You'll hear it time and again... blocking lace is pure magic. A (maybe) pretty tangle of color becomes a defined work, holding it's own shape through the process of some strange alchemy of water and wool and a whole lot of pins.
A triangular shawl is an odd sort of torture. Casting on, there are only a few stitches. The first few rows hum by, the pattern starting to take shape and you can happily see the finish line easily in sight. That finish line somehow retreats further and further into the distance with each row, with each measly little stitch added. Just two stitches. Every other row. Wait... now that's 24 stitches more per pattern repeat? And I have to do this six times (or ten for the whole shawl)?? 'Scuse me while I get out my calculator... ack!
And yet somehow, I made it to then end--and then had to do an I-cord bind-off! Well, that at least went faster than I thought it would and gives a very lovely edge.
The Rare Gems colorway I picked up at Black Sheep Gathering merged with the Diamond Fantasy pattern perfectly. It is a deep, dark black with deep dark purple over most of its length, but here and there a spark of coral-pink or white peeks through. Part of me really wanted to see it as a sock, but I think in the end the shawl was the right choice.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Diamond Fantasy Scarf
I just can't resist toting stuff out into the back yard when the weather is as lovely as it has been lately. The grass is a gorgeous green and quite thick and comfy for lounging (or taking pictures). The kids love playing around and I get a bit of knitting done--or not.
My next Ravelympic project is progressing nicely. It's amazing how much knitting you can get done when you have three hours without interruption every night. I haven't actually been knitting that whole time (things like dishes and housework do interfere). But since my DH is unavailable for distraction through this Friday, I'm sure to get lots more knitting done.
I have finished the initial chart and three more repeats of the pattern. There are three more repeats to go, for a total of six repeats of the pattern in the "scarf" size of this pattern. It would be ten repeats if I were making the entire shawl, but I don't have enough yarn for that. Each repeat increases by 24 stitches, so it's hard to say when you're half done. I've never been able to calculate that sort of thing in my head and it's not worth it to break out the heavy-hitting equations when I could just sit down and knit some more.
I'm looking forward to being finished and blocking this baby this weekend!
My next Ravelympic project is progressing nicely. It's amazing how much knitting you can get done when you have three hours without interruption every night. I haven't actually been knitting that whole time (things like dishes and housework do interfere). But since my DH is unavailable for distraction through this Friday, I'm sure to get lots more knitting done.
I have finished the initial chart and three more repeats of the pattern. There are three more repeats to go, for a total of six repeats of the pattern in the "scarf" size of this pattern. It would be ten repeats if I were making the entire shawl, but I don't have enough yarn for that. Each repeat increases by 24 stitches, so it's hard to say when you're half done. I've never been able to calculate that sort of thing in my head and it's not worth it to break out the heavy-hitting equations when I could just sit down and knit some more.
I'm looking forward to being finished and blocking this baby this weekend!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
So close to a FO...
This pattern is just knitting up wonderfully. I am using the Foliage pattern from Knitty.com. I'm using fingering weight yarn on size 3 needles (when the original pattern calls for worsted or bulky on 7s or bigger), and I expanded the chart for the crown another six rows without much effort. Eventually I may post that chart, here.
The yarn I'm using is a heavier fingering weight known as Socks That Rock Mediumweight. The colorway is "Lucky" and it is the remainder of my yarn from the sock-club kit for March. Amazingly enough, I was left with a full 1/3 skein after knitting a pair of socks--that'd be 50g remaining from a 150 gram skein. Not too shabby. It calculates to about a 150 yards. I thought it would be enough for a fairly lacy hat. It almost WAS enough. But not quite.
As I turned the crown and started on the body of the hat I weighed my ball of yarn. After one repeat I weighed it again, and started calculating. After another repeat I weighed it once more, just to be certain. At that point I knew I had exactly enough for a third repeat of the pattern--when I wanted to do four. And ribbing to finish. ACK!
I rifled through my stash. The only other Mediumweight yarn I have is my skein of Faulty Dyer (which I won with my Hat for the Moon). I appealed to my sock club group on Ravelry, asking for opinions as to whether or not it would look good finishing off the hat (probably) or if I could get someone else's left over Lucky.
And it turns out that I am lucky! A kind fellow-sock-club-member said she'd drop her remainder in the mail on Monday. Even if it takes all week to get here that should be plenty of time to finish off this project before the end of the Olympics.
In the meantime, the next project is begun! My Diamond Fantasy Shawl is cast on and has a whopping 17 rows--and considering that's the point of a triangular shawl/scarf, it's hardly anything at all. Still the yarn for it is gorgeous and it's a nice change from the hat. I think I'll probably get a washcloth done some time this week, too.
But that hat is gonna bug me, sitting on the shelf unfinished.
The yarn I'm using is a heavier fingering weight known as Socks That Rock Mediumweight. The colorway is "Lucky" and it is the remainder of my yarn from the sock-club kit for March. Amazingly enough, I was left with a full 1/3 skein after knitting a pair of socks--that'd be 50g remaining from a 150 gram skein. Not too shabby. It calculates to about a 150 yards. I thought it would be enough for a fairly lacy hat. It almost WAS enough. But not quite.
As I turned the crown and started on the body of the hat I weighed my ball of yarn. After one repeat I weighed it again, and started calculating. After another repeat I weighed it once more, just to be certain. At that point I knew I had exactly enough for a third repeat of the pattern--when I wanted to do four. And ribbing to finish. ACK!
I rifled through my stash. The only other Mediumweight yarn I have is my skein of Faulty Dyer (which I won with my Hat for the Moon). I appealed to my sock club group on Ravelry, asking for opinions as to whether or not it would look good finishing off the hat (probably) or if I could get someone else's left over Lucky.
And it turns out that I am lucky! A kind fellow-sock-club-member said she'd drop her remainder in the mail on Monday. Even if it takes all week to get here that should be plenty of time to finish off this project before the end of the Olympics.
