Chirp!

Easter isn't a huge thing in our house, and this year was even more low key than usual.  The Easter Bunny was on a very tight budget.  I did see this pattern though and thought they'd be cute to make for my kids.  It hides an Easter cream egg inside.

 The first one I made as written.  The second one I decided to do the head in the round, purling one row, knitting one row.  The third one, I did it all in the round.  This one came out smaller, and the increase sort of spiralled up from the bottom of the tail upwards and towards the back.  I had kept it at the end of the row but totally forgot that perhaps I should move the end of the row back to it's original spot, or halfway, I don't recall now.  The head was not as nicely shaped either, because obviously my purl rows must be shorter than my knit rows.  Just knit this pattern as written :)

The eyes are all a little funky and uneven.  It was late.  The kids were staying up too late and by the time they went to bed I was ready too.  The beaks are made from some fun foam that we just happened to have in the craft bins.

I used ....Sirdar Cotton DK? My ball doesn't look like that but it's also old.  It was a DK cotton, mercerized.  A 50gr ball, some had already been used for something, and I had a sizeable amount left.  I think these weighed a total of 30gr.  If I find where I wrote it down, I'll update.

Yarn In: 1586gr
Yarn Out: 30gr + 3783gr= 3813gr
Balance:  2227gr more USED than bought
Costs:   $74.87/102days = $0.73/day

A Long Road

I'd wanted a bulky knitting machine for a long time.  Yes, my first machine, a KnitSmart was technically a bulky, having a 8mm gauge, but it was very basic.  I wanted something with a punchcard.  I was sort of leaning towards a Singer because I had the LK150 and the Memomatic 327.  But I didn't know very much.  I browsed kijiji.ca (Canada's Craig's List) and although I really wanted a double bed set up, it was clear I couldn't afford one and they were few and far between.

Eventually, I found a SK155 for sale.  Getting it was not an easy task, first the money issue and then the icy roads.  Then I had numerous problems with the tuck function, which I think affected the groove of the tension dial.  I had the elusive Knit Contour for it, but it gave me grief too, as it was tricky to figure out with having two ratio settings, and the row size I needed was slightly smaller than the smallest on the dial.

I did use the SK155 quite a bit for small things, but wished it had a ribber. I envisioned making sweaters, blankets, hats, mitts...I don't know...cool stuff!

Early in December, in a machine knitting group on Facebook, a woman posted that she had a SR155 that she wanted to give away, for just the cost of shipping from Nova Scotia.  Brand new condition, she said.  How could I pass that up?!  We got in touch and I got her details for the shipping.  She wanted it picked up on Dec 4 which was her birthday, and she's at the stage of her life where she likes to give more than receive.  I struggled a bit with arranging shipping, as she needed to print the shipping label, but I was paying, and there was no way to do this on the website (Canpar).  What?!  Called customer service, got the shipping label emailed to me, then I emailed it to her. 

On December 4th, I get a message from her that she was surprised they were coming to pick it up.  She couldn't find the metal lid so she was packing it in another box from a knitting machine.  Oh, dear.  Alarm bells!!

I was expecting it to arrive sometime on Tuesday.  I had to go out for an hour, and of course, when I got home, there was a "missed delivery attempt" notice.  It said I could go to a gas station on the far side of town (7km/4.3mi) after noon the next day.  So, I headed there the next day at 12:30pm.  There was no package, and the truck had already made it's delivery for the day.  Sad, I went home. 

I went back on Thursday at 12:30pm.  Again, the truck had already come, and no package for me.  What?!  I went home and called the customer service.  She was really nice, but had no explanation, and couldn't even find where my package might be!!  She said she'd put on it to deliver it to my home on Friday.  I was getting worried.  As each day passes, each in and out of the truck happens, so could damage.

Friday came, and indeed, the ribber was delivered that afternoon.  The box was a little mashed at one end.  I held my breath as I opened it.

And burst into tears. 

