Stop It or You'll Go Blind

Well, I just could not leave that yarn alone. Lord knows I tried. After yesterday's post, I really did stop... for a while. Then I improvised a reverse swifter by placing one diningroom chair upside down on another...



...and I unwound the lesser of the two balls until there was a half hank. Deciding we both needed a break, I left it to hang, fully intending to leave it be for about 24 hours.



But I could not help myself. I just had to try my hand (or thumb) at creating a center-pull ball. I felt like little Jack Horner with a Christmas plum on my thumb...



... but the technique really did work.



At Women's Weekend, the one lone non-knitter helped the rest of us by yarn wrangling, and during her indoctrination, the mentoring knitter admonished her not to wind the yarn too tight. This tidbit was news to me, so with this yarn I made sure to keep things loosey goosey, and now I have a nice squishy ball.



So far, in my sock-knitting education, I'm discovering that there is no definitive right way to knit a pair of socks. For example, the pattern for the Magic Stripes socks called for size 3 needles, but I had to drop a size to obtain gauge. The Ann Norling sock pattern also called for size 3 needles for fingerling weight yarn, but without even mentioning gauge, the basic sock class instructor instructed us to change that to size 2. My next pair of socks is coming from Sensational Knitted Socks, the author of which recommends a size 1 or 0 for fingerling, to obtain a gauge of 8-1/2 to 10 stitches per inch. Today I dutifully cast on with size 1 needles and knitted a swatch. And I obtained 10 stitches per inch, thank God. These middle aged eyes could barely see the stitches to count them, so there was no way I was going to drop a size. I did drop a few stitches, though, and my "rescue" crochet hook (size 00) looked like a log next to those stitches. If I am going to continue with socks, maybe I should invest in a size 0000 hook.



And so we begin....

Persistence

After Socks One and Socks Two, I tried to start a third pair, out of Lion Brand Wool-Ease, but quickly discovered 1) I was tired of DPNs, and 2) I was tired of socks. Also, I could not get up much enthusiasm for a thick pair of socks I would not be able to wear until next fall.

A few days of plain vanilla knitting later, though, and I found myself thinking socks again. Maybe it's because I have been following the Yarn Harlot and her traveling sock, as she flits about the Midwest on a book tour. (And she has been through hell this past week - personally, I think "Jayme-the-wonder-publicist" is a sadist to schedule so many flights in so few days, especially involving multiple visits to O'Hare.)



Anyway, I pulled out a hank of Schaefer Yarn ("Hand Painted Luxury Fiber") I had purchased on sale. (When my daughter saw the price on the sale tag, she said "That's the sale price?" Yet she did not bat an eyelash when I plunked down $$$ for a hank of Louisa Harding "Sari Ribbon", two balls of Trendsetter Yarns "Super Kid Seta", and 6 balls of Rowan "Kidsilk Haze" - all for projects for her out of Glamour Knits.)



Anyway, for some reason, when I bought the Schaefer Yarn, they did not offer to wind it and I did not think to ask, so that was the first order of business. This also seemed like a good opportunity to attempt to wind a center-pull ball, as described in Knitting Tips & Trade Secrets Expanded. Since I live alone, there was not an extra pair of hands available to hold the yarn while I wound, and since most of my chairs are not designed to hold yarn for winding, and since the rocking chair was already holding the Sari Ribbon, I optimistically draped the hank over the edge of a cabinet.



Well. I learned almost immediately that wool yarn tends to cohere. As I unwound a round of yarn, the neighboring rounds of yarn also came off the hank, and then the hank fell to the floor, in not too big of a mess. I tried to straighten out the hank, and decided to simply carry on, leaving the yarn where it lay.



Again, each round of yarn I pulled off pulled off more yarn (I'm a slow learner), and soon the hank was more of a mess.



There wasn't much else to do but continue. The other end of the skein magically appeared, so then I could wind from either end, depending on which seemed most likely to produce results. (Neither end was better than the other; this was just magical thinking on my part.)



This endeavor started on Thursday eve. I unraveled and unsnarled Thursday evening, Friday evening, off and on Saturday, and again on Sunday (today). The work was surprisingly hypnotic, much like knitting itself. And much like knitting, I occassionally had to just put it down and walk away.



The closer I came to being finished, the harder is was to stop. Sort of like picking a scab.



And, finally, I prevailed. Now instead of one center-pull ball, I have two balls with no ends available. I could cut the yarn at this point, and use a ball for each sock. Or I could unwind one ball, and try again to create a center-pull ball. Or I could just sleep on it.



