Travel Knitting

I have about 7 WIP and about 900 new projects to begin, and I've got a round trip to Europe and 7 hours on a train worth of time to fill.

But what projects to bring?

I have one seamless sweater that's almost complete on the body -- just the sleeves need to be worked. But I'm not sure I want to lug a whole sweater around Europe with me. That's the one downside of seamless sweaters. They're not great travel projects once you join under the arms and really get moving!

I've got the Dollar and a Half cardigan that's been sitting in a bag for over a year now because I once again screwed it up and have to frog a fair amount. Ugh. Do I want to be frustrated as I fly over the Atlantic? Maybe being captive in a flying tube for so long will actually make me finish this section so I can continue on.

Then there are hats. Hats for me, hats for friends. Hats that have been in the queue to match with scarves and hats that just want to be made. I might have to bring a hat or two with me because they're quick and I'll feel accomplished. And since where I'm going is cold -- I'll get to wear it right away!

I also have scarves in progress. Easy scarves are great knitting companions because you can knit them while watching movies. Or listening to podcasts. I'll certainly have a scarf or two with me as well.

I can say this: I will travel with than one project. I just don't know exactly which ones!

My First Sewing Project is Complete!

My husband gave me a sewing machine for Christmas and I loved the idea of it.

Learning how to use it proved to be a little more difficult.

So I signed up for a 4-week class at the local high school's "continuing education" program to get me farther than reading the instruction booklet did.

The class was great. We had to bring with us our sewing machines (duh), a beginner pattern, fabric and the sewing essentials (scissors, seam ripper, measuring tape, etc.) and for three hours over the course of four Monday nights, Alicia, from Sew-It-All, spent time with each student walking us through the often confusing process of sewing our projects.

When someone in the class got to a point where others could learn, Alicia would say: "If anyone would like to learn how to make a button hole (zipper, dart, etc.), gather 'round." (OK. She doesn't really say "gather 'round like Tim Gunn...")

I signed up for the next session of sewing classes because I haven't scratched the surface of what's to know about this craft. But just as knitting was overwhelming when I first started, I'm hopeful that I'll eventually turn a corner. I have to -- I've already bought a few more patterns and some really fun fabric.

Here's my first project, finished last night at class. (Thanks to Terry for the perfectly matching monkey sock slippers!)


Sock Monkeys on Pogo Sticks PJs

Blue Sweater is Officially a FO

I loved this yarn when I saw it at the Knit and Crochet Show in Northern California a few years ago: Lisa Souza's Sock Merino and Kid Mohair. Lisa suggested that I knit the two yarns together for a sweater, which was a great idea. My friend Marissa bought the same yarn combo in a beautiful green. After the fact, we both wish we swapped colors, but now that I'm finished, I'm happy with the blue.

The pattern is the T Shirt Sweater from Ella Rae Book One:


T Shirt Pattern


Pattern Book

The pattern was easy. The front was fast to knit, but I made some adjustments. Of course, I never wrote the adjustments down, so when it came to knitting the back, I stopped at where I knew the adjustments began and stuffed the whole thing in a bag for "later."

Well, "later" turned out to be almost two years. I finally picked this back up again a few months ago and was determined to figure out what adjustments I made and to repeat them on the back.

This was the first sweater I had to seem together. (The two previous completed sweaters were top downs with no seems.)


Damp sweater waiting for blocking

Knitty.com helped a bunch with their articles on mattress stitch and shoulder seeming.

I also used blocking wires for the first time. While a total PITA to put the wires through the knitted fabric, the edges dried nice and straight, vs. the scalloped way they normally dry when just using pins.


Drying on the blocking board


Overall, I'm pleased with the results. The waist shaping is a little too high on my body vs. where my waist really starts to shape, but a little steaming might fix that.


Blue Sweater completed

Since I've started knitting, I've been on the lookout for the "perfect simple sweater" pattern that I would make a few times in different colors with various changes to neckline and sleeve and bottom stitches. This pattern is a good base for my perfect sweater. With a little reworking of the waist shaping, I'd definitely refer to it the next time I start a sweater.

Seamless Sweater Redux

I finished this sweater three and a half years ago. It never saw the outside world.

