Ribber!

In the handknitting world, there is a term called "Frogging". It's when you rip something out (take apart your knitting). As you pull the yarn, you chant "Rip it, Rip it" which sounds like "Ribbit" or.... a frog.


In machine knitting, there is a wonderful contraption built for some machines, called "a ribber". Not to be confused with frogging. LOL.


I wanted to get my standard gauge machine out again, the Singer 327 Memo-matic. And since I needed some help to maneuver it, I figured I might as well get the ribber set up too! It's been almost three years!
This is the two 'beds' set up. The beige (ribber) carriage on the lower (ribber) bed connects into that notch on the silver trapezoid piece (ribber arm).

As I've mentioned before, knitting machines are great at knitting stockinette stitch (and punchcard/electronics can do basic patterning), but all stitches are worked in the same direction....the machine is basically 'purling' and it can't switch between purling and knitting. You get stockinette fabric in handknitting by knitting one row, purling one row, but really, a purl stitch is just a knit stitch worked from the backside, and a knitting machine always works through the backside, so the purl side is always facing you, but you end up with stockinette.

And stockinette fabric curls along each side. Normally, you'd add an edging--garter stitch, seed stitch, or ribbing which is the stretchy material on sweater cuffs, mittens, socks, etc.

The ribber, because it faces the opposite direction, shows the other (knit) side of the stitch while you work. When you alternate between needles of each bed, you get ribbing--because a purl st looks like a knit st on the other side. So, this contraption lets you knit one stitch on the ribber, then one stitch on the mainbed, back to ribber, etc. Or you can set it up for other ribbing patterns such as 2x2 rib (knit two on mainbed, knit 2 on ribber bed).

We managed to muddle through the manual. They are typically written in Japanese, and then translated to English. There's some pictures, and some drawings. We did pretty good, but for some reason, the ribber arm does not look like the one in the book (the ribber arm connects the main bed carriage with the ribber bed carriage). There are several ribbers that can be used with this machine, and I seem to have the SRP20 which I think is one of the oldest.

There are extra metal 'wings' inside the slot where you thread the yarn through.

This piece was left over. We can't find it mentioned anywhere in the book. A few pieces were missing--accessory pieces that I can buy online, but it's a nuisance.

This is my first piece! I should have known not to use this yarn as it gave me headaches with just the mainbed when I first started, LOL.

Everyone says to make a scarf as a first project. Well, I started to swatch (test knit) some yarn and knew that I couldn't make a scarf because it's too boring, LOL. Then, a wonderful knitting machine guru, Diana, suggested I make a fisherman ribbed sweater she has posted on her blog, with great videos. There's no shaping, each piece is a rectangle. And it takes DK yarn which I have a lot of (remember the giant skeins I bought at Spinrite in August?).

This is the front. Or the back. Whatever, they're the same.

I had a problem with some needles not working right, you can see along the lower edge where the row (it's actually a column of sts but the sweater is sideways) is smaller/tighter.

Wow, this one is in sunlight, but that's not how it looks at all. You can see a little patch of bad knitting near the right edge, where the yarn tail is.

The sleeves. I had some issues with remembering to change the tension settings with the ribbing on the right. You can see the interesting effect of the yarn. It's a tuck one st, purl one st. The tuck st means it doesn't knit on one row, then the next row you knit the 'float' with the st. So, in a multicoloured yarn, it really breaks up the pattern, and also results in a different colour showing in the recessed purl sts. This above picture shows how the two sides are different--the left one is the 'back' side, the right one is the 'public' side which shows the tucked knit stitches.

It's all knitted, but not seamed up yet. I know how to do that, LOL, it can wait.

I've been pouring over my meager collection of machine knitting magazines, searching for the next project. After I had last packed up the Singer 327 it seemed every project I wanted to make needed it. Now, it seems all those projects don't actually need the ribber. Or are too advanced. But I found one hat pattern that I could have done without the ribber, but the ribber really makes it easier. Supposedly.
I had looked at the hat pattern quite a bit, but I didn't actually read it all before starting. There was some important info in the little pre-amble box that I kinda missed.

The pattern is badly written, so I won't bother telling you want (extinct) magazine it was from. Basically, with a DK yarn, at the left edge, cast on 40 st on main bed (I used 45 to get some extra slouch). *Knit 2 rows. Decrease with a 2 prong tool at the left edge and inc one by pulling out one needle on the right. This keeps the row count the same. Repeat from * Do 6 rows of the DK yarn (I think it was T7) and then switch to a 2/24 yarn for 6 rows, doing the inc/dec every two rows. Start and end with waste yarn. Wrap the unused yarn around end needle to carry it up the one edge.This shows the alternating bands from the knit side. The earlier picture from the purl side, is actually the right side. The thicker purl bands poof out while the thinner bands retract. The pattern showed it in one colour, but I had to get creative. I used a boo boo yarn ($5, superwash Merino!) from The Sweet Sheep that I had gotten in Kitchener when I got the ones I wrote about before.

The directions for picking up along one edge for the ribbing were a little confusing. And it was hard to do without the proper tool. If you want the pattern info, email me. This could also be handknit. There was an obvious error in the pattern too. I had a hard time casting off the ribbing, but watched another of Diana's videos so I'll be all set the next time. I had one 'lazy' needle that tucked when it should have knit. That's what made the vertical line in the ribbing. The pattern said 30 rows of ribbing, but it looks a lot longer than in the pattern. There was no gauge or sizes given, so perhaps my row tension is off.

