Twiddly Fingers

Where did all the yarn go ????

2008-01-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

I swear there's a black hole in our house. Or a yarn fairy, who keeps stealing it.

So Saturday I sit down in my big chair by the fireplace, ready for an evening of relaxing knitting and hoping to finish up my eggplant cardigan, which has been a UFO for far too long. Of course, the yarn is NOT in my basket, nor in my bag, nor in my tote.

Two hours later, after searching through darn near the entire house, I found the last little bit of one ball, but the other -- maybe 2 or 3 balls -- is missing.

Missing.

I KNOW I bought enough to finish this, mostly because the bottom was supposed to have this weird fringe, which I decided to ignore, and I ALWAYS buy at least one extra skein than what the pattern calls for, of the less expensive yarns. This project got bounced around a lot, and I was working on it while the DH was in the hospital, but I've checked through everything I can think to check through, and it's just not to be found. SO frustrating.

I did, however, find two balls of another yarn I'd forgotten about. :)

I'm still mad about not finishing the cardigan, but I did get some good practice time in with crochet. It still looks like a too-tight disaster, but at least I'm doing it. It doesn't feel so awkward anymore. Well, yes it does -- but it feels less awkward. It will come, in time.

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

(YES, I WILL get pictures up of all these things. I don't know what's taking so long!)

For years I've been telling myself I'm going to learn to crochet. Like a lot of knitters, I have a love-hate relationship with crochet. I love the way it looks but I hate the thought of actually wasting knitting time to learn to do it.

I'm tired of relying on my mom to do the crochet finishing on stuff. So I decided, for 4 hours a week, I'm going to practice crochet.

Here's what I got for an hour of my time last night:

Sigh.

***

In other news, I just signed up for the TKGA's correspondence course "Basics Basics Basics," which is supposed to help you get ready for the Master Knitter level 1 course. Yay! I got some money for Christmas, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it! I can't wait for the first class. I know I have a problem with binding off too tight (see the Cowboy Poncho for a great example of that!)

***

I have three UFOs in the basket right now, and they've been lingering there for way too long. I need to weave in the ends and do the fringe for the cowboy poncho, finish the edges on my eggplant cardigan (which is ANCIENT now), and finish the stockinette "Vintage" coat -- and either con my mom into crocheting the cuffs, or learn to do them myself.

Too much to do, and I want to start a new project!!! But I won't let myself do anything new until I only have 2 UFOs in the basket. The cardigan is the easiest to finish, but I dread the thought of picking up 180+ stitches. Plus, I need buttons, but I guess I need to make a trip to Joanns anyway. It's been at least 2 weeks since I've been there.:)

A special gift for Captain Phil

2007-07-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm a geek. So what. I love the show "Deadliest Catch" and for kicks I thought I would make my fave Cap'n a hat like the one I made father-in-law. So here 'tis.

METHOD:
Exactly the same as before. This is a pattern from Knitter's Magazine. It's garter stitch all through, with grafting so it's seamless. Or rather, it's supposed to be. I did this on #4 circular needles, just like before. I hope it fits! The base yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, and the flags are done in what I had leftover of the Cascade Wool.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
1. To slip the darn first stitch on short rows!!!!! I didn't notice I had forgotten this until the hat was like halfway done.
2. There is definately a right and wrong side to garter stitch, when you're putting two colors together. Starting on the wrong side will give you a thin line of color before you're supposed to have it. Starting on the right side eliminates the line.
3. My floats are too tight. The flag for "P" is pulling in so much, but there's not a lot I can do.
4. Grafting in garter stitch. Looks good!
5. Each one of these I make still look amateurish, but they're getting better.

Here's hoping you like it, Phil!

Lace-Edged T-Shirt

2007-03-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Finally finished this one last night, after leaving off for a while because of

A. Christmas
and
B. The pattern is TOTALLY screwed up.

METHOD:
The yarn is from KnitPicks, a cotton frise yarn called "Crayon." I used color "periwinkle." I had to use a little larger needle than recommended -- #s 6 and 7 circular.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
The pattern is royally screwed up. That's the last time I'm buying a pattern from them, but the yarn is very nice and I may buy more of it. Someone on one of the knitting forums also had issues with the pattern.

Something went wrong when setting in the sleeves. One side of the lace is not connected properly, I think. That armhole is also a little smaller than it probably should be.

I enjoyed knitting in the round, and would have enjoyed it more IF the pattern instructions hadn't been off on the decreasing. I had a couple of questions about reverse shaping, which the local knitting group helped me to figure out. This was definately a harder thing to knit, but I do feel like I learned a lot.

