Tuesday, September 30, 2003

I've been thinking about the armholes on Snowfall.  I've already decided that I have to tear back about an inch of the body so the armholes will be at least ten inches wide.  Given the thickness of this knitted fabric, a nine inch armhole just ain't gonna cut it.  And while researching something else today in Meg Swansen's Knitting, I found an example of exactly what I was planning for Snowfall's armholes.  It's the sweater called Faroese Sweater Variations.  Hooray!  Less thinking for Sarah's tired little peanut brain!

Aside:  Son Number Two told me earlier this year that the reason I can't remember things is that I have a brain the size of a peanut, and when I learn something new, something old falls out.  He's a smart one, that boy!

Moment of Truth:  Wednesday morning at 9:00.  Debut of my nifty upside down heel, in Session 3 of my Toe Up Sock class.  I hope everyone can follow my directions!

Please, please, let me make it through the night, so this doesn't go down in history as the last thing I ever knit:

It wants to be felted and shaped, so it can be a beautiful little basket.

But right now it looks like -- well, the term "animal intestines" was thrown about quite a bit at tonight's knit-in.

Ugh.

Sarah

Monday, September 29, 2003

 A moment of silence, please . . .

R.I.P. (literally) to my latest Seamless Sweater.  I wasn't happy with the gauge (bad decision on my part), the stripeyness (?) of the color (I was alternating between two hand dyed skeins) or the tight-ish column of stitches where I was switching between the two skeins of yarn.  I kept thinking the beautiful red Kimmet Croft Fibers yarn would be put to much better use as a knit-between for all of the Mountain Colors yarns that I've been collecting in the Ruby River colorway.  So I ripped it out, balled it up, and moved it back into The Yarn Closet for some more marinating.

I'm also giving up on one of my pairs of Toe Up Socks, using Stars and Stripes from Wee Woolies by Jolen.  I didn't like the way the red, white and blue hand dyed yarn was striping (the foot and the leg each striped differently -- either one would have been fine, but I didn't like them together).

So that's two projects taken off the "What I'm currently working on" list.  Next I'm going to have a stern talking-to with the Felted Basket and Your Basic Bag, and see if I can talk some sense into either of them.  The Cardigan with Crocheted Ridges is having a time out (I have to psych myself up for the crochet).

I'm making progress on the smaller Entrelac Bag.  I wasn't happy with the color sequence I'm using this time, but I had a lightbulb moment today, and am now happily continuing on.  Wait 'til you see what I've got planned!  The Entrelac is good travel-knitting, because I don't have to think too much about it.  Even though it's still on the needles, it works as a bag -- I stuck in the skein of yarn (and a spare), and off I went!

Today being Monday, it was supposed to be "Class Project/Notes Day", but I jumped right into "Knitting for Hire Day" instead.  Yes, that's supposed to be on Wednesday, but I was on a roll with Snowfall and didn't want to stop.  I need a secretary to keep me on my schedule.  Or a mom.  Or a wife, but I think my husband would get confused. 

Progress on Snowfall:

Three complete repeats, after six days of knitting (seems like longer -- oh, it WAS longer -- I forgot to figure the Day of Ribbing into my calculations!).  I photographed the other side this time, so I can scan for boo-boos.  Don't see any (phew!), do you? 

I'm at the underarm now.  I appreciate your suggestion, Deb, and I understand how to make an underarm gusset now, thanks to your description and some books I referenced.  I still don't understand how to apply that to shoulders that are narrower than the body, but that's okay for now.  I have a picture in my mind of exactly what I want to do for a square armhole, so I'll stick with that this time. 

I think I'm going to work the sleeves from the cuff up (gasp!), for these reasons:

• I want the cuffs to match the body ribbing.
• I don't want to have to deal with the weight of the sweater (it's very heavy) while I'm knitting the sleeves.
• I've been teaching my Fair Isle students to leave the stitches at the top of the sleeve on the needle, pick up the same number of stitches around the armhole, and attach them using a three needle bind off.  I hear it works really well (yes, I'm teaching it even though I've never done it -- my students don't mind being my guinea pigs!).

I'm a little nervous about the armhole depth, because it's only going to be 9 inches.  I'd prefer 10, but I wanted it to fall within an even number of body repeats (I'm picky that way).  I think Snowfall may have to rest for a few days while I ponder this.

Look what came in the mail today:

These were from Diane in North Dakota.  I helped her with a knitting question, and she sent me these Sweater Wheels as a "thank you" -- one for raglan sweaters and one for sweaters with set-in sleeves.  The copyright date is 1969.  I'll have fun playing with these!  Thanks, Diane!

And welcome to new TKGA Knit-alonger Jenanne! 

Sarah

Sunday, September 28, 2003

June P. has joined the TKGA Knit-along!  Knit-alongers, please feel free to swipe the button at the left, if you want.

Deb, I've never done an underarm gusset, but will look into it.  Does it work if I want the shoulders to be a lot narrower than the body?

That's all the witty chit-chat I'm capable of tonight.  I'll do better tomorrow!

Sarah

Saturday, September 27, 2003

Dozed off in my knitting chair Friday before I could post.  When I say "knitting chair", I don't mean that the CHAIR was actually knitting -- that would be silly.  I meant that I knit IN the chair.  Except I wasn't.  Because I dozed off.  Like I said. 

Got the next repeat done on Snowfall:

I cringe every time I look at these photos, expecting to see an error, but so far, so good! 

I seem to be averaging a repeat every two days.  I will be knitting five repeats in the body, so that will take me . . . let's see now . . . a repeat every two days . . . five repeats . . . carry the one . . . ten days!  The body should take ten days!  Cool! 

