angora.
Before we left, I took a moment to pet the yarn. It was supposed to be a hat and was even cast on and knit up to be a hat! Due to a sizing error it was frogged all the way back and somehow ended up not being a hat. Nor being mine.
It was one of my cherished yarns and I shall miss it.
I am on a stash diet this year, so I will not run out and try to buy more bunny. I shall try to stick with knitting from stash.
I shall also dream of owning my own yarn store, thus eliminating the need to have a stash diet.
---------
In other news I am now facing a new problem.
This issue is a tough one and I know that being vented on a knitting blog will lead to some bias in any responses received.
I got my tax returns.
I got a bonus from my job.
In short, I have fire in my pants. Near the pocket. Um, nevermind.
I have a couple of choices.
I can get a new and FASTER scooter like this! This would be very, very welcome and would provide a lot of improvements.
OR-
I could get something like this:
OR-
I could continue saving for the trip my friends and I are planning, in which we shall fly out to either Malta, Sicily and such or Athens, Mykonos and Santorini.
Please don't misunderstand, I am not rich yet. I simply have a knack for finding great deals, and I know I can arrange this trip to the Islands for around $1k per person (which means saving twice as much before leaving). This is the same as the amount we planned on for our trip to St. Paul, Minn.
How do I choose?
------------
I also have another question for you.
As I still have not replaced my sock knitting book, I am lacking sock knitting math.
Can anyone tell me what the formula is?
I know it starts:
X = sts per inch.
Then it goes something like:
foot=50% of X
leg=??% of X
And there are other parts too.
Help?
Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me to get a picture of it. So that part will have to wait.
The last two days of working on this project were FULL days of knitting. Wednesday I took it with me to the optometrist and work, garnering around 7 hours of knitting. Thursday I took it with me to laundry and then worked on it at home, for 4 more hours of knitting that was nearly uninterrupted. Then I gave it a rough steam blocking and some tassels.
The scarf was bagged for the trip and I turned to my stash to figure out what project I was going to take with me. I always take knitting with me to her house so that I can stay busy while her husband flips restlessly through TV stations and her and her son are in the kitchen cooking.
This time though, a strange thing happened.
I wanted to grab a project to knit, but I wanted to not knit for a bit.
I was worn out.
Tired and arm-sore of knitting.
Needing to take a break.
Yet.... I wanted to work on something.
Sigh.
In the end I took nothing with me. I enjoyed the respite and managed to get control of the remote, thus stabilizing the tube for a while.
Yes, she loved the scarf and I told her about how to care for a hand knit object of Angora.
Before we left, I took a moment to pet the yarn. It was supposed to be a hat and was even cast on and knit up to be a hat! Due to a sizing error it was frogged all the way back and somehow ended up not being a hat. Nor being mine.
It was one of my cherished yarns and I shall miss it.
I am on a stash diet this year, so I will not run out and try to buy more bunny. I shall try to stick with knitting from stash.
I shall also dream of owning my own yarn store, thus eliminating the need to have a stash diet.
---------
In other news I am now facing a new problem.
This issue is a tough one and I know that being vented on a knitting blog will lead to some bias in any responses received.
I got my tax returns.
I got a bonus from my job.
In short, I have fire in my pants. Near the pocket. Um, nevermind.
I have a couple of choices.
I can get a new and FASTER scooter like this! This would be very, very welcome and would provide a lot of improvements.
OR-
I could get something like this:
OR-
I could continue saving for the trip my friends and I are planning, in which we shall fly out to either Malta, Sicily and such or Athens, Mykonos and Santorini.
Please don't misunderstand, I am not rich yet. I simply have a knack for finding great deals, and I know I can arrange this trip to the Islands for around $1k per person (which means saving twice as much before leaving). This is the same as the amount we planned on for our trip to St. Paul, Minn.
How do I choose?
------------
I also have another question for you.
As I still have not replaced my sock knitting book, I am lacking sock knitting math.
Can anyone tell me what the formula is?
I know it starts:
X = sts per inch.
