Jessimuhka Knits

Moving!

2006-04-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

This blog has moved! I'm now located at jessimuhka.com/knitblog

Here's a thumbnail to entice you into heading over there - I have a new post up about this project.

P.S. - If you have a link to this blog on your blog or website I'd really appriciate it if you would change it to the new one. I have bloglines set up at the new blog, so subscribe to that! The bloglines button on this blog will also subscribe you to the new blog.

So Cal bloggers + sock

2006-03-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I rode up to Long Beach with Wendy, Nancy, Heidi, Hilari, and Crissy (who was smart enought to send around a sign in sheet and get everyone's names/blogs.) Also, thanks to Wendy and Nancy for driving my mooch ass around. I appriciate it ladies!

We all met up at Buster's for lunch with the rest of the SD contingent - Kris, Marisa, and Erika. I hadn't met Erika before and was slightly confused when she arrived, as Kris had mentioned possibly bringing her sister, and Erika didn't look much like Kris. (not that I look much like my sister)

- as well as the LA bloggers - Susan, Jillian, JenLa, Monica, Andrea, Kathy, Roberta, Lori, and Michelle. Lauren made up the CT contingent.

A good time was had by all, so good I failed to take any pictures. Jillian and Kris have pictures up already, so go take a peek! I may have to steal the pirate ship picture from Jillian.

After lunch we all shopped at the Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. They had a bunch of nice things (most tempting - Lorna's Laces in Mineshaft and the Dale baby booklet with the Ladybug sweater) but I was good and didn't buy any yarn (or patterns for non-existent babies).

While we were shopping I noticed Jillian's great bracelet and asked where she got it. There's a picture of it on her blog. Of course, I had to reward my non spending by, um, spending, and ordered this bracelet. Heather was very nice to deal with over email, and it's shipping priority mail tomorrow. Look for a photo of it on my wrist Friday.

Along with the gabbing and shopping there was also knitting. I finished this sock on the drive home. I think I started it Thursday, but it could have been Wed night or early Friday. Cast on for sock 2 last night befor bed.

The pair is for my mom's birthday, in about a month. Should be done in plenty of time (fingers crossed).

February Wrap-up/March Goals

2006-03-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

I got bit by a sock bug this month and didn't meet most of my goals.

February Goals:

1. Finish Rogue sleeves - not done, got to the sleeve cap shaping, but knitting backwards was aggrivating the tendonitis in my shoulder.
2. Finish Norwegian Stockings - nope.
3. Start new socks (must always have a pair of socks going) - DONE, started and finished Retro Ribs and started embossed leaves
4. Start Faroe Vest (easy goal. I love starting things!) - DONE
5. Knit at least 10 rows on Peacock Feathers - not done
6. Knit my Baby Alpaca Grande scarf - started
7. Go through stash and weed out yarn to swap/sell - DONE
8. No yarn purchases (well, maybe something really good at Wildfiber...) - didn't make it to Wildfiber, but I did pretty well on the no yarn buying. Bought the yarn for Odessa, sockapaloooza socks, and ordered some STR with paypal funds.

What to do this month?

March Goals:

1. Embrace my sock bug and knit as many socks as I want, without buying any more sock yarn.
2. Finish Rogue sleeves. Read up on Cardigan mods.
3. Work on Norwegian Stockings
4. Finish Sockapaloooza Socks - this will probably happen tonight or tomorrow
5. Order a zipper for York and sew it in if it arrives
6. Knit whatever else I want, as long as it's from the stash.
7. Take it easy on yarn purchases. This might be hard as I'll be up in Long Beach with knit bloggers this weekend and maybe at Wildfiber next weekend.

Hats and socks, oh my!

2006-02-26T16:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, hat. I knit the Odessa hat last Tuesday and finally got a picture of it last night.

I like it. I wish I'd knit it a bit longer than the pattern called for (5.5" instead of my usual 6" - that will teach me to trust the pattern), but it blocked out alright. The yarn is rediculously soft. I'm sure it's not very hard wearing, but for a hat that should be alright. Knitting with the beads was fun too.

Stats:
Pattern: Odessa, linked above, by Grumperina
Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK
Beads: size 6 glass beads from Beverly's
Needles: Clover US4 16" circs for ribbing, Inox US6 DPNs for main hat. I really liked the Inox needles.
Start: Feb 21, 2006
Finished: Feb 21, 2006
No modifications. Oh, and I didn't swatch, because, hey, it's a hat. If it's off, you just rip it out and start over.

Now, socks in progress.

I have issues with how this pattern is written. When I finish, I'll do a whole post on what I did differently, and what else I would modify if I knit them again. They do knit up fast though, as I've only been working on them for 4 days. My sockapaloooza pal has smaller feet tham me, so these should finish up quick too! Hmm, two complete pairs of socks in February? We'll see.

I knit most of the second sock at Kris's, with Miyon, Kristin, Krys, and Marissa. Most of them were working on Olympic Knitting - check out their finished projects, they're great!

Oh, and Krys, ERIS SLEEVES!

Obviously, I have reading comprehension issues

2006-02-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Long time no post. I have a finished hat to share, but need to wait for it to dry and someone to take a picture for me (no bathroom mirror shots here at Jessimuhka Knits). In the meantime, I started my Sockapaloooza socks.

The pattern is Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt in the Winter 05 IK. The yarn is Schaefer Anne. So far I'm enjoying them, but just ran into a reading comprehension issue. I skimmed over the pattern (blah, blah, 1x1 twisted rib, 2.5 pattern repeats, OOOOH! CHART!) and jumped right in to following the chart. This picture is how much cuff I thought the pattern said to knit. It looked a little short to me, so I read back to check. That would be *3*.5 pattern repeats, so I still have one to go. Oops. I figure I'll start the heel during the Olympics tonight, if I don't get too caught up playing my own drinking game.

Speaking of the KO drinking game, now that we're nearing the end of the event, there are more chug worthy posts in the Blogosphere than ever. So buy a bottle of your favorite ale, cider, tequila (for you heavy hitters), or gin (for even heavier hitters - or people who really like Christmas) and play along at home for the last 3 days!

edited because I spelled the sock designer's name wrong

Retro Rib Socks - Complete!

2006-02-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

The official fancy shoes finished socks picture:

Here's a picture of the heels, they fit great.

Statistics -
Pattern: Retro Rib Socks, from Winter 04 Interweave Knits
Yarn: Socks that Rock in Bezyl
Needles: US 2s (2.75mm) Brittany DPNs for one sock and Clover DPNs for the other
Modifications: Dutch heel substituted for pattern heel.
Started: Feb 1, 2006
Completed: Feb 17, 2006
Impressions: I love this pattern and yarn. Socks that Rock yarn is soft, squishy, and thick enough to knit on US 2s. The Retro Rib pattern was great fun to make. I might even make these again some time. They hug my feet perfectly.

Now, to decide what socks to knit my Sockapaloooza. I'm thinking maybe the Embossed Leaves socks from the Winter 05 IK.

Retro Rib Progress, musings on SFC, new shoes!

2006-02-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

The Retro Ribs are coming along nicely. My pace has slowed a bit during the olympics, as I actually enjoy watching them, so don't get quite as much knitting done. I couldn't knit at all during the pairs finals the other night, so intense! Anyway, I finished one of the socks and the other is ready to be picked back up just past the gusset. I'm very pleased with my grafting on the first sock. I've decided the way to go with grafting is to just pull it as tight as possible. That looks the best, at least on sock toes. I don't know about other grafting, but maybe Krys can tell use when she finally grafts the armpits for her Eris. Graft those armpits Krys!

One of the skeins is a bit more stripey than the other. I'm using the old skein size, and the person who gave me the StR gave me two skeins. One wouldn't quite cut it, so I started the second sock with the brand new skein and I'm glad I did. I also got some cash in my PayPal account recently, which I think I will use to order more StR. Definitely Carbon Dating, and possibly Red Rock Canyon as well. I'm not going to place the order until I'm done moving though.

Today is the cast on day for the SFCKAL! Yay, I get to cast on over 300 stitches tonight... I'm planning on knitting the one colored ribbed bottom of my vest as corrugated ribbing. It will take a bit longer, but will also give the edge more body and hopefully avoid the slight bunching up that's occuring in the photo in the book.

Finally, Robinsons-May was bought out by Macy*s and is having a huge clearance sale here in SD. I bought these great shoes this weekend for 30% off.

Mary-Kay = awesome

2006-02-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to a get together over at Mary-Kay's house. She ordered the best pizza and we all spent the evening knitting and spinning. Typically, I forgot my camera, so you'll have to go see M-K's blog for pictures.

This is what I accomplished over at M-K's. 13 of the 17 repeats for the leg of the second Retro Rib Sock (I think I had 3 or 4 done before last night). Also pictured is a skein of Noro Kureyon I grabbed out of Nancy's up for grabs pile. I already have an idea for something to make out of it.

Also at M-K's were Wendy, Heidi, Crissy, Kristine from Curious Creek and her fiance, Hilari, Susanne from Knitting in La Jolla, and one of M-K's friends. (I really hope I'm not forgetting anyone. In my defense, I had about half a bottle of wine)

We'll have to get together again soon girls! I had so much fun.

P.S. Hilari, thinking of you today!

Sock Progress

2006-02-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

Made some good progress on the Retro Rib Socks this weekend.

I just finished the gusset on the first sock. I went with a Dutch Heel, instead of the heel in the pattern, because Dutch heels fit my foot the best. (and V-heels the worst, for what it's worth) But the most important question, does it fit?

Like a charm! I plan on trying to avoid the SSS by starting the second sock right now. Then, when I finish that one, all I'll have left is the foot of this one. Time to fish out my spare US 2s.

New Socks!

2006-02-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

I cast on for Retro Rib Socks from Interweave Knits Winter 2004 last night. Theoretically, they were going to be for my Sockapaloooza pal, but they're coming out a bit big for her measurements. Luckily, that makes them perfect for me! 3" out of 8 on the leg so far.

I'm in love with this yarn. It's Socks That Rock in Beryl. This color isn't up on the website, but it's similar to the three in the bottom row in tone range. There will definitely be more of this yarn in my future, it's so soft!

I also want to wave hi to my sock pal! Hopefully my rambling in the preferences section didn't freak you out. I know I like to get lots of direction when knitting for others, so was trying to provide that. I'm really fairly open, I promise.

The Knitting Olympics Drinking Game

2006-02-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've all heard of The Knitting Olympics by now. I won't be participating, but I'm always looking for ways to make sporting events into a spectator sport. Thus, I present to you:

The Knitting Olympics Drinking Game

created with help from Rebekkah and Natalie

Take a drink whenever someone:

1. adjusts their definition of "finishing" in order to get a gold medal.
2. whines about someone else being farther along on an identical project.
3. drops out after realizing there is no way to knit a fingering weight fair isle adult sweater in 16 days without losing their job.
4. joins a team for something other than a country/joins a team because they like a vegetable. (Team Wales, I'm looking at you)
5. takes a knitting short cut they really shouldn't have taken. (swatch, pfft! I'm only knitting a fair isle cabled lace shrug. Who needs a swatch!)
6. has to frog because they lost count when Michelle Kwan fell on her ass. (We all know it's going to happen.)
7. buys a TiVo/DVR, so they can watch the Olympics later. It's cutting into their knitting time right now.
8. posts pictures of a dirty house or starving children, blaming either on the Knitting Olympics.
9. calls in sick to work in order to finish on time.
10. encourages another knitter to "work through the pain," when that knitter's hands have gone numb.
11. posts to a general knitlist/livejournal knitting community to ask how everyone else is doing on their projects. (blogs/communities/knitlists set up specifically for the KO exempted)
12. doesn't fix a huge mistake on their project because it will keep them from finishing in time.
13. whines about said huge mistake after the Olympics are over.
14. frogs entire project after the Knitting Olympics, due to aforementioned huge mistake. (finish the bottle for this one)

Disclaimer: The Knitting Olympics Drinking Game is for entertainment purposes only. Do not operate heavy machinery after playing. The amount of "a drink" is fluid - anything from a shot, to a glass of wine, to a sip of beer - please play responsibly.

January Wrap-Up/February Goals

2006-01-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

Let's review my January goals;

1. Finish Jaywalkers - DONE
2. Finish 1st Norwegian Stocking, cast on for second - DONE
3. If I really get itching to start something new, cast on for 2nd Nordic Mitten. It's been long enough it should feel new. - DONE, in that I didn't cast on anything new.
4. Get back on track with Rogue - DONE
5. Work on Peacock Feathers - DONE, barely. I knit 4 rows today.
6. Only purchase yarn for SFC-along - not done. I bought 2 hanks of Artyarns Supermerino and a hank of Baby Alpaca Grande.

Well, I'm either getting better at sticking to my goals or better at creating realistic goals. I'm not too torn up over the small purchases either - nothing that's going to break my budget.

February goals;

1. Finish Rogue sleeves
2. Finish Norwegian Stockings
3. Start new socks (must always have a pair of socks going)
4. Start Faroe Vest (easy goal. I love starting things!)
5. Knit at least 10 rows on Peacock Feathers
6. Knit my Baby Alpaca Grande scarf
7. Go through stash and weed out yarn to swap/sell
8. No yarn purchases (well, maybe something really good at Wildfiber...)