Semaphore Hat

2007-01-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

Another late Christmas present, but I just couldn't figure out how to do intarsia in garter stitch. I tried SO many times, and frankly I'm still not happy with how it turned out. I'm hoping to get a pic of him wearing it soon. I chose this design because he goes fishing in the Ozarks and since he's bald, I figure this would keep his head warm.

METHOD:
The pattern was in the Knitter's Magazine Spring 2006 issue. The semaphore spells out MIKE for my pop-in-law. The base is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky (YUM!) and the flags are done in Cascade Yarns 128. The whole thing was knit on #4 circular needles.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
How to do intarsia in garter stitch, that Cashmerino is FUN to knit with, and that I really really need to pay attention when I'm counting. Also, this was my first experience with short-row shaping. The hat itself looks good, it's the flag (actually the first one) that needs work.

Boucle Poncho

2007-01-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

I loved the colors in this yarn so much I ordered some of it from Smileys to make this poncho.

METHOD:
Done in Lionbrand Funfur "Lava" and LionBrand Boucle "Snow Cone," I used 10.5 needles, which seem to be my favorites for bulky yarns. It's one of Lionbrand's free patterns, and I had a devil of a time trying to figure out what color fur would match those weird purples in the boucle.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
1. That I should have seamed this with thread instead of the boucle, as the bulkiness of the boucle made the seams overly bulky.
2. How to pick up stitches around an edge.
3. That LionBrand tells you to buy waaaaaaay more yarn than you will actually ever need.
4. I don't care much for hoods.

More socks! Now I want some for me.

2007-01-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

Sock redux. Another gift for mom. She was supposed to get these for her birthday. In September. Of last year. I'm SO bad.

METHOD:
Lionbrand Sock yarn Magic Stripes again, in the purple color. Done from the pattern on the label, on #3 dpns.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
One is still shorter than the other. Maybe I need to knit for people with odd-sized feet?

I can't wait to make more socks, but I want to keep them for myself!

First Abandoned Project

2007-01-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

I started this tank top at the monthly knit day at Borders, and was all excited about it for a week, until I started wearing the other one and realized I don't like the way it fits.

This is the same yarn, Caron's Jewel Box, only I thought I'd actually try to knit it to gauge this time. I'm just not keen on having no shaping around the waistline and under the ribs. I mean, I HAVE a waist, and I'd like to see it! The white version looks dumpy. The pattern is not flattering.

I took the jump. I frogged it and rewound the yarn back into a ball.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
It actually feels good to rip out and abandon something hideous. Now I can devote my time and energy to something that looks better.

DISASTER sweater.

2006-12-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

I can't fully describe how much of a disaster this was. I thought it would be a great Christmas present for Mom, in her favorite color. She didn't even bother to take it home, but quietly suggested I just take it apart and make something else. How depressing.

METHOD:
I found the pattern on the internet, and it recommended LionBrand Chenille Thick and Quick. Royal Blue is mom's fave color. This took almost 5 skeins. LOTS of fiber. I probably should have done it on #12s, but I ended up doing it on #13s for reasons I can't remember. It ended up being too loose, and the dang chenille looks awful.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
To NEVER work in chenille again. That's pretty much it.

Einstein Coat for my mom-in-law

2006-12-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

(This is NOT her coat -- this is from the website. But the coat looks like this, only in blue.)

Wow. This was almost scary. I wanted to make something for my mother-in-law for Christmas, so I figured the Einstein Coat (from the book The Knit Stitch) would be a nice idea. I think it turned out pretty well, and hopefully I'll get a picture of it soon.

METHOD:
I bought Reynolds Lopi Wool, in Denim Blue. Did on #9 and 10.5 needles, all in garter stitch. I made the bust 50 inches, which was a little big for her, but worked out okay. I bought neat silver-look spiraly buttons for it, and I left a little slit in the cuffs so if they were too long, she could roll them up. I thought it was a very neat touch.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
That the one year I make a coat for a Christmas gift is the one year that our average temperatures were like 50 degrees out.

I expected this would be really boring, since it's all garter stitch, but it wasn't. One thing I don't like is the sleeve seam. I think it looks like a mistake.

When I finished this I was worried that it was going to be too short, so I got it wet and hung it in the shower. It pulled the stitches down nicely, so it made a great looking pattern, but the shoulders got kind of out-of-shape. I hope mother-in-law can fix that.

Tinsel Scarf

2006-11-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is cute. It looks like a garland of tinsel. This was easy to make, but it took me almost a year to finish, because I put it aside for the summer.

METHOD:
One large skein of YarnBee gilteyelash yarn in color "twilight." Might have looked better with a more silver version. Done on #10 needles, from LionBrand Pattern

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
Leaving a project in the sewing room for a season is really depressing. From now on, I'm not putting stuff aside.

Felt One, Carry the Rest! - first felting project

2006-09-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

My first felted bag! I'm quite pleased with it. I plan on using it as my knitting bag.

