Sweater Weather

Even my faithful brick-phone has abandoned me!

2007-07-27T18:19:00.000-04:00

Life kind of feels like futilely attempting to traverse a forest full of prickly bushes and poison ivy and itchy, itchy bugs lately. Due to several downright shitty events that have all gone down within the past week I've been less than cheerful, and my lackluster attitude has taken quite a toll in more than one area of my life.

My less than pleasant week has kind of been topped off by my trouble with the Mystery Stole. I joined the knit-along unsure whether I would actually participate, but started knitting with hopes that it would help me find some sense of camaraderie with my fellows and maybe even force me to make some friends in the field (As of now, I have none. Really. None.). Unfortunately, it's always been difficult for me to break out of my knitter's shell and embarrassing, if not nearly impossible, to plant myself in the middle of an already established group of people. Because of this, I've only posted one message in the entire time I've been a part of the group.

And clue one keeps kicking my ass. I had to reknit up to row 30-something twice, and once I finally got past that section it seemed like smooth sailing. Until I dropped a stitch on row 69 or 71 or somewhere around there. After I dropped that stitch I put the stole down. It was too much for me to focus on this afternoon. I've knitted lace before, I have no trouble reading the chart or my knitting, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I AM SO INEPT AT LIFE RIGHT NOW.

But it's okay. Because I am going to shower, rent a movie, eat some sorbet, take the train, and sleep in my wonderful boyfriend's bed tonight.

Happy Mothers' Day!

2007-07-04T17:41:00.000-04:00

These are the monkeys I knitted for my mom:

Two months late isn't THAT bad. The regular-length sock was knitted first, and by request was knitted two more times in an ankle-length version.

No one can say I don't love my momma.

Pattern: Cookie A's Monkey, Courtesy of Knitty.
Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Fingering weight in "Oops!"- Less than two skeins for these three socks. As always, the yarn and the socks themselves are much prettier than my camera phone is willing to acknowledge.
Needles: Magic Looped using KnitPicks' 32" classic circs (i am too lazy to check which size. Or link them.)
Skills Learned: No completely new skills, but this project did help me get used to grafting.

Mom and I have been in the new apartment for a tiny bit over a month now, and doing pretty well for ourselves considering the circumstances. Things are going well, but I am tired and stressed out. I quit my job at the piggy bank cart and now assemble gift baskets down the other end of the mall. The job is cool- the store is much more structured than the cart could ever hope to be, and my bosses always have something for me to do.

Eesh.

2007-05-30T12:34:00.000-04:00

Mom and I are moving. I have an intense urge to knit dishcloths and pillow covers.

The new apartment is just across town, but having to sort through everything I've accumulated since I was eight is turning out to be very difficult for me.

On the knitting front, I have yet to finish the summer top (my guage was slightly off, and the 3/4 finished tank will most likely be ripped and reknit into something even more summery), and UB's socks will get knitted before the end of the year.

A week before mother's day I began knitting my mom a pair of Monkeys. After I finished the first sock I asked her to try them on for size, and she informed me that she loved them, but would much rather have a pair of ankle socks.

I now have an absolutely gorgeous and lonely regular-length monkey sock haning out in my knitting bag. And it will stay that way. Until someone decides to buy me another hank of yarn.

Boo, internet!

2007-04-13T00:46:00.001-04:00

The internet just keeps getting more and more boring.

I've been knitting, but I keep getting distracted from projects.

When the weather was nicer (BOO, THE WEATHER!) I started designing/test knitting a little summer top. I had plans for this little top, until the atmosphere turned on me. The crazy temperature changes have taken a toll on me, and I kind of think that spring will never come.

U.B.'s socks are truckin' along, though! Even if they are nearly a month late for his birthday, and four months late for christmas. When they are finished, I'm going to send them to him via snail mail with a little note that will say "You have no idea what these socks have put me through. Happy belated Christmas/birthday."

This pair of socks may be my longest running work in progress (with any chance of completion) ever.

Pictures... eventually.

Man, I'm so happy this pair is done.

2007-03-08T00:10:00.000-05:00

Gram's "Aliene" slipper socks are finished as of Tuesday, but I failed to take a picture before I gave them to her. The gift was already several days late and I was too anxious to give them to her before I took a picture.

