Seaming sucks

I didn't realize it would take so long to seam sleeves. Because there's all these curves, diagonal lines, and matching rows to columns, I have to make sure I line up the pieces perfectly. Otherwise, it will look really crappy. My sweater should be done by now but I put off blocking & seaming the pieces in anticipation of the suckiness. The pieces got washed and blocked. I looked up instructions on what to do and then started to realize how annoying this could get.

The pattern for the Multiplicity sweater calls for a slip-stitch selvedge. I can't actually seam into the selvedge stitches because they're too big, so I have to make my seam one stitch into the fabric. At least those big slipped stitches make lining things up easier. Some people suggested using a three-needle bind-off for selvedge stitches like that, but I wasn't sure if that would turn out pretty, and that would mean picking up stitches. In the end, I used this blog post's guide to seaming sleeves. I used tiny little safety pins to pin the pieces together.

In the entire 2.5 hours of Tuesday's knitting night, I was able to seam the shoulders, match up one sleeve to the front/back pieces, and seam up half the armhole. I finished the rest of the armhole last night. I did rip back two times because I wanted to get it right. The sleeve edge does seem to be a little shorter than the sweater armhole allows for, but I was able to match it up evenly. Now it's time for the second sleeve...ugh. Once I finish it though, the rest of it will be smooth sailing because it will be matching up stitches one-to-one.

WIP Progress

I'm slowly but surely getting through all these piled up WIPs now that my pieces to my sweater are done.

Clementine Shawlette
- I decided not to graft in pattern and just do the kitchener grafting described in the instructions.
- The yarn relaxed a lot after washing, and the shawlette is longer than I expected. To wear it, I'm going to have to pull the ends up, causing the back to droop low, which isn't a bad thing.
- The ends still need to be woven in.

Monterey Socks
- I bound off the first pair of socks.
- The ends need to be woven in.
- I need to make the 2nd sock.

Marilinda Socks
- I started the 2nd sock.
- I need to finish the rest of the sock, from the cuff on down.

Rona Lace Shawl
- I have not worked on this much.
- Same, I still need to finish around 40 rows.

Multiplicity Sweater
- I finished the front, the back, and the 2 sleeves.
- It's been washed & blocked.
- I need to seam the pieces together, first the front piece to the back piece, up the sides and across the shoulders. Then, each of the sleeves need to be set in at the armholes.
- I need to buy buttons.
- After seaming, I need to knit up the cowl neck.

WIPs

Works in Progress

Clementine Shawl
- Both sides are done but the gauge for each side does not match. One side takes more pattern repeats to reach the same length as the other side.
- I may have to wash/block them both before deciding what to do.
- I have to figure out how to graft them together.

Monterey Socks
- First sock needs to be bound off.
- Second sock needs to be knit.
- I need to do some research first and figure out a better way to cast on/cast off in the middle of a row.

Marilinda Socks
- First sock is done and the ends need to be woven in.
- Second sock needs to be knit.

Rona Lace Shawl
- I need to finish the 45 or so rounds left.

Multiplicity Sweater
- I need to finish the 2 sleeves.
- The cowl portion needs to be knit.
- I need to find suitable buttons.
- I should also figure out if I have enough yarn left, and then order more if necessary.
- The pieces then need to be blocked and seamed (3-needle bind-off?).

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Christmas Presents

After the debacle that was last year's Christmas gifts, I don't know if I can bring myself to knit presents for everyone again for this year. Maybe I could do it if it were something quick but with all the stuff I've been working on, I can't figure out what that could be. If I don't knit or crochet something, then what should I give my cousins? I wish I could give chocolate, since I found a bunch of cool chocolate companies, but they're all boys who probably don't eat chocolate. I was thinking about cooking. Maybe not my chocolate truffles, but something like homemade toffee? Packaged up nicely?

Knitted Dissections

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5197504&section_id=5395372

These are awesome - knitted/felted dissected rats & frogs. These things earned a mention on the Pharyngula blog.

Lawrence wants a sweater?

Doh. I get so lazy and preoccupied with other things that I haven't updated this blog with pictures of my work in SUCH a long time...with Ravelry there, the prospect of having to upload pictures and update twice is not-so-appealing.

One thing this blog is good for is getting thoughts out of my head.

Yesterday night, Lawrence asked me to make a sweater for him! :D I was so surprised because he hates wearing sweaters, he doesn't like the look of knitted stitches, and prefers smooth, finely woven fabrics that are cut and tailored to a nice finished look. He specified that he still doesn't like cables, which unfortunately so many men's sweaters make use of. What he would like is argyle. I think that's because argyle is one of those traditional elements that has been utilized by the young, hip crowd - much like tartan plaids. So, wearing an argyle sweater, he can pass as suitably stuffy at his sales job AND pass as a yuppy punky hipster when we go out.

Perhaps I could try to add in some cool design elements to exaggerate the transformation. Or...maybe I've been watching too much Project Runway.

Like an Addict

At the time I wrote the previous post, I was probably over-reacting to things. We talked things over the next day because he didn't realize how upset he made me. I tried to step back and look at things from a different perspective, and I could see how many of my actions were a bit too overboard. I was also using my knitting as a crutch, or sometimes even an excuse to not participate in social situations. I can't truely say that knitting does not divide my attention until I become more sociable. Being able to knit without looking would help too (eye contact!!!).

So when I'm with others, I will refrain from knitting at restaurants while we're waiting for our food. I will try to engage in conversations. bleh :P

Torn

I'm feeling really torn right now. I feel like everyone in my life thinks I'm overly obsessed with knitting. Apparently it's all I think about, it's all I talk about, it's all I do. Lawrence feels that it has become a harmful addiction, like when I played World of Warcraft all the time - except this is even worse because I can bring my knitting with me anywhere.

I really don't want to become petulant and turn this into a wedge between us but I'm afraid my initial reaction is to do something rather pouty. He's often said that he supports my hobbies and he's happy that I have things that I'm interested in, but I don't know. I feel like it causes him too much trouble with too little for him to gain. For one thing, he doesn't wear knitted things so it's not like he's getting anything out of my knitting. When I'm knitting or on Ravelry, my attention is not fully focused on him, nor is it fully on activities with him. I don't go and sit with him to watch TV. I decline to play video games with him in order to knit or be on the computer. When I go out, I always bring my knitting with me and find ways to get a bit of knitting done. It takes up lots of closet space and random balls of yarn always find ways to place themselves all over the apartment. I feel like he also thinks that if I weren't so obsessed with knitting, I would "take care of myself" more and do things like exercise, style my hair, cook, etc.

He feels that I'm blinded by my feelings because I have a whole Ravelry community at my back, enabling me and telling me to ignore anyone who says anything negative about my knitting. It's like a cult, and being in the middle of it I can't see how harmfully deep into it I am. I can see his point, but I still feel that my crafting is important to me (is this what cultists and fundamentalists feel like when someone challenges their worldview?). I was trying to figure out why and I think it's a result of a natural progression. I grew up with the message drilled into me that I could do anything.

All throughout high school this felt true for the most part. Nothing was so difficult that I couldn't get through it. I started to see some cracks in my junior/senior year when I took classes outside my high school. I took an online Physics class through the John Hopkins program. I was bored out of my mind and could not stay awake through the video lectures - fail. I took a C++ class at the local community college and so much of it felt beyond me. The only reason I got through was because I had a friend who was willing to help me out on my projects. I took a 2nd semester Calculus class. Math was one subject I had always felt confident in because of all the work I had to put into it. I got a C- in that Calculus class. Come college, everything took work and time - things that I put off and ignored until I ended up almost failing out of school.

I found satisfaction in what felt like the few things I could still succeed in. I started crafting. First there was the physical crafting - origami, sewing, knitting, crochet, beading. Then I started playing World of Warcraft and through my boyfriend I was able to learn to be a good player and raid successfully in a great guild. After the guild splintered and my gaming stopped, I picked up the knitting and crochet again. This second time around I had Ravelry and a previously undiscovered online world of crafting. With so much knowledge at my fingertips, I could take on anything. My hobby would also result in tangible, utilitarian objects. This was something gaming would never have. I could be successful at a skill, AND I got a useful bonus prize at the end.

