Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Acquisitions
I've been resisting yarn shopping all month, but it all fell apart. Yesterday, while I was approaching the end of my mitten, I wound up having time and ability to drop by a yarn store. What I bought was all cascade. Two balls of superwash, and two balls not.
Swatcharama (picture heavy post!)
I've been percolating mittens. Yes, it can be painful, at times. There's not always enough time or brain cells to properly give them the attention they need.
I woke up one morning thinking about some yarn scraps that might be generous enough. I spent the day (in the only minutes I could steal) pondering, weighing, matching, and finally came up with Mountain Colors scraps combined with some KnitPicks' bare in their fingering wool/nylon/donegal tweedy yarn.
This was my first swatch:
I liked it, but the bottom line of the pattern is jagged. This is a result from the stranding. I decided to try it with a thicker yarn and doubled the strands. This is the second swatch:
Up at the top of the swatch, you can see some tweedy green knitted in. I tried a few different ways of combining it, but was never happy with the results. The green tweed was reserved for another project. I also thought the double strands was fiddly, so I proceeded with the mitten, single stranded. This is what I got:
I was quite happy with the results, even though I still had some jagged lines. But a careful examination of the knitted fabric had me concerned about its warmth. I've seen many patterns that call for this weight/gauge of yarn, but I didn't like it, at least not for this incarnation. So I started over, this time with the yarns held double stranded. I knit the cuff, then knitted a ribbed cuff to go inside. In the following picture, you can see the mitten in progress. At the point I took this picture, I was on the verge of ripping it out again, because the outer cuff was a little narrower than I'd planned, and the inner cuff made the wrist just look swollen.
After consideration, I decided to proceed. This is what I finished this morning:
And this shows the palm:
This is a peek at the hidden cuff:
And this is the other side of the thumb. I'm quite happy with how that matched up.
Next up, mitten two... Except I've got so many other things I want to knit on, too!
The mitten is a combination of patterns and techniques. The braided cuff is described in Folk Solks by Nancy Bush. The thumb was charted in SELBUVOTTER: Biography of a Knitting Tradition. The palm pattern is from Favorite Mittens. The back of the hand was something I may have seen somewhere but it's been bouncing about in my head. The cuff patterns are inspired by Cowichan patterns, which remind me of BC.
Next up, mitten two... Except I've got so many other things I want to knit on, too!
I woke up one morning thinking about some yarn scraps that might be generous enough. I spent the day (in the only minutes I could steal) pondering, weighing, matching, and finally came up with Mountain Colors scraps combined with some KnitPicks' bare in their fingering wool/nylon/donegal tweedy yarn.
This was my first swatch:
I liked it, but the bottom line of the pattern is jagged. This is a result from the stranding. I decided to try it with a thicker yarn and doubled the strands. This is the second swatch:
Up at the top of the swatch, you can see some tweedy green knitted in. I tried a few different ways of combining it, but was never happy with the results. The green tweed was reserved for another project. I also thought the double strands was fiddly, so I proceeded with the mitten, single stranded. This is what I got:
I was quite happy with the results, even though I still had some jagged lines. But a careful examination of the knitted fabric had me concerned about its warmth. I've seen many patterns that call for this weight/gauge of yarn, but I didn't like it, at least not for this incarnation. So I started over, this time with the yarns held double stranded. I knit the cuff, then knitted a ribbed cuff to go inside. In the following picture, you can see the mitten in progress. At the point I took this picture, I was on the verge of ripping it out again, because the outer cuff was a little narrower than I'd planned, and the inner cuff made the wrist just look swollen.
After consideration, I decided to proceed. This is what I finished this morning:
And this shows the palm:
This is a peek at the hidden cuff:
And this is the other side of the thumb. I'm quite happy with how that matched up.
Next up, mitten two... Except I've got so many other things I want to knit on, too!
The mitten is a combination of patterns and techniques. The braided cuff is described in Folk Solks by Nancy Bush. The thumb was charted in SELBUVOTTER: Biography of a Knitting Tradition. The palm pattern is from Favorite Mittens. The back of the hand was something I may have seen somewhere but it's been bouncing about in my head. The cuff patterns are inspired by Cowichan patterns, which remind me of BC.
