Perserverance

Well. Having a yarn in the stash for 2 years before getting a FO is not uncommon. Nor is working on a project for 2 years before getting a result you like. Right? It might seem a little crazy to non-knitters to struggle to find 'the perfect' design, to work hard at versions that only get ripped out, but you knitters understand, right?
Two years ago, after my breast reduction, a local knitterly friend dropped by with a ball of beautiful Socks That Rock lightweight, already wound up ready to knit. For awhile I let it brew and steep, usually on my desk where I could admire it frequently. STR (at that time) was not easy to get in Ontario, and I'm not a big internet yarn buyer. My attempts at perfect socks with other high end sock yarns did not turn out as desired. So, I was cautious. I spent hours looking at patterns. Finally, the day came when I dropped a tin of apple juice on my toe and headed for the ER. I printed up a pattern, grabbed the yarn, and went off.
The pattern I picked was "Drunken Bees". It took me only a couple rows to realize it was not right with this yarn, and I did eventually knit it as the olive Kroy socks I posted here and on Ravelry. I ripped out the few patterned rows and kept knitting in the ribbing, as I was still at the ER. I was enjoying the yarn, the easy pattern, and the way the yarn striped diagonally.

Until. It changed. Suddenly there were vertical pools of colour. I kept knitting, hoping that the change was only temporary. These pictures are of one sock, 'front' and 'back'.

You can see how each colour area is actually made up of one row stripes of two colours. I liked the two shades of blue/turquoise, and the blue/fuchsia, but the yellow/lavender wasn't doing it for me.

RIP!

I had an idea to try entrelac this time, and started off based on those cover socks from Interweave Knits a few years ago. Gauge was a bit of an issue, but I didn't want to alter the pattern too much. Getting the heel in the right spot was a bit of an issue. I started changing needle size as I felt I had started off too small and tight. The 'pooling' was really neat at the beginning, but then suddenly changed. I kept going for awhile, hoping it would change. But coupled with all the other issues (I hadn't kept track of the needle changes, size wasn't perfect, they felt too lumpy and not stretchy), I gave up again.

I felt a little defeated. I'd knit a whole leg, ripped it, knit a whole foot, ripped it. There definitely seemed to be something funky with the dye job that changed how the colours patterned partway through the skein.

But, I wasn't giving up. This time, after learning two at once on one circular needle, I started toe up; both on one needle. I just knit plain. And loved it. I did a few increases on the top of the foot--and both socks were the same now, LOL. Then it came heel time. I don't really like short row heels, but I thought the adding the extra sts to the top of the foot would help. But I suddenly changed my mind and thought I should try one of the toe up, heel flap style heels out there; many found on www.wendyknits.net. I picked the slipped stitch heel because it was most similar to the top down heel flap I do, and the stitch numbers matched mine. I worked the heel on both, then started up the leg. I had tried it on right after the heel, but it's hard to tell exactly how it'll fit. After a bit more, I realized the heel was clearly too big, so I ripped them both back again. This was at Easter. Or was it March Break? I was at my parents....let's split the difference and call it end of March, LOL.

Because of the type of heel, and adding gusset increases, the colour patterning does change. The socks had looked totally different than what I had been knitting the other two times!

I switched from the slipped sts of the heel to ribbing those sts to go up the back of the leg for some interest.

And again, the yarn suddenly changed!! You can see on my calves where it goes from little stripes to an arrow shape. Oh well! LOL.
To blend the back ribbing in with having ribbing all the way around, I gradually shifted the ribbing over two sts on each edge. I did it like doing a two stitch cable--without a cable needle. I had envisioned the whole ribbing becoming angled, for some reason, but that didn't happen; it just moved over on an angle. I did increase needle size as I went up the leg instead of increasing sts, but the colour changes happened before that anyway. I don't know if you can click to make the picture bigger? You can certainly see the colour change on the legs! Oh well.

The feet are still a little long, and I do have some ankle wrinkles, but I'm not changing anything now. They are warm, and cosy and soft and squishy. They've actually been done for a month or so. The feet look so different than the other two attempts! I love them!

I think next time I try toe up, I will start with the full foot sts as a provisional cast on. Then, after doing the heel and some of the leg, I will go back, and knit the toe downwards, for a perfect fit. Then go back and finish the leg to use up all the yarn. With these socks, I had just a little butterfly of yarn left; hopefully I won't have to use it to darn, but I'll keep it just it case.

Thank you again, Cindy, for the great yarn, and the great memories of trying to get the perfect socks. When I wear them, I think of you, the surgery, the apple juice, the second cruise (worked a little bit but I didn't have the right page of the pattern with me), time at my parents...and that it IS okay to change your mind, and that it IS okay if you still don't get exactly what you expected, LOL. If you're not happy with a project, rip it out and try again! I'm glad I did!!

Blankies!

I wanted to post about a new pair of socks that have been two years in the making, and continue the theme of perseverance and unpredictability of variegated yarns. But I don't have the pictures ready, so I'll show some blankies I've done recently on the LK150.

Way back last summer, when I took my LK150 out to the garage, I made one blanket that went well, so I tried another. I wanted a different tuck pattern and tried a few swatches/dishcloths. I picked something that I thought would be fairly easy. Well, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Then I had an issue with it falling off the machine, and something funky with the pattern. I tossed it in the 'finish up' box and ignored it for awhile. Finally, I decided it would be a quick project to either finish up, or rip out. It turns out the funky section wasn't a tension issue, but I had done something to the tuck pattern that would NOT come out with blocking, LOL. So I ripped it out, and went back to simple.

Every other needle, switch needles every row. Four rows blue, 2 rows white, as I had twice as much blue. Such a fast knit, even though you have to manually re-set the needles on each row (as opposed to the first blanket that had a plain row after each tuck row and the carriage would automatically reset the needles). I wonder what it would look like if you add a plain row too? This one lays flat, looks like rib on the knit side, and honeycomb on the backside. It's great for dishcloths as you don't need an edge; same for boy blankets.

The colours really blend on both sides; it's hard to see the striping. It's Bernat Co-ordinates. They say Sportweight, but compared to the other sportweights, this is more a light worsted. Plus, it's a crinkly, slubby yarn with a shiny binder thread.

This is another one I did a while ago, before re-doing the blue one, using Bernat Baby Soft (I think, again a sportweight) in "His Jeans" (again, I think, LOL). I'm not keen on purple (esp. light purple) in baby boy's items (I guess because I like purple, I don't think baby boys should use it, LOL).

Above, you can see the honey comb patterning on the purl side (the picture is sideways I think). It's great to blend colours.

Below, you can see how it looks like ribbing. Bernat yarns, as I've mentioned before, can do some odd things. Even with the tuck stitch (which is really just a slipped stitch, but you catch the float on the next row instead of leaving it like with slip stitches), it still created fairly pronounced stripes.

And a bit of patterning, but still random enough to not bother me, LOL.

This is a great way to use up baby yarns, but it does take a surprising amount. Basically, because each stitch is getting knit every other row, you need twice (?) as many rows to get it the length you want. But it's worth it to not have to put an edging on, which would eat up yarn anyway. For anyone that wants to knit baby blankets to donate, I highly recommend getting a mid-gauge or bulky

You Know....

....your dishcloths are too fancy when your family assumes the swatch on the counter drying is another dishcloth. LOL.

The Power of Numbers

Thanks for the compliments on the February Lady Sweater. Like other knitters, I sometimes get "PPLD".....Post Project Let Down Syndrome. You pour so much into a project, and then it's done. And gone. Truthfully, it's not a 'bad' syndrome, but it can take some time to recover from. I've been working on little things, things on the knitting machine, even a bit of crochet. Not much is interesting. But I'll continue to plod on.

