Knitting... with pencils?

Cast-On Binges and Fiber Fasts

2006-10-16T23:17:00.000-04:00

Those of you who knit, do you ever go on a "cast-on binge"? I mean where you know that you shouldn't cast-on anything new, but not only do you cast something on, but you cast-on more than one thing? In the same night?

Okay, so I might have done that.

But they are both scarves! So stop shaking your head in dismay! Yes, you!

I may have a slightly guilty conscience, too; but, I like my new projects, even if I didn't really need any new ones.

So I'm sure you're wondering what they are. They are probably both going to be hard to get pictures of, but I will try.

The first is Branching Out; my mom said it was a good pattern, and I decided to give it a try with some KnitPicks Gloss that I had laying around. I have to hand it to KnitPicks.. their customer service/shipping and handling may leave something (or a lot of things) to be desired, but their yarn is actually pretty nice. Especially Gloss. Very very soft and wonderful.

This is the very beginning of it that I have on the needles:

I also needed a black scarf for winter; would you believe I don't own any black scarves? There was a severe need for one last winter, so now I will have one. I'm doing a "fake" or "garter" rib by doing a K2P2 rib on one side and purling the other. Doing K2P2 for the whole scarf could drive me insane.

I went to JoAnn's for this yarn, and got some of the squiggly kind because it has a very skinny shiny thread plied with the thicker yarn, giving it a little more sheen which I was hoping would make it look nicer. However, the bunchiness is already driving me crazy, so we'll see if I can handle it for the whole scarf. Hopefully so. Sorry you can't see any stitch definition, but there's hardly any to speak of and then add in that it's black and catching it with the camera is pretty much doomed.

Speaking of buying more yarn, I'm not going to. I'm hereby going on a Fiber Fast until Stitches East; I do NOT need any more yarn to keep me knitting until then. This is not just yarn store yarn, but also craft store yarn; I may not even buy a single skein of a new yarn to try out or more sock yarn. I DO NOT NEED ANY MORE YARN. (I'm trying to remind myself of this fact.)

Can you all keep reminding me that I don't need any more yarn? Please?

On Being Unable to Knit

2006-10-12T14:11:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about how addicted to knitting I've become. I have a tendency to become addicted to things, but knitting in particular has insinuated itself very quickly and very deeply into my day to day life. I love having something to do with my hands, I love created seamless fabric from string, I love learning new and more challenging things to do with the same two (or four) needles.

A few days ago, I was unable to knit for a day. I went rock climbing (at a local gym) and I hadn't been in a while. I also failed to stretch thoroughly (NOT RECOMMENDED) and my forearms spasmed the whole next day when I made a motion at all similar to closing either of my hands. I could hardly type (certainly not enough to type this post then, although I usually muse over things for a few days anyway), and I definitely wasn't going to try to knit. For one day that was okay, and I picked up the needles the next day and knitted up a storm. (The Doctor Who scarf is coming along nicely!)

I guess it just struck me a little more strongly this time, because I know there are people who have to permanently stop knitting, and I've known some of them. My grandmother knitted, though never when I could remember, and one of my aunts (the one who I know the least well) also knitted. Both were forced to stop by a relatively quickly advancing (from what I understand) form of arthritis that developed in their hands.

And now, my mom (who started knitting about the same time as me) seems to be starting to have the same problem.

I'm hopeful that with all the new medications out there, there will be one that will stave off the symptoms and allow my mom to keep knitting for a while longer. I hate the idea that she might be forced to stop so soon after she started; I would offer to knit her things, but I'm pretty sure that even for product knitters (and I don't know if she is one or not), having made it with your OWN two hands is part of the appeal.

Meanwhile, hearing that my mom might have to stop and also experiencing what it might be like to have pain stop someone from knitting, I have a lot more appreciation for my own ability to knit--and I don't just mean my skills, but also my physical capacity to do so without causing further pain. Hopefully, my mom will be able to, as well.

(Sorry to bring up this difficult topic; I guess this is something most knitters don't like to think about. I certainly don't! I'm away from my camera, but hopefully tonight I can get back to pretty pictures and positive posting.)

Linen is Weird

2006-10-06T00:04:00.000-04:00

You may wonder why there is a picture of Soleil (knitted in Noro Lily) in a post titled "Linen is Weird." But there is a connection, if you bear with me.

First, I want to brag about the fact that the knitting of Soleil is finished. This one has been on the needles for quite a while, including a time where I set it aside to decide whether I could take the weird pooling or whether it needed a trip to the frog pond. As you can see, I finished knitting, and you know, I think I like it. Horizontal stripes and all!

So now, I'm blocking for the first time (no, I've never blocked anything before! Although, I'm thinking of disassembling this and blocking it before reassembling.. I did a shoddy job of finishing it so it needs disassembling anyway, I think), and I'm doing it with a circular item (knitted in the round) and a cotton/silk blend to boot. Hopefully this will come out okay. I'm blocking it approximately 1/3 at a time, so that it fits on my ironing board.

Meanwhile, now that this is blocking, I have finally been able to cast-on the Moss Grid Hand Towel from Mason Dixon Knitting. I've been wanting to play with the linen yarn (they say it softens up the more you wash it, and it's machine wash AND dry.. does it get any better?), and now I am. And let me tell you, it's strange.

I'm working with Euroflax Linen Originals.. has anyone out there worked with this yarn? Does it grow or shrink or neither, when washed? I'm knitting a towel, so I'm too lazy to knit a swatch for a rectangular item that is not particularly size dependant, but I'm still curious...

Socktoberfest Begins!

2006-10-03T00:03:00.000-04:00

Yes indeedy, I'm participating in
A no-pressure festival celebrating socks.. right up my alley. In fact, I forgot it was October 1st yesterday but conveniently cast-on a new sock (for a new pair of socks, eventually):

Sorry the picture's not very good, but believe it or not that wa sthe best I could get. I'm one full repeat (24 rows) into the ankle of the sock; I'm working from Sensational Knitted Socks, the Ribbed Lace pattern to be exact.

These are going to be gorgeous socks, and the yarn is a wonderful merino/silk blend. I'm not admitting where I got said yarn, though. Nope, not admitting.

