Charity Knitting

I just knit my first pair of sock for Warm Woolies. Check out their site for details, but they provide knitted garments for orphans overseas and for poor children on two reservations in South Dakota.

They ask that items be knit either in bulky weight or double-stranded worsted weight. I chose the latter for these socks, and I think it gave it a cheerful color scheme. Items should also be mostly or all wool since it does so well in cold wet weather.



If you have some extra time or yarn on your hands, what better way to use both up? This is a great cause, but you can always find something else if you like. Just google "charity knitting" and you'll find plenty to keep you busy.

Ravelry Scarf Exchange

I'm participating in the Ravelry Scarf Exchange. My knitter was Boldly. The scarf is really pretty, as you can see.



I've finally chosen a pattern and yarn for the one I'm knitting, and I've even done about four inches. Woohoo!

If you get a chance to join a swap like this, I'd highly recommend it. It's fun to knit for a stranger. You get a chance to "get to know" someone and work on doing something they'll like. I've tried about half a dozen patterns so far before settling on one I like, and I think she'll like, as well.

Of course, one great benefit is that you do get some knitted goodies. Who can complain about that?

Miscellany

I’ll finish the shawl today, and I plan on getting up in time to block it tomorrow morning before work. I think it’s going to be really pretty, but I’m also pretty sick of working on it too. I usually don’t work on just one item at a time like I have with this one, so I think that’s made it even worse for me.

I’ve got several projects clamoring for attention. Three pairs of socks, a sweater I’m dying to start, a sweater that needs ripping back (the im-perfect sweater, it turns out), and I want to start a shawl for myself. Looks like it’s going to be a busy summer.

I promise (honest, really) to post some pictures. I’ve been so busy with the shawl, I haven’t taken time to do anything. I’ll remedy that. Promise.

Still here, or back, or whatever

I'm still around. I've not been gone, really, though I haven't felt particularly inspired to write for the blog. We do have new kittens (pics later).

I very nearly finished the North Sea shawl for my Mom's Mother's Day present. It's still in my purse, getting all the attention I can spare. That's one reason for my slacking here, so at least it's a partly good excuse.

I think I can finish in three or four days, and then I'll have plenty of pictures of the finished product.

Are you a keeper or a user?

I've been reading the Yarn Harlot's book, Stephanie Pearl McPhee Casts Off. Although the book doesn't seem to have been generally well-liked, I thought it was good.

One thing it made me think about was how we approach knitted items. Do you store them away, like an heirloom, or use them as you would anything else?

I'm most definitely a user. If I knit something for myself, you can almost bet I'll be wearing it tomorrow. To me, putting it in a drawer to "save" isn't any fun. And what am I saving it for anyway? My husband tends to be the same way. He wore his bright red and yellow knit socks to the grocery store recently -- with shorts. Can you imagine the looks he got?

When he got home, he proudly told me people were looking and admiring his socks! Heh...

My mom is just the opposite. She rarely wears what I knit her. She has a tendency to put away anything she really likes to "save" it. I have trouble understanding that; it just doesn't seem like she'd get any enjoyment out of it at all.

Anyone care to enlighten me?

New Blogger Feature

I'm trying out Blogger's new feature that allows you to write a post and schedule it for a future time. I'm writing this Saturday night and scheduling it to come up Sunday. We'll see if it works as smoothly as Wordpress does.

This is one of the features I think Blogger was really lacking. If I'm going away or know I'll be busy, I sometimes schedule posts to publish on my wordpress blog, but I never could do it here. If this works well, then I can see this helping me to keep a more regular posting schedule.

Shawl update

First off, here's the obligatory spring flowers shot. Aren't they pretty? I have no idea what they are, but they were blooming last weekend at the hotel where we were staying.


Speaking of hotel, that's it.

Okay, a shawl update. It's coming along really well. The pattern is North Sea, from the folk shawls book I've mentioned here before.

I'm using Knit Picks Gossamer, which is a lace weight yarn. The color is trail, which is a nice mix of earth tones (rust, tan, green, brown). Like I said before, the pattern is super easy, but it's knitting up to look more complex than it really is.

Here are some pictures of it (thanks to my husband, who's much better with the camera than I am!) Try to imagine that it's blocked already. Lace does look a bit crappy while it's on the needles, doesn't it?



The pattern is hard to see unblocked, but the color is pretty accurate. I'm pleased with it.

