minding my own stitches

Surmount the Stash February Update

2012-02-02T08:46:00.002-05:00

With one month down in my year long commitment to Surmount the Stash in 2012 it's time for a report card. I set a number of goals for myself, so let's see how I did.

Monthly budget of $50 for all knitting related expenses: In January I spent $11.68 on dyes for a project planned for next month + $9.81 mailing costs for socks, hats and squares + $4.49 for one ball of yarn for my Wool-Eater blanket + $25 Loopy Ewe gift certificate donated to an online contest = $50.98. Although I'm slightly over my target I feel good about how I did, particularly as I did not buy any yarn except for a specific project and I stuck to the hooks and needles I already have and patterns that I already have.

Manage my WIPs: This month I've been disciplined about starting and finishing things. Four pairs of socks, two hats and one square were completed and shipped to charities. And I've already started knitting a July birthday gift from stashed yarn and have plans for another for a September birthday. I'm determined to stay on top of this to avoid last minute shopping or inflated shipping costs for rush delivery.

Plan projects to work through my inventory of yarns in my Stash: Here's where I think I've been really successful. I completed three pairs of socks from scraps and two more from full skeins. That's about 350 grams of sock yarns used - about 10-15% of my stash. I completed three dishcloths, using about 10% of my dishcloth cotton stash. The big win is with the wool-eater blanket - by the time I finish it (next week hopefully) I will have used about 60% of the acrylic worsted weight yarns in my stash, leaving just enough to make a few hats and a dozen or so squares.

Definitely a passing grade on this report card! Let's see if I can keep up the hard work for eleven more months!

Work in Progress and Wool-Eater Wednesday

2012-02-01T08:07:00.002-05:00

My Spey Valley socks are treading water. I've ripped out and reknit on larger needles to make the sock a bit larger but I'm not sure I'm happy with the resulting looseness of the knitted fabric. If Gavin gets home early enough tonight I'll try it on his foot and then decide. At the moment I'm leaning towards ripping out again and trying something else.

My Wool-Eater blanket is also treading water. I've run out of royal blue without completing its scallop round and this colour is out of stock at my local Wal-Mart. It's Red Heart Super Saver with no dyelot so I'm going to try other Wal-Marts this weekend. Although this is meant to be a stash-busting blanket, I think it's worth the four buck investment. After all, once the royal blue is completed I have enough yarn to crochet the next three colours for a net win on the stash-busting score card.

So at the moment the only thing making any progress is this Miss Doolittle scarf that I started last night. The yarn is Malabrigo sock in a colourway called Aguas. There's no nylon in this yarn so I was hesitant to use it for socks. A scarf seemed like a better idea. I purchased this pattern last year but the yarn I had in mind then proved unsuitable; I'm glad to have found the right match for it now.

Over at Tami's Amis there's a link party where a ton of bloggers are just waiting to show off their progress. Why not have a look? Also have a look at the Keep Calm Craft On link-up for more!

Groundhog day

2012-01-31T07:58:00.001-05:00

I know it isn't yet - Groundhog Day is still a couple of days away - but it feels like it now that I'm starting over on this Spey Valley sock. When I read the pattern instructions to cast on 63 stitches on size 0 needles I was hesitant. Is that enough stitches? I checked the notes from other Ravelers but only a very few noted anything about adding more stitches. Okay, I thought, let's give it a go.

Last night I was almost at the heel of the first sock but I thought it still felt small. Gavin agreed to try it on. "It's fine" he said, "fine!" as I struggled to tug the sock over his heel and ankle. "I can always put my feet on a diet", he suggested. "Besides, won't they stretch in the wash?" he added.

Ummm, nope. The pattern repeats over seven stitches. Adding one repeat is problematic because it would change the arrangement of the pattern at the heel, gusset and instep. Adding 14 more stitches for two extra repeats seems too much. Narrowing the repeat would require changing and simplifying all three of the rib patterns which doesn't appeal to me. I'm also not on board with widening the repeats since the main rib pattern is already quite wide. So today I'm trying the pattern as written on larger needles. Within just a few rows I should know whether I'm happy with looser fabric. I really, really hope so because I'm pretty much out of ideas otherwise.

Deep breath and cast on 63 stitches on size 1 needles ...

a new technique

2012-01-30T08:55:00.002-05:00

Last night I cast on Spey Valley, but when I messed up my first attempt at a Vikkel braid I put my knitting aside after ripping out and knitting back to the row before. This morning, with better light and a clear head, I tried again. Success! Look how cool that is - the stitches form a lateral braid that rings the sock.

Nancy Bush says that vikkel is an Estonian word used to describe knitting patterns made with stitches that cross over each other as a result of knitting the stitches out of order. It's a bit time consuming, but well worth the time spent for this very attractive result. And I suspect the sturdy, non-splitty nature of this Wollmeise yarn is making the crossing of these tiny stitches easier than it might otherwise be.

Since the beginning of July of last year I've been knitting the patterns in Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road as part of my Year of Projects. In the Ravelry group of the same name the moderators are gauging interest in a second Year of Projects. My first instinct was opposed - I think I'm starting to feel somewhat "socked-out" - but after starting these socks I'm reconsidering. Maybe next year I should look at Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting In Estonia? It's a nice mix of socks, gloves and mitts with all sorts of interesting stitch patterns and colourwork charts!

Year of Projects - Whitby

2012-01-29T18:04:00.001-05:00

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

It's early Sunday evening and I feel all caught up. Isn't that a nice feeling? The laundry's done. The week's groceries are in the cupboards and the fridge. And a loaf of freshly baked bread is cooling on the counter. That's my weekend chores all done.

I'm feeling caught up on the crafting front as well. My chemo hats were posted to Halos of Hope. My wiggles square was mailed to SIBOL. Four pairs of socks from stashed oddments of Kroy yarn are on their way to the Warm Hands Network. And these Whitby socks from my Year of Projects list are done. Lots completed.

Whitby is a lovely pattern and these are gorgeous socks. How could they not be? After all they are knit from my first ever skein of Wollmeise! Besides they fit me perfectly. I plan to wear them tomorrow. I modified the pattern adding stitches to the ribbing on the back of the leg and the charts on the front of the sock to bring me to 69 stitches with finer yarn and smaller needles than called for by the designer.

In the book I've chosen for my Year of Projects, Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush, there are seventeen sock patterns. Now, nearing the end of the seventh month, I've knit nine of the patterns. Or put another way, after 58% of the allotted time I've completed 53% of my list. Not bad considering how little time and attention I gave to this challenge through November and December! But what to do next? I'm casting on Spey Valley socks tonight. I've got one more skein of Wollmeise in the perfect shade of grey for Gavin and the pattern is suitably masculine.

Finished Object Friday

2012-01-27T06:31:00.003-05:00

This cute little square is a "Wiggles Square" designed by DebI Y, pattern found here. I made this from scraps of worsted weight yarn for a SIBOL challenge. With this pattern, the square is crocheted and then the wiggles are added after by crocheting around the stems of DC in the background block. It's very cute and very easy!

I'm very impressed with how Mrs. Twins organizes her challenges, especially her rule about limits to how many squares! I've seen it before where someone offers to make a blanket from donated squares and all of a sudden people are sending dozens upon dozens of squares. It makes lots of sense to me to limit donors to one square and then end the challenge when sufficient squares have been assembled. The finished blanket really ends up being a mosaic of the efforts of a multitude of crafters, as it was meant to be!

There were some curious looks while I was making the square at work yesterday. As I worked the light blue wiggles one of the sales reps approached to comment about how bright my colour choices were. "I guess people like all sort of things in garment fashion these days" he remarked. LOL. Imagine wearing an orange outfit with blue and white wiggles!

It's Friday, and as usual you can head over to Tami's Amis to have a look at the accomplishments of dozens of other crafters. There's always lots of interesting things to see!

extended play socks

2012-01-26T08:11:00.001-05:00

One more pair of scrappy socks done; all that's left to do is to get them in the mail. Last time I posted a parcel I tried Canada Post's online shipping tools. That worked out pretty well. The rate calculator allowed me to enter different measurements to determine the most cost-effective parcel size and shape. And I could print my own labels and drop them in a mailbox before work rather than lining up at Post Office counter during working hours.

By alternating the red/grey kroy sock yarn with a coordinating solid grey yarn I was able to extend the red all the way through the legs and the feet and use up that yarn entirely. It's been kind of fun to experiment with different strategies to use up oddments of sock yarn. For my next pair of scrappy socks I'm looking at this pattern: Circle Socks. Although the pattern is written for self-striping yarn, I plan to use two colours of yarn instead along the lines of what I did in my Circle Cloth.

This pair is the fourth pair of socks completed this month. Count that as about 300 grams out and 0 grams in - more progress towards my goal to Surmount The Stash in 2012! How are you doing with your goals and resolutions?

Work in Progress and Wool-Eater Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:38:00.004-05:00

Aside from starting and finishing some vanilla socks from scrap yarn my crafting time this past week has been devoted to my Wool-Eater blanket. Spread out flat, the blanket is now a 36x36 inch square. I'm way ahead of the CAL schedule - I'm now working my 14th colour whereas the schedule suggests I should have just finished my 10th colour. But I can't help myself; I can't put it down. As soon as I start one colour I want to finish it and get to the next. And not just out of curiosity to see when I run short of wool!

But my obsession might explain why the cat's all over this blanket too. When it's spread across my lap she comes to sit on it. When I spread the blanket out on the floor she plants herself in the middle of it. If I drape it across the ottoman she jumps up onto it. Maybe she's not that much of a fan of the blanket? Could it be that she's trying to divert my attention away from it and back to her?

My plan is to finish this blanket by the end of the month. Based on the wool I have left I'm figuring on four or five more colours after the light green is done for a blanket that's approximately 48x48 inches square. What a fabulous pattern this is - top marks!

I'm heading over to Tami's Amis to see all the cute and clever projects in progress. Come have a look! After all in just over a week, I'll be done mine; there might be something there to suggest what I should start next. You can also have a look at the bloggers participating in the Keep Calm Craft On link-up for more!

2012-01-23T09:05:00.001-05:00

What is up with the weather?! It's 4° celsius now and the forecast high for today is 9° celsius with steady rain. Shouldn't this be snow? After all this is supposed to be January in Canada. Very odd weather indeed! What's next ... January showers bring February flowers?

On Saturday I finished this first red/grey sock. This morning I cast on the second. My plan is to focus on these socks until they're done and then bundle up several pairs of socks to post to the Warm Hands Network in time for their end of January shipment to Moosonee. Of all this stash-busting socks I've knit, I think these are my favourites. Or maybe I just like red?

I'd also like to finish up my blue Whitby socks this week. And finish up my Wool-Eater blanket by the end of the month. Then what? I've been looking at this hat pattern; it might be just perfect for chemo hats from some leftover worsted yarn in my stash. As well I've been looking at three skeins of laceweight yarn in my stash. If I hold it double one skein may work for this Miss Doolittle scarf pattern. I bought the pattern last year but have yet to knit it, so it's about time!

Year of Projects - Whitby 04

2012-01-22T18:07:00.001-05:00

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

Still another late post for my Year of Projects but at least I've this time managed to post on the correct day. If, after glancing at the photo, you thought to yourself 'well, she hasn't got much done' you'd be right. This week I've focused instead on quickly knitting up vanilla socks from sock yarn scraps in time for the January 30th shipping deadline at the Warm Hands Network. These Whitby socks have taken a back seat for now, but after my Wednesday mailing deadline passes I should be able to return my attention to this project. Maybe I can finish them in time for next week's YoP post?

It's not just these Whitby socks that have been set aside. My Wool-Eater blanket has also been largely ignored. After finding myself short about 20 yards of red yarn last week, I decided to rip out the two rounds of red and re-crochet a bit tighter. Last night I ripped out and this afternoon I finished re-crocheting. Good news: I made it with about 5 yards to spare! Now that's stash-busting!

One more note about my Year of Projects. There's one pattern - Traveler's Stockings - that I have already knit. It's a gorgeous pattern and I wouldn't mind knitting it again but I'm going to strike it off my Year of Projects list. I'm starting to feel a bit impatient about finishing the list; there are so many other sock patterns that I want to knit soon. That being said, I'm still determined to finish. So far I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I like these patterns once I've knit them. I'm pretty sure my patience will be rewarded by the remaining patterns.

socks and more socks

2012-01-21T10:15:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I finished these grey stash-busting socks. I've come to think of them as "industrial socks" because of the black/grey colourations. Very practical and sturdy. I'm pleased with the charcoal grey cuffs; they don't look out of place with the rest of the sock and they give the legs some much needed length.

At the Warm Hands Network, their shipping deadline for knitted contributions to ship to Moosonee is January 31st - ten days from now. If I allow three business days for mailing by ExpressPost, then I have until Wednesday for knitting. Definitely time enough for one more pair, possibly two.

Next on the needles? This grey and red sock that I'm calling my "extended play" socks. There was about 30gr of this red/grey self-patterning yarn in my stash. I figure I can knit a top down sock with cuffs, heels and toes in this complementary grey yarn. And, by alternating the solid grey yarn with the red/grey yarn I can extend the red down the leg and (hopefully) through the foot.

I'm knitting this sock on 52 stitches. The grey socks - knit on 60 stitches - fit me, so I thought I'd better try to make some socks at smaller childrens sizes. Somehow or another all the socks I make end up my size; do you suppose it's an unconscious desire to keep all the socks I make?

today's bright idea

2012-01-20T09:23:00.000-05:00

I had about 80 grams of this grey/black jacquarding Kroy sock yarn in my stash and I thought that'd be enough for a pair of vanilla socks. As it turns out, it's only enough if I'm content with a sock that's slightly more than an ankle sock. Sock one is shorter than I'd like and given the yarn that's left, sock two is not going to be any longer. While thinking about how unhappy I was with this result, the light bulb went off ... I should knit as much leg as I've all the jacquarding yarn I've got and then add a longer cuff in a matching solid grey yarn. Et voilà, I'd get a better pair of socks.

That's today's bright idea. Now that I've come up with this solution I feel immensely better about these socks. Funny, I don't think I had admitted to myself how much the alternative was bothering me. Of course it does mean that later today I will be picking out the bound off edge of the first sock. And for those keeping track, this is the second time this year that I'm doing that. I hope it's not an omen for the rest of the year!

Barring anything unforeseen these socks should be done later today. Next up? Another pair of scrappy stash-busting socks! I've got just less than a 50 grams of self-patterning Red/Grey Kroy sock yarn in my stash to pair with a complementary solid coloured yarn.