Then it goes something like:
foot=50% of X
leg=??% of X
And there are other parts too.
Help?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Blocking Leads to Brain Explosions
Early last month I cast on for the Isobel scarf, using Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. I finished the project just before the end of the month.
Prior to finishing I had searched the threads in Ravelry for anything about blocking silk and was thrilled to read post after post of how durable silk is and how you can block it to within an inch of the yarn's life with no worries. I read that soaking silk is fine if it is not a bold color as the only problem that comes from soaking is the dye bleeding, so vibrant colors should be carefully dampened rather than set in water for hours.
Today I planned to get the blocking started.
To be thorough I started searching the threads again. Funny, this time I find thread after thread saying silk becomes fragile when wet and that blocking should be done with light steam and carefully.
Some people say silk should not be soaked and instead just immersed in water long enough to be wet, others say that silk needs to soak for hours because it is dense and won't get wet all through without giving lots of time.
There seemed to be a bit of question regarding the weight of the yarn, but in general today's searches only brought up warnings while the previous search was all confidence.
In the end I soaked the silk for about an hour. Then I blocked it rather strongly. It took almost 2 hours and 200 paper clips to get the scarf fully blocked. By the time I was done blocking it out the silk was mostly dry, so I gave it a light spray of water once it was all stretched out.
The results are quite pretty. The scarf has a hint of curling at the edges, so I probably could have blocked it with a bit more force. I am very please with the results and I have half a skein of the silk left over. I am already looking for a suitable project for 23 grams of silk.
This post alone took a couple of days, mostly due to other issues like the need for clean clothes, charged batteries, sleep and work. At least I can count off another one of the Twelve Projects for 2009 Project Queue.
Prior to finishing I had searched the threads in Ravelry for anything about blocking silk and was thrilled to read post after post of how durable silk is and how you can block it to within an inch of the yarn's life with no worries. I read that soaking silk is fine if it is not a bold color as the only problem that comes from soaking is the dye bleeding, so vibrant colors should be carefully dampened rather than set in water for hours.Today I planned to get the blocking started.
To be thorough I started searching the threads again. Funny, this time I find thread after thread saying silk becomes fragile when wet and that blocking should be done with light steam and carefully.
Some people say silk should not be soaked and instead just immersed in water long enough to be wet, others say that silk needs to soak for hours because it is dense and won't get wet all through without giving lots of time.
There seemed to be a bit of question regarding the weight of the yarn, but in general today's searches only brought up warnings while the previous search was all confidence.
In the end I soaked the silk for about an hour. Then I blocked it rather strongly. It took almost 2 hours and 200 paper clips to get the scarf fully blocked. By the time I was done blocking it out the silk was mostly dry, so I gave it a light spray of water once it was all stretched out.
The results are quite pretty. The scarf has a hint of curling at the edges, so I probably could have blocked it with a bit more force. I am very please with the results and I have half a skein of the silk left over. I am already looking for a suitable project for 23 grams of silk.
This post alone took a couple of days, mostly due to other issues like the need for clean clothes, charged batteries, sleep and work. At least I can count off another one of the Twelve Projects for 2009 Project Queue.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The good and the bad and the really bad
Last night I was writing this post in my mind. In my fancy I thought of titling it "Good news/Bad news". The following text would crow my success on one project and lightly bemoan the errors of another. There was to be a finishing flourish holding my success as a beautiful reason to overcome the challenges that other projects may throw at you. There was going to be pictures of the "good news" project.
Unfortunately things did not work out so simply. Allow me to start again. I shall start with the good news, and rather than writing a story of triumph support us over difficulties, this story shall be a bit more of a tragedy.
It begins back in September. No, it begins earlier.
It was the end of July when I gave my roommate the opportunity to select some yarn for a requested project. It was September 13th when I cast on, using the toe-up afterthought heel steps and no real pattern. I cast on at the Yarn for Breakfast Meetup and with the help of my friends found the needed math to make the sock. The afterthought heel went well.
I did occasional fittings after I got past the heel. The comments were that the foot was a bit snug. I told him that would probably block out.
