Like Candy

I have been saving a skein of Lorna's Laces yarn for almost two years now, waiting for something special to come along. It didn't happen until I decided to do a little bit of de-stashing, and I saw the potential for hand warmers/gloves in the skein. I lost my first pair of dashing gloves (left them behind on the T), and so I figured that even though I have a great pair of fingerless gloves in my mermaid gloves, I needed a "fun" pair for this winter, too.

Pattern: Dashing from Knitty
Yarn: Lorna's Laces shepherd worsted multi in watercolor
Needles: size 6 clover dpns

Nothing too exciting, just the pattern as written, with fingers instead of the open cast off that the pattern calls for. With these needles and this yarn, I usually knit 10 rows in pattern, then make the fingers 9 rows of stockinette before I cast off - that seems to be a good height that allows for dexterity while also being long enough to provide warmth, and it looks better than stumpy fingers.

As if it weren't obvious how much I love this pattern (these patterns if you consider fetching), I'm knitting another pair of modified gloves based on dashing for a friend. Seriously can't get enough of this quick and easy fix to a little problem I have called "not being able to finish things."

What Is The Status All Up In Here

It's been a while since I've had a status update, and that's mostly because all I've been doing is working on the blanket. The wedding was two weekends ago, and I'm still working on the blanket. I finally caved in and bought them a small gift from etsy, so the pressure is off - although I do want to finish this afghan before their one year anniversary!

So while the afghan was going along, I kind of took a major detour. You saw the first Swallowtail...but there's a new and improved Swallowtail V2.0:

Yep, I took time away from the blanket to [selfishly] knit myself another shawl, but this time I did it up right! I'm still confused as to why mine seems So Much smaller than some of the others on Ravelry, but I know it has to do with needles and yarn and blocking, and anyway I'm very happy with it.

Swallowtail Shawl

pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark
yarn: knitpicks shimmer in turquoise splendor
needles: size 5 addi lace needles

What has two thumbs and binds off too tightly? This girl.

Aside from the issues with the scallops, this was a beautiful knit - I plan on doing it again with different yarn and/or smaller needles (the project requires size 4 needles). I will also bind off with my biggest needles or something. Someone please tell me how and why this was so f*ing difficult. The shawl is lovely, it's not the shawl's problem - but I am full of the rage when I look at that unscalloped border.

Mermaid Gloves

I finally finished my mermaid gloves! This is by far my favorite piece of finished knitting. I love how delicate they look, how perfectly the thumbs worked out, the color of the yarn...everything about these gloves is perfect.

...Well, almost everything. As usual, one is shorter than the other, but only by about two or three rows. I can deal with it, although I kind of wanted to poke my eyes out when I first realized it.



pattern: Mermaid Gloves by craftoholic
yarn: koigu kpm in colorway 2174
needles: clover dpns, size 1

I knit the pomatomus pattern as it was written. Three repeats. Then I got to the thumb.

The thumbs seemed to be a problem for everyone knitting these things (everyone who admitted it on ravelry, anyway). I was so terrified when I first started the thumbs (on both gloves, believe it or not), I pooped my pants. After I changed my pants, I took a deep breath, and went for it. This is my story.

In between a (horizontal) pattern repeat (it doesn't really matter which one), I made a stitch. I forget how I did it, but pick a method (k1 f&b, or m1, or something) that you feel comfortable with. I put stitch markers on either side of that stitch, and finished the row as the pattern was written. I continued with the pattern, as written, on the next row until I got to the stitch marker. ktb, and continue the pattern. The important thing to remember here is that you are only increasing every other row. You might be thinking, "uh...duh." Congratulations. You are smarter than me. I didn't actually make this mistake, but only because someone else on ravelry mentioned that she had. Thank you, ravelry. I continued as follows:

row 3: m1r, ktbl, m1l
row 4: p, ktbl, p
row 5: m1r, p, ktbl, p, m1l
row 6: ktbl, p, ktbl, p, ktbl

and etc, for 22 rows (one full pattern repeat). (m1l - or m1front, and m1r - or m1back are explained beautifully here at knittinghelp.com)

There is no need to cast on extra stitches. Maybe that's how you make thumb holes. I know that I have made mittens like that. But these gloves look much more elegant if, when you are done with the pattern repeat, you put your thumb stitches on waste yarn, and knit the next row as if they don't even exist. Knit half of a pattern repeat, and then start your fingers. After my first finger is done, I like to do my thumb first, then finish the last three fingers.

I just do fingers. I have no idea how to explain it, because it's not always logical. I know that my first glove has perfect fingers. I had no idea I was such a great knitter. Then the second glove was sloppy. That's how it always is. I wasn't such a great knitter, actually - it was a fluke.

