Really?

How has it been a week since I posted?  What did I do all week?  I did finish up these mermaid blankets!

Sized for a three year old and her junior American Girl doll.  The girl is a cousin to the girl that got the first mermaid blanket and wanted it to be similar.  I said I wouldn't do as many colours as in that one, ever again, LOL.  That was fine, three colours would do.  But what do I do?  I create a pattern ABAC which meant the A yarn (purple) was never at the side I needed it to be.  I had worked for a little ways and was already annoyed by how many ends there were going to be, so I decided to not cut them, and just leave the last stitch waiting, go back to the start of the row, and work the next colour.  So, I would have several right side rows, one after another.  Double crochets are not identical on their right and wrong sides, but I just call that "textural interest". 

I wasn't sure how long to make it.  The girl is three, but that's all I knew.  I thought and thought and then thought maybe the length for a floor length skirt would work.  So I worked to that length.  Then realized I hadn't shaped the bottom at all, so had to rip a bit out.

While I was working on it, the mom asked for an American Girl doll blanket.  I somehow missed the part saying it was a junior sized one, 14-15".  I searched around for measurements, and found blankets were 17" wide by 21" long.  I worked that length, then realized that AG dolls are only 18" long.  I found a chart for doll clothes, and waist to ankle on an AG is 9 3/4".  Ooops.  So I ripped back.  Which made the blanket seem really wide for it's length.  I mentioned this to the mom who replied that it's a junior sized doll, only 14-15" tall!  I really didn't want to rip all the blanket out because I thought she was on a deadline for a present.  I re-worked the lower half, changing from 5DC shells to 3DC shells as a way to narrow it down.  It's cute.  I just downsized the tail by eyeballing, figuring a too big tail is not an issue with a doll.

It's all made with Loops & Thread "Impeccable" (the bright pink is Impeccable Brights).  Weight for doll blanket is 85gr and big mermaid is 303gr, for a total of 388gr.  I'm going to round up a bit because I had so many ends, so 390gr.

I'm also going to record the Briggs & Little kit I got from Grand River Yarns.  It was 540gr (some of the balls were only 47-49gr, but one was 51gr) for only $28.40. I've made one pair of itty mitts!

Yarn In:  540gr + 1046gr = 1586gr
Yarn Out: 390gr + 3168gr = 3558gr
Balance:  1972gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $28.40 + $46.47 = $74.87/60days = $1.25/day

What's Next?

Is spring actually here?  Do I stop knitting mittens for the kindie classes?  I'm working one one that's going to be very interesting.  It's not intended for the kids, but will be a visual representation of the pattern.  However, the yarns aren't playing nice together.  If you follow me on Instagram you can see some sneak peeks.  I did just buy a kit from Grand River Yarns so I can make some 100% wool mittens for the kids.  Great deal, but with shipping, it still came to $28! 

I also had to pick up another ball of yarn for the mermaid blankets I've been working on.  I can't believe I went to Michael's and bought just one ball of yarn.  With my 40% off coupon, it was  only $3.38 for 128gr! 

I want to get back to sewing.  I want to hem a shirt I made last summer, duplicate some pants, try sewing underwear, make Megan some skating leggings, maybe a bathing suit for her. Also want to sew up some felted sweater mittens.

In the knitting end of things, I need to mend a ton of socks and my favourite mittens.  I was going to knit a pair of the fingerless gloves for my niece in New Mexico, but the daytime temps are getting up into the low teens (Celsius) although night time temps are still just above freezing.  I've got that headband to rip out and re-work.  I'm not 100% sold on the mittens.  They seem okay  for just walking, but I wore them at work and they kept slipping down.  I could sew elastic inside, I guess.  They are warm.  I've got a neglected shawl in the works, a pair of toe-up socks that are at the heels, a few other projects that just need varying amounts of finishing off.  Two more red scarves have been posted on Mary Ann Oger's blog.  I want to machine knit socks.  I want to refurbish the old Singer 321 I got a few years ago and get it sold.

So many things!!

Yarn In: 128gr + 918gr = 1046gr
Yarn Out: 3168gr
Balance:  2122gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $3.38 + 43.09 = $46.47/51days = $0.91/day

More Mittens

I'm on a roll with knitting spare mittens for the kindergarten classes I lunch supervise. I've got to look at the photos to see how many I've made, LOL!  Such a quick and portable project.  Now that I've gotten a few pairs done, I'm doing something different.  I'm knitting a mitten, but on every row that something is done, I'm doing that row in a contrasting colour.  The cast on, the first stockinette row (also has an increase), each of the increase rows of the gusset, the decrease rows at the top.  As long as I have this mitten with me, I won't have to worry about having the pattern or a tape measure with me.  Awesome!

 

I know it's crazy to make a light coloured pair, but this ball of Patons "Decor" has never spoken to me, so this was it. 

 

I have several balls of this really bright peachy colour.  The picture is totally wrong.  You'd think it was pink until you see it next to pink.  It's not really orange.  It's a bizarre peach.  Nuclear peach.  This pair of mittens made barely a dent.  The other pair gave me trouble after trouble.  I have a few small balls of mainly multicolours, and none of them really "go" with anything else.  But when you're five, and your hands are cold and there's still 20 minutes of recess, you can't be too picky!

One day, a boy asked for the pair of fish mittens.  I did not understand why he said they looked like a fish (he was talking about the blue and grey ones).  Then, I was stacking these green ones, and realized they DO look like a fish.  I put the thumb at the top, but my daughter said the thumb should be at the bottom.