This brings us to 6:08 PM last night.
That was the time on the clock when I cast off the last stitch on the cuff. The sock was shown off to some coworkers. A text message was sent to my roommate warning him of an impending surprise. After dinner I presented him with Sock A and around 10 PM he tried it on.
This, dear reader, is where things take a bad turn.
For now, we shall pause and look toward the originally planned "bad news."
I have been knitting a simple two row sock for my friend Bill. It has gone smoothly and quickly and feels very nice. It has already shown a very distinguished coloring and is very much a man' man's scarf. I have knit almost 3 feet of it, reveling in the simplicity of making a scarf that relies on the texture and color of the fibers rather than intricate stitches to stand out.
Unfortunately, the "pattern" for the scarf was not read closely enough.
Rather than being a simple stockinette going the length of it, it is actually a 1x1 rib. The difference in this is the rolling of the fabric. Right now, the part of the scarf not close to the needles is in the form of two tubes.
I could continue the scarf. A quick purchase of fabric relaxer and studious use of steam pressing could resolve the issue. Though when the scarf is washed, the process would have to be repeated. If this was my scarf, I would be fine with that.
What I should due is frog it back and redo it in the proper ribbing. Even if only for the outside rows.
I don't think I could cheat my friend Bill by taking a short cut and leaving him extra work for the life of the scarf.
This, this was my big bad news. Now, compared to the really bad news, frogging a few feet of scarf is nothing. It does not even cause a slight twinge. I have a deeper pain to deal with.
Please understand. I have the calf muscles that many strong short women have. My calves are made of curves. A quick look at a top down sock pattern for men shows a wider ribbing at the top of the leg than the bottom.
I can blame my brain, claiming that I was subconsciously knitting the socks for myself. I could blame this other pattern for putting bad theory in my mind. Either way the result is the same.
I widened the ribbing as I reached the end of the sock. I wanted the sock to be comfortable. I cast off VERY loosely as that is what every cuff bind off says one should do.
When my roommate tried the sock on last night, it was snug at the foot and perfect around the ankle. Where it went up toward his knee it belled out with enough room to encompass his pants after being rucked up for the fitting.
Thus, at 10:30pm I started ripping.
I shall have to redo around half of the leg. There is, in my mind, a sore temptation to leave that sock for a while and cast on for the other one. I am a bit mad at the sock I have, though I know it is my own fault.
I have never been terribly good at picking up stitches and trying to thread the ribbing with floss has turned out to be beyond me at this time. I have considered ripping the leg all the way back to the heel. The ribbing really does start a bit earlier than it should.
So here I am, at the beginning of December with two projects a'ripping.
I am almost afraid to touch the blanket. I don't want to frog that one, please. It is too big! It would be too much! No. I shall not touch it. Not for now. First I must fix these other projects. Then, then it will be safe. Right?
Unfortunately things did not work out so simply. Allow me to start again. I shall start with the good news, and rather than writing a story of triumph support us over difficulties, this story shall be a bit more of a tragedy.
It begins back in September. No, it begins earlier.
It was the end of July when I gave my roommate the opportunity to select some yarn for a requested project. It was September 13th when I cast on, using the toe-up afterthought heel steps and no real pattern. I cast on at the Yarn for Breakfast Meetup and with the help of my friends found the needed math to make the sock. The afterthought heel went well.
I did occasional fittings after I got past the heel. The comments were that the foot was a bit snug. I told him that would probably block out.
This brings us to 6:08 PM last night.
That was the time on the clock when I cast off the last stitch on the cuff. The sock was shown off to some coworkers. A text message was sent to my roommate warning him of an impending surprise. After dinner I presented him with Sock A and around 10 PM he tried it on.
This, dear reader, is where things take a bad turn.
For now, we shall pause and look toward the originally planned "bad news."
I have been knitting a simple two row sock for my friend Bill. It has gone smoothly and quickly and feels very nice. It has already shown a very distinguished coloring and is very much a man' man's scarf. I have knit almost 3 feet of it, reveling in the simplicity of making a scarf that relies on the texture and color of the fibers rather than intricate stitches to stand out.