Next up, mitten two... Except I've got so many other things I want to knit on, too!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Third Sock, Fourth Sock
Saturday. Cast on, knit leg.
Sunday. Turn heel, knit foot, toe decreases.
Monday. Kitchener. Cast on, knit leg.
Tuesday. Turn heel, knit foot.
Wednesday. Toe decreases. Kitchener. Woohoo!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Second Sock!
On Tuesday evening, I cast on a second sock. On Wednesday I made halting progress. On Thursday I soared, and on Friday I cast off.
At this moment, my project entry in Ravelry is set at 50% complete. This sock odyssey is not done yet.
At this moment, my project entry in Ravelry is set at 50% complete. This sock odyssey is not done yet.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Acquisitions
So recently, I have been knitting aliens. A gaggle of aliens. A quiver of aliens. A pod of aliens. And something became quite clear... I'm running out of green alien yarn.
I sent an email to Deb of Fearless Fibers. I asked if she would ever make the Kildare colourway again? The reply was swift and also positive. Not only was she willing to dye that colourway for me, she even agreed to try it in her sport weight yarn. This week, my new Kildare yarn arrived, but I don't think it'll just be for aliens.
I sent an email to Deb of Fearless Fibers. I asked if she would ever make the Kildare colourway again? The reply was swift and also positive. Not only was she willing to dye that colourway for me, she even agreed to try it in her sport weight yarn. This week, my new Kildare yarn arrived, but I don't think it'll just be for aliens.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Shades of grey
On Sunday, I started on take two of the socks for my son. I was originally going to do a second try on the cable sock I tried earlier. It soon became obvious that this wasn't the right yarn either. My plans wandered. Wobbled. Veered way off course.
I actually have 3 big plump balls of Jarbo Garn Raggi. Two of the multi-colour and one of the grey. My plans have gotten complicated. I can't even articulate them yet. What is pictured here is the first sock. I had to try it on him to ensure that it fits. He has hard-to-fit feet and I'm not going to proceed with a less-than-stellar fit. But if my plans play out, what he gets for Christmas will still be a surprise, even though he's tried on one sock.
Because I am accustomed to knitting two socks at once in fingering weight, knitting one at a time in worsted yarn makes the sock fly off the needles. I knit the ribbing on Sunday. On Monday I made huge progress, knitting the leg, the heel, and into the foot. Tonight I finished the foot. I even ripped out the toe and did it a second time to be sure there was a little growing row in there. The sock is knitted using the Sky Sock architecture from New Pathways for Sock Knitters.
I actually have 3 big plump balls of Jarbo Garn Raggi. Two of the multi-colour and one of the grey. My plans have gotten complicated. I can't even articulate them yet. What is pictured here is the first sock. I had to try it on him to ensure that it fits. He has hard-to-fit feet and I'm not going to proceed with a less-than-stellar fit. But if my plans play out, what he gets for Christmas will still be a surprise, even though he's tried on one sock.
Because I am accustomed to knitting two socks at once in fingering weight, knitting one at a time in worsted yarn makes the sock fly off the needles. I knit the ribbing on Sunday. On Monday I made huge progress, knitting the leg, the heel, and into the foot. Tonight I finished the foot. I even ripped out the toe and did it a second time to be sure there was a little growing row in there. The sock is knitted using the Sky Sock architecture from New Pathways for Sock Knitters.
Adventures in double knitting
It all started a week ago Monday. Well, the action started Monday. I've been inspired by my friend Ember and her double knits for quite some time now. And intending to knit Exchequered all year now. On Monday I went to the library while waiting for the carpool grrls, with pattern, yarn, and a size 5 circular needle in hand. There I finally cast on, with a lot of texted encouragement from Ember. Thank heavens for library books! I was able to look up the cable caston, and realise that I already know this caston, just not its name.