I went into Four Ladies yarn shop in August with the goal of making something "cool." I saw the sample bags, and decided to try felting. I started this twice, and pulled it out because I was afraid the bag was going to be too small. When you felt something, it needs to start out HUGE!

METHOD:
The pattern was actually for a different bag, so I played around until I got it the way I wanted it. It's an 80 x 80 base, with 20 rows per stripe, then 15, then 4. The yarn is Cascade 220 in Purple Hyacinth and Azur (2 skeins of each). I LOVE the color combination. Needle size was 10.5 and it was done all in the round.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
Picking up and knitting stitches was a nice way to avoid a seam at the edge of the bottom and sides. This was my first official project done totally in the round. FUN! Of course it took forever. If I didn't mind doing seams, I might think about doing all this on a knitting machine instead of doing it by hand.

I learned how to make I-cord, with a 6-stitch I-cord cut in sections for the straps.

The felting was ... different. I actually ended up with a smaller bag than I really wanted because I sort of forgot to check the washing machine. The wet bag stunk like a wet dog, but when it dried it lost the smell.

I would do this again, maybe for a gift. It was fun! But I think I WOULD do it on the machine.

SOCKS!

2006-08-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

What seemed to me to be the single most difficult thing I could ever imagine is now REAL! I made a pair of socks! Yay!! I gave them to Mom as a birthday present. She likes them and thinks they're very warm and cozy.

METHOD:
Done in Lionbrand "Magic Stripes" self-striping washable sock yarn in "Sea Blue." One skein makes 2 socks. This was my first experience with double pointed needles, using #3s.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
Okay so there were a few holes, but I was able to patch those up. One is a teensy bit longer than the other, but not bad. I guess I should either learn to do these on 2 circs, or learn to count the rounds.

Unfinished poncho with fringe

2006-06-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

This poncho may never get finished.

All I have to do is add the fringe. But I hate doing fringe, and since I bought cheap yarn, it comes apart, which means I have to Fray-Check each and every strand. I MAY finish this in the nursing home.

METHOD:
The pattern was from LionBrand, for use with their Lion Suede. I saw Hobby Lobby had a chenille/suede yarn the same rough weight that was 50% off, in a brilliant "Island Teal" color, and thought it would work okay. It knits up a little lighter than Suede, and worked okay, except for the edges of the raw yarn falling apart. I got gauge by using #10 needles. I did the caston and bindoff on bigger needles -- 11 I think, to keep the bottom open and loose.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The lace is messed up, once again, I think. But the way it hangs, you can't tell. I'm not crazy about the length, but I guess it will look different if and when I ever get the fringe on it.

What is it with patterns that tell you to buy waaaay too much yarn, anyway? My leftover stash is growing larger every month.

Sweater Bag -- my SG1 Bag

2006-06-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Isn't this cute?

I bought this pattern (a whole 99 cents) from LionBrand because I bought one of those "Pound of Love" skeins in baby blue and had no idea what to make with it. I originally envisioned this as being my knitting bag, but I decided to give it to mom to tote her crochet work around in. (Note to Mom: You must actually crochet something once in a while in order to keep this bag!)

So I called it my Stargate SG1 bag, since I've been working on it while we watch old episodes of Stargate on DVD. Therefore, any mistakes in it can safely be blamed upon Richard Dean Anderson.

METHOD:
I got this pattern from LionBrand, and followed the instructions exactly (sorta) with the recommended needle sizes, which I forgot to write down. This used almost the entire ball of "Pound of Love" yarn.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The sides and straps didn't match up. Guess I should count rows instead of inches.

Second only to the Boring Shawl, this is the most mind-numbing project I've worked on so far. Nothing but straight stockinette ... as far as the eyes can see ... yawn. And EVERYTHING needed seaming. I spent more time seaming than I did knitting.

I thought about making one of these for me, but I think not. I need something exciting. Like maybe something felted.

Fuzzy Purple Tank Top

2006-06-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

Another purple garment, 'cause you just can't have too many. I bought the yarn for this ages ago, and only just got around to making it. I started it, did a few rows, and then put it off for something else. I ended up finishing it yesterday in the car on the way to St. Louis.

METHOD:
This is Moda Dea's "Tutu" yarn, in grape, and using #8 needles instead of the recommended from their free pattern. The pattern stitch is K1P1 ribbing, all throughout, which got a bit messed up at times, but the nature of the confetti ribbons in the yarn hides that.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The three-needle bind off! That made seaming the shoulders togther a lot easier. And the seams on this are ugly (I blame the yarn) but they're still SOOOO much better than before.

Shaping on the ribbing, or rather keeping the continuity of it, was hard. I'm not sure how exactly I was supposed to do it. I also learned, after the fact, how to seam ribbing so it looks seamless. This garment has lines up the side where the ribs don't meet, but once again the fuzzy nature of the yarn hides it.

