Knitting Helmut

Cheating with a postal scale

2009-06-22T15:42:00.004-04:00

My mom bought me some really weird pink yarn while at a quilt retreat recently. I was having a hard time deciding what to do with it, but I finally decided to just make a simple knit 2, purl 2 scarf. So I cast on and started knitting with it. I made it rather wide, but I liked it. However, I realized quite quickly that I didn't have enough to make a scarf of any real length. What's a knitter to do? Well, I decided I would just get a contrasting yarn to put in between 2 lengths of this random pink yarn. I decided to try something new to me from Patternwork's called Meredith Bay. It just arrived today! I was surprised at how small the balls were, but I think it will work out just fine. But first, how can I be sure that I'm using half of the pink yarn before switching to the black Meredith Bay I bought? Easy! Bust out the postal scale. All I had to do was put the part I've already knit on the scale and weight it against what I had left. Of course, I had to put a needle with the unknit portion to ensure accuracy. I wasn't too far off! I will have to unknit a few rows, but I love this cheating method. It's so easy. :) Thank goodness for postal scales! :)

Still around... I promise!

2009-01-25T01:16:00.003-05:00

Ahhh... in the immortal words of Barenaked Ladies, "They say absence makes the heart grow fungus" and I have a feeling my heart is officially a mushroom. I've really neglected my knitting blog and, let's be honest, my knitting in general. Yes, I've knit a few small projects and I did work on my (evil) Peacock Feathers Shawl for a good week or so before it made me mad. But, overall, I haven't been knitting too much and I really haven't been blogging about it. Perhaps it should be my New Year Resolution to update again? I'm not sure. I'm a total commitment-phobe, even when it comes to resolutions. :)

So, let's see. I made another cotton shopping bag but it still needs handles. I made a small scarf for my 6 year old cousin and a new scarf for myself. I've made 2 unsuccessful mittens for my mother and that's making me crazy. Her hands are just so different from mine that I should make a 3-D model at this point. Argh! I'm working on socks for myself from More Sensational Knitted Socks that are going well. The yarn is ugly, but it was on super clearance at a store closing, so I'm not going to really complain! I've been playing with some new orange colored yarn I bought at the same store closing. I am thinking that maybe I will try to knit some quick hunting socks for my uncle out of it, but I'm concerned. I know I should do them toe up because I don't know how much yarn I really have, but I HATE doing toe up socks. Overall, the yarn is taunting me until I can decide what to do. The best project though? I started knitting small scarves for my cousin to use with her Bratz dolls out of scrap yarn. It's fantastical! I don't know if she will like them or not, but I'm having fun, so it's all good. So far I've been sticking to sock weight yarn scraps and it's been great.

I must admit that I'm not very happy with how my Peacock Feathers Shawl is coming along. I really want to use a different yarn. The Knitpick's yarn isn't bad, but it's a bear to rip back. Even with a life-line in place, I find that it sticks to itself and generally pisses me off. Argh! I need to just suck it up and work on it again. I'm actually getting to the point where I can imagine being done. We'll see. Maybe one day I'll decide to hit it again. Cross your fingers, light a candle, dance naked, etc. etc. for me! :)

Devilish Baby Blanket

2008-08-26T02:22:00.004-04:00

Devilish Blanket 010
Originally uploaded by NotHelmut

Recently, I read Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered In Cat Hair, which I absolutely loved. She included a number of patterns in the book and one caught my eye right away. It was a hooded baby blanket with devil horns and a tail. Immediately I wanted to knit it but I don't have any children and I just didn't have a recipient that I thought would appreciate it. But then, a young cousin of mine got pregnant and I thought she just might be the right person.

The baby shower was this weekend and my cousin Bethany LOVED it. Hooray! Not only did she love it, the baby's father loved it too. In fact, I think Josh may have loved it even more than she did. Her mother loved it and it made a much bigger splash at the shower than I thought it would. I guess part of me knew that it would spark a few comments, but it really was a big hit. Bethany said it just might be her favorite gift from the afternoon. That's quite awesome, if you ask me. :) I was so glad she liked it and wasn't offended! lol! There was that teeny tiny worry in the back of my mind that she might find it offensive, but luckily that wasn't the case. So, yea! I'm really happy I made it and that the family dug it.
Of course, since it is going to a new mother, I put aside my personal feelings and made it from acrylic yarn. I know, I know. I know all the arguments for and against acrylic, but in the end, I decided it would be for the best. This way, my cousin can just toss it in the machine when it needs to be washed and I feel confident it will get the job done. The funny thing is, however, it turned out quite nice. I actually didn't mind the yarn choice and I love the finished object.

Yarn: Caron One Pound in scarlet and Caron Wintuk in black.
Needles: Size 7 (mostly because I have size 7 tips for the Knitpick's Options needles. I was able to put it on a super long cable and that made life MUCH easier).
Notes: Obviously, I used a contrasting yarn for the crochet edging. The red and black combination appealed to me and turns out to be a favorite of the baby's father. Who knew? I also made the horns in the round on DPNs to save myself some sanity. Why don't more pattern writers make things like that in the round? They can't honestly prefer to sew up that many pieces, can they? It must be so that the pattern can be labelled as easy for beginners or something. But, honestly, it would have made me crazy to sew all those pieces together!

Overall, I'm so pleased with the result and I hope one day that I can get a picture of an actual baby in it. That would be awesome! It will be at least another 3 weeks though before my cousin gives birth. But, maybe one day soon I'll get my wish. :)

FO: Naive Socks

2008-04-27T13:56:00.005-04:00

Well, there's actually a bit of a story to why I chose to knit these socks. A friend has asked me to make her some very tall and cabled socks in the future. I told her I would consider, even though I'd never finished a cabled project before. I did try making the Irish Hiking Scarf a few years ago, but I never finished it. It's actually a very simple pattern that is perfect for beginners, but I may have been looking for a bit more of a challenge at the end of the day. Anyway, it was high time I tried a cabled pattern again and I figured a sock pattern would be a good idea. So I browsed all over Ravelry and found this Naive Socks pattern. It looked like just the thing. It featured several different cables that weren't always crossed on the same row. Additionally, the pattern is carried down the heel somewhat and it really added a fun element to keep me motivated.

