Dainty Bess Progress

Here is my progress thus far on Dainty Bess since the previous post:

Each section is 20 rows, and I have completed 4 of those (as well as 6 in the next repeat. I don't know if I have done 3 repeats, or if it is 4 (is it doing one set of 20 rows and 3 repeats, or do you count the first one as well?).

I took this picture at about 6:30pm tonight, so you see a bit of the sun shining through the deck and the tree in back of it. You can also faintly see the white thread I'm using as life lines. Though to be honest, I haven't used them yet. I have mistakes in there but I am not good at lace yet, so I have absolutely no idea where they are - even if I'm still on the same line. I know there are tons of experienced lace knitters out there who probably look at it and say "Boy, there is yet another mistake! Why on earth did she not tink back or rip back and fix it?" Well, I am just going to let my inexperience speak for itself on this one I'm afraid. I am not giving this away, since it's my first piece of real lace, so if people see the mistakes in it they will just have to deal with it LOL!

Here is another closeup of the lace that doesn't look like anything yet. I'm anxious to get it completed for Amazing Lace, and to see how it looks after it is all blocked.

I do have one question that I am hoping someone can answer for me. When using a circular needle and knitting lace (or anything for that matter), do you hold the needles so that the item you are knitting hangs in through the loop and the loop on the front, or do you have the knitting over the front and the loop hanging in the back? Does it even matter? When I first started knitting this, I was holding it so the lace was hanging in the loop and the loop was on the front, but about 10 rows or so ago, I changed to the other way. I'm not sure if I am seeing any difference or not and I just wanted to know the correct way to hold the circular needles (don't want a disaster like with my first pair of socks and holding the dpn's wrong).

I also bought some Paton's Grace yarn today for the Reid sweater for my friend's daughter. It's not the same colour as the Knit Picks Shine though. I was holding the two together, and Shine is a little bigger than Grace, but not by a whole lot. I think what I will do is at least finish the back of Reid and block it. That way I can see if it's going to look remotely like it should. If not I have the Grace to do it in. Though I'm thinking if it looks half decent anyway, I just might finish it up with the Shine and use the Grace to make one in a smaller size...we'll see. I haven't worked on Reid since my last post because I wanted to mull over what I should do with it. And also I wanted to work on the Dainty Bess as it is a quicker knit.

Off to go work on my lace! Happy knitting, and don't forget to sign up for the Knittin' Mittens KAL (leave a comment or email me)!

Holey Knitting Batman!

Note the way I spelled holey...so that should be an indication that I am talking about lace knitting! Yes, I have caved into the lace craze.

To be honest, I absollutely love the look of lace and I really admire those who can knit it so beautifully (and seemingly so quickly too). I have a total fear of lace - well, in knitting it. I don't know why but I just do.

Maybe this is the reason why I fear it... this my friends, is Reid from Knitty. It is so not looking like lace is it? I also goofed up a couple of places - but I have absolutely no clue where so I can't even rip back to it.

I'm using Knit Picks Shine Sport on size 3.50 mm needles, and as I said, it is not looking like lace to me. It started off with some pretty good diagonal diamond shape thingys, but after the first 16 rows somehow that stopped (I'm thinking it is somewhere around the second repeat that I made the goof ups). You can sort of see the diamond shapes if you look at it a certain way, but not as clearly. I am afraid that if I go up a needles size or two (to get the lace look) I will run out of yarn and if I order more, it won't be the same dye lot. I really don't know what to do except frog it and get a different yarn...I was trying to avoid the yarn called for in the pattern because I saw that it was hand wash and I don't think my friend would enjoy that (the sweater is for her daughter).

Ok. Here is where I conquored my fear of knitting lace. I started the Dainty Bess scarf (the green one) from the Elizabeth I patterns from Knit Picks and have finished the first 20 rows, about to start the first repeat - or is that the second?

The yarn is Alpaca Cloud in the Tidepool colourway on size 3.25 mm circular needles. I've not knit with something so fine, so that's a bit of a challenge.

It's looking like a loosely knit blob at present time but in some ways I can see a bit of a pattern, though mostly I don't. I am hoping that when I have finished it and blocked it that the pattern will show up better. In the picture given with the pattern, it looks like the yarn they used was a little thicker though and the pattern just jumps right out at you.

Oh, and this is also what I've accomplished for the Amazing Lace...not much I know, but I feared the lace and also I had to cut way back on my knitting this summer because of carpal tunnel. But, I've at least got some lace to show for it. Maybe I'll be really adventurous and get it all done by the closing date, September 1.

I guess I've got a lot to learn about lace knitting. Oh, and I do have a thread run through for a life line in case I mess up and have to rip back.

Also, for anyone wanting to join the Knittin' Mittens KAL, you still can. There are only about six of us so far, and all knitters are welcome. Click here to go to the Knittin' Mittens blog.

