K1Frog2

It's working!

2012-02-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

Meg was home last night and she tried on the first finished glove knit from a drawing of her hands. I did the "difficult" right hand first, the one that's a little non-standard and gives her trouble buying gloves. It fits! I'm so happy! This morning I started on the left glove cuff.

I also finished the collar of the LFC Baby sweater. Now I have the duplicate stitching to do and the buttons to put on, and then I'll take pictures for the blog. It's not bad. Just a boring boy sweater, but not bad.

At the rate I'm going, I'll need to figure out what I'm knitting for Teryn's polywog, although they don't yet know what they're having, so I may wait on that project. In that case, I need a new project waiting in the wings. Something colorful, to beat the winter blahs. Ideas? I am SO tired of red and black...

Happy Knitting!

Sweater in Progress

2012-02-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the LFC Baby Sweater in progress. I still have the neckline to do and the duplicate stitching on the front. I decided to go with spelling out Lake Forest College, mainly because I have the room.

The pictures are horrible, but that is nothing new for this blog. I will never be a great photographer. When I'm rich, I'll hire the photos done.

I also haven't put on the buttons yet. Still, it's getting there. The sewing up was relatively painless, and I hate the sewing part. You have to be able to see for sewing. And this project is, like too many I do, black in color and therefore hard to see.

In other knitting progress, I'm on the ring finger of Meg's gloves, but I realized about 3 am this morning that I had dropped a stitch down at the base of the finger, so I get to rrrrip it out and start over. Other than the mistakes, like trying to knit the left hand pattern on the right hand glove (rrrrip!), it's going fairly well. The proof will be in the trying on. If I can do this and actually knit gloves that fit from a drawing of a hand, it'll be way cool. If not, well, rrrrrrrip!

Happy Knitting!

Black Bear Buttons

2012-02-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

They're here! I got the buttons yesterday, about the same time as I finished the last piece of the LFC baby sweater, which desperately needs a better name. Tonight I will block the sweater and then sew up the seams over the weekend. I should have pics by Monday!

Today I am sans knitting. I didn't have time to hunt up my next project, which is a pair of gloves for my daughter. I took a tracing of her hands and will try to fit them to the drawing. She has small hands with long fingers that begin in unusual places, so if I can do this, it will be great. Right now I'm thinking black and another color, possible a silver grey, two color stranded knitting. I have a pattern that I think might work. I'd like to add a splash of color with a third color, something like red. Something bright. Maybe blue.

Anyway, on Monday hopefully I'll have pics of the baby sweater and we can name it then.

Happy Knitting!

Black Bear buttons!

2012-01-31T07:23:00.000-08:00

I found the buttons for the LFC baby sweater! Six cute little plastic black bear buttons found on ebay! I looked everywhere for buttons just like these. All the others were either the wrong color or the wrong motif (i.e. teddybears). And even with shipping they weren't a bad price. Much cheaper than other internet sites that want up to $3.28 per button plus shipping. These were only a little over $5 with the shipping! I'm stoked! I had really despaired of ever finding the right buttons for this sweater.

Pictures to come (when they arrive, since the pic disappeared after I bought them). Oh, I can't wait!

Happy Knitting!

Best laid plans of yarn and knitters...

2012-01-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

I'm working on the last sleeve of the LFC baby sweater. So far it's going well. I haven't had to redo any of it, unlike every other piece of this darn sweater. I have plenty of yarn to finish, which is good, cause I want to use the leftovers for a pair of gloves for Megan. I will block and photograph the sweater when I finish with this sleeve. Then I'll sew everything together and do the neck trim. I still don't have buttons. I need to go to Jo-Ann's soon. Wonder if Meg wants to go sometime? She's very busy with school and work, but it is Jo-Ann's...

I think I need to do a "Winter Cleaning" of the Stash. I need to know just what sock yarn I have for upcoming design projects. That way I'll know what to buy if it goes on sale, rather than just impulse buying. Look at me, planning and stuff!

Happy Knitting!

Slow day

2012-01-24T07:02:00.000-08:00

No pics today. The sweater is a curling mess until I block it, at which time I will dutifully photograph it and post the pics here. It's going well, though. The back is done and I'm approaching the neckline on the left front side, which leaves the right front and the sleeves to complete after this. I decided to use duplicate stitch on the front for the college initials.

Beyond that I have no knitting news. I need to find five buttons for the sweater, but have no idea what kind I want beyond the impossible wish for bear paw pewter buttons. I'll probably have to settle for red plastic ones, which seems a depressing thought. I can't figure out how to make washable, kid safe buttons with tiny bear paw marks on them, short of investing in a plastics factory. I think I'll do an internet search.

Happy Knitting!

Warm Hands...

2012-01-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

This is what I just finished this morning. The thumb on the one hand is not perfect, but I did this without a pattern, so the fact that there are four fingers and a thumb impresses me. I learned a lot about gloves in the process, and, more importantly, developed a template for colorwork patterns for gloves. I'm very excited about that. I have ideas.

This is what I'm working on next. It's a baby sweater with a Lake Forest College motif, including a baby bear paw and the letters LFC on the left front. The bear paw is going on the upper back of the sweater. I had to finish the gloves first to be sure I had enough red yarn left over for the paw and letters. I'm also going to trim the neck, sleeves, and bottom with a row of grey for visual interest. I have a particular baby in mind for this sweater.

I'm not sure what I'm doing after this. Maybe working on my Master Knitter classwork. There are other babies in line for items of knitting, but I'm waiting to find out whether they will be boys or girls. I prefer to knit for girls, but they can't all be girls! Continuation of the species and all that.

Happy Knitting!

Back in the saddle again!

2012-01-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy Christmas break. I finished a pink ballet wrap cardigan for my daughter, a pair of red/black striped socks, a tea cozy (that I frogged because it was too big), half a pair of socks for my husband's friend's wife and designed a Lake Forest College baby sweater for one of the upcoming baby gifts I want to give.

Today would be a perfect day to knit, what with the snow steadily falling, but alas, I have too much to do. First I have to work for most of the day. Then I'm getting a haircut after work. Then dinner. THEN knitting, if I'm not too tired.

I'm working on a pair of red gloves I started this morning. Just plain, simple red gloves. However, I lost the pattern so I'm kind of winging it. I plan to try them on as I go, which means they should fit when I'm done. Hah! Best laid plans and all that.

I plan on using the leftover red yarn to make the LFC baby sweater. It's got red accents on a black sweater. I'm hoping to have enough for a bear paw on the back of the sweater. Wish me luck!

Happy knitting!

Made it!

2011-12-27T06:55:00.000-08:00

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!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

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!

Friday musings

2011-12-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the beginning of the back of the golf vest. I still have a few more rows to go before I change needle sizes and decrease drastically for the body. I have my doubts.

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!

At long last...a sweater story.

2011-12-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

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!

Fables I have lived

2011-12-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

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!

To knit or not to knit? A Rant for Christmas.

2011-12-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

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!

Picture Day!

2011-11-30T08:53:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are the pics of the shawl I made my mother for Christmas.

It's all washed and blocked and dried, soft as wool can be. Now I have to find a way to wrap it. Maybe a gift bag and some tissue paper.

I think it turned out well. I also washed and blocked the Lake Forest College mittens for the charity auction.

The blue is one of my blocking mats. Don't they look great?

I've been working on the golf sweater as time and light permits. I really need to step it up though, if I'm going to finish for Christmas. My pattern for the hobby horse is in at the library.

Happy Knitting!

Whew! A sigh of relief

2011-11-28T08:36:00.000-08:00

This morning I'm heaving a hefty sigh of relief. I finished the shawl for my mother yesterday afternoon, before the Bears even started playing. I didn't have time to wash and block it, but that is a project for tonight. Then I will photograph it and post the pics here.

So now it's back to the golf vest, which I also need to finish by Christmas. And I've decided to make a hobby horse for Conner by knitting, felting and mounting a horse head on a stick, complete with reins and a wild mane. I even found a pattern in a book. Not that I couldn't eyeball it, but with a pattern I will knit that much faster. I'm hoping to get it done for Christmas also, or it could be a birthday gift in March, too.

I also had an idea for a table mat that I want to try, if I can find the yarn. It involves colorwork, and stranded knitting in particular. It's not a Christmas gift, so it can wait.

Last, but not least, a shout out to Teryn, from my knitting group, whose birthday is today. Happy Birthday!

And Happy Knitting to you all!

Busy Weekend

2011-11-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

I finished the chair cover this weekend, after chasing down another yard of fabric from two fabric stores in different parts of the county. It's not beautiful, but it works to serve the purpose I need it for. I also found two more skeins of yarn for my mother's shawl, which is half finished now. And I also found time yesterday to hand sew the hem on a tablecloth for the extra table this year at Thanksgiving. Now we just have to figure out where to put it.

What I didn't do this weekend was read. Every time I started to read my library book, I fell asleep like a narcoleptic sloth. At this rate I'm going to have to take it back to the library unfinished, just like the last book I got from the library. And the one before that. They are never so good as to be worth renewing or checking out again...guess I need to select better literature.

I can't wait until all this holiday knitting is over. I have deliberately not planned another project, because I think I'm going to have another go at the Master Knitting program I bought. We'll see. I finished the blocking report, which was the hard part (for me), and some of the swatches. Now I have to finish the rest of the swatches, the questions, and the final project, which is a hat. All of which I intend to do after Christmas. I'm actually looking forward to it.

Happy Knitting! And Happy Turkey Day!

And Growing!

2011-11-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

Progress on the shawl is...progressing. I did a few more rows this morning, too. Now if only I didn't have to work...

Tonight I have other things to do, so I won't get much done on the shawl today. I need to block the Lake Forest College mittens (finally) and get them ready for the auction, which is coming up in December. I need to make a serious commitment to do laundry, or at least fold and put away the clean laundry, so we all have something to wear. And I need to work on the chair cover some more. I should at least finish the foot stool cover tonight. Still, it's good to take a break from the race to finish the shawl by the 15th of December, with enough time left to wash and block it and dry it before packing it up for the trip south. I wanted to bring my mom a bunch of local stuff as gifts for the holidays, but most of them are food and can't go in my carry on luggage. I guess I could mail them...darn airlines and their rules! I suppose I should just skip the food, since she's always on a diet. Darn diets! But what else can I bring her that's local? Food at least you can throw out if you don't want it without feeling bad. And she doesn't need more stuff. Any ideas?

Happy Knitting!

It grows!

2011-11-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

The shawl is growing! I'm making progress at last. I finished the second 100 gram skein this morning and started on the third. I have one more, and I will definitely need at least one more than that, but I'm gonna buy two just to be sure. I tried to buy it online last night, but JoAnn's was out of my fabric online, so I have to go to the store in Round Lake Beach anyway. I will buy the yarn at the same time and save the shipping. I also need a new bamboo no. 4 circular needle and another package of double fold bias tape for the chair cover and some black cord for the footstool cover.

I went to the library last night to admire the knitting books and found a pattern for slipper boots that I can adapt to a fair isle pattern for Megan. Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that they will be out of style before I finish them? Silly fads! Now I'm having serious doubts about making them. Maybe I'll just buy her a pair for Christmas. I think a plastic sole would be more durable than a leather one anyway, but that's just me. I live in slippers in the winter.

I also got caught up on my magazine reading at the library. I like Vogue Knitting and Piecework and Threads, but can't justify buying them when the library has them. I do buy Creative Knitting and Vegetarian Times, even though I'm not a vegetarian, and various other knitting publications as the mood strikes at the newsstand. Mostly I just like reading magazines for fun, and the library suits me well. It's cheap.

Happy Knitting!

And yet another change...

2011-11-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

Last week I decided two things. I was never going to finish a six foot shawl made of fingering weight wool by December 15th, and I really hated the pattern I was knitting. It was too loose to be machine washable. So I frogged it.

Then I talked to my mother on the phone over the weekend. She was concerned the shawl would not be warm enough. Sounds like a perfect excuse to switch to worsted weight yarn, which I did. And I made up a new pattern. This one has eyelet flowers with beaded centers and a seed stitch border. It's mostly stockingette, so it's plenty warm enough. Here's what I have so far, unblocked, of course:

And here's a close up of the flowers:

The beading slows it down a bit, but I don't mind. I've also taken the golf vest out of my bag and put the shawl in, so I can work on it during the day at lunch. I have ten extra days for the golf vest, so it will have to come second. I'm going to visit my mom in the middle of December, when I will give her the shawl (hopefully). I will take the vest to work on. I think I have a set of bamboo fours for the flight.

My only concern with the new pattern is how much yarn I have. Three and a half skeins of Paton's classic wool might not be enough. But I can get more. I need more fabric for the chair cover I'm working on, so I will get them at the same time. The chair cover is coming along well. It's made of brown quilted cotton. So far, I've finished the chair back and half the foot rest cover. I need more fabric for the arms. I hope I can get a similar color. I bought all they had the first time.

Happy Knitting!

Progress at last

2011-11-08T07:51:00.000-08:00

I am making progress on my mother's Christmas Shawl, at last. I changed yarns, because I didn't like working with the silk and she wanted wool anyway. I also changed patterns, because the first one was giving me a headache (small charts) and I only have a month to knit this thing. Instead, I'm doing a simple lace motif with a knitted on border on each end, using the knitting on technique I learned in Franklin Habit's knitted lace class at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair year before last. I worked on it this weekend and I have about a foot of shawl to show for it. Too bad it's six feet long...

I'm thinking of reorganizing my stash, which, if you'd ever seen it, is a serious undertaking. Not quite as serious as the Yarn Harlot's, but five or six rubbermaid bins, a few bags and boxes worth. Daunting enough that I don't undertake this project lightly, nor will I do this until the shawl and golf vest are finished. Priorities, people. When Mom asks for a shawl, Mom gets a shawl. She doesn't ask very often. The golf vest is a personal priority. He never asks for anything. But he did mention the golf vest, so...

Hope your holiday knitting is going well, too. Happy Knitting!

Introducing....Frank!

2011-11-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

This is Frank. He is my new foam head. He blocks hats for me quite nicely with his 22" head. The hat is the Dragon Dreams Hat. Really original name. Easy to search for, though, cause this one is going up on Ravelry today.

Frank is a solemn looking fellow, isn't he?

Happy Knitting!

Knitter's Remorse

2011-11-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

What's the hardest color to knit? Black, of course. In low light, it can be hard to distinguish the stitches. What color is Derek's golf vest? Why, black, of course!

It's even difficult to photograph. At least here you can sort of see the cables. They are taking forever to knit. I think it's really the ribbing that throws off my rhythm. It's a four, three, one, three repeat that I'm constantly having to check the previous rows on. But it looks nice.

I meant to take a picture of Frank, my new foam head, this morning, but I decided to wait until I block the dragon hat tonight. I want a decent picture of the hat for the Ravelry pattern.

In other knitting news, Miss Megan has let it be known that she wants a pair of Fair Isle boot slippers. I guess I had better order some yarn and bootie soles. I wonder if the soles come with a pattern? I can adapt the Fair Isle part myself, but the basic shape of the knitting eludes me. It's basically the top of the foot and the leg of a sock, but...how do you knit just the top of the foot? Maybe I could just knit a sock and attach it to the sole. That seems easy enough. Or am I over thinking this?