Toe-Up "Aliene" stats:
Pattern: My own, featuring EZ's sewn cast-off.
Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash. Less than two Balls Ballerina, and about half of one ball Capri.
Needles: Set of Five 3.75mm DPNs
Skills Learned: EZ's sewn cast-off. Plus, this is my first (and fully improvised!) pair of toe-up socks ever.

While I don't have any photos of the finished socks, I do have pictures of the second sock in progress, as modeled by Lolita's kitten, Artichoke.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

My next task is to finished Uncle Bobby's socks. Which have been laying around in my "to knit" box since like... September. I was thinking about frogging the first sock until I freed it from its white plastic prison and realised that it was close to half finished. So I'm trudgin' on. Men's socks at 9sts per inch make my wrists hurt, especially when I'm working double-time so they'll be ready for his birthday on the 17th.

Aliene Slipper Socks

2007-02-27T02:50:00.000-05:00

Are 100% finished! The first pair, anyway.

Pattern: My own, using The Knitting Fiend's How-to for short rows.
Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash. Significantly less than two Balls Wisteria, and only about half of one ball Deep Ocean. Neither color is nearly as yellow as it looks in the picture.
Needles: Set of Five 3.75mm DPNs
Skill Learned: Short row heels and toes!

I liked knitting these, even though it took me nearly a month and a half. I really enjoyed learning short row heels and toes, but on these socks (top down version) they left gaps at the corners. I am knitting my Gram's pair toe up, and the hole problem is much less noticable.

Finished project stats on those (hopefully) within the week!

I'm not actually a knitter

2007-02-07T18:06:00.000-05:00

I am a chronic swatcher/frogger. Some people would like to call this a "Process Knitter."

I have some technical knowlege, I know a good deal of the jargon, and I "get" the in jokes. Shit, I can even eke out a finished object or two once in a while. However, my overall lack of ability to finish the things that I start is overwhelming and downright disheartening.

On some level, I've learned to acknowlege my condition and even start combatting it. Last year I finished five knitting projects: A lace bookmarkfor my mommie, a scarf for the best boyfriend ever, a pair of socks for an ex, a pair of socks for my grandfather, and a pair of socks for myself. By december 2006 I had cast on and made good progress on at least four more projects, only to let them languish in one of my various yarn boxes. I finished at least 10 swatches (including my first cables and my first slipped stitch color patterns), and began another 50 (later to rip them apart). I began learning how to spindle, and created my very first hand-spun yarn. I finished several books. I completed all my papers and passed all my classes.

I cooked a Christmas dinner (with the Best Boyfriend Ever, Lolita, and others).

This year I'm trying even harder.

I've set impending March deadlines for myself to finish projects left over from christmas, as well as my grandmother's birthday gift.

March 1: Slipper socks ("JUST LIKE YOUR AUNT LEENIE'S,") for Gram and Aunt Leenie (these will be finished in like a day if I just sit down and KNIT THEM).
March 16: Uncle Bobby's socks.
March 31: Uncle Chris's hat, Falling in Love socks for MEEEEEE.

I would also like to have at least one other knitting project finished by the April 6th, a pair of manly socks for my six-month-thingy with Owen, but I'm not gonna push myself to knit those. Even though I already bought the yarn. And I panic when I am under a deadline to buy a non-knitted gift. And I wouldn't know what else to get him.

My entries never make sense!

One out of three, two days remaining!

2006-12-22T12:23:00.000-05:00

I finished Owen's scarf last night! (Pictures taken on my cell phone, so they aren't the best quality.)

Complete with tag, because I want him to remember who gave it to him.

Pattern: Karen Baumer's Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf
Yarn: The Cat's Meow Paradisio, "Olives" and some other beige color. Two balls of each.
Needles: Size 10 (6mm).

I'm nervous about giving him a gift that so plainly states "I CARE ABOUT YOU. THIS TOOK ME HOURS TO CREATE" but I'll get over it, eventually. Things are going really well with him, and I don't think that a simple scarf (no matter how much it says about how I feel about him) will scare him away.

I wonder if I'll be able to finish Aunt Leenie's and Uncle Chris's gifts before Christmas eve. I should be able to get U.C.'s hat done, but I haven't even started A.L.'s slippers.