Starting a KAL?

Ok, so I want to start a KAL (a knit along). I've been thinking about it for awhile now. There are tons out there, but I want to have one. I'm selfish like that! LOL!

I'm not entirely sure of what to do or how to start it though. I also can't afford to supply prizes, so maybe there would be others willing to donate them. I also need to work through the little details of things like how long it will last, is it a one item per month (like the Sock a Month KAL does), is it a knit as many as you can each month, etc.

If anyone has experience with this sort of thing, maybe you can give me pointers in the comment section. Also, if there is anyone who is willing to donate prizes that would be fabulous too - yarn, stitch markers, or whatever.

I am also thinking of creating a blog for it so that all the members of the KAL will have access and can post pics of their completed items. That might be easier to do than have people post comments or send emails with links to their blogs for me to check out and post here. I would also need buttons made (I am not good at that) for people to put on their blogs.

So, please, leave me comments with suggestions, etc. I'll let everyone know what the KAL is for and the other details at a later point. Right now I'm in the thought/planning stage but would like to find more info on starting KAL's first.

Edited to add:

Ok, I have set up a blog for the KAL. It is to knit mittens and gloves, and the details (or most of them) are there. The name of the KAL and blog is Knittin' Mittens. Click here to go to the blog.

August Socks

Finally I have completed the pair of children's socks I have slowly been working on for awhile now. They've been one of those projects that you have to fall back on when you want to do mindless knitting or something small. I say mindless because it is just a basic simple pattern of knitting with no pattern in the stitches. Basically it's my default children's pattern - ok so it's been the only children's pattern I've used so far...

Anyway, these are my first entry for the Sock of the Month 2 KAL:

Here are the details:

Pattern: Basic simple pattern from the back of a yarn wrapper
Needle Size: 3.0 mm
Yarn: Patons Kroy
Colourway: Umm I think it was country something or other (I forget)
Sock Size: 2-4

And just because I haven't posted a picture of Kitten Yarns & Crafts resident cat herself, Tinker Belle, I will leave you with the latest picture I have taken of her:

My First Paid Work

Well, I finally got everything completed for the lady at work - you know, the set I have been talking about (like in the post before this one), the one with the sweater, hat, mittens, and booties? Done.

It's far from perfect, and I hope she and her daughter will like it. The baby isn't due until December and I informed her that the sweater is sized for 3 months because that was the smallest size available. The hat, mittens and booties are sized smaller than that (for a 10-12 lb baby) because that was the largest size available for those. She said that was fine though. I told her this before I was making it, while I was making it, and then yesterday before I was totally finished with it so she was well aware of it. She still said that was fine. The sweater was crocheted and the rest of the items were knit - which I informed her of well in advance and she was fine with that too. She is the one that chose all of the items.


So, here to the left is the completed set. The buttons weren't exactly evenly spaced. Or at least it seems that way. They aren't horribly placed though and they look fine to me; and I think it was just the way the buttons ended up being sewn on. It's passable though. I used larger buttons because I figured it might be easier for an adult to button instead of trying to get those tiny little buttons done up.


Since I've posted pictures of the sweater by itself, I've included a picture of the hat, mittens and booties by themselves as well. Too bad I didn't have a doll or a real baby to model the items...that would have been nice. But, since I don't the kitchen table will have to do.

Blogger is being a royal pain again and won't let me post a picture of Kitten Yarns & Crafts resident cat, Tinker Belle. So, that will have to wait until my next post - which hopefully won't be as long as it has been since I've posted the last post until now. So, with that, happy knitting!

A Whole Lotta Knittin' Not Goin' On...

Ok, well I've been doing some knitting but not a whole heck of a lot. I have the booties done for Wendy's outfit for her grandbaby but one of them is two or three rows too long/short (it's all sewn up), so I'll have to make another one. That's ok though because they don't take too long. I've also got one of the mittens done (they go very quickly) so I have the other mitten and the hat to do. I have decided to go with yellow buttons on the sweater and I am going to put them on so they are big enough for the parent/adult who has to button it, but they aren't overly large I don't think.

I've also got the second of sock of the child's pair nearly done and it shouldn't take long to finish it (I might work at it more tonight).

At work, on breaks, I was working on a scarf but I ended up making it too wide. When I cast on for it I never thought about it stretching and beoming wider. The result is fine, it's just that I am going to have to see if I can find another ball/skein of the same yarn, and chances are it is not going to be the same dye lot since I got this ball earlier in the spring/summer to make a scarf with. And I refuse to frog it it too! Oh well, something will work...I hope.

I am hoping to get the baby outfit and the sock done this weekend or early next week. I will definately get the sock done before the 31st though so that I can count it as my July Sock of the Month. I am hoping to have pics of these completed items as well to share.