Either way, she'll need to pick out the yarn. Catching up with her long enough to ask her is the problem. I don't see much of her these days. She's very busy with school and the musical and work. It's understandable, just lamentable.

Happy Knitting!

Or maybe not...

2011-10-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I knitted on the new scarf project, only to decide after about eight inches that the pattern did not really suit the yarn. Lace needs yarn with definition, not lumpy, frumpy yarn. So I'm gonna frog it.

I also worked on the gauge and re-worked the pattern for D's golf vest. But it's not cooperating. The rib stitch hem is turning out too large, even on smaller needles than the body pattern stitch the gauge swatch called for. I'm not sure what to do. I've measured the swatch several times, and the numbers make sense on paper. Viking Superwash is a DK weight yarn, so it makes sense that I should get more stitches per inch (7.125 to be exact) on the swatch than on the pattern, which calls for a worsted weight yarn at 6.25 stitches per inch. I divided the cast on number of stitches by the pattern gauge and then multiplied that number by my gauge to get the new cast on number. The math is right, but the hem is approximately 25 inches. It should be smaller because it is knit on a smaller needle and in a K1, P1 rib stitch. Or maybe not... I don't know. I'm confuzzled! Is it possible that an 11 stitch repeat with a 4-cable and ribbing would have the same gauge as K1, P1 ribbing on smaller needles? It doesn't seem likely.

Anyway, I also did a gauge swatch for the funky self-striping yarn I purchased at Montoya Fibers for the entrelac beret. It really does get 5 stitches to the inch, even though it appears to be lighter than a worsted weight. With that yardage (over 400 yds) we all assumed it was closer to a sock weight, but it's not. It knits up like a worsted weight, oddly enough. After I finish wrestling with the golf vest I will dive in on that one. Until then, I'd better get back to worrying about the Viking Superwash and my attempts at a golf vest. The entrelac beret is not a Christmas present after all.

Happy Knitting!

Plastic, well, Styrofoam head

2011-10-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say I totally bought a Styrofoam head last night from Amazon. I would have bought locally, but all the female heads were 20 inches in circumference and I wanted the larger, male head. The male head has a 22 inch circumference, more in line with the 23 inch heads in my big headed family. Not knowing where else to look, I looked on Amazon and found exactly what I was looking for - priced right at $11.99. So, in a few days, I will be the proud owner of a new moisture resistant foam head. What more could a girl want?

Knitterly News

2011-10-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

This is what I'm working on this morning. It's a lovely yarn, made by Berrocco of recycled fibers, nicely soft and wonderfully heathered in appearance. Only problem is, those heathering flecks make it difficult to knit. It doesn't slide smoothly while knitting. Not so bad that I won't use it, just enough so that you notice it's slow going. I love the color, though. The pattern is a stitch pattern from my calendar of stitch patterns I got a few years ago. I'm making it a scarf by knitting up to the center twice and then grafting the centers together. This gives the ends a nice edge. I have three 100 gm balls of the yarn, which I'm hoping will be enough for a nice scarf.

In other knitterly news, I finished the swatch for D's golf sweater, but I still have to wash and block it before measuring for gauge. I did an eight by eight inch swatch, which I firmly believe is the minimum size for a sweater gauge swatch. I've been burned by inaccurate swatches before. I did knit the swatch of another color than I wanted to use for the sweater, to be sure I'd have enough yarn. It's all the same yarn though.

Once I have gauge, I have to adapt the worsted weight pattern for my dk yarn, changing stitch and row counts so I get the right size sweater. Normally I would knit an extra large sweater for D, but the large size measures 51 inches in the chest. He measures 48 inches on a heavy day, and he recently lost nearly 30 lbs., so I'm going with the large, not the extra large. He should have plenty of ease with the large. I think I'll do a bit of discrete measuring while it's in progress, too.

I'm in the market for a plastic head, if anyone knows of a source. I'd like it to have a circumference of twenty-one to twenty-three inches, which is the head measurement of everyone in the family. It's to block hats on. I need it to be plastic so it's waterproof, since I'll be blocking the hats wet. I'm thinking a wig supply store or a beauty supply store. If you know of a source, drop me a link.

Happy Knitting!

Fun Had By All

2011-10-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

The North Shore Knit Out was a rousing success by my standards. Tinkerbell arrived by plane on Saturday from Maryland on time. We traveled by car to a great Chinese take out place and had lunch, which was yummy. Then we (Tinkerbell, Blondknitter, and I) went to Fiddlehead Yarns in Kenosha, WI for a fiber fix.

After that, we went to Casa del Lambert for knitting fun with Jane, too. We ate soup and homemade bread and Blondknitter's great Pumpkin bread. We showed off knitting and exchanged knitting books and fun was had by all.

Sunday we migrated to Casa Del Brice, aka Blondknitter's house, for apple pancakes and sausage, more knitting and more knitting. Dinner was potato-leek soup and garlic herb bread-yummy!

Monday saw the three of us and Megan in Evanston, IL at Vogue Fabrics. You can't go to Vogue Fabrics without Megan! We took a brief sojourn to Montoya Fibers and a spice shop, then it was back to Blondknitter's for more knitting. I finally scored the yarn for the entrelac beret at Montoya!

Tuesday morning we all got up early and had homemade sticky buns at my house and more knitting. I finished the Dragon hat Monday night, so I worked on a swatch for D's sweater vest.

And of course, this means I finally have a picture of Meg's sweater, albeit a lousy one:

If it looks low in the front, it is. Apparently that's the style, to wear with a camisole (Let's hope.)

Tuesday at noon, Tinkerbell went home and the North Shore Knit Out was over for another year. I'm already looking forward to the second annual East Coast Knit Out, this spring. Should be a blast!

Tidying up

2011-10-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Last night we did a little tidying up for the North Shore Knit Out. It remains to be seen if all will stay clean until tomorrow. Meg comes home tonight with all her laundry and Derek's shoes have a way of migrating to the living room these days for some reason. Oh well, it's a house that was meant to be lived in.

I actually remembered to thaw the meat in the fridge for the Pasta E Fagioli tomorrow. I think I'll assemble everything in a crockpot tonight and just bake bread in the morning. I'm thinking of doing refrigerator dough, so I can have it ready to bake whenever I have time. I have the weirdest craving to make sticky buns, but don't know if anyone would eat them. No one at my house will. My family either doesn't like sweets or doesn't like nuts. It's annoying to bake for them at times.

I balled two balls of the new yarn this morning. Couldn't help myself. I designed a very cool dragon hat for Andy for Christmas. My only concern is not having enough yarn in the colors he chose. I think I will, but it will be close. I'm using a red and charcoal grey motiff, with accents in a lighter grey if I run out of charcoal. I actually have two skeins of the red, but wanted one of them for Meg's hat. My hat is green and black to go with my two coats, one long and one thigh length. I feel quite decadent having two coats for the first time in my life. Considering how much we live in the damn things up here, it's a wonder I've never had two before this. Go figure.

I'm so excited about the Knit Out I can barely sit still! I can't wait to see Marylin and to get together and see what we've all been working on. I haven't seen Blondknitter's progress on her baby blanket yet. She forgot her knitting this week. I'm still working on the last mitten for the auction and my mother's shawl, so I have plenty to do this weekend. Should be fun.

Happy Knitting!

Still Pictureless...

2011-10-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, this time I actually took the picture of the sweater, I just didn't bring in the camera to transfer it to my computer. The camera sits next to the dress dummy, which is now empty as I have put away the sweater until Christmas (you thought it would be there until Christmas, didn't you!) None of this gets the camera any closer to where I actually need it, though.

Over the weekend, I finished one of the right handed mittens. I now have one pair and a half and am working on the second right hand mitten. Who knits two left handed mittens and then has to knit a pair of right handed mittens? I do.

The mail didn't run yesterday and yet I got a package from Canada. It's the miracle of our mailroom here on campus. Weekend mail. Elann.com sent me my order of superwash DK wool in assorted colors, mostly black. The black is for Derek's Christmas present, so shhhhh! It's a golf vest in black and grey. Every fall he needs one, so this year he's getting one for Christmas. He doesn't read this blog either, so no worries unless one of you can't keep a secret.

Actually, it's no big deal. Even if he figures it out, he won't care.

The rest of the colors are for hats for us all. Every year I knit hats and every year they disappear like darning needles or tape measures. Since there are plenty of people who need hats in the world, I like to think my hats end up with one of them. I don't mind sharing. I can knit more.

My order from Amazon whould arrive today or tomorrow. In it is Alic Starmore's Fair Isle Charts book, and some cookbooks and a novel. I love getting books by mail. Makes me feel like Helene Hanff in 84 Charing Cross Road, which is my favorite movie of all time. Check it out if you haven't seen it. I'm sure your library has it.

Five more days until the North Shore Knit Out! My house is a mess and I don't know when I'll have time to clean it. I have vague and tentative plans to do a massive decluttering on Thursday and Friday. All I can say is I hope no one looks in the closets!

Happy Knitting!

Finished!

2011-10-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

All week I've been promising myself I would take a picture of the finished and washed Slinky Ribs sweater I made for my daughter for Christmas. Don't worry, she doesn't read this blog.
Anyway, I have yet to take said picture and today I forgot to take it off the dress dummy where I left it. Not normally a problem, but she is coming home tonight with us from college. I hope I can remember to dash upstairs and hide the sweater. After all, it is her dress dummy and certainly wouldn't fit me.

So, no pics today. Sorry. I'm really bad about that. It's a character flaw.

I did round up the necessary items to finish the LFC mittens. When I made a pair over the summer, someone was kind enough to point out that I had made two of the same mittens, either left or rights (I can't remember), but not a left and a right. I'll figure it out before I get to the thumb, never fear. So now I have to knit two of the opposite hand. Looks like there will be two pairs of mittens in this year's charity auction. I wonder if that will bring down the price...Last year's LFC hat fetched a tidy sum, for some strange reason. I don't expect the mittens to do as well. Most people prefer gloves.

I ordered some superwash wool in dk weight for a surprise Christmas present for Derek. It should arrive in a few days and I will tell you more about it then. I also ordered enough yarn for some new winter hats for the family. Lots of knitting on my agenda! Just the way I like it. Now I know what I'll be working on during the North Shore Knit Out.

Happy Knitting!

Progress in inches, not miles...

2011-09-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

This has been a slow week, knitwise. I'm making progress on the Slinky Ribs sweater, at least. I'm on the second sleeve and have only the placket and neckline to go after that. I will definitely have enough yarn, which is a plus.

I also finished the knitted portion of the lace trimmed baby cardigan. I have only to add the lace trim. I'm still of a mind to knit the trim, but I haven't decided on a pattern for it. I could buy some lace, but that seems like giving up too easily...

The hotpad remains where I left off last week. I still like the project and want to finish it, but other projects have been calling me.

I nearly bought some Poems self-striping yarn on Herschnerr's.com, but decided not to when I saw the shipping was as much as the yarn! They don't have the coordinating color I'm looking for, and although Elann.com does, I'd be paying shipping again. That makes things rather expensive in a hurry. Someday I'll find both yarns right where I want them and I'll try knitting the entrelac beret, but in the meantime, I've got a shawl to knit and less than three months to do it in. I don't want to do that for my North Shore Knit Out project because I have to concentrate on lace. I need a project that will withstand talking and maybe even watching a movie. Ideas?

Tomorrow is Saturday and I have the whole day to clean the downstairs and knit. I'm looking forward to it.

Happy Knitting!

Rain, Rain

2011-09-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

I am unsettled today. I spent this morning binding off on the sweater for Megan, so I could cast on the sleeves, which are going to be cap sleeves, if I've judged the yarn quantity right. But it's raining today, and all I want to do is stay home and knit. Unfortunately, I had to go to work, a cold and cheerless place, despite my best crafty efforts.

So instead, I went to work amid dreams of crackling fireplaces, hot pots of tea, warm scones, and soft blankets that beg to be napped under. I did my work and went to my meetings and felt like I was in the wrong place at the wrong time all day. Now I'm going to go home and make something homey like tuna noodle casserole and then curl up with my knitting again. The day won't be a complete loss, just out of sorts.

Is it raining where you are?

Happy Knitting!

Naked AGAIN!

2011-09-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

No, this blog entry is not about a disturbing reoccurring dream. It's about going to work without my knitting. I did it again. I can't tell you how uncomfortable this makes me. What if there are idle moments in my day? What if I have to wait for a ride home? What if I finish lunch early? I should ALWAYS bring my knitting. I KNOW this. So, why did I leave it at home?

Too much to carry, for one thing. First there's the obligatory purse. These days my purse is small, so then I have to have a separate bag for knitting. Then I have my lunchbox. And then I have my huge thermal mug of ice for the office. The ice lasts all day and, more important, makes one soda last all day, if you don't mind watered down soda. I don't mind watered down anything, as long as it's cold.Then there is the morning newspaper that I read in the car on the way to work.

You can see I'm juggling a lot of stuff here. I used to have a huge purse, but the straps are not long enough to stay on my shoulder, so I swapped it for a cross-body little purse. I'm not entirely happy with that one either.

I should just get down to business and sew a purse for myself that's big enough to hold purse things and knitting things and a book and has nice long straps and has a detachable little bag for holding my phone and keys on days that I don't have pockets. Anyone have a pattern?

Happy Knitting!

Lots of knitting

2011-09-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend I worked on the red and black sweater and the tealish oven glove. A little here and a little there. I also got the beads for my mom's shawl. Champagne crystals for the hems and cream 6/0 seed beads for the body of the shawl. Remember, the yarn is cream silk lace weight. I even found a bamboo no. 2 circular needle, just like the pattern called for, only mine is 48" and the pattern calls for a 32" circ. It should be fine, however, just a bit bothersome. Turns out it's not all that easy to find a bamboo no.2 circular. Michael's didn't have one, and neither did JoAnn's. I could order one, but since I have the 48" needle, I think I'll save the money.

On the red and black sweater, I circumnavigated the neckline and am now working on the fronts of the sleeves and body. Working with four balls of yarn at a time is exasperating! They tend to tangle when you turn your work. The yarn I chose for this project is Caron Country. Great colors, but the yarn is very splitty. On the purl side I am constantly going back to correct splits. It's a bit easier on the knit side. The advantage to this yarn is its machine washability and machine drying capability. Great for busy moms. All kids clothes should be machine wash and dry. Always.

No pics today. I'm being lazy. And the red and black sweater looks like hell at this point, all curly and covered in strings from the four balls and ball changes. Once I finish the sleeves it'll look more photogenic. I wouldn't want to give it a complex...

Knitting today was just Teryn and I. The Blondknitter had training and our suprise guest never showed. I still don't know what that was about. Everyone else appears to have jumped ship. Not that Teryn and I didn't have a fine time together. It was just a little quiet.

Happy Knitting!

Sheep and Wool Festival

2011-09-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, The BlondKnitter, Jane and I went to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival. Jane rode in the back, The BlondKnitter drove her trusty Honda Fit, Elsie, and I rode shotgun.

We only got lost once, and then it was due more to the lack of road construction than anything else. The past few years we've had to skirt around road construction, but not this year. It was disorienting.

