I am soooo close to finishing that sock. Seriously, like 45 mins would easily let me finish the rest of the toe. But things just keep popping up that I have to take care of immediately. So knitting keeps getting pushed back.
Life, stop getting in the way of my knitting!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Funny Cartoon
This is probably copyrighted somewhere, but I thought it was very funny...and it's not like I have millions of blog readers.
so here:
haha
so here:
haha
See! They are bigger!
Just wanted to point out that both of these scarves have grown significantly longer since the last time your saw them. They were getting jealous of all the attention on the socks.
Socks Galore!
You may have noticed a lack of sock posts on this knitting blog & the truth is, I love knitting socks, it's just that I was a little socked-out after the X-mas gift-making season. This weekend, I finally got these American Hoohah socks off the needles. They've been on the brink of being finished since December, but I just wasn't motivated to finish them.
For the record, these were my first project on size zero needles.
Though, if I were to make them over again, I'd go for a short-row heel and it'd make them a little less snug. They fit my feet almost too perfectly, I don't know if any other feet would like them. Also, although the novelty yarn was fun and made some silly socks, I think it'd be much more interesting to use a solid yarn and work a pattern other than stockinette.
Here's another sock that's near completion, but has been on the needles forever. I think I turned the heel sometime in December, but just got socked-out. It's Grumperina's Jaywalker pattern & I love! how it looks on this yarn. The stripes are thin enough to really show the zigzag pattern. I continued the zigzags down the instep, but all the photos from that angle were blurry, so you'll have to use your imagination.
So that was the good news. The bad news is that I'll probably have to frog the entire sock and start again, because the top of the sock is a nightmare to get over your heel. Also, I totally botched the short-row heel on this one (my first short-row, so give me a break)...hence the no close-ups of this sock...it's hole-city!
Anyway, I'm feeling kind of bummed about having to take it apart, so I might have to wait until I'm not so emotionally attached to it. But good news again, it's not knit on zeros, it's knit on twos & it's fast to make & I'll be doing the same pattern, so hopefully they will both be done soon (and turn out to be more foot-sized).
And this last sock is what I did yesterday. In December, I had been working this sock in the Jaywalker pattern as well, but the color variation and the pattern didn't go together very well. So I took it apart yesterday and started this sock.
Seriously, making this sock was all I did yesterday. Ok, well aside from eating and sleeping till the afternoon (mmm, sundays). I cast on at 5ish and had this much done at 9ish. Also, my hands were killing me, so I decided that it was time to take blog pictures and such. Operating my camera is so much easier on the hands than socks.
I call this one the Candy Thuja sock, because the yarn looks like candy and I'm using the Thuja pattern from knitty. I substituted a short-row heel (my new best friend) & unlike my blue Jaywalker, this short-row heel does not suck!
See:
Ok, so the picture's a little blurry, but all the stitches in the heel line up like they are supposed to & there are no! holes. At first, I wasn't crazy about how the yarn was pooling. It didn't look like any sort of pattern at all. But actually, it seems to be creating a spiral stripe (just coincidentally I think) , which looks pretty cool.
And here is my next sock project:
Yes, this one used to be an almost complete sock as well. I had to frog it because I decided that the needles I used were too big. No big deal. Like I said, I was socked out for a while, so this had been sitting on my shelf since forever. Now I think I'm gonna come up with some sort of spiral pattern that will spice up the big thick primary color stripes in this yarn...
Also, the Gentleman's Fancy socks are making progress, though not much at the moment. But no pictures of them for now.
For the record, these were my first project on size zero needles.
Though, if I were to make them over again, I'd go for a short-row heel and it'd make them a little less snug. They fit my feet almost too perfectly, I don't know if any other feet would like them. Also, although the novelty yarn was fun and made some silly socks, I think it'd be much more interesting to use a solid yarn and work a pattern other than stockinette.Here's another sock that's near completion, but has been on the needles forever. I think I turned the heel sometime in December, but just got socked-out. It's Grumperina's Jaywalker pattern & I love! how it looks on this yarn. The stripes are thin enough to really show the zigzag pattern. I continued the zigzags down the instep, but all the photos from that angle were blurry, so you'll have to use your imagination.