SFCKAL swatch

2006-01-30T12:32:00.000-08:00

Most of my knitting time the past week has been spent swatching for the Faroe Vest. Three swatches in, I'm finally getting 8 stitches/inch.

I've also finished the chart on the Rogue sleeves, so it's onto the plain stockinette bits for those. As long as I knit a row or two on Peacock Feathers tonight or tomorrow I just might meet my goals for the month. yay!

Urge to Kill Fading*

2006-01-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

Yay! Yarn for the SFCKAL. If you click the picture, it will take you to the Flickr page with notes on the color names. I was having a crummy day yesterday**, but when I got home the box from SHP was on my doorstep. I hugged the box for about 5 minutes before opening it, then hugged the yarn some more. I love you yarn! I was going to hold off on swatching, but hell, I'm the boss of my knitting. If I want to swatch, I'm gonna swatch. Besides, swatching isn't starting a new project. Those are the rules, that I just invented, right now.

*Anyone know which Simpsons THoH this is from? I know it's the one with the Shining, but which number?
**Crummy day due to tweaking my back somehow. I'm feeling a bit better today, but going up and down the stairs is still not fun. I'm blaming it on my Con Law book.

Rogue Progress and Weekend Fun

2006-01-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

Rogue is finally back on track.

Halfway through the cable chart! I think I may actually meet all my goals this month, as long as I manage to knit a couple rows of Peacock Feathers. I'm still liking Rogue.

Most of the knitting on it this weekend was actually done on a mini yarn crawl with Spaaz and Crissy. We started out meeting up with Nancy in Oceanside for a knitting and spinning demo at the library. Then parted ways with Nancy and hit up Noble Knits, Black Sheep, Common Threads, and Knitting by the Beach. I had only been to Common Threads before (and they've made some big changes since the last time I was there) so it was great fun. I was pretty good - bought some Supermerino at Noble Knits, nothing at Black Sheep (oof, the mark-up there!), a Dale booklet at Common Threads, and some bulky baby alpaca at Knitting by the Beach. So that's one goal shot, but whatever. It's a hobby, it's supposed to be fun.

Oh, and Becki, the shoes from the Jaywalker post are from ALDO, although I know what Kenneth Cole ones you're talking about. Tried those on too!

Norwegian Stockings Update

2006-01-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

Stocking #1 is finished! It needs a good blocking, as it's a bit snug around the foot, but otherwise, it's great. I even cast on for stocking #2.

Pictured together so you know I'm not just showing an old picture of the first one. I'm already 1/2 of the way through my goals for this month! Yay!

I also got through to SHP to purchase the kit for the Faroe-Patterned Vest. It's going to be hard not to cast on for that immediately ;)

Finished Jaywalkers!

2006-01-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

I'm really liking these pictures and my use of the self timer. The only problem is the self timer on my camera is finicky about what it decides to focus on. It took about a dozen pictures to get two in focus ones. Here's the other one.

Pattern Statistics.

Pattern: Jaywalker Socks, by Grumerina
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock in Sand Ridge
Needles: Addi Turbos 40" size 1 (2.5mm) and 32" size 1 (2.5mm)
Modifications: I knit them pretty much to pattern specifications, for the larger size, two at once. I decreased the non-patterned stitches on the sole of the foot to 36 stitches, half the amount I use for plain socks on this needle size.
Start Date: December 25, 2005
Finish Date: January 14, 2005
Impressions: I got a slow start on these socks. The pattern is easy, but it didn't really click with me for the first few inches. Once I was about 3" in, they sped up quite a bit. I liked the two socks at once. It decreased portability, but didn't really feel like it took much longer than a single sock, and when I was done I was really done.

Mostly for my reference

2006-01-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

This is my short list of sweaters to knit, hopefully this year. I reserve the right to alter this list or completely deviate from it if I feel like it.

1. Faroe-Patterned Vest: Pattern book purchased, attempting to purchase yarn
2. Roge: Pattern and yarn purchased, cast on.
3. Eris: Appropriate yarn in my stash
4. Salina: Pattern book purchased

Meme

2006-01-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Instructions: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot.

making
Step Into My Thimble
Absinthe Knits
Bird's Nest Knits
Jessimuhka Knits

Select 5 people to tag (suckers!): No really, I know these things are akin to chain letters and they take some time, but there's nothing like direct questions to learn more about folks.

Hmm, who to ~~punish~~ tag. Krys, Rebekkah, Becki, and Kit.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Let's see, 1996. I was about to graduate from 8th grade and move on to public school. (Yay! Public school!) Yeah, I'm young.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

Starting my second semester of law school and living in Clairemont Mesa. I miss the fact that that apartment had two bathrooms.

What were you doing one hour ago?

Watching figure skating and knitting Jaywalkers.

List five creative things you want to achieve this year:

Knit through most of my stash, read more (suggestions anyone? I usually go for historical fiction), learn to dye yarn with real dyes, improve photography, design more of my own patterns.

List five snacks you enjoy:

Humus, TJ's Peanut Butter Cups, Hard Cider, Sushi, Dark Chocolate

List five things you would do if money were no object:

Goodbye Student Loans!, buy a house where I can smell the ocean and have doggies, knit lots of fancy things, hire a personal chef, take care of my family.

List five bad habits:

Thinking I'm smarter than everyone, procrastinating, overspending, being messy, talking too much.

List five things you like doing:

Knitting, going out with friends, staying in with friends, reading, sleeping.

List five favorite gadgets:

Powerbook, iPod, Nintendo DS, camera, cell phone (What can I say, I'm a gadgets gal.)

Name one thing you like about yourself:

I'm a good friend.

First SFC post

2006-01-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

I've decided what sweater to knit for the SFC KAL, Elizabeth Zimmermann's Faroe-Patterned Vest.

I'll be knitting the version pictured, with the ribbed edging. There is also a version with hemmed edging. The book is full of beautiful vests and sweaters, so I think I'll be knitting more than one eventually. I decided on this one for my first, as I think it's one of the most classic designs in the book. I've also always wanted to knit a pattern by EZ, I <3 her.

Next step is to send an email to Schoolhouse Press and order a kit. I need to size it up a bit, with the EZ percentage system, so I'm hoping they'll be able to recommend how much extra yarn to purchase. I'm going with SP instead of direct from the manufacturer because they allow unlimited returns on extra full balls, so I don't have to be too concerned about ordering extras. This is also a less color intensive sweater, making it one of the cheaper ones. I'm so excited to knit this sweater. (Ok, I'm a dork.)

Tomorrow: Nancy tagged me for a meme.

We have Gussets!

2006-01-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

The Jaywalkers are coming along nicely. The gussets felt like they took forever working both socks at once, but now that they're done, they're done. Just 4" of straight pattern until the toes, maybe I'll manage to finish them this week.

Once these are done, I plan on picking the Norwegian Stocking back up for my sock project. I think it is my only other current sock WIP. I also still need to get back on track with Rogue, maybe over the long weekend.

In Knit Along news, I joined the Sweaters From Camp along and ordered my book over the weekend. It shipped yesterday and should show up tomorrow. I really want to hold off on starting anything new until I swatch for one of those sweaters, so I'm staying strong.

Twisted Stitches

2006-01-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

Rebekkah and I were discussing the effect twisted stitches have on finished items this morning and I decided to upload pictures of an extremely biased hat I knit with twisted purl stitches.

This is the right side, it's modeled off an Old Navy hat Andrew saw and liked. I used Rowan Wool-Cotton and US 3 needles. All the purl stitches are twisted, resulting in the slant.

Here's the wrong side, where it's easier to see the twisted stitches. (Photos can be clicked to make bigger) While there's nothing wrong with the hat, it's not the effect I was looking for, and if I was doing color work or something similar the bias could cause unpleasant distortion. I think it's important to know what you're doing with your knitting. Now I can use twisted stitches when I want them for a certain effect, and get a non twisted result the rest of the time. What was causing my twisted purls was wrapping the purls the wrong way.

Edit: I forgot to add that I knit this hat in June 2004, when I'd been knitting about 4 months. I think it was my last FO with twisted purl stitches.

Other finished socks

2006-01-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

My SP5 sent me a great sock kit from Fleece Artist. I got three quarters of the way through them and then set them aside for some reason. Here they are finally finished.

This is a heavier weight yarn, so I knit the socks on US 3s (the pattern called for 4s). They're kind of similar to Jaywalkers in the chevron styling, but I like the way the Jaywalker pattern is written better. These are soft and comfortable. I swapped out the pattern's heels and toes for garter stitch short row heels and toes a la Lucy Neatby. I like the heels a lot, but the toes feel a bit weird.

In Jaywalker news, I've finished one heel. Once I get the second heel completed it will be easier to get a picture, so that will be coming soon.

New Year, not so new knitting

2006-01-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

It's probably about time I reported on December goals and set some up for January.

I didn't meet my goal of finishing the second Rogue sleeve, as I discovered I'd used the wrong size needles for both sleeves and need to rip and start again.

I have a couple over arching goals for the year.

1. Get WIPs down to a more reasonable number. For me, a reasonable number is one sweater, once lace project, two pairs of socks, and something fun/entertaining/overly complicated.

2. Knit from my stash. I'll be purchasing yarn for the Sweaters From Camp knit along, but other than that I really want to avoid buying more yarn.

In order to meet these goals, I'm making this month another WIP only month. I'd like to:
1. Finish Jaywalkers
2. Finish 1st Norwegian Stocking, cast on for second
3. If I really get itching to start something new, cast on for 2nd Nordic Mitten. It's been long enough it should feel new.
4. Get back on track with Rogue
5. Work on Peacock Feathers
6. Only purchase yarn for SFC-along

Jaywalkers and Jewelry

2005-12-31T11:25:00.000-08:00

I started a pair of Jaywalkers on Christmas, two at a time on two circs.

Side A:

Side B:

The pooling is pretty awful, but the fit is perfect and they are so soft, so I'm going to let it slide. Trying not to sweat the small stuff these days.

I also finished knitting Mary Ella yesterday. I thought I had snaps, but they seem to have disappeared, so I need to swing by Michaels or JoAnns before the party tonight.

I actually really enjoyed knitting this and it went fairly quickly. Stats:
Yarn: Kit from Earthfaire. It came with DMC Cotton Pearle and beads. I was really pleased with the kit, the beads were very high quality, only about 3 bad beads in the whole tube, there was more than enough of both thread and beads. Miyon gave me the kit (Thanks again!) but it's definitely worth the $5.
Needles: size 0000 DPNs, two of them. Sharp and slippery, but I still have both my eyes.
Modifications: I knit the smallest size, because my wrist circumference was on the low end of the second smallest size. I know cotton stretches over time and I didn't want it to get too big. It's a bit snug now, but will hopefully fit perfectly after a wear or two. I knit a total of 19 pattern repeats. Instead of knitting two together for the decrease I did slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over, because it was easier for me with the small yarn and needles.
Started: Dec 19th 2005
Finished: Dec 30th 2005
Overall impressions: I would make more of these, maybe as gifts. It's pretty and didn't take all that long after bead stringing.

Impossibly small knitting

2005-12-22T16:06:00.000-08:00

I got a Mary Ella kit from Miyon this weekend. Sunday night I spent a few hours stringing beads onto DMC Cotton Perle with a dental floss threader. It's knit on size 0000 needles, which Kris was nice enough to loan me. I don't think I need to own a set of them just yet. When I work on it I get the feeling I'm about to either put my eye out or accidentally jam the needle through my hand, but I'm sure that's just paranoia and a long history of clumsiness speaking. So far I've completed the garter stitch edging, increase section and 3 repeats, for a grand total of 1.5". My wrist is 6.25" around, so I have a ways to go. Kris mentioned hers stretched, so I'm shooting for a little short. If I can finish one repeat a day, I'll probably get it done before school starts again.

It is pretty. But oof, the tiny. That's a US 4 needle in there for scale.

Socks!

2005-12-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

This morning I grafted the final toe on the Thuja socks.

Pictures:

The pooling is kind of funky, but I think I like it.

Pattern: Thuja by Bobby Ziegler
Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino in color 108
Needles: US 4 Brittany 5" DPNs
Modifications: I picked up more stitches from the heel flap to do the gusset. Other than that, exactly as written.
Time: Each sock took me about 2 days to knit.
Misc: I would totally knit these again. They fit my feet really well and the pattern had just enough going on to keep me interested.

In other news, I discovered yesterday I'd knit my Rogue sleeves on 8s instead of 7s. Note to self, after swatching, put needles you decide against using away. I'm not too excited about starting those over, but it'll be ok. I should be able to save the twisted hem, which is good as I hated knitting that part.

I still need to decide what knitting to take with me up to Fresno. So far I'm thinking Peacock Feathers and the Norwegian Stockings for sure, and possibly Rogue if I can get it back on track. I was going to drive up tomorrow, but I really don't think I'm well enough to drive 6 hours right now, so I'm putting it off until Friday.

