2 and counting

A few weeks ago I decided to reacquaint myself with the awesome-ness that is my local library. It wasn't long before I found myself in the craft section and perusing a nice selection of knitting books. One of the books I pulled out was Hat Heads by Trond Anfinnsen. I've seen it before in my local bookstore but the urge to buy just never popped up. So, Hat Heads ended up back on the shelf until I gave it a second look at the library. I was still a bit ambivalent about the book but now I had time to spend a few more minutes to read through it. The story behind the whole hat project was inspiring and so were the charts. Once I had my library card, Hat Heads finally came home with me. 

Torunn | ravelry |

It didn't take me long to pick a hat and cast on. What happened next was a perfect storm of knitting. The patterns were fun and a perfect use of the yarn I'd picked up a few days before. Once I started, I couldn't stop knitting. I knit so much that my hands started to hurt; however, they hurt more when I didn't knit so I just kept going. Soon, I had 2 hats to send off but I'm not done yet. There are only 5 or so more patterns I want to make before the library gets its book back. Time to renew it for another couple of weeks and get back to the needles.

Mostafa | ravelry |

A Hitch

A couple days ago I was feeling rather pleased with myself. I had finished the first bit of gift knitting and was ready to start the next project. Late one night I wound all the yarn, 2 skeins of Noro Kochoran,  and cast on for the Oscilloscope Shawl from the Fall 2010 KnitScene. When I went to bed, things were going well. It wasn't until Knit Night and a full repeat later that I began to have doubts. Singularly, the yarn and the pattern were beautiful. Together, not so much. The yarn was so fuzzy that it obscured all the details in the pattern. Plus, after 30 mins of knitting, it looked like a big, white cat had decided to wallow on my clothes. Not a look that I generally go for. So, after a few minutes of hesitation, I ripped everything out. It took quite a bit longer to get all the angora off of my clothes.

Now, I'm not sure what to do. Should I knit a different shawl with the yarn? Should I even use the yarn at all? Should I just knit a nice pair of fingerless mitts and be done with the whole thing?

Pattern: Alternates.V2

Pattern: Alternates.V2 | download | Ravelry |

Yarn: Knit Picks Telemark - Cream and Tidepool Heather

Needles: US 3 (3.25mm)

Date: Aug 1-20, 2010

@Ravelry

I'm going to miss August even if it did bring along 100+ degree temperatures. It's the end of summer and the last hoorah before Fall which always seemed to bring a bit more work. I wanted one last chance to be lazy and relax with my knitting before I turned into a knitting machine for the holidays. These socks were the perfect vacation. They knit up fast in sport weight yarn and, a plus, I'd already come up with the pattern. 

Continuing with the lazy, relaxing theme, I followed the pattern to the letter...for the first couple of inches anyway. What I found so interesting with the first pair was how different the socks became when I knit the toes in different colors. With this pair, the green toe was just so much more appealing (also, the white toe definitely wouldn't stay white). So, I ripped out and started over with green. It wasn't until I reached the cuff that I realized how much this changed the socks. Instead of hanging out mid-calf, these socks were almost knee highs - even with my generous calfs. Such a happy accident and I adore this pair of socks. 

Course, I can't keep the knee high love to myself. So, I've updated the original pattern and it's now available to download.  Maybe in the next few months, I'll have to update this pattern again since I have enough yarn for another pair that should go over my knees. 

Overflow

Lately, I've had so many ideas in my head and no idea how to get them on to paper. Never mind knitting them up. It's just variation over variation and I can't decide on the best place to start. The whole thing is exhilarating and annoying all at the same time.

Maybe this yarn will give me a bit of direction. Right now I'm focusing on 3 balls of Valley Superwash and a skein of Araucania Itata. They're both destined for very different pairs of socks. Now if only I could decide which pair to start on first. Bah.

The Gauntlet

It is undoubtedly Summer. The temperatures, while cooler, are still in the 90's. Air conditioning is still my friend. Ice tea is still a daily requirement. So, why am I thinking about Christmas?

Oh yeah.

Gift knitting. It's not just for Christmas but also a slew of birthdays. I like to refer to this time period, the end of August through December 25, as "running the gauntlet." Course, putting this way makes it sound like some horrible ordeal but I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it. Plus, I've figured out who deserves to be on my knit list and who doesn't. There's nothing worse than putting a lot of time and effort into making something that the recipient couldn't care less about or appreciates* too much to actually use. That's an important lesson to learn.