Anyway, browsing the gallery on ravelry I didn't see a single set of these gloves that didn't look absolutely lovely. Some people don't like the pattern...some people think it's fussy...but if you're thinking about making these, I think that you will love them - even if you think it's fussy to make them :) And honestly, even if you don't like them, I promise you will get a ton of compliments when you knit these in public. It was the first time I experienced genuine jealousy - I could feel people coveting these gloves. They are just. that. fabulous.

Odessa

I've been getting antsy and so frustrated with this blanket (not the project itself, but how LONG it takes to knit a blanket) that I decided to break up the monotony by knitting myself a hat.

I have had some Jaeger Matchmaker dk yarn in my stash for a while; one skein was left over after I made these socks. I didn't know what to do with the third skein for a while, but I had always kind of allocated it to make Grumperina's Odessa hat. This was...almost two years ago. I finally bought beads on Tuesday, then sat down to make this hat. It took three days from my blanket, but I was grateful for the distraction and the (finally) satisfaction of starting and completing a project, without feeling like it will never. end.

I'm not a big fan of this style of hat, actually. I prefer newsboy caps...but I always seem to lose my cute hats, and wind up using these knitted hats, anyway. So they may as well be cute. With beads.

What do you mean I have to make a second one?

This glove has gone beautifuly, even if it's gone a little bit more slowly than I would have liked. I mean...uh, I have to make a second one? UGH.

I fully believe that a) it will be well worth it and b) these will be a favorite pair of gloves.

I'm excited. Kind of.

I may be knitting rosemary's baby

I have hit a knitting wall. Although I have three things actively on the needles, and another hopeful project languishing in the corner, only one of them is going well.

I am being continually frustrated by Muir, who I can't rip out (and why would I want to?). I get through about four perfect repeats, and then, as though this shawl is possessed by Satan, the pattern just stops making sense. Every time.

Pomatomus isn't going well - I somehow managed to become two rows ahead on one needle. How on earth that happened without an obvious looking glitch is completely beyond me. At one point I started having dreams about ripping it out, and finally, as I was drifting off to sleep one day, it occurred to me that I could probably rip out one needle at a time about five or ten rows back and just start again from there - I have no problem frogging, it just terrified me to no end to take out all the needles at once and have to work out that many stitches. Gosh, I'm brilliant (I keep telling myself that, but I have yet to act on this. I am still terrified. I keep telling myself I'm "not up to it right now," then I go work on the shawl from Hades, and then I'm really not up for it).

The wedding afghan is going beautifully. I wish I could have used a nicer yarn, but it's hard to find quality, color, and washability in an affordable price range. Besides, aside from being acrylic, the Lion Brand yarn is so deliciously colored, I could eat it. And let's not forget: machine washable.

I got some koigu in the mail the other day. Not enough for the mermaid gloves I want to make (ha ha HA - I'm struggling with the pomatomus sock and now I want to struggle with the glove version! I am so smart - S-M-R-T), but enough to convince me I need to buy enough to make the gloves. SO PRETTY. Hopefully those will go a little better.

Jason and I are taking a trip to San Francisco soon. I need something small I can take on the plane, because I think he'll tease me to no end if I need a second suitcase to pack the afghan.

Stupid Mutant Seed Stitch Bastard

I've been working on the Burridge Lake Afghan for some friends of ours who are getting married this summer. If there are two people in this world that I can think of who I would bear knitting an entire afghan for, it is these two. They are so perfectly matched, so comfortably in tune with each other, that I have no doubt that they will make each other happy for a very long time, and that makes me more than thrilled to knit each and every stitch of this blanket for them.

That being said...

The entire time I have been knitting this thing, ripping back cables that are less than perfect, making sure each and every stitch is the stitch it is "supposed to be"...I have been thinking, "What a stupid fucking transition [between the cables]. Why is this thing some mutant seed stitch rib pattern? Why not just a rib?"

I asked Jason about it, "Do you think this transition looks stupid?"

"No," he said, "It looks great."

Well, after some ravelry browsing, I noticed that a few people have cast on with me this January. And of the pictures I can see clearly, I am but one person who interpreted the stitches as the mutant seed stitch and not a rib. That makes me feel better. As a person, I mean.

As far as this afghan goes?

Well, I will be ripping it out and starting over.

Norwegian Star Earflap Hat

Pattern: Tiennie's Norwegian Star Earflap Hat
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in Pink and White
Needles: size 7 Addi Turbos

Mods: I did a mockup with some old Cascade 220, knitting the earflaps first then casting on for the hat, and I thought the brim would curl - even the way tiennie wrote the pattern. For one thing, I'm not so great with the backwards loop. It looks easy enough, but I was getting an uneven, curly brim. My solution?