Weekend Round-Up

2005-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

The LA meet up was super fun, even with our group being somewhat locationally challanged. I've come down with some sort of death plague, so that's my excuse for any names or blogs I've forgotten. All pictures can be clicked to make bigger.

I rode up with Wendy and Heidi. We met up with Nancy and Hilari. We had great traffic on the ride up, which was obviously a function of neither me nor Heidi commenting on the traffic at all. Soon we were at the wrong Coffee Bean. (really, why do there need to be 2 Coffee Beans within 4 blocks on W 3rd?)

Wendy shows off her hat, and digital skills.

We met up with another Wendy, Jillian and another woman who's name I can't recall right now. Eventually, we decided to head over to Knitcafe, where we found the rest of the bloggers.

Lauren and Wendy.

MJ wearing her Norwegian hat. She's the host of the Norwegian Knit Along and is also a spinner. I think Lauren has a picture of her spinning.

I really didn't take enough pictures. Here's one more of part of the group.

Miyon, Laurie, Hilari, and another name I'm blanking on. Sorry!

Not pictured, but also representing San Diego, was Kris. I had a great time, knit most of a sock, and spent an entire afternoon in a knit shop spending only $25. Here's the main purchase.

Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock in Sand Ridge. I opened up one of the hanks to check out the color distribution and I'm hopeful for striping rather than pooling. Maybe these will become Jaywalkers? I really love the colors. My other small purchase was the Ann Budd Knitter's Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements. It looks really great for deciding how much yarn I need for self designed sweaters.

On the way home, our car stopped at a very strange shop, Nick Metropolis, to look at weird furniture. I had to get a picture of this gem.

For just $1,200 this Harry Potter entertainment center can be yours. Corona neon not included.

I snapped a picture of my weekend knitting progress as well.

The sock is Thuja, by Bobby Ziegler. It's the second of the pair. I'm really loving the socks. The Artyarns Supermerino makes a nice thick squishy fabric and the seed stitch ribbing is just interesting enough to make the socks zip by. If my wrists hadn't gotten tired I probably could have finished the sock in one day. I'll probably finish it up tonight. I'm finally making progress on Peacock Feathers again too. Only 6 rows to go on chart 6, then I'm practically halfway done. It's still very fun to knit.

I also got another fun toy to play with.

It's a Louet S17 that I'm renting from Wendy. Check out her shop if you're a spinner or knitter in search of Louet products. I also bought half a pound each of South African Fine wool and Blue Faced Leicester wool to practice with. Maybe I'm trying to pack too much fun into my short break, but I'm going to do as much as possible. On that note, I'm getting back to the knitting and spinning.

I'm Back!

2005-12-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

Finals are over and I now have 17 days of glorious freedom! Tomorrow I'm heading up to LA for a knitbloggers meetup. I just spent some time getting car knitting put together - some worsted weight socks - so I'll be all set for the morning. I'll make sure and take my camera so I can get some pictures of everyone.

I also have a few projects to show over the coming week. There's substantial progress on Peacock Feathers and major surgery on the finished Rogue sleeve to report.

On a more personal level, thanks for all the well wishes. It's still hard, but I'm doing much better.

2005-12-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Goals from November:

1. Finish Cork sweater - DONE
2. Cast on for Rogue and finish one sleeve. - DONE
3. Finish a pair of socks - not done
4. Not cast on a ton of new projects - DONE, I only started 3 projects.
5. Use up more yarn then I buy - DONE, I bought yarn for the Norwegian Stockings and I think that's it (5 balls, one of which I can probably return) and knit up 10 balls.

December:

I'd like to finish the second Rogue sleeve. I'm not really in a goal making mood right now. Andrew broke up with me Wednesday night. I'm completely heart broken. Tomorrow is my birthday and I'm still going out with my friends to try and have some fun. Then I need to put everything aside to prepare for finals. I don't really feel like knitting and will probably take a break from this blog for a week or two.

2005-11-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to clarify some things from my previous post.

On the soup can, which so many of you asked about: Our neighbor is either crazy or on drugs (or both) and we've been having problems with him for a couple months. Last week someone in his apartment managed to throw a full can of soup hard enough to break both his window and our window. His window has a circle broken out of it about 8" in diameter. Our window was shattered. Judging by the happy orange slime on our windowsill and Andrew's desk it was some sort of squash soup.

The neighbor will be gone by the end of December, according to his landlord.

On Fair Isle flat vs. Fair Isle in the round: I normally knit left-handed* (knitting from left to right) holding the yarn in my right hand, AKA mirror Continental style. For FI in the round I still knit from left to right holding one color in each hand. I also like to knit back right handed instead of turning my work and purling for flat items. I keep the yarn in my right hand, so I knit English style right handed. When I first tried knitting FI flat I tried to knit back two handed, but couldn't get the right-handed Continental style to work out. I eventually settled for holding both yarns in my right hand while knitting back and returning to one in each hand while knitting forward. Still kind of awkward, but better than purling while stranding on the wrong side.

*knitting left-handed is my preference, because it is the most comfortable for me. I've read several blogger's posts about how it's bad/wrong/overcomplicated to knit left-handed or how knitting isn't a "handed activity." All a load of BS in my opinion. One day I will right a "Left-handed Knitters Manifesto", but today is not that day.

Weekend Wrap-up

2005-11-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'm still no good as small updates over the course of the week, so here's what I've been up to for the past week.

Tuesday night, while waiting for the police to call me back about a neighbor throwing a can of soup through our window, I turned the heel and finished the gusset of Norwegian Stocking 1

Looking at this picture, I can tell I've really improved my Fair Isle tension over the course of this project. The instructions in the book for the heel didn't make any sense to me, so I used a standard V-heel. I'm not really happy with how the gusset stitches got picked up, which I think has something to do with the heel flap coloring. On the next stocking I'll be sure to twist the colors around each other at the ends of the rows. I did figure out a quicker way, for me, to do the heel flap. I knit back and forth, but I can only knit English style right handed, so on what would have been the purl rows I carried both yarns in my right hand. It was kind of awkward, but less so than trying to strand and purl. I had hoped to finish this stocking by the end of the month, but it's not looking likely right now.

Partially because of this:

A sleeve for Rogue. It only took 3 days to finish (aside from the twisted hem, which I'd done a few days earlier), mostly because the cabling was so much fun. I tried to get a detail shot of the cable without the flash, but the light was coming in at too sharp an angle. It does show a good representation of the color though.

I cast on for the second sleeve last night and got through half the hem. The hem is not fun at all, twisted St st on extra small needles, eww. The yarn I'm using is Rowanspun Aran, which come in enormous hanks. But for my gigantic swatch, I would have gotten an entire sleeve out of one hank! I have a whole bag of this yarn, so I'm expecting some leftovers, although I'm sure the hood uses up more yarn than I think it does.

That's all for now. This week will probably be pretty quiet knitwise, as finals are getting close and my birthday is Saturday, so all my fun time will be used for that.

Finished sweater!

2005-11-21T20:40:00.000-08:00

Finally got some pictures of my Simply Marilyn sweater.

This was my "enough with the pictures" pose, but I think it turned out the best. This sweater is nice and snuggly. If it would just cool down here so I could wear it! It shouldn't be over 80 in November.

Here's the back.

Project Stats:
Pattern: Simply Marilyn [.pdf] from Interweave Knits.
Yarn: Rowan Cork in Bug, purchased from eBay user 4to4. 9.5 balls used. I really like this yarn, it has great spring and bounce and is super soft. It does grow a lot with washing though, so definitely wash your swatches.
Needles: Addi Turbos, size 11 for the body and 10.5 for the collar.
Modifications: Lengthened body by about 2 inches, sleeves by 3. Lowered neckline about 2 inches.

I've also got an update on the Norwegian Stockings.

[click to big-ify]
Knitting Fair Isle flat is a royal pain in the ass. I'll be glad to get through this heel flap - only 2/3 left to go. I love how these socks fit though, and the two circs method makes it really easy to try them on. I think I got the heel flap in just the right place.

Goblet of Fire - No Spoilers

2005-11-18T08:01:00.000-08:00

I did manage to finish Simply Marilyn in time for the movie. However, it'll be a couple days before I get a picture up - I think the collar needs a good blocking before I can take the official Finished Object photo. The sweater is everything I hoped it would be. It fits great. The body and sleeves are both long enough. The collar doesn't strangle me (it's a little Flash Dance though). It's warm and snuggly without being too warm. All and all a great sucess.

I liked GoF, but will wait to post in more detail until everyone has had a chance to see it. Instead, you all get a rant about irresponsible parents. We got there a bit late to line up - around 9:30 - and were stuck pretty far back in line. We were actually behind the theater, inbetween the dumpster and the wall. The group in front of us included a child that looked about 7 or 8 sleeping on the ground. Why do people bring kids that young to something so late? Then after the movie, as we were exiting the theater, there was a family with two small boys, about 3 and 5, leaving as well. Is it just because a ticket is cheaper than a baby sitter? Do these parents not realize their children are just going to sleep though the movie (if the rest of us are lucky) or scream because they're over tired? Add to that, the fact that GoF would likely be really scary to a 3 year old. It was a pretty dark movie. People, leave your young children at home when you attend midnight movie showings.

Anyone have a recipe for a glove cocktail?

2005-11-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

My current portable project - tip-less gloves worked from the fingers down. I finished a couple fingers tonight and have been skewering them to keep them in the right order.

I'm using Nona's i-cord finger method, with a few modifications. As I want half fingers, I'm casting on the full amount of stitches after increases for each finger. I'm also picking up more stitches with my crochet hook to close the gap - basically as many as necessary. This is fun times, and it feels like it goes so quickly. Each finger takes about 15 min to make, so I should get two more fingers done during bus riding tomorrow.

In sweater news, I'm about 1/3 through the collar. Hopefully I can wear my completed sweater to the Goblet of Fire midnight showing on Thursday (yeah, I'm a dork).

Simply Collarless

2005-11-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

Almost done with Simply Marilyn, all that's left is the collar. Here's how it looks after seaming.

I'm loving the sleeve length. Extra long sleeves make me happy. I'm a little concerned with how much I lowered the neckline, but I'll reserve judgement until the collar is added. Hopefully I'll finish up soon, just 7" of ribbing to go! It's so snuggly.

More stockings, almost finished sweater, and opinions needed

2005-11-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

I've been making good progress on the Norwegian Stockings,

although I have to retract what I said about the sizing. Now that I have the fair isle going on, they only make it about halfway up my calves comfortably. I really like how they look so far and think they'll be great socks. It should take another 3.5 repeats to get to the heel flap, and then things should go quickly from there.

The two circ method is really growing on me. As much as I love DPNs, my tension much better on these than it was on my mitten. I'm not having much trouble keeping the stitches spread out on the Addis either, and the slickness has been nice so far. The only problem I've had is with the slipperiness of the yarn. If I drop a stitch, it really wants to fall. All and all, this is a really enjoyable knit, and I think I've been sucked back into the world of colorwork. Maybe my next sweater after Rogue will be a fair isle one. I like the Alice sweater from a couple Magknits ago and there's one in the Dale 126 booklet that I like a lot too.

I also finished and blocked the pieces of the Cork sweater this weekend.

By blocked, I really mean washed and laid flat to dry, as I really didn't need to do any substantial blocking. I'm really glad I washed my swatch, as the gauge on Cork expands quite a bit on washing - almost .5 stitch per inch! The pattern is a modified version of Simply Marilyn from Interweave. I lengthened the body and sleeves and lowered the neckline. Hopefully I'll finish seaming this weekend, so the collar can be my reading knitting this week. The original pattern instructs you to knit the collar flat and then seam, but that seems silly, so I'll be knitting it in the round. I'm looking forward to having a big snuggly sweater, Cork is really soft!

And finally, I need some feedback on this last project. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill's Ariel, a cotton/rayon blend that is slightly slubby. It's really beautiful yarn and I want that to be the focus of the wrap. I cast on a simple feather and fan wrap last night, but I think it might be ugly...

(you can click on it to see a bigger picture) I'm really not sure what to do with this yarn, as it's so pretty but won't really work with a lot of stitch patterns. Any suggestions for something simple yet elegant? I do kind of like the pooling that's going on, but I don't know if the intended recipient will feel the same way.

Norwegian Stockings

2005-11-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

I cast on for the Norwegian Stockings from Folk Socks last night and got through the first motif.

I'm using Dale Baby Ull in navy and tan and am loving this yarn. I'd never worked with Dale yarns before and am finding Baby Ull to be soft and evenly spun. It's pretty affordable too.

I'm also trying the two circular method for the first time. It was really fiddley at first - I joined it twisted once, ripped back, then knit the first round with the tail from the cast on, ripped back, and then finally got going properly. This method has definitely improved my fair isle tension, however, so I think the frustration may be worth it.

If any of you with skinny legs are looking to make these, a warning. I'm knitting them with smaller yarn and 0.25mm smaller needles than the pattern calls for, and they are nicely fitting my ample calves, so you may need to use even smaller needles.

I'm really pleased with how these are turning out. They looked a little Harry Potter with just the stripes at the top, but now that the snowflakes are in I'm liking the colors more.

On the other knitting front, I'm on the final sleeve for the chunky sweater. We're heading up to LA today, so I'll work on the sleeve in the car and I just might have a finished sweater by Monday.