Anyway, back on the subject at hand, I have a spreadsheet with the who's, the what's, and the deadlines. I even have most of the yarn. Now I just have to keep myself accountable and on track which I plan to do with this blog. The first bit of accountability involves a skein of Ultra Alpaca which is already quite a bit smaller. Knitting with it has been great and I'm making good progress too. Let's hope the rest of the gifts go so smoothly.

*That's a rant for another time though.

Two July Socks

Pattern: Prototype

Yarn: Plymouth Sockotta - Black and Red

Needles: 2.5 mm and 2.25 mm

Date: July 3 - August 5, 2010

@Ravelry

If you've been following this blog for a bit, it should come as no surprise that I love socks. I love knitting them. I love wearing them. I love browsing sites for socks I'd never knit. My sock drawer is actually 2 drawers, well, 3, if you count the one dedicated to the socks I've made. What's more, I have a great love/obsession with every kind of toe sock. Tabi socks, where the big toe is separate from the rest, are a personal favorite. They're fun to wear and, even better, they're fun to knit. 

I'm not the only one in the house who loves tabi socks and this pair is for him. The challenge of these socks wasn't their large size. The challenge was starting completely from scratch. Other toe up tabi patterns have hard seams between the toes or just sew up the gap. Neither of these techniques quite appealed to me. Plus, I needed a pattern that would fit a US 14 foot at a gauge of 9 sts/in. Didn't have much luck finding that. In order to get what I needed, I came up with my own pattern and it's a pretty good start. However, it's not quite ready to be released into the wild. Tweaking aside, the finished pair has gotten the official seal of approval and another pair isn't too far off. Just not this month.

A July Sock

July 31st has come and gone and there's still an unfinished sock on needles. I did manage to knit a gusset, turn a heel, work a heel flap, and knit 1.5" of ribbing; however, before all that, I also had to rip out most of a gusset, a heel turn, and a heel flap. Bah. Hopefully, I'll be less error prone on the second sock and finish it over the next few days.

Of course, all the ripping and the poor, lonely sock on the needles didn't stop me from casting on for another pair. It's only been a two days and I've already reached the cuff on a striped sock. Gotta love sport weight yarn.

Bunny and Bear

Beatrice and Bernard the Inseparable Bunny and Bear by Rebecca Danger (Ravelry) 

Patons Classic Wool - Lemongrass

US 4 (3.5mm) needles

July 16 - 18, 2010

@ravelry

Part of the reason why the July socks aren't finished yet is that I've been knitting other things. There have been hats, washcloths,  a hand towel, a blanket, and this cute bunny and bear pair. I was at knit night when their cuteness finally overwhelmed me and I had to get the pattern right then. Once I had the yarn, the knitting was quick work. Even the fiddly parts. The only problem is that I can't decide what to name them. Any suggestions?

Generally, I find that the hardest part of making toys is naming them but that won't stop me from making more. Next on the list is Maddox and the legendary Loch Ness monster. Also, an octopus. 

Challenge!

Where did July go? Anyone know? 

There's less then a week until August and this month's socks are nowhere near finished. So, I'm putting the rush on. I've got 5 days to knit 2 gussets, turn 2 heels, knit 2 heel flaps, and work a bit of 2x2 rib. Let's not even mention binding off or weaving in ends. Blarg.

Will I make it? Only time will tell.

50%

Harris Tweed Socks by Ali Green (Ravelry)

Patons Kroy FX - Clover Colors

US 1 (2.25mm) needles

June 1 - July 2, 2010

@ravelry

At the end of last year, I took stock of of my yarn - specifically my sock yarn. The grand total: 36 pairs worth. I knew I had a lot but the number was still a bit shocking. So, in order to shrink the stash, I decided to knit a pair of socks each month in my own personal Sock-a-Month KAL.January saw a completed pair of socks and so did February, March, April, and May. The Harris Tweed socks, or Hairy as I like to call them, are my pair for June. 

The pattern and the yarn turned out to be a perfect combination for the summer. My toe-up version of the Harris Tweed pattern was simple enough to knit while either enjoying air conditioning or venturing out to Vulcan for World Wide Knit in Public Day. The yarn also added enough interest to keep the 4 row repeat from getting boring. Even having to buy a third skein wasn't that bad since I could just make taller socks.

