April is for Blankets: Week 3

​Every month I’m picking one skill to practice everyday for a month and updating my progress every Monday. I call it Project Incremental. Read up on how it all got started. 

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And the month is half over already. Funny how that happens. Here I am, just going about my own business, and time is flying by without one bit of concern for any deadlines it’s bringing closer. Ah well. I was able to put some of that time to use by testing out my theory about sneaking up on finished projects one row/day at a time. 

During the past week I knit 14 rounds and the great bulk of the work, 6 rounds, happened Sunday. Managed to get all wrapped up in watching a new to me anime and couldn’t stop until the last episode. What better thing to do with my hands than knit? Somehow managed to not scare away the finished project by knitting so much at one time. Still looking forward to today’s and tomorrow’s rounds so the theory stands strong. Giant, bound off blanket, you shall not escape me.

I’ve managed to to finish the first 2 charts and start the next 2. After knitting 14 rounds, there are 404 stitches on the needles. The grand total of stitches knitted last week is 5,320. There are 82 rounds left assuming that I don’t chart out any more repeats - the jury is still out on that - and not even I am going to bother doing the math about how many stitches are left. That is not information I care to know until after I’ve bound off, blocked the blanket, and am cozy underneath it. Then the stitch count will be a point of pride or insanity. Haven’t decided which. 

Washing Socks

Weeks of unrelenting pollen? Check.

Frequent rain storms? Check.

70° (F) temperatures? Check. 

Tornado Warnings? Check. Thankfully, nothing happened this time. 

Yep, it’s finally time to put away the woolens and the comfy hand knit socks. What finally convinced me to put away the wool was several days spent wearing flip-flops. Flip-flops and socks don’t mix unless you happen to be wearing tabi socks. Even then, doesn’t work most of the time.

My condolences to any who live farther north and are still being buffeted by cold temps and sleet. 

Before my socks could go into hibernation for the season, some of them needed a bath. So they got a soak in the sink with grapefruit Eucalan and a good squishing before going on the rack to dry. I really don’t mind hand washing my socks even though I could put all of these through the washer and dryer.   Soak. Squish. Hang. That’s all there is to it.The socks get clean, are spared the abuse of the washing machines, and I get to see them looking pretty while I go about my day. 

Anyone else putting away the wool hand knits for the summer? Or at least thinking about it?

April is for Blankets: Week 2

Every month I’m picking one skill to practice everyday for a month and updating my progress every Monday. I call it Project Incremental. Read up on how it all got started. 

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Thanks to constant rain and all encompassing clouds of pollen, the first week of April has been full of good reasons to stay inside and knit. I did brave the outdoors and cross other things off my to do list but I always made time for a few stitches or a few hundred stitches from the Norma Blanket.

On some days I knit one row and was completely happy with it. On other day I knit 2 rows and that was great. Either way, I’m slowly sneaking closer to a finished blanket. I have this theory that if you try to tackle a large and cunning project all at once, it’ll see you coming and make a great escape; however, if you sneak up a row or two at a time, the wily stitches won’t notice you until they’re already bound off. Then you’ve won and your project can’t escape to the bottom of the work in progress basket for a year or two. 

Testing is ongoing but the results look promising. During the last week, I knit 10 rows which equals 3,320 stitches. The blanket, or the Couch Monster as I’ve started calling it, does not see me coming. 

Technical Magic

Magic, folks. It was magic that finally made me rip out a pair of half knit socks that I was never going to finish. Okay, it was really a handy little gadget that cranks out i-cord like nobody’s business, the Embellish Knit. Clark’s Third Law says that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. I know how knitting works and I understand how this machine works but it still seems like magic to me. Yarn goes in and seconds later, i-cord comes out in a fraction of the time it would take me to knit. Let’s just call it the magic of engineering and technical know-how.

One of the first ideas I had for the yarn when I decided to rip out the socks was to use it for an i-cord garland. Only I didn’t want to spend the rest of the year knitting i-cord. So, the yarn stayed partially socks until I broke down and bought the Embellish Knit to make i-cord for another project. The practice yarn that came with the package went through first. Cranking that little bit yarn into i-cord was all it took for the hunk of plastic and metal in my hands to become magic. 