More sock coverage in the near future, hopefully! Oh yeah, and maybe I'll try to take a picture of the recent progress on the Doctor Who scarf, which is too big to take pictures of as a whole. Totally unwieldy, actually. Maybe I could take it apart and make a blanket instead....? (Just kidding!)

The Moment of Uh Oh

2006-09-25T11:48:00.001-04:00

This morning, I came down the stairs to see this:
Say it with me: Uh oh. I wasn't sure yet that this was a piece of yarn connected to a project yet, until I turned the corner to the left:
Luckily for the cat, he was not there the first time, but when I went to take the picture, there he was.. no doubts about at least one of the culprits of this.. and as you can see, the yarn comes right out of the project bag before wrapping around the table leg:

Then it moved around the corner:
And around another corner:
And around yet another corner:
Before finally I found the end in my friend's newest knitting project:

This is the second time the cat(s) (we're not sure who are the culprits) have gotten into her knitting. They have yet to get into mine. Is that because they know that I'm not good enough friends with them that they are safe from harm if they get into mine? Because they are used to playing with her and therefore think her yarn is fair game? Whatever it is, this is my friend the NEW KNITTER and I want them to leave her yarn alone before she gets discouraged!

Sigh.

A Perfect Pair!

2006-09-24T20:47:00.000-04:00

I've got a pair of crazy socks! Not sure how much I'll be able to wear them with, but they were fun to make! I used the garter rib stitch pattern and followed the instructions in Sensational Knitted Socks (well worth having, if you don't already!) and had a great time. In fact, I've already cast-on my next pair. I wanted to wait until my new sock yarn came, but I still have yarn in the stash and I just couldn't wait... could I be addicted to sock knitting??

Relapse

2006-09-19T00:20:00.000-04:00

When you're trying to FINISH as many of your WIPs, starting new ones is not effective. That's why I told myself when I cast off my last washrag that there would be no more until I was satisfied that I had made enough UFOs into FOs.

I do have an excuse, though. I went to visit my mother-cousin (my mom's cousin, get it?), and I wanted to give her a little something for all the times she's taken me in (even though she insists I'm part of the family), even on short notice. So I whipped up this dishrag lickety split to give her... but I didn't have any needles for weaving in ends.

So, the washrag is finished, all ends weaved in, but not with my mother-cousin. What's the cheapest way to send a dishrag?

Forget rulers or yardsticks...

2006-09-17T11:18:00.000-04:00

... I need people to give you perspective on the project I've been working on.

Here's He-Who-Had-Better-Be-Grateful holding up the scarf... notice how his knuckles are scraping the ceiling? (He's standing on his tiptoes.)

And here's me, lying next to the scarf. I'm 5' 6", and we had to do this from an angle to make it work, so the top is a bit foreshortened, but you get the idea. Also, Jimmy couldn't be outdone and decided to get in on the fun by standing ON the scarf.

So that's what I've been up to lately. I have to roll the crazy thing up so it doesn't get horribly twisted as I have to turn for each new row. I'm going to be SO happy when this is finished!

Are you ready for this?

2006-09-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

It's a sock!

Finished and everything!

Furthermore, I have already cast-on for the second sock! I don't seem to have second sock syndrome, yet. As soon as I finish the first, I usually am on such a high that I want to finish the second so that I can wear them both! (And sometimes I wear one while knitting the other.. silly, isn't it?)

So yes, life is good. Of course, I really need to get finished with this sock and also the Doctor Who scarf (agh!) in order to be able to cast-on my next project. Ugh. But, I refuse to cast-on another project just yet. I refuse! I'm showing restraint, and self-discipline, and all that jazz. Do you hear me?

(Would it bad to just, say, knit a gauge swatch? You know, just to see if the yarn even gets the right gauge?)

A sock!

2006-09-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

Please excuse the random water bottle in the background. And my white legs/feet. But, as you can see, I'm making progress on the sock! In fact, I finished the green stripe and most of a purple stripe tonight (took this picture late last night) so I'm even further than it looks in the picture.

I have to go to the dentist tomorrow.. I have a TMD (Temperomandibular joint Dysfunction) problem that a dentist back in California has been treating long distance while I've been living in New Jersey. Now that I'm in Maryland, I need to get braces (which I obviously couldn't do long distance). Which means a new dentist.

Oh well, at least maybe I can get more of the sock done. Hopefully this appointment tomorrow won't be too bad. And at least I know what day of the week it is!

No Longer a UFO

2006-09-02T01:28:00.000-04:00

Remember that washrag from the previous long post? Well, even if you don't, here it is, finished, and in situ:

I just had to take a picture of a piece of the kitchen that I was matching. Just to show off:

And then there's the confession.. I might have bought more yarn. Maybe. But really, it wasn't ENTIRELY my idea to go to the yarn store! And, well, I have an idea about what pattern I'm going to use it for. BUT, I have decided that I may not even so much as knit a gauge swatch until I have finished at least two more projects, and not cast on any more washrags. So, no more washrags for me! (Or at least, not unless I want to put myself back even further...)

How Many Is Too Many?

2006-09-02T01:27:00.000-04:00

I have a definite tendency to test my limits. I want to know how much is too much or how many is too many.

For example, how many units in college is too many to carry? (Answer: 25 units, or 7 classes) Or, how many IMs is too many? (More than four or five with people who really want to talk is really too many. Fewer if I'm having a serious conversation with at least one of them.. .that way lies madness.)

So, how many knitting blogs can I follow before I start wanting to pretend I didn't check which had been updated when I open my RSS reader? The answer: 115. The sad part is, I can't think of any that I clearly am not interested in and therefore can drop off my list. What am I going to do??

(Also, how many WIPs is too many? I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure I'm past that point. When I'm not even working and I start feeling overwhelmed...)

P.S. In a separate post (not this one for my ease of posting) there will be pictures of one fewer WIP.. I finished my dishrag, and I'm hereby forbidding myself from starting another. More about that in next post.

Blogged with Flock

Embarassing Typos

2006-08-29T20:20:00.000-04:00

I know how to make REAL typos. You know, I don't mess around with mispellings or missed punctuation. I write a different word that has a very different meaning. So, just so that you all know, in case you read my previous post and saw that I called my friend who I was teaching to knit "frustrating," I meant "frustrated."

