Slow going

Still working on 'Inlay' but it is three steps forward, two steps back.  I started the heel flap, with its own chart.  The legend said that the slipped stitches should be slipped with the yarn in back.  That did not seem right, so I checked Ravelry for errata.  Nada, so I forged ahead.  After about 6 rows, not only did the slipped stitches not feel right, they did not look right, either.  Back to Ravelry, but this time I checked the KAL for this pattern.  Another knitter asked the designer about these stitches, but described them much better than I would have, as being "wrapped".  It turns out the designer actually meant to hold the yarn to the "private" side of the fabric, or in back on the right side, in front on the wrong side.  I tinked back and restarted the heel flap and now it looks right.

What did we ever do before the Internet?!?

She who hesitates

It is not unusual for me to hit a snag with a project.  Sometimes it's the seams, sometimes it's the pattern, sometimes it's the realization that I am not going to like the result.  A time out doesn't hurt, unless one is knitting for a growing baby.  Then those projects set aside for a moment become hopelessly behind.

Such is the fate of some items I knit for Baby N: the seams on a pair of pants did me in, the curling of the stockinette on a kimono looked unfixable, and the embroidery for Blu was not a pretty sight.  Fortunately yarn allows for do-overs.  I foresee that the chocolate and lavender Debbie Bliss yarn is going to become something like an EZ Tomten, and the Den-M-nit will become something.

I'm still working on Inlay.  I don't consider myself a tight knitter, but I have had to deliberately loosen up when knitting the twisted stitches in the motif.  Once I learned to do that, these socks started not exactly sailing along but at least progressing nicely.

Otherwise, knitting is giving way to gardening and murder mysteries (my favorite summer reading), although I am currently working through Stanley Park.  The main character is a chef in Vancouver, so there is lots of foodie talk, but the characters are complex and the story engrossing.  Worth the effort.

No mojo

The "Inlay" socks are kicking my butt.  In fact, all my knitting is kicking my butt right now.  Most frustrating is that, when I try to knit during a meeting, invariably I drop stitches.  Grrr!  So if you don't hear from me for a while, it's because I'm spending some quality time with my yard and my summer reading.

And done

These were supposed to be for me, and given the number of stitches cast on, I assumed they would fit.  But these were my first cable socks and I did not realize the cables would eat up so much of the real estate.  I don't think my daughter will turn them down, though.

Pattern:  3x3 Cable with Moss Stitch, by Charlene Schurch (in Sensational Knitted Socks)
Yarn:  A Piece of Vermont (superwash merino/bamboo/nylon) in 8007
Needles:  US1 dpns
Modifications:  None

I did not set out to knit a pair of socks a month, although that is how it has gone so far this year.  Socks are my most portable project, so there is always a pair in progress.  In fact, I have already cast on the next pair:  "Inlay" from knitty.

Still alive

Summertime - what can I say?  I'm out of L&O:SVU episodes to stream, the garden (or rather, the weed population) constantly calls my name, and then there is that cutie pie, aka my granddaughter, who requires weekly doses of spoiling.  SOME knitting is getting done, not much, but always socks.

When I purchased this Piece of Vermont yarn, I thought of the color as brown.  When I wound it into a ball, the rose emerged.  And now that I am knitting it, I've discovered yellow as well.  Fun stuff!

More cables and bamboo, more socks

I decided to knit socks with bigger cables, and this yarn from a Piece of Vermont just happens to include bamboo.  Do I detect a theme?

Last birthday socks

The final pair of birthday socks are done.  I am glad I made them longer in the foot - much better.

Pattern:  Four-Stitch Ribbing Patterns - baby cable rib - from Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn:  Schoeller+Stalh Fortissima Socka Degradee Color, colorway 103
Needles:  US1 dpns
Modifications:  None

I'm loving the baby cables.  I'm loving this sock yarn as well - it's mit bamboo.

Do overs

Still here, still knitting.  Or trying to.  This past weekend was spent with friends, but my attempts to knit and chat did not work well:  I lost a sock needle and could not work on the last of the birthday socks, and I kept dropping stitches on the Danish shawl, so set that aside as well.

