Archive for the ‘Knitting’ Category
November 6th, 2009
I finally finished something a week or two ago, and it’s just in time too because it’s starting to get cold for winter. We had snow last night!
I was waiting to post this until I had the time and brainpower to say something interesting, but there really isn’t anything interesting to say. This is the Cobblestone Pullover by Jared Flood (in some issue of Interweave Knits, I can’t remember). It was a very easy knit, despite the fact that it took me a year to finish. I love it, Corey loves it, and a few others have made positive comments.
One down, a bunch of works in progress to go.
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September 18th, 2009
Spinning is really what has been catching my attention lately. Maybe it’s the long absence, maybe it’s the ease of picking it up and putting it down to tend to baby, or maybe it’s that I can mesmerize the little one and do something fun.
This is some inexpertly spun yarn from fiber dyed by Gail, chain plyed to keep the color sequences. I’ve got a few other braids of fiber that’s hand-dyed that I’m really itching to pick up and spin in a similar way. Although, this time I’ll spin it more evenly. It’s tough to remember what you were doing with a yarn when you take 5-6 month break from it!
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August 21st, 2009
So a little bit about the purple cardigan I hinted at in my last post. Katie’s getting more and more independent to where she’s content to sit near me and not be held, so I’ve got a bit more knitting done lately. Still not as much as I’d like, but I take what I can get.
I said many times that I wouldn’t knit any baby clothes because of how fast they grow out of them. I was relaxing with Katie one day, and had a strong inclination to knit her a little baby sweater. I got to thinking even more and was reminded of the one-size-fits-all diaper cover that we have for her. It cleverly uses snaps to make the diaper smaller for little babies, and you can scale it bigger as they grow. Why couldn’t I do that with a baby sweater?
This is my attempt at designing a cardigan that will grow with her. I’ve been thinking over and working on this for a couple of weeks now, but I’m really hoping I can finish it before she gets too much bigger. I started with the smallest size at where she was two weeks ago, so she’d already stretch it out a bit today if it was done. The goal is to create two sizes, one for newborn and one into toddler ages. Let’s hope I can finish the smaller size so she can wear it before she’s too big!
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August 2nd, 2009
Shh…Don’t tell her I’m knitting. She might wake up.
4 Comments | Categories: Knitting |
July 31st, 2009
Since before my little girl was born I’ve been trying really hard to start a new pair of socks. The part that has been causing me so much difficulty is exactly what to knit. I didn’t want to do simple socks, and I didn’t want to follow a pattern and try to match the yarn reqs. to what I have (buying yarn is out for quite some time). I don’t know what it is, but I had the hardest time forcing myself to think of an idea.
Finally I just broke down and started swatching. I think that’s one of my problems. I often want to get started without having to take the time to plan. Sometimes that works. Actually, a lot of the time that works because I usually get the idea before deciding to make something. This time it just would not work.
The swatch…
It looks kind of messy, and it’s not the yarn I will be using for the socks. However, it’s got the seed of an idea I’ve been working on, and I’m a bit excited to get started. I’m not too happy with the leaf stems and how open the stitches look, but a good ole twisted stitch should fix that right up.
There’s one little snag, and that’s the flower I’m trying to put on the end. You can probably see the mess at the top where I attempted to convert a stitch pattern to my purposes. I probably don’t need to tell you: it didn’t work.
I need some kind of flower…
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June 26th, 2009
This little one has been making it very difficult to really get any knitting done.
I picked up the needles for the first time in a while the other day, and my husband was telling me how it made him happy to see me with the pointy sticks again. I gotta say it felt good to pick them up again too. Here’s hoping I can at least get a little done here and there, but when I have to struggle to get time for myself unfortunately knitting tends to get put on the backburner.
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May 2nd, 2009
I haven’t really made a big deal about it on this blog, but I feel it needs a brief mention for this post. Recently Corey and me had our wedding anniversary. We decided that since we are having a baby in just over a month, that perhaps our 6 year old digital camera wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I was very excited on Wednesday to receive in the mail our fancy schmancy new Canon Powershot A590 IS…
I have to say I am very happy with the pictures it takes. I’m still learning my way around all the settings, because this is light years ahead of my old digital camera. I’ve been trying for the past few days to make an excuse to write a post here so I can take some purty pictures, but my knitting life right now is kind of boring, at least from the outside looking in. I’m working on the same old projects, not really starting anything or completing anything yet. I’ve written a little bit on everything in that picture above, and don’t have much more to say other than “Knit a few more rows today.” or “Finished this piece, moving on to the next.” Sure, there’s still a bit of drama over the Sage Cardigan, but I don’t feel I should bring that one out again until I’ve accomplished something real (like a finished sleeve that fits).
That got me to thinking about some old projects that I haven’t pulled out in a while.
I don’t think I’ve even mentioned this little project. It was started on a whim one weekend when I wanted something new, and it’s slowly plodding along. Rather, I’m working on it fairly quickly just not very often.