Overall, I really like these socks. They fit very well and are quite comfortable. The yarn feels just a little thicker than some of the other fingering weight yarns I've been using recently. I would highly recommend the yarn though because it really sparkles and I like the color changes. I considered matching the stripes on each sock, but I didn't take the time to really do so. But, I actually really like the way they came out. They match without being too matchy matchy. :) I am pleased to say that I learned how to cable without using a needle on this project. It was a little scary at first, but much quicker and easier than I anticipated. I've also discovered that using a size 2 1/2 needle for the toe works wonders for me. I shall have to remember to do it every time. It makes the toe fit so much better for me.

Pattern: Naive Socks (see link posted above)
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Colori Disco Socka
Needles: Size 2 and 2 1/2 (for toe)
Techniques learned: Cable without a needle

FO - Everlasting Bag II

2008-04-07T15:37:00.009-04:00

My friend Tawah bought this fun green cotton yarn a while back, but she was having a heck of a time trying to make it into a bag. She told me that she tried several patterns and none of them were working out correctly. She asked if she could send me the yarn so that I could take a stab at it. Naturally, I thought that sounded like a fine plan. So, she sent me the yarn and I decided that I would make a modified Everlasting Bagstopper. The yarn is DK weight though, so I couldn't use the numbers from the pattern, even if I had wanted to. But, I do love the construction of the bag, so that's what I went with.

I cast on for this bag and went to work. Everything I tried seemed to go wrong. The bag was either too loose, too tight, too big, too ugly, or some combination of these. It was a bit of a nightmare really. The problem? Tawah only had 1 skein of this yarn for me to use. That meant, it had to be just right or I would run out of yarn. I ripped the bag out at least 4 times that I can count because of the yardage issue. I tried at least 3 needle sizes, trying to get a good looking product. Finally, after several months of playing around, I figured it out.

I used size 7s for the bottom and then 10.5s for the body. I did decreases in the stockinette portion of the bag before starting the pattern. After much debate, I went with a simple stitch pattern because it worked. I also worked a few decreases at the top in the seed stitch portion of the bag. I wanted it to be just a little tighter at the top because it is likely to stretch with use. After all was said and done, I really liked the finished object. It's useful and that really is what matters for me. I met Tawah in Indiana just before Easter and gave it to her. She seemed to love it! Hooray! We loaded it up with snacks for her car trip and it worked beautifully. Next time she wants me to make a bag for her though, she's going to have to send me more yarn! That's all there is to it. :)

In case you are curious, that's a laptop inside the bag. I wanted to try and show how big the bag could actually become. :) You can see the fun pooling effect of the yarn in this picture. I'm not sure why, but it is much more apparent in the pictures than in person. Go figure!

Crazy Veil of Leaves socks

2008-02-17T01:33:00.002-05:00

It all started innocently enough. I was at a somewhat Local Yarn Store (LYS) and I noticed a new sock book. It wasn't just any new sock book though, it was the magical New Pathways for Sock Knitters Book 1 by Cat Bordhi. Wow. Let me tell you, the book will catch the eye of any sock knitter. I flipped through it a few times but kept putting it back down because I thought I didn't need another sock knitting book. But, there were interesting patterns and new ways of sock knitting included that I ended up getting it. The first pattern to catch my eye was Veil of Leaves. I don't know why, but that's the one that did it for me. I wanted to make them so much that I ended up just casting on for them in December of 2007.

I finished the first sock in record time. It was interesting. The heel damn near killed me, but I just kept going and got it done. I put on my new sock and felt... well... okay with it. It just didn't look as good on my foot as it did in the book. Not only didn't it look as good, I don't think it fit very well overall either. I was disappointed in it, and not sure what to do. I thought I should try wearing it a few times before making a final decision. So, I did and it never really ended up being a favorite. The short row heel wasn't as comfortable as a heel flap for me and they end up slouching a bit around the ankle after I wear it for a while. I put the project aside for a bit to clear my head. Then, I took out the magical book and did all the math properly. I decided to change a few things here and there to customize the fit. Hell yeah, I was ready to get down to that second sock now!

But, alas, the second sock isn't perfect either. :( I did fewer wraps, increased my wing stitches, decreased the total number of stitches after the heel, and started the toe a little later than in the first. That should basically make the world's most perfect sock for me. But, it's still just not quite right. I really dislike the short row heel, even after trying to modify it. It doesn't fit my foot very well. I'm a heel flap girl I guess. So I finished this challenging and new pattern only to find that I'm not as over the moon as I thought I would be. Oh well. I will continue to wear them and I will likely tackle other patterns in the book. But, I've got to figure out a way to make the heel more comfortable on my foot. I'm going to have to read through all of the information again and see what I can come up with. In the meantime, here's a pic of the socks for your viewing pleasure! :)

Dishcloth Central

2008-02-04T13:14:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm not sure why, but Januaray became my month for knitting dishcloths. It all started when I accidentally stumbled across this Illinois Dishcloth pattern. I thought it would be a fun gift to make for some friends of mine. So, I charted the pattern out and got to work. It went so fast, it was practically instant gratification! I made 2 of them back to back so that I could send one to Tawah and one to Alicia. But, Alicia was born and currently resides in Pennsylvania. So when I saw there was a pattern for a Pennsylvania dishcloth on the same site, I made one of those to send to Alicia as well. I must admit, the Pennsylvania dishcloth was a bit boring to knit, especially compared to the Illinois one, but it went so fast that it didn't really matter. Overall, I love them and I hope my friends will love them too. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I only needed 1 ball of yarn to make all 3 items. The yarn I used was on sale at Jo-Anne's one day for under $2, if I remember correctly. What a great way to stretch a dollar! I was able to get hours of entertainment, plus a useful household item, for very little investment. Awesome! :)