So that was the good news. The bad news is that I'll probably have to frog the entire sock and start again, because the top of the sock is a nightmare to get over your heel. Also, I totally botched the short-row heel on this one (my first short-row, so give me a break)...hence the no close-ups of this sock...it's hole-city!Anyway, I'm feeling kind of bummed about having to take it apart, so I might have to wait until I'm not so emotionally attached to it. But good news again, it's not knit on zeros, it's knit on twos & it's fast to make & I'll be doing the same pattern, so hopefully they will both be done soon (and turn out to be more foot-sized).
And this last sock is what I did yesterday. In December, I had been working this sock in the Jaywalker pattern as well, but the color variation and the pattern didn't go together very well. So I took it apart yesterday and started this sock.
Seriously, making this sock was all I did yesterday. Ok, well aside from eating and sleeping till the afternoon (mmm, sundays). I cast on at 5ish and had this much done at 9ish. Also, my hands were killing me, so I decided that it was time to take blog pictures and such. Operating my camera is so much easier on the hands than socks.
I call this one the Candy Thuja sock, because the yarn looks like candy and I'm using the Thuja pattern from knitty. I substituted a short-row heel (my new best friend) & unlike my blue Jaywalker, this short-row heel does not suck!See:
Ok, so the picture's a little blurry, but all the stitches in the heel line up like they are supposed to & there are no! holes. At first, I wasn't crazy about how the yarn was pooling. It didn't look like any sort of pattern at all. But actually, it seems to be creating a spiral stripe (just coincidentally I think) , which looks pretty cool.
And here is my next sock project:
Yes, this one used to be an almost complete sock as well. I had to frog it because I decided that the needles I used were too big. No big deal. Like I said, I was socked out for a while, so this had been sitting on my shelf since forever. Now I think I'm gonna come up with some sort of spiral pattern that will spice up the big thick primary color stripes in this yarn...
Also, the Gentleman's Fancy socks are making progress, though not much at the moment. But no pictures of them for now.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Tuesday
Sorry about the lack of posts in the past few days...it's just that I hadn't really made any significant progress in any of my projects, so there was nothing to tell.
Here's an update on the past few days knitting --
I finally got my yarn winder in the mail last Friday, so I spent a bit of time winding my stash into center-pull yarn cakes. Hooray! So, without the pounds of acryllic and in their nice new cake-like shapes, here is what my stash looks like now:
Still rather large, but not so unconquerable as before.
I'm four and a half repetitions into the Carpenter's balloon scarf, and still no mistakes! I'm almost through the first skein of yarn, so hopefully, I can get at least another pattern repetition before I have to move to the second skein.
These Gentleman's Fancy Socks are cruising right along, but as they are for big man-feet and are being done on zeros, I imagine that I'll slow up the pace on them in the near future.
...and the Asherton scarf has made very little progress, but it'll get there. Slow and steady on these scarves. That's the only way they'll ever get done.
In sweater news, the Carpenter picked out a sweater pattern that he likes, but he wants raglan sleeves and the pattern has another kind of sleeves. So, I've been doing some calculations to try and figure out how to modify the pattern... let's just say that it's slow going at the moment. I just have to remember to not be intimidated and it'll all work out.
Ok, gotta go...I'm late for knitting at the castle.
Here's an update on the past few days knitting --
I finally got my yarn winder in the mail last Friday, so I spent a bit of time winding my stash into center-pull yarn cakes. Hooray! So, without the pounds of acryllic and in their nice new cake-like shapes, here is what my stash looks like now:
Still rather large, but not so unconquerable as before.
I'm four and a half repetitions into the Carpenter's balloon scarf, and still no mistakes! I'm almost through the first skein of yarn, so hopefully, I can get at least another pattern repetition before I have to move to the second skein.
These Gentleman's Fancy Socks are cruising right along, but as they are for big man-feet and are being done on zeros, I imagine that I'll slow up the pace on them in the near future.