I have posted in the past about how Bernat/Patons yarns can create some interesting patterning with their variegated yarns. I ran into this again this spring. On the Wool Soaker group I'm in, someone was looking for a baby earflap hat. Someone posted a link to one other member's website, and a really cute hat called "Elvish". I decided to 'whip one up' with some odd ball acrylic worsted from the oddball drawer. I'm not keen on acrylic for hats, but it doesn't bother some. I used Patons "Canadiana" in I Don't Know But Might be Equivalent to "Pampered Pastels". LOL. I'd search for the label, but I"m sure you probably don't care too much. I cast on for the toddler size, and got started. It didn't take too long until I realized something terribly funky was going on with the yarn. But I kept going. And going. Eventually, nearing the end, I realized that it was too funky, even for me. Rip.

I didn't think changing the needle size would have much effect, and the needle size had been quite fine already. So, I dropped down to the infant size, (it was either 6 or 12st less) and started again. I got sidetracked by the beautiful stripes and kept going a little bit too long, LOL. But here you have it. If at first your variegated yarn gives you pools, keep trying until you get rivers. I whipped up some i-cord ties on the knitting machine which took about an hour, and tied them to the ear points, which took about 2 weeks. I wish I had a baby head to model it on, but that's not happening. I posted this on Ravelry too; I'm TracyKM there, if you couldn't guess.

The next time I post, I will give another example of perseverance when colourful yarn gives you something icky. Although, one person's ick is another person's yum!

Introducing....

....February Lady Sweater!


This sweater is over twenty years in the making.
Back in February 2008, we were visiting my parents for the very first "Family Day" (new Statutory holiday in Canada), which happened to fall on the weekend nearest my mother's birthday. While there, she was clearing through stuff that has been hanging around way too long. She came across a lace sweater her sister had knit for her, maybe 25 years ago. She really liked the lace, and she liked the colour, but the style was a bit dated, and it was a bit too small. I immediately grabbed it and started unravelling before we even left for home.I did think to snap a photo of the original lace pattern!
I wanted to do a top down cardigan, with lace. That's all I knew. I started off with 'designing' my own, but I wasn't keen on how it was turning out after a few tries. I then bought a Chicknits pattern, but when it came, found out it's not top down.
And then, in early June 2008, the February Lady Sweater . Instantly I knew it was the right choice. I cast on and got going. The gauge seemed a little stiff, so I went up a needle size, and as I went down the body, I increased needle size a few more times. I left the bottom on spare yarn, and worked the sleeves, then went back to the body. But I just wasn't sure about the fit.
At Thanksgiving (October) I had her try it on with her eyes closed. Yeah, I wasn't happy with the amount of ease. It needed more ease, and more length, and there was not more yarn. She peeked when she took it off and said "Oh, I love the colour, and the lace". Umm, yeah, I didn't change the colour :)
I immediately got shopping for some charcoaly-heathery yarn and found Bernat Wool Blends at Wal-Mart. Snatched up a couple balls and packed the project to get working on it on the flight down for the cruise. Well, I won't go back into detail about that fiasco. Look back to December or November if you really need to read it.
It was going well, but something caused it to go to time-out in December/January. Don't even remember what exactly.
I picked it up in earnest again, hoping to finish it for her birthday, however, Family Day was earlier this year, and left me shortchanged a week. Well, a week wouldn't have been enough anyway, LOL. She did try it on again, and I decided to rip the yoke back, or something, don't remember the issue (see, this is why I didn't blog about it right away. Didn't want to bore you with too much negativity!).


I thought I'd be smart when it came time to pick up the button bands. I measured the gauge of the garter stitch yoke, measured the length of the buttonband, and figured out how many sts to pick up. Of course, I couldn't remember what size needle I had used for the button band. I picked up the sts, but got two extras, I figured that was close enough. It looked good until the last couple rows and I noticed it was rippling. I left it, and started the other side, trying to pick up fewer sts. I couldn't do it, LOL. So I went down a needle size, finished that side. It was okay. So I redid the first side. Made "Better Buttonholes" a slightly more detailed way to make a buttonhole, but it looked great. Not sure off hand which website had the instructions, but I think they are also in Maggie Righetti's "Knitting in Plain English".

Just about done, in the above picture. Just needed the buttons, which we had picked out from Mom's button jar. I remember them from when I was little. I wasn't happy with the increases for the yoke, so after about an inch, I changed how I did them, and I thought it puckered out a little around the armhole.

I've written before that knitters are headless; well, so are their mommies :)

It looks better on her than on me! The striping on the yoke went right across my bust and wasn't too flattering on me. Despite what the picture shows, I am certain the buttons are evenly spaced. I made the sleeves that length on purpose. I ended up with about a golf ball size of yarn (loosely wound), but I didn't want the sleeves to fall in that strange spot where they look like either your arms are too long or you ran out of yarn and tried to make 'bracelet' length sleeves, LOL.

I'm so glad to have this finished, and gave it to her for Easter. There were SO many crazy issues with what should have been a quick, easy knit. But in the end, it worked out, and she loves it. I hadn't made my mom anything in a long time, so this was nice--knit a current pattern but with yarn recycled from a favourite sweater from my favourite aunt.

A Picture!

These pictures are for "Wise Hilda" who is going to swap me some Kroy 3 ply sock yarn. If there's anyone else out there still reading this blog, yup, another day you can skip me by.

The green in the top and bottom rows are the same shade (309) but different dye lots. I can't believe how dark these photos look on Blogger.

The large amount of blue yarn below, is shade 396; a marled shade. The beige to it's left is 391.In the bottom row above is 390 (light taupe), 335 (olive), 386 (chocolate) and 311 ("Midnight Mix; a marled dark green).

Top row above is a part ball of light grey and tan, then 308 (wine) and then dark grey. Bottom row is 374 (Navy) and more of the green.

I'd really like to knit some of this up! It makes great socks with texture details, or lace, but I can't really do colour work as the colours are all around the same value, except for the white, light taupe, grey.

Knitting is a Visual Art

...and I have no visuals for you. Our computer is suddenly not reading the camera cards. We've always had to wiggle the card, but once it hit the sweet spot, it was fine. Now nothing seems to be working. So we're going to dig out the old cord and try it that way again. I thought (new) computers were supposed to simplify your life, LOL.

I really needed pictures because everything I wanted to talk about was visual. How verigated yarns are affected by gauge/stitch count. How gauge can lie. New life to old socks. It's all pretty boring with the pictures. So, maybe Monday! Then again, maybe not. I've got a lot going on this weekend. And might not be ready for Tuesday either. Try back on Wednesday!

Hold My Hand, Pt 2

A few more mitts. The orange/black ones are Huey's. He wore them a couple times, they got wet, he tried his felted black ones from last year (instead of the store bought gloves he INSISTED were the best), and declared the felted mitts are the best thing in the whole entire world, and these orange ones are too small. He didn't like the orange wools I had on hand, so I took one that was the orangeyist and dyed it in the microwave with some Easter egg dye that had been already dissolved and hanging around in a Mason jar for 4 years. They have a nice kettle dyed look, but I think he wanted oranger. And, I ran out. So to match them up, I topped them off with black, used the bit of orange left to extend the cuff downwards and casted off in black. In retrospect, I should have ripped and re-knitted, using the black as stripes. He wanted purple at first.
They were done on the KnitSmart, using my basic handknit pattern. Even though it meant moving 12? st outwards on each side every other row while making the thumb gusset, it wasn't too bad actually. Still quicker than by hand. Somehow they did end up a little pointed.
Lucy wasn't too happy with her minty green mitts---there was a hole at the top where the sts were gathered together. And, being Patons Decor, they weren't terribly warm. I made the purple and pink striped ones in the lower left as a suprise. They are Patons Classic Wool. Don't recall which pattern I did off hand, but Lucy isn't too fussy, so I probably did the gathered top one again, but when I do it, I do one row of K2tog (and move the sts over so there's only a couple empty needles in the middle), then another row of K2tog, again, moving the sts over to fill the empty needles. I try not to have too many sts to actually gather at the top. They look like the shortrow thumbs. She wore them a bit, I think the thumbs are too long or too short....then she insisted she had to have store bought mittens....in February, when the patio sets are being put on display. Her $15 "Good" brand store bought mittens did not last two weeks before they started falling apart. I'm not sure where these mitts are; I think they are in her basket at school.