As with most hats, it looks dorky on me. The pink yarn is so soft though! I think I'll add it the donation pile for the handknitter's group--they donate chemo caps.

After working the ribbing, you have to pick up to make that little solid bit in the middle of the top to close it off. Again, there was a numerical error, and the instructions were poorly written.

My next goal, and one I didn't actually think I'd try so soon, was socks! I've knitted socks on the flatbed machine, both by latching up the ribbing (OMG, never again) and by handknitting the ribbing (acceptable). However, there is still one or two foot seams which can be done in several ways. I really don't notice the seams when I wear them (I used a "Bickford Seam" which is very flat). However, although the double-bed machine knits ribbing flat (so it needs to be seamed still), it can knit the rest of the sock circularly--no seam!!!

The mainbed carriage knits across those sts while the attached ribber carriage slips across (doesn't disturb) the ribber bed. Then, going back the other way, it's the reverse. I've looked at double bed sock patterns before, but not having tried it--or even having the machine set up--I didn't really understand how much work there still is. Some sections are knitted flat (the short row heel) and you change back and forth between the combined carriage, and the mainbed carriage/fabric presser. It's like changing presser feet on the sewing machine when going from zigzag to straight.

I had some issues, some things I messed up or I"m not happy with yet. But here's the details:

Gedifra "Fasion Trend Sportivo" (because of it's loose ply and "sport" name, I had thought it was a sportweight yarn for a long time, but it's a 28st/38rows 2.5mm-3mm sock yarn). I used T5/5 for the cuffs, and T7/8 for the circular part for the first sock, then T6**/7** for the second. There were 50 ribbed rows, 20 rounds before the heel, shortrow down to 14st and out, then 40 rounds for the foot, toe is also shortrowed to 14sts. On the second sock, I forgot to do a dec at each end of each bed after shortrowing the toe before going for the last circular round and there was quite a lump when I grafted it. I could have also used a couple more rows on the second sock to compensate for the tighter tension.

I've got lots of sock yarn that is patterned and will look fine done as plain socks. I might do the ribbing by hand so that I have a portable project to take places (esp. since I can do two at once on one circular needle) and so I don't have the seam. We'll see. They're just so quick and easy on the machine. I don't normally like shortrow heels, but by not taking the ribbing all the way down to the heel, it seemed to help. I haven't worn them yet--I went to put them on for my daily walk, and noticed that I missed a ribbing st when I transferred sts to the mainbed, and it had started to ladder up!!

Things I Have (Not) Learned.

To save time, take time to check the gauge before starting.

How often do we see that at the top of a pattern and just ignore it? "I'm using the recommended yarn" "I always knit to gauge" "It'll fit someone". I KNOW checking gauge is important, and it really does make life easier (all the ponchos I made--started with one gauge swatch and a calculator and all 4 turned out exactly the size planned).

But yet, sometimes, even I ignore the warning. With 7 girls, ages 11 to 1, between the two sides of my family, there's bound to be someone that an item will fit.

I wanted to use up a skein and a half (potentially two dye lots) of Bernat Sweet Stripes. I also had a skein of white. I needed to be able to work the 1/2 skein into the design, instead of just adding it on to the end. In Knitwords No. 42 (Autumn 2007) there is a pattern called "Dude!" for a shawl collared sweater on the LK150. The pattern gauge is 22st and 28 rows to 4" on T5, and the yarn gauge is 22st/4". Good to go, right?

I was planning on giving it to Meg, and knowing that she's tall, I added some length in the body. That made me goof up later, so I had to fix the top portion of the front. I didn't add any length in the sleeves because, well, I ran out of the striped yarn and switched to just white at the tops of the sleeves. I had planned ahead, and made the bottom ribbing in white; the sleeve ribbings and collar are done at the end.

One other thing I did. This is a self striping yarn, of fairly equal thickness. Once I split for the neck, I played with the yarns to get approximately the same size stripes, otherwise, they would have been more than twice the thickness they had been on the body.So, you'd think that all was well. Umm. Not quite. I ended up getting only 20sts/4" so my sweater is wider than planned. Not a problem, right, cause I added extra length? Well. My row gauge ended up being 30 rows/4" so those extra rows got eaten up by the smaller gauge and it came out to barely the length for the original size. So, now it's a little boxy compared to it's length.

None of the kids in the family are short and boxy. That's reserved for the adults, LOL.

Edit: Meg found this sweater and wore it outside today (November 4, 2010). I could CLEARLY see that the upper sleeves and collar are a different shade of white. This annoys me so much with Bernat/Patons yarns. You get a verigated or striping yarn, and they don't have a solid colour that actually matches the colours in the other yarn. I think the white was called "Bernat Co-ordinates"....but it doesn't match! I find this to be a really big issue with their Decor, Canadiana, and Handicrafter yarns too.