Then I'll have to figure out how I'm going to do the sleeve alteration (from drop shoulder to square armhole).  I wonder how the pattern says to do the sleeve?  I haven't read that part yet.  I know there are a lot of knitters out there who read the pattern from start to finish before they begin to knit, but I'm not one of them.  Yes, I'm one of those people who curse when they see the words "AND AT THE SAME TIME", because I didn't look that far ahead.  Have I mentioned how skilled I am at ripping out my knitting?

I learned how to film a little video clip on my digital camera yesterday, and tried to film Mica leaping at the door (because she was doing it again), but Keiko kept interrupting her.  I did manage to film Mica giving herself a bath (she rolls back and forth, licking whatever she can reach), but can't figure out how to get it from the camera to the computer.  I may have to actually read the manual (gasp!).

Here's Keiko, with her legs crossed ever so daintily:

And Mica, looking particularly spotty today:

We're playing musical beds tonight, because we have company (and no guest room).  I get the bottom bunk!

Sarah

P.S. Bren joined the TKGA Knit-along!

Thursday, September 25, 2003

I'm not going to officially declare this and all future Thursdays to be anything yet, because I still haven't made it through Tuesday (Pattern Writing Day).  My Friday morning class was cancelled, so I'll try to use that unexpected free time productively (preferably in pattern writing, so I can get on with my week).

I did, however, work on Snowfall a little more today:

I'm a few rows past one complete repeat, and at the end of my first skein of the blue yarn.  I found one error in the chart (an "X" where there shouldn't have been one), so make a note of this if you're ever going to knit this sweater:  On Round 18, the second "X" from the left should be an empty square.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, I present a brief photo essay:

Behold the innocent, peaceful feline, enjoying a lovely autumn afternoon . . .

. . . until an invisible, annoying something interrupts her quiet solitude . . .

. . . transforming her into a complete idiot.

That's a glass door, not a screen.  She jumped at it about twenty times.  I never saw anything out there.  What a dufus.

Sarah

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

I got a nice surprise in my e-mailbox this afternoon!  Vicki from Modesto California sent me the following photo:

and wrote: 

I am a major novice at knitting… I started last November.  Your golf club covers were my first real project.

Isn't that cool?  She did a great job, and I LOVE what she did with the color changes! 

I'm constantly amazed by a) the e-mail I get from faraway places, from people I never would have met if it weren't for this cyberspace thing, and b) how nice people are -- Vicki took time out of her day to do this for me, and it really made MY day!

Thanks, Vicki!

And now a few (hundred) words about Snowfall:

(Are you ready?)  I have officially declared this and all future Wednesdays to be "Knitting for Hire Day".  Yeah, I know I messed up yesterday and was supposed to make up for it by working on pattern writing today, but I didn't.  I worked on Snowfall.  Still don't have the first repeat finished, though, so no progress photos. 

I switched Snowfall over to my new 32 inch circular needle this morning.  The stitches are much happier now that they're not all jammed up, although it's still 45 inches of sweater, so there's still a little bit of crowding.  Something longer than a 32 inch needle would probably have been even better, but at the time I thought the 32 incher would be the most useful later on.  Whatever.

Daphne asked whether the Winter/Spring 2001 Cast On issue (which contains Snowfall) was still available.  Yes, I told her, it is.  Go to TKGA's website, click on "Cast On", then on "Get Cast On", and you'll see it.  What I forgot to tell Daphne is that the charts for Snowfall aren't in that or any other issue (not that I could find, anyway).  I contacted TKGA, they contacted the designer, and after many, many, many months (this was during the time that TKGA changed hands twice), I finally received a xerox copy of the charts.  So if you're wanting to knit Snowfall, be sure to contact TKGA and ask them about the charts.

And finally, an observation:

I've noticed that when I look at the digital photographs I've taken of my knitting, I see the subjects in a different way -- more objectively, I think.  In person, I seem to zero in on negative bits and pieces (that stitch needs to be snugged, I wish I'd made the sleeves a little longer, I'll never knit Intarsia again, etc.).  When I look at my photographs, I view the finished product in its entirety, and I'm usually surprised (pleasantly) by what I see. 

Does anyone else experience anything like this?

Sarah

P.S.  Check out the cool button Teresa created for our TKGA Master Hand Knitter Level 1 Knitalong!  It's up there on the top left -- see it?  Thanks, Teresa!

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

New TKGA Master Level 1 Knitalong-ers:  Barbara C. and Daphne.  Welcome!  Who's next?

Thanks for all the nice comments about my upside down sock heel!  I'm getting a little kink in my shoulder from patting myself on the back.  I'll have a pattern available within a few weeks, and I'll let you know when it's ready, so keep your eyeballs peeled!

Son Number One has been bugging me about his Fair Isle pillow, which I promised would be completed during the last session of my Introduction to Fair Isle class, which was on September 19th.  I lied.  But it's done now -- I finished it at tonight's knit-in!

The front:

The back:

I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm going to mention it again because I'm a little embarrassed by the lumpiness at the center top and bottom.  The lumpiness is a result of the hem on the edge that's tucked underneath the corrugated rib.  I wanted my students to practice making two different kinds of borders along the cut steek edges.  Okay, I'll quit making excuses now.  I tucked the finished pillow in bed with Son Number One.  Let's see if he notices it when he wakes up in the morning.

I have officially declared this and all future Tuesdays to be "Pattern Writing Day", so of course I worked on Snowfall every chance I got.  Wait -- WEDNESDAY was going to be "Knitting for Hire Day".  What happened?  Oh well.  I'll write patterns tomorrow. 