In the meantime, the next project is begun! My Diamond Fantasy Shawl is cast on and has a whopping 17 rows--and considering that's the point of a triangular shawl/scarf, it's hardly anything at all. Still the yarn for it is gorgeous and it's a nice change from the hat. I think I'll probably get a washcloth done some time this week, too.
But that hat is gonna bug me, sitting on the shelf unfinished.
Friday, August 8, 2008
And... they're off!!
I whipped out my first FO of the Ravelympics today, and I'm thrilled to be on my way to many completions!
On Thursday I received a very polite request to make up a pair of my baby booties for a baby shower coming up next week. We agreed on a fair exchange for them and I decided that if I was going to work on these in the middle of the Ravelympics, they darned well better be an official project, so I quickly added them to my list.
The pattern is a simple but lovely one and originates from Sockpixie. I've designed a simple variation on her all-garter-stitch booties, converting the uppers to stockinette. They still create a super-cute bootie, and they are much faster (and in my mind easier) to knit.
(9/5/08) I have moved my version of this bootie to its own post here.
On Thursday I received a very polite request to make up a pair of my baby booties for a baby shower coming up next week. We agreed on a fair exchange for them and I decided that if I was going to work on these in the middle of the Ravelympics, they darned well better be an official project, so I quickly added them to my list.
The pattern is a simple but lovely one and originates from Sockpixie. I've designed a simple variation on her all-garter-stitch booties, converting the uppers to stockinette. They still create a super-cute bootie, and they are much faster (and in my mind easier) to knit.
(9/5/08) I have moved my version of this bootie to its own post here.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Check out the Widget!
I've been seeing Ravelry progress bars on other blogs for a while. I signed up for it several months ago, but couldn't figure out how to incorporate the code into Blogger.
Finally, someone posted the trick of it, and I got my widget to work! Now you can watch (with awe, I know!!) as I blast through my Ravelympics projects.
Hahahahaha. Right.
Still, enjoy the widget. I know I do!
Finally, someone posted the trick of it, and I got my widget to work! Now you can watch (with awe, I know!!) as I blast through my Ravelympics projects.
Hahahahaha. Right.
Still, enjoy the widget. I know I do!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Getting Ready for the Ravelympics
As the Olympics swiftly approach, I am laying aside my current (secret!) project knitting, and working on a bunch of swatches for new projects.
This year is the first "Ravelympics". A group on Ravelry has developed to encourage us all to finish challenging projects over the course of the Olympics! I have, of course, gotten in way over my head on this idea. But in a way that was my plan from the start.
From the Ravelry Group Page I stole a bit of the overview:
In some ways, any project at all is a challenge for me. It's very tricky to find time to knit. Because if this I signed up for several! It does make an odd sort of sense, because they are all small projects. A true challenge would be a large stole, or a full sweater, neither of which I am prepared to commit to at this time. Because of my disappointment with my no-longer-fitting shrug, I've sworn off sweaters until after Christmas (when, hopefully, I will have achieved my weight-loss goal and be working on maintaining, rather than loosing more). And a shawl or stole--lets just say I want a challenge, but I don't want to go insane!
My first project will be to use up the 1/3 skein of Lucky yarn I have left over from my Leafling socks. I've swatched this yarn several times now on different needle sizes, and read around on patterns. I will be making Foliage. I found a couple of people that have done this in a lighter weight yarn than called for in the pattern (bulky or worsted), and in the end I expanded the chart in the pattern to 25 rows. This should accommodate my stitch/row gauge with the much lighter weight yarn.
My second project will be Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy Scarf. This project can be done as a shawl as well. But I've had some gorgeous Socks That Rock yarn earmarked to make the smaller scarf instead. I wasn't going to buy any yarn at the Black Sheep Gathering this year, but I couldn't walk by a few of the Rare Gems at the Blue Moon Fibre Arts booth! I think this will make a stunning scarf.
My third project will be a baby sweater kit I picked up while visiting my in-laws in Pennsylvania. I have sincere doubts I will make it this far, but since the spirit is to push your boundaries, I figured it was better to have a project that might fail, than to stay safe-and-sound under my limits.
In addition, when I get too tired of big things and need a "pick me up", I signed up to do several washcloths. If any (or all) of these don't get done, I could care less. But I know me, and I might as well get credit for the mini-projects I like to do in between bigger ones. Some days you just need something you can whip out FAST.
I know I'm in over my head. I'm positive I will finish the hat and a couple of washcloths. I'm hoping to get the scarf done as well. And if I finish the baby sweater, you can count me a true Ravalete!
Wish me luck!
This year is the first "Ravelympics". A group on Ravelry has developed to encourage us all to finish challenging projects over the course of the Olympics! I have, of course, gotten in way over my head on this idea. But in a way that was my plan from the start.
From the Ravelry Group Page I stole a bit of the overview:
What is it?:
The First International Ravelympics Summer 2008 are open to any knitter or crocheter on Ravelry ready to challenge themselves to complete a project (or projects) within 17 days during the Summer Olympics.Not to be confused with the Knitting Olympics which take place every four years, just like any other Olympic sport and will be orchestrated by the Yarn Harlot.
Concept:
You must cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics (Aug. 8)- and finish before the Olympic flame goes out (Aug. 24). That’s 17 days. Would you rather work on your burgeoning WIPs? Then join up for the WIPs Wrestling. All other events are for newly cast on projects!“Rules”:
The project must be a challenge for you to complete in 17 days.
No casting on before Opening Ceremonies commence in Beijing.
Finish before the flame goes out.
You may swatch before the games. (I consider this “training.”)
In some ways, any project at all is a challenge for me. It's very tricky to find time to knit. Because if this I signed up for several! It does make an odd sort of sense, because they are all small projects. A true challenge would be a large stole, or a full sweater, neither of which I am prepared to commit to at this time. Because of my disappointment with my no-longer-fitting shrug, I've sworn off sweaters until after Christmas (when, hopefully, I will have achieved my weight-loss goal and be working on maintaining, rather than loosing more). And a shawl or stole--lets just say I want a challenge, but I don't want to go insane!