Unfortunately, the "pattern" for the scarf was not read closely enough.
Rather than being a simple stockinette going the length of it, it is actually a 1x1 rib. The difference in this is the rolling of the fabric. Right now, the part of the scarf not close to the needles is in the form of two tubes.
I could continue the scarf. A quick purchase of fabric relaxer and studious use of steam pressing could resolve the issue. Though when the scarf is washed, the process would have to be repeated. If this was my scarf, I would be fine with that.
What I should due is frog it back and redo it in the proper ribbing. Even if only for the outside rows.
I don't think I could cheat my friend Bill by taking a short cut and leaving him extra work for the life of the scarf.
This, this was my big bad news. Now, compared to the really bad news, frogging a few feet of scarf is nothing. It does not even cause a slight twinge. I have a deeper pain to deal with.
Please understand. I have the calf muscles that many strong short women have. My calves are made of curves. A quick look at a top down sock pattern for men shows a wider ribbing at the top of the leg than the bottom.
I can blame my brain, claiming that I was subconsciously knitting the socks for myself. I could blame this other pattern for putting bad theory in my mind. Either way the result is the same.
I widened the ribbing as I reached the end of the sock. I wanted the sock to be comfortable. I cast off VERY loosely as that is what every cuff bind off says one should do.
When my roommate tried the sock on last night, it was snug at the foot and perfect around the ankle. Where it went up toward his knee it belled out with enough room to encompass his pants after being rucked up for the fitting.
Thus, at 10:30pm I started ripping.
I shall have to redo around half of the leg. There is, in my mind, a sore temptation to leave that sock for a while and cast on for the other one. I am a bit mad at the sock I have, though I know it is my own fault.
I have never been terribly good at picking up stitches and trying to thread the ribbing with floss has turned out to be beyond me at this time. I have considered ripping the leg all the way back to the heel. The ribbing really does start a bit earlier than it should.
So here I am, at the beginning of December with two projects a'ripping.
I am almost afraid to touch the blanket. I don't want to frog that one, please. It is too big! It would be too much! No. I shall not touch it. Not for now. First I must fix these other projects. Then, then it will be safe. Right?
Friday, October 3, 2008
Quick Knits for Cold Ankles
Well, due to a small misunderstanding with the save button versus the publish button, the last post was delayed coming out. Such errors will be avoided in the future. Thank you for your patience.
In my last post I promised, though vaguely, to discuss a recent project. I had cast on then finished this project without even getting anything updated online.
Which gives a clue to the alternate post title, "Projects that do as they are told."
My roommate is a tall and skinny guy. It is only with conscious effort that he is able to reach and maintain a healthy weight. If he slips, he will drop 20 pounds the way some people drop rumors.
If I am not careful, I will end up with 5 of those pounds becoming attached to me. So I tend to provide reminders and encouragement for him, mostly to prevent picking up lost weight.
Since I first picked up needles and made him a scarf, he has been asking for something for his ankles.
Tall, skinny people tend to have skinny, bony ankles. Which means he has no padding to protect and maintain warmth for the blood vessels that travel past the ankles.
The funny thing is, people lose heat through the bottom of their feet. Consider the soles of your feet as thermostats. If you doubt this, next time you are feeling like the room is too hot, take off both socks and shoes and you will find a near instant change.
So, if he wears socks to bed (and the apartment is warmer than England), he gets too overheated and can't sleep.
This request was years ago.
The other weekend, as the temperatures started dropping outside, I finally started making progress on this request.
Not much mind you, but some.
The fit was a bit off, and he wants a strap to go across the bottom of the foot to help hold them in place, but I made some beta ankle warmers.
It was a fairly simple 2x2 ribbing, with increases and decreases to provide a bit of space around the ankle. They were knit flat on too large needles and seamed up the sides to complete. There was not quite enough yarn left to do a simple garter stitch strapping at the bottom, but that will probably be in the next incarnation. For an 'off the top of my head' project, cast on with no real plans and no real measurements to work with, I think they turned out pretty well.