Work in Progress and Wool-Eater Wednesday

2012-01-18T09:26:00.002-05:00

On Sunday Chris posed a question on my blog about my Wool-Eater blanket:

What does the other side look like? I can't get past the color showing on the foundation row of each new color. It's me, just something that drives me batty in knitting when changing colors on ribbing. I always do the first row in knit so I don't have those color blips on my purls showing.

First things first: here are two pictures, one of the front and one of the back. On the back side the colours form a field of not very interesting mounds. On the front there are ridges outlining the diamond shapes of each row; this looks a bit like a Cathedral Window Quilt to me. I really like the three dimensional quality of this pattern. Before starting the blanket I too was concerned about those colour blips, but now I'm embracing them. I've come to think of them as representing the stitch lines in my multi-coloured crocheted quilt.

I'm way ahead on the CAL. According to Sarah London's proposed schedule I should now have finished colour eight, but instead I'm working on colour eleven. I just can't seem to put it down. The blanket measures thirty inches squares now. But now the trouble starts. I've come to the end of the bright red yarn about 20 yards short. My plan this evening is to rip this colour out entirely to see if I can't re-crochet it a bit tighter and squeak through. After all this is meant to be a stash-busting blanket - wouldn't that notion be entirely defeated if I run out to buy more?

Don't forget to check out the links at Tami's Amis! There's sure to be plenty of interesting projects to check out ... and maybe the inspiration for your next project?

dull and dreary

2012-01-17T12:57:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, huh? I don't know about you but Tuesdays leave me at a bit of a loss. It's a nothing kind of day, isn't it? Especially a damp and foggy, dark and slushy day like today.

My Wool-Eater blanket is too large to take along and my blue Whitby socks seemed too fiddly for my mood today. So I've cast on a pair of vanilla socks to use up this self-patterning grey Kroy sock yarn. This is mindless knitting at its best; concentration only required to cast on, turn the heel and bind off. Barring any unforeseen events, this should result in another pair of socks to post to the Warm Hands Network by the end of the week. They're sending a shipment to Moosonee on January 31st so my plan is to knock out a couple of pairs of socks in time for that.

You know, I think this day would be improved by chocolate. Maybe I should take a little break to go get some? Um yes, I believe I will. Mmmm .... chocolate.

Year of Projects - Whitby 03

2012-01-16T07:57:00.001-05:00

Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
Red sky in morning, sailor's warning.

Seems like the sky colour may be a valid prediction. The weather forecast calls for mixed precipitation and freezing rain at today's evening rush hour. And that makes it a perfect day to take the train back and forth to work. Sounds like the forecast also calls for some knitting time too!

munch, munch, munch

2012-01-14T11:50:00.000-05:00

now 18" x 18"

Seems like I'm working on my Wool-Eater blanket obsessively these days, although not always productively. Last night I felt like I was coming down with something - a bit of a fever, scratchy throat, achey - and as a result I crocheted and ripped out the dark green rounds three times. Apparently when unwell I cannot count to twelve. Just as well I wasn't working on anything more complicated.

The blanket works up very quickly so the name "Wool-Eater" is very fitting. In less than a week my WIP is an 18" x 18" square and weighs 185 grams ... that's about 375 yards! If I continue adding rounds until the blanket is about 44"x44" or so according to my calculations I'll be using about 2240 yards total. Munch, munch, munch: that's a lot of yarn!

My original plan had a light sky blue between the dark green and royal blue bands, but after crocheting most of the foundation round of that colour I changed my mind. The contrast between the dark green and the light blue was just too much! Two more colours still to add before repeating the established colour scheme - navy blue and purple. I'm guessing that my obsession won't subside at least until I've incorporated all the colours and see how they play together. Good thing the weekend plans leave lots of time open for crafting!

the plan for today

2012-01-13T08:55:00.002-05:00

Besides the usual ....

• getting to work safely despite the snow and wind
• eating healthy, drinking more water
• doing my best at work to finish all the projects on my desk
• getting more exercise
• avoiding yarn buying temptation

... the plan for today is to finish this second chemo hat and get both into the mail today. They're headed to Halos of Hope and if I've calculated correctly I can post each in its own tyvek envelope as oversized lettermail. Because Canada Post doesn't offer a small package rate that should be quite a savings. Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

hooked

2012-01-12T09:11:00.004-05:00

The weather outside is frightful - dark and cold, windy and rainy - in dramatic contrast to this Wool-Eater blanket that I've started. When I signed up for the CAL I had a niggling concern that the crochet work may be too complicated for my limited skills. But after following the step-by-step instructions on Sarah London's website and comparing my work to the photographs, I'd say it's going fine. Remind me, how did we ever manage before the internet?

Following Sarah's instructions, I'm doing things I've never done with a crochet hook. The foundation rows for each colour are worked into the posts of the previous rows of stitches - I've seen that before but it still strikes me as unusual. The groups within the foundation rows are created as "Cluny" groups where a series of stitches are worked with each last loop accumulated on the hook until they're joined with one big stitch pulled through all the loops to finish it off. Never heard of that before. I've googled and perhaps the name comes from traditional Cluny Lace? One thing's for sure, it's addictive, this blanket pattern. I just can't wait to finish one colour and add the next. It's kinda fun doing something completely out of my usual comfort zone.

WIP Wednesday, Wool-Eater Wednesday

2012-01-11T09:23:00.001-05:00

Today's the first day of the Wool-Eater Blanket CAL, and I'm ready! I've dug through my stash and pulled out every ball of brightly coloured acrylic for this blanket. At Mary Maxim last weekend my sister bought a few more colours to fill out my rainbow. Between now and next Wednesday I've committed to crocheting six rounds, and since the blanket is worked centre out, that doesn't sound too onerous. Fingers crossed that this turns out to be a good stash-busting project. My plan is to keep adding to the blanket until the yarn is gone. Certainly the pattern name "Wool-Eater" sounds promising from a stash-busting perspective, doesn't it?

In the meantime I've been working away at my first Whitby sock. During my train trip to work I turned the heel and started the eye-of-partridge heel flap. Through the afternoon and evening I worked away at the leg. Looks like there are just a couple of inches to knit before getting started on sock number two! This is my first time knitting Wollmeise and it's wonderful to knit; it's the least splitty yarn I've ever found. And gorgeous stitch definition. Wollmeise is also known for extremely generous yardage - seems like I'm going to need every yard of it, thanks to my huge feet.

That's my WIP Wednesday update! Click on the links at Tami's Amis to see more updates. I'm always amazed by the variety and creativity found through those links!

a red Chemo cap

2012-01-09T08:32:00.000-05:00

cute, eh?

Last year I made a couple of chemo caps for Halos of Hope using some red sport weight bamboo yarn that was in my stash. The yarn was originally purchased for a shawl, but the intended recipient preferred a warm red to this colder candy apple red. After making two or three last year, I put the rest of the yarn aside; that was quite enough 1x1 rib for a while. But this year I'm determined to finish what I started so I've cast on and made one more red chemo cap. My kitchen scale tells me that there's enough red yarn left for one more. And if I make a striped version combining all my leftover bamboo scraps, there may be enough yarn for two hats.

The pattern is adapted from Marnie Maclean's Pismo hat pattern - basically a ribbed watch cap. I've reduced the number of stitches to 132 to compensate for the heavier yarn and sped up the crown decreases. This size fits my head nicely but I'll make the next one slightly smaller - I'd think after losing their hair chemo patients may need smaller hat sizes. Bamboo yarn strikes me as a very good choice as it's so soft and non-irritating. A newly exposed scalp can be very sensitive to the slightest itchiness in fibers, especially after chemotherapy I've read.

Using up scraps of yarn in my stash is part of the challenge with my plan to Surmount the Stash in 2012. Other than sock yarn and dishcloth cotton, scraps make up my stash. The second week of January begins today and I'm off to a good start.

Year of Projects - Whitby 02

2012-01-08T09:05:00.002-05:00

heavily modified

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

After ripping out my first go round of this pattern I realized that I needed to modify the pattern to suit the yarn and the needles I had chosen. Typically on size 0 (2mm) needles I prefer about 70 stitches around the foot, but as written with larger needles and heavier yarn the pattern calls for 51 stitches. By adding purl stitches between the cables and the diamond pattern, and by widening the diamond pattern by two stitches I was able to make the chart across the foot 35 sts wide. That'll do.

As well the pattern is written for knitting the socks from the cuff down, but I've modified it to knit toe-up. After all, it's one of two skeins of Wollmeise that I own, so I want to make good use of every inch of it. When I was rewinding the yarn I wound the skein into two balls of exactly equal weight so I know exactly how much yarn I have for each sock as I go along. Hmm, I wonder what non-knitters use kitchen scales for?

The designer, Nancy Bush, introduces this sock pattern as based on the gansey patterns used in traditional fisherman's sweaters in Whitby which is located on England's east coast. And as I knit this sock I can't help but thinking ... yup, I'd like a sweater like this.

Chinese Waves Dishcloth

2012-01-07T09:07:00.002-05:00

too mild to stay inside

My week finished up with one more dishcloth - this time using the pattern Chinese Waves Dishcloth. It's a very simple pattern exploiting slipped stitches to create a thick wavy textured fabric. After knitting it, I'll confess that I like it more than I thought I would. It's more textured than Grandma's Favourite Dishcloth and may be a bit more practical as a result. It'd make a very sumptuous facecloth as well.

little waves

My goal was to knit a couple of dishcloths each month to Surmount The Stash of dishcloth cotton. January's just seven days old and I've done four, so I think I'll give it a rest for a few weeks. Time to have a look at the rest of the yarn in my stash and make some plans for it. Yesterday, while checking out the posts in the Finished Object Friday meme, I came across a Crochet-Along for a Wool-Eater Blanket. And when I saw this Raveler's version I was sold on it. This looks to be the perfect use for the variety of bright worsted weight acrylics in my stash. My sister and I are yarn shopping this aft, so perhaps we can snag a couple more colours to fill out the rainbow that will be my blanket?

In the meantime I've cast on a chemo hat with some sport weight bamboo yarn. At a glance I'd guess that I have enough leftover yarn to make two hats. With little else on the needles, now's a good time to get them done. I'm really motivated to work through the stash at the moment and figure I'd better strike while the iron is hot. Chances are my enthusiasm will ebb as the year goes on. How are you doing with your crafting resolutions?

Finished Object Friday

2012-01-06T09:11:00.001-05:00

mmmm

Now that my CoffeeMates socks are done I plan to wear them today. After trying them on once they immediately became my favourite socks - they're are so soft and lovely.

I've devised this simple ribbed toe-up sock with an after-thought heel figuring that was the best strategy to use the Katia Darling yarn to the most dramatic effect. I wanted to show off the long colour repeats without a busy pattern to distract. And an after-thought heel seemed like the best strategy to avoid breaking up the colours. Knitting toe-up, I used every last yard in the ball to make the socks as high on the calf as possible.

A couple of warnings though, if you come across Katia Darling at your LYS and consider purchasing it. The yarn is brush plied which makes it very soft, fuzzy and splitty. Really splitty. The eastern cast on to start these socks was a definite challenge with this yarn. And picking out a bind off proved impossible without scissors. Also there was a really poor splice without regard to colour continuity in each of the two balls I used. One fell a couple of inches above the heel and one a couple of inches past the toe - you can see the hard lines where the colour shifts suddenly in my photo, I think? Based on what I read in Ravelry I was lucky; others have found multiple splices in their yarn. Annoying! But even with all of that I can only repeat that now that these are done, these are my new favourite socks and that's all down to the yarn.

wonky

Yesterday I also finished another dishcloth - this one based on Rhonda White's Bobbles the Sheep cloth pattern. I made some modifications to the pattern to make it a bit smaller and to eliminate some of the stockinette field in which the sheep motif sits. But as you can see, my modifications weren't terribly successful. My dishcloth is not very square and my sheep sits a bit low in her field. Back to the drawing board! Don't expect to see another soon though. There's one more dishcloth on the needles to finish and then I think I'm dishclothed-out for the next while.

I'm heading over to Tami's Amis for some inspiration and entertainment. Take a few minutes to check out the variety of finishes!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday

2012-01-04T08:59:00.000-05:00

big time bobbles

Yesterday I made a start on another dishcloth - this time Bobbles the Sheep Cloth from a pattern found here. I've knit this pattern before and have found that the bobbles make good little scrubbers. "You should only knit that kind" Gavin suggests. Our supply dishcloths are looking rather worse for the wear, so it's time to make some more. Hopefully I can knit up a couple of these before Friday. Looks like this first one is not going to knit up very square ... maybe omitting all those rows above and below the sheep motif wasn't the best idea?

a few inches up the leg

I've also been working away at my second Coffee Mates sock - just a simple toe-up ribbed pair of socks of my own devising. You may recall that after finishing the first sock I wasn't happy with the tightness of the bind off. That's been fixed. I spent about an hour with needlework scissors under strong lights cutting and picking up tiny little stitches. Painful but well worth it; the first sock is now refinished with Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. With any luck this pair will also be finished up this week, maybe in time for a Friday show and tell?

With the holidays over there are lots of crafters like me getting down to business with our works-in-progress. A New Year = new plans, new optimism and new energy. Have a look at the list at Tami's Amis to see all the great things being done!

Ballband Dishcloth

2012-01-03T10:23:00.001-05:00

it works fine

Rather than knit another circle cloth, I decided instead to knit a ballband dishcloth - a very similar pattern in terms of construction. The ballband pattern is one of the most popular out there, but until now I'd never had the urge to knit one.

Mine's not perfect. In one row there are two instances where I slipped the stitch with the yarn on the wrong side of the dishcloth - well technically on the RS instead of WS - and at the beginning of one row of yellow bricks I've knit for a few stitches instead of purling. All due to inattention I'm sure.

If it were something more than a stash-busting dishcloth, I'd have ripped it out and restarted but I'm letting it slide this time. After all, it works just fine. Our dishcloths are looking a bit worse for the wear these days so I need to make a couple more this week. And after that, I think I'm "dish-clothed out" for a while!

Sunny Circle Cloth

2012-01-02T09:24:00.000-05:00

Sunflower soap from
Cottage North Soapworks

It won't be just socks on the needles this year; turns out there's a great deal of dishcloth cotton in my stash! 1350 grams or so: that's the equivalent of two dozen or more dishcloths. Most of this yarn was picked up deeply discounted at the annual tent sale in Listowel a couple of years ago. Admittedly, I went a bit overboard.

To work through this part of my stash I need to knit a dishcloth every two weeks or so. This shouldn't be a problem though, because dishcloths are pretty much instant gratification ... just a couple of hours of knitting for each. If I plan this right, I should have something to show and tell almost every week on Finished Object Fridays!