In other news, for those of you who are aware of my writing blog Ink Scrawls, I have changed the template there this evening. I'm still trying to attempt my hand and tweeking it (like making the sidebar font and size a little smaller and different and I am thinking the background of the post itself is too white...maybe a pale pink would suffice?). Anyway, if you don't mind taking a moment to head over and let me know what you think, I would appreciate it.

There isn't much else in the line of news. I start flute lessons on Monday and I'm excited for that. I will probably be posting about it on my Confirm The Work of Our Hands blog that evening or within the next day or so and you can read all about it - or what I share about it - when it happens.

Until then, happy knitting!

An FO...Sorta!

Ok, well I finally have something finished - sorta. I just have 3 buttons to sew on the baby sweater that I made for the lady at work. Here's a pic of before I put it together.

It's crocheted though, and not knitted. The colour is white with tiny flecks of yellow, green, blue and mauve throughout, and it is acrylic yarn (I think Bernat).

Wendy wanted it to be neutral so that her grandbaby could wear it no matter if it is a boy or a girl. The pattern she chose from one of my baby sweater pattern books looked too girly so I adjusted it some. I didn't put the lacy part around the edges, nor did I tie it with a bow that has pom poms on it. To me, that screamed GIRL! Now, if she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt if the baby was going to be a girl, then I would have gone ahead and made it the way it was in the book.
Here is a close up of the pattern (single crochet, chain 1) and you can see the colour better too, though it doesn't really look white on my screen. That's probably because I took the pic outside in the shade about half an hour ago.

I added the bands for the buttons because in the pattern it is just tied up near the collar. I crocheted along the front sides and stopped a few inches from the top so that the collar could fold down a bit. It's not cooperating in the pic, so you can't really tell.

Now all I have left is to do the hat, booties and mittens to match using the same kind/colourway yarn. The only thing is, of which Wendy is aware, is that the patterns shoe chose for these items are knitted so they won't be a total match pattern wise. She didn't mind. She is just too excited that she is finally going to be a grandmother!

So, tada! Here is the sweater minus the buttons:

Pattern from: Gifts from Heaven Baby Sweaters (American School of Needlework, booklet 2201)
Yarn: Bernat (one of the baby yarns)
Crochet Hook: size H/3 - 5.00 mm
Pattern size: 3 months

In other yarny news, I finished one of the children's socks that I had been working on and have about half a dozen rows of the cuff on the second one done. Now, to get some more FO's completed...

I also want to get started on the Reid pattern from Knitty soon so that it can be done for the fall. Hopefully they've adjusted things so that the size 6 isn't huge anymore. I've tried to contact the author of the pattern (left a couple of comments on her blog and I think I might have emailed her at one point), but she hasn't responded. Oh well, if it is still too big, maybe my friend's daughter will just grow into it. She's a petite girl though and by then she might not like the colours I chose anymore...oh well, we'll see.

Happy knitting!

Back In The Saddle Again

Well, not technically in the saddle since there are no horses around here. However, I have been getting a little knitting in.

Remember the Haiku sweater I started sometime back, though not too long ago? I've done a little on that - about 3 inches. I've also done some more on the crocheted baby sweater for the lady at work. I'm going to pull it out again in a little while and work on it some more. Haven't done any on the socks yet, though I hear them calling my name!

This past Monday was a holiday up here in Canada and a group of us from church got together at the cottage of one of the older couples from church. It was actually one of the lady's Sunday school classes that was getting together, and the cottage belongs to the co-teacher and her husband. I used to attend the class a few years ago before I started teaching the kids, and have been invited every year since. It's nice to be included.

Anyway, while there I - being the knitter that I am - brought some knitting along. Didn't know what I'd feel like working on, so I brought the sweater for the lady at work, a pair of socks (ok, it wasn't really a pair but the first sock that I've been working on with the Knit Picks Memories in Easter), and I brought a ball of the yarn I dyed with purple koolaid. I felt like doing some mindless knitting so that I could engage in conversations at the same time, so I started working on a new scarf. It's the Irish Hiking scarf pattern that I used back in February for the knitting olympics.

I got some nice compliments on my knitting, and they liked the colour of yarn so I explained that I dyed it with koolaid (though this particular ball was done with a no name brand) and vinegar. The pastor's wife was amazed at this and thought it was a cool idea and got me to tell a few of the ladies who wasn't around for the conversation, about the kool aid. They were amazed!
Remember this picture? It's the one I took of the yarn that I had dyed way back when (I think it was during the knitting olympics). The yarn I am using for the second of my Irish Hiking scarves is the purple one on the far right. It is knitting up nicely and the colour looks great. I am noticing a few odd spots so far of areas that didn't quite soak up enough of the mixture, but oh well, it adds character!

I am thinking that I will either make another scarf out of the other purple one on the left, or a hat - probably sized for a child since I only have one ball of it.