The vendor booths were in barns at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds:

There was lots of yarn to be had. I scored 1140 yards of cream colored silk lace weight for my mom's shawl, just as I had intended. I got it for a great price, too. I've decided to use Alice's Cheshire Cat stole pattern by Carrie Griffin. It's a pattern on Ravelry. It's beaded, which I like and not too finicky, which I love. I hope Mom likes it too.

The only other thing I bought was a brass shawl pin in a spiral design. I didn't find the yarn I needed for the entrelac beret. And nothing else really spoke to me except some Yarn Candy, which is twenty-four ten-yard lengths of wool in as many different colors arranged in a candy box-style package. Not cheap, but quite tempting. I resisted, though.

After perusing most of the two barns dedicated to vendors, we had a great picnic lunch and headed over to the show barns to watch some of the sheep judging competitions. The BlondKnitter is very interested in this. I'm not entirely sure why, since her yard is too small for sheep, but it was interesting in it's own right.

The guy in blue was one of the judges. He went to school for it and apparently does this nearly full time. What a job!

On the way home from the festival, we stopped at a roadside produce stand, where I bought sweet corn, a funky, round, orange zucchini, and a small watermelon. I love local grown fruits and vegetables. It's much nicer when they're that fresh.

So that was my trip to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival. The vendors were different from the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art festival. These vendors were mostly farm-based businesses, selling the fiber they raise and shear. At Midwest, there were more LYS vendors, with a sampling of their store wares for sale. I enjoy seeing the microfarms, but often their wares are too expensive for me. Once again, I like to support the local economies, and that is why we go to these events. Plus the potential ideas for knitting that come from these shows is like heroin to an addict for me. I hope we make it back next year too.

Happy Knitting!

Project hopping

2011-09-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Not to be a fickle knitter or anything, but this is what I'm working on today:

It's the back and part of the sleeves for the sweater pictured in the picture, which was done in the most adorable pink and mauve and white lace. Mine's going to be red and black with black lace. It's probably going in the Forester Auction this year. I've decided to make the lace trim myself, since I couldn't find what I wanted at the store. I just need some fingering weight black yarn.

The reason I jumped projects is simple. On Sunday, I went to the bar to watch the Chicago Bears game with my husband and some of his family, including the two Aunts I made the Bears hats for. I needed a project I could knit with my eyes closed, since the light isn't great in most bars, and I wanted to at least pretend to watch the game, too. I chose this stockingette stitch sweater mostly because it's an easy knit. I'm still working on the hotpad and the sweater, just at home. They make lousy traveling projects.

I think I'm going to attempt knitting while riding the exercise bike today. I can too multitask!

Happy Knitting!

Friday!

2011-09-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

It's Friday at last, and that means tomorrow is the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival for Jane, BlondKnitter and myself. We will be leaving early in the morning and traveling north beyond the cheddar curtain. Maybe even stopping at Mars Cheese Castle!

I have plans to buy some yarn. I need some laceweight cream wool/silk for a shawl for my mother. I also want some worsted weight wool in a long striping repeat and some coordinating solid yarn for an entrelac tam I found a pattern for at Lion Brand. Not sure I'll be able to find that, but I'll look. I'm also looking for a large yarn bowl.

In other knitting news, I'm making progress on the doubleknit reversible hot pad. See?

It's a bit slower than single sided knitting, but still faster than knitting two hot pads and putting one inside the other, I think. My worry now is the thumb. I want to put the thumb stitches on a piece of scrap yarn and then go back later and "undo" them to make the thumb hole. Should I use one piece of yarn for all the thumb stitches, or two pieces, one for the front stitches and one for the back? It's a bit of three dimensional knitting I just can't see in my mind's eye. I think I'm going to have to do both and see what works...What do you think? One yarn or two to start?

The North Shore Knit Out is officially slated for Oct. 15-17th. All the participants are primed and ready, but there still remains some planning to do. Food, for one. And location of events. And said events. Lots to do! I vote for soup and bread, homemade of course, at my house on the 15th. Anyone game?

Happy Knitting!

The reversible potholder-a must have item, of course!

2011-09-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I started on a new mini-project. It's a reversible potholder, remarkable not for its reversible design, but for the double knitting technique that I am attempting to employ to get a double thick felted surface for holding hot pans with. Here is what I've attempted so far:

And its reversed side:

Don't ask how one side ended up a bit different from the other (beyond being reversed). I haven't worked that out yet. I did, however, come up with a pattern to follow for the rest of the piece, basically just a two color guideline. If you treat the stitches as sets of twos, one front stitch and one back stitch, it's easier to conceptualize, if not to execute. I'm toying with the idea of stitch markers every four stitches so I can keep track of which is a front stitch and which is a back stitch. Markers every two stitches just seems excessive. I could probably do every six stitches, but I find when working with numbers it's best to keep things simple.

This is kind of fun, once you get used to bringing both strands forward for purling the back stitches. A yarn guide really helps, but I always end up using one for color knitting anyway.

My biggest reservation with this project is the size. I plan to felt it when I'm done, and shrink it considerably. I know it will shrink more lengthwise than widthwise, so I'm trying to plan for that. I hope I get it right.

Happy Knitting!

Pre-show SCORE!

2011-09-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

It's not even time for the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival yet, and already I've scored some new yarn. On Saturday, I went to Jo-Ann's and found 2400 yards of rayon/acrylic sportweight in a lovely shade of red ON CLEARANCE. Now all I need is a sweater pattern to go with it.

I also bought two skeins of Patons Classic Wool in two shades of tealish green. They are the basis for my new double knitting project: felted wool oven mitts. The colors are spot on with my kitchen. This is my first serious foray into double knitting. It's going well, but I finally decided I needed a pattern and drew one up this morning about two inches in. So far so good. I didn't bring my knitting today, so I don't have pics.

Seriously, I didn't bring my knitting today. I feel naked without it. I don't anticipate much time to knit, though. My day is pretty full. This hasn't stopped the impending feeling of doom I've had since I left my house sans knitting this morning, however. I think it's become my security blanket, figuratively anyway.

Almost to the hem on the Slinky Ribs sweater. And I downloaded the pattern for those double heelix socks on Knitty. Printed out all twenty pages of instructions too. I must be crazy, but these socks really call to me. I love spirals of any sort, and I can't resist spiral heels, though I'm not crazy about the two tone socks. Maybe mine will just be spiral heels on monotone socks.

Happy Knitting!

In progress...

2011-09-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been working on lately. It's a short sleeve sweater from Custom Knits, a book I own. The yarn is a recycled washable wool that was purchased for a sweater for me, but that didn't work out. So, I recycled the yarn again and thought it would be perfect for a sweater for Megan. Don't tell her, it's a Christmas present. (I always knew it was a good thing no one reads this blog, at least no one that I'm related too.)

I like the pattern of this sweater because it's top down with very little finishing and minimal seams. I've been trying it on the dress dummy, which Meg left adjusted to her size. That makes it easier to be sure it will fit. The neckline looks low because it has some ribbing that fills it in and it is low. The sweater will have to be worn with a cami. Not a bad idea with a wool sweater, anyway.

The part I'm working on now is straight stockingette stitch and a little boring. Feels like I'll never finish. I can't wait to move on to the sleeves.

Speaking of Christmas, if only briefly, I was at a movie last night and they were showing previews for movies coming out at Christmas time. I thought, is it that time already? What about all the Christmas projects I haven't even planned yet? Immediately I started to panic.

Then I realized something. I don't have to knit for everyone on my list again. I'm not going to plan a bunch of projects this year, only to put enormous pressure on myself to finish on time. I'm not gonna do that. I'm just going to work on the projects I decide I want to do. So, sorry if you were on that list. I just don't need the pressure this year. I'm sure I'll buy you something very thoughtful. Maybe.

Were you good this year?

Happy knitting!

Old loves die hard

2011-08-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

I used to love chocolate.

That is an understatement. I used to love chocolate like some people love breathing. I loved it, I learned about it, I visited it at chocolate conventions, I always had a stash nearby, I even made sure to travel with it, to insure the quality of my daily intake. I was a chocolate snob and a lover of all chocolate at the same time, if that's possible. Here's how devoted I was:

I made this in my spare time to hang on my office wall at work. It's a theobromine molecule, the substance in chocolate that gives you that chocolate "high".

Then one day I lost most of my sense of smell, and with it, my sense of taste. Things didn't taste the same. I had the memories, but the reality was a pale comparison. Over the years, I became more of a sugaraholic, craving the taste of sweet in place of the one true taste-chocolate, which I couldn't have.

A few months ago, I stopped eating sugar. Not all sugar. But most sugar, which was a HUGE part of my diet. I figured it would be hard. Hell, I figured it would be torture. Sweet was one of the few things that tasted sort of like it should. Most vegetables tasted like fresh mowed grass smells. Meat just tastes like the salt you season it with. Bread was still bread, but you know about bread and a woman's thighs...So, I stopped eating sweets.

AND I DIDN'T MISS THEM.

Shock of my life. It seems in my advancing age my taste buds have changed. I'm more likely to crave salty or fried foods or even vegetables than sweet foods now. How weird is that? Probably no weirder than my stick straight hair suddenly becoming curly last year. Which is pretty weird, come to think of it.

What does this have to do with knitting? Well, I was going through some patterns and found a pattern for two-color, chocolate-themed mittens that I created to go with the Chocolate hat I sell on Ravelry, and realized that not only hadn't I knit them, I wasn't all that inclined to do so. Then I promised myself to buy the yarn today and knit them up. After all, they are a set and I can't put the mittens on Ravelry without a sample pair for the picture.

All this made me think of old loves. Projects we were so enthusiastic about when we started, but later the passion wained and the thrill slowed to a memory. That book you never wrote, that sweater that only needs a left sleeve, that boy you haven't thought of since high school. We must live longer lives than we think to have so many old loves on the shelves of our lives.

Anyone know a source for some creamy brown fingering weight?

Happy knitting!

Rambling post...

2011-08-27T04:28:00.000-07:00

I'm doing this post on an iPad, which wouldn't be hard except I have a cat in my lap, too. So I'm one fiMnger typing, trying to dodge the tail and chin of one very needy animal, and trying to figure out the touch keyboard at the same time. It's pretty intuitive, though. It's a borrowed piece of technology, so I'm just dabbling.

I haven't gotten a lot of knitting done since my last post. I started back at work and have been busy readjusting to the new schedule. Besides work and laundry and cooking and knitting, I'm trying to add working out to the schedule. Don't ask me why. I hate working out. I've just about figured out a way to knit and ride an exercise bike. That I could get behind. Maybe if I am knitting I won't notice the exercising part.

I spent the summer experimenting with vegan cooking. In a family of omnivores, this hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. My daughter is always watching what she eats, so she doesn't eat much. My husband actually supports my efforts and will try almost anything. I found Robin Robertson's vegan cookbooks, which are very supermarket friendly, meaning I don't have to go to the health food store for every meal. Everything I have made has been very eatable, and often delicious. We are eating vegan about four night's a week now. My stomach is much happier than it's been in a long time. Dairy and I haven't been friends for a while, so vegan was a natural choice over vegetarian. Last night we had a mushroom and green bean stroganoff that was actually really good. Tonight we're having black bean pizzas.

Now back to our regularly scheduled knitting program...

Happy knitting!

School Days

2011-08-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

School is back in session, and so is my knitting blog. I did quite a bit of knitting this summer. Here are some pics of some of the projects I finished.

The Bears hats are for my favorite Aunt Wanda and Aunt Debbie. They are avid Bears fans. The Sweet Pea sweater is for an as yet to be named baby. Not pictured are the gloves I finally finished for Meg, a pair of socks rescued from the UFO pile, a pair of LFC mittens, a shawl that is still in progress and a sweater that is over half finished. I've been busy this summer! I think I may have skipped a project or two, like the cotton dishtowels and the mermaid mittens that didn't make the cut.

But now it's fall, or nearly so, and I need a new project to work on. What should be after the sweater? A Perfect Purse, one designed to fall at just the right length and hold my sunglasses, keys, wallet, phone and camera? I could do that. I'd want a shoulder strap for wearing it cross-body, so my hands are free. All the purses I look at are too short to do that comfortably.

Knitting Group should begin again soon. I wonder what day would be best for the group to meet on? I'm not picky, so I'll let the others decide this one. I'm just happy to have the company while I knit.

Also coming up on the horizon is the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in a few short weeks. And after that, it'll be time to line up the North Shore Knit Out for Fall 2011. A good time was had by all last year, so I can't wait for this year's. I think we should design a short but sweet project to work on, so that we can all work on it together and then have a momento of the weekend. What do you think, ladies? I think I'll look for a good project.

Well, lot's to do and plan. This year I'm looking for yarn for a shawl for my mom, and a good pattern. I need something just hard enough to keep my interest, but something pretty enough for special occasions. She wants a conservative cream wool.

Happy Knitting!

Summer Knitting

2011-07-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting, of course. Just not blogging. I don't have easy access to a computer during the summer. But I do have a great deal of knitting fun. I went to the Midwest fiber and folk art festival in June, and even did a little volunteering, thanks to BlondKnitter. I have been to a few new knitting stores down in the city and scored quite a bargain on some red yarn and some black yarn for the LFC mittens for this year's auction. One pair has been knitted and I still have one pair to go.

I knitted a pink and grey baby sweater with matching booties, but didn't have a chance to take pictures. Sorry! They were cute!

Also worked on a few UFOs and finished the Nutty Brown Dragonskin socks (after ripping them back to the heel and going up a needle size or two on the legs.) I've been working some more on the mitered square shawl. I finished a Mermaid mitten and decided that pattern wasn't worth making the second one.

What am I working on now? A Sweet Pea hooded sweater for a lucky baby to be named later. It's green and made from the softest Moda Dea Bamboo Wool. I love the hand and stitch definition of this yarn! I think it's discontinued, since I got it on clearance and haven't seen it since. The pattern in from 60 Quick Baby Knits, put out by Cascade Yarns. All the patterns in the book use Cascade 220 superwash, which is perfect for babies. I'm using the Moda Dea because it's green and it was in the Stash. There should be enough Moda Dea for some cute booties too. And green is nice, cause it could be boy or girl, although the trim on the sweater will probably decide it. Trim is not usually gender neutral. I wonder if I could find some sweet pea trim? That would be boss!

Hope your summer is less exciting than mine and cooler, too. Happy Knitting!

Busy like a Bee!

2011-06-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is my spinach planter with lovely, healthy spinach growing in it. I planted it in hanging baskets so the resident rabbit family in the yard doesn't eat it.

Now back to the knitting.

I haven't posted in a while because it's summer and I don't have access to a good computer very often. But that doesn't mean I haven't been knitting. Sooner or later I'll get around to posting the two Bears hats and maybe the socks I've knit. Definitely the hats, as they have to get posted on Ravelry anyway. The socks are just plain blue socks for summer, knit out of Elann esprit cotton/elastic yarn. Just my generic sock pattern I love.

I've also been hard at work on an old UFO, my mitered square shawl. It just might be finished soon. We'll see. It doesn't feel roomy enough yet. I like a shawl that makes even someone as large as me feel small. This one "fits", but isn't roomy.

Right now on the needles are a pair of red and black Lake Forest College mittens to match the hat I made last year. I love this design!

I also cleaned up my workspace recently and decided not to buy any more yarn until I use what I've got. Why are you laughing???? It's like you know me...