To kick off the year I decided to knit this Circle Cloth which I queued some time ago. It's the perfect use for small amounts of yellow cotton leftover from my Serengeti Sun dishcloths. Looks like I'll have just enough yellow to complete two of this pattern; guess I'll make another this aft. Paired with a handmade soap, like this sunflower from Cottage North Soapworks, this wash cloth makes a nice little all occasion gift, doesn't it?

Year of Projects - Whitby 01

2012-01-01T12:03:00.001-05:00

swatch fail

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

Happy New Year! I'm really struggling with the last several patterns in this book, Knitting on the Road - some because they're knit with heavier weight yarns on larger needles than I'd prefer, and some because they're just not my style. But I'm determined to knit every pattern even if I have to modify them to suit the yarn and needles I have on hand.

For the pattern Whitby I like the style; based on fishermen's gansy sweaters with cables and diamond patterns picked out in purl stitches, what's not to like? But 51 stitches on size 2 (2.75mm) needles is not for me. I tried it, knit almost an entire leg and then frogged. That's how it works with me and socks, the leg of the sock is my swatch. It's usually a timesaver.

Now I'm rejigging the pattern to knit 69 stitches on size 0 (2mm) needles using this gorgeous teal coloured Wollmeise sock yarn. I've split the yarn into two balls so that I can knit toe-up and use every inch of this yarn. With 160 grams (about 540 yds) in the skein, these may end up as knee socks! Or even two pairs of socks! We'll have to see as we go along. Maybe by next Sunday I'll have managed to reknit the leg to about the same spot?

finished Heinz 57 socks

2011-12-31T10:41:00.001-05:00

the snow is melting :(

Here they are: my Heinz 57 socks made from scraps of five different yarns on size 1 (2.25 mm) needles. Completing the pair took 76 grams of yarn total. Yes, another 76 grams stash-busted! This is my second try for an afterthought heel; this time I picked up extra stitches at each end to prevent holes and I skipped the knit rows between the decrease rows on the last few repeats to round the heel a bit more. Much better!

This morning I inventoried my sock yarn stash to get ready for Surmount the Stash 2012:

14 x 100 gram skeins
1200 grams of assorted sock yarn scraps

That's enough yarn for about 30-36 pairs of socks. If you had asked me yesterday how much sock yarn I had, I would have guessed about half that amount. Looks like it's true that knitters compulsively underestimate the size of their stashes. In 2011 I made about 26 pairs of socks, so my goal is to knit ALL of this yarn into socks by the end of the calendar year with the majority intended for the Warm Hands Network. Guess I'd better get started, huh?

Yesterday I was also pleasantly surprised by a new book to read on my Kobo Vox eReader. Thanks to my brother's family in Ottawa for their thoughtful gift: Knitting Rules by the Yarn Harlot. Based on the quiz I seem to fall mostly into the "Knitting Scientist" category - a methodical stasher who buys yarn with specific projects in mind, and yes, I travel with a tape measure. Doesn't everyone?

Heinz 57 socks

2011-12-30T08:51:00.004-05:00

uh oh, more snow

I've signed up to Surmount the Stash in 2012, and as I inventory my stash I've come to realize that I have a large volume of sock yarn scraps. More scraps, in fact, than full skeins of sock yarn by weight. Many of these scraps are 50-100 yards - not enough to do anything with on their own. Any plan to surmount my stash has to include some ways to use these scraps ... and so the idea of Heinz 57 socks was born.

I've made a good start on the first pair. The cuff, heels and toes are being worked in a solid dark blue. I bought a few balls in a few solid colours of On Your Toes 4ply merino/nylon blend for just this purpose at a store closing sale last summer. The leg and foot of the sock are worked by alternating several rows in four different blue/grey shade yarns - some Kroy jaquarding yarn, some Kroy self-striping yarn, some Regia Design Line yarn and some Regia Extra Twist Merino. By the end of the second sock at least two of these yarns will be completely used up. I've been using Russian joins at colour changes and letting those colour changes happen where they may - usually within a stitch or two on either side of the beginning of the round. Can't stand the idea of finishing with hundreds of ends to weave in!

And yes, that is an RC Helicopter beside my sock. It's a very fun birthday present - thanks Mark - but so far I totally suck at flying it. Thank goodness it's sturdy, having survived a first day of some pretty terrible landings. That's just one of the things I'll be doing this weekend besides knitting: logging practice flight hours.

Work-in-Progress Wednesday

2011-12-28T08:16:00.002-05:00

Snow?! Need warm socks now!

I've mostly finished my first Coffee Mate sock. It was finished last night, but after trying it on I realized that I needed to pick out the bind off and redo it more loosely. With darkly coloured fuzzy splitty yarn this is turning out to be something of a challenge. Has to be done though!

I'm using a yarn called Katia Darling which is new to me. It's brush plied which I suppose explains the fuzziness and the splittiness. It's also very soft and warm. Other Raveler's have complained that the joins are terrible - sloppy and without regard to the continuity of the colours. I had exactly the same experience with this first ball of wool; I think you can see the abrupt transition from dark to light halfway up the leg? That's annoying. With my big feet I need all the yardage to make the socks the length I want them so I didn't think I should start cutting out sections to reinstate the colour continuity.

The pattern is a simple K2 P2 K4 P2 rib which I'm knitting toe-up with an afterthought heel. This is the first time I've done an afterthought heel, but I've always admired it on other blogs. With a striping yarn the striping pattern gets distorted with other heel constructions so I thought I'd give it a whirl here. I'm happy with the way the colours go but find this heel a bit short and square. There's probably more than one way to work an afterthought heel - I'll have to do some investigating - but this will do for now.

Now back to that bind off. I'd like to get that sorted out before I head to work this morning. Lots more to see at Tami's Amis!

Coffee Mates

2011-12-26T10:35:00.001-05:00

warm and fuzzy

For the last couple of years Gavin and I have agreed to forgo Christmas shopping for each other, instead buying one big item for both of us. Last year we bought Apple TV. This year we bought a Keurig Coffeemaker. And we love it. Especially since we also bought the optional "My K-Cup" accessory which allows us to use our own ground coffee. So easy, so quick and such nice coffee!

In honour of our new coffee protocol I'm naming this latest pair of socks "Coffee Mates". The yarn is Katia Darling in a colourway that runs from a light double-cream double-sugar coffee colour to a very dark rich expresso colour. It's "brush-plied" - very warm, very fuzzy and very splitty. Simple seems best so I'm knitting toe-up in a simple ribbed pattern with afterthought heels. If I've done my math correctly they should fit me perfectly!

It's Boxing Day here in Canada but I don't plan to spend a minute of my time fighting through the crowds to shop for Boxing Day bargains. A little knitting, a little sewing, a couple loads of laundry and a bit of cooking: that's my schedule for today.

Year of Projects - Unst 02

2011-12-25T11:32:00.001-05:00

secrets revealed

Now that it's been unwrapped to squeals of delight I can finally reveal my secret gift knitting - a Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf. Turns out it wasn't much of a secret. As soon as he saw the yarn colours on my blog he guessed what it was going to be. "Really?" he asked, "you didn't think I'd guess?" Nope, I didn't think he'd guess. Doesn't matter though, he's delighted with it. The embroidered patches that I ordered on eBay really make it, don't they? I was pleasantly surprised at how aggressive the iron-on adhesive is; it adhered to the knitted fabric without any trouble at all!

Unst all done

Last week I also had lots of time to finish the second Unst sock. They've turned out just beautifully - of course the cashmere content of the yarn doesn't hurt either - and they're done almost a week early for a December birthday. The recipient is Asian and every year she looks forward to her "good luck New Year socks". And of course they have to be red.

Pattern? Doesn't matter.

Style? Doesn't matter.

Colour? Doesn't matter as long as they're red.

This week I'm knitting a plain pair of ribbed socks for me. But next week I hope to cast on another pair towards my Year Of Projects; perhaps Whitby socks with a light fingering weight yarn held double. Merry Christmas one and all! And a crafty New Year!

merry merry

2011-12-24T09:52:00.001-05:00

sparkly

As you know I've pledged to Surmount the Stash in 2012. So when I announced my intention to purchase rhinestone snowflake appliques for this wine cozy a red flag went up in my head. Chances are each applique would be a couple bucks, and chances are I'd buy about twice as many as I needed, and after taxes I'd probably have spent $15-20. There had to be another way.

Embroidery is not my strong point so instead I decided to simulate rhinestone appliques using some metallic silver seed beads that I have on hand. I printed out snowflake patterns composed of tiny circles and then used them as templates for positioning the beads. After completing each snowflake I tore away the paper I had sewn through. Success! The effect looks quite subtle in the photo but in real life it's pretty effective. Stash-busting win! Money-saving win!

In a couple hours we're meeting Shirley for a Christmas lunch; hopefully she likes it! Now all that's left for me to do is relax and enjoy the holidays. Hopefully you're all doing the same! Merry Christmas!

Work in Progress Wednesday

2011-12-21T08:15:00.001-05:00

My second version of Wine Cozy has been felted and I'm much happier with the result. Gavin agrees, this is better. This time round I knit the cozy in a single colour - sheep's grey - to make sure the entire thing felted evenly. I reduced the number of stitches in the round from 96 to 63. And I reinforced the base with a thin plastic disk sandwiched between the true bottom and a second false bottom. If I had time I could try to felt it by hand about 10% smaller but there's no time left for any more experimentation.

Originally I thought to embroider a Christmas design on the finished felted bag, or even to applique a Christmas design cut out from felt, but today I'm thinking about heading to Michael's for Rhinestone applique snowflakes. After hanging this glittery snowflake ornament from the bag's bow, I've decided that the contrast between this soft and fuzzy felted bag and the crisp and sparkly snowflake is really nice. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think IT NEEDS MORE GLITTER!

Now I have to run - there's one more parcel to post so I hope to be first in line when the Post Office opens. Fingers crossed it makes it under the tree in time! For more frantic Christmas crafting, have a look at Tami's Amis. I can't be the only one crafting right up to the very last minute, can I?

Year of Projects - Unst

2011-12-18T19:02:00.002-05:00

feeling festive!

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

It's a funny feeling to switch from knitting a cabled sock on size zero needles to a lacy sock on size one needles. It almost feels like I'm cheating, this pair of Unst socks is knitting up so quickly! Less than a week and the first sock is done. At this rate they'll be done way ahead of my December 29th deadline.

Nancy Bush named these socks Unst for the northernmost Shetland Island as it uses a traditional Shetland lace pattern called Columns and Arches. The pattern is very simple to work and to memorize. And quite pretty, I think, especially in this cashmere/merino/nylon blend sock yarn!

I'm lagging a bit behind on my Year of Projects with only the seventh of seventeen pairs of socks on the needles here at the halfway point in my year. But not to worry, it looks like I'll have plenty of time to catch up in the next couple of weeks. Almost all the gift knitting is done. And after tomorrow night's dinner, all the Christmas cooking and baking is also done. Lucky me!

Finished Object Friday

2011-12-16T17:15:00.002-05:00

sorry for the cellphone pic!

It's late in the day on Friday, early evening really, but this pair of fingerless mitts are done and I just had to trumpet the news! I'm at work so a coworker kindly agreed to take a photo with his cellphone to help me out, so please accept my apologies for the photo. It's the best I can do under the circumstances.

This pattern is fantastic! I read the notes of other Ravelers and took some of their modification suggestions - lengthening the cuff, lengthening the hand, lengthening the thumb and reversing the cables on the left mitt. But they fit beautifully and they feel lovely on. The thumb as written works really well and ties in with the pattern nicely.

And look! They're actually done a whole day before the deadline! Isn't that something! I'm usually the one finishing them in the car and stopping at a donut shop to wrap them, or worse, wrapping them unfinished. Yippee! They're done!

Hopefully everyone else is having just as successful a day! Check out the parade of finishes at Tami's Amis. They're worth a look!

Work-in-Progress Wednesday

2011-12-14T08:04:00.001-05:00

More than likely this first Glorious Cabled Mitt will be finished on my train ride to work this morning. And with any luck its mate will be cast on and ready for some steady knitting at work. Like everyone else these days I'm on a schedule. This project must be done, wrapped and ready for giving on Saturday morning. Considering the progress I've made in the last two days, my timing looks pretty good.

The yarn is lovely - it's Madeline Tosh Sock in a colourway called "Cove". It's very smooth yielding very crisp stitch definition and it is one of the least splitty yarns I've ever had the pleasure to knit. Definitely a good choice for all these criss-crossing cables on size 0 needles! I'm sorry to say I liked the colours better in the skein than knit up, but that's so often the case for me when I fall prey to the charms of variegated yarns. I'm not unhappy with it though; at least it's not pooling or striping or otherwise misbehaving.

Once this is done my plan is to reknit a smaller wine cozy. My next wine cozy will be knit in one colour; I'll add a pattern after it's knit and felted. I can't say I feel very confident about this as my embroidery skills leave a lot to be desired, but I'm going to give it a go. After that there's one more pair of socks to knit for the 29th, then that's it for the gift knitting. I think I can. I think I can.

Check out Tami's Amis to see the work of lots more optimistic and hardworking little crafting engines!

Surmount the Stash 2012

2011-12-12T08:55:00.001-05:00

a good start

Here at row six of the pattern across the wrist and hand you can just start to see the beginning of the cables of this first Glorious Cabled Mitt. It's the beginning of a big section of interlocking cables that make this mitt something special. The deadline for these mitts is this Saturday so there's no time to lose; this project will be my constant companion and I plan to knit these exclusively until they're done.

I have high hopes for this pattern. First I love that they're made from fingering weight yarn. That strikes me as a really practical weight for fingerless mitts. After all, by definition these aren't meant to be the warmest mitts for prolonged exposure to extreme cold, but are instead meant to be warmer than no mitts at all when covered fingers are inconvenient. And with all that ribbing they're certain to fit. Finally, just think of how much gorgeous yarn is available in finger weight! There's plenty of choice in my stash, that's for sure.

Speaking of which, Revelations of a Delusional Knitter has a plan to Surmount the Stash in 2012 and I'm joining in. The real work begins in 2012 but in anticipation I need to come up with a plan.

Inventory my Stash: I'd like to know exactly how much yarn I have in any given weight in order to plan my projects accordingly. I'm betting next year is going to be the year of socks for me! Maybe the Yarn Harlot's idea of bagging yarn together with patterns is a good idea? I'd like to get my stash organized and inventoried through the week after Christmas so that I'm ready to go at the beginning of next year.