...and the Asherton scarf has made very little progress, but it'll get there. Slow and steady on these scarves. That's the only way they'll ever get done.
In sweater news, the Carpenter picked out a sweater pattern that he likes, but he wants raglan sleeves and the pattern has another kind of sleeves. So, I've been doing some calculations to try and figure out how to modify the pattern... let's just say that it's slow going at the moment. I just have to remember to not be intimidated and it'll all work out.
Ok, gotta go...I'm late for knitting at the castle.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
A quick little post...
Last night, I started working on a pair of Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. 
I haven't done socks in a while, and I found that I was craving some tiny needles.
I also have gotten custody of a partially completed hat from fellow knitter Beef. He has apparently grown weary of knitting & I'm doing him the favor of finishing this hat for him.
It doesn't really photograph well, but it's just stockinette, so no worries there.
I haven't done socks in a while, and I found that I was craving some tiny needles.I also have gotten custody of a partially completed hat from fellow knitter Beef. He has apparently grown weary of knitting & I'm doing him the favor of finishing this hat for him.
It doesn't really photograph well, but it's just stockinette, so no worries there.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Snow Day!!
At last! it's finally snowed more than a half inch! And to celebrate, let's all knit!
Also, it's Valentine's Day...a very cliche anniversary day. Unfortunately, I too have an anniversary today. But it's not to celebrate a relationship or anything as dramatic as that. Actually, I broke my arm 13 years ago today, so happy break-eversary to me! ...or something.
Anyway, back to the knitting stuff--
After discarding the idea of using the Asherton scarf for the knitaround, I've decided to knit it myself & have finally started making it:
The pattern is really cool. It sort of looks like an optical illusion of 3-D cubes. can you see? Maybe it'll be more apparent when I complete more of the pattern. I think it might be the coolest thing I've ever made with just knits and purls.
Yesterday, we had our weekly knitting gathering here at the castle. Our new knitters returned to showcase their amazing progress. One had knit an entire legwarmer & the other had about 20 miles of scarf done. Awesome! Anyway, I also managed to slim down my yarn stash by giving away all of my RedHeart and such acryllic yarn. Ya know, the stuff that's sold by the pound. So, that's a load off my shoulders and I think its new owners will treat it well and turn it into awesome projects.
The acyrllic that I didn't give away is going into the scarf for the knitaround. It's actually surprisingly not rough when doubled and knit on 11s. My part is almost done, so I'm about to say goodbye to RedHeart forever.
And continuing in the vein of slimming the yarn stash, I have started this lovely scarf:
I am calling it the 800 stitch scarf. There is really nothing spectacular about it. It's knit lengthwise on size 5 US needles, so I cast on about 800 sts. I'm knitting it with this awesome tweed yarn, called Tatamy Tweed, of which I have random skeins and partial skeins leftover from the past year or so. It's hard to squish all these needles onto straight needles, but as of now, my long circular 5s are on loan to a friend. I'll have to see if I can get those back sometime.
Anyway, happy knitting to all you knitters! And Happy Valentine's Day!
Edit: I also have an anniversary with Bb, as we got married in Prague two years ago. Hooray for our anniversary party this weekend - theme: beerfest!
ok Bb, you can stop being offended now & continue knitting with balls
Also, it's Valentine's Day...a very cliche anniversary day. Unfortunately, I too have an anniversary today. But it's not to celebrate a relationship or anything as dramatic as that. Actually, I broke my arm 13 years ago today, so happy break-eversary to me! ...or something.
Anyway, back to the knitting stuff--
After discarding the idea of using the Asherton scarf for the knitaround, I've decided to knit it myself & have finally started making it:
The pattern is really cool. It sort of looks like an optical illusion of 3-D cubes. can you see? Maybe it'll be more apparent when I complete more of the pattern. I think it might be the coolest thing I've ever made with just knits and purls.Yesterday, we had our weekly knitting gathering here at the castle. Our new knitters returned to showcase their amazing progress. One had knit an entire legwarmer & the other had about 20 miles of scarf done. Awesome! Anyway, I also managed to slim down my yarn stash by giving away all of my RedHeart and such acryllic yarn. Ya know, the stuff that's sold by the pound. So, that's a load off my shoulders and I think its new owners will treat it well and turn it into awesome projects.