Christmas is Over

We had our last Christmas gathering this weekend, and even though I knew it was coming in January, it still snuck up on me. I had no idea of what I wanted to make for my younger niece, as I had already made her a poncho. I emailed her mother, and they discussed it, and the little miss decided she wanted clothes for her two "Floppy Puppies" that go everywhere with her. These are not 'standard' stuffed animals (WebKinz, or Build-a-Bear, etc). I've never designed Floppy Puppy (or any stuffed animal) clothes. More discussion ensued, and the idea of sleeping bags was raised. Now, I knew I could do that! I had been making the Double Thickness Slippers and figured I could use the same ideas to make a lined sleeping bag.

But what colours do male Boxer Floppy Puppies like? I was overwhelmed. However, these dogs travel to the 'cottage' so I thought a camouflage and safety orange would be good. I already had a huge ball of Red Heart Comfort in safety orange, so I bought two other huge balls. One in a sage, and one in a sort of camo print. The first one I made was camo on the outside, and sage on the inside.

For some reason, when I worked through my pattern idea, I did it opposite of the slippers--I made the outside first, then the liner.This is not a great picture, LOL, but you can see the camo effect. Apparently I should have made a double bag. One thing I didn't like though, was that the inside colour extended too high and could be seen when the bag was laying flat. I fixed that with the orange one.

I also realized, when I grafted the first one together, at the base of the pillow, that that didn't close off the bottom of the pillow and I had to sew the two layers together to prevent the stuffing from travelling down into the bag. On the second one, I stitched the pillow closed after stuffing, then grafted the body stitches together. It was a VERY quick project, even though I was not 100% sure the design was going to work! She loves them, and I think I might need to make more (not sure the two Floppy Puppies like sharing, plus, the girl in me wants to make a cuter one for the girl in her!).

As well, I made ANOTHER pink poncho! This was number 4. After the first one, the cone measured 7 1/4" across; now it measures 6 5/8" across. I have one more to make, then maybe ones for my own girls, LOL. I made this one a little different because it was for the oldest girl (11). It's one long piece, with the cast on edge sewn to the lower side of the other end, so that it can be worn with a straight edge in the front and a point at the back, or with the point in the front like a poncho.

I also was running low on time, so I did a worm edge on the machine, instead of crocheting a frou-frou ruffle. I did use the same tuck st pattern. I had thought of changing it, or the yarn, but I already have all the measurements for this pattern/yarn combo, so why change it now?

The colour here is wrong, but it shows the right side (which is actually the purl side and usually the 'wrong' side), and the wrong side (the smoother knit side).

This shows how the front can be straight across and it makes the neck drapey, or you can flip it and have the point at the front and get a V-neck.

One bit of caution though---I tried it on, and the wide swath of one colour going across my entire front and arms made me look very wide. Perhaps a dark colour would be more slimming, but it's sort of like the "Fuzzy Poop" jacket I made--there's no visual interest to break you up so your eye sees the outline and assumes everything inside it is one big blob. Not that an 11 year old needs to worry about that though!!!

Better 1, 2, or the Same?

I don't like going to the eye doctor. I'm not good at idle chit chat and an eye exam feels like...an exam. It's a test. And what if I don't know the answers? If they can make glasses for babies, why not do the same for me? You know how they ask "Which is better: 1, 2; or the same?". Argh.


It also applies to winter hats.





I took that brown ribbed hat I just made, and found a complementary bulky yarn in my bins. I picked up sts around the cast on edge and ribbed up for a ways. A few times. It's not something that a gauge swatch would work for.
Then I tested it. I put it on for a few minutes; took a picture.
It's like trying on a bra at the store. You carefully position the girls, put your shirt back on to make sure nothing bulges, reach up, bend over, etc, and declare it perfect. The next day you eagerly put it on and head out. Only to find some deadly bra flaw that the 5 minute changeroom tango didn't reveal.
Despite trying about 4 times, the new ribbed cuff was too tight, and after a few minutes of real world walking, it would cause an elastic band effect, making the hat creep up my head. Which created an old man toque effect.
Being a resourceful soul, I would not be defeated. On a educated whim, I folded the cuff to the inside. Mmmm. Cozy. No feeling of hat about to go sproing. Snug, but not headache inducing. When the wind whips up I could pull down the inner cuff a little and still have a double layer over the ears. It looks only slightly strange--you can sort of notice that the lower portion of the hat is thicker, but you don't know why. Hat mysteries. I'm full of wonder. LOL!

Mingus

Years ago (?) when Pomatomus socks became all the rage, I knew I wanted to knit a Cookie A. sock pattern. I didn't make those ones, or Monkeys, probably due to their popularity or my lack of 'good' sock yarn (ie: yarn that matched the gauge close enough). But when I went to the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters Fair in September 2008, I bought a bunch of wonderful yarns from The Sweet Sheep. I'm pretty sure that's when I bought three Cookie A. patterns too.

I finally got around to making a pair. The first pattern I chose was Mingus (which I can NOT say without thinking of something that rhymes with 'ingus'). I started these September when I was having my tooth problems. The dental assistant (a young blond gal; the only type of gal my dentist employs, except for his mother) thought it was quite cute that I knitted (WTF?) but thought brown for socks that are worth about $65 was a poor choice. I wanted socks to go with my brown linen pants, and my olive green pants, but I'm not sure wool socks with linen pants seem right.