November Goals

2005-11-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

Last month's goals -
1. Stick with WIP along - DONE, I finished 5 WIPs, including my two oldest ones.
2. Not cast on for anything new - not done. I cast on for one new thing, a chunky cabled pullover in Rowan Cork.
3. Finish sock exchange socks - DONE

I did an OK job this month. New goals.

1. Finish Cork sweater
2. Cast on for Rogue and finish one sleeve.
3. Finish a pair of socks
4. Not cast on a ton of new projects
5. Use up more yarn then I buy

DC

2005-10-31T21:12:00.000-08:00

I'm having an amazing time in DC. Sunday night I waited in line 6 hours to pay my respects to Rosa Parks

This is the line 3 hours in. Apparently over 30,000 people filed past Sunday evening and Monday morning. I feel lucky to have been in town to pay my respects and also see the first woman ever to be laid at state in the Rotunda. It was a very powerful experience. There was a huge range of people there, from babies to couples in their 80s. The mood was really wonderful - I've never seen that many people behave in such an orderly fashion.

The meeting with Justice Kennedy was amazing as well. I'll be posting about that in my personal journal, along with my impressions about the court. I'll leave you all with a parting shot that explains why I could never live on the East Coast.

In honor of Halloween

2005-10-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite Halloween costume ever and is also one of my favorite pictures of me and Ariel.

I'm Rainbow Brite, she's Twink. This picture is from 1986, so I was almost 5 and she was 2. Mom made the costumes, and looking at the picture now I'm remembering all the little details. Ariel has a star sprinkles pouch. All the rainbow rings on my costume are individually padded. So impressive!

Here's York at the stage I've left it. Stupid Zipper. I'll tackle it another day.

I also did a gauge swatch for Rogue. Here comes the most interesting picture evar!

I swatched with 3 needle sizes, 8s, 7s, and 6s. I got 4 st/in with the 8s, 4.25 with the 7s, and 4.75 with the 6s. None are exactly on with the 4.5 required in the pattern, so I think I'll go with the 7s and knit the smaller of the two sizes I've been waffling between.

Last, but not least, my new hair color and cut.

I got meme'd

2005-10-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

Long time no post. I was trying to finish up York before posting, but we're not on speaking terms right now. There are zipper issues, to the point where I may ask my mom to finish it for me. I'm very happy with the rest of my finishing, however. I should have some pictures in a few days, of York, my new haircolor, and a couple other projects.

On to the meme. I was tagged by Bowerbird Knits.

What's your all time favorite yarn to knit with?
Tough call. As far as sock yarns go, Lorna's Laces all the way. I think Jagerspun Zephyr might be my favorite yarn, I'm really enjoying working with it on Peacock Feathers. In general, my preferences are for merino or merino/silk blends, but I occasionally like a more rustic yarn.

Your favorite needles?
Addi Turbo. I like Brittany Birch 5" double points for socks, but for just about everything else, it's Addis.

Worst thing you ever knit?
Fun Fur Bucket Hat. Really. It was bad. Sadly, I have no pictures, but imagine navy Wool-Ease double stranded with a multi-blue Fun Fur knit up as the Chicknits bucket hat. Add in the fact that I was still twisting my purl stitches and just eww. It was probably my 3rd or 4th project.

Your favorite knit pattern?
I think Fiber Trends Flower Basket Shawl. I really had a great time knitting that shawl.

Most valuable knitting technique?
Either Norwegian Purling or knitting backwards. I use both of these techniques all the time.

Best knit book or magazine?
My favorite magazine is Interweave Knits. I have a ton of knitting books, as I have a bit of a book purchasing problem. The one I use the most is probably the Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques. (If you're on livejournal, you should join the knitting_review community and enter for a chance to win this book.)

Your Favorite Knit along?
The knit along is the kiss of death for a project over here. I think the only KAL I've ever finished is the original Sockapalooza.

Your favorite knit blogs?
I have 80 blogs on my bloglines list currently, but I always smile when I see a post from the Yarn Harlot.

Your favorite knitwear designer?
Probably Nancy Bush. I loves me some pretty socks.

Item you wear the most?
Probably socks, and after that, my Big Kureyon hat. It's a super simple hat, but it keeps my head warm when it rains.

Tag Time
Natalie, you're up. If anyone else wants to play, please do.

Sweater coming soon!

2005-10-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

I just finished seaming York! All that's left is sewing in the zipper. I looked back in my email and old blog, and it looks like I started this sweater about a year ago and hadn't touched it since last November. This is definitely the type of sweater I chose to make for the finished object, rather than the process. It will replace a dark red ribbed sweater from the Gap that fell apart last year. My WIP drawer is getting empty! The only sweater type WIP I have left is Veste Everest from the most recent IK. Maybe I'll pick that one back up next.

Oh, I ordered the yarn for Rogue, Hardy. I'm on a big green kick lately and will cast on for Rogue as soon as we hit November.

Yarn color for Rogue?

2005-10-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

I'm about ready to buy yarn for Rogue - Rowanspun Aran. All that's left is to pick out the color. I'm leaning towards either Gables, Autumn, or Hardy. Any suggestions? I'm already working on a sweater in a color very similar to Gables, so I don't know if I should try and broaden my color horizons. Atlantic is pretty too. Midnight I think is too dark, and I'm not a fan of Caviar.

In other news, I started the sleeve caps for York. Only about 30 rows per sleeve to go! Maybe I'll get it sewn together this weekend, after my midterm tomorrow. No more knitting today, time to hunker down with Character Evidence.

WIP Wednesdays, Week 2

2005-10-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

The WIP along is off an running now. I've finished 3 long abandoned projects so far, and hope to finish up at least one more before the month is done. I also finished another single sock, now it's time to start on some sock mates.

Katie has posted the status of her WIPs, and looks like she's making good progress. She also has a picture of some really pretty Rowanspun Aran that I've been considering buying for Rogue. I love that ebay seller.
Krys has made a lot of progress on her Eris sweater. It's looking really great, go take a look!

I'm a FO machine

2005-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Finished another languishing WIP last night during the Padres game. This is a version of Cornet, modified to use Lambs Pride Bulky. I did a plain twisted cable, because I felt the braided cable would be too wide (and I would have run out of yarn - I've only got about 6 yards left) and knit the cabled band until it was the right length to go around my head, grafted the band shut, picked up somewhere between 60 and 70 stitches and knit a basic hat up.

I was doing a self portrait and Andrew snuck in, so now he gets to be on the blog.

Today I've mostly been studying Evidence with baseball breaks. I did manage to knit a few rounds on my gloves though, and finally got past the ribbing and am about to decide what kind of thumb to use. Still haven't finished chart 4 of Peacock, but I'm getting close.

I bought some under the sofa bins at Ikea yesterday that I'm slowly putting my stash in. One bin is for WIPs and UFOs, the other two will probably be for wool and sock yarn. I'll leave the cotton in a box in the closet, because I don't really do much with it. We also bought some pretty jazz themed prints from Ikea. I know they don't count as "art", but they look nice in our dining room.

Another FO!

2005-10-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Leaha's mini-clap was finished and blocked tonight! Pictures

And a detail shot

Stats:
Pattern: Clapotis from knitty.com.
Yarn: Schaefer Yarns Anne, used about half the hank.
Needles: 40" US5 Addi Turbos
Modifications: I only did 3 repeats of the increase section, and repeated the straight section until the scarf was 6 feet long. I lightly blocked the scarf by soaking it in wool wash and spreading it out gently on the carpet.

This was pretty fun to knit once it "clicked", which wasn't until I was almost halfway through. I can't imagine knitting a full sized one though, I'd probably poke my eyes out. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and hopefully Leaha will really like it. I have almost 60g of yarn left, so there will be a scarf for me in the future (in a completely different pattern).

I also made some decent progress on Peacock and may get through chart 4 this weekend. I'm excited to get past chart 5 as 3, 4, and 5 are pretty much the same chart.

WIP Wednesdays, Week 1

2005-10-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'll be updating the WIP-along on Wednesdays. So far, I'm making good on my goal of only working on WIPs. I finished up Andrew's gloves and have made a lot of progress on Leaha's mini-clap. Hopefully I'll have pictures of a finished mini-clap by the end of the week, as I only have 5 or 6 straight repeats to go. Once I finish the mini-clap I'll cast on for the second sock exchange sock, to make sure that gets done by the end of the month.

How's everyone else doing?

Krys has set her goals for the month. Very ambitious! If anyone can pull it off, I'm sure she can.

Tish has a list of wintergifts she wants to finish this year.

If anyone else wants to join us, drop me an email (link in the sidebar). Just to clarify, you don't have to only work on WIPs, just pledge to make substantial progress on something already on the needles. I'm sticking to only WIPs because I'm a compulsive starter. I really want to start something new, but I'm holding out. We'll see if I make it the whole month.

Finally Finished Gloves

2005-10-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

Krys, I beat you on glove completion. Ha!

I finished Andrew's video game gloves today. Actually I finished the knitting last weekend, but ironed on the patched tonight, making it finally a completely finished object. Pictures!

Holding hands out picture, mostly to see the patches

Action shot 1, with 1-up mushroom

Action shot 2, with lose a life mushroom.

Stats:
Started Thanksgiving weekend 2004, with the right glove and hand and thumb of left glove completed that weekend.
Finished October 2, 2005.
Yarn - Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in black
Needles - Brittany Birch US 5s for the ribbing and Clover 7s (and then Crystal Palace 7s, after I lost two of the Clovers) for the body.
Pattern - based off the progressive gloves article in the Winter '03 IK. I used a symmetrical thumb gusset and cast on more between the finger stitches than called for.
Comments - The yarn is super soft, but pills like crazy. The glove that was finished last year looks pretty beat up already. They should be ok though, since he'll mostly use them while typing and playing games, not super heavy use. If I did them over, I'd make the ribbing longer and maybe a bit tighter, and I'd knit the whole glove at the tighter gauge. I was pleased to see I'd written down enough of what I did to make the second glove match. Andrew really loves them, so that's the important part.

I'm also majorly bummed I couldn't make it up to Nancy's today to knit and spin. I'd been looking forward to it all week, but I just got too bogged down with school stuff. I think I've done enough for now though, so I'm going to knit a bit before bed.

October Goals and new KAL

2005-10-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

September roundup
1. Finish school work before knitting at night. - DONE
2. Put down knitting long enough to do running program three nights a week. - Only one to two running nights each week.
3. Finish Dad's clogs. - DONE
4. Do at least one repeat on Madil. - not done
5. Finish Chart 4 of Peacock. - not done
6. Cast on for advanced_knit sock exchange. - DONE
7. Keep stash the same or smaller, and make a spreadsheet or something so I know what I actually have. - half done. I didn't buy any new yarn, but I didn't catalog what I have.

New Goals
1. Stick with my WIP Along (button in the sidebar if anyone wants to join me).
2. Not cast on for anything new.
3. Finish sock exchange socks.

I'm loosening up my goals this month. With all the school stuff I'm not getting much knitting done, so I'm just going to try working on what I have going already. The only hard and fast rule for me is not to cast on anything new. I didn't include the usual "don't buy yarn" goal because I have one purchase I think I'm going to make with my knitty proceeds.

The WIPs I'm going to be concentrating on are the sock_exchange socks, River, and Peacock Feathers. I also have a few small WIPs that will hopefully get finished.

Long time no post

2005-09-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

School has been taking up most of my time lately, so there hasn't been much knitting around here. I did finish the first sock to be swapped. I brightened the picture a bit to show the pattern off better - in real life it's a deeper green.

Last night in a fit of annoyance, I ripped out River, and started it over in stockinette stitch, with a garter edging. I just don't really care for garter lace. Here's how it looks right now, with the set up rows and about half a repeat completed. I also plan on switching decreases when the YOs slant the other way, think that will look quite neat.

I'm also thinking of declaring October a WIP month and focusing on finishing some of my many WIPs without starting anything new. If anyone is interested in joining me, we could make a KAL out of it. I'm going to take a long hard look at my WIP pile and make decisions about either ripping or finishing each. I think I might rip my Ribby Cardi - I just don't think it's going to fit well - and reclaim the yarn for Samus. If so, I'll probably order a couple balls of the same Highland Wool in a complementary color to do the i-cord edging in.

Tomorrow Spaaz is coming over to loan me a spinning wheel and give me my first wheel lesson! I'm so excited!

Edit: I also just put a mail to link in my sidebar. If you have a question or comment you specifically want a response to, please email me there, since the comments are more difficult to respond to.

Fix-It Series: Volume One - The Missing Yarn Over

2005-09-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of tutorials I'm writing on how to fix common knitting mistakes without ripping back. I'd like to thank my BF Andrew for being a good sport about taking dozens of close-up knitting pictures. If you have any concerns, or suggestions for upcoming installments, please leave a comment.

This tutorial shows how to fix a missing yarn over that is discovered on a subsequent right side row. The first step is identifying the mistake. The pattern in the sample piece is k1, *YO, k2tog* [repeat to last stitch], k1. A yarn over (YO) occurs between two stitches. Look at the picture below and try to determine where the YO should be.