Next weekend, my SO and I are going to the Fiber Event in Greencastle. Fiber festivals are financially dangerous places for knitters to go, especially knitters who received a larger-than-expected bonus this year. But it's like going to Vegas: decide up front how much money you are willing to part with, then stick with that amount. After my experience with the Schaefer Yarn, one thing I will be looking to buy is a swifter.

Socked Out

Finished the Magic Stripes socks this week, as well as the basic sock class socks. Blocking relaxed the fit. These are machine washable and dryable, so hopefully that will tighten them up again.



Every time I finish a project and find something not quite the way I expect, my heart sinks a bit. Scarves and afghans are very forgiving, but for something wearable to be, well, wearable, the stars must be in alignment. When will I knit with confidence?



I actually did try to start another pair of socks, this time for moi, but I'm all socked out for now. Time to move onto something new and different.

My First Pair of Socks

It's been a long story (see part 1 and part 2), but I finally have a pair of finished socks. (The photos are pre-blocking.)



And, despite my protestations, the ribbing does fit my big calves. But I sized them for my daughter, so they are too short for my big feet, which means I can't accidently keep them for myself.



When I read Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Knitting Rules! (see review), I struggled with the chapter on socks because I had not knit any yet. Tonight I reread that chapter, and now it makes sense. Especially the part about sock knitting being addictive: I am halfway through sock #2 of my SO's Magic Stripes socks and I can't wait to start on a pair for myself.

The Trouble with Socks

The trouble with socks is you can't knit just one. Unlike potato chips, it's not that you can't stop at one because they are so irresistable (which I find they are). Rather, it is because one sock is not much use except for hanging on the mantle at xmas time.



This subject came up at the last basic sock class. The instructor's strategy is to start both socks at the same time, using two sets of needles, and alternate working on each. A mother and daughter in the class wished they had picked out the same yarn, as then they would have a complete pair between them. I've read about knitting two socks at once on circular needles, but haven't investigated this method as I have yet to complete my first pair.



Prior to the last class session, my co-worker and classmate suggested knitting up to the kitchener stitch at the end of the toe beforehand. I agreed this was a good idea. In fact, I deemed it such a good idea that I did the same for the Magic Stripes sock. Because of my foresight, I had the opportunity to practice the kitchener stitch twice, although once you know what to do, it's not all that difficult (like most things).



However, I continue to be an idiot unmindful (see previous installment of the sock story). I started sock #2 of the Ann Norling pattern, advanced several inches into the leg, then spied a clutch of errors about five rounds back. I set it aside and knitted several inches of the Magic Stripes sock #2. Today I picked up the Ann Norling again, tried to correct the mistakes without frogging, gave up, frogged, picked up stitches, tinked another round, and reknit all the lost rows. (I have done this enough now that it is getting easier if not less frustrating.) Then I picked up Magic Stripes sock #2 again and discovered I had cast on the wrong number of stitches. I frogged again. *sigh*



I don't know why I didn't notice the miscounted cast on when I divided the stitches among the DPNs, but I suspect I suffered from multiple-sock-knitting confusion. The Ann Norling uses 2x2 ribbing, the Magic Stripes 1x1. AN casts on 64, which translates to 16 stitches per needle; MS casts on 56, or 14 stitches per needle. There are other differences as well, so maybe I should finish one before the other, just to be on the safe side.

Domiknitrix

by Jennifer Stafford

Maybe it's just me.

Maybe I am too influenced by my hippie-dippy past to be comfortable with the language in this book. Not the sexual innuendo language, but the violent language regarding the relationship between knitter and knitted. I don't want to force the yarn to do my bidding; I want to become one with my knitting.

And maybe I am too Midwestern to imagine wearing most of the items in this book. Even my sophisticated daughter didn't find any of the patterns appealing. My only exception might be the L'il Red Riding Hoodie (I like the pockets). And I suspect that the color insets featured in the Swizzle Vest and Diva Halter would be slimming.

And maybe this dog is too old to learn new tricks. I use the long tail cast on almost exclusively, but when I tried the author's method, I could not figure it out from the photos. And her mattress stitch is different from my mattress stitch. But I could have used her explanation of seaming garter stitch when constructing the baby hoodie.

But I like the idea of knitting clothes that flatter and fit, and that is really what this book is about. So many knitting patterns are just so... barely wearable. When I progress beyond the hat, sock, and baby sweater phase, I may check this book out again.

