the only time I'll drive and knit

what a gorgeous day - 85 degrees - sunny with a delicious breeze

I spent a few hours on the golf course today

I made my husband very happy by joining him

I chauffeured him and put a lot of mileage on my cashmere scarf

project number four

no, I haven't finished the baby sweater project
no, I haven't finished the cashmere scarf
no, I haven't finished the eyelet blouse
yes, I found a new project to start
using ultra-crazy-coloured mohair from a bag sale
I attempted to use this mohair in a tight-fitting Rowan sweater a while back, but the color repeat was super dorky
I saw this

and thought - hmmmm, color repeat might be better and it would be very lightweight and squishable if I decided to take it along as sweater on our trip in April

done on US 13, pieces are basically squares and rectangles

the most difficult part so far has been interpreting what pattern stitch, "purled stitch," is
my best guess so far is reverse stockinette
this deduction came after knitting several rows in garter and then ripping it out

I just looked at the pattern in Italian, then referred to my Knitting Languages book and indeed,
Maglia rasata rovescia, means reverse stockinette
Yeah for me!

executive eyelet blouse decision

blouse is as bad a word as slacks

but the decision is to work the front in one piece.

reason #1: knowing me, the two pieces would turn out to be different sizes
reason #2: not really feeling the crochet seam up the front
reason #3: I love short rows and it will be fun to do them at the same time
reason #4: I originally thought that the each front side was three separate pieces that needed to be sewn together, I thought it would be fun to experience knitting the sections and get a feel for the design of the pieces - but each front is knit in one piece

this is the project that I am using the bright pink cashmere/silk yarn

melissa is not going to like the color variations in the yarn. she keeps muttering something about working with spools instead of skeins...

I believe that the spots that didn't take the dye have soap residue on them. there's sort of a white film to them and when I rub my fingers against the yarn, my fingers feel slippery

once I finish the front, I'll be re-knitting the sleeves - using US5 instead of 6.

nice reply

I finally received an email reply from knit cafe. the 10 extra stitches are hangover for the hood to be sewn on to. Yes yes.

I replied and let her know about the sleeve difficulty, and that it was all behind me now because it was completed. And I sent her a pic.

I am trying to finish a baby sweater for little miss thousand names before she grows any bigger. born in december, she is already in 3 mo sizes.

I walked into a door last night

As I meandered into the bedroom with my new knitting project in my hand, I grazed the door frame, said "Ow," got into bed, began knitting, then gasped in horror as I realized I had broken my needle during the door meet and greet.
I have been knitting for almost five years and have never broken a needle.
It's really no big deal, I happen to have the exact same set of bamboo US 7 Clovers.
But I was left wondering what to do with my leftover needle.
Should I keep it, in case one day the other needle has an accident?

What do you do with your needle widows?

more show, less talk

Pattern: Greetings from Knit Cafe, Slouchy Cardigan

CO: 12/15/06
BO: 01/19/07

Yarn: 6 skeins of hand-dyed Misti Alpaca Worsted 4 ply, 218 yds/ea

Needles: Addi Turbos, US 7

Knit Info: Be sure to get the corrections, read my previous posts, and take deep breaths

let's talk about the sleeves now

if you can make a 3.5" fit into a 9.5" armhole
AND
make it look good
then you should be carried through town a throne

I, however, was not able to do this
so I had to, once again, RIP OUT my sleeves to the armhole BO section
and REKNIT the sleeves
BO as for the back and decrease evenly over EIGHT INCHES
to make the sleeves fit into said armhole

I must say that Knit Cafe has given me great encouragement that even I COULD WRITE A BETTER PATTERN than they have

I just hope that, if they are given the opportunity to write a second edition, that they do a better job of it and include specifics regarding joining the fronts and backs, and MAKE THE SLEEVE CAPS BIGGER
or
that other people who have broken forehead skin by pounding their head against the wall find my blogs entries regarding CORRECTIONS for the KNIT CAFE SLOUCHY CARDIGAN and have a better time of it than I did.