I finished the corrugated rib on Snowfall, and started the pattern:

Between the 24 inch circular needle, the 45" circumference of the sweater, and the thick fabric created by using two colors of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, the stitches have been getting jammed up and I've had to do a lot of skootching (my spell check doesn't like that word, but you know what I mean, right?).  I ran by Yarn for Ewe today on my way to the knit-in and bought a 32 inch circular, in the hopes that the stitches will flow a little better.  I'll try it tomorrow -- oh, I'm supposed to be writing patterns tomorrow. 

Yeah, whatever.

Sarah

Monday, September 22, 2003

I had misplaced my Winter/Spring 2001 issue of Cast On, but found it today, so now I can show you approximately what Snowfall is going to look like:

The pattern is by Donna Kay, and is written as a drop shoulder sweater with a kind of side gusset that extends into the sleeve (you can sort of see it above the model's right hand).  My father-in-law's wife chose this pattern for me to make for her, and we decided to alter the pattern to make it a square armhole, so the shoulder seams will sit on the shoulders.  The gusset will be eliminated.  I'm a few rows into the corrugated ribbing so far. 

I have officially declared this and all future Mondays to be "Class Project/Notes Day", in an attempt to focus my attention on what needs to be done for each week's classes. 

So today I figured out how to write the directions for the upside-down sock heel that I'll be teaching on Wednesday.  I knit it this weekend in a worsted weight yarn, and I knit it today in a sock weight yarn.  The proportions worked out perfectly both times.  I can't tell you how excited I am about this (well, all right, apparently I can)!  Here's an extreme close-up:

That's Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Sport yarn in Tuscany (I think -- I can't find the labels), from the guys at ThreadBear Fiber Arts Studio. 

Speaking of ThreadBear, their Open House is the weekend of October 24th (Friday) through the 26th (Sunday).  My kids don't have school on Monday the 27th for some weird school reason, so we're making a family vacation out of it and I'll be able to visit ThreadBear on both Saturday and Sunday!  Yahoo!  Save me a comfy chair!

And Karen has joined the TKGA Master Knitalong!  Anyone else?

Sarah

Sunday, September 21, 2003

Inspired by Chris, who was inspired by Nanette, who was inspired by Sally Melville (although Sally wasn't talking exclusively about knitting, but that's all right), I present to you:

The top 10 things I wish I'd learned earlier (in the order they popped into my head):

1.  Do a gauge swatch.  A real one.  And wash it.

2.  How to block (I love my blocking board, t-pins, spray bottle, and wooly board).

3.  How to launder knitted items -- correctly.  I've had more than my share of laundry disasters.

4.  Safety pins rock.  They count rows for you, mark (and count) your increases and decreases, keep track of yarn tails, hang onto dropped stitches . . .

5.  Increase and/or decrease at least one stitch in from the edge of your sleeve/neckline/body/whatever.

6.  Don't tear anything out until after you've had a good night's sleep.  At least half the time, it didn't need to be torn out in the first place.

7.  How to do a spit splice.

8.  Continental knitting.

9.  THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO KNIT!

10.  How to look at my knitting.  Sounds simple, but completely changes the way you knit.

It's scary how fast these tumbled out.  Every one of them made me a better knitter, and I try to pass all of them along to my students. 

I started Snowfall today.  Here's a very wobbly swatch:

I'm using Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, which is very predictable, so I didn't wash or block it (despite #1 above).

Do as I say, not as I do!

Sarah

Saturday, September 20, 2003

How the heck did it get to be the 20th of September already?

Just got back from watching Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp in Once Upon a Time in Mexico.  Yummy.  Keanu is on something on television right now, but I'm not going to watch, for fear I'll explode from overstimulation.

Ahem.

I surrounded myself with knitting books today and researched heel techniques for my Toe Up Socks class.  The short row heel wasn't doing anything for me, and I wanted to find something more interesting.  One of my students challenged me to come up with a way to do a traditional sock heel backwards.  I did find a pattern that did exactly that, but when I tried it, I wasn't really thrilled with the way it worked or looked.

So I experimented for a couple of hours, and came up with something I really like and will be happy to teach.  Now if I can just figure out how to write it down in a way that a) can be understood, and b) works for a variety of gauges.

I got started on the Seamless Sweater I'm going to knit along with my class:

It's the red Kimmet Croft Fibers worsted weight merino wool that I got at Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp this summer.  There are two balls in play because it's a hand dyed yarn, and I don't want any surprises.

And does this look odd to anyone besides me?

I don't remember Jacobson's (R.I.P.) ever having anything remotely resembling a needlepoint department. 

This bag contains yet another intarsia sweater I agreed to make for the owner of Sicily.  It will have to wait until after Snowfall, Maidenhair and St. Brigid are completed. 

So I guess I'd better get started on those, hadn't I?

Sarah

Thursday, September 18, 2003

Not much knitting today (AGAIN), but I did do a little crotch-ett-ing.  My Cardigan with Crocheted Ridges actually HAS some crocheted ridges now!  Only the horizontal-ish ones, though.  I tore out the vertical ones because they were too wiggly.  I guess I thought that since it was CROCHET, the normal knitting rules wouldn't apply, so I worked one crabby stitch (reverse single crochet = crab stitch) per knit stitch.  That would have been too many stitches to pick up vertically in knitting, and it was certainly too many to work vertically in crochet.  I'll try again tomorrow using my world famous, patented "three out of four" rule.  Here's the result so far:

You can sort of see where the vertical lines will go, because the pattern had me work purl stitches to mark the spots.  Hey Deb -- that's what you used for your duplicate stitch that impressed me so much, and I didn't even realize I was doing the same thing!  (sound of hand smacking forehead)

I had a zoomed-in photo of the crocheted ridges, but I'm not showing it to you, because this fabric looks like it was knit by a toddler.  I'm not at all happy with the way this yarn (Blue Sky Alpaca) knits up, and I'm hoping the irregularities will block out.  On a smaller needle, it would have been fine, but I would have had to alter the pattern to match my gauge, and quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of doing that with just about everything I knit.