So far, my Sock-a-Month plan has been going pretty well. I've knit 6 pairs of socks and pruned the stash a bit. Maybe, come the end of July, I'll even have a seventh pair to show off.

Bobbilicious

Rayski Scarf by Jane Ellison (Ravelry)

Noro Iro - 85

US 10.5 (6.5mm) needles

May 19 - July 14, 2010

public page @ravelry

This scarf is no stranger to the knit night at my favorite LYS . In fact, it is so frequent a visitor that it got a nickname: Bobbilicious. It's all bobbles all the time and I love it. I also love the fact that I didn't have to knit any real bobbles or I would never have finished (or started). 

Despite how complicated the scarf looks, the knitting was pretty easy. I read a few books while working the first few feet and the last few feet got me through the after effects of a root canal. I have to love the scarf just for that. The yarn helped too. Even the knots and the vegetable matter didn't detract from its colorful goodness. I'm looking forward toward pulling the scarf out in the Fall when the color will be a welcome sight and when wrapping one's self in wool will actually be comfortable.

Pattern: Sapling

Sapling | ravelry |

Nichol was one of the first friends I made when I started at a new high school in a new state. We've continued to be good friends through college and beyond. All told, it's been seven years since we met and, during that time, I learned to knit and she learned to crochet. So, several months ago when she proposed crocheted goodness in exchange for knitted baby goodness for her soon to be born nieces, I jumped at the chance. One of the requests was a hat. I didn't want to make just any hat. It had to be special. Soon, there were several ideas floating around in my head - stripes, short rows, lace - before I decided on a cute leaf motif. After all, it was almost Spring. After a bit of trial and error, both hats were finished and just in time for two little Spring babies.

The hat is knit from the stem down and uses a variety of techniques: knitting, purling, working in the round, yarn overs, a variety of lifted increases, decreases, and EZ's sewn cast off. The pattern isn't written for any specific way of knitting (DPN's, Magic Loop, 2 Circulars, etc) so you can easily use your favorite method without translation. 4 stitch markers are necessary whichever method you choose. Plus, yardage is minimal. The hat uses far less than one skein which makes for great stash busting of that errant, leftover yarn.

$6.00

Also, many thanks to the test knitters for their help: Jeme, Angela, Lena, LPetiteTricoteuse, Kimberly, and Evelyn.

_______

Errata: In printed versions of the pattern (through 6/5/2011), Row 21 of the 0-6 month size is incorrect. It should read - Row 21: *p2, k2, p2, LLinc, LRinc, p2, k2, p2, ssk, k3, k2tog*

The digital version of the pattern has been updated and is correct.

Pattern: An Octopus No More!

Hemlock Ring by Jared Flood | Ravelry | with my own Extended Chart | Ravelry | download |

Cascade Eco+ in Highland Green (2.75 skeins)

US 10.5 (6mm) needles

August 9, 2009 - June 3, 2010

@Ravelry

uzzah! My blanket actually looks like a blanket and not a very hungry octopus. mostly... Getting it that way was a long and drawn out process that involved a bathtub, a 8' x 6' swath of insulating foam, a few hundred pins, string, several hours, and a good portion of my living room floor. Blocking and the waiting for the blanket to try was definitely worth the time and effort since, in the end, I had a warm, cosy blanket that's big enough for a queen sized bed. I can see this being the only blanket I'll need for the rest of the summer.

Blocking and finishing aside, I've spent a lot of time working on this blanket. While I'm glad that it's finally completed, I also miss it since I can't knit on it anymore. It's not like I don't have several other large projects to fill that hole with - a super long Dr. Who scarf, or that other blanket I just started. Ahem... Eventually, I'm going to give Girasole a chance to fill that hole too and it's much larger than a Hemlock Ring.

Part of the reason I spent so long knitting this blanket was because I wanted more than a lap blanket. I wanted it to be big enough for a bed. So, once I'd finished off the existing increases, I figured out how the pattern worked, made up another chart, and got back to my knitting. From my wanderings over Ravelry and interwebs, I know I'm not the only one who wants more than a lap blanket. At the top is my extended chart for your own giant Hemlock Ring or giant, hungry octopus. Have fun.