 See it now?  LOL!!  This multicolour yarn left my fingers purple.  I was going to wash them before I took them in to school, but forgot!  Then I forgot to take them this morning, and we're having a very snowy day.  I'm not doing laundry tonight, so we'll see what happens!

Yarn In: 918gr

Yarn Out: 105gr + 3063gr = 3168gr
Balance:  2250gr more USED than bought
Costs:  43.09/47days = $0.92/day

Mermaids!

I was asked to make two more mermaid cocoons, just like here, but the size of the smaller of the two.  And a bit wider at the bottom.  And bigger tails.

As I mentioned in my last post, I hadn't written anything down.  So, once again, I was blowing up pictures and counting stitches.  This time I wrote it all down.  Including the new tail design. 

If the pictures look fuzzy or small, click on them and look at them through the Blogger picture viewer.

 When I first  started this blog, we'd had a digital camera only a few months.  I took pictures because, well, this is a knitting blog and if you can't see what I'm talking about, what's the point.  When I first started TracyKM Designs, I was doing some newborn photography props, so I didn't worry too much about my own photos because I knew I'd have some awesome, "real" photos to share.  But not all my orders were for photo props, or weren't custom ordered (they were things I made up in hopes of selling).  I had the basics of good photography, but hadn't done actual product photography.  It's been a fun journey.  There are times I get frustrated by having to wait for the perfect lighting outside (not too bright, not too overcast), and times I get cold, or it's taking too long, or I'm stumped by composition or design.  I liked the trick of using heavy invisible fishing line in my last mermaid cocoon pictures, but I hate our deck as the flooring.  I got some laminate floor to put together, but it hasn't happened yet.  And even though it was thick line, it wasn't quite strong enough to support these cocoons.

The benefit of dabbling in sewing is that I have collected quite a bit of fabric.  I started searching and saw this golden sand coloured piece and knew I had to use it.  However, the cocoon was a bit too big.  I wasn't thrilled about scrunching up the cocoon to get it to fit, although I thought it actually added to the lines of the composition.  Looking at the photos now, (I had to crop them as the fabric wasn't quite wide enough), I'm very happy!  Curving the cocoon seems to add a bit of "movement" to the photo.  Draws you down, through the photo. 
I wish I could offer photography for other crafters.  I cringe when I see Facebook pages with blurry, dark, crowded, or distracted photos.  I don't have fancy equipment, so I'm not a "real" photographer.  I don't have a light box, or a studio.  I also know that other crafters tend to be just as broke as I am LOL.

This is the new tail design.  I don't want to give away all the secrets :) I kept thinking of using short rows because I wanted more width across the middle, but not at the top.  You don't see short rows in crochet very much, but I realized one night what you do see, is the different stitch heights used to their advantage.  That's all I'll say :)

Yarn In: 918gr
Yarn Out: 889gr + 890gr + 1284gr = 3063
Balance:  2145gr more USED than bought
Costs:  43.09/41days = $1.05/day

The Benefits of Being Organized

So often when I get an order, I think it's going to be the only one of it's kind.  So, I don't do much about keeping track of what I did.  Even with this blog, I often forget to mention what hook/needles I used, or what size it was.

I had those two mermaid cocoons before Christmas, and the client wanted two more, the same size as the smaller of the first two.  I had to enlarge the pictures I took and try to figure out how many stitches I used.  I settled on 50 as that was a nice number LOL.  This time, as I crocheted the first one, I kept markers on all the decreases.  I worked on the tail and hated it.  She wanted it bigger, but I really didn't know how big the other one was, and I wasn't 100% thrilled with the shaping on it.

When I started the second cocoon, I wrote down how I did the first one!  Imagine that, I just had to follow along with my notes!

I recreated the tail, remembering that instead of short rowing in crochet, you can use the height of the various stitches to their advantage.  I didn't write down what I was doing as I went along, and tried to figure it out for the second half of the tail, and wrote it down as I went.  Then I did the second tail.  And wouldn't you know it, the tails look nearly identical! (I made a simple error on the second one that changed it a bit).

I just weighed them to get them ready for pick up, and despite being massive (nearly 900gr each, or two pounds), there was only 1 GRAM difference between the two!!  I like it when I impress myself LOL!

Stay tuned for photos!  We've got the computer running well again, but now to use picmonkey to add my watermarks, I have to upgrade Flash.  One thing at a time!

Red #1

When Mary Anne Oger ("MAO") posted the pattern for a red scarf for AIDS Awareness Week, last fall, I didn't really pay attention.  I was busy!  Then she posted about challenging herself, and her readers, to create 10 scarves for this year's campaign.  Mmmm...that seemed interesting!  I have a cone of a fine red yarn that just hasn't found the right projects.  I tried a tank top, back in my earlier days of using the standard gauge machine, but got bored and ripped it back into balls.  I thought it might be the perfect thickness for this new scarf.  Or, I could use it doubled, since I had a cone and several wound balls.  I started with it single strand, and that seemed to work fine.

I worked through the first ball, struggling with the cast on instructions, and changing all the settings so much!  I would forget one of the four things each time I got to the zig zag row--if I remembered to stop for it when the row counter was at multiples of 20-2!

I got to the end of the first ball, and the knitting was not the prettiest, but I felt like I was getting it.  Somehow, half the knitting dropped off!  It was an omen to start over and do it better!

 The yarn had been used previously, obviously, and although it had been balled up for quite a while, it still knitted with a bit of a waviness.