Since then has been sitting in a drawer in my closet. In the back of the drawer, I might add, squished behind other stuff so I could forget about it.

Why?

Because I hated it.

I didn't want to admit it that I hated it. What would it say for my love of the craft if I acknowledged that after spending so much time and money on this sweater I couldn't stand it?? What would it say about the zillion skeins of yarn that lay un-knit in my various yarn compartments and drawers?

I often thought about ripping it out completely. But then I'd have to face the curly, trying-to-look-normal, rewound yarn every time I opened my stash. It was all to much to fathom. So in the drawer the hated sweater stayed.

Until it hit me:

Re-engineer it! Figure out what I hated so much and make it better.

So, what didn't I like?

Other than the fact it was too big under the arms (something I knew could not be fixed), I really didn't like the button-less cardigan style that just flapped open. It reminded me of my friend's mom's famous line:

"Touches you everywhere, flatters you no where."

I didn't like the tassel-y thing that tied the top of the cardigan together.

And I didn't like that the sweater hung oddly on the body when worn. It just wasn't shaped properly.

Thankfully, the tie-thing was the last part of the sweater to be knitted, so it was a cinch to make it disappear. That and and the two or three rows of the neckline it was attached to.

To fix the hanging open problem, after re-knitting a new neckline, I seamed the front of the cardigan closed and turned it into a pullover. Because the left and right fronts on the cardigan were done in seed stitch, the seam is virtually invisible.

Then, since I was not aware of the concept of blocking when I first made this sweater, I blocked the sucker, in hopes of having it lay evenly and take the shape of an actual sweater.

Cardigan-turned-Pullover re-inventing itself

I am very happy with my re-engineered results and can admit this sweater has seen the light of day on more than one occasion. It's still a little big, but I look at that as experience in knowing how to size seamless sweaters better in the future.

In fact, I "tested" it by wearing it to work the day after it finished drying on the blocking board. No kidding, three people commented to me at different times before the clock struck Noon.

"Wow," they said.

"That's a really nice sweater. Is it new?"

Felted Winter Tote

A few years ago I bought 10 skeins of orange Jaegar Como online for a pretty sweet deal. I planned on using it for a sweater in the Jaegar book. But once the yarn arrived, I wasn’t sure I liked it for a sweater. It felt kind of acrylic, even though it’s 90% merino.

(Note to self: buying yarn cheap online is only good if I'm familiar with the yarn...)

I'm lukewarm on the sweater now, too. Not sure if that cable on the neckline would look nice or ridiculous.

Since the yarn has a high wool content, I felted a small swatch of it to see if it would (despite its 10% nylon) and it did. I decided to save it for something felted. My friend copied a pattern for me (I know, not Kosher...but we all do it) from the Holiday Knits book, and I planned to use the yarn for that project. I even (because I'm sick) ordered more of the yarn in pink, so I could make the bag with an accent color. This was after I knew I didn't even like the yarn much...

Fast forward three or four years, enter my obsession with either getting rid of yarn I know I'm never going to use, or starting the projects that have been waiting for me for so long. I cast on for the Felted Winter Tote.

I believe that the authors of this book from where the pattern comes own the store Noe Knits in San Francisco. I was there a few years ago, and remember they had the book on display in the store with an errata note that the yarn should be doubled for this pattern.

I'm only a few rows into it at this point but will make a swatch of doubled yarn and re-felt -- just to make sure it doesn't turn out too thick. Because knitting the whole thing and discovering that after the fact would truly be a drag.

I'll order the suede handles and bottom online and see where this project goes...wish me luck. At the very least, I'll clean out some of my stash.

Knitty.com, What Were You Thinking?

A recent email from Knitty.com included three special patterns. The third they described as:

"...a little something to amuse you...and perhaps inspire you to give your heart away this Valentine's Day!"

I thought they meant something like this:



But no. They were talking about a knitted heart, heart:



Um. Why??

Jessica Had a Little Lamb

A co-worker and I were at a company dinner this week, and somehow (really, I don't know how) knitting became part of the conversation.

Jessica: "Oh, you knit?"

Me: "Yes, I do."