This yarn is a bear to work with! The little fuzzies get caught in everything, and you can't really see your work very well. Still, it's soft and cute, and I MIGHT actually make another one.

One other thing: this is supposed to be form fitting. I need to remember to start making "form fitting" garments to fit a 38-inch bust, not a 40-inch. I guess you never really are as fat as you think you are :)

Mom's HomeSpun vest

2006-06-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of this. It's not nearly as hideous as anything else I've done just yet. Mom seemed pleased, although when I gave it to her, it was about 90 degrees outside.

I started this on February 27, and actually manged to finish all of the pieces by April. But it sat in the basket for months because I was afraid of blocking and seaming it. Actually, by the time I got around to doing so, I'd gotten a bit better at seaming and the the process went rather quickly and easily.

It's still a bit of a mess, which better blocking could have helped.

METHOD:
This is from a LionBrand free pattern, using LB HomeSpun and 9 and 10 needles. I found some Swarovski crystal buttons on clearance, and used those to give some bling to an otherwise folksy and chunky look.

This piece used a little over 4 skeins. This piece, for mom, could probably have been a little bigger, but it seems to fit okay and stretches like crazy.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
1. HomeSpun stripes! In a rather cool way.
2. Not to forget the top buttonhole. I sort of made one for this vest, but I need to remember to actually KNIT one the next time.
3. Sewing the buttons exactly opposite the holes is hard. I need to learn a better way to do this, so the buttons are even. Although I did figure out the buttons had to be sewn off center, in order to close right.

I'm right happy with this one!

Hood with Scarf -- and ties. Huh?

2006-04-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to wonder about LionBrand's patterns. Especially when they don't give you a good view of what the finished product is supposed to look like.

This is a hood with scarf. Neat enough, and wow is it warm and soft! I bought the white yarn for this ages ago, but held off until I could find the color "Ivory" instead of "Champagne." I like the off-white look.

The only thing I don't get is the tie concept. They're down too low to be effective in closing at the throat. Mom wants one of these in blue and black, and I think I'm going to leave the ties off of hers, and just make the scarf longer.

METHOD:
This was made holding two strands of fun fur together. I used White and Ivory. Done on #10 needles, you use a little over 3 balls of each color if you make the ties.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
To ditch the ties. Oh, and I'm pleased to add I didn't end up with more or less stitches on the needles, and I periodically checked for that! I'd like to think this means I'm getting better.

These might make interesting Christmas presents if I can get the eyelash yarn for $2.50 a skein again. That's about $15 for a hat without ties.

First poncho!

2006-04-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Whee! This is my favorite project so far! It's supposed to be in the style of the Martha Stewart "Coming Home" poncho, but I hate Martha Stewart and all she represents, so we'll just call it the Lace Poncho.

I think somewhere along the line I screwed up the lace pattern, because the eyelets aren't even, but oh well. I love this garment. It's quite warm, for acrylic, and I think it's so pretty. A lighter yarn might have shown off the textured stitches, but I do so love purple. I think the piece looks store-bought. But then, I'm prejudiced.

METHOD:
From the LionBrand pattern; 4 skeins of HomeSpun on #10 needles. Piece was created in 4 triangular sections, then sewed together, which I did NOT enjoy, even though I tried to do it like the instructions said.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
I really need to learn some proper finishing techniques. But hey, you can't see the mistakes, so as far as I'm concerned, they're not there. :)

(This is now, officially, the largest thing I've knitted. And it didn't take me a lifetime. Afghans aren't looking QUITE so frightening now.)

Got my spindle!

2006-03-28T13:06:00.000-08:00

My drop spindle spinning kit came in the mail Friday, and I played with it over the weekend some. Bevin gave me some beautiful wool roving to play with, so I have (right now) a very lumpy length of teal-colored wool yarn. I'm loving it!

The drop spindle isn't hard to use; my problem seems to be the "drafting" of fibers to get a consistent width of yarn. But I'm not worried about it -- I keep hearing people say it just takes practice. The library had several books on spinning, an a video on using a spinning wheel. I don't think I'm in much of a hurry to actual buy one now, though. I kind of like the simplicity of the drop spindle.

I'm taking the whole kit with me to Atlanta (and probably a knitting project or two as well) so I might get something accomplished in the 13 hours on the road.

Tank Top: my first real garment

2006-03-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

This turned out not too terribly horrible. I wore it to work today and everyone thought it was pretty. It's a little big. I know I didn't have the gauge right, but I'm also thinking I might have measured my body wrong. But at least it's not too small!