My first project will be to use up the 1/3 skein of Lucky yarn I have left over from my Leafling socks. I've swatched this yarn several times now on different needle sizes, and read around on patterns. I will be making Foliage. I found a couple of people that have done this in a lighter weight yarn than called for in the pattern (bulky or worsted), and in the end I expanded the chart in the pattern to 25 rows. This should accommodate my stitch/row gauge with the much lighter weight yarn.
My second project will be Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy Scarf. This project can be done as a shawl as well. But I've had some gorgeous Socks That Rock yarn earmarked to make the smaller scarf instead. I wasn't going to buy any yarn at the Black Sheep Gathering this year, but I couldn't walk by a few of the Rare Gems at the Blue Moon Fibre Arts booth! I think this will make a stunning scarf.
My third project will be a baby sweater kit I picked up while visiting my in-laws in Pennsylvania. I have sincere doubts I will make it this far, but since the spirit is to push your boundaries, I figured it was better to have a project that might fail, than to stay safe-and-sound under my limits.
In addition, when I get too tired of big things and need a "pick me up", I signed up to do several washcloths. If any (or all) of these don't get done, I could care less. But I know me, and I might as well get credit for the mini-projects I like to do in between bigger ones. Some days you just need something you can whip out FAST.
I know I'm in over my head. I'm positive I will finish the hat and a couple of washcloths. I'm hoping to get the scarf done as well. And if I finish the baby sweater, you can count me a true Ravalete!
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Little Valentines
Another sidetrack from my current project, I whipped up a quick Valentino Bear. This little project has been waiting patiently in the sidelines to be slipped in between some others and the impending arrival of a new family member finally pushed me to get him done. Valentino's "sister", Valentina, is intended as a gift for the newborn (when she arrives) and Valentino is for her lucky big brother! Valentino is modeled here by my DD, who came out to help me take a few photos while her little brother was sleeping.
I'm looking forward to packaging these up with a couple of really fun DVDs.
The project this usurped for a day is another gift in my bag, this one for Christmas, for Mom... so I'm not quite sure how to blog about it. Too many pictures, and, well, I know I couldn't resist the temptation to peek!! So for now, that one stays under wraps, to be blogged at a later date. With any luck I'll wrap it up quickly and move onto some more Socks that Rock! The July package should be here any day now and I'm watching my mailbox with much anticipation.
I'm looking forward to packaging these up with a couple of really fun DVDs.
The project this usurped for a day is another gift in my bag, this one for Christmas, for Mom... so I'm not quite sure how to blog about it. Too many pictures, and, well, I know I couldn't resist the temptation to peek!! So for now, that one stays under wraps, to be blogged at a later date. With any luck I'll wrap it up quickly and move onto some more Socks that Rock! The July package should be here any day now and I'm watching my mailbox with much anticipation.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Washcloth Saga
Back in February I picked up a hobby knitting machine by Singer. The Machine Knitters group on Ravelry was a huge help, talking about different options available--most of which were far outside my need and price-range. Even the Sweater Machine available at Ben Franklin (and JoAnne Fabrics) was far more than I really wanted.
I wasn't really sure if machine knitting would be a "thing" for me. After all, I do enjoy the process of knitting. Even more I enjoy the finished product, but using the machine illustrates to me that I do really like the tactile activity of knitting.
Still, that said, it's a handy bit of equipment.
I love my hand-knit washcloths. In fact, a washcloth is the very first project I ever made. My grandmother and mother visited soon after I moved to Oregon, and they brought with them bamboo needles and Peaches 'n' Cream yarn, and a new knitter was created. Unfortunately, my nice, clean washcloths seem to end up in a ball in the bottom of the sink far too often. It doesn't take long before they start to stink. Vinegar and bleach do some to kill the smell, but invariably it comes back.
Today I figured I'd try a machine-knit washcloth. It took about ten minutes to get the hang of the machine again. After that it was hardly another ten before I was binding it off and cleaning up the cast-on edge. It may or may not take over my hand-knit cloths for a time, until I run out of socks, shawls and other projects to finish that deserve more personal attention. A hand-knit washcloth still has more personality (and at my gauge is a bit firmer-made than this machine-knit version) and it doesn't take terribly long to make one. Still, it's time I'd prefer to put into other projects right now.
And maybe a in a couple more years I may manage to train DH to not leave my hand-knit goods balled up in the bottom of the sink!!
I wasn't really sure if machine knitting would be a "thing" for me. After all, I do enjoy the process of knitting. Even more I enjoy the finished product, but using the machine illustrates to me that I do really like the tactile activity of knitting.
Still, that said, it's a handy bit of equipment.
I love my hand-knit washcloths. In fact, a washcloth is the very first project I ever made. My grandmother and mother visited soon after I moved to Oregon, and they brought with them bamboo needles and Peaches 'n' Cream yarn, and a new knitter was created. Unfortunately, my nice, clean washcloths seem to end up in a ball in the bottom of the sink far too often. It doesn't take long before they start to stink. Vinegar and bleach do some to kill the smell, but invariably it comes back.
Today I figured I'd try a machine-knit washcloth. It took about ten minutes to get the hang of the machine again. After that it was hardly another ten before I was binding it off and cleaning up the cast-on edge. It may or may not take over my hand-knit cloths for a time, until I run out of socks, shawls and other projects to finish that deserve more personal attention. A hand-knit washcloth still has more personality (and at my gauge is a bit firmer-made than this machine-knit version) and it doesn't take terribly long to make one. Still, it's time I'd prefer to put into other projects right now.
And maybe a in a couple more years I may manage to train DH to not leave my hand-knit goods balled up in the bottom of the sink!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Fastest knit yet
I finally got off my duff and got back on track with my Sock Club socks for this year. I'm three months and two packages behind, and the next comes mid-July so it's certainly time to get going.