Limit Stash Enhancement: I'd like to stay within a monthly budget of $50 for all knitting related expenses: yarn, notions, needles, patterns and so on. Amounts can be borrowed from a coming month. Unused amounts can be carried forward from past months. Truthfully, I'd like to promise not to buy any more needles next year. I have more than one set at each size in straights and a good selection of circs, so this should be possible.

Manage my WIPs: No more than two projects on the needles at a time. No exceptions. I need to be disciplined about starting and finishing projects. And I need to be organized about planning projects in time for their deadlines - whether it be shipping dates for my favourite charities or birthdays for which a handknit is planned. Too often I'm leaving things to the last minute and then shopping instead of knitting.

Year of Projects - from Denmark to Unst

2011-12-11T16:40:00.001-05:00

gorgeous pattern, really!

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

On the four hour drive to Ottawa yesterday, for an hour or so last night with my SIL, and on the four hour drive back from Ottawa today there was plenty of opportunity to knit. And I took full advantage.

My Denmark socks are done! The pattern is written for a heavier fingering weight than the Alpaca Sox yarn I decided upon so I knit them with a couple of extra repeats on size 0 dpns. The result? One of the most gorgeous pair of socks I've ever made. The pattern is very classic and very elegant and has more stretch than I would have imagined. I love those trademark Nancy Bush details like the Nupps that top the cable columns and the slim stockinette band on each side of the leg dividing the front and back of the sock. Awesome! Once again the photos in the book entirely fail to do this pattern justice. Now I only wish I had knit them in my own size instead of a smaller size for gift-giving ;)

Now, back to business. I've pulled this Pagewood Farms Aleksa yarn in the "Really Red" colourway from my stash for the next pair of socks. You won't mind if I skip ahead to Unst, will you? I'm in the mood for a lacey sock after all those cables!

Finished Object Friday

2011-12-09T08:31:00.001-05:00

to refelt or not to refelt?

Is it finished? In the sense that I followed the instructions from start to end, it is. But the finished result leaves something to be desired - after three trips through the hot, heavily soiled cycle of my top loading washing machine the blue is only a smidge smaller - and now I'm pondering my options. To refelt or not to refelt, that is the question.

Problem 1: The Sheep's Grey yarn has felted faster than the Midnight Blue yarn. Can this be fixed?

"Always test felt a swatch when using multiple colors, even within the same line of yarn. Different shades felt at different rates, as do different brands of yarns." advises Rob Matyska of Knitty. "If you notice, during the felting process, that a certain area isn't felting quite as fast as the rest of the surfaces, you can spot-felt by hand by rubbing and abusing that specific area."

Problem 2: The entire bag is massively wide. Unfelted the diameter was 19", after felting my diameter is 16-3/4" and my target finished diameter is 11-1/2 to 12". Is it possible to felt it that small? Please give me your two cents on this matter. I'm currently under the impression that felting at least 30% smaller should be do-able; thirty percent would put me at 13-1/4" diameter, which is a lot better than what I've got now!

"There is no "formula" for how a certain wool will felt." advise Kiki and Steve of LG Stitched. "It is impossible to determine the percentage of felting that will occur, but you can take careful notes to guide you in the future."

For the next couple of days this project is going to sit in "time out" while I clear my head and get over my disappointment and frustration. And maybe on the weekend, I'll fill the sink with scalding hot water and tennis balls to see if I can hand felt it to the right proportions. As for today, I think I'll knit some more on my sock; at least it's behaving nicely.

Be sure to have a look at what's happening over at Tami's Amis. I'm going there now to get inspiration from some happy finishes!

work-in-progress Wednesday

2011-12-07T08:09:00.001-05:00

almost a poinsettia

For the last couple of days I've been dividing my knitting time between socks for my Year of Projects and this knitted wine cozy. The poinsettia colourwork panel is my modification to the pattern - hopefully you'll be still be able to make it out after felting! I'd like to get this one finished and felted in the next few days. Just in case ... in case I can't felt it small enough to fit the bottle and need to knit another smaller version ... it could happen.

I was pretty lukewarm about this project when I started it, but it's growing on me. I particularly love this midnight blue yarn from Birggs and Little - feels like a very cold and clear winter night sky. My fingers are firmly crossed hoping that this works out how I'm envisioning it.

Progress around here has been at a snail's pace lately - life has been interfering with my knitting time. But over the next few days I'm going to have hours and hours of transit knitting time, so by next week I'll be way ahead. And for once I think I've limited myself to a reasonable number of Christmas projects. Maybe I'm finally getting older and wiser?

Check out Tami's Amis to see what everyone else has been up to!

an uncertain attempt

2011-12-05T09:28:00.001-05:00

looks a bit big

It's not my first felting project - I made felted mitts several weeks ago - but I'm definitely a felting rookie. And as a result I'm completely lacking in confidence about how to predict sizing. I'm knitting this bottle cozy based loosely on a pattern from Patons using Briggs & Little Heritage from my stash in Midnight Blue and Sheep's Grey. Briggs is a very rustic, unprocessed wool and should felt beautifully. But I can't help but compare the size of the cozy I'm knitting to the bottle itself and wonder ... will it really felt small enough to fit? I guess we'll know the answer to that in a few days!

I decided to add a colourwork pattern to the cozy. I've opted for a kind of chunky border - after all, it should look a bit finer when it felts down to half it's size, right? For the main motif I've decided on a poinsettia. With this colour scheme a snowflake pattern probably would be more suitable, but the poinsettia jumped out at me, so a poinsettia it is.

The plan is to plough ahead with this, finish it, felt it and then decide whether I need to make another to adjusted dimensions. It doesn't take long to knit and I have enough yarn in my stash to knit several more if need be. The next one might be Sheep's Grey for the main colour and red for the contrast colour. That'd be more suitable for a Poinsettia, wouldn't it!

Year of Projects - Denmark Post 05

2011-12-04T09:13:00.001-05:00

Finally some progress!

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

Suddenly things are progressing; largely because my secret Christmas knitting project is done (yippee!). The first sock was finished last week and during the hockey game last night I knit about a third of the leg of the second sock. A big thank you to the Leafs for another lacklustre performance against a far superior team - the action on the ice did little to distract me from my knitting. At this rate the sock will be done in a just a few days, which will free up these needles for another Christmas knitting project.

Yesterday a friend and I headed west to do some Christmas shopping. Mostly I wanted to visit the Dutch store to buy some of the traditional Christmas treats from my childhood - cumin spiced cheese, licorice dropjes, ginger-spiced Speculaas cookies and marzipan-filled stollen. Mission accomplished ... except that we now seem to be eating treats all day and night instead of nutritious meals. Oh dear. And while out that way we dropped in at the Needle Emporium where I encountered a knitted sample of this cropped pullover in Debbie Bliss Riva. DANGER! For about a minute and a half I considered buying the yarn and pattern to make this for my sister for Christmas. But wait, isn't it already December? Is this a good time to start something that big on a short deadline? NO!

One thing I have added to my Christmas knitting list is a felted wine bottle cosy. Pattern suggestions anyone? I hope to have that decided in the next couple of days so that I can pick up the yarn and make a start on it!

Not finished

2011-12-02T09:11:00.001-05:00

one down, one to go!

Today's finished object Friday and there's not much finished around here. The mystery Christmas knitting project is almost finished. Just 35 rounds to go; about an hour and a half of knitting. I'll finish that up today and then block it tomorrow.

There is one finished Denmark sock, but I can't really call this project finished until there's a second one. That second sock is on the needles and has become top priority if only because I need these same needles for the next Christmas knitting project - Glorious Cabled Mitts. I can't wait to start them!

And happily the rest of our Christmas plans are starting to fall into place. Just a few more things to pick up and my shopping is done. With a bit of luck I may have most of it completed by the end of this weekend. Wouldn't that be nice? To coast into the holidays without any stress? It's a nice idea, but not likely. I tend to react to spare time by adding more to the to-do list. Let's just see if I can get through the next 24 days without promising to knit any sweaters!

work-in-progress Wednesday

2011-11-30T07:57:00.001-05:00

Plan B

According to Plan A, I was to finish this secret Christmas knitting project today in order to pass the leftover yarn to a coworker for her secret Christmas knitting project. But perhaps it was somewhat unreasonable to estimate that I could knit a round every three minutes for 8-9 hours across two days while still eating, sleeping and holding down a full-time job? Unreasonable? Or delusional?

This morning - with an estimated 5 hours of knitting time left - it was time to go to Plan B. I still want to pass off the leftover yarn today, so the new plan involves calculating and rewinding the amount of yarn I need to complete my project with the help of a calculator and a kitchen scale. Now that five hours of knitting time can be spread across the next week or two. Much better!

Getting myself in over my head is pretty typical on my part. That's me - the queen of underestimation. I can't count how many times Gavin has had to rescue me from my grandiose plans. Not much chance he'd help me with the knitting, but he did suggest Plan B and for that I'm grateful. To hear him tell it, there was something in our vows about promising to listen to him and do as he says. Nope, don't remember that!

As always, check out the blog list at Tami's Amis. Maybe there are some crafters who are organized and on schedule with their Christmas crafting?!

notice

2011-11-29T08:22:00.001-05:00

It is with regret that we announce that today's blog post is cancelled. Recent developments dictate that the author of this blog must keep her head down and keep knitting in order to complete the secret project by end of day tomorrow.

Speculation and projecture about uses for the leftover yarn halted quite suddenly yesterday when my coworker Linda exclaimed that she'd like a couple of these knit for her girls for Christmas. Could I direct her to the pattern so that she could make arrangements with her mother-in-law? Yes, I can and not only that, I have the yarn for her too! Linda works Mondays and Wednesdays with us, so ideally I'd like to hand off the leftover yarn tomorrow at the end of the work day.

Is this realistic? Well that's another question, isn't it? I calculate that there's about 8 hours of knitting left for me. If I concentrate exclusively on this project, and if I have the opportunity to knit a few hours at work each day, and if I knit a couple hours this evening, then yes, it's possible. And failing that, I could move to emergency measures: setting the alarm to get up a few hours early tomorrow morning to knit. Hopefully it doesn't come to that!

Year of Projects - Denmark Post 04

2011-11-28T08:19:00.001-05:00

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

Progress on my Denmark sock has been slow and steady. Depending on how my work day goes, I may be able to finish this first sock today. And then get started on the second sock before I entirely forget the mods I made to the heel now that I've added two repeats to the sock to accommodate the smaller than recommended needles and the finer than recommended sock yarn.

There has been lots of progress on my secret Christmas knitting project. You'll have to take my word for it though, because to look at those massive balls of yarn that never seem to get any smaller, you'd think there was no progress at all. They've become quite the topic of conversation around these parts; mostly we've been bouncing ideas around about what to do with the million yards that are likely to be leftover once the secret project is done. Please don't forget that it's a secret - the intended recipient reads this blog and the comments. If you know what it is, please don't let the cat out of the bag!

Once my Denmark socks are done I plan to have a good look at the rest of the patterns in the book Knitting on the Road to see if there are a couple suitable for gift giving. If so, they'll move to the front of the queue. There's very little time left until Christmas and I think I'd better focus on that deadline ahead of everything else.

it starts today

2011-11-26T10:27:00.001-05:00

Shhhh! It's a secret!

My Christmas knitting, that is, it starts today. My first project is a secret project. Many knitters out there may recognize this particular pattern but please don't tell. The intended recipient reads this blog and all the comments and I want it to be a surprise! And if you know the pattern you may be surprised that I've started it at this late date, but not to worry, I'm already almost a quarter of the way.

Also on my Christmas knitting list are the fingerless mitts I mentioned the other day. As soon as my replacement credit card arrives I'll download the pattern and get started. There was a problem with my credit card when I was in California so the old one was cancelled and now I'm waiting for new. Hopefully in the next couple of days!

Now back to my quiet weekend around the house. The first load of laundry is on the go, grocery shopping is next and then errands. With a December birthday, I'd better get my new license plate stickers this weekend as well. And then knit, knit, knit - I've got miles of stockinette to go!

peace and quiet

2011-11-25T08:30:00.001-05:00

such a variety of cards!

For the first time in three weeks we awoke to an empty and quiet house, and how nice is that? It's been great having guests and our vacation was great, but it sure is nice to be home and back to our usual routines. I expect that there'll be more consistent knitting and blogging in the days ahead. Is it too late to start Christmas knitting?

Gavin and I both agreed to keep this weekend free for relaxing and catching up on household chores. There is an odd assortment of groceries in the kitchen to munch through - fancy cheeses, crackers and breads, dips and condiments. Sounds like we'll be grazing instead of eating proper meals for a few days.

There's also a most interesting assortment of wedding wishes cards decorating our dining room - from exotic Chinese cards and envelopes, to traditional pastel and foil-stamped North American cards, with a liberal sprinkling of hand-made cards. On my to-do list this weekend is organizing photos and thank you notes for friends and family who put the "special" in our "special day" two weeks ago. Has it been two weeks already? I guess the honeymoon is over and we're old married folk now!

work-in-progress Wednesday

2011-11-23T07:39:00.001-05:00

finally, progress!

This Denmark sock has been on my needles for a long time it seems to me - almost a month exactly. And although I've been working on it quite often it didn't feel like I was making much progress until now. Yesterday I started the heel flap and sock progress usually accelerates when the heel turn has been completed. At least that's what I usually find.

Now's the time to finally put a name on these socks. Once completed they're going to be part of my Christmas gift knitting. When I cast on I had a name in mind but a couple of weeks ago that friend dropped a not-so-subtle hint that she'd like some fingerless mitts instead. Okay-dokey, but where will these socks find a home? That's what I need to decide in the next day or two, in time to tailor the foot length to the intended recipient.

Tosh Sock in "Cove"

Also in the next couple of days I need to make a tentative list of Christmas knitting. And with about a month left, it'd better be short. I guess I'd better cast on some fingerless mitts soon. I've got the yarn and I've decided on the pattern, but first there's a pair of socks to finish!

It's Work-in-Progress Wednesday over at Tami's Amis. Click the link to have a look at what everyone else has been up to. Almost certainly there's a lot more Christmas crafting being done!

Year of Projects - Denmark Post 03

2011-11-20T13:45:00.001-05:00

purple everywhere

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

Today's blog post is being brought to you by the colour purple. At least at the moment it feels like I'm surrounded by purple. My Denmark sock is still at the same point it was two weeks ago - out-of-town guests, the wedding and then the honeymoon all got in the way of knitting progress, in a good way. But I've got a pair and a half of mitts knit in purple Cascade 220 superwash so knitting wasn't halted altogether. Most of the plain stockinette mitt was knit at LAX and on the plane yesterday. As well, Santa Monica did provide opportunities for stash enhancement thanks to stores like Wildfiber and Compatto Yarn Salon: I came home with two skeins of Wollmeise, as well as a skein each of Madeline Tosh and Pagewood Farms MCN sock yarn.