 

I steamed the ends, just to see how it would look, and there was much improvement.  I decided to wash the scarf in the machine, as I was doing laundry and the basement is a dust bowl right now.  Once it came out, I was a bit surprised to see it wasn't totally smooth (above).  I even hung it before it was fully dry, hoping for gravity to help.  Plus, I thought I did my calculations based on it being 6ft long and now it was only 62" long!  I stretched and steamed and got it to 64"  Then I went back to the pattern and the blog and saw it was supposed to be 6x60".  Phew!

 I decided to steam the whole scarf, and it looks so much better.  Almost "commercial"!  This picture shows the bottom half steamed smooth and the top half just with being washed.  My edges seemed uneven but I noticed that it was just where the zig zag rows are.  This is a clever design for scarves...knit as a tube, but with zig zag rows that connect both sides, every 20th row.  So, it can't twist and will always lay flat.

However, it barely made a dent in the red yarn (which isn't a soft and snuggly yarn, but a more dressier yarn)!  Good thing there's 9 more scarves to go!!

Yarn In: 918gr

Yarn Out: 68gr + 1216gr = 1284gr
Balance:  366gr more USED than bought
Costs:  43.09/34days = $1.27/day

How to Alter Knitting Patterns

So often in knitting books, they tell you simply to add more stitches to make an item wider.  They don't really get into actually fitting knitted garments, because "knitting stretches and is forgiving".  Wanna bet that was written by a man, or a B cup lady?

Ever chose your sweater size based on the chest size (often the only measurement given), knit up the item and been so disappointed?  You check the measurement--yup, it's 42" around.  You check yourself--yup, you're still 40" around.  So why is it sagging in the back and stretched thin over your chest?

Do a quick check.  Circle your chest with a tape measure, with the 0 at a side seam.  Go around your back and note what it says at the other side seam.  Continue over your bust, and note the finished 40".  Was your back measurement half of that?  No?  Your back was 16"?  So that would make your front 24"?  Look at your sweater.  The back and front are both 21".  The designer assumed you were shaped like a 0 but really, like most women, you're shaped like a D.  The extra width in the back just sags, while the knitting is forced to stretch 3" extra across the front, before accounting for any ease (which should have been one inch, so really, it should have stretched 4").  This is a lot to expect of many yarns!

Here is a step by step guide to getting started on fixing this common fitting issue!

Step 1) Measure the "Upper Bust"--around the chest, tight under the armpits, above the breasts. So don't wear your sexiest push up bra. Wear whatever you expect to wear under the garment you're making.
Step 2) Have a friend measure from the shoulder seam to where you want the bottom to be. Mark this with a pin on your side.
Step 3) Have friend measure your front length, from same point on shoulder, over the fullest point of the bust, to the same length as marked on your side. If it's close fitting, bring the tape measure in to reflect that (not too much, but an inch can change it from a fitted look to an oversized look).
Step 4) while doing step 3, mark where the bust point is and how far down from shoulder.
Step 5) Measure from side seam to side seam across the bust point. Also measure how far apart the bust points are
Step 6) Measure from back side seam to back side seam

The difference between 2) and 1) tells you how much to add in short rows.

The difference between 5) and 6) tells you how much bigger your front is and you can use this to compare with 1). If they are close (half of the measurement in 1 or twice the measure of 6)) then simply choose the size that corresponds to that and add short rows for the front length. If there is a bigger size difference than what the natural stretch of knitting will allow (or if you're knitting a non-stretchy pattern/yarn), then you can play with front width. If you have a belly and no butt/hips, I would automatically go with a larger front size. Compare the bust/waist/hip measurements on the schematic to see how it compares to you. 

If you need a larger front size, you can reduce the short rows somewhat. 

You'll need to cast off under the arms and make the arm shaping decrease so that by the time you get to the shoulder seam, (using the armhole depth of the smaller size), you have the same number of stitches as the smaller size. Depending on the neck design, use the numbers for the smaller size.   Often, the depth of the armhole can be shortened a smidge too.  Often, the patterns get upsized all over, and busty girls aren't necessarily bigger in the arms.

Of course, there is much fine tuning that can be done to these guidelines. Making a "sloper" or a "block" of a basic shape that fits you, in a plain yarn that is typical of what you use, can really help cut down design time in the future. Then transfer all the info to a paper pattern for the knit radar/knit leader/knit contour.

This is a very basic starter guide, to teach when to use just short rows and when to knit the front a larger size.  Even just adding short rows to the front can make a big difference, but mostly if your front and back are close in size.  However, you really should knit the back to fit your back and your front to fit your front.  A person who is "just" busty can get away with making the size to match the upper bust but adding short rows.  

A great site to learn more about adding short rows to shape the length of the front is http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/lpullovers/fbc.html.  This basic pattern could become your sloper as it'd be easy to see where you need to make other changes.  Also take a look at sewing websites about fitting.  A sewing designer would never make the front and back of a piece equal!

Not Too Sure....

My desktop computer is dieing. (Apparently that's not a word?).  The computer is not too bad, but it's so old Chrome won't provide updates, Firefox tells me almost every site is unsafe, it can't keep up with the high speed internet.  I tried Blogger on Firefox, but I couldn't find anywhere to sign in or make a new post.  When I've tried to blog using Safari on the iPad, it hasn't worked.  I've downloaded the Blogger app and will try this.  I don't see anywhere to customize things though.  It'll have to do for now.  If you follow me on Instagram (TracyKM Designs), I'll be doing a post-a-day challenge for February.

Here's that picture:

See....I can't find how to centre it, make it bigger, add a caption, or the text that appears when you hover on the picture.

