Shhh.... Knitting In Progress

Thanks

2006-11-13T21:46:00.000-05:00

I realized sometime after my last post that I left out something very important. My mom did a LOT of work to help make my sweater what it is. If it wasn't for her finishing, the sweater would probably still be in pieces and definitely missing a zipper. Leave a comment and tell my mom about the EXCELLENT work she did. I'm so lucky to have her to help me.

Thanks Mom!

Big Update

2006-11-10T19:57:00.000-05:00

Progress has finally been made! I FINALLY finished Mom's first Christmas sock and I take a lot of pride in it. Next time I pick a pattern for a deadline, I will take the experience level into account.

In other news, I now have a sweater to wear!!!!! And I must say, it looks great. For a first sweater, I think it's perfect! Here it is in all it's glory:
Here it is with the zipper open:And a rare shot of my rear end in which the sweater actually doesn't make look huge:During our anniversary trip this weekend, we went to the two yarn stores near us. The first spun its own wool. I was really looking forward to going there, but their wool was so itchy that I'd never be able to wear it as a scarf against my skin. I passed up buying anything there. Later, we stopped at a store called Rapunzel's Yarn and Gifts. They didn't have anything locally spun or anything, but they did carry some really nice stuff so I bought some Plymouth Suri Merino. The plan was to take a cable pattern out of one of the Barbara Walker treasuries. I got through a whole repeat before I realized that it drew in at some of the cables. It didn't look good. So I started to adapt the Cabled Cashmere Scarf out of Vogue Knitting Scarves. I tried to put some braids instead of plain cables in it. After a while I realized that I just didn't like the ladder stitch between the braids. After all the design changes were made, I pretty much had designed it all myself. This is the progress as of right now:If you look a little closer, you will be able to see that it has seed stitch, a small braid, seed stitch, large braid, seed stitch, small braid, and seed stitch. Here's the closer picture. Sorry, but I had to take it with the flash off so you could see the detail better and this was the best I could do for now with the color. At least it shows off the pattern:And last but not least, I started Nicole's Christmas socks AGAIN. I have decided against the Jaywalker pattern for now, but plan to try it on something else later. Hers is just going to be stockinette pattern. If she likes them, she can have a more complicated pair later. I hope she actually appreciates them. Here they are as of now:

All I Want For Christmas

2006-10-30T21:15:00.000-05:00

Well, it's not really all I want, but something that I'd really really like. I checked out Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns from the library. I have holds on the rest, so they should come to me soon. I love this book. I'm already planning to make myself a scarf from a few of the designs, or at least I will if I can narrow down what I want. Whoever wants to buy me a nice Christmas gift is more than welcome!

On another note, my husband and I will be celebrating our first anniversary this weekend. We plan to go just a few hours away to the city of Frankenmuth, MI. I was googling the other day and noticed a few yarn stores. Definitely plan to check them out. I know one of them spins their own yarn, so that's what I plan to buy to make the scarf mentioned above. I don't know what the other store carries, but if it's anything I can get near home, there's no sense in buying it. Will post about my experience later. I'm dragging my husband with me, so I don't know if I'll get a chance to take the tour of the place where they prepare and spin the yarn.

Don't know if I'll post again before we leave, so it may be at least a week before the next post. Hope your week is as great as mine will be! I'll leave you with a picture that's completely unrelated to my knitting, but way cute. This is a squirrel that was eating our pumpkin on our patio the other day.

Gusset: Completed

2006-10-23T18:46:00.000-04:00

I finished the gusset on sock #1. Hopefully, the rest will start to speed along, even though I highly doubt it.

On another note, I plan to knit another baby blanket for a friend due in February. Any great ideas? I have a feeling I'll end up adapting a regular afghan pattern again. I think my eyes are bigger than my knitting "stomach". I'm so picky and I'm trying so hard to impress. Really, I know she would probably love a plain garter stitch blanket, but I feel like I have to top the two previous blankets. I'll let y'all know when I pick a pattern. Feel free to laugh if I'm in way over my head again.

Mom's Sock Update

2006-10-17T08:22:00.000-04:00

I FINALLY finished the cuff on sock #1. It's actually a little short, but I think it will be fine. (Don't worry Mom, it's not that short.) I think it looks awesome despite the fact that this is the slowest project, and maybe the most difficult pattern I've ever done. I've ripped out almost as much as I've knit. But I LOVE it! I kinda want to keep it.

I'm on the heel flap now. It flies compared to the charted rows. I got over half of it done last night and would probably have finished it, but my hand was telling me to stop or it would cramp, so I had to go read for a while. I'm excited to keep going. I will still have to follow about 2/3 of the charts over the foot, but I've got the hang of it a little more.

More updates when there is more to update!

Pictures of an adorable baby!

2006-10-06T12:28:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot! The proud parents of the recipient of baby blanket #1 gave me some pics of him with it. Isn't Simeon sooo cute!

Also, baby blanket #2 has a new owner. Rachel was born on Wednesday! No pictures yet as I still haven't seen her. Eventually I'll get some.

Loving The Cables....

2006-10-06T11:54:00.000-04:00

Or, I would be loving the cables on my Mom's sock if I had been doing them right. They have abbreviations like RPC and LPC which mean Right and Left Purl Cable. Silly me though that if an LPC meant to put one stitch on the cable needle and hold in front, purl the next, then knit off the cable needle, that RPC would be to put one stitch on the cable needle and hold in back, purl the next and knit off the cable needle. Duh, I'm an idiot. RPC means to knit the next stitch on the main needle and purl the stitch off the cable needle. No wonder my cables weren't as well-defined as the picture on the pattern.

Sorry Mom, I'm not ripping it out. It's far enough up on the sock that it shouldn't show. If it does, I'm sorry. The second sock should look better.

At least I'm starting to make progress finally. I'm knitting more than tinking. That alone is a huge improvement!

Yet Again, I Suck

2006-10-02T15:26:00.000-04:00

Jaywalker #2 (well, the first sock on the second try) failed. I got it on my foot but can't get it past my heel. After a break, I'll give it one more try. I'm going to go up a needle size or two. I'm so mad. Yet again.

I started my mom's Christmas sock. Can't post pictures or talk too much about it, but if it turns out right, it's going to be way awesome. I already love the cuff. Did something I've never tried before with that. However, this is very slow going, so Mom may only get one sock for Christmas. Then I'll give her the second one next year. Or maybe even for Mother's Day!

In the meantime, my breaks at work are reserved for dishcloths for the rest of my family for Christmas. I've found some nice patterns, and I guess it's better than giving some people nothing because that's all we can really afford. I would work on the sock during my breaks, but it's way too complicated for that.

Have patience on my postings since I can't say much about Mom's socks until after she gets them, so the blog may be even quieter for a while. I guess I'll give dishcloth updates or something.

I did go into one of the local yarn stores this weekend just to see what they are like. They have a wide variety of supplies, but the yarn itself isn't that special. Mostly Berrocco, which I can't afford anyway. I'm glad I went in to see though.