I used this cable cast on that I learned from Romi when I started Muir, and crocheted two sets of 21 stitches each. Then, I cast on for the brim, knitting the crocheted stitches (instead of picking up the earflaps) as I came to them. There were some holes, and I might have still benefited from the backward loop cast on...oh well. I used the yarn ends from the flaps to weave those holes shut.

I knit a 2x2 rib brim, because I like the look of a 2x2 brim on a hat, and it had already worked really well when I knit this hat up for my sister. I followed the rest of the pattern as it was written, although I wish I had made the top of my hat taller, and had knit less rows between the brim and the pattern - the yarn I used on my sister's hat was a little bit thicker, and it made for a taller, albeit slightly tighter hat. Also, I loved one mod I saw on ravelry with some added stripes. I may just be using that idea when I knit this hat for Jason.

After I pulled the yarn through the crown and finished the hat portion of the hat, I unzipped the crocheted yarn at the brim, and started knitting the earflaps. I have to say that although the other way seems just fine, this way makes more sense to me, since after I've decreased down to 3 stitches, it's so much easier to just keep on going with the i-cord.

I finished this hat yesterday just as we got to Revere Beach. I thought it was warm enough to leave the hat (whose ends were still hanging all about since I had forgotten scissors), but I had to put it on when we got back to the car, because I think the cold had come in through my ears and frozen my brain. Thank goodness I have it now for the blizzard. It's such a warm hat.

Muir

This stole is going to be the death of me. I have such a perfect vision in my head about how lovely it's going to look when it's finished. If I ever finish.

When I saw this pattern in the latest knitty, I knew I had to have it -- and I also knew that I already had the perfect yarn in my stash. I had gotten some knitpicks alpaca cloud a while back, and while I was putting in an order to finish a (different) stole I was making, I decided to get another color to save on shipping costs. I already had every intention of making a lacy scarf, so I figured I'd be saving money by buying the yarn first. I lost the wind in my sails when I couldn't really find a pattern that fit the color, though, and I put it on the shelf and forgot about it a little bit.

It had been sitting patiently in my stash for a year when Muir was published. Even though the original stole is green, because it's inspiration is a forest...well, this shade of purple makes me think of trees, too. Plus, it's heathered and there's some brown in it, right?

Anyway, I cast on in September, during a Penn State game, and I have now ripped the thing out twice. I drove myself crazy when I kept going (for five repeats!) despite my mistakes on the first attempt, until I realized I would never be happy with myself, and then I wouldn't wear the stole, and it would just amount to more wasted yarn in my house. I decided to be more careful on my next attempt. EXTRA-careful. Then somewhere in the first repeat of the second attempt, I had too many stitches! Then not enough stitches! I forged ahead like a woman possessed. I kept thinking that if I knit fast enough, maybe I could fudge it gracefully, but then the alignment of my fudged YOs and K2togs was off by a whole leaf tip. I still thought I could keep going, so I did, for two rows. And then I got a little tipsy on Friday and ripped it out before I could think about what I was doing. I also ordered expensive Christmas cards...so it was a "productive" sort of tipsy.

So this time, my third time, I have used so many lifelines you would not believe it. I have completed my first PERFECT repeat. And I plan on taking my time this time. And it will be perfect. Now there's the obnoxious little straight-A student I was starting to miss!

Cute and Functional -- Just like Jason

Work has sent Jason into the middle of the desert for the past week to do research at the crack of dawn every morning. He keeps commenting on how cold the desert is (and he was surprised, which is cute). While he's outside the RV at five in the morning, before anything has a chance to warm up, he has to type at his laptop in the freezing cold. Last night he told me that he has been wearing his dashing gloves, because the fingerless mitts were perfect for typing and keeping part of his hands warm. One of the guys out there commented on how great the mitts were (he had moded a pair of gardening gloves by cutting the fingers off) - and wanted to know where he got them. "Oh, my girlfriend made these for me."

I have never been more proud of my knitting. Cute and functional.

Well...cuter than a pair of gardening gloves with hacked off fingers, anyway...and at least equally functional.

Pattern: Dashing from Knitty
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Aran Tweed in blue (09)
Needles: size 5 clover dpns

Also, just as a consideration for people like Jason who grew up where it does get cold, you know, unlike the desert - when there aren't any trees, and there isn't much concrete, there is nothing there that will retain heat after the sun goes down. So yes, it gets colder than you might imagine. So make sure you've got your mittens!

Take That, Apple!

