Knit it, Violet!
Sunday, April 30, 2006
what's on the needles?
i love knitting for babies and kids. love it. that may be because they have little say in what they'd like to wear, so i can get away with more, but that's not the point. luke's vest is on the back burner for awhile, so i got hungry for a quick knit. luckily, my mom has a coworker who is expecting a baby boy in a few months and is going through a tough time. babies? tough times? both call for knitted gifts, if you ask me.
what you see on the needles is the garter stitch cloche, which the baby on the cover is modeling. it has an unusual construction, with short rows, but it's very straightforward and easy. if you haven't checked out this book, knitting for baby, do it right now! i got this copy out of the library and i never want to give it back! (i will, of course, but i'm definitely ordering my own copy.) it has the most precious baby knits- from easy ones like the hat i'm making and garter stitch booties, to heirloom nordic and arans. when i saw the nordic snowflake pullover, i swear my ovaries started weeping. but since there are no babies for me anytime soon, i'll just tuck it up on the shelf and keep knitting gifts.
another great book of patterns for little ones is lucinda guy's handknits for kids. the patterns are geared towards bigger little ones than ...for baby, toddlers and young grade schoolers, but they're equally adorable, beautiful, and knitworthy. i already have plans to knit luke the digger tractor sweater. another must buy book for me.
then of course, there's the sock, chugging along.
¶ 2:03 PM 0 Comments
what you see on the needles is the garter stitch cloche, which the baby on the cover is modeling. it has an unusual construction, with short rows, but it's very straightforward and easy. if you haven't checked out this book, knitting for baby, do it right now! i got this copy out of the library and i never want to give it back! (i will, of course, but i'm definitely ordering my own copy.) it has the most precious baby knits- from easy ones like the hat i'm making and garter stitch booties, to heirloom nordic and arans. when i saw the nordic snowflake pullover, i swear my ovaries started weeping. but since there are no babies for me anytime soon, i'll just tuck it up on the shelf and keep knitting gifts.
another great book of patterns for little ones is lucinda guy's handknits for kids. the patterns are geared towards bigger little ones than ...for baby, toddlers and young grade schoolers, but they're equally adorable, beautiful, and knitworthy. i already have plans to knit luke the digger tractor sweater. another must buy book for me.
then of course, there's the sock, chugging along.
¶ 2:03 PM 0 Comments
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
embarrassing yarn incident
i have an hour+ bus ride to school every morning, so naturallky, i bring my knitting. today i was blissfully stitching along on my heel flap, my backpack balanced neatly on my lap, and when i went to pull a length of yarn from the ball that i thought was tucked just inside the backpack, i thought, "gee, that sure is a funny angle that the yarn is coming out at..........oh NO!"
as you might have guessed, the yarn had rolled out of my open backpack, under the seat infront of me, and down the aisle of the bus. i was sitting at the back. the ball was chugging towards the front door. i could have died.
luckily, i was sitting next to a friendly young guy and not the typical cranky or sleeping homeless person. while the rest of the passengers sat there blinking at my merino, he jumped up and rescued it, even asking some other guy to move his backpack so he could wind it back around the seat the way it came. i thanked him profusely while my cheeks returned to their normal shade.
i learned my lesson. i'm keeping a close watch on that yarn from now on...and maybe it's time to buy a ball winder so i can have a neat center-pull ball? on the upside, the yarn was unscathed. there was one long blonde hair stuck to it (shudder) but at least no gum. whew. ¶ 8:20 AM 0 Comments
as you might have guessed, the yarn had rolled out of my open backpack, under the seat infront of me, and down the aisle of the bus. i was sitting at the back. the ball was chugging towards the front door. i could have died.
luckily, i was sitting next to a friendly young guy and not the typical cranky or sleeping homeless person. while the rest of the passengers sat there blinking at my merino, he jumped up and rescued it, even asking some other guy to move his backpack so he could wind it back around the seat the way it came. i thanked him profusely while my cheeks returned to their normal shade.
i learned my lesson. i'm keeping a close watch on that yarn from now on...and maybe it's time to buy a ball winder so i can have a neat center-pull ball? on the upside, the yarn was unscathed. there was one long blonde hair stuck to it (shudder) but at least no gum. whew. ¶ 8:20 AM 0 Comments
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
thanks anonymous!
thank you, who ever commented on my last post re: my guage crisis. i don't know what i was thinking with my number confusion! major brain blip. anyway, i ended up frogging the whole thing and starting again, going down a needle size to a 2. with that, i got 7st/in exactly, and CO 77, for a total of 11 inches. whew! here's what it looks like now:
you'll notice i started shaping on the last row, but then i went to my notes and i'm going to rip that back and add another inch and half first, so it's long enough. lots of trial and error, but i don't mind.