The red arrow shows where the YO should be in this pattern. Reading your knitting is an important step in fixing problems without ripping out the entire offending piece.

Next, knit in pattern up to the space where the YO should be.

Now, place the tip of your right needle, from back to front, under the second horizontal strand between the two stitches.

Place the horizontal bar untwisted on the left hand needle.

Insert the tip of your right needle into the stitch from front to back (do not twist the stitch), then pick up the first horizontal bar between the stitches and draw it through. (you are knitting into this stitch, but instead of using yarn from the ball to form a new stitch, you are using the horizontal bar in the space between the stitches above it)

Drop the second horizontal bar off the left hand needle. You will have a twisted stitch on the right hand needle.

Slip this stitch back onto the left hand needle, untwisting it as you do.

You are now ready to continue knitting in pattern, the missing YO has been replaced.

Finish the row, and then look to see if you can even find where you fixed your mistake - probably not!

Occasionally the newly added YO will be a bit smaller than the other YOs, especially if you are a tight knitter. Don't worry, this will even out with blocking.

Coming Soon: Volume Two - The Mis-Twisted Cable

Chart 3 Done!

2005-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

According to the Shawl Percentage Spreadsheet, I'm 19.7% complete - that doesn't seem very far.

Tonight we're eating in and watching the A's/Sox game. Go Oakland! I'll probably knit the green socks, since they're Oakland colors and easy enough to work on while watching the game. There won't be much knitting going on this weekend, school is going to have to take precedence for a while. I do plan on heading over to the Whistlestop on Sunday with Krys. Anyone else coming?

I'm also taking a trip to Washington D.C. end of October for a school event. I'll have Saturday night and most of Sunday free, so I'll have to tour some yarn stores. I might try and meet up with my sister, but I don't have a very good idea of how far DC is from Philly. I'm really excited about this trip and am planning on getting a bit ahead in my school work so I can make a real vacation of it.

If I Ever Leave this World Alive

2005-09-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

No post and no knitting yesterday because Andrew and I went to see Flogging Molly. Great show, by the way, and the House of Blues here in San Diego is a pretty nice place to see a show. That said, I think I'm getting a little old to be jostled, stepped on, and beer spilt on me. Sadness.

Tonight I've mostly been doing homework to catch up from my fun yesterday, but I did manage to finish the heel of the green sock and complete 2 of the last 4 rows of Chart 3 of Peacock. Pictures tomorrow, when there's some sunlight.

I tried to get a picture of Fitzy (our possum) off Andrew's computer to post, but I can't find it. Maybe that will come tomorrow too.

Sock update - now with sleeves

2005-09-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'm just about through the heel of the first sock for my sock exchange.

The pictures on the dark side, I have late classes on Tuesdays, so no good light left by the time I get home. The heel isn't complete because I got a ride home from school. (no complaints here, any time I don't have to take the bus is fine by me) I'll probably finish this sock middle of next week. As long as I keep up this pace I'll have no problem completing them by October 31st.

I also worked on my York sleeves a bit last night. I've still got 5 rows to the sleeve cap shaping, but I'm really enjoying working with the wool/alpaca blend.

I included the same tape measure in both pictures for scale. While the sleeves are as long as the pattern calls for, my monkey arms need extra long sleeves.

Peacock is a little farther along after the weekend, but no new picture to show. I have four more rows of Chart 3, and I plan on taking a picture after completing that chart. I also completed the first repeat of River and weighed the remaining ball of yarn (46g). I'll be able to make a nice long scarf with just 50g of laceweight alpaca, yay!

I gave the felted clogs I just finished a test drive this morning, and they were so nice and warm I want a pair for myself. I'd like a different color though. Does anyone have some Cascade 220 (or other worsted weight feltable wool) they'd like to trade for some of the green Quatro? My size requires three hanks of 220 (600g), and I can trade an equal amount of the green. I'd love blues or maybe purple.

2005-09-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

My new neighbor on the California Knitbloggers ring Miss McSpazzitron tagged me with this meme, so here it goes.

Ten Years Ago
I was just starting eighth grade (this is the part where everyone fusses about how young I am) and my last year of private school. I started wearing contact lenses, ditching my bulky glasses from there on out. I was very nerdy and kind of a loner, spending most of my time reading.

Five Years Ago
I was getting ready to move to San Diego and start college at UCSD. I was dating a boy who was completely wrong for me (which I'd figure out by Christmas time) and was very anxious to be moving away. I had come out of my shell a bit in high school, and while still nerdy (I'll never shake that) I had friends.

One Year Ago
I had just started law school and was anxious about fitting in and making friends, as well as keeping up with all my classwork. I was living with Andrew in Clairemont Mesa and had just started knitting a few months earlier.

Five Snacks
1. Tofutti Cuties
2. Peanuts
3. Sushi
4. Chips with Curry (yes, I know, but it's good)
5. Fudgesicles

Five Songs I know all the words to
1. I Will Survive
2. California Love
3. Army (Ben Folds)
4. Living on a Prayer
5. Tangled Up and Blue

Five Things to do with $100 Million
1. Buy a house
2. Pay off student loans
3. Buy a less ghetto car
4. Knit whatever I want
5. Fund coffee scholarship at CW

Five Places to Run Away to
1. Costa Rica
2. Hawaii
3. My apartment with the phone turned off
4. Seattle
5. San Francisco

Five Things I would never wear
1. Poncho
2. Skorts
3. Tube Top
4. Fur
5. Those ruffley mini skirts

Five Favorite TV Shows
1. Law and Order
2. CSI
3. Alias
4. most shows on the History Channel, PBS or Discovery Channel
5. Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist

Five Biggest Joys
1. Sleep
2. Love
3. Sushi
4. Laughter
5. Knitting

Five People to Pass This on to
I'm not big on passing these things along, so if you want to play and haven't yet consider yourself tagged.

Is it Fall yet?

2005-09-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's finally starting to cool down here in SD. August was exceedingly warm this year and it's nice to want to feel cozy again. I was actually a bit cold last night (looking at the temps in SD I see that it may have gotten below 65, damn I'm a wuss). This has finally lead me to pull out some nice wool sweaters I stalled on last spring. Today I knit a few rows on York's sleeves and realized I put it away with a grand total of 15 row to the sleeve cap shaping. The front and back are finished, so once I get these sleeves done all that's left is blocking, seaming, and knitting the collar. I'm knitting it in Cascade Lana D'Oro, which is a lovely discontinued yarn I picked up for a steal off eBay.

I have an overwhelming desire to make a big bulky v-neck pullover for snuggling in this winter. I think after I finish York, and maybe bring the Ribby Cardi back out of the UFO pile I'll let myself purchase some nice soft bulky weight yarn for a quick sweater. I don't really like knitting with big needles usually, but I have this picture in my head of a bulky sweater with a big fat cable up the front that splits at a v-neck, and with extra long sleeves. Any suggestions for a nice soft yarn that fits the bill? I'm hoping for a merino or alpaca blend that won't break the bank.

In other news, I did manage to go for my run today and it actually felt pretty good. I'm on a new workout schedule of DVD workout in the morning and cardio in the afternoon/evening. Seems to be working pretty well so far.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back aka One FO, Two new WIPs

2005-09-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

The felted clogs for my step-dad are done! You can see pre-felting pictures here. We wear the same sized shoes and they fit perfectly.

and

It took three trips through the hot washer (at a cost of $2.25) to get them to felt up to the right size. They are really think and have zero stitch definition. Now all that's left is to buy some fabric paint or shoe goo to dot on the bottom. My parents have hardwood floors and I don't want to be responsible for a slip and fall.

The pattern is Felted Clogs, from Fiber Trend. It was an extremely neat and well written pattern, but never have I counted so much for such a tiny object. I used 3 skeins of Cascade 220 Quatro. This is also the item that I learned to knit right handed for. The pattern has you short row across the top, which ment a lot of turning. Now I can knit back and forth. Goal for this weekend is to learn to purl right handed, so I can knit back across Peacock with the garter border.

I've completed one x-mas gift now. In response to Leslie's question, the feather and fan socks for my mom are on hold right now. I'll work on the second one closer to the holiday. I'm debating making another pair of these clogs for one of my brothers. He has much larger feet, so we'll see.

Now for the new projects. I finally received my Rowan 38 yesterday, and promptly cast on for the River Stole for the knit a long that started last week. I finished the set up rows and then weighed the remaining ball (48g) to make sure I leave enough for the finishing rows at the end.

This is a bad picture, but it's the best I could get with the cloud cover this morning. I'm using much smaller needles than called for in the pattern; US5s instead of US10.5s. I'm planning on using it more as a winter scarf than as a shawl, so it will work better narrower. Overall, I'm kind of pleasantly surprised with Rowan 38. I'd heard so many bad things about it, that I was pleased to see a couple things I'd like to knit inside.

I also cast on for Jake's Firefly hat last night. The Jon brought the yarn over when he and Kristin came over for beer and video games. I'm using the pattern here with slight modifications for Jake's giant head.

I'm a little disappointed with the shade of orange, a little too brown, but it looks more orange with the red thrown in there too, so it should turn out ok.

One last thing, which is more of a housekeeping issue. Blogger makes it kind of difficult to reply to comments. They show up in my email, but I can't email back, for example. The way I see it, I have a few options; do nothing with comments (what I tend to do now), reply in the comments (which I think is silly, because who comes back to read the comments again after commenting), go to the blog of the commenter and reply there (what I try to do), or answer questions in my next post (I did this today). I really do make an effort to visit the blogs of those who comment here. Just wanted everyone to know I appriciate your comments even if I don't reply.

More socks!

2005-09-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

First off, hi to all the folks stopping by via knitty. I feel like I need to be more interesting with the dramatic increase in blog traffic.

I'm 4.5" into the foot of the sock exchange sock, which has been my bus knitting this week.

The patternis Go With the Flow from Summer '04 IK, but altered to be toe up. I worked my first figure 8 toe, and it was great fun. I haven't figured out how calf increases will work into this pattern; I'll burn that bridge when I come to it, as dad would say.

Peacock is kind of on hold as the rows are taking so long right now - almost an hour to knit the pattern across and purl back - mainly because I purl so slowly. I think it's now weekend knitting. The clogs need one last trip through the wash, which should happen tomorrow.

In non-knitting related news, Andrew is back from Sweden. It's good to have him home.

New Knitty is up!

2005-09-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

My pattern is here. Let me know what you all think. (and thanks to Ms. Bowerbird for stopping over with a nice comment already - you were indeed first. P.S. your Rogue is looking great.)

In other knitting news, I cast on for the socks for my advanced_knit sock exchange last night and am halfway through the first foot today. Not sure if my sock buddy reads here or wants to be surprised or not, so I'm holding off on pictures until I email her.

Now it's homework time, I'm only a week and a half in and I'm swamped already!

One present down (almost)

2005-09-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

I finished the knitting and seaming on my step-dad's felted clogs yesterday - they're huge

For comparison, we wear the same size shoes. I feel a little weird/exposed posting a picture of my foot, but at least I have pretty toe nails.

I ran them through the washer once, but they're not very felted yet. I think one more trip through the washer is in order, and then hand felting after that if necessary.

Whistlestop was fun as usual. It was good to see Kris again, and she gave me a signed copy of the Yarn Harlot book! I also got some prize sock yarn from her. Thanks Kris! Her Birch is looking lovely too.

I also got halfway through Chart 3 of Peacock yesterday. Today is a homework day, but if I manage to finish early I'll be working on finishing that chart.

One more thing - I realized I don't have a blog button. I'm no good at that type of thing, so everything I've tried to make looks crappy. Anyone want to help? Ariel?

SP5 Wrap-up

2005-09-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

I received my final package from my secret pal today and found out her identity. Bridget of knit cetera has been sending me all those nice presents. Her last package was equally lovely.

That's Blue Moon Merino sock yarn, Knitpicks dye your own sock yarn, Kool-aid for dying the knitpicks, a linen scented candle (love the smell), and a little sheep. The sheep reminds me of a Wallace and Gromet sheep. There was also a container of real Maple Syrup that didn't make it to the picture. Mmm, pancake breakfast. It appears my lifelong distaste for maple syrup was only for that fake stuff stores try to pass off for the real thing. The real stuff is quite tastey, and I didn't even mind the stickiness.

I had to take a close up of the sock yarn, because it's really such a wonderful green. The varrigation is really subtile, so I think these will make a great pair of patterned socks, either Retro Ribs, Go With the Flow, or something out of Knitting on the Road.

The person I was spoiling was Shetha, who's blog has been down so I can't link you to her. I'll come back and edit this when it's back up.

New discovery of the weekend - I'm allergic to oven cleaner. The people who lived in this apartment before us burned something onto the bottom of our oven that makes the smoke alarm go off every time we use it. Since we were going to have the oven on with guests over today, we finally got around to cleaning it. I was in the livingroom at the time and took one breath of the fumes coming from the kitchen and immediately started having trouble breathing. Andrew hustled me out the front door pretty quick though, so it didn't turn into a bigger problem. Now I never have to clean the oven! If only I could develop an allergy to dishes...

