A Life of Situations

You Can Barely Call It Green Gable

2006-08-12T00:07:00.000-04:00

Below is what will be a post when the pictures function starts working. Aaargh

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So I finished the Green Gable. Well... it looks like Green Gable, but is it really? After changing gauge, all of the pattern repeat numbers, adding way more shaping, making it longer and smaller... I guess I learned to make a top down raglan in the process which is all Green Gable really is so it was definitely worth my $5 or whatever the pattern cost.

I was really hoping to blog today. I was all ready to be a good knitblogger and give full specs for my stuff. And I had funny stories from my life of situations. I'm now a rat respiratory therapist and there was wedding planning gossip too. But later maybe. I just don't feel that funny anymore.

I'm suspecting my new McAfee download has something to do with this or maybe it is just blogger (most likely it is blogger). Sigh

Topi Hat Finished

2006-07-25T21:37:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to make the Topi hat from Knitty since it came out but I didn't have the right yarn for it. Well KnitPicks came to the rescue... I started this hat yesterday and finished it today (with some other knitting in between).

Specs:

Yarn- KnitPicks Mainline in Ink (Black), Cotton (75%) Wool (25%)

Needles- KnitPicks Options size 7 for main hat, size 5 for ribbing and bill (I'm really loving them so far!)

Notes- I knit the medium size since my gauge was a bit tighter than I think the pattern called for. It is a little loose but the whole time I was knitting it I swore it was going to be too small. Trust your measurements (head circumference/pi = diameter). I chose to do the bill on the smaller needles since I wanted the fabric to be stiffer. I haven't inserted any plastic to keep it up and it is doing fine.

Something Old and Something New

2006-07-23T17:28:00.000-04:00

Well it has been a while since I updated. Since then I went on a week long trip to Amsterdam with David. I am excited to report that we got engaged and it that was so swelteringly hot he had to stick my knuckle in his mouth so that the ring would slide onto my finger. We've been together for almost 3 and a half years now and I was so very happy to say yes to him.

The ring (though a bit dirty right now) is a purple sapphire that I absolutely love (and I picked out).

I knitted on my twisted float shrug quite a bit on vacation but I haven't touched it in a couple of weeks. Here is the progress, I'm almost done with the body.

I've been cheating on it with Green Gable. A heavily modified green gable with way more stitches per inch and the accompanying increases in the number of stitches. This is Lilac Elegance from Knitpicks.

I also started a Perdita cuff from Knitty using Paton's Grace (which I don't like). This is my first beaded project.

Around and around...

2006-06-25T12:36:00.000-04:00

The twisted float shrug is getting bigger - I've finished my third pattern repeat now and I have inserted the waste yarn for the sleeves. The shrug is all scrunched on the needles right now so there is no point in photographing the yarn lump.

The braided cable sock was 90% complete and then frogged, too long yet too narrow. I was in denial for about half of the sock and yet I knitted on. Oh well. I started it again and I decided to knit just a plain stockinette sock.

I have about 800 yards of Schaefer Laurel in Billie Holiday. It is a gorgeous shiny cotton yarn.

I would like to make a shawl in this yarn as my next big project. I'm looking for a shawl pattern for an aran weight yarn that is faroese or semicircular in shape with some sort of delicate lace pattern. Natural themes would be nice. Now if only I can find such a pattern...

The start of the Twisted Float Shrug and... MORE Socks!

2006-06-21T19:57:00.000-04:00

I started the famous Twisted Float Shrug from Vogue Winter 2005. I'm doing it in Lorna's Laces with Lakeview and Charcoal as the main colors and Blackberry Grace for the edging.
It has grown to about 12" in diameter but it is a little scrunched as you see it here on the needles. I'm two pattern repeats into it.

A better view of the colors - but still not quite right. The colors are fab in person.

And now for the socks - summer is the season for ankle socks...

First up is a little pair of lacey ribbed anklets in Knit Picks Sock Garden

Then there is this pair - an anklet version of Knitty's Cut Your Teeth Socks in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Purple Club.

Then I knitted the famous Jaywalker pattern in Austermann Step yarn - it is nice but not everything I hoped. The non-matchingness was on purpose I had a ton of yarn left over, I think I got the unmatched stripes out of my system though and will probably stripe match from now on.

I wanted a quick fun to wear pair of socks and these are now my favorite socks! Comfort, comfort, comfort - it is hot down here in Florida and these socks are so soft and squishy without being too hot. It is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Gold Hill - I was unsure how I would feel about this weight of yarn that I got at the Littleknits.com sale but I love it. I usually feel a little bit of the stitches even with skinny needles but these beauties were knit on size 2s and I don't feel the stitches one bit.

As a side project when I'm sick of those annoying twisted floats I started working on these simple socks in LL Shepherd Sport in Watercolor. Just a nice braided cable for interest.

And that's what I'm up to this summer - Netflix, knitting and cooking, what could be better?

I'm back... And boy have I been a busy little sock knitter

2006-05-18T16:03:00.000-04:00

The wireless router went out in my apartment and since then I haven't been able to get my photos online - and what is a post without photos?

Since then I've finished three pairs of socks:

The first pair is in Cherry Tree Hill Superglitz Monet. My first pair of socks done two at a time. The second pair is custom dyed sock yarn by All Things Heather, my first socks done toe up with short row heels. Finally a pair that has been waiting for completion for months. I hope my boyfriend likes them!

Yarn Disappointment...

2006-04-22T05:53:00.000-04:00

I have loved the Cherry Tree Hill yarns I've purchased before, Super Sock Potluck and Super Glitz varieties. So I decided to branch out and try their worsted wool potluck.

I ended up getting

This is a one skein wonder in progress.

The yarn is exactly like the Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool I dyed with grape Kool-Aid some time ago. Except this cost me $12. I was expecting the kind of rich beautiful variegated colors I got in my Super Sock Potluck skeins - this looks like one color was used and in some areas it absorbed more or less creating the color variation. It is kind of ugly but I like purple and I love the long sleeved one skein wonder so I'll definitely wear it.