Double knitting is indeed an adventure. I started with both colours of yarn held in my right hand. This means I need to move both strands from back to front or vice versa with every stitch. I was dropping strands and picking them up. It was a mess. On Tuesday, I found a video online that showed how to do it left-handed, and it looked much easier. I tried it, and fumbled along for a few rows. You could see the rapid decline in the stitch quality. My left handed purling still needs a lot of work. I finally settled down with one colour in my right hand, one colour in my left. This works especially well when I'm purling consisting with one colour, and keep that colour in my right hand.
It was pretty exciting, if awkward, when I got through the rows of solid colour and could add my first cheque. Then there was a second cheque, and a third. As I progressed, naturally, my technique improved. I certainly wasn't getting Good, yet, but improving. My stitches were smoother, but there was a still a lot of variation in the size of the stitches.
I knit on this scarf all week, especially at work. It was painfully obvious I wouldn't be able to finish it by Christmas, and I should be concentrating on more attainable projects, but I couldn't stop myself. I was transfixed.
On Friday evening, I decided to make some more hats, and I opened up my folder of interchangable needles to build myself a size 9 needles. In that folder I saw something very disturbing... a size 5 needle end. Let me explain the significance of this. All week I'd been knitting Exchequered on size 5 needles, or I thought I was. But actually, I was knitting with a needle that had a size 5 needle on one end and a size 7 needle on the other. Seriously! I actually do this a lot. I put a smaller needle on the passive end which makes the knitting go a little smoother. I should have known this. I should have measured both ends of the needle before I started. No wonder the stitches were uneven.
Unrecoverable error. Fatal error. Hello, frog pond.
Double knitting is indeed an adventure. I started with both colours of yarn held in my right hand. This means I need to move both strands from back to front or vice versa with every stitch. I was dropping strands and picking them up. It was a mess. On Tuesday, I found a video online that showed how to do it left-handed, and it looked much easier. I tried it, and fumbled along for a few rows. You could see the rapid decline in the stitch quality. My left handed purling still needs a lot of work. I finally settled down with one colour in my right hand, one colour in my left. This works especially well when I'm purling consisting with one colour, and keep that colour in my right hand.
It was pretty exciting, if awkward, when I got through the rows of solid colour and could add my first cheque. Then there was a second cheque, and a third. As I progressed, naturally, my technique improved. I certainly wasn't getting Good, yet, but improving. My stitches were smoother, but there was a still a lot of variation in the size of the stitches.
I knit on this scarf all week, especially at work. It was painfully obvious I wouldn't be able to finish it by Christmas, and I should be concentrating on more attainable projects, but I couldn't stop myself. I was transfixed.
On Friday evening, I decided to make some more hats, and I opened up my folder of interchangable needles to build myself a size 9 needles. In that folder I saw something very disturbing... a size 5 needle end. Let me explain the significance of this. All week I'd been knitting Exchequered on size 5 needles, or I thought I was. But actually, I was knitting with a needle that had a size 5 needle on one end and a size 7 needle on the other. Seriously! I actually do this a lot. I put a smaller needle on the passive end which makes the knitting go a little smoother. I should have known this. I should have measured both ends of the needle before I started. No wonder the stitches were uneven.
Unrecoverable error. Fatal error. Hello, frog pond.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Quickie hats
Using the same yarn and the same general specifications as my previous set of cabled hats, I cranked out two more hats this weekend, using up the last of the two colours I bought earlier this year.
I modified the decreases a little, decreasing later and faster. I only photographed one of the hats, the other was given away before it even got to the camera. These go to a preschool where children get needed psychological counseling along with their education.
I modified the decreases a little, decreasing later and faster. I only photographed one of the hats, the other was given away before it even got to the camera. These go to a preschool where children get needed psychological counseling along with their education.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Conflicted on the Road
As I'm living in the U.S., I get U.S. holidays, which last week meant FIVE DAY WEEKEND. Sweet. As is often the case, Thanksgiving means a trip to the ranching relatives. And you know what a road trip means. Yes! Knitting on the Road.
Since the Knitting on the Road Knitalong's pattern for Nov/Dec is Conwy, and since I totally love my first pair, why not knit another? My first plan was to use my other set of Lorna's Laces. But then, upon browsing the pictures on Ravelry, I decided that the pattern would look even better in a less patterned yarn. That's when I chose my spare Smooshy.
