I did manage to finish the golf vest in time for Christmas, thank you very much! The socks for my father-in-law took until Christmas day. I still haven't seen him, so they are sitting on the table downstairs. I immediately cast on for Meg's Ballet Wrap sweater in rose pink extrafine merino wool. I finished the back yesterday and started the right front last night. It's a worsted wool, so it's going very fast. I was most excited to get gauge on the first try. That doesn't happen very often.
The only knitting item I scored for Christmas was a book of borders and edges. For such an avid knitter, people really don't consider knitting items for me, do they? It's kind of sad. However, I'm not going to complain. I did get a gift card, so I can buy my own knitting stuff.
I also got a Kindle Keyboard, which I'm loving. I downloaded my first book already, a nerdy fantasy novel I had seen in the store. I love it.
Otherwise, Christmas was quiet. Meg and I went to visit my mother in Aiken, SC and took her the shawl I knit for her. I think she genuinely likes it.
Tonight I'm going to the movies with BlondKnitter and Meg and a friend of Meg's. We're going to see the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. I'm looking forward to popcorn for dinner.
Happy Knitting!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Happy Holidays!
I haven't made a lot of progress on the golf vest as of late. Or rather, I did, but had to frog it when I realized the gauge was off. I'm back on track now, but haven't had much time to knit. I did cast on for a pair of socks for my father-in-law for Christmas. It's my small project for traveling. The inexpensive needles I am using had a splinter in the bamboo point, which I think I have sanded out. It can be hard to tell until it splinters again. I like the yarn I'm using, though. It's Paton's Kroy in a red, black, and brown jacquard motif. Self-striping stuff and very nice to work with. I always make good socks when I use Paton's Kroy.
Only two more days of work for the calendar year. The down side is I won't get paid again until nearly February. I have plenty of projects set aside for the down time though. I want to make a rose pink ballet wrap sweater for Megan. The yarn is extrafine merino wool from a Herrschner's sale. I got it for $1.99 a skein, eight skeins for the medium sweater. I'm using a Lion Brand pattern, which I got here. I think she'll like it. She asked for one before. I also want to make some reusable grocery bags, the kind that work like the plastic bags and fit on the bag stand at the market to hold them open. I have tons of craft fabric to use and a pattern I got for a dollar on sale at JoAnn's. I'm hoping Meg will help with these. I want to serge them and haven't used the serger yet. I know she has sewing plans for the break, but maybe we will have time for both.
Anyway, it may be a while before I blog again, so if I don't see you before Christmas I want to wish everyone a great holiday and a happy New Year. I'll be eating my Hoppin' John on New Year's day, one bean for every day of good luck. Here's hoping Santa brings you plenty of yarn and craft books!
Happy Knitting!
Only two more days of work for the calendar year. The down side is I won't get paid again until nearly February. I have plenty of projects set aside for the down time though. I want to make a rose pink ballet wrap sweater for Megan. The yarn is extrafine merino wool from a Herrschner's sale. I got it for $1.99 a skein, eight skeins for the medium sweater. I'm using a Lion Brand pattern, which I got here. I think she'll like it. She asked for one before. I also want to make some reusable grocery bags, the kind that work like the plastic bags and fit on the bag stand at the market to hold them open. I have tons of craft fabric to use and a pattern I got for a dollar on sale at JoAnn's. I'm hoping Meg will help with these. I want to serge them and haven't used the serger yet. I know she has sewing plans for the break, but maybe we will have time for both.
Anyway, it may be a while before I blog again, so if I don't see you before Christmas I want to wish everyone a great holiday and a happy New Year. I'll be eating my Hoppin' John on New Year's day, one bean for every day of good luck. Here's hoping Santa brings you plenty of yarn and craft books!
Happy Knitting!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Friday musings
At last it's Friday. I'll have all day tomorrow to knit and do laundry. Hopefully, I'll make some serious progress on the back. If I'm lucky, the SciFi channel will have an apocalyptic movie marathon on to keep me company. Both kids are studying for finals and Derek has work stuff to do, so I won't get to finish the Christmas shopping. That's okay. I did most of it on line today. The stuff will probably arrive just before or while I'm in South Carolina visiting my mom, so I hope it doesn't get opened, or someone will ruin their own Christmas surprises.
I need a second traveling project for low light situations, meaning it should be light colored and not too small of stitches. I could do a quick sock project for Papa. He wears the same size I do, so that's easy. I wonder what color socks he likes? Probably black, but that defeats the purpose of a low-light project, doesn't it? How about blues or cream wool socks? He wears a lot of denim, which would go well with those colors. I'll have to check the stash.
Happy Knitting!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
At long last...a sweater story.
Finally, finally, finally I have finished the front of the vest! Around 4 am this morning, but the important thing is that it's done. Of course, I immediately cast on for the back, but I had to wait until later so I could root around and find the contrasting yarns that make up the hem. I didn't want to wake the household, after all. Now I'm finally up and going on the back, silly things like work get in the way and make me wait to work on the vest. Harumph!