I have found the cure to Second Sock Syndrome

2006-04-21T16:10:00.000-04:00

... eliminate all first socks on the needles and only make socks two at a time. That is right, I frogged all incomplete first socks and started a pair in CTH Super Glitz in Monet, below. Now that feels good.

Sock Rage

2006-04-18T00:02:00.000-04:00

You know the purple trekking broadripple I was working on on size one addis? Well I made it too long. I ripped it back and couldn't pick up the stitches right. So I buried it in my yarn closet underneath a whole mess of yarn.

I am so frustrated and angry - that sock was so incredibly beautiful. I think I will have to try again at picking up the stitches some other day with 00 or 000 dpns. Today I am just too frustrated to knit anymore.

AAAAARGH!

There is going to be some major stashbusting around here...

2006-04-17T12:20:00.000-04:00

I have too much yarn... or rather I just don't have enough room for the new yarn I lust after. Boyfriend was looking for paper towels and opened the yarn closet. Apparently he did not fully grasp the stash until then and he told me that I should not buy any more yan. I said I was using the yarn and he said that was fine that I just shouldn't replace it. He can't tell one ball of yarn from another so I shouldn't have much trouble sneaking more into the closet to fill any empty space.

Allright, I have a lot of balls of certain yarns that I purchased as grab bags that I need to find projects for.

First up, Tahki Willow, a linen cotton blend - it tends to split when knit so I've been avoiding it after swatching but it must be used. I have 10 balls in a light lilac color (5010). This should make a nice summery something or other. Here are some contenders:
-Interweave's Front Slit Tank
-Knitty's I Do Shrug
Actually, according to the ball requirements in the patterns I should be able to make both! That would make such a pretty set.

Berroco Furz in blue/violet 3882. I am very conflicted about this yarn. 10 balls.... what to do. I can't make a sweater - I learned from The First Sweater that bulky hairy yarns such as this make me look like a gorilla. In this case I would be a blue-violet gorilla. Some ideas:
-A stashbuster blanket, since most of my yarns are in this color family it would tie them together well.
-A fuzzy shawl/wrap

Artful Yarns Vaudeville in greens.
-An openwork long sleeved summery coverup
-A sweater

That's all for now. More knitting and brainstorming later.

Finished Bloom Shawl

2006-04-16T15:23:00.000-04:00

I started the Bloom Shawl from Knitty on Friday. I've been wanting to do it for a long time and had bought the Noro Blossom for it in color #10 for $5 a skein. It is a very fast knit! It is all garter stitch on size 15 needles with short row shaping. Right now I am blocking the shawl as you see below.

And here it is after blocking - it dried in just a few hours! I absolutely love it :) It took a total of 4 and a smidge skeins so now I have almost three full skeins left. (I have a phobia of running out of yarn and it was on sale) I think I am going to make a flower from it to make a pin to pin it shut - I don't think I wan to do a crochet trim - maybe I can make a cute cloche type hat to go with it. This shawl looks like magical spiderweb <3

And as promised the Long Sleeved OSW. The sleeves didn't grow as much as I thought and it is super comfy. I would definitely make more of these.

Long Sleeved One (Three) Skein Wonder

2006-04-14T00:38:00.000-04:00

I decided that I wanted a functional piece of knitting that is quick would be a good way to get me motivated about finished my current projects. Therefore I knit a long-sleeved one skein wonder. It took exactly three balls of Noro Kureyon. And I used my stash - yay! I think this is color 134 - but I'll have to check later to be sure.

Here she is blocking - the pinks are really very bright, since it is a bit wet the colors a little dulled. It is super cute I'll have to take a picture when it dries with it on. I love the way Kureyon softens up after it is washed.

A couple other details I forgot to add earlier:

I made the sleeves longer by joining them in the round and knitting on Clover 12" plastic mini circulars (I love these things!) I didn't do any decreases and they have a bit of a flared look to the sleeve but it is rather minimal.

The sleeves grew 1.5" or so in length in the blocking so I guess I'll have to reblock or live with it for now.

No matter she is going to be worn today!!

WIPs on Parade

2006-04-10T21:18:00.000-04:00

I have far too many projects on the needles. Especially socks - first socks not even second socks. There are so many projects I want to start too, help!

I ordered this custom dyed sock yarn from: http://www.allthingsheather.typepad.com/ (visit her Etsy store!) and it came today. Absolutely perfect, the colors were exactly what I wanted.

This is how it knits up - the colors are truer in the other picture. This sock will likely get frogged because I want to make these two at a time toe up to get the maximum sock possible, I always make mine short for fear of running out of yarn.

A beautiful sock I started yesterday in Trekking XXL in the Broadripple pattern. I'm in love with this sock - near the top of my priority list.

The first of Ali's graduation socks - her feet are 8s while mine are 5.5/6s so it is a bit big on me.

A sad little jaywalker relegated to DPNs. That is a lowely status! They are basically my version of sock stitch holders because I can technically knit with them leading to the possibility of work on the project but my dislike of DPNs makes it unlikely.

My booga bag - finished except for felting. I tried felting it in the sink, it didn't work. Here it is hanging on my towel rack next to the sink.

This sock was hiding under the bed - it is the first of two meant for David. Who knows when he'll get the second sock, good thing he doesn't really want the socks :/

Another sad jaywalker from a binge a while back.

I got past the increase rows and man is clapotis annoying! She sucks all of my knitting patience and frankly I can't stand the slooooooow progress. But it is sooo pretty and soft.

I am really wanting to make a sweater... These are all relatively small projects (except for the clap) so maybe I can justify it.

And now the true meaning of yarn porn

2006-04-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

What a difference a little natural lighting makes! These colors are so true to life!

