All Purpose

So I don’t have any pics, and I don’t really have too much knitting updating to do. I’m depressed, I’ve had a rough week. I have been totally slacking on my 365 project I skipped Sun-Wed of this week. I did manage to take a pic yesterday so if I can repeat that today I may be out of my slump there.

I have been working on my second Jitterbug sock. It is not going well. I have no idea how the first sock could have been so relatively easy and this one is so freakin hard. I think I knit and frogged the heel turn like 5-6 times before feeling like I did it right (maybe?) but when I went to pick up my stitches for the gusset (is that right?) I realized I had the whole thing on the needles all cattywonkas and I had seriously fucked something up. I was so pissed I just frogged the whole thing and started over. My reasoning was that I did make a change for the second sock: doing the small size so I should just redo the whole thing as a medium since that worked so much better last time.

I managed to get Ella’s blanket seamed yesterday and was able to measure that I have about 15″ to finish for my first trim piece.

I got my buttons for Ovaltine, but haven’t put them on yet. Maybe after work today, but maybe not since it’s supposed to be 90 (yes 90) degrees today.

M. came home last night (good) but I also got some bad news about my stepmom (bad). So now I’m trying to decide if I’m really want to go to the free shows at Auditorium Shores tonight with my neighbor/friend or if I want to bail because I’m bummed and don’t feel like dealing with the crowd, etc. I actually don’t feel like I should be out enjoying myself after what I heard last night. That’s probably the wrong attitude to take though.

2 Comments | In: gifts, knitting, work in progress | tags: blanket, depression, knitting, ovaltine, socks, sweater, sxsw, work in progress. | #

So I’ve been getting into podcasts a lot lately and I listened to one last night as I finished Ovaltine (DONE!) and I started thinking about how I got started knitting and it made me think that would be a good blog post, probably. I mean how could it be any worse than the normal stuff I put on here.

So I started knitting in 1998. I had quit smoking at the beginning of that year and taken up cross stitch (I know) to keep my hands busy. Then I moved from New Orleans to Missoula, MT and decided that I needed to learn how to knit. I think I was getting bored with cross stitch. So I don’t remember exactly the first think I knit, but I did teach myself using some books + the internet. I made a bunch of people knitted presents that year. I made my first sweater, for my sister, out of some crazy acrylic/mohair Lion’s Brand yarn. She actually still wears it, but recently confessed to me that she’s never been able to actually wear it since the neck opening it so tight it would choke her. She wears it preppy style instead (over the shoulders). I knit most of the time I lived in Montana, but since 1999-2001 included me busting my ass to finish my BA and working as much as possible the knitting tapered off toward my last year there.

Then I moved back to Austin for grad school. You would think grad school would sort of preclude knitting, but I found a lot of would-be librarian’s were getting into knitting so toward the end of my grad school time I started doing more and more knitting. I also discovered better yarn (because really all yarn is intrinsically good right). Then I finished school and I did pretty steady knitting and crocheting (yes I picked up crochet somewhere in there as well, also self-taught) until I got engaged last year. Then I stopped everything. I really didn’t even look at my knitting for 9 months. I never really thought about this until after the fact when I picked it all back up and realized how much I had missed it. Now I am sooooo into it it’s a little scary. Ok, not scary but M. has commented how I’m so into knitting lately, and I am. I think I finally reached the tipping point of seeing myself truely progress as a knitter + starting to understand fundamentals better + Ravelry. Now I’m unstoppable knitting machine.

It’s funny though because I went to a knit class a few weeks ago and most of the people in it were new knitters and I had forgotten how dejected a new knitter can get. It’s really hard at first and it seems like you will never improve, but I’m proof: you will improve it will get easier, it just takes time.

No Comments | In: knitting, ravelry, work in progress | tags: knitting, learning to knit, ovaltine, sweater. | #

Ok, the sweater and I are speaking again. I finished the seaming and did one cuff last night and it’s cute. It’s heavy and a bit bulky but it’s turning out good. So I didn’t make my goal of having it ready for today, but it’ll definitely be ready for tomorrow. The size is fine too though I do think my shoulder/arm seaming is a little off somehow. When I do set in shoulders they always seem a little puffy, but these look fine when I put it on. Maybe I got the cap part a little big and that makes it seem slightly gathered? I think what I really need next is a finishing class.

