Blue Fur

Done, again. Or almost – I was waiting to cut the yarn and finish it off until I see if it fits the intended recipient. Also, I need to figure out how to get rid of that nipple at the top. (!) It doesn't look quite how I envisioned it, and I am afraid it is going to be too small. it fits Auden pretty well (though she has a big head) and the cast-on edge feels tight to me. But I'm not ripping this one all the way out; I'm not even sure I'm willing to rip out to the beginning of the decreases if it's not deep enough. Tired of the blue fur!!!

Pattern: Rolled Brim Chemo Cap from Head Huggers with reduced # of cast on stitches (70).
Yarn: Berroco Chinchilla, one skein.
Needles: INOX/Prym U.S. 8 dpn

See the pretty chemo cap?

No? You sure? You looked really really hard? Hmmm, then it must not be there. Funny, since I FINISHED it last night ... how could I possibly be back on row 6?
This is one of those stories I'd rather forget: how I knitted an entire hat in Berroco Chinchilla, got down to my last six stitches on three needles, threaded the leftover yarn on a tapestry needle to run it through the last stitches and ... they weren't there. The needles had slipped out. And the yarn is SO furry that I could not find the stitches.
Probably, there was a way to salvage my work then. But instead, I pulled out a few rows to see if I could find them better below. (These are decrease rows at the top of the hat, so of course every row I pull out means MORE stitches to (not) find.)
I cannot see any stitches among the dark blue fur. I try picking them up anyway, but have no idea what I'm getting, and I can't believe I'll ever get them all. I pull out some more rows, and the problem seems to grown insurmountably large. I whine and cry to my husband, who is suitably sympathetic, and pull out the entire hat.
I'm SO annoyed with myself! And I hate my slippery clanky metal size 8 needles. Hated them anyway for the way they clankety-clanked the whole way through; hate them more now for losing my stitches.
The yarn is lovely and soft, even if it does release a fine mist of blue fibers that tickle my nose and coat my clothes. I'm hoping the ripping and re-knitting will not reduce it to a scraggly mess. I also seem to have gotten the whole hat (at least last time) out of one ball, so I'm hoping the store will take the other one back, or at least exchange it for a different color (or some wooden needles?) I can't possibly face the trauma of reknitting this hat AGAIN.
*sigh*
It probably would have been a good moment to take up serious drinking.

p.s.
I'll post a picture as soon as there is more of it to see ...

Gray Sock

This isn't the greatest picture (no, really) but you get an idea of the pattern ... you can see it a lot more when it is slightly stretched, which in theory it will be on the recipient's leg.
I think I am going to end the ribs when I get to the heel, even though the pattern calls for them to continue all down the top of the foot. Maybe because the gauge is so fine, and there's just one purl instead of a wider rib, it feels slightly beady inside the sock to me. And while I'm hoping the above-mentioned slight stretch will take care of that, I don't want to risk it being uncomfortable under the shoe.

At least it is progressing far faster than I had feared, due in part to a nasty virus that kept me from doing much besides sitting on the couch all week.

That's all I've got. Blog posting doesn't get much more exciting than this, does it?

Billions and Billions of Stitches ....

I see them stretching far ahead into the future. I'm doing the ribbing on Size 0 needles, which I've never used before – maybe that will make the Size 1s seem pleasantly large when I get to the leg. But probably not. These are for my dad, and it may not be the wisest move ever to be trying new yarn gauge and needle sizes when the intended recipient is 3,000 miles away. (I wonder what the math is on how much longer it will take the same knitter to finish a sock on 1s instead of 2s.)

To motivate myself, I have signed up for Socktoberfest 2006. It's my first knitalong, and it seems appropriately undemanding. But since I was casting on for these anyway last night, and I have another pair of socks in progress, it seemed like a good fit.

A Socksy Family

Eli's socks are done! They are very red, and he is very happy with them, and now we all have handknit socks. I feel so homey I can hardlly stand it. You can't hardly even tell that the cuffs are different – I knit the second one with size 1 needles because the first one was a bit loose. I really like the way the yarn knits up: very soft and squishy.

Yarn: Cascade Fixation, slightly more than 1 skein.
Needles: Leg and Instep: Susan Bates DP #3. Cuff #1, heel, sole and toe: Susan Bates DP #2. Cuff #2: Susan Bates DP #1
Pattern: Modified Hot Wheels Socks from trek casts on
(I used the pattern for the legs, except I cast on 48 instead of 56, after MANy false starts, and I went back to my Yankee Knitter pattern for the heel flap and foot.)