Last night I finished the socks, but they are too short in the foot, so I am redoing the toes.  And I still have not blocked Belinda because I think it needs a couple more rows of pink.

This is the time of year when the knitting goes nearly dormant.  Something has to give - there are only so many hours in the day.

Belinda but for the blocking

The knitting of Belinda is done, but I still have to block it.

I'm more than a little afraid what will happen when I saturate this thing.  The yarn is Kidsilk Haze.  Need I say more?

And then there is the actual blocking.  Oh, lord, give me strength.  And enough patience and pins.

Feather and Fan baby blanket

I like making blankets.  They tend to be simple patterns requiring little thought and not much counting or angst.  They are always appreciated and well-used.

Pattern:  Feather and Fan Baby Blanket, by Sara Baldwin
Yarn:  Dream in Color Classy, in 'Wisteria'
Needles:  US8
Modifications:  none

I was planning to get a pic of this blanket with Baby N, but it has already left the premises.

That's... odd

Today I went to the Barnes &Noble site, to see if a particular book was available for the Nook, and was rather surprised to discover that BN.com is now selling craft supplies.  Like yarn.  I know booksellers are struggling, but does this really make sense?  Theoretically, one might want to buy yarn when buying a knitting book, but I can't think of a single time I have done this, even when buying a book in a yarn store.  Personally, I think B&N has more problems than just competition from online sellers.  I wish they would address those first.

Anyway, a feather and fan baby blanket is in the works...

and the final pair of birthday socks are on their way.

Baby cables!

More birthday socks

So far, I am liking my plan to knit birthday socks instead of xmas socks.  Three down and one to go for 2011.

Pattern:  Retro Rib Socks, by Evelyn A. Clark
Yarn:  Fortissima Socka Degradee Color in blues
Needles:  US1
Modifications:  none

I like these socks and the pattern, although I tired quickly of the K2TBL's.  Since the ribbing is stretchy, the tops are knit the same for both sizes, then the foot is a bit bigger for the large size.  These should fit my son, aka Big Foot, just fine.

Summer slumber sack

Sorry for the long silence.  Once I recovered from my cold, I went on a business trip, and while I could have blogged using my work computer, after being on it all day, I was not so inclined in the evenings.  Before I left on the trip, though, I finished this summer slumber sack for my granddaughter.

Pattern:  My own

Yarn:  Valley Yarns Valley Superwash DK, in four colors

Needles:  US6 (for main part of body) and US5 (for the bodice) circs

What makes this a summer slumber sack is the absence of hood and sleeves and the addition of open work in the chest area.  Hopefully, this will ward off AC chill but not be overly warm.  Another good feature is it is open at the bottom, facilitating diaper changing.  I put ribbing at the bottom and below and above the diaper area, but I'm not sure it will make much difference.  Also, I trimmed the neck and armholes with applied i-cord, to prevent them from getting overly stretched out.

When I first put this on Baby N to take the above photo, she fussed and protested, but once she saw the camera, the smiles came out.  What a diva!

Nothing to see here, folks

Just checking in to let you know I am still alive and almost over my cold.  I would have some knitting to show, but I have been reworking the bodice on the summer slumber sack over and over and OVER again.  Since all my mistakes may be due to illness and/or OTC medications, I decided to give the knitting a rest for a few days.  Instead, I watched all three Stieg Larsson movies.  It's difficult to knit while reading subtitles.  BTW, I thoroughly enjoyed the movies, but they are not for the squeamish.

I hab a code

Little girls may be made with sugar and spice and everything nice, but when they are not quite 6 months old, they don't know to cover their mouths when they cough or to sneeze into the crook of their arm or to wash their hands regularly.  Hence, my cold, courtesy of my granddaughter.  She seems to not only be a new vector for infectious diseases, she also mutates the germs into something my immune system can't cope with.  This is the worst cold I have had in a long time.  That's the bad news.

The good news is I am not too sick to knit.

Here is the bottom portion of the new sleep sack my daughter requested for Baby N.  I want to try it on the baby before finishing the top.

Here are the birthday socks for my son.  The gussets are done, so it should be (relatively) smooth sailing to the toes.

