Catching up

After spending all day on a computer at work, I rarely feel like coming home and doing more of the same in the evening.  Another reason I am a bit slow to post is my camera was not working.  Turns out the camera is fine, but the rechargeable batteries are not.  I did not realize that after a while, they won't recharge.  Boo.

First up, the garterlac dishcloth.  Side one:

Side two:

Gartelac really is reversible.  I think it is easier than entrelac, too, but not necessarily the look one wants, depending.

The lime and gray socks are done.

Pattern:  Chevron Patterns for Self-Striping Yarn (chevron stitch) from Sensationally Knitted Socks

Yarn:  ONline Supersocke 100, colorway 1055

Needles:  US1 DPNs

Modifications:  none, other than I used the old Norwegian cast on.  I think.

These have a "forethought" heel, which is supposed to create a bulls-eye effect with self-striping yarn, but this yarn was not as effective at this as the yarns in the book.  The heel also seems kind of puny.  These socks are for my daughter, so I will look forward to her assessment of their comfort.

As you can see from the pix, I did not try to match the stripes.  Instead, I knitted both socks at the same time, working off either end of the skein, which reverses the stripes.  One reason I did this was the last time I tried to match stripes, the yarn for the second sock had so many splices in it, the stripes were off kilter.  Another reason was I was too lazy to wind half the yarn into a separate ball.  But, as it turns out, I had to do that anyway when I got to the heels because you need to work with yarn from the opposite end to make the bulls-eye.

ONline is not one of my favorite yarns, but I like how these turned out.  I think this is also the last of the ONline yarn in my stash.

To use up the last of the baby acrylic, I started another Baby Surprise Jacket:

And then, not liking it, I restarted it:

The colors are pink and lavender.  As you can see, I am using YO's for the cuff (and eventually back) ease.  I tried using YO's for the other increases as well, but stacking YO's turned out not to be wise.

And, just to make sure my shoulders hurt a lot, I started a cotton runner for the back of the toilet:

I have discovered that knitting cotton is a sure way to cause my shoulders and left upper arm to cramp up.  My technique when knitting inelastic yarn needs some improvement.

Let's see.  Is that it?  I think I am all caught up now.

No felting here

I forgot to mention that I did knit up a swatch of the worsted weight yarn I used for the Quickie Socks and threw it in the laundry.  It went through the washer AND dryer and while it did pick up a fair amount of lint and pet hair, it did not felt.  So that yarn must have been the superwash worsted I vaguely remember buying a long, long time ago.  My daughter tried on the socks and they are a perfect fit.

Hopefully, these socks will be just as satisfying.

I'm actually farther along than this pic shows.  Both heels are, well, not turned exactly, because these socks sport forethought heels, which are like afterthought heels but you install them inline.  While working on sock #1, I dwelt on how much I hate fore/afterthought heels, but by the time I finished #2, I was getting the hang of it.

The knitting of baby blanket #1 is done - time for seaming (ugh!) and the border.

I tried seaming two the other night, using the recommended mattress stitch, but I do not like the results.  When I get up the gumption, I will try weaving them together instead.

And I finished up a garterlac dishcloth, but no pic because my camera and I are having a quarrel over how swiftly it eats batteries now.  It didn't used to do that, even after I dropped it a while back, but now it is definitely a problem.  I'm wondering if it is time for a new camera.

Final pic of the wrap and go for the gold

As I predicted, the Every Way Wrap blocked out beautifully.

Pattern:  Every Way Wrap from Interweave Knits Fall 2009
Yarn:  Karabella Aurora 8, in Anthracite
Needles:  US9 (I think)
Modifications:  Other than an extra pattern repeat, none

The buttonholes are there, but I'm leaving the button selection to my daughter, for whom I knit this.

A lot of the knitting for this wrap occurred while I watched the Olympics, but for some reason, during the final hockey game, I felt the need for a new dishcloth.

This is the Mason-Dixon 9-patch, with colors representing the US and Canada on the ice, vying for gold.  I picked up stitches through the bumps at the ends of the garter rows, in an attempt to make the thing more reversible.  I didn't photograph the reverse side, but take my word for it, it's still not all that reversible.

Speaking of reversible, I am interested in doing a reversible entrelac baby blanket and searched for such on the Web.  Turns out, I am not the only one with an interest in "garterlac".  There is a pattern for a dishcloth, so I will try that first, to see how it looks.  What I would really like to do, though, is a baby blanket in Tunisian crochet.  Check out the Winter 2009 issue of Interweave Crochet.  I'm just not sure I want to learn something new right now.  My brain feels full.

Truth in labeling

The Quickie Socks truly were a quick knit.  But that's what one would expect when knitting in worsted wool.

Pattern:  Quickie Socks from The Joy of Sox
Yarn:  I'm not sure but it is red worsted
Needles:  US4 DPNs
Modifications:  Unless you include modifications to correct the errors in the pattern, none.

I was afraid these were going to be too small, but once bathed and blocked, they proved to be plenty big for my daughter.  I think the yarn is superwash wool, but I can't find the ball band.  Since the color did not bleed, I will knit up a quick swatch and throw it into the laundry tomorrow to see if it felts.  Better safe than sorry.

Meanwhile, I went in search of baby-appropriate yarn.  The following Lorna's Laces is in the process of becoming a baby afghan.

And this Ella Rae Classic will become a crayon-colored blanket.

And why do I need baby-appropriate yarn?  Because I am going to be a GRANDMA!!!