I knit happily along as we drove north, and then more happy knitting as we socialized with the ranchin folks. But then, in a private moment when I was comparing the new socks with the first pair, I noticed--aghast--that the new socks were knitting up to look identical to a previous pair. Not cool! Although the other pair is Wildefoot, it's knit with a yarn-over cable pattern, and the finished product is very similar to the Conwy pattern I was knitting. My family menfolk thought I was absolutely batty to care that the socks would be similar. If I like one, why not two???
I also discovered an ambiguity. This ambiguity plagued me during the last pair I knit, when I was half way through the second sock and discovered the two patterns were different. This time I was very careful to follow the directions, to make sure I got it right. There's a cross-over pattern where you knit through the back loop of the second stitch. Unfortunately, I discovered the hard way that the pattern looks quite different when you knit through the back loop with the needle going in front of the first stitch, and when the needle goes behind the first stitch. I looked very closely at the picture in the book, and her socks have the pattern where the needle goes behind the first stitch. Unfortunately, I knitted with the needle going in front of the first stitch. By the time I discovered it, I was well into the sock, and it didn't really make sense to frog or to switch. But that still annoys me.
I finished right to the top of the heels. Now I'm not on the road anymore, with a bajillion distractions. I'll probably finish up the socks, but I have this gnawing dissatisfaction with the glaring similarities and the pattern error. I'll surely think on it a few more days.
ETA: Here's the pic I took on my phone when I first discovered the Similarities.
Since the Knitting on the Road Knitalong's pattern for Nov/Dec is Conwy, and since I totally love my first pair, why not knit another? My first plan was to use my other set of Lorna's Laces. But then, upon browsing the pictures on Ravelry, I decided that the pattern would look even better in a less patterned yarn. That's when I chose my spare Smooshy.
I knit happily along as we drove north, and then more happy knitting as we socialized with the ranchin folks. But then, in a private moment when I was comparing the new socks with the first pair, I noticed--aghast--that the new socks were knitting up to look identical to a previous pair. Not cool! Although the other pair is Wildefoot, it's knit with a yarn-over cable pattern, and the finished product is very similar to the Conwy pattern I was knitting. My family menfolk thought I was absolutely batty to care that the socks would be similar. If I like one, why not two???
I also discovered an ambiguity. This ambiguity plagued me during the last pair I knit, when I was half way through the second sock and discovered the two patterns were different. This time I was very careful to follow the directions, to make sure I got it right. There's a cross-over pattern where you knit through the back loop of the second stitch. Unfortunately, I discovered the hard way that the pattern looks quite different when you knit through the back loop with the needle going in front of the first stitch, and when the needle goes behind the first stitch. I looked very closely at the picture in the book, and her socks have the pattern where the needle goes behind the first stitch. Unfortunately, I knitted with the needle going in front of the first stitch. By the time I discovered it, I was well into the sock, and it didn't really make sense to frog or to switch. But that still annoys me.
I finished right to the top of the heels. Now I'm not on the road anymore, with a bajillion distractions. I'll probably finish up the socks, but I have this gnawing dissatisfaction with the glaring similarities and the pattern error. I'll surely think on it a few more days.
ETA: Here's the pic I took on my phone when I first discovered the Similarities.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Finished Object
I have special knitting plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. However, I won't be able to knit them guilt-free if I'm not finished with--or nearly so--the gifts for my parents. I allocated my Dream in Colour Classy for the gifts, and first knit the fetching. It was finished up yesterday afternoon, ends woven and all. (I don't like this picture, you can't see the lovely colours. If I can get better pictures, I will.)
I weighed the yarn. The fetchings weighed 60 grams, and the yarn left weighed 70 grams. I started on the dashing, and when I was half way through the first dashing, I weighed what yarn was left. I had 50 grams left. As I had half still remaining, my best math was telling me that I didn't have enough yarn to finish a pair of dashings. SIGH.
So today I diverted our afternoon walk to the yarn store that opened up recently. I purchased some emergency Cascade and will start over on the dashing.