They were certainly fast to knit, despite the four year delay.
Perhaps since they were knit using alpaca, he is happy to wear them while he waits for new ones.
In my last post I promised, though vaguely, to discuss a recent project. I had cast on then finished this project without even getting anything updated online.
Which gives a clue to the alternate post title, "Projects that do as they are told."
My roommate is a tall and skinny guy. It is only with conscious effort that he is able to reach and maintain a healthy weight. If he slips, he will drop 20 pounds the way some people drop rumors.
If I am not careful, I will end up with 5 of those pounds becoming attached to me. So I tend to provide reminders and encouragement for him, mostly to prevent picking up lost weight.
Since I first picked up needles and made him a scarf, he has been asking for something for his ankles.
Tall, skinny people tend to have skinny, bony ankles. Which means he has no padding to protect and maintain warmth for the blood vessels that travel past the ankles.
The funny thing is, people lose heat through the bottom of their feet. Consider the soles of your feet as thermostats. If you doubt this, next time you are feeling like the room is too hot, take off both socks and shoes and you will find a near instant change.
So, if he wears socks to bed (and the apartment is warmer than England), he gets too overheated and can't sleep.
This request was years ago.
The other weekend, as the temperatures started dropping outside, I finally started making progress on this request.
Not much mind you, but some.
The fit was a bit off, and he wants a strap to go across the bottom of the foot to help hold them in place, but I made some beta ankle warmers.
It was a fairly simple 2x2 ribbing, with increases and decreases to provide a bit of space around the ankle. They were knit flat on too large needles and seamed up the sides to complete. There was not quite enough yarn left to do a simple garter stitch strapping at the bottom, but that will probably be in the next incarnation. For an 'off the top of my head' project, cast on with no real plans and no real measurements to work with, I think they turned out pretty well.They were certainly fast to knit, despite the four year delay.
Perhaps since they were knit using alpaca, he is happy to wear them while he waits for new ones.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Blast from the Past: Time unknown
Rather than repost and old post from my other blog, I figured I would redo it. It wasn't a good post to begin with really.
.jpg)
Back around July '07 I knitted a carrying case for some juggle sticks (aka, devil sticks).
Not having had any real experience w/dpn's I knit the body flat. I used random, overly-fluffy, boring grey yarn from my stash. The intended recipient wanted holes in the body for visual texture, so I did a lot of yo,k2tog patterns at odd intervals that turned out to be barely visible.
All in all, it is a rather unimpressive looking bit of knittery.
Until you consider the execution and design of the piece.
This was an off the top of my head, no known pattern idea. I had to wing the whole thing as I had not even found a pattern to base it off of.
I started by knitting a circular base that would go inside on the bottom to hold the sticks in the case. Again, I knit this flat.
How does one knit a circle via flat knitting? I took my thinnest needles and some crochet thread. I cast on 2 stitches then k1,yo until it was half the size I wanted and then knit a few rows and did a standard bind off. I then took the two corners and crocheted them together and crocheted the new seam down to the center.
Unfortunately I did not take a picture of this piece, but it is in the FO.
.JPG)
Next I took US15 needles and my bulky yarn and cast on more stitches than I figured I would need for the width of the body. I knit a row and then decreased a bit until I got my desired width. Then it was knit each row and make holes to the top. Not too impressive on this part. It was when I got to the top that it was fun.
I realized that I would need a lid for my carry case and I did not want to make it a separate piece, in fact I wanted the top to look like a Carnivorous Plant. When I got my desired length I did some yarn overs to add to the width then started binding off until the middle stitches. These I knit onto a stitch holder then went back and cast off the rest. I cut the yarn and reattached it near my held stitches.
.JPG)
The flaw with this part became obvious when I started sewing the piece closed. Because I put my lid in the middle, the seam was in the "front" rather than hidden in the back. Next time, cast off until the last 4 stitches and knit this as per usual.
Then came the shaping for the lid. I did yarn overs to increase and when I was halfway done I started decreasing via k2tog. Simple, elegant and surprisingly successful. The plant look was done well enough that I began to wish the yarn was green.