The other pink and purple ones are mine. I wanted another pair of 100% wool mitts for walking; I find the 100% wool ones are a lot warmer than the 50% wool ones. However, I had only one pair (the ones that got frozen into a snowbank last year), and they are getting felted and ratty. I have been a little traumatized by the Yarn Harlot's daughter saying only knitters wear mis-matched accessories. I thought that I was being clever and unique by matching the colours, but different yarn. I don't have any yarn to make a complete 'set' or finish off any of the sets I have to make them truely match. But someday I hope to have a pink hat. I used Headwaters Wool. I had to use two strands of the pink, and one of the purple. I had been told that would make the finer yarn the same as the thicker yarn. I wish I could have gotten a good picture. The mitts were sort of rippled--you can sort of see how the purple pops up. I gently felted the mitts to try to even it out and thicken them up. They were too wide, but okay for length, but also too loosely knitted. I know felting shrinks more in length and I didn't want to lose much length. I ended up felting them twice, and they are much improved, not totally felted, but also not as warm as my other mitts. I used my handknitting pattern again. It was hard to get the mitt stretched to get all the thumb sts on the hooks. I think, I could take the other sts off on waste yarn or a holder, cast on the two side sts for the thumb, and knit the thumb first instead of at the end.

I really want to make the Vogue cover mitts from the winter issue. When I went to the K-W Knitter's Fair, Camilla Valley Farm had the yarn in their display but I had already spent too much. Then, when I was there in Nov to get the Fleece Artist mitten kit, I almost bought the yarn, but knew I needed to focus on the gift mittens. Now, winter is pretty much over, and her road is a mucky yucky trail....I wonder what she'd do if I placed a 'mail' order? LOL.

I also made Meg a pair of purple mitts, but no picture. I've been pretty lazy about photos. Not much knitting actually getting finished, but hopefully something new to show very soon!!!

Hats!

This is the "Valentine's Hat" I was working on for Rob. I finally got it finished just before dinner on Valentine's Day. The yarn is Louet's "Bonnie" a 90% wool, 10% silk, from www.elann.com. It has one ply that stays orange, and one that changes colour---yellowish/teal/turquoise/green/blue/purple.... I started off with one strand...the yarn gauge said I should be able to make pattern gauge. Haa Haa. I don't know what's up lately, but that doesn't seem to be happening much....yarns seem to have a much looser recommended gauge than what I would usually want. After much starting, ripping, restarting, etc, I just wasn't happy with the gauge/fabric/my ability to count, so I opted to go with two strands. Now, due to the nature of this yarn, I wanted to keep the colours that change, the same for both strands. It was very hard to pick out any sort of repeating pattern in the yarn, but I tried, and it worked pretty well. I wanted the top orange/red mainly, because Rob's coats are orange and red, but because he is over 6ft tall, you don't really notice the top of the hat when he's wearing it. He proclaims it warm and toasty, especially with the ties actually tied. LOL.
I have three balls left in another colourway; I thought I might make a hat for next year's Christmas gift exchange. However, I have been traumatized by the Yarn Harlot's daughter saying unmatching winter accessories is uncool. I thought it was quite clever that although my hat and my mitts were not the same yarn, they were the same colour, but different textures. This hat took almost 3 balls, so that wouldn't leave me much for mitts. So, I don't know yet. I guess it will go to the stash---I was trying to avoid that!

During the Christmas break, I wanted to also try earflap hats on the knitting machine. I used one hand knitting pattern, and after altering, got a cute hat that fits Meg but Lucy claimed it. Then I made another one for Meg, although it's big enough for Lucy, LOL. Then I made this one for myself. It's left over Fiorito from Lucy's Valentine's sweater from a couple years ago. I altered the pattern for the crown, and although I'm happy with it, it looks dorky on me. I think it needs a pompom. And, I don't think it's beefy enough for the yarn/purpose of an earflap hat. I look like an egghead wearing an egg cozy. But it looks really cute on Meg!

This is the inside of another hat, handknit for me. Made just around the time of the YarnHarlot's daughter's comment, I was making this to 1) use up stash 2)have a 'go with anything' hat. It's an icky feeling lumpy yarn, perhaps Caron Fascination or something. When I got it done, it was slightly loose on me, and not very warm. I used some Patons' Decor (I wanted to keep it all machine washable) and picked up stitches on the inside, of the top of the garter band section (it's based on Thorpe). I knitted a few rows, then realized that the yarn was smaller, and the gauge was different, so if I didn't increase some sts, it would really pull in the edge of the hat. Once I increased, I realized that I WAS at the edge of the hat. So the cast off edges are a little too snug, but no wind is blowing this off my head. I continued the grey down into the earflaps for extra protections. It's a very windy walk to the kids' school!
This is what it looks like from the outside. I do not look hip and stylish like the model. I look like a crazy woman towing a toboggan full of kids and backpacks when the rest of the world is already home safe and warm, doing homework and sipping cocoa. It's tighter on me, so I think that's a big 'uncool' issue...most kids wear their earflap hats loose and floppy. Me--I've got it tied tight and snug under my chin, LOL.

Croak

It's been frog season here.... have you heard all the noise? RipIt....RipIt....RipIt.....

Math

I am making a stealth project. Oooohh, that sounds cool. Really...I'm knitting a Thorpe hat for Rob for Valentine's Day and I haven't told him that's what I'm working on as he sits beside me. LOL.

Math. I thought the yarn I'm using would work at the same gauge as the pattern. The pattern says 14.5st/4 inches, the yarn says 12-16sts to 4 inches....after knitting to the point of 80sts, I took a gauge check....It appeared to be 18sts to 4 inches (admittedly, hard to measure on the hat). But, I wouldn't want the fabric any looser. I had thought it seemed to still fit on the double pointed needles quite well, when she says you'll have to switch to a circular! So I did the math. 18/4=4.5x22"=99sts. I check the dpn, they are really snug going in the 5mm but do go in. My 5mm circular is in the FLS; I find one that is slightly bigger than 5mm but seemed too small for 5.5mm. I knit some more, doing the increases up to 96st, then another round with only 4 increase.

I re-measure the gauge (it doesn't look any different) and it's 17st/4 inches. I measure the diameter, it appears to be 8" which makes the circumference to be 25.12"! How is it that 100st/4.25=23.5" but the actual measurements say something else? It is hard to measure the diameter though. In any regard, the increase in needle size has meant that it's now 1 1/2" too big....so I'd have to rip back 3 rounds to get back to 93.5sts (yes, I know. I'll go back to either 88st or maybe 94sts...once you're past the increasing, you don't need to stick with a 8st repeats...I'd have to be doing math once I get to the flaps anyway). It doesn't look like the gauge changed that much....but here's the lesson.....it DOESN'T take much to make a change!

Hold My Hand, Pt 1

I am making a conscious effort to knit from stash this year. Really. Since the fall, I've been doing really well--the Fleece Artist thrummed mitten kit has been the exception and that was a for a gift and knitted up immediately. I had used only 1/2 the amount of roving and they were well received, so I knit another pair for our family Christmas gift exchange game. I found some yarn (Rav. link) in the stash that is 52% wool, 48% acrylic, but feels all acrylic, that I felt okay with parting. I didn't want to use the really 'good' wool (uh, right now, that would be Patons Classic Merino which would felt in a heartbeat if the wrong person washed the mitts), and I don't like Patons Decor much anymore for mitts (although, with the roving, they would still be warm!). I forgot to do the little finger slit this time. But, I did do them both at the same time on one circular needle, and boy, was that awesome! I really liked the way the thrumms showed up better on these mitts too. My cousin (or her daughter? Mmmm, it was a bit of a tossle) won them.

