I've got the blahs right now.
I'm doing a whole bunch of knit-knit-knit projects: two baby blankets and a stockinette sock. While that's pretty much all I'm capable of at the moment, it's kinda...boring. I have made a vow to finish everything on needles before (a) I can do some sewing projects that are calling to me and (b) I start anything new. Besides the above, there's also a cable scarf and a lace sock that need completion. I'd love to have them done BEFORE the Froggie shows up, but that might be unlikely.
I am going to my parents' house this weekend withOUT the family, and I plan to sit around and knit. And process my dad's bypass surgery as needed, of course. And sleep. I want to sleep a lot. It turns out I'm anemic, which may account for my bone-crushing lethargy of late. I can do what needs to be done, but everything else is falling by the wayside. Like returning phone calls and emails to friends.
Am I allowed to talk about non-knitting crafty stuff here? I've got fabric to make two pouches, and I'm now drooling over some fabric for a mei tai (my baby carrier of choice). Can you tell I'm going to have a baby in a couple of months? :) Oh my god. That's coming up!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Knitting Night
The town we moved to seems to have an actual small knitting culture. There's a real LYS, which seems lovely, and there's a twice-a-month knitting group at the library. I got myself together and went this week. I am *so* glad I did. There were 8 women total, age ranging from me (late 30s) to probably late 60s (maybe early 70s?). The women clearly all knew each other well, but also were very friendly and welcoming. They clearly also have lots of gossip knowledge about the town. There were socks, sweaters, scarves, and a crocheted vest in process. I got the toe finished on my 2nd green stripey sock and started the foot. It was so nice to have a chance just to sit and knit without worrying about someone needing something (I even forgot to bring my cell phone!!), and to be in the company of women (knitting). Sadly, one of the meetings is on the first Wednesday of the month, so until we're done with preschool, I can't make that one because I have board meetings. But I can do the Tuesdays and once we're done with the preschool, I can go to both, and I plan to.
It was definitely moving me out of my comfort zone. I'm pretty social, but it's always hard to walk into a new group. Building a new life in a new place is hard, but the wonderful thing is that I feel like there really is a big life here for me/us, it's just going to take time to build it.
It was definitely moving me out of my comfort zone. I'm pretty social, but it's always hard to walk into a new group. Building a new life in a new place is hard, but the wonderful thing is that I feel like there really is a big life here for me/us, it's just going to take time to build it.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Another FO!
Okay, so TECHNICALLY this isn't, you know, KNITTING, but whatever. I can be cognitively flexible if you can! No really, I can. NO REALLY. Stop laughing. Anyway, moving on.
I bought the fabric for this a couple of days ago, along with fabric for some other projects and today I busted out the sewing machine. The thing about me and crafting is that I sometimes have more enthusiasm than skill. Which is, as I think about, quite a preferable state in some ways to the reverse, right? I only get in trouble when my perfectionism kicks in, and I've spent years in therapy to work on that personality trait.
So this is a blanket for the new baby. The reason I had to get this panel was because when we were at our first u/s for this baby, we had DS2 with us. DH asked him "so, do you think it's going to be a baby sister or a baby brother?" DS2 answered with great authority, "I think it's going to be a FROG!" So, the froggie it is. I thought this panel was adorable without being to cloyingly cutsie (I like sweet, I loathe saccharine). The backing is some sort of plushy fabric (I'm sure it's totally polyester) with little raised hearts on it - borderline for me, but the color worked and it's so soft, so I went for it. The panel was ridiculously expensive, but I sort of had to splurge on it. It's from Joann, which had a surprisingly good selection of cute and not hideous (and not character) kids' fabrics. I feel the urge to sew some flannel blankets for donation. I wish I had serger!!! Maybe I'll save my pennies.
This blanket is definitely not perfect. When I wash and dried the panel, not all of the blocks in the quilting shrank/tightened up evenly, so it went from being flat to puckering. Oh well. Nothing I can do about that. Also, I won't use that same fabric as a backing again, I will definitely use flannel. This one had some stretch to it, and I'm just not an experienced enough sewer yet to do a really good job of backing a non-stretch fabric with a stretch one (or pairing to stretch fabrics, really). My top-stitching isn't perfectly straight, but I did an okay job in this, except I missed the part where I had to catch the edges for the hole I left to turn the work right-side out, so I had to hand-stitch an extra little seam there. It's almost invisible, and DH kept reminding me that the Froggie won't notice, or care. Whate matters is that I made it, and it's pretty cute. And it's done. In a day, no less!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Another FO!
I guess it counts as an FO as I haven't decided if I'm actually going to block it or not. I finished the baby sweater that I talked about here. I ended up doing the cuffs and bands in the purple Tahki Cotton Classic, and I think it works really nicely. I wanted the buttons to contrast, and I think the pink and green are cute. I couldn't decide which ones I liked better, so I went with both!
It's *definitely* not perfect. I put the bottom button on a tad too low, and I am too tired to fix it at the moment, and honestly, I probably never will. The top button hole is really loose for some reason, and I have no idea how to fix it. I just went with simple yo/k2tog buttonholes since these buttons are really small. I am not sure if I picked up too many stitches for the button bads, but I think they're fine. Since I watched the video at knitting help, I found the actual picking up of stitches not so hard, but the whole "pick up 3 stitches for every 4 rows" thing baffled me. There are some other imperfections but overall, I think it's cute, and hopefully this baby will actually turn out to be a girl, so she can wear it. At this point, I'll be honest and admit that I really just don't like knitting sweaters all that much. I am sure that makes me weird, but that's okay! I'm sorta used to it by now.
One other frustration is that my son spilled tea on the coffee table and a little got on the sweater, so I need to pour some boiling water on it and see if it comes out or not. I am not in the mood to do it tonight. Mostly I am just thrilled to have another project (particalrly this one since it was a distraction project anyway!) off needles!!
I really really need to do some NICU knitting, or do something for donation - my soul needs a boost.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
A FO with a PICTURE!!
Can you believe it? I found the cord for the camera (it was actually already hooked up to my computer, I don' t know when DH did that!). So, here's at least ONE small sample of what I've been up to.
This was made as a donation for my son's preschool silent auction (this was last year's endeavor). These were knit using Tahki Cotton Classic, no pattern, I just sort of winged them. They were knit using my KnitPicks Options (what else) size 5 needles, magic loop. This is actually the second hat - the first I cast on 72 stitches, which gave me a hat circumference of 12" (I was getting 6 sts/inch), which will work on a very new baby, but not for long. So I redid it with a cast on of 80 sts. I can't remember the length I knit to, about 7"? Then I did decreases starting on 8, every round. I thought it was cute as is, so no i-cord. The socks are 32 stitches, 2x2 rib for the cuffs (about 3.5 inches in length), short-row heel, knit the foot to approx. 3 inches, then the decreases every other row (4/decrease row), and a grafted toe. Very simple and easy, and I had to squeal several times at the cuteness. Can you tell I have baby girls on the brain? :) I may have to bid on them myself.
In other news, because what I really need to be doing is starting a new project, I, um, started something new. DS2 has requested a "green blankie" so we went to Joann's and picked out some Lion Big Fat Chenille (that's not what it's called but I am too lazy at the moment to look it up). He picked the color "basil," which is really pretty. I'm not certain about the yarn, in terms of quality, and how well it will wash, but it was easily available and it's VERY soft and cuddly. At first I was going to crochet something, but I'm not a great crocheter and this yarn is so not a good yarn for a novice crocheter (too fluffy to see what you're doing). Then I just cast on a bunch of stitches and did a random pattern but I didn't like it. So I'm doing YET ANOTHER diagonal eyelet-edged blanket. I've only done a few rows, but I think I'm going to frog it and start over with a slip-stitch edge as I just like that better than the straight garter-stitch edge. I bought two skeins of the yarn, so we'll see how big the thing ends up. It's a snuggly blankie, not an actual "cover you you up and keep you warm while you sleep" blankie, so I don't think it truly matters. But yeah, another garter-stitch blanket. Ah well, they're good zoning out projects.
I also started the second Falling Leaves lace sock. I've not even got the toe done, so I don't feel like I'm in a groove with it. But, I'm in desperate need of socks.
I read somewhere of one knitter's plan to end 2008 without a stash. I so could not do this (my knitting time is so limited) but I think it's a cool idea to try! I can't afford anything right now ayway, and in about 3 months, my knitting time is going to be severely curtailed.
OH! I forgot to mention, I found out that there's an actual real-life yarn store in my new town! AND there's a knitting group at the library, twice a month! If this town had a coffee shop, I think it would be perfect.
This was made as a donation for my son's preschool silent auction (this was last year's endeavor). These were knit using Tahki Cotton Classic, no pattern, I just sort of winged them. They were knit using my KnitPicks Options (what else) size 5 needles, magic loop. This is actually the second hat - the first I cast on 72 stitches, which gave me a hat circumference of 12" (I was getting 6 sts/inch), which will work on a very new baby, but not for long. So I redid it with a cast on of 80 sts. I can't remember the length I knit to, about 7"? Then I did decreases starting on 8, every round. I thought it was cute as is, so no i-cord. The socks are 32 stitches, 2x2 rib for the cuffs (about 3.5 inches in length), short-row heel, knit the foot to approx. 3 inches, then the decreases every other row (4/decrease row), and a grafted toe. Very simple and easy, and I had to squeal several times at the cuteness. Can you tell I have baby girls on the brain? :) I may have to bid on them myself.
In other news, because what I really need to be doing is starting a new project, I, um, started something new. DS2 has requested a "green blankie" so we went to Joann's and picked out some Lion Big Fat Chenille (that's not what it's called but I am too lazy at the moment to look it up). He picked the color "basil," which is really pretty. I'm not certain about the yarn, in terms of quality, and how well it will wash, but it was easily available and it's VERY soft and cuddly. At first I was going to crochet something, but I'm not a great crocheter and this yarn is so not a good yarn for a novice crocheter (too fluffy to see what you're doing). Then I just cast on a bunch of stitches and did a random pattern but I didn't like it. So I'm doing YET ANOTHER diagonal eyelet-edged blanket. I've only done a few rows, but I think I'm going to frog it and start over with a slip-stitch edge as I just like that better than the straight garter-stitch edge. I bought two skeins of the yarn, so we'll see how big the thing ends up. It's a snuggly blankie, not an actual "cover you you up and keep you warm while you sleep" blankie, so I don't think it truly matters. But yeah, another garter-stitch blanket. Ah well, they're good zoning out projects.
I also started the second Falling Leaves lace sock. I've not even got the toe done, so I don't feel like I'm in a groove with it. But, I'm in desperate need of socks.
I read somewhere of one knitter's plan to end 2008 without a stash. I so could not do this (my knitting time is so limited) but I think it's a cool idea to try! I can't afford anything right now ayway, and in about 3 months, my knitting time is going to be severely curtailed.
OH! I forgot to mention, I found out that there's an actual real-life yarn store in my new town! AND there's a knitting group at the library, twice a month! If this town had a coffee shop, I think it would be perfect.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Oh my god, it's been a MONTH.
I can't believe I've let so much time go by since updating! Sorry!!
I think it's because I actually have some pictures I want to post, but I haven't gotten them off the camera yet. So, this will be a quick update on the knitting (and life too) and I'll try and get pictures up soon, because really, a knitting blog without pictures is actually sort of boring. And, I've actually been doing a lot of knitting!
I finished something! I did a baby hat and socks for my son's nursery school silent auction fund raiser thing. They came out, IMO, so adorably that I had to squeal just a teeny, tiny bit.
I am closing in on the home stretch of a baby sweater too. This one was kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants sort of project. I had about 1 1/3 skeins of Plymouth Yarn Fantasy Naturale. In looking at the color card, I'm guessing I'm using 9490, which is a pink/aqua/blue-lavender/white multi. I was enamored of this yarn, but now that I've knit a whole sweater with it, I'm sort of over that. It's a bit splitty and rough. I did a top-down, raglan cardigan (this pattern, to be specific). In my usual way, I didn't swatch, and for some reason decided to knit the whole thing on 6s instead of 8s (to make it closer to newborn size? That might have been my rationale). It's pretty small! I was also fairly sure that I wasn't going to have enough yarn, but I just did it anyway. Yay me! I ended up having enough yarn for the body and sleeves. I was at Spark alone on Saturday (totally random moment to myself), and found some Tahki Cotton Classic in three different colors that I thought might work for a contrasting trim. I am not usually the most visual of people, so I was SHOCKED when ALL THREE coordinated beautifully! I picked out two teal/aquas (one lighter, one darker) and a blue-lavender that I thought might work. IT TOTALLY DID! I chose that one, as I'm less of an aqua fan, personally. So, I've done the bottom band, the cuffs, and the neck band so far, and it's quite cute. It's only going to fit this baby for about 30 seconds, but that's okay, I'm having fun. I still have the button band to pick up and knit, and I've got to find good buttons. I foresee a trip to Windsor Button in my near future, once I get the bands done.
Some thoughts. You might note that the Fantasy Naturale and the Cotton Classic are totally different weights. I also noted that, and just chose not to drop down the recommended 2 needle sizes, and I think it works. I don't really like knitting sweaters all that much. I think I prefer knitting things where the whole size pressure isn't so great. I can't imagine making a sweater for myself. Given that I swore I wouldn't do lace, and here I am planning to do a lace shawl, I'm not sure how much weight to give that statement, so take it for what it's worth. I also really really hate picking up stitches. In part this is because I don't *really* know how to do it, and I tend not to like things that make me feel, you know, incompetent. The knitting help video did help in this process. My next baby sweater is definitely going to have an integrated button band, like this one.