The yarn that was partially socks quickly went back to just being yarn before I doubled up the strands and started feeding them through the gadget. Thick, cushy i-cord started flowing out. About an hour later, there was about 40 feet (12.2 meters) of i-cord instead of 219 yards of fingering weight yarn. I don’t even want to think about how long it would have taken me knit all that by hand. 

If you need to knit yards and yards of i-cord, spare your hands and your time and just get this gadget. Absolutely worth it. 

The i-cord gets to do garland duty once I figure out where to hang it Until then, I’ll just drape it artfully over a chair. Don’t want to put it away just yet. 

April is for Blankets

Every month I’m picking one skill to practice everyday for a month and updating my progress every Monday. I call it Project Incremental. Read up on how it all got started. 

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Well, specifically, I’m only going to be focusing on one blanket this month. No, this is not an April Fool’s prank though I am annoyed that I didn’t remember to come up with one this year. Oh, but my yearly PSA for April 1st still stands, trust next to nothing on the internet today. Not even the Google Nose Beta. Now down to the serious and prank free matters at hand. 

I am really making my Incremental Project for the month about knitting a blanket. The Norma blanket to be exact. I cast on last Christmas as a present for myself and made some good progress for a bit.  I’ve stalled out on on Row 75 of the first chart which means I have a long way to go. The blanket has been sitting none to quietly in its bag and mocking me about it’s unfinished state. Knit me, it says. I have fun lace and long repeats to keep you interested. Knit me before Summer comes and you burst into flames as soon as I’m in your lap. Can’t argue with that logic. ​

The plan is simple. Knit 1 row everyday for the entire month of April. That’s 30 days but there are more than 30 rows before it’s time to bind off.  Not a problem. See, this month’s goal isn’t to finish but to move forward. That’s the important part and I’m more than ready.

Anyone else care to join me in tackling a giant project?

Still Spring

Spring continues unabated outside the windows. Only the weather has gone from warm and sunny to cold and windy with occasional rain. I’m sure the pollen will return any day now. In the mean time, I want nothing more than to snuggle up with my knitting and a cup of something hot to drink. Not much luck on snuggling part but I still get to knit. The top project right now is a black ribbed hat, Slick by Alexandra Tinsley. Much of that ribbing is twisted which isn’t as annoying as it sounds. Plus, I get to work a few cables every now and then so the knitting is actually fun. Feels good to be a process and a product knitter at the same time.  

Do you knit for the joy of knitting or do you knit for the final product? 

To balance out the  dark ribbing, here’s a bright spring flower. Maybe the color will help hold us over until the sun comes out again. 

Confidence

When I was trying to come up with something worth writing about today, my first thought was about socks. Blame the Shur’tugal socks I’ve been working on since January. Specifically, I was going to write about another reason why socks are great for travel knitting besides from the portability and enjoyment in progress socks provide. Then I changed my mind. 

My toe-up Shur’tugal socks have been growing one row at a time and gusset is not far off. Before the socks got any longer, I wanted to figure out where the gusset would start. Of course, I can’t remember to work the math at home with paper, pencil, and a flat table. I was sitting in a car and doing the calculations on the back of a napkin. The math wasn’t hard and I knew what I was doing because I done the same calculations for most of the 20+ other pairs of socks that I’ve knit. Number crunching finished, the gussets needed to start at 6.5”. The socks are currently 5” long so I’ve got a few more rows before I have to keep track of increases. 

I thought about writing a tutorial about gusset and heel flap placement but realized I was missing the larger point. 

Sock - hat/fingerless mitts/sleeves/hexipuff/whatever you please - knitting is prime travel knitting because of confidence and practice. I finished my first pair in front a computer with a video about kitchener stitch going on repeat. At the time, socks were not travel knitting. It was only after finishing several pairs and liking how they fit that my confidence grew. Took even longer for me to start hauling them around in my purse during errands because I could fix any problem that came up. The fix might be ripping out most of the sock but I knew I could do it. 

Confidence. In knitting and everything else that we do, confidence in our skills and in ourselves is important and absolutely necessary. It is the first step towards reaching any goal and finishing every project. Why bother doing anything if you’re sure you’ll fail?