Another pair of size 4-6 mittens for my kindie kids I supervise at lunch.  Not much to say.  33gr of Patons "Decor".  I added the grey stripes because the blue ball weighed in at 32gr.  I have a small ball left, I'll just toss it in the bag with the rest. Slowly, slowly, the stash is being reduced!  I'm giving away some more yarn today!

Yarn In: 918gr
Yarn Out: 35gr + 1181gr = 1216gr
Balance:  298gr more USED than bought
Costs:  43.09/days = $1.27/day

Yarn!

I had to go buy yarn at some point.  Stockings just don't create their own yarn while waiting in the corner.  Michaels was having a sale and I thought I might be able to get some yarn that I needed.  I did pretty good, 6 balls of Impeccable for a Christmas stocking and a mermaid blanket (6x128gr=768gr; $4.99 each, buy 2 get the 3rd one free), and 2 balls of Loops & Threads "Pizzazz" (2x50gr=100gr; $6.99 each but I could use a coupon for one so it was only $4.19).  These are about a sock weight, 72% superwash wool, for a couple pairs of fingerless gloves for little girls I know.  All together, it was $35.19 and 868gr.  So am I still using more than I buy?....

Yarn In: 868gr + 50gr = 918gr
Yarn Out: 1181gr
Balance:  227gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $35.19 + $7.90 = 43.09/27 days = $1.49/day

Yay!  Just squeaking by, though I do have a 68gr red scarf to post, and two big mermaid blankets that are almost finished!

Lucy's Turn

Megan is my one child that is often requesting items crafted by momma.  Lucy asks once in awhile, and Hugh...well, not anymore and when he does, it usually something obscure and/or obtuse.

Lucy is playing in a jazz band made up of students from across our region.  She got a "band coat" that is, of course, black.  I don't get this.  Musicians are supposed to be creative people.  Yet our folders are black, our cases are black, or uniforms are often black, our jackets are black....

We were at Wal-Mart and of course I had to pass by the yarn aisle.  I stopped at the small selection of Red Heart "Heart and Sole" sock yarn.  This yarn feels thin and stringy.  I hoped it would wash up nicely.  She picked out this grey/black blend to make some of the fingerless gloves to go with her new coat.  I hoped she would help make them, but she wasn't interested :(

Before I started though, she determined she wanted an accent colour.  Perhaps bright green or purple.  What do I have?  We went through my sock yarn bin and she declared them all "boring".  I found a few yarns but they weren't really suitable.  I finally found a ball of Patons "Lace Sequins" but she didn't want the sequins!  Then I found two balls of a cheap, fake mohair from Dollarama (our big dollar store chain).  It's very fine, but with two balls, I could double strand it easily.

The white hand is cut from foam board and was a tracing of Rob's hand, Man's XL.  So you can see the stretch of these gloves!

I got to work, making random stripes in the cuff.  Got the hand part done, then it dropped a bunch of stitches.  I took it to show Lucy and she said she didn't want stripes on the cuff and wanted fewer stripes in the hand.  Whatevs.  I restarted, got the hands done quickly.  Worked on the thumbs.

I found with the other pairs that the "gusset" part of the thumbs don't seem long enough (not surprising since the length for the hand doesn't seem long enough and I add 8 rows), and it pulled up the wrist.  Not too noticeable in the multi coloured yarns, but if you did the cuff in one colour and the hand in another, it'd show.  I had experimented with changing the last couple decreases working down to the point, and that helped, but this time, something went wonky.  The first thumb worked out right (could still be longer) but the second one...I don't know.  I ended up finishing it up by hand.

She's been wearing them!  Yeah!  These gloves took only 36gr total (33gr of RH is left), which leaves me with some more boring yarn to add to the sock bin LOL.

Yarn In: 50gr
Yarn Out: 36gr + 1145gr = 1181gr
Balance:  1131gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $7.90/27 days = $0.29/day

Size 4-6 Circular Knit Mittens Pattern

I've mentioned before I'm a lunch supervisor in a kindergarten class (once outside, there are three classes, or about 80 kids!).  A couple years ago I brought in a small bin of extra mittens--mostly ones my kids outgrew or didn't like.  So many kids wear those thin stretchy mittens and gloves and they just don't work when they're playing in the snow.  I really prefer as much wool content as possible, though these ones are knit in Patons "Decor" which is only 25% wool.  I would recommend more wool though.  The gauge of that yarn is 20st/4" on 4.5mm needles, for comparison to substitute.  I use long circular needles and the "Magic Loop" method.

Size 4-6 Mittens (Circular)

35gr worsted weight wool blend

4mm circular needles or double point needles

Gauge:  20st/4" on 4mm needles.

k2tog:  Knit two stitches together

Gauge is not terribly critical--kids' hands come in all sizes.  You just want to make sure the fabric created is not too loose.  The denser, the better.

Cast on 30 stitches, in a stretchy cast on.  

I use the "alternate cable cast on".  A tutorial can be found on the Woolly Wormhead page.  She suggests working one row flat, but you don't have to.

If you use the alternate cable cast on, you will make P1, K1 rib.  When you look at the cast on, you will see that every other stitch sits "forward" and looks like a knit stitch.  Knit those, and purl the others.

1x1 Rib for 18-20 rows (2 1/4").

Change to stockinette and knit one round, increasing one stitch at the end of the round.

Shape Thumb Gusset:

Knit across 15 stitches.  Place marker, inc, K1, place marker, knit to end.