I am too busy enjoying my GORGEOUS cardigan that I am now wearing to be bitter any longer

I am now going to start the Vogue Pattern

in a gorgeous pink color that everyone thinks looks red

it is SUPER BRIGHT and SUPER FANTASTIC

the next night

I sat down and continued re-knitting my fronts
cursing the pattern outloud
my husband offered to look at the pattern

after he read the whole thing and still didn't have an answer, I showed him the diagram
"See here," I said, pointing to the width of the top of the front shoulder, "It only applies to this part of the width of the top of the back. The remaining width is the 10 left over stitches I have."
So he looked at the picture of the sweater again and said, "See how they attached the hood so low down on the front - they didn't attach the other side of the hood to the other the front in the same place."

And then we both realized. 14 sts are to three-needle BO'd, the remaining 10 should be BO and the hood will be sewn on to them. They consider these 10 stitches to be part of the neck edge that they instruct you to sew the hood on to.

I believe this is a case in which more words would have been better. Considering that this pattern takes up four pages of their book already.

I still have not received a response from Knit Cafe.

At knitting last night, a friend was about to begin the skirt and I said, "WAIT! HAVE YOU SEEN THE CORRECTIONS YET?!"

slouchy cardigan corrections nightmare

Please help if you can...

**I deleted the knitters review forum topic**

This project should have been completed on Saturday night. But when I went to do three needle BO, the number of stitches did not match up for fronts and back.

I think Knit Cafe said it best, "...there's nothing more frustrating than a pattern with mistakes."

But wait, there IS something more frustrating - when you re-knit an F**d Up pattern using the corrections and it STILL DOESN'T WORK.

I ripped out the back shoulder shaping and re-knit it.
Then I ripped out 15 inches for each front and have re-knit all the corrections, and I am still left with 24 sts on the fronts and 14 sts on the back.

I just sent an email to the store....

another new item

probably to compete with pointiness of knitpicks circulars
addi turbo has a new needle, the finish is brass coloured, the end is much pointier (though IMHO not as pointy as KP), and has a red cord with a nice join.

the gift

I was gifted today with a ticket to TNNA in San Diego!
There were over 1000 vendors and a whole lot of yarn.

Did you know that Malabrigo feels like velvet when it's felted?



And that they have a new sport weight yarn?

Today I saw Debbie Bliss, Elsebeth Lavold, Lily Chin, Brandon Mably, Suss, the Knitty Gritty girl, and I met and spoke with Amy Singer (we had some business to discuss, nudge nudge wink wink).

I was a little **star struck**!

And someone just handed me this book:



I'm still SOAKing it all in!

it's the last day

do it for the dog...

yeah! it's COLD!

I'm happy to report that I got an email from paradisefibers yesterday letting me know that my order has shipped! that was fast! it should be here soon, since they're in WA.

and my intention is to wear my urban aran as much as possible now the weather has turned cold! well balmy, at least.

I wore it yesterday and today.

yesterday, knitter friends asked me quizzically if I had made it. I think the zipper threw one of them off - they weren't quite sure if I had made it myself.

now THAT'S an accomplishment!

deciding, then finishing a project

I tried the cashmere yarn with the heartstring lace ladders pattern - but because the yarn is so multi-colored, variegated, and too fuzzy for the pattern - the pattern didn't stand out. So I ripped it out.

Then I decided to use the sock books that I bought, do some math, ask Dave if the circumference of his foot was small, medium, or large, and pick out pattern and knit him some socks with the left over green wool/acrylic yarn. I started the sock and I'm not liking the way it looks either. The special rib pattern looks like crap.

In the back of my mind, I've been thinking about my friend (who I haven't seen in a year and a half) who had a baby last month and whether or not to knit her a baby present. Today I surfed on to a blog where someone who was knitting the Oat Couture blanket. I love short rows - how fun would that be?! I looked to see if I could buy the pattern online, but was directed two retailers who would sell it. I didn't feel like doing that research. Then I remembered Sheree had done a pinwheel.

This pinwheel pattern is free. I think I will do it in some knitpicks shine. Thank goodness the baby is a girl, I've got a ton of pink, orange, and off white.