Not My Bag

I made myself a Fat Bottom bag (that has yet to be lined), and I offered to make one for my daughter. No, it's not finished, either, but I have purchased all the supplies. For some reason, when I drive past Joann, my car automatically turns. I did manage to get away without adding to the yarn stash.



I also made my first (and last?) trip to Hobby Lobby. My impression was that it is not a hobby store but a home decor store that happens to sell hobby supplies on the side. But they did have Hilos La Espiga Nylon no. 18, which is for the Exchange Bag, another SnB project from Happy Hooker. This one is for my SO's granddaughter.



While the resulting fabric is quite spectacular, the means to get there is painful. I have to rest my hands after every two rounds. Getting old is hell.

Sock It to Me!

For one of my New Year resolutions, I signed up for a basic sock class at my LYS, but could not wait, knitted some slipper socks, which gave me an inflated sense of confidence, so I started a sock project on my own, the Magic Stripes sock that uses Magic Stripes yarn (natch!) from Lion Brand. Between the Magic Stripes and the class, however, I've discovered I have a lot to learn about knitting socks.

The Magic Stripes sock has been a real... challenge. I frogged my first attempt because I had not swatched and my brand new size 3 Crystal Palace bamboo needles were in reality closer to being size 3.5. The result was baggy ankles.



I restarted with size 2 needles, switched back to the size 3 for the heel flap because the stitches were just impossibly tight, but otherwise am right on gauge. After my eye appointment, I tried to adjust my knitting posture, and my knitting tightened up, so I stopped until I decide what to do. A few nights later I dreamed that I started to frog the sock again, but when I reached the heel flap, I screamed, "No-o-o-o-o!!!" No way was I ever going to do that heel flap again! (Except when I knit sock #2.)



In class we are using an Ann Norling pattern for adult socks (designer: Deridre Wallace). The first thing I noticed was this pattern is more generic than I am used to. The Magic Stripes pattern makes generous use of markers and instructs the knitter to knit to here and knit to there with precision, so one doesn't have to think too much about what one is doing. The Ann Norling pattern, however, uses no markers, so one has to pay attention to what is going on. This is a good thing.

One thing I learned in the first class was how to avoid that little gap when joining ends in circular knitting: on the first stitch when joining, knit both the yarn and the tail for one stitch, then knit them together on the next round. This makes a small but tidy difference.



The second thing I learned is that watching the colors emerge as one knits self-striping socks is mesmerizing. I'm using Online Klaus Koch Supersocke 100 Tropic.

Since the Magic Stripes pattern uses stockinette stitch for the leg, I decided to rib the leg on the Ann Norling, just to be different. And do they look different! The Ann Norling looks like it is made for an anorexic pixie. Yes, it stretches, but not enough for my leg because I am 30 pounds overweight and I have big calves (but not cankles). The socks may fit my daughter, whose weight is just right. We'll see. I am limiting the length of the leg to six inches, just in case.



The heel flaps between the two patterns are different as well. From what I have observed, the Ann Norling method of slip 1, knit 1 on row 1, slip 1, purl across on row 2 is fairly common and produces a nicely padded heel flap. The Magic Stripes pattern instructs the knitter to slip 1, purl 1 on row 2, which creates a very tight, very dense fabric. I found the heel flap so difficult to knit that I actually wrote Lion Brand to find out if this was correct, and they claim it is. I'll be curious to see how the two heel styles feel and whether one outlasts the other.

Regardless of which pattern I am knitting, I am capable of screwing up. The Ann Norling heel flap was much easier to knit, but while turning the heel, I did something wrong (actually, I was trying to talk and knit at the same time, a hazard of knitting with others) and wound up with a lopsided cup. I started tinking, then decided it would be easier to just frog back to the heel flap. Wrong! I spent the bulk of the second class session recovering from that little fiasco, while the rest were flying past the cup and into the gusset. Once home, I gave it a rest, then managed to get back on course.



I tried Magic Stripes sock #1 on this morning and realized I am much closer to the toe than I realized. These are for my SO, and in the course of making them, we discovered our feet are the same length, Yes, along with big calves, I have big feet.

How Sweet It Is!

This is the "Sweet Cherries" blanket from Lion Brand. It's one of those mindless, knit-every-stitch projects, but with four colors in two kinds of yarn in four color combinations, it required a lot of yarn wrangling, which made it definitely non-portable. After a while, I took to lining up the yarn at one end of the couch and protecting it from the cat (who has her own idea of yarn wrangling) with a pillow when not actively knitting.