That is all for now.

Massive Update (With Pictures!)

2006-09-24T20:57:00.000-04:00

Okay, this is just going to be in the order that Blogger loaded the pictures because there are too many to fit on my tiny screen and if you actually want a good blog, you'll just have to suffer the lack of order.
This is the first finished sock for me. It's toe-up with my own pattern on the leg. The next one will come after everyone else's stuff because I'd rather have Christmas presents done on time than a second sock for me for a while. Overall, I like it. A few small things I don't, of course.

This is a close-up of the leg pattern as I mentioned before. It's a k3p3 rib with the pattern moved over one stitch every row. I will be doing the same pattern on the second sock with the spiral going in the other direction.

This is the new Jaywalker I started (again) yesterday. It took me almost a week to get the nerve to start it again after my massive gauge issue. If this one doesn't fit, I don't know what I'll do. At least this time I could count on the first row and didn't have issues making that pattern fit. So far so good!

This is the pumpkin that my husband wanted me to make. There are felt leaves cut, but I've been too busy working on other things to sew them on. Guess I'm on too much of a roll with everything else. It's been a productive few days. By the way, It's a good thing that this is just for our decorative benefit, because I had trouble counting on a few of the short rows. It looks good enough for me!

This is the blocked front of the sweater that Mom is supposedly getting closer to finishing for me. I had never really seen anything block this well before. It was a good lesson for me. I was truly amazed how much that ribbing could stretch and stay stretched with some good blocking.

Like I said, these pics are way out of order. I made this dishcloth between finishing the pumpkin and starting the sock yesterday. This is for my grandma for Christmas. I had the ingenious idea of making her the state dishcloths, but I've started to realize that she may not want 51 (all the states plus the one above) dishcloths. So I'm not sure what I'll do, but at least I have one done now. More to come between socks.

This is me working on the finishing at Mom's house. I was not a happy camper trying to crochet the pieces together, but it was a good learning experience. I learned that I hate doing the finishing.

This is my mom blocking the sweater. Sorry that I'm posting this Mom, but it's a great pic to show what we were doing. At least it's just part of you.

Just put an order in at Knitpicks for some more Christmas stuff yarn and some needles. I'm excited to try their DPNs after everything I've heard. How should I post my Christmas progress for something that will go to someone who reads this blog (*ahem*MOM*ahem*)?

I'll try to get better about posting again, since we don't need more of these incredibly long posts with hardly anything for weeks before that. At least now I'm not as frustrated with the knitting, so maybe that will help with the posting too.

Yeah Yeah

2006-09-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I just don't have much to say right now and I haven't been on the computer long enough to say what I want. Knitting is a little frustrating right now. I'm currently knitting a pumpkin for my husband after I completely frogged my stepsister's Jaywalkers. I was past the heel and I think I had even finished the gusset when I decided to try it on. I promise I checked my gauge before I got very far and it was right on, but apparently my measuring tape is from Mars, because I could hardly get the socks past my toes. Now, her foot has a circumference that's 1/2 an inch smaller than mine, but there's no way it should make THAT much of a difference. I re-checked my gauge: totally off. So now it's all back in a ball. After I did the math with the correct gauge, I determined that just using the larger size in the pattern should work. It had better, or Nicole's not getting Christmas socks.

That's it. As soon as the blasted pumpkin's finished, I might get the guts to re-start the socks. Otherwise, not much knitting's going on here. Maybe I just needed a kind-of break.

I'll post again when there's something to post. And maybe I'll finally post pictures that have been on my camera for weeks. Keep checking back, but don't hold your breath with it being too soon. I'll just go ahead and apologize in advance: Sorry. There, I said it.

I'm Still Here

2006-09-11T14:14:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. I suck at keeping up on the blog, but it's been quite a week. Now is also not the time to give a major update since I've had a rough day at work with the maintenance people testing fire alarms all day. I now require a nap.

Just a little update though: We didn't have time to finish the sweater last weekend, so Mom still has it and is finishing for me. Blocking pictures will come later. Hopefully she'll get a chance to work on it this weekend and mail it back to me.

My sock #1 is finished. Christmas sock #1 for the step-sis is started. Hers is more important because it has a deadline. I'm going to make the famous Jaywalker socks for her. Who knows when I'll get to my sock #2.

That's about it for now. When I need a break from small sock needles, I work on my Lost in Translation Scarf. Almost near the end of skein 1.

Putting It All Together

2006-09-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

I'm at my mom's for part of the weekend. She's teaching me how to finish the sweater. I have decided that I really hate finishing. I want to just snap my fingers and have it all put together. Mom said she might be willing to put the next one together for me, but I need to at least learn how to do it.

So far, we have put together the shoulder seams and attached the sleeves. What a pain in the butt! Now, I'm working on the collar so we can put the zipper in later. The side seams and sleeve seams also still need to be finished.

I really want to get most of this finished by tomorrow. If we don't finish what I can do by myself, I'll have to find a way to meet up with Mom sometime soon to finish this.

Despite how much I hate the process of finishing, it's looking pretty darn cool!

Just a Quickie

2006-08-29T21:13:00.000-04:00

There's not much new in sockland. I didn't work on them yesterday. Guess I just needed a break. Tonight my husband and I had some quality time away from the knitting and computer, so I just did a row or two during my work break today.

Yesterday, I needed something on bigger needles so I worked on my abandoned Amazing Lace scarf. As much as I like it, I still think it will go into the donation pile when I'm done with it. Who knows though.

That is all for now. Nothing else exciting in Knitland for me.

Sock Update

2006-08-27T20:52:00.000-04:00

I'm working on the sock still. Finally made a heel that actually fit. I also decided to make the short-rows a little wider, so I used about 55% of the stitches for the heel. The one fits better and looks nicer. Oh, and just to let you know how much I was off by when I did the last heel: I had finished the red stripe before the heel and hadn't started the yellow. It may not seem like much but boy did it make a difference. The colors show up better on the picture below. I really like this colorway.Also, I have started the ankle patterns. I was thinking of doing a plain rid stitch all the way up so I didn't distract from the color, but I decided to do a curving rib-like stitch. It's a 3x3 rib that moves over one stitch each round. It looks kind of cool, but I'm already bored with it. Because I've already ripped out enough of this sock, I'm going to keep on. But do you think I should make the same one the same, with the curves going the opposite way, or should I try a totally different design (if so, I'm open to suggestions)? I really don't care if the socks match, so that's not a problem with me. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think. I'll post better pictures if the curves when I get farther.

Defeat In Sockland

2006-08-23T21:47:00.000-04:00

I was going to post an awesome picture of a finished short-row heel tonight, but I won't. It's not because it looked bad. In fact, I didn't have any gaps, and it looked pretty awesome to me. However, the knitting gods were not on my side tonight. I swear I even tried on the sock before I started the heel. Apparently trying it on with the regular needles still in distorts the fit or something. I took it off the needles to try the whole thing on with the heel finished. Boy, do I feel like a complete knitting failure tonight. The heel almost fits on my foot, and it's extremely tight length-wise. So now I have to frog the entire short row heel and knit a few more rounds before I can start the heel again. All because I was too dumb to make sure it fit properly before I started the heel. This totally sucks because the sock looks so freakin' cool. Well, it did before I made the stupid heel tonight.