The pattern was slow going, but I got through and finished January 5. I did them two at a time, which makes each row seem slow, but then WOW! a pair of socks is done! LOL. I had a few issues, mainly just not paying attention. One issue with the pattern--there is no row gauge given. I could stretch the sock out to 'make' stitch gauge, but they are a little shorter than I'd like, and a little tighter than I'd like in the leg. If they were a touch shorter, it'd be fine, but I really wanted them taller actually. My calf is rather shapely, and well defined. I knew I was kinda cheating on the gauge, but I didn't know just where they'd reach to on my leg. I didn't go up a needle size cause those ones were in use, and I was getting gauge.

The yarn might have been in the boo-boo bin (and only $10!!!!!), but I'm not sure at all what the boo boo was! They are superwash merino/nylon, and I have quite a bit left. I suppose I could cut off the ribbing and knit it upwards a little looser and longer, but I'm not sure; it might seem a little odd to change the gauge.

Sorry I don't have a good picture of the design. I do have sock stretchers, but they are too big for my socks.

I wonder what the dental gal would say if she knew I paid full price for some handpainted brown laceweight yarn? LOL!

Lots to say...

Lots to catch up on, but mmm...what to write first? Most recent, or most not-recent?

Okay, more on my hat addiction.

I was a confirmed non-hat wearer until the winter of 1995. I had a student teaching placement, and frugal me walked a long way (2 miles one way) instead of taking a second bus. Part of my walk took me through the largest mall in the area, and I bought a black velvet 'bucket' hat. Actually, now that I think of it, the previous summer I had bought a straw hat that I really loved. But prior to this black velvet hat, I can't recall me having a winter hat! Earmuffs, yes.

I had been knitting for a little over a year (learned as a child, didn't really pick it up again until some friendly competition between housemates), but hadn't made a hat. Some terrible mittens... This hat turned me into a winter hat person. Ever since, I have been trying to create the perfect hat. It's so hard to balance trendy and practicality! Do I want to look like a (warm) dork, or a (cold) style maven? However, the decision is usually made for me--I look like a dork no matter what hat I try. The best hats on me tend to have a brim to balance out my tiny head, but that style doesn't happen much in knitted winter hats. I could knit and felt a bucket hat (chicknits) but that won't really keep my ears warm. I've knit earflap hats and they're not bad, but on an adult, they're way up there on the dork scale. However, years ago I decided to embrace my inner dork since I knew it was a losing battle anyway, LOL!.

This winter the floppy, slouchy hat is all the rage. You saw my first attempt (the Swedish Chef hat). I decided to use this lovely soft, flopsy, Sirdar Eternity yarn to try a different pattern. I don't feel like going to Ravelry, but I think it's "Star Crossed Beret" or something. However, my version, for some reason, is no where near slouchy like the pictures. But the textured look is new in my hat stock. Not that it's easily visible wiht this yarn, LOL. It's cute, not terrifically warm due to the lofty/nubbly texture of the yarn, and sits a little funny on my head due to my hair.Then, the winter issue of Knitty.com came out. And, dontcha know, there's a slouchy hat. It called for a 50-50 wool/cotton blend. Well, I knew that wasn't suitable for a winter hat for here. I bought some LionBrand Wool Ease Thick n Quick. It seemed to be about the same gauge, but instead of casting on 48st, I ended up casting on 54 sts on the third try. It felt warm, but then I noticed that unlike Wool Ease (worsted), Thick n Quick is only 10% wool. Which makes it lousy for mittens. I finished the hat quickly once I got the right number of sts, but I knew, deep down, that it was NOT the right hat. I forgot to switch to larger needles until row 4 of the pattern, then halfway through the crown I decided to go from 8mm to 9mm, and it still wasn't very floppy. But I wasn't ripping it out till I finished, and tried it on, and had a good laugh.

Trying to salvage any hopes at a trendy look didn't really work. What's the point of a winter hat that doesn't cover your forehead or ears?!

But I liked the yarn, especially how the brown had flecks of burgundy in it so it didn't look too dull and would look good with my burgundy coat. I went back to 8mm and 48st and cast on using 'alternate cable cast on' to give a nice edge and did a 1x1 ribbed hat. Even though I ripped back the crown and redid the decreases, it was still done in a day. It could have been a bit looser as it likes to crawl up my head. I can cover my ears pretty much, and then have a little cuff at the front. I might stitch that up as it tends to flip down over my glasses. I thought the ribbing would make it nice and dense feeling, but the wind still gets through, and the acrylic makes me sweat and itch. And it took just a bit too much to get two hats from one skein. But two balls should get 3 hats. Or, maybe I should put a big dorky pompom on top?

Bella

When I hear the name "Bella" I think of "The Magic School Bus" and one of the girls, Wanda, has a frog who makes the sound "Bella" when it croaks. However, the 'current' media-focused association is with the "Twilight" books/movies. Apparently, there is a character named Bella and in a movie she wears some pretty groovy mittens. Knitters everywhere were smitten with these mittens, and one designer created a free pattern. Not knowing anything about Twilight, I acknowledged these mittens strictly for their mitteness charm. I do know some people that read the books and thought the mitts might be good for a family Christmas gift exchange game.

However, I was using stash yarn, and had a hard time. They seemed really long; I thought I was going to run out of yarn; I frogged, cast on at a different point; knit for a while and found more of the yarn. I was using two different yarns, held doubled--one black, one charcoal. Once the mitts were finished though, it looked like half-way up the thumb and hand I changed yarns--there was more depth, more black. Despite nothing changing. It didn't show up too well in the picture, but you can see it on the left thumb (which is actually the mitten for the right hand, LOL). The mitts turned out to fit me quite nice, but I was afraid they would be too small on one of the hopeful recipients.