Then after New Year's, I got to making mittens on the KnitSmart machine. I made one pair on the LK150 (the pair in my profile picture) but wasn't totally satisfied with them. The problem is, I have been knitting all my mittens based on a very old Patons pattern (written to knit flat, but I do them in the round). I want my machine knit mitts to look the same! Lucy's new pair was up first. She chose Patons Decor in this minty green, which she calls blue.

There were some things I really didn't like about the pattern. For her size, you don't go back to the same number of sts to do the top of the hand (as for the cuff), and they are very pouffy on her. I also did the increases between sts 2 and 3 so they wouldn't interfere with sewing up, but I don't like it. The bind & tie top made a little hole. She says they're not warm enough.
Then I made a pair for Huey. More on them later as the picture is loaded. Then I started making spare mittens for Lucy's classroom. I used Patons Decor, and Headwaters Wool, and then BOUGHT some www.elann.com superwash merino. I bought three colours, made two pairs from two of the colours, loved them so much, I've kept the third colour for myself, LOL. Plus I bought 3 balls of natural to dye! For each mitten, I tried out different mitten patterns, ideas, recipes. These ones are the oddest by far:
I did the increasing for the thum on the outer edges, then took off the center 10 sts to continue for the thumb. Lucy said they felt okay on, but they do look odd!
I've gotten it down to two methods/patterns, depending on the size and desired finished look, and time. More on that latter (latter this week). Making the spare mittens (plus another pair for Lucy, a pair for Meg, and a pair for me) as well as some hats to show you still, and some Freecycling, has meant a significant drop in some parts of my stash bins. But none of the big bags of 'project yarn' are getting used up!

Should I?

Y'all know about my Socks that Rock. How I want them to be perfect. How I've started several patterns. How I tried entrelac and it was creating an interesting pattern that I felt would probably not continue and would not likely repeat on the second sock. Y'all know I've just learned how to knit two items at once on one circular needle and I was having issues with gauge on the entrelac sock and I changed needle sizes several times as I worked up the foot.....
I was just reading a blog and saw some gorgeous socks. Turns out they are a FREE download on Ravelry. Sorry if you're not on Ravelry....I've travelled too far from the original blog to get back there. They're called Firestarter Socks. And they're made with STR lightweight. Uh oh.

I'm Back!

Okay, I didn't leave. I'm still not excited about the surprise sweater, but I am diligently working on it. We've been having trouble downloading photos off the memory card again. I don't understand how it suddenly changes all on it's own. When we first got this computer---just over a year ago?--it was pretty easy; the computer automatically downloaded all new pictures off the card. Then suddenly, it started downloading ALL pictures on the card. Now, we use the card as backup of 'special' pictures (to some degree; there are a LOT more on the computer) as we've never gotten around to getting a memory stick and I'm petrified somehow our pictures will disappear. So, we'd put the card in, and it'd start downloading over 250 pictures that had already been downloaded!! Then we tried the software that came with our printer/scanner/copier. It wasn't great, but it worked. Then that suddenly went weird. It would download the pictures, but we couldn't find them! I just sat down and figured it out in less than 5 minutes. Me. Why couldn't Rob figure it out instead of having a hissy fit that I had 'done something' to the computer?!

So, let's play catch up a little.

Back in the fall, I showed a shot of a pink lace blob. When we left for our 'vacation' in August, I started knitting Evelyn Clark's (non-Rav. link) "Heartland Lace Shawl (Ravelry link)". I spent a lot of time searching for a shawl pattern. I was going to use pink Jaggerspun Laceweight Zephyr, 50% wool/50% silk. I had bought this when I made Nya's blanket, but decided not to edge it with pink; it was beautiful in the creamy white. (Go over to my archives, on the right, and click on 2006. It'll be the first two posts to come up).

I had only one skein, and was NOT buying more. I wanted something not too frou-frou as the pink is really girly already. I wanted something with not big sections of stockinette as I have some more colourful yarns waiting for those types of shawls. When I found Heartland Lace through searching Ravelry, I knew it would be great, even though it's written for DK (I think).

I used 3.7mm needles.

I had a few problems with reading the chart---the line numbers don't look like they're in the right spots. But it's a fairly easy knit (except--if you use markers, there are two places in each chart repeat that the stitch repeat falls in the middle of a slip 2 as if to knit, k1, pass sl. sts over). There are a few rows that you can easily memorize too. It was not a good idea to start this shawl as we were driving to Niagara Falls; navigating and chart reading do not go well together.

I did have to modify the chart for the edging. I should probably not have done the last body repeat; that would have been easier than modifying the edging chart because I was really short on the yarn!

I got it finished and blocked in time for the cruise, and I used it a lot. You can see pictures on my other blog. These pictures are from washing it after Christmas. I think I might have blocked it a bit harder this time as it seems 'crisper'. Or maybe the Caribbean humidity caused it to relax a little. I don't know the size, but it's a nice shoulder shawl. I can't wrap up in it, but it's enough to ease a slight chill.

I'll be adding it to Ravelry later. I've finally started adding projects there. Fun. I'm "TracyKM" on Ravelry. Yes, I know. Not too original, but easy to remember!!

Still Upset

After it's time out, I decided to tackle unpicking the cast on row of the FLS, to reduce the bulk when I re-twist the shoulder bit. Of course, it's the sleeve furthest away from the start of the cast on. And, because I was unprepared to do a provisional cast on, I did a knitted cast on in the same yarn (I was just going to pick up the sts and work upwards, I thought it would blend in okay with the garter stitch). I couldn't just take the scissors and snip snip snip because I was petrified of snipping the first pattern row. I couldn't really make out what was the cast on row and what was the next row, so I started from the yarn tail....and picked and pulled and picked and pulled and after about 2 hours, I'm almost 1/2 way across.

I usually feel energized by a challenge, but this time I just feel doomed. Not doomed, I think it can be saved, but like my knitting life force has been sucked out of me. If I could draw, I'd make a swirly spirit hand reaching into my body and taking my knitting soul, tangled in this green sweater. It doesn't help that there are other issues going on right now, sucking my spirit dry, either. I've lost my pep. Caffeine is not bringing it back. Chocolate is not working. I'm resisting the large bottle of Bailey's Rob bought me for Christmas because I know once I start, I might not stop.

I have knitted successfully in the past two weeks.....several pairs of mittens and hats on the KnitSmart machine, a handknit cowl/nose warmer (little loose, but workable), a Thorpe in awful stash yarn but with an inside headband to tighten it up and add some warmth. Where I seem to be succeeding is giving away yarn. I've either used up or given away most of my 'bulky yarn' drawer, and some of the worsted weight drawer. The sock and DK drawers are still full, and the bins of 'project' yarns are still very full. I've got plans, but no spirit.
What's next?

I Don't Know What To Say

I am so upset about a big project. I want to swear like a sailor but that's not my style, nor do I think it's really necessary in a knitting blog. I want to not finish the project and never knit again. Or until tomorrow. Which ever comes first.

I'm not posting pictures because it's just sickening to look at and I don't think pictures would really show the problem.

I wrote about my problems with knitting on my cruise. Let's back up even more. Last February, we were at my parents to celebrate my mom's birthday and the new Ontario holiday "Family Day". My mom was clearing out stuff, and found a lacey sweater her sister had made for her a long time ago--the sister I wrote about in the last post, my Auntie Pat. It didn't' fit anymore, and was rather dated looking, but Mom loved the colour and the look, so I took it and started ripping it apart, right there and then. It's a sagey, heathery green acrylic, and doesn't feel bad at all for being 20+ years old! I knew exactly what I wanted to knit. A top down raglan in lace. I picked a lace from one of my stitch dictionaries and got to it. I had a few rough starts....math problems, brain problems, etc. I wasn't happy. I purchased a download pattern from a big name Chicago designer, but it turned out to not be top down.