Lang Jawoll Cotton Superwash (sock yarn)

Cherry Tree Hill Superglitz in Monet

Cherry Tree Hill Superglitz Dusk

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Purple Club and Iris Garden

Cherry Tree Hill: Supersock Potluck 15A, Superglitz Dusk, Superglitz Monet

Trekking XXL: 108, 105, 78 and Austermann Step 08

Noro Kureyon 126

The itty bitty beginings of a Booga bag in Kureyon 126, so little progress because this caught my eye...

Mmm, like spun cotton candy - the epitome of spring. Lorna's Laces Bullfrogs and Butterflies in Happy Valley

Pastels are not usually my colors but this is the comfort food of knitting

The colors remind me of childhood, carefree times and cuddling. That pooled rainbow makes me swoon...

She will be my Clapotis - a grown up blankie to cuddle up in during chilly moments.

I did finish something (I know it would seem I can only cast on)

Such comfy socks and they are all mine! KnitPicks Parade.

By the way... my favorite color is purple. Perhaps you have noticed.

p.s.

I have joined:

0/3

(0 knit up until Jan 1st - because I only started knitting in December but 3 pairs have been knit this year and there is one finished single and three on the needles)

The Exhibitionist In Me Approves

2006-04-01T00:17:00.000-05:00

Stash flash! (These pictures are in roughly chronological order of yarn aquisition so forgive the early acrylic purchases and keep looking for the nice stuff.)

Everyone else blogs their pets so Valentine was jealous and had to get into a shot.

I have a problem of buying much more yarn than needed for a given project. Here we see a collection of Lion Jiffy - the beige made a scarf and the black a sweater. I have no idea what I will do with all of this.

This photo creeps me out with its acrylic awfulness. Homespun (yuck) and Wool-Ease thick and quick which is not so bad for hats.

A big collection of Moda Dea Eden... no plans.

Patons Divine on top from a sweater, Moda Dea Dream in various colors below.

Novelty yarn... (I said it would start out pretty bad!)

Moda Dea wild which is fantastic when knit up. This is for knitting machine scarves and for that it is delicious.

A big basket of Simply Soft and TLC Amore.

Rowan Ribbon Twist - why did I buy so few balls?

Essential sock yarn from KnitPicks - the green on the bottom is the second ball for a pair of socks I am currently working on.

Simple Stripes, Parade and Dancing from Knit Picks. On top are two skeins that have socks in progress.

Wool of the Andes for a felted bag.

Knit Picks Alpaca/Silk for a light pullover.

Random sock yarn left - the blue and orange Palette Knit Picks yarn is from Nicole's Rugby Socks.

Sock yarn sale at KnitPicks. (Um are we noticing that I like them a lot?)

Random lonely balls. Actually there is a scarf in progress from Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande on the right.

Artful yarns Vaudeville - 20 balls.

Berroco Furz, S. Charles Mosaic, Tahki Willow, Gedifra Fashion Trend Color, ... I can't recall the name of the last right now.

Kureyon from Noro, I have enough of each for a project of some sort (6-10 balls each)

Noro Kujaku (also have more not pictured.)

I'm joining Flash Your Stash

2006-03-31T22:10:00.000-05:00

Be prepared for some major yarn Pr0n tomorrow!

The Socks Have Taken Over

2006-03-27T11:17:00.000-05:00

My name is Tamara and I'm addicted to sock knitting...

Ali (my sister)'s Jaywalker (see below) turned out too small. It is fitting my leg snugly so I think it would be too small on her. I decided not to frog it and started yet another sock for her. This one is gorgeous and it will fit her too! I very much enjoy this book (Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns). I think you can get it for $10 on Amazon and it is definitely worth it. I has great pictures with charts and written instructions for each stitch pattern.

I am making this in Knit Picks Essential sock yarn in a very dark green. The flash makes it look a bit lighter but otherwise it is difficult to photograph the detail. These are by far the loveliest socks I have undertaken. The pattern is going to run on the front of the leg of the sock (the back is plain) down through the gusset. I don't want to run it all the way down to the toe as it might be uncomfortable in certain shoes.

I actually did finish something. I finished this sock for myself and I don't want to take it off! I just need to cast on for the next one. (I'll do that tonight.)

The unfinished Jaywalkers. The needles I am actually using to knit them have been taken out to be reused so the needles you see don't really belong to them. Therefore I can't work on them right now. :( I need more size 2 addis!

I can't believe I forgot to blog finishing the Kujaku Butterfly Cardigan!

2006-03-24T23:20:00.000-05:00

I finished my Kujaku Butterfly on Monday. Sunday night I had just three rows to go when my fingers said they just couldn't take anymore. Pardon the really, really bad pictures. I have the worst pictures of my knitting in blog land. I have no photographer, I don't leave school until the sun has set and I tend just to be so tired when I get home... ok enough excuses. Time for pictures.

I know this picture is blurry... I'm sorry. These pants also make my butt look horribly dumpy, for this I am also sorry. I will also make note that I need to drastically improve my posture.

Not only does my butt look atrocious but I look fat. No wonder why I call these my lab pants (I wear them when I do messy lab work, we were running gels today.)

Other than that this week I have been doing some serious Jaywalking.

I cast on too few stitches and this ended up getting turned into a camera case for my friend. I like this color combo a lot though.

I decided that I was bored of that yarn though after knitting the camera case and started another Jaywalker for myself, this time in the correct size.

But them my little sister sent me a pathetic email about how I never write her back and how cold and miserable she is in Paris. I feel very sorry for my horrible sisterlyness and am bringing a pair of warm Jaywalkers to the front of my knitting queue for her.

I also flirted with yarn dyeing a few days ago using Kool-Aid and food dye.

Nevermind the random measuring tape. I sit literally surrounded by my knitting stuff.

You really can barely call this a swatch but do you see the little white "stars" in the sea of pretty aftermidnight blues and purples? Aren't I clever?....