In other knitting news...well, I'm just plugging away on the blanket too. I really want to get a lot of stuff done soone, so I can get back to SOCKS SOCKS SOCKS. I've had to throw out three pairs of (machine made) socks recently, so I'm really getting low. I think I need to just do some basic stockinette socks, so I will have something to wear.
In non-knitting news, the new house is awesome (and feeling more like HOME and less like "the new house"), though I have no idea how I'm going to keep it clean. Our condo is on the market (*crosses fingers*). Commuting to Cambridge is a pain, but it's nice to have a chance to keep in touch with people. I have a feeling that once we're not going in for DS1's preschool anymore, we really won't be going in much. Pregnancy is progressing. I popped a couple of weeks ago, and all of a sudden I'm really looking pregnant. I also started seeing a chiropractor a couple of weeks ago, so I'm no longer in agony, limping all over the place. That's a good thing. I still need to find a dentist, a local pediatrician, a vet, etc., but at least my back doesn't hurt anymore.
Okay, I'm off to take a bath and go to bed. No knitting for me tonight.
I think it's because I actually have some pictures I want to post, but I haven't gotten them off the camera yet. So, this will be a quick update on the knitting (and life too) and I'll try and get pictures up soon, because really, a knitting blog without pictures is actually sort of boring. And, I've actually been doing a lot of knitting!
I finished something! I did a baby hat and socks for my son's nursery school silent auction fund raiser thing. They came out, IMO, so adorably that I had to squeal just a teeny, tiny bit.
I am closing in on the home stretch of a baby sweater too. This one was kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants sort of project. I had about 1 1/3 skeins of Plymouth Yarn Fantasy Naturale. In looking at the color card, I'm guessing I'm using 9490, which is a pink/aqua/blue-lavender/white multi. I was enamored of this yarn, but now that I've knit a whole sweater with it, I'm sort of over that. It's a bit splitty and rough. I did a top-down, raglan cardigan (this pattern, to be specific). In my usual way, I didn't swatch, and for some reason decided to knit the whole thing on 6s instead of 8s (to make it closer to newborn size? That might have been my rationale). It's pretty small! I was also fairly sure that I wasn't going to have enough yarn, but I just did it anyway. Yay me! I ended up having enough yarn for the body and sleeves. I was at Spark alone on Saturday (totally random moment to myself), and found some Tahki Cotton Classic in three different colors that I thought might work for a contrasting trim. I am not usually the most visual of people, so I was SHOCKED when ALL THREE coordinated beautifully! I picked out two teal/aquas (one lighter, one darker) and a blue-lavender that I thought might work. IT TOTALLY DID! I chose that one, as I'm less of an aqua fan, personally. So, I've done the bottom band, the cuffs, and the neck band so far, and it's quite cute. It's only going to fit this baby for about 30 seconds, but that's okay, I'm having fun. I still have the button band to pick up and knit, and I've got to find good buttons. I foresee a trip to Windsor Button in my near future, once I get the bands done.
Some thoughts. You might note that the Fantasy Naturale and the Cotton Classic are totally different weights. I also noted that, and just chose not to drop down the recommended 2 needle sizes, and I think it works. I don't really like knitting sweaters all that much. I think I prefer knitting things where the whole size pressure isn't so great. I can't imagine making a sweater for myself. Given that I swore I wouldn't do lace, and here I am planning to do a lace shawl, I'm not sure how much weight to give that statement, so take it for what it's worth. I also really really hate picking up stitches. In part this is because I don't *really* know how to do it, and I tend not to like things that make me feel, you know, incompetent. The knitting help video did help in this process. My next baby sweater is definitely going to have an integrated button band, like this one.
In other knitting news...well, I'm just plugging away on the blanket too. I really want to get a lot of stuff done soone, so I can get back to SOCKS SOCKS SOCKS. I've had to throw out three pairs of (machine made) socks recently, so I'm really getting low. I think I need to just do some basic stockinette socks, so I will have something to wear.
In non-knitting news, the new house is awesome (and feeling more like HOME and less like "the new house"), though I have no idea how I'm going to keep it clean. Our condo is on the market (*crosses fingers*). Commuting to Cambridge is a pain, but it's nice to have a chance to keep in touch with people. I have a feeling that once we're not going in for DS1's preschool anymore, we really won't be going in much. Pregnancy is progressing. I popped a couple of weeks ago, and all of a sudden I'm really looking pregnant. I also started seeing a chiropractor a couple of weeks ago, so I'm no longer in agony, limping all over the place. That's a good thing. I still need to find a dentist, a local pediatrician, a vet, etc., but at least my back doesn't hurt anymore.
Okay, I'm off to take a bath and go to bed. No knitting for me tonight.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Because this IS what I need to be doing right now.
I started a new project. A baby sweater. This is foolish for a number of reasons. I have lots of projects going or needing to go already. Then there's the whole, I'm really not sure if I have enough of the yarn to make this sweater. I have 1 full skein (100 grams) plus another 33 grams. The yarn is Fantasy Naturale by Plymouth Yarns, in 9490. I am currently OBSESSED with this yarh. I want to knit many things from this yarn. I love it. I am planning on ordering some skeins of 9701 from Patternworks. I haven't decided if I want to knit a sweater and hat or a blanket...I am thinking sweater/hat, because it's more likely they'll get done. What do you think? But I digress.
So anyway, I'm really not convinced I have enough of the 9490 to do a whole sweater, so I'm thinking about ordering some coordinating solid to do the sleeves and button band, but which color? The pink looks a little dark, I'm not a big fan of aqua, and they don't have a light lavender, just the lilac which looks to be the wrong purple. Any suggestions? Well, actually the 2576 might work (Patternworks calls it baby blue, but Yarndex calls it Lavender). I could just order a couple of different things and return (HA HA!) the one that doesn't work right?
And, because I'm me and just like to jump blindly into projects without adequate preparation, I am sure the sizing of this is going to be weird. I'm using this pattern, but I'm doing it on 6s instead of 8s for some reason that I cannot adequately articulate but I actually had one. So, perhaps it will be too small? But the Fantasy Naturale is a heavy worsted, so maybe it'll be too big? Well, it'll fit the frog sometime, right? Right!
So anyway, I'm really not convinced I have enough of the 9490 to do a whole sweater, so I'm thinking about ordering some coordinating solid to do the sleeves and button band, but which color? The pink looks a little dark, I'm not a big fan of aqua, and they don't have a light lavender, just the lilac which looks to be the wrong purple. Any suggestions? Well, actually the 2576 might work (Patternworks calls it baby blue, but Yarndex calls it Lavender). I could just order a couple of different things and return (HA HA!) the one that doesn't work right?
And, because I'm me and just like to jump blindly into projects without adequate preparation, I am sure the sizing of this is going to be weird. I'm using this pattern, but I'm doing it on 6s instead of 8s for some reason that I cannot adequately articulate but I actually had one. So, perhaps it will be too small? But the Fantasy Naturale is a heavy worsted, so maybe it'll be too big? Well, it'll fit the frog sometime, right? Right!
Saturday, February 02, 2008
What does this say about me?
I am dreaming about yarn. And knitting. I've had several of these dreams of late, it's interesting. I am currently obsessing over yarn, and wanting to knit things for the new baby. And crochet blankets. It's odd. I'm not a very good crocheter. I saw a crocheted blanket in a yarn store a long time ago and LOVED it, and cannot for the life of me remember what it looked like. I have learned this lesson, I think. If I am mesmerized by something in a store, I need to acquire the pattern immediately, because I will need to knit it someday. Or crochet it, apparently.
But these dreams. Mainly in them I'm looking at yarn, which is something I like to do, so it's pleasant. The best one though, was the one in which I was sorting my sock yarn stash, and I kept finding pairs of socks I had knit!! It was funny, they were mostly in colors I don't actually like all that much (a lot of brown for example) but I was so psyched! I adore wearing handknit socks, and I don't have that many pairs completed yet, so clearly my subconscious wants me to knit more socks. OR! Hmm. Maybe it's related to the fact that there's a lot of brown in the new house, but I love it here. I don't know!
Still plugging away on the blanket, that's all I got brain for right now.
But these dreams. Mainly in them I'm looking at yarn, which is something I like to do, so it's pleasant. The best one though, was the one in which I was sorting my sock yarn stash, and I kept finding pairs of socks I had knit!! It was funny, they were mostly in colors I don't actually like all that much (a lot of brown for example) but I was so psyched! I adore wearing handknit socks, and I don't have that many pairs completed yet, so clearly my subconscious wants me to knit more socks. OR! Hmm. Maybe it's related to the fact that there's a lot of brown in the new house, but I love it here. I don't know!
Still plugging away on the blanket, that's all I got brain for right now.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Increases are DONE!
I have a baby blanket that's been languishing for, oh, a long time now. It's a simple, diagonal, garter stitch thing, in Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille in Painted Iris (and oh, how I love it, it's soooo pretty!). Garter stitch is about all I am capable of right now, just remembering to do the YO at the beginning of the row is almost more than I can handle right now. But, in our new house (!!), the boys' bedroom/playroom is upstairs. We put the love seat in there too (this room is HUGE), so I can hang out in there and supervise, since most playing turns to tears right now. So, I'm getting some knitting done (instead of random internet surfing). I finished the increases on the blanket today! I've got plenty of time to finish this, but I'd really like it off needles soon, so I can move on to something else. I've got a couple of second socks to finish. Well, to start and THEN finish, but who's counting. Oh yeah, I am. Plus some other things that I can't even remember right now. Scarf. Hat for BIL for his ginormous head. Other stuff too, maybe.
Can you tell that I am feeling a bit strung out from this whole move thing? We had 1 weekend to get settled and then life kicked back in, so I'm sort of reeling a bit.
I am wearing my felted clogs every single day because it's damn cold in this new house, and because I am wearing hand knit socks often (my sock collection is pathetic, I tell you) and I read somewhere that socks wear out because you wear them without shoes or slippers and I want to prevent that because the clogs are cheaper and quicker to knit, so I figure wear out the clogs to protect the socks, right? I think the next pair I do, I'll do in a neutral grey entirely. The purple are awesome, and I do wear a ton of purple but not everything is, like my pj's, so they sort of clash. It does seem a tad odd to me that a woman who lives in jeans and casual clothes, and wears absolutely no makeup, actually cares about whether her slippers match her pajamas, but there you have it. I care.
Can you tell that I am feeling a bit strung out from this whole move thing? We had 1 weekend to get settled and then life kicked back in, so I'm sort of reeling a bit.
I am wearing my felted clogs every single day because it's damn cold in this new house, and because I am wearing hand knit socks often (my sock collection is pathetic, I tell you) and I read somewhere that socks wear out because you wear them without shoes or slippers and I want to prevent that because the clogs are cheaper and quicker to knit, so I figure wear out the clogs to protect the socks, right? I think the next pair I do, I'll do in a neutral grey entirely. The purple are awesome, and I do wear a ton of purple but not everything is, like my pj's, so they sort of clash. It does seem a tad odd to me that a woman who lives in jeans and casual clothes, and wears absolutely no makeup, actually cares about whether her slippers match her pajamas, but there you have it. I care.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Still here...sorta.
We survived the move. All my various craft things are now gathered in one place (the ENORMOUS closet in the office), which is not as horrifying as one might think. It all fits. I had ONE day so far where I've done some knitting, and I eve completed something! Okay, it was just a garter stitch washcloth, and I haven't managed to cut off the yarn so it's still on the needle with one stitch, but HEY. It's something. No, I can't take a picture. That would require knowing where the camera is (I might be able to lay hands on it), knowing where the cords to connect said camera to the computer are (again, I think I do, but really, who can be sure), and most importantly, it would be having MY computer set up which it isn't. My personal hardware slave (aka DH) claims that MY computer will be plugged directly into the something-or-other and will therefore not be a SLOW as this molasses wireless connection I currently have going on. Besides, the washcloth just isn't that interesting.
The euphoria of having accomplished this move is wearing off, and leaving in its wake a feeling that is quite familiar for someone who has moved 14 times in the last 16 years (including two moves to CA, one move to WI, and 3 moves to Boston). I can't quite articulate the feeling, but it's that sort of "oh yeah, reality" thing. We didn't move THAT far, so we'll still see our friends, sometimes, but really. It's hard enough to see people when you live 10 minutes from them. When you live 45 minutes (without traffic), it gets much harder. We need to establish a life here, friends here, a community here, and I *know* that we will. But it just takes time. This is a crappy time of year to meet people anyway, it's too cold to be hanging outside. My kids are incredibly needy right now, I'm realizing that I'm going to be seeing less of my husband, what with the whole commute thing, and we're buried in boxes of crap. Oh, and we still own the condo. So, yeah, I had a meltdown yesterday, but I think I'm back on track. The house is awesome, so much less stressful than the condo, I'm in RUTHLESS GET RID OF STUFF mode, which always feel good (except for yarn, of course, I mean, come on), so there's good stuff too.
And I'm going to end this entry because this stupid computer is so slow, it can't keep up with my typing and it's making me insane.
And I'm thinking about crocheting a blanket. What do you think?