Speaking of which, I am now embarassed. Not embarassing, embarassed.

I'm going to go hide and proofread all future posts twice as penance.

I'm really behind

2006-08-29T16:44:00.000-04:00

I've fallen into the evil trap of procrastinating on posting an entry to my blog; worse still, I'm procrastinating because I have so much to share, which means it only gets worse the longer I wait!

So now it's time for an incredibly long post to try to catch up. So long, in fact, that it is going to have an outline. (Or something approaching an outline. Or maybe a table of contents? Whatever you wish to call it.)

1. Teaching my friend to knit

2. WIPs

3. Frogging?

4. Anything else I think of before I'm finished

Part the First: Teaching a Friend to Knit

One of the things I've been up to is teaching a friend to knit. I should note that this friend is very ambitious, and has a history of jumping straight into the deep end with crafts. So, of course, she fell in love with a scarf (not so bad) that was knit in novelty yarn (not so good) in two strands (getting worse) and in the following pattern: P1, *YO, P2Tog* (Danger, DANGER Will Robinson!!) She was very excited, though.

I wanted her to like knitting so much, and yet I was terrified that she was going to hate it after trying and failing (because, I was really really afraid she was going to give up one of the many times that she couldn't get the pattern.. and who would blame her?). Not only was it two strands of novelty yarn, but one of them was a very open railroad-type ribbon yarn.

So I tried to teach her, and it kept getting messed up. She would have too many stitches, or too few. Because it was a novelty yarn and an essentially unknown stitch to me (e.g. I have not knitted in it for any length of time so I didn't really know how it SHOULD look for sure), I didn't know what she was doing wrong. She started trying to tackle it on some black acrylic that we have lying around. She was still having trouble, so she tried just purling, and got that down. (Just so you know, I tried to get her to do that the first time, but remember what I said about jumping into the deep end? ;-) )

Then I stupidly thought, "Purling is just knitting backwards, so shouldn't the pattern be able to be adapted to knitting? And wouldn't that be much easier?" So I had her try this: *K2Tog, YO* K1

She came to me and asked ME to try it, because she couldn't get it. I tried it and discovered that it does something completely mysterious. I still haven't figured out why this didn't work, but suffice it to say it didn't.

By now, though, she had apparently started to get the hang of this all, because she started trying the original pattern on the black yarn again, and actually got it. Success! And then she cast-on and started knitting the actual scarf.

There have been set-backs aplenty; she dropped one or both needles several times, and one time the lifeline wasn't in correctly and I couldn't rescue all the stitches and had to frog back further for her. One time (before the lifeline) she tried to frog back on her own and discovered why people use lifelines when YOs are involved.. they just disappear on you. I felt so bad.. by the time she had the needle out and was frogging back, it was too late, so I decided not to jinx her; she had already completely surpassed all my expectations for a beginning knitter, and I wasn't going to put anything past her!

Amazingly, though, she is almost finished. This whole saga started less than three weeks ago, and she basically knit to the end of the yarn (we cut the fringe beforehand), and I'm going to teach her how to cast-off tonight. At the beginning she was frustrated [ed: not frustrating, as in previous, mistyped version] as all get out, but now she seems to be starting to discover how relaxing it is and what a nice break from other tasks it can be.

Hopefully I'll be posting some lovely pictures (or at least a link to her lovely pictures) of the finished project.. I have been SO impressed with her, and I want you all to see what she's accomplished! I wish I could claim credit, but I swear that if she didn't have an apparently bottomless reservoir of perseverance and stubbornness, I don't know how she could have stuck with it. I wasn't really that helpful except talking her down when she wanted to do something drastic. It's been an interesting process. Hopefully, we have a new knitter in the club!

Part the Second: WIPs

I have a ridiculous number of WIPs now, and people have been clamoring for pictures of various ones. (Okay, clamoring is not the right. Occasionally asking quite politely is more accurate.) So, I grabbed all my WIPs (in several trips) and took pictures of them. Some of them have not had particularly much progress, or not noticeable process, but this will probably be good for me, too, to really recognize that I have NO reason to be starting a new project right now.

No numbers for the projects because I don't want to know...

Doctor Who Scarf

There has been a bit more progress on the Doctor Who scarf, which puts it just past a quarter of the way finished. Or, in pictures:

I thought the garter stitch would be relaxing, but it turns out that knitting in the round is much more relaxing because you don't have to go back and forth. For this reason, there's been some reasonable progress on...

"Tie-dye" Soleil

Several of you commented that the yarn is getting kind of a tie-dye effect. I agree. Also, thank you to everyone who gave me tips, including interspersing two different skeins every few rows to avoid pooling. If I decide I can't stand it anymore, I'll frog back and do that, but in the meantime, i can't bring myself to do it just yet. The patterns are at least fascinating, even if I'm not sure I can wear them.. (Oh yeah, and they DO look a bit more noticeable in pictures than they do in person. The flash probably changes the colors just enough to emphasize the differences.. or at least, that's my best guess.)

My preference for mindless knitting should be a warning that I haven't done much more complex knitting, ala:

Calliope Shell

I had to go back in the archives, in fact, to see what I was calling this one, and as it turns out I hadn't shown off the progress since before I stopped making it. So, this will look like a lot more (most of the back, in fact). It also has my favorite handmade stitch markers (also my only handmade stitch markers.. gotta fix that eventually..):

Ballband Dishcloth

I'm recovered from my stupid cold/allergies/whatever it was, but the ballband dishcloth craze has continued. A completely different combination of colors than I was using previously:

I finished two more in the green and blue of the other pictured one, and probably will get one more out of those colors when I can stand to look at them again. In the meantime, I'm working on this to match a friend's kitchen. :-)

Sensational Sock

Wait, a sock? Where did this come from? When did I give any indication that I was going to knit a sock?? Was it the gnomes? How dare they get into my stash! And they even turned the heel, apparently.. my favorite part!

(Yes, you can see my plan. When you have too many WIPs, there's an easy solution: deny, deny, deny. You can't deny the existence of the WIPs, of course, so the best bet is to deny having had anything to do with the knitting of said WIPs. Isn't it ingenious??)

Part the Third: Frogging?