No pictures today. My cast on seemed to uninspired to waste time photographing it. The weird thing is, I cast on 181 stitches for the hem on smaller needles, just like on the front, but I have to decrease by 34 stitches for the body of the back. Without the cables, I apparently need far fewer stitches (147 to be exact) to get the same width in stockingette stitch. Oh, and I'm only going up one needle size for the body. Does this seem excessive to anyone else? I even swatched it for good measure. All I can do is try it and see what happens, I guess. I'm used to increasing for the body by 5 or more stitches, not decreasing.
Last night I gave a bread making lesson to BlondKnitter and made sausage cheese rolls for dinner, then made up the gingerbread men for Meg and the office. I was tired after that, so the gingerbread boys didn't get decorated. Turns out they're pretty good plain. It's a good recipe. Lots of butter. And so you know, I resisted all the "nude men" jokes that came to mind. I must be developing a filter.
Well, onward and into the breach, my friends! Happy Knitting!
No pictures today. My cast on seemed to uninspired to waste time photographing it. The weird thing is, I cast on 181 stitches for the hem on smaller needles, just like on the front, but I have to decrease by 34 stitches for the body of the back. Without the cables, I apparently need far fewer stitches (147 to be exact) to get the same width in stockingette stitch. Oh, and I'm only going up one needle size for the body. Does this seem excessive to anyone else? I even swatched it for good measure. All I can do is try it and see what happens, I guess. I'm used to increasing for the body by 5 or more stitches, not decreasing.
Last night I gave a bread making lesson to BlondKnitter and made sausage cheese rolls for dinner, then made up the gingerbread men for Meg and the office. I was tired after that, so the gingerbread boys didn't get decorated. Turns out they're pretty good plain. It's a good recipe. Lots of butter. And so you know, I resisted all the "nude men" jokes that came to mind. I must be developing a filter.
Well, onward and into the breach, my friends! Happy Knitting!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Fables I have lived
Today's post is brought to you by the words "slow" and "steady", as in "Slow and steady wins the race." This is a tried and true moral from the Aesop fable "The Tortoise and the Hare." What it means is that you may not be the quickest one in the race, but if you keep going you'll eventually cross the finish line, maybe even first.
In knitting, this is also true, although the "race" is not so well defined. Knitter's often race with themselves, or race against time. They rarely race other knitters. That would be silly. In fact, racing at all in knitting is generally a bad idea, like drinking. It leads to mistakes that cost extra time, not save it. The quicker you want to get something done, the more likely you are to ignore gauge, or take shortcuts, or fail to read ahead in the directions and miss a crucial set of instructions you are supposed to be doing at the same time.
With Derek's golf sweater vest, I have attempted to channel the meaning behind "slow" and "steady." I really want to get this sweater done before Christmas, so I have something nice to give Derek, the man who wants nothing. BUT IT'S TAKING A FREAKING LONG TIME!
Here is all the progress I have to show for all my hours of knitting:
That's just the front of the sweater vest. I still have the whole back to do, which, admittedly, is going to be stockingette stitch. Otherwise, I will never finish. Sure, I've developed a bit of a rhythm on the cables. No, I'm not ripping out half of what I do anymore. Yes, I've been knitting in the morning, at lunch, and after work. So why is this taking so long? I. Don't. Know.
It's like my knitting has dropped into a black hole of stitchery that never goes anywhere. I knit and knit and knit and there is no progress. The back is going to fly by compared to the front. That's my prediction. There. I've put that out in the universe and I'm holding the universe to it.
At least I don't have to do sleeves...
Happy Knitting!
In knitting, this is also true, although the "race" is not so well defined. Knitter's often race with themselves, or race against time. They rarely race other knitters. That would be silly. In fact, racing at all in knitting is generally a bad idea, like drinking. It leads to mistakes that cost extra time, not save it. The quicker you want to get something done, the more likely you are to ignore gauge, or take shortcuts, or fail to read ahead in the directions and miss a crucial set of instructions you are supposed to be doing at the same time.
With Derek's golf sweater vest, I have attempted to channel the meaning behind "slow" and "steady." I really want to get this sweater done before Christmas, so I have something nice to give Derek, the man who wants nothing. BUT IT'S TAKING A FREAKING LONG TIME!
Here is all the progress I have to show for all my hours of knitting:
That's just the front of the sweater vest. I still have the whole back to do, which, admittedly, is going to be stockingette stitch. Otherwise, I will never finish. Sure, I've developed a bit of a rhythm on the cables. No, I'm not ripping out half of what I do anymore. Yes, I've been knitting in the morning, at lunch, and after work. So why is this taking so long? I. Don't. Know.
It's like my knitting has dropped into a black hole of stitchery that never goes anywhere. I knit and knit and knit and there is no progress. The back is going to fly by compared to the front. That's my prediction. There. I've put that out in the universe and I'm holding the universe to it.
At least I don't have to do sleeves...
Happy Knitting!
Friday, December 2, 2011
To knit or not to knit? A Rant for Christmas.
It's a real pity all this work keeps getting in the way of my knitting...I have my priorities straight, but everyone else....sigh!