Yay, Presents!

2006-10-31T01:33:00.000-05:00

It's kind of been a while.

Not much knitting going on, unfortunately. Between school work and the new boyfriend and making stupid mistakes when I do start to work on something... I just haven't really had the energy.

I'm aching to do something with my first handspun (the lace weight bottle green merino from Annie May's Spin and Wool on eBay), so I decided on a super lacy scarf to take advantage of the fine gauge and the fact that there isn't much yardage. I chose a lace pattern and got to work, but my stitch count kept getting messed up. It's so frustrating.

I did buy myself some presents (which I had planned on linking to, but are no longer listed on the Yarn Wench's website) for getting a good grade on my English exam. Storm Cypress merino roving and Early Dawn Falkland roving. Both are totally gorgeous. I haven't yet touched the merino, but the falkland (though a little weird to work with... it seems more solid that everything I've spun before) I am absolutely in love with. I've never worked with hand painted ANYTHING before, and it is such a treat to watch the colors change and build on one another. Absolutely fabulous.

Meh.

2006-09-25T00:22:00.000-04:00

I finally cast on for the first of my holiday knitting projects, Uncle Bobby's socks, and I've already messed them up a gazillion times. First, I decided it would be a really good idea to start the cabling on them at three thirty in the morning, and woke up to a complete disaster. Then, yesterday, I thought, "Well, I'm sitting here with five people around me, carrying on twelve different conversations at once... This would be the PERFECT opportunity to cast on for UB's Socks!" and I twisted the cast on (something I have NEVER done before!). And today, I got all of the ribbing done and about four rows of the pattern, and I crossed two cables in the wrong direction.

An uncooperative sock is the last thing I need on top of everything that happened this week.

La di da.

2006-09-06T00:56:00.000-04:00

The Revised Complete Gift list:
1. Gram - Print o' the Wave Stole (Apparently, she's allergic to wool. But she's getting the thing with the yarn it calls for, like it or not.)
2. Grandpa - Cabled scarf and gloves. (Something pretty basic, nothing too showy. He's just not that kind of guy. And the glove pattern is in the book Gram gave me.)
3. Suzy - Felted purse (Cause I think she might get more use out of something less... jangly.)
4. Uncle Bobby - Really Damn Cool Socks. Bitches.
5. Dylan - Red "Cool Kid" hat. Something sporty.
6. Tyler - Blue and green cabled hat.
7. Andrew - Multi-Orange Fair Isle hat (something along these lines)
8. Nana - Meh. I'll think of something. Maybe a smoke ring.
9. Aunt Leenie - Fuzzy slipper socks (To the ankle, by request. I think I'll get slipper bottoms from Elann.)
10. Uncle Chris - Fisherman's watchcap (Maybe with a little anchor on it.)
11. Josh - Sweater vest. He'll probably get his late.
12. Mom - Pretty Beaded Scarf (for a pretty beaded lady.)

What have I been knitting, you ask? Honestly, nothing. Why? Because I haven't been shopping. Plus, you know, real life gets in the way of everything. Mom and I might be having a major upheval some time this autumn, I just started school (RONNIE IS IN MY ENGLISH CLASS ;B), things with Josh have been alright, but I'm always on the look out for trouble. So pfft. I just don't know. Hopefully I'll find some kind of motivation in the library tomorrow, I'm gonna go before class to look for patterns.

At the very least there's been a little spinning going on. Not that I have much to show for it (working with a spindle takes A LOT of time for me!), but I've been working through the bottle green roving that came with my spindle. I love the color, I love the process, I really love spinning AND I think that working with fiber rather than yarn is much more interesting, but... I miss knitting terribly and can't wait to get started on gifts.

The Wait is Over.

2006-08-28T00:40:00.000-04:00

Now that I'm allowed to buy fiber again, I have no idea what to get.

My ONLY focus right now is on gifts, and the only gift yarn I've purchased so far is the Merino Oro for Gram's stole. I'm thinking of buying mostly undyed, washable yarn (to save money and a lot of trouble), but without solid patterns to follow I have no idea how much yarn to buy. I bid on five skeins of Noro Kureyon on eBay, and I have no idea what I'll do with all that if i win the auction. Originally I wanted it for Tyler's hat, but I'm nervous about the yarn not being machine washable.