Then, IT was unveiled. THE must-have knit sweater/pattern of the year. I'm not going to post the name, because I don't want any snooping. But, I'm sure you're familiar with it; released in early June, based upon a popular baby sweater.....The name just happens to correspond with the name of the month of my Mom's birthday....Perfect! I got started right away. It moved along quickly, although by the fall I was worried about how much yarn I had left (that was the purpose of doing top-down). I had my Mom close her eyes and try it on at Thanksgiving. As expected, it would be too short. We decided to add a second colour. She peeked while taking it off and said she liked the pattern.

I found some more worsted weight yarn that had the same heathery feel, at Wal-Mart, but didn't get started. I figured that the mile of garter stitch would be perfect for the plane ride down to Miami....but we know how that turned out. After doing the first repeat of the pattern, I put the sleeve sts onto waste yarn to hold them for the sleeves. All I had with me was a fine cord I usually use on the knitting machine for ravel cord (it's like #10 crochet thread). Not great, but I used it anyway, and cast on for the underarm sts. And knitted away.

Knitted 14 inches away. On and on. Thought it was long enough, measure, it hadn't grown....finally, I put the body sts on waste yarn and went back to the sleeves. I was excited about being able to do both at once on one circular. The cord had pulled out of some of the sts on one sleeve, so I first tried to thread it back through before trying to get a knitting needle though. That was fine. But when I stretched it out to look/admire it, something was wrong. There appeared to be a twist in the 6 rows of the body that were on the cord. I put the body through the loop one way....then the other way...back again.....I ran my fingers along the cast on edge (which was the 'last' row of the garter st yoke that I hadn't knitted yet) and tried to straighten it out. Nothing worked. There is a twist. There is about 6 rows of 56 stitches, attached at either end to 15" of 184 sts.

Think of a tank top, but the straps have fallen off your shoulder. One of those straps has a twist in it. You could pick out those sts holding it together and untwist it. But not in this case as it's all knitted as one piece. I can't cut it, untwist it, and steek it because there aren't extra sts knitted to compensate/tack down, and it's not wool.

Here's my plan. I will twist it to get rid of the twist. I will align the twist at the back raglan 'seam' line. I will unpick the 282-16 (band sts) stitches of the cast on row (would have preferred to do a provisional cast on anyway) to reduce the bulk slightly. That leaves one garter stitch ridge and 4 pattern rows, I think, to be in this twist. I think the lumpy nature of the pattern and the heathery nature of the yarn will hide it. If not, my mother will have instructions to grow her hair. Long.

Sigh.

History

When I was in grade 3, 1981, my favourite aunt, "Auntie Pat", acquired sheep. Actually, she may have acquired them before then, but the first lambs were to come that March Break (or Easter?). My brother and I often stayed with my aunt and uncle and cousin, but missed the first lambing. I do have photo evidence (notice the poncho I am wearing--handknit by someone; wish I knew who; and my cousin had one too in different colours): I don't know when Auntie Pat started to knit. Her mother, and mother-in-law both knitted. I do know that my aunt knitted with acrylic....I have a picture of me in a green sweater she knit, she made my mom a lacey green top, and there's this adorable red and white outfit for my little brother (click to make bigger, than back arrow to get back here):

It was coveralls, and there was a matching cardigan. He was adorable, but even more so because the only shirt my mother could find for him to wear underneath was a Strawberry Shortcake top with reddish pink stitching around the cuffs/collar and Strawberry Shortcake hiding behind the bib of the overalls :) The lower picture is my Auntie Pat, in her kitchen by the big wood cookstove, bottle feeding a lamb. These pictures were taken March 1986.
I have many memories of being at my cousin's 'farm' and helping with the sheep and learning how to card fleece, and hunting for moss and other plants for dyeing. I never managed to spin, but I did find in my stash a small ball of handspun yarn that I think I might have made. Auntie Pat sat for hours, spinning wool. She did just about everything with those sheep---the farm chores, research, breeding, all the fleece prep, etc. I don't know if she did the shearing, and if I remember, she wasn't allowed to drive the tractor after a little 'incident'. Everywhere we went, Auntie Pat had her knitting. And we went lots of places---if I recall, sometimes even with a sheep in the back seat once. She was involved in judging at fairs, and sometimes my cousin and I would have the delightful job of washing a sheep with Ivory Snow in the back yard. I even got to show a few times; once I participated in a day long contest at the "big" sheep show "Sheep Focus" where you get paired with someone and the two of you clean and trim the sheep and then show it. My partner was from Kincardine; a few years ago when I was in the Guelph concert band I carpooled from here with a student from Kincardine, but I couldn't remember the girl's name (and we had been penpals for a bit).

When my aunt gets into something, she really gets into it. I don't know how many sheep she ended up having, but it was a long way from the six half-breeds in the chicken coop! And then it stopped and she was on to breeding dogs--now award-winning, calendar-posing, fabulous Golden Retrievers.
This past December, my aunt turned 60. My cousin planned a surprise party, and although I knew that our presence was gift enough, I wanted to do more. One thing my aunt knit by the dozens was beautiful thrummed mittens. She even sold them to people my uncle worked with/for, and saw on business trips. Her's were usually done with natural yarns, naturally dyed colours, and with Fair Isle patterns built around the thrummed stitches. I decided I would purchase a thrummed mitten kit, from my local yarn shop. I had an appointment in Brampton early one morning, and took Meg. She was asleep on the way back, so I decided to go up to Camilla, knowing that the road would be bad. It was 3.6km of pure, utter, sheer fright. But my aunt is a fearless woman, and for her, I would do this, 100m at a time, at 35km/hour. Oh, was I scared! I chose a kit and headed back home, and wound it up that afternoon.
I picked this colour because my cousin said my aunt had a brown coat and a turquoise coat. What I didn't realize until opening it up, is that the yarn is an almost solid dark teal, and the roving is what changes colours.


Thanks to Ravelry, I opted to not use the mitten instructions from Fleece Artist, and used my regular pattern (although I wonder if I knit the next size up, or used larger needles? The yarn is listed as Aran, but the pattern called for 3.5mm I think; my pattern uses worsted and calls for 4mm!). I relied on the Yarn Harlot's instructions for placing the thrums. The roving had a natural divide up it's length, so I pulled from one half of the width, for the first mitten, and made the second to match with the remaining part of the roving.

The inside is a hoot!I really wish I had learned the two at once on one circular to do these! I practiced monogamous knitting for a change, and had the pair cranked out with DAYS to spare before the party!!!

I added a secret feature---a little 'buttonhole' for the index finger to pop out when you need it. I cast off 3 sts and then on the next round, cast 4 sts back on, then on the next round, dec. 1 st over that cast on. The thick fleece inside keeps the hole almost shut when all fingers are inside.
I was very excited to give these to my aunt. They might just appear to be a simple pair of mittens, perhaps with the added flair of the thrums, but to me, and I hope her, they have a deeper historical significance.
While at my mom's over Christmas, she gave me a box of knitting booklets and patterns that had been my aunt's mother-in-law's. Among it all was a stack of the Paton's mitt pattern I use, and a pattern for 'fleeced mittens', as well as notes on sheep husbandry, dyeing yarns, and other sheepy things which I assume was my aunts as her MIL lived in a town, LOL. I have memories of my cousin asking her grandma for something knitted, and it appearing the next week. Some of the booklets are old, and I imagine my uncle wearing the items, LOL. I had some of the booklets already, but from unknown sources---it is awesome to have some connection to them now. I don't know much about knitting in my family from a historical perspective, but I'm so thrilled to be able to make even these small connections!
How is it that on my other blog, you can click on pictures to make them bigger, but I can't seem to do that with this post?