Christmas plans were very sketchy this year and the annual party never happened (although it might in January). I decided to give them to the hopeful recipient for her birthday instead, after several attempts to knit a larger pair failed miserably. The original pair fit her perfectly after all.
The backside is plain.
They should have been a quick knit, but once again, I had to make them more of a challenge then they should have been! LOL.

So Cute!!

There are some great things about a knitting machine. Number one, it knits quickly. Well, IT doesn't knit quickly, I still have to do it, and sometimes it can take me a long time still. LOL. But it's fabulous for quick gifts, such as those slippers. However, the selection of patterns is not as great as for handknitting. And, some knitting machines are very fancy and can do things mine can't. So, often, I have to create my own pattern. Sometimes I'm fine with that, other times, I just want to knit!
There are a lot of little (and not so little now) girls in my family, and some of them have fall/winter birthdays. I love it when I can make something that will work for all of them. The following poncho is one such thing.

Awhile ago (Aug 2008 or 2007), I bought a large cone of Patons Lancette during their tent sale. I liked the colour, but once I knit up some, I decided it wasn't really my cup of tea. But perfect for little girls--it's pink, shiny, and slightly hairy. I knit up some swatches, although the yarn is enough on it's own that plain stockinette would have been fine too.

This is the first of the ponchos, for my niece Abby's 7th birthday. It's two rectangles, and bordered with some single crochet and then a ruffle (3 dc in one sc, 5 dc in the next sc). This is a close up of the tuck st pattern (from a MK stitch dictionary). I have to put the appropriate needles into position myself, but it's still quick, and easy on the LK150.

So easy, I did the math for a smaller one, and knit the two panels in under an hour. The crochet takes longer than the knitting. The next one is for my cousin's 1 year old. It's so tiny!

And the cone is still HUGE!!

Quest

Last winter I was on the quest to figure out how to knit mittens on the knitting machine, and produce them quickly while maintaining the qualities of a mitten I like best. I also dabbled into hats, especially earflap hats. It was an interesting venture, and I still have an idea or two to try for mittens! This winter, my quest is slippers. I go through slippers quickly--I joke that Christmas and Mother's Day should be 6 months apart, not 5/7 because those are the only times I get new slippers. I love the handknit felted clog pattern from FiberTrends, but they aren't the quickest thing to make. I have been working on a pair of the 'ballet' slipper style from FiberTrends, for ....a long time; I thought they might be quicker, but I'm not as familiar with the pattern so I keep ignoring them.

The clogs pattern is not well suited to adjusting for machine knitting. In the internet world of free machine knit slipper patterns, there are 4 common ones. The first is just a rectangle, stitched up the back heel and top of the toe and I think felted. The second pattern is "7 Minute Slippers" and the third is "14 minute Slippers". I had put off making these two because I couldn't find pictures. Once some got posted in the Yahoo groups and on Ravelry, I decided to go for it. After finding out the 14 minute slippers are just the 7 minute slippers with lining knit as you go, I figured I'll give them a try first. My feet get cold!

The pattern was easy to follow, and very quick, although not 14 minutes. And there was insufficient gauge info. Most people finish the top with a pompom or something to hide the hole, but I thought it was kinda cute. I ended up ripping out the beige one as it was way too small. The yellow ones I gave to my SIL who was having knee surgery. Lucy also got a yellow pair. Despite being cute, in an almost "a face only a mother could love" sort of way, these slippers use a lot of yarn and are not very form fitting. Given my track record with slipping on the stairs, I needed a more secure slipper.

The fourth most common machine knit slipper pattern is the "Double Thick" slippers, aka "Romeo" slippers or pixie slippers. A little more involved, these ones still have the lining knit in as you go, but they also get put together with "seam as you go", a technique pretty much unique to machine knitting.

This picture shows the first pair; the pink part is the inner slipper which gets knit first.

The pattern did not give info about where to change colours, so I did some experimenting after the first pair. There are more options for colour placement with this pattern. This isn't a great picture, but the red, white, and blue slippers are the sparkly Christmas yarns. I didn't want that on the inside of the foot. The pink pair on the right have some size/gauge issues and I think I will have to re-knit the outer slipper. Then I made the pair on the left, in rose/beige/brown. You can see in the side view that just the sole is brown. The slipper has a flap at the front and back ankle, which is what gives them the "pixie" label, I think. They stay on pretty good, even though they are low cut at the sides of the heel. The red and white one shows what it looks like after grafting the back bottom heel to the back top heel...there's a lot of short rows there at the heel and flappy bits.
I timed the last slipper, and it took 45 minutes from start to finish, for one slipper. I went to a craft sale on Saturday, and people were selling mittens and slippers and socks (cheap acrylic yarns) for $3.50-$4.50 a pair. To make a pair of these for lady's size 9, took a little over one ball of Patons Decor, which can be bought for about $5 (true, these slippers are two layers though). I'm planning to write a post about the issues related to craft sale pricing. Even if you don't sell at sales, it still affects you, especially if you give knitted gifts.