One end was mashed, and the metal strip that covers the ends of the needles and has the position window for the racking handle was broken off.  Snapped right off.  She had included about 10 spools of ribbon ladder yarn on top of the bed, as "padding", and a couple ribber combs that were standard gauge. The bed looked flat, but I couldn't be sure at that point (it does appear to be flat).  The carriage was in place, with obviously no carriage lock since this was just in a cardboard box for a Brother machine.  I knew the damage could have been much, much worse.

She hadn't found the manual when she shipped it, but did the next week, and said she'd mail it.  I've never received it.

We set the ribber aside for the Christmas season and shortly after New Year's, I was determined to set it up.

There were no ribber clamps.  And ones for the standard gauge machine don't put it at the right angle.  I emailed some machine knitting friends, but no one had extras.  I searched kijiji.ca and found someone selling a SK/SR155.  I emailed asking if it was still available, but it had just sold.  I told her what had happened and that I was searching for ribber clamps.  Unbelievably, she had some, and offered them to me, at no cost!  She even mailed them for me with no charge!  I was so happy!!  They arrived around Jan 26.

I got back to work at setting it up.  I realized there was no connector arm!!  I was ready to throw in the towel.  Really?! I get this far and now this?!  I looked it up on http://www.knittingmachines.ca/ and cried.  $156Cdn.  Add in the cost of the shipping (aprox $65), and it was getting up there to the price of what I would have spent if I had just bought the whole set up complete ($250 for each bed).  I'm on a really tight budget, I had felt SO blessed to have been on FB at the right moment to even see the post as quickly as I did and to be able to receive this awesome gift, and now it was going to cost me $241 before I could even knit a stitch.

I sulked for a couple weeks, Rob offered to take me into Peter Smith's shop to pick it up, and shockingly, he even offered to pay.  But we were busy and it wasn't in the cards.

One day I decided to put up a post in a Knitting Machine Sale group on Ravelry.  You never know.  Sometimes people lose things and buy a new one, only to find the original later.  I got an answer pretty quickly, and although it wasn't in Canada, she offered me a great price.  Shipping wasn't too bad, and together, it came to about $90Cdn.  It came wonderfully wrapped in bubble wrap, in a strong box. Finally I could finish the set up!

I got back to work on setting up.  However, one of the plates connecting the bed with the ribber connectors had come off.  It was the side with the racking lever.  Rob, is a mechanical engineer, and with the help of the mechanical schematics of the machine, he was able to get it on.  There was a bent piece that was stopping the racking mechanism, but he got it sorted out.  And then I couldn't find the handle for the racking arm!  He was using a screwdriver, LOL.  He took the one off a Memomatic 322 I have hiding under our bed and it worked.  However, the bottom needle cover is not fixable, and it houses the window that shows what position you've got the racking set at.  We just aligned the last needles.  And I found the left most needle was broken.  Oh well.

So, it was finally set up.  The carriage moved smoothly.  I found the manual on line and loaded it onto my iPad mini.  I set to work to master it.  First up, a swatch for a pattern from KnitWords.  I couldn't even get casted on and it became clear I would need a new sponge bar.  Another delay.  We tried one layer of weather striping but it wasn't enough.  Two layers made for a very tight fit getting it in, but the needles still move well. I made the swatch and fell in love!  It was a little awkward when raising and lowering the ribber as I can't push up along the bottom, and I can't tell what position the ribber bed is racked to, but that's mainly important only if making something you need to rack back and forth repeatedly.

The swatch didn't work for the pattern I wanted to do, so I got a start at adapting my mitten pattern.

The ribber was quick, then I went to do the circular part.  Really, I have to change the MB carriage settings every row?!  What?!

 I worked away, making basically every mistake I could, unintentionally.  It was still very quick though!  However, the gauge was totally off.  And...

 I thought I had fixed the row where I discovered you have to change the settings for each circular row...but somehow I had managed a zig zag row above the ribbing, which connected both sides of the mitten together.  Great for an April Fool's Day joke (which it wasn't yet), but not practical as a mitten LOL!  We had a great laugh about this.