Well, I'm going to head out now and work on the baby sweater for the lady at work, and might get some other knitting on Haiku done as well. I also want to work some more at my writing, which I also did for two or three hours this afternoon.

Happy knitting!

Canada Day, Friday Feast, Frapper

Happy 139th Birthday Canada!!

Yes, today is Canada Day and many celebrations are taking place across this great nation. For those who don't know what Canada Day is, it's our birthday - this great nation consisting of 10 provinces and 2 territories (though Northwest Territories divided up and there is another 'territory' I guess you would call it. It's called...ummm, I don't know how to spell or pronounce it but it starts with the letter "I". You could always do a search in Google if ya want to find out ;o). Canada Day is our 'version' of the American's 4th of July.

I have started taking part in the Friday's Feast meme that was created some time ago - 100 weeks/feasts ago to be exact. If you are interested in mine, feel free to check out my writing blog, Ink Scrawls, to read my answers. I've taken part in two of these feasts so far (there is only one post separating them - I don't have much on that blog yet, nor do I get much traffic. How sad for me!), so please take pity and leave a comment hehehe.

I've also added a link on the sidebar to my Frapper (which stands for Friends Mapper or something like that). Lots of people have those on their blogs, and I had it on my Confirm The Work of Our Hands blog for awhile. Only 15 people (including myself) are listed so far...take pity on me and add your marker with your name and a little message :o). I have been trying to figure out how to create a separate map for each of my blogs, but I couldn't; so I decided to put the link to the same map on all.

I hope you are all having a "knittacular" weekend! I'm going to try to get some work done on the socks and hopefully do some crocheting on the little sweater for the woman at work. Happy knitting!

Who Are The People In Your Neighbourhood?

Remember that song from Sesame Street? It's one of those catchy little tunes that get stuck in your head and you just can't get it out.

Who are the people in your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood; Oh who are the people in your neighbourhood? The people that you meet each day!

Well, that has absoloutely nothing to do with knitting or with this post, but I just thought I'd put a post up so you didn't think the rapture came and I was taken and you weren't...lol. No, I wanted to share this with you because I'm a little instigator and I wanted you to get the song stuck in your head!!! Mwwaahhhaahahahahaaaa!

I haven't been doing much knitting the last little while because of my wrists - still trying to keep them rested for a little while. I won't be getting any socks done for the June Sock A Month KAL and that breaks my heart. I did get some done on the first child's sock though (I wasn't as far head on it as I thought I was - was doing the heel flap), but now I am nearly to the decreasing at the toe area. However, if that were the second sock, I probably would push myself and finish it; but since it's the first one, I'll just wait and do it up for July. Oh well, thems the breaks I guess.

Anyway, I'm going to head out and rest my wrists some more. I'll probably do some reading for awhile before bed, or maybe I'll get a bit of inspiration and do some writing (I'll write it long hand so my wrists wont be as aggrivated for typing all day at work tomorrow). Hopefully I'll get some knitting done and post some pics soon. I'll leave you with the latest Tinker Belle pic though, just to make the post interesting. This was taken a few days ago, and she is looking out the back screen door onto the patio.

Where's The Knitting?

That is what I am asking myself...where is the knitting?

My wrists have been bothering me this last week, what with sitting at the computer all day typing at work. I still haven't located my wrist thing-a-majigs - maybe I need to look a little harder or just go to Wal-Mart and get new ones. I've been trying to cut back on the knitting and computer time and that has helped some. More than anything, my wrists feel tired but not overly 'sore'. Last Friday though, one of them did feel a little like the numbness would come back if I didn't stop the typing. Thankfully it was at the end of the work day and I was able to rest my wrists over the weekend.

I've done some knitting and crocheting, but not a whole heck of a lot. Not much has been done on the baby sweater for the lady at work, but it's getting there. She doesn't need it until December, though she was thinking of having it by the end of October. I'll get it done before then though.

On the Easter colourway socks I am on the gusset part of the first sock, and have not touched the other ones. June is almost over - only 10 more days and I don't think I'll get these ones done to count for my June socks for the Sock a Month KAL. I think I'll have to pull out the children's socks I had started a couple of months ago and finish those. I should be able to get them done on time as I was on the foot part I think of the first one, and they are only a size 2-4 and they knit up fairly quickly. But, if my wrists bother me too much I just might have to let this month slide by. Keeping my wrists 'healthy' is more important than finishing a pair of socks for the KAL (though that runs a close second).

I've also been working on my writing some. I've got tonight and tomorrow night to finish my short story for the writer's challenge over at Faith Writers. I haven't entered the challenge for several weeks now because I haven't been able to come up with anything for the topics. Hopefully this one I'm working on will see completion and I can enter it.

Anyway, off to work on that and maybe do some sock knitting if my wrists are feeling fine.