These slippers (and the move back to an area with a Michaels' store) has caused a sudden increase in my yarn stash! Ooops! Better go knit and try to pare it down again!

Check the Other Blog

I just wrote a post over on my other blog about plus size sewing patterns. It belongs here too, but just linking to it will have to do for now. It's not so much about sewing, but just the images used.

Libraries

To try to hide the fact I have been afflicted with a bad case of startitis, I'm going to write about the joys of a public library. I finally dropped in last week and got my card. Now, some of you know that I grew up here; however I did not keep my library card valid while we were gone for 12 years, LOL. But the big thing is, 'my' old library was demolished and a new, modern one built. Something more suited for the size of this 'town'.

However, the old library had once been the town offices, and as a result, had a huge parking lot. The new library for some odd reason, has about 20 parking spots. The library was set back from the main road with a big patio area (I'm guessing that would allow for future expansion). While that space is nice for 3 months of the year, right now, it is grey, hard, featureless. Kind of like a parking lot, but without the benefit of being able to park there. There is a municipal lot next door, but it's 50 cents/hour. There is an empty grocery store and plaza a block or two away; guess where I'll be parking.

While I've always been adequately pleased with Orangeville's library, the knitting section is below waist height, down to the floor. Not great for us old bitties that knit. The Whitby's library's knitting section is up high, right down to about knee height. Loads of new books I've wanted to skim through but probably never buy. Some classics. But yesterday, I got positively giddy when I found Cookie A.'s "Sock Innovations" and Interweave Press "Scarf Style". I had already seen "Knitting on the Road" last week. I'm not checking out the sock books because of that startitis affliction right now. I did get a book on machine knitting last week, and this week, "Scarf Style" and a couple books on shawls/ponchos/wraps for inspiration.

While my book budget is now going down, my yarn spending is going up. I've made a few trips to Michaels' to add to my Classic Wool collection, but I'm proud to say, LOL, that I have NOT been to the yarn store in town yet!! I have absolutely NO need to buy new yarn (oh, yeah, I picked up 3 balls of sock yarn and one skein of lace yarn at the Creative Festival....). I will remain strong. Remember when I was in Shelburne weekly for Lucy's speech therapy and I did not go to the wool shop there even once? LOL. I can do this; I did really well the rest of the year in not buying yarn!!

Hats.

That last post was post #350! What I forgot to mention--and the reason for the title--was that I was also wearing wool socks, my fuzzy poop jacket, scarf, and gloves that match the hat, while walking to school. Perhaps a little TOO much knitting at once?


Anyway. I'm forever on the quest for the perfect hat. Or, at the least, a wearable hat. I still have hope that I will find a hat that doesn't make me feel/look dorky, keeps my ears warm, and goes with EVERY coat. LOL.

It's not very cold yet, and I thought I'd knit up another little lace cap, similiar to the pink one, from www.knitpicks.com. This one, I got gauge, knit the recommended amount, and it was pretty much perfect. Except that it's a little itchy and I'm not sure about the long hair with these caps.

Last year I started noticing patterns for berets and slouchy hats. I can't say that I saw many in real life though. But this fall, I'm seeing them on the young high school girls in the neighbourhood. I thought I should at least try one. I found a popular free pattern on Ravelry.com (Meret). I couldn't decide on the yarn. It called for standard worsted weight, and suggested 100% wool so it could be blocked. Well, I didn't want to use my Classic Merino on a pattern I wasn't sure I would like. I had a ball of an unknown white yarn (feels like LionBrand Jiffy, I think), and it seemed acrylic, but I went ahead anyway. I'm not sure why.
There were instructions to make a regular beret, a slouchy one, or an extra slouchy. I started with the regular beret because I thought the picture was the 'extra slouchy' model and I wasn't sure of my yarn amount. Ripped back and added another pattern repeat so it's now slouchy. Except that it's not really slouchy.
I did 'block' it to dry, but it wasn't really stretched at all. When I put it on, I suddenly felt like the Sweedish Chef (Muppets) or the pizza guy from Curious George books. I DON'T think it's supposed to be pouffy like that! LOL. I can push it around, and make it droop to the side, or the back, but I'm so unfamiliar with this style that I just don't know how to wear it.

However, I popped it on Meg's head, and she looks totally darling. Figures. My hats always look better on her than on me. Do I give the pattern another try in a better yarn? Another pattern?

Walking Advertisement for Wool

Last fall I made the pink tipless gloves, and have been wanting a cool weather hat to go with them. I really wanted to make a Koolhaas but I didn't think I'd have enough yarn; I wanted it to be for cool weather, not cold weather; and I didn't want to buy a pattern. Recently I was looking for a free pattern on Knitpicks.com that I had seen in an older catalogue (however, that pattern was no longer a free pattern!) and came across a couple lacey hats that I thought would be fun to quickly knit up. Haa Haa.


I started this October 5 and knit it 3 1/2 times before being done finally on October 12. I didn't do a gauge swatch, LOL. It still felt a little tight and short--and kept riding up, so I've wetted it, and am now wet blocking it on my head. LOL. The wool instantly relaxed and I could pull it down a bit more. We'll see if it sproings back up.
The gloves faded a bit, and pilled a bit after being washed a few times last winter, but I guess that's the sacrifice for super soft wool!

Shawl!