Almost Ending the Year

One more photoless project recently....Just before I learned how to do two items at the same time on one circular by doing the Maine Morning Mitts, I made a pair of ribbed, tipless gloves like I've made in the past, for the same gift exchange game. They were in Sean's Sheep "Armytage" in the cream/grey/black colourway that I also used for felted clogs last year. So, go look at the clogs, then at the other fingerless gloves and photoshop them in your mind :)

But here is a project with some pictures. I loved the creamy alpaca stole I made for my mom in late summer, and made a black one for me, using an unknown cone yarn. I could have used some black alpaca, but I wanted the stole for the cruise, and didn't think I really needed it to be in alpaca. Although with the windy, cool nights, and the air conditioning on board, alpaca would have been fine. There were a couple of rough starts again....I set up the needles and the card with the same formation (opposite needles in working position to what the manual said), but it didn't work. So I had to do it like the manual showed, and it came out the same as my mom's. I hadn't kept track of how many needles I had used for hers, but I thought it was 80-0-80. I love it when it's weighted down on the machine, but once off the machine it relaxes and really loses the openness. I don't know if blocking the alpaca out tightly helped it, but I have since heard that this is a common problem with tuck lace.

At one point I thought I was up the creek without a cruiseship, but I kept my wits and fixed the error by ripping out and re-setting the punchcard. Made me feel like some highly trained mechanic, LOL.Another odd thing...the corners stretched out a bit. And, it collects dog hair like crazy! Lucy wrapped it around like a skirt one day and it got covered. I tried washing it, but the dog hair gets woven in and trapped. It also seems to have faded a touch. And the long edges curl under, but gosh, I really don't care. I'm just happy to finally have a black stole, LOL.

Ugly and Odd but no Pictures.

I made Lucy a pair of mitts to her own specifications. She wanted pink with green spots, and to have flip tops, or a slit to slither her fingers out (like my own mitts). I wasn't happy with the start of the first one, so I started the second one to see if it would turn out better/different. It wasn't significantly different, and she didn't mind the differences, so I continued. I made them with an overlapping flap opening, but no individual fingers like convertible mitts. She liked them. However, the flaps didn't stay shut well enough, so I had to knit little bobble buttons and crocheted button loops. Better, but not anything I really want documented on here for perpetual acknowledgement, LOL.

Then I made a pair of "Maine Morning Mitts" (sorry I'm not searching for the link, but it's a popular free pattern on the internet). I used one of the Sean's Sheep yarns I got at Wal-Mart last year....about 51% wool, and has a gold thread too. This one was beiges and charcoal. I actually learned how to knit two things at once, on ONE circular needle. The cast on (especially starting the second half of the first one) and first row were scary, but now it's on my favourite technique list!!!! You do need long cables though, and flexible. So I might have to do two at once on two circulars sometime. I started these late on a Thursday afternoon before leaving for band practice, then some that night, Friday, and on Saturday all the way to near Peterborough (2 hour drive?), then wove the ends in before the surprise birthday party got rockin, then we went over to the Christmas party 20 minutes from there. They were added to a reversible 9West hat that never fit me well and a matching (commercial) scarf, to be part of a gift exchange gift. The recipient looked great in the hat, but it's not her colour so I think she might have gave them to her mother. Forgot to take a picture of them though.

Then it was time to make something for Lucy's teacher. I decided to make her a cowl that was big enough to pull up over her head and not disturb her hair. She had also been Huey's teacher two years ago, and I've never seen her wear a hat. I used Paton's Divine in the chocolatey brown and cast on a crap load of sts on the way home from that party. I had nothing else to work on in the dark. The next day I realized there were way too many sts, so I did a mini swatch, re-calculated, re-cast on, and knit away. But I did something different. I added short rows as I went down (started at the end that frames her face), so that the back would be longer to go over her hair and not be too bulky under her chin. Then, as I got near the bottom, I started increasing so it would flare out a bit on her shoulders. I had to draw a diagram cause it looked too much like a dead bunny in the gift bag, LOL.
I also decided at the last minute to make homemade hot chocolate mix for their teachers. It turned out really good (tip---use the 'ruddy' cocoa from Bulk Barn). There was a major storm fore casted for the last day of school. The day started out fine and I'm glad I had the gifts done so they could take them in the morning---Lucy's teacher (and other's from out of town) left at lunch time. It was a scary trip over!! It's only a mile, but it's hilly, and the entrance to the school is a sharp incline....
No picture of the dead bunny cowl either. LOL.
I have made a few things lately that did get their day in pictures, but they need to be loaded/edited, so you'll have to wait!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Knitting

I just found this link from one of my Yahoo knitting groups. Check it out and make the fastest holiday sweater ever! LOL.
http://weloveholidaysweaters.wehatesheep.com/

Knitting Tips

This is going to be an on-going post, I hope, as I clear out my Yahoo email of all the 'some day I'll need that info' emails.

If you want, or have to, double yarns, or want to run two yarns together add the stitch gauge of each and divide by three. Why three? I have no knittin' idea!Example: Yarn 1 =6 st per inch. Yarn 2, = 8 stitches per inch. 6 plus 8 equals 14. Divide 14 by three equals 4.67 st. per inch. I'd round it out at 4.5. Remember this is only a guestimation. Try it and see if it works.

I always convert drop sleeves to set-in sleeves.Here's how I learned:Front:First row: bind off 1" of stitches.After this, count the remaining stitches to decrease and divide into thirds.For the first 1/3 of stitches: decrease 2 stitches every row.For the next 1/3 of stitches: decrease 1 stitch every row.For the last 1/3 of stitches: decrease 1 stitch every other row.The last stitch should be decreased after three rows.Back:First row: bind off 1" of stitches.After this, count the remaining stitches to decrease and divide into thirds.For the first 1/4 of stitches: decrease 2 stitches every row.For the next 1/2 of stitches: decrease 1 stitch every row.For the last 1/4 of stitches: decrease 1 stitch every other row.The last stitch should be decreased after three rows.

For those interested, here is a blog that compared three different methods of short rows:http://nonaknits.typepad.com/nonaknits/2005/04/back_to_short_r.htmlhttp://nonaknits.typepad.com/nonaknits/2005/04/yarn_over_short.htmlhttp://nonaknits.typepad.com/nonaknits/2005/04/wrapped_stitch_.htmlhttp://nonaknits.%20typepad.com/%20nonaknits/%202005/04/japanese%20_short_.html
.com/

Grin!

I really want to thank everyone who left a comment, emailed me, or posted through the Yahoo group, about my Window Dressing bathing suit coverup. It really means a lot to me when a new machine knitter writes that they're happy to read about the real trials and issues of machine knitting, and not just see a lovely picture of a final result. If I could work through everything, and end up with a fabulous finished item, then they think they could too. And they can. I know how it feels!
I was especially pleased to read that Knitman Colin had dropped by to check out my project! I enjoy reading his blog, partly for his absolutely exquisite machine knitting (scroll down to Nov 22 to see his latest sweater), but also because of his honesty and humour, and I like reading his posts about 'religion' in particular.
Sometimes we get a bit of tunnel vision. We read a whole list of knitting blogs and one day, someone links to a blog that isn't about knitting. Imagine that! There are other blogs that don't talk about knitting at all? LOL. So then we explore, and find other blogs about our 'secondary' passion....for many, it's gardening, or cooking; for me, it's birth and babies. Then you start to wonder even more....if there are 'blog celebrities' in the knitting world, are there such people in the land of....Lego blogs? Are there blogs about African violets? Snowshoeing? Macrame?
The Internet has, at the same time, made the world so much smaller, AND so much huger. You don't know what you don't know until you find out you didn't know it! I challenge everyone today to pick the first word that pops into their head, and Google it! Find out about something you never even knew you wanted to know about!
Oh, that was quite the tangent! I just wanted to say thanks to everyone, LOL!