If you’re starting or learning something new, it’s probably going to be hard work. It’s probably going to take time. You might make mistakes but, know this, you’ll get there. I’m rooting for you.

4 Hours

It took going on a road trip to find my sock knitting mojo. The Shur’tugal Socks are fun to knit and the pattern is easy to remember despite the 12 row repeat. Still, the frequent twisted stitches/faux cables aren’t the easiest thing to pull off while jaunting about town. I’ve been hauling the pair around in my purse since February and not making much progress. I was almost ready to cast on for a simpler pair but then, all of a sudden, road trip. 

4 hours in a car is a long time and plenty of time to work twisted stitches. I finished the toe of the second sock, worked the first chart, and launched myself into the instep pattern. Progress was made. Since I returned home, the momentum is still going. It might only be a few rows while waiting or a repeat while catching up on podcasts but I’m getting closer to finished socks. Before I can bind off, I’ve got to do some math and figure out where to start the gusset for a helpful heel flap. Way to excited about knitting a standard heel flap but they are my favorite heel. Also have to knit the cuffs but I’ll get there.

Do you have any stalled out projects that have suddenly become interesting again?

Knit Night

My attendance at knit night this year has been woefully lacking but I was able to make it last night. Foul weather and great mileage did not keep my away this time. The Sapling Hat was finished and delivered, so I took a new project out on the town with me. 

Part of the reason I love going to knit night is to catch up with friends and revel in the craft. Sometimes, there is more commiseration than celebration over knitting but the time is good for that too. Another reason to go is that I can leave my more involved projects behind for something fun or a recently rediscovered work in progress. Sometimes, the just for fun projects become the more involved projects but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. 

Three

Three is the magic number. It’s the number of dedicated projects I can focus on at one time and still get things done. Anything more than that and things start to go off the rails. I lose focus, get bored, and generally accomplish nothing. Eventually, I’ll come to center and shove all the extra projects off to the side. It’s an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of thing. When I do finish something, it’s time pick a new project or come back to something on the to-do list. Then the cycle begins again.

Right now the three major projects are daily photography practice, the sixth Sapling Hat, and a bit of covert cross stitch. Putting a concerted effort into improving my photography throughout this month is still a very new project. I’m researching and experimenting. I’m also trying to find the timing of how to fit regular photography into my day. We’re still getting to know each other. 

The other two projects aren’t so long term. The hat is bound off and drying after a good bath. The cross stitch just needs a bit of finishing and a frame. Can’t wait to be done with both of these projects because I’ve already got a few more lined up. There may or may not be a few more knitting patterns, tutorials, and random goodness coming up. 

Growing

The babies are coming! The babies are coming! So, it’s time to knit some hats. 

I’ve knit quite a few Sapling hats in the past three years - Ravelry tells me this will be the sixth hat - and will probably continue to do so. In fact, the whole reason I came up with this pattern was to make a pair of hats for a friend’s nieces. The hat is complicated enough that I’m not bored knitting it for the sixth time but still small enough that I don’t have to slog through it. Also, I just like being able to start at the crown of a hat instead of the bottom. Only have to cast on a fraction of the stitches that way. 

I’m using Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool which is a slightly thinner yarn than called for in the pattern. To compensate, I working the larger size and knitting the hat entirely on the smaller needles rather than switching needles partway through. No other mods are necessary. 

Time to get back to knitting. Can’t let baby have a cold head after all.

To Frog, or not to frog

To frog, or not to frog--that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The knits and purls of tedious ribbing

Or to take needles from a pair of tiresome socks

And by ripping, end them. *

That’s the rub, folks. Should I just suck it up and keep knitting this pair of socks or rip them out and use the yarn for something else? Here’s a little background to help out:

• I started knitting these socks on my trip to Denver but didn’t get much further than a toe and a few rows of ribbing. So, it’s hard to call them souvenirs. The only thing I remember about Denver when looking at them is waiting for busses that didn’t always arrive. 