Happy knitting!

I've been doing a little knitting and crocheting lately, but not too much. My neck and shoulder have been feeling better and I think the little break has helped some. I've got two pairs of socks started as well as the little sweater for the lady at work (which is being done in crochet). For all of them I don't have much done. The sweater is generally only worked on at work during breaks and lunch, but it goes fast. I started one of the pairs of socks the other day, and the other one a couple weeks back but was working on finishing the socks in the previous post.

The socks to the left are being done with Knit Picks "Dancing" in the ballet colourway. I am either done with the cuff, or just have a few more rows to go. The socks with this yarn will be from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks, and the pattern is Child's French Sock.

The sock to the right is with Knit Pick's Memories in the Easter colourway. I really like the bright colours on this one. The pattern is just a simple basic sock from Patons. It is from one of those free little pattern sheets you can get, but I've also seen it online. However, as I said, it is a basic pattern so you can pretty much find those everywhere.

I was thinking of using the blueberry waffles pattern or the haystacks pattern for the Memories socks, but one of them said I'd need three balls of yarn and I only have two. The other one I either figured that I might not have enough yarn, or it too called for three balls. I think I was afraid of running out of yarn, and it seems to me that the Easter colourway of this yarn isn't being sold anymore...at least in their catalogue and online they aren't showing it. Maybe it's only offered in the Spring...I don't know.

You'd think when I had the camera out that I would have taken a picture of the baby sweater I'm crocheting, but I honestly never thought to. You'll have to wait for another time to see it. It's the white baby yarn that has those small splotches of colour throughout it, and it's looking cute. I showed what I have done of it to Wendy (the one who requested it), and she loved it. I also told her that I wasn't going to put the edging around it because that would make it look too girly, and she's wanting something pretty neutral for a boy or a girl. She was fine with that though.

I have also been working on some writing lately, and you can read about it on my newest blog (hey now, I only have 3 of them...sheesh! I'm not a blogging addict or anything...yet. Just wanted to keep things seperate.) which is called Ink Scrawls. You can click the link to take you there, where you can play a little hangman on the sidebar, or leave a comment - I love comments). I'm slowly working on a novel, and I've got an idea for a short story for the latest writer's challenge over at Faith Writers. I haven't entered the challenge for a little while, so I'd really like to get one done up to submit.

So, I'm going to head off now and do an update (maybe) on one or both of the other blogs and get back to knitting and crocheting. Going to also try to get some more writing done this afternoon or this evening as well.

Happy Knitting!

Finished Sock

Well, I finally finished my next pair of socks. This pair will be my May entry for the Sock A Month Kal - am getting it in just under the wire (It's 9:52pm Atlantic time, 8:52pm Eastern).

I used the Lichen Ribbed Sock pattern from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks (pg. 26-28). I pretty much stuck to the pattern, except for the toe area which I did as I have done in my other sock patterns. I think it's a standard decreasing pattern. I nearly ran out of yarn for both of the socks, and when I was doing the decreasing in the toe area it didn't turn out quite right because I had adjusted the stitches on the needle as it had for the book. The result was that it was more of a "pointed" toe look which makes my big toes look really long and pointy. Trust me when I say they aren't. I have short stubby toes...Also, the socks are a little tight on my feet so they would probably fit someone with size 7 or 7 1/2 feet better. I will wash these up and put them on the mitten tree at church this Christmas.

Pattern: Lichen Ribbed Sock
From: Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Needles: 2.75 mm aluminum dpn's
Yarn: Knit Picks Parade
Colourway: Gumball

Commissioned

One of the ladies where I work during the summer found out last weekend that she is going to be a grandmother. This will be the first grandchild for her and her husband. Needless to say, she is quite excited.

Yesterday, she asked me if I would be willing to be commissioned to do up a little layette ensemble. She wants a little sweater, a hat, pair of baby mittens (with no thumb of course) and pair of booties. She asked if I would have enough time. I should have...'should' being the key word here.

She has picked out the pattern from one of the baby pattern booklets I had in my knitting/crocheting bag, so I know which one it is. I've worked on it before, and just have to sew the arms on and do the edging. Wendy isn't sure what colour she wants though, since they don't know the gender of the baby. She is leaning towards white, but is going to ask some others what they think is an OK colour other than white. I said the typical gender neutral colours seem to be white, yellow, or green.

I'm not sure what to charge for this. I know I need to take into consideration what I pay for the yarn (unless she gets it), and I need to include my time as well. I have never made anything for payment before, so I have absolutely no idea what prices to charge - what is reasonable.

So, does anyone have any idea what a reasonable price to charge would be - especially in Canadian dollars (don't want to say $30 if it is in American, because for Canadian it would be more)...if that makes sense. So, let me know what you think I should charge for a baby's sweater, hat, mittens, and booties set.