Something I'm Very Proud Of!

I can't believe I didn't include any pictures in that last post! Okay, I see why. I either haven't actually taken finished object pictures, or haven't downloaded them yet. I've been busy with my other blog and detailing our cruise, and doing Christmas knitting. But I did find a couple pictures to talk about!

This is a project I am VERY proud to have made and finished. In the summer of 2007, I subscribed to KnitWords, a CANADIAN machine knitting magazine and the first issue I got was #41, Summer 2007, now sold out! I was stunned at the patterns. Previously I had only a few magazines from 1999/2000 (not KnitWords), and I wasn't too impressed with the patterns. I didn't think they could be too outdated, only 7 years! but I guess fashion changes more than I do! There were a few things I wanted to make in this issue, but I had that silly white shawl stuck on the Singer 327. I really wanted to finish it for the cruise, so I finally buckled down. While I was working on it, I was planning the next project, a bathing suit cover up called "Window Dressing" from the KnitWords magazine. I could mail order the yarn from a not-too-far Ontario machine knitting source, but I was having a hard time choosing just one colour! I finally picked one, and also bought some part cones she had. I finally started the cover up about 10 days before we were leaving.

I'm not sure that I realized that I was kidding myself. In the picture, it looks straight forward. It says it's for intermediate knitters. I thought that by now, I was intermediate. Ha! This project nearly whipped my butt several times! There were so many things that I hadn't done....in particular, hadn't done as part of a formal, machine knitting pattern. Sure, I had knit with needles out of work, even done shaping, but it was my own thing, not trying to interpret someone's pattern. There was SO much knitting off on waste yarn and re-hanging and knitting one row then casting off. And there were a few typos, and errors in the pattern. It was making my head hurt, LOL. I got a couple pieces knit before I gave up so I could finish the flowered dress I had been making, that was also supposed to be "EASY!" but wasn't.

For a long time, a piece of Window Dressing hung on the machine, waiting for me to go on to the next step. Last spring/summer, I finally did the next step (re-hang, knit one row, cast off) and it took me longer to figure out where I was in the pattern and where the stuff was and blow the dust off the cone, then it did to do the step. I worked on a couple other projects while it was off the machine (my mother's shawl, actually, that might have been the only project on the 327; I was using the LK150 a lot). I decided when we booked this year's cruise that I would finish it. I had 9 weeks. That would be enough, right?

I started corresponding with the designer, who lives near where I bought the yarn from. We're in several Yahoo machine knitting groups together, so I felt really blessed to be able to approach her and work through my many issues with the pattern. I don't think you could do this with some of the bigger hand knitting designers! Eileen had been on several cruises and had knit several versions of her cover up, and I truly would not have finished if it weren't for her letting me cyberhold her hand!

I am very proud to have finished such an ambitious project!! NOW, I feel like I really am an intermediate machine knitter!! LOL. And, I have to admit, it's the little details that made this a great finished item. When I first looked at the picture, I assumed it was knit from the bottom up, one piece for the back, one piece, then divided for the front. Add the neck band and sleeves...Umm....no.....Here's a run down:

1) Knit an inner casing (easy).
2)Knit another inner casing (easy).
3)Knit skirt.
4)Remove on waste yarn, rehang (tricky) involving some decreasing.
5)Hang casing over skirt, knit one row, remove on waste yarn
6)Rehang bottom of skirt (tricky), knit some 'marker rows' and a bunch of plain rows
7)Pick up the sts of the marker row onto the needles. (Very tricky).
8)Knit one row, bind off.

So, to sum up, there's a skirt with a bottom hem, and a casing, still open, at the top.

This is the bottom hem. I'm not sure I did the right cast off (but I also don't remember what I did). This is the wrong side, and on the right side, the join to the body looks tight, and tends to flip the hem up a little. The sleeves don't' do this.

There's one casing left in the workbasket, and the next step is to make the back. Which I did, however, there was an error, and two skirts should have been made first.

9)Upper back...not too hard until shaping for arms--didn't know what to do with the out of work needles, and then short rowing the shoulders.
10)Fill empty needles and take off on waste yarn. I forgot to do this with at least two of the shoulders.
11)pick up 4sts on each side of neck, knit 1 row, bind off.
12)Rehang bottom of upper back.

12b)Knit another casing because you don't think the one left in the workbasket is right. Screw up, then knit it again. Realize in the end that it's exactly the same as what's in the basket.

13)hang casings sts (already joined to the skirt) from waste yarn, and pull through.
14)Knit one row and bind off.

So, the upper back and skirt are joined by this casing, which was knit separately. Pretty sneaky---having you knit the easiest pieces first, LOL!

This is the inside where the bottom meets the casing, and the top where it joins the top and casts off.

15)Knit right front, again, not tricky until doing shaping. Part of my problem was that I wasn't sure I had done it right for the back, AND, it had been so long ago I couldn't remember anything.

16)Knit left front, same as right but in reverse.

17)Join fronts to skirt casing, like for the back, treating the two front pieces as one. That involves a few steps again.
18)Join shoulder seams. I did the first shoulder wrong THREE times!!! I kept putting the wrong sides together. I really wanted to do it on the machine, like real machine knitters, LOL, instead of grafting by hand. I would have only had to do it once if I did it by hand! Each time I had to rip it out, there were problems with the sts filling the empty needles, and the wraps from the short rows.....it wasn't a fun day here that day!!!

The inside back neck and shoulder seams. I had a loop where something happened during the back neck shaping. As well, the yarn broke at one point and I didn't notice, so I had a barely two inch tail to secure. It's not too pretty on the inside, but I made sure when I took it off at the pool to fold it up right side out :)

19) Knit neckband....think you know what to do, but doubt yourself and follow the incorrect instructions anyway.
20)Get totally confused by the instructions to join the neckband to the body. Try really hard to figure it out on my own, but I'm clueless. Eileen to the rescue.
21)Knit second half of neckband after another email to Eileen to decipher the instructions.
22)Join rest of neckband to body.

Now, it's time for the sleeves. At this point, I was thinking of leaving it sleeveless. The neckband really kicked my butt, mainly because the pattern instructions were so vague. But the armhole openings curled and looked unfinished, and I figured I had probably knitted the hardest parts by now, LOL.

23)The main part was the same as starting the skirt, then there was the shaping
24)Hem the bottom as per the skirt--rehang sleeve sts, knit hem, pick up sts (I HATED this step), knit one row and cast off

25)Repeat for second sleeve!

Then there's the pocket. Cleverly designed to perfectly fit your cabin card, I couldn't leave it off.
26)Pick up sts from skirt
27)As you knit a row, you pick up a st from the body and put it on the end needle, so it joins the sides of the pocket to the body as you knit!
28)Knit a few more rows, then pick up hem sts to fold over top edge, Knit 1 row and bind off (there's a good picture of the pocket in the magazine).
29)Buttonloop--pick up 3 sts from top edge, knit 8rows, join to top edge, knit 1 row, bind off.

30)Sew all the #%$)@! seams, and buttons, and weave in the ends.



I found perfect buttons in the discount bin at Fabricland---35cents!!


Whew!! If I had really read the pattern, I would have realized there was no way I was doing all that in 10 days! I find with a lot of magazines that patterns start out with lots of detail, but as the pattern goes along, and space starts running out, details get more vague. That's what happened here I think. It could have easily used another page.


I was thinking I might sew the front two pieces closed and wear it as a dress. But I decided not to, because I thought once I wore it as a dress (and I had lots of dresses with me), I wouldn't want to wear it over my bathing suit again. Every time I wore it, Rob commented on how great it looked. He seemed really surprised that it turned out so good!