Okay, to get those pictures I had to carry all my stuff downstairs, twice, because I stupidly managed to DELETE the pictures from my camera instead of downloading them onto my computer. So, I don't want to go down to the basement and dig through boxes to find the WIP that I'm going to be talking about here so I can take a picture, because, well, I'm lazy and tired. So there.

Anyway, LAST fall I started knitting a sweater. It was a pretty sweater with lots of nice details like ribbing around the bottom and also around the neckline. It wasn't particularly complicated. I never finished it--got halfway through the first sleeve before I realized that I was not going to finish before it was much too warm to wear it, and put it away.

It was also knitted with two strands of worsted weight yarn held together, in order to get a gauge of 3.5 sts/inch.

So, even though I've finished the front AND the back, and half of the first sleeve, I'm seriously considering frogging. The fabric is not nearly as nice as I know it would be if I knitting one strand at the correct weight, and I'm not scared of needles smaller than size 9 anymore (like I apparently was before) so that's not really an issue. I'm also seriously considering knitting it in the round, thus removing the need to sew up the side seams. The yarn is a lovely orange that is going to look very good on me, so I'm having trouble finding anything wrong with the plan.

Well, except for the fact that I have all the WIPs above already, and now I'm talking about making this project take even longer. I don't know what to do...

Part the Fourth: I'm Tired Now

Okay, I included a fourth part because I felt that there was something else I was supposed to add that I was forgetting. But, I've already made an INCREDIBLY long post (don't know if anyone's even reading, at this point), and I still can't remember, so I'm going to finish now. Maybe I'll even manage to post again before a week has gone by, especially if I remember whatever's lurking in the back of my head.

If you actually did read this far, thanks! I'm so glad to have all of this out of my head and onto my computer/blog!

(P.S. Sorry if you got multiple indications in your reader of choice or it did anything else weird.. I was having a horrible time getting this to post and getting all the pictures in there. More motivation to post more frequently with shorter posts!)

Ballband Dishcloths: Healing Powers?

2006-08-21T20:34:00.000-04:00

Some people may not like to knit dishcloths. (Dishclothes? Maybe I should stick with washrags.)

However, I was feeling much better after I woke up the next morning after posting about my new washrag obsession. Lest you think that it was because I had bound off said washrag and would no longer need to knit it that I finally got better, I cast on another one. And finished it.

These are kind of fun! Actually, really fun, with the way you can play with colors. And you can finish one in a day (okay, a long day, for me), without too much thought, and yet they won't make you go broke. (I've gotten at least two out of two balls of Sugar & Cream, and I'm guessing I can get AT LEAST one more.)

Well, I suppose they could make me go broke (it's not a long way from here) but at least it would take a lot longer...

Blogged with Flock

Sick... so what to knit?

2006-08-18T23:41:00.000-04:00

So I'm sick. It's some stupid cold that hasn't taken me completely off my feet but makes me feel mildly miserable most of the time and really miserable some of the time. What fun.

Yes, that's my excuse for not posting. I'm feeling too miserable to do much of anything, much less get my brain together to post.

However, I don't stop knitting. I've hit the washrag phase, because what's better to knit when you're sick but some easy washrags? You don't even have to spend a lot on yarn!

Here's a ballband dishcloth from Mason Dixon Knitting:

And here's a multi-colored washcloth in a woven waffle pattern that completely does NOT show up on the picture (and you can only see it really close in person). Maybe that's a good thing, since I messed it up at one point.. and I just wanted the texture for a washrag because it seemed more functional.

I also made a little foray into linen stitch before discovering that I hate it--though it could be useful for a belt, since it makes a VERY stiff cloth! My little foray made a small coaster.. Forgot to take a picture, maybe I'll take one and maybe I won't.

Hopefully I'll feel better soon. Really soon.

I Know This Feeling

2006-08-09T22:06:00.000-04:00

Have you ever gotten a relatively drastic haircut? One that you liked, but in a hesitant sort of way.. a way in which one negative comment might be enough to change your mind, and it's too late anyway? And so, you don't want to hear any comments from anyone, because they might be good, but they might be bad, and you want to feel a little more confident, a little less delicate, before you are ready to hear whatever people might have to say.
Well that, my dear blog readers, is why I have been hesitant to post lately. Well, a combination of that, and not liking to post without pictures. Because, let's be honest, talking about knitting is all well and good, but at least half the reason you're here is for the pictures. Isn't it true?
Anyway, I've been hard at work with the GORGEOUS yarn that I got and posted a picture of. Someone asked what I was making with it, and the answer is Soleil, from Knitty.
So where does this insecurity that causes me to not post pictures come from? Well, the gorgeous yarn is pooling. Not everywhere, just when I have a certain number of stitches, which fortunately came twice with the waist shaping. I'm pretty sure that I like it a lot, but then if someone were to make an offhanded comment about how it was "too bad" or something like that, I might suddenly flip and change my mind. And I'm pretty certain that nothing is going to "fix" it (nor certain that I want to fix it, of course). So, I've been keeping it to myself.
However, having written all this out, I think I've finally found the courage and lack of fragility to show it to the world. And I'm hoping you all like it, because I want to be able to proudly wear it when it's finished, rather than being nervous of more comments! (Again like the haircut!)
So, here it is:

By the way.. does anyone have any good tips for photographing circular knitting? That could be part of my hesitation, too..

New Yarn!

2006-07-30T22:59:00.000-04:00

I had a witty post percolating in my head about how I have been playing "musical needles" lately, but that's going to have to wait. Why? Because the gorgeous yarn that I got today (Noro Lily) takes all words away. The pictures will have to speak for themselves:

I rolled the first skein into a center-pull ball (by hand; I really need to get a ball winder someday):

And started swatching:

The gauge of the swatch appears to be in the range of 4.5 stitchs per inch, and I'm going for 5.5 stitches per inch, so I'm going to have to go down at least one needle size. Not too big of a surprise, and I'm finding it hard to be upset. This yarn is a lovely cotton silk blend, and I think I'm falling in love with this fiber combination almost as much as the color combination.

New yarn... I feel much better now.

(By the way, after the yarn store troubles lately, I must give credit where credit is due: I bought this yarn online at Loop Yarn, and the service was great. The picture was very accurate, I got the yarn on sale, it shipped the next day, and came quickly. There was even a little handwritten thank you on the receipt! All is right with the world again.)