Frustration & A New Beginning

Well, I ran into some frustration with trying to sew together my Let's Party Cardi. I think somewhere along the line I messed up in the knitting - probably on the front halves. I got the shoulders sewn together, no problem. My next step was to sew the sleeves on and then sew down the underside of the sleeve and then continue down the side of the body.

Well, here is where my problem is. I think I sewed the sleeve on wrong. I know I did at one little section and let me tell you it was annoying trying to find the end of the yarn AFTER I wove it back in through the seam. I figured I would undo the little area that I messed up on and then fix it. However, that prooved a little more difficult than I imagined.

So, I thought I would hold off and just do up the other side first and then go back. So, I sewed up the seam on the side first (the way I usually do). Then, I realized that I sewed it wrong. I put the right sides together and sewed, but when I turned it back the way it was supposed to be it didn't look right. I think I should have kept the wrong sides together and sewed and it would have been fine.

Well, then I tried to play with the other sleeve to see if I could make it fit. It didn't seem to be. Arrrgggghhhh!!!!! I am so frustrated! The party has definately ceased to exist with this item! So, I have put it down for awhile and will go back to it when I am not tempted to take scissors to it....here's a pic for your pleasure (or lack of):

It's just a jumbled mess right now. I think if I can get it sewn together correctly, it will look nice. I even bought cute heart shaped buttons to sew on.

So, for now I will set it aside and put my focus on a couple of other knitting items. Firstly, I will need to work on my socks so that I can get them done before the end of the month. That way I will have a pair to count as my May socks for the Sock A Month KAL. Here is a current pic of the sock project:


Sorry for the picture being a little dark. I am close to starting the heel flap on the second sock. I just need to sit down and work at it. I have 8 days, but I don't want to leave it down to the last day or so and then not get it done. Once the heel is turned and I start working on the foot, it should go a little faster - you know, that "I'm nearly finished and I can't wait!" push is on.

Also, I felt like I needed a little mindless knitting to do, some garter stitch or stocking stictch...that sort of thing. So, I had got a couple of single skeins of baby yarn to make a couple of baby sweaters and would only have one 5.25 oz skein of each different colourway. I went through my patterns, but any that I had required more than what I had for yarn (I suppose I should have played it safe and got two of each, but I didn't). My next step was to turn to the net. I went to Knitty and found a cute little sweater that I thought I would like to try. It didn't look too dificult. It's actually a cardigan, not a sweater...whatever, LOL.

The yarn is Bernat Baby Coordinates Sweet Stripes; the colourway is called Splash Stripes. It is a combination of acrylic, rayon and nylon (I know the yarn 'snobs' are cringing LOL). I've used this yarn before to make some crocheted baby blankets and I like it. It's soft and has a little shine to it.

Anyway, the pattern (see the link above) is for the sweater called Haiku, and I thought it looked so cute. The pattern says it is designed so you can use any yarn. You just do up a swatch to see how many stitches per inch you get, then do the math. The author has provided the calculations, all you do it take your number of stitches and fill in the blanks then do the math (I suggest using a calculator because it makes it faster and easier, especially if you are not good at math like me). They are really simple calculations though, so it isn't bad.

Anyway, there are only two stitches used - garter and box. The way the yarn is in the pic, you can see it it horizontal, however for the sweater, the stripes will be going verticle. I really hope this one turns out better than the cardigan! This one, from what I can see so far, only has sleeves to attach (and buttons). My understanding of the pattern, if I am reading it right, you start on one side and do 3 inches of garter stitch, cast on a certain amount to that and then do the box stitch for 2 inches, then back to garter for 2 more inches. Then you bind off a certain amount of stitches for the armhole and then work the back, bind off again for the other armhole, then cast on and do the other side of the front, not forgetting to make the button holes.

Once you make the sleeves, you just sew the shoulder seams, then sew on the sleeves and then the buttons, and voila! I really hope this one goes much better than the other one. I'm rather disappointed with my making of the Let's Parti Cardi. I mean, the pattern is fine, it is in my doing of it that got messed up...

If anyone has made the Haiku pattern from Knitty, please let me know how it turned out for you and if you had any problems.

Still No Pics

I would have thought by now I would have taken some pics of the Let's Party Cardi in progress. I still haven't blocked it, though I did go out and get the 2 buttons needed for it. The buttons go up near the top, and the rest of the cardigan is open. After the blocking I just have to seam it and add the 3 rows around the neck area and down each side of the front, then add the buttons and it will be comlpeted. Yeah, I think I've mentioned that before...and it's still not done. I had hoped to have gotten it blocked so that it would be dry by tomorrow or Sunday and I could finish it up. However, it is now Friday night and I don't have it blocked. There is a reason (or excuse if you prefer) for the laziness in getting it all together. I've been tired and on the go, somewhat, and haven't really had a lot of knitting time.