I increase by lifting the strand between the two stitches and placing on left needle, twisting it, and knitting.

Knit 2 rounds.

Knit to first marker, inc, knit to second marker, increase.  Keep the marker after the 15th stitch and before the last 15 stitches (increases happen "inside" the markers).  Knit to end of round.

Knit 2 rounds.

Knit to first marker, inc, knit to second marker, inc. Knit to end of round.

Knit 3 rounds.

Knit to first marker, inc, knit to second marker, inc.  Knit to end of round

Knit 3 rounds.

Knit to first marker, inc, knit to second marker, inc.  Knit to end of round

11 stitches are between the markers.

Knit to marker, remove marker. Slip stitches to the next marker onto a scrap length of yarn.  Remove second marker.  Knit to end of row, cast on one.  Backwards loop cast on is fine.

Work in stockinette stitch for 1 1/4" inches (about 9 rows).  Should measure 3 1/2" from top of ribbing.  Thumb gusset measures 2 1/4".  

Work one round, decreasing 3 sts evenly, so 28sts remain.

Shape Top:

Knit 5st, k2tog.  Repeat around (four decreases total).

Knit 1 round.

Knit 4st, k2tog.  Repeat around.

Knit 1 round.

Knit 3st, k2tog.  Repeat round.

Knit 1 round.

Knit 2st, k2tog.  Repeat around.

Knit 1 round.

Knit 1 st, k2tog.  Repeat around (8sts left).

K2tog around.  

Cut yarn tail, thread onto blunt needle, and take through loops (continuing in the direction you would have knit).  Go through a second time.  Poke needle through centre and take to inside.  Tie around one cross strand ("stitch heel") inside, and weave in the end.

Thumb:

Pick up stitches from scrap yarn onto needle.  Cast on one (beginning or end of round, doesn't matter).  12 stitches.

Knit 1" (about 6-7 rows).

Shape Thumb Tip:

K2tog, K2, K2tog, K2, K2tog, K2.

Knit 1 round.

K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (6sts).

Cut yarn, and finish like mitten top.  

Weave in end from start of thumb, making sure to close the gap at base of thumb.  Weave in end from cast on.  Knit second mitten.  Donate to your local kindergarten class!

Note:  I highly recommend Ann Budd's "The Knitter's Book of Handy Patterns".  You are free to knit these and do whatever you want with the finished items.  If you share this pattern, please share it as a link to this page so that Ann Budd still gets credit.  Do NOT copy and paste and do not use my picture(s) as your own. I encourage you to check out her books.  

Yarn In: 0gr
Yarn Out: 35gr + 1110gr= 1145gr
Balance:  11450gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $0

Black Hole

"Make me a slouchy beanie, close but not tight, thick ribbed but not double layer, exactly like this one" she says as she hands me a commercially produced Toronto Maple Leafs beanie, knit with yarn so fine it must be thread, and is full needle rib made into a double layer, cut and sew shaping at the top, and a true beanie.

Sure.

Expressive language is really challenging for Megan.  I  wasn't 100% sure what to make!  We found a soft, fine-enough black yarn first up.  "Bebe Luv" by Easy Knit, found at Wal-Mart.  I had bought it to make a Pocket Puppy, but after making a Pocket Kitty with a white version, I was second guessing this choice.  So I welcomed the opportunity to use it up before I could get going on the Puppy.  The yarn says it has a gauge of 22st/4" on 4mm needles.  I'm not too sure about that.

Bad choice.  This yarn, while soft, is a nightmare.  I took it downstairs to work, and when I finally found a bit to pull out, a big huge glob come with it.  I knew better than to try to just work straight from the glob, so I went back upstairs to wind it with my old electric winder.

I'm not sure now if this is from the initial glob, or from later when I ripped the hat out.

Oh lord.  The yarn was tangled, not just a simple blob.  The yarn is very, very soft.  It took a few tries and then I realized I should change the simple gear on my winder to make it wind slower.  The worst thing though was the static!  I know it's winter, and I assume it's dry in here...but this yarn stuck to me like glue.  And to the cupboard.  And it picked up every speck of dust and dog hair.

I spent a long time looking for a simple, shaped, beanie in 1x1 rib for the standard gauge.  I asked on Facebook.  I should have taken this as a clue.  There is no pattern out there because it is a BAD IDEA.  I swatched, I let it rest.  I thought a bit, I let myself rest.  I was going to conquer this.

I should have given up.  A sane person would have.  Problem after problem.  The first attempt at a decrease row and moving all those stitches over made me realize this was a bad idea.  I kept going.  Something went wrong and I had to totally start over.  Got a ways done, had a problem, got it fixed, kept going...and thought, "wasn't I at 32 rows last time I looked?".  Indeed, the tripper for the row counter had somehow been turned and wasnt' tripping the counter.  Ever tried to count rows black ribbing on the standard gauge while it's still on the machine?

I tried dividing the hat into four sections and decreasing each side of the first section, to make a triangle and sew up the seams later.  This probably would have worked, but as I got closer to the first point, there was too much strain between it and the section next to it.  I realize now I should have moved those stitches of the first triangle over, closer to the next section in hold.  Duh.

I ripped that back (fun!  Ripping back decreased stitches in black ribbing on the standard gauge machine).  Somewhere around now I discovered additional lights in our basement, but they were causing a lot of glare off all the metal parts of the machine.  I searched the house and found a headlamp.  That helped a lot.