We almost had a disaster right after the shot. Our dog got her foot tangled in the yarn and we had to do some quick grabbing and untangling. She has a tendency to flip out a bit if she gets into the yarn, and I had visions of all this work getting unraveled and dragged all over the house.

I need to lie down.

At least someone can relax

That's actually a picture of TWO cats. They're almost the same color and curled up together. She wasn't terribly happy that I woke her with the flash.

We've been down with a cold, after being out of town for a couple of days. It was a trip I'd been looking forward to, and I was lucky not to get sick till after we got back, but still.

I'm still working on the shawl, which is coming along nicely. It's the North Sea shawl from the Folk Shawls book. I didn't realize it when I picked it, but it's a simple pattern to memorize (one line!), and it's turning out very pretty. I couldn't stand it; I had to show my mom to be sure she liked the color. She does. If you've never done lace before, then this is a perfect one for a beginner. Not only is it an ultra simple pattern, there's also no edging to do, so that's even simpler. It's a rectangle (which I prefer anyway). The only downside is that two panels have to be grafted together at the end. If you don't like doing that, then that might be an issue. I'm a really slow grafter, but I can do it.

Here are a couple grafting links (also called kitchener) that might help. I have very little patience, and if I can do it, anyone can.

Knitty
Bagatell

Both of those sites have great pictures and cover grafting stockinette.

Grafting stockinette and garter

This one doesn't have as many pictures, but once you get the idea, you shouldn't need them. The nice thing here is that it covers grafting garter stitch as well as stockinette.

I'll try to get some good pictures of the shawl not that it's no longer a secret. My daffodils are gone, but my consolation prize is that my lilac bushes are almost bloomed. I promise pictures of those too when they're fully out.

The Things I Say

So far today, I have said all this to my dog....

Don't eat the trash!
Don't eat the rabbit turds!
Do NOT drink out of the toilet!

I sound like a blithering idiot.

Unreality

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote. Sorry about that; things just got away from me.

I finished my husband's first sock and started the second, but no pics for now. I'm too lazy to run upstairs and grab the camera. I promise pics later though.

I decided to do a shawl for my mom for mother's day. I did a little figuring last night, and I'm only about 1/6 of the way finished. I have only a little over a month to finish it, wash and block it. Am I being unrealistic? Let's hope not.

Knitting Exchanges

I just signed up for a scarf exchange on Ravelry. It looks like it's going to be a lot of fun, and you have until the end of summer to finish, so there's not even much pressure. I'm jkay on Ravelry if you want to look me up.

I've decided to frog the Birds Nest Shawl and try something else. It's knit with two strands of yarn, and I was looking for something a bit more light and airy. I'm going to try the North Sea Shawl on page 93 and see if that speaks to me.

If you haven't taken a look at the Folk Shawls book, you really should. Some of them are just breathtaking.



I'm still working on my husband's socks, and the fit is really good. I'm glad I ripped them out and made them a little smaller in diameter. It made a huge difference in the fit.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to dye yarn this weekend after all. My hubby even picked up some mason jars for me, and the koolaid packs are laid out on the microwave. I may start to wind the yarn tonight at least. I can't wait to try my hand at it.

Well, I'm off to cast on for that shawl. If I like it, I'll take some pics.

Sock Tutorial, Part 2

Well, here it is, the second half of the sock tutorial.

I ended up ripping it back out after all. After a few inches, it was apparent that it was a bit too big. So, I ripped back to the toe increases and left it at 12 stitches per needle, for 48 total. That's down from 56 from the first try.

I worked the top of the foot in knit 2/purl 1 rib, with a purl stitch beginning the top of the foot to separate it from the stockinette on the bottom. That means the top of the foot is worked on a 3+1 pattern, or 25 stitches.

I knit the sock until the top of the foot reaches the point where the foot and leg meet. (Sorry about the mess; lazy Saturday!) See what I mean? My hubbie has BIG feet.

Now, forget about the top of the foot for a while and knit the bottom. This is the same as knitting a heel flap, only upside down. Remember to slip the first stitch of each row and then just knit (or purl) across.

Knit the flap until you get almost, but not quite, to the end of the foot. I'm about half an inch from the tip of his heel, with the sock unstretched. Now, you're ready to turn the heel.

I use the directions from Yarn Harlot's book, Knitting Rules, but you can find similar instructions online of you don't have the book.