The acyrllic that I didn't give away is going into the scarf for the knitaround. It's actually surprisingly not rough when doubled and knit on 11s. My part is almost done, so I'm about to say goodbye to RedHeart forever.
And continuing in the vein of slimming the yarn stash, I have started this lovely scarf:
I am calling it the 800 stitch scarf. There is really nothing spectacular about it. It's knit lengthwise on size 5 US needles, so I cast on about 800 sts. I'm knitting it with this awesome tweed yarn, called Tatamy Tweed, of which I have random skeins and partial skeins leftover from the past year or so. It's hard to squish all these needles onto straight needles, but as of now, my long circular 5s are on loan to a friend. I'll have to see if I can get those back sometime.Anyway, happy knitting to all you knitters! And Happy Valentine's Day!
Edit: I also have an anniversary with Bb, as we got married in Prague two years ago. Hooray for our anniversary party this weekend - theme: beerfest!
ok Bb, you can stop being offended now & continue knitting with balls
Monday, February 12, 2007
Scarf Update
After another few days of knitting this other than this balloon scarf, I'm only a whopping 2.5 repeats into it...
but I'm really happy with how it's turning out. Also, apparently, my camera thought it would be a good idea to show a blue scarf as if it were steel gray....but whatever...life goes on.
Here's a close up of the balloons, because I think they are really cool:
Again, not supposed to be gray, but what can ya do.
Now that the knitaround has unoffcially started, mr. balloon is not the only scarf in my life. I started the Asherton scarf, but I decided that I'm not going to use that one for the knitaround. It's slightly more labor intensive than I imagined, in the sense that you really need to keep track of where you are in the pattern. I'm sure it gets easy as you continue, but since this scarf will be passed from knitter to knitter, I don't want people to feel like they're under too much pressure not to make a mistake. And I think that the point is a knitaround isn't just to get other knitters to be your workhorses.
So, instead of that scarf, the new plan is to harness everyone's creativity to make a random (possibly awesome, possibly disasterous) scarf with my leftover (cheap-o) acrylic yarn from back in the day. The plan is to knit on size 10.5 needles, with the yarn doubled, so each knitter can choose how to mix colors and any strping variation they'd like.
Like I said, it could be a total disaster, or it could turn out fabulous...we shall see. The one thing I do know, is that there is no better use for all this less than nice yarn. At the very least, this will be fun way to get rid of it.
but I'm really happy with how it's turning out. Also, apparently, my camera thought it would be a good idea to show a blue scarf as if it were steel gray....but whatever...life goes on.
Here's a close up of the balloons, because I think they are really cool:
Again, not supposed to be gray, but what can ya do.Now that the knitaround has unoffcially started, mr. balloon is not the only scarf in my life. I started the Asherton scarf, but I decided that I'm not going to use that one for the knitaround. It's slightly more labor intensive than I imagined, in the sense that you really need to keep track of where you are in the pattern. I'm sure it gets easy as you continue, but since this scarf will be passed from knitter to knitter, I don't want people to feel like they're under too much pressure not to make a mistake. And I think that the point is a knitaround isn't just to get other knitters to be your workhorses.
So, instead of that scarf, the new plan is to harness everyone's creativity to make a random (possibly awesome, possibly disasterous) scarf with my leftover (cheap-o) acrylic yarn from back in the day. The plan is to knit on size 10.5 needles, with the yarn doubled, so each knitter can choose how to mix colors and any strping variation they'd like.
Like I said, it could be a total disaster, or it could turn out fabulous...we shall see. The one thing I do know, is that there is no better use for all this less than nice yarn. At the very least, this will be fun way to get rid of it.
Cable-icous
And another one is off the needles!The cabled bag is done!! And I'm so happy with how it turned out! Just in time too, because my the pockets on my old bag were totally wearing through.