That yarn there is Artyarns Oh-So-Expensive Silk Pearl yarn that knits up beautifully. I made a little purse similar to this one as a wedding gift for some friends (see picture at the end) and had about half the skein left to make myself another one. This stuff has amazing stitch definition, incredible sheen, and is super strong. However, at about $40 per skein you’ll probably only ever be knitting one/two skein projects with it.
Here’s the original purse which I am modeling mine after. They won’t be identical, but I couldn’t help but bring back that beautiful cable (that’s the old camera; what an improvement!).
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April 18th, 2009
I was so confused when I wrote that last post. When your pattern is supposed to be 40 rows to 4″ and it’s only 38 rows to 4″, your finished piece is going to be longer than the pattern intended. Not shorter. At all. Reality is still firmly rooted; it’s me that’s not.
My gauge was off so the whole garment is measuring longer than it was intended (I haven’t checked width yet) but I decided that might not be so terrible. I started seaming up the sides to try it on and things seem fine so far. It’s not going to be as closely fitted as I prefer, but I think (hope!) it will fit.
Look at that nice mess of knitting.
Moving on to the next part of this neverending Sage Cardigan, and I’ve got about 6″ of the sleeve done. The pattern makes a sleeve much too long for me. Add to that an incorrect gauge, and I need to do some calculating. For some reason math and reason elude me lately, because I haven’t been able to come to a firm decision about how many rows to remove from the established pattern. I’ve had too much progress on this thing lately to knit something I know may be ripped out again!
I’ve got this fear. Have you ever put so much work into something, and messed up so many times that your confidence not what it used to be, so you really can’t be sure it will all work out? That’s me with this damn cardigan.
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April 12th, 2009
I just don’t know what to do. I’ve finished the back of my Sage Cardigan, and I just feel like reality doesn’t apply anymore. I’ve started blocking it (and never really finished as you will see), but I just couldn’t get the measurements to add up. The pattern has this handy schematic with measurements at various points, which I’ve been using to block it to shape. This is partly because I just want to see the piece nice and flat and pretty, and partly to make it easier when seaming. Well, at every dimension it’s just too big.
(pardon the white bits…pregnant bellies are difficult to keep out of downward pointing pictures apparently)
I just don’t understand this, because my gauge should be spot on. I measured the row gauge and that was actually a few rows short (possibly because it was slightly scrunched to get it to fit the measurements). If that was the case it should be too short! I haven’t even been able to bring myself to measure the stitch gauge yet, because I have this feeling it’ll be right and I’m still stuck with a back that’s too big.
First, I didn’t knit the larger size. I also counted stitch repeats to be sure that I didn’t knit any extras. I knit exactly as many rows as the pattern calls for! I also did the match and according to the gauge and the number of rows, the pattern schematic is spot on as to how large this thing should be.
The only thing that I can think of is that the pattern is wrong somewhere. When I can get up the energy I’m going to remeasure (now that it’s dry), check gauge again, and see how the seams match up with the two front pieces. Maybe I’m overreacting, but when the height of the garment is supposed to be 22.6″ and I get 24″ without stretching it…well that’s just wrong. I just don’t know where it’s gone wrong.
This thing is just bending reality and my understanding of the rules of reality. Ack!
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April 6th, 2009
I recently decided to make a baby blanket for a friend. This was partly because I’ve always wanted an excuse to knit with Berroco Comfort, and mostly because I knew she would like it. I do what I can to stay away from man-made fibers for various reasons, and ever since that first day at work I held a skein of the Comfort we’ve had a love-hate relationship. It’s just too soft to resist!
I wanted simple, garter stitch, portability, two-colored, and I just couldn’t for the life of me decide what to do. I’d thought about giving log cabin a try again, but there are just not many flattering ways to do a log cabin blanket with only 2 colors.
After agonizing, sketching, waffling, reconsidering, I finally came up with this…
If you look at a larger version of the picture (just click on it) you might be able to tell that each color goes in a different direction. The blue garter ridges go one way, and the purple ones go another. I loved knitting this because there is minimal casting on, and the garter stitch makes it super easy.
To knit it, you just cast on the width of one square, knit as many garter ridges as you have stitches cast-on. If you cast-on 30, you will knit 60 rows (every 2 rows makes one garter ridge). When you’re done with that square, bind-off all of the stitches. Then just pick up 30 stitches in the 30 garter ridges as you would for a log cabin blanket, and knit another 60 rows. Do the same thing for the third and fourth squares, except you won’t start picking up stitches along the bind-off edge. You’ll have to seam the first and last squares together, et voila!
I think I’ll make 9 big squares (4 small squares to each big square) to make a blanket roughly 33″ x 33″. That’s a good baby blanket size, right?
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Entry: Quietly Knitting
Author: Hishandmaid
Time: February 27, 2010, 10:57 am
Comment: Very adorable!
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