I feel like taking knitting out of my life would be like taking the potential for success out of my life. Watching TV and playing games is great and all, but I can't accomplish anything through those activities and I need to accomplish things with my life. I also don't want to give up doing what I want to do with my life and end up resenting Lawrence over it. I'm sure he doesn't want that either but I don't know how we can reach a compromise.

First Weaving project

I finally got a chance to start weaving last night. Yesterday I finished up the crochet hook holder and the baby blanket. I had my calculations ready for the warping and I was mentally ready to get started.

I sure am getting a lot of practice warping...The first 2 times I had to take apart my warp and rewind the yarn into balls because one of the pegs was loose and my tension was way too tight. I loosened up a bit for the 3rd try. When I was almost done with the first ball I counted the number of ends and I was already beyond my calculated number of ends. The problem is I had calculated that it would take me 1.5 balls of this yarn. I then proceeded to smack myself on the head. I used a different yarn initially to mark out my path. This yarn I cut to be roughly 2.33 yards, and then I proceeded to wrap for the entire circuit of the path. The thing is, each END is supposed to be 2.33 yards. My first 3 attempts at warping were actually producing ends that were roughly 1.16 yards long, half of what I needed. No wonder one ball was more than enough.

For my 4th attempt, I took a second ball, wound it on the ball winder, then joined it to the first ball (still sitting on the warping board) with a weaver's knot and finished winding the 2 into 1 ball. I will probably have to fine a better solution to join ends for warping, but a weaver's knot is tight and I don't think conventional knitting joins (spit slicing, Russian join) would hold up to the tension. I am now almost done warping, with 126 out of a needed 144 ends on the warping board.

Updates on a few things

Weaving~
The loom arrived this week, w00t! Lucky for me the weaving books I bought from the Interweave Hurt Books sale also arrived this week. There's a lot more planning and math that goes into weaving than I realized, but it's still doable. I made my calculations and decided on the yarn. If I have time tonight I'll try my hand at warping the loom. Too bad the video instructions that came with the loom were on a VHS tape! The newer versions come with a DVD. I decided on using my KnitPicks Palette yarn since it was cheap and I've got several bags of it. Even if the project goes blech, the yarn was only $2 a ball. It probably won't take as much yarn as I'm imagining. For 2.33 yards at a width of 15", I'm only going to need 336 yards for the warp, which is about 1.5 balls of the Palette.

I haven't decided on the yarn for the weft yet. I may continue to use the Palette. I may use a different color of Palette. I may switch it up a bit to mix the colors. That may not turn out very good as the only colors I have a red, blue, and green (garnet heather, marine heather, & verdant heather). Why can't I pick out more complimentary colors instead of one color at each extreme of the spectrum?? I may end up using some of the other yarns I have in my stash. I have a bunch of thin boucle & chenille that I bought of eBay several years ago. This could turn out to be a multi-part super-experiment. I plan to keep a detailed journal through Google Docs.

Rag Knitting
Fail fail fail. I tried doing what the book showed...snip a bit into the edge of the fabric and rip straight down. That did not work very well for the first strip as it ended up deforming the fabric because I had to pull too hard. I ended up cutting and that gave me tons and tons of frayed edges. There were lots of little fiber bits all over the place, sticking out of the edges of the fabric and all over the floor. I spent a lot of time cutting holes & knotting the strips together. It was okay to crochet with once I figured out I needed my giant crochet hook. I had just enough to finish the bag with, but I'm not so sure it's usable. There are just too many little bits of thread sticking out everywhere and it looks SO messy. This may go straight into the trash.

Fabric from Japan
So I ordered some fabric from an Etsy vendor in Japan because I knew Japanese fabrics come in all sorts of cute and I wanted something really cute for my crochet hook holder. They got here yesterday! The fabrics are totally awesome and cute. Two of them are a little thicker/coarser than I thought but they're still really cute. A thicker fabric may bulk up the crochet hook holder too much, but uh...good thing I made the ties extra long. :D Before warping the loom tonight I will probably finish up this project.

More Goodies from Japan
I bought some things from another Etsy vendor. I ordered several Hamanaka crochet hooks from her because they came in every size I need, they're double ended so you need fewer hooks, and they come with extra padding in the middle so they're easier on your hands. She also sells tawashi yarn and books, so I bought 1 book and 3 balls of acrylic anti-bacterial tawashi yarn. I also bought some cute little animal stickers and a set of pom pom makers!

Weaving & Rag Knitting

I did it! I bought a Kromski Loom! Someone just posted up one for sale over the weekend on Ravelry. It was a 24" one too. I got it for $180 which is quite a bit less than the ~$213 it would cost to order from Paradise Fibers (shipping included). I can't wait to get it & try it out!!

I found my old pajamas and I'm currently in the process of cutting it into strips for some rag knitting. :) There are patterns in one of the books my aunt got for me from Japan.

Weaving

I've been seriously considering taking up weaving. I looked into various non-floor looms and decided on the Kromski Harp 24" Rigid Heddle Loom. I was ready to buy it from someone on Ravelry, but she decided not to sell. That just means I get more time to consider this purchase (unless there's some special sale going on)! I did buy a few weaving books from the Interweave Press "Hurt Book Sale". Given that I feel my pros & cons are fairly balanced, I'm going to wait until I get those books before I decide whether or not I'll actually buy a rigid heddle loom.

Pros:

• new craft = fun new skill
  
• could quickly get rid of large amounts of stash yarn that would never be knit/crocheted
• weaving large pieces of fabric is potentially less time consuming than knitting/crocheting
  
• quicker creation of home decor items (not counting set up & finishing time)
• woven is flatter, Lawrence may like the look better than knit/crocheted things
  

Cons:

• learning curve - don't know how steep
• may not have time to practice weaving, may knit/crochet too much instead (like with spinning)
  
• warping sounds incredibly boring and time consuming
• loom takes up space, especially if getting a stand (closet too full)
  
• may not have enough table space for loom, so may need a stand
• may end up accumulating large quantities of coned yarn
• don't know much about yet, so could have over-expectations about ease/speed
• no classes nearby that I know of
  

The Ravelry Effect

...strikes me again. There's a thread about the previews for the new Fall 2008 Knitscene magazine. I normally probably would not even bother to check out preview pictures, but once you hear people raving about this pattern and that pattern, it's hard not to go take a look for yourself.

They've got some beautiful photography, with great attention to lighting and colors. I think that is one of the biggest problems I have with the non-Interweave magazines. A lot of the time they use the most hideous color combinations and no artistry in the lighting or poses whatsoever. Just a quick glance through the Knitscene photos, and I already want to buy the issue. Even if I look more closely and find that I only like some of the projects, I will probably still buy it anyway.

Finishing

Finishing takes an unexpectedly long time to get through. Since Lawrence was out last night, I stayed up till 1am finishing some projects. I starched my doily and set it to dry on some plastic wrap. I wove in the ends at the center of the Sahara sweater, where you seam up the neckline, and I let it soak in water. It's drying on a cut open trash bag on the ground (thankfully I have concrete floors). I still need to seam my 2nd Noro entrelac wrist warmer, weave in the ends to a pair of socks, soak/block and attach ribbons to my Butterfly Wrap (yeah, that one has been sitting around for a LONG time).

I was going to organize my yarn and dig out the stuff I'll never use...but that didn't happen. Finishing stuff took way too long. Well, then again I was chatting online. Heh. I considered getting a lap loom so I could use up those random yarns by weaving them together. It sounds like a quick & dirty way to get rid of large quantities of different colored & textured yarns. Then I can make things like pillows, placemats, etc.