• I’m not all that fond of the yarn, either. The colors are nice but the yarn itself is kind of scratchy. I’ve made socks from this yarn before but they’re not my first, or even second choice, when I’m picking out a pair to wear for the day. 

• I’ve already come up with some alternate projects for the yarn. It could turn into an i-cord garland, pom-poms, a temari ball, or some sort of crochet goodness. 

• The pair is on waste yarn because I already stole the needles for a different pair of socks. 

• I have put a bit of work into them. The original plan was to knit tubes and add afterthought heels. One sock is past the heel point and on the cuff. The other sock still has a few inches before it’s time to mark the heel. 

Sounds like I’ve already made up my mind to rip out these socks but, even knowing I probably won’t finish them, I’m having a hard time committing to ripping. Help! 

* I couldn’t resist writing a short parody of Hamlet’s soliloquy.  Check out Shakespeare’s original version at Wikipedia.

Untangled and Complicated

Generally, winding yarn - the process of turning unruly skeins into handy little center-pull contraptions - is a handy thing to know once one has acquired any amount, prodigious or restrained, of yarn. A swift and ball winder are especially helpful if your stash is of a more impressive size. Winding yarn generally goes something like this:

Step 1. Remove the swift and ball winder from their respective containers. 

Step 2. Attach said items to various overhanging surfaces - the edge of a table or a countertop. 

Step 3. Find the chosen yarn, remove the label, untwist the skein, and place it on the swift. 

Step 4. Free an end of yarn, feed it through the coiled metal arm of the ball winder, and slip it into the notch.

Step 5. Turn the handle and wind the yarn until you have a handy little cake of earth-toned goodness. Or jewel-toned. Or neon. Whatever float’s your boat. 

I ran afoul of these necessary procedures around Step 2 since I’m lacking in a good place to attach a swift. It is much more likely to make a brazen swan dive onto a hard tiled floor then hold yarn for me. Jerk. So, I decided to wind yarn on the ball winder with the open skein hanging over my arm. As you might guess, this did not go as I had hoped. A task that should have taken less than 10 minutes went on for hours as the yarn tangled and was generally uncooperative. One end of the yarn was on the on  the ball winder while the middle trailed off into a giant loop hanging from a bed post. I sat on the other end and was slowly freeing yarn from the giant, tangled mess I had created. When I said I was in the mood for something more complicated, wrangling tangled yarn was not what I had in mind. 

What I was aiming for, after knitting several pairs of plain socks, was some more complicated knitting.  The pattern, Shur’tugal by Alice Yu, has been a long time resident of my Ravelry queue. The yarn, Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock - Lettuce Wrap, is a more recent addition to the stash. I knew the second I opened the package that the skein was destined to become a pair of socks. Too awesome, sturdy, and beautiful for anything else.  

So far, the pattern and yarn are a great combination. I can’t wait to knit full fledged socks with heel flaps and everything.

Afterthought Heel Tips & Tricks

What happens when I get bored knitting a pair of socks? I start another pair. If the next pair just so happens to be self-striping and knit with heavier yarn, said pair is even more entertaining. I just couldn’t resist. The last in-progress pair or, more specifically, the 3x2 ribbing on the last pair, became mind-numbing. Not even knitting along to the cheesiest and most hilarious of horror movies made the socks any more appealing. Nor did waiting in slow moving lines. Thankfully, stash yarn came to the rescue.

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Sport Self Striping - Kingpin

Needles: 2.5 mm

Date: January 7 - 29, 2013

@Ravelry

Self-striping sock yarn was a lot more fun to work than just plain 3x2 ribbing. No, the irony of a plain vanilla sock being more interesting than ribbing is not lost on me. Uninterrupted striping yarn really is that good. Just knit, adding in a few increases/decreases as needed, and the yarn does most of the work.

There were a few “Why didn’t I think of this during the last pair of afterthought socks,” moments that I’m sharing to save you the trouble.

1. When figuring out where to open the heel, measure the length of the toe. If you’re working toe-up measure the toe once it reaches the final stitch count. If you’re working cuff down, measure from where you started decreasing. Toe length and heel length will usually be the same unless you make the toe very pointed. Subtract the toe length from the total foot length measurement for where to place the heel. 