We flew back into Toronto late last night so this morning has been all about laundry and getting ready for the work week ahead. I did take a few minutes to weave in the ends on the three completed mitts because, with four ends per mitt, the photo would have been altogether too messy otherwise. My plan for the rest of the day is to finish the laundry, make up the beds with clean sheets, dash out to do a quick grocery shop and finish the second mitt.

I'm also keen to get a move on with these Denmark socks. There's a skein of Wollmeise in lovely variegated greys that I can't wait to get on the needles. Maybe for Spey Valley socks?

finishing up

2011-11-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

washed up

We fly back later today so this morning is all about tidying up and finishing up. A first pair of Maplewood mitts is done; well, the knitting of them is done, but there are a number of ends to be woven in. Darning needles were not on the approved items list for carry-on luggage so that'll have to wait until I'm home. For such a simple pattern of knits and purls, the effect is quite striking. I'm going to cast on another to knit on the plane, after all, with a five and a half hour flight ahead of me plus all the usual waiting around at the airport I figure I should be able to just about knit another pair.

finished up

Yesterday was very cloudy all day. In fact, for most of the afternoon the skies were threatening rain but we got away without that. No point in sightseeing so we rented bikes for the day and worked our way south through Marina Del Ray and Hermosa Beach. It's mile after mile of wide open beaches and endless skies. I think I could bike that every day!

Later in the afternoon we had planned to rent Segways but by the time we were back in Santa Monica we were too late - the minimum rental is two hours and the rental shops were only open another hour. So we wandered around the pier where I found a souvenir in one of the shops: this little shark tealight (or t-lite if you prefer how it's spelled on the tag). He's got quite a mouthful of teeth and quite piercing eyes so I had to have him. Now, where can I jam him into my suitcase?

Maplewood Mitts

2011-11-18T10:49:00.001-05:00

Maplewood Mitts

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

A fog has rolled in and it's the weirdest thing. Can't see a thing more than 15 feet away! It was clear in the morning yesterday and then about 10am the fog started and it never burned off. Our plans to rent a car to drive north on the Pacific Coast Highway has been shelved. No sights to be seen in this kind of fog.

Lots of time to knit while Gavin surfs, so I've made good progress on these Maplewood mitts. The pattern has a garter stitch cuff but after knitting it as written I decided I didn't like the looseness of it, so I've reknit with a ribbed cuff. Nothing worse than those cold winter drafts up your sleeves! This really is a travel knitting project. The airline only allows plastic needles in carry-on luggage which left me scrambling for a pattern using 4mm needles and some leftover yarn in my stash. Here we go: mitts in Cascade Superwash Wool. A nice little trellis pattern on the back of the hand, and it knits up very quickly and easily.

Posing with my mitts is this new little Chanchito - three legged clay pigs like this are thought to bring good luck. How cute, and there is no trouble fitting this little guy somewhere in my carry-on bag! He can nestle in the Wollmeise on the way back to Canada.

Dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co was a big hit. Gavin devoured a bucket of shrimp and between each he looked up and said "This is the best shrimp I've ever had" ... "Really, the best."

yarn crawl

2011-11-17T13:02:00.001-05:00

Madeline Tosh and Pagewood Farms

Yesterday Gavin rented a board and a wetsuit from ZJ's Board house with a plan to catch as many waves as he could, leaving me free to do whatever I pleased. Perfect opportunity for a yarn crawl!

I googled and decided on two shops that I wanted to see - Compatto Yarn Salon and Wild Fiber - both well reviewed. And then I studied the system map for the Big Blue Bus to figure out my route. Turns out that the No2 bus stops almost at the doorstep of my motel and drives pretty much directly to Compatto on Wilshire Blvd.

Wollmeise

The reviews did mention that the store associates were friendly, but that seems to be something of an understatement. Add more descriptors like welcoming, enthusiastic, happy, helpful, attentive and you start to get the picture. For instance, a young woman walked in with a page torn from a magazine showing a cowl she liked. The store associate confirmed that she wanted to knit it, showed her the appropriate bulky yarns to choose from, helped her select the correct needles, and then reverse engineered the pattern for her. They had a lovely selection of yarn, but I focussed on sock yarns that you don't see in Canada - Madeline Tosh and Pagewood Farms are both local to the southern California area.

Next stop - one crosstown bus and then the No7 EB - at Wild Fiber. Good thing they have lots of chairs - I nearly fell over when I spotted two whole shelves of Wollmeise. I've never seen that in person!

You may wonder why I stopped at two skeins in each shop. Nothing to do with self-control I'm afraid. It's just that we're travelling with carry-on luggage only and I didn't think I could fit anymore than that!

sight-seeing

2011-11-16T10:21:00.001-05:00

the famous sign

We spent the day yesterday seeing the sights. We were driven through Beverly Hills where the homes of various celebrities were pointed out - Dionne Warwick lives here, Sammy Davis Jr lived there, John Candy lived there for a while, Alex Trebek lives way up there, Die Hard was filmed there, Sisterhood at that Church, Janis Joplin OD'ed in that hotel, River Phoenix passed away in front of the Viper Club there, the Doors where the house band and were discovered there, and so on and so on.

Graumann's Chinese Theatre

First stop? Rodeo Drive. At the bottom of the street is the Wilshire Hotel where much of the movie Pretty Woman was set. Very posh. And we walked up and down Rodeo Drive, but didn't dare venture into the shops. Some were by appointment only. One gallery had a Picasso hanging just steps from the front door. The real thing! YIKES! Even the advertising was fancier - the street pole banners were decorated with Swarovski crystals. And then the cars that were parked here and there! Ferraris, Bentleys, a Bugatti, lots of fancy things!

Next we went down Sunset Blvd to the Kodak Theatre, Graumann's Chinese Theatre and the walk of Fame. This part all disappointed as far as I was concerned. These places all look so much larger and grander on TV! From the walkway behind the Kodak Theatre we got another glimpse of the Hollywood sign.

shopping anyone?

After walking around for a while and reading star after star on the sidewalk, we reboarded the tourbus to continue to Mulholland Drive. Had it not been so hazy and smoggy, the view of downtown LA from the Santa Monica Mountains would have been spectacular. A pretty enviable view nonetheless. From the lookout on Mulholland Drive we could also see the Griffith's Observatory and the Hollywood Bowl. It's weird being in LA - seems like every building is famous for something. All the street names sound familiar, because we've seen them in movies, in song lyrics and on television. I can't even look at a sign for Santa Monica Boulevard without thinking of Sheryl Crow.

The traffic is really something to be seen. There is construction everywhere - apparently many highways are being widened to add HOV lanes. I didn't envy the driver at all. One more thing? If you own a Toyota dealership in LA you must be making out like a bandit. Seems like every third or fourth car is a Pruis!

Dinner last night at the Galley - Santa Monica's oldest restaurant. The dining room and bar are lmost entirely lit by string after string of mini Christmas lights, which is odd and quite disconcerting at first. But we soon settled in and became altogether too comfortable. I worked through several Steam Ales from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco and enjoyed the whole dinner thoroughly.

in the saddle

2011-11-15T10:27:00.001-05:00

slather the SPF60

LAB tested !

Day two of our holidays was spent on bikes. We were up early to rent bikes at one of the many Perry's Beach Cafes along the South Bay Bicycle Trail. The 22 mile trail along the beaches was one of our "must-do"s. Fortunately I slathered up with sunscreen before starting out - I'd have been crispy by the end of day otherwise. And fortunately I also brought along some after sun, since even SPF60 wasn't enough for a full day in the sun on my face and neck. I know, I know! The instructions DO say to reapply often, but sunscreen on your face and neck is just so ick.

To the north we followed the trail through the Annenberg community and Pacific Palisades all the way to Will Rogers State Park. The bluffs along the coast are awesome - but with all the Tsunami warning signs and rock slide warning signs I'm not sure I'd be prepared to invest in those properties. To the south we followed the trail through Santa Monica and Venice Beach to the Fishing Pier. We couldn't figure out the rest, but we've done our research and plan to go again for another half day to see the rest to Marina Del Rey and points further south.

I did happen across a yarn shop - Yarns Unlimited - but came away empty handed. The yarns were mostly cotton and/or acrylic blends. And almost no sock yarn. I suppose here in the sunny south, wool is not so popular and perhaps not sock knitting either. Oh well, there are still a couple more yarn stores to check, time permitting!

Dinner last night was at the Library Alehouse which is just steps from our motel. We both tried Fat Tire Amber Ale, which is a new fave. I also had Elly's Brown Ale(yum) and tried a Jamaican Red. Gavin spent his time sampling stouts and milk stouts.

the time difference

2011-11-14T07:51:00.001-05:00

Santa Monica Boardwalk

In Toronto it's almost 8am, but here in Santa Monica we're three hours earlier - too early to make much more noise than tapping the keys on a laptop. So, because I couldn't sleep, I decided a blog post was in order.

Amusements on the Pier

Checking in at the airport, clearing security and the flight were all uneventful, and these days that's for the best. We checked in online prior to leaving for the airport and used the self-serve kiosk to finish our check-in - with only cabin luggage we breezed straight in to customs. The food on the flight was remarkable because it wasn't awful and we started to get excited while on the descent to LAX when we could clearly see the Hollywood sign in the hills above the buildings.

Once out of the airport, we were directed to a shuttle bus which dropped us at the City Bus Depot in order to catch the Big Blue Bus to Santa Monica. Anyone else see the episode of Chuck with the takedown on the Big Blue Bus? Our bus trip was not nearly so exciting, thank goodness.

No surprises at the motel either, except that the room is larger than I expected: very clean and bright with WIFI throughout, although ...the toilet seat and lid are a sort of fifties-era blue that is slightly surprising. Situated on Main Street in the historic downtown shopping area, there is traffic noise but that doesn't bother me a bit. I'm a sound sleeper, and I'm happy to trade for the convenience of the location.

dinner at Mariasol

Even as we checked into our hotel it was getting dark. The sunset over the ocean was streaked with red; a perfect evening for a stroll down the Santa Monica boardwalk to the Pier for supper. At a leisurely pace the walk took only 20 minutes. Right at the end of the Pier is Mariasol, a Mexican restaurant, our choice for supper. Handmade corn chips and homemade salsa were the perfect accompaniment to a cold Samuel Adams draught beer. The chefs are not shy with their use of Cilantro and I'm completely okay with that. It really gives the salsa tang! We sat inside in the bar area - maybe I found the evening chilly because I was a bit overtired? - but we'd like to go back for a lunch on the oceanside patio later in the week.

Once back on Main Street we strolled and window shopped for an hour before returning to the motel. It's got a very trendy Queen Street West kinda vibe, if that makes any sense to the non-Torontonians. One thing is clear, this is going to be a great vacation. Too bad we're only here for a week!

eat, drink ...

2011-11-12T19:47:00.001-05:00

Wij houden van Oranje

... and be married. It's official, we're husband and wife. Gavin has even changed his Facebook status, so it must be true. The wedding was lovely and the reception was a lot of fun. Just exactly as we had hoped.

After last night's party, we've spent a quiet day today recovering from overtiredness and hangover. Cards and presents have been opened, rented linens have been returned and the laundry is done. Now, with the hockey game on TV in the background, we're trying to get organized and packed for the honeymoon. Santa Monica, here we come!

Have a great week everyone! I'll post when I can but no promises!

finished object Friday

2011-11-11T07:52:00.001-05:00

today's the day

11•11•11 ... Remembrance Day ... and also the day that Gavin and I are making it official. Later today we're exchanging vows in front of family and friends after living together for fourteen years. Earlier this week I finished my Scoop pullover so it's ready to debut this evening. Our main wedding colour is red, exactly this poppy red of the Mission Falls 1824 yarn from my stash. Enough for the entire sweater with three-quarter length sleeves with a couple of balls of yarn left over. One thing though, I think I may duplicate stitch on the inside of the sweater at each side of the yoke to reinforce it - I still think the welts sag more than I'd like when worn.

And it's Remembrance Day. Earlier this week I bought a poppy at a neighbourhood store. When I stuffed my $10 bill in the box the teenager at the cash remarked "That's very generous" in a tone which implied that she thought I was overpaying. Really? Considering that Canadian soldiers liberated the Netherlands from Nazi occupation at the end of World War II, it seems like a pittance. My Mom would tell us stories about when the Canadian soldiers arrived, bringing with them gifts of chocolates, sugar and cigarettes. And every year that she was able, she walked in the annual four day Nijmegen March through the RBG in Hamilton. Certainly my family can never repay the sacrifices of the Canadian soldiers and their families.

Have a great day everyone! I know we will. And have a look at Tami's Amis to see all the fabulous finishes.

Things done on Thursday

2011-11-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

look familiar?

After I wove in the last end at the thumb of my Susie's Reading Mitts I pulled them on to get ready for the photo. I fell for this pattern based on the main feature photo on the Ravelry pattern details page so with my mitts done, I decided to stage a similar photo. Another little crazy stunt that Gavin helped me out with.

As you can see in my photo - and in the original photo on Ravelry if you're paying attention - the stockinette sleeve of the mitt is quite loose fitting. That's the only thing I'm not keen on. Other than that, I'm really happy with the pattern. Picot edges give a nice finish to the cuffs and the hand openings. A simple eleven row lace pattern that adds visual interest. And the length of the hand and thumb are actually perfect: long enough for warmth but not so long as to impede functionality. No surprise then that my mitts are the five-thousand-and-eighty-third project made with this pattern as logged by Ravelry. 5083! Wow.

There won't be much time for knitting for the rest of the day. Instead, today needs to be all about sewing. There are four table cloths to complete for tomorrow. I made a start on them yesterday so I should be able to complete these in a few hours. The biggest challenge is finding a large enough work area to spread the fabric for cutting and pinning. With the sewing machine out yesterday I took a minute to sew up a little side project - a neoprene case for my Kobo Vox. A few days ago I spotted a likely looking neoprene pencil case at Dollarama. A quick cut with a rotary cutter to shorten it, a new hem and voilà, a Kobo Vox case for $1.25. Now that's crafty!

WIP Wednesday

2011-11-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

almost a pair

Wednesday morning already! Where does the time go? I cast on Susie's Reading Mitts on Monday and the pair is almost done. They're lovely in this dark brown alpaca. I expect these will be my everyday mitts when trekking by train to the subway to the bus to my workplace. Fingerless mitts are very handy when I need to scrounge for a subway token, or search out a train pass to show the inspector, or even to flip the pages on my eBook reader. Yes, they'll definitely be put to good use.