So it's happy for me that the March shipment was Socks that Rock in the Mediumweight style. Mediumweight comes in at a heavy fingering or perhaps Sport weight yarn. I haven't ever knit with Sport, so it's hard for me to say definitively. It is noticeably thicker than the Lightweight, tho, and makes a significantly different sock.
This colorway is called "Lucky" and arrived appropriately near St. Patrick's Day this year. It has a wonderful spring to it. I'm using size 2 (2.75mm) needles and they seem HUGE. It's amusing how relative our perceptions can be. I got used to working on 0s and now everything else seems really big in my hands. But going to 0s (from knitting hats on 11s) was pretty crazy, too!
The sock pattern is named "Leafling" and it meshes wonderfully with the colorway. There is a very subtle striping that could have easily been pooling or flashing. It would have been had I worked the sock over the suggested 60 stitches. However, after knitting the cuff it became clear that even the "small" size for this pattern was going to be huge.
The upside of being behind the rest of the club is that everyone else has already figured this stuff out. I was able to find someone else's (thingwhatsqueeks on Ravelry, are your ears burning?) commentary on working the sock over 54 stitches. While I could have figured it out myself, it went much faster to read her notes and jump in from there, especially with how well she wrote it up.
Another user on Ravelry did a great modified toe, but I decided I didn't quite like it. So I made my own. The decreases for the toe start in the pattern itself and near the very end I added additional decreases on either side of the pattern. It came out lovely.
I'm already well into the second sock and anticipate finishing them this weekend.
So it's happy for me that the March shipment was Socks that Rock in the Mediumweight style. Mediumweight comes in at a heavy fingering or perhaps Sport weight yarn. I haven't ever knit with Sport, so it's hard for me to say definitively. It is noticeably thicker than the Lightweight, tho, and makes a significantly different sock.
This colorway is called "Lucky" and arrived appropriately near St. Patrick's Day this year. It has a wonderful spring to it. I'm using size 2 (2.75mm) needles and they seem HUGE. It's amusing how relative our perceptions can be. I got used to working on 0s and now everything else seems really big in my hands. But going to 0s (from knitting hats on 11s) was pretty crazy, too!
The sock pattern is named "Leafling" and it meshes wonderfully with the colorway. There is a very subtle striping that could have easily been pooling or flashing. It would have been had I worked the sock over the suggested 60 stitches. However, after knitting the cuff it became clear that even the "small" size for this pattern was going to be huge.
The upside of being behind the rest of the club is that everyone else has already figured this stuff out. I was able to find someone else's (thingwhatsqueeks on Ravelry, are your ears burning?) commentary on working the sock over 54 stitches. While I could have figured it out myself, it went much faster to read her notes and jump in from there, especially with how well she wrote it up.
Another user on Ravelry did a great modified toe, but I decided I didn't quite like it. So I made my own. The decreases for the toe start in the pattern itself and near the very end I added additional decreases on either side of the pattern. It came out lovely.
I'm already well into the second sock and anticipate finishing them this weekend.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Others have said it, and still more will, but Cat Bordhi is a genius. She spent the time, effort and research and deciphered entire new ways of putting socks together. Her techniques are still catching on around the sock-designing world and it is really fascinating to see the bits and pieces show up in patterns.
I very much enjoyed putting together her two pair of practice socks. They're sized for infants and done on DK-weight yarn (5 sts/inch) so calling it a fast knit is a vast understatement.
I've had a couple done for a while now, and decided to finish off the ball of yarn knitting the second sock of each so that they could be given away as a pair, rather than just sitting around doing "nothing" (other than looking darned cute). I used a single ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (cashmere, merino, microfiber blend) in a periwinkle blue. It was the last ball of a particular dye lot at our LYS and they mark those down significantly--perfect for experimental knitting. The yarn is just luscious.
The book itself is pretty interesting and I recommend it as a good read--if you're the kind of person that likes to read knitting books that is! The side-panels are good resources of tips and tricks that can be taken into any other project. Cat's left and right increases are very easy once you get the hang of them, and quite attractive. Her method to conceal wraps works well and is explained with great images to convey all the details. I'm not sure the patterns themselves do a whole lot for me, but they're a lot of fun to look through!
The practice socks are entirely worth the effort. I'm pleased to have done them, as I've already put what I learned from them to use in my own designing, and in patterns I've received recently from other designers employ Cat's techniques.
I very much enjoyed putting together her two pair of practice socks. They're sized for infants and done on DK-weight yarn (5 sts/inch) so calling it a fast knit is a vast understatement.
I've had a couple done for a while now, and decided to finish off the ball of yarn knitting the second sock of each so that they could be given away as a pair, rather than just sitting around doing "nothing" (other than looking darned cute). I used a single ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (cashmere, merino, microfiber blend) in a periwinkle blue. It was the last ball of a particular dye lot at our LYS and they mark those down significantly--perfect for experimental knitting. The yarn is just luscious.
The book itself is pretty interesting and I recommend it as a good read--if you're the kind of person that likes to read knitting books that is! The side-panels are good resources of tips and tricks that can be taken into any other project. Cat's left and right increases are very easy once you get the hang of them, and quite attractive. Her method to conceal wraps works well and is explained with great images to convey all the details. I'm not sure the patterns themselves do a whole lot for me, but they're a lot of fun to look through!
The practice socks are entirely worth the effort. I'm pleased to have done them, as I've already put what I learned from them to use in my own designing, and in patterns I've received recently from other designers employ Cat's techniques.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Pain and Humor under the Frog
Okay, so maybe the title makes no sense. I tend to get whimsical or poetic at odd moments and who knows if it translates.
My poor not-so-little Anastasia socks hit the frog pond once again this afternoon. I took them with me to share with friends at our usual Friday morning activity. All well and good. I put them on, strutted around, and then peeked down at the right sock and said, "Huh. Why are the back decreases here on the side of my leg? Let me just TWIST that around and... huh. That's not right."