Even Belinda has gotten some attention.  The pink yarn is much easier to see, so I can work on this even when the lighting is not perfect.

The only thing being totally neglected is the Danish shawl.  I would not mind wrapping up in that today, to ward off the chills.

While knitting, I listened to Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses, by Claire Dederer.  Initially, I found this book to be mildly entertaining, but there are nuggets of wisdom scattered throughout.  Next up on the audio book list is The Pioneer Woman:  Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.  I also downloaded a Sherlock Holmes to my Nook, in part because I have never read any Arthur Conan Doyle, in part to see if I like listening to books on my eReader.  And it was one of the few books available through the local library that could be checked out immediately AND comes in MP3 format.

Now, time for a nap.

Breaking news

I have managed to stab myself with a knitting needle, so I know how sharp they can be.  Hope we hear the rest of this story.  Maybe a riot at an LYS with good yarn at cheap prices but low inventory?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_knitting_needle_stabbing

It's my daughter's fault

The sleep sack I made for my granddaughter has had a lot of use this winter.  Not only does Baby N sleep in it, she travels in it.  And she has not yet outgrown it.

Now my daughter wants a summer sleep sack for Baby N, more like a long jumper, to keep her warm in their air conditioned house while she sleeps.  And what knitter can resists a special request and/or the invitation to start something new?  Not me.  I'm combining some patterns and adding my own ideas to the mix, to come up with a solution, one that does not include a draw string or buttons at the bottom, because Baby N now can do this:

So progress on current projects may grind to a crawl.  Here is the status of those soon-to-be-neglected projects:

I am over halfway done with Belinda, as evidenced by the change of colors above.  The going will be slow, however, because I am now working 208 stitches per row.  Also, I prefer to knit KidSilk Haze on straights, so every one of those 208 stitches has been crammed onto one needle.  KSH is light weight, but having all those stitches on one needle can still cramp one's style.  Or hands, as the case may be.

I'm plodding along on the Danish shawl, which like many lace projects, doesn't look like much right now.  I'm anxious to get the bottom border done so I can move onto the body, which is mostly garter stitch.  Theoretically, that part should fly.

The current pair of socks feels like it is dragging, which I blame on the K2TOG's.  Otherwise, I would be cruising on these.  I like the resulting pattern, plus this is my portable project, so it shouldn't get totally neglected.

These not-quite-springlike gray and rainy days are perfect for knitting, were it not for the need to earn a living.  Stupid job.

Dithering

Last night I inspected the work-so-far on the Danish shawl and decided it's not anything a firm blocking won't correct.  So I am NOT starting over.  At least, not today.  Check back tomorrow.

Still wrong

It wasn't the slipped stitches that made the border points on the Danish shawl list to the left; it was the bind off.  Not wanting to take the current work off the circular Addi needles, I worked up a few points on straights, just to see if binding off more loosely would help.  Not only did it make the points straight, I liked the resulting lace better, too.  Usually I think of needles as being interchangeable sizewise, but not in this case.

SO... maybe I will start over.  *sigh*

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I was wrong about the second half of the Danish shawl border being ssk's instead of k2tog's.  I was also wrong not to take seriously the instruction about keeping the slipped stitch very loose, which is why the points slant.  This would not be so bad if I could figure out how to get the points on the second half to slant in the opposite direction.  The shawl is taking a brief time out while I contemplate and experiment and see what I can do.  One thing I know I am NOT going to do is start over.

Another pair of birthday socks found their way onto the needles, Retro Rib from Favorite Socks.  I have only one skein of yarn to knit a man-sized pair of socks.  This pattern is only 64 stitches around, but they are stretchy stitches, so I decided to give it a try.  Unfortunately, over 50% of those stitches are purl, and a good many of the remaining are ktbl.  Not difficult, just annoying.

Then I purchased Mitered Crosses Blanket Pattern for Japan, because I like the idea of creating a knitted blanket from a quilt pattern and it's pretty and it's big and the money goes to a good cause.  I completely forgot that I don't particularly like to knit mitered squares.  Oh, well, it was only $5.