Jason bought a new camera recently, and shortly after, he said to me

I know you have a lot of projects going right now, but I was wondering if you had time to knit a camera cover for me.

We had been to a wedding in Pennsylvania recently, and a friend had his camera in an Apple iPod sock. He had shown us (proudly) how the camera fit in the sock when he visited Boston in February, but I suppose with the sock fresh on his mind, and the fact that camera cases don't fit in his pants (like lots of other things), Jason actually requested knitting. From me. I was so excited, but I played it cool. Besides, who knows if and when it will stop being camera cozies and start being bigger things in colors I don't like and yarns my hands hate?

This is a guy, by the way, who is completely awesome and sweet about my knitting, and is very grateful when I do bestow knitted gifts on him, but he also teases me mercilessly and perpetually about my yarn stash. (I should never have asked him to make sure I didn't buy yarn until I finished what I had on the needles. Who knew he'd actually take me seriously?!)

Anyway, I was so excited about being asked, and about his faith in my knitting that I made him a camera cozy the very next day:

I used leftover Cascade 220 Tweed and some Cascade 220 in a green color to break the monotony of the grey. Even though he specifically requested the tweed yarn, I just couldn't do it. His wardrobe leans towards the monochromatic side, which is fine because he's a snazzy dresser, and he would have been plenty happy with a plain grey cozy, but no. I need color in my life.

It's a simple 3x1 rib over 36 (?) stitches on size 5 needles, and I knit until it measured just over 4" and then did a 3 needle bind-off on the inside so that it would fit a 3.71" camera. Although in retrospect I wish I had seamed it using a kitchener stitch, I was just too eager to finish before I saw him that night, and the 3 needle bind-off just felt faster.

I hope everyone in my family wants a camera sock. Because I think I found a lazy clever way to successfully complete my Christmas knitting in time.

Warming the Office, Two hands at a Time

I started wearing my own pair of Fetching mitts around the office last year, and even though I technically only wore them to go out in the cold, they caught the eyes of some co-workers. They bought me some yarn and I agreed to knit them some fetching gloves for the office. I ended up adding finger holes to theirs because my own gloves had started warbling and curling at the finger end, and they both wanted finger holes, despite my inner-protest that casting off without fingers would be way easier.

This year, the building management didn't turn the heat on when it first got cold (and thank goodness because it was 60° yesterday, and hot as hades in here), and so a third co-worker remembered the mitts I'd made. He asked for a pair, and seemed excited to pick out yarn, so once again I agreed to warm another pair of hands at the office.

His mitts were a modified version of dashing (sans-cables. He didn't want frills or anything fancy -- Just a manly rib), and I sadly did not get any photos of anything but the yarn.

Once he told his wife about the plan, she also became excited, and in exchange for a handmade wristlet of hers, I agreed to knit yet another pair of fetchings. I really love this pattern, I do, but to mix things up I modified the pattern a little bit to keep things interesting. I am slowly falling in love with the pink my co-worker chose for her, although I wouldn't wear it on my own skin (it clashes something fierce). I'll be glad to get these done, though. I have holiday knitting to finish!

Pattern: Fetching from Knitty
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: Size 5 Clover DPNs

Mods: I staggered the cables:

Row 1: C4B, p1, [k4, p1]x2* rep to end of row
Row 2: k4, p1, C4B, p1, k4, p1* rep to end of row
Row 3: [k4, p1]x2, C4B, p1* rep to end of row
knit 4x1 rib for two rows
Row 6: C4B, p1, [k4, p1]x2* rep to end of row
Row 7: 4x1 rib
Row 8: [k4, p1]x2, C4B, p1* rep to end of row
knit 4x1 rib for two rows

Repeat the last 10 rows once
Knit rows 1-3

Then I followed the fetching pattern until I got to the cable for the fingers.

Knit one row in 4x1 rib

To make fingers that line up with the cables (this was the part I found difficult to do with the other two pairs that seemed to work out this time. I don't really know how. Angels, I think. From heaven.) My guess would be that I managed to use about 4-5 stitches for each finger, making sure the cable was somewhat centered, and decreasing or casting on as I needed smaller or bigger finger holes. Oh, and that I paid attention and did a little bit of math...that usually helps, too.