Patterns: KnittingKnonsense.com
Yarn: Lily's Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn
Needles: Size 7

Mismatched Mittens

2007-12-30T16:47:00.001-05:00

Ahhh mittens. I love them. It can get very cold here in winter and you must have something to protect your hands from the elements. I made a pair of mittens last year based off the Peekaboo Mittens found over at Magknits.
However, they seem to be hiding from me this year. I thought I put them in the top of my closet, but I didn't see them this year. Oh well. It seemed like a good excuse to make a new pair and so I did.

I found last year, that I never used the peekaboo on both mittens at the same time. I would occasionally poke my fingers out from one hand in order to open my purse, or grab money, or something like that. But, I never needed both. So, I decided I would make 2 different mittens from the same yarn. Here, they look identical, don't they?But, of course, I didn't call them Mismatched Mittens for nothing. The mitten on the left is a standard mitten. However, if you look closely, you'll find the mitten on the right is a peekaboo mitten. It's the perfect solution as far as I'm concerned. They are very pink and warm. I love them and I can't wait for it to get cold enough to wear them. Wait? Did I really just say that? It's official; I've been in Michigan for too long!

Yarn: Plymouth Galway
Needles: Size 6 and size 7 DPNs
Pattern: Mine but with lots of inspiration from the Peekaboo Mittens and the general mitten guidelines found in The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.

Rummikub Bag

2007-12-24T13:43:00.000-05:00

Well, not long after I finished my first Veil of Leaves sock, I cast on for a small game bag. You see, we bought a Rummikub game for a family friend as a Christmas gift. It's a really fun game and Pam loved it! However, the down side is that it's a tile game that doesn't come with a bag. It is so much easier to throw the tiles in a bag and pass the bag around while playing. I made one for our Rummikub set when I first learned how to knit and it is ugly but functional. For Pam, however, I have a few more years of knitting under my belt and I was ready to design a better bag.

I love how it turned out! I used elements from several different sources while creating this bag. It has a bottom similar to the one featured in the Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty.com. Then it has shaping similar to a bag in 25 Bags to Knit. Finally, I used a drawstring with tassels similar to the one seen on the cover of Last Minute Knitted Gifts. The great thing is, however, that I modified each of these elements to make it look how I wanted it to look. It is entirely my own design at the end of the day. It came out even better than I thought it would. To top it off, we tried it out the other night and it was perfect. Hooray! I love it when things work out right, don't you?

Yarn: Plymouth Encore
Needles: size 9
Pattern: Mine

A Letter to Cat Bordhi

2007-12-15T03:11:00.000-05:00

Dear Ms. Cat Bordhi,

I recently started your Veil of Leaves sock pattern from your book "New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book 1". The pattern intrigued me and I couldn't wait to just dive right into this fun, new sock. I cast on before completing the mate to another sock I finished months ago because I was just too excited! I made a small alteration right at the start because I really enjoy ribbing at the top of a sock, but then I began to follow your pattern as written. Things were progressing quite nicely! I liked following the charts for the leg and my sock was really coming along. Then, however, I came to the heel.

My goodness! I was NOT prepared for this. In your defence, it has been years since I've done any kind of short row heel. In fact, I did a short row heel on the first pair of socks I ever made and then I fell in love with heel flaps. I've been solely a heel flap girl for about 2-3 years now. Also in your defence, I did not start with the baby sock primer you feature at the beginning of the book either. I really felt that I could read through the pattern a few times and get through it without too much difficulty. But, imagine my surprise when your master reinforced heel section BLEW MY MIND! I had to read the instructions about 3 times to make sure I knew what I was doing. It was far more intense than I anticipated. Step 4 in particular was beyond my grasp. I'm still not sure how I ended up with the yarn in the right place and the correct numbers at the end of it all. The pictures probably helped the most, but it was mind boggling at first glance. What kills me about it now is that step 4 is probably the easiest section, but I just could not grasp it! I kept staring at the description and the pictures and saying WTF? inside my head. Luckily, I figured it all out and I finished my first Cat Bordhi master reinforced heel! I don't suppose you hand out medals for achieving such a magnificent feat, do you? If so, let me know! I desperately could use one!

Sincerely,

Helmut

FO - Crest of the Wave socks

2007-12-11T02:07:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official! I finished my Crest of the Wave socks. Hooray!

So, in case you're curious, I did NOT work on them for a full 5 months. lol! I put them aside quite a bit and did a fair amount of ripping back as well. Overall, I'm quite pleased with them, especially the second sock. I made a few changes to the second sock and it made it even better. I added a few plain rows of knitting before starting my toe decreases and I used a larger needle so that I would gain some needed extra length and comfort. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that my right foot is definitely bigger than my left foot and that I wanted to make sure one of the socks would fit it well. So, my socks are officially fraternal twins and not identical twins. Oh well. Over time, I imagine the "shorter" one will stretch out a bit and fit just as well. But for now, I like that they aren't exactly the same.

Pattern: Crest of the Wave from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlotte Schurch
Yarn: Interlacement's Tiny Toes (fabulous yarn, btw! I would love to use it again sometime)
Needles: size 1, 2, and 2 1/2 DPNs made of different materials by different manufacturers... go figure!