This weekend I've got to make a serious commitment to do laundry and knit. That golf vest isn't going to knit itself! Not that I'd want it too. At first I thought it might be a good idea, automated knitting, I mean. Parts of this sweater are really tedious. You know, like Molly Weasley's knitting in Harry Potter? But then I realized all I would be missing by not knitting this sweater. A sense of accomplishment is just the beginning. There's the calming effect of knitting, something that keeps me knitting even the most mundane stitchery. There's the delight of giving away said knitting, which is something I love to do. Gift knitting is my favorite kind, especially when it's not obligatory. And there's the experience of learning a new pattern or a new technique. Fun! Very satisfying when you finally figure it out. Like a three dimensional puzzle, in many ways. But mostly I just like to knit. Yarn is pretty. Fire bad. Simple stuff.
I keep seeing that commercial on TV where the girl sings an addendum to the Twelve Days of Christmas, listing all the things she doesn't want her family to get her again this year. She sings that she really doesn't need another needlepoint pillow to her Aunt, who dumps her needlework to the floor with a clatter and storms off. It always makes me laugh and wonder uneasily if people feel that way about the gifts I knit them. One year, when I first started knitting, I knitted everyone on my list of 16 people a pair of socks. I slid the socks in the ball band so they'd know how to take care of them. Someone in my family actually accused me of buying pairs of socks instead of real gifts, mistaking the ball band for a sock wrapper. Since then, I'm very careful about who I knit for. Not everyone appreciates handmade items. Not everyone reads well, either. If they'd rather believe that I bought the socks, then by golly, I'll just buy socks and hand them out. Damned if I do...indeed!
Enough of my grinch impersonation. The truth is, I still knit gifts for people, and I'd do it whether or not they appreciate them. Anyone can go out an buy a nice gift, be it the perfect gift or a gag gift. And what have you really spent? When I knit a gift I spend money, time and thought. It's a real gift, from me to them. It says, your worth it to me. I try to knit practical things people can really use most of the time. Mittens, or a hat, or a sweater or a toy to play with. Nothing purely decorative that just takes up space. Something worthwhile. The only better gift is food, because you can use that up and be done with it, even if you regift it. Some years I've made cookies or candy for people as gifts. Then they don't have to find a home for the item. Because we all have a limited amount of space in our lives, I think. Even better than food might be a gift of service like washing someone's car or cleaning someone's house. That's easy to store and who wouldn't appreciate service?
Gifts are tricky things, you know? I think I'll just stick with knitting. It makes me happy. Want a hat?
Happy Knitting!
This weekend I've got to make a serious commitment to do laundry and knit. That golf vest isn't going to knit itself! Not that I'd want it too. At first I thought it might be a good idea, automated knitting, I mean. Parts of this sweater are really tedious. You know, like Molly Weasley's knitting in Harry Potter? But then I realized all I would be missing by not knitting this sweater. A sense of accomplishment is just the beginning. There's the calming effect of knitting, something that keeps me knitting even the most mundane stitchery. There's the delight of giving away said knitting, which is something I love to do. Gift knitting is my favorite kind, especially when it's not obligatory. And there's the experience of learning a new pattern or a new technique. Fun! Very satisfying when you finally figure it out. Like a three dimensional puzzle, in many ways. But mostly I just like to knit. Yarn is pretty. Fire bad. Simple stuff.
I keep seeing that commercial on TV where the girl sings an addendum to the Twelve Days of Christmas, listing all the things she doesn't want her family to get her again this year. She sings that she really doesn't need another needlepoint pillow to her Aunt, who dumps her needlework to the floor with a clatter and storms off. It always makes me laugh and wonder uneasily if people feel that way about the gifts I knit them. One year, when I first started knitting, I knitted everyone on my list of 16 people a pair of socks. I slid the socks in the ball band so they'd know how to take care of them. Someone in my family actually accused me of buying pairs of socks instead of real gifts, mistaking the ball band for a sock wrapper. Since then, I'm very careful about who I knit for. Not everyone appreciates handmade items. Not everyone reads well, either. If they'd rather believe that I bought the socks, then by golly, I'll just buy socks and hand them out. Damned if I do...indeed!
Enough of my grinch impersonation. The truth is, I still knit gifts for people, and I'd do it whether or not they appreciate them. Anyone can go out an buy a nice gift, be it the perfect gift or a gag gift. And what have you really spent? When I knit a gift I spend money, time and thought. It's a real gift, from me to them. It says, your worth it to me. I try to knit practical things people can really use most of the time. Mittens, or a hat, or a sweater or a toy to play with. Nothing purely decorative that just takes up space. Something worthwhile. The only better gift is food, because you can use that up and be done with it, even if you regift it. Some years I've made cookies or candy for people as gifts. Then they don't have to find a home for the item. Because we all have a limited amount of space in our lives, I think. Even better than food might be a gift of service like washing someone's car or cleaning someone's house. That's easy to store and who wouldn't appreciate service?
Gifts are tricky things, you know? I think I'll just stick with knitting. It makes me happy. Want a hat?
Happy Knitting!
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