Our other co-worker Greg, until this point an active participant in our discussion, rolled his eyes and turned the other way to talk to Marco. I think I overheard him say "Hey. How 'bout those 49ers..." (OK. That last part is a total lie.)

Then Jessica added, "My boyfriend and I are getting a baby lamb this Friday!"

A baby lamb! How cute. I want one! This baby's mom didn't take to her and wasn't feeding her or the siblings. The farmer bottle fed them until old enough to get adopted.

Jessica and her boyfriend live on a multi-acre piece of land about an hour from Portland, and want to keep the lamb as a pet.

Meet the new baby:



I don't know her name yet. For now she can just be known as Jessica's Little Lamb.



I checked on eBay, and in case she ever wants to sell her sheered wool, it seems like the going rate is about 10 bucks for a pound of wool.

Rico's Hat

My friend Riccardo commented on a hat I was wearing the other day.

"Hey. That's the kind of hat I could use. Something small that will keep me warm on cold days like this."

Cold days...in San Francisco. For two ex-New Yorkers it's kind of embarrassing to admit we speak like that.

I followed the Ann Norling pattern for the Spiral Rib Hat. With just one skein of Berroco's Inca Gold, this is what Riccardo will get when I see him next:



I like quick projects like this one. Took about two days to complete. Wish I could say that about some of my other WIPs...

Yarn Sale!

Need to make room for more yarns. (This sickness is not new to me...) Posted some nice stuff up on ebay that I know will never get knitted by me.

Take a peak. Maybe there's something there you love.


Excess Kittens

My stash can relate to this!

Mohair?

This from my knitter friend who just got married.

"Married life is just like dating life but feels more solid and definite - kinda like knitting with mohair - can't unravel, just move forward."

Still Knitting

It's hard to keep up a blog about knitting when it's hard to find time to knit. But thinking back over the last few months, I've actually done a fair amount of knitting. But not so much blogging.

Over two years ago I was in Sea Ranch, CA, and found yarn made from sheep that graze their hills. I started something with the yarn at least four times and ripped it just as often. I couldn't find the correct pattern for this yarn.

Recently, while browsing the Winter 2007/2008 issue of Vogue Knitting, I spotted the perfect pattern for the Sea Ranch Wool -- a cabled scarf and hat. It's not like that's so unique -- but it was just right for this yarn.

It was a little bit of a challenge because the pattern was written in chart format. I've avoided charts in the past because they looked too scary, but it turned out to be less scary after I color-coded the right and wrong rows.

This wool, because it's made locally vs. at some big yarn manufacturer, had a very gamy smell and was kind of dirty. I couldn't wait to wash it to see what effect it would have on the yarn.

It turned out great. The color took on a less gray color, and felt smooth and soft. (Using some Bumble and Bumble conditioner in the final rinse might have helped!)

I put the drenched scarf in a lingerie bag on the spin cycle for a few minutes. Then I blocked it with pins on this gigantic blocking board that's been sitting in my closet gathering dust since I bought it last year.

Here it is, blocked and dried. I'm really happy with the outcome. The cables are highlighted nicely and the gamy stink is gone.





I'll start the hat shortly, I have to adjust the pattern slightly to fit my big fat head. I look forward to bringing them both with me on my next trip to Sea Ranch.

Interesting Commute

Thought the way the fog sat on the bridge this morning was cool.



And then there was this:



Not really sure what to say.

This is What Drives Me CRAZY about Weight Watchers

I just saw this on the ever-so-helpful Weight Watchers website:

"For 3 POINTS values* you can have half of a plain, small fast-food burger "

Excuse me, but who the FUCK eats half of a plain, small fast-food burger???

*POINTS values, for those not up on WW speak, means you can eat on average 22-24 points per day.

Did Paula Abdul Have It Right?

Ok, so I'm dating myself. But the Paula Abdul song "opposites attract" is not exactly a new concept. Opposites do attract. On one hand that makes perfect sense. You want people in your life who are different than you. But on the other hand -- it's kind of ironic. Think about it. Someone quiet winds up with someone loud. How annoying for the quiet person when all they want is silence.

Someone aggressive lands someone passive. How frustrating for the aggressive person to have to put up with all that passivity. Or someone neat marries someone who, let's just say, is not so neat.