One Strike, Two Strike

2006-07-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

Two days, two attempted trips the LYS. Note the "attempted."

Yesterday, I dragged my non-knitting friend (well, she doesn't knit YET) to the former location of the LYS. Actually, it wasn't so much dragging, since she fell in love with some wonderful novelty yarn last time (when I *did* drag her there) and hasn't been able to get it out of her mind. It's been several months. Raise your hand if you think we have a future knitter here!

Anyway, we went to the former location. Not knowing that it was the former location. There was a sign in the window for a "moving sale" but the shop was suspiciously dark and empty, and the door securely locked. No evidence of where the store had gone.

So when we got home, I immediately googled for the store (the Celtic Knot, in case you're in the Baltimore-ish area of MD) and found out where they had moved to. It turns out it wasn't so far away from where they had been, but it was too late to go back yesterday.

So today, we went out to the new location; it says on the website that their doors are open. However, once again it was a dark and extremely locked door that greeted us. On the plus side, it was not empty on the other side. There were so many beautiful yarns that I was nearly drooling.

I just wanted some wool fumes to brighten my weekend.. was that so much to ask? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait for the official opening, because I'm not stupid. Three strikes and I'm out, so I won't go back to the "plate" until I'm sure I can at least hit the ball.

(P.S. Aside from the Tour de France/cycling, that is likely the only sports analogy you will ever see on this blog. It took me until sixth grade flag football to learn that football actually had rules about not tackling people who don't have the ball. And when one doesn't have a good grasp on the rules of the game(s), one does well not to use analogies that require such a grasp. I'm just saying.)

Blogged with Flock

Knitting with Pencils!

2006-07-27T22:50:00.000-04:00

Yes indeed, I can now say that I *have* knitted with pencils! And it was remarkably easy, too!

I used cap erasers to keep yarn from going off the end, and after sharpening I applied clear nail polish to the tips to smooth the wood and keep graphite off my yarn. Then I was off!

I think I'll work on getting some better pictures (that's actually quite hard, as it turns out!) but it's a fun a little experiment. And making the knitting needles was quite easy; anyone think there's a new hexagonal knitting craze on the way?

Knitting with Pencils!

2006-07-27T20:27:00.000-04:00

Why NOT to buy from KnitPicks!

2006-07-24T12:22:00.000-04:00

(Warning: this post contains quite a lot of vitriol, but I hope you will agree with me that it has been well "earned" by KnitPicks.)

Anyone wondering why I haven't posted any more pictures of the Doctor Who scarf? I was making such good progress, so why haven't I at least made more progress, and maybe even posted pictures?

It's all KnitPicks fault, and I'm really not exaggerating here.

You see, I bought 16 balls of KnitPicks Andean Silk; I placed the order on July 6th. The yarn came on July 12th. So far so good.

Then, though, I was looking through the yarn when I realized that one of the balls of yarn was a different gauge. It turns out it was the same color, but a completely different type of yarn. So, I immediately called KnitPicks, the night of the 12th, and explained what had happened. The woman I spoke to was very nice and said they would ship two balls of that color (that's how many I had originally, and that would make certain they were in the same dye lot) the next day.

Not so bad. KnitPicks and I were still on good terms.

Here's the problem though: over the last several weeks as I have been knitting with the Andean Silk, I have found THREE knots in different balls of yarn. To put this in perspective, I have only started 7 of the 16 balls of yarn so far, and because of the pattern of varying length stripes, have only gotten more than halfway through about 3 of those balls. Three. Remember that number? Yeah, that would be the number of knots.

So I was already unhappy. And now, it's the 24th (quick count= 11 days after KnitPicks claims they shipped the order), and no yarn. I wanted to check where it was, but lo and behold, they use even cheaper shipping for shipping out their replacement yarn than they did for the original, and I can't even track it.

Does this seem backwards to anyone? Shouldn't they be using FASTER shipping to get the replacement yarn into people's hands before they start fuming like I am right now? Shouldn't they eat the difference in cost when it is THEIR mistake? Just a thought...

So, the "closing" piece of this story is the 7 minute phone call I just had with a KnitPicks representative. She told me, essentially, "Shipments take 5 to 14 days to arrive. Your yarn should be there by the 27th." Great, the 27th! Oh yeah, and I explained to her my "theory" about shipping yarn faster, and she said that sometimes, if people ask, they will ship it faster.. but usually on the orders of a couple hundred dollars, so that they can track it!!!

Isn't that reassuring? If it's worth enough that they care about whether it gets to your house or not, then they will track it. Otherwise, they will send it as slowly as possible, and leave you wondering about your yarn. The yarn that they messed up on.

So yeah. KnitPicks may have some cool looking yarn at cheap prices, but for me, it's not cheap enough to deal with knots and lack of quality customer service. I'll be shopping at Elann.com or another discount yarn store in the future. Any suggestions?

Doctor Who Scarf Progress

2006-07-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

Here's the Doctor Who scarf progress! There may be a nasty post in a bit about the yarn, though.. more on that later. But now, I have to drive for three hours, and I won't have my camera, so no more pictures for a few days.. hopefully the "scarf of many colors" will hold you over in the meantime!

The Kickx, it will be a Teddy Bear

2006-07-19T23:55:00.000-04:00

Remember the crazy furry colorful yarn that I got cheap at Michael's (though I failed to get the needles I needed) and that I finally posted a picture of a few days ago?

Well, I decided that it needs to be made into something that is supposed to be furry and soft. Any ideas..?

Oh yes, I'm talking about a Teddy Bear! (Okay, maybe the title of the post gave it away. Oh well.)

That was my moment of great excitement. I am sad to say that there are no pictures of the Doctor Who scarf's progress yet. Last night I had a good excuse: a thunderstorm knocked out the internet. Tonight, I'm just too lazy to go downstairs and turn on the lights and arrange the scarf and take a picture and upload it to the computer and post it on this blog.

In fact, I hardly had enough energy to type all that out. Which is a sign that I should probably be sleeping, instead of posting. I just wanted to share something!

I'll try to post pictures tomorrow morning. I'm trying to be a good knitblogger, really!

technorati tags:knitting, kickx, teddybear

Blogged with Flock

Local Stitchers' Group!