It wasn't really on purpose. I tied the ties around the yarn too tight and ended up with little undyed spots. I will still maintain that they are stars. I actually like this little accident.

Have Yarn Will Knit...

2006-03-19T14:50:00.000-05:00

And now for the Planned Projects (aka Have Yarn Will Knit):

(Click links for yarn pictures - the yarn has yet to be photographed by me)

Noro Blossom 10 - Bloom from Knitty

Noro Kureyon 146 - Kvarntorp

Noro Kureyon 126 - Klaralund

Noro Kureyon 95 - ?? 9 balls

Noro Kureyon 74 - ?? 6 balls

There will be a booga bag with leftovers however!

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Hyacinth, Violet and Tulip - 5 balls each = some sort of felted bag.

(The following yarn has been *badly* photographed.)

Berroco Furz (this is actually a purplish bright navy) - This is fuzzy and fun but surprisingly when knit it doesn't look fun fur tacky as I expected. I have 10 balls and am not entirely certain what I should do with it. I am thinking about some sort of wrap/poncho/shrug. Any suggestions?

City Lights - A pretty dark corflower color, thick and thin with shimmery sparkles. Also have 10 balls, also totally uncertain of what I should do with it. Please help!

Stacy Charles Mosaic - 10 balls of this lovely purple - it is fun to knit with and so soft. Perfect for a summer cardigan.

Gedifra Fashion Trend Color - this is more of a blue-aqua than the picture shows. It will be a simple v-necked pullover. I am contemplating doing a yoke shoulder with double helix cables up the sleeves. I am a dork ;)

Tahki Willow - A light lavendar linen yarn = a summery shell.

WIP and Dip

2006-03-19T14:02:00.000-05:00

Warning! This one is going to be long and full of pictures (hee hee like a bunch of pictures will scare you off)

I started this Bell Sleeved Shrug in Noro Kureyon 153.

SSS? David's sock and my sock in Knit Picks Parade. I love this yarn (now on sale!) and I love my Clover 8" circulars!

I am a trendy bitch... I started my very own Jaywalker in Knit Picks Simple Stripes.

The Kujaku Butterfly Cardigan. Now I'm 1/4 into the second sleeve! (Sorry the pics are a few days old). Kujaku 20 from Webs ($5 a skein!)

Finished! Nicole's Rugby Socks

2006-03-14T11:19:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in previous posts, I was making my friend Nicole B. a pair of ankle socks (preferred length) in rugby stripes (preferred sport) with her initials on the heels (N B) in our school colors (orange and blue).

Well... I finished! The second sock (B) was made entirely yesterday except for a few rows of the toe which I was just too tired to do. Her birthday was yesterday but she was out of town and I should be seeing her today. I hope she likes them and I hope they fit! (She has a narrow 9.5 foot whereas mine are narrow 6s... trying on for fit did not help.)

The blue is not as neon as the pictures show. The B is not blocked so it is hiding under the nicely blocked N.

My small feet trying to model the socks.

They are exactly the same except for the initials!

Tests Over! (for now...)

2006-03-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

Well I finished up the last of my three tests this week and I feel all bouncy and energetic. Plus next week is SPRING BREAK! A whole week off, I won't know what to do with myself!

Of course I'm in such a good mood because we haven't gotten our grades back yet but that is another story. I have some BS assignments I still have to do this week but there will be time for knitting!

Top of the to knit list are Nicole's ankle rugby stripe socks. I don't like the yarn I originally got for them and I am waiting to get different yarn. Meanwhile, I finished the first of David's socks and I've seamed the fronts and back of my Kujaku cardigan and have begun the sleeves. It is fitting perfectly :D Pictures to come later.

I knitted up a swatch of the Artful Yarns Vaudeville and didn't like the way it gapped when stretched. It is so stretchy! I don't know what I am going to do with it.

Have Yarn, What to Knit?

2006-03-04T23:36:00.000-05:00

I'm having a stress induced flare-up of this chronic pain problem. (TMI Alert: My urethral sphincter spasms causing horrible UTI like burning and there isn't much to do about it but take pain meds and muscle relaxants when it flares. Thankfully it doesn't cause incontinence...)

Sooo, whilst on meds that make me a bit loopy I really don't feel like making a mess of any of my knitting. I received my monthly samples from elann.com (I signed up for the sample club) and I swatched a bit. It was nice. I love feeling the yarn, seeing how it flows with the needles and my personal habit of SMELLING the yarn. I love the smell of faintly sheep-y wool yarn but I smell all yarn. I noticed that I was doing it at the LYS the other day and wondered if others found this odd. Am I the only yarn smeller out there?

All right so here is what I am doing. I need to yarn diet... bad so I am trying to find potential projects for the current stash.

S. Charles Mosaic Collezione in purple:
I'm thinking that this would make a great shell or summery cardigan. I have 10 balls.
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTarisaig.html

oh heck... I'm going to have to finish this post later... I need to lie down.

Kujaku Butterfly Front Done

2006-03-03T17:26:00.000-05:00

So I finished the front of the cardigan yesterday but I didn't get around to blocking it out until right now. I like the way it came out a lot and so far the sizing is seeming perfect.

My friend Nicole's birthday is on the 13th and I have decided to make her a pair of ankle socks (her preferred length) in rugby stripes of our school colors since she is on the Rugby team. I also plan to do intarsia initials on the heels. I'll be using size 5 needles so hopefully they go quickly.

David's sock is progressing. I think I may need to order another ball of this yarn from KnitPicks however.

In other news I have 3 tests on Monday and Tuesday so I may not be able to knit much :( but after that I have a few days of class and then spring break! I will definitely finish the Kujaku cardigan then.

Kujaku Butterfly Update

2006-02-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

Here is the back of the cardigan blocking. I'm in love with this colorway.

Here are the fronts which I am working at the same time. I'm not trying to match the colors up perfectly but I wanted it to look somewhat congruous.