GAHHHH

I'm on the last 2 rows of my Sahara sweater, and I ran out of yarn. I thought I had more skeins, but I couldn't find any in the box!!! In a fit of exasperation, I bought a skein from Lavendar & Peonies. The O-Wool Balance was on sale for $4.74 but shipping was $6.00. I was just thinking I may have enough in scraps that I can spit slice together for the last 2 rows...but I really don't know if I'll have enough!

Progress Update

Sahara - I'm about 3/4 of the way through the 2nd sleeve. I've finished the 2 stitch increases, and one of the 4 stitch increases. Three more sets of 4 stitch increases at 7 rows a set, plus 2 repeats of the diamond rib for the cuff, and I can finish it off! :D Last night, despite a dull headache and lack of sleep, I pushed my way through a quarter of the sleeve. If I concentrate on it tonight, I can probably get it done today. I don't know if that will be possible though, as Lawrence and I have to go to his parents' place for dinner...meaning no knitting for however long we're there.

Rona Lace Shawl - This is coming along slowly...mostly when I don't feel like working on the sweater. It's difficult doing the KB, so it goes very slowly even when I do work on it. I can't wait to see how it turns out but it may very well take until Christmas to finish the thing.

Leyburn Socks - I started these socks over the weekend. Given all the sock yarn I bought through other peoples' destashes on Ravelry, I wanted to actually start working on socks again. I decided to try out the Hill Country Alpaca (in Purple Mountain) because all the socks I've made so far have been with Cherry Tree Hill yarns. I really wanted to try the Leyburn socks to see how the lattice quilt stitch works up. I think it would work very well for a more brightly contrasting variegated yarn. It still looks nice in the Purple Mountain colorway (purple, blue, brown), and actually looks more formal than any pair of hand knitted socks I've ever seen. They're like business socks....for when it's business time. Hah, Flight of the Conchords reference there. They're songs are hilarious. :D

Entrelac Wristwarmers - The entrelac wristwarmers in the Japanese book I bought, "Nordic Knitting. Ten fabulous techniques," caught my eye the first time I saw them. It's a perfect project for a skein of Noro. I can try out both knitting entrelac and knitting with Noro while producing a useful and cool looking product, all at the same time. It works up really quickly, but I think I perhaps should have used size 7 needles or made the wristwarmers only 4 repeats wide instead of 5. They seem like they may be a little loose on my wrists when I expected them to be more snug. However, I do still have to wash/block them and seam them up. The entrelac is surprisingly fun and interesting to knit up. I think it's because the knitting is being modularized into small blocks at a time. You feel like you're flying through the knitting every time you finish a connecting row, and then every time you finish a block. The changing colors help too because you're not staring at the same uniform color the entire way.

Technique Note:
I ran into a problem with the diamond rib lace in Sahara. I've seen the same problem mentioned by other knitters. Lace patterns often have sections that call for knitting or purling several stitches together, creating a little bump of gathered stitches. This technique is used in creating "nupps" like those found on the Swallowtail Shawl. This troublesome stitch is compounded when the stitch calls for knitting or purling the stitches together through the back loop. So, after using a crochet hook and wondering at how anyone would have the patience to put up with the trouble, I tried to work out a better solution.

The idea basically follow the same strategy as a skp stitch, or s1, k1, psso. You slip 1 stitch, you knit the next, then you pass the slipped stitch over the stitch you just knit. It was like an epiphany when I realized that passing slipped stitches over accomplishes the same decrease as if you just knit the 2 stitches together, except you only ever need to stick your needle into 1 stitch at a time. The only thing you have to work out is the orientation of your stitches.

For the p3togtbl stitch, I basically looked at the orientation of my needles in relation to the yarn, and how the orientation of the yarn changes after the stitch. If you try to make a p3togtbl, you start off by trying to put your right needle into the back of the 3rd stitch on your left needle while both needles are pointing in the same direction. Assuming you were able to successfully make the stitch, what you would be doing is pulling up a loop of working yarn through 3 stitches, from the stitch closest to the tip of your left needle, left through 3 stitches. You would get the same result if you ptbl of the first stitch, then pulled the resulting stitch straight on through the next 2 stitches on your left needle. So, you ptbl - 2 stitches remain on the left needle while you have 1 worked stitch on the right needle. Slip the worked stitch back to the left needle without changing its orientation. Use your right needle to slip the 2 following stitches over the worked stitch. Slip that stitch back to your right needle without changing orientation.

This would also work if you slip the first 2 stitches to the right needle, then ptbl on the 3rd stitch of the left needle. This leaves all 3 of your stitches on the right needle. You then only need to pass each of those first 2 slipped stitches over your 3rd worked stitch. Instant, easy p3togtbl! :)

Sahara Sleeves Update

I've finished my left sleeve using increases to make it a bell sleeve. Starting at around the elbow, or roughly 18.5" from the under arm, I increased by (2, 2, 2, 2, 4, 4, 4, 4) stitches, every 7 rows. It looks rather nice, and not too big like I was afraid of. I was originally planning to do 6 stitches for the last 2 increases, but was already getting scared at how big it would be.

Sleeves take fricking forever! I'll be glad to finally get this sweater done, and in fact it actually will be my first real sweater! I was saying to people before that it was just a short-sleeved top. My boss said that because it's knitted, it was still a sweater, just a short-sleeved sweater. But, now that it's long-sleeved I can be comfortable either way. Even so, after this I am going to be so happy to do a top without sleeves. Maybe I'd actually be able to wear it NOW too! It is soooo hot in my office right now because the air conditioner is broken and I have no hair tie for my long hair. Uck.

So, as for the next project, I'm planning to make the Lelah Top, halter top version; Coachella once I get my Berocco Suede; and the Pink Sundae Camisole found in Sensual Knits. I may end up frogging the start of my Demeter, if I need those needles.

I also plan to start up a pair of socks (Leyburn socks) using some of the variegated sock yarn I bought. Ahh, there's also the socks from Cat Bordhi's book, which I am waiting for to arrive. I have a lace shawl on the needles (Rona Lace Shawl) that I'm still working on right now too. That one, I may leave as a long term project to be finished by Christmas for presents. As soon as I get some suitable yarn though, I do want to start up either Lyra or another Herbert Niebling lace pattern (maybe a smaller one that Lawrence would agree to use as a table runner).

Wow, there's a ton of patterns I want to start working on immediately! :) I'll post a list later.

Edit: I found the page where I saw the instructions for the halter top variation of the Lelah Top [here]. That was actually the exact project I saw on Ravelry that made me want to knit the Lelah Top! :)

Japanese Cat Zakka Knitting Book

I saw pictures of this book several months ago, and I've been looking for it since! It's out of print and the only sources seem to be directly from Japan. Amazingly, Lacis is carrying it! I definitely want to buy it, but it will cost at least $30 what with s/h and tax since Lacis is in California. I'm going to look up the patterns first to make sure I want it, but there is a good chance I'll be placing an order tonight. :)

Meanwhile...ever since I realized that there is an *active* ISO/Destash board on Ravelry, I've been lurking there, reading ever FS (For Sale) post and update! I seriously refresh the page every few minutes. I've already spent...$450...buying magazines, books, and yarns. I've also been buying elsewhere too....eBay, Mochimochi Land, Interweave Knits, Lacis, Amazon, StitchDiva, KnitPicks, and Kinokuniya.

Lucky for me, I've got a new weekend job as a receptionist. It pays surprisingly well at $15/hr for doing practically nothing. >_> I should be able to make back the money I spent on knitting the last 2 months by the end of July, assuming I don't buy any more. That prospect does not look good as only today I've spent $45, potentially becoming $75 tonight. The good news is that once the yarn starts arriving, I will be actively matching the yarn to prospective projects (which I have also been browsing through). I will also be digging through all my pre-existing stash to weed out all the stuff I want to get rid of. Some yarns I may be able to use after I think about it and come up with something (NOTE: consider for potential gifts, aka babies, birthdays, Christmas). Then perhaps I will be too preoccupied - by actually knitting - to buy more yarn.