I went back to the original idea of shaping, but this time I would just decrease a bunch of stitches and move some over.  Random.  This sort of worked, and as I got less stitches, I was able to get more into a pattern.  I had no idea how it would look though.  I was up to the row count I had wanted, but still had stitches left, so I started decreasing every row to flatten out the top.  Eventually I was left with just a few stitches and gathered it up and off the machine.

I dutifully sewed it up, using the headlamp, even during the day.  I thought it looked best with a bit of a folded hem:

But no, Miss Megan insisted on no hem.  But it wasn't a beanie then, I said.  But it was slouchy.  But you wanted a beanie?  No, she wanted a "slouchy beanie".  Whatevs.  She did say it needed a pompom.  I complied, and snuck in a few reflective threads that had been separated when I was making other things with the reflective yarn and trimmed the ends.  I don't think I used enough of them though.

I had read that a trick to making sure a pompom stays together is to use thin cotton, and wet it with hot water so it will shrink when it dries.  I tried this.  As I was tightening the tie, it broke.  Ugh!!!  I was able to slide the ends around so I had enough to knot and feed through the hat.  I don't know how it will last though.  The pompom looked better after steaming, though I see some ends that need re-trimming!

 When I tried to take a picture, the pompom was too side-heavy and the wig head kept falling over.  Not even at this point could this hat give me an easy time!!
In the end, Megan really likes it.  She can stretch it over her hair when she wears it up (she has a LOT of hair!).  The only problems--it still attracts dog hair and dust, and it's impossible to see inside her black skating bag!

I do have a yarn in to report, but I can't find the receipt :)

Yarn In: 0gr
Yarn Out: 73gr 1037gr = 1110gr
Balance:  1110gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $0

Pink is My Bling

A longtime friend (separated by time and distance but reunited by Facebook!) asked me back in November to make her a hat and infinity scarf set similar in style to the grey/black/white set 

I made but in fuchsia, white, grey/black.  Of course, just before I got her message, I got orders for three mermaid cocoons, so hers got delayed.  I used that time though to go digging in my stash, a bit of shopping (the fuchsia yarn with sequins), and do some swatching.

When I got the fuchsia yarn with sequins, I asked her if she is okay with a bit of bling in her yarn.  Her answer was no, "pink is my bling".  LOL!  Love it!  So, that yarn was out (but I did sneak it into the scarf).

This was taken with a clip on macro lens on my iPad Mini.  

Again, swatching did not go well.  I was planning to make the hat in Charisma "Black Raspberry", but the yarn end was bright pink, and everything I tried made the top of the hat look like a bulls eye.  I tried starting with a grey section.  That was better, but then the next few rows were like stripes, instead of blended colours.  I tried so many combinations.  Adding a grey mohair strand.  Adding a grey strand and a black strand.  Too thick.  Trying a different stitch.  Nothing was working.  Perhaps I was over thinking.

I went back at looked at the inspiration photo she sent.  Wouldn't you know it, I'd swear it was a close up of something knit in garter stitch using this exact yarn. I exhaled, and the next morning, it came to me.  The "Slouchy Beehive Hat" from FlowerPot Designs.  I was grabbing a hat to go out, and grabbed one (pictures 6 & 7) from this post, and saw the similar one (pictures 8 & 9) I did for my daughter, with more vibrant colours.  I KNEW that was the answer.  It wasn't crocheted, so I felt like I was taking a chance, but most people don't know the difference :)

We were going out to a skating show that night (New Year's Eve) and then heading to my parents--a 2+ hour drive in the dark.  Perfect time to knit this!!  I had it almost finished the next day but hadn't taken enough yarn.  Yes, I was a little ticked it took 10gr more than one ball!!  And, I didn't write down what I did!  Ugh.  I think I ended up with 56st, on 8mm needles.

 I LOVE it.  Love, love, love.  I was even able to use up the pink section I cut off from the hat trial, in the scarf (though you can't see it in the picture).  I actually wanted to use more of the pink in the scarf, but I had so many others to choose from.  Especially since I had picked up a bunch of yarn on clearance in the fall, in two shades of gray, white, and black!  I LOVE these scrappy infinite scarves!

 In fact, I was loving working on it so much, it got a bit long so I decided it needed to be a "three wrap scarf" and added a bit more to the length.  It can still be two long loops, or three cozy short loops!  This scarf took 188gr.

I was getting cold so I headed back inside (I had taken some other photos, playing with some props ideas), and left the set up outside.  My husband came home and found this on the outside couch LOL.

My friend just posted a picture on her Facebook page, and she looks wonderful in it!  She's so rosy, and it frames her face beautifully.  If you've wanted to venture into slouchy hats but just don't like hats on yourself, I really recommend this one.  I did 2x2 rib, and made it fairly long.  I also changed the decreases, so it went a bit flatter at the top (so I compensated by making the body part a bit longer--I don't know because I didn't actually check the pattern, LOL).  And I did four rows of knit, then four rows of purl, because of the thickness of this yarn.

Yarn In: 0gr
Yarn Out: 298gr + 739gr = 1037gr
Balance:  1037gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $0

Fixing

In November, 2014, my daughter wanted a new scarf, so we made a fair isle one on the Singer 327.  I steamed it, and blocked it, but the curl never subsided.  I was quite surprised, but I guess, since it was a sock yarn, that would actually have been a good thing.

So, it never got worn past the first day.  I always thought I'd get around to making a backing, somehow, for it.  With all the work in my basement though, the Singer 327 has not been used much, until this fall.  Finally, I decided the day had come. I picked up a ball of Loops & Thread "Woolike" since I was pretty sure there wasn't enough of the Kroy white.  I wasn't sure, while I was in the store, if the white was right.  As it turns out, I should have gotten something a bit softer.  Oh well.