And here is the package I received from The Knitters sock of the month club! What a great beginning to my membership. I get to dye my own then knit! I hate orange so I'm going to get some other colors at the store. I plan on making some self striping colors. Yay! This is a great excuse to do some more dying.

The Life of Situations - Explained

2006-02-26T14:24:00.000-05:00

In case you are curious about the title of my blog let me explain. My friends find it very apt because I am constantly have some situation or another going on.

Laundry is a situation since my boyfriend and I (we live together) only get around to doing it about once every two months. We don't have a washer and dryer in our apartment (its only flaw) so it really piles up. When we do get a day off maybe once a month we don't want to spend all day doing wash. Therefore I came up with the wonderful idea of having our laudry washed for us. So every two months we literally fill the car to the brim with clothes in trash bags (because who has that many laundry baskets?) and have 150 lb. of clothes washed. The people at the laundry place seem peeved which really doesn't make much sense since we pay 75 cents a pound no matter if we bring in 20 lb. or 150. For a day or two while it is being washed we have no sheets. (We actually have extra sets but they are scratchy and I'd much rather wait for my delicious high thread count ones to come back.) But ours is a house that does not lack blankets so that is what we sleep on.

Toilet paper recently became a situation when we realized we didn't have any more! We had bought a whole bunch in bulk about 6 months ago and hadn't thought about it since. Quickly that situation became a crisis...

There are other situations, stories I'll tell another day. The Underwear Nest, Sick Rats, The Garbage (oh yes... the garbage, not quite as bad as the laundry).

Another WIP

2006-02-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

After realizing that the Kureyon entrelac thing was a bust and will soon be frogged I started a new work in lovely Noro Kujaku ($5 a skein at www.yarn.com !)

This one is showing promise of being correctly sized! It will be a cardigan with a mandarin collar - this project has moved to the top of my priority list. And since it involves a lot of stockinette I can knit by feel in class making my 6 hours of classtime a day really something to look forward to.

The back is almost finished. It would have already been finished if I hadn't decided to do the pretty intarsia butterfly in another contrasting color of Kujaku. I just finished weaving in all of the little ends (and there were a lot!) because finishing at the end all at once sucks.

Of course I have socks on the needles. In addition to my frilly ones I started a pair for my boyfriend on this adorable 8" size 4 clover circular needle. It took a little getting used to but it is quick and easy. My hands are very small so it isn't too crampy. Also I think I have the hang of ribbing that is actually not all loose and yucky, I was quite proud!

All talk and (almost) no knit

2006-02-22T23:10:00.000-05:00

I have a migraine. A massive migraine. I am in the dark with the computer monitor turned down low and knitting is difficult. Yet I persist... and read blogs about knitting.

As you can see I have finished the entrelac border of my noro sweater. It is big - I do not know whether this will become a too-big sweater, a comfy big sweater or an awful monstrosity that I will probably attempt to felt ruining all of my hard work and yarn. I think of ripping it out... but I cannot because according to my swatching it should be a good size and yet the entrelac has come out larger than calculated. Can some shaping in the stockinette save it? Stay tuned.

All this uncertainty has me wanting to avoid this piece. I want badly to make a sweater, just a sweater that I can faithfully knit from a pattern but alas this is not an option. I cannot find small enough patterns. No a child's sweater is not sized appropriately for an adult - not even if you make the sleeves and body longer. There is the matter of a waist and hips and boobs and the armholes come out too small and the neckline is too high and when you are all said and done you may as well have altered an adult pattern - or really just written your own.

This is the most hilarious thing I have seen in a very long time:
http://yarnpants.blogspot.com/2006/02/i-have-been-assimilated.html

Socks finished, new socks begun

2006-02-22T19:46:00.000-05:00

I finished my first pair of socks yesterday and proudly wore them today. I believe the shoes I chose showcased them well.

After finishing them I started planning the next socks I would start to make. The only problem I realized is that I had no sock yarn at home. But thankfully my order from knitpicks arrived yesterday while I was at school so now I have plenty of sock yarn but some needles in sizes 1-5 that I ordered elsewhere have not arrived so I ended up starting some socks that would work on the size 2s I have.

I decided to make the socks with an edging as in the "Fancy Silk Socks" of Knitting Vintage Socks but I am doing the "Child's First Sock" Pattern for the leg (obviously not yet begun). This is Knit Picks Dancing sock yarn.

I chose this edging because it is pretty, but moreso because I hate ribbing. I hate it because my ribbing always looks awful. Ribbing is supposed to be easy right? But I'd rather do this! I need some help!

WIPs

2006-02-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

Here are some projects that are in current knitting rotation.

A scarf in Plymouth's Baby Alpaca Grande. It is yummy soft. The dense warm yarn suits the openwork pattern well.

Check out the bling of those needles. LOL

Of course I get in sock knitting whenever I am out of the house. My constant companion in the purse.

This is the beginning of the border of the hooded sweater/sweatshirt in Kureyon that I spoke of earlier.

A close up of the Entrelac so far. I plan on knitting the main of the body in stockinette but the borders of the body, sleeves and hood will be entrelac.

One Sock Down!

2006-02-15T23:09:00.000-05:00

I finished The First Sock just now and attempted to cast on for The Second Sock but I've been feeling sick today and managed to bungle the cast on! I've decided no more knitting for tonight.

The sock is very ccomfy of course and this is perhaps the only sock that has ever completely fit my foot. I usually can pull a knee sock way up over the knee encroaching on the thigh.

My only regret is that my ribbing is so loose. I tend to knit so very loosely when I switch from knit to purl. I'll have to do the same for the second sock though I think I've found a way to remedy it.

Without further ado:

Another Entrelac project!

2006-02-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

Entrelac is totally addictive. Each little square finishes and the next begs to begin. It is like the stitches in a circular knitting project - just one more... even if you want to quit you keep on knitting them.