2006-07-17T21:56:00.000-04:00

First a little plug: if there is a local stitchers group (SnB or not), go to it! I don't care if you are shy, it could be very fun!

I went for the first time to a stitching group tonight, and met tons of fun people. Because I am absolutely HORRENDOUS with names (mind like a steel sieve, when it comes to that), I'm not going to drop names, because it wouldn't be fair to the people I didn't remember! However, I can tell you that Lolly will be posting pictures and links sometime tomorrow (I think). In fact, there is a high probability that you came from there, since I don't think I have many readers at the moment. The more the merrier.

Now for the knitting. At the group, I was bravely knitting on my Calliope Shell (pattern and yarn from KnitPicks). I got lots of compliments, and that combined with finally making my own stitch markers actually got me brave enough to take a picture and post it on the blog. So here it is!

Someday I will get a close-up of some of the stitch markers, to help you see how pretty they turned out (I humbly say), but for now, I'm just too lazy.

I was not too lazy, however, to take a picture of the Yarntainer that my lovely friends bought me. Note: these friends do not knit. However, they smile and nod at my yarn obsession (they are convinced that I am collecting yarn), and they occasionally feed my obsession by buying wonderful inventions like this, at Target of all places!

You can't see the yarn inside in this picture, but it comes from inside and then threads through a hole in the top to allow me to knit with the thing closed.. and then, when I'm done for the moment, I can stuff my knitting, needles and all, right inside! I've really enjoyed it, and it also helps keep it safe from curious cats. (Though, as I've said, Jimmy is much more interested in the KnitPicks box at the moment, and I'm happy to let him be!)

That's all for the moment. Tomorrow after the exciting Tour de France stage (Alpe d'Huez, here they come!) I will post my progress on the Doctor Who scarf. The more exciting it gets, the faster I knit!

Pictures!

2006-07-16T23:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, indeed, the camera is set up once again (finally!) and we have pictures galore!

First is the finished Tara's Tank, lying flat:

Then comes the Kickx yarn that I bought about a week ago now.. you should be able to see some of the other colors, now, even if you can't identify them:

The next picture comes with a bit of a story. Now that I'm almost completely moved, I'm staying with some friends who have kindly invited me to live in their guest bedroom while I job search. These friends have two cats, who have almost opposite personalities. Jimmy is a black cat, and VERY friendly. Sam is mottled grey and you will probably never see a picture of me, because I can't imagine him staying in the same room with me for me to take a picture. I see him just before he goes around a corner, occasionally, but that's about it.

Anyway, I was afraid that Jimmy was going to want to attack my yarn while I was knitting. I have dealt with this with other cats (though I've never owned any myself). However, Jimmy has instead decided to adopt the box that my KnitPicks yarn came in, even though he doesn't really fit into it. He's in it nearly all the time that I'm knitting, and it looks something like this:

He gives me a giggle, every time he plops down halfway inside of it!

And finally, an actual Finished Object, being worn, to prove that I haven't completely been "sucking wind" as far as the Tour de FOs goes. I think Tara's Tank has become my own, and I like it very much!

BUSY!!! (But not too much for knitting)

2006-07-13T16:49:00.000-04:00

So, the last week (since my last post, eek!) has been very busy.

I moved the last load of stuff to my new place, and all the packing that involved.

I was keeping the stress more or less under control, but this last trip was almost too much. Thankfully, my aunt came over and helped me pack rather than panic when faced with how much was left to fit into my car (which is only a Civic, after all).

Oh yeah, and I've been knitting. I got the pattern and yarn for my new Calliope sleeveless shell, and panicked when I looked at the instructions. Then came my mantra, "I wanted a challenge, I wanted a challenge, I wanted a challenge."

As it turns out, I did want a challenge, and I've been doing a pretty good job with it. If I do say so myself. Sorry, still don't have my computer/camera connection set up, so no pictures yet, but hopefully later today?

Oh yeah, and the other thing, my most ambitious knitting project yet. A Doctor Who Scarf. I'm knitting the Season 12 version, for my friend who asked me nicely. (And also is letting me stay in their guest bedroom for a while.. this is like my rent for the next couple of months, in knitting.) 60 stitches per row. And, um... I figured out how many rows, though that may have been a mistake. Are you ready for this?

Eight hundred ninety rows. 890 rows. Yes, you read that right. There is no decimal missing.

So, that will keep me busy for a while, eh? If I can just keep my nose to the grindstone and not get literally sick of garter stitch! This is why I have the lacy shell to keep my brain occupied, because otherwise, the garter stitch, it would be too much.

That's how I've been busy. How about you?

For all your sock-knitting needs... don't go to Michael's

2006-07-06T22:41:00.000-04:00

I just needed a couple of knitting needles. I wanted to try the toe-up, two circular needle method of knitting socks. However, that required two circular needles of the same size (I have a Boye Interchangeable needle set, but that only gets me ONE circular needle of each size). So, I went to Michael's, thinking that even if they have lots of acrylic yarn and very little natural fiber, they would at least have plenty of knitting needles.

I've been to two Michael's now (not in a row, but over the course of the day), and they don't sell circulars below size 6. This is not useful.

Also not useful is the temptation of Moda Dea yarn hugely on sale. I might have fallen into temptation and bought 6 balls of Kickx.. but it's so pretty, AND I got all six balls for under $19, tax included!

We'll see what I actually use it in, but Moda Dea is wonderfully soft, so I'm sure I will get some good use out of it! If nothing else, I will make a dangerously soft scarf and hat combo. But if I do that, it will be waiting until it is a little cooler.

(Another thought I just had was that I could attempt to adjust the pattern for the Fetching gloves in the newest issue of Knitty.. they would be kind of fun in this yarn!)

Tour de...

2006-07-04T15:56:00.000-04:00

So, the Tour de France started four days ago (on the 1st of July). This is getting me up at a decent time in the morning (9:30am) in order to watch it live... and it's also a great thing to watch while knitting.

I missed the Knitting Olympics, so I was hoping that something similar might happen with the Tour de France. As it turns out, though, some people are doing the Tour de Fleece; a very cute idea, I will admit, but for spinners rather than knitters. And since I don't spin at all...