Peacock progress

2005-09-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

I finished chart 2 of peacock on the drive up to Anaheim last night. It was extremely poor car knitting, as I had to look down too much and got a little nauseated. Here it is 2 rows into chart 3

The rows are getting really long now, with the purl rows taking forever. I'm really enjoying watching the pattern emerge and I think it's going to turn out really great.

I also got my final package from my secret pal today. Once again it was great, and I'm waiting for some daylight to try and get an accurate picture of the great sock yarn she sent. Tomorrow I'll post pictures and details of who I gave to and received from.

We're having a Labor Day BBQ tomorrow. It was supposed to be on Sunday, but now Andrew has to leave for Sweden Sunday morning. We're a bit peeved, as he just found out about this business trip today - much too short of notice for out of the country travel in my opinion. He'll be gone Sun-Thurs doing some coding. Anyone planning on hitting up the Whistlestop on Sunday?

September Goals

2005-09-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

Let's see how I did on my August goals -
1. Avoid the temptation to cast on for Madil's Shawl before finishing FBS. - DONE
2. Finish FBS so I can start MS guilt free. (This will probably take two evenings, I'm just being lazy) - DONE
3. Finish at least one pair of socks before casting on for new socks. A pair means two matching socks, not any two socks. - kind of done, I didn't finish any socks, but I didn't cast on any either.
4. Finish hat for Sydney before it winds up being too small. - DONE
5. Either cast on for mitten number two or finish clog number two. - almost done, I'm going to try and finish the clog this weekend. I would have finished it last night, but had too much homework.
6. Knit whatever else I want, as long as it's from my stash. - not done, I started Peacock from new yarn.
7. Only buy yarn for SP - not done, I bought 6 balls of yarn this month.

New Goals (I am getting better at completeing my goals, or maybe just better at writing realistic goals) -
1. Finish school work before knitting at night.
2. Put down knitting long enough to do running program three nights a week.
3. Finish Dad's clogs.
4. Do at least one repeat on Madil.
5. Finish Chart 4 of Peacock.
6. Cast on for advanced_knit sock exchange.
7. Keep stash the same or smaller, and make a spreadsheet or something so I know what I actually have.

We're driving up to Anaheim tonight to see an A's/Angels game (Andrew is a big A's fan). I'll be knitting in the car and will have a progress picture of Peacock tomorrow.

Proud as a Peacock

2005-08-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for your kind comments about my Flower Basket Shawl. I've got one last picture of it, after unpinning it;

I haven't gotten a chance to wear it yet, as the weather has been unbareable. This weekend has mostly been spend doing fun back to school things, but I did get a chance to cast on for my Peacock Feathers Shawl. I'm about halfway through Chart 1 in this picture.

I'm using Jaggerspun Zephyr, and it is delightful to knit with.

Madil's Shawl is temporarily on hold, as I've become enamored with this new knit. I think Madil will be a long haul project, with a repeat or two getting finished each month. I still love and want to have that shawl, but it's not a quick knit at all.

In other knitting goals, I picked my step-dad's x-mas gift back up and almost finished it. His felted clogs only need a cuff and a second sole. I'm committed to finishing them by the end of the month, so there will probably be some extremely focused knitting over the next few days.

I'm off to relax in my last moments of freedom. Have a good week everyone!

Finished FBS!

2005-08-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Cast off for the FBS today.

Here it is just off the needles -

That little ball of yarn is all I had left from the hank of Lorna's Shephard Sock. I have a whole hank left if anyone wants to swap out for something else. My preference would be for a full or nearly full skein of Shephard Sock in a different colorway or a comparable amount of lace weight wool.

It's currently blocking in the office -

Details:
Pattern - Flower Basket Shawl, from Interweave Knits Fall '04, also available from Fiber Trends
Yarn - Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock in Tahoe, 50g
Needles - US6 Addi Turbos. I went down a needle size because I like the St st part of my lace a little firmer. US9 Crystal Palace DPN to bind off.
Started - Aug 19
Finished - Aug 24
Modifications - Change in needle size, noted above; replaced right slanting double decreases with centered double decreases; used a single strand of sock weight instead of a double strand of lace weight.

This was a really fun and quick knit. The pattern really clicked with me this time. This was probably the most monogamous I've ever been with a project. All I did on the side was half a swatch and a few rows on a sock.

WHRRC

2005-08-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

I started a jogging routine this week. I'm following this plan. As a founding member of WHRRC (that's the We Hate Running Running Club), I decided it was finally time to get back in shape. So far it's been good, with only mild soreness and no knee pain. Running is also one of the only forms of exercise that suppresses my appetite instead of making me hungry.

But you all are here for the knitting, and knitting I have for you -

FBS, just four rows shy of finishing the main repeat. I was hoping to finish this before bed tonight, but the rows are getting longer and longer. After those rows, I have a ten row edging and a freaking long bind off. I'd like to finish it tomorrow, but we'll see.

I'm doing great on yarn so far -

That's 18g of 50g remaining. I may manage to finish with one hank of Lorna's. Of course, now that I said that, I'll need 5 yards of the second hank. If I actually don't have to break into the second one, I'll probably try to trade someone for a single hank of a different color and make a different short shawl. There's a nice one in Scarf Style I've been eyeing.

Speaking of lace, Krys and I placed a joint order for several Fiddlesticks Knitting patterns today. We ordered Peacock Feathers, Creatures of the Reef, Tina, and Lotus Blossum. I also ordered some Zephyr for Peacock Feathers. This should keep the two of us in lace knitting for a long time.

Tomorrow I go pick up my school books and see what the damage is for pre-class homework. It better not cut into my last week of pure knitting freedom.

More than meets the eye

2005-08-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

I started Flower Basket Shawl version 2.0 last night. Here's a picture of it two repeats of the lower basket in:

I'm knitting it in Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock, Tahoe. This is seriously the nicest sock yarn I've ever handled, it's zipping along because the yarn feels so good in my hands. My goal is to finish this during my week off. I haven't abandoned Madil though, just a little quick knit infidelity.

Andrew thinks the Flower Baskets look like the Transformers logo. You decide:

On an unrelated note, is there anyone else that subscribes to Rowan and hasn't gotten Mag 38 yet? If I don't get it in the next few days I'm going to send them an email. I double checked, and I remembered to change my address with them when I moved, so that's not the hold up.

Tonight is poker night at the boys's house, so probably not much knitting. I am taking socks, in case I get knocked out early though.

Retail Therapy and Future Slacking

2005-08-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

I finished up my summer internship today. It wasn't really much of a finish, as I'll be back in two weeks part time during the school year, but I did have a slightly stressful day getting some time sensitive stuff done. So after work, it was time for some retail therapy.

I stopped into Nest Boutique in Little Italy, since I'd heard everything was 30% off. I showed restraint, and came home with this:

Southwest Trading Co. Bamboo, for a self designed tank. I've had this design stewing in my head for a while, so I'll probably get to swatching to see if it'll work in the near future.
I resisted Crack Silk Haze in a pretty blue for the River Stole, so I think I'll be knitting that in my Knitpicks Alpaca Clouds. I also resisted some lovely shades of Manos and Rowan Felted Tweed. If you are in SD and looking for a deal, check them out. I don't know how long the sale lasts, but they still had a good amount of nice stuff today.

I took another progress picture of Madil:

It's inching along. I made it through a repeat at Claire de Lunes on Wed, but noticed my stitch count was off when I got home. I haven't had a chance to sort that out yet, but I'm figuring I just forgot a YO somewhere, easy fix.
I also got started on the cabling for Veste Everest. No picture yet, as there's not much to see. Once I get a few inches in, I'll take one. I'll probably bring this one to the Whislestop on Sunday - anyone else heading out there?

Oh, and go visit Krys at her new blog Knitting Affairs. It's always nice ot know I'm not the only knitter with committment issues.

Moving along

2005-08-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Two repeats down on Madil's Shawl, 29 to go.

This is going to take forever. Still fun though, and the nupps are going more quickly.

I've gotten back into working out again and it's cutting into my knitting time. I only have 3 days of work left before a week off though. I think I'll devote that week to this shawl and see how much I can get done before school starts.

Edited to add: The yarn I'm using is Handpaintedyarn.com's laceweight merino in Paris Night. It's a single ply, but fairly strong.

New Project

2005-08-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

I cast on for Madil's Shawl Friday night and finished the border last night.

It's been a really fun knit so far. The only alterations I've made are dropping the needle size from 5s to 3s; subbing slip 6, purl 1, pass slipped stitches over, for purl 7 tog; and changing a left slanting double decrease to a centered double decrease. I've also knit two rows of the first 12 row repeat, but put it down after realizing lace isn't something I should attempt with three beers in me.

Those of you who remember what I say might be expecting a picture of a completed Flower Basket Shawl here. I tried, really, I did, but I needed to frog a few rows due to a mistake and the yarn snapped mulitple times during frogging. I pitched the whole thing, as I'd been having reservations about the yarn for some time. I do want to knit it again sometime in more suitable yarn. I'm thinking maybe some of my sock yarn stash wants to be a FBS.

I also cast on for Veste Everest on Thursday, and have knit through the bottom ribbing. I'm knitting it in the round, because I know I'll never finish an identical back and front. Pictures of that once I get some cabling in.

Today I think I'm just going to take it easy and knit, any maybe wander down to see what " Cityfest" is all about. All the streets in my neighborhood are blocked off for it. I also should start a sock for the bus, or I'll be without bus knitting this week.

All together now

2005-08-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

"Awww"

It's a Bucket Hat by Bonnie Marie Burns. Back when I bought the pattern (right after I started knitting, so about a year and a half ago) you got the plain knit and felted versions in one pattern. It's a great pattern though. I sized it down for a baby, and it has a circumference of 16". According to baby charts, it should fit a 3-6mo old. I'm taking it into work tomorrow to drop off with the new dad. I hope they like it! I also hope I get a picture of the baby wearing it, to replace my sad Oso.

In other news, I finally picked Leaha's mini-clap back up. I got through 5-6 repeats in LA over the weekend, and am getting through 2 per night watching Firefly. The jury's still out on that show for me. It's ok, but it's not all it was hyped up to be so far. Plus I'm not that into SciFi. It's just about 3 feet long now. I'm shooting for at least 6, probably longer, as it's fairly narrow and I want her to be able to wrap it a bunch of times.

I also knit a repeat on my FBS yesterday. I've only got half a repeat left, and then the edging, so maybe I'll finish it up this weekend. I'm not sure how it's going to turn out yet, as the yarn I'm using is a little irregular. There are also a couple of mistakes that I know are there, but haven't been able to find and fix. I'm worried that once I block it they'll really jump out at me.

This short rash of working on established projects has me itching to start something new. I almost cast on for Veste Everest from this fall's IK tonight, but decided it was getting too late to cast on that many stitches. Maybe another night.

I'm trying to get everything sorted out now that life has settled down for a bit. I have a week and a half of work left, and then a week off before school starts. I'd like to finish up a couple projects before school and have a travel project and one or two at home projects during school. I'd also like to get more organized, figure out how much yarn I actually have and try to sell or give away some what I don't want.

Speaking of - I have 9 balls of Rowan Cotton Fine Chenille that I am never going to use. It's a sport weight and there's probably enough for a small womens sweater or several small projects. Anyone want to trade for something they bought and fell out of love with?

Because I'm just that good of a friend

2005-08-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Poker night tonight at the boys house. I'm feeling a bit off because I just chugged a beer so Jake would chug salsa. It was totally worth it though. I did a bit of knitting after I got knocked out of the poker game and the Fiber Trends sock is about 1/4 through the toe. I also got another inch knit on Syndey's hat, only one to go before the crown shaping. Hopefully I'll have a super cute baby hat to show y'all by this weekend.

I also got an unexpected windfall today. The school called to tell me they'd made a mistake and owed me $$$! I want to buy yarn, but I've got bills to pay, and didn't I just pledge yesterday not to buy yarn for a month? I will be strong. I will not trip and fall, swiping my credit card on the way down, and going home with an armload of Supermerino.

Lamest end of the month round up ever =(

2005-08-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Goals for July:
1. Finish mom socks - Nope, got distracted by new shiney socks
2. Finish Leaha's gift by the 23rd - Ha, not even closse. New plan is to finish it at some future time and mail it to her.
3. Finish FBS - Nope
4. Figure out something to do with grey lace weight merino - DONE, I can do the things that only involve planning. It is going to be Madil's Shawl from last summer's IK.
5. Work on one other Christmas present - DONE, I'll be gifting the Nordic Mittens as I have no use for mittens.
6. Finish Jenny sleeve - I've decided to abandon Jenny and make the yarn into either a tank of my own design or the Annie Modesitt Corset top.
7. Keep amount of yarn the same or lower - DONE, I actually purchased no yarn this month.