My first garment, and it lay around the house in two pieces for two weeks before I got up the courage to actually block it. The blocking went pretty well -- I shaped it exactly how I wanted it, and it looked good, stuck with 100 pins. The only problem was the cat, who seemed to think she had to walk, literally, ALL over the pieces. I had to smooth out cat footyprints three times! Next time I'm going to stick some pins in the towel with their points up. Then maybe she'll get the message.

METHOD:
Made from Caron's "Jewel Box" yarn on #9 needles, I didn't actually get the gauge right, so I'm making another one in the proper gauge to see how it fits.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
This fabric is a little too thick, but it still feels okay. I should have put some kind of band at the bottom, because it really wants to curl up. The shoulder parts curl in too, and look more narrow than they should. I think if I make another one, I'll do it in seed stitch, and see how that looks.

The chenille got kind of wormy. I'm wondering if I wash it and dry it again if that will help the chenille even out.

Finishing this piece, sewing it together, was a NIGHTMARE! I ended up taking out the bound-off stitches in the shoulders to graft them together, which doesn't look too bad. But the side seams are uneven, and I think I really need practice on sewing seams. Or maybe I can just pay someone else to do it!

Edited to add -- I wonder if you can just thread the yarn through the edges, in mattress stitch, and then wait until the end to pull the thread tight? Hmm ... that would make everything MUCH easier.

Spin spin spin!

2006-03-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

This isn't a knitting entry, but I just decided I absolutely HAVE to learn to spin!

I went to the spin-in at Borders yesterday, and met some new ladies, and some I'd met at the last kint-in, and Chris showed me how to use a drop spindle, and I'm FASCINATED! I could watch them spin on their spinning wheels all day long.

I want a spinning wheel! Wah! But they're expensive. Mayhaps I'll start with the drop spindle...

The most boring shawl ...

2006-02-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

I started this in January, but I did stop work on it here and there to do other, less mind-numbing projects.

Why did I want a shawl? I didn't. But silly me thought I should practice on a project that's listed as "easy." Whatever. Figuring out how to pre-cut and measure out the fringe was at least mildly interesting.

METHOD:
This was described as a prayer shawl, and everything but the ribbed pattern was left up to you to decide. Since the needles for Jeff' long scarf were still out, I used those, but I think I made it too narrow. I'm hoping I can block it so that it stretches out a little.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
1. I'm never doing one of these again.
2. Homespun, even in the same dye lot, varies WILDLY in color! So remember this, and work two balls at a time or something.
3. A homespun yarn shawl really keeps you warm! And the cat seems to like it. If it hadn't taken me forever to finish it, I might think about giving it to her.

Jeff's first gift: a Dr. Who scarf

2006-01-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

I kept bugging Jeff to tell me what he wanted me to make for him. (Of course, from the looks of what I've made so far, I'm not surprised he hesitated to ask for anything!) I finally pinned him down to "a scarf, in earth tones." Of course, it couldn't be like any normal scarf -- he wanted a really long one, down to his knees, a la Dr. Who.

Cool.

We settled on a skein of LionBrand HomeSpun in color "olive" and a skein of Bernat Soft Boucle "Earth Shades," which is a lovely blend of chocolate and very dark browns. Each stripe is around 8 inches, although I didn't count the rows, and sometimes one stripe would finish on a right side, while others finished on a wrong side. Oh well. He wears it a lot. I'm proud :)

METHOD:
22 stitches across, on #11 needles. I really just sort of pulled that number out of the air, and as such, the fabric is a tad bit loose, but he says it's warm enough! It certainly drapes well. The colors look good together, especially althernating solid colors and textured ones.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
How to change yarn colors at the end of 8 inch rows. And to remember to count the number of rows I knit.

Purl bump heart bag

2005-12-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

I saw this in the Stitch and Bitch book and thought it was neat, so I tried to make the heart design on practice yarn. At some point during the experiment, I put everything down on the floor to answer the phone, and when I cam back, one of my needles was missing! We tore the house apart and still couldn't find it. I think we might have a tiny black hole in the living room. So anyway, I ripped all that out and started it again.

This time I was so pleased with the result that I decided to make the swatch into a bag or a pilow or something. I made a drawstring closure around the edge and gave it to DH to "remember me" by :)

METHOD:
This was crappy acrylic practice yarn, but the design stands out pretty well. I probably should have framed the purl bump design in more stockinette stitch, so the design itself doesn't draw closed when the bag does.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
These would make GREAT zill bags! I'm thinking of trying to chart an ankh or scarab or something and make little zill bags for my friends and students.

Edited to add: about a month later we finally found the missing needle. It was in the chair the whole time! I don't see how we missed it -- we practically turned the chair upside down.

Something bigger: Bow Ponchette

2005-12-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

I saw this pattern at Michaels and loved the look of it. I knew I just HAD to make one, but I was hesitant to try something that would take more than a day or two to create. I actually started this on Nov. 23 but put it aside for all the scarves and hats of Thanksgiving.