I originally took this picture with the scarf upside down, thinking I'd just flip the picture before posting.  But I couldn't do it.  LOL.  It was just wrong to see 1/2 stitches in one colour

I was hoping to do a "sew as you go" and attach the sides of the scarf to the sides of the backing as I went along.  However, I wanted the new backing to have a knit side out to counteract the curling of the scarf (it curls to the purl side, so if I put two pieces together, one wrong side to one right side, it would still curl).  I couldn't wrap my head around this, as when you're knitting, the purl side is what faces you.  I decided I would just sew it together after.

We started one "swatch" and I decided it was too wide, and Megan lost interest, so I carried on without her.  I used Card 3.  I was hoping the tuck pattern would have less curl.  The knit side has a bit of texture.  I made it an inch longer than I thought I'd need---once I started sewing though it wasn't long enough!

I didn't want to mattress stitch it so I used my machine and a zig zag.  Not the greatest job.  A walking foot would have helped.  And, the knit side still rolled in.  I could have made the backing one repeat wider, or I could block it harder and top stitch, but I was done.  The back is quite bright compared to the pattern, but I don't care.  It's done, I wore it in public, and no one laughed :)

Yarn In: 0gr
Yarn Out: 40gr + 699gr = 739gr
Balance:  739gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $0

Off To a Good Start

Last year I said I was going to keep track of how much I donated/received by donation in a separate category.  But I forgot about about that, as I really didn't receive any this past year.  I'll have to go back and see if I gave any away.

This past weekend, Rob was working in my studio space and having to move things around (everything got moved from the other room into my space, and then I had to move things--but couldn't put anything back in the other room because he needed the floor for cutting drywall).  He picked up a garbage bag with some yarn and said "get rid of it!".  I had been trying/planning to, but it just hadn't happened.  That night, there was a post on Freecycle by a lady looking for yarn.  Well, that was my sign!  Often people are just starting and looking for balls of "normal" yarn (Red Heart, Vanna's Choice, etc).  I described the yarn and she said that was great.  So off it went!

 424gr of this green yarn.  I thought it might be wool, but a burn test after I bought it was inconclusive, I think.  It's sort of sticky, 1ply, and a very large skein.  I lost interest about 10 minutes after I brought it home (Value Village?).

I picked up this 275gr of bulky 1ply because I thought it might be wool and would be good for dyeing and felting.  Again, I think the burn test was inconclusive.

Yarn In: 0gr
Yarn Out: 699gr
Balance:  699gr more USED than bought
Costs:  $0

Just a Few More

I was struggling with Christmas gift ideas this year.  My budget was really tiny.  So tiny, well, it might as well have been non-existent.  So that means things knitted from the stash.  But what?  People can be picky.  Or, I should clarify.  I needed to make things for teenagers.  Teens can be picky.  Yup.

After making the trial pairs of the fisherman's rib fingerless gloves, I figured they be good little gifts.  If I found some extra money in the budget, I could tuck a bill or gift card into the gloves.

I don't recall which of the two left pairs came first.  The left one is from some old yarn...I'm a little surprised just how old!  For laughs, check out this post about the socks I made, and here's the post from when I bought the yarn.  

While this is certainly NOT the oldest yarn in my stash, I think it marinated long enough.  It is disappointing though to see how those socks looked after a few wearings.  On one hand, natural felting will make them warmer, and I love seeing knitted gifts used, but on the other hand, felting will reduce the natural ability of the rib to stretch, which is a key element of this design.

 The first difference I did was to set it up with the edge stitches on the RB.  I made the gloves slightly bigger to do this, rather than slightly smaller.  This did allow for easier seaming, although, as you can see in the blue pair at the thumb gusset, the resulting column of knit stitches created by taking in 1/2 of each edge stitch, does not match the fishermen's rib.

Issue?  I don't know.  Next time maybe I'll do an even number of stitches and seam it up with a purl column.  Megan did most of the knitting of the blue pair, I just set the machine up, casted on, changed the settings when she called me, and sewed them up.  Child labour is so handy!

 I also elongated the thumb gusset a bit by fiddling with the last couple decreases, so I ended with putting three sts on one needle, instead of 5.  I also started with two extra stitches (by having the edge stitches on the RB) so that automatically made it a bit longer.  As well, I used my two stitch transfer tool for the decreases, rather than moving the edge stitch.  That helped A LOT.  A LOT.  And looks nice too.  I did experiment with the grey pair of trying to increase on the sides of the hand to make the thumb gusset that way, but it made a mess.  I might try again, but keep the thumb in stockinette.  But you'd end up with a seam up the middle of the outside of the thumb.  My next trial will be to do the thumb first, then "seam as you go" although I'll probably get the thumb inside out.  I've never done it with the RB in use.


All these totals are in that year end recap.  I did T6 for all three, 40 rows for the cuff, 48 for the hand.  They feel very cushy, stretchier than the orange/purple, but not too 'thin'. This is surprising, because the blue yarn, and the grey/white (it's really a soft, creamy white) are Kroy 3 ply, which is thinner than the orange/purple Kroy Socks.  So, this pattern is quite forgiving of the tension, but I think that if you're using a Singer, just start with T6.  The orange/purple ones could even been T6*.