Oh, my previous "complete" gift list turned out to be incomplete.

1. Gram - Print o' the Wave Stole (pattern obtained)
2. Grandpa - Cabled Scarf
3. Suzy - Beaded Purse
4. Uncle Bobby - Really Damn Cool Socks
5. Dylan - Red Hat
6. Tyler - Blue Cabled Hat (in the Kureyon, perhaps x_x)
7. Andrew - Multi-Orange Fair Isle Hat (something along these lines)
8. Nana - Meh. I'll think of something. Maybe an easy triangle shawl.
9. Aunt Leenie - Convertable Mittens
10. Uncle Chris - Convertable Mittens
11. Josh - Sigh.
12. Mom - Functional Beaded Scarf.

I decided to take Karl off... simply because I have no god damned clue what to do for him.

I can't think.

Nine more days!

2006-08-17T01:28:00.000-04:00

I FEEL LIKE I AM ABOUT TO CRAP MY PANTS.

I haven't had a major fiber fit until about half an hour ago, but now I feel as though my insides are being torn to shreds over this yarn and this pattern. Not that I want to make one for myself (we'll see how much Oro I have left over), this would be for Gramz. My month-long period of abstinence has gone without a hitch thus far, but I fear that I may crack.

The Complete Gift List:
Aunt Leenie: I really have no clue. I'll have to ask mom for ideas. Gloves?
Gram: Print O' the Wave stole
Grandpa: One of those funny street urchin hats. "Charles Dickens Chic," to borrow a phrase.
Karl: A 'Do Rag with a little motorcycle on it. Maybe I'll embroider "Caio!" under it in fancy script. Hahaha.
Josh: Probably a sweater vest with buttons (even though I hate them). He'd be cute in one.
Lorii: Leg warmers, but I really want to make her a felted beret and scarf. Featuring bees.
Momz: No idea. I should get on that, shouldn't I? Maybe a pretty scarf with beads.
Suzy: A beaded purse in purples and blacks.
The Boys: Hats. Orange for Andrew, Red for Dylan, and I think green for Tyler.
Uncle Bob: Socks. He got jealous when I made some for Grandpa's birthday. Probaby in navy blue.
Uncle Chris: Simple Fisherman's hat in a light blue. Maybe with some wave detail. It will suit him.

If I'm not crazy by christmas I might make Shelley and Eddie's twins little bears or something. That's a lot of "might."

The Very Incomplete Shopping List:
One (gigantic) skein of Ornaghi Filati Merino Oro
1.75mm 32" circular needles

The Monster Strikes AGAIN!

2006-07-26T02:11:00.000-04:00

I decided to go on eBay tonight. Just to look, you know? To compare prices on drop spindles and spinning kits... I didn't mean to spend MORE money on fiber or tools or anything... but... I ended up buying a cute little spindle kit with 2oz of dark green roving and another 4oz ball of blueish green roving.

The good news is that I'm going to be a spinner soon. The bad news is that my total fiber/needle/tool expenses for the week are now totalling about $70.

As of the time this entry is posted, I vow to spend NO MONEY on yarn or knitting supplies for the next month. I am abstaining from fiber-related purchases until August 26, 2006. And after Aug. 26, winter gift shopping will begin.

Speaking of winter gift shopping, I was thinking that if I get to be any good at this spinning thing, I could give my grandmother a skein of hand spun yarn for christmas. I just don't know what she'd make with it. Fat Karen and What's for Dinner (Josh's parents) will probably get scarves.

Goodnight, don't let the moth larvae bite.

I've Created a Monster!

2006-07-23T23:42:00.000-04:00

Actually, I've created a DPN case. I took pictures of it, too. But the pictures are far away on the downstairs computer, so I'm not going to post them tonight. It came out real cute, though.

On Friday night I ordered two skeins of allhemp6 (in cinnamon and pumpkin) for this project. It'll be my first hat, and my first venture in to the so-called "wonderful" world of circular knitting needles. I like the look of the hat, and I really like slip stitch knitting, so it should be a good project for me.