For these socks, the toe length was 1.75”  

10.25” - 1.75”= 8.5”  

From the tip of the toe, I measured 8.5” and marked the rounds with thread to follow Cat Bordhi’s afterthought method. The finished sock came out just the right length and fits wonderfully. 

2. Weigh the finished toe to know how much yarn to put aside for the heel. This trick requires a scale but removes all the guess work. When knitting toe-up, measure the weight of the ball before and after you finish the toe. The difference, multiplied by 2, is how much yarn is needed for the heels. 

If you’re working from the cuff, this trick isn’t as helpful since knitting the toe is one of the last steps. Instead, you could pause to knit the heel, measuring the difference in weight, and leave that much yarn to work the toe.   

If you’re using self-striping yarn and want the colors to match, like I did with this pair, wait to cut the yarn until you know which color the heel falls on. This is easier to do with toe-up socks than cuff down unless you’re knitting the cuff to a certain length. Either way, keep an eye on the stripes and finish before you knit up all of that color.

Begbie

Deep stash yarn and quick, repetitive knitting, by your powers combined, I have the first Christmas* gift of 2013 ready and waiting. Whoever saw this coming, it definitely wasn’t me.

Pattern: Begbie Cowl by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Noro Kochoran - 40

Needles: US 10.5 (6.5 mm)

Dates: October 27, 2012- January 27, 2013

@Ravelry

This is not the part of the post when I write with smug satisfaction about my dedication to getting a head start on my holiday knitting. This is the part of the post when I tell you about last year’s holiday gift knitting that just wasn’t given away. Every year, the fiber guild I belong to has a big party and a gift exchange in December. Last year’s exchange was scarves. I decided to start early and cast on in October. Multiple episodes of Twin Peaks later, I had a bound off scarf that just needed a good block to be finished. Then said scarf sat in a box until January because I went out of town instead of going to the party. Oh well, it’s blocked and ready to be gifted now. 

This scarf has been much improved by blocking. The stitches are even and lay quite flat. I was also able to stretch it out and make it a bit longer. Even better, all the angora in the yarn bloomed and created this beautiful (and I’m assuming warm) halo. 

All finished, this beauty gets to hang out in a box waiting for just the right occasion or just the right person. Might have to wait until Christmas or just next week. Either one is just fine.  

* or Birthday/Mother’s Day/Solstice/Flag Day/Random Gift Exchange gift

How to Sew on a Button with Handspun Yarn

The snow made me do it. Seriously, the only reason I finally sewed the buttons on my latest pair of mitts was because it was cold and snowing. Being able to take photos of said mitts in the snow might also have had something to do with it.  Part of the reason for the wait was that I could never find thread to match the handspun. The thread was too blue, too purple, not blue enough, or not even close. The yarn itself was made of so many different shades of blues and purple that I couldn’t find a good match. Thankfully, I still had a few useable scraps of leftover yarn. Then it was a just problem of attaching the buttons in a way that looked finished instead of just tied on. Solved.

1. Gather your supplies: buttons, yarn, scissors, your almost finished object, and a tapestry needle to fit through the button holes.

2.  Decide where the button will go and push the threaded needle through the button and fabric.

3. Sew through all the buttons holes, into the fabric, and finish with both yarn ends on the wrong side of the piece.

4. Pull both ends through the fabric underneath the button but do not go through the button holes again.

5. With the ends, tie a double knot and trim off the extra yarn. 

6. Repeat as necessary.

If you’re having trouble threading the yarn through the tapestry needle, fold the yarn in half to form a loop. Tightly hold the top of the loop and push it through the eye of the needle. 

Button Back Mitts

Wednesday night, I heard rumors of approaching snow and was quite skeptical. I’ve heard these tales before but this one actually turned out to be true. When I looked out the window Thursday morning, snow was falling at a lovely diagonal. The flakes were so heavy that they didn’t land. They plopped. Dry snow this was not. Still, it’s snow and I took the opportunity to get some photos of knitwear in it’s natural environment.