So I took them off and gave it a good look and--sure enough--I put the calf decreases up the inside edge of my leg, instead of the back. They were 90-degrees off! ACK! It seems when I wasn't paying attention I chose the wrong pair of needles as the point of the 'heel' and just worked all my decreases without ever checking. Ooops.
I debated for a while. Could I possibly just wear them this way? It'd be humorous. I could show off my little mistake and laugh. Yah. Sure I could. When I got home, in when the needles just below the decreases and out came the yarn. What a shame, since I washed them yesterday as well. The yarn had its memory and it was QUITE crinkly. Still, re-knitting isn't so bad and I managed to get the whole cuff done in the course of the afternoon, getting a row or two in when the moment presented itself.
It's a good thing, because I really wanted to wear them tomorrow to go by the Black Sheep Gathering in town and show off my first almost-design!
My poor not-so-little Anastasia socks hit the frog pond once again this afternoon. I took them with me to share with friends at our usual Friday morning activity. All well and good. I put them on, strutted around, and then peeked down at the right sock and said, "Huh. Why are the back decreases here on the side of my leg? Let me just TWIST that around and... huh. That's not right."
So I took them off and gave it a good look and--sure enough--I put the calf decreases up the inside edge of my leg, instead of the back. They were 90-degrees off! ACK! It seems when I wasn't paying attention I chose the wrong pair of needles as the point of the 'heel' and just worked all my decreases without ever checking. Ooops.
I debated for a while. Could I possibly just wear them this way? It'd be humorous. I could show off my little mistake and laugh. Yah. Sure I could. When I got home, in when the needles just below the decreases and out came the yarn. What a shame, since I washed them yesterday as well. The yarn had its memory and it was QUITE crinkly. Still, re-knitting isn't so bad and I managed to get the whole cuff done in the course of the afternoon, getting a row or two in when the moment presented itself.
It's a good thing, because I really wanted to wear them tomorrow to go by the Black Sheep Gathering in town and show off my first almost-design!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Anastasia on a Misty Night!
I love finishing projects. There are times when I get bogged down and I just have to do something small and quick in order to get something DONE. Completion makes my day.
So, now my day is awesome! I finished the last eight rows of 2x2 ribbing on my Anastasia knee socks and bound off. I think I might have bound off knitwise on the first sock, and purlwise on the second, but right now I'm not going to think about it!! I put them on and then fiddled around trying to get a good picture with my camera. It's harder than it sounds like, getting angles and flash and focus to come together. My poor little remote died on me and it makes it that much trickier. Right now I'm focusing on a chair, hitting the "10-second-delay" and running to swap myself in for the chair. Woo.
The details:
I did not use a short-row toe, but rather Judy's Magic Cast-on. I'll be trying a short-row toe soon for a Rockin' Sock Club sock, but I've really enjoyed Judy's and I'm happy I used it here. I also took the reinforced heel used in Knitty.com's Widdershins sock, and a couple of other versions of the same heel I found elsewhere, and recalculated it for a 60-stitch sock (50 heel sts after gusset). I didn't do it quite right, but knew there might be a gap and when I finished the heel I simply picked up a stitch in-between my heel and instep on both sides and knit it together with the following stitch. Viola! No gap.
Starting mid-calf I put in one stitch in each pattern-section (between eyelets). That's four stitches in a round and approximately 1/2" increase in circumference. I did that three total times, at the end of the last three pattern repeats. Each pattern repeat goes up the leg 2" so it was a nice gradual increase.
I brought 1x1 twisted ribbing down into the spiral, giving the ribbing a saw-tooth transition against the spiral. It looks VERY nice. Then I ran out of yarn. At that point I switched over to Koigu KPPPM and did another few rows in the 1x1 ribbing.
To give the top a little extra bounce, I switched to 2x2 ribbing. I decrease two stitches every four rows, making for a pretty little pattern on the back of the calf. This countering of the earlier increases makes for a very shapely and well-fitting sock.
1. Anastasia knee socks, 2. Another pose, 3. Calf decreases, 4. Original Sock, 5. Foot detail, 6. Twisted rib cuff, 7. Hand-dyed "Misty Night", 8. Another glamour shot, 9. Knit Picks Bare Yarn sock-block
So, now my day is awesome! I finished the last eight rows of 2x2 ribbing on my Anastasia knee socks and bound off. I think I might have bound off knitwise on the first sock, and purlwise on the second, but right now I'm not going to think about it!! I put them on and then fiddled around trying to get a good picture with my camera. It's harder than it sounds like, getting angles and flash and focus to come together. My poor little remote died on me and it makes it that much trickier. Right now I'm focusing on a chair, hitting the "10-second-delay" and running to swap myself in for the chair. Woo.
The details:
I did not use a short-row toe, but rather Judy's Magic Cast-on. I'll be trying a short-row toe soon for a Rockin' Sock Club sock, but I've really enjoyed Judy's and I'm happy I used it here. I also took the reinforced heel used in Knitty.com's Widdershins sock, and a couple of other versions of the same heel I found elsewhere, and recalculated it for a 60-stitch sock (50 heel sts after gusset). I didn't do it quite right, but knew there might be a gap and when I finished the heel I simply picked up a stitch in-between my heel and instep on both sides and knit it together with the following stitch. Viola! No gap.
Starting mid-calf I put in one stitch in each pattern-section (between eyelets). That's four stitches in a round and approximately 1/2" increase in circumference. I did that three total times, at the end of the last three pattern repeats. Each pattern repeat goes up the leg 2" so it was a nice gradual increase.
I brought 1x1 twisted ribbing down into the spiral, giving the ribbing a saw-tooth transition against the spiral. It looks VERY nice. Then I ran out of yarn. At that point I switched over to Koigu KPPPM and did another few rows in the 1x1 ribbing.
To give the top a little extra bounce, I switched to 2x2 ribbing. I decrease two stitches every four rows, making for a pretty little pattern on the back of the calf. This countering of the earlier increases makes for a very shapely and well-fitting sock.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Frogging - Poor, poor Anastasia!