I recommend this project for anybody, beginners and experienced alike. The big chunky cables would make for a good first cabling pattern, but even if you've been cabling for years, it feels good to have a project that doesn't require a chart or even your full attention.
The yarn I used is definitely more coarse than what is recommended, but in an effort to dissolve my stash, I used some recycled sweater yarn that I'd gotten about a year and a half ago. As you can probably see from the picture at the bottom of this post, the yarn is sort of frayed in some places, but I don't really mind. It doesn't compromise the structural integrity of the bag & I think it gives it a unique flair.
I just hope that it'll stand up to the wear and tear of everyday use....but I guess there's only one way to find that out. I'll keep you all posted on how it does.
Now all I need are some buttons for it...
Sweater Pattern
WOOHOOO!!!
The sweater is officially complete! And now I feel like making more... It took way less time than I'd thought it would and the seaming wasn't really all that bad.
I'll remind you that the pattern I used was Eve, by Vladimira Cmorejova, but I did alter the pattern a little bit & I rewrote existing parts of it so they were slightly easier to follow -- no offense intended to the designer.
My version has longer sleeves and describes in more detail the decreases and increases needed to shape the pieces... the point being, that this is a good sweater for beginners, so do not be intimidated...this is easy to follow!
I'm only giving the pattern for a women's size small (bust 34", length 21"). For alterations for other sizes, just look at the original pattern.
Gauge: 16 sts and 24 rows = 4" in stockinette st
The pattern recommends about 400g of heavy worsted yarn. I used 6 skeins of Caron Simply Soft Shadows in US 8 needles. I probably could've gotten away with using only 5, but it's nice yarn and I don't mind having some left over.
Sweater Back
Row 1-8: Knit across
Row 9: K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 3 times per st, repeat from *
Row 10: Knit across, dropping all the yarn overs
Row 11: K2tog, Knit across to last st, SSK
Row 12-14: Knit across
Row 15: K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 2 times per st, repeat from *
Row 16: Knit across, dropping all the yarn overs
Row 17-19: Knit across
Row 20: Purl across
Row 21: K2tog, Knit across to last st, SSK
Row 22: Purl across
Row 23: P5, *K1, wrapping the yarn 2 times per st, P5, repeat from *, P1
Row 24: K6, *wyif Sl 1, dropping yarn overs, K5, repeat from *
Row 25: P5, *wyib Sl, drop yarn overs, P5, repeat from *, P1
Row 26: K6, *wyif Sl 1, dropping yarn overs, K5, repeat from *
Row 27: P5, *wyib Sl, drop yarn overs, P5, repeat from *, P1
Row 28: Purl across
Row 29: Knit across
Row 30: Purl across
Row 31: P2, *K1, wrapping the yarn 2 times per st, P5, repeat from *, P3
Row 32: K3, *wyif Sl 1, dropping yarn overs, K5, repeat from *, K2
Row 33: P2, *wyib Sl, drop yarn overs, P5, repeat from *, P3
Row 34: K3, *wyif Sl 1, dropping yarn overs, K5, repeat from *, K2
Row 35: P2, *wyib Sl, drop yarn overs, P5, repeat from *, P3
Row 36: Purl across
Row 37: Knit across
Row 38: Knit across
Row 39: K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 5 times per st, repeat from *
Row 40: Knit across, dropping all the yarn overs
It should now looks something like this:
continue in stockinette st until piece measures 11" from cast on edge
@11" on RS: K1, M1, Knit across to last stitch, M1, K1
continue in stockinette st until piece measures 13" from cast on edge
@ 13" shape armholes as follows:
Row 1: BO3, Knit across
Row 2: BO3, Purl across
Row 3: BO2, Knit across
Row 4: BO2, Purl across
Row 5: BO1, Knit across
Row 6: BO1, Purl across
continue in stockinette st until piece measures 5" from start of arm shaping
@5" shape the neck as follows:
Row 1-5: Knit across
Row 6: K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 2 times per st, repeat from *
Row 7: Knit across, dropping all the yarn overs
Row 8-9: Knit across
Row 10: K16, BO24, K16
now you will finish the two shoulders separately
The right shoulder (looking at the RS):
Row 1: Knit across
Row 2: SSSK (decrease 2), Knit across
Row 3: Knit across
Row 4: SSK (decrease 1), Knit across
repeat these four rows once more, then BO the last 10 sts
The left shoulder (looking at the RS):
--note: start yarn on the inside part of the shoulder
Row 1: Knit across
Row 2: Knit across to last 3 sts, K3tog
Row 3: Knit across
Row 4: Knit across to last 2 sts, K2tog
repeat these four rows once more, then BO the last 10 sts
Now you should have this:
So, all you have to do now is just repeat that entire thing to make the front of the sweater...
