Don't try this at home

I would have a finished February Little Lady sweater to show you except I knit the second sleeve INSIDE OUT. I was not drunk at the time, but this is the kind of thing that drives knitters to drink.

Progress

The body of the February Little Lady sweater is complete, so all that is left are two short sleeves and buttons. I've been complaining on Ravelry about my struggles with the math of the pattern, with one correction by the author so far. But I am still bugged by the stitch counts I ended up with at the end of the yoke. A few others have knit this pattern without complaint, so I fear the fault is with me. Despite drawing pictures, I just can't see where I went wrong; a spreadsheet is next. I'm also worried about my yarn choice, as the denim will shrink lengthwise; what will that do to the gull stitch?

The hunter orange hat is more than halfway done. I decided to do a hemmed version and wish I had read the part of the pattern (at the END) that suggests using a smaller needle for the inside part of the hemmed section before I had knit three inches of the thing. Instead, I increased the stitch count by four stitches after the turning row, then decreased three inches later when joining the two sections of the hem. The hat won't look perfect, but wabi sabi.

Not so monogomous

The February Little Lady sweater is coming along. I was right about the gull stitch being easier on my body, but I still can't do more than one pattern repeat at a time. My left shoulder is what complains the most.

As I approach the end of the body, I'm debating about the sleeves. The February Lady sweater I knit myself is rather bulky in the armpits, so I think I will start the sleeves on this sweater as capped using short rows, then add a couple of pattern repeats before cuffing them. That will work, right?

Meanwhile, since I can't knit for long on this project without pain, and I'm a bit tired of the counting required for the Easy as Pie blanket, I started a simple hat. This one will probably go into the hat bin in the closet, to be grabbed for hikes during hunting season. Even though hunting is not permitted in the nature areas I visit, one can never be too careful.

Think it's bright enough?

Detour

Me: You need a summer sweater.
Granddaughter: Gran'ma, will you make me one?

Hence, a detour from the Easy as Pie blanket. I found a pattern for the February Little Lady sweater, like the February Lady sweater I made myself and the February Baby sweaters I made granddaughter when she was wee. For some reason, I like the gull stitch. Also, no seaming.

For a moment, I contemplated taking granddaughter to a LYS to pick out some Spud & Chloe, but I didn't feel like going out and I didn't feel like spending money. So I decided to check the stash. The first bag I opened contained more than enough Den-M-Nit to proceed forthwith.

What I (keep forgetting that I) don't like is knitting with cotton. It has no elasticity. It makes my shoulders, wrists, and hands hurt. I hope when I get to the gull stitch, it will go a bit easier. And hopefully I will get this done in time to be useful this year.

199 days until xmas

Another xmas gift is done, another pair of "boot" socks, knit toe-up, extra large for my son, a.k.a. Big Foot.

Matchy, match!

Pattern: ad hoc (see below)
Yarn: ONLine Supersocke 6-ply (DK) in 1619 colorway
Needles: US3

The heels look funky because these are unblocked. I'm rethinking the need for blocking machine wash socks.

Using instructions from Socks from the Toe Up, I cast on using the Turkish cast on, knit 64 stitches around, made a gusset heel, waited until the top of the leg before adding some 2x2 ribbing. Using instructions from Cast On, Bind Off, I bound off using Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off.

Initially, I worked the first toe with US3 circs knitting continental, switching to DPNs and Irish cottage knitting for the foot, but even though the gauge was the same for both, the continental stitches looked fat and lazy while the Irish cottage ones were fit and trim. Now reminded *why* I made the switch, I redid the toe Irish cottage, although I still switched from circs to DPNs once past the toe. I just don't like knitting socks with circs.

I should know better

One of the primary reasons I have not tried weaving is the expense of a loom. Well, Saturday my granddaughter and I visited the Salomon Farm Fiber Arts Festival where I saw a loom made from cardboard. Ruh-roh. I could barely wait to get home to try this.

I know - not a pretty sight. In my defense, I was babysitting an increasingly restless pre-schooler at the time. It is an inexpensive way to get a taste of weaving, though.

I referenced this site for detailed instructions (which I failed to follow very well), in case you are tempted to try this at home.

Now we are six, plus toes up

I'm still making sporadic progress on the Easy as Pie blanket for my granddaughter. Six squares are done, not sure how many there will be total. That will depend on how the yarn holds out.

The problem with the pattern is there are too many reasons to pause, starting with the provisional cast on and ending with squaring the circle. I'll be marching along, and then have to change cadence, so to speak. Plus, I get distracted by socks.

These are toe-up "boot" socks for my son, knit in DK. Since they are heavier, I also try to make them taller, so they can be worn with boots. Since my son has big feet, I decided to do them toe-up, so I can make them as tall as possible before running out of yarn.

For a while, I was concentrating on toe-up socks. Then I took the Yarn Harlot's "Grok the Sock" class and reverted to top-down. Now I'm tired of that, so it is back to toe-up. One of these days I will try EZ's sideways socks. I know - I am one wild and crazy gal.