Anastasia has met her maker--me. I pulled back to the increase, completely frogging the cuff and transition. I'm not looking forward to re-knitting 1x1 twisted rib! But it just wasn't working. The sock slouched within minutes of its first trial. Her mate has the first increase at the 4th repeat of the pattern, and another at the start of the 5th repeat (the new transition).
I also found some yarn that perfectly matches the colors I dyed--which is frankly amazing. The downside is that it is Koigu KPPPM (is that really a downside?). Amusingly enough, one of the Koigu is twice the cost of the KnitPicks Bare. They also don't have exactly the same texture--but I'm going to go with it anyway. The Koigu is white and flecked with the whole range of shades of blue I dyed. I think it's going to look gorgeous as the cuff.
I'm going to take the left sock with me tonight to knit and see if I get to the end of the Bare and into Koigu. I have a new chart with plans to decrease and switch to a 2x2 rib at the top in order to cling around the knee and stay up. Here's hoping it works!
I also found some yarn that perfectly matches the colors I dyed--which is frankly amazing. The downside is that it is Koigu KPPPM (is that really a downside?). Amusingly enough, one of the Koigu is twice the cost of the KnitPicks Bare. They also don't have exactly the same texture--but I'm going to go with it anyway. The Koigu is white and flecked with the whole range of shades of blue I dyed. I think it's going to look gorgeous as the cuff.
I'm going to take the left sock with me tonight to knit and see if I get to the end of the Bare and into Koigu. I have a new chart with plans to decrease and switch to a 2x2 rib at the top in order to cling around the knee and stay up. Here's hoping it works!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Twin Magic Slippers
A very good friend of mine saw my earlier baby slippers and asked very nicely if she couldn't get two pair for her friend, due to have twins in August. I, of course, said 'SURE!' and then promptly set about several other projects in the meantime (not the least of which was the Icosa Ball, and we all know how long THAT little project took!).
Fortunately, she's pretty relaxed about the whole thing, and I took pains to reassure her that they would be done.
However, I'm not sure these will work. Well, they'd work for me because the darned little slippers are cuter than a button! But they're not knit out of the sock yarn my friend bought specifically for the purpose. In fact, I might be taking that yarn back to the store if she likes these.
Instead, these four slippers are knit out of the remnants of my Little Twisted Socks (eggplant colored Reynolds Soft Sea Wool) and the leftover green from the Icosa Ball (ShibuiKnits Sock yarn in the Seaweed colorway). I got the idea from the fact that the Shibui is nearly the exact same color as the yarn she picked out, but there clearly wasn't enough of it left to make four full booties. The textures of the two yarns are significantly different. The Reynolds is slightly heavier fingering, and possibly even sport weight. Still, the two mesh wonderfully, since the heavier yarn does well as the 'sole' of a shoe.
I'm going to poke around and try and find the perfect buttons to finish these little lovely things off!
Fortunately, she's pretty relaxed about the whole thing, and I took pains to reassure her that they would be done.
However, I'm not sure these will work. Well, they'd work for me because the darned little slippers are cuter than a button! But they're not knit out of the sock yarn my friend bought specifically for the purpose. In fact, I might be taking that yarn back to the store if she likes these.
Instead, these four slippers are knit out of the remnants of my Little Twisted Socks (eggplant colored Reynolds Soft Sea Wool) and the leftover green from the Icosa Ball (ShibuiKnits Sock yarn in the Seaweed colorway). I got the idea from the fact that the Shibui is nearly the exact same color as the yarn she picked out, but there clearly wasn't enough of it left to make four full booties. The textures of the two yarns are significantly different. The Reynolds is slightly heavier fingering, and possibly even sport weight. Still, the two mesh wonderfully, since the heavier yarn does well as the 'sole' of a shoe.
I'm going to poke around and try and find the perfect buttons to finish these little lovely things off!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
One done!
... and the other nearly so. I knit these sequentially, and the second sock is done until the final repeat of the spiral, so there is only the spiral with increases, and the cuff left to knit. No second sock syndrome for me!
I'm really happy with how they've turned out. The sock is quite pretty. The yarn has a very 'tweeded' effect from dying the two strands next to each other. Where the strands touch, the dye doesn't take as much, leaving lighter spots throughout.
This sock is knit toe-up, starting with Judy's Magic Cast-On. The spiral pattern is from Pepperknit.com, called Anastasia. The gusset was made using Cat Bordhi's LLinc and LRinc, and the heel is a slip-stitch flap extrapolated from several other patterns. It's not quite right, but a couple of picked-up stitches on the last row closed a possible hole before it could be an issue.
The cuff is my own design. I didn't like how abrupt the cuff was in the Anastasia pattern, so I extended it down into the spiral pattern below, and went with a 1x1 twisted rib all the way to the top. The final spiral increases 1/2" and the rib another 1" to fit the calf.
Unfortunately they came out just one inch short of a true knee-sock. I may yet have to pick up the stitches at the top and use another yarn to extend them a bit further. I am thinking of decreasing at that point over the bulk of my calf and using a 2x2 rib to make it more elastic and keep the socks up. Just a test-wear of the one sock proves to me that as-is, it is going to be a challenge to keep them on.
I'm really happy with how they've turned out. The sock is quite pretty. The yarn has a very 'tweeded' effect from dying the two strands next to each other. Where the strands touch, the dye doesn't take as much, leaving lighter spots throughout.
This sock is knit toe-up, starting with Judy's Magic Cast-On. The spiral pattern is from Pepperknit.com, called Anastasia. The gusset was made using Cat Bordhi's LLinc and LRinc, and the heel is a slip-stitch flap extrapolated from several other patterns. It's not quite right, but a couple of picked-up stitches on the last row closed a possible hole before it could be an issue.