Button Back Mitts by Cosette Cornelius-Bates

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) 

Dates: December 29, 2012 - January 17, 2013

@Ravelry

This is another pattern that’s been sitting in the queue for ages. I finally decided to cast on for them the last time it got cold and didn’t have anything wooly or long enough to cover my fingers. Putting these mitts on instantaneously warms my hands. I’d like to think that it’s because I’m using my own wonderful 3-ply handspun (it debuted as the sea a few months back) but it’s probably just the thicker than normal layer of wool. Either way, still great. 

The mitts are also extra special because this is the first time I’ve really knit with my own handspun. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I worried about the gauge. I worried about the stitches being too open where the yarn was thin. I worried about the stitches being too bulky and bulging where the yarn was thick. I worried about running out of yarn since this was the only skein I had. Eventually, I just put those anxieties on the shelf and knit a swatch. I picked the needle size that gave me a nice fabric and got to work.  I kept an eye out for problems and tried on the mitts frequently. Know what I found? Perfectly good yarn that knit up evenly and at a consistent gauge. There were no open spots or bulging stitches. There were no breaks. There was just a good, solid yarn that I would love to knit with again. Handspun, I’m officially and unapologetically in love.

Back to the mitts. The fact that I could knit them long enough to cover my fingers and fold back the extra fabric when it wasn’t needed is what made me queue these mitts to begin with. Cute buttons don’t hurt either. To get the best coverage and the most out of the yarn, I knit the mitts from the fingers down and completely reversed the pattern. Used the same numbers though. 

While I was photographing the mitts, the snow was already starting to melt and turn to slush. See you next time, snow. I’ll be waiting with handspun mitts.

Fili & Kili

Internet, meet Fili the Mouse. He moved in rather recently and has become my new desk buddy. I’ve since learned that he likes Hawaiian pizza, zombie movies, and long books. He’s also quite fond of knitting and the occasional Sci-Fi reference. I think we’re going to get along just fine.

One of his habits is storing things away in his pot and rummaging around for them later. That pot must be larger on the inside than the outside because I’ve seen him pull out huge wheels of cheese, boxes of crackers, and then pull out  numerous skeins of handspun yarn. Really have to find out who makes his pots.

This is is Fili’s friend, Kili. Kili doesn’t have a beard or even a mustache but greatly admires them both. The pair likes to go on adventures though they’re generally home before dark. I’m pretty sure they’re saving up for backpacks and a good camp stove for a journey to Lonely Mountain. Hope they don’t run into any trolls and keep an eye out for dragons.

Fili’s pattern and yarn related details can be found here.

Double Meow

Now that both of these frisky felines have gone to their new homes, I can finally introduce them to you. First up is the daring Ninja Cat with his glowing green eyes and stealthy paws. Second, is the striped and inquisitive Bumblebee. It was hard to let them go since they both looked so cute lounging on the furniture.

I knit them both with the same yarns, the same needle, and from the same heavily-modified pattern. The only difference was that I made Bumblebee with stripes. Even though I’ve been knitting for years,  I still find it amazing how small changes can drastically affect the finished object. Ninja Cat grew to be short and round while Bumblebee turned out tall and narrow. Both are stuffed with a few pebbles at the bottom to help them sit up. See the pattern, yarns, needle, and modifications on the public Ravelry page.

One of the neighborhood cats stopped by for a visit and just had to check out the newcomers. After the initial stare down, Ninja Cat and Bumblebee were deemed worthy of her attention. Then she had a fine time knocking them over. They mostly landed on their feet.

Another Year, Another Blanket

I love knitting blankets. I love casting on a few stitches at the center and slowly multiplying them to hundreds upon hundreds of stitches at the border. I love watching blankets grow from the size of a hat to something I could snuggle up under. So, as a Christmas gift to myself, I took a swan dive into the stash and came up with 4 skeins of Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool for the Norma Blanket. The pattern had been tempting me since it was released and seeing a friend’s finished blanket pushed me over the edge. 

I’ve been adding rows every few days and the lacy goodness is slowly growing. It’s bigger than the crown of a hat but not large enough to cover my lap or fill up a whole circular needle. I’m in no hurry though and completely enjoying this bit of selfish knitting. I’ll be back to knitting things for others soon enough. 

Anyone else enjoying a break from knitting for others?