And then it's time for the sleeves:
-- You also need to do this pattern twice (once for each sleeve)
Row 1: Knit across
Row 2: Knit across
Row 3: K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 5 times per st, repeat from *
Row 4: Knit across, dropping all the yarn overs
repeat Rows 1-4 four more times
Row 21-24: Knit across
Row 25: K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 3 times per st, repeat from *
Row 26: Knit across, dropping all the yarn overs
Row 27: K1, M1, Knit across to last st, M1, K1
Row 28-30: Knit across
repeat rows 25-30 once more
Row 37: K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 2 times per st, repeat from *
Row 38: Knit across, dropping all the yarn overs
Row 39: K1, M1, Knit across to last st, M1, K1
Row 40: Knit across
Row 41: K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 5 times per st, repeat from *
Row 42: Knit across, dropping all the yarn overs
repeat rows 39-42 twice more
Row 51-52: Knit across
Now, shape the shoulders:
Row 53: BO3, Knit across
Row 54: BO3, Knit across
Row 55: BO2, Knit across
Row 56: BO2, Knit across
Row 57: K2tog, K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 2 times per st, repeat from *, K2tog
Row 58: Knit across, dropping yarn overs
Row 59: K2tog, Knit across to last 2 sts, K2tog
Row 60: Knit across
Row 61: K2tog, K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 3 times per st, repeat from *, K2tog
Row 62: Knit across, dropping yarn overs
Row 63: K2tog, Knit across to last 2 sts, K2tog
Row 64: Knit across
Row 65: K2tog, K1 loosely, *K1, wrapping the yarn 3 times per st, repeat from *, K2tog
Row 66: Knit across, dropping yarn overs
Row 67: BO2, Knit across
Row 68: BO2, Knit across
Row 69: BO3, Knit across
Row 70: BO3, Knit across
Finish by binding off the remaining 15 sts.
Your sleeve should looks something like this:
After you complete all four pieces, sew up the seams. First connect the shoulders of the front and back. Then add the sleeves to the shoulder area. Next, sew up the sides of the body and lastly, sew up the sides of the sleeves.And Voila! a sweater!
really not so bad, eh?
Saturday, February 10, 2007
2/3 of a bag
Last night I took a break from the endless balloon scarf to try and finish a slightly easier project.
From the pre-sweater days, I had this much completed:
I didn't finish it last night, but I doubled my progess & took a much less cool photograph of the updated bag.
Hooray! Only a few more inches to go!
This photo makes it hard to see what the finished product will look like, so here is the original Drops Design pattern. As you can see, I substituted the classy-brown-wool look for a less-classy-but-more-fun-crazy-red-yarn look. Actually the yarn is kind of a pain to work with because it keeps splitting and too frequently the little strings within the main strand just break. But no complaining allowed, as this yarn was recycled from a sweater I got for $2.50 at Goodwill.
From the pre-sweater days, I had this much completed:
I didn't finish it last night, but I doubled my progess & took a much less cool photograph of the updated bag.
Hooray! Only a few more inches to go!
This photo makes it hard to see what the finished product will look like, so here is the original Drops Design pattern. As you can see, I substituted the classy-brown-wool look for a less-classy-but-more-fun-crazy-red-yarn look. Actually the yarn is kind of a pain to work with because it keeps splitting and too frequently the little strings within the main strand just break. But no complaining allowed, as this yarn was recycled from a sweater I got for $2.50 at Goodwill.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
It Works!!