By the way, I still don't really like short-row heels in general. I did a good job on this one and it still just doesn't look right to me. Guess I'm a heel-flap girl. Anyone know of any good toe-up sock patterns with a heel flap?

Ding Dong The Sleeves Are Done

2006-08-19T00:10:00.000-04:00

Yes, you read it right, the sleeves are done! This means that the basic knitting of the sweater is almost finished. Yes, I know, there's still a collar, but I'm waiting to seam the shoulders before I try to pick up the stitches. I'm good, but not that good! So this is what the pair of sleeves look like.
This is what happened after the sleeves were finished:
Okay, I take that back. This is the third thing that happened after the sleeves were finished. Noticed the DPNs, not the circular needle. I quickly decided that my cheap Boye needlemaster size 2's were not going to do the job for the Magic Loop technique. I need something quality before I'm going to mess with ML again. I do want to try it again someday though.

The next thing I tried was a short row toe on DPNs. Now, I must admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of my short-row heels on the last pair I made, so why I wanted to make both short-tow heels and toes, I have no idea. I wish I would have taken a picture to show you, since I had a whole toe done. It was too trapezoidal, if you know what I mean (and you probably don't). It was like someone was knitting a triangle and just hacked it up in the middle. Too square-ish. I was NOT a fan at all.

The third one was juuust right. It's a rounded toe without being too rounded. I'm liking this so far. I even figured out how to do a figure-8 cast on. When I had tried it for the magic loop socks, I didn't realize that you did the cast on and just tightened it later. I have high hopes for this sock. And hopefully I won't get SSS (second sock syndrome).

Next, just in case you needed a little pick-me-up today: this is what happens when you have an ADD husband who likes to play with your knitting supplies.
Isn't he the cutest thing? It's hard to see his other DPN arm in the poor lighting, but it's there. You think he's great in the picture, you should have seen him in person. I really wanted my hubby to hold his masterpiece for you, but its nose kept falling off so he had to be kept stable.

Lastly, I'm giving the baby blanket to the soon-to-be mommy tomorrow. If she lets me, I'll take a pic of her with it. Who knows what she'll think.

Sooooo Close!

2006-08-15T14:17:00.000-04:00

The sleeves are 1 1/2 inches from being done. I hate when I'm this close to finishing something and am just ready to be done. I want to make socks!

I Finished....

2006-08-14T17:01:00.000-04:00

No, I didn't finish the mitred squares felted bag. No, not the mittens. Not even the sweater that I've been working on for months. (More on this down farther.) But at least it's something. I finished the pocket scarf. The one that I worked on during my work breaks until it got too heavy and took up too much room in my work bag. I really like how this turned out. Such a shame I've planned to give it to charity along with the matching hat. I can't separate them and the hat's way too tight for me. So this is what it looks like:Please don't pay attention to how it doesn't match my clothes. Or for that matter, that my clothes don't even match each other. I just needed to get some shorts on after wearing pants to work this morning. Hence how the picture is cut off before the shorts end. Anyway, I'm just glad I finished it and really like how it turned out!

Now to get back to work on what really needs to be finished: The Sweater! I just want to say that once it's finished, it is going to be the ugliest sweater. Not because of my color choices or because I messed up a lot, but because I haven't quite gotten row gauge down yet. My sides are going to be different lengths and neither will probably match the back. Good thing my mom's going to help me put it together when it's done or it would be even worse. But here's a picture of the part I'm working on now: Sleeves!
I'm doing them both at the same time so my arms will at least be almost the same length. So far so good if I could start paying attention during my increase rows. I don't know how many times I've been watching TV and forgot to increase until I had already finished the row. Not cool. I'm totally bored with the sleeves and just want the sweater done, so I got myself some motivation: Sock yarn!
Because I know myself too well, I made my hubby promise me that if I started a pair of socks from this awesome Knitpicks yarn, he would make me frog it completely. So I MUST finish the sleeves. The plan is to learn the magic loop technique and make my pair (bottom right, Simply Stripes in the Crayon colorway), so I don't mess anyone else's sock up. Then, I will either make hubby's socks (Essentials in boring Black) or my stepsister's Christmas socks (Simply Stripes in Snapdragon). Who knows what technique I'll use by then.

Then again, it may be after Christmas by the time I finish these dumb sleeves with the rate I'm going. Oh, and doing the finishing on the sweater doesn't count against sock time, because I have to wait until at least Labor day to get a chance to work on it with Mom.

Oh and a quick thanks to those besides my mom who are actually reading the blog and commenting on my posts. It makes me feel good to know that this is for more than just me showing Mom what I'm knitting from far away.

C'est Fini!

2006-08-01T22:22:00.000-04:00

Yay! Another finished project! The baby blanket was finished way ahead of schedule. This was a lesson in frogging and learning to pay attention. I really like how it turned out despite that it took me waaayyy too long to do the math for the decreases. Not that it was too difficult, just time-consuming when I'm so out of practice. The only mistakes left on the blanket are the few times I knitted the first stitch in the row instead of slipping it. It was my first time slipping the first stitch, and I must say that I really like the effect. Much neater than the normal border. I'm very proud of the blanket and must say that it would have been worthy enough for me to keep and not glare at the mistakes every time I look at it. However, I won't have a need for a baby blanket for at least a year or two (or more, who knows?).

On to other projects. I finally got the accordion sweater back out. This thing is going to look awful when it's put together. Guess this is my first lesson on how gauge consistency is important throughout the project, not just on the swatch. Some pieces seem to be different lengths than others. All in all, I don't think it'll be a bad first sweater, provided I can stop frogging more sleeve than I knit in a day. First I forgot the increases, now I managed to end up with a different row count for each (I'm working them both at the same time). I've been trying to be careful about not forgetting when I'm at, but I guess it wasn't good enough. *sigh*

I have the sock bug. I want to learn the Magic Loop technique and do two at the same time. I have some yarn coming from Knitpicks to do a pair of socks for my step-sis for Christmas, a pair for my hubby and another pair for me. I can't wait to get it in the mail! BTW, if you haven't heard of Knitpicks, go there immediately. Their prices are incredible! I've also heard great things about their new needles. I would try them, but I'm pretty set with my boye interchangeables.

Will post more when there's more to post. Hopefully I'll be able to get the sleeves long enough to be photo-worthy soon.

Taking A Break

2006-07-24T21:01:00.000-04:00

Today I am taking a break from the baby blanket. I have been progressing fairly fast and think I have plenty of time to finish it, but I need an evening off. Once I get off this stupid computer I'm going to play around with swatching (me, swatch?) some patterns from the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Vol. 2: Cables. I am in love with this book. I've always had a thing for cables, but this is just awesome. I have decided that if I ever get around to making an afghan for my husband and me, I want it to be a sampler of cables. Right now I have the book just checked out from the library, but it is one of the few, along with Big Girl Knits, that I plan to actually buy.