I have belatedly realized I need to write down this stuff, after starting to knit the second sock of a pair I'd started over the summer and realizing I didn't remember what pattern it was!

What You Can Make With One Ball of Cascade Fixation (not)

A pair of child's socks ... almost. I am still not entirely believing of this, despite the hard evidence in the form of an unfinished sock and no more yarn. People make adult pairs of Peds with one ball! How could I not get a pair of child's socks? Clearly my knitting must be at fault.

But whatever, another trip to the yarn store was required, and since I will now have an almost entire ball of Fixation left over, I needed something to do with it ...

I think this zebra yarn is kind of funky and will work with red toes. Don't you? Perhaps red cuffs too. Red heels would be especially nice, but wouldn't that require me learning how to do a new kind of heel?

Anyway. I should make my Dad's socks first. This, of course, requires learning my gauge in a whole new kind of sock yarn, which is not QUITE the kind of knitting that lends itself to the tv-watching I must also do. I'm exhausted already.

Koigu Scarf

There she is, in all her glory. I don't know. I don't know how scarves are supposed to wear, so it is hard for me to say how this one does. In retrospect, I think I would not have lengthened it, as part of what I liked about the pattern was its wider-ness. (You can't actually see the shape in these pictures, can you!)

I blocked it, which was a thoroughly frustrating experience, and I'm not at all sure any of it took.

I did love the yarn, and the colors ... I think I would try this again!

Red Sock

Children's socks are a joy because they're SMALL. Of course, they may be less of a joy when the children they go on wear them around with no shoes and ruin them, but that's in the future, we shall not think of it. I am sure the fact that my children can wear handknitted socks and sweaters will completely make up for all the times I have yelled at them and been mean to them.

Ha.

Mystery Scarf in Progress

OK, not entirely a mystery. Koigu, obviously, and the Scarf-as-a-Collar pattern from Scarf Style. But the Koigu is so different from the yarn called for (I put my faith in Kathy, entirely!) and the picture in Scarf Style SO unhelpful, that I really have no idea what it's going to look like when I'm finished. Right now it has more than a passing resemblance to a dickey, which I find disturbing. But I will perservere! Onward to the finish. I am loving the colors. And the knitting-of-the-Koigu, my first time.

The children are outside in the rain (drizzle) playing with water balloons. It makes me sad that the concept holds no appeal for me whatsoever. I'm pretty sure that means I'm old.

Wallaby Finito!

Ta da, an actual finished object! Two-tone and all.

Pattern: Wonderful Wallaby, Size 8 (Warren Wallaby)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino Aran, Violet (325603). About 9.5 balls.
Needles: 9 circular and dps, 6s for seed stitch "ribbing"
Modifications: Seed stitch instead of ribbing at waist and cuffs and instead of garter stitch around pocket, placket and hood. (This pulls in the edge of the hood quite a bit; I think I can fix that with blocking, though.) I also used the modification from the Wonderful Wallaby FAQ to make the hood less pointy.
Really irritating mistake: the two dye lots. Especially since I ended up with almost 3 full balls extra, so I didn't need to use the second dye lot at all.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this pattern, especially not having to seam the sides. When I finally had to knit back and forth for the hood, having to do the purl rows seemed quite arduous, even though I don't usually mind purling. I would make it again, but I'd make it all the same color. :)

Edited to add: Photos by the Wonderful Will Yurman! But of course. :)

Guilt

These ...


and these ...


were supposed to prevent this ...



This ...

has a reason and a recipient and a deadline, even, so it is guilt-free, even if it is Koigu!

I met Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (half price! half price!) and it was love at first touch. And I thought if I just got a little, enough for a scarf, that would satisfy me, and so I got the eminently more sensible Merino Aran instead. But apparently yarn is like sex, or alcohol, or chocolate, or something that makes this analogy work, and I can't just stop with a little. Sooooo ... I have a sweater's worth of Alpaca Silk. (Half price!) AND a sweater's worth of Merino Aran (which I also love, by the way). And a scarf's worth (at least) more of Alpaca Silk. And three skeins of Louisa Harding angora (half-price!) ... just because. (Well, just because I was being thrifty and *not* getting the Alpaca Silk, but that went out the window on visit No. 3. Sigh.)

The Koigu is for a good friend's 40th birthday. I also got a ball of Cascade Fixation to make Eli the red socks he asked for. And I think I am done shopping for a while!