Monday evening I had my Weight Watcher's meeting, and was feeling rather tired afterwards. Tuesday evening I was rushed because when I got home from work and checked my email, I had a reminder that there was a CE Board (Christian Education Board) meeting at 7pm and at that point (of reading my email), it was after 5. Wednesday I had a BBQ to attend for the leaders of the kids mid-week program at church (it was yummy - the BBQ, not the program).

Last night I was free, but I had got some bad news when I got home from work. I found out that I did not get accepted into the B. Ed. program for next year. Needless to say I was feeling rather upset and depressed the rest of the night. Not even knitting would have dragged me out of that funk.

I'm feeling better tonight, so far - though I did have a few moment this morning that weren't all that good. I still didn't feel like handwashing the cardigan and pinning it out to dry, so instead I started a new sock. Yeah, instead of working on the one I have on the go (not too far from doing the heel flap), I decided I wanted to start a new one - but that's normal for me lol.

I'm still waiting to see if they have the adjusted sizes posted yet for the Reid sweater at Knitty, but haven't seen anything yet. I want to do this sweater up for my best friend's daughter, and from what I've read on other blogs and knitting forums, the size 4 and 6 measurements are messed up (apparently they are knitting up way to large for a normal 4 and 6). So, I don't want to start until I get the right numbers. Though I have to wonder if I were to knit the size 4 if it would be large enough to fit a 6 year old (the age of my friend's daughter).

So, sadly, again no pics of knitting. I was going to try to post another pic of Tinker Belle, but for some reason Blogger is not co-operating.

Warning: Boring Post, No Pics

Yeah, honestly it is going to be a boring post and once again no pics! Sheesh, if I want to attract people to my blog and have them leave comments I am going to have to stop making boring entries and not showing any pics... (edited to say that I decided to post a pic so the post wouldn't look so bare again)

I started back to work on Monday, and my days are longer now than they were in school this semester. I get up 6:45-7:00 and end up needing a nap after supper, which of course throws off my sleeping at night because come bed time, I am not tired!

Needless to say...ok maybe it isn't needless...anyway, I haven't felt like knitting much this week. Well, when I'm at work I feel like knitting, or writing, but once I get home my mojo is go go...I've only done about 8 rows on the second sleeve of the Let's Party Cardi this week. I'm really hoping to finish it tomorrow though and get the blocking done.

Thanks to all who left a comment on the previous post with the suggestion of blocking first and then seaming. So, with regard to the blocking, do I just soak it in water and then let it dry flat? Do I wash it? What do I use to wash it with? The yarn says to handwash, but is regular detergent (we use Tide) ok to use, or do I need something special? Man, I'm such a dunce with this LOL - though I blame it on not having done any of this before...


Ok...I couldn't stand not having a picture in the post so I have included one of my furry baby, Tinker Belle, just so the post wouldn't look so bare.

I hope to get some pics of knitting to include soon, and hopefully I'll get that cardigan finished this weekend and have pics of it to include in the next post.

Off to try to find some knitting mojo again. Happy Knitting!

Just A Wee Update

Sorry that this isn't much of a post. I have been dealing with graduation, and it finally happened yesterday!

So, with knitting news, I've put a few rows on my second sock of the one I was working on when I was doing the red feather and fans. I'm only about an inch past the cuff, so not much progress with that. However, I finally got the first sleeve for the Let's Party Cardi completed! Woot! I don't think it quite worked out right with the pattern - if I could have added 2 more stitches it would have but oh well. I've got the first 2 rows done on the second sleeve so far. I just hope this one goes much better than the first and that I don't have to end up frogging again! Once I get that done, then all I need do is block and put together.

So, I have a question. When blocking (to be honest I've never done this before), do I block first and then sew it together, or do I sew it together and then block it? What's the best way to do it? Would appreciate your thoughts, opinions, and advice on this.

Happy knitting!

The Horror & The Honor

Oh, the horror of it all! I can't believe this finally happened to me. I mean, I knew eventually that it would, but not just now! I bet you're wondering just what I'm talking about. Well, wonder no more for I will tell you.

I experienced the WWF for the first real time this morning!! Oh, I am in utter disbelief that I would have to experience this right now. Why couldn't it happen much later down the road instead of now? Oh, yeah, I should explain what WWF is. No, it is not the world wrestling federation (and I think I heard they actually changed their letters now to something else, but since I'm not a fan of the stuff I don't really care, lol). Is it the World Wildlife Fund? Nope, though I think their little panda symbol is so cute!

No, WWF stands for World Wide Frogging! What does world wide have to do with it? Well, nothing but I thought it might make help me create a post about my frogging experience. Yeah, I know, I'm lame.

