Knitting Rules!

When one sees oneself in a book one is reading, one either laughs or cries. While reading Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the Yarn Harlot), I laughted a lot, even when it hurt a little. I am still not quite comfortable with my obsessive-compulsive knitting, and I am in denial about my stash. It is telling that the first scrap of paper I grabbed to use as a bookmark was a yarn ball band. And according to this book, I am an "organic" knitter, although in lieu of sheep, I have an angora lop rabbit.

That said, this book is fun to read if you have some experience knitting. And the project-specific chapters are helpful if you have some experience knitting those types of projects. For example, I have knit several hats, so the chapter on hats provided additional information and insight. But I have never knit a sock, so the sock chapter went right over my head. But don't skip the glossary at the end, as it is the funniest.

The best two pieces of advice this book offers are: There are no knitting police, and It is only knitting. In other words, don't be like me and follow patterns slavishly, and don't be afraid to even start. Yarn is very forgiving. It can be knit and frogged and knit again another day.

Another Bauhaus

Just like the previous ones, this Bauhaus-inspired design is crocheted in Lion Brand cotton. This dishcloth was a good in-flight project, but I think I hate crocheting cotton yarn. It has no give and the corners would not square up the way I wanted and the result was rather stiff. My daughter agreed to take it off my hands ("Hey, it's a dishcloth.")



BTW, the pattern is available free on the Lion Brand website.

And, for those who want to learn more about the Bauhaus movement, I recommend Women's Work : Textile Art from the Bauhaus by Sigrid Weltge-Wortmann.

Wanted: This Sweater

This photo of Jamie Lerner (prez & CEO of Cittio) appeared in Information Week (photo credit goes to Gabriela Hasbun), and I fell in love with the sweater. It looks like it has a belted hood. Wouldn't this be a cool gift for that manly guy in your life? If I could see it in real life, maybe I could figure out a pattern for it. (Dream on!)

Swallowtail Shawl Blocked

It's about time, right? Here is the final, ready-to-be-shipped version of the swallowtail shawl I whined about ad nauseum. (For the rest of the story, look here.)



The spare bed came in handy for a blocking surface.



I could not find any straight pins labeled "rust-proof" so I used brass plated safety pins, which actually worked well. I contacted Rowan about the best way to block their silk wool DK, and they suggested pinning, then spritzing, which also worked well. So I pinned, spritzed, then after the yarn relaxed, I repinned.



Even Fern liked the shawl.



I wore the shawl to work yesterday, primarily to show off. It kept my shoulders warm.



Today it goes into the mail, as it is a gift for my stepmother.

When I was about a third of the way through this shawl, I swore I would never do another. Finishing it gave me a great sense of accomplishment, so I might do another one someday. But the biggest payoff has been that my other knitting projects seem so easy now. I feel like I can knit just about anything.

Sean's Go Go Garter Scarf

Another SnB "pattern" - garter stitch in super chunky yarn - using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick®. I needed something quick and I wanted to make something from super chunky yarn, just to see what it was like, so here we are. I still don't like using those giant plastic needles, but the end result is just fine.

Olivia's Keyhole

My daughter did not like the armwarmers I knit her, so I frogged them and knit the SnB Windy City scarf, but much longer and in stripes. I also reinforced the keyhole as it seemed rather flimsy.



This is in Lion Brand cashmere blend, which is becoming one of my favorite yarns. It's very soft and springy.

Jason's Kittyville

The Boyfriend liked my daughter's SnB Kittyville hat so much, he wanted one of his own, sans ears. I used Plymouth Yarn Encore worsted, and since his head is kinda small, I dropped down a needle size. The charcoal gray looks almost felted in real life. Très élégant!

This One Is For Me

I love the SnB Coney Island Fireworks scarf so much, I am keeping it for myself. It's a great accessory when I dress in black - light and airy and colorful and playful. It looks better in real life than in photos, but here are a couple anyway.



I did not enjoy knitting it, though, because I don't care for knitting on big plastic needles and I don't like knitting yarns with no give, like fun fur and eyelash. Fortunately, it went quickly and produced lovely results.



For the record, I used Trendsetter Yarns Shadow just like the pattern recommends, but chose Berroco Ultra Alpaca for the other yarn, partly because I wanted something warmer than fleece, but primarily because it was available where I was (at the Yarn Basket), and the fleece was not.

Knitting Vacation

I spent several days with me da and stepmum last week. We did all those exciting things oldsters like to do: daily grocery shopping (part of my dad's exercise routine), TV watching (they refer to "Wheel of Fortune" as "Spin the Wheel"), TV tray dining (good spaghetti and meatballs takeout), etc. My dad didn't want to "go anywhere or do anything" during my visit, so I went armed with yarn. They were happy to have me there and I was happy to sit 'n knit.