Lest y'all think I'm a total slacker, I did knit 3 socks this month, along with part of a scarf and half a baby hat. I'm having serious difficulties sticking with one project all the way through completion. This month was kind of crazy though, so maybe I'll get more focused knitting in this month. Without further ado -

Goals for August:
1. Avoid the temptation to cast on for Madil's Shawl before finishing FBS.
2. Finish FBS so I can start MS guilt free. (This will probably take two evenings, I'm just being lazy)
3. Finish at least one pair of socks before casting on for new socks. A pair means two matching socks, not any two socks.
4. Finish hat for Sydney before it winds up being too small.
5. Either cast on for mitten number two or finish clog number two.
6. Knit whatever else I want, as long as it's from my stash.
7. Only buy yarn for SP

Photo essay on gauge

2005-07-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

I received a wonderful package from my secret pal last weekend. It included some Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud, which I've been dying to try in Tide Pool

Still no plans for this. I swear I thought of something, but I didn't write it down, so now it's gone.

There was also a sock kit from Fleece Artist. I'd never seen or touched Fleece Artist yarn before. I couldn't help myself, before I even got a picture the wrapper was off;

Then I had to wind it, just for kicks you know - not to start a sock or anything;

Then I had to *erm* knit a sock;

only took 3 evenings, on US 3's. Problem is it's too small. By a lot. So I had to do this;

I've already re-cast on in the next size up. What I didn't realize was that the chevrons would pull in so much. This would have been the right count for a stockinette sock I think. I'm planning on taking these to Santa Barbara for the massive amounts of driving over the weekend, so I should have socks soon.

Thanks so much secret pal. Even though it didn't fit, it was a blast to knit. Now I get to knit 3 socks with this yummy yarn. I think I got the best pal possible, she (? I'm assuming here) is obviously putting a lot of effort into getting me things she knows I'd like, and I really appriciate the effort.

I leave you all with a small law student revelation:
You know the case you're reading is going to be great when you see the phrase "defendant's nephew/boyfriend" in the opening paragraph. I was not let down.

Woo!

2005-07-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

I got into Knitty!

I also got a GREAT package from my secret pal. Hopefully I'll get daylight pictures tomorrow. She sent me a sock kit, and in one day I'm past the heel!

back at it

2005-07-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

I made it back to the gym tonight, after a long break. It felt good to go for my jog and lift some weights. I've temporarily solved the sports bra problem by wearing two at a time. If I work out at least 3 times this week, I'll order the new good one. Tomorrow I'm going to try a spinning class, so long as I manage to get to work early enough to make it home in time for a 6pm class. I've never done spinning before (the kind on the bike), but it seems like a very effient way to work out and I am all about effiency.

As far as knitting goes, not much to report there. I've gotten about 8" into the mini-clap, and like how it's turning out. It's going to get boring, I can tell, but any scarf would, so I'll just have to suck it up and finish. It's pretty doubtfull that it will actually be done before she leaves for NY, but I can mail it to her.
I just rounded the heel in the Koigu sock, and don't have all that much yarn left so it will be done soon. The blog will probably get very boring in a week or so because I'll be working on the mates to the mom sock, Koigu sock, and Nordic Mitten. I'll try and throw something new in just to mix it up. I have an idea stewing for a picot edged, knit in the round, tank with a sweetheart neckline. I think Jenny's yarn is going to be repurposed for that, as I'm not loving it on the 7s, the fabric was much nicer on 6s.

I just downloaded the new version of ITunes, and it has a Podcast aggregator build it. Now it will be even easier to keep up with KnitCast.

Half a FO

2005-07-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

The finished mitten has been blocked and I have pictures. It's not completely dry yet, the double thickness of wool is taking a while to dry, but the fit is much better after blocking. I should cast on for the second tonight, to avoid Second Mitten Syndrome, which probably rivals only Second Sock Syndrome in its prevalance.

I took before and after blocking pictures, and the magic of blocking has not failed me.

Palm-

Before

After

Back of Hand -

Before

After

I also started the heel on the Koigu socks last night waiting for Harry Potter and am about halfway through. Thanks Kris for the recommendation for the Anne. I started a mini-clap, but if that doesn't work out, I'll try the pooling scarf next.

Finished

2005-07-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 16, 5:52am

(edited to add: with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I really want to talk about it, but will refrain until y'all have read it.)

We have mitten!

2005-07-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

I finished the mitten last night right before bed, and blocked it when I got home from work today. Hopefully it will be dry by tomorrow for pictures! Most of the unevenness is gone, and it looks much better.

I also got a pretty neat email today. Someone from Artyarns wants to put a picture of my Supermerino socks up on their website. I really enjoyed knitting those socks and I'd been thinking of coming up with a sock pattern using their yarn. Something to show off the stripey-ness, maybe chevrons... it's all still in the planning stages.

One more thing, I need advice for the Leaha gift. I have a hank of Schafer Yarns Anne in a really beautiful colorway. I started the lace smoke ring, hated the pattern and ripped that out. Then I started a simpler smoke ring, but it's too boring and I know I'll never finish. I'm thinking of making a mini-Clapotis, narrower and more scarf shaped, as I only have one hank, but worry I'll boredom out of that too. It's really lovely yarn, but it doesn't want to be any of the things I've tried so far. Maybe that's because I want it to be a Flower Basket Shawl, for me. Leaha has no use for a FBS. I'm sure she'd like it, and think it was pretty, but I want to make something to keep her neck warm and voice safe in the colder weather. Maybe I'll start the mini-clap tonight and see what the yarn thinks. It's holding up surprisingly well to all the ripping, thank goodness.

Ouch!

2005-07-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Something was poking me under the arm all day. I came home and found this -

That would be a piece of metal sticking out of my bra! Not comfortable! I'll be sewing that hole shut tonight, because I need to be able to wear it still.

Back on topic, I got a picture of the Koigu socks that shows the color much better, but has weird shadows. I didn't use a flash to get better color, and the sun is a little low at 7pm for good pictures. I included the sheepy for scale. Only 1" to the heel! I'm really excited to wear these, the colors are so cheerful.

The Nordic Mittens have been picked back up. I knit 5 rows last night before bed and remembered how fun they are. Only 20 rows to go, and just 5 until they start getting shorter. I think I'll work on them now actually, and there might be half a FO up tomorrow!

This Way's So Much Faster!

2005-07-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Continental Knitting that is. Knitting English, I usually averaged 1" per day on the bus. Today I made it through 1.75", and it was a short waiting day too, since the bus was right there when I got off work.

I haven't had a chance to pick the Nordic Mitten back up yet. Last night was spent reading most of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and tonight we got a call to rescue a friend from the emergency room after a car accident. (She's fine, thankfully.) I knit on the Koigu sock all through Andrew driving to get her and fetch the stuff from her car and have 6" total on the foot. 2.25" until the heel!

I forgot to mention that Sunday, someone brought a huge bag of back issues of IK to give away to the Knit Together. I snagged two copies, Fall '03 (to knit the awesome Fair Ilse hat Tipper made ages ago and I've been coveting ever since) and Winter 00/01 (great pair of socks in there). I showed restraint, and only took mags I knew I wanted. Aparently my mother raised me right, because I was concerned about being rude if I took too many. Kris got a copy of Winter '04, with the great glove article.

Still no news from Knitty. I think that's a good sign. I've been wondering how long it takes them to sort through everybody and toss out the obvious "no"s. It's making my impatient ass crazy.

More Socks

2005-07-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

I managed to track down both the battery charger and rechargeable batteries at the same time, so once again I have pictures.

First, a finished sock -

Feather and Fan sock, made up by me, in Brown Sheep Wildfoote. I'm glad this yarn gets softer with wash, because it was downright rough to knit with. I used Addi Turbos, because it was so sticky. Now I've just got to get it's mate done by x-mas for mom.

Not one for monogamy, I started this last night

It's Koigu (yum!), colorway P837, a little lighter and pinker in person. I'm trying a new toe/heel, the Lucy Neatby short-row garter stitch heel. It instructs you to wrap when you turn, but to not pick up the wrap. I'm confused as to why I need to wrap if I'm not going to pick it up, unless it's to help me see when it's time to turn without counting. Anyway, I like it, and it's super easy, just straight knitting, with no k3togs or p3tog tbl like the YO heel and toe. These socks are serving the joint purpose of getting me more up to speed with Continental Style knitting and keeping me entertained on the bus.

Speaking of the bus, I had two crazy person run-ins today. Crazy person #1 wanted me to make a phonecall for him using his phonecard. I declined, and he called me a dick. I decided not to push things by asking why he couldn't make the call himself. Crazy person #2 got on my bad side by sitting directly up-wind of me and smoking. He was an excellent conversationalist, as I'll illustrate here.
CP: "what's that?" (gestures towards sock)
me: "a sock"
CP: "what kind?"
me: "a normal sock"
CP: "you mean for your foot?"
me: "um, yeah" (eye roll)
CP: "mumbles something vaguely obsene"
me: "i don't understand your question"
CP: (wanders off)
This should teach me, for about the 900th time, not to talk to crazy people, even if they talk to me. All and all, they were both better than the guy with the knife last week. That freaked me out.

The Days are Just Packed*

2005-07-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for their kind words about my mittens. I guess I'm my own worst critic. Things have gotten very busy around here, with a housewarming party on Friday and a Bachelorette Party for Kat last night. My camera batteries died at the party, so pictures will have to wait, but I finished up mom sock #1 at the Balboa Park knit together yesterday afternoon. I think it looks great and will cast on for its mate today.

The Knit Together was fun (and crowded) and it was nice to have more time to visit with Christine and see Tania, Heather, and Kris and meet a bunch of new knitters (new to me, not new to knitting). I got a little sun burnt, and I was only in the sun for 40 minutes or so. I'm still deciding whether I'll drive to Clairemont on Thursday for knitting. Heather and I are trying to get ahold of Zoya and if I hear anyone else is planning on making it there I'll probably go.

I really want to cast on another pair of socks, maybe in purple Koigu, to just knit plain on the bus and walking to work, but if I do that I'll never get the mom socks done. We all know what kind of self restraint I have though, so they'll probably be going by the end of the week. My knitting productivity will probably be low for the next few weeks. I just realized the first weekend that I don't have solid plans for is the 2nd week of August! Until then I have wedding stuff for both Kat and Tammy, and goodbye parties for Leaha and Rach. It will be fun, but I'm looking forward to the chance to just unwind.

*shiney gold star to whoever recognizes where this title is from first.

Mitten Progress

2005-07-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

I missed a day and a half of work this week with the stomach flu. This ment I got to spend the time drinking gatorade, watching Law and Order, and knitting these:

I'm over halfway through the hand now, and love how they're turning out. In a couple more rows I'll start decreasing and the rows will really start to fly by.

I'm a little concerned about the puckering, which you can see in this close up (I love macro mode - and I actually managed an in focus shot)

Once I finish this mitten I'll block it and see what happens. If it doesn't work out, I'll rip and start over, no huge deal I guess.

I also made progress on the mom sock and am working on the toe. They haven't seen much work lately as I got a new purse that doesn't have room for both my shoes and knitting. I'm trying to come up with ways to remedy this.

New Harry Potter in 9 days! I'm still on track to re-read the first 5 by the 16th. I read 3/4 of PoA yesterday and will probably finish it tonight. I think that one is still my favorite.

Fair Isle Addiction

2005-07-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Nordic Mittens are coming along great. Here are some quick pictures before I head to a BBQ

This is about 20 rows of 75 into the mitten.

New Skills

2005-07-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to learn to knit continental style and norwegian purl because I was working on something in seed stitch. Once I got used to having the yarn in my right hand (yep, I'm still knitting lefty, that cannot be changed) it went much faster. Not needing to move the yarn to the front to purl will make seed stitch and 1x1 ribbing much less painful.

I'd been meaning to learn both these techniques in order to start my first colorwork project. I couldn't keep myself from casting on around midnight last night, and now I have this:

The pattern is from last winter's IK, the Nordic Mittens. I decided to go with only two colors, instead of the rainbow effect in the original. I'm about 1/3 through the cuff and really looking forward to the colorwork once I get to the chart.

I've been trying to justify how these fit into my monthly goals posted yesterday, and the only way they do is if I give these away for Christmas. I don't know about that, but how often are mittens really necessary in SD anyway?

I also sent in my Knitty submission Thursday night. It's been over 24hrs and I haven't heard a no yet, so I'm optimistic.

First of the month round-up

2005-07-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

Goals from last month:
1. Finish Falling Leaves in time for submission - DONE
2. Finish Shapely Tank - nope, don't know when I'll get this done
3. Finish Charley - DONE
4. Keep up with mystery shawl - decided the mystery wasn't for me.
5. Start FBS - DONE
6. Start Jenny - DONE
7. Work on clogs - not done
8. Only purchase yarn for x-mas gifts and secret pal. - DONE
9. Block the finished pieces of York and Ribby and do at least one seam on each. - nope

I also started socks for my mom and a going away present for Leaha

Goals for this month:
1. Finish mom socks
2. Finish Leaha's gift by the 23rd
3. Finish FBS
4. Figure out something to do with grey lace weight merino
5. Work on one other Christmas present
6. Finish Jenny sleeve
7. Keep amount of yarn the same or lower

We have heel

2005-06-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

The heel on the mom sock has been turned! My sock speed has really increased this month.

Speaking of socks, Krys, want to do photoshoot Wed or Thurs? If we're feeling ambitious we can head down to the park, otherwise we can find a neat spot closer to here.