.JPG)
The last part I had to make was a handle/strap. A simple I-cord was knit up on dpn's (my first work with those type of needles) and when that was done I decided my next case would be on dpn's rather than flat.
Sewing the piece together was a huge pain. I never want to do that again. I am not good at sewing to begin with and the length of the piece meant I was made very uncomfortable for most of that part.
In the end, it came out rather well.
I would not recommend such a large needle with such a loose, fluffy, yarn. The yarn actually is very relaxed which means my measurements were for nothing as the whole thing stretches and the sticks sit a bit too far down on the inside. Attaching the I-cord brought up the problem of reinforcing the connection point due to the pull of wearing the case.
The best part of the whole thing was that this was being made for a loved one and I wasn't going to get stuck with the ugly first attempt. '-)
Later I will tell you about the second one I made.
.jpg)
Back around July '07 I knitted a carrying case for some juggle sticks (aka, devil sticks).
Not having had any real experience w/dpn's I knit the body flat. I used random, overly-fluffy, boring grey yarn from my stash. The intended recipient wanted holes in the body for visual texture, so I did a lot of yo,k2tog patterns at odd intervals that turned out to be barely visible.
All in all, it is a rather unimpressive looking bit of knittery.
Until you consider the execution and design of the piece.
This was an off the top of my head, no known pattern idea. I had to wing the whole thing as I had not even found a pattern to base it off of.
I started by knitting a circular base that would go inside on the bottom to hold the sticks in the case. Again, I knit this flat.
How does one knit a circle via flat knitting? I took my thinnest needles and some crochet thread. I cast on 2 stitches then k1,yo until it was half the size I wanted and then knit a few rows and did a standard bind off. I then took the two corners and crocheted them together and crocheted the new seam down to the center.
Unfortunately I did not take a picture of this piece, but it is in the FO.
.JPG)
Next I took US15 needles and my bulky yarn and cast on more stitches than I figured I would need for the width of the body. I knit a row and then decreased a bit until I got my desired width. Then it was knit each row and make holes to the top. Not too impressive on this part. It was when I got to the top that it was fun.I realized that I would need a lid for my carry case and I did not want to make it a separate piece, in fact I wanted the top to look like a Carnivorous Plant. When I got my desired length I did some yarn overs to add to the width then started binding off until the middle stitches. These I knit onto a stitch holder then went back and cast off the rest. I cut the yarn and reattached it near my held stitches.
.JPG)
The flaw with this part became obvious when I started sewing the piece closed. Because I put my lid in the middle, the seam was in the "front" rather than hidden in the back. Next time, cast off until the last 4 stitches and knit this as per usual.
Then came the shaping for the lid. I did yarn overs to increase and when I was halfway done I started decreasing via k2tog. Simple, elegant and surprisingly successful. The plant look was done well enough that I began to wish the yarn was green.
.JPG)
The last part I had to make was a handle/strap. A simple I-cord was knit up on dpn's (my first work with those type of needles) and when that was done I decided my next case would be on dpn's rather than flat.
Sewing the piece together was a huge pain. I never want to do that again. I am not good at sewing to begin with and the length of the piece meant I was made very uncomfortable for most of that part.
In the end, it came out rather well.
I would not recommend such a large needle with such a loose, fluffy, yarn. The yarn actually is very relaxed which means my measurements were for nothing as the whole thing stretches and the sticks sit a bit too far down on the inside. Attaching the I-cord brought up the problem of reinforcing the connection point due to the pull of wearing the case.
The best part of the whole thing was that this was being made for a loved one and I wasn't going to get stuck with the ugly first attempt. '-)
Later I will tell you about the second one I made.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Blast from the Past: April 4th, 2008
On Tuesday this week I had a bit of an accident.
I was on my way back to the office from doing the deposit and there was a bare sprinkling of water from the sky.
My scooter and I had just turned on to Little Creek Rd, down by Ward's Corner for you locals, and we found a large freshly moistened oil slick.