The euphoria of having accomplished this move is wearing off, and leaving in its wake a feeling that is quite familiar for someone who has moved 14 times in the last 16 years (including two moves to CA, one move to WI, and 3 moves to Boston). I can't quite articulate the feeling, but it's that sort of "oh yeah, reality" thing. We didn't move THAT far, so we'll still see our friends, sometimes, but really. It's hard enough to see people when you live 10 minutes from them. When you live 45 minutes (without traffic), it gets much harder. We need to establish a life here, friends here, a community here, and I *know* that we will. But it just takes time. This is a crappy time of year to meet people anyway, it's too cold to be hanging outside. My kids are incredibly needy right now, I'm realizing that I'm going to be seeing less of my husband, what with the whole commute thing, and we're buried in boxes of crap. Oh, and we still own the condo. So, yeah, I had a meltdown yesterday, but I think I'm back on track. The house is awesome, so much less stressful than the condo, I'm in RUTHLESS GET RID OF STUFF mode, which always feel good (except for yarn, of course, I mean, come on), so there's good stuff too.
And I'm going to end this entry because this stupid computer is so slow, it can't keep up with my typing and it's making me insane.
And I'm thinking about crocheting a blanket. What do you think?
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Absolutely No Knitting Content
None.
Instead, I am deep in packing up the condo. We're surrounded by a sea of boxes, not to mention anxious cats and anxious kids. Good times!
I boxed up most of my yarn (and rediscovered some AWESOME stash! Socks, socks, I must knit socks!). My current projects bin is taped up and will be moved. I have two smaller bins (one for tools and one for some purpose that I can't remember but now also has yarn in it) to get loaded up. I've got my sewing things to pack up (well, many things to pack up).
So yeah, no knitting. I'm a bit too tired and stressed and sadly, I think the knitting content may be sort of slim here for a while.
But, the move will get done, the new house is AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL, and life is great, even if I'm feeling stressed!
Instead, I am deep in packing up the condo. We're surrounded by a sea of boxes, not to mention anxious cats and anxious kids. Good times!
I boxed up most of my yarn (and rediscovered some AWESOME stash! Socks, socks, I must knit socks!). My current projects bin is taped up and will be moved. I have two smaller bins (one for tools and one for some purpose that I can't remember but now also has yarn in it) to get loaded up. I've got my sewing things to pack up (well, many things to pack up).
So yeah, no knitting. I'm a bit too tired and stressed and sadly, I think the knitting content may be sort of slim here for a while.
But, the move will get done, the new house is AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL, and life is great, even if I'm feeling stressed!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Finishing off 2007 with a bang!
I managed to complete all my knitting in time for our holiday in Western MA! And, except for SIL's booga bag (which was a hit, and coincidentally, is the same colorway as the bag features in the pattern), I even have pictures!
So, first, the mini-fetchings. All were done in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, all using Knitty's Fetching pattern. For the red pair (for the youngest recipient), I did 16 instead of 18 rounds on the palm. I used the Magic Loop technique, and I used Addi Turbos, 40" in size....I can't remember, I think it was size 3 (which I think is 3.5 mm, but I'm not sure, and I'm too lazy to go look, sorry). I was down to the wire on these, and regretted breaking my "no knitting after 9:30 pm" rule, with the last thumb on the black ones. I've never really figured out how to successfully pick up the thumb stitches, and I always have little holes. Well, on the last black thumb I also ended up dropping stitches here and there (it's REALLY hard to see what you're doing when the yarn is so dark!) and it was sort of a disaster. BUT, the black did hide most of the errors, I got them all fixed (one way or another), and the recipient (a 7 year old boy) was *thrilled* with them. All three kids loved them, and slept in them every night! :) I was fully prepared for the kids not to be too excited so it was an added bonus that they were such a hit.
This hat is the Irish Hiking hat pattern that I can't find again (my google-fu seems to be lacking today), but it was a nice pattern, and an easy knit. I accidentally knit it on size 9s instead of 8s, and dropped one of the cable repeats because it seemed SO huge. I made it deeper than she called for as well, because, well, I like hats deeper. It ended up fitting my husband (who has a huge head) quite well, but was too small for the recipient (my BIL, who has HUGE head apparently), so my husband is keeping it and I'll do another one for BIL. I think I'll drop the needle size and add back an extra cable repeat and add at least another inch, maybe two. It looks sort of weird but it does fit well.
Here's the fetching inspired-inspired hat, which I am loving. It's not quite as wind-proof as my fleece hat, but it's quite warm for most weather and I love it. (Not the best picture of me...)
And, I finished the monkey socks!
I love them so much!!! I am really happy with how they came out. I started these in August and I've been working on them on and off, and it's so great to have another pair of socks done! I have been loving all the handmade socks I've done so far, and wearing them a ton (pretty much all my other socks are old and sad, and slowly getting thrown away due to holes) so I really need them! YAY! I promised SIL a pair of handknit socks too, so I'll have to figure out some good yarn for her. She really liked these but I just couldn't waite find it in my heart to give them to her. I am a bad person, I suppose.
I also managed to get two cable repeats done on my Double Braided Cable scarf, and I think I'll do two more, probably, since the recipient (who doesn't know he's getting this!) seems to like shorter scarves. I am a bit unsure how to block this, as it's superwash wool. Is that an issue? It needs some blocking because even with the garter stitch edge, it's still rolling a bit. It's quite pretty though, and I'll have enough left over to do some hats or something.
So, I'm feeling pretty good and inspired at the moment. :)
So, first, the mini-fetchings. All were done in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, all using Knitty's Fetching pattern. For the red pair (for the youngest recipient), I did 16 instead of 18 rounds on the palm. I used the Magic Loop technique, and I used Addi Turbos, 40" in size....I can't remember, I think it was size 3 (which I think is 3.5 mm, but I'm not sure, and I'm too lazy to go look, sorry). I was down to the wire on these, and regretted breaking my "no knitting after 9:30 pm" rule, with the last thumb on the black ones. I've never really figured out how to successfully pick up the thumb stitches, and I always have little holes. Well, on the last black thumb I also ended up dropping stitches here and there (it's REALLY hard to see what you're doing when the yarn is so dark!) and it was sort of a disaster. BUT, the black did hide most of the errors, I got them all fixed (one way or another), and the recipient (a 7 year old boy) was *thrilled* with them. All three kids loved them, and slept in them every night! :) I was fully prepared for the kids not to be too excited so it was an added bonus that they were such a hit.
This hat is the Irish Hiking hat pattern that I can't find again (my google-fu seems to be lacking today), but it was a nice pattern, and an easy knit. I accidentally knit it on size 9s instead of 8s, and dropped one of the cable repeats because it seemed SO huge. I made it deeper than she called for as well, because, well, I like hats deeper. It ended up fitting my husband (who has a huge head) quite well, but was too small for the recipient (my BIL, who has HUGE head apparently), so my husband is keeping it and I'll do another one for BIL. I think I'll drop the needle size and add back an extra cable repeat and add at least another inch, maybe two. It looks sort of weird but it does fit well.
Here's the fetching inspired-inspired hat, which I am loving. It's not quite as wind-proof as my fleece hat, but it's quite warm for most weather and I love it. (Not the best picture of me...)And, I finished the monkey socks!
I love them so much!!! I am really happy with how they came out. I started these in August and I've been working on them on and off, and it's so great to have another pair of socks done! I have been loving all the handmade socks I've done so far, and wearing them a ton (pretty much all my other socks are old and sad, and slowly getting thrown away due to holes) so I really need them! YAY! I promised SIL a pair of handknit socks too, so I'll have to figure out some good yarn for her. She really liked these but I just couldn't waite find it in my heart to give them to her. I am a bad person, I suppose. I also managed to get two cable repeats done on my Double Braided Cable scarf, and I think I'll do two more, probably, since the recipient (who doesn't know he's getting this!) seems to like shorter scarves. I am a bit unsure how to block this, as it's superwash wool. Is that an issue? It needs some blocking because even with the garter stitch edge, it's still rolling a bit. It's quite pretty though, and I'll have enough left over to do some hats or something.
So, I'm feeling pretty good and inspired at the moment. :)
Saturday, December 29, 2007
ARGH!!!!
So, I'm pretty behind on the knitting, what with having many other things to be doing. I got the booga bag done and felted it last night (and attempted to re-felt the purple slippers too, but I think they may be as felted as can be, they got a little smaller, so that should be okay, but next time I make the ladies M). I got the bag done and decided to let the icord felt a little more. Can you see where this is going? I spaced out, and tossed the things I'd put in with the felting items into the dryer...and the pillowcase with the icord in it. Which managed to shrink it so it (a) looks like crap and (b) is nowhere near long enough. F-ck. So, now I have to HOPE I have enough yarn left to knit another one, and then refelt it it sometime tonight, while also finishing the 2 pairs of Fetching left to do, plus doing primary kid care for the rest of the afternoon, plus somehow cleaning, doing laundry, and packing, so that we can go away for vacation for a week tomorrow, oh plus we're doing the walk-through for the house tomorrow on our way out of town. Did I mention we're closing in less than a week and moving in 3 weeks?
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Can't blog, knitting.
Well, not just knitting. It turns out that if one wants to make a holiday festive, and one does not go visit one's Mommy who will do this for one, then one must do all festivity-creation oneself. We were totally low-key and it still was a LOT of work.
But, presents were wrapped, cookies and a pie were baked, the Christmas meatloaf was delicious, the fancy breakfast with homemade cinnamon rolls was also delicious, and fun was had by all.
On the knitting front - booga bag is knit and I've got about 18" of icord done. One pair of mini-fetchings are done, another is started. The third pair is just a gleam in my eye. The hat for BIL is done. It looks sort of funny off the head, but it fits my DH just fine (who has a huge head), so it should be okay. Turns out I knit it on size 9s, not 8s, and I took out 1 12-stitch cable repeat, but it looks just fine to me. DH has decided he wants one too, so if I have enough of the Swish Superwash left-over after I finished the braided cable scarf, I'll do a hat for him in that.
Once everything is done, I'll post a ton of pictures. I've been sadly delinquent on the photo-front, which makes for a none-too-interesting blog, I am sure.
And I pulled out the baby blanket that I'm almost half way through. Remember how I thought it was girly looking and wasn't sure whose daughter I was knitting it for? Turns out it was for mine*. :)
* At least, they give us an 85% chance of the Frog being a girl...which apparently is as good odds as they'll give.
But, presents were wrapped, cookies and a pie were baked, the Christmas meatloaf was delicious, the fancy breakfast with homemade cinnamon rolls was also delicious, and fun was had by all.
On the knitting front - booga bag is knit and I've got about 18" of icord done. One pair of mini-fetchings are done, another is started. The third pair is just a gleam in my eye. The hat for BIL is done. It looks sort of funny off the head, but it fits my DH just fine (who has a huge head), so it should be okay. Turns out I knit it on size 9s, not 8s, and I took out 1 12-stitch cable repeat, but it looks just fine to me. DH has decided he wants one too, so if I have enough of the Swish Superwash left-over after I finished the braided cable scarf, I'll do a hat for him in that.
Once everything is done, I'll post a ton of pictures. I've been sadly delinquent on the photo-front, which makes for a none-too-interesting blog, I am sure.
And I pulled out the baby blanket that I'm almost half way through. Remember how I thought it was girly looking and wasn't sure whose daughter I was knitting it for? Turns out it was for mine*. :)
* At least, they give us an 85% chance of the Frog being a girl...which apparently is as good odds as they'll give.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
I am so smart (not).
I have a lot of knitting to do in the next week and a half. A LOT. Well, a lot for me, because my available knitting time is really small. Perhaps if I had full-time childcare and no job (and, you know, some random, seriously lucrative source of income to pay for said childcare), I could get it all done easily and perhaps toss of some more socks for myself as well. But that, sadly, is not my life situation so my knitting time is mostly limited to the evenings, and it turns out that by the time evening rolls around, I Am Fried. Today was a particularly busy day, as it involved not only some Christmas shopping (I relented after I asked my husband to go purchase his gift from me and agreed to do it myself as well as get the present for his dad), but about 200 phone calls between my real estate person, my mortgage person, and my lawyer to work through a last-minute hitch in our house-buying experience. IT WAS SO FUN. Then I had to go to my husband's office to print out a revised P&S, get him to initial some stuff, initial some stuff myself and fax it to our mortgage lady (who does rock my world). So instead of having a fun afternoon hanging out with the boys at home, I was doing all that. It's sort of good that I don't actually have paid employment, because in my grown-up life, I'm a psychotherapist and not really available to wrangle a million phone calls.
So, yeah, what's left? About 10 more rounds of Fetching 2 of 6 (sounds so Star Trekian) plus the thumb, the rest of the Fetchings (4 total), 32 rounds on the Booga bag plus 6 feet of i-cord and felting, and a cable-knit hat for my BIL because apparently I am NOT CABLING ENOUGH.
I am doing my BIL's hat out of some sort of craft-store yarn (Patons worsted weight wool). I actually do like this yarn. It feels pretty soft, they had the color I wanted (a charcoal grey), it doesn't break the bank, it is actually 100% merino wool, and I was AT Michael's and didn't have to go make a special trip anywhere to get Fancy Nice yarn. He won't care at all. Do I sound defensive about using craft store yarn? :)
What else. The Frog has a nice heartbeat. It looks like our house deal is going to go through. Perhaps our condo will even sell. It's all good. It's all going to be okay. *deeeep breath* Tonight, I think I'm going to climb into bed and read and do Sudoku and go to sleep early.
So, yeah, what's left? About 10 more rounds of Fetching 2 of 6 (sounds so Star Trekian) plus the thumb, the rest of the Fetchings (4 total), 32 rounds on the Booga bag plus 6 feet of i-cord and felting, and a cable-knit hat for my BIL because apparently I am NOT CABLING ENOUGH.