The pattern called for 6 rows of melon and fuchsia, 1 of melon and french vanilla, 2 of pastel pink and french vanilla, and 2 of pastel pink and fuchsia. Well, that singleton made it next to impossible to carry the yarn up the side, plus I didn't like the way it looked, so I changed the singleton to a double. Also, the pattern called for casting on in melon and french vanilla, then immediately switching to the 6-row color combination. I didn't like the way that looked, either, so I cast on in melon and fuchsia. I also ended with the six-color stripe because that is when I ran out of melon, an event I anticipated thanks to my new scale.



It was early in my new-found passion for knitting when I ran across this pattern. The online photo showed three different blankets in one picture, and since I couldn't decide which one to make, I ordered the yarn for all three. (In case you haven't noticed, I tend to take things too far.) One down, two to go, but I'm going to take a break first.

The Eyes Have It

Since I bought a notebook computer and started knitting (two unrelated events that occurred about the same time frame), my eyes have suffered. Or rather, my eyes are causing me to suffer. After an extended period of time at either the PC or the yarn, my vision is extremely fuzzy when I look up. This blurring lasts long enough to be annoying. And sometimes, when I am being particularly obsessive about a heel flap or solitaire game, my eyes positively ache.

I complained about the discomfort at work and discovered that others in my age range suffer from the same affliction. One fellow went to his optometrist, but neglected to mention the blurred vision. He did get a new pair of glasses, but says they don't really help that problem much. Since we have vision insurance here and it had been over two years since my last exam, I decided to visit my optometrist, but unlike Dan, I would whine loud and long about my vision.

Well, it didn't do me any good. My prescription does not need to be changed and "office glasses" would probably not help, but if I wanted to update my current glasses, they could adjust where the blending of my trifocals occurs in order to accommodate the way I hold my head. For $600, I could just change the way I hold my head, so I left empty handed.

At noon, when I picked up my knitting, I deliberately kept my hands closer to my lap than my nose and held my head up while looking down through my glasses. It felt awkward, but doable. But oddly enough, the change in posture affected my knitting, making it more dense. The sock I happened to be working on had required a drop in needle size to obtain gauge, but now it looked like I would have to chuck the 2's and return to the 3's if I wanted the stitches to be consistent. That's assuming I don't drift back into my slumping, head-drooping ways, especially before finishing the second sock. Hmmm. What to do?

So I did what any self-respecting knitter would do: I grabbed a crochet project from the knitting satchel to work on until I make up my mind.

Weighing on my Mind

I am an unabashed fan of the Yarn Harlot. Recently, she received a new scale, so (copycat that I am) I bought one for myself. Mine (from Target) is not nearly as cool as hers, but now that I have it, I wonder why a scale is not a requirement for all knitters. It immediately relieves that am-I-going-to-run-out-of-yarn angst and answers the eternal are-we-done-yet question.



For example, I am knitting a sock from a skein that is supposed to contain all the yarn that is needed to create two socks, but the skein seems to be shrinking too quickly. Plop the skein on the scale, though, and I can see that the almost-done sock has used 40 grams of a 100 gram skein. Or when will the 4-color baby blanket be done? I plan to end the blanket when I use up the melon, as it is the color that will run out first. I weigh the ball, knit a row, weigh the ball again, and voila, I see that I have enough yarn to repeat the 12-row pattern three more times.

This is the perfect gift for the anal retentive in your life!

My First Sweater

This is a sweater I made for my father in the late 70's, before I had kids. On a recent visit, Dad was decluttering his house and encouraged us to take stuff we wanted. Not wanting the sweater to end up in the Goodwill (not that that would be a bad thing, I just wanted it back), I asked if he still had it. He said, "Sure. I don't wear it anymore. Do you want it?" Well, yeah.



Looking at it now, I am amazed that I had the chutzpah to even contemplate such a project. I don't remember how I learned to knit (self-taught?) and I don't remember knitting anything else besides cotton dishcloths, but for some reason I thought this sweater was within my abilities. It is mostly reverse stockingnet, with ribbed cuffs and bottom band and collar. Cables run up the front and around the shoulders. Not knowing any better, I whip stitched the seams.



If I remember correctly, this was supposed to be a Christmas gift but it wasn't quite done, so I pulled out the pieces so we could test the fit. I do remember the look on Dad's face when he saw it. Priceless.



The tunic length and shawl collar are back in style now, so I wear it on occassion. It is incredibly warm. Even though it is made of Coats and Clark Red Heart acrylic, Dad had stored it in mothballs, so it smells faintly of camphor. He wore it through the oil crisis, to keep warm in the evenings. I hope it warmed his heart as well.