Another attempt at a tighter gauge.  Better.  The tip needs modifying.  But my third attempt was at T1/T2 and it was still too big.  I was using Paton's "Decor" which is 20st/4".

I moved on to the blue scarf I showed in the last post.  How wonderful to knit that in an hour or so!

I am wondering if the tension dial has popped off the spindle again.  I'd check, but I started another project, since it seemed winter was done.  We've since had more snow than we did all December, I think!

So, that is the saga of the 155.  I now have a complete bulky double bed set up.  And can't find anything to knit that really uses the ribber as part of the design.  

Blues!

It's no secret I love turquoise and teal.  They remind me of warm Caribbean beaches.  Sigh.  So when I found this yarn in a clearance bin at The Wool Queen,  I had to have it.  Even though it wasn't on my shopping list.  And, I had to have every ball in this colour.  And a few balls in a different colourway.  What's not to love?  Gradual shading, an easy to use gauge, and a gentle machine wash 51% wool (49% acrylic).  Sirdar "Escape DK" .  This colour has the unfortunate name of "SH193".

My first stop was mittens.  Particularly the sideways mittens that my daughter had been knitting.  This would be an attempt to refine the pattern, perhaps for publication.  Well,  while sideways mittens are not common, there are a few patterns out there. And I'm not 100% satisfied with them.

 The original pattern had you pick up around the cuff and knit a garter stitch band, perpendicular.  Pbssst.  Why do that?  As a result, the thumb gusset shaping is now part of the cuff, and given the stretchiness of the garter stitch, while the mittens "fit", they slip off too easily.  Making the pattern (or just the thumb gusset) an inch shorter would change the gusset shaping a LOT and require much engineering. Or might not.  It might be worth it, it might not.

 The other thing I did was start with waste yarn so I could graft the first and last rows.  Or, I might have done a three needle bind off.  I don't remember now!  It's tricky to graft in garter stitch.  It seems while one side looks good, the inside has a ridge.  You can see below on the left mitten, there is a line on the hand just before the thumb.

I also cast on double the stitches, and did the shaping that should have been at the finger tip ends, in the middle, rather than having to sew up the tops.

The white line going up the center point was a marker to mark where the centre was for the shaping.  I like using a long piece of yarn as it doesn't go sproing off the needles, and I can see where the marker has been, not just the row it's on. 

The mittens are nice.  Warm, but not crazy warm because while the garter stitch adds a bit more thickness to the fabric, they are still just knitted and not felted, so they are not windproof.  The fit is decent but could be better.  And of course, they got stuck to the velcro on my safety vest at work a few times, so there is a lot of pilling.

Next up, a hat.  I thought a simple square hat, like in my profile picture here, but knit sideways like the mittens.  I'm not sure why I chose garter stitch though.  I was going to do one of those sideways knit garter stitch hats that I've done a few of but again, they always had a bit of a fit issue (a little stump at the top) and I was heading out and didn't have time to find the pattern.  So I went with square.  I knit and knit and knit until it would go around my head.  And realized that it was totally not the look I wanted.  Perhaps if  I added a ribbed cuff, but to get the negative ease to keep the hat on, the body was oddly misshaped on my head.  Sigh. 

I played with it, and thought, if I sew it closed anyway, but keep both edges open, it could be a super wide headband, or a neck warmer!  But it was too much as a headband. I folded it in thirds, and while that worked, it wouldn't stay tidy on my head.  So I knit a band to wrap around it (knit it a few times to get it right. Sigh.).  Was this the answer?

It was cute, it was trendy.  I thought being able to still open it up wider at the back would be great.  But, it was very thick and maybe too warm.  Eventually I cut off the band, and found a crochet headband pattern I liked.  Although I had to do two attempts to get the sizing right. 