But seriously. I've got several projects worth of materials waiting for time on the needles and money is tight this month. And next month and the one after that. Since I'm not working, I am getting a lot of knitting done. So...time to work with what I've got.

Of course, that doesn't take into account the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art festival next week and my insane drive to possess wool and silk and tencel and cotton...Oh, give me strength!

Happy Knitting!

Rain, rain

2011-04-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, enough with the rain! I understand that April showers bring May flowers, but the water is getting a little deep around here! I haven't been keeping up with the laundry because of all this rain. I don't want to flood my septic field, but I don't want to be buried under piles of dirty laundry either. I'm more than ready for a break in the rain.

I'm almost done with the striped cotton dish towel, too. I'm crocheting the border and corner loop now. I'll post a pic when it's done.

Next up on the needles is a pair of socks. Cotton elastic ones for summer, please. There's also a pair of cotton elastic toe socks in the works for my daughter. I'm not sure which one I'll take on the trip NEXT WEEK. I'm so excited! A road trip with Tonja, a chance to see Marylin and Peter, and a sheep and wool festival ALL IN ONE TRIP! I'm not sure I can wait to start packing. Hope I get that laundry done...And if the weather would cooperate and not be so changeable, I'll figure out what to take with me. Besides knitting, I mean. I can't take much, because I need the space in my bag for all the goodies from the festival.

It's gonna be GREAT!

Happy Knitting!

I got my camera back!

2011-04-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

Not only did I get my camera back, but I also scored pictures of some of Meg's creations! First, here's Spooky, helping out with the beading on the first dress by giving her opinion of the process:

That is one BLACK cat!

Here is the dress after beading, but before the skirt is sewn on:

Here are the front and back views of the dress. It's made of cream duponi silk with hand-sewn beads and sequins. The design is Meg's own. It was draped on the dummy.

This next one was made for the girl wearing it, my daughter's friend Jenny. Doesn't she look beautiful in that color? Granted the photography isn't the best, but trust me, she looks great. The dress is deep rose jersey. The design is Meg's, with imput from her "client." The shawl is made of Noro silk that Meg picked up at a garage sale for pennies on the dollar. She entered the shawl in a scholarship contest.

And last, a paltry entry on my my part, the dish towel that I have been working on:

I'm making it rather big because the last one of this cotton shrunk so much. That, and I can't seem to stop knitting on it. It's addictive! I've been carrying the unused color up the edge as I go, so there are no ends to weave in beyond the cast on and bind off. I think I will crochet a border around the edge in the multi-colored yarn at the end.

Two weeks and two days until Maryland!

Happy Knitting!

Dishtowel Harmony

2011-04-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have abandoned the misfit socks for a dishtowel of yellow, white, and blue cotton yarn. I always wanted a yellow, white, and blue kitchen with lots of cobalt blue, but the towel is probably as close as I'll get. I'm using seed stitch and two different yarns, one yellow, and one yellow, white and blue. I think I'm going to do stripes and then a multicolored border. It makes me happy. Pictures on Monday.

Happy Knitting!

Adventures with Cheap Sock Yarn

2011-04-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

In knitting, you generally get what you pay for. Proof of that is the sock yarn I bought at a well-known discount hobby store. It was only $9.99 for 100 gr, which should have tipped me off. This yarn was in no way self-striping yarn. It was more of a mosaic of 1/4" color segments. I wound the yarn into a ball late one night in the dark (trying not to wake anyone) and then rewound the first half to make two equal size balls. If this had been self-striping yarn, I would have then rewound the original ball so both balls were going the same direction. It wasn't self-striping, so this shouldn't have mattered. I cast on for the toes of two-at-a-time, toe up socks. Near the end of the right toe, a length of largely undyed yarn appeared, creating a stripe. No sooner was I back on track with the right sock, when a similar length of yarn appeared on the left sock, only in the opposite colorways, because I hadn't rewound the first ball. Now I have two stripes, one on each toe of each sock. If I put them side by side, one stripe is above the other, but I told myself, who cares? It's on the foot of the sock and no one sees that part.

But now I'm wondering. What if there are more undyed sections in the ball? Technically, there shouldn't be, but technically, there shouldn't have been one, much less two undyed sections in the middle of the ball at all. If I encounter another one, I'm going to frog the whole thing and trash the yarn, because there are other problems with the yarn. Splits and breaks and the nylon fiber in the yarn appears to be smaller than the wool fibers and is creating a bunching effect that is most distressing. As I write this, I am beginning to wonder if I should bother to work on these socks at all. Maybe I should frog these and try a different ball of sock yarn. I have a lovely dark sock yarn that appears black until you look at it in the light. Then all sorts of colors appear. Or maybe I should make some cotton/elastic footies for summer. I have a nice summery blue in elann esprit...

So, what to do with cheap sock yarn? Besides the obvious answer of don't buy it! I think I will use what I can on the sock yarn remnants shawl I'm working on. There are usable bits of it, after all.

Sigh...

Happy Knitting!

Another Random Friday...

2011-04-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again, and I feel the anticipation of freedom for two days. Lots to do this weekend. Besides grocery shopping and the eternal laundry pile, I need to work on the cradle quilt and go to Chi-town to watch D cross the finish line in the Shamrock Shuffle. Cross your fingers that the rain holds off for an hour or so while he runs 8K. Personally, I don't understand the need to run, unless you are being chased by someone with a chainsaw.

Finished a ball of yarn on the aran afghan, which is about the only way to measure progress on such a long-term project. Only about 19 more balls to go-before I'll probably have to buy more yarn. I'm not exactly cruising right along on this one.

I think this weekend I'll try to make time to clean up the craft room, too. It needs it after all the projects we've been sewing. I'd like to thin the herd in my yarn stash as well, or at least organize it by content. Right now I've got acrylic in among the wool and the cotton. Maybe I can find enough for a baby sweater already in there. Plus I need to pick out my sock yarn and make a kit for the trip in just 4 weeks. Maryland, ho!

Happy Knitting!

Busy Weekend

2011-04-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

It was a busy weekend at my house. I worked on the fitted sheets for the cradle layette and finished them on Saturday. Then we got a call that my sister-in-law went into labor 10 weeks early and she had a 3 lb, 4 oz. baby boy on Saturday night. Baby and Mommy are both healthy. So, Sunday I worked on the quilt. I had four fabrics and I decided to do alternating tumbling blocks. It looks good, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the back. I have some brown quilt binding for the border. I bet I'll end up back at JoAnn's.

Sunday I also did the grocery shopping up at Woodman's in Kenosha, which is my favorite place to grocery shop. They have everything in the known world, or so it seems. I was able to get soy yogurt and almond milk, which, if you are lactose intolerant, is nice. And the prices are much cheaper than Jewel. The only problem is I always spend too much money and I always spend a couple hours just working my way through the place. It's huge.

Still haven't decided on my travel project. I'm holding out for inspiration, I guess. Meantime, I've been knitting on the afghan by default.

I've also been reading a lot more about vegan cooking. I already know a lot about vegetarianism, but being lactose intolerant, vegan just makes more sense for me. The only problem is cooking for a family at the same time. I found a really interesting cookbook that has recipes that can be vegan, vegetarian, or omnivorous. That way you are cooking one recipe instead of two meals. The recipe has jumping off points where some of the meal can be vegetarian, while the rest is omnivorous. Perfect for the mixed family. The book is called the Alterable Feast. It's interesting, and a really good idea.

Knitting, which was moved to Mondays, was cancelled this week, our very first Monday. Blondknitter was ill and Teryn was swamped with work and I had lunch with my whole family in the cafeteria. We haven't done that in ages, not since we lived on campus. Of course, it was different now that Meg was here on a student visit day as a prospective first year student. And with Andy already a student here. Soon we'll be eating in the cafe just for a glimpse of them. Or not. My stomach can't take that much cafeteria food. All I know is when I bring my lunch, I don't get sick. Or overeat. And that is reason enough not to eat in the cafe. I do miss eating lunch with Marylin and Peter though...

Well, I'm off to brainstorm knitting ideas. Happy Knitting!

Even more random FRIDAY!

2011-04-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! It's Friday! I'm tickled pink to see Friday, because that means I get to make the fitted sheets and design the quilt tomorrow. Meg has offered to help, which is nice. She made two of the most adorable prom dresses this week. The cream silk is elegant, but fun with it's sequin skirt design and beading. The deep rose jersey dress is a thing of beauty, providing just the right drape and softness to make a skinny girl look curvy and girly. It's quite a dress. No embellishment needed. Meg's sewing improves with every dress she makes, to say nothing of her already formidable design skills. She draped both dresses sans pattern. I could never do that. I can, however, make simple things like cushion covers and fitted flannel sheets. It's just really hard on my eyes. Having Meg to see the little things will be nice.

I still haven't found my knitting groove again. I'm thinking really pretty, girly baby sweater. Something with a full, long body and an empire yoke, with delicate picot edging and some lace in the body. Maybe three quarter sleeves and a peter pan collar. Done in white cotton, I think. Maybe.

I'm really looking forward to traveling to Maryland in five short weeks and seeing Marylin and Peter and Marylin's mom. Blondknitter has been carefully considering her selection of books on tape for the trip. I have been carefully considering my choice of knitting and feeling bad because I will get to knit the whole way and can't help with the driving. She says she loves to drive, which is really good, 'cause she's gonna get her fill of it, I'm sure. I would be happy to naivigate if she wants and, of course, hand out driving food. Maybe I'll make sausage cheese rolls and mini apple turnovers. So good! We'll need crunchy munchies too. And cookies for the trip and cookies for the hostess. Maybe chocolate walnut swirls or lemon bars? Something easy to eat for the trip, that's sure. I think I'll just bring a traveling sock project, which is washable in case I get crumbs on it...

Happy Knitting!

Random thoughts Wednesday...

2011-03-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm officially bored with my knitting life. It's not that I want to quit knitting-nothing drastic like that. More like I'm not inspired by the projects that I'm working on. I want to go in a new direction. Something with more personal creativity and less follow-the-dots, slave-to-the-rules knitting. I just don't know what. Maybe I'll design something.

On the plus side, I finished the waterproof mattress cover for the cradle layette and it is swe-e-e-et! It's a monkey print raincoat fabric with brown piping on the major seams and a zipper on one end. I made it without a pattern and it still looks great. The mattress is a two-inch foam pad, so it needed a waterproof cover for those nights the diaper leaks. I still have two fitted sheets and a quilt to make from monkey print flannel. That is my weekend project this week. Since the cradle bottom is 14" x 29", I'm thinking the quilt should be 30" x 30". What do you think? I don't have pictures because my camera is currently documenting the construction of several prom dresses my daughter is working on. One is cream duponi silk with a beaded and sequined skirt. It's looking good!

With spring in swing and planting season only weeks away, I'm lobbying hard for raised beds in the garden, thus avoiding the tedious and back-breaking work of digging up sod and breaking up soil. Of course, that means having a lot of dirt delivered, which ain't cheap. I'm not winning this one, I have a feeling. I still want a 3' x 3' raised bed for the strawberries, at least. That way the voracious runners are more contained. I also want an herb garden heavy on the basil and parsley for pesto. And some hanging gardens of lettuce for salad. I haven't had good luck with this in the past, but I'm willing to try again.

Anyone know what dirt costs?

Happy knitting!

Not knitting...

2011-03-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't been knitting. I have nothing to show for the last week. My only excuse is that I have been sick with a miserable cold. I don't really feel like doing anything, but I did read three books last weekend. They weren't bad, but they weren't great literature either.

Today is a knitting Tuesday. I have my knitting with me, of course. It's the Aran afghan. I also read Eunny Jang's tutorial on Unventing Cables, which was fabulous. I think I will design the cables for the next section of my afghan, which will be multi-strand cables.

I should be sewing on the cradle layette for my sister-in-law's baby shower. I cut out the foam mattress and the waterproof cover, only to discover I don't have enough piping materials. So back to the store I go-eventually. Waiting for a ride is frustrating. I guess I could sew the fitted sheets while I wait. There are two, both monkey print. The leftover prints will go into a little quilt for the cradle. It's gonna be epic if I ever get it done. Remind me to buy some elastic for the fitted sheets too.

Lately I've been in garden mode. I want to plant some vegetables this year in a garden. I'd also like to plant a strawberry garden and a few raspberry canes. They take a year or two to get established, so I'd like to get them in this year for next, but my labor is not as gun-ho. Plants start shipping on April 18th for my zone! We don't have anything plowed or fertilized or rototilled or anything! Aack!

Happy Knitting!

Journey's End

2011-03-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I visited some yummy yarn stores in Alabama and South Carolina. This is a shout out to Serendipity Needleworks in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Barbara Sue Brody Needleworks in Aiken, South Carolina, and The Sassy Knitter, also in Aiken, South Carolina. I bought the most beautiful yarn I've ever held at Serendipity, a pink confection of recycled yarns and silks. Paired with a carry along of Glace ribbon yarn in pale pink, it has knit up into the most beautiful evening bag ever seen. I have the knitting done, but not the sewing up. I want to add a lining of pale pink crushed penne velvet and a zipper for the top. Also, some interfacing would not go amiss. The handles will be gold tone chain, if I can find some. I have enough yarn for two evening bags of the recycled yarn, I just need to find another carry along yarn. One of them will go up for sale on Etsy at an Outrageous Price, because the recycled yarn was wildly expensive. Pictures will, of course, be coming.

I do have pictures of my latest project, which is the Aran Afghan. I decided to do it strip-wise, working each motif separately and piecing them together. That way I'm not constantly checking a pattern to figure out where I am and probably getting lost regularly. I tried it the other way and hated life. So right now I'm working on a 40-st section of honeycomb stitch, which will probably be the center strip, mostly because I'm not inclined to do another 82 inch strip of honeycomb. The pattern was easy to memorize, though, which is nice. I'm going to flank it with some complicated cabling, something I don't mind doing. Here are a few pics of the first strip:

It's a good travel project, because the strip just rolls up and stuffs in my purse nicely. I'm slipping the first stitch and knitting the last stitch of each row to make a selvege for seaming. The cables will be wider or narrower, depending on the pattern, and I may combine a few simple patterns into wide pieces. We'll see.

Happy Knitting!

If at first you don't succeed, buy on sale!

2011-03-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Took a trip to Michael's craft store last night, only to find they were out of the one yarn I wanted. I even went to Walmart with Blondknitter to see if they had what I needed. I'm leaving on Friday for Alabama and wanted to have at least a few skeins of Wool-ease in natural to start the Aran afghan I designed this week. But no luck.

Then this morning I got an email from JoAnn's house of fabrics online store. They have Wool-ease for $2.50 a ball! Much cheaper than Michael's! I ordered 20 skeins, knowing that I probably wouldn't get that price again for a while and hoping to get mostly the same dye lot, although JoAnn's doesn't guarantee this. The only downside was that they wouldn't let me use my coupon for 20% off your entire order and I will not get the yarn until after I get back. But I can use the coupon at the store to buy an extra skein or two, knowing that I will need more than 20 skeins for a 50"x80" blanket. Why so big? Well, we are all 6 ft or taller, so it needs a little extra length in order to tuck under our feet. I probably could have ordered 30 skeins, but that can wait. Color is less of a concern here. As long as it's close, I will use other dye lots. I'm using Wool-ease so that it's washable.