No Comments | In: knitting, work in progress | tags: finishing, fit, seaming, sweater, work in progress. | #

So this sweater hates me. I really, really know deep down that with practice I am going to become a sweater making fiend, but I seriously have no idea what I have done wrong with this sweater. I did the buttonhole band and attached it last night, and then seamed in the sleeves. Great.

Then I slipped it ‘on’ to see how it was fitting and now I’m really worried that it’s too small. The arms seem short, and a bit tight by the shoulder and the body seems shorter and tighter than I thought it would be. Maybe it’s just the fact that I haven’t finished all the seaming. I know the cuffs and waistband will add some length there. But the body and sleeves?? I got gauge. I knit a HUGE size and the sweater has like 4″ of ease built into the numbers. How can this be that small? I am determined to finish it tonight so that I can know for sure if I need to redo anything (mostly worried about the sleeves), so I guess I’ll find out in a few hours if I’m jumping to conclusions. In other news, this sucker is HEAVY so maybe the weight of it will stretch it out.

I started my second sock last night, yippee! I decided I’d try the new technique on the second one and then if it works I’ll rip back the first one and fix it. I also thought I’d make the small size and see if that fit a bit better. And that’s pretty much it.

No Comments | In: knitting, work in progress | tags: finishing, fit, gauge, seaming, socks, sweater, work in progress. | #

So when I was shopping for gift yarn last week I saw this beautiful sock yarn on Etsy and decided to order it. I thought I’d make socks for my step mom or someone else (since socks might be the present de l’annee for xmas this year), but I got it yesterday and I totally want this yarn for myself. I rationalize this by telling myself I also got 2 more sock yarns that are also very yummy that I am totally making into gifts so 2 for gifts 1 for me is not so bad.

The picture is not the best, it was cloudy yesterday. I’ll try again today when I get home.

I also got some more Manos in Bramble yesterday (a Ravelry purchase I mentioned before) so I think I need like 6 more skeins before I can try a basic bottom up (or top down-haven’t decided) cardigan with it. That’s fine, I think I’m going to try to trade for the rest of the yarn as well because I mean for this cardi to be a comfy home/weekend type garment so I’m not worried about the dye lots being exact, etc. Besides it’s edging toward spring here so I should try doing this project in the fall maybe so I can wear it Fall/Winter 2008.

So speaking of the weather…it was in the 80′s this weekend, but now it’s cold again. It’ll get warm again by Wednesday and then cold Thursday. Yes, it’s spring in Austin so we get weather changes of 20+ degrees at least once a week. Me and my allergies and my head hate this time of year.

But what I was thinking was wouldn’t it be cool to have my Ovaltine finished enough to wear by Thursday since the high is only supposed to be in the 50′s and it’s supposed to be really cold (uh, that’s 30′s for us) on Friday morning. I think that is a good goal, I’m not too sure how realistic it is, but I’m going to try for it anyway.

I managed to get the neck issue sorted out, the shoulders reseamed, the collar done and the buttonband done and attached last night. I estimate I have about 4 hours of work left on the sweater (not including another blocking). I have the buttonhole band, the 2 cuffs and the waistband (which I’m modifying so it won’t be such a pain in the ass) and the rest of the seaming and the buttons (which I just ordered today- but I can wear it without buttons). I could totally finish that by Thursday.

It would be nice to finish the sweater because it would free me to finish the hat (another 2-3 hours work) and my socks (2-3 days, not sure how many hours) and maybe even Ella’s blanket and perhaps swatch for the $1.50 Cardigan. That would be so awesome and would help with the March to the Finish (rav link) thing I’m trying to do (ok I guess I’ve signed up for). So must finish sweater.

2 Comments | In: knitting, stash, work in progress | tags: blanket, finishing, hat, march, socks, stash, sweater, work in progress, yarn. | #

First things first: the hat situation…So I talked with my sis on Friday and she told me that if I made something handwash it wasn’t a big deal. She also said she didn’t think something covering her ears would be practical. I’m still making the Earhart hat anyway though-to give her options. I also made a crochet hat out of some of my Malabrigo Chunky and that was FAST, so it’s ready to go.