Wallaby Update

The Wallaby is zooming right along. And despite my fears that it was HUGE, when I tried it on Auden just now, it looked good. Yay! (She's pretending to be a puppy on a leash here.:) I am using seed stitch for the placket too, and am happy with the way that looks. I'm happy with the way the arms look, and the color, and everything else. I have just made one, major mistake. Can you see it? It bothers me, AND I think I can't bear to rip back that far.

I had two dye lots of yarn. But I think I had plenty of the main dye lot to finish (at least) the body of the sweater, possibly the whole thing. But when I joined the sleeves to the body, I switched dye lots by mistake. I was either confused, or completely careless. The result, I realize now, is fairly obvious. At least to me. But the switch was way back, before ALL the decreasing for the shoulders and the placket. I just don't think I can stand going back that far.

It does bother me, which I know is supposed to be the deciding factor. But I'm just that lazy that I think I would rather live with it bothering me than rip it out. Will the difference fade with time and washing? I'm not sure other people will notice it if I don't point it out. You can't see it as well in that picture as in this picture (especially if you look at it big):

Anyway, I will notice. Sigh. I like the sweater, though. And I have another important decision to make immediately: there is supposed to be 1" of 1x1 ribbing before the hood. Should I do that in ribbing, as opposed to seed stitch? I am thinking the ribbing might be structurally useful, and since I can't really even see it in pictures of other people's Wallabies, having it in ribbing v. seed stitch might not matter that much, aesthetically. (On the other hand, I'm the person who didn't even notice she was making a two-tone sweater, so what do I know.)

Oh, there is another mistake that doesn't show in these pictures, the place where I joined a new ball of yarn and picked up an extra stitch by mistake, then decided many rows later to drop the stitch all the way back down. I spread out the rows as best I could, but it still looks loose and wobbly around there. I am counting on being able to fix that more with blocking, though. I am a sloppy knitter at heart, apparently.

Sock Business

Behold, the latest sock. It took me a long time to get this sock going. First there was the fiasco with cotton yarn, which I will get back to one of these days, just not now. Then it took me three tries to get a pattern that worked. First I tried Open Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks, but the lace got lost and it just looked messy. Plus, required too much concentration. Then, slipped-stitch rib from the same book. I like that pattern A LOT, and it is very nice and three-dimensional. But while the slipped stitches are supposed to be good for preventing hand-painted sock yarn for pooling, I thought they were just muddying up this (presumably machine-painted) colorway. (Which I love, by the way! Isn't it pretty? And I have enough for two pairs of socks.) So finally I settled on the Twin Rib, still from the same book. There was a lot of ripping, but all the patterns were from the six-stitch pattern section, so I didn't have to start completely over. The Twin Rib is very straightforward, very good for doing while watching tv.

The Wallaby is also progressing nicely, although I'm not sure I like it anymore. There is something ... clunky .... about it in general, and some specifics I don't love. * I think I need to keep going, though. I like the yarn and the knitting.

In other news, how about that Elizabeth and Anthony??!!! I was all excited and hopeful for them yesterday, but today reality set in. I'm not sure that's going to work out. Not now, anyway.

Alaska!!!

Dear Kathy,
Oh wait. That's not my format. Maybe it should be, though. There was a discussion on Knitter's Review about who people were blogging for, and different people had different answers. You're my entire loyal, supportive readership. I don't want to make you self-conscious, so I'll probably go back to my regularly scheduled format. But this way I can sneak in pictures of ...


the kids!!!!



Of course the pictures are better over at what's-his-name's-site. But where else can I publish mine? :)


They who made it all possible.


and some knitting, too!

West Coast knitting

Sign found on BART ... I love it! I knit both ways under the bay on our visit to San Francisco and the East Bay.

I knit on trains, planes and ... boats. Made progress on the Wallaby and started and unstarted several socks. Decided I really need some plain sock yarn before I do any fancy patterns; they just get lost.



This is one of the linen (Euroflax) washcloths I made for my mother last year and I got to see in action in California. The picture is terrible! The color is not nearly so washed out. I don't know how much she has used it, but it definitely softened up nicely with washing. The pattern is from Knitter's Stash.

Man Socks

Finished Will's socks! I was mightily bored of that pattern before I was done. Now I would like to branch out and try some more ambitious sock patterns, but I have these piles of self-striping/patterning Regia ... maybe I can find something that works with that. I *cough* may have obtained a copy of "Sensational Socks."