This piece has taken the most time so far to complete, but that's also because I kept making other things along the way. Here's the thing, though. It's pretty, and I've worn it a couple of times already, but I don't really want it. I guess that's going to be an issue with me -- I want to knit the stuff, not actually WEAR it.

METHOD:
This ponchette is made from three skeins of TLC Amore yarn in "Vanilla." The pattern is from the yarn maker, and was one of those in-store free patterns. You knit two strands as one on 10.5 needles. (I did mine on the Needle Master circular needles, with the ends capped off.)

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
I need to learn some proper finishing techniques. The seams on this thing are really ugly, even though they are hidden on the inside of the piece. Still, I know they are there.

This had a much better overall look, even though there are a few places where I didn't pick up both strands and it looks like tiny holes or thin places in the garment, but I'm happy with it.

Too long long scarf

2005-12-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

I wanted an extra long scarf, but I think I went just a bit too far on this one. :) It's very warm, I have to admit.

METHOD:
Done in LionBrand Fun Fur, 2 skeins of violet and two of raspberry, on #11 needles, this was going to just be alternating colors, but then I got all creative and decided the end of the scarf should look lilke they were dipped in the other color. So I had to rip out the cast on stitches, and knit backwards, which was interesting.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
How to pull out the cast on stitches and knit from there. I had some issues, so I ended up frogging back about two inches of work, but I've learned how to fix that for the future. The "dipped" ends didn't come out even. I'm not sure how to figure out how to fix that, but for ripping it all out and cutting the ball of yarn in half. (edited to add: the simplest way to do this would just be to count the rows! And to think, I actually enjoyed math class!)

First gift- for Mona

2005-12-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

The easiest thing in the world is to make a scarf for a friend. Especially a self-striping one.

METHOD:
Two balls of Fun Fur in the color "Mexicana" makes a festive enough birthday gift for a bellydancer. Thes are consistently shorter than I want, but they work out okay.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?:
The perfect $6 gift takes just a few hours to make, and people seem to really enjoy hand-knit gifts!

LAST Hat and Scarf set

2005-12-12T01:15:00.000-08:00

METHOD:
This is a hat and scarf set from the LionBrand Boucle pattern in "Snowcone." I like this color, but for some odd reason, the yarn seemed to fuzz up more than usual. I DON'T like the scarf, which curled even though I added the garter stitch edge, and I don't particularly like having the "hole" design. I'd really like to give this set away.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
I must remember to NOT watch "Gladiator" while knitting. Joachin Phoenix is waaay too distracting. :) Can you see the whole line of incorrect stitching? Probably not, but it's there. Now every time I see this hat I will think of Joachin. Hmm, maybe I won't give this one away...

P.S. Dad came over for Christmas and was admiring my work, and he thought this was just the neatest design -- so I gave the set to him! Mom said he actually wears it! That's the highest compliment I could be given! :)

One hat to match

2005-12-05T00:34:00.000-08:00

So I just HAD to make the matching hat to go with the Bernat Boa eyelash scarf.
(picture coming)

METHOD:
Bernat Boa "Parrot" on #9 needles.

(edited to add, in January I made another one, out of "Tweety Bird" to match the first scarf I made.)

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
I'm getting a little bored of hats.

I mean, I enjoy making them, but I've found that I'm very rarely wearing them, since I usually wear my hair in a ponytail all winter. So here's my brilliant idea: instead of sewing the seam all the way up, why not leave a little hole, to stick the ponytail through? Probably not an original idea, but a functional one. I don't know how easy this will be to do when knitting in the round, though. But that's a project for another day.

Oh, this one called for an increase by knitting into the back. One more trick in the knitting arsenal!

Really must get back to the ponchette thing.

Thanksgiving Projects 3 and 4: Moving on to Hats

2005-11-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

Bored of boucle/fur scarves, I decided to try something different: matching hats.

METHOD:
I downloaded this pattern from the LionBrand yarn site. Each hat is made with one skein of Boucle and one skein of Fun Fur. I used the Lime Blue/Citrus combination and Rose/Fun Fur Prints "Fiji." The green hat was done on #10 needles, but I used #11 on the the pink one.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
The importance of Gauge in sizing.

The gauge was completely and utterly off on the green hat. It started out okay, I thought, but as I was making it, I began to realize it would NEVER fit me. I also had to add rows to get the length I needed. BUT (and this is the part which I consider pretty clever) I figured out I could MAKE it fit, if I created a triangular panel and sewed it into the hat. Which I did, and that solved the problem. I don't like the Fun Fur Pompon, though. This was amazingly hard on my hands because the knit was so tight I could barely get the needle through! Mental note: RELAX!