Remember my Let's Party Cardi that I have been working on? Well, I have the back completed, both fronts, and was nearly completed with the first sleeve - I just had maybe 5 or 6 more rows to go until I would bind off. Then I discovered it. A huge mistake. The directions said to "work in pattern, and at same time, inc 1 st at each edge..." Ok, well somehow between reading that and following the pattern to the first row (every 4th row) that required the increasing, I somehow overlooked or forgot about the "at each edge" part of it. What I ended up doing was only increasing one stitch at one edge. It said to keep doing this until you get 54 stitches, and works out 11 times. So, as I'm working away at it and am nearing 40 stitches, I somehow did the math and 4 x 11 = 44 right? Well it wasn't adding up for me. How can you get 54 stitches if 4 x 11 = 44? So I read further and it said to knit until it measured 10 inches. And I'm thinking 10 inches with 54 stitches at the rate I'm going isn't going to happen - either that or it is going to be as nearly as wide as the back. What 4 year old kid has arms that big?

So, I decided there must have been a printing error and it should have read 44 stitches instead of 54. So, I followed the pattern until I got to 44 and then knit until it reached the required 10 inches and started to do the first part of the binding off for the sleeve cap. I held the sleeve up and folded it together to see how it would look as a sleeve. Well, it looked a little thin, like it might not be big enough to go around an arm. It was at this point that I went back and looked over the directions and found where I went wrong.

Yeah, yeah, I know...all knitters experience this, but it's my first real frogging experience and it made me sad (insert sad, pathetic looking face here). At least it was on the sleeve of a childs cardigan with just knitting and purling stitches though, and not some intricate piece of lace or something. Though since I plan to try some lace this summer, I am fearing this will happen then too. Ok Shelley, suck it up and get on with it....

Now, comes the honor! If you are still reading this by this point...I checked the comments on my previous post before I started my blog entry just now, and found out Stephanie had left a comment. Lot's of Stephanie's out there right? Well, I hadn't recalled a Stephanie leaving a comment before (at least that I can think of, but I could be wrong - it's been known to happen before (case in point, see the first part of this post).

So, usually if I don't recognize a name, I click on it to go see the blog and if it is one I have visited before or not. Anyway, to my great surprise, the blog that appeard was none other than the Yarn Harlot's!!! Woot! I got a comment from the Great Yarn Harlot! I feel so privledged and...faint! Ok, maybe not faint - that would be a lie and I don't want to lie. But hey, it made for good theatrics didn't it?

Now, I am a consistant reader of the Yarn Harlot. I may not always leave a comment, but I have in the past. Anyway, I know she says that people are surprised when she tells them she reads their blogs. Well, I now know how those people feel. Woot!

I just wish I had one of those witty cool blogs, or one of those blogs that show fabulous pics of hard intricate patterns that have been made, or one of those blogs full of items designed by the blog owner/operator. Sadly, mine isn't like that. It's a blog with a few pics of mediocre items knit by a somewhat newish knitter. Now, I've been knitting for about 4 or 5 years now, but I tend to stick to the easy patterns and fear the more advanced ones. I think maybe I could move up to intermediate now though...which I think I'm starting to do in some cases. Anyway, the bulk of my knitting prior to now has been making mittens and 3 sweaters for my soon to be 3 year old nephew. But, I'm sure Ms. Harlot understands. I just hope she wasn't bored to tears...

Now I am all inspired to go back and work on the sweater sleeve of the Let's Party Cardi and hopefully get it completed (the whole thing, not just the sleeve) before I start work on Monday.

Happy Knitting!

Big 'F' Little 'f'...

...what begins with 'f'? Feather & Fan are Finally Finished - Fabulous!

Woot! I finally finished knitting my feather & fan's! Gee, it only took me nearly two months to do them...but wait, before you pass judgment and think I either didn't know what I was doing or I am an extremely slow knitter, or that I frogged and restarted...stop! No, those weren't the reasons. I blame school naturally, some, hehehe (was getting in the way of my knitting lol), and the first sock did take much longer for me to make than the second one because I think I was still getting used to the pattern. It's very easy to memorize (4 rows repeated and 1 is just purling and 2 are just knitting - the 4th is the one with the pattern and like I said it isn't hard). I think also with the first one I was getting used to the smaller needles as well.

Pattern: I have Sharon to thank for the pattern.
Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks (75% wool, 25% nylon)
Colour: Retro Red
Needles: 2.75 mm (US 2) aluminum

Umm...can't think of what else to think of to write up for the specs, other than I took the pic this morning on the back deck that needs to be stained and/or painted. But I guess that doesn't really matter eh?

Ok, and just so little Tinker Belle doesn't feel left out (I know she hasn't been in my last few pictures), I took a pic of her with the feather and fan's as well...looks like she's smelling my feet, but what I'm going with is she is either smelling the YARN, or she is thinking "Get those feet out of my face or I am going to bite them and possible ruin all that hard work you put into making those socks!"