The Wallaby continues to baffle and amuse me. It turns out my 9s are too big, not too small, and yet I think the fabric is borderline too tight. And this cannot possibly be of interest to anyone but myself (if that), even my faithful sister-in-law. *sigh*

I need to figure out my traveling projects, and soon! Never mind that I have not figured out what clothes we will need. We must have priorities!

Pattern: Yankee Knitter Classic Socks
Yarn: Regia 4fadig - Jacquard Color
Needles: My grandmother's shiny blue Boye Size 2 aluminum "knitting pins"

Sleevy Goodness

Knitting away on the sleeve and guess what – ha ha – I'm not getting gauge on them either. Could DPNs and circulars be significantly different? Probably, but I don't wanna deal with this. So what do you do when 9 is too small and 10 is too big? There is no 9.5, right? Probably I'll go back to the 9s on the assumption that it is still spreading out from the border, and that I will be OK since I am knitting the very large size. Then I will be wrong, and Talia will get another sweater.

Grrr. I am enjoying my bamboo DPNs, though. I bought metal size 8s without thinking and I hate the way they clink around together while I'm knitting. Of course I don't HAVE 9s ... guess I'll need to make another trip to the yarn store ...

I'm afraid I'm going to get sick of this yarn before I even get started!

4th Time Not So Charming!

Will I ever get past the first few inches of this sweater? So here is where I am now: I started once on 8s. Once on 9s. Once on 10.5s. Ripped it all out and did gauge swatches on 9s and 10s, purchased for the occasion. The 10s was slightly too big; the 9s slightly too small. I decided to go with the 9s and the larger size pattern. (Of course I did not go so far as to wash and block my swatches. Let's get real. I hardly do that with my finished products.)
Then I started knitting on the 9s. And the gauge is considerably smaller (it's supposed to be 18sts/4in. On the swatch I got 19, now I am getting closer to 20, or more) This is probably because – as many wise people have warned – I am knitting in the round and my swatch was flat. Sigh.

I probably I need to do what the pattern suggested in the first place, and knit the sleeves in place of a test swatch. On 10s, I guess, since in addition to the gauge issue, I am not loving the fabric I am creating.

The other variable is that I didn't like the way the ribbing looked the first three times I started the sweater. I could have just made it shorter, but instead I decided to try a moss stitch border. I think I like the way that looks, but am I going to wish I had ribbing? And do I need ribbing for the sleeves, or should they match?



About the only thing I really like so far is the way the blue yarn looks that I put in to mark the row where the pocket goes! Oh where is my Alaskan advisor when I need her!!!! :)

Mysteriously ...

more yarn has been purchased. What's going on around here!!??? Not only hasn't progress been made on the Wallaby (unless you count the startling advent of gauge swatches) which I finally frogged, after it became clear that it was going to be ginormous on the 10.5s, nor Will's socks been completed, but new yarn has somehow found its way into the stash.

But it has a purpose! And a reason! It's practically a necessity, even. It's for the Mushroom Cap and Mittens in Home Spun, Hand Knit,a very simple two-color pattern that I'm not even sure qualifies as Fairisle. And the teacher at the Fair Isle workshop said we had to practice! So I had to buy it. I was thinking of purple, so as not to be a slavish follower of the pattern, but I really liked this blue.

Oh, and I *cough* may have bought some other yarn too. I looked at my Cascade 220 that I bought last summer and decided I DO love it but that I don't want to make a child's garment out of something I can't machine wash. So I called the store in Virginia Beach and they still had some of the same dye lot and ... I ordered two more skeins. So now I will have 1500 yards, enough (I hope!) to make a sweater for me.

Those don't really count as "purchases" do they? Special circumstances, I think.

Not Much to Look At

Is it better to post boringly, or not to post at all?

Not much to see here, mostly because I spent most of last night un-knitting the body. I was using Size 8 needles and it was way too tight and stiff. Of course, I was way off gauge. Perhaps doing a gauge swatch would have been a good idea! the pattern even suggests starting with a sleeve to check gauge. But no, I didn't do that. And I'm still not doing it, I'm just trying again with Size 9s.

I made more progress on Will's socks, but they're too boring even to take a picture of. However they kept me busy on the car trip to New Haven and back. That was before I read the thread about knitting in the car. I should probably learn to knit socks on circulars. But I like my DPNs!

I have a long "To Do" list, and this is not on it.