I did not see the oil slick when I turned the wheel slightly. I did see the ground as the scooter went sideways and fell out from beneath me.
Skipping details....
Yesterday I was able to walk around the parking lot of my apartment and even went next door to the store that sells stuff for handicap peoples. I picked up a nice new cane with a comfort grip.
Within an hour of getting it home, I had knitted a soft cover for the grip, making it more comfortable.
Since the weather is rather nice I get to wear a lighter coat, rather like a suit jacket.So today, I was limping around in a jacket, with a cane and a pocket full of Vicodin.
It's not lupus.
I was on my way back to the office from doing the deposit and there was a bare sprinkling of water from the sky.
My scooter and I had just turned on to Little Creek Rd, down by Ward's Corner for you locals, and we found a large freshly moistened oil slick.
I did not see the oil slick when I turned the wheel slightly. I did see the ground as the scooter went sideways and fell out from beneath me.
Skipping details....
Yesterday I was able to walk around the parking lot of my apartment and even went next door to the store that sells stuff for handicap peoples. I picked up a nice new cane with a comfort grip.
Within an hour of getting it home, I had knitted a soft cover for the grip, making it more comfortable.
Since the weather is rather nice I get to wear a lighter coat, rather like a suit jacket.So today, I was limping around in a jacket, with a cane and a pocket full of Vicodin.
It's not lupus.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Blast from the past - April 15th, 2008
It has been a couple of weeks since my injury. My last visit with the doctor was just this past Friday and I was sentenced to two more weeks out of work.
What have I been doing with this time?
At first I was limited to the couch and watched much TV.
I was hooked up with a Wii and some time was spent playing various games. There was also some reading of books. The first weekend after my injury some friends of mine kept me busy with various events, including dinners. I have since learned which vehicles are comfortable for a person with a bum leg, which is only one. The car in question has a dozen or so buttons for adjusting the seat.
Some time last week I realized that I was getting nothing done during my downtime and I quickly figured out it was because the TV was sucking up hours of the day. I have since cut the TV out of my daytime activities and focused more on knitting.
This has lead to two finished projects and a third secret project that should be done by 6pm today, yarn willing.
I completed the Alaska Drops headband, which is awaiting pick up by the intended recipient:
I also made a knitted coffee sling. The pattern can be found
here. I do not yet have a picture of this one, but that will be forth coming. (ETA: A picture will be forthcoming when I redo this one.)
I found a lovely podcast for knitters called Cast On. A full directory of episodes can be found here.
Where before the TV was sucking away my hours, now knitting is doing so.
The pod casts are around an hour each and I am up to episode 27 as we speak (ETA: I completed all episodes before the 21st of April). I only found this podcast a few days ago. Sunday, I believe.
I am neglecting other activities as I focus on making things from yarn. There are actually enough engaging projects before me that I am not really hurting to bad from lack of work.
It is amazing to me. I used to hate not having a job to keep me busy. Nine hours of my day was easily kept from boredom via work, even when I hated my job. Now, I find the day gone without having once stared at the walls. I keep busy enough that my lack of interaction with other people doesn't bother me, until someone from my office calls me and I am reminded that I have my own store, my baby, and I am sure it is becoming a horrid mess without me.
With my current job it is easy for me to put in ten hours at work. I have often stopped by on my day off to fix something, drop something off or even just check in and make sure all is well. This is the first time I have had a job that I loved and I am finding that I am almost as much of a workaholic as my friend Jason. So imagine my surprise when I learn that I can have downtime without going crazy.
Of course it helps to have four or more hobbies, new books and a Wii.
Once I am back at work all of these other things to do will slide back onto the shelf as my job takes the fore, but I can at least look back at this time with fond memories. I know that if I win the lottery and retire (yeah, right) that I will have things to do that I enjoy and can fill my days with.
What have I been doing with this time?
At first I was limited to the couch and watched much TV.
I was hooked up with a Wii and some time was spent playing various games. There was also some reading of books. The first weekend after my injury some friends of mine kept me busy with various events, including dinners. I have since learned which vehicles are comfortable for a person with a bum leg, which is only one. The car in question has a dozen or so buttons for adjusting the seat.