then of course, there always seems to be a sock on the needles lately:
knitpicks sock memories in Grandma. just using a generic sock recipe, although next time i make a pair of socks in the memories line i think i'll spice it up a bit. i love this yarn but the merino is so stretchy! it took me a couple swatches to get the fit right. i'm using size 1.5 dpns, but next time i think i'll use 0s or 1s to make it a little tighter.
that's all the knitterly news for today! ¶ 7:25 PM 0 Comments
you'll notice i started shaping on the last row, but then i went to my notes and i'm going to rip that back and add another inch and half first, so it's long enough. lots of trial and error, but i don't mind.
then of course, there always seems to be a sock on the needles lately:
knitpicks sock memories in Grandma. just using a generic sock recipe, although next time i make a pair of socks in the memories line i think i'll spice it up a bit. i love this yarn but the merino is so stretchy! it took me a couple swatches to get the fit right. i'm using size 1.5 dpns, but next time i think i'll use 0s or 1s to make it a little tighter.
that's all the knitterly news for today! ¶ 7:25 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
aaargh!
i'm stuck at school with only luke's vest to work on and
I'm Having A GAUGE CRISIS.
the back started out supposedly 11" across the back...but it turned out more like 12. i decided to go with the 12" mesurements and just work the length bigger to corrospond with it, so it would be a size medium. a little big on him, but room to grow. well, somehow, the vest now measures 13.25" across. WHAT?!
the gross thing is, my stitches per inch haven't changed. anywhere. what's even more gross, is the gauge the pattern requires is 7st/1" and i'm doing 6.5/1" (Which i know, can make a big difference, but it should be making it SMALLER, not BIGGER!)
ugh. on top of it all, there are no corrections posted for the pattern. i'd rip it all out now, except for i'm half way done, and if i rip it out, i'll want to start over right away...or i'd run the risk of shoving it in a basket and never touching it again. and it's so damn cute. i just want luke to be able to wear it before he turns 10 and slug bug sweater vests aren't so cute. is that too much to freaking ask? ¶ 1:14 PM 2 Comments
I'm Having A GAUGE CRISIS.
the back started out supposedly 11" across the back...but it turned out more like 12. i decided to go with the 12" mesurements and just work the length bigger to corrospond with it, so it would be a size medium. a little big on him, but room to grow. well, somehow, the vest now measures 13.25" across. WHAT?!
the gross thing is, my stitches per inch haven't changed. anywhere. what's even more gross, is the gauge the pattern requires is 7st/1" and i'm doing 6.5/1" (Which i know, can make a big difference, but it should be making it SMALLER, not BIGGER!)
ugh. on top of it all, there are no corrections posted for the pattern. i'd rip it all out now, except for i'm half way done, and if i rip it out, i'll want to start over right away...or i'd run the risk of shoving it in a basket and never touching it again. and it's so damn cute. i just want luke to be able to wear it before he turns 10 and slug bug sweater vests aren't so cute. is that too much to freaking ask? ¶ 1:14 PM 2 Comments
Sunday, April 16, 2006
1, 2, 3
ladies and gentlemen:
my tiptoe through the tulips socks, designed by Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee.
i finished the second one thursday afternoon, and while i was still riding that "just grafted the toes of the second sock" high, i proceeded to chop the toe off of the first one, rip it back to the appropriate length and rework the toe. what happened was, due to some idiot math on my part, i "followed my gut" (this only works 50% of the time for me when it comes to knitting) and made the first sock about an inch too long. it was a little big on me, and my mom is a size and a half smaller than me...but i figured it was "close enough."
of course, i realized how ridiculous that was, so i'm glad i made the second sock the right size and repaired the first. i'll get a better picture of my mom modeling them (so you can see the tulips over the heel) when mother's day comes around. these were the most fun socks i'm knit so far. the pattern was great and i can't wait to give them to my mom!
the same night i finished the socks, kellen was working late and i was wide awake and bored...with some white cotton and my new stitch dictonary...
i normally don't do washcloths, but i was bored and they're fun. this stitch pattern if from Stitchionary, pattern #8, garter ridge rib. i mucked up the first rep, but who's looking at my washcloth? it's done in sugar-n-cream, white.
currently on the needles:
the begining of my 3-year-old cousin's christmas present. (yes, i'm starting this early). this is going to be my own version of the VW beetle vest seen here. (scroll down). the pattern is available in a book, but i decided it would be more fun (and cheaper) to do my own thing. i'm using this vest pattern, and my own chart. we'll see how it goes! ¶ 1:10 PM 1 Comments
my tiptoe through the tulips socks, designed by Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee.
i finished the second one thursday afternoon, and while i was still riding that "just grafted the toes of the second sock" high, i proceeded to chop the toe off of the first one, rip it back to the appropriate length and rework the toe. what happened was, due to some idiot math on my part, i "followed my gut" (this only works 50% of the time for me when it comes to knitting) and made the first sock about an inch too long. it was a little big on me, and my mom is a size and a half smaller than me...but i figured it was "close enough."