One Dollar Hat

When I was in Minnesota for Thanksgiving, I managed to knit a hat. I have so many projects swimming in my head right now (for Christmas, for me...) that it's hard to sit down and focus. This hat wasn't even on the list of "necessary" knitting, but it had to be done. Besides, the yarn? It cost me $1. That's right. One dollar hat:

Pattern: Natty Hat from Knit and Tonic
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in color 140 (Dusty Rose)
Needles: Size 8 clover dpns for the rim, 16" size 11 circular needle for the cap

Mods: I was kind of at a loss here because I only had size 8 dpns on me, even though it called for size 9 needles to cast on, and I didn't have gauge). So instead of 60 stitches, I cast on 66 with the size 8's. Hi, I don't swatch. I just guessed here, but it worked out perfectly (it fits just snugly enough without leaving obscene hat marks for the rest of the day).

I knit a 2x2 rib for the brim instead of a 1x1 rib, just out of personal preference (even though the 1x1 would have "worked better" with the hat pattern, I had already cast on six extra stitches, so this was moot, anyway).

While I did use the size 11 circs for the hat, and it fits nicely, I think that I would rather have a tighter cap (using a size 10 needle rather than the 11s), or use a more substantial yarn, even though the point is to have a cap that's not really winter wear. However loosely knit this hat is, though, I think it's lovely, and you really can't beat that price!

Grow, Little Shawl, Grow!

The Paisley Lace Shawl, she grows!

I am on the 8th repeat of the pattern (each time you repeat the pattern, it grows by one eyelet. So repeat one has one eyelet, repeat 2 has 2, repeat 3 has 3, and so forth. Thus, being 8 repeats into 13 is not exactly...a whole lot. It's actually rather pathetic).

I will never finish this before the Knitting Olympics (and the real Olympics) are over. To be fair, I was excessively lazy about this. But I don't think 16 days is reasonable in terms of finishing a whole lace shawl. Not for me. I mean, I'm a decent knitter, but I'm not great. And even though there is already one mistake on this particular version of the shawl (oh yes, this is V2.0), and I'm not going to rip it back, it's more important to me to have a correct shawl than to have a "finished" shawl. So I'm going ot take my time. If I don't get a "gold medal," then I don't. At least I'll have finished my first piece of real lace knitting (I don't think Branching Out really counts...)

I am so proud of this piece of knitting right now. It's my baby.

blue box stitch scarf

This scarf is a simple box stitch pattern with a garter stitch edge. I'm using size 5 needles and red heart yarn found at the Pearl on Canal Street (NYC) - I don't remember what kind, but suffice it to say it's red heart yarn, so it's cheap, it's acryllic, and I'm surprised I've made it this far on this project.

Pattern:

CO multiple of 4 sts +6 for edging.
k 3 rows.
row 1: k3, *k2, p2, repeat from * to last 3 sts, k3.
row 2: k3, *k2, p2, repeat from * to last 3 sts, k3.
row 3: k3, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last 3 sts, k3.
row 4: k3, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last 3 sts, k3.
rep rows 1-4 until desired length is achieved (minus a half an inch or less).
k 3 rows
BO.

Pasha the Penguin

Pasha the Penguin from knitty.

Pasha was not difficult to knit, but I learned the importance of swatching. Also, because I used very inexpensive acrylic yarn, blocking was not really helpful, but Ironing Pasha out before seaming him up helped a lot - especially in achieving a nice sheen...erm, which was intentional.

He has no feet, as you can see, and he never will. I gave him to my sister and told her that he can slide on his belly, as that's what penguins do. She insists that he needs feet to propel himself, but since the yellow yarn was so difficult to work with - I don't see that happening any time this year.

Seaweed Poncho

For the seaweed poncho, which is somewhat (mostly) my own design, I used generic homespun yarn on size 15 and 19 needles.

Using size 15 needles, CO 59 sts. Do a seed stitch for four rows, or one inch.

Knit one row, then switch to bigger needles.

k1, *yo k2tog*, rep from* until piece measures 10 1/2 or 11 inches.

switch to smaller needles, knit one row.

Seed stitch four rows, bind off loosely.

Repeat this for second piece, block, then sew together, lining the left corner of one piece to the right corner of another piece such that you have a triangle (the book I used as inspiration for the design had a diagram and formula for piecing together ponchos that's pretty basic and universal, though I have trouble explaining it. You can sort of see the seam in my picture).

I did not block this. But I should have. And still should. Especially if it's going to be a gift.

Branching Out

Branching Out from knitty is almost halfway done. The middle keeps scrunching up more and more. I guess that's why we must cast on loosly, but I swear it was flat as a board when I started!

Things I learned:

Use a lifeline. This is a lot of people's first lace project, and I didn't listen at first, but once I finally gave in to the idea of a lifeline, I didn't regret it. Especially after like the bajillionth repeat, when I couldn't bear even considering having to rip to god-knows-where to pick up the lost stitches.

Don't do this and watch TV if you aren't confident in your lace skills.

Wine and branching out don't mix.