So, I've been trying to come up with something that would work for me as a knitter, and I finally got it. I give you: The Tour de Finished Objects!

The Tour de France is a grueling three week race that is much mental as physical; each day, the riders must make the decision to get back on the bike and run their body into the ground once again, with only a few short breaks.

Similarly, the Tour de Finished Objects will be a grueling three week project of forcing myself to FINISH all my projects which are off the needles but not technically finished. I will be posting pictures of these projects before and after finishing, as I unpack them and set up my camera. It should be an exciting ride, folks! (Or, at least, productive!)

DANGEROUS!!

2006-07-01T18:47:00.000-04:00

So, I bought quite a bit of yarn from KnitPicks a few days ago. Considering I'm not yet finished with the beautiful Lucy Lu (though I'm done with the first sleeve and a few inches into the second one, already), one would think that I would stop thinking ahead and wanting to buy yarn. Especially since I need to be on a budget!

However, remember the Top with Cable Straps? From my "Dreaming" post? Well, if I actually used Zodiac, I would have to pay $36 for my yarn. I also read over on Knitty (don't have my links, so sorry I can't link you exactly right now) that the best results come when you substitute a yarn not only of the same gauge but also of the same fiber content. That way it has the same drape and such. (If only I knew what "drape" meant exactly. I'm sure I just need to read Knitty a little more...)

I'm sure you're wondering where the "danger" comes in in all of this. I won't spend $36 for yarn (and $5 for a pattern) until I have finished the projects I have with the yarn I already have. We're safe.

Okay, actually, no, safe is not the right word. I stupidly ignored Yarn Harlot's warning about following the link to Elann.com, and then I thought, "Oh, I wonder if there is a good, inexpensive 100% mercerized cotton yarn that gets 20 sts./4 inches that I could substitute."

Do you see where the danger comes in?

Anyway, long story short (too late!), I found one of the elann.com yarns, Sonata.. And look how many colors there are! And only $1.98 per ball.. that means it would cost under $12 for the yarn! Under $12!

So, I need some help here.. Why am I not buying the yarn yet? Why am I waiting? Remind me, please, because I've forgotten!

Dreaming

2006-06-29T01:34:00.000-04:00

I'm dreaming.. but not in the literal sense like I probably should be, considering what time it is here. However, I'll get there.

Right now, I've been dreaming about what I want on my "future projects" list; I finally bought some yarn (online for the first time!), so I'll be waiting on that.

Lest you become confused, no, I'm not finished with Lucy Lu yet. But I'm finished with both front pieces (pictures forthcoming), the back, and about halfway through the first sleeve. So I'm not SO far away. Even with the moving.

However, I wrote this post to show you what I'm dreaming about. First of all, what I'm getting ready to knit, which is:

The Calliope Sleeveless Shell from KnitPicks

I'll be knitting this one in Shine Sport Orchid.

I also purchased yarn for three pairs of socks; specifically, the yarn was:

Parade Gumballs

Simple Stripes Snapdragon

and Simple Stripes Sweet Tarts

You would think this would be plenty. However, you can't stop me dreaming, so I've been looking at pretty yarns and cool patterns (which don't always coincide). In case you're interested, some of what I was looking at:

Zodiac Top with Cable Straps I love this style, and I love cabling.. and the yarn is even reasonable affordable!

Karabella Aurora 8 - Merino wool, affordable, machine washable, and gorgeous colors.. is there anything not to like?

You'll notice that I'm buying at KnitPicks and I talk a lot about "affordable". I'd love to become a full-fledged yarn snob and get all really nice yarn, but I'm moving and trying to get a job and I just don't have a lot of money. So, I have to content myself with "affordable" if I want to keep knitting instead of having to slow down. I'd rather dream and make more projects, so I'm trying to find that balance (Red Heart is "affordable" but really quite scratchy.. not within the balance).

Anyway, now it's time for me to start literally dreaming. Hope you enjoyed my thoughts about future projects!

Upheaval!

2006-06-26T00:59:00.000-04:00

Why have I not posted in several days? Well, I haven't stopped knitting completely (how could I? sometimes I think it's the only thing that keeps me sane..) but..! but..! (Sorry.. I just had this picture of typing "but..!" and how much fun it would be. Back to the blog.) But, I'm in the middle of moving. All my stuff. Two states away. Oh yeah, and basically I'm moving alone; I'm borrowing a minivan from a local relative, and getting some lifting help from some guy friends to get stuff out to the van and in, but I have done (am doing) all the packing myself. Here's an idea of how crazy my room feels:
Stuff. Everywhere. And this is after I cleared a path! However, I am working very hard to assure that my knitting is safely together and in a place where I can access it easily. I have my priorities, after all.

So, if my posting is erratic over the next few days, I apologize. And I may have to post without pictures, since I'm about to make the first drive and I'm leaving my computer here while I do that.

IF I get a chance, I will post pictures of the front left of Lucy Lu (finished) and the front right of Lucy Lu (only about 5 or 6 inches done). If not, I'm sure I'll be showing you both finished front pieces when I get back, and perhaps a sleeve-in-progress! (Oh, the excitement. ;-) )

How Not to Finish

2006-06-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

It may seem a bit odd to begin a post about how *not* to finish with a finished back of a cardigan (Lucy Lu, for those of you keeping track). However, I'm not talking about "finishing" in the sense of completing a piece--I'm talking about finishing in the traditional knitting sense, where the completed pieces are connected to one another and the finishing touches (extra stitches for the neck, crochet edging, etc.) are put on.

I seem to have an issue with this. In the last month, I have completed all the pieces for two different projects: a sleeveless cable tank ('tara's tank' from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Beyond the Basics) and a short sleeve, striped shirt ('the case of the mysterious tee' from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Beyond the Basics). However, neither of them have actually been FINISHED. Tara's tank is sewn together, but I just can't seem to get myself to do the crochet around the sleeves and be done. And the Mysterious Tee is mysteriously still lying in pieces on my floor, even though I actually really want to wear it!

So what's up with this? This is not the first time I've had this problem; the best way I can explain it is that instead of a "normal" attitude of feeling a sense of completion when I cross the finish line, I feel a sense of completion when I get within sight of the finish line. It's as if I say, "Okay, I know I can make it now." But I don't actually make it!