The Earhart hat is a little over halfway done (only have a pic of the start of it though).

I went to the sweater workshop yesterday and realized after seaming my shoulders and starting my collar that the neck BO is way too tight. I know I said I was going to fix that last week, but I didn’t and I should have. Ended up unseaming the shoulders and ripping back and redoing the bind off on the back and one side. I’ll do the other side tonight and reseam the shoulders and try the collar again. I’m really shooting to get this done pronto even though I have until March 30th. I really want to start a new sweater (the $1.50 Cardigan) that’s more for the spring. I might even join the Knit Along, we’ll see.

I also have to finish Linda’s hat and decide if I want to start her socks or finish mine first. I talked with my sweater teacher and she helped me figure out where I went wrong. She said for Magic Loop and using 2 circulars you basically do the decreases at the beginning and end of each half. I had them messed up because I was following the DPN instructions and so one of them was in the middle. Anyway, I’m going to rip back and try again I think. So I may finish my socks then start a pair for Linda. I’m, I guess, a little nervous that she won’t like the hats. It’s ridiculous really, but I figure I need to finish my socks anyway for the practice so that hers will be even better than mine. Maybe I could be ready to start her socks this weekend while we’re visiting, or maybe not considering how much else I need to do.

The one thing I have totally noticed since I started Ravelry is that my knitting is not only more organized but I really have started taking more of a project management approach to the whole thing. I feel like I definitely work on my knitting more, I definitely think about it more and I’m definitely finishing a lot more. I have even been planning some spring/summer project, which I have never done before. I just realized I could be working on tanks and socks this summer and I could make socks my present de l’année. So anyway, I’ve been combing back through my old mags for tank patterns and bought some newer Spring/Summer issues of IK that I was missing and now my queue is exploding with projects.

But I am not buying yarn (or anything else I don’t absolutely need) for the next 3 months. If I make it then I can buy myself a skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk for the Montego Bay scarf to test it. I love the idea of knitting that Cobweb wrap from the new IK in Sea Silk, but it would be very expensive (over $100 I think) so I’d want to try it out first I think.

No Comments | In: crochet, finished object, gifts, knitting, ravelry, work in progress | tags: binding off, cardigan, collar, crochet, gifts, hat, interweave knits, knitting, lace, ravelry, sea silk, shoulder seam, socks, sweater, wrap. | #

So I did indeed cast on that sock last week and after doing about 3 round on Tuesday I decided that DPNs suck ass. I went to HCW’s the next day and got some AddiTurbo’s and spend that next night casting on and ripping back until I had Magic Loop down. I <3 Magic Loop and KnittingHelp.

I worked on that sock until I got to the heel (Monday) and then I was sick yesterday and spent the day in bed knitting that little sock until it was DONE.

It’s not perfect. It is after all, my first sock. So the decreasing at the toe got a little messed up and the Kitchner grafting went pretty well but not perfect so, the toe is a little pointy and the decreasing looks like I put it in the wrong place (it ended up on top of the sock instead of the side-I think it was supposed to go on the side).

Anyway, details are here (Ravelry link). I’m considering ripping back and redoing it to see if I’m right. Ripping back and picking up all those wee stitches doesn’t sound fun though, and I seriously need to get back to my SW sweater (Ovaltine).

So the sweater…I am really psyched to do another sweater project already even though this one has been kind of a nightmare. I blocked my major pieces last week and realized that I totally fucked up the front right side piece. I even knew, on some level, that I had messed up before I did the blocking because I spent one afternoon last week trying to do the short row shaping for the shoulders (could not get that to work at all). While I was looking over my written out instructions though I noticed that the R and L sides seemed to have a lot of the same decreases. Oops. So I have to rip that back and re-do like the last few rows.

I also have to undo my BO for the back and left front so that I do bind off more loosely. I had an epiphany that the reason my first sweater project (a gift for my sister like 8 years ago) had such a tight neck (she seriously has never been able to fit her neck in there) was that I BO too tight then probably picked up stitches for the collar wrong. Soooo, trying to avoid that for me. Though I guess with a cardi maybe this isn’t as big of an issue? I don’t know, better safe than sorry though right?