I can easily see this as a dress. On the model in the magazine, it comes to her upper thighs, on me, just above the knee! The upper pieces are a little long, but I need the length for the sleeve openings. It's as if the entire upper front needs to be raised a bit, but the armholes stay the same size. Often when I alter sleeveless tops/dresses I just shorten the straps. The back is also a little loose on me, causing the upper back to be a little baggy and droopy. I could have knitted a smaller size for the back (but I didn't feel up to altering the neck/sleeves). I had hoped that my breast reduction would stop the need for knitting smaller backs, but I guess not, LOL. I did put a ribbon inside the casing, but it was a little awkward trying to tie a bow on the inside. A wide elastic would work, but Eileen cautioned against that if using it as a bathing suit cover up over a bikini....any red marks left by the elastic would not be attractive, LOL.

All in all, I am very glad I didn't give up on this. It is a little heavier than I expected it to be, but if I did it as a cover up again, I would make it at least 4 inches shorter in the skirt, LOL. I meant to check my gauge and see how it compared to the pattern...I learned so much with this pattern and I can't wait to make something else. Funny thing is...there are other items in that issue I want to make...and they are listed as beginner level!!! LOL!

Vacation Knitting Gone Awry

First off, thanks to "Catbookmom" for acknowledging how I felt and identifying with it, regarding the various uses of Noro (and it's not just Noro, there are other expensive yarns out there making me feel the same way). I don't knit alot for myself, but over the past year I did do some scarves, hats and mitts/gloves for myself, so I am feeling a bit more generous when it comes to making those things for others. I don't think I could spend $30 on a baby sweater, even for a grandchild.....I don't like to spend that much on myself even. And there's some of the issue.....I know a baby is worthy of a $30 sweater, but I don't feel that I am, so therefor, how could a baby actually be? Put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping children!
And "Needles of Steel"....I remember looking at your Lizard Ridge as you were making it. If I remember, you didn't just go out and buy all the yarn at once? That makes it more realistic, in my warped mind, then someone who just goes out and buys $125 worth of Noro to have just because they like the colour. Although, isn't that a heavy blanket? It's beautiful though.

Anyway. Onwards.
When packing for the cruise, I gave careful consideration to what projects I would take. I had the pink gloves that needed the ends woven in. I had ripped out the February Lady Sweater and re-planned to use two colours. I had the entrelac Socks That Rock socks that were in the middle of the first heel. There was also the "Enchanted" silk top. I decided to pack the FLS for the plane ride because most of the trip would be in the dark of evening and it was truly going to be mindless once I casted on. I couldn't fit the yarn in my "personal carry on" and not in my suitcase carry on, so I passed it to Rob to put in his bag. We got to the airport, through security, got my coffee and a snack and went to sit by the gate. I opened my big carry on, and there was no black yarn. Just two balls of the second colour. I opened Rob's carry on, and there was no yarn at all. Nothing. He said "Oh, I put it in the suitcase, you didn't tell me to put it in the carry on." OMG. We had over 4 hours of flying time ahead of us, not to mention waiting time.

After the initial shock, I took stock. I had the needles for the FLS, I had the pattern. I just didn't have the black yarn to start the yoke with. I decided I would cast on the number of sts where you start the lace. I got going. Normally I would do a crochet cast on, but didn't have a crochet hook. If it were a small project, I would just suffer with using a knitting needle as a crochet hook, but there were a LOT of sts to cast on. I decided to do a 'knitted cast on' so that it would be loose enough to pick up the yoke sts and work upwards later on. Started casting on, then remembered that the garter st bands were going to be in the black too. Decided I would just have to knit and attach those later.

We got into our seats on the tiny plane. I think it is the smallest commercial plane I had ever been on. It was only 4 seats across. Rob and I were sitting together, and I got out my knitting so I'd have something to do during take off, even though I get so freaked out that I can't even knit, LOL. As she passed, the stewardess reached across Rob and took my knitting. She said she "had to check the needle tips." "Why?" I said. "Some are really sharp and pointy and aren't' allowed." "Uh, the TSA website says knitting needles are allowed and there are no qualifiers given to the type of needles." "We still have to check." Okay, whatever. I was using old 4.5mm or 5mm fairly blunt circulars....perfect choking instrument, terrible stabbing tool, LOL. I told her it was a good thing I wasn't on 'her' plane last year when I was knitting socks on tiny, pointy, double pointed needles!
Then, Rob and I got out our ancient Canada 3000 headsets (that airline has been out of business for how long?) and plugged them in. This plane had the little screen in the seat back in front of you and I was curious to how that was going to work. I thought maybe the safety presentation would be on the screen. At the very least, I was hoping for some sound deadening affect. The same attendant came by and said we had to remove our headsets for takeoff...."TSA rules". Ummmm.....nothing was being broadcast over the plane's system and we weren't using any personal electronic devices!
I wonder if there's any relation between these instances and the Coke Classic that was added to my Diet Coke as they were serving drinks? LOL. I know she saw that I saw that she finished the can of Coke Classic into the cup she gave me!

So, I worked on the FLS for the short flight to Chicago, and while we waited in Chicago. Rob was happy we didn't have to claim our luggage, but I wouldn't have minded, LOL.
On the flight to Miami I was squashed in between two men. The man next to the window had left China that morning and was pretty tired and slept. The other man kept his little light on, and it was more than enough so I didn't need to use the new light I had bought.

One day near the beginning of the cruise (like, the second day, which is the first full day), we were lounging by the pools and I decided to go back down and get my knitting. I grabbed the entrelac sock and the instructions that I had copied just before we left. Finished off the heel (it didn't work out exactly like the instructions, but oh well) and read what was next. "Do little triangles as per the instructions for the very first row of triangles after the toe shaping". Well....I didn't copy the first page of instructions because I had already done that part of the sock! So that project became stalled. Later in the week I thought I'd give the Enchanted top a go. I couldn't remember what I had done last, except that I was in a transition area. I looked in the page protector where I had put the instructions for all the projects. It wasn't there. I looked in the suitcases, nothing. There was no going forward with that project either. While waiting in Miami to come back I wove the ends in on my gloves, and got working on the FLS again. I was worried that I might actually run out of yarn before we landed (I hadn't expected to get too far into the green section so I hadn't packed much of that colour). I did make it though.

Once home, I picked up the FLS again, and thought "I should just rip this back--again--and start over properly". But no, I didn't. Please don't remind me of that when I get to the button bands and am unhappy with how it's working/looking!!

Ravelry and Jealousy

I joined Ravelry awhile ago. I had been a little hesitant to join, as I had joined Facebook and I have limits to how much time to 'waste' on the computer. I also don't have a Flickr account so I can't post photos, and I'm not about to bring all my stash upstairs to catalogue it online. I joined a few groups, but I like Yahoo groups better cause all the notifications go to my email. I have found Ravelry great for comparing projects made of different yarns, and for looking at different projects made of the same yarn.

One of the yarns I frequently check out is Noro Kuryeon. I'm hoping to find THE pattern, but haven't yet. I am really surprised at the lack of interesting things people do with this yarn. It would lend itself really nicely to very creative garment structures, but this just isn't happening. Instead, there are a million hats, scarves, mitts, and teacosies. There are even longies and soakers. Now, these are all gorgeous items, due to the Noro, and if I could afford it, and had a local place to get it, perhaps I would make mitts or a Turn a Square hat. But what really gets me, are the things such as felted turtles and baby toys. I can't imagine spending $30 to make a baby sweater out of Noro (although it's gorgeous; it's just I can't spend that sort of money on that sort of item). But to buy Noro to make something like a felted turtle toy? Or a stuffed dinosaur?

On one hand, I am scoffing at their frivolousness. But I think, inside, I am actually jealous. I would love to be frivolous. I'm just too frugal. Lately I was trying to find a yarn in my stash for a special gift. Every yarn that I thought was nice enough for a gift, I wanted to keep to make something for myself. Wow, I'm pretty selfish. Yarn hog.