The blanket uses moss stitch, seed stitch, reverse stockingette, honeycomb stitch, wavy lattice stitch, and three different cables. It's really a clever pattern. I only used stitch patterns with 8 row repeats (and seed stitch), which eliminates all the headaches of keeping track of what row you're on for each section. I even wrote out the pattern for the whole blanket in an eight row repeat, each section in a different color so it is easier for my eyes to follow. I will use correspondingly colored space markers between each section. Now if I can just remember to pack my row counter...

In other news, I started the thumb on Meg's glove. That is the last part for that glove. I still have the other glove to improvise, but without her hand next week, it's going in the UFO pile for the week.

Happy Knitting!

Doldrums of Winter

2011-02-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

I am definitely in the winter doldrums. Before the rest of the snow could melt we have more and it's bumming me out. I don't want to read, I don't want to knit, I don't want to be.

That said, I have been fiddling around with a new project. It's a knitted doll, projected to be about 8-10 inches high. I'm working on the second leg now. It's got foot, calf, and thigh shaping. I'm making it out of cream Paton's Kroy, which is a fingering weight wool/nylon mix for socks. I have a fondness for little dolls and thought it would be a nice present for a little girl with a change of clothes and such. Of course, this means I'm not doing what I should be doing, which is the blocking report for the Masters program. I just can't seem to settle to it. It involves research and siting sources and other such crap. *Sigh*

Besides, there are much more interesting things to do, like research yarn stores for my trip to Alabama and South Carolina in early March (next weekend!) I wish we had more time for yarn store hopping, but I seriously doubt that will happen. I'm the only one that wants to go, so it will rightly get bumped. Hope springs eternal, though...

I'm nearly finished with the middle finger of Megan's glove. It is seriously bumming me out that there are two of these gloves. I have to wait and try each finger on Megan. It's hard to get into a good rhythm that way.

What I need is a good, brainless project like a blanket, something I can medi-knit to. Something I can watch old movies with, or listen to music with. Maybe it's time for an afghan. I could always make that washable wool aran afghan I've been threatening to make my mother. It's what she wants. It needn't be expensive. I could use Lion Brand wool-ease so it's washable and cheap and warm. That stuff is warm! I made a sweater out of it once and couldn't wear it because it was so warm.

I think I've got my knit on again.

Happy Knitting!

Melt-y goodness

2011-02-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

The blizzard of 2011 is melting away in my world, flooding the sidewalks and streets and giving me an unintended laundry holiday, thanks to the septic. Of course, I will have to go over to my mother-in-law's house this weekend and do laundry. I think I'd rather go to the laundry mat and get it all done in two hours, if I can get enough machines...

I have been neglecting my knitting this week. I finished the ring finger and have started on the middle finger. What bothers me is that there is a whole other glove to do and the pattern will not be the same. Her right hand is very different from her left. Strange child. Anyway, I just haven't felt like knitting of late. I've been reading and sleeping mostly, trying to get over this virus. I feel bad about the lack of knitting, but that's probably ex-Catholic guilt.

No pictures today. It's gray and misty outside and I just want to curl up under a blanket and sleep. Think anyone would notice if I napped under my desk?

Happy knitting!

2011-02-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

Sore throat, chest congestion, body aches - yup, I've got some kind of bug. Had it all weekend in fact. I feel like hell. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of knitting done. I did make a cute little red bib for my sister-in-law's baby-to-be. It has a monkey on it, which is her motif for the baby's room. I'm hoping to write a pattern for five tiny monkeys to put on a mobile.

I also worked a little on the Norwegian gloves for Megan. I was able to fit her unusual pinky finger and started on the ring finger. Here are pics:

I had to add rows to the pattern to get a good fit, but so far so good. She says they are pretty, which is a good sign. I would never make these for her if she could buy gloves, but she can't, so that explains the attempt to please a 16 year old. Sheer madness at any other time, I assure you.

Mostly I just sat around in great discomfort this weekend and did laundry, my never ending chore. I did get to make lemon squares for a party Meg went to, and that was fun. I like to bake, only it goes under appreciated at my house, so I don't do a lot of it. They just aren't that into sweets. I, on the other hand, prefer to live on sugar. It's the only thing that still tastes the way it's supposed to.

Here's hoping you and yours are all healthy and warm. Happy Knitting!

Slow Going

2011-02-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

Here's what's on the needles right now:

It's a Norwegian Glove, Nancy Bush's pattern from Pieceworks, available for free on their website. Her's were done in white, charcoal and red. Mine are in cream, green, and khaki. I'm not knitting them for me. They would be too small for my hands, but I'm thinking I might knit them for my daughter, who has very small, uniquely shaped hands and can't buy gloves. Plus they are very pretty, and she is a fancy girl, so they're perfect for her.

Just off the needles ( and the blocking board) are these:

Three swatches for the Masters program. I'm still not happy with the tension on the seed stitch swatch and may do it over. What I'll do differently, I don't know, but...

It's been slow going these past three weeks. I've been off my pain meds, trying to get some sleep. I have slept a bit better, five or six hours a night instead of three or four, but the pain is a bit unreasonable. I can't stand to sit or lay down very long. I keep wanting to move to relieve the aches in my joints. Sitting at a desk all day is agony. I literally keep pacing my office. It's crazy. But I have three more weeks to go until I meet with my doctor to decide whether or not to go back on the pain meds. That length of time should let me know definitively if it's the meds keeping me awake or just the pain in my head. On the one hand, it's nice to be so clear-headed and not have that heavy, drugged feeling. On the other, pain is a bitch. I seem to be damned if I do and damned if I don't with this.

Anyway, the pain is seriously cutting into my knitting time. Ten minutes is about all I can stand at a time. I don't know for sure that the joint pain is a side effect of going off the meds or just arthritis rearing it's ugly head. I'll have to ask the doc. Until then, I'm on a regime of Acetominaphen and cups of hot tea to wrap my hands around. Not very effective. Ibuprofen seems to work even less. The best is warmth, like a hot water bath. But it's hard to knit under water. Maybe acrylic, but I hate knitting acrylic...

Tonight is another knitting event, this one in Vernon Hills. I'm going with BlondKnitter. We have plans to hit the Caribou Coffee and maybe Chipoltle for dinner, then meet up with the knitters "doing it in public." Should be a stitch.

Happy Knitting!

Cats

2011-02-08T06:41:00.000-08:00

What is it with cats?

I have a rescued feral cat that usually isn't the most affectionate creature. Life has taught her hard lessons and she's still very "twitchy" from that. You would think eight or nine years of the soft cushy life would have mellowed her out, but there is no denying this animal could use a little kitty-strength Buspar. She is one stressed out cat. Which means that normally she prefers to hide rather than be a lap cat and starts violently at absolutely nothing.

Yet, when I'm knitting, that seems to be the universal signal for petting time. Middle of the day, middle of the night, she will come looking for my lap if I pick up the needles and yarn. She barges in and glares with great offense if either yarn or needles touch her accidentally. She demands to rub against my hands and licks my arm with her 12 grit sandpaper tongue. If that doesn't get my attention, she turns to the chairside table and begins wiping all the offending articles off the table and on to the floor. Then it's back to headbutting my hands and licking my arms.

Eventually, she'll settle down (usually with her butt in my face) and flex her claws on my pants legs. For a brief moment, she will drowse distractedly on the warmth of my lap, looking around occasionally to remind me not to touch her with my knitting. And for a moment, all will be cozy and domestically tranquil.

But it doesn't last. The moment will come when, although absolutely nothing has happened in the room, she will explode off my lap as though shot from a cannon, claws digging and flying, eyes bugging out as though someone just let a pack of wild dogs into the room. After inflicting deep lacerations on my legs, she will fly through the room and run for the safety of her bolthole under my daughter's bed. Every time.

Every time. This poor beast is beset by demons the rest of us just can't see, hear, or smell. She never truly relaxes. Every trip to the food bowl and litter box is a danger-fraught journey that winds around furniture and under tables and must take days off her life. No one has ever hurt her in our household, no one has ever tormented her. She is just, well, crazy.

Otherwise, she's a good cat. She never goes after my knitting, and I leave it lying around in the most tempting manner. She stays off of tables and seldom wants to sit in chairs. She keeps herself neat and clean and has normally great claw etiquette. Except when startled, which is always. But she doesn't claw the furniture or the drapes. She's not much of a climber. As cat's go, she's affectionate on her terms (duh! She's a cat!) and she is good with dogs, but not other cats. I've seen her punch an overenthusiastic puppy, but not with claws. She does tend to treat my daughter as her own child at times, with corrective swats and gentle bites, much like she would a kitten. Which annoys the girl to no end. The cat won't have anything to do with men, including my son since his voice changed and he grew very tall. She runs from my husband like he wants to set her on fire, which he doesn't.

So what is it with cats? Why are they so schizophrenic? And why, why, why, does knitting time have to be petting time? It's putting a serious damper on my production schedule. I can't bear to tell the little beast no, but my legs can't take too many more scratches like this morning. At least I'm past the age of short skirts.

Happy Knitting!

Early Morning Denial, er, Knitting

2011-02-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

This morning, about 3 am, I cast on (again) for the third swatch of the Masters Level 1 series. This one is seed stitch, which isn't supposed to have any space between the stitches. I knit the swatch on no. 7 needles, and then again on no. 6 needles, before finally deciding I am either a lousy knitter or the yarn is to blame. It is really scraggly for a worsted weight yarn. Not much loft or bulk. I've seen more full-bodied dk yarns. I decided I wasn't a terrible knitter about 6 am and now I'm in search of a better yarn. Denial? Maybe...but that's what I'm doing.

I finished Meg's beret, which came out small, but serviceable. She didn't want i-cord or anything on the top. So now I'm down a traveling project and thinking about gloves. Green and black gloves, to go with my coat. I just need the right pattern...Any ideas? I think I'll search Ravelry.

Beyond knitting, my hands are finally feeling better, and the rest of me too. Perhaps this weekend I can finally get some knitting done. Tomorrow I'm going to be doing some waiting, for which you can read knitting, as Derek has to work until we go to dinner at a friend's house in the LF. As long as I have a warm, comfortable place to knit, I am good for hours. Perhaps the library is the place for me.

Happy Knitting!

When you're right, you're...

2011-02-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

Turns out Tinkerbell was right, it doesn't matter what side you start on if you are using a multiple of four stitches. Either way, both sides start with K2. I did not know this, or at least, not intuitively. So much to learn still!

So, we're socked in with a few feet of snow here in Northern Illinois, and even had a snow day at LFC, which is unusual. Today, though, everyone is back at work, marveling at the lack of heat in the building this morning. We really shouldn't be surprised. Not even the HVAC guys could have gotten here yesterday.

I spent the day cooking and baking and knitting. Jambalya for lunch, Mongolian Beef for dinner, and a vanilla cream cheese pound cake just for fun. I'm still in a lot of pain, so I really couldn't settle to knit for long. The pain is like arthritis and makes me want to move around to relieve the aches. I did knit swatch number two, though, and started on number three, which is seed stitch. I ripped it out as it had too many spaces between the stitches. I think I need more tension or a smaller needle. Can't say I'm especially happy with the Paton's Classic Wool I picked for this project. It's kind of wimpy, is the best way to put it. I've knit with much plusher yarn in a smooth worsted weight. I wish I could afford something nicer, but I already bought the Paton's. I try not to be wasteful...

Here are some snow pictures:

Above is out the back door on the deck.

You can see the snow is chest deep at the front door...

This is the back yard.

The driveway...

The road...

The front of the house...

This last one is a pic of the first swatch, blocked. You have to block them before you can count gauge and answer the questions that accompany each swatch. Kind of a pain, but that's to be expected. Blocking and I are not great friends. I have all the tools, blocking mat, wires, rust-proof pins, and that makes it tolerable, but I hate to wait for things to dry after wet-blocking them.

I hope this post finds you all warm and dry. Happy Knitting!

Master's of Knitting classes

2011-01-31T13:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, Virginia, there is a knitting master's class. It's offered through the Knitter's Guild of America in three segments, each one worked independently and judged by the Guild through the mail. The cost isn't bad either, if you compare it with other classes of it's kind. I signed up the other day. You have to join the Guild and you get a magazine subscription for your trouble and the complete directions for the program.

Blondknitter and I went to Michael's the other day and I bought the light colored worsted weight yarn I will need for the program. I don't keep worsted weight wool around much, as I'm usually using sport or fingering weight on my projects. I also needed several balls to get through all the test swatches I have to knit. I forget how many. A lot.

I did start on the first one, and immediately ran into a problem. The swatch calls for a long-tail cast on, which puts the knitter on the wrong side of the work on the first row. I'm doing K2, P2 in the beginning. Should I purl a row to get to the right side, or not? I tend to think one should, but I compromised by doing a left-handed long tail cast on, thus being on the right side of the work for the first row. Then I had to knit and purl through the back loops to avoid twisting the stitches in the first row. After that, I worked it as I usually would. I have no idea if I did the right thing or not. What do you think? Am I over thinking this? Or not enough? The directions are very specific about some things, and not about others. I think I'll check on Ravelry for a support group.

Needing a support group this early on is a bad thing, isn't it?

Happy Knitting!

Lara's Hood-Check!

2011-01-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

I finished the Lara's Hood for BlondKnitter about a week ago, after running out of yarn before the back-of-the-hood decoration. At least I got the ties done, since I know she wanted them. It was a Christmas present that got done before Spring Thaw, if not before Christmas. I finally blocked it day before yesterday, since I was home sick and wandering around the house in too much discomfort to settle or sleep. I didn't get any knitting done over those two days, just felt too awful. I can't really say I feel much better, but I'm not contagious or anything, I've been assured.

Anyway, I have pics:

For some reason they came out a little blurry on the Auto setting, but that's what I get for being a pictophobe, or whatever.

Now on the needles are Meg's beret and some mittens, which are going well for being neglected these last few days. I'll get back in the swing of things soon.

Happy Knitting!

Rant over

2011-01-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't really spend two days stewing over my rant. I felt bad about it, because I have ex-Catholic guilt, but I didn't stew. Sometimes things just need to be said aloud, or well, written...

Not a lot of knitting going on the last few days, due to headaches when I got home from work. A few rows here and there, but no significant progress. I'm also reading a book, which seems to be taking me an inordinate amount of time to read. I like the book, but I think I needed the sleep more. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

I updated my projects on Ravelry, something I tend to do in fits and starts. Assembling all that information in one place isn't easy at times. I can never remember the yarn color name or the yardage or the pattern name or where I got it. But I try. I like having a record like that. It's like a diary. Diaries always seem like a great idea, but they are much work. This blog is the closest thing I've managed to a diary. Somehow it seems easier. I even bought one of those knitting journals, once. I don't use it. I wish I would. It's one of those you can keep swatches in and put notes about the pattern in. It's genius, really. Maybe someday.

This weekend is going to be a major knitting weekend. I'm caught up on the laundry and I'll be stuck at home because D is working all weekend, so I'm going to veg out with some movies and my knitting. I hope to finish the Lara Hood and make progress on both the Mermaid mittens and the Beret. I just have to get through today and Friday.

Wish me Happy Knitting!