On October 27, 2006, "Danis" (www.danis.org; he has since died and I'm not sure about his website) posted a pattern in the Yahoo Knitting Machines group, for a "Basic Triangle Shawl" made by making 4 triangles. I wasn't sure how 4 triangles could turn into one, LOL, but I've wanted to try it ever since.

Another technique I've wanted to try is Debbie New's "Scribble Lace". Basically, you knit with large needles (6mm or bigger), and a very fine yarn and a very thick or textured yarn (choose the needle size to suit the larger yarn). You knit a few rows in the fine yarn, then one row with the thick yarn. On circular needles, you'd then slide the sts back to the other end of the needle so you can pick up the fine yarn again. On the knitting machine, you take the carriage off and put it back at the other end.

I've been wanting a blue shawl for a long time, but have no blue laceweight yarn (well, I do, but it's been designated for a sheer sweater). What I do have is a large cone of a very fine navy, and a bag full of Patons Divine. The perfect combo for scribble lace!

This thing came out huge! Although I thought I understood how to figure the size, it was still rather abstract, and hard to guess while on the machine.

Having to move the carriage from end to end is easy on the machine, however, combined with this shawl pattern, took a little bit of brain power. Till I realized that I was actually doing a 4 row pattern and it shouldn't be too complicated to combine a 4 row pattern and a 2 row pattern. Even so, the middle of the shawl didn't turn out quite as nice as it could have.

Here it is, spread out on my 2 seater, Ektorp Loveseat. The shawl is huge. I took just over 1 skein of the Divine, and I don't know how much of the fine yarn. A surprising amount actually. But to use up left over cones, this would be a great project! I used KP 45 on the KnitSmart machine, and increased out to about 68 sts. I should be able to make another, much smaller one, using the rest of the second ball of Divine. I think this large one is going in the Christmas gift box!

Verdict: Shawl Pattern--great!

Scribble Lace on the Machine--doable! Use lots of weight, particularly on the first fine row after the thick row, or the sts of the thick yarn will twist around the needles. My thick yarn was very lightweight; this might not be such an issue with a heavier yarn.

Why I Can't Get Ahead

I get one pair of socks finished, and another pair becomes finished. These are the first socks I ever knit. I started them in March 1999. They were the first thing I knit with dpn, and the first things I knit with 'real' yarn. It was Schoeller-Esslinger "Fortissima" 6ply (a little thick for my tastes now); I chose the colours because they reminded me of the cedar trees we could see out the window of the Dufferin Country Museum where I took the sock knitting class. It's surprising that these are my oldest--and I assume most worn--socks, and are only now getting a hole. There is actually a fine nylon thread holding the stitches together. I don't know if I have more of the green; I'm not even sure I want to darn them. If I darn them, they won't then be my 'first' socks anymore.

And these below are my new socks. Used www.elann.com Esprit. Started them in the spring, for my mindless travelling project for during swim lessons and house hunting. Did them two at a time, magic loop, toe up. Increased a few on the way up the foot, then a short row heel. I don't like short row heels, but I used it because I thought the stretch in the yarn would give a better fit, and I also added short rows at the TOP of the heel wedge; I think it's a total of 6 extra rows across the upper heel back. Maybe not that many actually. Oh, I think I did a couple in the bottom of the leg ribbing too, at the back.

I look at my socks alot, especially the ones that have leg slouch issues. There are lots of remedies out there--decrease sts, use ribbing, carry ribbing down the foot. But when I look, I see that the front of the ankle crease bulges--because of too many rows there. Maybe this happens only with heel flap socks (I like long flaps). A few extra short rows on the back side and a bit shorter heel flap is my next experiment.

They are cushy! Much longer than I expected; but I found the Zaftig cups I had knit and never had the courage to finish, and I didn't want any left over yarn. I had originally planned for anklets like the blueish ones I made, LOL. Not warm like my wool socks, but a good summer sock (which is why I wanted them short). But I might just have to make more with this yarn now. I've got a few plans!

The Pattern

Jennifer asked for the source of the round lace blanket, but I can't access her profile to email her directly. So I hope you've come back! I found the original webpage for the blanket. She has a great site. My other tip for it is if you use a non-blocking yarn, don't knit it too tight. I made one version and it was very ruffly in the middle.
The "Rotten Blankie" is now donut shaped, LOL, and the new one has opened up in the center circle, even though I was sure I had pulled it tight!