I am doing my BIL's hat out of some sort of craft-store yarn (Patons worsted weight wool). I actually do like this yarn. It feels pretty soft, they had the color I wanted (a charcoal grey), it doesn't break the bank, it is actually 100% merino wool, and I was AT Michael's and didn't have to go make a special trip anywhere to get Fancy Nice yarn. He won't care at all. Do I sound defensive about using craft store yarn? :)
What else. The Frog has a nice heartbeat. It looks like our house deal is going to go through. Perhaps our condo will even sell. It's all good. It's all going to be okay. *deeeep breath* Tonight, I think I'm going to climb into bed and read and do Sudoku and go to sleep early.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Slogging Through
That's how it feels, anyway. We've got lots going on, big stuff, some very good but stressful, some simply stressful. Nothing truly BAD (no one is sick or dying, knock wood). But other big stuff. So, I'm doing some easy therapeutic knitting. Even though I hate casting on, I enjoy starting projects, so I've got mini-Fetching #1 going (1 of 6 needed), and I started SIL's Booga Bag. It's funny, the colors she chose so aren't ME (since I pretty much only seem to like green and purple), but it's actually fun to be knitting something so bright and cheery. Lots to get done, but it'll all be gifted POST-Christmas, so I've got some time. I'm going to knit BIL a hat too, since I can't really give hand knit stuff to everyone in the family but him.
I still haven't taken pictures of finished Fetching-Inspired-Inspired hat, but I am loving it. I didn't wear it today, as it's not as entirely wind-proof as I'd like (fleece is good for that) and it was a raw and chilly day today, but I do love wearing it.
I feel like I've been focusing a lot on knitting for MEMEME lately, and once I get through the Christmas season, I need to get back into knitting more for others (err, you know, not including the hat, the booga bag and the 3 pairs of Fetching I'm doing for family). I haven't been doing the NICU hats that I love, and I need to keep doing that. I've got plenty of yarn, just need to get focused. Anything that can get me out of my own head and into the perspective of what's really important is good right now.
I still haven't taken pictures of finished Fetching-Inspired-Inspired hat, but I am loving it. I didn't wear it today, as it's not as entirely wind-proof as I'd like (fleece is good for that) and it was a raw and chilly day today, but I do love wearing it.
I feel like I've been focusing a lot on knitting for MEMEME lately, and once I get through the Christmas season, I need to get back into knitting more for others (err, you know, not including the hat, the booga bag and the 3 pairs of Fetching I'm doing for family). I haven't been doing the NICU hats that I love, and I need to keep doing that. I've got plenty of yarn, just need to get focused. Anything that can get me out of my own head and into the perspective of what's really important is good right now.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Fetching-Inspired-Inspired Hat Done!
I'm not sure where the camera is, so no pictures at the moment. Maybe tonight.
The hat is done and it IS long enough! Woo hoo! This makes me happy. I ended up modifying the pattern a bit. Where she has you doing 8 rounds of st, I did 14 (I think). I then did one round of decreases, 5 rounds of st, then alternated a decrease round and a round of st until the end. For the last couple of rounds, I did decreases (so 16 to 8, and then 8 to 4), and then did not do the last knit round (I didn't like the little bump it made).
I think it's going to be toasty warm. I wore it around the house a bit, but I was self-cleaning my oven, so it was really hot in the kitchen. My head was quite warm though. I am going to wear it out in a bit when we go to pick up DS1 from school, so I'll report back. But, at least it fits, and I think it's cute!
The hat is done and it IS long enough! Woo hoo! This makes me happy. I ended up modifying the pattern a bit. Where she has you doing 8 rounds of st, I did 14 (I think). I then did one round of decreases, 5 rounds of st, then alternated a decrease round and a round of st until the end. For the last couple of rounds, I did decreases (so 16 to 8, and then 8 to 4), and then did not do the last knit round (I didn't like the little bump it made).
I think it's going to be toasty warm. I wore it around the house a bit, but I was self-cleaning my oven, so it was really hot in the kitchen. My head was quite warm though. I am going to wear it out in a bit when we go to pick up DS1 from school, so I'll report back. But, at least it fits, and I think it's cute!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Buh-bye hat!
So sad. I ripped out the hat. I actually tried it out last night (24 degrees, felt like 10 or so with the wind) and it was entirely inadequate. It just didn't cover my ears, and it turns out that when it's very cold out, you don't just want the top of your long and pointy head to be covered, you do actually want your ears covered too.
So, I pulled it out, and managed to pick up all stitches (only really dropping two, which were easily picked up), AND figure out where the start of my row was. I am pleased! I also actually measured the (ballpark) length that I need to add, and did a rough estimate gauge, and figured out how many rows. Turns out it was double what I was assuming. I guess I have tall ears as well. :) So, I'll reknit it and see if my math leads to a hat that fits me in reality. It would be nice to have such a thing, and it's a good thing to learn that I need to add a couple of inches to hat patterns to make them cover my ginormous pointy head (why no, I haven't developed a self-esteem issue around this AT ALL). (Really.)
I must say that I do adore the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran...it's so yummy!!!
So, I pulled it out, and managed to pick up all stitches (only really dropping two, which were easily picked up), AND figure out where the start of my row was. I am pleased! I also actually measured the (ballpark) length that I need to add, and did a rough estimate gauge, and figured out how many rows. Turns out it was double what I was assuming. I guess I have tall ears as well. :) So, I'll reknit it and see if my math leads to a hat that fits me in reality. It would be nice to have such a thing, and it's a good thing to learn that I need to add a couple of inches to hat patterns to make them cover my ginormous pointy head (why no, I haven't developed a self-esteem issue around this AT ALL). (Really.)
I must say that I do adore the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran...it's so yummy!!!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Bugger!!
This post could also be entitled "Apparently I have a very long and small head."
So I finished the Fetching-Inspired Hat. Overall the pattern is nice, not difficult (I mean, I've knit Fetching 3 times already so I know the cabling, and I've knit a ton of hats so I know how to decrease). But, for one, I had to drop the number of stitches I cast on from 135 to 120. I arrived at that number by the very scientific method of measuring my Fetchings and calculating gauge of the 4x1 rib (6 stitches per inch), picking a circumference that I was shooting for (about 20"), and multiplying the two and hoping it was divisible by five (it was). Other than that, I followed her pattern. I am pleased to note that the hat does fit my head circumference perfectly.
BUT. BUT. BUT. This is the THIRD hat I've knit myself that is TOO short. Not by a lot, probably even another half inch would have done it, but DAMN IT. I'm not going to do anything about it right now because I am too tired and annoyed. I know this will drive me crazy, and also, I live in NE and even with global warming, I am still going to want a hat that entirely covers my ears, you know? Apparently I need to adjust all adult women's hat patterns to add a half inch of length or so. Long skinny head, that's me (why couldn't this have been an issue with my WAIST, I ask you?).
I think I am going to rip it back to the beginning of the decreases (i.e., half the damn hat) and add about 5-6. I've got plenty of yarn, so that's not a worry (I used far less than she recommended).
Argh. And I still have no warm hat to wear tomorrow.
So I finished the Fetching-Inspired Hat. Overall the pattern is nice, not difficult (I mean, I've knit Fetching 3 times already so I know the cabling, and I've knit a ton of hats so I know how to decrease). But, for one, I had to drop the number of stitches I cast on from 135 to 120. I arrived at that number by the very scientific method of measuring my Fetchings and calculating gauge of the 4x1 rib (6 stitches per inch), picking a circumference that I was shooting for (about 20"), and multiplying the two and hoping it was divisible by five (it was). Other than that, I followed her pattern. I am pleased to note that the hat does fit my head circumference perfectly.
BUT. BUT. BUT. This is the THIRD hat I've knit myself that is TOO short. Not by a lot, probably even another half inch would have done it, but DAMN IT. I'm not going to do anything about it right now because I am too tired and annoyed. I know this will drive me crazy, and also, I live in NE and even with global warming, I am still going to want a hat that entirely covers my ears, you know? Apparently I need to adjust all adult women's hat patterns to add a half inch of length or so. Long skinny head, that's me (why couldn't this have been an issue with my WAIST, I ask you?).
I think I am going to rip it back to the beginning of the decreases (i.e., half the damn hat) and add about 5-6. I've got plenty of yarn, so that's not a worry (I used far less than she recommended).
Argh. And I still have no warm hat to wear tomorrow.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Knitting Math
(also known as OMG 2 POSTS IN ONE DAY???)
But anyway.
Because I have all of this gift knitting to do, of course I decided to start a hat for me. I found this pattern but I have concerns. So my first attempt, I foolishly thought "hey, a long tail cast-on would be great!" Forgetting how twisty it is. So half-way through the 135 stitches, I bagged and started over with just a plain ole cast-on. So. 135 stitches on size 6 needles. Color me suspicious, but doesn't that sound like a heck of a lot? I cast 'em on, knit one row, and slid the stitches back onto the cable of the needle, and even with only one row, I can tell it's going to be GINORMOUS on me.
So, I'm going to rework the pattern for my head. But I have questions. How much negative ease would you put in for a hat? 10%? I measured my head at 22 inches, and I measured the gague on my Fetchings (in the rib pattern) at about 6 stitches per inch. So, assuming I want approximately a 20 inch circumference, at 6 stitches per inch, does 120 cast-on sound right? That also seems ginormous to me. Well, maybe not, actually that seems comparable to Halfdome. I'll have to try that. Argh, that means casting on 120 freakin' stitches! I hate casting on. Well, not hate it, but it's not my favorite part of the knitting process.
I am not doing this tonight (or tomorrow probably) so if someone reading this thinks my numbers are out of whack, let me know!
But anyway.
Because I have all of this gift knitting to do, of course I decided to start a hat for me. I found this pattern but I have concerns. So my first attempt, I foolishly thought "hey, a long tail cast-on would be great!" Forgetting how twisty it is. So half-way through the 135 stitches, I bagged and started over with just a plain ole cast-on. So. 135 stitches on size 6 needles. Color me suspicious, but doesn't that sound like a heck of a lot? I cast 'em on, knit one row, and slid the stitches back onto the cable of the needle, and even with only one row, I can tell it's going to be GINORMOUS on me.
So, I'm going to rework the pattern for my head. But I have questions. How much negative ease would you put in for a hat? 10%? I measured my head at 22 inches, and I measured the gague on my Fetchings (in the rib pattern) at about 6 stitches per inch. So, assuming I want approximately a 20 inch circumference, at 6 stitches per inch, does 120 cast-on sound right? That also seems ginormous to me. Well, maybe not, actually that seems comparable to Halfdome. I'll have to try that. Argh, that means casting on 120 freakin' stitches! I hate casting on. Well, not hate it, but it's not my favorite part of the knitting process.
I am not doing this tonight (or tomorrow probably) so if someone reading this thinks my numbers are out of whack, let me know!
Long time, no blog.
Whoops! How did almost 2 weeks go by? Well, we've been gone for a week, off to see my folks for Thanksgiving, then to DH's folks' house for one night so we could (a) see the cousins and (b) go to DH's 20th high school reunion. Which was actually not bad. I'm pretty social, so an evening spent chatting with people I don't know isn't anathema to me, and the best part is the dishing we do on the way home.
Pardon me if this post seems choppy. I have what we call in my field "clinically significant attentional issues" and, out my office window, I can see over to the next street and there is an ambulance parked with flashing lights and it's very distracting. Let's hope everyone's okay over there.
But, this leads to one of two announcements (you know, for all three of my readers, most of whom already know this but w
hatever, I have no real knitting content and this is why). The first is that it looks like Knitting With A Purpose is moving to the 'burbs!! I'd call it the country, but the town does have a commuter rail station, so how country is it, really? We are moving towards P&S on our very first HOUSE. We currently own a condo, so buying isn't new (but still Big and Scary), but a HOUSE is different. It's new construction in a great neighborhood in a nice town with good schools. The logistics for the spring are going to be a tad complicated, but all in all, it's a fantastic thing. And, since it's not done, we get some say in countertops and faucets and whatnot. Since I am not detail oriented, that's DH's department. I'm really not...I honestly didn't notice the 10 foot tall bright teal septic pipe sticking out of the middle of the lawn. Even after our Realtor commented on it. :) So DH will do the picking out of things. I get to do things like figure out the school situation for next year and make sure we can actually afford this.
The second announcement is really the impetus for the move. The move and house stuff is something we've been wanting to do for quite some time now (and we have been looking for a while) but the clock is now ticking because the odds look pretty good that Baby #3 is going to arrive sometime in May or June! Yes, we are crazy, thanks for commenting. ;-) I feel many things, but mainly right now, I feel grateful for what seems to be a healthy fetus, and just so thankful, and so so blessed. Not to mention freaked out and stressed about it all but hey. Stress is what gets me out of bed in the morning! I really really wanted to do a clever announcement like knitting some baby booties and saying "Hey look what I made!" but dude, I am tired.
So, you might ask, in the midst of all this, what's up with the knitting? Here's the state of the KWAP.
1. Monkey #2: Heel is turned, 3 lace repeats left to do on the foot and the toe and it's done. I do have to learn how to properly pick up stitches for the gusset because I'm not thrilled with how I did it. But whatever, it's still functional and so pretty!
2. Cable scarf: Not much progress made. I didn't take it with me.
3. I knit my SIL a pair of red Fetchings which it turns out, not only does SHE love, but her three kids love too, so she asked if I'd knit them each a pair for Christmas. Of course! So I've now got bright pink for Niece (the same shade I knit for my friend, I think), black for Nephew 1 and the same red as his mom for Nephew 2. I am planning to knit the big kids' gloves on smaller needles, and I might take out one cable repeat for the littlest guy. I also just happened to be carrying my Booga Bag, and SIL fell in love with it, so she picked out some Noro Kureyon and she'll be getting one of her own. The color she picked is actually the one that the sample on the pattern is done in, so that's close to what it should look like. When I'm going to get these done, who knows?