I started a project for a hooded raglan sweater/sweatshirt in Kureyon with entrelac borders- I have 10 balls and I'm quite small (a size 0) so that should save me on yarn.

I'm coming up with the pattern myself basing it on the Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, the entrelac hat pattern and the hoodie pattern in The Yarn Girl's Guide to Simple Knits.

I'm knitting the sweater at 5 stitches per inch on size 8 needles. The entrelac border is composed of 19 repeats of an 8 stitch entrelac pattern (for size reference the hat was a similar gauge with a 5 stitch entrelac).

Today one of the girls in my class asked me to teach her to knit! I was very enthusiastic. I'm getting much better at knitting without looking which I am fine at with thick, smooth yarn but this sock yarn was a bit tricky. Now I am improving.

I am very happy with how much I have accomplished knit-wise seeing as I only learned 2 months ago. With time my biggest hope is to get faster. I just need to keep on knitting...

Finished Silk Garden Entrelac Hat!

2006-02-14T16:28:00.000-05:00

I finally finished my Noro Silk Garden Entrelac Hat - and this time for good! I finished it twice before on Sunday and Monday but each time it was too short (I have a small head so I overestimated how small to make it). Finally I finished it today during a particularly boring lecture. I like it lots but the sensitive skin on my forehead sometimes gets a little itchy from it. Maybe a washing would help.

The entrelac on this hat was super addictive - I was sad when I finished it.

As soon as I finished it I put it on :)

Sick Rat and Sock Progress

2006-02-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

Poor little Valentine rat (whose eyes only glow like that because of the flash) is still not feeling any better. He squeeks and squaks whenever I try to love him or he plays with the other rats. Right now he is alone in a seperate cage which he hates. He is eating and drinking and voiding well but I'm very worried about all the pain he is in. Since he has had so many surgeries in the past I don't think I would want to put him through that again especially since he is allergic to suture and needs to have his incisions managed as open wounds. I'm taking him to the vet today (who is so extraordinarily nice to us it is amazing) and she said she'd give us some pain meds. I'm going to discuss with her having some x-rays and ultrasound on him to see if we can turn up what is wrong. I'm afraid I will have to put him to sleep if he doesn't start feeling any better but I could never forgive myself if I didn't at least try to see if it was something we could easily fix without surgery. I'm hoping he broke a bone in his tail or leg and that is what is causing his pain - but I doubt it is so.

I'm making good progress on The First Sock. Actually I ended up finishing the gusset and turning the heel yesterday and I've been working on the gusset decreases and working the foot today... I feel like I am knitting with a piece of thread though. The yarn is so tiny. I'm also developing a little knitting callous from where I hold my yarn. I <3 knitting.

The Entrelac Class

2006-02-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

Today was my entrelac class at Yarnworks, the only yarn shop nearby but a very nice one. I ended up being 30 min late - there was some sort of alarm clock malfunction and I was ready just not to go. I called the shop to see if I could at least pick up the yarn and instructions since I had paid for the class and they urged me to come over. Thankfully I caught up and the instructions were well written so I didn't have to ask too many questions.

It is a small bag still needing a zipper. I wonder how long it will take me to get around to doing that... It also needs a good blocking as you can see.

I have been wanting to make this pretty 1 skin of silk garden entrelac hat they have a pattern for at the store. So I had to buy my skein of silk garden...

And I'm also making slow but steady sock progress. I've started to make the heel flap here.

Situations of the day

2006-02-10T20:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was extremely upset after my oral exam. I got asked questions about things we hadn't learned and felt really rushed by my examiners. It was to the point that I just cryed, went home and slept and this morning I teared up again just thinking about it. And yet... I got a 95! I wish I felt like I failed more often, usually it goes something like "ooh I thought I did really well" and then I find out I got a C (which for your reference is a steep 75%-85%, A's start at 94!) :/

Anyway after the horrible incident I went the LYS and bought some sock yarn and today I started my first socks on size 2 needles. (As you can see I am a two circulars kind of girl... my stitches fall off of fiddly dpns)

Closeup. I accidentally started with two knit rows instead of going straight to the K1 P1 ribbing so my story is that I wanted a rolled look to the top and I'm going to stick to it. I'm using the wonderful Sockulator for the pattern : http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/530

Nicole's hat in progress. Hard to see because of the dark yarn.

Gratuitous shot of my collection of circulars. I also have a Denise set which I much much much prefer to conventional circulars especially for knitting with two circs because the cords don't curl and act all crazy. I've dipped all the regular ones in boiling water and tried to uncurl them but it just isn't the same. I am thinking of getting some Bryspuns because I hear they don't have this problem.

Gratuitous straight/dpn picture. I really need another case but I'm too cheap to buy one (that could be yarn money!) and have no time to make one (I could be knitting!)

In sad news my beloved rat Valentine is sick for the umpteenth time. He had complications after he was neutered and required two additional surgeries for abcess removal. He started squeaking like crazy at everything (the rat version of crying) so the wonderful boyfriend and I took him to the vet. She said she didn't feel any abdominal masses so we took him home and are going to watch him carefully over the weekend to see if it is just GI upset from some antibiotics he was on.

School and Knitting and Whatnot

2006-02-09T08:11:00.000-05:00

I finished my "Amsterdam" scarf this week. It had about a 1/6 left when I took the pictures of it. With that concluded, I had all my projects off of the needles. Amazing! I started a "graphite" colored cabled hat for my friend who says she can never find hats that properly fit her small head. I'm using a bulky yarn I had around and it is being a quick knit. But with my two Neuroscience finals today and tomorrow I haven't worked on it much.

Today's final is oral (!) which is very scary because I do not have a good track record when it comes to oral exams. Tomorrow's is thankfully multiple choice.

I signed up for an entrelac class at the LYS this Saturday and I'm very much looking forward to it. I'm afraid I probably won't be getting my Noro by the weekend which is really sad since now would be the best time to start a project. I'll probably pick up some sock yarn at the LYS, though.