Well, I've just been looking online and found the OC pattern at ParadiseFibers.net. And they'll ship it me for under $3. I think that the pattern might go faster than the pinwheel, it's in garter.

It's a done deal - OC pattern has been ordered! Yeah shortrows!

Being home today is dangerous. Now I'm eyeing yarn for the Vogue pattern that calls for Anny Blatt Merinos - the new york noir short sleeve, low v-neck in red. I'm eyeing the Elann Wool/Silk blend. They have some really nice colors. I'm considering Antique Blue or Raspberry.

for a cold windy day

Ta Da!

done and done

The urban aran is finished - zipper installed - I hope to have a good picture soon.
And last night I finished the chevron scarf.

So the only thing I'm working on right now is the slouchy cardigan - I finished the back and started a front.
It's going pretty fast.

And now I need something else to work on.

When I finish writing this I'm going to go investigate yardage of a skein of cashmere that I got from my good Colourmart UK friend to see if it's enough for a heartstrings lace ladders pattern.

If not, I'm thinking of making another pair of socks for Dave - I have more of the green yarn that I used to make his golf vest.

And if neither of those inspire me - there is always the unfinished spiral top - if I start now, I might be finished in time for spring. And probably be able to wear the piece before I'll ever be able to wear the urban aran...

surprised me

I got my Vogue Knitting in the mail - apparently before it's hit the stands!
and then was surprised to read comments that the issue was not well recieved!

I actually like a few things.



the construction for this pattern involves quite a few strategically placed pieces and has short rows! I like it very much!



I'm not a big fair isle fan, but the edge color detail on the front pieces of this sweater are very cool.

There is also a piece not shown in the preview - it has a knitted top and crocheted bottom - it's VERY pretty - I would really like to do that one - I am thinking of doing top and bottom in different colors!



and finally this piece, in the crazy roses section - is very cool. it's an impressionistic version of roses and the black and blue color blocks on the shoulder and bottom right go onto the back - it is actually very pretty. I would consider doing this at some point.

I agree - they did go cable crazy.

knitting has been interrupted

by working two days a week
but I finished the urban aran, sans zipper, which is on its way from the zipper stop

knitting was completed in 11 days
the hardest part, besides following three patterns at one time, was the collar
the length is a lot longer than prescribed and the arms are a little longer as well, but it is very comfy and I can't wait for the weather to get cold enough so that I can wear it without sweating

personalized gifts

I didn't think that I would have time to knit wine bottle cozies for my friends, so I decided to knit something with their initial on it.












It could be a coaster.

It could be a doohickey.

It could be a forget-me-not.

I don't know what it really is.

I put felt on the back to cover up the running strands of yarn.











I used KnitPro. I used my photo/image editor IrfanView to create the image of each letter.

itchy is subjective

Elann yarn arrived Saturday around noon.
I was in the middle of the persimmon cardigan and immediately put it down with the intention of skeining the new yarn and giving it a Eucalan soak.

But it was completely unnecessary.

Maybe the other knitters had itchy skeins, or maybe their itchy factor is lower than mine, but in any case, I find this yarn to be VERY soft in comparison with a Lopi or some other heinous yarns I've felt (and felted).

This pattern is not for the faint of heart.
For 48 rows you've got to track three different patterns/panels. I've got 18 left.













I've ripped out several times.
And have kept my eyes glued to BrooklynTweed's pictures as I've gone along. I don't think I could have kept going without them.

Also thoughts this morning as I was completing my very own designed last minute knitted gifts, how grateful I am that I was taught at such a young age to sew, knit, crochet, thread a needle. There are people who are completely amazed at these skills, which I take for granted. Thanks grandma and mom, wherever you are....

Why I love blogs

1. comments
2. obtaining needed information on what to do when the elann yarn arrives
3. metablogs
4. a place I can document my work and learnings

It will be a Channukah miracle

I am on the toe of the second sock and have been very worried for two days that I won't have enough yarn. I even emailed the cashmere yarn seller to see if he had more - and he checked his stock, had sold the last of it, and there is no more to be had.