Other People's Knitting

2011-01-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

As a knitter, I give away more than my fair share of knitting. I like to give knitted gifts, especially if the receiver is not expecting anything. I don't know why, it just feels better. But lately an unexpected complication to being a knitter has arisen in the form of people who expect other people to knit an item for them, free of charge, and for no other reason than that you happen to be knitting at the moment.

It's a strange phenomenon. I can't quite figure out what gives people the feeling that it's okay to ask others to work for them for free. Yes, knitting is my hobby, but there are costs in terms of time and money involved. Time and money I may have allocated for someone's gift, that I chose. Just because I know you doesn't mean I want to spend 30 hours knitting you something. Nor do I want to pay for the yarn. Go buy a hat for $20 bucks.

I know this sounds a little, well, miserly. And maybe even a little lazy. But you have to understand, lately I even have total strangers asking me to perform knitting tricks for them. What is going on? I understand the Aunt-in-law-by-marriage who wants a sports team hat and the daughter who wants a beret out of yarn she bought, but doesn't want to knit it herself (by the way, you owe me a sewing project in return now, dear!). But the handyman who wants a scarf that reaches to his knees on both sides, and the total stranger in the doctor's office who gave me her card and asked me to "send her a hat like that one?" There are a few more I won't name. Just what compels people to asks for these things? And why, when I suggest how much the yarn alone will cost, do they act, well, offended?

It is nearly impossible to make a living knitting by hand. It's an expensive craft that is time consuming and, at times, tedious. Take the price of the yarn and multiply that times five. Then make me an offer.

This is my daughter's beret so far. I'm holding out for two pair of pajama pants in exchange. All she has to do is sew them. I already cut them out. There are no pockets or zippers. It's a fair trade.

Picture Friday!

2011-01-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Last night Blondknitter and I went to a "Do It In Public" knit night at one of our local Barnes and Nobles (yes, I bought books, don't judge!) The whole experience was great fun. We met lots of new people, knitters and crocheters, and saw the fabulous projects everyone was working on. This particular group is closely associated with the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art festival held in this area every summer. It's a rockin' festival, complete with live alpaca and LOADS of great vendors. It's a don't miss if you live in Northern Illinois/ Southern Wisconsin.

I worked on my new hat project, which is my current "on the go" project because it only has one chart. One really small chart, a mistake I won't make with these 40-odd year old eyes again. (I made the chart, you'd think I would know better!) Yet I accomplished a few rows, all to the good. We were out late enough that my family had all gone to bed when I got home.

So at three o'clock this morning I was rattling around the ranch, so to speak, and I picked up Blondknitter's hood and did some serious work on that. I've been giving her a hard time about the complexity of the pattern (it has FIVE charts!), but I'm really enjoying this one now. It's a nice stretch for me, if you know what I mean. I don't always challenge myself when I should, which leads to stagnation and that's bad. Once I got the symbols memorized, juggling three charts at a time became easier and, as long as there aren't any more unwritten directions...heck, even if there are, I'll just have to figure it out. That's half the fun, sometimes, on this knitting journey.

Here's a pic of the work in progress:

That's Knitpicks yarn I'm using, which is an altogether satisfactory product, and some of the myriad of charts. You may have guessed I'm not a fan of charts, but only because my eyes are pretty bad. I can't always focus on the charts, no matter how far or close they are. All those rows of squares blend together and cross over each other. I gave up quilting and sewing for knitting because you didn't have to see as much with knitting. UNLESS you're working with charts apparently, in which case, I get what I get, hmm?

I wish I could show you more detail of the knitting, which has some pretty leaves and vines, but those pictures came out blurry. I didn't realize it wasn't just my eyes until I uploaded them on the computer. Next time...

Happy Knitting!

They're up!

2011-01-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

I have three patterns up on Ravelry now for sale, including the Forrester hat, Jane. And I already contracted a sale on the Chocolate hat over the weekend! I'm so excited! Also up are the Swimming with the Fishes socks.

I have another pattern about halfway done. It will be a surprise...

I spent this last weekend working on Blondknitter's hood, which is progressing well now that I solved the math problem. Instructions were NOT included with the pattern for this problem and it was tricky for those of us who don't read what isn't there. Then I was knitting along and POW! the answer nearly knocked me out. Of course, I had to rip back about half of what I had accomplished, but it looks much better now. Pictures tomorrow. Suffice it to say there are 5 charts and a lot of weird symbols on those charts. I keep having to go back to the cheat sheet and remind myself what each symbol means as I knit along. I'll have to remember this when offering to knit for someone else...

Happy knitting!

Picture Day!

2011-01-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year I got a nifty new camera, which means this blog will now have pictures!

First, and most important, here are the gingerbread cookies my daughter decorated. Too beautiful to eat - not that it stopped me from doing so...

Then I have two very special pictures to show you. One is a knitted hat, submitted for your inspection, with a Chocolate motif. The words "Milk" and "Dark" are around the top, just under a cluster of chocolate chips, and the word "Chocolate" is repeated four times around the edge of the bottom, with more chocolate chips and hugs and kisses symbols. I love this hat! I love Chocolate! Talk about combining your obsessions...

Last is a picture of a new pair of two-color stranded socks I call my "Under the Sea" socks. They are toe up, done two at a time, with a clam shell depicted on the heel and seaweed and a jellyfish on the front base of the leg. Above that are waves and fishes and then sailboats and clouds, with an inch or so of two color K1, P1 above that.

Both of these patterns will soon be for sale on my Ravelry store, which I am in the process of setting up. And there will be more soon!

Happy New Year and Happy Knitting!

Post Christmas fun

2010-12-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

I finished Derek's sweater in good time before Christmas and I think he likes it. Meg likes her "Musica" half-gloves and her socks. Christmas is over, but I don't have time for the post Christmas blues. I've got samples to knit for the patterns I designed. Right now I'm working on the chocolate hat in a very nice fingering weight Filati Fine from elann.com. It's washable, which is nice for a hat, due to the acrylic/wool/nylon content. The colors are perfect for a chocolate themed hat with big chocolate chips and "hugs and kisses", x and o marks. I was worried the fingering weight would make a too small size, but only if you have a very large head. It's probably a medium, I think. I'm also working on a pair of two at a time, toe up, color work socks in "coral sea" Dream in Color Smooshy and navy Filati fine. I had planned to use a lighter blue Paton's Kroy as the contrasting color, but there wasn't enough contrast between the colors. The Smooshy is an aqua and blue colorway. I had several false starts on that one. Color work on the heel is difficult to do. It requires starting on the wrong side row with the contrasting color and it's new territory for me. I've done wrong side row stranded knitting before on a baby sweater, and it was a pain. Now there's two heels and I've had to rip them back already once. I'm beyond that now. The hardest part was getting the pattern to line up in the right place with the first complete round after the heel. After I finally figured it out, I set it aside and took up the hat, which I thought would be easier. Turns out I'm making changes to the hat pattern on the fly. I hope I get the changes right when I get back to work where my files are. God I wish I had a laptop! This posting is being done on a borrowed computer from home. Thanks, kids!
Next on the needles is Tonja's hat/hood. Right now I've got to get the cat off my knitting and get busy.

Happy Knitting! Happy New Year!

The Hat was a Hit!

2010-12-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

Today was the silent auction where my hat was one of the items being bid on. I designed this hat, hoping to appeal to the folks who work here-and it worked! There was a great bidding war, but the hat finally went for -are you ready- $76!

You could have knocked me over with a feather. I can't believe anyone would pay $76 dollars for a hand knit hat, even for charity. I couldn't stop smiling.

Well, pride goeth before a fall, so I'll have to watch were I step for a while. And I'll have to knit the matching mittens next year...

Happy knitting!

The Hat

2010-12-15T06:32:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the Holiday Party at work. Every year we have a silent auction to raise money for charity and last year I donated a hand knit item to be auctioned off. This year's item is below. Pardon the photo. It was taken with a cheap phone camera.
This is the back:

This is the front (above).

I hope someone bids on it. It would be highly embarrassing if no one did.

The hat is knit from Berocco Ultra Alpaca Light, which is a 50/50 blend of alpaca and Peruvian wool. The colors in the top picture are more accurate. It has acorns and oak leafs and people (students) and the Forrester bear paw in the middle. Like I said before, if I had it to do over again, I would make the words bolder. Next time. I blocked it last night, and it's still a little damp this morning. I hope it drys before I have to turn it in after lunch. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to do the blocking...

Yesterday, I finished the right side of the cardigan front for Derek's sweater. I also started the left side and worked up to the second button hole and a little beyond. I'm about half way done, I think, although perhaps I underestimate the sleeves.

After I finish the sweater I can start Blondknitter's hood (sorry, I don't think it'll be ready by Christmas!) and then it's on to the patterns I've been writing up. I need to knit some samples. And it's more two color stranded knitting, which I love. That may even take me into spring. Hopefully I'll have a better camera soon!

Happy Knitting!

Why I don't knit many sweaters...

2010-12-14T06:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, forget my previous post where I claimed I was frogging the sweater for my husband a little less than usual. Since then I have ripped back an entire side of the front of the cardigan. I put the button band on the wrong side. It's a sweater for a man, so it matters. At least according to my very fashion conscious daughter. I have now officially frogged way more stitches than I have successfully knit.

And I don't care.

No, really. Each time I barely flinched as I have tinked back a row or ripped back an entire section. I'm enjoying knitting this sweater and I'll tell you why. It has none of the fitting angst that comes with knitting for myself, a very size challenged person. My husband is a solid XL with a little extra length in the body. No problem. The sweater also is on gauge. No rewriting a pattern or fiddling with different needle sizes. I. Am. On. Gauge. And that is a huge relief. The only question is will he like the style? I think so. I hope so. I'm not even going to worry about it. If he doesn't like it, I know other extra large men.

Yet, I still don't usually like knitting sweaters. They are a huge time investment, for one thing. They are also not very portable when they are XL size. I love portable knitting, since I started knitting to keep me sane during all the waiting for other people I do. Sweaters also require a fair bit of sewing up, which I detest (the mattress stitch and I have issues).

All of these things combine to steer me away from sweaters usually and toward socks and mitten and baby things. I know there is a whole world of patterns out there for wonderful sweaters, I just don't have the desire to commit to them. Maybe if I was a size small...

And now some Christmas Knitting...

2010-12-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, I put off knitting the rest of the Christmas presents until now. The Through The Woods hood just called to me. It's finished now and waiting to be lined with some nice soft non-static flannel.

So now it's back to Derek's sweater, which, in it's defense, has gotten easier to knit the pattern as I've gone along (read-less frogging than usual, but still a lot). I'm halfway up the left front side, after completing the back. I know I should have done the fronts concurrently, but I didn't. I will, however, do the sleeves at the same time. It just makes sense. I have the perfect faux leather buttons for this sweater. Fake because that equals washable. Real leather buttons have to be dry cleaned, which I detest. Nothing like a gift that keeps on costing!

Next up on the needles is Tonja's hood, a really fun looking project in teal merino. And then I have to (finally) start working on some of my pattern samples for the patterns I've written. The latest is a chocolate motif mitten and hat set I want to do in two shades of brown.

Hope your holiday knitting is going well. Don't let the deadline stress you out too much. Remember, it's supposed to be fun...

Happy Knitting!

Knitting like I've never knit before

2010-12-06T12:14:00.001-08:00

I did quite a bit of knitting this weekend. Enough that I became vaguely chair-shaped at one point.And for the most part, I made good progress on the Through the Woods hooded cowl. But alas, the yarn gods did not smile on me this weekend, and I realized I had made a major mistake that only frogging could fix. Rip-it! Rip-it! I ripped out a good half the work I had completed and started again. I do so want that sound effect! That one and the loud beeping back-up signal. (Because I spend so much time backing up, right?) By 10:30 pm last night I had recovered all that I ripped out and started on the last two small plackets that form the button area and button holes. And then I started that again, after realizing I was slipping each first stitch purl-wise instead of knit-wise. And then I started again after I jerked awake and unraveled all my stitches. Then I went to bed.

I really do think I frog 2 stitches for every one completely knit, if that's possible. I can't count or stay awake or concentrate on complicated patterns, so why do I knit?

I think it has to do with feeling useful. As long as I'm working on a project, somehow I think I have the right to feel like a really useful engine. I don't have to finish anything I knit, not in any realistic time frame, or even finish at all, because my knitting is not vital to my own or my family's welfare. I finish because it proves I can. Not that I always do, mind you. But I'm never without a project, never without the process that for me brings me - well, hope.

Knitting in the State of Confusion...

2010-11-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

Finally finished the hat for the charity auction. It looks good, but not great. If I had the time, I might rework the pattern, make the words larger, take out some of the motifs and add others. There's always next year!

I also finished the back of Derek's sweater and started on the left front. Or maybe the right front. I can't remember. And I started the "Through the Woods" hooded cowl. I got gauge on the stitch size, but not on the row height. Luckily, it worked out perfectly that I can simply delete one repeat of the pattern and get the size I need. I think I will remeasure the gauge before I do that, though! I like the pattern on this one. It's a 4/4 stitch repeat with cables on the sixth row. As it's done in bulky yarn on size 10 1/2 needles, I can easily do the cables without a needle. I like this very much.

Last night Blond Knitter and I were at JoAnn's trying to diagnose her sewing machine problems and I found the perfect black and red plaid flannel for the lining of the Through the Woods cowl. I would rather have black and green, so it goes with either coat, but I may not have that option. It's worth looking around for, though.

Derek said something the other day that really bothered me. He feels I don't finish enough of my knitting projects. Yes, I have a few UFOs, and a few finished disasters that will never see the light of day, but I thought I was very productive with my knitting. What he said really floored me. How productive do I have to be? If I went through the blog and counted up all the finished projects, would I be disappointed? Or is he simply not paying attention? After all, I wouldn't want him to keep track of everything I knit. That might give away the size of my stash! Maybe once I get a camera and start taking pictures of all the finish articles, I won't seem so wasteful to him.

I decided to order the first installment of the KGA's (knitter's guild of America) master hand knitter course with the Christmas money from my mom. It will make me happy and that's why I'm doing it. No ulteriors. I just want to hear the judges say I'm a good knitter. Right now when people say that, I feel like a fraud. So instead, I submit myself for judgment. It's going to seriously get in the way of my knitting free time, but I don't care. It's all a journey, not a destination. Anyone want to join me?

Happy Knitting!

Knitter's Rave

2010-11-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend's North Shore Knit Out was a raging success. We knit, we talked, we knit, we ate, we knit, we watched movies while we knit, we went to an LYS in Kenosha, WI and a fabric store in Evanston, IL, and we knit. A thoroughly good time was had by all. I finished the doxy mittens and started on the auction hat. I even managed to get about half way done on that one. Would've gotten more done if not for a serious narcolepsy problem. Blondknitter finished her cowl and started a shawl, and Tinkerbell worked on two pair of socks and designed a cool jacket in Lionbrand suede. Actually, we all had a hand in the design, which was really fun. We decided we should do this every year. Another fine idea.

At the yarn shop, I scored some red and brown Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine solids, which isn't as soft as the Ultra Alpaca Light, probably due to the addition of nylon to make it sock suitable. I intend to make a pair of two color stranded socks from this. I just have to design the pattern, which I'm looking forward to. First, I have to get the gauge worked out, so I know what kind of space I have to work with. I know I definitely want designs on the heels, which will be seen when I wear these socks with birkenstocks.