If I actually remember, I'll try to take pictures of a few of the designs that I swatch up tonight, provided that I can pull some of them off. I can't wait so off I go!

Pictures as Promised

2006-07-22T00:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, here's what I promised. Pics of the goods. Enjoy.

First up is the wretched felted bag with the strap that makes the bag hang down past my knees. I'm not touching it until after the bably blanket's done. Then we'll see what happens.

And this is the sock as of right now. Again, this will be picked back up after the blanket's done. Sorry about the colors. It's late and rather dark in here, and I still suck at adjusting colors and light in photoshop. But I do like the sock.

This is the great WIP (work in progress) right now. I passed the 50% point this evening and things are trucking along. I had to frog a couple of inches last night because I crossed a cable on the wrong side the other day. This is fixed and it looks so much better.

This is a close-up of the pattern of the blanket. It's got cables on both sides so it's reversible. I'm having fun with it.

That's all for know, folks. Not much to see around these parts. I could hardly knit for a few days after I moved because my arms were so sore. It's nice to be able to knit for longer again.

Moving Craziness

2006-07-12T22:27:00.000-04:00

Hey, I've been meaning to post but life is stressful because I'm moving in a few days. I'm pretty sure the camera is in a sealed box now, so there goes the pictures that are on it and the pictures I want to take. Quick update:

The bag is kinda finished. I stupidly forgot to take a pic pre-felting, but it was HUGE. Now, I have a problem. The handle is still waaayyy too long. I tried felting it by hand and ended up pulling a muscle from the way I did it. Now I'm going to have to perform surgery by cutting it, sewing it shorter and then trying to hand-felt it so that it doesn't show. This is so not worth the very small profit I will make from it.

The sock is getting close to the toe. I finished the heel and gusset (pic on the camera) and am working my way down, but that project's on hold for the next one listed.

I started the new baby blanket. It's really awesome and progressing fast. Worked on it a lot when the muscle was sore and I couldn't move much. Can't wait to post a picture of it!

The amazing lace scarf has turned into my work scarf for now cause the pocket scarf is too heavy and huge. I really want to finish the big scarf soon, but I'm on a fast approaching baby deadline with the blanket, so we'll see. Anyway, back to the AL scarf. It's progressing, but apparently my challenges are not. I completely forgot the deadline for the last one. Now it looks like I'll miss the next one because of the camera situation. Man, I suck at this. Sorry Amazing Lace people. You have all done an excellent job.

That is all for now. So much for short and sweet, but this is normal for me.

I told you I would!

2006-06-30T23:20:00.000-04:00

Okay, just to appease all my faithful readers (basically, my mom), here are some updated pictures.

First, here's the bag pre-assembly. Assembly is in progress. Hopefully, I'll finish it eventually. I'm definitely not one of those knitters that loves to take so much time to sew everything up. I wish I could knit more things without seams. I have about 1/3 of the seams sewn right now. Then comes the fun of felting.

Next is the sock picture. Aren't they quite funky looking. Yes, you can call them ugly, I don't care. They'll probably be so uncomfortable that I'll never wear them with shoes, but I do like the pattern. See the strange stacking of the colors? This is just a simple 2x2 ribbing. Nothing complicated for me. I definitely won't be doing a short-row heel this time. I much prefer the heel flaps. I'm still trying to decide how long the leg will be. I'm just going to keep knitting until I like it.

There, are you satisfied? You have pictures.

Have a safe trip, Mom! Wish I could be there with you.

I'm a Bad Girl

2006-06-28T23:06:00.000-04:00

Ok, so in addition to the way too many projects already in progress, I was a bad girl and started a new one. I'm supposed to be sewing the seams of the mitred bag so I can felt it, but I hate sewing seams soooo much. I just really wanted to knit another pair of socks. So I started what will probably be the most uncomfortable socks ever. I'm making them out of cheap acrylic yarn. But the colors are looking way cool. I'm using a variegated and white to stripe, but the variegated kind of stacks in an interesting way. The color pattern apparently lasts two rows, so all the greens will line up with the other greens, but the red is always right in the middle of it. Pictures to come soon. (I know, I always say this and never do, but I promise.)

I just need to get the motivation to finish the bag. I'm getting tired of it and want it done! Plus, felting is great for someone as easily amused as me.

Don't Get Your Hopes Up

2006-06-23T08:18:00.000-04:00

This will be a short (for me) post. There's simply not much to say. While I did just a little knitting on my lace scarf the other day, it was only because the supplies for the bag were in the other room and I was too lazy to get them. Pretty much got nothing accomplished that day.

Lately, all I've been working on is the sides/bottom/handle for the bag. I'm more than halfway through, but then I get to do my (least) favorite part: the finishing. Sure, I love the felting. It appeals to how easily amused I can be. But the sewing? Ick.

Nothing good for a picture. Think of a long purple strip that tapers in and out slightly with a teal part at the end. There's a brain picture for you. Exciting, huh?

Back after an extended absence

2006-06-19T08:10:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the extreme lack of blogging. It's kind of hard to blog when your husband isn't working and you feel guilty for trying to use the computer when he's on it. Today marks the first day back to work in a month in a half! Yay! Anyway, on to the knitting. Since it's been so long, I'll just post some pics of the projects I've been working on or finished. These pics aren't the best, but I'm glad I got them in before the third set of batteries died on me this morning. Also, Amazing Lace entry #2 got cut out. I'm not really an extreme person, unless you talk about my emotions, so the only thing I could think about was cleaning and knitting at the same time since that's extreme for me, but I could never figure out how to get it to work so I had to forfeit that challenge.
These are the final sock picture. It was too hard to model them on myself, but this picture shows how well the colors lined up. Not perfect, but pretty darn close. Which was exactly what I didn't want, but hey, they look good, right? Next pair of socks will be for my stepsister for her Christmas gift.
This is the bag full of work break knitting in progress. The scarf is getting really long, and I just have a little more to go before it's long enough to fold up for pockets. It's a really heavy scarf, but I really like it. Such a shame the hat that matches is too tight for me because I really like this scarf and am tempted to keep it. Must keep the idea of charity in my head. Someone else needs it more than me.This is the Norwegian Setesdal mitten from Folk Mittens. I am loving this pattern, but not the extremely tight knitting on small needles. I tried to get a better picture, but the camera kept dying before I could turn the flash off. Haven't worked on this in a few weeks, but will pick it up again sometime. I really just want to make the one and hang it up at Christmas. I think it'll be too big for a regular person's hand. We'll have to see later.
This is my newest WIP. This is one of two matching mitred squares for a bag. I started the handle/bottom/sides last night. The plan is to felt it and then sell it on ebay. Hey, if a girl in my town can sell felted purses for $95, surely I can make $25 off of this one, right? Sorry the square doesn't look like a square. I was in a hurry and didn't really lay it out well. It really is a square. I will post the ebay link when I finally finish it. The end is in sight.