Random Thoughts

Ordinarily, I limit my posts to this blog to completed projects, but right now I don't have anything ready to fall off the needles. So here are some random thoughts about knitting.

Last night I realized there is a dark side of me that would rather knit than do anything else. I'd rather knit than eat, I'd rather knit than sleep, I'd rather knit than vacuum (well, that goes without saying). It's an obsession.

And I like to listen to music while I knit, preferably folk music on WUMB. Now that I have DSL and an FM transmitter for my laptop, this is very doable and very enjoyable. What I particularly like about WUMB is they talk about/with singer/songwriters. I'm not a singer or a songwriter, but I am intrigued with the creative process and how to plug into those vibes. So now I can knit, listen to music, and contemplate the creative forces of the universe.

I also am willing to try to knit just about anywhere, although the bathroom is still ruled by crossword puzzles. Last night I took the dog to the vet (nail trim and anal gland check - ick) where sometimes the wait is a bit long, especially when I am their last appointment of the day. I took a sock to work on since I was up to the gusset and thought I could manage that with distractions (I was wrong about that - not only dropped a stitch on one DPN but picked up an extra on another DPN, which led to much confusion later on). Last week I tried to knit the same sock while sitting at a stoplight, but discovered that what seems like an interminable wait when I'm just staring at the traffic signal is but a brief moment when I am trying to pick up a project, arrange the yarn, settle the needles in my fingers, and start knitting. The week before, knitting was a godsend at the BMV. (Don't get me started! The people working there were unfailingly cheerful, however, even though it was the end of a long day for them. Oh, and the clocks are back.)

Some people can knit without looking at what they are knitting, at least if they are doing mindless garter or stockingnet, and these people can knit and read or knit and watch a movie. I do knit while watching football (hurray for instant replay!) but movies are such a visual medium that I need to keep my eyes on the screen. Also, I rent a lot of foreign films, which I refer to as "reading a movie". If I watched TV, I would knit then, but I prefer to avoid all that mind pollution.

Another time I have trouble knitting is when I am visiting with someone one-on-one, because eye contact is important (how do I know you are listening to me if you are not looking at me?) and like I said before, I cannot knit without looking at what I am knitting. But in group situations, knitting is a nice social crutch, better than a cigaretter and a martini. My eyesight may be a little fuzzy after an intense knitting stint, but at least I can drive home sober.

Sadly, until I sprout an extra pair of hands or learn to type with my feet, there is no way to knit and write, but at least I can write about knitting.

Joe Loves Martha Scarf

Once upon a time, I was in a yarn store (hard to believe, I know) and I decided to buy some yarn for the Go Go Garter Scarf from SnB. But when I got home, I discovered that the pattern called for a super chunky yarn and what I bought was only chunky. I really wanted to make the Go Go Garter Scarf from super chunky, but what to do with the chunky yarn?

Like most middleaged geeks, I looked for an answer on the Internet. When I found a likely pattern, I printed it out and got to work.



Now, many knitting patterns tend to be rather terse if not downright vague and/or written in a secret code that only advanced knitters know. But this pattern was incredibly detailed, explaining every step of the way. Where did I get this pattern? Why, it's the "Basic Scarf" aka "Knitting 101" pattern from Martha Stewart. And then I knew this scarf was for my brother because Joe loves Martha.



The original pattern was all one color in a worsted weight yarn; mine has
color blocks in Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky. Despite the garter stitch border, the sides curled stubbornly. I tried blocking it by pinning and spritzing, but had to resort to a full soak to get the whole thing to lay flat.



And because everyone "borrows" Joe's stuff, I added his name, using the letter templates from here. This was my first attempt at monogramming. Originally, I tried knitting in two colors, but abandoned that in favor of stitching the letters after the fact. Still, it took me over two hours (and we won't look at the back). No wonder I put off finishing projects. At least, this one will get into the mail before spring.

Orange and Lemon Sherbet Legwarmers

Actually, these are the "Roller Girl" legwarmers from Stitch and Bitch Nation, in rugby stripes of Plymouth Yarn Encore.



Since I have been size-challenged regarding legwarmers (see example), I actually knit a gauge swatch, which encouraged me to drop a needle size. Also, I chose the "small" size.



And yet, the ribbing still seemed too stretchy, so I frogged and restarted, using elastic thread in the ribbing. The only colors of elastic thread I could find were white or black, so the thread shows a bit in the ribbing, but maybe it will work its way to the back of the fabric. The thread does not make the ribbing tighter, but I'm hoping it will keep the ribbing from stretching out too much. FYI, each leagwarmer used 90 yards of elastic thread.