The original intention was to knit these for a friend for Christmas but that plan has changed. These mitts work up too large for her and with all that stockinette the mitts aren't as fitted as I'd like. Yesterday alittlebitsheepish left a comment on my blog in which she recommends a pattern called Swirling Gauntlets which looks very nice, so I'm going to try those next. And maybe, after that, some Glorious Cabled Mitts. Seems like I'm on a fingerless gloves kick at the moment!

Happy Wednesday everyone, and happy birthday Gavin! Have a look at Tami's Amis to see what everyone else is up to!

a mitt for me

2011-11-08T08:50:00.001-05:00

one mitt, mostly

Yesterday morning I cast on the first fingerless mitt from the pattern for Susie's Reading Mitts and by yesterday evening I was binding off the hand. Now that's a quick knit!

I'm knitting with some unlabeled Alpaca purchased at one or another knitting show over the last couple of years. I do recall that it was purchased with mitts in mind, and I think I actually started and frogged a pair that were knitting up too huge. The alpaca yarn is lovely soft and warm - perfect.

The first mitt fits me beautifully; that pretty much guarantees that they'd be way too big for my friend. Too bad, I guess I'll have to keep them for myself. Good thing too, considering I misplaced my own fingerless mitts a couple of weeks ago. My old pair may have been accidentally left in a fitting room in one of the two hundred plus stores in Sherway Gardens, but I can't be sure.

One thing? All that stockinette means that the wrist area is not very fitted. Once these are done I am going to cast on a pair for my friend but in a different pattern. Suggestions?

done, doing and to do

2011-11-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

clicking along

As you can see from the photo, the length of leg knitted has doubled since yesterday, which can only mean one thing: the red sweater is done! Yippee! See you at the end of the week for a finished object Friday.

While working away at this first Denmark sock I've been thinking about how lovely this alpaca yarn is. It'd be perfect for a pair of fingerless mitts! Wait a minute ... didn't my friend Nancy mention that she'd like some fingerless mitts for Christmas? Yes, she did. And now that I think about it I'm pretty there's enough alpaca in various natural shades for mitts. Here's the pattern I'm looking at: Susie's Reading Mitts. Cute, huh? Think I'll give them a whirl.

Today's the first day of my vacation and although there's a road trip planned, I'm pretty sure there'll be lots of time to knit this evening. Happy Monday!

Year of Projects - Denmark Post 02

2011-11-06T09:39:00.003-05:00

the first couple of inches

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

I'll confess that there hasn't been much progress on my Denmark sock. After knitting the first sock almost to the heel I decided to rip it out entirely and reknit adding one repeat to each side of the sock to bring the round to 72 stitches. That's a much better number considering I'm knitting this sock with lighter yarn and smaller needles than the pattern suggests.

Things have been too busy around here to get much knitting done. Last week the pressure was on to push through as much work as possible before I started my two week vacation on Friday. Saturday we picked up my brother at the airport - he's flown in for a week-long visit from Fredericton. What little knitting time I've had has been devoted to my red sweater, which I'm happy to report should be completed later today or sometime tomorrow. With the sweater off the needles I should have more time for this sock. And then there's the fact that Christmas is just 48 days away ... better get a move in! Expect a big update next week!

wip wednesday

2011-11-02T08:50:00.000-04:00

shown here in short sleeves

My big red swatch is finally turning into a sweater, and none too soon! I plan to be wearing this sweater for the big event just nine days from now and there's one more sleeve and a couple more inches on the body to knit. Can I finish it by Friday? That might be a bit too optimistic, but we'll see.

This is my third attempt at this sweater, now two sizes smaller than my first attempt, and the fact is I could have gone a size or two smaller still. The yoke is very loose, so much so that I'm contemplating adding a band of elastic around the inside to shore it up. It'd be more flattering if the sweater cinched in at the bottom of the yoke. I suspect that adding the second sleeve will also help to tighten up the yoke.

Despite the aforesaid, I'm pretty happy with this sweater. It's cute and comfy and the yarn is all from my stash. The colour is a perfect cranberry red, which is exactly what I had in mind. Now, time's a-wasting; I'd better get back to knitting and get a move on that second sleeve! To see what everyone else is up to have a look at the list at Tami's Amis.

new toy

2011-11-01T07:44:00.002-04:00

oooooh, shiny!

The last several days have been crazy busy, and there's no sign of the pace letting up. I've been knitting away at the red sweater whenever I find a moment, but my Denmark socks have been pretty much ignored.

Yesterday a shiny new toy arrived by post - my new Kobo Vox eReader. It's marketed as a colour eBook reader. But it's really a low cost colour Android tablet. Sure, it's not as slick or powerful or fast as an iPad, but it's a better size for carrying around and much cheaper. So far ...

I've downloaded and read a book
I've downloaded and read a newspaper
I tried reading the online preview of Interweave Knits, but first I need to install flash
I've browsed online on the Ravelry forums
I downloaded and played Angry Birds, which is turning out to be a dangerous time suck

Next step? Download knitting patterns, upload photos and figure out how to blog from my tablet. Wheeee, this is so much fun!

once upon a time ...

2011-10-29T10:01:00.003-04:00

Scoop: looking sweater-ish

From wikipedia: The "rule of three" is a principle of writing which suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. A series of three is often used to create a progression in which the tension is created, then built up, and finally released. I just hope the principle applies here.

The first red swatch was too big. I had chosen a larger size to make up for my smaller needles and lighter weight yarn, but after knitting the yoke and trying it on, I decided to rip and reknit two sizes smaller.

The second red swatch was too long. Because I'm tall I lengthened the yoke, but when I took the recommended number of raglan increases and redistributed them across a deeper yoke, the raglans looked oddly distorted. Once more I decided to rip and reknit with raglan increases every second round as written, letting the final stitch count fall where it may.

Fingers crossed that this third attempt will be just right. I've tried it on. It looks pretty good. Finally. With luck I'll have a new finished sweater by Friday of next week. I really, really hope so!

rrrrrrrrip

2011-10-24T16:21:00.002-04:00

restarted

This morning just as the subway train pulled into Kipling station and just as I finished the last round of the leg, I had a series of revelations:

... this yarn is so soft that it'd be best knit on the smallest possible needles for the tightest possible fabric for the best possible durability,

... and, when I said yesterday that I was okay with these socks knitting up too small for me, that I was prepared to give them away to someone with small feet on my Christmas list, I was kidding myself,

... and, given that this pattern features a narrow repeat it'd be really, really simple to add an eight stitch repeat to the front and back of the sock to bring the total stitch count to 72,

so I've ripped out and started again. You knew where that was headed, didn't you? I only wish I'd thought that through before I knit the six and half inch leg of the first sock. Oh well, consider it practice.

Year of Projects - Denmark Post 01

2011-10-23T08:59:00.001-04:00

mmm ... alpaca ...

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

With my Hiiumaa Mismatched Mates finished and blogged on Friday it was time to cast on another pair of socks. Denmark was the next pattern in the book - one of two patterns I'd skipped over to get to Hiiumaa - but I was hesitating. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn and 3.25mm needles. All my sock yarn is fingering weight and usually I knit my socks on 2mm or even 2.5mm needles.

In the end I decided to pick the thickest and loftiest of the sock yarns in my stash: this gorgeous, soft Alpaca Sox from Classic Elite Yarns. And I'm going ahead with 2.5mm needles, because, after all, there are 56 stitches around the foot so the sock won't be that small. With luck, they may turn out perfectly size for someone on my Christmas list!

Hiuumaa Mismatched Mates

So far I'm very happy with how these are knitting up. The yarn is delicious, the colour is gorgeous and the pattern is very satisfyingly elegant. What a nice little cable - just one stitch moves to the centre from each side of making a wide and flat cable - and look, those are nupps at the top of those columns of cables! Neat, huh? Once again as I knit this pattern I'm struck by the careful attention to detail from the designer, Nancy Bush. The stitches are distributed across four needles so that each needle finishes and end with a purl stitch which should hide any laddering from the dpns. And the ribbing flows beautifully into the main leg pattern. Very nice indeed.

Now remind me, why was it that I hesitated to cast on this sock?

finished object Friday

2011-10-21T07:54:00.002-04:00

the cat wants in the photo

Hurray, it's Friday and I've got a finished pair of socks. The pattern is Hiiumaa Mismatched Mates from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. Gavin agreed to model them this morning but no matter where and how he stood, the cat absolutely insisted on circling his feet and being in the picture. Apparently she feels that I should feed her and give her a few treats before messing around with socks.

I'm pleased with these socks and not just because they fit Gavin beautifully. And not just because he likes them. And not just because he think I should make a pair of the stripier version for him. Knitted with Kroy sock yarn they're warm, sturdy, sensible socks. I really like that about them.

It's also been a great stash-busting project. The stripes are various leftover bits and bobs of Kroy self-patterning sock yarns. For my year of projects, I'm knitting all seventeen patterns from Knitting on the Road. This is the fifth finished pair and so far it's all been from the stash. No sign of running out of yarn anytime soon!

Have a look at the blogs from crafters who've linked up at Tami's Amis for Finished Object Friday. Lots more to see!

reswatching

2011-10-20T07:55:00.003-04:00

rip-it, rip-it, rip-it

Last night I tried on the big red swatch and the news wasn't good. The front of the sweater was too big although the back and sleeves were okay, and the depth of the yoke was too short. But more than that, I didn't like the way it looked. Not at all. The scooped front looked saggy and sloppy and the neckline was uncomfortably wide. Feeling deflated I put it aside and went back to knitting my sock.

This morning I took out my sewing kit with the idea of pinching a dozen stitches out of the front and back to simulate the sweater two sizes smaller. Eureka! The neckline is much better and the front drapes without drooping. It really makes all the difference!

So tonight I'm casting on a second swatch. My plan is to knit the smaller size but add to the yoke to make it about an inch and half longer. If I can find a few quiet moments at work today, I'll sit down to calculate how many rows are involved and plan how to evenly redistribute the raglan increases. All in all, I'm feeling very positive about it again. And now, on my second attempt, I am going to follow the example of other Ravelers and work the increases as yarn overs rather than M1s. Hopefully I'll have something more sweater-ish to show for all of this next week!

work-in-progress Wednesday

2011-10-19T08:00:00.003-04:00

this red is truer to the actual red

For the last few days my knitting time has been devoted to a single project which I like to think of as a really big red swatch. If and when all the sizing questions are resolved it may actually develop into a Scoop pullover ... but there are still lots of ifs. Hopefully knitting a larger size will compensate for my lighter than recommended wool and smaller than recommended needles, but until I can actually try it on I don't think there's any way to be certain. I'm five rounds away from the dividing round now; the round where the sleeve stitches are set aside and the body is joined to knit in the round. Once that's done, it should be "try-on-able".

Just glancing at the work-in-progress, the sizing from side to side looks (maybe) okay, but I have the faintest qualm that the length is too short from collar to armpit. I'll thread a lifeline before working the dividing round - that way I can always go back and add one more welt to the yoke to make it longer. It wouldn't be surprising if the extra length were needed ... after all I am very tall.

I had a look at the notes from other Ravelers to see if I could glean any helpful hints but that just added to my worries. Unbelievable how many knitters made one sweater, found it didn't fit and gave it away, then knit another! Uh oh. Sounds ominous doesn't it? Repeat after me: This is just a really big swatch. I'll knit until I can try it on and then I'll make some notes, rip it out and start again. No biggie.

I'll bet that lots of knitters and crocheters are actually accomplishing something more than swatching this week. Have a look at Tami's Amis to see them all.

a really big swatch

2011-10-18T10:15:00.003-04:00

awful photo, really awful

To the casual observer it may look like I'm knitting this sweater. I wish that were so. In fact, since I am using a lighter weight yarn than the pattern calls for and using smaller needles than the pattern calls for, I've cast on the largest size and I'm telling myself that I'm knitting a really big swatch. It would be tremendous luck if it turns out to be a sweater that looks anything like this.

It's a very interesting design: the front welt on the sweater drapes and the sleeves and back are ribbed so that they stretch. Interesting, but it completely dumbfounds me as to what an appropriate finished size should be. I'm also thinking that this pattern needs negative ease to fit well. If it were a normal sweater I could knit a swatch, do the math and figure out how to proceed. But this particular design has me stumped. I guess we'll see by the weekend whether this will work or not. In the meantime my fingers and toes are firmly crossed.

Year of Projects - Hiiumaa Post 01

2011-10-16T18:47:00.000-04:00

and its mismatched mate

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

The first Hiiumaa sock was no sooner started than finished, thanks to hours of hockey and rugby game watching. Also, many thanks to everyone who encouraged me to skip ahead on last week's post! I feel a bit like I'm breaking my self-imposed rules but here's to me living dangerously. Goodness knows what may happen next!

Earlier in the week I finished up my Dalarna socks leaving my sock needles waiting for a decision (posted here). The lure of stash busting was just too much. Besides, the next pattern in the list is knit on 3.25mm needles, and I really need to have a think about what sock yarn might be suitable for that!

Also, as mentioned my Friday and Saturday posts, I'm giving away copies of the patterns for Serengeti Sun or Star Light in support of the designer who's struggling with some serious health issues right now. If you'd like to knit one or the other, please leave a comment before the end of the weekend indicating which pattern you'd prefer and your Ravelry user name. I'll gift either pattern through Ravelry to the first twenty people who express interest before the end of the weekend.

twinkle twinkle

2011-10-15T12:16:00.001-04:00

up above the world so bright

After my breakthrough with Garilynn's Serengeti Sun pattern yesterday, I decided this morning to give her Star Light pattern a try. Shown here using scrap baby yarn on 2.75mm needles, the little star knits up to 3.25" across - very cute.

Like the Serengeti Sun, this little star is knit in one piece starting with the centre and then picking up stitches along the edges to make the points. And like the Serengeti Sun, the points are worked with an iCord edge incorporated on the right edge of each point. Once you reach the top tip you turn and work an applied iCord edge down the left edge of the point. As a result you have beautiful seamless iCord edges all the way around which finishes it very nicely!

Although the Star Light pattern was released after the Serengeti Sun pattern in my opinion the instructions are more clear and detailed. The designer spells out that increases are to be worked by knitting in the stitch below and the stitch above, not by knitting in the front and back of a stitch as I had concluded yesterday. And she spells out how to do the applied iCord edge which would have saved me a YouTube tutorial or two. I've put a couple of notes on my project page in Ravelry which may be helpful to anyone planning to knit it. Now I'm trying to decide whether to add google-y eyes or not.