So I have to fix those things AND I need to finish both sleeves and all the bands (button, waist, collar and sleeves). I’m almost done with one sleeve, but need to finish that like tonight and start the next one so that my major pieces are done for Sunday’s class.

I also had some time to work on Ella’s blanket over last week/weekend. I managed to get the last square blocked and I started and have almost finished the edging for one side. I need to finish all my seaming and then really bust out the edging. Good times. Then I can CO something NEW! How exciting!

No Comments | In: knitting, ravelry, work in progress | tags: blanket, kitchner, magic loop, short row shaping, socks, sweater, tight bind off. | #

So I made decent progress this weekend. I didn’t get a whole lot of knitting time, but I managed to seam the second row of squares on Ella’s blanket and seam the 1st and 2nd rows together. I also seamed 2 squares on the last row, but still need to block my final square so I can seam that and then seam the final row to the rest of the blanket. I also started the trim. I may do the trim with a single strand of yarn so I can try to use the purple Cascade 220 I have. We’ll see, it just seems a bit bulky but maybe the trim needs to be heavy to keep the rest of the squares from losing shape.

I started my first sleeve for Ovaltine. I really wanted to try doing the sleeves at the same time, but I couldn’t wrap my head around how that worked and ended up casting on for one. Then in class someone showed me hers, and it was as I imagined so I don’t know why I freaked out about it. I learned about short row shaping and 3 needle bind off in class yesterday too. I so want to go back and re-do my Ovaltine shoulder shaping using this technique but of course when I got home and tried to convert my pattern I became immediately confused. Drat, and I can’t go to the Thursday night class b/c it’s the only night for a whole week I’ll get to see M.

I also got a wild hair after class yesterday and started a gauge swatch for some socks using the Jitterbug I just got and the ball band pattern for socks. Then I got freaked out by the socks and ripped it out. I have no idea why I’m being such a baby about trying the socks. I guess maybe I should have started with some cheaper sock yarn…then the pressure wouldn’t be so bad? But today I realized I really don’t want knee high socks so I bought extra skiens for no reason, except maybe to practice. Hmmm, I have to get over my sock fear.

2 Comments | In: knitting, work in progress | tags: blanket, socks, sweater, work in progress. | #

I am super psyched about my blanket for Ella today. I finished the 8th square and CO and got half way through the last one last night while listening to Stash and Burn. Dude, I so love this podcast thing.

Anyway, I also finished the second front piece for Ovaltine, so I just gotta do my swatches for class and start my sleeves and I’ll be back on track.

No Comments | In: knitting, work in progress | tags: blanket, sweater, work in progress. | #

Ok, so I looked and I feel a little less bad about having to repurchase the Ovaltine yarn. I realized after looking at my PayPal account today that I actually paid for more than half the new yarn with the $ I got from selling off some of my stash yarn. So that’s good.

I had planned on using that money to pay for the 4 skeins of Manos that I’m buying off a fellow Ravelry-er (uh, how do you say that, Raveler?). So that’s bad. So I decided to closely evaluate my yarn haves vs. my desires and I put some more yarn up for sale/swap. Hopefully to offset the Manos purchase AND to allow me to purchase yarn for some projects I want to work on after I finish Ovaltine.

I didn’t get a damn thing done knitting-wise yesterday but since M. is out of town and it’s Thursday (thank you CSI) I will totally get my 2nd front piece done and maybe start the sleeves tonight. Or I may finish the front of Ovaltine and start a sock. Or I could do Ovaltine and work on the blanket. I’m dizzy with the possibilities. Just me, the dog, the couch and the tv, and the best thing (well not that it’s the best thing that my hubby is out of town on v-day) is that even if tv sucks I have ALL the Stash and Burn podcasts waiting to be caught up on. So I’m set for tonight. Just need to figure out dinner since our fridge is not working.

No Comments | In: fever, knitting, stash, work in progress | tags: csi, money, socks, sweater, tv, work in progress, yarn. | #