4. What else. Nothing, no progress on anything. I need to knit myself a hat. I have some more Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in the same purple that I did my Fetchings in, so I should swatch that up (*gasp* I know, but I'm tired of making hats that don't fit me) and do something with it.
5. I passed along the Flat Top Hat to my mom, so hopefully she'll wear it and enjoy more than I would. I have enough of the ArtYarns Supermerino left from the Purple Poncho of Doom that I can do another one, should I be so inclined. I'm not sure. That yarn might be better served somewhere else, I don't know.
6. My friend received and LOVED the uterus. *phew* It wasn't, perhaps, in the BEST of taste, but it was meant to cheer her up, which it appears to have done, which makes me so happy.
So, all in all, many things to be thankful for.
Pardon me if this post seems choppy. I have what we call in my field "clinically significant attentional issues" and, out my office window, I can see over to the next street and there is an ambulance parked with flashing lights and it's very distracting. Let's hope everyone's okay over there.
But, this leads to one of two announcements (you know, for all three of my readers, most of whom already know this but w
hatever, I have no real knitting content and this is why). The first is that it looks like Knitting With A Purpose is moving to the 'burbs!! I'd call it the country, but the town does have a commuter rail station, so how country is it, really? We are moving towards P&S on our very first HOUSE. We currently own a condo, so buying isn't new (but still Big and Scary), but a HOUSE is different. It's new construction in a great neighborhood in a nice town with good schools. The logistics for the spring are going to be a tad complicated, but all in all, it's a fantastic thing. And, since it's not done, we get some say in countertops and faucets and whatnot. Since I am not detail oriented, that's DH's department. I'm really not...I honestly didn't notice the 10 foot tall bright teal septic pipe sticking out of the middle of the lawn. Even after our Realtor commented on it. :) So DH will do the picking out of things. I get to do things like figure out the school situation for next year and make sure we can actually afford this.The second announcement is really the impetus for the move. The move and house stuff is something we've been wanting to do for quite some time now (and we have been looking for a while) but the clock is now ticking because the odds look pretty good that Baby #3 is going to arrive sometime in May or June! Yes, we are crazy, thanks for commenting. ;-) I feel many things, but mainly right now, I feel grateful for what seems to be a healthy fetus, and just so thankful, and so so blessed. Not to mention freaked out and stressed about it all but hey. Stress is what gets me out of bed in the morning! I really really wanted to do a clever announcement like knitting some baby booties and saying "Hey look what I made!" but dude, I am tired.
So, you might ask, in the midst of all this, what's up with the knitting? Here's the state of the KWAP.
1. Monkey #2: Heel is turned, 3 lace repeats left to do on the foot and the toe and it's done. I do have to learn how to properly pick up stitches for the gusset because I'm not thrilled with how I did it. But whatever, it's still functional and so pretty!
2. Cable scarf: Not much progress made. I didn't take it with me.
3. I knit my SIL a pair of red Fetchings which it turns out, not only does SHE love, but her three kids love too, so she asked if I'd knit them each a pair for Christmas. Of course! So I've now got bright pink for Niece (the same shade I knit for my friend, I think), black for Nephew 1 and the same red as his mom for Nephew 2. I am planning to knit the big kids' gloves on smaller needles, and I might take out one cable repeat for the littlest guy. I also just happened to be carrying my Booga Bag, and SIL fell in love with it, so she picked out some Noro Kureyon and she'll be getting one of her own. The color she picked is actually the one that the sample on the pattern is done in, so that's close to what it should look like. When I'm going to get these done, who knows?
4. What else. Nothing, no progress on anything. I need to knit myself a hat. I have some more Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in the same purple that I did my Fetchings in, so I should swatch that up (*gasp* I know, but I'm tired of making hats that don't fit me) and do something with it.
5. I passed along the Flat Top Hat to my mom, so hopefully she'll wear it and enjoy more than I would. I have enough of the ArtYarns Supermerino left from the Purple Poncho of Doom that I can do another one, should I be so inclined. I'm not sure. That yarn might be better served somewhere else, I don't know.
6. My friend received and LOVED the uterus. *phew* It wasn't, perhaps, in the BEST of taste, but it was meant to cheer her up, which it appears to have done, which makes me so happy.
So, all in all, many things to be thankful for.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Well go figure.
So younger DS asked to try on the hat this morning. It looked ADORABLE on him. It was cute and not shapeless at all. So, I need to knit another one, maybe one size up needles, and make it longer so it sticks up enough that you can see the top.
Ponder ponder. I think I have something like 3 skeins of the yarn from the purple poncho of DOOM left. So, I guess I'll make another one. Maybe my mom would like this one? I need to give it to someone with a smaller head than mine. :)
Oh yeah, that was my other thoughts about the Art Yarns modular patterns. My frustration with the poncho - I knit the first diamond the size they suggested, and the poncho is just way too big. I have to check if the Supermerino is superwash, maybe if I was it, it'll shrink up a bit (it also stretches when you wear it).
Ponder ponder. I think I have something like 3 skeins of the yarn from the purple poncho of DOOM left. So, I guess I'll make another one. Maybe my mom would like this one? I need to give it to someone with a smaller head than mine. :)
Oh yeah, that was my other thoughts about the Art Yarns modular patterns. My frustration with the poncho - I knit the first diamond the size they suggested, and the poncho is just way too big. I have to check if the Supermerino is superwash, maybe if I was it, it'll shrink up a bit (it also stretches when you wear it).
Monday, November 12, 2007
Two, COUNT 'EM, TWO FOs!
So, I managed to get some knitting done this weekend! The first object was a quick little project that I'll be sending off tomorrow or the next day. One of my very dear internets had a hysterectomy today (she's younger than I am), and I figured she needed a little cheer-me-up surprise. So I knit her a uterus, 
and I plan to fill it with these, 
or these, perhaps.
I am pretty sure she'll think it's funny (and not too tasteless). I did modify the pattern quite a bit, mainly in that I added a picot cast-on (because wouldn't you like a cervix with a frilly edge?) and made the whole thing quite a bit smaller. I added a braided tie cord. The yarn is some Red Hat acrylic I had hanging around, and I love the colors. I used KnitPicks Options in a size 8 (I think). Gauge is not particularly important in this project. I'm going to add some Sudoku (and new pencils!), and perhaps a Nora Roberts or two. I think it's a nice surgery recovery kit.
On to the second finished object, which pleases me much less. Oh, I'm quite happy to have this done and off the needles. It would have been a quick-ish knit if I'd, you know, kept working on it, but it got dropped for a while. I decided to finish it today because, well, it's cold and I need a hat that actually covers my ears.
Pattern: Artyarns P51: Flat Top Hat by Iris Schreirer
Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino in Colorway 108
Needles: Knitpicks Options in Size 7
First, here at the pictures:
Now, some thoughts. Overall, the knitting is fine. However, there are some things that I'm just not thrilled with. I *love* the feel of the Artyarns Supermerino, it is SO soft and makes a really nice fabric. I just, as I've mentioned before, don't love the way they do their dying on the variegated yarns. I'm not dissing the yarn, it's so pretty, but it's just a matter of personal taste. They do more...monochromatic with little (3 stitch) bits of other color interspersed. I think you can see it in the picture. I guess I like how Koigu designs their yarn better. Simply a matter of personal preference.
Overall the pattern was well written, easy to follow. These modular knits are really clever. I got cocky on the last triangle and instead of crossing off every line or two as I did them, I just plowed ahead, and late in the game realized that I had gotten turned around on where I was doing my skp's. Whoops! I just finished it and it's fine, but I learned that lesson. :) I didn't like how at the end, after you've done the 3-needle bind-off to join your top triangles, you really had a big gap at the center that you have to sew together. I've read that other people have that issue, so perhaps it's not just me. Another small peeve is that I got gauge exactly, and the hat is quite snug on me (and I have a pretty small head). It's going to be warm, but leave a wicked hat head! Also, I feel like when the hat is on, you really don't see the cute construction, and it just looks...shapeless. I will wear it, but it's sort of a bummer. At least I didn't feel like I'd put hours and hours of work into it, you know?
But, yay for getting something done that's been lingering! (And yay for a warm hat!) This leaves currently on needles: Monkey 2, Braided Cable Scarf, and the diagonal baby blanket. Then I need to finish the green stripy socks and Falling Leaves socks...and then, who knows what?
I think I'm going to end up eating my words that I had no interest in ever doing a lace shawl. The whole idea of something that really requires blocking scares me....but I am thinking of doing this in this (maybe in Grape Hyacinth). And perhaps ordering these and this for my husband to give to me for my birthday/Christmas present. Hmmm.
Okay, off to update my Ravelry projects since I finished something!
and I plan to fill it with these, 
or these, perhaps.
I am pretty sure she'll think it's funny (and not too tasteless). I did modify the pattern quite a bit, mainly in that I added a picot cast-on (because wouldn't you like a cervix with a frilly edge?) and made the whole thing quite a bit smaller. I added a braided tie cord. The yarn is some Red Hat acrylic I had hanging around, and I love the colors. I used KnitPicks Options in a size 8 (I think). Gauge is not particularly important in this project. I'm going to add some Sudoku (and new pencils!), and perhaps a Nora Roberts or two. I think it's a nice surgery recovery kit.
On to the second finished object, which pleases me much less. Oh, I'm quite happy to have this done and off the needles. It would have been a quick-ish knit if I'd, you know, kept working on it, but it got dropped for a while. I decided to finish it today because, well, it's cold and I need a hat that actually covers my ears.
Pattern: Artyarns P51: Flat Top Hat by Iris Schreirer
Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino in Colorway 108
Needles: Knitpicks Options in Size 7
First, here at the pictures:
Now, some thoughts. Overall, the knitting is fine. However, there are some things that I'm just not thrilled with. I *love* the feel of the Artyarns Supermerino, it is SO soft and makes a really nice fabric. I just, as I've mentioned before, don't love the way they do their dying on the variegated yarns. I'm not dissing the yarn, it's so pretty, but it's just a matter of personal taste. They do more...monochromatic with little (3 stitch) bits of other color interspersed. I think you can see it in the picture. I guess I like how Koigu designs their yarn better. Simply a matter of personal preference.
Overall the pattern was well written, easy to follow. These modular knits are really clever. I got cocky on the last triangle and instead of crossing off every line or two as I did them, I just plowed ahead, and late in the game realized that I had gotten turned around on where I was doing my skp's. Whoops! I just finished it and it's fine, but I learned that lesson. :) I didn't like how at the end, after you've done the 3-needle bind-off to join your top triangles, you really had a big gap at the center that you have to sew together. I've read that other people have that issue, so perhaps it's not just me. Another small peeve is that I got gauge exactly, and the hat is quite snug on me (and I have a pretty small head). It's going to be warm, but leave a wicked hat head! Also, I feel like when the hat is on, you really don't see the cute construction, and it just looks...shapeless. I will wear it, but it's sort of a bummer. At least I didn't feel like I'd put hours and hours of work into it, you know?
But, yay for getting something done that's been lingering! (And yay for a warm hat!) This leaves currently on needles: Monkey 2, Braided Cable Scarf, and the diagonal baby blanket. Then I need to finish the green stripy socks and Falling Leaves socks...and then, who knows what?
I think I'm going to end up eating my words that I had no interest in ever doing a lace shawl. The whole idea of something that really requires blocking scares me....but I am thinking of doing this in this (maybe in Grape Hyacinth). And perhaps ordering these and this for my husband to give to me for my birthday/Christmas present. Hmmm.
Okay, off to update my Ravelry projects since I finished something!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
And now for something a little different!
I had a moment yesterday to do some knitting. I didn't want to keep working on Monkey because I need to turn the heel and I need a solid hour or so to concentrate and get the whole thing done. I wasn't in the mood to work on my Garter Stitch Blanket, and I need to wind the other skein for the Flat-Top Hat, so I pulled out the Cable Scarf. You know, I really love to cable! It's surprisingly easy and makes such a nice result! This yarn is super soft and nice too: Swish Superwash in Deep Ocean. I thought I was making this scarf for an old friend that I saw at another old friend's wedding this summer, but I changed my mind, and it's going to be for my sweet husband (shh, I don't think he reads this). The old friend threw out the "what are you going to make for me" thing as a joke, but he really won't appreciate the time and effort that's going into this, while my DH surely will. Also, DH bikes to and from work all through the winter, and could use a warm, snuggly scarf. AND the color is perfect for him. I way overbought the yarn, so I can make him a hat too. It's funny, knowing I'm making it for him just makes me enjoy the process even more! I am even, I think, going to block the thing!
Today I am going to try and felt the purple slippers a little more, to get them to fit perfectly. It's chilly enough in here that I do need them now (since we still haven't turned the heat on) and my tootsies are cold. They'll need some time to dry and I'm going to puffy-paint the soles so I don't fall on my bum, since they're rather slippery.
Today I am going to try and felt the purple slippers a little more, to get them to fit perfectly. It's chilly enough in here that I do need them now (since we still haven't turned the heat on) and my tootsies are cold. They'll need some time to dry and I'm going to puffy-paint the soles so I don't fall on my bum, since they're rather slippery.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Where is the time going??
How can it be November already?? And over a week since I last posted?