Fuzzy Poop

I love Patons Divine yarn. It's fuzzy, soft, squishy, not solid coloured, but a gently tone on tone. For the two years prior to this year's Spinrite Tent Sale, I stocked up on Divine--it's sold by the bagful, I think 8 balls. I had visions of afghans, soft cozy sweaters, scarves...In 2008 I also got a free booklet "Brilliantly Divine" which has some beautiful sweaters in it, some paired with Patons Brilliant.
Christmas 2009, I couldn't find my favourite brown fair isle zip up cardigan. I decided this would be a perfect time to make the simple cardigan in the booklet "Creme Caramel Cardigan".
It was nice to work a pattern with the recommended yarn, and I even did a gauge swatch :) I changed it up a little by using two sets of circulars, and doing the two fronts on one and the back on another. I didn't want to do it seamless because I thought it might benefit from the support and structure of side seams. It's a short sweater on the models, and I'm not short, but I definately wanted it longer, so I added two rows. Not sure why only two rows--3 rows is one inch. It went along quick, but then got set down for awhile for some reason.
I grafted the shoulders, and for the sleeves, I decided to pick up the sts and work the sleeve downwards, following the instructions backwards. The sleeve cap got a bit puckered, and I had a terrible time figuring out how much to knit straight after the bottom of the arm hole and had to rip back several times to get the sleeves long enough without getting too tight.
For the 'buttonband' I didn't know what I wanted. I wanted a cozy sweater and the V neck seemed 'not cozy'. I had major indecision as to what size to make--my bust has increased, and I didn't want the back of the sweater to be all baggy. I also didn't want to sew the band on like the instructions said. So I picked up the sts and worked it around, and make it wider to give me a bit more front width. I also short rowed the V neck a bit. But for some reason I didn't do buttonholes. I think once I remembered I needed them, I had the width I wanted and didn't want to rip back. I thought briefly about a zipper, but didn't want to sew one in and thought it might be too heavy for the fabric. I could sew on some large snaps. I thought about putting a ribbon at the bottom of the V neck--that look with buttons only on the chest portion is popular.


But I think the real reason I haven't done anything permanent is that I'm just not happy with it. I don't usually cut my head off in blog pictures, but my 3 year old took the picture, so the angle is just not flattering! I just feel so wide in the upper arms/chest when I wear this. I'd also like it longer. It's cozy, and not as warm inside the house as I thought it'd be. But I feel so frumpy and fuzzy and boring...a big fuzzy blah blob. I did pull it tighter later on, double breasted like, and felt better, but that doesn't change the overall width of my upper. It is a stretchy, fluid fabric, but I didn't think negative ease would be the way to go.

Any suggestions? I'm really tempted now to sew in snaps and ribbon to make it double breasted. I'd still love to have more of these sweaters, in the Divine, but what do I do differently to be happier? It seems it needs to either be snug or greatly oversized to be flattering. I don't often wear sweaters anymore (hard to wear a coat over and often too warm in my house), but I love cardigans. I just don't know!

Knitting!

I'm still dealing with the swollen jaw issue. The facial swelling is much better, I can open my mouth again, but there is still a lot of swelling inside. I had an ultrasound done this morning, on my salviary glands, but after looking at pictures on the internet last week, I don't think that's the problem. Unless I'm a freak and my submandibular salviary gland is not where it should be. The ultrasound was interesting; I wish the tech was more chatty. I hadn't thought about getting the goop on my face! He didn't actually do much right over the sore spot, but did have to press down on my windpipe! I'm seeing my dentist this afternoon.

Meg started junior kindergarten on Monday afternoon, and I'm not getting as much done around the house as I should, LOL, but I feel I earned a bit of a break! I'm having a terrible pain in my shoulder and can barely turn my neck. So even though I stopped taking the Naproxen for my jaw, I'm taking it for my shoulder. I seem to be immune to ibuprophen. Is that possible.

I am doing some knitting though, on the Moonlight Sonata shawl.

It was a toss up between this one, the Gold Nugget Shawl, and the Forget Me Not shawl. Even after the first repeat, I still wasn't quite sure about this one. I ripped back to the garter stitch band and tried smaller needles, and I like it much better. It's moving along nicely, and while I do not find the pattern intuitive, it's not hard to memorize. It is hard, however, to remember if I'm doing row 7 or row 9 because they are very similiar. The return rows are not plain purl, and a few return rows even have some action on them. So, it's not a mindless knit, and I have to keep the chart handy, but it's not too terribly bad either. I am, however, itching to start something else! I have quite a few things hibernating or just on pause....you know, I have to try one thing on, I have to block that thing....

So, there probably won't be any finished objects for a while! LOL!

One Thing After Another

Just when I thought I was going to get into a routine, get the rest of the unpacking done, etc, I woke up with this: I had a lot of dental issues for the first 5 months this year, with no definitive cause...TMJ caused by clenching, caused a tooth to change position, exacerbating jaw pain and numbness....a big circle of pain and possibilities. Then, I discovered a lump inside, where the lower jaw meets the cheek--couldn't tell if it was on the jaw, or on the cheek. An x-ray showed some imflammation, but the pain went away before I scheduled an appointment with an endodentist...with Rob changing jobs, it was too much hassle and possible expense. I took my chances that it would be fine for awhile, but I guess not. I went to a walk-in clinic and got amoxicillin and naproxen with hopes that I can get some pain relief--Tylenol #3 did nothing but upset my stomach.

Anyway, I said I'd write today, so I am!
This is what Meg's blankie looked like when we moved in. It looks even worse now, the holes are so big, adults can put their heads through. And due to the structure of it, it's just not simple to fix.

The yarn is very thin in many places, and breaks easily. Not to mention it is a hideous grey colour now, instead of snow white.
I was able to get the KnitSmart machine unpacked quickly, and set up on the bar in the basement rec room. I could get the same yarn at Zellers, and got going on it. Keyplate 30, I used a pattern posted by an incredible member of the Yahoo IncredibleSweaterMachine group. The blankie is so thick, and white, and clean! Meg calls the old one "The rotten blankie" but still loves it. It's about the same size as the old one too.

That's all folks, I need to go lay down and 'enjoy' the quiet as I try to figure out what I can eat!