The cuff is my own design. I didn't like how abrupt the cuff was in the Anastasia pattern, so I extended it down into the spiral pattern below, and went with a 1x1 twisted rib all the way to the top. The final spiral increases 1/2" and the rib another 1" to fit the calf.
Unfortunately they came out just one inch short of a true knee-sock. I may yet have to pick up the stitches at the top and use another yarn to extend them a bit further. I am thinking of decreasing at that point over the bulk of my calf and using a 2x2 rib to make it more elastic and keep the socks up. Just a test-wear of the one sock proves to me that as-is, it is going to be a challenge to keep them on.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Next Project
On May 15th, I started my next project--a pair of socks. The interesting thing about THESE particular socks, is that they are largely my own design. They are not ENTIRELY my own design. In fact the pattern is based largely off of one by Pepperknits called Anastasia. Only I didn't like the short-row toe. And I didn't like the heel... and I wanted them to be taller...
The journey to these socks is a long one. I've been "lurking" on a group on Ravelry called Love to Dye, which is a group of people that dye yarn and roving by various methods. Several of them dye massive lots for sock clubs and retail sale. Many of them are Etsy shop-owners. And then there are those of us that dabble out of curiosity. After lurking and reading and thinking, and being inspired by a local spinner/dyer (Janis, the owner of Dyelots here in town) I decided to make a "Sock Block" which I talked about a lot in February and thus won't tell you all about it yet again.
I wanted a very simple pattern to knit my socks, but not a plain vanilla sock. It needed a little lace or cabling just to give it interest. I considered the Coriolis pattern from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters, but I didn't feel like jumping right into that pattern. I decided I wanted some very specific things.
It needed to be toe-up, to use ALL of the gradient I dyed, especially since I wasn't able to keep the end of it as pale as I wanted it to be (I wanted the block to fade completely to white, but the superwash sucked up the dye a lot faster than I thought it would). I wanted a heel-flap, which I've never done with a toe-up sock. And I wanted that flap to use slip-stitches for reinforcement.
My gauge worked out to 60 sts for the ease I wanted. I started with "Judy's Magic Cast-On", which is about as slick of a trick for a toe-up-sock as you can use. I began the Anastasia pattern across the top of the foot, but when I got to the heel, I ran into a couple of problems. I could not, for the life of me, find a slip-stitch toe-up heel-flap pattern for a 60-stitch sock (my gussets took me up to 70 sts total). I found one that I thought would work and on my first try, somehow I had a misfiring of the brain and made the heel flap with no slipped stitches... WHAT IS THE POINT? Might as well have done a short-row heel. I finally extrapolated from a couple of other patterns and went back and figured it out. I think my heel is offset by maybe one stitch on one side, but I resolved the hole that created by picking up the bar between two stitches and knitting into it, twisted and knitting that together with the next stitch. Thus, no more hole.
My left sock is done more than half-way up the leg. I'm now contemplating increases for the calf. While I consider that little challenge, I've ripped out my plain heel on the right sock and am re-turning it and knitting it with slipped stitches. That should give me plenty of time to figure out exactly how to finish the socks!
The journey to these socks is a long one. I've been "lurking" on a group on Ravelry called Love to Dye, which is a group of people that dye yarn and roving by various methods. Several of them dye massive lots for sock clubs and retail sale. Many of them are Etsy shop-owners. And then there are those of us that dabble out of curiosity. After lurking and reading and thinking, and being inspired by a local spinner/dyer (Janis, the owner of Dyelots here in town) I decided to make a "Sock Block" which I talked about a lot in February and thus won't tell you all about it yet again.
I wanted a very simple pattern to knit my socks, but not a plain vanilla sock. It needed a little lace or cabling just to give it interest. I considered the Coriolis pattern from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters, but I didn't feel like jumping right into that pattern. I decided I wanted some very specific things.
It needed to be toe-up, to use ALL of the gradient I dyed, especially since I wasn't able to keep the end of it as pale as I wanted it to be (I wanted the block to fade completely to white, but the superwash sucked up the dye a lot faster than I thought it would). I wanted a heel-flap, which I've never done with a toe-up sock. And I wanted that flap to use slip-stitches for reinforcement.
My gauge worked out to 60 sts for the ease I wanted. I started with "Judy's Magic Cast-On", which is about as slick of a trick for a toe-up-sock as you can use. I began the Anastasia pattern across the top of the foot, but when I got to the heel, I ran into a couple of problems. I could not, for the life of me, find a slip-stitch toe-up heel-flap pattern for a 60-stitch sock (my gussets took me up to 70 sts total). I found one that I thought would work and on my first try, somehow I had a misfiring of the brain and made the heel flap with no slipped stitches... WHAT IS THE POINT? Might as well have done a short-row heel. I finally extrapolated from a couple of other patterns and went back and figured it out. I think my heel is offset by maybe one stitch on one side, but I resolved the hole that created by picking up the bar between two stitches and knitting into it, twisted and knitting that together with the next stitch. Thus, no more hole.
My left sock is done more than half-way up the leg. I'm now contemplating increases for the calf. While I consider that little challenge, I've ripped out my plain heel on the right sock and am re-turning it and knitting it with slipped stitches. That should give me plenty of time to figure out exactly how to finish the socks!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
It's done! It's done!
The Icosa Ball is DONE!! YIPPEE!!
I decided near the end to put in a zipper along one seam rather than graft it shut over the ball. It felt like a wise choice, considering that two kids in my house could make a total mess of this massive amount of work. The zipper doesn't go down the middle of the graft, tho. On my drive home after discussing it with my Monday night knitting group, I had a "brilliant" idea. Instead I ran it down right next to the green purls on two triangles, and on the other side I knit the band between them the full five rows of stockinette (this replaces two rows on both sides of stockinette with a fifth grafted row between). It worked great! You can hardly find the zipper now. It's a bit of a wrestling match to get the ball in and out again, but that's just fine.