Thank you Secret Pal! (and IK review)

2005-06-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

I got a lovely package from my Secret Pal today -

She sent me Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush! I have been coveting this book for ages, thank you so much! In the picture it is open to the first pair I'm going to knit, as soon as I finish the mom socks. She also sent 2 balls of Schoeller Fortissima Colori, a sock yarn I haven't used before in a great multi colored shade, and some monkey bookmarks! I love monkeys!

I also got the new IK in the mail today. Here's my take on it, in page order of the magazine.
- I liked the article on knitting in the theater. I loved stealing spare knitting moments when I did tech.
- Greek Pullover - it looks cute, but the models pose worries me. it is also very much not for my body type.
- Chenille Cutaway Jacket - eh, not a fan, and the photography is horrid
- Cable Cascade Pullover - reminds me of a sweater dress I had in the 80s, in a bad way.
- Fur Trimmed Wrap - what I consider and appropriate use of eyelash. I wouldn't make it, but it's cute.
- Essential Indulgence - really bad shape
- Union Square Market Pullover - love the sleeves, not sure about the neckline
- Drop Stitch Cardigan - I think it would look really nice in a solid color
- Weekend Getaway Satchel - expensive and non-functional
- Veste Everest - I will make this, probably in Jaeger Luxury Tweed or Rowan Felted Tweed. I love that it's in DK weight, much less bulky, and the splitting cable detail at the v-neck. It looks like it could use lengthening, but other than that, a winner!
- Felted Floral Capelet - completely silly and I'd never knit it, but I really like how it looks.
- Textured Coat - worst pattern in the issue
- Blissful Jacket - looks like Debbie Bliss finally got a clue about sizing.
- Vintage Inspired Jacket - ick. double ick for the stripe up the underarm (pictured on pg 90).
- I love the ad in the bottom left corner of pg 98! It might be time to learn colorwork. (Trees of Life - I also like the vest on that page)
- Fair Isle Hoodie and Cardigan - I like the cardigan. I'll have to keep this in mind for the future.
- Bulky Brioche Raglan - eh. wasn't there a broche sweater just like this one a couple issues back?
- Cabled Shrug - looks cozy, but I prefer my blankets without cuffs.
- Fair Isle Skirt - surprisingly, I really like this one, maybe even enough to knit it. The model also reminds me of Evey.
- Braided Blues - really bad shape
- Suede Vest - looks like a maternity top. redhaired model, why do they hate you so?
- Poncho Loco - The poncho is over. (long live the ponchkini)
- Canteen Bag - boring
- Brioche Helment Hat - meh
- Rib and Cable Socks - Yay, socks! And Nancy Bush is coming out with another sock book!

More socks

2005-06-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

I started these for my mom on Friday

The yarn is Brown Sheep Wildefoote and the pattern is a 72 stitch feather and fan. I'm just kind of winging it with the pattern and stitch count and will probably do a short row heel and toe.

The other socks are pretty much done. I did a grafted bind off, where you have to separate the knit stitches from the purl stitches. Once I got the second half of the stitches separated Thursday night I decided to cast on for the pink socks so I'd have something to work on during my bus and car rides over the next two days. I'll finish grafting the top of the other sock tonight, block and then photograph sometime this week.

My other plan for tonight is to try a picot cast on for Leaha's present, I think that will work really nicely. Andrew and I are going for Thai food in a couple hours and watching some Arrested Development until bedtime, so I'll get some good knitting time in.

In non-knitting news, Kathy's bridal shower was a success. I think everyone had a good time and Kathy enjoyed herself and got some nice presents.

One hour til bedtime and one inch of ribbing to go

2005-06-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

The sock will be finished tonight.

Lack of project fidelity

2005-06-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

So I started something new yesterday.

It's the first sleeve to the Jenny sweater from Rowan 37. I'm making the sleeve in the round because I really don't like seaming sleeves. The picture is a little wonky. The flash washed out the beads too much so I got this pic in natural light, but the bars over our window leave a shadow. I knit the sock on the bus today and no one talked to me! Yay! I was trying to give off really good Fuck-Off vibes and it must have worked.

My first day on the job was good - everyone is really nice and I think I'll like it there. If you want more info, talk to me personally, as I won't be posting any job details (obviously).

One more thing - there are a lot more icky people on the bus at 6pm than at 7am. That is all.

Edited to add: I was convinced I'd spelled fidelity wrong so I hit edit before I even looked it up. Apparently I'm not as bad a speller as I think I am.

Bloglines Hates Me

2005-06-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

It's not noticing my posts for some reason. Poop.

In happier news, I have an almost finished pair of socks! I can't believe how quickly this sock is going. I just cast on for the toe on Sunday and I'm already past the heel today. My goal of finishing before Andrew gets back from Sweden should be no problem. I'm going to start taking the bus to work, so socks will be a great project for waiting for the bus (and also lunchtime at work). Next up in the socks list are Mom's x-mas socks. They're going to be feather and fan in pink Brown Sheep Wildefoote. I've got the numbers all worked out, but am still figuring what to do at the top to curtail rolling. Feather and fan generally goes - Row 1: knit, Row 2: knit, Row 3: pattern, and Row 4: purl. I think I'll need to make one of the first two rows purl for the first inch or so of the sock. I'm leaning towards row 2 unless anyone has a better suggestion. Hopefully I'll start these by Friday and be able to take them in the car for the drive up for Kat's shower. Leaha's gift is going to be the at home project once the current socks are done, but I can't really take that on a drive with her.

I looked over my goals for this month and I'm doing pretty well so far. I still want to start my Jenny cardigan, but I can't find my size 7 Addi's anywhere. I'm thinking I might have to buy a new set, but if so I'll get 36" instead of 24" in case the old ones turn up. I've figured out how to modify the pattern to make it pretty much seamless, so maybe I'll start with a sleeve on DPNs to get going over the weekend.

Charley's Finished

2005-06-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

My first complete adult sized sweater!

I finished the knitting and seaming Saturday night

The carnage. Not pictured - three episodes of Law and Order:SVU

This picture is the only decent shot I could get of the cables in low light. Any shot from above washed out everything.

Sunday I headed to the Whistlestop and Heather snapped this picture for me

I'm really happy with the finished product. I have a nice soft sweater that fits me.

Project stats:
Yarn - Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I used just over 5 skeins. If I'd been able to find my scraps from the front I might have been able to finish with 5 total.
Pattern - Charley from Rowan Mag #37
Needles - US 7 Addi Turbos for edge ribbing, US 8 Clover Bamboo for body and sleeves, and US 6 Addi Turbos for neckline (couldn't find the 7's)
Started - April 26th
Finished - June 18th. This is what happens when you can't commit to one project, everything takes forever.
Techniques learned - cabling without a cable needle! This is so much easier!

Next on the needles:
I cast on for sock 2 yesterday and got through the toe and half the foot. My goal is to finish it before Andrew gets home Friday. I start my new job on Wed though, so we'll see how far I get. After the sock I'm starting Leaha's going away present and finishing up my FBS. I've made it through the first full repeat in the Mystery Stole and I don't like it. Time to rip and pick a new project for the laceweight merino. High on the list is a laceweight FBS (knitting extra repeats until it's large enough) or one of the Fibertrends Shawls. I really want to make Fiddlestick's Peacock Feathers Shawl, but the color is all wrong so it will have to wait until I'm buying yarn again.

So close!

2005-06-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

I'm so close to finishing the sleeves for Charley! Hopefully I'll have finished pictures of the sleeves tomorrow and a whole sweater by the weekend.

Last night at Claire De Lunes was great - the Ponchkini was invented (copyright Jessimuhka and Inky). We'll be pitching this genius idea to Knitters sometime soon. Hope to see more of you guys on Sunday at Whistlestop.

Back and Burnt

2005-06-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely weekend away and got very sun burnt. Kate's graduation was great and dinner was fantastic. I made good progress on Charley's sleeves during all the plane and car rides, only 3 more increase repeats and about 15 cm to the armhole bind off and raglan shaping. I'll probably take the sleeves with me to Claire De Lunes tomorrow, as everything else I'm working on is lace and therefore not super portable.

In lace news, I suppose I'm having a "Summer of Lace" ala The Wendy but I think I'll refrain from joining another super chatty Yahoo group. My FBS is nearing completion. I finished 2 lower basket repeats yesterday during an America's Next Top Model marathon on VH1 (wonderful trash, by the way) and only have one and a half to go before moving on to the edging. I'm still on my first hank of the yarn, so I'll probably have to come up with something else to make with the rest of it. Maybe a nice feather and fan scarf for a family member. The new step for the Mystery Stole is much better than the previous ones. I'm not sure what I think of the pattern yet, but at least it's a little more interesting to knit.

I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job of working my way through my stash and not buying more yarn. I did pick something up for Leaha's going away present since I just didn't have anything appropriate. It's very nice and I hope to start it next month. I went to Yarn! in Alameda (ok, most boring name ever) and didn't buy anything. They did have a really nice selection, but man was it pricey. The kicker for me was that they had several yarns that had been long discontinued still at full price - yarns even Knitting in La Jolla has discounted now. I was sorely tempted by some Mission Falls 1824 to make another pair of worsted weight socks, but I can get that down here so I put it back.

Today I have to run back to La Jolla and pick up more stationary for Kat's bridal shower and then mail out the invites we have done. My other plans for the day are watching Law and Order and knitting either the Mystery Stole or FBS.

off to Santa Cruz

2005-06-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm heading out tonight to see one of my sisters graduate from college! Yay, Congratulations Kate!

Andrew and I are flying up and then spliting to spend the weekend with our families. His sister has a dance recital. He's leaving straight from SF for a two week business trip to Sweden, so I'm on my own here for a couple weeks. I'm planning lots of knitting and a couple girls nights.

For travel knitting, I'm deciding between taking the Charley sleeves or a sock. It will probably be the sleeves. I was going to take my mystery stole, but the clue this week took about 45 min to knit. I finally dropped down to no mail for that list, too many whiners and WAY too chatty. There have been over 100 messages so far today, gah. The knitting has been fun though, this last step was much more involved and interesting. Hopefully the rest of the stole will stay this interesting.

I'll be back Monday morning and update on the weekend.

Right on schedule

2005-06-06T22:35:00.000-07:00

Falling leaves is coming along nicely. I actually got to a try on point today and I love how it fits! I should actually be done in plenty of time if I keep up this pace. Now I will hopefully have enough time to head down to Balboa Park and get some good pictures of them. I'll probably have to enlist the help of friends who are better photographers than I am, since I'm pretty bad at framing shots.
I got another increase section done on Charley today. Like a genius, I took the sleeves but not the pattern to the Whistle Stop yesterday. Oh, and Inky, I'm sorry I didn't say hi. I recognized you and was like "I'll got over in a minute", but the next time I looked up you had left. =( I don't know if you know what I look like, as there hasn't been a picture of my face on this blog at all recently.
Tomorrow I need to get to the post office and mail out the first gift for my secret pal. I found a book she'd mentioned wanting, and need to head to La Jolla tomorrow for Kat wedding stuff, so I'll probably pop into KinLJ and pick up another little treat before the post office.
I also decided that Leaha needs a going away to NY present. She's getting this. Leaha, if you read this, don't click. I'll check out yarn at KinLJ. I've also picked out my next lace project (so I like to think WAY ahead of the game), the Peacock Feathers Shawl, probably in Knitpicks Shimmer (they have a great turquoise colorway).

Edited to add: I forgot to mention I looked at Loop-d-Loop at Boarders today and Liked it a lot more than I thought I would. The photography is very good at highlighting the knitting (I'm looking at you Rowan) and for the most part, the designs are different without being completely insane.

Return of the camera

2005-06-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

Andrew found my camera cord, it was attached to his computer. He'd put his away in the box when we moved and then saw mine sitting out and put it away too. Without further ado, the Baby Cashmere socks

Yarn: Elann.com Baby Cashmere, an alpaca/wool/cashmere blend. This yarn was super yummy and the finished socks are really soft. I used just over two balls. Someone with smaller feet, maybe a womens 7, could probably get a pair of anklets out of two balls.
Needles: Addi Turbo US 1 40" circs - Magic loop, one sock at a time.
Pattern: adaptation of toe up crew socks from Simple Socks, Plain and Fancy, my first use of YO short rows. This is my new favorite short row method, I'll never fuss with picking up wraps again.

Andrew and I went to a Padres game tonight. Danielle gave us the tickets and they were great seats! We were on the 3rd base line only 19 rows back. The Padres got their ass kicked (I'm not surprised), but I had a nice time checking out the new stadium and knitting away at falling leaves. Yup, I was knitting at a ball game. Ya'll should have heard the girl behind me, you'd have thought I was torturing a puppy the way she was carrying on. Her hubby pointed out it was a "Padres sock", but that didn't seem to help. (it isn't really a Padres sock, but it does have some purple and orange, their old colors) I seriously cannot watch sports without some knitting in my hands, I just get too worked up. Ask anyone who's seen me during college bball season, I turn into a yeller.

Tomorrow is Knit 'n Sip down at the Whistle Stop. Anyone going? Kris? Krys? Hope to see some SD knitters there, I'll either be working on Falling Leaves or Charley (who hasn't been touched since the move)