Finally!!! It seems like it took forever, but I finally got the flickr badge to work on this blog. So now you can all see my knitting pictures whenever you want. Hooray!!
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Progress!
At long last there has been some progess on the balloon scarf! Lest you have forgotten, here is what it looked like a few days ago:
Only one measly repetition of the pattern. Pshaw! Now, after knitting for another hour or so, I have entire repetition and a half! Voila!
Now that's progress! Unfortunately, it's not quite done yet...just a bit more. Actually, I don't really mind that this scarf is taking a while, I think the Carpenter will really like it. It helps that I've almost entirely learned the pattern by now, so I can multitask with this project and so far have managed to stay mistake-free...hopefully that won't jinx me.
In sweater news, I'm almost done with the sleeves! Here is a less than steller photo of one of the sleeves. As you can see, they aren't going to keep her very warm, but they will give her some sassy style.
I worked both the sleeves simultaneously on separate sets of needles, so now it's time to shape the shoulders & then get ready for the endless seaming...
Only one measly repetition of the pattern. Pshaw! Now, after knitting for another hour or so, I have entire repetition and a half! Voila!
Now that's progress! Unfortunately, it's not quite done yet...just a bit more. Actually, I don't really mind that this scarf is taking a while, I think the Carpenter will really like it. It helps that I've almost entirely learned the pattern by now, so I can multitask with this project and so far have managed to stay mistake-free...hopefully that won't jinx me.In sweater news, I'm almost done with the sleeves! Here is a less than steller photo of one of the sleeves. As you can see, they aren't going to keep her very warm, but they will give her some sassy style.
I worked both the sleeves simultaneously on separate sets of needles, so now it's time to shape the shoulders & then get ready for the endless seaming...
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
knitters unite!
Tonight is the first knitting gathering of the semester at the castle! Even though it's -10 degrees out, I think we'll get a decent turnout. I'm excited to see what people are working on and it's always nice to have a few hours where it's absolutely ok to do nothing but knit. Hooray!!
Monday, February 5, 2007
Procrasti -knit- ion
It's all about priorities. As a knitter, I often have to ask myself to reevaluate my priorities. For example, this is what I should be working on:
Quantum mechanics...oooooh, how tasty! It's a lovely monday evening and honestly, the last thing I'm interested in right now is the energy eigenvalue for a particle in a box. Luckily, my yarn can sense my frustration and is quick to intervene. Here you can see some yarn scraps tackling my calculator:
So I guess it's decided then. I should/must/will knit. But trust me, I can stop anytime I want. Really. No, seriously, I can...
Yeah, anyway, I finished the front of the sweater this morning and started on the sleeves. I decided to buy another pair of needles and work both sleeves simultaneously. The idea being that I can prevent one-sleeve-shorter-than-the-other syndrome. I'm only a few inches into each sleeve, but I'm already dreading sewing the seams. Maybe it won't be so bad....(haha, yeah right)
I'm actually altering the pattern a little for the sleeves. Nothing too complicated, just lengthening them because apparently my little sister likes sweaters that cover her hands. It looks like I'm gonna be finished in plenty of time for that early March birthday!
And just because a picture is worth 1000 words, here is one for you:
This is most of my yarn stash. Yeah, not even all of it. I've been knitting for a little over 2 years & somehow have accumulated all of these knitilicious balls. My stash includes all kinds of yarn, from the cheapest acrylic to the nicest bulky alpaca....and I'm trying to knit it all before May. Ok, that's ridiculous. Rather, I'm trying to knit from it until May. Why May? Well, in May I'll be graduating (or at least that's the plan) & will be moving all of my junk from here to wherever I'm employed. It will be a much easier situation if I don't need to rent a U-haul just to move my yarn collection.
Hopefully, over the course of the semester I'll be able to show pictures of my shrinking stash as each skein is turned into something more exciting that a ball of yarn...