Tonight was Session 2 of my new Introduction to Entrelac class.  Here's where we are so far, approximately:

Exciting, isn't it?  I'm making a smaller, square version of the larger, rectangular piano bench cosy knitting bag I made a little while ago.  When it's done, I'll offer a pattern with both sizes.  Sweatergirl is in the class -- you can check on her progress here (link removed), assuming she posts an update photo tomorrow afternoon.

I've been worrying all day about a comment I left on someone's blog that didn't come out at all the way I meant it to.  The comments I write almost always look different to me after I hit "SUBMIT", and this one looked particularly snotty in retrospect.  Tonight I read Melissa's post about The Four Agreements.  I think I failed at all of them today.  I'll try to put my worry behind me and move on.

I'm going to go knit.

Sarah

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

I have three takers for the TKGA Master Knitter Level 1 knit-along so far, so that makes four of us -- Wendy S., Teresa, Debbi, and me (I've started a list on the left -- see it?  Anyone want to design a button?).  Oh, and Barbara Sylvia was interested a few days ago, so that makes five, and it sounds like Swatchy will join in when  (WHEN, not IF) we get to Level 2.  We're planning on starting in January.  I've never hosted a knit-along before, so I'm not really sure what to do.  I just figured I'd nag everybody constantly and see if that works. 

How much will it cost?  TKGA charges $30 for the Level 1 (Advanced Beginner) Master Hand Knitting Program.  You will also need supplies (yarn, tags, page protectors, binder), and Nanette warns me that there will be a need for a lot of reference books.  This is where I thought the knit-along would be helpful.  While it would seem odd for all of us to turn in the exact same swatches and answers, I think a pooling of ideas and technical know-how will make the process easier.  Not sure how that will work yet.  There are a lot of on-line sources we can use, too.  Nanette mentioned some of them in her September 16 post.

How should the timing work?  Level 1 requires sixteen (16) knitted swatches, fourteen (14) questions (to which they expect answers, I assume), and one (1) report on blocking.  If we worked on one item a week, that would take 31 weeks.  Too long, I think.  A swatch and a question each week would take 16 weeks (if the report counts as a two week project).  That sounds good to me.  Any other ideas? 

Oh, and if you ordered the Level 1 packet over a year ago, you'll need to contact TKGA to see if you have the most current information.  I'm assuming/hoping they'll send an update free of charge -- Debbi, is that true?  What's your revision date?

Toe Up Socks went well today (I think -- nobody started crying, anyway).  Here are some practice toes I used for examples:

And here's my exciting pile o' brown knitting:

Thrilling, isn't it?  Strap for Your Basic Bag on the top (not quite long enough yet) and miles of i-cord for the Felted Basket on the bottom.  I tried to sew the i-cord together today, but gave up after three attempts.  It must not be time yet.

And I successfully crocheted a ridge on my Cardigan with(out) Crocheted Ridges, so I might be able to finish that up someday soon. 

I got the long-awaited postcard from Davidson's in the mail today (Davidson's is where I got that cone of brown cordy stuff I'm making Your Basic Bag out of).  Their $2 per pound sale will be Saturday (October 11) and Monday (October 13), from 9:30-5:00.  They open up the warehouse and sell cones of mill-ends out of cardboard boxes -- it's an experience you won't soon forget.  LynnH, this is the sale I keep telling you about, where you can pick up a lot of dye-able yarn for $2/pound!  They'll also have bags of rug wool for 50 cents/pound, as well as wire racks and displays.  Davidson's is located at 109 E. Elizabeth Street in Eaton Rapids, Michigan.

I won't be going, though, because I'd probably want to buy something, and I've got that no-yarn-buying thing going on.  Has anyone noticed that it's been a whole week since I bought any yarn? 

That may be a record.

Sarah

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

My most favoritest knitty patterns are Rosedale, Tilt and Flashy.  All in all, a great issue.  Thanks, Amy!

No photos tonight, since I let my camera battery die.  Doesn't matter, because I haven't been knitting much lately, although Marcia has accused me of knitting in the shower.  She apparently thinks I've been extremely prolific in the knitting department.  No, Marcia, just in the finishing department. 

I've been frantically trying to put some notes together for my Toe Up Sock class that starts tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. sharp (and repeats at 6:30 p.m.).  I taught toe up socks once before, a couple of years ago, but wasn't really happy with the techniques I was using for the class.  The good news is that after days of researching and test knitting I'm finally ready (it's 12:38 a.m. Wednesday morning, and I'm having a celebratory glass of wine with my Dove Promises and Nabisco Sugar Wafers*).  The bad news is that after days of researching and test knitting, and finding the perfect toe-up toe (that's not a typo), I discovered that the techniques I used in my original toe up sock class were actually far superior to what I finally settled on today.  If I had just stuck to my old notes, I would have saved a lot of time.  But no.  That would have been so unlike me. 

Now if I could just figure out the perfect toe-up heel.  It eludes me.

On the knitting front, like I said, there hasn't been much going on.  I've knit about thirty little sock toes (only three remain as examples).  I've knit six (count 'em!) yards of brown i-cord, which I'm now supposed to sew together into the shape of a basket and then felt (yeah, that'll happen anytime soon!).  I've knit about a yard of brown garter stitch strap for Your Basic Bag (halfway there!).  I've finished knitting all of the pieces to the white Cardigan with Crocheted Ridges, but have to crochet some ridges before I can sew everything together (yeah, that'll happen anytime soon!).  My Entrelac bag is waiting for class on Thursday before it can grow any bigger.  Son Number 1's Fair Isle Pillow is waiting for class on Friday before it can be completed (Son Number 1 is tapping his foot impatiently).  I'm ready to start my Seamless Sweater to knit along with my, um, Seamless Sweater class, but I was waiting to figure out my toe up socks before starting it (hey, that happened today!).

