Month’s End

I am so happy to see February (finally) end.  I’m not a fan. This is not a deep dark secret either.  For some reason, February is the one month that I just can’t manage.  Somewhere around the third week, I become convinced that this month will never end.  Every.  Year.   I’m not sure exactly why this happens, but I just want it not to be February anymore, and the realization that I can’t make the days go by any faster just makes me sad. 

So in defense of this state of “blah” that I sink into, I want to knit and generally do.  I went into a sort of high gear of sock knitting…

I knit my February PSC pair:

Blue Chevvy's

Pattern: Father and Son Socks by Mona Schmidt

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock / Color 806 Impressionist Sky

Size 2.25mm needles / magic loop

Then I finished these:

Sweet Sweat Socks

Pattern: Basic sock
Yarn: Panda Cotton Sock / colors Ivory, Crystal Pink and Deep Water
Size 2.25mm needles / dpn

And meanwhile, I worked on these along with the class I was teaching for knitting Two at a time Top down socks at the shop:

Pond Ripples

Pattern: Harris Tweed Socks by Ali Green

Yarn: Noro Kuryeon Sock / Color 150

Size 2.25 mm needles / Magic Loop, 2AAT

Just before I finished those, I realized I wouldn’t have any socks on the needles so I cast on a mindless pair to get me through until I cast on my March PSC socks:

Vegetable Thin socks

Pattern: Basic Sock

Yarn: Noro Kuryeon Sock / Color 255

Before you get the impression all I knit in February was socks, when I wasn’t working on socks, I also knit another one of the little dice bags,

Sea Urchin Bag 2

this is a fun little project and I still have a lot of the yarn left over... I'm thinking of a new design for using that. 

And I finished this:

Carefree Shawl

Pattern: Carefree by Jen Hansen

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock / Color Alchemy

Needles: US Size 4

Cast on for this:

Friday Cardi

Pattern: Girl Friday

Yarn: Gedifera Extra Soft Merino

Needle: US Size 6

And this: 

Marmalade

Pattern: Miss Marple's Shawl - What Would Miss Marple Knit / Vintage from Weldon's Practical Needlework

Yarn: Knitivity Down Home Fingering / color Peachy

Needle: US Size 5

Hopefully March will bring better pictures and some interesting activities and I’ll have something besides socks to post.

Happy Knitting,

Nana

Getting Back on Track

I didn't get on board any Ravelympic teams or even sign up for the Yarn Harlot's knitting Olympics, but I think I'm going to get in on the competitive spirit of the games and try to get a few of my longstanding WIPS finished as a personal challenge during the Olympics.  My first order of business is to get some socks off the needles.  I had three pair going into the weekend, I've got it down to two now and intend to finish another tomorrow (sadly I need to cast on a pair during my class tonight, but that's how it goes).  The next order of business will be to revive my Bi-color Cable sweater project.

At any rate, let me show you the socks I did get done. Here are the Penguin socks that I promised my daughter a while back.  I'm thinking they might make it into the mail in time for Valentines!

Pattern: Pop-out Penguins

Yarn: Blue – Socks that Rock light weight in Blue Moonstone; Black – Socks that Rock in Korrpi; White – Louet Gems in white and Yellow – Sunshine Yarns from the Spring Color pack

Size 2.5mm needles (magic looped)

I made a few minor mods to the pattern, adding rows between the cuff and start of the chart and end of the chart and start of the heel.  The biggest change I did was to knit them in the round instead of flat.  It was quite the learning experience, but I am happy with the result. I think if I did this pattern again I would do the 3-D parts using an “afterthought” heel technique.  I found the short rows a little fiddly and they left a lot of little holes to be closed up at the end.

(love the little tail!)  

Otherwise I can say that these were a fun knit and I think my daughter will enjoy wearing them.

Happy Knitting!