Thanks goes out to my husband and kids for fending for themselves while I had a weekend "with the gals!" It was a real attitude adjustment. I'm actually looking forward to the holidays for once. I've still got a sweater to make and a pair of socks for Christmas presents, but that's no sweat. The rest of the presents are purchased this year. And I've got two weeks off before Christmas to finish everything else up. This year, I think there will be massive amounts of cookies. Cookies in every shape, size and flavor. I think I'll make half batches, so we can have a bigger variety. Should be fun!

Happy knitting!

Of mice and men...

2010-11-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

This weekend I finished the last "Musica" fingerless glove AND the first Doxy mitten, which is a pattern of my own design. I worked about an inch and a half on the sweater for Derek, but couldn't get motivated to finish the last 2 inched before the pattern changes. I will work on this. I also worked a bit at designing a Christmas ornament in the round. I need to think this one through a bit more. Perhaps while I'm knitting the LFC hat for the auction. My yarn is in! Isn't that just the best feeling in the world? Better than Christmas. Better than your birthday. It's only two skeins, one red, and one black, but I've been waiting to make this hat since I finished the pattern.

In Knitout news, I've been working on the menu for Friday. I'm thinking about a cold chicken pasta salad with hot tea and cookies for lunch. The question is whether to make a greek salad with tortellini, bell peppers, onion, olives, feta, and chicken with a lemon, walnut and honey dressing OR a chinese salad with farfalle, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, tomato, carrot, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken and toasted almonds with a ginger-orange oriental dressing. Votes, anyone?

For dinner, we're having chili, real southern cornbread made in a cast iron skillet for a crunchy crust, and assorted fresh veggie and fruit nibbles. Oh, and pie for desert.

Happy knitting!

Putting the Excessive in Frogging...

2010-11-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Almost finished with the second "Musica" fingerless glove. I have two rows and some ribbing and the bind off left. They are a quick piece of work made longer by my incessant frogging of stupid counting mistakes. Despite my inability to count to five, I still love stranded knitting. I even charted a pattern for a hat yesterday for the silent auction at my place of work. It's a little cool, a little corny, and I'm hoping it will be desirable enough to bring in some bucks. We'll see.

Still on the needles is Derek's sweater. I'm thirteen inches up the back piece. The pattern I choose is proving difficult for my math challenged brain. I can do K1,P1, and K2,P2, but K3,P1 is a combination that I mess up over and over again. Go figure. I've decided to change stitch patterns when I start the armhole decreases. I think seed stitch will compliment the existing pattern and save me quite a lot of frogging. That way I'll only have to work the K3,P1 on the front to the arm scythe also. I haven't decided which pattern to use for the arms. Probably seed stitch. I know when I'm beat.

The yarn for the Through the Woods hood has arrived. It's a very nice, soft, bulky weight wool from Elann.com. I think I'm gonna like this pattern and the resulting garment. I can't wear most hats due to the nerve damage on my forehead, because they give me the creepy crawlies and drive me crazy. The hood is both hat and scarf, but doesn't come down over the forehead. I'm thinking of lining it with plaid flannel and sewing in a drawstring because of the winds we get here in winter. I don't want to be fighting to keep the thing on my head in bad weather. It's going to be so warm I'd only wear it in really cold weather anyway. Right now it's been so warm and mild that I can't imagine needing it. Which is good, because this project will have to wait until the auction hat and the sweater are finished.

One week until the North Shore Knit Out commences! Yea!

Happy Knitting!

Stuff and stuff

2010-11-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

I finally found a sweater pattern to go with the yarn I bought for Derek's Christmas sweater. It's a new Lionbrand pattern, meant to go with Homespun, but I got gauge last night on the same needles as the sweater called for with my yarn. The shoulders look raglan, but they are sewn together, oddly enough.

I also broke down and bought the Through the Woods hooded cowl pattern from Knitpicks and the yarn to go with it from Elann. They (Elann) is having a full bag sale on Peruvian Highland Chunky, so I got a bag of Charcoal wool. I should have enough to make mittens, too. Meg wanted some black mittens or gloves.

I'm nearly done with the first music motif half-glove for Meg's music teacher. I'd be further along, but I just can't stay awake. I've been yawning in my chair all day. I hope to get some sleep this weekend, because the eighth of November is my twenty-first wedding anniversary. That's forever in married years! I've been wracking my feeble mind for something special to do to mark the occasion, but I'm not having much luck. We don't do "something special" very often, so I'm not even sure what he'd want to do. And we have two young persons in the house who frown on romantic gestures, so we kind of have to go somewhere else. Dinner? Too pedestrian...A movie? Way too pedestrian! We don't dance, I don't listen to loud music, he doesn't do bed and breakfasts, and I think I've covered the basics of couples fun, haven't I?

In less pathetic news, the NorthShore KnitOut is only two weeks away! Blondknitter has secured a day off, as have I, so the long weekend of knitting will commence at @3:50 pm central time Thursday next, when Tinkerbell steps off the plane in Milwaukee. We'll knit, we'll eat, we'll talk, we'll frog our mistakes due to the talking and eating. A good time will be had by all.

I can't wait.

Happy Knitting!

Cat Hat-Check!

2010-11-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

The cat hat is finished. My love affair with two-color stranded knitting continues as I work on the dachshund mittens and start another pair of music motif half mittens for another Christmas present. I want to order some more ultra light alpaca, but I had better work on the Christmas ornaments instead. I have some merino fingering weight for the ornaments that needs to be used up. At least I'll still be messing around with stranded knitting. I plan to do some fair isle snowflakes and such.

Sixteen more days until the NorthShore KnitOut! I'm very excited. A three day weekend and knitting to boot. I'm planning on knitting some two-color gloves and socks for my projects. Nothing too strenuous. The gloves are another Christmas present, but the socks are for me.
There will also be food at the KnitOut. I am making meal plans and dessert plans. There will definitely be cookies. Leave your diet at the door, I say.

I've been reading a lot of fair isle books and mitten books, looking for inspiration for my own designs. Most of the traditional stuff seems kind of boring. I like actual pictures in my stranded knitting, like animals and plants and even words. Another reason to design my own patterns, I guess.

Happy knitting!

An old UFO revisited and More Joy of Guages

2010-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend I spent some time revisiting an old UFO, a pair of socks I never finished for one reason or another. The interesting parts were already done. I had only to finish the leg section, since they were toe up. It was the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon movie, so that's what I did Saturday after work. I finished the socks before I finished the movie, which means I'll have to borrow it from the library to finish The Jane Austin Book Club. It wasn't bad. I would have liked to see the end, but other things got in the way.

The funny part was when I texted Blondknitter, only to discover she was also knitting and watching a movie. Her movie was Sense and Sensibility, or maybe Pride and Prejudice, but it was definitely Jane Austin. Ironic, huh? What were you doing on Saturday?

Saturday night I cast on for a new pair of mittens, only to discover that all sport weights are not alike. This one was getting a larger gauge than the DK weight I used on the last pair of mittens. I frogged it, and went in search of some number fours. On Sunday, having found the number fours and transferring another UFO to a scrap of yarn, I cast on again, only to realize this was also too big. I had just spent some time putting away all the other needles I found during the search, so I would have to go all the way upstairs to get the threes. Having just spent five hours on my feet at work, and now in considerable discomfort from this, I didn't cast on the mittens again until this morning. Instead I worked on the matching hat to the cat mittens, which is also on threes, but I have four pair, for the obvious reason that I couldn't find one set at one time. I use the twos, threes, and fours a lot. It pays to have more than two sets of circulars, because most of these projects are in the round. I made good progress on the hat, which is an eye numbing series of lines done in two color stranded knitting, and really not that fun. Good thing it's a small project.

I didn't get a chance to look for a calculator this weekend. I want a solar non-scientific calculator for doing knitting math. One with large buttons and a large display. You would think this would be easy to find, but I haven't been able to find one at either Target or Jewel, which are the only places I've been shopping at recently. I will have to keep looking, because I need the calculator to redo the math on Derek's Christmas sweater. The yarn, which claimed to be a worsted weight, is actually more of a Bulky weight. Hence, the math. And you know how I love math!

Happy knitting!

Christmas in October...

2010-10-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend I finished the musical motif half gloves for Meg in lavender and black alpaca/wool. They look really cool. I hope she likes them. At least one person already has offered to buy them while I was making them, but the pattern isn't mine, so I won't sell them.

I cast on again for the hat that matches the cat mittens and the gauge is much better this time. I went down a few needle sizes. I also finally received my package from Knitpicks and with it the two new stranded knitting yarn guides I bought. I already have one from a craft store that is driving me batty because the guide clamp won't stay closed. When I saw Knitpicks had two entirely different guides for only a couple of bucks, I bought them both, knowing that I would use them. One is great for two-color stranded knitting, the other for two-to-four color work, which I can foresee needing soon. Right now I'm just grateful to have an option to the crappy guide I have been using...

Also in the Knitpicks package was some sport weight yarn for a pair of mittens for my mom. I DID design the pattern for these, and will post it with pictures when I'm done with them. The pattern is cute, but a little generic...Mom has a dachshund that is her baby, so she's getting mittens with dachshunds and bones and squirrels, which her dog loves to chase. She may never use them, but they'll make a great present for the woman who has everything she needs.

Last in the box was some fingering weight merino in Christmas colors for ornaments. I was thinking two color stranded ball ornaments done in the round on two circulars. I don't like the patterns I've found, so maybe I'll post one of my own. Nothing fancy, just something without a seam to sew, since I hate seaming so much.

Happy knitting!

Oh yeah..Gauge!

2010-10-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

The hat didn't work out so well. Using a DK weight yarn worked perfectly to upsize the mittens, but the hat would have been huge. I think I'll try it again on the smaller needles, once I'm done with them for Meg's gift. I finished the first mitt last night and started on the second. Wish I had a camera. I've been really cranking out the knitting lately. Only problem is, Meg saw me knitting the mittens, which takes the surprise out of it, since it's obvious they are for her. Maybe I'll make them a gift for her voice coach, a wonderful woman who seriously undercharges us for lessons we can't afford because she just likes working with Meg.

Yesterday I designed a pair of dragon motif Latvian-style mittens for Andy, before Meg baldly told me Andy would never wear mittens. The pattern is so cool, I may knit them and post the pattern anyway, grumble, grumble, unappreciative snarl...Anyone who is a fan of the Dragons of Pern series might like the pattern. I thought of it often as I designed the mittens. I also found a really sweet pattern for Totoro mittens on Ravelry. I would love to make them for my nephews, but they live in Florida. Do they really need mittens? I know they wear hats. Maybe I could rework the pattern as a two-color stranded hat. Maybe they are too old for Totoro and I should just send Legos.

My package from Knitpicks shipped two days ago. Here's hoping it arrives in the mail room today. I shipped it to the mail room because the UPS guy leaves our packages under a tree in the front yard due to a lack of a better place to leave them. It's just as convenient to ship it here, and safer, since we often don't get home until late. I used to have to lug the packages home on foot, but now I get a sweet ride. Of course, the trade off is having to arrive half and hour early and stay up to two hours after work every night. Derek is my ride and he doesn't work banker's hours, so to speak. He says he probably should stay later, but doesn't because he has to get Meg and me home. I'm thinking if the shoe was on the other foot, he'd be doing some serious complaining. At least I have knitting to keep me busy, which explains my industrious production level. I dare him to complain about the cost, though. Knitting is all that is keeping me sane.

TGIF! And today we're leaving work early due to Derek winning the football pool at work, which has a reward of half a day off on the Friday of the week you win. I'm just taking it off. I also have Monday and Tuesday off, unpaid, of course, for Fall Break. Derek is taking those days off because he has been working way too much. Thanks in advance to BlondKnitter, who is going to be Meg's ride on Monday so he can actually take the day off. I'm going to make her a scrumptious dinner as a thank-you. WITH dessert, of course. And I promise, no fish!

May your weekend be filled with fiber and your stash always have the perfect yarn.

Happy knitting!

Cat mittens-CHECK!

2010-10-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

The cat mittens are finished. I worked on them most of the night again. I really should have slept. They look great, though. And they fit!

I also put the final touches on the pattern for my mom's dachshund mittens. There are squirrels and bones and flowers and dachshunds on them. SO much fun to create. After I knit them, I think I'll post the pattern here. Can these blogs do a download-able pdf? I may have to just do it as a posting. Not as good, but still fun.

This morning I started Meg's Christmas present. I love the heather-ed lavender yarn. It's a yummy color. And a good contrast to the black. Should make nice half gloves.

I also started a hat with the leftover green and black from the mittens. I have a lot left, surprisingly. Wish I could use it for my mom, but I want to do hers in chestnut and tan, like her dog.

I need a nap.

Happy knitting!

Can't...Stop...Knitting!!!

2010-10-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

I can't stop knitting these mittens!

Ever read a book so good you can't put it down, instead reading far into the night? That's what knitting these mittens is like. I love seeing the pictures and designs form in the colorwork. I love the rhythm of switching back and forth from green to black. It's so much fun that I've been looking for new patterns to knit. I have found several. I am even designing a dachshund mitten pattern for my mom for Christmas. She has one named Sam who is quite a character. The pattern has bones and squirrels on it, two things Sam loves. I just have to figure out what color to make them. I wonder what color my mom's coat is?

Too bad my nephews live in Florida. They don't need mittens. I could do them each a winter hat in two color stranded design, though. Their mom says they wear hats. I'll see what I can find or adapt pattern-wise.

I don't think I'm going to do a lot of Christmas knitting this year, though. Just the immediate family, maybe. Derek's sweater and Meg's mittens. Andy isn't much for knitted things. Maybe I'll make him some cold weather socks. There are other things I want to accomplish. Our new house needs some Christmas decorations, which I plan to make, with Meg's help. I'm not an outdoor Christmas lights person, since they are a huge pain to put up and take down. But I like wreaths and indoor decorations. There are some good sewing patterns for decorations out there. I'd like a new quilted wall hanging, maybe. Or a fabric wreath.

Autumn is my favorite time of year and it goes so fast! Before you know it the leaves are gone and winter is upon us here. The apple crop was icky this year, so I don't think I'll be canning this year, but the Northshore Knitting weekend is next month, a major calendar event, and fall break is next week at the college. I think Meg and I will make a fall/Halloween quilted hanging for the house over break.

Happy knitting!

2010-10-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

I'm back up past the thumb again. It went even faster this time! I was ready for the eye beads, but I still had to hunt down some waste yarn for the thumb stitches. I'm okay with that level of disorganization. It's healthy.

I tried to blow up the charts for Meg's Christmas present yesterday after work. Not literally. On the computer. I created a printer disaster and managed to jam my printer in the process. In the end, I put the pdf in Adobe Photoshop and cropped the four charts into four separate jpgs. Then I enlarged them and formatted them to fit an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. Then I printed them out in color to preserve the increases and decreases that were marked by colored squares. It was a lot of work to get the images to a size where I could see them, but I'm rather pleased I managed to manipulate the programs to do it. Now I have to actually knit the pattern without Meg seeing it, which is going to be hard. She'll know right away they are for her. Stealth knitting. Hmmm...