The pink hat went much better. I upped the needle size and relaxed the knit. It went quick, but I still had to add a couple of rows to get the depth I wanted. Maybe I just have a really big head?

Oh, and what I learned from making hats was decreasing with KTtog -- knitting two stitches together to decrease.

Thanksgiving Project 2: Deep Sea stripes

2005-11-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

I was hoping this would knit up longer, but this is a decent length. It's a very soft scarf, even though it took a longer time to knit than the boucle ones. This piece was started and finished on Thanksgiving day.

METHOD:
Made from the LionBrand pattern on the yarn, I used two skeins of self-striping Fun Fur in the "Deep Sea" color. Done on #10 needles, it took longer than the other boucle scarves. The whole piece is done in garter stitch.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
ALWAYS check the dye lots. I got these two skeins at two different stores, and the difference in color is VERY apparent. I'm not throwing it away, though. I'm going to pretend I'm NOT mad at myself for not checking the dye lots, and instead attribute the off-colors to "character."

I think this scarf could be more narrow and still look good. That would also give it more length.

I also think I might get some more of this Fun Fur and knit some Christmas presents. It's so soft and warm!

Thanksgiving Project 1: Self-Striping ROCKS!

2005-11-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

(pictured here is both scarf and hat. Rather cunning, don't you think?)

I got a lot accomplished over my Thanksgiving vacation. Here's the first project:

I had no idea when I bought this Fun Fur that it was stripes. I thought it was just variegated yarn. Imagine my surprise (and pleasure) to watch it knit up in these cool stripes!

METHOD:
This is another one of those Lion Boucle and Fun Fur scarves, like the green ones. This time I used the boucle "Rose" and the Fun Fur Stripes "Cotton Candy." Which gave it a cool block/stripe pattern. Did this one also on big needles (#19) and it would have only taken a day to make, but I started it at night (Thanksgiving Eve) and fell asleep. I finished it off Thanksgiving Day. The whole piece is done in garter stitch.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
Self-striping yarn is cool! And the boucle/fur combination yields a nice thick heavy piece.

K2 for 2 scarves

2005-11-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

I picked out this yarn combination for a scarf and then Mom decided she wanted one just like it. So here we are, in our matching scarves. I started the first one Nov. 21 and finished it that night. So I started a second one, and would have finished it, but the DH made me go to bed. NO!! ---- JUST ONE MORE ROW!!!!!! (LOL)

Actually, DH asked me to make one for him, but twice as long and in earthtone colors. I'm going to try mixing LionBrand Homespun with a Fun Fur -- the Homespun looks just as bulky and comes in some great earthy colors.

METHOD:
These scarves were made from a free pattern from LionBrand yarn, using one strand of Lion Boucle in Lime Blue + one strand of Fun Fur Citrus. Knitted on #19 fat needles, these scarves didn't take long at all to make.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
At first it was confusing trying to knit with two yarns, but after a few rows, the yarns seemed to attract each other and hung close. Using the big needle means quick progress. This combo is a little scratchy for my Princess & Pea delicate skin, but it's so pretty, I can't resist wearing it.

One Skein Chenille Scarf (for Mom)

2005-11-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

Started evening of Nov. 16. Finished at an SCA event, Nov. 19

METHOD:
This scarf is from the pattern in my "Teach Yourself to Knit" book. It's a one-skein scarf, made from one skein of Lion Brand chenille in Royal Blue. I used the recommended #13 needles and although it's a tight knit, it seems to fit the gauge. The whole piece was done in the stockinette stitch.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
This is a super bulky yarn! I wasn't sure to keep the stitches loose or tight. I think I started them too tight. These big needles are huge and aren't as easy to work with, but it's possible that I'm just not used to them.

The edges curled in and I'm not sure if that's my fault, or because of the yarn itself, which (mental note) sheds tiny fibers EVERYWHERE! (edited to add: I just found out it's the stockinette stitch itself that causes this curl. A suggestion was to add a border of garter stitches to the edges to prevent this. I'm just pleased to know it's not me!) And the purl side, every now and again, doesn't have "bumps" so much as long threads that look like they I might have missed something on the other side. Curious. I blame it all on the tension.

BUT, I'm pretty sure I stayed with the same number of stitches the whole time, so at least THAT part is getting better. And I screwed up a couple of times and was able to successfully pull out stitches. It really helps when you can actually see them.

The pattern on the skein was for a button down vest. If this scarf works out, I might try to make that for Mom for Christmas.

Getting better -- fewer noticeable mistakes

2005-11-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

(My lovely mother models her new scarf, in a yarn selected by her in her favorite color.)