Nana

Shawl Shock

I’ve been doing quite a bit of knitting this month. I just haven’t taken the time to post much about what I’ve been up to. While I was visiting my daughter and granddaughter in TX I finished several projects and started a couple more. Here’s a sort of run-down on what I did then and have been doing since: What kind of Nana would I be if I didn’t knit a sweater for that little darling? I started this after I finished the blanket and finished it just in time for Sylvia’s arrival at home. I call it Sylvia’s Homecoming Sweater:

The purple and grey (silver) it’s done in are Texas Christian University (TCU) colors. My daughter and her husband met there and are active alumni. It seemed fitting to knit her at least one outfit in school colors; and since her Nana is very partial to purple, pretty satisfactory too. Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles; Practically Seamless (aka Baby February) from the Knitters Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman Yarn: Butterfly Super 10 by Kertzer in Violet and Silver – this is a DK weight yarn and worked up very nicely. Needles: size 6 Pattern Mods: I left off the button holes so and knit the sleeves last so that I could knit them in the round (thus making it truly seamless). I also did two pair of matching booties (one in each color) with the leftover yarn using the pattern Knit Mary Jane Booties by April Cromwell The sweater is a little big for her now, but I am confident she will grow into it eventually. There’s also enough yarn left over that I may even add a hat to the ensemble. I also finished my contribution to the square a month swap that my two daughters are doing.

You’ll have to go here to get the details, but one of them suggested it would be fun if I contributed a knit square and I was quite honored to do so. I chose a fun mitered square that is knit from the center out. Pattern: Turn Back Time Spa Cloth from Creative Knitting Magazine January 2008 issue Yarn: Vanna’s Choice for grey square and for Blue Square Paton SWS and Red Heart for the border Then I finished one of the two pair of Sister Stripe socks (Noro Kuryeon Sock Yarn) that I'm also knitting for my daughters.The first pair was for DD#1 (the new mom) and turned out great.

I cast on for the second pair as well. I’ve worked on them some since and got them this far:

I also started a shawl while I was down in TX. On my first attempt I followed the pattern the way it was written, but decided my cast on was too loose and sloppy so I started over. Then I didn’t like the hole that the first and last yarn-over made on the top edge, so I decided to redo it and knit the yarn-over through the back loop (ktbl) on the next row. I liked that result much better, but on that attempt, I also decided to slip the last stitch of each row, which gave me a loose and uneven edge which I didn’t like at all, so out it went. After all that tinkering though I came up with a very pleasant arrangement of alternating stockinette and garter rows and on the third start using only three stitches as the base doing the ktbl’s and not slipping the last stitch, I got a result I was super happy with. I finished it off with a cute little picot bind off. So even with all of that, I started this on the 21st and finished it on the 27th so it’s fair to say it was super quick and easy. I think it turned out quite nicely.

(End of Summer Shawl) Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl Yarn: Sunuvasock by Ceallach Dyes colorway, Vintage Needles: size 7 Which brings me to my current project; even though it’s quite embarrassing to admit that this project has been (gasp) OTN for OVER a year, I made excellent progress on the long-languishing Swallowtail Shawl (I KNOW!) (Hanging head in knitterly shame) I completed all the repeats of the 2nd chart and am ready to move on to the next section. I am doing only one pattern mod on this: I’m replacing the nupps with beads in this section. I’m hoping to get this one done in the next week. I’ll keep you posted! Happy Knitting Nana

The Shape of Things to Come

Well my knitting is starting to “shape” up. I finished one Octagon and two squares for baby Sylvia’s blanket. The Sprout yarn is so soft and cuddly, but it is a beast to knit with! Thank goodness the shapes are knitted with alternating decrease rounds (it goes faster as I go). Here’s a peek: There will be more colors added before it’s done, but it’s a start! I also finished the back on the vest and started one of the fronts, no hurry on this project, but I’m to the point where I’m ready to have it off the needles! (no pics) And, last but not least, I finished the blue anklets, so I have at least one pair of socks knit for July (and a finished project to show)… see! Pattern: striped version of a basic sock pattern Yarn: Panda cotton in colors 2302/Baby Blues and 0511/Deep Water Size 2.5 mm needles (dpn)

I expect this to be a sort of busy week. Linda has gone off on a much deserved vacation and left me as lead at the shop during her absence. Most of the time we work together to take care of things, so that’s not too big of a deal, I just need to stay in communication with everybody.

There also will be a little extra cleaning and staying on top of housework because my big brother and niece are coming to visit on Sunday. I’m really looking forward to the visit.