The sweater got booted off the needles for a while for the bag. The second front side is in progress. I also plan to knit both sleeves at once. That way they might actually match.

That is all for now. I'll try to get back with you in a few days. If not, leave a comment and yell at me.

Tune In Later...

2006-06-05T08:32:00.000-04:00

When we resume our regularly scheduled postings.

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late. My husband is (hopefully) temporarily off of work and my attention has been focused more on other things than knitting. I haven't been knitting as much as before, but I do have a few things that need to have pictures taken. Will post those as soon as I can make myself do the work and sit down and write a real blog post. Progress sidebar was updated recently, so at least you can see my works in progress.

Again, I'm sorry, and I hope to be more regular with my postings very soon.

Amazing Lace Challenge #1: Meet The Team

2006-06-03T18:25:00.000-04:00

Hello, and welcome to the Amazing Lace team introduction for entry #5,381. The team we have assembled for you today is one of the best of all. (Well, maybe not the best, but pretty darn close.) This is a team that plans to join together and take on the challenges, a little at a time. They are prepared to face whatever's coming to them. They have determination and drive to win this. Now, are you ready to meet them?
Meet Melissa and her Lost in Translation scarf (from the book Mother of Purl, based off the scarf made for the movie). Melissa chose her teammate carefully, trying to knit something realistic, yet entertaining. She has only been knitting since February, but has since produced many beautiful garments and hopes that this scarf can only add to her repertoire.
Just a few rows into the scarf and look at how lovely it is! Can you imagine how beautiful it will be by the end of summer? I sure can't wait to see! It is knit on size 8 needles with an old yarn found in her grandma's closet. The strategy Melissa plans to use is to knit until she is satisfied with the length or until she runs out of both matching skeins of yarn. We'll have to wait to see how far she gets with it!

So far Melissa and the LIT scarf have a great relationship. Will it stand up to the test of a summer of challenges? Or will they split in search of better teammates? Only time will tell.

Cast Ons

2006-05-15T22:40:00.000-04:00

I don't know why, but lately I've been thinking a bit about how to cast on. It must have started when I was trying to teach myself how to knit left-handed. I am a lefty, but for simplicity I learned how to knit right-handed. I apparently knit in the English style. Continental was just too awkward for me.

While I was looking through the book I learned to knit from, I happened to notice the directions in the left-handed section called for holding the needle in the left hand during the long-tail cast on. Since this is the method I picked up on right away, this is what I generally use. However, I always have a very difficult time knitting the first row. I now know why. I have always cast on left-handed and then tried to knit it right handed. All of my cast on stitches are twisted. Now my mission is to learn it right handed. It's a little awkward, but so far, I'm doing okay.

Isn't it funny that I made this mistake for months without a clue and just always assumed that my cast on stitches were slightly too tight? Man, sometimes I wonder about myself.

Progress, Progress, Progress!!

2006-05-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

The soon-to-be mommy loved the blanket. Yay! That's good news cause I put a whole lot of work into that. But I do really like the results. I didn't even sit and tell her how many mistakes I made and the problems I had. I'm proud of myself for that. (Side note: I haven't heard any news since, but I did get a call yesterday morning from someone who told me she was having contractions. Glad I didn't wait a week to give it to her!)

The sweater front right side is done, but the picture I have is old because this post was supposed to be written a few days ago. I churned that thing out while watching a couple of movies and basketball games at home. Updated picture will come soon.

My at-work project is a big chunky scarf that'll have pockets on it if my patience lasts long enough. In the meantime, here's what it looks like close up. A big picture is just more of the same right now. I really like the fabric that this makes, and the ribbing is the perfect mindlessness for breaks at work when I just want to relax. I always read about people saying that knitting has relaxing and meditative qualities. That's what I really want in a work break project and I think I found it in this.

The socks have come back out. I finished the first. It's not quite perfect, but I really like it. (What, did I expect to get it completely right the first time? Of course I did!) Excuse the picture, since now I know how hard it really is to take a pic of one's own foot. I must say, I thoroughly enjoy the self-striping sock yarn! My biggest beef with this sock is that the cuff is going to be shorter than I had planned. But it's still in a good range, so I'll gladly wear them when the other's finished.

I started the second sock a few days ago. Progress is good so far. What gets me is that some people go through so much to get their self-striping yarn to match on both feet, when I didn't want them to match but they are pretty darn close. I wanted them to be very different, but they aren't. Oh well, such is my life.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the project that I meant to start last night just to work on when I was tired of my other stuff. I started a Setesdal mitten from Folk Mittens. My first project with stranding, my first time working with size 0 needles (I need a leather thimble!), my first time making a mitten, and my first time following a chart. Oh boy. I think I'm in over my head. Pictures of this catastrophe to come soon.

I guess this is it. I'll try to keep my post shorter and update more often once my real life gets back in order.

Ding Dong The Blanket's Done

2006-05-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

This is the final picture of the blanket. Well, actually I didn't think about waiting to take the picture until after it was washed and blocked, but this is what you get. I'm mighty proud. The biggest and most complex project I've done to date is done! Now I can move on with my life and do more:

This, my friends, is the sock, in case you don't remember it. I was finally able to bring it back out and the goal is to finish it today, but I'll even be happy with tomorrow. To me it looked so long, but after trying it on, I realized that the cuff is much shorter than planned. Oh well, as long as it still looks cool.

After the sock: Back to the accordion sweater. Maybe I'll finish it sometime in the next five years.

Almost There!

2006-05-05T09:42:00.000-04:00

The blanket is almost done. I started the border last night and hope to have it finished so I can wash it this evening and lay it out to dry. Then I'll wrap it tomorrow and give it to the hopefully still soon-to-be parents on Sunday! I will post at least one final picture later, but it's pointless right now.

Friends don't let friends read and knit

2006-05-02T16:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I haven't been able to read much lately since I've started knitting, so in order to alleviate the problem, I tried to read and knit. I made it through 2 1/2 books. Then I discovered this:

Not only did I screw up the cable by doing it a pattern row too early, but I also purled 3 rows in a row instead of putting a pattern row in the middle. Wow, when I screw up, I do it bad!! Not only am I not sure how to rip out the lace portions and keep them intact, but that was a lot of wasted knitting time. Sure there are small errors throughout the blanket, but this is too big to ignore. Man, now would be the time for one of those cool looking *$%#%*)@$!*$%! expletives cause that's about how I feel. Such a shame I really try hard not to use language like that.

Just to make myself feel better, I have to say that the entrelac scarf is looking way cool and I'm having a blast with it.

Hmm, no that didn't make me feel any better. Darn.

OOhhh, Entrelac!

2006-04-27T08:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I really can't stick to any one project. Last night started just as a way to learn a new technique. Next thing I know, it looks really cool and is going to stay on the needles to eventually become a scarf. Even though I have other big projects to work on.