Sahara Sleeves

I originally planned to make Sahara with short sleeves. Since I'm using a wool/cotton blend and it's summer now, I figured I could make a nice top to wear. However, when I mentioned that to Lawrence, he complained that a short sleeved sweater in a bulky yarn would look weird! Although the yarn is worsted, not bulky, I admit it is bulky comparatively to a fingering weight yarn. I started to doubt myself and thought maybe it wouldn't work so well as a short sleeved sweater...maybe I'm just blinded as a knitter and because I look at knitted garments so much I don't realize that a short sleeved knitted sweater would look weird...? But dang, I want to be done with this thing! With short sleeves, I would have been done by now! I also wasn't sure if I even had enough yarn left!

Well, I checked and I had besides the 1 ball attached, I still have 3 skeins left. Considering I bought 9 balls total, I used 5 and a bit for the body of the sweater. Three skeins should definitely be enough for just the sleeves. Even though the yarn has cotton in it, it's also still half wool. Perhaps it wouldn't be as cool to wear in the summer as I imagined. It is also kind of bulky. I mean, it's not a tight fit. I didn't make it with much negative ease, if any at all. There may be some in the bust once I sew up the neckline, but that's fine. I feel like I should do that first, before I finish the sleeves just so it will look nice when I show it off.

Bleh...sleeves take too long cause the circumference is too small. I've had to pull out 2 loops of my circulars (as if I were using 3 dpns). It gets twisted too, so I have to alternate directions when I rotate. Oh, and also for some reason I thought the long-sleeved version was designed with bell sleeves! The pattern calls for knitting even all the way down after the upper arm decreases. Maybe it's the lace at the wrists make it flare out a bit? I'm thinking of increasing a little bit. Perhaps when I get to that point, I'll put it on waste yarn and start the other sleeve instead. That way I can look at it as a whole and get a better idea of how it will look. Or maybe I just shouldn't bother trying to modify the pattern... :P

Knitting Night

Annette from our Rose City Knitters group messaged me through Ravelry the other day asking when if I'd be coming back to the weekly meetings soon...awww! :D I haven't been going since nearly the beginning of the year. At first it was because Lawrence's mom was living at our apartment and she has a thing against knitting - she thinks it's a waste of time, is hazardous to our health, and contributes to bad air quality in our apartment. She stayed with us for several months (as in, we couldn't get rid of her), and it was tough for me to ever get out of the house without being questioned over what I was doing.

Then, we moved to a new apartment last month and even though Lawrence's mom wasn't there anymore, every Tuesday it seemed like there was just something or other we got caught up in that made me miss knitting night - like unpacking, Bed Bath & Beyond shopping, and furniture shopping.

So finally, nothing this week and just as I was getting apprehensive about going (did they still meet? was there still anyone I knew who went? would they still even remember me?), Annette messaged me! I had a fun time and I look forward to going every week again. I met 2 people I hadn't seen there before, although we were missing several people who used to be there.

Some things I need to remember to bring next time: the Herbert Niebling patterns and my Japanese knitting/crochet books.

p3togtbl

P3tog tbl, p3tbl, p3 sts tog tbl, purl 3 together through back loop...however you say it, this can be one nasty stitch to make. Lucky me, the Diamond Rib pattern in Sahara uses this stitch. K3togtbl, which was used in the diamond rib at the bottom hem was at least doable by slipping, knitting, then passing the slipped stitch(es) over. It took me a while to figure out how to easily do the p3togtbl, which is the same stitch from the other side. It was difficult to find information, but I did see a post mention a crochet hook being used.

1) Crochet Hook - The method I used was to stick the crochet hook through the stitches so the hook ends up where the point of my knitting needle would have been had I tried to purl through the back loops. This is the same direction the left hand needle is pointing, which is pointing to the right. After many awkward tries at it, I came up with a fairly quick system. Slip the 3 stitches off the left needle since it'll be nearly impossible to get the hook through the loops while they're on the needle. Take your crochet hook, and stick the butt end left through the loops. You don't have to bring your hook hook-first from left to right, if you stick the non-hook end from right to left, your hook still ends up in the correct orientation. Now, as if you were crocheting, wrap the yarn around the hook and pull through the 3 loops. Now you've got your final stitch coming out of the left and your working yarn coming out of the right. Flip the hook with the stitch around, clockwise as seen from above and put the stitch on the right needle. Similarly, move your working yarn clockwise, bringing it to the back for the following knit stitches.

2) Passing Over - I just realized there is probably a way to do this by passing stitches over. I haven't tried it yet, but my attempt at visualizing this would suggest the following: purl 1 stitch through the back loop. Slip this stitch back onto the left needle without twisting. Slip the next 2 stitches over the purled stitch. Slip back to the right needle. That might do it.

Sahara Progress

There hasn't been a significant amount since my last post, but I'm just SO excited! :D It's my first top! I've started on the increases, but it will take just as long as the decreases (the circumference of the hip is made to be the same as the bust). I compared it with my waist, and I think the narrowest part *should* fall at my waist.

I am actually kind of torn over what to do about the bottom portion of the top. I could just follow the directions and trust in their measurements...or I could measure myself and modify the length and the rate of increases to try to get it to fall where I want. I can't wait to do the diamond lace edgings too! :D BTW, here's a link to the top:

Sahara

Fitted top

I set out to knit myself a fitted top a few months ago. I was all excited about it and looking forward to making something out of Sensual Knits. I even ordered a bajillion balls of the fingering weight yarn, Palette, from KnitPicks. I started on the Demeter Camisole. Considering that it was in a fingering weight yarn, the same weight used for socks...I actually got pretty far before getting sidetracked. I got through all the decreases and am now at the point where the increases start. However, the pattern doesn't include any additional bust shaping, besides just the typical increases/decreases, so I wanted to add bust darts. I've never done it before, and I have to calculate the stitches based on my measurements.

As a result, I got lazy and ignored it. It's currently sitting in a bag somewhere in the apartment. However, just last week I read a thread about Sahara, from Stitchdiva.com, discussing it as an easily customizable top that allows room for the bust. The neckline is actually a knitted border added on to the top, and at the bust the 2 sides are seamed together. You can seam it up as high as you're comfortable, or keep it low if you want. You can make it in a sleeveless, short-sleeved, or long-sleeved version. Plus, the neckline makes a plunging 'V' that looks very flattering. It uses a worsted weight yarn which makes it work up a lot more quickly than fingering weight. I'm using the O-Wool Balance I bought from Organic Imaginings. One week in and I am over halfway through. I am just about ready to join the piece in the round, which happens near the waistline. It is currently at about 14" long, 8.5" away from the final length of 22.5". After that, the bottom is shaped for a shirt-tail hem. The sleeve stitches are picked up and knit (I'm making the short-sleeved version). The diamond rib neckline stitches are also picked up and knit. Finally, the center of the neckline is seamed together.

I would post pictures but I need a bigger memory card for my camera. :(

Time for another Reorganization

I already went through and organized all my yarn by taking pictures and entering the data into my Ravelry stash. In the process I found a bunch of UFOs (un-finished objects) that I had forgotten about. I took the time to frog a few of them as well as work on some of them.

Frogged -
There was a crochet lace scarf from a Japanese pattern book that I was making out of Red Heart Symphony in Moss Green, a brushed acrylic yarn that looks like a very soft fuzzy mohair. That was a real pain to take apart because it was so easy to crochet through the fuzziness of the yarn.

I also frogged the bulky Clapotis, for which I used some Moda Dea Tweedle Dee in Cinnamon Twist. The pattern was made for a much thinner yarn and I didn't properly adjust the number of repeats for the bulky yarn. I also didn't remember where in the pattern I was because it had been so long since I last worked on it...so I just saved myself the trouble and frogged it.