However, my stepmother did not understand why I would knit something that could be bought. I tried "I knit this scarf with love" and she countered "It can be bought with love." I explained that I practice stitch patterns while knitting dishcloths because when I'm done, I have something useful, and she told me how cheap dishcloths are at Walmart. But when I was halfway through the SnB Coney Island Fireworks scarf, she began to eye it and ask what I planned to do with it. So I guess you can question the value of knitting while still coveting the results.

I'm still recovering from the trip, but tonight I plan to weave ends and sew seams, so hopefully I will have some pix of finished projects soon.

On the Road

Out of town, visiting family, in Massachusetts. And, of course, had to check out the LYS, the Yarn Basket, and buy some yarn, natch. After the swallowtail shawl, I needed something easy to knit, and have been working on scarves from SnB. For the Coney Island Fireworks scarf, I needed Trendsetter Yarns "Shadow" and the Yarn Basket had it, on sale - lucky me! They did not have the Brown Sheep fleece yarn, though, and I was too impatient to look for it elsewhere, so I bought a skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca. The two are pairing up quite nicely. I also bought some Patons Shetland Chunky for the SnB Basic Garter Scarf (I'm in a hurry!) And, because I plan to learn to knit socks, I jumped the gun and picked out two colors of Austermann Step ("mit Aloe Vera und Jojoba Ol"). When the final total rang up on the cash register, my dad commented, "At least it's cheaper than golf!"

I also finished the Windy City keyhole scarf for my daughter, in Lion Brand cashmere blend, the very yarn I used to make the arm warmers she rejected. After working with cotton yarn for dish cloths, it was a real pleasure to handle something soft and springy.

More later!

How It Starts

Since I have started knitting again, I have been hearing about other knitters' stashes. My first thought was, Well, that will never happen to me. I don't buy yarn unless it is for a specific project, so my so-called stash consists of only leftover yarn and soon-to-be-used yarn. That doesn't count, does it?

And the sweaters I bought at Goodwill don't count, either, since I haven't frogged them yet. Right?

Nevermind that my daughter came over one day and brought The Boyfriend and pizza and we had to eat on the couch because every other ordinarily suitable surface was covered with yarn and yarn projects. (The couch stays relatively clear because 1) the coffee table holds a lot of yarn, and 2) my scoliosis makes sitting on the floor uncomfortable.)

And nevermind that Saturday afternoon I tidied up the living area by shelving knitting books and relocating knitting projects, in anticipation of my standing date with my SO, but by Sunday afternoon, said living area looked like a yarn explosion. (How does that happen, anyway?!?)

One of my recent no-brainer projects has been to knit dishcloths out of Lion Brand cotton yarn, experimenting with different stitch patterns. A favorite color combination has been "seaspray" and "maize", so I stopped at Joann's to buy some more. They had the seaspray but not the maize. But I really like red, so I added that to the seaspray in my basket. And they had some nice variegated shades. And I want to make myself another scarf, in black wool and eyelash yarn - STOP! I made it out of the store with just four balls of the cotton yarn. (I am so disciplined!)

Then I stopped at Hancock's because I knew they would have the maize. But they had some other colors and color combinations. I had neglected to pick up a basket, so eventually I had a ball of yarn stuck on each of the five digits on my left hand. This caused a cramp, so I stopped picking up yarn and headed for the cash register. (Pain helps enforce discipline.)

So now I have a bunch of cotton yarn that will be turned into dishcloths as time allows. Does that constitute a stash? Or the start of one?

Do I need an intervention?

Swallowtail Shawl Saga

Here is the whole story of the swallowtail shawl:

Start

Progress

Whining

Nupps

Homestretch

Ready to block

Swallowtail Shawl Done! (Almost)

I arrived at class on Saturday, ready for the bind off, except for a dropped stitch too many rows before. Fortunately, my instructor was able to pick it up somehow, so I was the only one in the class who actuall finished the knitting. (Pat on back.)



My MO is to rarely swatch and rarely block, but after viewing this shawl on the
Woodlandsprite blog site, I decided I must block. This is a gift for my stepmother, and I am flying in for a visit later this week, so I think I will take it along and block it there.



The second photo shows where I attached each ball of yarn. The first section did not use much, but by the time I got to nupping, the silk wool was running low. I was sweating the end, as I had already purchased the last ball in this color at my LYS, but I finished with a few yards to spare.



Whew! Now I can have my life back. As an antidote, I have been knitting dishcloths.

In the Homestretch on the Shawl

As I wrapped up the nupping, I ran out of yarn. So back to my LYS to buy another ball of Rowan ($9.95 - this shawl has cost me about $95 so far, $45 for the class and $50 for yarn), the last one in "porcelain". Now I am sweating whether I will finish before the yarn does.



The peaked edging is going more quickly than any other section, so I am hopeful I will be ready to bind off come Saturday. The coworker who originally talked me into this knitting class is planning to skip the last session - something about going to Indy, but I suspect she got bogged down in Nuppland.