Peacock Feathers Update

2007-11-15T01:59:00.000-05:00

Basically, I've abandoned all other knitting projects in favor of this shawl. I did have to punish the project for 2 days for being tricksy, though. My count was off about 5 times in 2 rows. There was a LOT of tinking back and counting it out again and again and again. It was always a very silly mistake on my part. For instance, instead of doing a double decrease, I did a single decrease. Not good for my stitch count, I can tell you that much! A few times I was unable to ascertain where I went wrong, but I'm happy to report that it doesn't matter. I just completed chart 1A and inserted a new life line. I get to start on chart 2 next time! Hooray! Each row is getting longer and longer yet I'm still having fun with this project. I don't know how I'm going to stay motivated when my rows have an ungodly number of stitches, but I'm trying to stay positive and I'm avoiding such thoughts at all costs. I'll take a cue from 12 step wisdom and take it one stitch at a time. :)

Am I crazy enough for this?

2007-11-07T01:06:00.001-05:00

Today I went to my favorite LYS and found they had a few of the Fiddlesticks patterns in their books. I've been eyeing the Peacock Feathers shawl for a while now but I just couldn't justify spending over $10 on a pattern I've never seen in person. Well, wouldn't you know it? They had it at the yarn store and it looks rather intense. It doesn't appear as though the pattern itself is crazy hard, but it's a LOT of knitting. There are many, many charts involved, too, which concerned me. I thought to myself, "I'd have to be crazy to try this!"

Lo and behold, I cast on for it today. I did a small practice swatch with some Plymouth Encore and it went surprisingly well. So, I just dove in. Oh and I just have to mention the needles I'm using. The pattern calls for a size 4 32" circular needle which is something I don't already own. Well, after looking at the circs available at the LYS, I decided to just go all out. They didn't have a very large selection available, I can tell you that much. They had Addi Turbos, which I love, for about $16 and they had Lantern Moon Destiny needles for $20. Normally, I'd probably grab the Addis, but I'm wanting to knit a lace shawl with these needles, so I figured I should get some form of wooden needle so the stitches will stick a little more. Lace weight yarn on aluminum needles = a lot of dropped stitches and cursing for me. So, instead I got the Lantern Moon needles. They are gorgeous! Almost too pretty to knit with. I got them in ebony . I almost bought the yarn the pattern called for, but I bought some Knitpick's Alpaca Cloud a while ago with the intention of using it for a shawl. So, that's what I'm using. I bought the light pink Peppermint colorway and I hope it comes out well. Honestly, I'm really hoping that I'm crazy enough to make this pattern period. It's intimidating for someone that can take forever to just knit a pair of socks! But, I'm excited to give it a go. Wish me luck!

I will need it. :)

One down...

2007-11-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

You know, it's weird. The weather is basically perfect and I still have little desire to knit. I've barely been knitting since my last update. I'm not entirely sure what's going on over here. :/

But, I did finish a Crest of the Wave sock the other day. We lost power one night (for 13 hours) and I was able to Kitchener my sock toe closed by candlelight. It sounds romantic when I type it out, but really it was just a pain in the arse and made me really appreciate good lighting. I wanted to weave in the ends on the sock that night too, but in the end, I decided it would be too dangerous to do so with only candlelight to guide me. So, instead, it's sitting on the top of my knitting bag mocking me. One day, sock, I will finish you and that's not a threat; it's a promise! [insert evil laugh here]

Originally, I figured I would cast on for the mate to the Resurrection sock after finishing this Crest of the Wave sock. But, strangely enough, I cast on for the other CotW sock instead. I was watching a rerun of Top Chef when I cast on and I nearly finished the cuff while watching. (Can I just say that Tiffani was a really unlikeable person on the show? I mean, seriously, she came off as so evil! I don't usually trust the editors of reality shows, but when it comes to her... well, I'm not sure what to think. But anyway...) So while I haven't been knitting very consistently or for long periods of time, I've been hauling ass when I do pick up the needles.

I also cast on for a Shocking Pink Coif from knitty.com the other day, but it will be a Shocking Turquoise Coif if anything. The pattern isn't totally working for me right now though, so I don't know if I will continue to work it or just rip it out. Oh and I made a huge 8 and 1/2 inch square wash cloth the other day. I did it all in seed stitch and I really like how it turned out. It looks like it could really scrub the heck out of some dishes. Now I just have to decide if I should keep it or give it away.

Break

2007-10-20T01:00:00.001-04:00

So, for some reason, I took a few weeks off from knitting. I know I went at least 10 days without knitting a stitch. It was weird. It wasn't an intentional break, but I guess I needed it. Luckily, I was able to get back into it recently. Yesterday I did a heel flap and today I completed the turn and finished about half of the gusset decreases on my Crest of the Wave sock. I'm glad I ripped it out previously because the pattern really does look very nice on the size 1 needles. I also cast on for a new project a while back, but I haven't made much progress on it either. A friend of mine sent me some possibly DK weight cotton yarn and requested that I magically transform it into a bag. It's based off the Everlasting Bagstopper, but with a ton of modifications. Basically, I love the construction of the Everlasting Bagstopper, so that's what I use from it. I finished the bottom and started the body of it already. It's dyeing my needles a fabulous shade of green that makes me think they're sick. Luckily, I have a set of needles that were turned into a lovely shade of red, so when Christmas rolls around, my needle collection will look a bit festive. Good times. :) Well, I'm glad to be knitting again for now and I really want to finish all the socks I've got going. I'd love to wear my Resurrection socks this fall! Must finish this Crest of the Wave sock so that I can get to that second Resurrection sock. :)

Resurrection socks and Crest of the Wave update

2007-09-19T01:48:00.000-04:00

Good news! I finished one of the Resurrection socks the other day. Hooray! It turned out well enough, but there are a couple of things I would change. First of all, I would stop doing the yarn over cable at least one inch sooner than I did. The pattern goes up over my 2 smallest toes and it just bugs me for some reason. I wish I'd thought about it more and that I'd done a few rounds of plain stockinette before beginning the toe. Secondly, I'm not totally fond of the toe either. I did a round toe but it came out funky. I don't really like how pointy the standard toes end up looking on my feet, but it seems like most toes just end up looking pointy on my feet. It must just be my foot, you know? But, overall, this is the best sock I've ever had on my foot. It fits better than any store bought sock. Very cool. I could end up a sock wearer if I keep on knitting them for myself.