of course, i realized how ridiculous that was, so i'm glad i made the second sock the right size and repaired the first. i'll get a better picture of my mom modeling them (so you can see the tulips over the heel) when mother's day comes around. these were the most fun socks i'm knit so far. the pattern was great and i can't wait to give them to my mom!
the same night i finished the socks, kellen was working late and i was wide awake and bored...with some white cotton and my new stitch dictonary...
i normally don't do washcloths, but i was bored and they're fun. this stitch pattern if from Stitchionary, pattern #8, garter ridge rib. i mucked up the first rep, but who's looking at my washcloth? it's done in sugar-n-cream, white.
currently on the needles:
the begining of my 3-year-old cousin's christmas present. (yes, i'm starting this early). this is going to be my own version of the VW beetle vest seen here. (scroll down). the pattern is available in a book, but i decided it would be more fun (and cheaper) to do my own thing. i'm using this vest pattern, and my own chart. we'll see how it goes! ¶ 1:10 PM 1 Comments
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
AHHH...good mail day.
today when kellen picked me up from work, he had with him not one but TWO fantastic pieces of mail for me. i got my knitpicks order and my Crafter's Choice enrollment package. woohoo!
what you see here is: simple stripes sock yarn in Sweet Tarts (probably for my grandma for christmas), Storm (for kellen), sock memories Grandma for me (i can't get over how perfect this colorway is for me. pink and purple and yum!) and the books, Mason Dixon Knitting, which i'm beyond excited about, Vogue Knitting's Stitionary, 1000 Great Knitting Motifs (inspiration!), and Loop-d-loop. oh, and you will also notice the second tulip sock, done to the TOE!
i am one happy knitter.
i'd be a lot happier if i didn't have a paper to write and a logic test to study for. ¶ 7:23 PM 0 Comments
what you see here is: simple stripes sock yarn in Sweet Tarts (probably for my grandma for christmas), Storm (for kellen), sock memories Grandma for me (i can't get over how perfect this colorway is for me. pink and purple and yum!) and the books, Mason Dixon Knitting, which i'm beyond excited about, Vogue Knitting's Stitionary, 1000 Great Knitting Motifs (inspiration!), and Loop-d-loop. oh, and you will also notice the second tulip sock, done to the TOE!
i am one happy knitter.
i'd be a lot happier if i didn't have a paper to write and a logic test to study for. ¶ 7:23 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
tiptoe through the tulips, part I
one sock, finished! ....well, not entirely finished. i'm still waiting for all the ends to magically weave themselves in. i accidentally made it a little long, since i was worried they'd be short and worked the foot for too long. it fits me perfectly so hopefully it won't be TOO too big in my mom. otherwise i might have to keep them. ¶ 4:50 PM 1 Comments
one sock, finished! ....well, not entirely finished. i'm still waiting for all the ends to magically weave themselves in. i accidentally made it a little long, since i was worried they'd be short and worked the foot for too long. it fits me perfectly so hopefully it won't be TOO too big in my mom. otherwise i might have to keep them. ¶ 4:50 PM 1 Comments
Saturday, April 01, 2006
hot pink socks, noro mittens, oh my!
two FO's and half done sock today...
after so much grey with kellen's socks, i couldn't resist something colorful. i finished these in two afternoons, the weekend after i finished kellen's socks. they're done in noro kureyon #134, made out of one skein. i intended for them to be fraternal twins but i had no idea how different they'd be! i love them though. very warm and perfect for early spring.
these are the first socks i made for me. right after i got Knit Socks! i made the first one, and got all the way to the heel of the second before i lost interest and started k's socks. i finally finished them up thursday night. they're made of lamb's pride worsted, in lotus pink and a mystery ball of purple i had left over from the felted clogs i made at christmas (i think it *might* be amythyst). they're so thick, a little wonky, but warm.
finally, my current WIP, Knitty's Tiptoes, designed by my yarn hero, stephanie pearl-mcphee. they're a mother's day gift for my mom, who wears clogs a lot, and therefore can show off those tulips!
¶ 11:04 AM 1 Comments
after so much grey with kellen's socks, i couldn't resist something colorful. i finished these in two afternoons, the weekend after i finished kellen's socks. they're done in noro kureyon #134, made out of one skein. i intended for them to be fraternal twins but i had no idea how different they'd be! i love them though. very warm and perfect for early spring.
these are the first socks i made for me. right after i got Knit Socks! i made the first one, and got all the way to the heel of the second before i lost interest and started k's socks. i finally finished them up thursday night. they're made of lamb's pride worsted, in lotus pink and a mystery ball of purple i had left over from the felted clogs i made at christmas (i think it *might* be amythyst). they're so thick, a little wonky, but warm.
finally, my current WIP, Knitty's Tiptoes, designed by my yarn hero, stephanie pearl-mcphee. they're a mother's day gift for my mom, who wears clogs a lot, and therefore can show off those tulips!
¶ 11:04 AM 1 Comments