The baby blanket is coming along. I make that top priority and try to do at least an inch a night. Here's yet another picture that doesn't really give you any more information than the last one:

I worked on this one yesterday while watch an old episode of Nash Bridges with my husband since my internet didn't work for most of the day.

Once the internet came back up, I suddenly had an intense yearning to learn a new technique: entrelac. This is what I ended up with when we finally went to bed last night:

Yes, that is the beginning of the Danica Scarf from Knitty. I really just meant to do a few sections with some old yarn, learn the technique, and rip it apart. I'm afraid I became attached to it, and since it was following a pattern, I'm going to have to keep following the pattern and just finish the thing. This is a low priority project, but it is still another that will eventually need to be finished, like everything else.

On a different note, I started a "Wooly Winter Scarf" from the book Chunky Knits to work on during my break time at work. It is not wooly though. It is my newest creation to be donated to charity. It's made from the same colors as the Dulaan hat, only with one last strand off the beige color. So far so good. This one is a lot more relaxing for break time than the stupid unmatched basketweave scarf.

Success! (I think)

2006-04-22T21:27:00.000-04:00

At long last! The basketweave scarf is complete! I needed a break from the afghan (which passed the halfway point tonight!) so I decided to just end the scarf and put myself out of my misery. Guess what? The misery was not yet over. The yarn was stuff I found in my grandma's closet. The two skeins looked close enough in the light that I had originally compared them, and there were no ball bands on them. So I figured it would work out. Lesson #1: always make sure the skeins match in many different lights. When I was getting ready to take the picture of the finished project, I noticed something:
It looks awful! I feel really bad since this is a scarf for charity. It's almost like I made something second-rate since I planned to donate it. That is not the intent at all. I really thought it matched. How awful am I?

I started another small new project intending to get it started so I could have something for work. Guess it was too small cause it's done already. It's Ken's Dulaan Hat (see March 3 entry). Mine is knitted with 4 strands of Red Heart Super Saver held together. Three strands of Buff and one of Painted Desert. I really like the effect.
Since I don't know how to follow instructions, it has a rolled band instead of a cool almost ribbed-looking one from what I gather from the picture. This time the modification wasn't on purpose. I was because I couldn't read. I still like the outcome though. It will make a great addition to the charity knit bag. I'm excited and am planning to start a scarf with attached pockets that match. We'll see if that works.

My wonderful hubby helped me arrange my growing stash yesterday. I must say it's kind of nice to have it all organized. And just as a tribute to him, I'll post the picture that he absolutely doesn't want posted here. He threatened me. I don't care. I just want to laugh at him. Leave a comment and tell him how cute it is!

Progress Yesterday: Zip

2006-04-21T10:39:00.000-04:00

I attempted to knit yesterday. I really did. My contacts are nearing the end of their lifespan and I don't yet have a replacement for them, so I've been suffering some massive headaches when I don't take my contacts out soon enough in the evening. Because I was craving nasty greasy food last night, I had to leave the contacts in so I could venture out of the apartment to get said nasty food. After returning, I took the contacts out, but it was not in enough time to prevent a fairly debilitating headache. I tried so hard to knit, but was lucky to make it through a row on the blanket. Luckily I had knitted a row or two earlier, but overall, very little progress was made.

However, a great new discovery was made yesterday before the awful headache set in. I can knit and read other people's blogs at the same time! I'm still trying to make my way through all the old entries from the Yarn Harlot. (Go visit her blog if you haven't yet. I love this lady!) As long as I'm knitting a row where all the stitches are the same, I can read and knit. So I can knit every other row on the afghan while on the computer. If only I could do lace and cables while reading the blog too. I'm definitely not that coordinated yet. Once I finish the afghan, I'm going to test this on my socks!

I really mean this to be a fairly short entry, but that's impossible with me.

Pics Pics Pics

2006-04-20T07:52:00.000-04:00

So I finally got the camera out and found some of the pics that Tim had already downloaded onto the computer that I had forgotten about. So this is your big chance to see lots of pictures. Savor it cause it probably won't happen again till the blanket's done.

Speaking of blankets, Here's a lovely detail picture of it. Sorry about the lighting but the brighter picture showed the detail less. I really like this pattern. Must get this book when I'm pregnant someday. I hit the knitting black hole while knitting yesterday. Must have stretched it the first time, but I swear I measured it at 16 1/4 inches when I started and when I measured it again after knitting at least 6 rows (which should measure more than an inch if I remember correctly), it was only 16 inches! Explain that one to me!

Here is the picture of the sunglasses case I made for Tim. I don't like the way it works in his car, but he seems to like it, so that's what's important. I didn't take into account how much an i-cord can stretch, so the ends are just hanging. I think I also cut the slits for the cord too large, but that's not a big problem. As long as it works for what it was intended, right?

And now, just as a treat for you, I am also going to post some pics that Tim took of me while I was knitting. Obviously, the left one was taken while I was working on my sweater back and the right during an early part of the baby blanket. This seems to be my little knitting station. I almost always sit in this chair, just because it's conveniently located in the same room as the computer (and music). We are still making adaptations to my little area. And my husband is even letting me leave it a mess! Oh how much he loves me!

Guess I should Update

2006-04-18T14:26:00.000-04:00

There's really not much to post about. I'm still working on the baby blanket. I'm just over 1/4 of the way done. The lace is really starting to look good and I love the cables. I would post a pic, but my contacts are kind of blurry right now and I'm afraid any picture would come out yucky right now. Picture to come later. I have been true to the blanket and only working on it, except for one day when I did about two total rounds on the sock between rows on the blanket. It was just for variety. I'm still not used to knitting something with 135 stitches in a row.

I promise to start updating again more often, but I really just want to work on the blanket and not bother updating. Hopefully I'll get over that soon.

Oh, the headache!

2006-04-14T08:03:00.000-04:00

I suffered a major disappointment yesterday. I found out that similar to reading, I cannot knit for any length of time at once while I am in a moving car. I've been upset about the reading thing since it developed a couple of years ago. What else are you supposed to do in the car when you aren't driving? I sleep. It's all I can do without getting a headache. I was really hoping knitting could cure my boredom at least during the daytime, but alas, it won't. I managed to get almost a row and a half done on the baby blanket, but that's not much for an hour of driving each way. *sigh* So much for that genius idea.

Oooohhh, so soft!

2006-04-13T07:44:00.000-04:00

Everything's been put on hold for this:
A baby blanket for a couple that I know from church. This is not only my first afghan, but also my first attempt at lace. I learned the hard way that it's much harder to pick up dropped stitches in the lace sections. I had to rip out a few rows because I couldn't for the life of my re-do the yarn over effect. So far, I really like it, but I'm worried about a few places on it. As of right now, I can't really tell what's wrong, but I'm glad I'm making it to give away, cause I'll know where all the imperfections are. I would fix them but I don't know how. You can't fix something when you can't figure out what the problem is. Otherwise, I'm still very proud of it so far and I'm not going to tell the couple what's wrong with it.