Basically I restarted this project on Nov. 9 and finished it last night, Nov. 16 -- but I didn't get to work on it much last week or last weekend. This one went MUCH better -- I'm getting used to the eyelash yarn finally. There are a couple of places wher I picked up an extra stitch, and a couple of places where I have two rows of knit togther, so it kind of looks like a seam there. But all in all it looks MUCH better than the first two. I think I was being harder on myself because this one is for Mom.

METHOD:
This scarf is from the same pattern I've been using, from the Bernat Boa yarn label. It was made from 2 skeins of Yarn Bee yarn in the color "Blueberry." I used #10 needles instead of the recommended #9 -- which is slightly smaller than what I used before, and I think that helps to keep it soft. The stitches are much closer together and the "thread" is primarily on the inside of the stitches.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
To pay attention to prevent getting an extra stitch. I know what I'm doing now, and can sort of feel it when it happens. I'm going through two layers of yarn instead of one. I also have sort of learned how to fix that after it's already happened.

Tension is still an issue. And apparently when I cast on, I'm not making it tight enough, because I'm still getting a sort of funnel cloud look -- the scarf is considerably wider at the bottom edges than it is through the center.

What NOT to do when you're frustrated...

2005-11-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

I came home last night tired and frustrated, so I reached for the first thing that I thought would bring me joy. And proceeded to destroy it.

I'm working on a royal blue eyelash yarn scarf for my mom. Okay, first of all, eyelash yarn is probably not the best thing for a beginning project. When you realize you've screwed something up, it's very difficult to go back and actually see the stitches you've made, let alone find the problem. So, rather than approach the mistake calmly and rationally, I simply pulled it all apart and started over. I had about 7 inches of scarf, so ripping it up was rather disappointing and did nothing for my mood.

Today I went back to Hobby Lobby with mom, armed with 40% off coupons, and we bought two more skeins of Bernat Boa "parrot" because I decided I simply had to have a matching hat. They were out of tweety bird, but I think Michaels still has some. Everyone needs a tweety bird hat. Just everyone.

I found a lovely yarn called Yarn Bee "luscious" in a brilliant lime green, which will make a lovely soft cropped sweater for me. Someday. And another called "Infatuation." I'm seriously thinking about knitting some underwear in this stuff, it's so soft. Okay well maybe hand and leg warmers. What I need to do is just spend an afternoon or an evening in the yarn section, familiarizing myself with all the varieties and brands. When I get a spare three hours or so, I just might do that. My DH has to go Christmas shopping SOME time.

Second verse, same as the first

2005-11-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

(Thanks to my lovely assistant Marilyn, for modeling this scarf.)

I started this one after skipping out on international dance class Tuesday Nov. 3, and finished it Sunday night, Nov. 6. Most of the work was done while I sat with hubby watching "Kingdom of Heaven." This was the second set of 2 for $5 Bernat Boa yarns I got at Michael's. I'm sort of tired of working with this eyelash yarn, but today my Mom found a pretty royal blue one for 40% off, so it looks like I'll be making at least one more. These are easy enough to make, however, that I might make a few more for friends. Hopefully with enough practice, they'll start to look less lumpy.

METHOD:
This scarf is from the pattern on the yarn label. It was made from 2 skeins of Bernat Boa yarn in the color "Parrot." I used #11 needles instead of the recommended.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
To pay attention when knitting the last row! I checked to make sure I had enough, and then kitted the whole last row (which was supposed to be bound off!) Since I can't see the stitches in this yarn, I had to rip out about four or five rows before I was able to find the loops to rethread it back on the needle. How frustrating.

My first knitting project - A scarf

2005-11-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

I'm not displeased with this, even though an experienced knitter would look at this and probably scream "For the love of God what did you DO?!" I started out with 23 stitches, somehow went down to 18, back up to 25, and ended with 29. Rather than mess with it, I just left it wrong. I think it creates character. :)

I started this the afternoon of October 29 and finished it Oct. 30. I wanted to wear it for Halloween, but it was unseasonably warm this year and way too hot for a scarf. Mayhaps next year?

METHOD:
This scarf is from the pattern on the yarn label. It was made from 2 skeins of Bernat Boa yarn in the color "Tweety Bird." I used #11 needles instead of the recommended.

AND WHAT DID WE LEARN?
I'm having issues with tension, but this is a hard yarn to knit. On my practice yarn, I'm a very tight knitter, which probably says something about the level of stress in my life. I left the stitches pretty loose on this.

I also figured out why my number of stitches varied, and on my next project I'll work to fix that. This yarn slips off the aluminum needles pretty easily, so I had to concentrate to keep it from falling apart.

One thing I need to figure out is how to fix a stitch that falls off the needle. I'm sure it's an easy fix, but I just need to read up on it.

All in all, I'm very happy with the result, and my next project is another scarf, using the same yarn only in a purple color.