Mindful Knitting

I attend knitting classes at my LYS, where the rule is you have to buy your yarn for the class from the store (smart business plan). Their yarns are wonderful, but not cheap, so I joke about the $60 baby sweater and $95 shawl I knit in these classes. I could buy something similar for much less money, so what value is added by my work?

I practice a slacker form of Buddhism, meditating when I can, which isn't often enough. I knit more than I sit, by a long shot. Can knitting and sitting be wed?

Tonglen is the Buddhist practice of taking in suffering and releasing blessings. It is (relatively) easy to want to take on the suffering of loved ones and shower them with good wishes, more difficult to do this for strangers or for ourselves or for those we really don't like very much (like exes). Is there a way to learn compassion from knitting?

My knit products go to family and friends. I hold these folks in my mind while I knit, send them good thoughts via the yarn, hope they feel warm and warm feelings when they wear my love. I have yet to try this with anyone outside my immediate circle of concern, even though there are lots of charities, like Dulaan and Kaps for Kendall, that accept homemade knit goods.

I guess I am not that far along the path.

"Nupp" Is A Four-Letter Word

Nupps are the work of the devil. They sound simple - knit, yarn over, knit, yarn over, knit, all in one stitch on the right side, creating five loops, then purl the five loops together on the wrong side. Easier said than done!



The nupps on this swallowtail shawl almost did me in. No matter how loosely I worked the nupp on the RS, I simply could not get my needles into the five loops on the WS for the 5-in-one purl. I tried until I cried.



The Internet came to my rescue. The most useful info came from here. In a nutshell, instead of purling 5 stitches at once, just slip 4 stitches purlwise, purl the fifth, then pass the first 4 over the purled stitch. It sounds like a lot to do, but it goes quickly and produces much less swearing.



We are supposed to be done with everything except the bind off by next week's class. I just might make it! That is, if my hands don't cramp up.

Early Scarf

I'm tired of whining about the swallowtail shawl, so here is a pic of a scarf I knit for myself, just a simple 4x4 rib using one skein of Encore worsted. It is so warm it makes my neck sweat.

A Little Whine with Cheese

Is There a Hyphen in "Anal Retentive"?

I was way too whiny in knitting class on Saturday. The swallowtail shawl project has just about done me in. Last week I went through this grade school anxiety thing about not having my "homework" done (don't want to earn the teacher's disapproval) plus there rose the question of competency (apparently, I cannot even count) plus I was looking for someone to blame for my difficulties (they can't be my fault). I felt obsessed.

Then later in the day I realized I've been using the wrong size needles. Would you believe I started over? But this time I am trying to knit in relaxed, pleasant, positive thoughts instead of anger, angst, and frustration. The recipient should appreciate that.


You Lost It?!?

I knit a scarf and gave it to my SO. He snagged it on a nail, but fortunately it was not ripped and I was able to straighten out the stitches. He left it at Applebee's, but fortunately it turned up in their lost-and-found. It is now 150 miles away, at his daughter's home, left behind again.

I knit a pair of arm warmers and gave them to my SO. He lost one while hiking at Metea Park, but fortunately found it while retracing his steps the next day. It is mangled but hopefully not torn.

I knit a pair of dishcloths. If I give them to my SO, will they get lost, too? He says not, since the likelihood of their leaving the house is remote.

This is his MO - always leaving a bit of detritis behind, wherever he goes. Coins fall out of his pocket, his glasses disappear, the digital camera is on permanent leave. I think if I knit him anything else, it should include an I-cord so he can attach it to his person.

WIP - Swallowtail Shawl - Progress Report

I don't think I will ever knit another lacy anything, ever, ever, ever. This project is driving me crazy!

Working the RS, I chant the stitches as I go along ("knit together, yarn over, knit, knit, knit, yarn over, slip, slip, knit together, knit"), but a microsecond of inattention results in an error that I don't discover until I get to the end of the row. Working the WS, I count stitches, just in case I missed something. And I then I started counting half rows, so I can find an error by the time I get to the center stitch. And then I count again, when starting a new row. In spite of all this chanting and counting, errors still go undetected until I realize something just doesn't look right.

If the error is a lost YO, I can usually correct the problem on my way back. But if I screwed up the slip-slip-knit or the slip-knit 2 together-passover, I have to undo. And undoing these stitches is not easy.

My coworker stopped by my desk to confess she is going to class without her homework done, partly because she has a life (this was a lot of knitting to get done in one week's time) and partly because she had to undo seven rows. So I'm not the only one struggling.

My suggestion is this class should be a four-session class, instead of three, or the class should meet every two weeks. The rest of my life is on hold until I get caught up.

Bauhaus Washcloths

I love knitted washcloths made from cotton yarn, but I'm not sure about these. I like the colors and design, but the ribbing makes them all stretchy. I'm gonig to gift them to a friend and solicit feedback from him on how practical they are.



Also, I could not get the gauge they expected, even with smaller needles. I plan to try the colors/stripes with a basketweave, to see if that suits me.

The pattern is available free from Lion Brand, calls for Lion Cotton yarn and size 6 needles.