If you think you'd like to knit one, or knit the Serengeti Sun dishcloth pattern from the same designer then please leave a comment before the end of the weekend indicating which pattern you'd prefer and your Ravelry user name. I'll gift either pattern through Ravelry to the first twenty people who express interest before the end of the weekend.

finished object Friday

2011-10-14T15:53:00.002-04:00

a sunny spot

I'll be the first to admit that my first attempt at this Serengeti Sun dishcloth is a bit wonky. But it's done - finally, after months and months on the needles - and I love it! And on a rainy fall day, it's the perfect pick-me-up, isn't it?

Progress on this dishcloth came screeching to a halt when I couldn't understand the instructions for the first point. I tried and tried and tried again. And ripped and ripped and ripped again. I even contacted the designer, who tried to help even though she is dealing with serious health issues and vision problems after a head injury earlier this year. As the only Raveler on record as having attempted this pattern I had nowhere else to turn, so I posted my plea for help in the patterns forum on Ravlery.

And no sooner had I clicked "post" when I realized my problem: I had to work the increases by knitting in the front and back of the next stitch. By using a M1 increase I was screwing up the stitch counts. DOH!

I'm definitely going to knit another - I'm confident that it'll turn out less wonky on my second time through the pattern. There a bunch of things I've learned:

Work the increases by knitting in the front and back of the next stitch
Where the first two stitches of a row are slipped, slip them purlwise with the yarn in front. Enlarge the above image and examine the right sides of the points - the bumps are from before I clued in.
When picking up stitches for the applied iCord, remember that the end stitches were K2togs - you only need to pick up one stitch not both. Picking up both is really, really hard; ask me how I know!
For your first time through it might be wise to knit the small size with just a single strand of the yarn. Knitting two strands of cotton can be painful, especially after ripping back a bunch of times.

How about it? Want to knit one? If not a Sun, then what about this Star from the same designer which looks to be of similar construction? I'll gift the pattern to the first twenty people who leave a comment before the end of the weekend expressing their interest on this post. In your comment please indicate which pattern you'd prefer and provide your Ravelry user name.

Don't forget to check out all the good work at Tami's Amis! Happy Friday and spread the sunshine!

Purple-licious

2011-10-13T09:44:00.002-04:00

Dalarna - lots of stockinette

Finished Dalarna socks! The knitting of them wasn't too exciting - blame the large swathes of stockinette - but the resulting socks are the comfiest ever, thanks in large part I'm sure to this oh so soft yarn. It certainly was a treat after my disappointments with that green yarn over the last couple of weeks. The yarn is mostly purple but there are light sky blues shot through - what a great colour combination!

comfiest ever yarn

I spent my knitting time yesterday working and ripping points for the Serengeti Sun dishcloth pattern. Lots of attempts, but no success. I've pm'd the designer on Ravelry in the hopes of some clarification. Failing that, anyone interested in trying out the pattern? I'd happily gift the pattern to you in exchange for sorting me out on this .... Pretty please?

Late last night I cast on my first Hiiumaa Mismatched Mates sock. After all the dishcloth and iCord frustration, I wanted something easy and satisfying. There's just so much to love about this pattern:

watching self-patterning yarns express themselves
working stripes in different colours
stash-busting Kroy sock leftovers
knocking off another item on my Year of Projects list
adding to my pile of knits for the Warm Hands Network

Looks like these socks will be done in no time at all. And that's okay, because even as I knit these I'm looking at my stash and planning the next pair.

WIP Wednesday

2011-10-12T09:31:00.002-04:00


let the sun shine in!

I started this Serengeti Sun dishcloth on January 16th and promptly got stuck when it came to working the points. It's the iCord edged points that attracted me to the pattern in the first place; I was curious to see how the construction would work. This poor project has been in time out for 9 months, but now it's time to bear down and get'er done.

Today I'm going to try, try and try again. No quitting! Maybe I'll see things more clearly now that I've been away from it for a while. Or maybe I can watch some iCord tutorials on YouTube to see what to do. And if all else fails, the designer is on Ravelry - I'll pm her for clarification. One way or another, this dishcloth is happening today!

It's been a very productive last couple of weeks ... just three projects left on the needles right now and, with luck, just two by end of day. Just as well to get caught up; after all, I feel a sweater coming on. Take a few minutes and check out the other work in progress with Tami's Amis - there's some pretty spectacular work being done!

miserable

2011-10-11T09:46:00.001-04:00

purple-licious

Don't mind me; it's this d@mn end of summer cold that's got me sniffling and wheezing, achy and cranky. Congestion and coughing kept me up half the night and leaving me just plain miserable :(

Today I'm going to take it easy, drink plenty of hot fluids and finish this heel - nothing too challenging. Comfort knitting, really. And I'm especially grateful today that I forked over the extra cash for the 3-ply extra soft tissues last week at the grocery store. Turns out, that's money well spent. I just have to remember to thread through a lifeline before I start the Neo Citran. That stuff knocks me senseless! If I'm not careful there might be lots of tinking and ripping tomorrow.

the hockey sweater

2011-10-10T09:01:00.002-04:00

Oh Canada!

Last night I finished my little hockey sweater and was pretty happy with how it turned out. The details have been simplified but there's no mistaking what it is. And it fits! Perfectly!

Too bad it looks goofy. Really, put it on a bottle of hot sauce or any other bottle and it looks ridiculous. The sweater makes the bottle look like a headless hockey player - not at all the effect I was after. It's too big for Barbie and too small for a teddy bear. I guess I'll put this aside until inspiration strikes.

That's the way the cookie crumbles though; not every idea pans out. So it's back to my regularly scheduled knitting. Well, after I get the vegetables chopped and ready for Thanksgiving supper tonight. Gavin is making lemon dill oven-roasted chicken breasts and I'm making brown sugar glazed carrots and baby potatoes to accompany them.

Year of Projects - Dalarna Socks post 2

2011-10-09T09:59:00.001-04:00

the leg of the second Dalarna sock

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

After a late night at the pub watching the Springboks fumble and falter in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup, I'm taking it easy this morning. Sock knitting doesn't get much easier than this Dalarna sock, especially now that the decorative cuff is done and the shaping rows are complete. From here to the heel it's just stockinette with a small clock pattern across three stitches on each side of the leg. Easy peasy.

decorative chain stitch

About now I usually start looking at my sock yarn stash with a view to selecting the yarn for the next pattern. My original thought was to knit all the patterns in the book in order, but now I'm reconsidering. After all, the patterns are simply ordered alphabetically - there's no compelling logic for following that order. I'm rationalizing of course, because I want to skip ahead to Hiiumaa - a mismatched pair of striped socks. I see that pattern as the perfect opportunity to stash bust by striping my variegated sock yarn scraps into a solid coloured sock. It also looks like a good pattern choice for socks for the January donation campaign for the Warm Hands Network. My nieces and nephews all seem to prefer mismatched pairs over traditionally matched socks.

It's another beautiful day in what's turning out to be a spectacular Thanksgiving weekend. With my sister's family expected for supper on the holiday Monday (tomorrow) my job today is to get the chores done. Happy Thanksgiving and happy crafting!

some like it hot

2011-10-08T09:51:00.002-04:00

I put that sh*t on everything

If a beer bottle can have a sweater, then why not a hot sauce bottle? This week I'm shopping for an extra large bottle of Frank's Red Hot - ideally about twice the size of the bottle shown. And as soon as I have that I can cast on a Team Canada hockey jersey adapting this pattern to fit. The actual logo looked too fussy and detailed to work in miniature so I opted to order an embroidered badge instead. It should work, right?

Hopefully it does work, because the plan is to make a second sweater - a South African rugby sweater - for a bottle of Jalapeno pepper sauce. His and hers, as it were.

But as I ponder this I can't help but wonder .... is it a hockey sweater? or a hockey jersey? There's a heated debate about just this dilemma. I'm leaning towards "sweater" myself.

finished object Friday

2011-10-07T09:16:00.001-04:00

a prickly pair

Hurray! They're done! And done right on time for a finished object Friday! The second Conwy sock is finished, ends woven in and none too soon. Not a fun knit at all thanks to an overspun yarn with way too much twist and a prickly pair of socks as a result :(

It's a shame because the colourway is so nice; puts me in mind of a certain Rugby team set to play a neighbouring rival team on the weekend. Here in Canada the game starts at 1am thanks to the time difference ... so should we put on a pot of strong coffee to stay up to watch it? Or should we nap a few hours before, set the alarm and wake for the few hours to watch it? Why was this kind of thing so much easier when we were teenagers?

If you have a few minutes they'd be well spent looking at the variety of finished object posts from Tami's Amis and celebrate with them. After all, the Australian bloggers might not feel like celebrating after the game this weekend. Go Springboks!

Conwy progress

2011-10-06T08:23:00.001-04:00

to the gusset and beyond!

The bright sunshine fooled me this morning; it's a chilly 7° C out there! Definitely fall and definitely sock weather! With the heel turn complete and the gusset decreases well underway, this second Conwy sock is headed towards the final stretch. With a quiet day at work I may be able to finish this today or tomorrow. And won't that be a relief?!

I'm still quite distressed about this yarn. My Mom - and probably every other Mom - used to say "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." Good words of advice when posting to online forums. But after much debate I decided to ignore that tried and true advice; I went ahead with a negative comment in the yarn database in Ravelry. After my experience I feel obliged post a warning. The colourways are lovely and perhaps it's a good choice for lace projects, but I wish someone had warned me against choosing it for socks. Oh well, lesson learned.

Once these socks are off the needles I can cast on my second Dalarna sock in this yarn; now that's a pleasure to knit.

a few more

2011-10-04T10:55:00.000-04:00


it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

With my countdown timer in the sidebar it's impossible to ignore how quickly Christmas will be upon us ... particularly if you're planning a handmade Christmas. And with that in mind I decided to get a move on with more Christmas bags.

The first few were done in an inky blue, largely because that's one of my favourite colours, but now it's time to make some up in more traditional Christmas colours, starting with green. This first green bag features a very simple snowflake motif with a peerie bordering pattern on either side. Today? A Norwegian Star pattern. It's a bit more involved but it's worth it for the dramatic effect.

For a while I considered knitting these bags for sale at craft shows, but at my current pace I can't see getting enough versions, sizes and colours done in time. At this rate, I might be able to get this together in time for Christmas next year! No worries though, it's ideal transit knitting - simple patterns in stockinette knitted in the round. And that suits me just fine.

felted mittens

2011-10-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

before felting ...

After running them three times through the hot water/heavily soiled cycle of my top loading machine, the mitts have felted to about 80% of the size at which I originally knit them. Does that sound right? I thought they'd get much smaller than that. After washing and felting I laid them flat to dry. Should I have thrown them in the dryer?

The finished felted mitts fit me - I have extra large hands with really long fingers - but I can't imagine that they'd fit anyone else. And to be honest, even for me the thumbs could have been a half inch shorter. I'm also a bit undecided about the mitten tops; they could be a little less pointy, I think.

... and after

Now that they're done I can't help but wonder what the point was of ribbed cuffs. The stretchy effect of the ribbing is completely lost after felting. But don't get the wrong idea ... I really like these mitts. They're incredibly warm - the perfect accessory when waiting on the train platform at -15° in February! And I love the way felting has blurred and softened the colour transitions.

With this little project I've accomplished a few things:

I've learned something new - felting
I've done some stash-busting
I've finished one more thing in my queue

Now, back to socks!

Come Blog Along Pattern 03 Post 03

2011-10-02T08:58:00.001-04:00

too much twist!

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

Even after reskeining and washing this yarn has too much twist. At least once every round I have to stop to untangle; it's not doing a thing for my tension! Look at the photo, then try to imagine knitting with a working yarn that's all twisted up on itself like that! It's a shame because it's making the knitting of these socks unpleasant indeed. Grrrrrr.

That's the bad news. The good news is that while I've been avoiding knitting these socks I've accomplished a great deal on other fronts. Over the last couple of weeks I've knit thirty blanket squares for Knit-A-Square and crocheted four small squares for Kate's Blanket. Not to mention cleaning and organizing my yarn cupboard and sneaking in a few small stash-busting projects. But my Conwy Sock avoidance mood is over; I'm determined to finish this second sock in the next few days and be done with it. Who knows, maybe all that twist will make these socks really, really durable!

2011-10-01T09:47:00.001-04:00

one crazy large mitt

There's no mistaking Noro, is there? Crazy colours, thick and thin, unprocessed texture and lots of vm ... yup, it's Noro alright. With the assortment of oddball scraps leftover from a sweater I made a couple of years ago, I making felted mittens.

btw, if you were wondering, the mitred squares are done and I just couldn't bear to post one more picture of those squares. I think we've all seen and heard enough of them, haven't we? Just one thing though. Can you believe it's cheaper to pack thirty 8x8" squares to ship by Canada Post as a parcel to South Africa than it is to pack four 6x6" squares as a parcel to ship to North Carolina?! Seems crazy to me!

The first mitten knit up in almost no time; I cast on yesterday early evening and bound off the thumb this morning. The finished mitt before felting is crazy large - 14" from the top of the fingers to the bottom of the cuff! The pattern describes felting the mitts in the washing machine in hot water and a pillow case and, I have to confess, this is the part that makes me nervous. But these are oddball scraps so what's the worst that can happen? Omitting the pillow case and clogging the washing machine with wool fuzz necessitating a costly service call .. that would be the worst thing. It's kind of exciting too! Because if it works, and if it's easier than I think, there are so many cute felted slipper projects to look at.

Apparently I'll still have a small amount of yarn left. Felted Catnip toys?

the flake factory

2011-09-29T11:57:00.001-04:00

high tech flake production

a medieval torture device

Blocking the first flake, spraying the stiffening solution and drying it turned out to be a messy process; much better to have a jig so I don't have to handle the soggy flake or the sticky solution. Gavin made me two jigs to block the snowflakes to a uniform and entirely symmetrical shape. The long nails suspend the snowflake above the wooden base allowing me to spray the stiffening solution on both sides, and, blow dry from both sides. From start to finish the blocking process now takes less than ten minutes. Now we're cooking.

On Wednesday I picked up a packet of larger eyes; last week's teeny tiny 7 mm eyes looked ridiculous. These are much better! I'll have to experiment to see what works best for noses and mouths. A paint pen that sounds like it might be easiest and afford me the greatest control, but if that doesn't work, plan B is to glue black yarn scraps in position.

Now for the real question: what kind of expressions should the flakes have? Of course there'll have to be some smiling flakes, but wouldn't some grumpy and goofy faces also be fun? After all, it takes all kinds, doesn't it?

And then there's the bonus question: spray glitter or not?