Quantum mechanics...oooooh, how tasty! It's a lovely monday evening and honestly, the last thing I'm interested in right now is the energy eigenvalue for a particle in a box. Luckily, my yarn can sense my frustration and is quick to intervene. Here you can see some yarn scraps tackling my calculator:
So I guess it's decided then. I should/must/will knit. But trust me, I can stop anytime I want. Really. No, seriously, I can...Yeah, anyway, I finished the front of the sweater this morning and started on the sleeves. I decided to buy another pair of needles and work both sleeves simultaneously. The idea being that I can prevent one-sleeve-shorter-than-the-other syndrome. I'm only a few inches into each sleeve, but I'm already dreading sewing the seams. Maybe it won't be so bad....(haha, yeah right)
I'm actually altering the pattern a little for the sleeves. Nothing too complicated, just lengthening them because apparently my little sister likes sweaters that cover her hands. It looks like I'm gonna be finished in plenty of time for that early March birthday! And just because a picture is worth 1000 words, here is one for you:
This is most of my yarn stash. Yeah, not even all of it. I've been knitting for a little over 2 years & somehow have accumulated all of these knitilicious balls. My stash includes all kinds of yarn, from the cheapest acrylic to the nicest bulky alpaca....and I'm trying to knit it all before May. Ok, that's ridiculous. Rather, I'm trying to knit from it until May. Why May? Well, in May I'll be graduating (or at least that's the plan) & will be moving all of my junk from here to wherever I'm employed. It will be a much easier situation if I don't need to rent a U-haul just to move my yarn collection.
Hopefully, over the course of the semester I'll be able to show pictures of my shrinking stash as each skein is turned into something more exciting that a ball of yarn...
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Balloon Scarf
Well, there hasn't been much progress on any of my other projects because I decided to start this labor-intensive scarf. It's called Interlocking Balloons from the book Scarf Style.
So far the pattern has required a lot of attention, so no knitting this scarf during class. It's pretty slow going, but I've completed one repetition & the pattern calls for 9 or 10, so I guess it's not that bad.
In other scarf news, my roommates and I are planning a scarf knitaround, which is very exciting. I've picked out a pattern (Asherton, by smariek) and have chosen to make it in a rich red color. The best part is, is that there will be four of us, each knitting a fourth of each scarf...so no one will get bored of their pattern.
So far the pattern has required a lot of attention, so no knitting this scarf during class. It's pretty slow going, but I've completed one repetition & the pattern calls for 9 or 10, so I guess it's not that bad.In other scarf news, my roommates and I are planning a scarf knitaround, which is very exciting. I've picked out a pattern (Asherton, by smariek) and have chosen to make it in a rich red color. The best part is, is that there will be four of us, each knitting a fourth of each scarf...so no one will get bored of their pattern.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Sweater Pictures!
First off, I've made lots of progress on the sweater. I finished the back and now I'm up to the waist on the front! It's so exciting!
This pattern knits up really quickly because by the time you're done working the waist details, you're already almost halfway done with the piece. Here's a closer shot of the waist detail:
It's just a combination of slipped stitches and yarn overs that create that interesting pattern. Very clever really...good work pattern writer.
Having finished the one piece, I really like the way the yarn changes color. It's not too flashy, but you still definitely get a nice striped effect. Also, I'm happy I was able to get the front colors to match the back...not too difficult, but it did take some thought.
Just to have another picture, here's the yarn that I'm using:
Yes, it is acrylic, so all you wool purists can find a substitute. But this yarn is wonderfully soft and even machine washable & dryable...so it's perfect for a 13-year old's sweater.
This pattern knits up really quickly because by the time you're done working the waist details, you're already almost halfway done with the piece. Here's a closer shot of the waist detail:
It's just a combination of slipped stitches and yarn overs that create that interesting pattern. Very clever really...good work pattern writer.Having finished the one piece, I really like the way the yarn changes color. It's not too flashy, but you still definitely get a nice striped effect. Also, I'm happy I was able to get the front colors to match the back...not too difficult, but it did take some thought.
Just to have another picture, here's the yarn that I'm using:
Yes, it is acrylic, so all you wool purists can find a substitute. But this yarn is wonderfully soft and even machine washable & dryable...so it's perfect for a 13-year old's sweater.
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