Sweater Virgin No More

2006-02-06T14:35:00.000-05:00

The finished object! I went on a knitting spree this morning before class (well actually I was skipping class but I didn't miss anything important).

I look like a gorilla in this picture. I swear I am not 500 lbs. Actually I weigh 97 lbs believe it or not. The sweater has a finished bust measurement of 30", my actual bust measurement being 29".

No I'm not trying to fly away, I'm just trying to show that it does have some definition and is not just a furry ball of bulk. Needless to say, it is very warm and we had a nice cool day today so I wore it.

The sweater definitely has it's pros and cons. My favorite parts are how perfect the length of the sleeves are, how easily it was constructed, how perfectly the sleeves fit onto the body, and the neckline. I do not like how overly fuzzy the yarn is. I am thinking of shaving the extra long strands off with my boyfriend's beard hair trimmer. I haven't blocked it so hopefully when I do I can stretch it a bit longer.

Best of all this project is over so I can dedicate all my time to my beloved Noro when it arrives. And it better arrive by this weekend because I don't have another weekend off until spring break. The life of a medical student does not leave much time for knitting... let along sleeping, washing or cleaning but that is another matter.

I remembered that my mom has two antique spinning wheels as decoration in our house. One is a humongous great wheel that would never fit in my apartment which I know to be in working order. The other is a small wheeel that you can see below. I don't know if it is missing any pieces I need to get a book on these things - my dad can contruct any pieces or repair it is neccessary, I just need to find out what needs to be done.

I know nothing about spinning wheels so any suggestions for books, dvds or videos that could point me in the right direction would be much appreciated. Also if you can spot any problems with this wheel or tell me what this type is called that would also help.

Sirens at 3:30 AM

2006-02-05T03:48:00.000-05:00

At about 3:30 am I awoke to sirens blaring down the large-ish road a quarter mile from my apartment. They grew louder and waned, multiple sirens overlapped. In all they came and went for about 15 min. I wondered what was happening, I made prayers for those involved and then I tried to go back to sleep. As you can see that didn't work out so well. I thought about knitting, I envisioned the stitches in my head and worked out the kitchener stitch's mechanics.

To me knitting is not just an enjoyable hobby it is like learning a programming language (I know, I'm a geek!) - knit and purl being the the basic units. Understanding these two stitches - which in reality are only one stitch and it's reverse, open up the world of knitting techniques so much.

This wonderful aspect of thinking, technique knitting has me totally enamored. This coupled with the tactile and visual elements of gorgeous yarns, creativity in design, the portability of the work, and the joy of producing a useful object make knitting absolutely perfect. Why can't everyone see this?

::Sigh:: As you can tell none of my friends knit and I have no one to talk knitting to.

Amsterdam Scarf

2006-02-05T01:07:00.000-05:00

My "Amsterdam Scarf" - a heavily modded version of Knitty's Wavy

Amsterdam Scarf

The Amsterdam scarf is so named because I started it while I was on winter vacation in Amsterdam for a week. In the beginning I was knitting while somewhat distracted (such things happen in that city) and lost track of my pattern. Instead of ripping it out I continued on with the pattern and left that blip as a fond reminder of my vacation.

This is made in Gedifra Fashion Stripe #06 from my LYS. I very much like this yarn, it feels nice, knits nice, the colors are great... however the striping between skeins of the same dyelot was VERY uneven. One had very skinny stripes the other had very large stripes. I'm not sure how it would work out in a large garment.

Update One Sleeve Down, Number 2 Cast On!

2006-02-05T00:23:00.000-05:00

Sweater Progress - One Sleeve Down

Yay!! Some progress on "the first sweater." I finished the first sleeve and immediately cast on for number 2 so no procrastinating would be going on. I know I would never finish a project if I started more at a time so I am resolving to get through this one so I can knit up some yummy Noro that is on its way from Webs (www.yarn.com). I ordered some Kureyon in #153 and some Kujaku in #20 and 21.

The whole idea of hand washing and wool is foreign to me. I don't own a single wool item! It would be a total nightmare if it accidentally got washed. I'll have to affix a warning tag in case my boyfriend decides to surprise me by doing laundry (wait... who am I kidding). My ambitions are high with this yarn. It deserves a gorgeous garment and I have my ambitions set on a sweater coat (Kujaku) and a cardigan or pullover sweater (Kureyon). I can't wait for it to arrive so I can snuggle up with it LOL. Pictures will be posted!

Some patterns I am contemplating are:
*Noro Vol. 17: **Ribbed turtleneck sleeveless pullover** (for Kujaku) I think I would add cap sleeved or long sleeves however because my boyfriend loathes short sleeved turtlenecks (though I adore them).
*Noro Knits: Butterfly, York, Carraway, Mickee (but shorter)
*Noro Cornelia T. Hamilton Book 2: Klaralund, **Lindebo**

I very much would like to do a large intarsia lotus in contrasting Noro stripes on the back of one of the pieces. Kaffe's work is very inspiring - I love color and this yarn can do some of the work for me.

My favorites are starred. There will be some tough decisions.

This will be a big project for me (especially considering my knitting novice and little free time) and I very much want to work on some socks at the same time.

Can you tell I am totally smitten with knitting? I need to bake brownies for the lovely woman at the LYS whose beginning knitting class I took. I never could have imagined what wonders $20 and 3 hours would open up.

Other wonderful things that have facilitated my knitting:
*http://knittinghelp.com - I even purchased the CD of extra videos - extremely helpful. I learned so much more quickly than deciphering book drawings.
*Knitty's Wavy Scarf - after one repeat I had my epiphany, I *understood* knitting . I promply ripped it and made my own version which has paired increase + decreases to make actual waves. (See following posts)
* The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, The Sweater Workshop, and of course Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman.
These book have furthered my understanding of knitting and inspire me to be a "thinking knitter" not a mere pattern follower.

Picture Update... Stash Closet, Sweater WIP, etc.