Okay, before I forget, I would just like to say for the record that I want to host a TKGA Master Level 1 knit-along (both locally and on-line), although it probably won't happen until after the holidays.  Will somebody remind me in late December or early January, please?  If you're interested in joining along, let me know, and then go ahead and order your Level 1 packet NOW.  And check out Nanette's post today (September 16, in case you forgot already). 

I'm pouring a second glass of wine and heading off to read a few blogs.

Sarah

* okay, I just spent way too much time looking for a link to Nabisco Sugar Wafers.  I can't find an image.  Look for them in the grocery store.  They're phenomenal.  Especially with dark chocolate and a little vino.

Monday, September 15, 2003

No post tonight . . . too busy reading the new knitty!

Sarah

Sunday, September 14, 2003

Here's Tokyo's retake:

It's a gorgeous sweater (big, heavy sigh).

Sweatergirl gifted the teacher on Thursday night (that would be moi) with handfuls of Dove Dark Promises (sound ominous, don't they?).  She was looking for some extra credit, methinks.  There are little sayings inside the foil wrappers, and as I was eating my way through a pile of them while blogging last night, I found one that said: 

Life without chocolate is too terrible to contemplate

I concur.

Maybe I could get paid in chocolate for all my classes from now on?

Sarah

p.s. ohmigod, look what I discovered while searching for Dove Dark Promises (click here). 

Saturday, September 13, 2003

I almost didn't post yesterday because blogland seems kind of vacant on weekends (not that I NEED an audience, but it helps!), but I'm glad I did, because I found out that I'm not the only one considering the TKGA Master Handknitting Program.  Cool!  I can always use some moral support.  Maybe we can do a swatch-along, with experienced swatchers Swatchy, Anne and Nanette as our coaches/cheerleaders? 

I took some glamour shots of some finished projects today for my, um, Finished Projects page, but only one turned out.  Here's ChicKami #1:

I'll have to re-shoot the others.  They were uncooperative.

Brown is probably my least favorite color, but I seem to have two brown projects on the needles right now.  Your Basic Bag from Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch is here:

It's not very far along, but the yarn(?) has absolutely no stretch to it at all, so it's hard on my hands and I don't do a whole lot at one time.  It's not actually yarn -- it's more of a cord, and kind of crunchy.  I bought it at a mill-end sale at Davidson's warehouse in Eaton Rapids a few years ago, and always intended to make a purse out of it.  I have to knit 72 inches of this garter stitch strap, which forms both the base, narrow sides, and strap.  Stitches will be picked up for the front and back of the purse, but I won't get to that part for a while.

Can you tell what this is going to be?

It's going to be 216 inches of i-cord (why couldn't they just say 6 yards -- doesn't that sound shorter?), which will then be coiled and sewn (ooh, ick) into the shape of a cool looking basket (hopefully), and then felted (let's see, what other labor-intensive technique can we add to this project?).  The basket pattern is from the Summer 2001 issue of Interweave Knits (page 53, filled with felted pears).  The original pattern called for 10 inches of i-cord.  I realized that couldn't possibly be right, and found the correction on their website.  I started it at the Knitters' Night Out at Yarn for Ewe tonight, because it was the most brainless project of the three I had taken to work on.

The purse and the basket both qualify as "small projects", so I've already blown my project schedule right out the window. 

Are you surprised?  I'm not.

Sarah

Friday, September 12, 2003

While at The Yarn Garden in Charlotte for a class this morning, I picked two skeins of Galway off the shelf with the intention of paying for them after class was over.  They're for swatches for the TKGA Master Handknitting Program.  I had purchased two skeins of the same yarn earlier this year, for the same purpose, but ended up using them in my son's Fair Isle pillow cover. 

I have often said that I don't need a certificate to tell me that I'm a good knitter (that's not meant to sound snotty, but it does, doesn't it?), and I really don't want to be writing any book reports.  But when I started my business in January and created my website, I thought a Master Knitter certification might look good in my credentials.  I have occasionally been asked by a new student, "why would I want to take a class from you?"  Okay, not in those words exactly, but almost.  I'm having trouble finding the right words today -- fuzzy brain from a head cold. 

Anyway, I decided to give the Master certification a try.  I have already learned some very cool new techniques from the experience but have yet to complete a swatch.  Or start one, for that matter.  I have way too many other things on my plate.  But now I WANT to do this -- I WANT to have someone look at my work and tell me what I could do better.  I'm thrilled that I'm still learning, and that knitting is still evolving with amazing new techniques and tools.  And I'm happy and honored to be able to pass these skills on to other knitters.

But I'm too darned busy right now (or maybe it's that I've got my priorities out of whack) so the Master Handknitting Program is going to have to wait a little while longer.  

And I HAVE solemnly sworn not to buy any new yarn until the end of May.

So I put the two skeins of Galway back on the shelf.

Sarah 

Thursday, September 11, 2003

I didn't have much to say yesterday, due to a killer migraine (estrogen-induced, and down to a dull roar today, thank you for asking).  Today I was busy writing notes for Session 1 of my Introduction to Entrelac class (which went very well, thank you for asking), but I did manage to take this photo of the back of Sicily:

Michelle's comment about it having been designed by committee is spot on.  I've grown rather fond of it lately (now that it's done).  I'm very proud of the work I did.  As I have been known to say to my husband, "It's a good thing you're not wearing a hat, or it would pop right off!" (swelled head, get it?) (from pride) (get it?)