Now if I can only unjam the laser printer, all will be good.

Oh! Big news! Tinkerbell is coming to visit in November! I'm so excited! I hope she can stay for a yarn lunch at the college. Everyone will be so happy to see her. I know she's coming on a weekend, but maybe she could extend to Tuesday? That would be cool. Just sayin'.

Frogging and Luvin' it!

2010-10-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I had to frog the cat mitten. I got all the way past the thumb and realized there was no way this was going to fit my hand. So I ripped it back completely and cast on again with size 5 needles instead of threes. I also loosened up on the tension a bit for good measure. It's a testament to how much fun I'm having with this that I didn't even mind starting over. This time I won't make that tiny mistake in the first cat. This time I'll be ready for the eye beads and the waste yarn thumb. I started over immediately and quickly settled into the rhythm of switching back and forth from green to black yarn. It's fun to see the picture emerging on the front of the work. The only bad part is how fast it's all going.

I think I'm gonna have to buy the frog mittens, too.

Happy Knitting!

The Joy of Color

2010-10-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have discovered new joy in knitting: 2 color stranded knitting. My new Latvian mitten pattern is as fun to knit as it is to look at! I bought one of those fingertip yarn separators, which has made color work a breeze. The yarn is behaving itself nicely. The addi turbos are clicking along furiously. I'm almost to the thumb on the first mitten. I love this pattern!

In other knitting news, the first attempt at felting the black worsted wool beret didn't go so well. I never wash anything except sheets and towels on hot, because we are all so tall in my house that shrinkage would be a major issue. I threw the beret in with a load of jeans and it felted a little, but temperature was a definite limiter. I plan to felt the hat with some towels and sheets, but towels tend to leave lint all over a knitted object, something I want to avoid with black yarn. I couldn't wash either towels or sheets this weekend anyway, because of the rain we had both nights made the septic field mighty wet. I will have to wait a few days...Pray for dry weather, if that's your thing.

The gloves worked very well, I'm happy to report. I wore them at work on Saturday. They are warm and convenient to use. Making change takes some getting use to, but I adapted quickly. On Sunday, the wind died down and the booth was warm enough that I didn't even need a jacket! Of course, as soon as I went outside, I put it on, and I had the gloves with me in my pockets. The woman in the booth with me had cold hands, but the gloves were too large for her and got in the way, so she gave 'em back.

I'm enjoying the color work so much that I'd like to do more of it after this pattern. I think I'll order some books from the library for ideas.

Glittens-Check!

2010-09-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

I finished the half gloves/half mittens this morning, complete with two recycled buttons from the button box to hold the mitten flap back when not in use. I think they will work out just fine.

I also received the black cat mitten pattern by email last night. I can't wait to make these. Now I'm just waiting for the yarn to arrive. The pattern doesn't look very hard, which is a relief. Just seeing most colorwork patterns is enough of a challenge for my visually impaired self. Luckily, the charts are nice and large, a real bonus in my book. I've been contemplating making the hat pattern that accompanies the mitten pattern, although I'm not a fan of that type of hat. I'm still working on the felted black beret, which I like much better, even if it doesn't keep the ears warm. Maybe I'll knit a headband to match the mittens that I can wear under the beret. I thought about adding button holes to the hat band of the beret and making optional earflaps for really windy days, but decided against it. I can always use thin buttons on the band and add flaps with buttonholes if I want to later. I have just the buttons. Not sure if I have four of them though.

Sorry there aren't pictures of the glittens. Still working that one out.

Progress and Anticipation

2010-09-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

Things are rolling right along on the black wool half gloves/half mittens. I have one finished, except for sewing on a suitable button at the wrist. The other is at the stage of finishing the mitten part, the glove already being done. I imaging I'll use some old black buttons from the button box, nothing flashy. These are work gloves, after all.

I started the felted beret this weekend also, when it was too dark to pick up the tiny stitches on the back of the hand. It is knit on size eight circs in Paton's Classic wool. Black, of course, as it's also for work. I worked the headband in k2p2 ribbing and then started the increases. More on that later.

My next project is breathlessly awaited. I found the most awesome black cat Latvian mitten pattern here and some dk weight alpaca here that I think will work. Everyone on Ravelry says to use a sport weight yarn for a woman's medium. Being a woman's large to extra large hand, I'm hoping a dk weight yarn will do the trick. My winter coat is green, so I've chosen Peat Mix and Pitch Black for the green background and black cats. I've got to have black cats. I have one at home, after all. I'm really tickled pink about this project. I bought the pattern with paypal today, so I should have it by tonight. It's supposed to come via email. This is what they are supposed to look like:

I also bought alpaca wool for mittens for Meg for Christmas, but the motif is a deep, dark secret.

I think she'll like them.

Cold hands, warm wool

2010-09-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

There is still one month plus left to go on my summer job. Really just four weekends that I will work through the end of October. I won't work Halloween, of course, because that is a special time at our house. (Mouw, ah, ah!) But I understand from the seasoned veterans where I work that it will be cold as the witch's #$% where we work, and that I should acquire myself some gloves. Of course, it's hard to make change with gloves on, so I cast on yesterday for a pair of black, fingerless gloves with a detachable mitten top. I'm also going to need a black hat, but one thing at a time.

Yesterday was a football Sunday, so I went to Russ' tavern with my in-laws and out laws to "watch" the game. They watched, I knitted on the gloves. Two at a time on circular needles, from the cuff up. I got the cuffs done. Remember, this is sock yarn on size 3's we're talking about. I started up the hand overnight, working the thumb gusset this morning. So far so good.

The yarn is black Paton's Kroy, a good, sturdy sock yarn. I have some much more luxurious stuff in the stash, but gloves get a lot of wear and dirt thrown at them, so I decided to save the good stuff for something else. I want to make the hat from Paton's Classic wool, also black, in a felted tam design. Felting it will make it even warmer, and I like tams because they aren't tight on the head. I hate having my hair all smooshed down by a hat. I'm not quite sure how to make it the right size before felting. Obviously, I have to make it bigger than the post-felting product, but how much bigger? I want the band to fit snugly so the wind doesn't blow it off. I plan on looking for a pattern, but have a feeling it will be trial and error with the felting part. This will probably be amusing. I will attempt pictures.

Something I covet

2010-09-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

I have a hankering for a new book of the knitting variety.

It is Modern Top-Down Knitting, by Kristina McGowan.

I want. I want. I want.

She promises modern interpretations of my favorite way to knit, which usually looks so dated I don't bother with the available patterns. There are lots of advantages to top-down knitting: minimal finishing, easier sizing, to name a few. This book is in my wish list at Amazon, which is a funny way of visiting the material goods you crave without buying them. Only in America...

I still want it...

Commitment

2010-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Not as in should I be or shouldn't I be...that is fodder for another blog entirely.

Why is it, when you cast on three hundred and seventeen stitches,every row becomes a commitment you have to think twice about before entering into?

Most knitting can easily accommodate the phrase "just let me finish this row." I use it often to squeeze in a few more precious seconds of knitting. Not this time. The sweater I'm working on is fingering weight and, not being petite of frame, I'm making it an ample size. Hence the three hundred and seventeen stitches in the body of this sweater, which is knit all in one piece from the hem to the armpits. Three hundred and seventeen stitches of repeating lace, just to make things interesting and really slow things down all at the same time.

I don't really mind entering into the commitment of making a sweater like that. After all, there is precedent to prove I have the potential. The king size cotton blanket comes to mind. But I also have the UFOs to prove I have had problems with staying power in the past. Mostly I finish knitting things before I decide I don't like them. The $12 denim blue cotton vest, for instance. I even did all the math to change the gauge AND resize the pattern on that one. I made the vest and, yes, it fit fine, but it was too bulky in cotton. I find worsted weight sweaters are just too bulky for my taste. Which explains the fingering weight yarn on this one. I'd like to redo the math on that vest for fingering weight and try it again. It had nice detail work and good lines. Maybe after I finish this one I will.

Yet the commitment of starting another three hundred and seventeen stitch row is proving my undoing. Maybe it's the lace repeat. Too much trouble remembering where you left off if you don't finish the row every time. Granted, the lace is a two row repeat, so it can't really be that. Maybe it's just the looming lack of a sense of completion. As a process knitter, I find I depend on the little completions like a row or a sleeve or a back to focus on. I can't even begin to imagine the huge number of stitches the body of this sweater will have (although I could do the math, I won't, because as an English major, I believe I shouldn't need math). If I don't finish the row in one continuous session, I lose that little victory of completion. Am I willing to live in knitting limbo like that on a regular basis? I find myself hesitating to start knitting on the sweater at all. Though, once I do start, the simple action of throwing stitches is pleasantly soothing enough to make it enjoyable. Once I stop thinking about all those stitches I do just fine. So why do I hesitate to start every time? I've casted on. I've made the commitment to knit the sweater. I know I'm going to enjoy the process. What's the problem?

Missing the festival

2010-08-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

This year, for the first time in several years (I honestly can't remember if it's three or four), I'm gonna miss the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival this weekend. This makes me sad. I look forward to seeing the latest and greatest in knitting and spinning and all things sheep, alpaca, and silk, not to mention all the new innovative fibers. These festivals are really the only places a knitter like me can see and touch and dream about all the possibilities I could create with these wonderful fibers and products. Every year I leave the festival wanting to take up spinning and maybe raising angora rabbits for fiber. Every year I buy some wonderful new yarn that inspires me to knit something or design something. These festivals feed my creative soul.

This year I have to work.

Not at a great job with substantial pay or a brilliant future career. At a crappy job with minimum wage pay that fills the gap in my income during the summer months. At a job that is ruining my health and adding stress to my life. I'm a little bitter, at times.

I can't be too bitter, though. At least I have a job, which is more than many people out there can say in this area. I personally know more than one friend who has been out of work for over a year. People who's unemployment is running out, who have no health care, who have to ask their families to go without. Families who can't afford food, much less fancy yarn and hobbies.

So this year I'm not going to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. I'm going to knit out of my stash, which is why I have a stash, against the lean times when buying yarn is not in the budget. I have enough sock yarn for a year of knitting and I just cast on a fingering weight sweater that should keep me busy all winter, if I can keep from getting bored with it. But if that is the worst of my problems, then I guess I'm doing okay.

That's good enough for now.

Summer Cleaning

2010-08-18T06:56:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Back at work and back on the blog. I had a very busy summer working at a major amusement park, which didn't leave a lot of time for knitting or blogging. But now I'm back at my winter job, which involves a computer and hopefully more time to update the blog.

In honor of my return, I redesigned the blog, giving it a fresh coat of paint, so to speak. This blogspot has a new set of design options, which I love. I know quilting is not knitting, but knitting wasn't an option and I do love quilts, too. They are so cozy. Much like warm knitted things.

As I said, not much progress on the knitting front this summer. I finished the $12 vest and the resizing worked, but the yarn has a bulk I'm not crazy about. I'd like to redo the vest in a dk weight yarn, and I probably will. Right now, I'm working on a pair of socks in a nutty brown variagated wool. The foot and calf design is a dragon skin motif. I like them.

I'm also working on a lavender baby dress of a beautiful rayon/cotton knit fabric that Megan picked out at Vogue fabrics. It washes like a dream and is the most lovely shade of color. The dress is a simple pattern, with trim on the sleeves. It's for a baptism gift this Sunday.

Hopefully, the knitting group will get back together soon. Or maybe they've been meeting all summer and I've just missed out. Darn summer job!

In other news, the new house is good. We got the air-conditioning problem in the master bedroom taken care of. Let's just hope heating it isn't as hard. I got my new clothesline and I love it. It makes sheets smell so nice! Even the cat is finally settling in. She is out and about more than at the last place, although she almost never visits the master bedroom, which I miss. She has her spot under Meg's trundle bed and she likes the bay window in the living room, especially since we put the bird feeder in the tree outside. I've been meaning to make a cushion for that...This fall I need to work on insulating drapes for the french doors in the dining room, or that room will be too cold to eat in.

Andy starts college at Lake Forest next week and Meg starts her senior year at the high school. It's going to be a busy year, I can tell. Should be a blast!

Summer knitting

2010-06-19T02:04:00.000-07:00

Why do I start afghans in the summer? They quickly become too warm to hold in my lap and are soon more torture than pleasure. Well, I know why I started this one. It's a baby gift for a mom due in August or September. I am nearly two-thirds finished with this one and it seriously warm! Knit with two strands of Simply Soft held together on size 13 needles, this is not really a surprise, just an observation.It's also a little big for a baby blanket, so I'm making a baby afghan, perfect for a toddler bed.

In other knitting news, I picked up enough denim blue cotton in a dollar skein sale for a vest, enough sock yarn for two pairs of socks and some red wool for a pair of felted slippers (second try).

Happy Knitting!

New Projects

2010-05-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have a new knitting project. It's a baby sweater for a girl baby! My favorite kind! It's got to be a quick knit and I'm adapting a sweater pattern to go with a baby hat I already knitted of pink Elann esprit, the cotton and elastic yarn I like. I'm making a 6-9 month sweater, since the baby will be born in 5 weeks and I want her to wear it in winter. I don't have anymore of the multicolored yarn I used for the lacy edge of the hat, so I'm using one of the colors in the flowers on the hat for the lacy edge of the sweater.

The new house is great. I love the new craft area, although I'm still looking for some things we have misplaced. At least I finally found the iron. Hard to sew without one of those...

I also have a new hammock out on my deck, courtesy of my mother. I plan to spend many happy hours out there knitting and reading this summer.

The school year is winding down now, but things are heating up in my summer job at SFGA. This weekend was my first work weekend and I lost my voice after one day of greeting people and taking tickets. It is GONE, kaput, kablooey. I haven't been able to talk above a low murmur since Saturday. I knew my currant job didn't involve much talking, but I had no idea how out of practice I was! On Sunday, they had to find me "non-talking" tasks for the day and they sent me home early.

As they say, "the rest is silence."

Happy Knitting!

Post-Moving Knitting

2010-04-22T11:55:00.001-07:00

I didn't get the blanket done on time for the baby shower. Probably because I'm still dealing with the move. Really all that's left now is the pictures to hang and the grass to mow, which I hope we'll get to this weekend. Then we move on to the bigger projects, like Meg's loft and shelves and Andy's shelves. All projects that just take time, which with softball and rugby, we have precious little of. Once that is all done, perhaps we can get back to the business of settling into the house.

The neurotic cat is starting to settle down. She still paces the rooms endlessly and looks around nervously while she does it, but she's getting used to the sounds of the house and will sit on my lap and purr while she has her neurosis. I put a nightlight in her cabinet and she is using the litter again. She isn't happy that the washer and dryer share her space, but she's getting used to it.

I actually got a little knitting done today; nothing epic, you understand. I made a few stitches and dozed off a lunch. I'm worried about this Pavlovian response to knitting that I've developed. I start to knit and then I doze off. Out like a light. Every time except in knitting group. There I just yawn. I can't decide if I'm just that tired or if it's my medications or what. I have been exhausted, lately.

But the knitting felt good. I still remember the rhythm. I don't think you ever forget, like riding a bicycle. Which comforts me. Long after I've forgotten my own name with age, I like to think I will still be knitting, knitting.

Happy knitting to you, too!