Another item that got frogged was a pair of Endpaper Mitts. Well, actually it was only one of the mitts, but it was already half done. I decided I couldn't really live with the yellow yarn. It was too bright of a contrast with the red. I don't know if I'd ever make anything out of yellow yarn seeing as I don't look good in bright yellows. Maybe I'd use it for toys, but I don't really have any coordinating colors. I'm thinking of maybe over-dyeing it with some Kool-Aid.

In Progress -
I have an amigurumi elephant I never finished. I sewed the front legs on in the wrong place, so I never touched it. I was able to find the yarn ends and take the legs off, but I actually ended up unraveling part of a leg. I'll need to look at the instructions again before I re-sew it on. OH, and I just remembered another reason I never finished it. At the time I didn't have snap-on eyes. I thought I would just glue them on, so I sewed the head to the body. I'm going to have to take that apart to put eyes in.

I've still got an argyle golf club cozy to finish. There are wayyy too many ends on the thing. I kind of feel like frogging it and redoing it without the small lengths of yarn and just using the yarn while attached to the skeins. I could use the small frogged lengths on some sort of scrap blanket project.

Ela's scarf is still not done. By the time I finish it, he'll be back in Hawaii and will have no need for a scarf until next winter.

I started working on my Demeter Camisole again. I've just barely started the waist-to-bust increases, but this may go on hold because I want to put in bust shaping.

The Athenian scarf is waiting for me to feel in the mood for broomstick crochet again. I wish I didn't make it so wide.

The "My So-Called Scarf" made with Paton SWS needs more yarn. I don't know if I'll keep it in this scarf. It's a little too thick and spongy feeling. I was thinking about doing some felting with it. I have some SWS in a solid color that would match. I've also got 2 more balls in pinks/greens. Maybe that would make for some interesting contrasting stripes. My only problem with felting is that you have to knit a lot bigger than the actual size because it can shrink a lot!

On Hold -
The aran braid socks I'm working on using the KnitPicks Gossamer in Red Hat are currently on hold until I dig out another hank and wind it into a ball. I ran out of the first ball while working on the heel flap of the 2nd sock. That's pretty good for what amounts to about 220 yards of yarn. That means a pair of socks probably takes just a little bit more than 300 yards of fingering weight yarn.

The original aran braid socks I started several years ago will probably be frogged. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I don't have a plan for the sock I'll make with the self-striping yarn either.

I finished crocheting a pinwheel doily, but it needs to be starched and blocked.

The Butterfly Wrap needs to be washed & blocked before I can tie the ribbons.

I'm waiting on the purse handles before I finish up the Hawaiian Motif Purse. I also need to find a button to use for the closure, and some "purse bottom" material to keep the bottom stiff.

Socks made from Laceweight Yarn

My first purchase from KnitPicks was pure impulse. I read about a sale, and visited the website for the first time. Actually it was also my first yarn purchase from an online yarn store (not counting Ebay). I was taken back by how *cheap* the yarn was! Granted, it was all laceweight yarn I was looking at. Still...$2-$4 for a hank...I totally splurged and bought 4 hanks each of 4 yarns [details here]. I bought for of Shadow in Campfire, which is kind of a brownish, earthy orange. I used over half of one hank of it to make a lace scarf for my mom. I bought 8 hanks of Gossamer in 2 colorways. Sunrise is a variegated light blue with light pink. Sounds and looks nice until you try to figure out wth you're actually going to make with it. Top Hat is a variegated yarn in red, black, purple, and various shades between. It looks beautiful, but as a lacy item...I don't know. The Alpaca Cloud looks really thin and is very soft. It looks beautiful and I still haven't decided on a project I'm willing to use it up on. I got it in a moss green that is a nice soft, muted green color. Here are pictures of the Gossamer variegated yarns.

Sunrise:

Top Hat:

So, while looking at wool/silk blend yarns I can buy to make a sweater out of, I was considering the cost effectiveness of buying a laceweight and doubling it up to get a fingering weight yarn. Somehow I realized that socks are made with fingering weight yarn, and I have a bunch of laceweight in variegated colors that I don't know what to do with. Also, variegated yarns are perfect for socks in ways they could never be perfect for any other garments. Thus, I gave it a try and started on a pair of socks using the Gossamer laceweight in the Top Hat colorway. I also figured that by doubling the yarn I'd be able to prevent any nasty pooling.

I just finished the first sock last night, and the results turned out rather nice. They're soft and they feel sturdy. The colors do not exactly pool either. They ended up striping...but in various ways. It seems like each section of the sock ended up with a different striping pattern. I don't have a picture of the completed sock, but here's a picture I took while the sock was in progress. By the way, the pattern I used was the one I used for my first sock attempt, Aran Braid Socks for Teri.

In the picture, you can see the there is a striping thing going on in the leg of the sock. There's a sort red-black-red stripe pattern going on with bits of purple in between. In hte back and forth portion of the heel, the stripe turned to black-red-purple, repeated. The gusset, being many more stitches around than the leg, created a thinner stripe pattern with a line of black alternating between the red-purples. As the circumference decreases for the foot, the striping returns to something more similar to the leg, but not quite as regular. In the leg, there were long stretches where both strands would be the same color...either red or black. In the foot, somehow the colors got offset enough that the same colors did not overlap together.

Overall the effect is not bad. I like it. I don't expect to be able to duplicate the striping patterns on the second sock. This did not take all that much yarn either. I still have a bunch left from the first hank. Assuming the yardage is accurate, this took less than 220 yards. It will be interesting to see how far the rest of the hank will take me into the second sock.

Yarn purchasing

I admit, I just made a big purchase of yarn. I spent $100 at Organic Imaginings on some SWTC Pure, a 100% soysilk, and O~Wool Balance, an organic blend of 50% merino wool and 50% cotton fibers.

The store was offering a buy 2 get 1 free deal, along with a free t-shirt and free shipping on orders over $50.

LittleKnits is also having a sale on their Noro Kureyon at $4.68/ball or $42.50/bag of 10. I've been trying to decide all weekend whether or not to order a bag. I've really wanted to try knitting with it, since so many people rave about the beautiful colors. They're rather random and unpredictable. I don't typically like yarn in bright colors so I would typically avoid something like this. But, on LittleKnits, they have knitted up samples of the yarn. Based on those samples, I wouldn't mind getting some Noro Kureyon in colorways 150 & 172....but I can't decide which one. Also, I'd like to have an idea of what I would make with 1000 yards of a colorful stripy yarn. I may end up felting it.

Spring Cleaning

Lawrence and I are moving to a new apartment in the middle of May. This time we want to get everything packed well before moving day. I'm taking this opportunity to finally photograph and catalog all my yarns. I've got two giant trash bags full photographed, uploaded to Flickr, and entered into my Ravelry stash.

Learn from my Mistakes

1) Check for gauge. Even if it's not a garment. Even if it's a purse because you might end up with an over-large purse and not enough yarn.

2) Read the directions and know what materials you need (and bring them with you) if you're working on a project away from your supplies.

I was up to row 13 in the body part of the Hawaiian Motif purse. I decided to take compare the yardage & gauge of the Berkshire Bulky I'm using with the Karabella Aurora Bulky the pattern calls for. It turns out that I was getting 12.5 sts and 13 rows per 4" when the pattern gauge called for 17 sts and 19 rows per 4". That's a big difference, and would account for why I would have run out of yarn. My purse was turning out roughly 4" longer than it was supposed to, and to match the pattern purse's height, I would have had to stop at 23 rows for the body as opposed to the 35 rows called for in the pattern.

I decided to frog the whole thing and start over. For one, I'm using a hook size I when the pattern calls for a G. Maybe H would be doable, but an I hook is probably making the fabric too loose anyway. For another, even if I started adjusting the pattern for my gauge, I'd only be able to affect the height, and that would change the overall shape of the bag as well as probably still leave me short of yarn. Thus, it's rip rip I go! It makes me sad, but this is one of the things that knitting and crocheting teaches you. Sometimes you have to be able to distance yourself and start over for a better quality result.