Well, that’s what I’ve been up to… Happy Knitting!

Nana

End of Week Round-up

I haven’t posted much about knitting lately, so I thought I’d do a quick post with a few of the projects I’ve been working on. I started some blue socks and am finding the pattern to be a pretty quick knit and am feeling much love for the yarn and pattern combination. The Simply Blue socks are coming along quite well….

(Doesn’t Saucey make a lovely model)

Pattern: Simplicity from the Eclectic Sole / Yarn Knitivity Down Home Fingering in Denim

I also needed a pair to work on for my magic loop class and after much rifling through my sock yarn stash and pattern collection, I settled on: A pair of Mixed up Monkeys

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A / Yarn Claudia Handpaint Fingering in Desert Dusk

The yarn is two different dye-lots of the same color and for that reason, I am going to mix and match the various parts of the socks using some from each skein. So for that reason I’m working them two at a time.

I also got all of the knitting done on the Presto-Chango sweater and it’s currently blocking. All it needs is a little seaming and just the right buttons

Have a happy weekend!

Nana

P.S. to Jean... I do have a P-38 in my kitchen drawer, but settled for my trusty Pampered Chef can opener to avert the crisis!

Some Mays are Like This

Sheesh! I think I need some frog repellent.

Seriously, I have made mistakes and frogged more sock knitting this month than I can remember. Sigh! Maybe it has something to do with the rainy spring?

Yesterday I finished the Uptown Boot Socks without further incident, (and I’ll get to those) so then I picked up the scallop socks intending to finish sock #2. Now, I was somewhat proud of myself that even though I had decided to change the design and would end up frogging (just a little) part of the foot on the first sock, I was actually making pretty good progress on the second one. After all I had finished the heel flap and was working steadily toward the heel turn. I finished the turn, picked up the gusset stitches started back into the pattern on the foot, pulled out the first sock to do a little counting and then… hmmm, I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something doesn’t seem right. Keep knitting, it’s just the light… No really, there’s something off here… no, keep knitting (sneaking suspicion continues to assert itself) … pull out pattern notes, GASP! I have been doing the simple 4 stitch, 2 row lace pattern incorrectly… no kidding! For most of the sock…. here’s what happened next:

Before:

After: But, I still have this to be proud of - Chocolate Truffles: Pattern: Uptown Boot Sock by Jennifer Appleby Yarn: Lucy Neatby Celestial Merino Dream in Bittersweet Chocolate Size 2.5 needles / Magic Loop Times frogged before getting a complete pair: 4

Fit ... perfect!

Some Mays are just like that… June can’t come fast enough I hope it’s too hot for frogs!

Nana

I Get By With a Little Help from My Cats

I had drafted a post earlier in the week, but didn’t finish it… and it really doesn't seem relevant any more, so according to the cats they said I should start over. (Starting over has been a theme lately)

I did, however, finish the knitting on my sweater: Here’s Zelda helping block the sleeves:

(I’ll hold it down, mommy)

All I have left to do now is sew it up and weave in ends.

I also finished Sock #1 of the Scallop socks. Even though I had to rip and reknit the toe three times, I’m not sure I am completely satisfied with how my experimental pattern turned out. The transition between the lace and foot just doesn't quite seem right. I may tweak the design when I knit Sock #2 - I have an idea of how to fix it. If I like it, I'll have to frog sock 1. Otherwise, I guess I’ll make sock #2 match sock #1 since there will be way less frogging at that point (not to mention that I already grafted the toe on sock#1!) Here’s a peek at what I’ve done so far:

Also, Saucey was a very big help this morning hunting down a vicious spider and almost catching it – that is ‘til it went under the cat bed. At that point she sort of lost track of it and didn’t know what to do next. Then Zelda came over and wanted to help at the last minute. I tried to capture it on video it might not be you-tube worthy, but I thought it was cute...

Have a great weekend!