 You don't see all that much change in the shading, it looks more like it was striped.  The kids say the narrow part needs a button or something, but I don't have anything I thought looked right.  It's working out pretty well.  I can pop it on over my hair and feel trendy, or under my hair.  Again, not windproof. And the girls also pointed out that the one edge of the headband pulls in more at that narrow section than the other edge.  I don't know why.

I had a bit of yarn left, in some small balls.  Even though the girls said I can not wear three pieces of matching yarn, I went ahead and made an infinity scarf with my new SK155 and ribber set up.  The SK155 is not new, but the ribber is!  I used the tuck ribbed lace in the ribber manual.  I could have used a few more stitches on the edges.  I didn't want to over steam because there is really nice texture, but the sides do roll.  Maybe I should pin it and steam.  It's quite narrow, but I figured long and narrow gets wrapped around the neck and becomes just as warm as a single wide loop.  Plus, what if I made it wide, and it turned into that awkward length of not short enough to be warm, but not long enough for two wraps?

Yarn In: 1586gr
Yarn Out: 155gr + 3628gr = 3783gr
Balance:  2197gr more USED than bought
Costs:   $74.87/90days = $0.83/day

Last Pair?

This is probably the last pair of mittens for the kindergarten kids.  I did start another, slightly larger pair, but I just wasn't feeling it.  I'm trying some on my new bulky machine set up, but I haven't gotten the gauge right yet.  Or worked out all the possible mistakes.  Stay tuned.

These are from the Briggs & Little kit I got from www.grandriveryarns.com.  I started the second mitten to be a reverse pattern of the first one but I made some mistakes so by the time I was halfway up, I gave up.  I wanted to make another pair with maybe less striping, so that all four would "go" together but not be identical.  Not that most of the kids care.  Most just want warm hands.  There is one girl that usually loves her fleece gloves but then after trying a pair of my spare mittens, she keeps insisting her hands are cold.  She wore this pair earlier this week and they totally matched her coat and scarf.  Usually she's good about bringing  them back to me before the bell, but I see they're not in the box now :) 

Yarn In: 1586gr
Yarn Out: 35gr + 3593gr = 3628gr
Balance:  2042gr more USED than bought
Costs:   $74.87/85days = $0.88/day

Flashback

When it was time to pass on baby items, my husband wanted everything gone.  I'm a little more sentimental and kept a few things, though I wish I had kept more.  Or at least made sure to get better pictures.  You always think "I'll take a picture next time" but that doesn't always happen.

I'm still not knitting/crocheting much so here's a little pre-blog flashback of my oldest and some hats I had made for him.

My aunt had started to knit a little dino sweater and hat set for her son, but she wasn't a knitter and he was long past the size so she gave it to me.  I gave the sweater away as a raffle prize when I did my first craft sale (each booth had to donate an item for a raffle), and I knit the hat for Hugh.  I was still pretty new to hat knitting, and I don't know if it was a design issue or a size issue, but it did nothing to keep his ears warm.  He wore it though because he loved dinosaurs.  I knit several other hats using this same shape.  I don't know what happened to this hat.  Probably gave it away with the coat.  I still have the pattern.  It's "Dinos and Daisies" from Patons' "Dinosaur Days" booklet 695, copyrigght 1993.

Another hat I made for him I loved SO much.  It's a vintage pattern, from Patons' Book 98, "Family Headwear and Scarves by Beehive".  There are some classics in this book.  The book was reprinted in 2001 using more "modern" yarns (I don't ever recall seeing Patons Canadiana Superwash Wool!), and one size instead of the DK yarn and three sizes that are in the original book (date unknown).  I think there must have been a printing in between the original and the 2001 booklet, because the models do NOT look like 2001! LOL.

The hat is called the "Ali Baba" and I challenge you to not smile!

 It's a little small on my adult wig  head but too big on my 6month baby head.

This was a great hat for keeping the ears warm!  Here he is, playing in the dog's frozen outside water dish.  The hat of course can not keep fingers warm LOL!  It was a verigated yarn and quite fun to see it work up in stripes!

Boo!