I really need to find some way to deal with this, because it is driving me crazy in pretty much every corner of my life. For example, the job search: I have a nice resume, I know where I want to submit it... so why don't I just apply?

Does anyone else have this problem, with knitting or otherwise? Or is that just me? Oh well. In the spirit of the post, here's a picture of the partially finished left front of Lucy:

Lucy with Strange Decreases

2006-06-19T23:53:00.000-04:00

Lucy Lu is coming along nicely, as you can see:
Just a few more inches until I bind off the back, and start work on the two fronts. By the way, I'm not sure if I linked to the pattern yesterday..

Speaking of, there are a few things in the pattern that are keeping me on my toes. For one thing, I had never done drop stitch before, so that was fun. (So easy, too!) But the weird thing, to me, is the way I was doing the decreases for the armholes. There was the normal binding off of stitches at the beginning, but then I had to actually use a cable needle when I was decreasing one stitch at each end! The instructions are here:

Dec Row 1 (RS): K2, sl 2 sts to cn and hold in BACK, k1, k2tog from cn, k to
last 5 sts, sl 1 st to cn and hold in FRONT, ssk, k1 from cn, k2.

Basically, it seems that I was doing it so that one stitch was crossing in front of the two stitches that were being knit together. Was this just to make it "fancier"? Was that to make it pull in a little more? Or was it to cover some perceived blemish that occurs (and that I have never noticed myself) when two stitches are knit together? I'm mystified, but I obediently followed the pattern. Now I'm going to have to examine other knitted things to see how different it looks.. and whether they do this in the stuff you buy off the rack (because I think that I *have* seen that kind of stitch on at least one shirt that I can think of..)

Yes, I think of strange things while I'm knitting, I know.

Promised Pictures

2006-06-18T21:22:00.000-04:00

... with commentary, because I simply couldn't resist.

First of all, I'm posting some pictures of my "off-the-needles" (as in, not sewn together, but the pieces are all there) t-shirt; the pattern is from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Beyond the Basics (a really, really great book, IMO). The first is of the front; it will be a square neck, with mitered ribbing around the neck, if you can imagine that..

Then, we have the sleeves (the back is knit, but the picture just didn't come out well, so I skipped it..)

Finally, the picture I know you've all been waiting for.. the current progress on "Lucy" (who is looking gorgeous, if I do say so myself ;-) ):

One of Those Crazy Knitters

2006-06-18T16:32:00.000-04:00

One of the things I learned in Italy is that the Italians shudder to think of the way we throw any bottle/can of sauce onto any pasta, without regard for what type of pasta it is and what kind of sauce it should have. There are apparently strong rules about this that all Italians learn growing up (and that I never quite cottoned on to) , and if you have a pasta and the wrong kind of sauce, you make or buy another. Some pastas call for heavy, meaty sauces; some call for a wine-based sauce; and some call for a very light sauce with a base of olive oil.

I always quietly scoffed at "those crazy Italians" and their pickiness. Surely it all tasted the same, and (to use the excuse my parents gave to my brother when he didn't want to eat something that had mixed on his plate) it would all end up together in your stomach anyway. So why bother?

Well, I'm one of "those crazy knitters," as it turns out. That is, I was given six skeins of gorgeous Zen Colors yarn in Hako Mix (color 8167). (THANKS MOM!!!) This is yarn that I love to death, but I am usually limited to Michael's yarn (*gasp*) or at best, some of the cheapest yarn on sale at the LYS. Not this gorgeous ribbon yarn! And I instantly knew that I could not just knit anything with this yarn, even if I could get the gauge right. It has to be that perfect pattern.

Turns out, there's a pattern that's perfect in more ways than one--not only is it a cardigan that ties shut (the shape I wanted) and stylish to boot (why are there so many horrible patterns out there?), but it also is meant to be knitted with MY YARN! That's right, Lucy Lu was definitely the pattern meant for this yarn (and me).

As soon as I had my most recent project off the needles (pictures of that forthcoming), I ran to the other room to grab my yarn and knit a gauge swatch. I'm a crazy knitter in more ways than one; part of me *really* likes knitting the gauge swatch. There's something wonderful about getting to start to see what the whole thing may look like, while still having the more nearly instant gratification of starting to knit immediately, rather than the endless casting on that occurs when you *actually* start.

Of course, in this case, the gauge swatch turned out not to work very well.. it looked like I was right on, and then I had to go down needle sizes TWICE after casting on the entire 62 stitches and knitting for several inches each time, to actually get the gauge. Even that, however, cannot take away my love for this yarn, and pattern.

Tonight, much picture taking will occur, including however many inches I end up with by then of Lucy!

The Story of the Blog

2006-06-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to start a knitting blog for quite a while--mainly because I love to shout my progress to anyone willing to listen, and there aren't very many of those people around me at the moment, if you know what I mean. That is, people who know how to spell "purl" and who have an inkling what Stockinette stitch is. Because the other kind are just not as much fun to brag to.

I knew if I wanted to start a knitting blog, though, I would need a unique and yet memorable name. Uniqueness is a particular challenge these days, considering how many knitters there are who share my desire to shout to the heavens (or generally out into the net) about their progress. I read a few of them, so I know how contagious it is.

So there I was, knitting away, actually not thinking about a knitting blog at that moment, when I looked at a pencil sitting on my desk. And then looked at it again, in a new way. You know, pencils are even more prepared to be knitting needles than are chopsticks. A little clear (or colored) nail polish over the tips, and you've got some incredibly cheap hexagonal knitting needles. (Don't they charge extra for square knitting needles?) And besides, the ookiness factor of someone creating fabric from yarn with two PENCILS is not to be underestimated. And you think you get a lot of mystified stares knitting with needles!

Basically, I'm very distractible all the time. I have these lovely ideas... I haven't actually knitted with pencils (yet) but I have great plans to do so. Soon. As in, once I get done moving (there's a story there about not letting your stash get more than 100 feet from you... 180 miles is definitely too far!), and finish the next few projects. More on what's on my needles and what's coming out of the stash imminently in the next post.

By the way, if anyone out there has knitted with pencils, let me know? I'd love to hear how hexagonal needles work!