In other news, I ripped out almost all of my Crest of the Wave sock. I wanted to make some changes to it. First of all, the design looked neater on the size 1 needles, so I decided to knit the whole thing on the 1s, well, except the cuff. The cuff was knit on 2s and I liked how it felt when I tried it on. The thing that sucks though, is that I don't own 2 sets of size 1 DPNs. So, I have to finish the Crest of the Wave sock, then knit the mate to the Resurrection sock, then knit the mate to the Crest of the Wave sock. Well, technically I could do both of the Crest socks first, but I'll probably end up doing the Resurrection mate first. That's just how I roll, I guess.

Resurrection

2007-09-06T02:27:00.000-04:00

Wow. I can't believe it, but I think I've decided to resurrect a project that I abandoned ages ago. You see, a few years ago, I promised my friend Alicia that I would knit her a pair of socks. Originally, we had picked out a Knitpick's yarn called Simple Stripes. (It has been discontinued, or else I'd link to it). Anyway, I started them at least 3 times trying to find the right pattern. I was never truly happy with it. Then, I finally decided on a yarn over cable from Sensational Knitted Socks. I started knitting the first sock and just as I finished the heel turn, my needle broke. Well, it splintered really, but it wasn't going to work anymore. So, I put the project aside so that I could try ordering size 1 aluminum DPNs from Knitpick's. Time passed and I ordered the needles and then I stalled out again. I don't remember what happened, but I was unhappy with it and cast on for about 109 other projects. Until tonight. Tonight, I looked at that sock and thought it is time to finish these suckers.

This picture was taken at least a year ago and it was taken just before I abandoned the project. As of right now, I've just finished the gusset decreases. Oh yeah, and I've decided that since I've made Alicia a kick ass pair of socks, that this pair will now be for me. I've tortured this yarn so much that I don't think I could stand to give it to anyone else. I literally made an entire sock and then ripped it out because I was unhappy. Of course, I've also made design changes that required ripping out a few rows and things of that nature. I just can't pawn them off on someone else in good conscience. Oh well. It appears as though I'm making myself 2 pairs of socks at the same time now.

Oh and about those Crest of the Wave socks? Yeah, I've run into a bit of a problem. I finished the toe and had to rip it out again. It was just a little too short. I'm worried because I don't have a lot of yarn left. I'm cutting it VERY close and it slows my knitting progress down. I hate the idea of ripping out more of the sock and adjusting my gauge and all that, but I may have to. Just pray to the knitting Gods that I will have enough yarn left to finish them. To be honest, I'd rather go out and buy a contrasting yarn for the toes than to redo the sock, I think. Well, maybe not. I don't know. It was a fun pattern and I did make it taller and wider than I needed. Oh I don't know what to do. For now, though, I'm just going to avoid thinking about it by working on the Simple Stripes socks instead. :)

In other news, I turned in my coins at a local Coinstar. I love that you can convert your change into a gift certificate for places like amazon.com. My mom had a jar of quarters she wanted turned in as well, so I took them with me. Altogether, we turned in over $100 worth of change! Amazing, right? So, we got together and ordered some stuff from amazon tonight. I'm getting Charmed Knits, the second season of the Venture Brothers, and I pre-ordered a copy of Norway to Hide by Maddy Hunter. I love Maddy Hunter's Passport to Peril mystery series. Seriously, if you like reading mystery novels and travel, then this is the perfect series. It's a little bit silly and a lot of fun. I'm very excited about the Charmed Knits book because I'm a bit of a Harry Potter fan. The funny thing for me is that I'm probably most excited about the Venture Bros DVD. I love this show. It's one of the greatest shows EVER. It cracks me up to no end. Hooray! I can't wait for the package to get here! :)

Crest of the Wave socks

2007-08-26T02:41:00.000-04:00

Well, I cast on for some socks not too long ago. I've been making slow progress, but it's progress all the same. I think I'm in love with them. They are looking very cute so far. The pattern is from More Sensational Knitted Socks and it's called Crest of the Wave. I started out with size 2 needles, but when I got to the heel, I switched to size 1 needles. I wanted to make sure the leg of the sock was loose and comfortable, but I don't want it to be baggy around the foot. I cast on 72 stitches to start, but I want to get the foot down to less than that. I think I will continue decreasing around the foot until I have 64 stitches left. I might even go down a little more than that, depending on the fit. I love trying on socks as I'm knitting them. I think it's fun! Well, I still have a bit to go before this first one is done, but I'm actually looking forward to finishing them soon. I may actually even wear this pair! Shocking, I know!

Chapeau Marnier Pics

2007-08-12T02:48:00.000-04:00

Like I mentioned in my previous post, my Chapeau Marnier is finished! It was very small and tight before I blocked it and I was truly afraid it wasn't going to fit. But, of course, blocking is magical and worked wonders. I think if I were to make it again, I would go up a needle size or 2 so it would be a better fit for me, even fresh off the needles. I lost a little bit of the length when I blocked it, but it seems to cover my ears well enough. It's really a very cute pattern and generally easy to follow. I did make a small mistake in the brim, but again, that's what we refer to as a "design feature". That's the only way to know that it was hand-made, or something like that. :)

Pattern: Chapeau Marnier from knitty.com
Yarn: Louet Gems, 1 skein
Needles: Size 2 Addi Turbos and size 2 Brittany DPNs
Size made: Large

FO - Chapeau Marnier

2007-08-09T02:32:00.000-04:00

I took my Chapeau Marnier off the needles tonight. I was very upset at first because it was so very tight on my head. It needed blocking, so I went to it. I'm very glad that I did. It seems like it will be okay after all. The hat required one helluva blocking job, but I guess you have to do what you have to do. :) It is currently drying on my head so pics will have to wait until tomorrow.