Sew, *Unsew, and Sew, Repeat from *

I consider myself an apprentice knitter. I try to pick a variety of patterns in a variety of yarns and needle sizes, to get a wide range of experience. So, when I saw the "Soft and Warm Baby Hoodie" in Lion Brand Microspun, I decided to make one for my pregnant hair stylist's baby. The pattern is graded "easy" and since I had taken an "advanced beginner" knitting class where we made a baby sweater, I thought this should not be too difficult.



True to expectations, knitting the pieces was not difficult, as the hoodie is all garter stitch. The yarn produced a soft, smooth, shiny fabric, but I found Microspun to be splitty and snaggy to work with. I started on circular needles, but switched to straight needles when I reached the armhole shaping. Were I to make this hoodie again, I would leave the body on the circulars and knit the armhole shaping all at once, as the weight of the fabric pulled on the armholes. And I would knit the sleeves at the same time, to save counting rows and obsessively comparing one against the other. But still, none of this was particularly challenging.



I hate doing the finishing work on projects. My coffeetable is usually littered with almost-done projects: a scarf awaiting monogramming, legwarmers with ends to weave in, and now hoodie pieces waiting to be pieced. There they sat, until about a week ago, when I realized my next haircut would be my last with Monica until she returned from maternity leave. Maybe I better finish up that bugger.



The baby sweater we made in class was stockingnet, and sewing the seams seemed relatively easy. Well, I discovered seaming garter stitch is another matter altogether. Baffled, I consulted knitting reference book after knitting reference book for instructions and clues. Initially, I tried weaving the seams to minimize bulk, but the seams seemed too weak, so I unwove that effort and switched to invisible seams.



Sometimes knitting directions seem rather vague, and the finishing directions are no less so. The pattern said, "Sew sleeve seams." So I sewed the sleeve seams, then tried to set the sleeves into the armholes. The armholes were too big. After a brief struggle, I unsewed the sleeve seams, set the sleeves into the armholes, then stitched the sleeve seams from wrist to armpit, including a little side seam to reduce the armhole size. Then I stitched up the back seam of the hood.



Hmmm. Those little side seams made little dents in the line of the hoodie. They had to go. Fortunately, I had already practiced weaving seams, so I unsewed the little seams and wove them up. There. That's better.



By now it was the night before my hair appointment, but I was in the homestretch. I decided to apply the sleeve strategy to the hood, so I unsewed that seam, stitched the hood to the neck, then stitched a new seam in the hood. After weaving in the ends and attaching the buttons, I was done!



As I drifted off to sleep that night, I realized with a start that the hood was wrong: because of my hood-attaching strategy, instead of going up the back of the hood, the seam ran from the crown to the front. Groan! I decided instead of walking the dog in the morning, I would unsew the hood.



Now, invisible seams are neat, both in appearance and concept. But in the process of sewing and unsewing the seams on this hoodie, I discovered they are a bitch to unsew, especially once the ends are woven in. Fortunately, the unsewing and resewing of the hood went so well Thursday morning that, except for a few loose ends, the sweater was complete by the time I had to leave for work. That evening I wove in the last of the stray yarn, wrapped the sweater in tissue paper, and tucked it into a bag from my LYS. Whew!



One lesson I have learned in my apprenticeship is to use inexpensive yarns, so if a project turns into a big, fat failure, the lessons learned cost me time but not a lot of money. The only problem with this philosophy is that sometimes cheap yarns look, well, cheap. Since Monica chose not to learn the gender of her baby, I picked lime green for the hoodie. Now that it was finished, I couldn't decide if that shiny lime green looked cute or gaudy.

Oh, well. Monica acted pleased with the gift, but in the back of my mind I was wishing I had chosen another yarn or another color, or had done a better job. I guess our almost-successes are what keep us coming back again and again to the needles.

Snow Day

This is a first. Not only are schools and government offices closed, but they sent us home from work. I thought about cleaning out a closet or mopping the kitchen floor, but that Fat-Bottom Bag was calling to me: I'm almost done - you can finish me today - it won't take long.

This pattern from Stitch 'n Bitch Happy Hooker does work up quickly, once one gets past the first row (check the errata) and once one's hands become accustomed to the cramp-inducing herringbone half-double crochet stitch and once one remembers to do the hhdc instead of a hdc (a lot of the Taupe Beast was in hdc).