I received my order of yarn from Knit Picks yesterday! I was so excited because then I could start all those cute tops from Sensual Knits. But then...I took forever trying to find my Addi ciriculars, the only circulars I have smaller than size 3. I have a regular Addi Turbo in size 0 and a Addi Turbo Lace in size 2. I tried the size 2 on a gauge swatch but it was coming out too big for the Pink Sundae Camisole. I tried the size 0 circulars and that ended up too tight. That means I need a size 1, which I do not have. So, I looked at the other patterns and decided to start on the Demeter Camisole, which took a looser gauge. It was already too late at night by then. This morning I wound the yarn for the camisole into a ball, grabbed my size 2 needles & the Sensual Knits book, and left for work. I take a look at the pattern and remember that it calls for a provisional cast-on. The only other yarn I have on me is my Berkshire Bulky. I have no other needles, just crochet hooks.

I guess I get to just sit on the train today.

Busy Weekend.

For such a busy weekend I actually got a bit of stuff done. Well, not "completed" done, but progress nonetheless. I finished up the first ball of Patons SWS for my "My So-Called Scarf". I finished a couple more rows on that Athenian Scarf. I even finished 3 rounds of my star shaped blanket! Sure, that doesn't sound like much, but each of those rounds get progressively bigger and the blanket feels pretty big already.

Here are some pictures of these projects. They aren't the most recent, but better than nothing. :P

"My So-Called Scarf" using Patons SWS


Athenian Scarf in Bernat Alpaca Natural


Star-Shaped Blanket in Lion Brand Homespun


AND, as a bonus, here's a picture of my first lace project (started last year), completed and blocked. I gave it to my mom when I went home over the weekend.

OhEmGee, it's HERE!

The yarn swift & ball winder I ordered off of eBay is here!!! :D

It's a Swedish, Glimakra yarn swift and a Japanese, Royal ball winder. I tried them out and they both work perfectly! This is now the perfect opportunity for me to organize my stash! I can convert all my hanks into cakes of yarn, and i can do that while playing WoW. :)

New projects out of old[ish] yarn

It's so sad that as a crafting/knitting/crocheting blog, I have a distinct lack of photos. I even have a digital camera now....what can I say? Call me lazy, I guess. :P

Anyway, as my star blanket reached critical mass and became too large/bulky to carry around with me in my [new] purse, I started thinking about how to use up the yarn in my stash. Actually, I started out by looking at the patterns in my Queue and thought about what I could make with the yarns already in my stash.

Athenian Scarf in broomstick lace

I've been wanting to make something in broomstick lace, and even if I couldn't start the Hourglass Jacket, there was an Athenian Scarf that looked very nice and basic. To figure out a yarn for this scarf, I thought about the qualities of the original scarf that I liked. What was it that drew me to the scarf?

• Bold stitch definition
• The way the broomstick part crosses
• Solid coloring

With this I could determine what yarns in my stash would be able to fulfill these qualities. I wouldn't use any of my laceweight yarn. I wouldn't use any variegated yarns either. I wouldn't use the fuzzy yarns. I also had to make sure I had enough to make a scarf with. In the end I decided to use my Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends in Peony (pink). I had 2 balls of this, in case I needed that much. Each ball is rather large to begin with, and the yarn is a bulky 2-ply. Although slightly fuzzy because the plies are loosely spun, it's got a very nice luster to it and has nice definition. The effect is slightly different from the original Athenian Scarf in which an 8-ply yarn was used (Debbie Bliss Cathay).

My only issue with the way it's turning out so far is that I would prefer the broomstick loop part to be a little more open. The holes seem a little too small right now, but I don't have a knitting needle large enough to achieve this. I may stop by Michael's today to pick one up. Alternatively, I could create my own "broomstick", loop holder thingy out of paper taped together to be stiff. I do have plenty of that lying around on my desk.

My So-Called Scarf, a slip-stitch pattern

I've wanted to create something that utilizes a slip-stitch based pattern. Slip-stitches show off variegated yarns beautifully, and they add texture and stitch definition while still looking refined. I could be pulling all of that out of my ass, but it sounds better than saying "slip-stitch purty!" It's actually a stitch pattern from a pattern book, repeated in scarf shape, but distributed by the people at the store, Imaginknit, in San Francisco. The pattern can now be found on their website at here.

Looking over everyone else's photos of this scarf on Ravelry, I came up with a few guidelines for myself regarding the yarn for this scarf.

• Single ply
• Shine factor (from silk, soy, bamboo, etc.)
• Multi-colored (striping or variegated)
  

I decided on using my Paton SWS. Since I only have 1 ball of Natural Crimson left, I may turn that into a skinnier scarf. People seemed to typically use 2-3 balls of Paton SWS for their scarves. I may use my Natural Pink with this pattern as well, alternating the rows to create a sort of mixed up striping pattern.

Foot Fetishists

There have been a few threads on Ravelry warning about the foot fetishists on Flickr who will favorite knitters' photos of their socks. Sometimes they will get invites to post their pictures to 'sock groups'. Apparently there is also an eBay market for used socks. I just did a search, and sure enough...they are all identified as "well worn" and come with plenty of pictures.

Hilarious to be sure, but what I wonder is how disturbed should I be? I mean, do these people just like to look at these pictures because they think they're pretty? Do they actually get off on this stuff, or is it merely a visual aid to stimulate their imagination? WTH do they do with used socks and hose?

Tightening purls

While working on the lace party scarf, I noticed after I switched to continental that my purled rows were looser than the knit rows. I didn't bother looking up and experimenting with various techniques so it's a good thing that today I saw a thread on Ravelry where someone else was having the same problem. Suggestions include using interchangeable circulars and using a smaller needle on the purl row; tightening the tension for the purl row; knitting backwards instead of purling; use combination knitting by wrapping the yarn the wrong way on purls and knitting into the back loop on knits.

Combination knitting sounds like it might get confusing in a complicated pattern...but then again...it probably wouldn't be that much more difficult. All you would have to do is look at the legs and make sure you always knit/purl into the front leg.

Knitting backwards is something I still want to learn to do proficiently.

Star Blanket

This is my first stashbusting project. I'm making the Chromium Star Blanket out of my various skeins of Lion Brand Homespun. It's crocheted so it's slightly annoying because the texture of the yarn makes it difficult to see stitches. This star is already turning out totally cute so I'm feeling good about how this is going to turn out. Plus, 3 out of 3 people I asked like this blanket over the other ones I was considering.

3/31/08 update: Here's a pic of my star blanket so far!! :D

Stash busting project ideas

I didn't want to make any clothing items because most of the yarn I have stashed is not so great for wearing. It's cheap big box store stuff, and I don't have enough of any one nicer yarn to make a garment. So, the alternative then is to make home decorative items. I don't know why but I've been feeling big on home decor lately. A while ago I bought the book, Simple Sewing (by Lotta Jansdotter) because I liked the simplistic, contemporary style of the designs and fabrics in it. Even if I don't specifically use the patterns, it's a good source of inspiration. I'm actually planning to make the wall hanging pocket organizer. However, that means I need to actually buy some cloth, so it won't really be conducive to reducing my stash.

While using the Ravelry pattern browser, I came up with a few good ideas for potential projects. The problem is that it needs to be something on the large side, but should not be in only 1-2 colors. First of all, because I probably don't have enough of any one color to make a large project with, second some of the yarns I have would not look good by themselves. For example, I have several skeins of Lion Brand Homespun in a solid forest green. I have a couple skeins in a heathered teal. I think there's more in a lighter heathered color too.

While the yarns in my stash come in many colors, I did not consider coordination when choosing colors. Thus, a lot of the yarns would not really go together well in many instances. Luckily, while looking at patterns I saw some creative color solutions.