Well, part of that is that I've not been doing much. It's weird. I'm focused on Monkey #2 right now. I adore the yarn (KPPPM)1, I adore the needles (Addi Turbos2, even though they're not really pointy enough for lace, I still love 'em), I adore the pattern. I love how the colors of the yarn work with the lace, I think they're gorgeous! So, what's the issue? I'm just pretty darn tired at the moment, so I don't really have the energy or focus to do more than 1-2 lace repeats at a time. I did two tonight...that's 22 rows, people. 1408 stitches. It's not a lot really. But I'm tired. I am at a natural stopping point, I did finish the lace repeats for the leg tonight. Turn the heel sometime this weekend and plug on down the foot! I might even get it done before Thanksgiving! How nice would that be?
So, Blue Moon Fiber Arts has opened up their Rockin' Sock Club registration for 2008. I've been saving my pennies, I could actually afford to do it out of my ME money. I even printed the registration form...but I think I've decided not to do it next year. I just don't think 2007 is going to be the year for me to have lots of time to knit. I have a bunch of BIG things in fight right now (more on that later), and I think it's going to be a busy year. Plus, I do have about 10 pairs worth of sock yarn to knit already, not to mention some other things. I think I will comfort my disappointment by ordering a couple of skeins to have in my stash...I think I'm going to go with mediumweight, as someone mentioned to me that that's closer in weight to KPPPM. AND, many of the patterns in New Pathways for Sock Knitters use it. So, you know, it's not a luxery, it's a NEED. RIGHT?? Right. So now the burning issue is, which colorways???
1 Anyone know the different between KPPPM and KPPM?
2 I have to admit that I've been thoroughly converted to KnitPicks Fixed Circs in 32" length for Magic Looping socks.
Well, part of that is that I've not been doing much. It's weird. I'm focused on Monkey #2 right now. I adore the yarn (KPPPM)1, I adore the needles (Addi Turbos2, even though they're not really pointy enough for lace, I still love 'em), I adore the pattern. I love how the colors of the yarn work with the lace, I think they're gorgeous! So, what's the issue? I'm just pretty darn tired at the moment, so I don't really have the energy or focus to do more than 1-2 lace repeats at a time. I did two tonight...that's 22 rows, people. 1408 stitches. It's not a lot really. But I'm tired. I am at a natural stopping point, I did finish the lace repeats for the leg tonight. Turn the heel sometime this weekend and plug on down the foot! I might even get it done before Thanksgiving! How nice would that be?
So, Blue Moon Fiber Arts has opened up their Rockin' Sock Club registration for 2008. I've been saving my pennies, I could actually afford to do it out of my ME money. I even printed the registration form...but I think I've decided not to do it next year. I just don't think 2007 is going to be the year for me to have lots of time to knit. I have a bunch of BIG things in fight right now (more on that later), and I think it's going to be a busy year. Plus, I do have about 10 pairs worth of sock yarn to knit already, not to mention some other things. I think I will comfort my disappointment by ordering a couple of skeins to have in my stash...I think I'm going to go with mediumweight, as someone mentioned to me that that's closer in weight to KPPPM. AND, many of the patterns in New Pathways for Sock Knitters use it. So, you know, it's not a luxery, it's a NEED. RIGHT?? Right. So now the burning issue is, which colorways???
1 Anyone know the different between KPPPM and KPPM?
2 I have to admit that I've been thoroughly converted to KnitPicks Fixed Circs in 32" length for Magic Looping socks.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
What I accomplished yesterday.
- 3 (or was it 4) loads of laundry (INCLUDING folding and putting it away!)
- Many, many dishes.
- Ran and emptied the dishwasher.
- Picked up the two rooms we live in, plus the boys' room.
- Cooked a big fancy dinner for ILs who ended up not coming, so DH and I ate it (crock pot ribs-a new recipe that I ended up really not liking and didn't eat, rice, salad, corn bread which was really good).
- Spent 1.5 hours at the doctor's office confirming that DS1 did NOT have appendicitis. Worried over DS1 anyway when his temp hit 102 (in the armpit!).
- Swept the kitchen approximately 4 billion times.
- A nice nap.
You'll notice that knitting is not on the list. That's not entirely true. I did 128 stitches (aka 2 rows) on the Monkey #2 cuff. I was just in domestic mode.
The list for today is a tad different...
- Survived a day with a much better feeling kid who is still quarantined from the temp but had ENERGY.
- Built an AWESOME train track.
- Finished the cuff and did three lace repeats on Monkey #2.
Monday, October 22, 2007
FO!
And it technically counts as TWO, right, because it's a PAIR of socks! I know, a FO that isn't a hat or a dishcloth! I am so excited. But, on to the details.
Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta "Fake Isle" in 6674. Purchased eons ago and the ball band is long gone, but I'm sure that's what this is.
Needles: 2.75 mm Knitpicks Fixed Circs, 32". (Have I mentioned how much I adore these needles?)
Gauge: ? I could go measure but the socks are in the other room.
Pattern: My own. There wasn't even really one. I cast on 32 stitches using Judy's Magic Cast-On, and then increased until it looked like it would fit but not be too big (60 stitches).
Then I knit stockinette until it was about 8 inches (I think my foot is 10", so that left 2" for the heel). Then I knit one-half row on waste yarn and reknit it for the afterthought heel. Then I knit for a while until it seemed long enough (60 rounds), and then did 10 rounds of 1x1 ribbing. Bind off was EZ's Sewn Bind-Off.
Thoughts: Technically, I am happy with these socks, for the most part. Remember how I was raving about the afterthought heel? *enh* I was not feeling the love on this second sock. Maybe because I had hit that point in the project where sticking the needles into my eyes sounded more appetizing than finishing, you know? (Oh, you don't?) But yeah, picking up the stitches from the waste yarn is a PITA. I also wasn't thinking clearly and picked up two extra stitches at the beginning of the heel, instead of the one (I was looking for 4 extra stitches over all), but it all worked out. Here's the deal. I love knitting socks. I love wearing hand knit socks. BUT I have yet to find a heel construction that I love. So far I've tried short-row heels (top down and bottom up), heel flap and gusset (top down and bottom up), afterthought heels. I am sure there's lots more that I'm missing but they all annoy me at this point. Oh and I am also a tad concerned that the purse-string closure of the after-thought heel leaves a small bump that's going to be a bummer on my heels. That's why I *have* to finish all socks-in-progress (SIPs) before I try Cat Bordhi's new sockitectures, because I fear I may never go back. :) Her short-row heels look less irritating than the classic short-row construction.
My other beef with these socks is the yarn. Now, Plymouth Sockotta, IMO, is not a high-end sock yarn (Webs has it for $8.99 per 100 gram ball, so much much less than the $24 for 2 50 g skeins of Koigu that I just spent!). It doesn't feel like a high-end yarn either. It feels more string-like to me. This isn't a complaint. The resulting fabric is a little rough, but certainly wearable and comfortable enough, I think. This yarn gets good reviews in terms of durability of the resulting socks, which is very good. It's machine washable, which is EXCELLENT. It wasn't a pain to knit with (like the TOFUTsies, for example). My main beef is with the self-patterning aspect, which is as much a beef with my own personality as anything else. With variegated colors, I have learned to release control of how it looks because, well, you don't have any! The yarn is going to do what it's going to do. It's helping me in my pursuit of Zen calmitude.
BUT, this stuff, man, it made me so anxious! Sometimes the patterning did what it was supposed to do, sometimes it didn't! To be honest, I'm not even sure WHAT the purple was supposed to do! The dying wasn't consistent, so for example, with the green, there wasn't always the same amount of space between green parts, and the green parts weren't all the same length. AND, the patterning wasn't consistent. Now, I personally prefer fraternal twins in my socks, I feel like in contributes to the hand-made funkiness of them, but if you are someone for whom this is an issue (L, I mean you), then don't use this yarn! So, the yarn is okay, but it's not good for me. I think the socks are *fine*, and I'll wear them with joy, but the pattern kerfuffle will bug me just a bit.
All in all, a worthwhile project, I learned some good stuff, blah blah, but time to move on! I cast on Monkey #2! Woo!! I just love Koigu.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go eat some of my Trader Joe's Peppermint Jo-Jos Cheesecake.
Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta "Fake Isle" in 6674. Purchased eons ago and the ball band is long gone, but I'm sure that's what this is.
Needles: 2.75 mm Knitpicks Fixed Circs, 32". (Have I mentioned how much I adore these needles?)
Gauge: ? I could go measure but the socks are in the other room.
Pattern: My own. There wasn't even really one. I cast on 32 stitches using Judy's Magic Cast-On, and then increased until it looked like it would fit but not be too big (60 stitches).
Then I knit stockinette until it was about 8 inches (I think my foot is 10", so that left 2" for the heel). Then I knit one-half row on waste yarn and reknit it for the afterthought heel. Then I knit for a while until it seemed long enough (60 rounds), and then did 10 rounds of 1x1 ribbing. Bind off was EZ's Sewn Bind-Off.
Thoughts: Technically, I am happy with these socks, for the most part. Remember how I was raving about the afterthought heel? *enh* I was not feeling the love on this second sock. Maybe because I had hit that point in the project where sticking the needles into my eyes sounded more appetizing than finishing, you know? (Oh, you don't?) But yeah, picking up the stitches from the waste yarn is a PITA. I also wasn't thinking clearly and picked up two extra stitches at the beginning of the heel, instead of the one (I was looking for 4 extra stitches over all), but it all worked out. Here's the deal. I love knitting socks. I love wearing hand knit socks. BUT I have yet to find a heel construction that I love. So far I've tried short-row heels (top down and bottom up), heel flap and gusset (top down and bottom up), afterthought heels. I am sure there's lots more that I'm missing but they all annoy me at this point. Oh and I am also a tad concerned that the purse-string closure of the after-thought heel leaves a small bump that's going to be a bummer on my heels. That's why I *have* to finish all socks-in-progress (SIPs) before I try Cat Bordhi's new sockitectures, because I fear I may never go back. :) Her short-row heels look less irritating than the classic short-row construction.
My other beef with these socks is the yarn. Now, Plymouth Sockotta, IMO, is not a high-end sock yarn (Webs has it for $8.99 per 100 gram ball, so much much less than the $24 for 2 50 g skeins of Koigu that I just spent!). It doesn't feel like a high-end yarn either. It feels more string-like to me. This isn't a complaint. The resulting fabric is a little rough, but certainly wearable and comfortable enough, I think. This yarn gets good reviews in terms of durability of the resulting socks, which is very good. It's machine washable, which is EXCELLENT. It wasn't a pain to knit with (like the TOFUTsies, for example). My main beef is with the self-patterning aspect, which is as much a beef with my own personality as anything else. With variegated colors, I have learned to release control of how it looks because, well, you don't have any! The yarn is going to do what it's going to do. It's helping me in my pursuit of Zen calmitude.
BUT, this stuff, man, it made me so anxious! Sometimes the patterning did what it was supposed to do, sometimes it didn't! To be honest, I'm not even sure WHAT the purple was supposed to do! The dying wasn't consistent, so for example, with the green, there wasn't always the same amount of space between green parts, and the green parts weren't all the same length. AND, the patterning wasn't consistent. Now, I personally prefer fraternal twins in my socks, I feel like in contributes to the hand-made funkiness of them, but if you are someone for whom this is an issue (L, I mean you), then don't use this yarn! So, the yarn is okay, but it's not good for me. I think the socks are *fine*, and I'll wear them with joy, but the pattern kerfuffle will bug me just a bit.All in all, a worthwhile project, I learned some good stuff, blah blah, but time to move on! I cast on Monkey #2! Woo!! I just love Koigu.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go eat some of my Trader Joe's Peppermint Jo-Jos Cheesecake.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
I want to have something to post about!
I truly do. I am just not in a knitting space right now. I was knitting during nap/quiet time, and before bed, and I am now spending those times, well, sleeping. I did do about 10 rows on my afterthought heel sock, so I've got 25 left to do, plus the heel. If I just were to buckle down, I could finish it. And then I'd have a pair of socks to wear! And show you! But alas, we had a much later night out than we usually do (my goodness, we were out past 8:30 pm!!!), and I'm just wiped. So, alas, poor knitting, tonight is not the night. Tomorrow ain't looking good either.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Does this count as a FO?
So, I am currently OBSESSED with Cat Bordhi's new book. As in, even though I'm not working on anything from it, it's the only book I took to the Berkshires this weekend (and I am a VORACIOUS reader), and I read it each night before going to bed. I cannot wait to try these patterns!
So, when I got home, I spent some time poking around online for the letter stitch markers to see if they were for sale yet (they're not). So...I toddled off to my local bead store (LBS?) and made some!
This picture is really dark; I think they're a lot prettier than this! I am not entirely convinced that the 9 mm split ring is the right size, I think it may be too big. She does have some patterns on larger needles, so that's fine, but I might make another set with a smaller size. I need to file down the ends of the posts a bit too, as they're sharp from the wire snippers and might snag, but all in all, not too shabby for $13 and about a 1/2 hour of my time! I haven't done any wire and bead work in FOREVER, and I felt very clumsy. I have a feeling if I made a bunch of them, I could really get into a rhythm.
Now I just need to knit: 1 green stripe toe up sock, 1 monkey, 1 falling leaves and finish the sock I've got going now, and THEN I can start some new socks!! Hah, like that's going to happen any time soon? Ah well, a woman can dream, right?
So, when I got home, I spent some time poking around online for the letter stitch markers to see if they were for sale yet (they're not). So...I toddled off to my local bead store (LBS?) and made some!