WIP Wednesday

2011-09-28T10:14:00.000-04:00

24 squares and counting

For the last week or more I've been working away at these mitred blanket squares for Knit-A-Square - a charity that prefers wool and wool blends for warmth and for their fire retardant properties. All this wool was purchased years ago with the intention of knitting it up for a Canadian charity, but last year that charity changed to request only machine washable and dryable fibers. So I was pleased to see an opportunity with KAS to put this wool to good use.

FO Friday, here we come!

My stack of finished* squares is growing. And by finished* I mean the knitting is finished ... there are still a bunch of ends to be woven in as is clear from the photo. 24 squares and counting. As the stack of squares grows, the pile of unknit yarn is shrinks. I'm guessing I can get five, maybe six more squares out of what's left. With any luck I can get the whole thing done and ready to ship in time for Finished Object Friday. Boy, will it be a relief to knit anything but a mitred square for the next while!

It's been a busy morning already. We've been out to the municipal office to pick up our license for the big event in November. I thought that it would take a lot longer, but as it turned out, everyone in line ahead of us failed to complete the proper forms or bring the proper documentation, so we skipped ahead to the front of the line. We were in and out in 15 minutes. We stopped in to grocery shop on our way home, which I mention because it's rare for Gavin to come along for that. And no wonder; we came home with a completely different list of things - tuna, mackerel, peanut butter, crusty white bread, coke - I don't remember half of that being on my grocery list! We even came back with some paintbrushes. Who knew there was a hardware section in the grocery store? Perhaps it's best I shop on my own; we seem to buy more fruit and vegetables that way.

Check out Tami's Amis to see what everyone else has been up to!

the new moon in Libra

2011-09-27T08:55:00.001-04:00

lots of scrap yarn

Today's Libra New Moon is "mighty powerful", the astrologers say:
It's no time to be passive or checked out. The Libra New Moon on September 27th is a call to be actively engaged in visioning, re-imagining what's possible. With your full engagement, you can move mountains, make epic changes or shift your attitude.

It's also a "super moon", the astronomers say:
"A supermoon occurs when the moon is at perigee and it's in either a full or new phase," said Raminder Singh Samra, an astronomer at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, Canada. "The upcoming moon on September 27, 2011, is set to be at perigee and at the new phase," Samra said, "so we won't be able to witness the event, as the moon and sun will be in the same region of the sky" and the lunar disk will be entirely dark.

My TUSAL jar hasn't seen much action lately. I've been furiously knitted mitred squares, but in most cases I haven't woven in the ends or trimmed the extra. Not many new scraps in; actually, I've been pulling waste yarn out to tie the little yarn bundles requested by the charity for seaming their blankets. Looks like I can finish up these squares this week, so the next couple evenings may be dedicated to finishing instead of knitting. Yuck.

As for "re-imagining" what's possible I've been looking at my stash trying to envision how best to put the yarn to use. There's a bunch of Noro Kureyon oddballs leftover from a sweater I knit last year. I think I'm going to knit them up into felted mittens. I've never felted before; wish me luck!

going postal

2011-09-26T08:06:00.002-04:00

a couple extra yards for sewing

Saturday morning I wrapped the squares for Janel and brought them to the Post Office to send them on their way. I stacked the four squares, one on top of the other, to create a small light parcel 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" x 0.75". Wrapped like this, as a small "parcel", the cost to post to North Carolina was over $20. That's crazy!

So I took them back home and rewrapped them in 2 piles of 2 squares. The new parcel, now 6.5" x 12.5" x 0.4", was classed as an "oversize letter" and the amended cost to post was $2.06. Away it went! And that's also crazy, in my opinion!

When I've had time to knit this weekend, I've spent it on these mitred squares. Those are the next things I want to get into the mail. Can't wait to see the cost for shipping these to South Africa! I had a couple of hours of knitting time last night when Gavin and I sat down to watch Bridesmaids. It started a bit slow but pretty soon it was completely hilarious. Melissa McCarthy was particularly funny. We were still laughing over it hours later. In fact, we're kind of sorry we rented it instead of buying it outright. It's one of those movies we could watch over and over and over again. There's a day or two left on the rental; we'll probably watch it again tonight. And I'll be knitting still another mitred square.

for Kate's blanket

2011-09-24T07:39:00.000-04:00

Flowers in the Snow

Dear Janel,

These four squares are in the mail. I wish I could do more.

quoted from her Ravelry post:

I am writing this post to ask you all for your help. My very dear friend, Kate, is dying of stage IV breast cancer. Kate is only 31 years old and the mother of two young boys. Five years ago, she became a widow while pregnant with her second child - her husband was killed by a drunk driver. Then two and a half years ago she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer & has been giving it a tough fight. Recently, Kate was informed that the cancer has now spread to her ribs, liver and brain. She has accepted that she will not be with us much longer but is struggling with leaving her two beautiful boys behind. Thankfully, just before she was diagnosed she met her wonderfully, supportive boyfriend. He has stayed by her side through her diagnosis, her treatments and her difficult days. He not only fell in love with Kate but he fell in love with her boys as well. He is currently in the process of adopting both boys and will continue raising them as his own once Kate has passed. All of us who know and love Kate are devastated and heartbroken at the thought of losing her.

What I am asking of all of you is to help me make a blanket for her while she receives her dialysis & chemo treatments and then to use while she rests at home. She gets incredibly chilly & I thought it would be nice to give her something handmade to snuggle up with. The problem is, she needs something quickly and I don’t think I can create something fast enough for her. I tend to be a bit slow as I am still fairly new to crochet. I wanted to keep it simple so I choose Flowers in the Snow. I love how bright & cheery the colors are in Solveig’s blanket with the white border – perfect for Kate. (I should say that it’s a crochet blanket.) I thought maybe if a few of you - or many of you - could each make just a few squares each then we can get it done fairly quickly. Of course, I will be making as many I can, too. I think it would be best to use Red Heart Super Saver solid colors because there are no dye lots & they’re widely available. Yes, I know acrylic isn’t ideal but it’s machine-washable, durable and I can make it as soft as a baby’s butt. As I receive the squares, I will sew them together. I know she would be so surprised & ever so grateful to receive a blanket made by so many people who are praying for her & wishing her well.

I understand this may seem like a lot to ask to do for a complete stranger but she’s my friend & I would do anything for her. I’m hoping to have this done in the next week or so. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll PM you my info on where to send it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time and for your prayers.

Love,
Janel

blocking and stiffening

2011-09-23T08:56:00.003-04:00

blocking: before and after

I was at the fabric store shopping for table runner material when I spotted this: a spray bottle of "Stiffening Stuff" Reading the label more closely I see "Perfect for bows, lace doilies, silk flowers & crochet work". Isn't that exactly what these little snowflakes need?

Some suggested a sugar/water solution to stiffen it but I'm hesitant about that because I've heard that it can yellow within months and may need to be washed out and reapplied regularly. Many warned that laundry starch won't give enough stiffness to the work. I also considered thinning some white craft glue or modge podge but I've read that the spray stuff gives a better, less rigid and shiny result. So I thought I'd give this a try.

It's definitely stiffer. It also blocked out bigger with more defined points. That's the good news. But the side that I sprayed is left with a slightly crusty texture and there's stiffening stuff attached to the fuzzy fibres within the lacy holes. That's the bad news.

Gavin has agreed to make me a blocking jig for the snowflakes with wood and finishing nails - think nail and thread art. Today I have to make up a template for him so that he knows exactly where to position the nails. Once he's made the jig I'll fit a crocheted snowflake onto the nails, hopefully leaving it suspended above the base - allowing me to spray Stiffening Stuff on both sides. Then while the flake is still on the blocking jig I can use a blow dryer to dry it. With luck the blow dryer will clean out the solution from the lacy holes and leave it a bit fuzzier. I hope it works!

slow and steady

2011-09-22T08:35:00.003-04:00

isn't the middle of a yarn ball cool?

Slow and steady wins the race - Aesop
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Confucious
Constant dripping hollows out a stone - Lucretius
Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did - Newt Gingrich
He conquers who endures - Persius
Stubbornly persist and you will find that the limits of your stubbornness go well beyond the stubbornness of your limits - Robert Brault
But the moment you turn a corner you see another straight stretch ahead and there comes some further challenge to your ambition - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday - anonymous

Motivational quotes? I got plenty of them as I continue to plug away at these mitred squares. I think I may adopt that last one as my mantra. Because I really am closer to finishing these than I was yesterday.

WIP Wednesday

2011-09-21T07:52:00.000-04:00

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Only 94 days to Christmas!
Time to get going on Christmas knitting and crocheting!

Okay, it's only September so I suppose there's really no reason to panic. These little snowflakes have been in my queue for a while - I've got a thing about snowflakes and these could be really cute with the addition of interesting little faces. These are crocheted from white baby yarn held double - stash busting, yay! - using a 5.00mm/US H8 hook and finish at 4.25" across. Just as the designer suggests, I think these'll be really cute to decorate packages or to feature on handmade Christmas cards.

teeny, tiny eyes

Have a look, these 7mm googley eyes are too small, aren't they? Poor snowflake looks shocked and overwhelmed with its teeny, tiny eyes. Maybe I can use the ends to close up the centre hole - no need for all the flakes to sport horrified expressions!

Has anyone used spray starch? I'm wondering whether I can spray starch the finished flakes to block the points out nicely and to stiffen up the finished flakes a bit. The yarn is acrylic; can I starch it? And what about spray glitter? Is that a good idea or is it altogether too much? Oh the possibilities!

So now you know the slightly crazy stuff going on around here. Have a look at the list over at Tami's Amis - it's almost certain that there are people putting their time to more practical use!

by my estimation

2011-09-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

the pile is shrinking

At times this marathon square knitting project has felt unending. I knit and knit, the pile of squares grows and grows, but the amount of yarn remaining never shrinks. Until now. All the grey yarn has been knit up, only about 1000 meters of evergreen, rust and gold remain. There's a tiny ray of light at the end of this tunnel!

At this point I'm prone to rashly say something along the lines of ... "Should be all knit up by tomorrow"... but for the record, my timing estimates are terrible. Things always take days, even weeks, longer than I think they will. When I worked as an estimator I calculated times using multipliers for each person. I'd look at a job and say "hmmm, this looks like a two hour job so Doug (multiplier: 0.8) will finish this in about an hour and forty minutes, whereas Tom (multiplier:1.1) would need about two hours and ten minutes." Apparently my own multiplier should be about 2.5!

I suppose it's probably in my own self-interest that I'm so unrealistic about how long things will take. After all, would anyone really knit socks or shawls if they really thought that through?

Come Blog Along Pattern 03 Post 02

2011-09-18T17:48:00.003-04:00

a mismatched pair

Knitting on the Road: Canada • Canal du Midi • Conwy • Dalarna • Denmark • Friday Harbor • Hiiumaa • Huron Mountain • New England • The Road to Oslo • Santa Fe • Spey Valley • Christmas in Tallinn • Traveler's Stockings • Uinta Cabin • Unst • Whitby

It's not second sock syndrome, really it's not! It's just that the yarn that I'm using for Conwy was driving me around the bend. There was too much twist in the yarn; so much that I was fighting to keep it untangled long enough to knit it. Ravelry to the rescue! After posting my problem to the yarn forum the answer came back: reskein it, wash it and weight it down before hanging it to dry. And that seems to have worked. It looks like the remaining yarn will be much better behaved for the second sock.

While the green yarn blocked I cast on for the next pair of socks in the book: Dalarna. For this sock and the decorative chain stitch detail on the cuff I had to rewind the hank for a centre pull ball. That's not something with which I've had much experience but as usual there were some helpful YouTube tutorials. My ball works but it's not as tidy as yarn cakes I've seen on other blogs ... that's why it's outside the crop of the photo. If I start knitting socks two-at-a-time I'll need a ball winder and swift pronto.

The decorative chain stitch is a cute detail, but working it once above the ribbing and once below leaves me with four additional ends to weave in - I'm not wholly convinced it's worth the effort. Besides the cuff and the small clock pattern down the legs and edging the foot, the sock is mainly stockinette. Ho hum. I'd like to get both these pairs of socks off the needles as soon as possible and move onto to something more fun!

when I get a minute

2011-09-17T06:43:00.002-04:00

a growing pile of mitred squares

Things have been crazy busy of late. At work we've had several large projects for financial conferences and promoting the fall TV season. And at home, I've had my hands full organizing for our big event in November. Seems like there hasn't been much time for blogging or for knitting. But when I get a minute here or there, I've been knitting squares - these mitred squares for Knit-A-Square.

We're up early this morning and will be on the road shortly for a beach clean up at the Palmwood Hotel at Lake Erie - one of many events taking place over the next ten days for the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. The Crystal Beach area near the hotel is popular with tourists and surfers alike, so there'll be no shortage of food wrappers and drink containers to tidy up.

Crystal Beach is a couple of hours of driving away for us. Translation: a couple of hours of knitting for me. About time! Maybe I can get the last of this yarn knit up and the squares posted away by the end of the weekend. They're fun, they're easy, but they are getting a bit tedious now.

still another sock

2011-09-13T08:38:00.000-04:00

with decorative chain stitch cuff

My Conwy socks are in time out. The yarn had soooo much twist that I was fighting it the entire time I was knitting. As soon as I finished the first sock I posted to a Ravelry forum to see if there was anything I could do. On the advice of a fellow Raveler, I reskeined the remaining yarn, washed it and as I type it's hanging in the bathroom with a towel weighing it down to relax the twist. Yarn Blocking, it's called, and fingers crossed that it works.

Overall I've been extremely disappointed with that skein from Rocky Mountain Dyeworks. It's not just the excessive twist. The yarn is very thin - much thinner than any of the other sock yarns in my stash even light fingering yarns - which makes for a very unsatisfactory knitted fabric for socks. I wouldn't recommend anything bigger than 2mm needles, in fact, it's probably better suited to lace projects rather than socks. It's also kind of unyielding and ropey feeling making it unpleasant to knit. The first finished sock feels prickly; could this be a side effect of the excess twist? I hope so, because I'm hoping the socks soften up with washing. Too bad really because the colour is absolutely stunning. Thank goodness I resisted the temptation of the other colourway I was looking at.

While that yarn dries I made a start on the next pair of socks for my Year of Projects - Dalarna. For this project I'm using hand-dyed yarn from Revelations of a Delusional Knitter in a colourway called Violas. Pretty, isn't it? Changing to this yarn from the last yarn has been very refreshing - this yarn is just so much plumper and softer, a real pleasure to knit. That's a good thing as the pattern is mostly plain old stockinette so it needs a lovely yarn to keep my interest.