Concept Hat Complete

2007-07-31T02:45:00.000-04:00

I just realized that I never did post pics of my finished project known as the Concept Hat. I was waiting to post pics until I was certain it would fit and whatnot. Well, I'm most pleased to announce that it fit and it worked! Yea! It looks so cute in person. I did chuckle when I tried it on because it looked a bit Rastafarian on me. Oh well. It looks great over my mom's hair rollers. She said it felt great too. It wasn't too loose or too snug and it stayed in place overnight without issue. Holla!

Pattern: Mine (aka "Made it up as I went along")
Yarn: Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, 1 skein, Colorway 0415, Roses
Needles: Size 7 16" circs
Size 9 16" circs

2 Projects at once

2007-07-31T02:24:00.001-04:00

I've been making progress on both of my most recent projects. I'm just a little shy of the half-way mark for my Chapeau Marnier. The flash washed the color out a bit, but I think it still shows how far I've come with it. I just discovered that I may have been a stitch off on part of the pattern, but I'm not going to fix it. It's really not a big deal and when I run the ribbon through it, I'm almost certain it won't be noticeable. Plus, it's a design feature. Yeah, that's it. :)

I've also made progress on the Everlasting Bag. The picture doesn't show too much at first glance. But if you were to look closely, and really use your imagination, you might be able to see that I've finished the base of it and have picked up the stitches to complete the base. After another inch or 2, I'll be switching to size 11 needles and moving on to the body of the bag. Once I do that, it will be a lot quicker and easier. I feel like I'm struggling to keep all these stitches on size 7 16" circs, and well, I am! It's a lot of stitches for those needles, trust me. I didn't have any 24" length circs in a good size, so I made do with what I had. That means stuffing a lot of stitches on a smaller needle. Oh well. They are my Addi Turbos so I imagine they are up for the challenge.

So far, I'm quite pleased with my progress on both projects. I wonder which one I'll finish first. Normally, I'd say the hat would win, but there are a lot of rows when you're making a hat on size 2s. It's a tough call for sure!

Marnier Update

2007-07-28T01:50:00.000-04:00

I'm on the super tricksy row 11 of this pattern and I'm doing okay. I had to take a moment to figure out where I was and what I needed to do, but after only 1 small mistake that was easy to fix, I've not had too many problems with it. It looks like it's going to be a big hat! This is a good thing for me because I have a big head. :) I'd love to just bust the rest of this hat out in a day, but I have to pay attention during the beginning and I just haven't had the attention span yet. Honestly, once I'm finished with the super cute brim, the hat will be a breeze.

In the meantime, however, don't be surprised if I cast on for an Everlasting Bag for a friend. She's been hinting, not too subtly, that she wants a bag she can take to the farmer's market. I pointed out this new pattern and said I could be convinced to make it for her. She seemed to really like it, so it's now in my queue. I need to print it out so that I can have it on hand when I'm ready to start.

Marnier hat for me!

2007-07-24T22:46:00.000-04:00

I decided to do something drastically out of character today (yeah, right!) and cast on for a new project! My latest project is Knitty's Chapeau Marnier. I'm very excited by this pattern and I'm not sure why. I don't have much of a personal style but I fell in love the moment I saw this hat. The designer has directions for 2 different styles and I haven't totally decided which one to do. I think I'm going to go with the one on her website. I'll make my final decision in about 12 more rows. Hooray for casting on for a new project! :)

So far the only change I would make to the pattern is a very minor thing. She called for using size 6 needles to cast on, but then switching to size 2 needles to work the actual pattern. That ended up being quite the fiddly thing for me to conquer and so I would omit it. I generally don't have a problem with casting on tightly, so I really don't think it was necessary. But, seriously, how minor of a change is that?

And just in case you forgot, I'm using the Louet Gems yarn I balled the other day. I really like this yarn. The red is fabulous and I like the feel of it. I hope this hat turns out as great as I'm thinking it will. :)

Concept Hat is Finished!

2007-07-22T18:43:00.000-04:00

Yea! Another finished object! I think the hat will work well for my mom and she really seemed to like it. I have a few pics, but I want to wait before posting them. I want to see it in action before I get too happy!

Knitting Hold

2007-07-21T18:13:00.000-04:00

Sorry but I can't knit right now. I'm too busy reading the latest Harry Potter!!! hahahahaha!

Yarn Therapy

2007-07-19T02:20:00.000-04:00

I did attempt to work on the concept hat today, but I did not get very far. Today was just a busy day of phone calls and surprise visits. I feel like I spent half the day on the phone, but I didn't chat with anyone for very long. Truthfully, I spent most of the day in a funk. Now that the wedding is over and every one is moving on with life again, I'm feeling a little down. I had a truly fantastic time and it's always really hard for me to return to life after seeing my old friends. So, after watching a particularly funny segment of the Daily Show today that did wonders for getting my mood up a bit, I decided to try some yarn therapy. I pulled out the Tiny Toes yarn I mentioned the other day and went to work. I balled both hanks and they look so pretty! Check them out!

Then I decided to attack the Louet Gems yarn that I have marked for making a Chapeau Marnier. It's almost funny that the 2 yarns I chose to wind today are earmarked for projects for me. I hardly ever make myself anything, but I guess I'm feeling it right now. :) I already own one red hat, but I can't wait to make another. It looks so pretty when it's all balled up.