Yesterday I came within two rows of being done when I ran out of yarn. What to do? Should I buy a third skein of Lion Suede? (For two short rows?!?) Should I frog and try a smaller crochet hook? (The size-I felt small enough.) Should I frog partway and eliminate two of the long midsection rows? I decided to sleep on it.

Today, with a suddenly free day ahead of me, I decided on option three. By noon, I had finished the body and was ready for the handle flaps. After lunch, I added the flaps and handles. After a nap, I removed the handles and put them on again. Then I decided to make an i-cord with a contrasting color of Lion Suede; abandoned that effort because I didn't like the color. Then I decided to make an i-cord of green Plymouth Yarn Encore worsted; I threaded that onto the bag below the handles. Then I decided, with the wintery weather outside, to create a bit of spring inside and make a flower. After perusing my Pattern-a-Day Knitting Calendar, Stitch 'n Bitch, SnB Nation, and SnB Happy Hooker, I chose the 5-petal flower from the Head Huggers pattern in SnB Nation. Creating that little red flower from more Encore worsted took two tries. Stitching something yellow into the center took about an hour because I kept undoing and redoing it. Finally, I decided less is more.



So, now it is after 6pm and I somehow managed to spend the whole day finishing up a simple project. And I'm not sure I'm finished. Should I line the bag? Maybe a daisy would be better than the red flower. I could make some leaves to add to the i-cord to make it more stemlike. That green doesn't really stand out.

Hmmm. I think I'll sleep on it.

The Taupe Beast

Weighing in at four pounds, the Taupe Beast!



I started this afghan in a previous lifetime and took at least a century to complete it, but finally, finally it is finished (except for fringe, which the recipient chose to forego as she feared her cats would chew it and urp). Now I can get on with the rest of my life.

This afghan's proper title is "Ivory Elegance" from A Year of Afghans Book 5 (Leisure Arts). I used Caron worsted weight acrylic yarn in the one pound skeins (four of them!), color Taupe 511.

What made this afghan impossible challenging:

• The rows ran the length of the afghan, so undoing mistakes frequently meant undoing a lot.
  
• The stitches used were single crochet, double crochet, half-double crochet, and triple crochet.
  
• The chevrons were created by double crocheting in front of or behind a triple crochet, a hand-cramping manuever if ever there was one.
  

And yet, I am contemplating creating a belt from this very design. I guess I've grown accustomed to its face.

Cabin Fever

For the third time this week, I stopped at Joann's, but this time I had a finite shopping list in hand: elastic thread, belt buckle, jute, beads, purse handles, and buttons. I needed only one spool of white elastic thread for the Sherbert Legwarmers and planned to pick up one of the black as well, but all they had was white and only three spools, so I took them all. (Is that proper crafting etiquette? To leave nothing for the next person?) No luck on the belt buckle for the Belt de Jour, as my belt looks dressy in black lamb's wool and the buckles at Joann's were definitely for the denim and rhinestone crowd. It took me a while to find the beading section, where apparently jute has been replaced with hemp, and I snagged a bag of turquoise beads as well; my plan is to make a belt using the stitch pattern from the Taupe Beast, studding it with turquoise, to wear with jeans. I was not impressed with the selection of purse handles, but they were on sale, so I grabbed a pair of 6" ones in wood for the Fat-Bottom Bag. And I had difficulty deciding on buttons for the baby hoodie: the yarn is snaggy, so I wanted a smooth shape; the yarn is bright and shiny, so I wanted an assertive color; I also wanted something cute. I managed two requirements out of three. Then I left, without buying any yarn!

Angie's Dishcloths

Angie has a new home! I brought her housewarming dishcloths and she gave me bran muffins, coffee, and Airborne for my recurring virus.

The "Seaspray" and "Maize" colors would have been better matches for her kitchen decor, but I didn't know and I was tired of those colors, so she received "Periwinkle" and "Sunflower" - two bright spring colors to counteract the brutal weather we are having.