It Waits...

...like a hungry octopus. I just know that it's waiting for the perfect time to pounce and gobble me up. There will be no escape either since there's no way I'm going to risk snagging, or worse - cutting, all that knitting. There is hope though since I'm going to try and get him first. Tomorrow I'm going to the nearest big box building supply store for enough foam to hold him. Then he'll be wrangled into the tub and stretched to within an inch of his life. Here's hoping I survive that long.

Second Sock Syndrome

Have you ever knit a project that was just wonderful? The yarn is a joy. The pattern is spectacular. It's a perfect match; however, the whole thing is so boring that you can't be bothered to pick up the needles and actually finish the thing. For me it was a pair of socks, a toe up version of the Little Child's Sock, knit with Ultra Alpaca Fine. The first sock is finished but I haven't even cast on for the second sock. Shame on me. Anyway, in hopes of getting my second sock mojo back, I decided to knit a new pair.

Diamond Gansey Socks by Wendy Johnson | Ravelry |

Just like the other pair, the yarn and pattern are great but I've actually managed to finish both of them. It was almost an obsession really. They were so quick to knit too. I had hoped that the break these socks provided would give me a rediscovered love for my single sock. That didn't work so well since I've already cast on for another, different pair of socks. Maybe after this pair?

Pattern: Bridges

Bridges Kitchen Towel | ravelry | download |

I'm not sure why I keep making kitchen towels or washcloths for that matter. It's not like I don't have more than enough already. However, I do have a lot of cotton yarn and I could be making other things - like market bags - but washcloths and kitchen towels rule the day. Oh yeah, I also really like making them, whether it's just a random pattern or a Nintendo character.

I also like giving them away too. Washcloths will randomly arrive at my friend's houses any time of year without the need for an occassion. Following that vein, I'm giving the pattern away too. It's a combination of stockinette and a quasi rib that reminds me of bridges crossing a river. Plus, it only uses about 95 yds of worsted weight yarn. Make one and give it away or give it to yourself. Both options work quite well.

Mojo-Jojo

Rayski Scarf by Jane Ellison | ravelry |

I managed to get a lot of stuff done and out of the way when my knitting mojo disappeared. My swollen ankle didn't slow me down too much. Eventually, the ankle started feeling better and the mojo worked its way back to normal levels.

Mostly, it was the Rayski scarf and all of its bobbles that returned the mojo. I never thought that bobbles would have that effect on me. Anyway, not only is the pattern simple and easily memorized, the yarn is almost addicting. It's the famous and infamous Noro Iro. The colors are lovely and the yarn has a rustic quality that I quite like. Unfortunately, I had to deal with Noro's infamous qualities as well. Every skein has had a knot but at least the color sequence is intact. The one upside is that it allows me a bit more control over the colors even if I do have more ends to weave in. Ends aside, I'm looking forward to knitting the rest of the scarf and wearing it many months from now.

Not Knitting

For once, I don't feel like knitting. The reason: I've been doing it all day long. It was a perfect storm of a twisted ankle and the many hours spent waiting for my car to be fixed. The sock I'm working on saw a lot of progress but now I'd rather do anything - even laundry - rather than knit. I want to walk and move around but the ankle and a raging storm put a stop to that. Guess I'll just have to catch up on my reading instead.

Unintended Usefulness

Dishcloths are always a good thing to have around since they're so horribly useful. This morning, I found something one of my dishcloths is horribly good at: protecting my hands from hot bowls of oatmeal. I'm sure it would protect my hands from bowls of other hot things too. Time to make more and test that theory.

Pattern: Sideways

Sideways Kitchen Towel | ravelry | download |

Usually, I have a tried and true way of doing things. Socks are always knit from the toe up. Sweet tea always has lemon. Pencils always get put away point down.  All that uniformity gets a bit boring sometimes so I like to mix it up on occassion. This latest time just happened to involve kitchen towels which I can't help but knit every couple of months.  I've lost track of many I've made over the years and all the same way: bottom to top. It finally got just a bit boring. So, instead of bottom to top, I decided to make one from side to side. It worked out pretty well too with worsted weight cotton, US 7 needles, and a simple stitch pattern.

After that little diversion, I'm ready to go back to my usual ways but I'm definitely going to try different things more often.