I've ripped the toe out once, and need to again - so I'll have the final pic tomorrow.

Here is my new yarn balled, I'm dying knit it (can I at least get one pun in?).












But this is a better picture of the actual color.

And here is an object that was finished last month. This was done in a mohair/acrylic blend - it's a Japanese knitting pattern. The stick holding it together is a sweater closure that I asked my father, who is a wood carver, to make for me. Do you like it? I can't decide...

My Elann yarn has not showed up yet - probably because the postal gods knew the sock wasn't done yet.

always designing

Last night we watched a portion of the Steven Colbert Report - and I couldn't take my eyes off of his tie!









I love the colors.
This morning I perused Vintage Knits and saw an argyle pattern. Dave had asked me to knit him an argyle vest for golf. I instantly saw the tie colors as the vest.
Knitpicks has some great colors.

Sheree was working with this yarn last night - it looked thick - but I think it could be compressed and look good on a US 6.

I'm getting more and more interested in learning about designing knitting patterns.
I found this book and may get it!

"I'm a glugger."

I decided to forgo the usual punny post titles and just let you know that Melissa is not exact measurer when she dyes. I got to learn all about dyeing yesterday and dye my own yarn for this project:














I've talked about this cardigan before, and I'll be talking about it more in the future, and not just because I'll be knitting it!

Melissa just started her yarn dyeing business. She works out of her home.

Here is her assortment of dyes and equipment.

Here are two of four skein winders that she has.

This is where she sets up the dyes she will use, next to the stove.

I decided to use 100% Alpaca (Misti Alpaca) {and not cashmere or cashmere silk or merino silk or wool/angora/cashmere}.

I put each skein on a winder and added two more cotton ties to make sure that it wouldn't come apart when it took the dye bath.

Then I added each skein to a tub of warm water to soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. They sunk automatically.











Here are all skeins submerged in the tub.

I picked out the color I wanted.












She showed me a sweater that was exactly the color I wanted - a dark aubergine!

We chose ProChem dyes Persimmon and would add Raven (black) to make it darker.

We needed to make some dye, so we boiled water, put on the haz mat gear (so as not to breathe any of the dye dust), added just enough water to a beaker to make a paste. It was very gritty. Then added more water.

We filled a squirt bottle then put the remaining liquid dye into a separate tub.

Below is the HUGE pot that contained water. Melissa added some vinegar to the water to make sure that the dye would stick to the yarn.














We added the liquid dye to it.











We took the tub that the yarn was soaking in and poured the water out of the tub.

Then we dropped the skeins into the pot and stirred and stirred and stirred.

We kept adding more dye to make it darker.











We increased the temperature gradually to almost a boil. At the end we added more dye, so we let it cook longer. I think the whole yarn in the pot process took about an hour. We turned off the heat and let it sit for a bit.

Then we poured the pot's contents into a strainer. By this point the fibers weren't felted put were sticking together quite a bit. "This is normal for alpaca," she assured me.












We rinsed off the yarn and let it sit for a bit. Then took each matted skein and worked to separate it from the others. Rinsed each one of those off, straightened out the skeins and placed each one into the black tray.












Her husband made her a wood frame that she could dry her skeins on. We put each skein on a peg.












Here is a close up of the yarn while it's drying.














I have a whole new appreciation for this process. It was SO labor intensive! That process took about four hours. And my work isn't done yet! I still have to untangle the skeins to wind them into balls!

I'm suck a dork, I love this kind of stuff. I begged her to let me take home a tangled skein of yarn so that I could make it beautiful again. It took two hours - it was 420 yds!

In knitting news: I finally received my urban aran pattern. So I ordered the elann yarn plus some more Eucalan. It will most likely be here by the end of the week. I have to finish my sock and am VERY close to finishing the special project - so the few days will give me time to be ready to start a new project.

I am now starting to search online to find yarn stores in Italy and France. We'll be traveling there next year and would love to check some out!

morning surf scarf in morning mist

I've said it before

and I'll say it again.

