Post Holiday Knitting

Lobby dishcloth
Originally uploaded by quixoposto

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!

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:

1. Be very small so that it fits in a purse, or bag.
2. Supplement the pattern, needles and yarn required for a project
3. Make it so that I never get stopped because I need something
4. 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

How close did I get to DONE on my holiday knitting?

Well, its Christmas Eve, lets see how I did on my knitting:
1) hat and scarf for my daughter boyfriend - DONE
2) footies for our pet sitter - DONE
3) footies and socks for my mother in law - DONE AND MAILED
4) Dream in Color Tulip baby sweater for my new niece - DONE
5) socks for my daughter - DONE
6) scarf & mittens for a friend that is moving away - DONE
7) mittens for a niece - 1/2 way but I wont need them till the new year
8) mittens for nephew - DONE
9) beaded scarf for daughter - yarn purchased, pattern and beads needed
10) sharks socks - 1/3 DONE (going to put the in progress project in a box
11) socks for my mom - abandoned
12) lots of dishcloths for various friends - did a few, would have liked more

Happy Holidays to you all

The Gauge monster strikes again

I ran out of the border color on the Tulip sweater. All I had left to go was the edging on one sleeve and the icord ties at the neck. I went back to the store and they checked my gauge. Oops, I was off. They were going to give me a bit more of the blue, but I decided to buy a whole skein so I could make matching mittens for the babies siblings. I will strip in the "girl" colors in one set, and "boy" colors in the other. Sofia has a very girly sister, and sports-crazy brother. If I still have yarn left over I'll think about a baby hat and booties.

Sharks Socks

My husband is a big Sharks fan. I thought I'd make him some socks to wear to games for Christmas. I found some great teal yarn at Angora Valley , and started looking for a pattern. Actually found 2 colors and bought them both in my indecision. I got a solid teal and "shades of teal". I think I'm going with the shades of teal. It feels more sharkish. I wanted a pattern which suggests shark's teeth, is "manly, and is each to put on and off. I thought about Octobermuster, but I was afraid of the lack of stretch you get in a slip-stitch pattern. I paged through More Sensational Knitted Socks and found 2 possible patterns either the 12-stitch triangles, or Stansfield 304. I am going to knit a swatch of stansfied to see how it looks. I took a look in Ravelry but still can't decide.

I have a lot of Christmas knitting. So far I have these in progress or completed:
1) hat and scarf for my daughter boyfriend
2) footies for our pet sitter
3) footies and socks for my mother in law
4) 90% done with baby sweater for my new niece
5) 75% done with socks for my daughter
6) scarf for a friend that is moving away

To start:
1) mittens for a niece and nephew - no pattern or yarn chosen
2) beaded scarf for daughter - yarn purchased, pattern and beads needed
3) sharks socks - yarn purchased
4) socks for my mom
5) lots of dishcloths for various friends

Celebrating a new baby girl

This week a new nearly 9-lb niece was added to our family. She will probably be the last niece as she is 24 years younger than the oldest cousin. I had already made the Baby Surprise and baby surplice, but I found the Tulip cardigan kit that the Yarn Harlot blogs about in my lys. I couldn't resist, now that I know the baby is a girl. I bought it.

After I got home, I realized that the pattern lists multiple sizes, but I didn't know if the yarn would be enough for a 12 month size. I figure a 6-mos size will fit a 9 lb newborn for about a minute. I looked on ravelry, I called the lys, they were kind enough to email Dream in Color. The answer is they measure out the same amount of yarn for the 6 and 12 mos sizes. I am glad the answer is yes, because I started the 12 mo size even before I got the answer. If I run out of yarn I will buy more yarn for the bands and ties.

Holly on ravelry was so generous as to offer me her scraps of yarn. She also let me know about a cap that had been designed to coordinate with the sweater. Here is the link

I find the brown color to be such a surprising choice for the mix, but it makes it. One of the ways a kit gets you to try new things.

Bedsock or Footie?

What would be the best qualities for bedsocks? These are for my mother-in-law who is allergic to wool. First they need to be soft and comfy. Cotton Fixation is the perfect choice for yarn. I don't have much experience with it, but after a bit of getting used to I like it. It goes fast after the finer yarns I have been using. At first it felt a bit sloppy, I don't think I would do stranded knitting with it, but that could be my beginner's colorwork technique.

Second, they would be cheerful. I used a technique I call spiral striping. I don't know the official name. I started with one color. Halfway round I attached a second. Then I knit one color until I came to the start of the next continuously. I made solid heels and toes for interest. I love the look of eye of partridge heel. Although here you can see what I mean by "sloppy", the stitch definition isn't as good in fixation.

Third, don't cut off the blood circulation. I made a knitted hem. It seems better than ribbing that pulls in. Also the stretchiness of the fixation is good here.

The colors in the picture are not true. No matter how I struggled, the purple heel and toe look blue in the picture. I tried white backround, wood background, interior light, cloudy daylight.

Looking around Ravelry, I just found a tutorial on the spiral stripe technique. I am using only 2 colors so it works really simply. Because one of the yarns is variegated and one solid, it looks more complicated than it is. Here is the link: Spiral Stripe tutorial
Used Tootsies Footsies pattern as a reference.

Rainbow Monkey socks

HPIM1281
Originally uploaded by quixoposto

I started some rainbow socks for myself months ago. But when my daughter started coveting them, I ordered some more yarn from Epicurus on etsy and made her a pair of monkey socks in a week. Mine are still on the needles.

Upright Grand Piano

I have had this piano for years. It is finally time to recognize the fact that I never play it. It is an upright grand. I took off the panels that cover the inner workings and took some pictures.

www.flickr.com