I posted on my FB and Instagram pages about my wrist injury.  Yes.  It's happened.  I spent so much time mending (mainly duplicate stitching large areas) my handknit socks that I have ended up with a repetitve motion injury in my right wrist.  Even more technical, it appears to be a "ganglion".  Often, those aren't painful, but this one is.

It sucks.

I've tried anti-imflamatory drops, like Voltaren, but stronger.  Can't say if they helped.  Tried naproxen, not sure if it helped or if I just finally fell asleep.  I can't use much anti-imflamatories so only when I'm desparate.  My youngest wrapped it up in a tensor bandage so I couldn't twist, and that did help, but is SO impractical since I'm right handed.  I've cut down on knitting and crocheting.  I don't mind that, but it's the simple, daily things that make it hurt--lifting my water bottle, pulling up my blankets, steering into parking spaces, etc.

It's unlikely I can see my doctor until Monday/Tuesday (she used to be in a walk in clinic on the weekends, but not lately).  Who knows what will happen then.  This week is "March Break" which means no work for me (kindie lunch supervisor), but I'm not looking forward to next week--opening Thermoses, zipping zippers, etc.  I'm quite annoyed with myself!

Yes, There's More!

The mitten knitting continues!  Even though it's now above freezing, I'm still working on mittens.  When you're out playing for 30 minutes, 7C becomes pretty chilly, especially if you fall, or play in the water.  The kindie yard is on the north side of the school, and we've just started getting a sliver of sun back.  We have poor drainage so there are a lot of puddles.  And with 80 kids running around, there are often falls.  Many kids are not bringing mittens to school now, so it's nice having the spare mitten box.  Plus, some of the mittens have disappeared already!  At lunch, I try to keep track, and remind them to throw them back in the box, but what happens is some kids get a pair at morning recess when I'm not there.  They don't put them on at lunch, or keep them in their pockets, and they end up going home.  And it's not like mittens will spoil over the summer. 

This is the first pair I made from the Briggs & Little kit I bought from Grand River Yarns.  This is not the softest wool to knit with and I worried that the kids might think they're too rough, so I washed them.  Just put them in a mesh bag, in with a warm load, and then into the dryer.  They fluffed up and feel much better, though this isn't merino!  I still used 4mm needles, but increased stitches to 32 and the thumb went to 13 sts, I think.  Which is too big. 
Immediately one boy fell in love with these.  He now ditches his big "waterproof" ski style gloves and grabs these from the box.  Makes a knitter's heart swell :)

Yarn In: 1586gr
Yarn Out: 35gr + 3558gr = 3593gr
Balance:  2007gr more USED than bought
Costs:   $74.87/70days = $1.07/day

Timeless

About 20 years ago, I made my boyfriend a fancy long stocking cap.  I'm not sure exactly when I made it, but it appears in a photo from Feb 1997.  I think I gave it to him for Christmas 1996.

I was still pretty new at knitting.  I had learned as a child, but never successfully made anything until fall/winter 93/94.  More about this hat can be seen in an earlier Timeless Tuesday post. On one hand, I'm quite proud of this hat.  On the other hand...oy!  It was a long time ago!

A couple of winters ago, I washed a bunch of our winter stuff.  I had washed it before, but I think this time we were in this house with a different washing machine....and it ate, shrank, and destroyed a lot of items!  The hat and mitts in my profile picture?  Felted.  A favourite hat of Hugh's from when he was little?  Pompoms gone!  And this hat?  The machine destroyed the pompom!

I always planned to redo the pompom.  The hat got moved around and moved around and just wasn't on my radar, especially once I started knitting for hire.  Finally, this Christmas, I decided to make a new pompom.  This time, I even got to add some reflective yarn!  Wish I had used more!

I included the pompom weight in my yarn totals just before the year ended, so I can't claim it today.  I think it was 60gr.  It's BIG!  Rob says it's a little heavy now LOL.  He's loving having it back, but the kids are not thrilled to be seen with him when he wears it!

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