Happy Knitting

Nana

Be Square

Linda got a few samples of Kollage's new circular and double point square needles in at the shop yesterday. Of course, I couldn’t help poking thru the pile. So I’m standing there with the square size 2.75mm dpn’s in my hand and she asked me if I’d like to test them…. Silly question! So I brought them home and cast on a little pair of socks…. The square needles are made of coppery brown aluminum and are very light. So far I don’t notice much difference from working with regular round needles. They seem just as comfortable as round needles. I like the tips. Not too pointy, but not dull either.

My assessment is that if you are looking for 5” dpns in a smaller size but don’t want to worry about breaking the thinner wood, these might be for you.

I’ve been slow with my knitting projects this week. I finished the back of the Delve sweater and started the front. Here’s a peek…

I need a bigger blocking board if I’m going to keep knitting sweaters! The falling leaves socks are taking a bit longer than I’d hoped. I’ve had to do a little bit of ripping again, since I seem to have a bit of trouble following the pattern. For some reason I do fine with the first half of the pattern repeat, but keep messing up the second part; especially if anyone even looks in my direction while I am knitting. Probably shouldn’t be trying to work on this one in public. I’m also at a decision point about the heel; do I do the afterthought heel the pattern calls for or forge ahead with a flap heel? Either way; I doubt I’ll get them done before the end of the month, sigh.

Old Socks, New Socks

Green, red, and blue socks…. Presenting the finished Couplet Socks:

Yarn, Poems Sock Yarn color 958 Size 2.50mm dpn needles Basic 7 stitches per inch pattern by Ann Budd; eye of partridge heel Started: March 2, Finished March 17

These were a really quick knit even with a whole weekend of ripping and re-knitting to get the colors to combine nicely in the stripes. You can see the effect I was trying to avoid a little bit on the blue / purple heeled sock, right before the start of the heel where the two reds were starting to get really close in color. Despite that little issue, I might have to do more of these.

And on to the next pair;

After reorganizing and taking stock of my sock yarn stash, I decided to stick with my previous plan for the next pair and I cast on Weds for these:

The Falling Leaves Socks from the Lucky Lurker Sock club 2007 by A Swell Yarn Shop. The pattern and yarn was a gift from a swap I did last year. So far the socks are working up nicely. They are eventually going to go to DD#2 who has been waiting somewhat patiently since September when I promised that I would make her another pair of socks to replace all the ones that were worn out or tortured in the laundry by her boyfriend. So they are on the needles.

Overall, yesterday wasn’t a very good knitting day. During my pre-work knitting I wrestled with the start of the diamond lace pattern on Delve. It took me about 24 rows to get the 12 row pattern right. Then I went to work, but it was too busy there to do any knitting (between the shop having a sale and giving a private lesson). But, I did give it a good try at knit night. I pulled out the triangle scarf thinking it would be a good thing to work on with all the conversations that go on. Nope! I couldn’t get my brain around how to start a new triangle … that took two attempts. I did manage to finish one triangle but decided maybe I should put it away and not tax my brain further by attempting to do the other triangle with reverse shaping. So I pulled out the falling leaves sock to work on. I finished a couple rounds and noticed the pattern wasn’t looking right, tinked back, restarted then it was time to go. Got home, “finished” the pattern repeat… still not right, tinked 7 rounds and decided I was done knitting for the night. I had a little better time with it today and was able to make up for all the lost rounds. Just for fun, I might try to get these done by the end of the month and make March a record 3-pair month. (March madness indeed!) We’ll see. (The colors are more accurate in this pic) And on the subject of things that are nearly impossible to do… One thing that is almost impossible to do around Chez Nana is to get a really decent picture of Zelda with her eyes open. She has shutter sense like crazy and almost always waits until the second the shutter closes to blink. Because of her black face, this usually results in a picture where she looks like she has no eyes. Today she was camped out in the office looking really cute so I fooled her. I used the shutter delay setting and called her name and got her to look up at the camera right before the shutter closed, but before she realized that the first click wasn’t the real deal. So here she is eyes and all, looking totally sweet: (Oh, hai mommy... are we going to post the blog nao?)

Have a nice weekend!