Fuschia

My youngest kid, Megan, figure skates.  We've never given a gift to her coach(es) and I always feel bad!  This year I decided it was time, and those reversible 4 Way Fingerless Gloves would be perfect!  So we picked two yarns.  Megan wasn't really happy with the choices, but that's what I had.  I did a swatch, did the math.  And got sick.  And the math lied.  Really, it did.  I got one done, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish the second one.

The charcoal is Zara again, and the other side is plated.  One strand of an acrylic mohair from this project .  Mmmm, reading that post, I'm wondering where the rest of the Paton's "Sequins" in purple went!  That would have been much better!  The other side of the plating is two strands of a bright violet coned yarn (I happen to have two cones); I used it also for Megan's legwarmers.  I have it written down which yarn went in which feeder...we surprisingly liked it with the colourful mohair NOT the main yarn.

Megan did most of the knitting.  Though I had to stand there since the cones were too close to the machine and kept getting hung up, plus there's markers to be placed and tensions to change.  

They somehow turned out too small.  Plan B.  Well, there was no plan B, except a Christmas card that said "my mom is sick and your gift will come next week" LOL.

After making the fingerless gloves on the Singer 327 I knew I wanted to make them for the coach.  But I had no fuchsia or purple sock yarn that was "acceptable".  I had some wool I just bought and the fuchsia was deemed perfect.  I tried it on the 327, but while it would knit fine in rib, the Fisherman Rib was too much for it.  And the label says it's aran weight!  I already had gauge info for it on the LK150, so back to it.  Feeling better by this point, I re-worked the pattern for the LK150 and did a thumb gusset by increasing at either side, but no FR.  The cuff did take a little while to latch up, but the hand and FR goes fast, so don't be intimidated!  It's been too long since I've done mittens on the LK150 and I forgot that I hate this thumb gusset, but oh well.  Guess I wasn't feeling as better as I thought :)

It would be really easy to do either a thumb gusset in the middle of the knitting (yes, moving about 19 sts on each side over, every two rows), or add a thumb gusset after like I do in my other mittens on the LK150.  Totally forgot!

Other than the thumb, I LOVE these mitts.  I really, really need to get my new SK155 ribber set up.  Oh?  I haven't told you about that yet?  That's what I was waiting for back in early December, and it deserves it's own post!  Again, the total for these mitts were already included in last year's totals; the first pair weighed 67gr and this pair is 61gr.

Hey! It's Winter!

One thing knitters struggle with is being prepared for the changing seasons.  We have good intentions:  "I'm going to knit my new winter set in July!  Yay me!".  But we all know how it turns out.  The temperatures suddenly plummet and our numb fingers remind us that our July was spent knitting dishcloths.

We've had a really warm December, here in Southern Ontario.  Really warm.  Like, we just need a sweater outside.  Until Sunday, Jan 3, 2016.  Hello, new year!

I thought knitting the fingerless gloves was maybe going to keep the mercury on the plus side.  They seemed like great gifts when it was 5C/41F out there.  Now, it's more like -15C/5F and fingerless gloves seem like a joke.  The nice thing about them though, is they can be layered over thin gloves!

Someone, somewhere, posted about Diana Sullivan's Fingerless Gloves video again.  Again, they were something I had wanted to knit since the video was released.  I decided this was the year.  Well, technically, last year was the year, but does a flip of a number really matter?  And hey, I have "lots" of Kroy Sock yarn!

 I actually had some real Kroy "Socks", not the old 3ply and 4ply Kroy, so I thought I'd start with it, and follow the video exactly.  You know how hard that is for me, right?

First big issue came with changing from 1x1 rib to Fisherman's Rib.  Diana has a Brother, so I looked in my Singer manual, and it does the FR on the mainbed.  I googled, and I went through all my Knitwords magazines cause I knew there were FR patterns.  I found an article where MAO says yes, this is how the manuals tell you to set it up, but it can be done in reverse.  I don't know how though, there appears to be no way to tuck with the Singer ribber bed carriage.  So, I just followed the manual.  This meant that my end needles, carefully set up to be on the MB like Diana said to do, were now tucking (instead of knitting, like in her video).

I finished the first one, and took it off the machine.  I know rib is stretchy, but this was small!  What went wrong?  I made sure to change tension where needed.  I double checked the needle count.  I consulted with my MK mentor. I wasn't happy with the feel of the knitting either.  It was too crispy.  Some of that is because it was unwashed, but there was just something the yarn was trying to tell me.  I concluded that I had mysteriously done something wrong and should try again.

And got the same result.

Now, I know the definition of an idiot is someone who repeatedly does the same thing, expecting to get a different result.  Time to change it up.

I upped the tension to T6.  I shortened the cuff to 35 rows as it had seemed a little long even in the smaller version and I felt the larger tension would allow a bit of length anyway.   I set it up with the same needle set up--end needles on mainbed.  I did 40 rows of FB, hoping the larger gauge would mean they'd have longer hands.  I did the thumbs as written.

As with just about everything I make with self striping yarns, the second one ended up being too close too the first...but not close enough to make them identical.  I'd rather have had them be wildly different (but obviously the same yarn), then "almost close".

Sewing up was not as easy as Diana said they'd be.  I think because the end stitches were tucked.

They are still on the smaller side--but very stretchy.  This yarn really preferred T6.  I probably could have gone up a dot (or two even).  And people think I'm weird when I say yarn talks.

These gloves weighed 46gr, which I included in the previous post with all the totals.  There is a tiny bit of yarn left.  I would much prefer to have NO yarn left, and make these a smidge bigger.  However, technically I don't have "no" yarn left, since there's a couple more balls in the cubbies :)