I am a sucker for suggestion.

I just saw this post.
In particular the cabled cardigan and it looked so nice - I was instantly on a search to see more of the inside of the book from which it came and find the book at the price (which I did and know I'm tormented over a $5 book purchase). It turns out it's a how-to on knitting:

The illustrated pages containing over 200 photographs teach readers how to read a pattern, determine gauge, and accurately shape each project. A helpful stitch library and discussion of color encourages increasingly confident knitters to design new looks. And the benefits, warm hand-knit pieces and an outlet to relax and refresh the mind, are irresistible. 30 projects include shawls and ponchos, floor cushions, baby blankets, mittens, and a dog coat. This book offers an informative and fun look at the history and development of knitting.

I don't want shawl, poncho, mitten, and dog coat patterns. But lord knows I could use help on determining gauge.

My father's scarf was posted on Wednesday and now I'm working on finishing the second Hedera sock, a second scarf for a special project, and I'm awaiting my urban aran pattern to arrive today - and as soon as it does I'll be purchasing the elann yarn.

I've joked...

that Canada will be the new California.
It is December 6th and 81F degrees outside right now.

Tomorrow I will be getting the Patons Street Smart pattern book for the Urban Aran - but will I really want to buy the wool yarn that it calls for and knit it up?
I really like wearing my finished objects. Today I'm wearing the steel grey wool boucle wrap cardigan sweater and SWEATING.
When will I be able to enjoy the things I've knit?

Monday I'll be heading over to my long-time knitting buddy's house to watch and learn how to dye wool! She just started her own business selling hand-dyed 100% cashmere. It's VERY NICE.

When I'm not knitting, I'm reading about knitting online.
When I'm not reading about knitting online, I'm thinking about pattern ideas.
I think I would like to get a sketch book and keep it handy - I would definitely like to learn more about designing knitted garments.

My style is very simple and elegant. I don't get into all the colorwork - I like stitching details that make an ordinary design unique.

I get inspired by so many things. On the 405, on the way north for Thanksgiving, I saw a truck driver's sleeve - can't get the image out of my mind. Y&R's Ashley's shirt 3/4" sleeves and the neckline was wide, not too deep - perfect.

very pointy

I know it's just a scarf, but I'm amazed that I did it one day.

the colors are, nicely put, controversial, but I'm hoping that since my father is color blind, he won't notice.











now I have a skein of nutmeg leftover. it's not worth the postage to send back.

and those knitpicks options are way too pointy for a pusher like me.

I was in the process of developing a bit of callus on my first finger, right hand.

I also bought these blocking pins at knitpicks, I love that they're made out of piano string and such a cute container!

I couldn't resist

I know that this has may seem to have nothing to with knitting.
But since I read about it here and here, both knitters, and since I have been doing some freelance, emphasis on the FREE, work about how to get one's website noticed, I decided it was important.

If you are reading this and have a blog, he askes you post and link, too.

awake, thinking of ripping

It was all I could do to no get out of bed on Thursday night and run to check the gauge on the vest pattern from knitsimple fall 06. I had already taken back the buttons that I bought for the Japanese vest cape pattern and knew in my hear that it would be ripped soon. ill-fitting.

but it didn't stop there. consumed with a yarn choice for sahara, and feelingly extra miserly, I decided that I would rip out a sweater I made two years ago.
















it contains a very nice taupey merino silk that is the perfect weight. this sweater is very bulky anyway.

when I told Dave of my plans, he balked, "I like that sweater!"

Ummm, yeah, no.

the cape vest was unraveled first thing on Friday morning. the front of the vest is knitted and I'm working on the back now.

Sahara is available

You've seen it, you love it.


















I'm happy to report that the total yardage is only 626 (sleeveless) to 981 (long sleeves) for people like me who burn 27 calories an hour knitting.

And although Wendy emailed me to say that there weren't decreases along the chest area, there are decreases almost four inches in from the sides, four times - and I believe that those are the more white areas in a vertical line just below the breast.

I'm thinking a one yarn only is more my speed!

intake

step away from the cinnamon roll.