My point is this:

My husband was on a business trip recently and I was meeting up with him to spend the weekend. By the time I arrived, he had been living in his hotel room for six days.

This is what the bathroom sink looked like (coffe cups were not his):




I'm not kidding. Six days! I arranged nothing for this photo.

After 6 minutes, this is what my side of the bathroom sink looked like:



Let's discuss. You're on a trip for about 8 days. You have 3 containers of liquid, some dental floss and toothpaste?

I'm gone for two stinking nights and the thought of fitting everything into one quart-sized ziploc so I can carry on luggage instead of checking is mind boggling.

Two words for a successful marriage:
Separate bathrooms!

Ok. Plus three more words: Breathe right strips...

The World's Brattiest Cat

The World's Biggest Cat

The Ten Month Socks

I started working on a pair of socks for my sister in March 07. I was on a plane to a trade show in Orlando and figured the five hour flight each way would give me a good head start. Plus, I had until November of that same year to finish them in time for her birthday. Piece of cake, I thought.

November came and went. No socks.

Christmas came and went. No socks.

I mailed them to her in January 08.

With this card:



Here's what they looked like:



I used Panda Cotton, a blend of 55% bamboo, 24% cotton and 21% elastic nylon. A really nice yarn. Smooth. Easy to knit with. It's a 4-ply, which can get a little tricky on size 1 needles if you're not careful, but overall a great yarn.

I spoke to my sister the other day and she's loving her socks. But it's already February. If I plan on knitting her something for this year's birthday I better get started now...

Knitted Curtains?

Come on.



I got this via email today from KnitPicks.

"Add a feminine touch to your kitchen with this lovely lacy curtain."

Lovely?

Feminine touch?

How desperate are we that we're making our kitchens feminine and knitting our own curtains??

Even Scarlet O'Hara would think this was retarded. Emails like this give knitters a bad name everywhere.

If you get to this point, it's time for a new hobby.

I'm not even going to mention the tea cozy also promoted in the email...

Dollar and a Half Sweater

I have many projects waiting to be started. I have many hanks and skanks and skeins of yarn waiting to become projects. But I've been scared off from making sweaters because my last few attempts have failed.

Then I saw the recent issue of Interweave Knits and I fell for the dollar and a half cardigan.



Sure it looked complicated. But at the same time it looked pretty simple. Twelve rows of reverse stockinettte, 12 rows of lace. Repeat. Sure it involves decreasing for the sleeves. And sure, some of this happens in the lace sections. And, oh right, there'a a cable thrown in there, too. But what the hell. I'm a trooper. I can get over my fear-of-making-sweaters and jump right in.

And jump I did. I even joined the Dollar and a Half KAL (which, for those not totally up on knitter's lingo, stands for Knit-a-Long -- a group of people who knit the same project and share their successes and sometime failures.) Gotta love knitters. One thing they're never short on is acronyms: KAL, LYS, WIP, UFO*...

Here's my first post to the KAL:

After driving myself crazy and swatching about 4 different yarns for this sweater, I finally decided on Solitaire in charcoal by GGH.


I had about 14 skeins of it in the drawer purchased for an entirely different project. Let's just say that project never happened...

I still love the sweater pattern planned for said yarn, but it's only written for a small and medium and I'm scared of the maths it will take to adjust the pattern. So I avoided it for more than a year, wondering if this nice yarn would ever become something other than balls taking up space in a drawer.

Enter Dollar and a Half Cardigan and Solitaire has found a home.


Chance Kitty approves of the sweater's start

It took a few swatches of lace practice to get it right, but once I remembered that it's a multiple of three PLUS one -- all worked out well. Al's tutorial for row 7 was extremely helpful, as well.


Close up of lace

I'm this far along on the back. I got a little nervous after the first few rows because I was getting the Michelin Man effect, so I blocked it to make sure it would look OK. That's why the bottom is flatter than the rest. (That's if you can see that in this crappy photo... )


Almost up to sleeve shaping...Scary

I have to say, getting the correct gauge in lace was a bit beyond my knitting abilities. It's measuring to the width I want, so hopefully it won't be too big or too small. (Not that I've even done that before.)