I've been working on a stash-busting one-hundred-percent-acrylic log-cabin-style afghan. I might give it to a family member for the holidays, but I have no idea who. Other gift plans include: Hat and mitten sets for little bro, and my cousins, and an afghan for mommy.

I'm having a having a hard time typing.

What is this?

2006-07-13T00:53:00.000-04:00

I have plans. Really big plans. Plans to design, to create, to learn.

But... I always seem to have such a hard time getting off my ass and DOING anything.

So I avoid construction. I avoid anything that takes real effort or concentration. I stop when I hit any sort of snag or slow down.

But I'm trying.

I'd be much more interested in updating this if I remembered to take pictures.

Aw, crap.

2006-06-22T00:24:00.000-04:00

I did it again. I put down another project. The sweater vest? Yeah. It just wasn't working the way I wanted it to. Plus, I knew I didn't have enough yarn to finish it.

There is good news, though! A few days ago, while I was trying to sleep, I remembered what kind of yarn I was using for the vest. The unknown yarn (which I figured was cotton), turned out to be Bernat Cottontots. It's really cute stuff. Nice and smooth, but still soft. I bought this stuff YEARS ago (and probably trashed its band the moment I did) so it was quite a happy accident that I remembered.

So even though I don't CURRENTLY have enough yarn to finish my vest, I will hopefully be making a trip to a well-stocked yarn store soon. All I have to do is find one in my area.

Anywho, in the meantime I am busying myself with yet ANOTHER woolease project. A wee baggie waggie. Maybe a tote bag, maybe a little clutch. I haven't decided. The colors are Mink Brown (warm brown with tiny specks of red and green, and little blackish fuzzy things) and Natural Heather. There'll be a cabled natural edging. I want to incorperate the knitting with some machine sewing. We'll just have to wait and see how this turns out.

I HAVE TO GET RID OF ALL THIS YARN. I HAVE TO. STASH REDUCTION OR DEATH.

Irina: I assure you I was not drunk when I wrote my last entry. I was merely crazy with lack of sleep.

I've been workin on a swea-ter

2006-06-14T01:59:00.000-04:00

ALL THE LIVE LONG DAYYYYYY.

That's right. I'm in the process of swatching for a sweater. A sweater VEST. It will have double helix-esque cables on it. The details are top-secret, but I can say that it will be hella cute and hella pink. I taught myself how to work traveling stitches and I'm putting that knowledge to use in a garment of my own design. This project will be pretty challenging, considering that I've never made anything this big.

Words look really funny right now.

Do Do-do Do-do Do Dooo-do
Dooo Do-do Do Dooo

If I were a ball of yarn, I would knit up at about 200st/in

2006-06-08T00:46:00.000-04:00

Sockie, sockie, socks.

They're so nice to knit. Unless I'm knitting for my grandfather, apparently. I messed up again on the first round of toe decreases, and had to rip back (that was some of the bitchiest frogging I've ever done). Those damned socks are so close to completion that I can almost taste them. Not that I will taste them. That would be rude, considering that they are a gift.

I started on the second sock of my pair a few days ago, and they're coming along quite smoothly.

Wish List Update!! I was pokin around the interwebz and decided on some items that I want. These include, but are not limited to:

Knit Picks: Simple stripes, Parade, and Dancing sock yarns
Den-M-Nit Pure Indigo Cotton yarn
Regia 4 Strato Color yarn
Shorter Size 1 (2.25mm) Straight Needles (the ones I have are long and IMPOSSIBLE to handle dainty lace edgings with)
Size 1 (2.25mm), Size 2 (2.75mm), and Size 3 (3.25mm) Lantern Moon Double Pointed Needles
Sensational Knitted Socks, by Charlene Schurch
Knitting Vintage Socks, by Nancy Bush
Knitting on the Road, by Nancy Bush
Kaffe Fassett's Pattern Library, by Kaffe Fassett

YAY THINGS I HAVE NO MONEY FOR!!!

On another note, I referred to Josh as a ball of expensive Merino/Silk blend today.

Lessons, mosaics and socks, OH MY!

2006-05-31T01:03:00.000-04:00

Whoop, whoop.