I did find a great pattern, though. It's got lace and cables and comes from a book called Knit Along With Debbie Macomber. It's based on a novel she recently wrote about women learning how to knit together. Their lives are all so different, yet they learn to like each other through a common interest. It was in the new book section at my library, and now I'm intrigued enough to go read the novel. She's got a second book that comes with a separate patterns book as well, but this one is just baby afghans. Let me know if you've read it or what you've heard. I normally read stuff that's not as feel-good, but maybe I could use a book like that.

Previously Finished Project: Mini Purse

2006-04-11T08:15:00.000-04:00

Ok, well, maybe the pattern was for a PDA holder, but I don't care. I wanted a nice small purse so I could stop carrying my big one to work. Too many people go past my purse at work and I thought something smaller would be less likely to draw someone to steal my identity from it. I also got sick of carrying my purse through grocery stores. I got the basic pattern from the book Alterknits. Not a big fan of the overall book, but I liked this pattern.

Ok, so this was my first attempt at felting, and I must say that I did a really good job (nope, no humbleness here). It was so exciting to pull the purse out of the washer every few minutes to check it and see its progress.

Since I haven't yet mentioned the yarn, etc that I used and I always did before, I guess I have to share it. I got some Paton's Classic Merino Wool. My first time working with something that wasn't acrylic. I did have problems figuring out the directions for the gusset, but I guessed and it looks good to me. My mom even said that the schematics showing how to sew it were very confusing. I also don't know if it felted unevenly or I just did it wrong (which is a huge possibility), but it is supposed to be taller than wide. I don't care. This is the way I really wanted it anyway.

By the way, is anyone else disturbed by the fact that it's nearly impossible to buy just one button (unless you want a stupid kiddie shape)? Now I'm stuck with this whole bag of buttons just so I could get my one. If anyone needs one, let me know.

Sunglasses case: Done!

2006-04-11T07:56:00.000-04:00

After I figured out how stupid I was being about the picked up stitches, I decided to try again on Tim's boring brown sunglasses case for his car. He can never find his sunglasses. Unfortunately, my original idea of attaching an i-cord so it can tie around the visor won't won't work cause his glasses don't fold nice and flat. So we are attempting something different. I'll let you know how it goes once I get the i-cord attached and we try it in his car. For now, the case is drying after being felted. It only took 5 minutes, so I was pretty impressed with that. Which reminds me that I still need to finish at least one or two previously finished projects posts on here. Maybe in a few minutes after I finish getting ready for work. Pictures of the sunglass case coming up when it really is finished.

By the way, anyone have a fairly simple yet nice looking baby afghan/blanket pattern? I've got a few pregnant friends that I want to make something for, but I'm not super impressed with much that I've seen so far.

Socks, Socks, Socks

2006-04-10T08:20:00.000-04:00

I finished the practice sock from Sensational Knitted Socks on Friday. It was so exciting to see it take shape! Can I just say that I'm now hooked on socks! Too bad this finished product is only big enough for a child's foot, so I'm not going to make a match, but I am going to keep it cause I'm so proud of it!

I also started my first sock from the expensive self-striping sock yarn. I used the same book at the practice sock, but used the basic pattern for the Fair Isle sock since it didn't involve as much ribbing and I wanted to show the stripes off as much as I could. I'm down to the heel, which is a much different kind than the practice sock. So far, this heel has required much more patience and has made me rip out many more stitches than the last one. I finally had to put it down last night because it was driving me crazy, otherwise the heel might be done. If I don't get too frustrated, I should at least finish the heel, maybe even the whole sock.

Then it'll be time to start the next part of the sweater. Oh, and I needs to make a couple of baby blankets for pregnant women in my church. And one of my co-workers wants to commission me to make her an afghan. Dang! That's a lot! Oh, and I need to finish posting details of my previous finished projects. There's one especially that I'm really proud of!

Hey Mom! I Learned Something New Today!

2006-04-07T10:56:00.000-04:00

Okay, so as usual, I had to learn it the hard way. And maybe I'm still not even doing it right, but it seemed to work for me. I had trouble following what happened after I picked up the stiches on the side of the heel of the sock. It wanted me to knit a section that came after that. Now, I had just assumed that picking up stitches just meant getting them on your needle so you could work them on the next round. Now I realize that you actually have to knit them so the yarn is carried forward. How basic is that to figure out?? Yet is seems like it took me so long.

Now maybe I'll go back to Tim's sunglasses case. That's what I was doing wrong there too. Good thing I was too lazy to rip it apart quite yet.

Sock Time!

2006-04-07T08:58:00.000-04:00

I found a great sock-learning pattern yesterday, so I decided to practice with that on old yarn before really attempting a sock I'm going to wear. This way I can learn how to do it without wasting precious yarn. I'm knitting it top-down, and so far I've finished the cuff and the heel. I would have gotten farther, but a friend called and I went out at the last-minute, so this is all I've got. I think it looks way cool, especially since it's my first! I'll give updates as I go.

Some Pictures, Some Frustrations

2006-04-06T07:40:00.000-04:00

Well, like I said yesteday, the back of my sweater is done. Sorry about the boring pictures, but there's really no good place in my apartment and it was way too early to be creative. So this is what you get. Now do you see what I mean when I say that if you look at it just sitting there unblocked, it looks like I'll have to get extremely skinny to ever wear it. Casting on for one of the front pieces coming soon!

On a physically bright note but not a happy bright note, I made my first placemat. Then after much discussion and unhappiness, my husband and I decided we'd rather just wait until we get a real house and then probably find something we can just wipe clean. Knitted placemats just aren't our style, but in my excitement to knit, I forgot that. I actually sat down and made a swatch with the large needles, figured out the size I wanted and just started knitting with no pattern. Since you can't really tell from the picture, it's got a garter stitch border with a stockinette center. When you get down to it, it looks like a giant dishcloth. I really didn't do a bad job. It's just not what we want to use. So now I'm thinking about using all this leftover yarn to attempt socks so I don't waste my fancy sock yarn since I don't know what I'm doing yet.

Yarn Heaven

2006-04-05T08:15:00.000-04:00

So I went to my first real yarn shop yesterday. I had a singular purpose: to get some cool self-striping sock yarn so I can try making socks. Socks are one of the biggest reasons I learned to knit. I love socks. The crazier the better. Anyway, I'm going to try a different shop next time, cause I can't afford many $12 pairs of socks. And that was fairly inexpensive yarn at this shop. But just to be there touching the different yarn made it all worth it. I loved it! I wonder if the people that work at these stores get a good discount. Anyway, the sock yarn is taunting me because I need to finish some other stuff before I start learning how to knit socks. Anyone who has a nice sock pattern that would be good to learn on, please let me know.

For other good news, I finished the back of the sweater. I hit the knitting black hole for a short time. I measured it at 26 in (supposed to be 26.5 before shoulder shaping), knit a row and measured again and it measured 25.75 in! What the heck?!? I did finally get it to the right length. I was a determined woman yesterday.