After completing the first section each of stockinette and lace, I didn't like that the stockinette section was wider than the lace. So I've altered the pattern a bit: in the the first row of reverse stockinette (a purl row) I decrease a total of 3 stitches. In the first row of the lace section (the knit row), I add the 3 stitches back in. I'm hoping this won't bite me in the ass later, but the edges are more even this way.

Being home sick with the cold from hell for the last week has really moved this project along. And I totally agree with Chef Messy. By the time I get to the end of the stockinette section, I'm so ready for something a little more exciting. Then, by the time I get to the end of the lace section, I'm so sick of counting I can't wait for the simplicity of purl a row, knit a row.

Wish me luck. I'm about to start decreasing for the sleeves...

*Now you can be hip to the lingo of the knitter: Local Yarn Store, Work in Progress, Unfinished Object.

Never Say Never

I never wanted to knit socks. Those tiny needles. All those tiny needles. And that skinny, skinny yarn. Why would anyone want to torture themselves knitting socks? Considering that they'll be hidden inside a pair of shoes or boots, or worse yet, worn around the house in your PJs.

I was totally Anti Sock.

But then, my sister who is a flight attendent, often picks up discarded books from passengers. To kill time at 30,000 feet, she reads. (She should really knit -- imagine how many things she could finish on those long flights??)

Anyway, when I last saw my sister, she had just finished reading "A Good Yarn" by Debbie Macomber. In a nutshell the book is about a few divorced woman and a depressed, overweight teenager who bond over a sock class at their local knitting store. (Need I say more about not wanting to ever knit socks?)

Sister: "I just read this book about knitted socks. Do you ever knit socks?"

Me: "No. Never. I hate the thought of knitting socks."

Sister: "But why? They sound like they'd be so soft and comfortable. This book I just read made them sound great. And they knit them on something called 2 sets of circulars."

Me: "Never. It's torture. Knitting on 2 sets of circulars is horrible. Sock knitting would put me in the looney bin in no time."

Fast forward a few weeks to me in my LYS.

Me: "My sister read this crazy book and now wants me to knit her a pair of socks."

Helen (owner of LYS): "You want to knit something for someone else? Are you feeling well?"

Me: "Yeah. Well. You know I'm not from the knitters-of-stuff-for-other-people crowd, but she is my sister."

Helen: "Well...yeah. And knitting socks is really fun. You'll become addicted (not like you need another yarn addiction.) And I have a class starting this Thursday night for 3 weeks."

So I signed up and learned how to knit myself a pair of socks. We used DPNs vs. 2 sets of circulars. Which is fine for me because I've used the 2 circulars to knit sleeves once and really didn't enjoy it. (Translation: I cursed a LOT.)


Progress


Completed


Heels together now


Yes, I stand like a duck

Here's what I learned from knitting socks:

• Those little needles are annoying. I sort of got used to them, but let's face it -- straight needle knitting is far easier.
• Knitting on a plane with double points is rather dangerous. The guy behind me was sick of looking for my lost needle. I think that's why dpn comes in sets of 5.
  
• I hated the fact that I did my first pair in stockenette. But it was quickest and we had to finish a large portion of the sock before each class and I was afraid anything else would have taken too long. It doesn't make for the most attractive sock, but I'm not about to rip these out and start over.
• Size 5 needles for socks make them just too damn fat.
• My husband keeps calling my socks "boots" because of how wide they are.
  
• He can not understand why anyone in their right mind would knit socks when they are available at Nordstrom for $4.
• I prefer the look of short row heel to the heel flap.
  
• The toe shaping on this particular pattern was a little too "pointy" but I assume there are other options out there.
• I know I took this class to make a pair of socks for my sister, but I couldn't give her the first pair I made. There are just too many things I want to change for her pair.
• I've finally learned that K2Tog slants to the right and SSK slants to the left.
  

Clearly, Helen was right. Knitting socks is somewhat addicting. Mostly because they are a challenge and I like a challenge. I even bought this book to learn other sock variations:



I've now got the yarn and needles for my sister's socks. Let's hope I finish them before the local looney bin comes a knockin'.