This picture is really dark; I think they're a lot prettier than this! I am not entirely convinced that the 9 mm split ring is the right size, I think it may be too big. She does have some patterns on larger needles, so that's fine, but I might make another set with a smaller size. I need to file down the ends of the posts a bit too, as they're sharp from the wire snippers and might snag, but all in all, not too shabby for $13 and about a 1/2 hour of my time! I haven't done any wire and bead work in FOREVER, and I felt very clumsy. I have a feeling if I made a bunch of them, I could really get into a rhythm.Now I just need to knit: 1 green stripe toe up sock, 1 monkey, 1 falling leaves and finish the sock I've got going now, and THEN I can start some new socks!! Hah, like that's going to happen any time soon? Ah well, a woman can dream, right?
Thursday, October 11, 2007
State of the KWAP
KWAP = Knitting with a Purpose, in case you were confused! :) I pronounce it K-WAP in my head, with an exclamation point. Sort of like a radio station.
You know, I love me some KnitPicks, I truly do, but I am aggravated by their system. They seem unable to retain my login identity! So each time I try to order something, I have to re-register and re-enter all my info. It's not THAT big a deal, of course, but it's sort of vexing. I just ordered more sock needles. Do I need them? No, not really. Hmm, I guess there's no "not really" about it. NO. I don't need them! But, I'd like to have more than one pair in the two sizes I use the most often (2.25 and 2.5) and the KnitPicks are fab.u.lous. for Magic Loop. And they're cheap! So I just got more! I splurged and decided to try some of the Harmony needles too. We'll see, they're so pretty! I do like the nickel-plate though. But hey! I'm all about the options. And think how many single socks I could have in progress at the same time! It's staggering, really.
Very little knitting going on here now.
I am too tired. I did finish sock 1 of the Falling Leaves lace and ooooo, it's so pretty. I do love a lace sock. Now I just need to knit, you know, more than ONE IN A PAIR, so I could actually wear them! These are knit with TOFUtsies and I just don't love the yarn. It knits up to a nice fabric and all, but it's annoying to work
with, so I probably won't again. Err, except for that whole "second sock" thing. Yeah. Anyway, if I were doing this again with this yarn, which I won't, I do it on 2.25s instead of 2.5s. (Swatch? Huh? This is me we're talking about.) These fit nicely and all, but I think I'd prefer them just a tad snugger, to show off the lace pattern a bit more. But they'll do! (Well, this ONE will do.)
In terms of what's still on needles...I have another 40 rows or of the self-patterning sock. Then I need to do the other green stripey sock and the other monkey. THEN. Only then can I break out the New Pathways book and try something different.
Except that I'm going away to my ILs this weekend (with my kids and without my husband as he's gallivanting off to Seattle this weekend to visit his best friend and BOY DOES HE OWE ME* AFTER THIS) and I am maybe actually going to get some alone time, so I might bring some practice yarn and some needles and do the practice socks. Maybe. No, no! Must finish what's on needles! Must. Not. Give. In.
* How telling is it that I just typed "Boy does he OWN me" at first. It's true, he does. :) But, you know, in a good way.
You know, I love me some KnitPicks, I truly do, but I am aggravated by their system. They seem unable to retain my login identity! So each time I try to order something, I have to re-register and re-enter all my info. It's not THAT big a deal, of course, but it's sort of vexing. I just ordered more sock needles. Do I need them? No, not really. Hmm, I guess there's no "not really" about it. NO. I don't need them! But, I'd like to have more than one pair in the two sizes I use the most often (2.25 and 2.5) and the KnitPicks are fab.u.lous. for Magic Loop. And they're cheap! So I just got more! I splurged and decided to try some of the Harmony needles too. We'll see, they're so pretty! I do like the nickel-plate though. But hey! I'm all about the options. And think how many single socks I could have in progress at the same time! It's staggering, really.
Very little knitting going on here now.
I am too tired. I did finish sock 1 of the Falling Leaves lace and ooooo, it's so pretty. I do love a lace sock. Now I just need to knit, you know, more than ONE IN A PAIR, so I could actually wear them! These are knit with TOFUtsies and I just don't love the yarn. It knits up to a nice fabric and all, but it's annoying to work
with, so I probably won't again. Err, except for that whole "second sock" thing. Yeah. Anyway, if I were doing this again with this yarn, which I won't, I do it on 2.25s instead of 2.5s. (Swatch? Huh? This is me we're talking about.) These fit nicely and all, but I think I'd prefer them just a tad snugger, to show off the lace pattern a bit more. But they'll do! (Well, this ONE will do.) In terms of what's still on needles...I have another 40 rows or of the self-patterning sock. Then I need to do the other green stripey sock and the other monkey. THEN. Only then can I break out the New Pathways book and try something different.
Except that I'm going away to my ILs this weekend (with my kids and without my husband as he's gallivanting off to Seattle this weekend to visit his best friend and BOY DOES HE OWE ME* AFTER THIS) and I am maybe actually going to get some alone time, so I might bring some practice yarn and some needles and do the practice socks. Maybe. No, no! Must finish what's on needles! Must. Not. Give. In.
* How telling is it that I just typed "Boy does he OWN me" at first. It's true, he does. :) But, you know, in a good way.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Well, that's a bust...
Meaning not a heck of a lot of knitting going on right now. I'm not feeling 100%, so instead of knitting at night, I've been sleeping. I've also been attending to life outside of knitting (is there such a thing??). I've got a few things going on right now, and I actually made some progress. I've almost finished Module Two (out of 7) of my Childbirth Educator Program, which is exciting. I think this is the least interesting module to me: prenatal testing, physiology, that sort of thing. Not where my interests lie. I'm much more interested in the psychological transformation of pregnancy and becoming a parent. Which makes sense, what with my having spent, you know, 7 YEARS getting a Masters and Ph.D. in psychology!!
I did knit about 6 rows on one of my simple stockinette socks. I'm hoping to get the leg done tonight, and maybe even get the heel stitches picked up (afterthought heel), so I can get it done. Then I'll have an actual pair of socks to wear!! I hope to have pictures for you by the end of the week. :)
I did knit about 6 rows on one of my simple stockinette socks. I'm hoping to get the leg done tonight, and maybe even get the heel stitches picked up (afterthought heel), so I can get it done. Then I'll have an actual pair of socks to wear!! I hope to have pictures for you by the end of the week. :)
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
1 Year Today
Happy blog-aversary to me! I can't quite believe it's been a YEAR since I started blogging. In some ways, this blog hasn't turned out to be what I thought it would be...more serious musings on life, knitting, parenthood, etc. It's turned out mainly to be a record of, well, my knitting. :) That's okay, it may just mean my thoughts aren't all that deep right now. I recently had this exchange with my older son:
Me: And after lunch, we're all going to take naps!
DS: Actually, mama, you're going to sit on the couch and stare off into space.
Busted.
Anyway, in honor of my 1 year anniversary of this blog, I thought I'd post a picture of an ACTUAL FO.
I feel like my knitting is sort of reflective of my life right now. I have a ton of projects in flight, I'm really nowhere close to finishing any of them, and they're piled fairly chaotically in the bin in the living room, as well as strewn about the couch. I need to get organized, I need to get some things DONE. I actually started this dishcloth almost entirely so that I could actually finish something! How sad is that?
On with the project.
Yarn: Sugar'n Cream self-striping in Baby Stripes
Needles: Size 7 Clover Bamboo
Pattern: Snowdrop Lace from the Dishcloth Boutique
I am not loving this, to be honest. I mean, it's perfectly FINE. But, I think I'd like this yarn better for a hat or something. I'm not sure the stripes and the lace pattern actually really work. It's pretty, and it makes me happy to use it, but I don't think I'll use any more of the striping Sugar'n Cream for dishcloths. I think I prefer variegated dishcloths.
There is one thing that I am loving about this though. Did you ever have someone do something really nice for you, completely randomly? Something pretty outrageously generous? Someone (who is fabulous) did that for me. She sent me a random box of wonderful PRODUCTS from Origins, a company we both love. This box included the Ginger Soap. I *love* the smell of ginger, especially now. I don't get a lot of downtime in my life, or a lot of pampering. As a full-time mom, I provide quite a bit of it, but I'm not so much on the receiving end. I find it ironic that when I *had* the space in my life for me time, I was not healthy, (emotionally) enough to enjoy indulging myself, but now that I am, there's no time! But anyway, I digress. :) There's something pretty neat about using a special gift on a cloth that you made yourself. Every morning, I use that soap and feel...taken care of.
And the best part is that after the first time, I burst out of the shower announcing "I smell gingerlicious!" Now my 2 year old has picked up the term, and uses it all the time. "You smell ginger-wishous, Mommy!"
Now I have to take my gingerlicious self off to work on (what else) a sock.
Me: And after lunch, we're all going to take naps!
DS: Actually, mama, you're going to sit on the couch and stare off into space.
Busted.
Anyway, in honor of my 1 year anniversary of this blog, I thought I'd post a picture of an ACTUAL FO.
I feel like my knitting is sort of reflective of my life right now. I have a ton of projects in flight, I'm really nowhere close to finishing any of them, and they're piled fairly chaotically in the bin in the living room, as well as strewn about the couch. I need to get organized, I need to get some things DONE. I actually started this dishcloth almost entirely so that I could actually finish something! How sad is that?
On with the project.
Yarn: Sugar'n Cream self-striping in Baby Stripes
Needles: Size 7 Clover Bamboo
Pattern: Snowdrop Lace from the Dishcloth Boutique
I am not loving this, to be honest. I mean, it's perfectly FINE. But, I think I'd like this yarn better for a hat or something. I'm not sure the stripes and the lace pattern actually really work. It's pretty, and it makes me happy to use it, but I don't think I'll use any more of the striping Sugar'n Cream for dishcloths. I think I prefer variegated dishcloths.
There is one thing that I am loving about this though. Did you ever have someone do something really nice for you, completely randomly? Something pretty outrageously generous? Someone (who is fabulous) did that for me. She sent me a random box of wonderful PRODUCTS from Origins, a company we both love. This box included the Ginger Soap. I *love* the smell of ginger, especially now. I don't get a lot of downtime in my life, or a lot of pampering. As a full-time mom, I provide quite a bit of it, but I'm not so much on the receiving end. I find it ironic that when I *had* the space in my life for me time, I was not healthy, (emotionally) enough to enjoy indulging myself, but now that I am, there's no time! But anyway, I digress. :) There's something pretty neat about using a special gift on a cloth that you made yourself. Every morning, I use that soap and feel...taken care of.
And the best part is that after the first time, I burst out of the shower announcing "I smell gingerlicious!" Now my 2 year old has picked up the term, and uses it all the time. "You smell ginger-wishous, Mommy!"
Now I have to take my gingerlicious self off to work on (what else) a sock.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
I just can't help myself.
I had a lovely, though not too relaxing time in VT, celebrating my mother's birthday, and remembering my uncle, who died 3 years ago. Miss you, Uncle Bob.
I did manage to sneak off and get a little time to myself, so of COURSE, I had to do my usual tour of the local yarn stores. I have NO idea how it happened, but a few goodies happened to make their way home with me. *innocent look* It's truly a mystery.
Let's see. Now residing with me are:
2 skeins of Regia Cotton Color, in Colorway 5407
2 skeins of Koigu KPM in 426
1 skein of Araucania Ranco Multy in 310 (I've never heard of this yarn but it's so pretty! Hmm, this one doesn't seem to be on their website. Well, it's gonna be socks, big surprise.)
Cat Bordhi's new book New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book 1.
And from the local Ben Franklin, one ball of Sugar'n'Cream's new self-striping yarn in Baby Stripes.
I cannot WAIT to start on the NP book! It looks SO cool and the socks are pretty and look like they'll be so fun to knit! I have got to finish ALL pairs of socks in flight first. No, really. NO REALLY, I DO. :)
I did manage to sneak off and get a little time to myself, so of COURSE, I had to do my usual tour of the local yarn stores. I have NO idea how it happened, but a few goodies happened to make their way home with me. *innocent look* It's truly a mystery.
Let's see. Now residing with me are:
2 skeins of Regia Cotton Color, in Colorway 5407
2 skeins of Koigu KPM in 426
1 skein of Araucania Ranco Multy in 310 (I've never heard of this yarn but it's so pretty! Hmm, this one doesn't seem to be on their website. Well, it's gonna be socks, big surprise.)
Cat Bordhi's new book New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book 1.
And from the local Ben Franklin, one ball of Sugar'n'Cream's new self-striping yarn in Baby Stripes.
I cannot WAIT to start on the NP book! It looks SO cool and the socks are pretty and look like they'll be so fun to knit! I have got to finish ALL pairs of socks in flight first. No, really. NO REALLY, I DO. :)
Monday, September 24, 2007
I think I may qualify as knitter-crazy.
You know how I decided that since I can't find any fun and funky socks that I like, that I needed to knit myself an entire sock wardrobe? Yeah, hopefully before it snows I'll have some pairs done. (Given that it's predicted to be 90 degrees on Wednesday, I'm not too worried about imminent snowfall!)
So my thought today was...why don't I knit myself a bunch of sweaters!! Then I'd have sweaters that I love to wear in the winter! I'm having a heck of a time finding long-sleeve t-shirts that (a) fit me correctly (b) come in colors that I like and (c) don't cost a fortune! I need to finish my socks and then think about this. Webs had a couple of patterns that really appealed to me. My main requirement is that it's gotta be knit in the round because I hate (and suck at) seaming. Maybe I should take a seaming class...