You knit to a little past the center, knit (or purl) 2 together, knit (or purl) one, turn. After the first time on this sock, I had 8 stitches left unworked. Then I turned and did the same, being sure to leave 8 stitches unworked.

Then, you'll see the "hole" your turns make, and you'll knit (or purl) the 2 stitches together on either side of that hole. Then knit (or purl) one and turn. You'll gradually use up stitches. You should progress by 2's. Here's how mine went.

Purl across, purl 2 together, purl 1, leaving 8 stitches unworked.
Turn, knit across, knit 2 together, knit 1, leaving 8 stitches unworked.
Turn, purl across, purl the 2 stitches on either side of the hole, purl 1, leaving 6 stitches unworked.
Turn, knit across, knit 2 stitches on either side of the hole, knit one, leaving 6 stitches unworked.
Turn, purl across, purl the 2 stitches on either side of the hole, purl 1, leaving 4 stitches unworked.
Turn, knit across, knit 2 stitches on either side of the hole, knit 1, leaving 4 stitches unworked.
Continue until you've worked all the stitches.... Notice that it doesn't matter how many stitches you're working. It's easier just to count the stitches you're leaving unworked.

This is what the hole looks like on the knit side.

And this is what it looks like on the purl side.

If you need some more help with this part, here are some links.

MimKnits

This one is a bit complicated, and she does wrap her stitches.

About

This one is similar to the way I do it, but she workes it over only a couple stitches.

Knitting Fiend

This is pretty much exactly how I do it, with some more pictures.

This is what the heel cup looks like when you're finished. Note that I don't bother wrapping my short rows, but I know plenty of people do. I just try to be careful and pull them tight so there are no holes. This picture is the back of the foot, bottom up.

Now, all you need to do is pick up your gusset stitches. Those are the loops you made by slipping the first stitch of each row. On this sock, I ended up picking up 10 on each side, between the heel stitches that remain and the stitches on top of the foot. The heel is at the top of this picture, the foot at the bottom.

Now, you're back to knitting in the round. I keep the top of the foot in ribbing and everything else in stockinette until I get the number of stitches back down to where I started (48). If your calves are a bit thin, you might want to go a touch smaller, if they're big, then a touch bigger. I decreased this sock to 51 stitches for my husband. Just be sure to keep your ribbing pattern in mind when deciding on the final number of stitches.

Decreases are worked every other row, in the corner where the gusset stitches meet the front of the foot.

Decreasing:

On this side of the sock, knit until you're within three stitches of the end of the gusset stitches. Knit 2 together, knit 1, and then continue knitting across the foot.

On this side, knit 1, work a slip/slip/knit decrease, and then continue knitting.

When you've decreased back to the number of stitches you want for the leg, start working the ribbing all the way around. If you need to alter the size of the leg after starting the ribbing, change needle sizes instead of number of stitches so you can preserve the ribbing pattern.

That's it! Just knit the leg as long as you want it and bind off loosely.

Knit, knit, knit

I have one more sleeve to sew in to the perfect sweater. I did it with a rolled hem, but I'm re-thinking that. I think I may add an inch or so of ribbing to give the bottom a bit more shape.

Sorry there are no pics. I've been struggling to get back to feeling like myself. I've been working mostly on the sweater, and I cast on for a cute beanie that's in the winter Interweave Crochet magazine. If you're a Dr. Who fan, it's a lot like the rose colored one Martha Jones wore in this week's episode.

I've been so looking forward to Kool-Aid dyeing, and I just haven't felt up to it. That should give you an idea how rotten I've felt. I've still got my Kool-Aid packs and sock yarn waiting. Hopefully this weekend...

Not much progress on the bird's nest shawl. I haven't felt particularly inspired. Maybe that's a sign or something?

I promise pics soon and a better update.

Back at it

I'm back and finally feeling better. I got my yarn and started the bird's nest shawl, but I haven't made it more than a few rows. I've got the socks still going, and the perfect sweater ready to assemble. I'm thinking that's a job for this weekend.

I've had this itch to start organize my stash. I've got yarn stuffed everywhere, needles, etc., and it's tough to keep track of what I have. I'm thinking I need to make better use of Ravelry.

By the way, if you're a Ravelry member, I'm jkay. Look me up.

I'll post some pics of my work this weekend.