Pile o’ Undone

I had so wanted to post a picture of the finished back of Delve. Not. I had also planned on finishing the couplet socks over the weekend and having a post about that. Not! After driving myself crazy over the color combinations of the stripes and frogging back to the cuff (or beyond) four times, I finally managed to get to the start of the heel on the second sock. If I’m a good knitter girl, maybe they’ll be done in a couple of days. Sigh Between recovering from an ear infection and aforementioned stripe obsession, very little progressive knitting actually occurred this weekend… I think this sums it up best:

For those of you who are of Irish descent like me or those who just wanna be…

May the road rise to meet you, May the wind always be at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, And the rains fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again, may God Hold you in the palm of his hand.

…. And may all your WIPs be happily finished! Happy St. Patty’s day and happy knitting

I’m a Very Busy Knitter

I finished the Celtic Knotkins! I liked this pattern pretty well, but wanted to put my personal stamp on it. In addition to the picot edge, I also modified the heel and toe to use the more traditional style just because that’s what I prefer over the short row heel. I also did the eye of partridge version of the heel flap because I thought it would be pretty with this yarn. I like how these turned out. Pattern: Nutkin Sock; by Beth LaPensee Yarn: Knitivity Down Home Sock in Shamrock Size 2.75 dpn needles

These will be perfect to wear on St. Patty's day!

The Knit Out event is coming together; but it’s still a bit of a bumpy ride. I have a feeling that it’s going to keep me busy and make me crazy all the way down to the very end.

Somewhere during last week’s craziness, I succumbed to the siren call of some skeins of Poems I had sitting out in my work room, (I think they were there to be photographed, because they weren’t in my stash on ravelry) and cast on for a scarf. Here’s the result so far:

Triangle Scarf (pattern by Ginger Luters) Poems Worsted in colors 556 and 558.

This project barely escaped tragedy last night when Saucey unceremoniously deposited all of her (previously eaten) dinner on and near the ottoman that most of my knitting lives on. I was mid-row on Delve and trying to count (because I thought I missed a decrease) which is not a very good thing to be doing when the cat decides to explode very close to your knitting. I’m happy to report that having your various in-waiting WIPs safely tucked into knitting bags and baskets is a good thing. The bag got a little soiled and ended up in a nice luxurious soak after I rescued the safely contained knitting. WHEW! That was a close call… (Note to self; might need to re-think keeping knitting projects on and around ottoman)…So after a little initial yelling, a lot of cleaning and apologizing to the not-feeling-so-good cat, my knitting is safe … and I actually have the right number of stitches. I’m almost to the yoke part of the back so I need to re-read the pattern to figure out the shaping before I start the rest.

There’s also a new pair of socks in the works. I think I might have mentioned that we got the Poems sock yarn in the shop, and, I started a new class this week, so I needed some plain socks to work on for demonstration purposes… nobody said that they couldn’t be striped! I’m using both ends of one skein of Poems sock in color 958 to make the two row skinny stripes…so far …. I like!

Two Wrongs Really Don’t Make One Right

Just a quick update before I dash off to work. Our weekend was busy but productive. First there was the drive from snowy Illinois to equally snowy Michigan and back with more snow in the forecast.  We had a nice visit with the SDs, grandtwins and grandaughter and still made it safely home before the next round of flakes. Yesterday we braved the bitter cold temperatures and the mall for last minute shopping (and survived).  

As planned, during our trip to MI, I cast on for my next big project, a sweater for the mother-in-law of my step-daughter.   I think it’s safe to say that this project could earn me major points with the knitting gods if there is such a thing. I sure hope so anyway, because at this point it is an undertaking of both fascination and horror. 

You see some time ago, I sort of agreed to knit a sweater as a favor to my stepdaughter.  I say sort of, because it was really more like my DH who told his daughter that I could probably do it and the project got presented to me.  Now I don’t want you to think of this as whining.  I like doing nice things for people that I love and besides that I’m looking at the whole thing as a knitterly challenge.  It’s also a chance to try a pattern I wanted to knit for myself anyway. 

The problem is the yarn.  Now I’m not really a true yarn snob.  I believe every yarn out there has a place in the knitting spectrum.  Some yarns are better for some types of projects and are easier on the budget when you know the project recipient might not appreciate or care for a garment or gift made out of expensive yarn.  Acrylic yarns also have their place for people who have true wool allergies and for children. I do have my preferences, but the fiber content isn’t what is giving me trouble. It's the color of this yarn, which can only be described as "helloo 1985... please take your colors back..."