What's next?  Snowfall, from the Winter/Spring 2001 issue of Cast On.  I promised my father-in-law's wife a sweater, and that's what she picked out.  And I got the yarn at Yarn for Ewe, so I can work on it at the Knitter's Night Out this Saturday night! 

I'm trying to limit the projects I'm working on.  I knit along with most of my classes, so there will always be a class project (or two or three) in the works, but I can only go as far as the homework for the next class.  Currently, I'm working on Toe Up Socks, a smaller Entrelac bag, a Fair Isle pillow, and I'm swatching for another Seamless Sweater (okay, that's four -- whatever).  I've got three custom knitting projects waiting, but I'll work on them one at a time (Snowfall falls into this category).  Other than those, I'm going to try to have one small and one large project going (currently, Your Basic Bag and Cardigan with Crocheted Ridges).  If I can stick to this game plan for more than a week, I'll be very proud of myself.

And not wearing a hat.  Because it might pop right off.

Sarah

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  I offer two (words, not pictures):

Sicily.  Done. 

Sarah

Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Thanks, everyone, for making my decision regarding Tokyo an easier one.  I REALLY appreciate your help!  I'm sending you each a hug and a big wet kiss on the forehead!

Since I've sworn off of yarn buying for the next decade (I received a stern talking-to from Sweatergirl at tonight's knit-in, and I'm ready to take our no-yarn-buying pact seriously now), that doesn't mean I can't buy any OTHER knitting related items (does it?). 

Here's the treasure I found at the dollar days sale at my LGS (local grocery store!):

A double-sided box with lots of little compartments!  Exactly what I've been looking for! 

It was empty when I bought it, but I filled it up fast!  Here's this side:

And if you flip it over (after closing the lid very securely, of course) you see this layer:

Pretty darned exciting, if you ask me.

And here's something you don't see every day:

Well, obviously YOU don't see this every day, but neither do those of us who live with these little sweetie pies.  Mica and Keiko are beginning to tolerate each other!

Oh, and I'm up to 60 projects now (see the end of yesterday's post).  I pulled some yarn out of my stash to knit along with my Seamless Sweater class that starts tomorrow.

Scroll down past the giant sweater photos from yesterday and look in the yarn closet.  It's from the box on the second shelf from the top, on the right hand side, under the blue basket.  See it?  Isn't it pretty?

It's red.  Mmmmm.

Sarah

Monday, September 8, 2003

These photos are for Emma, who very nicely asked to see me wearing Tokyo (the SWEATER, not the CITY).  I asked my husband to please make me look okay.  Here's the "look how big it is" photo:

I knit it to the  46-1/2" circumference of the small/medium size, and the 29-1/2" length of the medium/large size (on purpose).  When washed and hung on the wooly board, it decided it wanted to be 52" around and 33" long.  And yes, I usually like things oversized, but not THAT oversized.

Here's the "but I might be able to make it work if I did this" photo:

(Didn't I do a good job getting into the exact same position?  I could get a part time job as a cardboard cutout of myself!)  Unbuttoned, and with the sleeves rolled up, it doesn't look QUITE as huge.  I could shorten the sleeves if I had to (but I don't want to).  Still not particularly flattering, though.

Now here's the thing -- I have a buyer.

So what do you think?  Keep it or sell it?  I'm thinking that it was enjoyable to knit, so I could easily make another one in a (much) smaller size that I would be a lot happier with.  PLEASE comment and give me your opinion.  I know you're out there, and I could use your advice on this one. 

Okay.  On to the next point of business:

This is my newly organized yarn closet:

That doesn't look so bad, does it?  The doors are usually shut, and no one ever looks in there except me. 

I tried to organize it by color this time (I change the sorting order every time -- keeps things interesting).  Multiple colored projects on the top shelf and a half, and then we start with red (which takes about a shelf's worth of space) and progress through orange, (no yellow), a teeny bit of green, lots of blue, tons of purple, lots of black, a smidge of brown, and finally some white (hey Teresa!  I found 20 balls of off-white Jamieson Soft Shetland I had forgotten about -- Old Shale, here I come!).

Then there's this pile hiding in a corner of the dining room:

This is my knitting-for-hire pile.  Three sweaters' worth.  As soon as Sicily is done (maybe tomorrow?) I'm starting on the project in the bag on top -- stay tuned!

Then there's what's piled around my knitting chair:

I put everything away except what I'm allowing myself to work on right now, which isn't much.  In the Entrelac bag are the makings for a smaller version of the Entrelac bag for my Introduction to Entrelac class which starts Thursday night.  Underneath it, in my "main" knitting bag, is absolutely nothing.  In the lidded basket on the right are projects for my other classes -- the Introduction to Fair Isle pillow for Son Number 1, the beginnings of a sample for my Toe Up Sock class which starts next week, and various swatches and samples.  On top of that basket is Sicily, about an hour and a good blocking away from being totally and completely finished.  I had hoped to get Sicily done on Friday as a Grand Finale to my week of finishing, but despite my best efforts, it just didn't happen.  In the basket under the table is the Cardigan with Crocheted Ridges, which you're not allowed to see until it's all done (soon!), and next to it on the floor is a cone of brown cord-y stuff that is going to be the purse from Sally Melville's Knit Stitch book (okay, okay, I broke down and started the strap.  I had to take a break from all that finishing!).

Oh, and there seems to be a hank of something here on my desk.  I found it in my mailbox this afternoon:

I don't know what that could possibly be though, since I'm being such a good girl and religiously following my no-yarn-buying pact with Sweatergirl.  It must be there by mistake.

That's it -- that's my stash.