Some time last week I realized that I was getting nothing done during my downtime and I quickly figured out it was because the TV was sucking up hours of the day. I have since cut the TV out of my daytime activities and focused more on knitting.
This has lead to two finished projects and a third secret project that should be done by 6pm today, yarn willing.
I completed the Alaska Drops headband, which is awaiting pick up by the intended recipient:
I also made a knitted coffee sling. The pattern can be found
here. I do not yet have a picture of this one, but that will be forth coming. (ETA: A picture will be forthcoming when I redo this one.)
I found a lovely podcast for knitters called Cast On. A full directory of episodes can be found here.
Where before the TV was sucking away my hours, now knitting is doing so.
The pod casts are around an hour each and I am up to episode 27 as we speak (ETA: I completed all episodes before the 21st of April). I only found this podcast a few days ago. Sunday, I believe.
I am neglecting other activities as I focus on making things from yarn. There are actually enough engaging projects before me that I am not really hurting to bad from lack of work.
It is amazing to me. I used to hate not having a job to keep me busy. Nine hours of my day was easily kept from boredom via work, even when I hated my job. Now, I find the day gone without having once stared at the walls. I keep busy enough that my lack of interaction with other people doesn't bother me, until someone from my office calls me and I am reminded that I have my own store, my baby, and I am sure it is becoming a horrid mess without me.
With my current job it is easy for me to put in ten hours at work. I have often stopped by on my day off to fix something, drop something off or even just check in and make sure all is well. This is the first time I have had a job that I loved and I am finding that I am almost as much of a workaholic as my friend Jason. So imagine my surprise when I learn that I can have downtime without going crazy.
Of course it helps to have four or more hobbies, new books and a Wii.
Once I am back at work all of these other things to do will slide back onto the shelf as my job takes the fore, but I can at least look back at this time with fond memories. I know that if I win the lottery and retire (yeah, right) that I will have things to do that I enjoy and can fill my days with.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
My how busy I have been
I just got back from Yarn for Breakfast, a local knitting Meetup. This particular event usually is held in Portsmouth, but due to an Arts Festival, it was moved to my neighborhood. Go me! '-)
We chatted and knitted from 9 am until around noon when people started packing up and wandering off.
In the past 24 hours I have completed three projects.
Last night I cast off on a personal designed Wine Bottle Gift Bag. I will finish drawing up the pattern and will be posting it for free here.
This morning I finished the first panel of my easy lace curtains, which is based on the the Jan's Sensational Scarf pattern in the book One Skein Wonders, by Judith Durant. When I actually finish the whole thing and get the pieces blocked and sewn together I will do a write up on it.
I also finished a kids shawl for a friends little girl this morning. I want to add little bows as a finishing touch, but I have to find the things first. A full write up and pics will be upcoming.
So, three projects completed in a very short time. And all in time for Mother's Day.
Mad skillz are here! '-)
Currently my needles are empty.
In an hour or so that will change as I have a friend coming over to take me yarn shopping. She wants to pick up yarn for me to knit her a stuffed nautilus.
We chatted and knitted from 9 am until around noon when people started packing up and wandering off.
In the past 24 hours I have completed three projects.
Last night I cast off on a personal designed Wine Bottle Gift Bag. I will finish drawing up the pattern and will be posting it for free here.
This morning I finished the first panel of my easy lace curtains, which is based on the the Jan's Sensational Scarf pattern in the book One Skein Wonders, by Judith Durant. When I actually finish the whole thing and get the pieces blocked and sewn together I will do a write up on it.
I also finished a kids shawl for a friends little girl this morning. I want to add little bows as a finishing touch, but I have to find the things first. A full write up and pics will be upcoming.
So, three projects completed in a very short time. And all in time for Mother's Day.
Mad skillz are here! '-)
Currently my needles are empty.
In an hour or so that will change as I have a friend coming over to take me yarn shopping. She wants to pick up yarn for me to knit her a stuffed nautilus.
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