See what I mean? Lovely yarn. Balling it up helped to relax me a bit. There's something meditative about letting the yarn run through your fingers while you ball it up. I don't know what it is, but it's relaxing. :)

Pics of Socks for Alicia

2007-07-17T14:43:00.001-04:00

I went and updated my last post with a picture of the socks. But, I wanted to post additional shots and I figured it would be easier to just make a new post with them. :)

Pattern: Traveling Vine pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Louet Gems
Needles: Size 2 DPNs
Notes: I did these from the top down with an eye of partridge heel. I found picking up my gusset stitches went very well despite not having a slipped stitch edge. In fact, I'd say it was my neatest attempt at picking up stitches thus far. I wasn't thrilled with the pattern at first because it didn't look the same as in the book to me, but it grew on me over time. Now I love them and they appeared to fit Alicia's feet well.

the heel

Sock 1 complete

This ended up being a very fun project for me and I love the finished socks. The next pair of socks I make, however, will be for me. I've not made myself a pair of socks yet so I think it's the perfect time. :)

I Did It!

2007-07-13T01:06:00.001-04:00

Yes! I finished them on time! They are currently hanging up to dry and I leave in about 12 hours. I had them off the needles, with the ends woven in, before 10 pm. I'm quite pleased with myself. I can't wait to give them to her. Lord do I hope they fit! lol!

Here they are just before I gave them a bath. Yea!

Impressive Progress Report

2007-07-10T01:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm quite pleased to announce that I nearly finished the leg of sock number 2 today. In fact, I have only 10 rows to go before starting the heel and I might try to finish them before I head to bed tonight. There were multiple distractions today and yet I still made excellent progress. First up, an old friend from high school stopped by to chat for an hour or so. I tried calling Lisa 3 times between 2-4:30 pm because she owes me money that I need to pick up before I head out of town. Then I drove by her house to see if she was home (twice) and picked up dinner. I took a small nap by accident, watched Hell's Kitchen, took a few phone calls, and called my brother. Later, I caught up with a friend online. Given that I rarely knit for more than 20 minutes in one sitting, it's amazing I got so much done. I just took frequent breaks, moved around a lot, and knit off and on throughout the entire day. I know other knitters out there will sit for hours and knit, but I can't do that. My attention span isn't that great and I fear that if I knit for long periods of time that my wrist problems will come back. So, I only knit in short bursts, yet I occasionally get stuff done.

Oh and my mom bought me a present today when she went to her favorite sewing store. It just so happens that her favorite sewing store is about 2 store fronts away from a yarn store. So, she popped in to the yarn store to buy me a gift. She did a really excellent job! I was quite excited when I opened the bag and found a double hank of Tiny Toes in gorgeous shades of purple, turquoise, and green. It's quite lovely to be honest. This yarn will not be used to make a gift. Nope, it's all mine! I will be winding it and playing with it soon, I hope. I need a pair of gorgeous socks for myself despite my general aversion to wearing them. Thank the knitting Gods that I have both Sensational Knitted Socks and More Sensational Knitted Socks because I'm certain the perfect pattern is in one of them. I almost wish I could start playing with it now. But, first, Alicia's socks will be done before her wedding. They will! :)

No SSS for me!

2007-07-09T01:05:00.000-04:00

No, I'm NOT suffering from SSS. I started the second sock today just fine, thank you very much. I was smart this time and cast on with my 2 and 1/2 size needles and knit 2 rows of the ribbing with them. Then I transferred over to the size 2s and I am almost done with the ribbing. Well, I'm 2/3 finished at this point, but I think I'm going to go work on it for a few right now. I talked on the phone with Alicia today and that helped. Chatting for a few and just being reminded of how awesome she is helps me feel a little more motivated. :) I'm getting excited about her wedding and seeing everyone. She invited me to stay at her house (again) and I decided to go for it. Only 5 days before I leave! And, since I'll be staying at her house, it would probably be a good idea to have the socks done before I get there. So, yeah, I must leave now and work on the sock.

Half way there

2007-07-08T03:35:00.001-04:00

Who cast off the first sock today? That's right! This girl did. Yea!

Okay, it looks way cuter now than I thought it was going to look. It might be just a little short for her foot, but it should be quite wearable. Plus, when she washes it, she can put them on and make sure they'll fit her foot. It's a nice wool blend and it will have enough give, I'm sure. Tomorrow though, I get to cast on for the mate. I have to make sure I keep the ribbing a little looser as it's just a touch difficult to pull on. Once the sock is on though, it's great. I have until Saturday to finish the mate. I need all the luck in the world on this one! :)

FSS

2007-07-07T02:29:00.001-04:00

The title of this post is FSS because I've decided that I suffer from a very rare knitting disease. We've all heard of the dreaded SSS, aka Second Sock Syndrome. But I seem to have a rare variation known as FSS- First Sock Syndrome. It appears as though getting through that first sock is really my issue. I've never had a problem finishing the second one. I think it's because I work out all the kinks with the first sock and I know what I'm doing for the second one. I won't need to rip anything back with the second one unless I totally screw up my pattern or lose a needle. So once I get through that first one, I feel confident that it's all going to work out right. Right now, I'm getting dangerously close to the toe on Alicia's sock. I want to do a round toe and I'm tripping about it. A round toe will be a full 2 inches for me and the pattern says the toe should only be 1 3/4 inches. So obviously I'm just going to start the toe 2" from where I want it to end, but I'm still tripping anyway because that's what I do. It's not like I'm using a yarn that has no give either. It will stretch if it's a touch short and it won't be uncomfortable at all. I know all of this and still I freak out. I can't wait until it's time to start the second one so that I can just knit it and let it go. :)

Concept Hat update

2007-07-06T01:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished the ribbing and have switched to size 9 circs. I was distracted while trying to do the switch and it was NOT working well for me. It took me twice as long as I think it should have, but at least it's on there now. I was contemplating finding a different stitch pattern to use, but decided the k2tog, yo followed by a row of yo, k2tog would be easiest. I think it might be the right size this time with the 80 stitches I cast on, but it's still a little too early to call.