I decided to ditch the felted sunglasses case project. I think I'd rather just buy something for my husband so he stops losing his sunglasses in his car. This project was driving me crazy and I'd rather focus on some other stuff right now.

New Project: Spring/Summer placemats! Last year when I got married, we couldn't register for all the bright fun kitchen colors because by November when the wedding rolled around, everything would be discontinued until Spring again. So my mom gave me an idea when we were looking at Sugar n' Cream yarn one day. I thought I'd get some of that in the same bright colors and knit placemats. Just a start in the kitchen, but it works for me. I want to get at least a few ready by Friday so when my friend comes over for dinner, we can finally put away the snowflake placemats. (We don't have anything else!) The placemats don't really have a pattern. I made a swatch and am making them approximately the same size as the snowflake ones. They are just a simple stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border. With colors like this, who needs a complicated pattern?

Projects In Progress

2006-04-04T08:19:00.000-04:00

I s'pose I should share a little big of my current works in progress so as to prevent you (if there is a you out there) of dying from boredom.

My main project right now is this Accordion Autumn Sweater. I am working on the adult one on the bottom. I'm really hoping it fits, because right now it looks tiny even though the ribbing really stretches, so I'm pretty hopeful. This is my first sweater, so I'm really nervous, but so far so good. I'm just a few inches from finishing the back. I was really hoping to get away with not having to start a new skein, but I ran out last night. My mom promised me she'd help me finish cause I still suck at seams and I'm not so good at blocking either. Plus, I've got no clue about sewing in a zipper. I am leaning toward a zipper that goes both ways just in case it's a little tight around the hips since mine are so huge. Because I didn't want to make a huge investment in this financially, I'm using yarn leftover from the crochet afghan I have completely ditched. I should have plenty to finish. Maybe I'll post a picture of what I have done already later.

Second project is a basketweave scarf that I've been working on for a while now a little bit at a time. This scarf has taught me more about how to fix my mistakes more than any other project so far. It's knit from a funky green that I got from my grandma's stash. I can't wait to finally finish it so I can donate it to charity since it's become the bane of my existence. If anyone really wants it when I'm done, just let me know. I'd be glad to give it away. It came from a book called "24-hour Knitting Projects" or something like that and was supposed to take 8 hours, but it's been MUCH longer already and still only about 2/3 done.

I'll tell you about my other project(s) later, but I have to get ready for work. I'll also try to post some pictures to relieve the monotony of all this text since we live in an ADD culture and can't handle it.

Knitting Needle Roll

2006-04-04T07:50:00.000-04:00

I remember my mom having this really cool fabric knitting needle roll when I was little. Before doing research online and in a few stores, I had thought it was homemade. Now I know that you can purchase one, but for my meager budget right now, $15 was money that could be much better spent on needles or yarn, so I scoured the web to make one myself. This is what I found. And since I can't stick to color patterns, I ended up with my own unique version. Yes, I decided I kind of like the purple and green.

This was my first experience with intarsia, not even realizing it until I couldn't get the green and purple to stay together and I had to learn how to twist the yarn around each other. Next time I'll try to remember to use the bobbins my mom has since given me/let me borrow.

It was also the first time I had ever made an i-cord. The instructions didn't say how to make one, just to make a 3 stitch one so I had to scour the internet just to figure it out. I must say, I really had fun with it and it gave me an excuse to buy my first pair of double pointed needles.

I must say I like the way it turned out. Now if I can just get my sloppy self to actually keep my needles in there. Good thing I don't have children or animals right now. Guess I'd learn quickly if I did. Oh, but the main force behind me making this was my husband stepping on a needle and bending it, almost causing a massive argument. We have since moved the chair that I knit in most to a more remote corner of the room.

Second Hat - Got My Husband Covered

2006-04-03T07:55:00.000-04:00

This was the second hat that I made. Same pattern as the last one, but the different yarn made all the difference. This was made to match the scarf so my husband's head wouldn't freeze this winter. I never expected him to actually wear it, but he says he has.

I really like this hat. I think the stripe in the middle instead of just two separate colors really makes the hat better. I also took much more care sewing the seams because I knew this hat was going to someone that I care about. The experience of make the first one definitely makes this one better.

First Hat - Gotcha Covered

2006-03-30T07:49:00.000-05:00

I wanted to test how my gauge would work by following a pattern without getting too complicated, so I found this hat pattern by Coats & Clark, the people who make the wonderfully cheap acrylic Red Heart Yarn. I love this pattern because it lets you use just about any yarn and make it in so many sizes. I planned to make this hat for charity but my husband won't let me give it away yet because it was my first hat. Welll, that and the fact that the green yarn (that I found in my grandma's closet) smells oddly like chocolate.

This hat was very fun to make and I was so excited to see that it was consistent when it was done. My crocheting was always too tight and never consistent. I had never quite gotten a grasp of gauge. My only complaint about this hat is that I should have gone back to purple at the top. It's just a little too much green, but I have to admit, I love this odd color combination. I was using it just for contrast while practicing color changes and decided to keep using it. I wish I had a clue where to find the green again. It didn't have a label when I got it from my grandma. The purple was Red Heart leftover from my first crochet scarf.

I would definitely recommend this hat pattern if you knit for charity. It's fast, simple and very adaptable. There's a crochet version as well linked with the original.

Blue & Yellow Scarf

2006-03-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

I actually was going to make this scarf before the red one, but decided not to risk making something for someone else without having myself be the guinea pig.

This scarf was knitted for my husband. He is frequently out in the winter weather during his job, so he wanted something to help him stay a little warmer. I was doubtful he'd ever wear a scarf, but I think he did a few times before it got warm enough for him not to need it as much. I also figured the only way he'd wear it would be if it were close to his favorite sports team's colors.

Again, this scarf didn't have a pattern. I just knitted a section of blue, a section half that size of yellow and kept repeating. I still need to block this one too. Maybe I will when he starts wearing it again next year. Oh, and it was made out of Lion Brand Jiffy worsted weight yarn.

First Project - Red Scarf

2006-03-29T15:19:00.000-05:00

This scarf was my first attempt at knitting something that was a real projects. Before this, I had only attempted to learn some techniques. I had a skein of Lion Brand Jiffy Thick & Quick yarn leftover from a crochet project, so I decided to use it. I didn't actually use a pattern, just estimated how wide I wanted it and then just kept knitting in stockinette stitch until I was almost out of yarn. I never did block this scarf, so it curls pretty bad, but I am pretty darn proud of my first attempt!

Obligatory First Post

2006-03-29T08:13:00.000-05:00

I created this blog just so I have a record of the projects I have made. I don't plan to post any patterns, because I haven't created any yet, just adapted the ones I've worked from to suit my own taste. The plan is to post pictures and descriptions of what I've made. If you really want to try your hand at any of the patterns, let me know and I'll direct you to the original if I can still find it. Or maybe I'll just link or post the name of the source anyway. We'll just have to see as I go along.