I weighed the yarn. The fetchings weighed 60 grams, and the yarn left weighed 70 grams. I started on the dashing, and when I was half way through the first dashing, I weighed what yarn was left. I had 50 grams left. As I had half still remaining, my best math was telling me that I didn't have enough yarn to finish a pair of dashings. SIGH.
So today I diverted our afternoon walk to the yarn store that opened up recently. I purchased some emergency Cascade and will start over on the dashing.
More Doll Clothes
This dolly finally has assembled a nice, varied wardrobe. I hope she can leave for her next adventure the week following Thanksgiving.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
They call this Startitis
We knitters have a term, startitis. It describes the condition a knitter gets when she or he compulsively starts more and more projects. Interestingly, everything in this photo is something I've knitted before. There are two sets of fetching, another pair of socks from the sKnitches, a couple aliens, and a dolly dress. (The dress is the scrap of yellow. It didn't get far, yet)
This picture was taken a couple days ago, and there's actually some significant progress, and no further new projects started yet. I'll blog a little later if I can actually convert a few of these to Finished Objects.
Friday, November 14, 2008
more underwears!
I've been making good use of the remnants kicking around. This set of underwear used up most of what was left of my Rushing Rivulet Socks. I'm happy to have some underwears for this gal. It makes her that much closer to being ready to go.
a lil pansy sports bra
After Jeanie and the Onion Dome hat, I only had a tiny scrap of pansy yarn left. (That is, of course, not counting the extra skein I bought when I panicked on Jeanie's length.) I used up the last of it today knitting a cute lil sports bra.
Finished Objects Three!
In the aftermath of knitting Jeanie, I have found myself in a frenzy of knitting. I'm back to the point where work feels like a major barrier to my creative needs. The carpool driving means an hour out of my knitting time, though the wait-time is all about knitting.
In this frenzy, I'm actually finishing things, sometimes. First I have the stripey socks to show. These were actually done knitting probably two weeks ago, but it took me a while to weave in the ends. I was too busy knitting!
They fit the grrl and fit her well! The socks have gone to school today. Look how well those stripes line up. Let me remind you, I was knitting from opposite ends of the ball!!!
I also used some Knitpicks Andean Silk that I had on hand to make up some donation hats. The yarn was designated for some Christmas gifts, but I decided it wasn't exactly what I wanted. So the gifts will use a different yarn, and I couldn't let this go to waste! I'm very happy with the yarn. It has a lovely soft hand, knits up quickly on size 9 needles, and makes a lovely product.
In this frenzy, I'm actually finishing things, sometimes. First I have the stripey socks to show. These were actually done knitting probably two weeks ago, but it took me a while to weave in the ends. I was too busy knitting!
They fit the grrl and fit her well! The socks have gone to school today. Look how well those stripes line up. Let me remind you, I was knitting from opposite ends of the ball!!!
I also used some Knitpicks Andean Silk that I had on hand to make up some donation hats. The yarn was designated for some Christmas gifts, but I decided it wasn't exactly what I wanted. So the gifts will use a different yarn, and I couldn't let this go to waste! I'm very happy with the yarn. It has a lovely soft hand, knits up quickly on size 9 needles, and makes a lovely product.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A mighty swatch
Okay, remind me not to get creative.
I had these grand visions of a really cool sock. It involved entwining cables, and working them around the increases in a way that I thought would be cool. My first obstacle was charting these entwining cables. But then I saw the Ribbed Lace Pullover in A Gathering of Lace
. The perfect entwined cables, all charted out for me!
The next obstacle came when I had to fit my gauge to the pattern. At a gauge of 6.5 spi (stiches per inch), with a pattern repeat of TWENTY-FOUR stitches, I was looking at a sock that was either 48 stitches around, measuring about 7" circumference, or 72 stitches around, measuring 11" circumference. At first this seemed completely undoable, but then I recalled that the recipient has very chunky heels, and socks must be generously stretchy to even pull on. I also recalled that the cables will pull in tightly. And lastly, as it's all knit in 2x2 ribbing, with cables, it would not measure 11" around, but be pulled in quite a bit. So I decided to proceed with 72" stitches around, and see how it fit. I only knit one sock, instead of the customary two, so I could see how it went.