Sooo... Josh's knitting lesson went okay. He was doing wonderfully until I tried to explain binding off. I just couldn't make it clearly enough for him, so he got confused, frustrated and collapsed into a small ball at the foot of my bed (as predicted). I put his swatch off to the side in case he wants to pick it up again.

I finally finished grandpa's first sock, and took the opportunity to try and learn grafting again. It didn't work. Again. So I caved and used the three needle bind off for the toe (place stitches on holder, turn sock inside out, bind off). It's so much less stressful than grafting and finishes up with a nice, neat seam on the inside. Eventually I will have to face the evil kitchener stitch, but for now I'm sticking with this method.

The other day I took a walk up to the library and checked out Barbara Walker's Charted Knitting Designs. I like the book, it helped me a lot with slip stitch color patterns, and it includes an "Uncharted Miscellany" chapter with some very pretty (and one very scary) stitch patterns. The down side to my discovery of the book, though, is that it inspired me to take up ANOTHER project. One that actually requires (GASP) assembly. It's just a bag, but all of my completed projects have been socks.

Ever since this god-awful heat set in I've been designing like crazy. There's a really pretty pink-and-cream skirt (knit with size 10 cotton and size one needles) floating around in my head. But until I get a lace pattern worked out for it, that's where it will stay. I would like to use a pretty chevron eyelet pattern, but I can't seem to get the pattern to repeat the way I want it to. Pfft.

Though I'm not sure how he felt about knitting...

2006-05-26T02:38:00.000-04:00

Psh. Grandpa's socks are taking much longer than I anticipated. I'm still on the first, less than twenty rows done on the foot part. The first sock of my pair went so quickly, but I suppose that was because there were less stitches, and I was (of course) making them for myself. At least there haven't been any more problems or indecision.

Sometime tonight I'm giving Josh a knitting lesson. I'll probably just teach him the knit stitch, maybe the purl stitch... If he's not collapsed on the bed twitching out of sheer frustration. The lessons were a trade off. He agreed to let me teach him how to knit after I agreed to let him teach me some guitar. Not that I had no interest in learning guitar.

It's hard to blog at seven to three in the morning.

[Edit: 2:55am] Oh, and I bought myself a pair of yarn needles, zippers and a new (60 inch!) measuring tape the other day.

I need to find a mosaic pattern book for cheap.

Sock troubles

2006-05-20T02:21:00.000-04:00

I just finished the first half of my pair of socks, and I can't find my god damned yarn needle to graft the toe. There might be some tapestry needles downstairs somewhere, but the fact that the needle (that I've had FOREVER, mind you) is missing is going to drive me insane until I find it.

The sock came out cute, though. I like the way the fabric sparkles ;B

But, will she actually post?

2006-05-19T01:53:00.000-04:00

So... Yeah. A knit blog. I am a nerd, and I know it.

As I told Rea, I will kick off this blog with a wonderful list of things people ought to help me acquire:

A newer, better, more secure computer.
A newer, better, less stupid iPod.
A college education.
Knitting paraphernalia: Specifics coming eventually.
A cleaner room with lots of space to store said knitting paraphernalia.

Works in Progress:

Two pairs of socks. One pair for me, and one pair for my grandfather's 70th birthday. Mine are coming along fine (about 75-80% done with the first sock), but my grandpa's seem to be giving me a smidge of trouble. First, I thought to to k1p1 rib then switch to k3p1, but I felt that the 3x1 was getting too lost in the fuzz of the woolease and making the fabric too thick, so I frogged. Switched to 1x1 and stockinette for the rest, but a few rows into the Stst I somehow turned the work and knit flat instead of circularly. Faced with the horrible thought of ripping AGAIN I gave up and decided to putt grandpa's socks down for a few days.

On the back burner (but hopefully not for too long) I've got a shrug-in-progress. A while back I bought a cute little purple shrug from H&M, and wanted to knit one in black to match my prom dress. So I started knitting, and about a third of the way through I found out that, because of Josh's stupid parents, I wouldn't be going to prom. Since I wasn't going to prom there was no reason for me to be in such a rush to finish it, so I started socks. Yay socks!

On another note, this entry has helped me realize that since I'm no longer a forum goer or bloggist (I DON'T CARE IF THAT'S NOT THE PROPER TERM!), my typing has become a bit rusty.