Yes an ombre yarn in vintage colors which didn't work then and still don't work now.  It is both a fascination to see what is happening with the patterning of the yarn when combined with the lace stitches of the pattern; and kind of a horror to behold.  The pattern doesn’t complement the yarn in any way and, well, I’m not sure that if I had chosen this yarn myself that I could find a pattern that would.  IMHO even the stockinette stitch portions blend the colors in undesirable ways.

Here’s a quick rundown:  I’m knitting this sweater, with this yarn (Red Heart Supersaver in Wedgewood)  (More pink and blue than picture shows).

 and this is what I’m getting so far…

Do ya’ think? Even the camera didn’t want to get involved with this.  It took three tries to get a halfway decent picture that didn’t vibrate.

I devoted most of the weekend to working on this and I'm almost finished with the back.  We have another round of travel coming up and I plan to work on it some more then. It’s resting comfortably in its own project bag for now.

Meanwhile, other knitting continues to happen.  (Fear not dear daughter), sweater sleeves are progressing nicely, if a little less than photo worthy.  But will be my focus until the next round of car knitting.

My horseshoe cable socks are on track, and various small projects are still being finished at a relaxed pace. 

So it's back to our normal routine for a few days and then Christmas followed by more travel.  

Stay safe and warm and keep on knitting!

Paging the Seaming Fairies

It seems like I’ve been on the go so much lately, but I have been fitting in time to work on things here and there. Here’s an update on what I’ve been knitting. Unbiased is done except for the side seams, the bottom seam and the handles: The baby bunting is very close to being finished; just the front neck and sleeves (oh and more seams to sew; sigh, there’s still a lot of finishing work up ahead for me.) Driver (gloves) is finished: (or at least for now, since upon trying them on, I discovered that I picked up the stitches on the wrong side of the band for the left glove, thus the strap goes the wrong way… fortunately, there’s enough yarn left to knit one more) Basic Socks Class socks are done: Blue Jean socks: New socks OTN: Advanced Sock Knitting Class Socks; Bavarian by Candace Eisner-Strick, from Vogue Knitting Ulitmate Socks book: (The yarn is more violet than the blue that it looks like in this picture) And last but not least....Undulating Rib by Ann Budd from Interweave Favorite Socks Book (no picture, too little to show) Whew! I really have been knitting!

Weekend Update

So the knitting accomplishments for the weekend: Finished knitting left glove and completed right glove to start of knuckle cut-out for the “Driver” class sample pair. Class 2 on Thursday will hopefully get us to the finger knitting ... there's still a whole lot of ends to weave, but that's next week!

Completed class sock #1 to beginning of toe shaping, knitted sock #2 through gusset to prepare for final class tonight. The lesson portion is toe shaping and grafting. This should be a finished pair by tomorrow. The next sock class will be an advanced class and hopefully I’ll be able to get that sample started tomorrow or Wednesday. Knit a swatch for an adult size Santa Cruz hoodie which will be for DD #1. She asked me to knit her one last Christmas after seeing the one I did for Eli, maybe I’ll get it done before December. Although this will probably be the only “Christmas” knitting I do this year; unless, of course a few washcloths or something small like that slip off the needles. (no pic though, not much to look at)

Call me thrilled though, because I did also finish both books I’ve been reading. The one for our book club (last Tuesday) called “Hot Flashes and Cold Cream” by Diann Hunt. I wasn’t especially fond of this one. The central character overreacts completely to turning 50 and I found very little I could sympathize with in her drama. Maybe I’m just more practical than that. The second I enjoyed a great deal more; it was “I Can’t Wait To Get To Heaven” by Fannie Flagg (same author as Fried Green Tomatoes). The central character was much more fun and likeable and the story was just a pleasure to read. You just really wanted to see what sorts of things she came up with next. An interesting thing to note is that both books shared a common theme about living your life to the fullest and not worrying so much about little things. Both ended up having a good message, I just thought the delivery of the one was a little too superficial and predictable for my taste.