In terms of project types, I looked mostly at blankets/afghans, rugs, & pillows. Quilt-inspired patterns seem to provide the best color combination solutions. Examples would be log cabin-style blankets, modern deco-style blankets, and various geometric pattern repetitions. Although I did not specifically find a plaid design I liked, I saw one that inspired me to use the Tartan Designer web tool to design my own plaid considering my color and yardage limitations. I would get a rough idea of how the resulting color combinations would look before I even cast on!

Busting through the Stash

Using up the yarn in my stash is something I need to do before I can seriously justify buying more things. I'm looking for ideas on Ravelry. I would do something like use extra large needles and knit a bulky blanket with multiple strands....but I think the end result would drive Lawrence batty. He'd toss it out before I'd get a chance to use it. I'm not sure I want to do a project where I'm not sure I'd have enough yarn...but that may be my only opportunity to create something worth keeping.

Nearly completed socks & Scarf (finally)

Last night I went out with Lawrence to a cafe where he and his cousins played cards together. While they played cards, I finished up my Zephyr socks, painstakingly undoing the plies and weaving each ply in separately. Thats 3 strands x 2 ends x 2 socks = 12 ends to weave in. At least....they're done! They do still need to be soaked & blocked for better photos, but that should be easy.

I was also able to do many more rows of the party lace scarf, my first attempt at lace. Then I figured it was long enough and I bound it off. It definitely needs to be blocked. I'm not sure whether to do it before or after blocking, but I was also going to thread some orange seed beads on orange sewing thread and weave it in. Then, I can save it for Christmas to give to my mom. >:)

Knitting Rewards as Incentives

I just read about the idea on Ravelry. You set a goal for yourself, and every time you get a step further to that goal, you reward yourself with some yarn. I think that's an awesome idea! I've got so many projects I want to start up, but I already have so much yarn. In the mean time I can bust what I have. Right now I'm trying to lose weight, so maybe at each milestone (10 lbs lost?) I can reward myself with enough yarn for a big project!

I started at 170 lbs....ugh. I am currently hovering around 166 lbs since starting the "Biggest Loser" contest at my work. When I reach 160 lbs. I can invest in a swift & winder system, be that an actual swift & winder or a K'Nex/TinkerToys set. At 150 lbs., I'll go all out and indulge myself in some nice yarn for a sweater. I don't know if I can bring myself to spend over $100 on one sweater, but it will be tempting. Oh, what the hell. What kind of reward would it be if I limit myself?? Some Tilli Tomas for the Silken Cowl Tank, or the Hourglass Jacket would be absolutely gorgeous. Since I've got so much stuff, I could make it also an alternative goal to sell it. Once I sell $100's worth, I'll let myself spend money on yarn for a sweater.

Queue

With so many things in my queue, so many different yarns I need to make these, and so many yarns already in my stash...I think I need to write up some software to match the 2 together. Lawrence was saying I should probably get rid of some of my yarn before I go out and buy a whole bunch more. He's right, I know. So much of the yarn I have was impulsively bought and there isn't enough of any one of them to do a large project. I need some stash busting ideas too. I think Ravelry has some groups where I can look for stash busting projects! Eh, that means I'll need to probably go buy another set of large knitting needles.

- Deep V Argyle Vest
- Endpaper Mitts
- Giselle
- Hourglass Jacket
- DNA model
- FSM plush
- WoW-themed, horde symbol? BElf swirls?
- Dahlia
- Celestine
- Rambling Rose Jacket
- Lace
-- Scheherazade
-- Hanami Stole
-- Heere be Dragone
- from Sensual Knits
-- Vixen Camisole
-- Demeter Camisole
-- Pink Sundae Camisole
-- Silken Cowl Tank
-- Lace Panel Twin Set
-- Sayuri Sweater
-- Transparency Sweater
-- Multicplicity Sweater
-- Silky Neglige

Hourglass Jacket

It's out! The Hourglass Jacket is a fitted jacket made using broomstick crochet, a crochet lace technique that uses a 'broomstick' (or super large knitting needle) and a crochet hook to make these cool looking open loops. I must add this to my 'to make' list. Maybe it can be a stash busting project.

http://www.stitchdiva.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SDS-044


(image from the StitchDiva website, it's not mine)

Reorganization

It feels like it's time again to get organized!

Budget:
- Yarn swift
- Ball winder
- Kitchen scale
- Yarn for new projects (sweaters)
- Books: Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters
- Hairpin crochet lace tools
- giant needles (for large-sized knitting & broomstick crochet)
- floor mats for blocking
- giant hooks (for large-sized crocheting of blankets)

Tools:
- Categorize stash yarns
- Organize tools
- Make a needle holder pouch
- Add yarn photos on Ravelry
- Update needle information on Ravelry

Projects:
- Scarf/belt holder (crochet with yarn around brass rings)
- Blue bunny slippers for Cameron
- Hemlock Ring blanket (finish putting in life line and rip back to fix mistake, finish more rounds, and then bind off)
- Frog & re-knit Vogon socks
- Finish 2nd Zephyr sock
- Finish bulky Clapotis
- Finish 1 Womb
- Finish Ela's scarf

Future:
- Sayuri Sweater
- Deep V Argyle Vest
- Endpaper Mitts
- Pink Sundae Camisole
- DNA model
- FSM plush
- WoW-themed, horde symbol? BElf swirls?

Broomstick Lace (Crochet)

I've been wanting to try this technique. There are some awesome patterns and instructions on the Stitch Diva website including a new pattern for a great looking broomstick lace top that's coming out soon.

Hemlock Ring Blanket progress

After going through 3 (4?) balls of Nashua Creative Focus Worsted, I was ready to bind off. Unfortunately I didn't have enough yarn left at the end of the last repeat...I only got to bind off 1/8 of the way around. The blanket was then put on hold as I needed to obtain another ball of the yarn. I finally had the chance to go to Unwind in Burbank and I bought the yarn (along with the Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome and the latest Interweave Knits).

I spit-spliced the yarn ends together (wow that stuff works). However, part of the way through the round, my count was off. The feather and fan pattern that is the outside of the doily pattern is basically a single round of YOs, K2togs, and SSKs followed by 4 rounds of straight knitting. I match the increases and decreases with the previous round of increases/decreases. That is, the point at which the left-leaning & right-leaning decreases meet should line up for every round of increases/decreases for the pattern to come out radially symmetrical. So, looking more closely, I noticed I made a mistake several rounds down in the last round of increases/decreases.

I haven't hashed out what needs to be done to fix the mistake, so I have yet again put the blanket on hold while I have easier, quicker, more portable projects to finish (socks). However, I may actually pick it up again this weekend. On the Zephy socks I made a mistake that I did not find until several rounds after the fact. It involved a YO, and I was able to drop the stitches and knit it back up (not even with a crochet hook) and I fixed it no problem. Given that the Zephyr socks contain many rounds of moving YOs and decreases, the blanket should be cake, right? :D

Socks!

I've been on a sock knitting binge ever since that first pair of Hedera socks. I can totally understand the craze over sock knitting now.

• You can't stop at just one pair of socks, you've got to have several pairs of socks (with the ultimately goal of course of replacing all your mass-produced socks)
• Sock yarns come in SO many different beautiful colors and patterns. You've got plain solids, semi-solids, gradiented (slow color changes), variegated (jumbled colors), self-striping, self-patterning, brights, darks, contrasting colors, harmonizing colors.
• They're small and portable from start to finish. Even with 2 socks at once, it's a perfect project to carry everywhere. I even worked on them while walking.
• So many variations in techniques. You can do them on double-pointed needles, 2 circular needles, or 1 long circular (Magic Loop). You can do them one at a time, 2 at a time side-by-side, or 2 at a time one-inside-the -other. You can knit them from the cuff down or from the toe up. There's various techniques for shaping the toes, the heel, the gusset.
• They can also incorporate various other knitting techniques like lace, cables, entrelac, & colorwork.
• You can shape them to fit your feet, and once you've done enough you should be familiar with how to size them for your feet. They knit up much faster than a sweater too, so there's not so much to lose by experimenting.