Thus I knit a very large swatch. In trying it on him, I found that around the ankles it was very loose, but if I made the sock tall enough to go up his leg, as was my intention, it fit okay. It wasn't perfect, really, but I proceeded.
Then I noticed how little yarn was remaining in the ball. I got out my handy-dandy scale and measured what remained. 29 grams. Seeing as this is a 50 gram ball (Second ball actually weighs 46 grams), this means I'd used nearly half and hadn't even gotten close to starting the increases. I would probably need 100 grams to finish this sock. Ain't happening.
Ribbit.
I had these grand visions of a really cool sock. It involved entwining cables, and working them around the increases in a way that I thought would be cool. My first obstacle was charting these entwining cables. But then I saw the Ribbed Lace Pullover in A Gathering of Lace
. The perfect entwined cables, all charted out for me!The next obstacle came when I had to fit my gauge to the pattern. At a gauge of 6.5 spi (stiches per inch), with a pattern repeat of TWENTY-FOUR stitches, I was looking at a sock that was either 48 stitches around, measuring about 7" circumference, or 72 stitches around, measuring 11" circumference. At first this seemed completely undoable, but then I recalled that the recipient has very chunky heels, and socks must be generously stretchy to even pull on. I also recalled that the cables will pull in tightly. And lastly, as it's all knit in 2x2 ribbing, with cables, it would not measure 11" around, but be pulled in quite a bit. So I decided to proceed with 72" stitches around, and see how it fit. I only knit one sock, instead of the customary two, so I could see how it went.
Thus I knit a very large swatch. In trying it on him, I found that around the ankles it was very loose, but if I made the sock tall enough to go up his leg, as was my intention, it fit okay. It wasn't perfect, really, but I proceeded.
Then I noticed how little yarn was remaining in the ball. I got out my handy-dandy scale and measured what remained. 29 grams. Seeing as this is a 50 gram ball (Second ball actually weighs 46 grams), this means I'd used nearly half and hadn't even gotten close to starting the increases. I would probably need 100 grams to finish this sock. Ain't happening.
Ribbit.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Playing with rags
This is my idea of a good time.
We start with a thrift store t-shirt.
And pretty soon we have a fetching skirt.
This one was pretty easy. I sliced up another t-shirt to make the waistband, which isn't visible in these pictures.
And then the real tricky part comes with chopping up the tiny leftovers to make some doll clothes.
We start with a thrift store t-shirt.
And pretty soon we have a fetching skirt.
This one was pretty easy. I sliced up another t-shirt to make the waistband, which isn't visible in these pictures.
And then the real tricky part comes with chopping up the tiny leftovers to make some doll clothes.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Onion dome hat--Finished object
On Thursday, I was looking through my yarns, contemplating my next project(s). It occurred to me that I was two days away from meeting with our knitting group, and didn't have anything to donate. I grabbed a remnant ball of yarn (from my wavy socks) and started knitting, top down.
I probably should have done a few less increases, because I ran out of yarn before the hat looked finished. The first time I looked at my stash, I couldn't find anything that looked harmonious with this yarn. But when my coworker was amazed that this yarn was NOT the yarn I used for Jeanie, I realized I had the perfect complementary yarn.
I knit like mad, but I was still working on it at the knitting circle today. And while I finished it there, it was TIME TO GO and I still had to weave in the ends. So I'll hand it over for donation a little later.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Farewell, Jeanie
Tonight I delivered Jeanie to my liaison. Jeanie will be on auction this weekend at a grand event that benefits the school where my children attend. It's very difficult to send her off like that. I hope that she is well loved, appreciated, and cared for in her new life.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Acquisitions
So there was this incident last week in which I blanked out. This has, I'm afraid, happened before. The trigger was looking at a particular picture on the Sock A Month blog. After that, it's all rather blank. So fast-forward to today when this lovely package arrived:
Inside the package were two juicy skeins of Lovesticks. The colourways are Caramel Apple and Day of the Dead. Yeah, this is a symptom of my serious thing for striped yarns.
Inside the package were two juicy skeins of Lovesticks. The colourways are Caramel Apple and Day of the Dead. Yeah, this is a symptom of my serious thing for striped yarns.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
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