Double basket stitch (multiples of 6) from Knitting Stitch Bible (p. 35)
K2 border on left and right is separate from the pattern stitch, so I kept it separate in the directions

Lion Brand Cotton color 183 "Periwinkle"
Needle size: 7US/4.5mm
Gauge doesn't really matter

CO 40 (If using long-tail caston, start with row 2)
Row 1: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 2: k2, *k5, p1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 3: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 4: k2, *k5, p1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 5: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 6: k2, k2, *p1, k5, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, p1, k3, k2
Row 7: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 8: k2, k2, *p1, k5, repeat from * to last 6 stitches, p1, k3, k2
Repeat rows 1-8 until lentgh is approximately the same as width
BO
Weave in ends


Knit and purl stitch (multiples of 4) from Knitting Stitch Bible (p. 38)
K2 border on left and right is separate from the pattern stitch, so I kept it separate in the directions

Lion Brand Cotton color 157 "Sunflower"
Needle size: 7US/4.5mm
Gauge doesn't really matter

CO 40 (If using long-tail caston, start with row 2)
Row 1: k2, *k2, p2, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 2: k2, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2
Repeat rows 1-2 until length is approximately the same as width
BO
Weave in ends

How To Tell When Length Equals Width
This is simple. Just fold the side of the dishcloth along the needle.

Cabinwarming Dishcloths

One of my New Year's resolutions - my only New Year's resolution - was to do something fun each month of the year. January's fun thing was a makeup session for Women's Weekend, at the Cabin, which is a real log cabin that has been modernized (i.e. electricity and running water) and is now more comfortably furnished. In celebration of the new furnishings, I brought a pair of dishcloths. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera, so no pix - sorry! To make up for my lapse, here are the instructions:

Dishcloth #1

Lion Brand Cotton color 186 "Maize"
Needle size: 7US/4.5mm
Gauge doesn't really matter

Diagonal structure stitch (multiples of 8 + 2) from Knitting Stitch Bible (p. 36)
K2 border on left and right is separate from the pattern stitch, so I kept it separate in the directions

CO 38 stitches (If using long-tail caston, knit a row or start with row 2)
Row 1: k2, k1, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, k1, k2
Row 2: k2, *k2, p2, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 3: k2, p1, *k2, p2, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, p1, k2
Row 4: k2, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2
Repeat rows 1-4 until length is approximately the same as width
BO
Weave in ends


Dishcloth #2

Lion Brand Cotton color 123 "Seaspray"
Needle size: 7US/4.5mm
Gauge doesn't really matter

Textured stitch (multiples of 7 + 6) from Knitting Stitch Bible (p. 41)
K2 border on left and right is separate from the pattern stitch, so I kept it separate in the directions

CO 38 stitches (If using long-tail caston, start with row 2)
Row 1: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 2: k2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 3: k2, *p2, k2, p2, k1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, p2, k2, p2, k2
Row 4: k2, *k2, p2, k2, p1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, k2, p2, k2, k2
Row 5: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 6: k2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 7: k2, *p2, k2, p2, k1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, p2, k2, p2, k2
Row 8: k2, *k2, p2, k2, p1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, k2, p2, k2, k2
Row 9: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 10: k2, *k2, p2, k2, p1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, k2, p2, k2, k2
Row 11: k2, *p2, k2, p2, k1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, p2, k2, p2, k2
Row 12: k2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 13: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 14: k2, *k2, p2, k2, p1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, k2, p2, k2, k2
Row 15: k2, *p2, k2, p2, k1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, p2, k2, p2, k2
Row 16: k2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 17: k2, *p2, k2, p2, k1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, p2, k2, p2, k2
Row 18: k2, *k2, p2, k2, p1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, k2, p2, k2, k2
Row 19: k2, knit to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 20: k2, purl to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 21: k2, *p2, k2, p2, k1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, p2, k2, p2, k2
Row 22: k2, *k2, p2, k2, p1, repeat from * to last 8 stitches, k2, p2, k2, k2
Repeat rows 9-22 until length is approximately the same as width
BO
Weave in ends

Rescue LYS

While making my way to the needle rack at my LYS, I passed the sock yarns, and there, there, there was Sensational Knitted Socks. I not only was able to hold it and leaf through it before deciding to buy it, I also supported a locally-owned business. My house is small, so I must limit my book purchases to those I am likely to look at more than once. This one looks like a keeper.



Now I Hate Blogger

Blogger forced me into upgrading to the new version. The old version works fine, I don't want a Google account (a requirement - one more id/password to keep track of - gah!), and I'm new enough to blogging that change unsettles me. But recently, when I tried to log into the old Blogger, I kept winding up at a page that announced (rather arrogantly, I thought) that my blogs were being upgraded. I tried to complain, but the contact page is not really a contact page. I waited a few days to see if Blogger would relent, but no. It seemed my only choices were to never update my blog ever again or move to another blog host (more change - gah!) So I gave up and upgraded.

As a fellow Hoosier once remarked, I'm not against progress, as long as nothing changes.