Saw this over at Mason Dixon Knitting and had to try it.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Post Holiday Knitting
This is written for the second week of January, but I am just getting around to posting it.
Almost all of my Xmas knitting is done. (One sharks sock to go.) I promised myself I would start the Philosopher's wool sweater in the new year. But I just can't seem to get started on a big project this week.
Dishcloth knitting is the perfect simple, but fun knit to fill in the gaps.
I give you the Lobby dish cloth and the vortex dishcloth.
What a weekend in the mountains will do for you
A year ago I bought a kit at the Philosophers Wool booth at Stitches West. It was for the Color Your Own sweater in the Black and Blue colorway. I bought this after envying a friends sweater for about a year. I hesitated because I don't know how to make clothes fit, store-bought or homemade AND because the idea of steeking a sweater gives me the heebie jeebies.
I took advantage of a long weekend spent in the mountains with no distractions to get started. First I needed to roll all the skeins into balls. Lacking a ball winder I used the backs of 2 chairs and an empty toilet paper roll. Usually I find this activity fairly relaxing but after 9 skeins I got pretty tired of it. I decided that 2 skeins of black could wait until I needed them.
Next how was I going to keep the skeins from falling apart and figure out which color is which? I studied the book Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified looking at the pictures of the colorways to identify which was grape and which was dark purple, ... I put each ball in a baggie and labelled it. At least now, I will be consistent about attaching a color name to a specific ball of yarn. I also taped bits of yarn to the pattern next to the color names. I labeled the bands of fair isle patterns on the kit chart A, B, C ... as in the book. It makes it easier for me to note what I did.
Next size. The most dreaded question. I measured sweaters I own, I measured my body. Can my chest really be that big? Yes. I started on the sleeves in the largest size. Oops, my chest may be that big, but my wrists and arms aren't. What if I made the smallest sized sleeves to go with the larger body. Thinking about it, since I am steeking the armholes I can cut them to match my sleeves. I frogged the sleeve and restarted.
I am glad that I have both the directions in the kit and the book. Since this is my first large fair isle project it helps to have all the information I can get. I have done small projects to try and build my skills - mittens and socks and hats.
I have viewed the Philosophers Wool video numerous times and worked on learning continental. (I don't think that I will ever use Continental knitting as my default knitting method. My fingers are so much happier using a method they have known for 40+ years.)
As of Monday night I have only about 2" to go. I am going to repeat the first set of colors as recommended in the pattern. I'm on my way!
I took advantage of a long weekend spent in the mountains with no distractions to get started. First I needed to roll all the skeins into balls. Lacking a ball winder I used the backs of 2 chairs and an empty toilet paper roll. Usually I find this activity fairly relaxing but after 9 skeins I got pretty tired of it. I decided that 2 skeins of black could wait until I needed them.
Next how was I going to keep the skeins from falling apart and figure out which color is which? I studied the book Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified looking at the pictures of the colorways to identify which was grape and which was dark purple, ... I put each ball in a baggie and labelled it. At least now, I will be consistent about attaching a color name to a specific ball of yarn. I also taped bits of yarn to the pattern next to the color names. I labeled the bands of fair isle patterns on the kit chart A, B, C ... as in the book. It makes it easier for me to note what I did.
Next size. The most dreaded question. I measured sweaters I own, I measured my body. Can my chest really be that big? Yes. I started on the sleeves in the largest size. Oops, my chest may be that big, but my wrists and arms aren't. What if I made the smallest sized sleeves to go with the larger body. Thinking about it, since I am steeking the armholes I can cut them to match my sleeves. I frogged the sleeve and restarted.
I am glad that I have both the directions in the kit and the book. Since this is my first large fair isle project it helps to have all the information I can get. I have done small projects to try and build my skills - mittens and socks and hats.
I have viewed the Philosophers Wool video numerous times and worked on learning continental. (I don't think that I will ever use Continental knitting as my default knitting method. My fingers are so much happier using a method they have known for 40+ years.)
As of Monday night I have only about 2" to go. I am going to repeat the first set of colors as recommended in the pattern. I'm on my way!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Travel Knitting Kit
I have been working on developing a knitting kit - a set of tools to take with me along with whatever knitting project I am working on. I want this kit to:
- Be very small so that it fits in a purse, or bag.
- Supplement the pattern, needles and yarn required for a project
- Make it so that I never get stopped because I need something
- Make repairs of various mistake easy
I have a small pouch with 2 zippered pockets, and a clear vinyl pocket.
Here is what is contains:
In the big zippered pocket
- 2 crochet hooks (one very small for attaching beads)
- bead tube with various needle for weaving in ends
- stitch holder
- cable needle
- aaa battery for my mp3 player
- measuring tape.
- small scissors
- pencil stub
In the small zippered pocket
- stitch markers
- knitpicks options end thingies for the converting the cable into a stitch holder
- smooth scrap yarn for holding stitches and other emergiencies
- dental floss
Attached to the zipper tab:
- Coilless safety pins on a large safety pin
In the clear pocket on the back
- moleskin notebook with graph paper
- postits
- clear ruler
- needle gauge
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