These are the Hedera socks made with Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. They may be a tad tight on my feet because they were knit on size 0 circulars. These socks were knit from the cuff down, and ended up being a good size for my feet. I was afraid of not having enough yarn so I made the leg short than the pattern called for. I ended up having a bunch of yarn left over.

These next socks are 'Vog On socks. These were made with Cherry Tree Hill Supersock DK on size 2 needles. The pattern came with instructions for both cuff down and toe up versions, so I went ahead and did the toe up version. I also did these 2 at a time on one circular. Unfortunately, these ended up being too big for my feet! Since I worked on these at work and while walking, by the time I realized they were too big, I was already done with the heel and did not want to bother frogging back. There's probably a good inch in the length of the foot that could be taken off for it to properly fit my foot. They fit Lawrence's size 11 feet perfectly. Too bad wool irritates his skin.

This next photo is of the Zephyr Socks that I'm working on. This is using Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome on size 2 circulars. I'm doing it only 1 sock at a time and it's cuff down, as you can tell by the picture. Sockittome has nylon in it, unlike the Supersock which is 100% merino wool. I can already tell that I should have used a stretchier cast-on. Instead of 4 pattern repeats for the leg portion, I only made 3 repeats so the top of the sock doesn't have to ride too far up my thick calves.


I think most people block their socks, but I haven't bothered for any of mine. I don't want to spend to much on sock blockers so I'll probably look up a way to make my own. I remember seeing instructions on how to bend wire hangers into the right shape. These socks feel rather loose, but maybe having nylon fiber will help keep them more durable. We shall see. Other things on my to-get list include wool wash so I can properly wash these socks and sandals so I can wear these socks at home without worrying about wearing holes in them.

Hat Attack starts!

Aaaand, the pattern is out, let the madness begin! :D

Hat Attack starts tomorrow!

Between 9am-10am EST Saturday morning, the pattern for Hat Attack will be released! It's a game based on Sock Wars, which itself was based on the popular Assassin game.

Once the pattern is revealed, hundreds of knitters will start knitting a hat to mail to their assigned targets. You finish the hat and mail it to your target as quickly as you can. Once you kill them, they send you the hat they were working on so you can assassinate their target. On and on it goes until either you get killed by a hat someone knit for you, or you are the last one standing. >:]

They've released the yarn & gauge used for the designed hat. I still need to swatch the yarn I want to use to try to get gauge. Someone had the good idea of casting on at least 60 stitches to avoid that painful first step. Hm, but what if it's knit from the center out? I don't know if hats are usually knit one way or the other as I've never knitted any before. The pattern will have cables, and there's a multi-colored option. I have a nice pink yarn to match the Patons SWS in Natural Crimson, in case I'm feeling adventurous. Then again, cables...are not exactly my forte in terms of speed. Some people can do them without a cable needle, but I feel like my stitches are never stretchy enough for that. Even with a cable needle, it gets pretty tight. I'm pretty sure that if I tried to just leave the stitches loose while cabling, I'll have a mess of dropped stitches.

project hearts

There was a thread on Ravelry about feeling sad when one of the little hearts next to the projects (signifying someone marked your project as a "favorite") disappeared. I was really happy when I got my first heart, and I just checked today to see that I had several more on several different projects! That gives me the warm fuzzies inside, especially seeing that they're all from different people, heeheeeee. :D

Starting over: Socks; Starting anew: Purses

In my first knitting phase, about 2 years ago, I started knitting socks on DPNs. I don't have the label for the ball of yarn I was using but I think it might be Regia. It was a busy pattern, with criss-crossing cables on all sides. I only finished about 4" of the leg and it was left in a bag, unfinished. After making those big bulky socks for my grandpa, and actually knitting a heel & gusset, I felt more confident in tackling the techniques on "real" socks in fingering/sock weight yarn.

Skip now to last weekend, when I went over to my aunt's house. I brought her the cat sweater I finished and she absolutely adored it. We took the cat and attempted to put the sweater on. I actually thought it wasn't going to happen, but the cat didn't really seem to mind too much. The only thing was when she tried to walk, her legs pulled up inside the sleeves and she tripped and rolled over on the ground, hahaha. It was really funny to watch but we took the sweater off of her after seeing that. In being afraid of making the sweater too tight, I ended up making it way too loose in the body, and also too long and loose in the sleeves.

So my aunt had been toying with the idea of learning to knit since the first time we went to visit her LYS. That night, I suggested it again and she said she would totally want to make a purse. She doesn't wear scarves and she finds yarns too scratchy for her skin, but would so totally use a cute purse! I took her on Ravelry and started showing her project photos. She ended up really liking the purses from Noni Design's Spring 2007 collection. Unfortunately the yarn store didn't carry any of the patterns, and we didn't want to wait for the pattern. Instead, we found another purse, the Hawaiian Motif Crochet Handbag found on Nexstitch.com. The next step is now finding the yarn. Each bag needs 5 skeins of Karabella Aurora Bulky, which costs $7.50-$8.50/skein. Plus, it needs a ball each of 3 other colors of Karabella Aurora 8. That adds up to a lot for 2 purses. I asked on Ravelry for a bunch of suggestions, but some of the alternatives cost just as much. Either I go with the original suggested yarn or substitute something from KnitPicks, which will cost half as much.

At the LYS, although we didn't find the pattern we wanted, I ended up buying some sock yarn from Cherry Tree Hill! I've seen that brand on the forums and figured I'd give it a try. I got a skein of fingering weight and a skein of DK weight. I also bought a set of Addi Turbo size 1 circular needles and decided very suddenly to make Cookie A.'s Hedera, found on Knitty.

I've got a cameraaa!

Lawrence got me a Canon PowerShot digital camera for Christmas! :D Yay! I can now take pictures of my projects without having to go to him for his Nikon! I still have a problem...the default memory card that comes with the camera is way too small. It only fits like...8 pictures.

I've ignored my blog for the past month because of the holiday season. It's nice to not be in so much of a rush anymore, and even though so many people say that they learned to not craft Christmas gifts....I guess it takes living through the hell to really learn the lesson. I stayed up (almost) all night and worked all day to finish gifts. Even then, I have some that I haven't completely finished:

• 1 baby duck and a mommy duck (lily's sugar'n cream)
  
• crochet striped scarf (vanna's choice)
  
• bunny slippers (bernat cashmere/moda dea dream)
  
• argyle golf cozy (red heart)
• scarf for philip

I admit I've been putting off some of these. The ducks because I don't like sewing pieces together. The crochet striped scarf because I've actually already finished it (I had to give it away for the Christmas gift exchange and I now need to make a replacement). The bunny slippers because I need more Moda Dea Dream yarn. The golf cozy because I used too many loose pieces of yarn and I'm going to have a hell of a time weaving the ends in. Philip's scarf because it's a scarf and scarves are evil and long and can get really boring.

I also have a bunch of projects that are not gifts, but are still works in progress:

• hemlock ring blanket
• clapotis
• amigurumi elephant
• womb
• lace party scarf
• butterfly wrap

The hemlock ring blanket is getting closer to completion. I am on round 93 (out of 121) and there are 440 stitches per round (600 by the 121st round). The clapotis I'm still not sure how long to make it. I'm not sure if I have enough of the yarn either. I'll get around to it again I'm sure. The amigurumi elephant I've been avoiding because the head & body are already sewn together and I will need to take them apart to get the safety eyes in the head. Or, I could just hot glue them while sticking them in. Even then, I probably have to take apart the legs because I put them in the wrong position. The womb just needs the pipe cleaners and stuffing. The lace party scarf is getting near the ideal length...maybe another 6-12 inches. The butterfly wrap still needs to be blocked and needs the ribbons to be properly tied. I also need to find some occasion to actually wear it.

Lawrence said he wouldn't mind giving me $200 for me to buy yarn. I don't remember the context that caused him to say it and I hope he means he would give me $200 to buy $200-worth of yarn if I wanted to. Actually I'm thinking I should buy a swift & ball winder.