I made a couple of other changes to this pattern as well. The apexes were to be grafted shut by picking up ten stitches and then pulling yarn through them twice. I picked up twenty (one for each knit row and skipping the grafted row) and then K2Tog for one round. II then pulled the yarn through the remaining stitches twice and knotted it off. I think it gives it a smoother appearance.
Now, I can finally jump into some socks!
I decided near the end to put in a zipper along one seam rather than graft it shut over the ball. It felt like a wise choice, considering that two kids in my house could make a total mess of this massive amount of work. The zipper doesn't go down the middle of the graft, tho. On my drive home after discussing it with my Monday night knitting group, I had a "brilliant" idea. Instead I ran it down right next to the green purls on two triangles, and on the other side I knit the band between them the full five rows of stockinette (this replaces two rows on both sides of stockinette with a fifth grafted row between). It worked great! You can hardly find the zipper now. It's a bit of a wrestling match to get the ball in and out again, but that's just fine.
I made a couple of other changes to this pattern as well. The apexes were to be grafted shut by picking up ten stitches and then pulling yarn through them twice. I picked up twenty (one for each knit row and skipping the grafted row) and then K2Tog for one round. II then pulled the yarn through the remaining stitches twice and knotted it off. I think it gives it a smoother appearance.
Now, I can finally jump into some socks!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Icosa Ball - The finish line is in sight!
Here we are again with the Icosa Ball! I can't say I've ever started-and-stopped- and-started-again any project as much as I have this one. Lots of little things have slipped into the middle of it. I think that some of it is because of its modular nature. It is very easy between creating triangles to pop off and do some other project.
Because of that I've been very worried it would end up in la-la land for an extended period of time. This morning I took it out and finished off the three open apexes (apeces?) and pulled it onto the pillow. I think it's going to look great!
On the list left to do: five triangles, ten grafts and six apexes. Maybe I'll be able to take it to my knitting group on Monday the 19th!
Because of that I've been very worried it would end up in la-la land for an extended period of time. This morning I took it out and finished off the three open apexes (apeces?) and pulled it onto the pillow. I think it's going to look great!
On the list left to do: five triangles, ten grafts and six apexes. Maybe I'll be able to take it to my knitting group on Monday the 19th!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Sweater Sampler
It's done! I ran out of the black yarn, but it wasn't a tragedy. Rather than doing the bind-offs in the dark color, I simply did them in the white. There isn't any color-contrast visually, but it's not like I'm going to wear the thing! I also twisted some extra sock yarn into the cord for the top, rather than knitting an I-Cord. I'm sure the I-Cord would be more attractive. It would also be repetitive and unnecessarily annoying and boring.
Instead, this project was a lot of fun to knit; it was very easy and fast. I especially enjoyed getting to the colorwork. It made me extremely happy to have finished the Baby Kimono not so long ago. I was able to work the black using Continental style knitting, and continue knitting with the white in English style. The color-knitting went very, very fast. I had no problem with tension. There is no puckering, or loose strands. I even figured out a nice method to tack down the white yarn in the back as I went along.
There are a LOT more pictures at Flickr, so be sure to follow the link!
Instead, this project was a lot of fun to knit; it was very easy and fast. I especially enjoyed getting to the colorwork. It made me extremely happy to have finished the Baby Kimono not so long ago. I was able to work the black using Continental style knitting, and continue knitting with the white in English style. The color-knitting went very, very fast. I had no problem with tension. There is no puckering, or loose strands. I even figured out a nice method to tack down the white yarn in the back as I went along.
There are a LOT more pictures at Flickr, so be sure to follow the link!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Progress and Procrastination
I've finally managed more progress on the Icosa Ball! I just don't have pictures of it. What I did snap off real quickly was a shot of Jacqueline Fee's Sweater Sampler that I started to work on in-between triangles. It's nice to work on some larger yarn/needles and in the round as well. It is easy work, and fast. The sampler is interesting as well, although most of it so far hasn't pushed me with anything new. The color-work isn't until the very end.
I had a 'soft goal' that I wouldn't start any new project until I finished five triangles for the Icosa Ball. I did sneak in a bit early on that with the sampler... but I do have five more done and grafted onto the main work!! I also started to close the apex-holes on the portions already fully grafted. I don't like to second-guess the designer, but I am closing them slightly different. His instructions state to pick up 10 stitches around the whole and graft it shut--not very obvious what to do there. Since there are five rows per side of the pentagonal hole (one is the grafted 'row') I picked up a stitch from each of the four knit rows for a total of 20 stitches. Then I k2tog around, pulled the yarn through the remaining stitches twice, and pulled it tight. I really like the look of it and it matches the rest of the seams, as well as the cast-on at the center of each triangle.
I took the time today to pull what is done over the pillow-form and I'm just not liking the match. So I doubled up some thread and gathered the top and bottom of the pillow tighter. I hope it will reduce the size just enough to fit better, because I really don't want to unstuff the whole thing and sew the seams again to make the entire pillow smaller. With any luck it will do the trick as I finish and graft on the last five triangles.
I had a 'soft goal' that I wouldn't start any new project until I finished five triangles for the Icosa Ball. I did sneak in a bit early on that with the sampler... but I do have five more done and grafted onto the main work!! I also started to close the apex-holes on the portions already fully grafted. I don't like to second-guess the designer, but I am closing them slightly different. His instructions state to pick up 10 stitches around the whole and graft it shut--not very obvious what to do there. Since there are five rows per side of the pentagonal hole (one is the grafted 'row') I picked up a stitch from each of the four knit rows for a total of 20 stitches. Then I k2tog around, pulled the yarn through the remaining stitches twice, and pulled it tight. I really like the look of it and it matches the rest of the seams, as well as the cast-on at the center of each triangle.
I took the time today to pull what is done over the pillow-form and I'm just not liking the match. So I doubled up some thread and gathered the top and bottom of the pillow tighter. I hope it will reduce the size just enough to fit better, because I really don't want to unstuff the whole thing and sew the seams again to make the entire pillow smaller. With any luck it will do the trick as I finish and graft on the last five triangles.
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