I was going over my carefully assembled List of Projects for Which I Have Both Yarn and Pattern, tallied all the categories (it's 15 pages long), and blurted out that there were 59 items total.  Then I looked up and saw the look of horror and incredulity on my husband's face.  I couldn't stop myself from following up with "that doesn't count the yarn I have that isn't for any particular project!"

Some things are better left unsaid, you know?

Thought for the day from Son Number 1:  The twisted frog can't stop my yarnaholic.

And from my husband:  In your dreams do slubby hip to knit fingers purl slick thread instead of knitting bulky yarn to gauge on spectacular flickering needles?

Sarah

Saturday, September 6, 2003

Lookie what I found when I was sorting through my Stitches Midwest purchases:

Knitting related magnet thingies that now reside on the door of my fridge!  I spelled out "I need yarn", and hubby followed up with "measure the bulky before flickering my slubby". 

I sorted through all of my yarn and projects this afternoon.  I updated my project lists on the right hand side of this page.  The "What I wish I was working on" section grew substantially.  The "What I'm currently working on" section will be thinned out shortly.  Happily, I was able to assign some older stash yarn to some projects I want to knit, so that was a plus.  Sadly, I was unable to assign some newer stash yarn, so that was a minus. 

I wasn't able to get much knitting done because I was busy preparing for this:

which would be our annual Fantasy Football Draft Party.  You wouldn't believe how serious these guys get.  I've never seen so many laptops in use at one time.  See the chart on the wall?  That was a new feature this year.  Very official looking.  I mostly hid in the back room and got caught up on some blogs in between refilling the bowls of chips and dip, although the guys accused me of sending secret e-mail messages to my husband, guiding his choices.  Like I would be any help?

Doubt it.  The only thing I like about football is how much knitting I can get done while we watch the games.

Sarah

Friday, September 5, 2003

It's Day 5 of my finishing extravaganza, and I'll spare you the suspense.

Exhibit #5:  Miscellany:

Status:  Complete (complete, complete, complete, complete)

Technically, this is five items, but they needed so little work that I had them lumped into one entry under my "What I'm currently working on" list.  I sewed the ends in on the hats and washed and blocked them, and added tassels to the scarves.

The hats are, from left to right:  Ann Norling's Big Hat (scroll to the very bottom of the linked page), using leftovers from an Ironstone sweater kit (amazing, since I usually run out of yarn with their kits).  Lisa R. Myers' Beret from The Joy of Knitting (p. 115), using Grignasco Top Print (100% alpaca).  In a former life, this beret celebrated its fifteen minutes of fame as a much-talked-about dinner plate sweater (ohhhh!).  Another Big Hat, using two Filatura di Crosa yarns (Solo and ?) that I got on sale years ago at a yarn store in Ann Arbor that was going out of business (Yarn Expressions?).  Big Hat #1 is enormous.  I'll probably end up trying to felt it.  I love Big Hat #2 (it's mostly orange, but includes every other color imaginable) and will probably wear it when shoveling snow this winter. 

The scarves are both a dropped stitch pattern I got for free from Skein Haus Needleworks in Lansing (out of business) when I purchased some Siena yarn, so the pattern is called Siena Scarf.  The scarf on the left is knit from Trendsetter Yarns Dune (41%mohair, 30% acrylic, 12% viscose, 11% nylon, and 6% metal).  The scarf on the right is knit from Filati Bertagna Zefiro (60% cotton, 30% flax, 10% nylon).  I went a little nuts with the tassels -- they expanded after I tied and cut them.  Oh well, big is in, right?

Speaking of big,  I'm not sure what to do about Tokyo.  It is, as evidenced in yesterday's post, enormous.  I could tell it was going to be -- I knit it perfectly to gauge, but washing flattened out the stitch pattern quite a bit (sound familiar, Sweatergirl?).  I'm either going to have to (gulp) tear it out and re-knit it in a much smaller size, or offer it for sale to someone who can do it justice (I can't just give it away -- the kit was an extremely overpriced $255).  The body is approximately 52" around, and the length, when hanging on Sheila (the dressform) is 33".

Moral of the story:  wash those @#$%& gauge swatches!

Needing some cheering up, I zipped over to Woven Art to pick up the bag o' yarn I've had on hold.  Was able to use my 20% off coupon, and ended up with this pile of purply goodness:

The bottom two hanks are Henry's Attic Alpine Cotton, dyed by Nancy McRay, the proprietress of Woven Art.  The top three hanks are a merino/silk blend, handspun and hand dyed by my friend Jacquie Vaughan. 

And no, these don't violate my no-yarn-buying pact with Sweatergirl (see end of post from Tuesday, August 26), although I did update my "Date of last yarn purchase".

I'm more than ready to start a new project (or three!).  The hardest part about doing all this finishing is that there hasn't been any KNITTING going on!  There are a couple of projects I will HAVE to start (for a class and for a customer), but I can't decide what I want to knit next for ME.  I'll try to locate all my piles of yarn tomorrow, make a detailed list (scary but fun!), and see what project strikes my fancy (where the hell did that phrase come from?). 

I can't think of a clever way to close this post, so I'll just stop now.

Sarah

Thursday, September 4, 2003

Oh my!

Goodness gracious! 

If I'd known my little ol' plate cosy was going to elicit such a tremendous outpouring of humanitarianism and good will toward our fragile, underprivileged dinnerware friends, I would have started posting my "knitting for the home" collection ages ago!

You guys crack me up.

Oh!  I made a funny!  "You guys CRACK ME UP", get it?  Maybe I need a Sarah protector to match my plate protector.  Get it?  Huh? 

(Okay, everyone.  Take a deep breath.  Hold it.  Hold it.  And exhale.  Now let's get past this silliness and remember why we're here -- to talk about MY KNITTING!!!!)