On the Mend

Wow, I've been really sick. I've had the worst case of the flu since I was a little kid. To give you an idea... I didn't even feel like knitting. Now, that's sick.

I'm still not feeling well, but I'm better than I was. I'll get some posts up soon.

Progress...

I finished the knitting on the Perfect Sweater. I just need to sew it up, which is a bit of a daunting task. I've just worked two 11-hour days, so there hasn't been any time for the sweater since the weekend. I'll post pics as soon as it's finished.

I'm working on my husband's socks. That's working out well, and I may not have to unravel them as I thought I might. They seem a little big, but I think they'll be fine once I get a couple of inches done. When I get them up to the ankle join, I'll start posting tutorial pics again.

I'm off to bed...exhausted.

Yarn Goodies in the Mail

I got my yarn. I ordered some for dyeing, which I talked about earlier. If I get to work on that this weekend, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. Unfortunately, I have to work a little this weekend, so that may keep me from dyeing (bleh).

If it turns out that I'm any good at it, I may offer a few skeins for sale. I'll post pics here of the results, and you all can let me know what you think of my first dyeing.

I also ordered enough laceweight to do two shawls. I'm going to do the Birds Nest shawl from Folk Shawls, which I mentioned a couple posts ago. The shawl is very pretty, and I think it's something doable for a first lace project. So far my lace has extended to dishcloths and a few swatches, so this should be fun.

I finished the back on the Perfect Sweater, and I'm almost up to the V-neck on the front. Anyone want to take any bets on whether I'll get to wear it this year?

About to dye!

We have the flu here, so I've been playing nursemaid. I was okay until today, but I'm finally coming down with it too. Maybe I can finish that sweater?

I've been thinking of dyeing my own yarn for a while now, and I just ordered 6 skeins from knitpicks to get started. For now, I'm going to experiment with Kool-Aid dyeing and see how I do with that before trying acid dyes (if I try them at all).

I've been doing some research, and I thought you all might be interested in some yarn dyeing links too, whether you plan on using Kool-Aid or something else.

• Knitpicks has a tuturial. Scroll down and click the free pattern download button.
• Knitty also has one.

Both Knitty and Knitpicks cover the basics of Kool-Aid dyeing, but they both focus mostly on solid colors. Knitty talks a little about handpainting, but it's a bit too brief for me.

• Fig and plum has some nice pictures of hand-painting.
• And here's a tutorial on using Wilton's icing dye for yarn.
• Although these are written for acid dyes, they are good instructions for doing handpaint in general.
• Pea Soup shows how to dye with regular food coloring, and the skein in the pictures is too cute!
  
• See Eunny Knit has a very good tutorial on tying off your yarn to make a self-striping yarn with regular stripe repeats.
• And here's another tutorial on making your own self-striping yarn.
  

So, go a little crazy, pick some colors, and get to dyeing! I just ordered my yarn, so when it arrives, I'll be sure to post pictures of my work, and results.

Maybe I'm too ambitious?

Good news: I've made more progress on the Perfect Sweater.

Bad news: I'm still stuck in stockinette hell. I knit, knit, knit and still, I've got lots more stockinette to go.

Good news: My husband's socks I'm doing for my tutorial look great.

Bad news: They're a little too big. I measured like I always do, and for some reason, they're still too big. I'm not sure, but I think frogging is in their future.

Good news: I picked up a cool pattern book on crocheted rugs today. We have an old house, so they'd look great. I even have some yarn I'd like to try for them.

Bad news: If I'm having trouble finishing a sweater, how in the world will I finish a rug? My knitting time is limited usually, so that's a big undertaking. I might get one finished by next spring.

I'm also planning on starting a shawl as soon as I order some yarn for one. I'm holding off though till I finish that sweater. Anyone want to bet on whether I get to wear it before it gets warm weather?

Fabulous shawl patterns

This is a fantastic book. I picked it up this weekend when we went browsing at Barnes and Noble. I was considering a new sock knitting book, something with some patterns that are more complicated than what I've done.

Instead, I ran across this book and sat down to look through it. This turned out to be a definite must-have. I'm valiantly putting off buying yarn for any of the shawls so I can finish my sweater and my husband's socks first. Maybe that'll motivate me to finish?

If you haven't checked it out, there's a nice mix of triangle, square and rectangle shapes. Also, some are quite large and complex, others look pretty doable even for a first lace project. Anyone have any experience with any of the patterns? Any pics of shawls from the book?