I successfully ignored the sock today. I had to walk by it several times and I still managed to not work on it. I was always better at writing papers with a very pressing deadline. Perhaps I will turn out to be a great pressure knitter too. Or else I just won't get them done on time and they can become a Christmas or birthday present. :) Sometimes I hate to admit that I want them done but lack the motivation to work on them. Oh well. It's my own issue to work on, I guess. I could easily finish the first one by Saturday if I just don't ignore it. That would give me a week to finish the mate and I usually bust out the second one a little faster than the first.

Who am I kidding? I really want to finish these. I just need to sleep better tonight and work on it tomorrow. A lot.

Concept Hat and sock update

2007-07-04T02:17:00.000-04:00

I have a project I've been calling Concept Hat. My mom likes to set her hair with rollers before going to bed on occasion because she hasn't heard that it isn't 1964. Anyway, she usually wears some kind of cap over them at night to hold them in place and possibly for comfort. She's tried all kinds of caps and most won't get the job done. Her current one has lots of holes in it and is getting ready to retire. So she asked me if I could knit her something appropriate.

Well, to be honest, I'm not sure if I can or not. I thought it over a bit, talked it over with knowledgeable people, and decided to at least give it a shot. I wanted yarn with some elastic content and the LYS didn't have much that would fit the bill. In the end, I decided to try this Panda Cotton yarn. I pulled out my size 7 Addi Turbos and cast on. I didn't know how many stitches I wanted and didn't feel like doing a real swatch when I have no idea if my idea is even going to get off the ground. So I knit about an inch of 2X2 ribbing and switched to size 9 needles and a k2tog, yo type of open stitch. I did that for a few inches just to get a look at it. Then I put it on a longer cable to really investigate.

It appeared to be a bit too big but I felt like I was on the right track. So, today I ripped it all out, rewound the yarn, and cast on with fewer stitches. I've only done about 3 rounds of ribbing but I'm feeling like this project just might work out right. I'm quite excited about it actually. :)

In sock news, the gusset decreases are done! I tried the sock on and it seemed to fit okay. It's a little snug for sliding on, but once it's on, it feels just about perfect. Just a few inches of foot and then a toe and it's done! Yea!

Gusset decreses

2007-07-03T19:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm more than halfway done with the gusset decreases. I have about 6 rounds left until I start the foot, if I remember correctly. It's been kind of hot and my motivation is waning just a bit. Yes I realize that I live in a climate controlled environment, but the outside conditions still manage to affect me.

Okay, then there's this gem of a story. It happens all the time, but it still drives me crazy when it happens. Anyway, I belong to a book swapping community and I love love love it. I had a book order that I needed to wrap and take to the post office by the 5th. Well, tomorrow is a holiday, so I decided to just go ahead and take it up there today. So I printed out the label, wrapped the book up, and went to the post office. It was a fast and easy trip and when I got home, I went to mark it mailed on the site. Wouldn't you know it? I had another brand new request waiting for me!!! I have my shelf scheduled to go on hold in a few days so that I can go to Alicia's wedding and not have to worry about people ordering books from me. I really didn't think I'd get too many requests prior to that because I haven't posted anything new in a while. Oh well. It's just Murphy's Law at work. You would be shocked at how often this happens to me. I try to save up my book orders so that I only have to go to the post office every once in a while. But, the book swapping Gods have quite the sense of humor when it comes to me. :)

Well, that's it for now. Time to watch some lame TV and think about knitting on that sock, even though I know I won't. :)

Heel Turn Complete!

2007-07-02T02:18:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it? Not only did I finish the leg of the first sock, I did all of the heel stitches, the turn, and I'm actually into the gusset decreases! It's shocking, I know. I could actually finish it before the wedding! Not only could I finish the one, I could even cast on and knit the second one too. Will I? I'm crossing my fingers on this one. I really would love to give them to her at her wedding. Maybe I will be able to continue plugging away at it like I did today. I was actually enjoying the pattern more than ever before. Plus, that eye of partridge heel was something new and fun for me to do. I like it! I did make a small mistake in the early rows, but I fudged my numbers and covered it rather than fix it. It doesn't look too bad or else I'd rip it out. It's a mistake I can live with. Plus, that's how you know it was a hand made gift. :)

Sock for Alicia

2007-07-01T17:59:00.000-04:00

Well, I got my invitation to Ravelry the other day and I jumped right in. I realized very quickly that it might be a good idea to start a blog devoted to my knitting. I'm not the fastest knitter and I don't finish things in a timely manner, but that doesn't really matter too much to me. I just want a place where I can go on and on about knitting if I want and not bore my non-knitting friends to tears. :)

So, I started on Ravelry by listing my current WIPs. I made notes about them as well. On the entry for Alicia's sock, I mentioned that "I was hoping to finish [them] before her wedding, but I don't forsee that happening. I'm just unmotivated to work on them". Something about seeing that in print lit a fire under me and I've been working on them. I don't know if I will continue to stay motivated, but for now, things are moving along rather nicely. Can you say heel flap? Oh and I'm trying the Eye of Partridge with seed stitch border heel flap from More Sensational Knitted Socks for the first time. It's very easy to follow and so far, I'm liking how it looks. Only 24 more rows to go before the turn. I'd like to get them done today, but we'll see what happens.