Ahem.

Thanks for all the nice words about Mary Tudor.  I'm very pleased with her.  I took a couple more pictures for you.  Here's one on my friend Sheila:

And a close up of the shoulder and collar so you can see the pretty colors (I think they are more accurate in this photo, taken without a flash):

See the Fair Isle garter stitch on the collar?  That was some nasty knitting.  And is it just me, or is the placement of the two chest-high motifs a little, shall we say, awkward?

And today?

Exhibit #4:  Tokyo, looking absolutely huge (I threw a washer and dryer in for scale):

Status:  Complete

All I had to do was add a button loop, sew on the button, and block.  I haven't sewn in the official "Hanne Falkenberg" label yet, but I will, because I figure that name was responsible for at least half the cost of the very expensive kit.

Did anyone notice that the wooly board photos of Tokyo and Mary Tudor show little strands of blue yarn hanging down the middle?  I basted the center bands together so I could stretch the sweaters out on my board -- each had only one button, which didn't provide enough stability.  I hadn't used that technique before -- it worked very well.

Tomorrow night:  The debut of my one-of-a-kind cone covers -- why should the dinner plates have all the fun?

Sarah

Wednesday, September 3, 2003

Wow!  You're all being so supportive!  Thanks Teresa, Larry, Robin S, TheresaW, Chris, Brenda, Michelle, Matt, and Greta (and Rob via e-mail)!  Your good wishes are really keeping me motivated.  You can go ahead and start the clapter (if it isn't a word, it should be), but I'm warning you, your hands are going to get tired! 

I was a knitter on a mission today, and have all day Thursday and Friday to keep up the pace since I'll be stranded at home without a car.  Note to local friends:  No, I didn't get hit again.  LAST summer was when I received the "Customer of the Year" trophy from my body shop.  THIS summer my air conditioning gave out, probably an indirect result of having been rear ended about a hundred times LAST summer (and winter).

Anyway, as a little mid-week reward for all my hard work, I ran over to Stitch in Time in Howell to see if I could do something about the store credit that was burning a hole in my wallet.  I traded it and an extra $12.72 for this:

That's eleven skeins of Lopi in a dark, dark navy (almost black), to make the Einstein Coat from Sally Melville's Knit Stitch book.  And eight hanks of Rowan Summer Tweed in a tweedy (obviously) lavender (I know, I'm in a purple rut) to make a model of my Short Ribs sweater so I can try out the pattern as I write it.

I updated my "Date of last yarn purchase" in the upper right hand corner (see it up there?), but I don't consider this a violation of my no-yarn-buying pact with Sweatergirl, because it was a pre-existing exception (see end of post from Tuesday, August 26).  I do have a slight problem, though, stemming from a certain larger-than-life photograph that Rob (the devil) e-mailed me today, of a luscious hank of the ever elusive Mountain Colors Merino Ribbon in Ruby River, which I've been hank-ering after for quite some time.  I'm being a tower of strength, however, and will not succumb.  (psst, Rob -- did you get my e-mail?)

Ahem.  On to today's progress.  I couldn't resist this shot, although my sweet Mica doesn't pose as well as Wendy's Lucy. 

This sweater was SO close to being finished.  I just needed to neaten up some loose stitches at the underarms, sew on the button, and do something with the cut stitches on the inside of the button bands.  There were some issues with the weird mitered corners at the bottom (cut threads were peeking around the corners and waving hello to everyone).  I've never finished off my cut stitches before, but felt it was necessary in this case, to rein in the friendly little buggers.  I used the explanation in Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting but crossed over every two stitches instead of every one stitch.  I left the cut steek stitches around the armhole untreated. 

Here's a peek at my mostly even cross stitches:

Exhibit #3:  Mary Tudor, after a soak and spin (please disregard the pile of laundry, and yes, that's a basket of yarn in the corner -- it's everywhere):

Status:  Complete

Up next:  Explaining to my husband that I'm not knitting sweaters for all our dinner plates.

Sarah

Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Exhibit #1:  ChicKami #2, drying outside on my patio:

Status:  Complete

Except for a little wind and some falling leaves, this was pretty uneventful.  On the first floor of the sweater-dryer-high-rise is a white short sleeved sweater that I washed at the same time.  Nothing exciting.  Finished years ago, so it doesn't count for this week's tally.

Exhibit #2:  Charlotte's Web, drying downstairs in "the office", which is the only room I can keep the cat out of (out of which I can keep the cat?):

Status:  Complete

Stretched to within an inch of its life.  I need to trim the fringe one more time, apparently.  And next time I get the bright idea to alternate light and dark shades, point me toward this picture.  It's lovely, and the recipient will be pleased, but it's far too stripey for my taste.  It is, however, done, and is therefore perfect.

That's two projects completed in two days.  Please hold your applause until all completed projects are present and accounted for.

Thank you.

Sarah

Monday, September 1, 2003

I have really been laboring over the long weekend, and am obliged to admit that I have finished nothing at all.

BUT, I am SOOOOO close on enough things, that I'm tempted to predict that I can finish a project a day for an entire week.  Can I do it?  Probably not.  Maybe we'll only count weekdays, and maybe it will be more like finishing five things within five days, not one thing EACH day.  We'll see how it goes.  No promises. 

For starters, here's Monday's "completed" project:

ChicKami #2, knit from Cascade Sierra, color 89. 

Okay, you caught me -- you noticed the quotation marks around the word "completed".  So, the ends aren't woven in, and it hasn't been blocked, just smashed down really hard for the photo.  What did you expect?  It's ME we're talking about here. 

That's precisely what this week is going to be all about.  It WILL be finished tomorrow, as will something else . . .

Sarah

Previous month's archive