2006-02-02T22:07:00.000-05:00

Today I went to Michaels where I needed to pick up another ball of yarn for my sweater as it was becoming apparent that the other sleeve was going to need an extra 1/5 of a ball or so. I would have been so proud if I could have finished it with only yarn from my existing stash.

Before seaming the sleeve to the body... because it will make things so much nicer when the knitting is over. I also wanted to be able to try the sweater on...

Not the best picture but you can get the idea of what it is turning into. I had just sewn on the sleeve and I was so very proud at how perfectly the sleeve fit - no adjusting whatsoever!

Like I said before I am making it up as I go. Raglan styled but not knit like a regular raglan because I didn't know how to knit one when I started it. The sleeves are being knit top down because I wanted to make sure I fit it onto the body correctly. It is being knit on size 13 needles using a strand of Patons Divine in Night Sky held together with a strand of black Lion Jiffy yarn. Not the classiest of yarns but I didn't want to botch a first project too horribly. The yarns were bought on sale without any particular project in mind so I was happy to find a use for them. I like working with the furry Divine because it hides any boo boos with the fluff :)

I organized the yarn closet. It cheers me up.

And finally some pictures of previous small projects:

My first circular project and intarsia using Jumbo Merino

Cute little slipper made using the "Ridiculously easy" Mary Jane pattern on crafster.

Some Fisherman's Wool I dyed with Kool-Aid and food dye a few weeks ago... waiting for a project.

On to bigger and better things

2006-02-01T15:50:00.000-05:00

After glancing over my previous pictures I'm quite happy with how far I've come within the last monthish. (What sad, sad first projects they were)

I ripped the crocheted scarf. I don't wear scarves. I live in Florida and I'm dressed like such a bum all the time because I'm sleep deprived and miserable that a scarf would just look ridiculous on me. As a knitting convert the idea of finishing *crocheting* the thing is yucky.

Right now I am working on a sweater - my first! I got antsy trying to find patterns that worked with the yarn I had and actually fit my size (well... they don't make patterns in my size I found) so I made up a simple raglan design. I'm finished with the body and I'm halfway through one sleeve. It is a boring project - mostly just to teach myself techniques involved in sweater making. I'll try to post a picture later. Though I'm pleased that I am using my existing stash - which means room for more yarn!

There are so many things I am itching to make - and most especially techniques I am itching to learn. I'm finding I am very much a process knitter. If I had more than 5 minutes of knitting time a day I would have so many projects started. As it is the sweater I started weeks ago and that could have been finished within a long weekend is still awaiting it's release from needle limbo. Shamefully sad.

Current projects I lust to start:
- Socks (especially since I've found how easy it is to knit with two circulars instead of dpns which means I don't have to go out and buy a bunch a of dpns as I have a nice inherited collection of circulars) I don't have any sock yarn... but soon ;)
- Colorful intarsia on a black cardigan or sweater coat... all planned out in my head.
- Lightweight "professional" shells to wear in the Florida heat which is soon to come - ah to knit one in something like a noro silk yarn...
- Some stashbusting fun - perhaps using many stranded intarsia, entrelac, modular knits... the possibilities are endless

After finishing a day of testing... 7 hours to be precise mostly spent trying to get the online testing system working I can no longer go to the LYS which closes too early. Maybe in June when school ends. ::sigh::

Yarning like crazy

2005-12-12T19:39:00.000-05:00

Text later...

Pictures!!

2005-12-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

My world of rats and rat stuff:

The old cage. It is about 3' high.
There is nothing really wrong with it except that it is an absolute pain to clean due to the small doors and the fact that I need to lift it off of the plastic base and the shelves don't really come out (or at least I can't get them out with a reasonable amount of force). I used to have to drag it into the shower with me and sustain multiple cuts to get it really clean.
It also is slightly coming apart... (my excuse for getting the RAT PALACE!)

The Rat Palace: It is so grand I had to call it something fitting.
I purchased it from www.ferretstore.com it is the Ferret Nation two story cage.
It stands as tall as I do (~5'1") it is a really handsome cage. The finish is very nice, it is spacious and the best part...

The doors swing fully open and the shelves come out for easy cleaning. (I have all of the surfaces covered with puppy training pads for even easier cleaning.) Despite having a litter box which I fill with raisins from around the cage they are not very intersted in using it. And FORGET about getting them to pee in one place. The best place to pee is wherever they are sleeping or standing they have told me.

The bottom floor. Here we see Valentine and Marshmallow. I think Valentine is on the right but I can't really tell from a distance. They were both adopted from a lab where I did research last summer. Valentine has had several surgeries due to complications from his neutering so a quick belly check can tell them apart. Their personalities are also very dissimilar.

The top floor. Cocoa is seen scampering in her penthouse.

The playpen. After eating SO many pairs of shoes, pants, electric cords, a cell phone and other random objects this was deemed a dire necessity. It took forever for me to find one that was tall enough and wasn't too easy to climb. As it is they are entertained enough inside that they don't escape (though I do stay in the same room.)
I also bought this from The Ferret Store (I highly recommend them.)

Back up cages. For travel or if one of the babies is sick.

An Introduction

2005-12-02T14:06:00.000-05:00

I started this blog so that I could write about all of the things that my friends are simply sick of hearing about. My crafting and my rats figure prominently among these topics.

I have three wonderful rats currently. Two boys named Marshmallow and Valentine (both neutered) and a girl named Cocoa. They are about as spoiled as they come because they are "my babies." I first began owning rats in March '05 because I was in a year long transition inbetween college and med school and I was working in another city than my boyfriend who I now go to medical school with. I was lonely, bored and needed somebody to shower my affections on. I decided I needed a pet and immediately I knew I wanted a rat. I had had a friend with a very sweet boyrat named Spike who showed me the wonders of the rat.

Picture post later today after their new palace of a cage arrives! (They really are SO spoiled.)