I am going to order some STR!! The big question is...lightweight or medium weight? My current absolute fave sock yarn is KPPPM, if that's any comparison.
I just started another big project, but I'm not quite ready to talk about it. I'm not sure how it's going to come out.
So my thought today was...why don't I knit myself a bunch of sweaters!! Then I'd have sweaters that I love to wear in the winter! I'm having a heck of a time finding long-sleeve t-shirts that (a) fit me correctly (b) come in colors that I like and (c) don't cost a fortune! I need to finish my socks and then think about this. Webs had a couple of patterns that really appealed to me. My main requirement is that it's gotta be knit in the round because I hate (and suck at) seaming. Maybe I should take a seaming class...
I am going to order some STR!! The big question is...lightweight or medium weight? My current absolute fave sock yarn is KPPPM, if that's any comparison.
I just started another big project, but I'm not quite ready to talk about it. I'm not sure how it's going to come out.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
And we're back on!!
I wonder if there's anyway for me to share pictures here from Flickr. Anyone know? I just loaded a few pictures of WIPs up to put in Ravelry and I am not sure I have the energy to redo it here. I got the heel turned on the Falling Leaves sock today. I am not loving the TOFUtsies yarn, it's sort of annoying to work with. I got another cable repeat done on the scarf. That's about it, but I'm feeling reconnected and excited about my knitting, so it's all good. Anyway, if you want to see any of it, go here (but come back and tell me what you think!).
One annoyance...I went apple picking and wore the Purple P
oncho of Doom, and it's just too damn big. It slides off my shoulders in a most irritating way. Too bad because it's awfully pretty. Now I need a good poncho pattern of something that WON'T fall off of me. (Yeah, I know, I'm a tad behind the fashion times here.)
One annoyance...I went apple picking and wore the Purple P
oncho of Doom, and it's just too damn big. It slides off my shoulders in a most irritating way. Too bad because it's awfully pretty. Now I need a good poncho pattern of something that WON'T fall off of me. (Yeah, I know, I'm a tad behind the fashion times here.)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Tick tock, tick tock...
That is the sound of time passing and no knitting getting done. I've been in a bit of a slump, my mojo's gone missing. I'm sort of not in the mood for any of my projects, and I don't have the time and space at the moment to work on the things I *want* to be working on.
However, that may be changing. I had an Unfortunate Knitting Incident, related to a KKI*. One of my older son's friends thought the scarf I was knitting would make an EXCELLENT flag, and gave it a vigorous wave. Excellent it was, right up to the moment where it flew off the needle (bamboo even!) and unraveled. It's a more complicated cable pattern and I had no idea how many rows raveled. I blame myself for leaving it out at all. My kids are pretty well trained at this point and know (for the most part) not to touch mommy's knitting, and it just wasn't on my radar. Ah well, it's certainly not the first thing I've had to redo, due to a KKI. I was pretty peeved, BUT it's actually turned out to be a good thing. I wasn't completely happy with the pattern, so I had a chance to add just a bit more too it (mainly I wanted it a bit wider). I had only knit two cable repeats, and I've already redone one (after about 6 starts to get it right), and I'm definitely happier with this pattern. So, I wouldn't say I've got my mojo back entirely...perhaps just my mo'?
When I get more done, I'll post some pictures. I realized that I don't post enough pictures of WIPs.
* Kid-Knitting-Interaction
However, that may be changing. I had an Unfortunate Knitting Incident, related to a KKI*. One of my older son's friends thought the scarf I was knitting would make an EXCELLENT flag, and gave it a vigorous wave. Excellent it was, right up to the moment where it flew off the needle (bamboo even!) and unraveled. It's a more complicated cable pattern and I had no idea how many rows raveled. I blame myself for leaving it out at all. My kids are pretty well trained at this point and know (for the most part) not to touch mommy's knitting, and it just wasn't on my radar. Ah well, it's certainly not the first thing I've had to redo, due to a KKI. I was pretty peeved, BUT it's actually turned out to be a good thing. I wasn't completely happy with the pattern, so I had a chance to add just a bit more too it (mainly I wanted it a bit wider). I had only knit two cable repeats, and I've already redone one (after about 6 starts to get it right), and I'm definitely happier with this pattern. So, I wouldn't say I've got my mojo back entirely...perhaps just my mo'?
When I get more done, I'll post some pictures. I realized that I don't post enough pictures of WIPs.
* Kid-Knitting-Interaction
Monday, September 03, 2007
No, I'm not sleeping.
My melatonin has failed me, so I'm still awake. Not a lot to report here. We had a lovely long weekend, but I just wasn't in the mood to knit. I've made some progress on the baby blanket since I just got hooked on Roswell. Since the blanket is simply garter stitch, I don't even really need to look at it to knit. I've also gotten the band done for the flat-top hat, but I need time and space to concentrate on knitting the triangles for the top, which I haven't really had.
I did get beach time and good family time this weekend, which is always a plus!
I know summer doesn't officially end for a couple more weeks, but somehow Labor Day always feels like the end of the summer to me. My older son starts his second year of preschool on Wednesday and turns four (FOUR!) on Friday. Big family weekend and party planned. I need to buckle down and keep working on my CBE stuff. I got somewhat reconnected to it over the summer, and I just need to finish typing up the answers so I can send Module 2 in. It's one that I'm finding not that interesting (mainly about prenatal testing stuff, which I'm not sure we'll even really cover in the class), so it's hard to motivate.
So, oh well, not much knitting going on. I did drop off another set of NICU hats, and that felt good. Socks are all in limbo. I want to swatch up the Lion Suede for my younger son's sweater so I can do the math for that. I've been digging around in my stash and finding yarns and thinking "Oh yeah! I had planned THIS project too!" I should get all that into Ravelry!
I did get beach time and good family time this weekend, which is always a plus!
I know summer doesn't officially end for a couple more weeks, but somehow Labor Day always feels like the end of the summer to me. My older son starts his second year of preschool on Wednesday and turns four (FOUR!) on Friday. Big family weekend and party planned. I need to buckle down and keep working on my CBE stuff. I got somewhat reconnected to it over the summer, and I just need to finish typing up the answers so I can send Module 2 in. It's one that I'm finding not that interesting (mainly about prenatal testing stuff, which I'm not sure we'll even really cover in the class), so it's hard to motivate.
So, oh well, not much knitting going on. I did drop off another set of NICU hats, and that felt good. Socks are all in limbo. I want to swatch up the Lion Suede for my younger son's sweater so I can do the math for that. I've been digging around in my stash and finding yarns and thinking "Oh yeah! I had planned THIS project too!" I should get all that into Ravelry!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Full of updatey goodness!
For some reason I am in a really great mood. It might have something to do with the fact that my kids are off with the babysitter. :)
I've gotten a ton done today, most of it not knitting. I cleaned a bunch. We had a nice play date and lunch with a friend. I remembered that I should give my son a birthday present and found the Right Thing at Target for much less than I had planned to spend. I cast-on a winter hat. Yes, I know, it's 84 degrees F out there, but whatever! It's the Artyarns Hat P51, in the Artyarns Supermerino, colorway 109. You know, while this yarn is so soft and lovely, I am realizing that I don't LOVE the way they variegate (is that a verb?) their yarns. They have sort of a main color and then some very small bits of other colors interspersed (like 2 stitches) and I think I prefer longer...what would the word be? Slower transitions? It's still very pretty, but I think once I knit up what I've got, I'll probably not use their yarns again. There are so many lovely yarns out there, anyway!
I also finished two NICU hats. One was just about done, it just needed two little leaves added. I can't find the yarn that goes with the hat, so now I've got an apple hat with the red body in Samoa, the brown stem in Sugar'n'Cream, and the green leaves in Tahki Cotton Classsic. Somehow I don't think the babies will care. :) I also started a little lemon hat on Sunday and finished it last night, also in Tahki Cotton. I just used standard Ann Norling Fruit Hat Pattern, from memory. This was knit on Knit Picks Options size 4, Magic Loop and is quite cute. I now have several hats to take into the unit (though I may just send them this time). I haven't taken anything in to them in months, so I'm glad to get back into it. I really appreciate the reminder of perspective this knitting gives me. I feel so grateful for my life, and how full and rich and just plain wonderful it is, most of the time. Most of our crap is little stuff, you know? It's good to remember that.
I've gotten a ton done today, most of it not knitting. I cleaned a bunch. We had a nice play date and lunch with a friend. I remembered that I should give my son a birthday present and found the Right Thing at Target for much less than I had planned to spend. I cast-on a winter hat. Yes, I know, it's 84 degrees F out there, but whatever! It's the Artyarns Hat P51, in the Artyarns Supermerino, colorway 109. You know, while this yarn is so soft and lovely, I am realizing that I don't LOVE the way they variegate (is that a verb?) their yarns. They have sort of a main color and then some very small bits of other colors interspersed (like 2 stitches) and I think I prefer longer...what would the word be? Slower transitions? It's still very pretty, but I think once I knit up what I've got, I'll probably not use their yarns again. There are so many lovely yarns out there, anyway!
I also finished two NICU hats. One was just about done, it just needed two little leaves added. I can't find the yarn that goes with the hat, so now I've got an apple hat with the red body in Samoa, the brown stem in Sugar'n'Cream, and the green leaves in Tahki Cotton Classsic. Somehow I don't think the babies will care. :) I also started a little lemon hat on Sunday and finished it last night, also in Tahki Cotton. I just used standard Ann Norling Fruit Hat Pattern, from memory. This was knit on Knit Picks Options size 4, Magic Loop and is quite cute. I now have several hats to take into the unit (though I may just send them this time). I haven't taken anything in to them in months, so I'm glad to get back into it. I really appreciate the reminder of perspective this knitting gives me. I feel so grateful for my life, and how full and rich and just plain wonderful it is, most of the time. Most of our crap is little stuff, you know? It's good to remember that.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Triple Argh.
I am feeling extremely frustrated, not just with knitting, though that's high on my list. Nothing BIG is wrong, just lots of little things going on. I just frogged the feather and fan sock I was doing. I hadn't gotten too far, but I accidentally pulled my needle out, dropped a ton of stitches and just couldn't recover. Recovery from these kinds of incidents is not something I'm great at and why I'd rank myself much more as an early-intermediate knitter. I was knitting the sock on 2.0 mm needles, and I don't love them. Also, the sock was going to be too small, I think, so I need to go up a size. I have to order some 2.25s from KnitPicks, because the HiyaHiya 2.25s I have are too annoying for Magic Loop. So that's one project down.
Then, I was working on the Boho Feather and Fan scarf last night and somehow put a HUGE pull in the back. This yarn is pretty but I am coming to hate it. It's so slippery that it pulls easily which makes me worry about whatever you make with it being too fragile to wear. I wasn't havin a good night last night anyway, and I almost pulled the whole thing out. I think I'm just going to snip it and knot it and live with the knot in the back, but still, it's frustrating. This yarn and I just Do Not Get Along.
In non-knitting life...we're going away for the weekend AGAIN, which I don't want to do. Well, I do want to see my SIL and I want the boys to be with their cousins, but I am tired of going away. We've been gone a lot this summer, and it's just tiring (and expensive).
Our lovely cat is sick and she doesn't like her new food so I'm worried she's losing even more weight. Which could be the food or it could be cancer. No way to know without putting her through expensive painful procedures, which we're not going to do. "Not knowing" is really hard for me.
I just feel sad and weepy today and knitting isn't helping, which is not usual.
Then, I was working on the Boho Feather and Fan scarf last night and somehow put a HUGE pull in the back. This yarn is pretty but I am coming to hate it. It's so slippery that it pulls easily which makes me worry about whatever you make with it being too fragile to wear. I wasn't havin a good night last night anyway, and I almost pulled the whole thing out. I think I'm just going to snip it and knot it and live with the knot in the back, but still, it's frustrating. This yarn and I just Do Not Get Along.
In non-knitting life...we're going away for the weekend AGAIN, which I don't want to do. Well, I do want to see my SIL and I want the boys to be with their cousins, but I am tired of going away. We've been gone a lot this summer, and it's just tiring (and expensive).
Our lovely cat is sick and she doesn't like her new food so I'm worried she's losing even more weight. Which could be the food or it could be cancer. No way to know without putting her through expensive painful procedures, which we're not going to do. "Not knowing" is really hard for me.
I just feel sad and weepy today and knitting isn't helping, which is not usual.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
And now with PICTURES!
I haven't posted any pictures in a long time, so here's a few things.
First, here's the doomed Feather and Fan Boho scarf. Isn't it pretty? Too bad it would be far, far too short. I think it'll look okay with one less repeat, right?
Next we have here the felted Booga Bag. Also, IMO, quite pretty! I took it out last night to ladies night at the Melting Pot in Framingham (Oh. My. God. Now THAT was an event!) It got some compliments!
And here are the Purple Felted Slippers of Doom. Not so doom-like now! They are very comfy and cushy, but the sole is waay slippery. I've got to figure out how to make it more grippy or I am going to break an ankle!
And here we have my boys!
First, here's the doomed Feather and Fan Boho scarf. Isn't it pretty? Too bad it would be far, far too short. I think it'll look okay with one less repeat, right?Next we have here the felted Booga Bag. Also, IMO, quite pretty! I took it out last night to ladies night at the Melting Pot in Framingham (Oh. My. God. Now THAT was an event!) It got some compliments!
And here are the Purple Felted Slippers of Doom. Not so doom-like now! They are very comfy and cushy, but the sole is waay slippery. I've got to figure out how to make it more grippy or I am going to break an ankle!
And here we have my boys!
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