Gearing Up

Tomorrow morning, even earlier than I usually leave for work, I will be heading out with my partner in crime for Rhinebeck! I've got myself all packed, and am just about to cast on for a simple toe-up sock. I will bring my scarf, too, but just in case I want some variety. Speaking of Rhinebeck, I mentioned before that I'm a square in Blogger Bingo! The following picture not only fulfills my promise of a photo of my face so you can identify me at the festival, but it also shows off the skirt I finished.

So, let's talk about this skirt. You may remember it from April, when I said I would be soon hemming and finishing and wearing this skirt. I finally finished it the other day. I was pretty proud of it when I was finished. It hung well, I took my time with tacking down the lining, and I loved the fabric (are you noticing the past tense?). I proudly wore the skirt today, and was actually pretty proud when no one commented on it, since I took that to mean it didn't look hand made. So, at lunch I went to the bank, and when I returned to work, I stopped in the bathroom and did a quick once over to assess my hair/outfit. I did a double take when I checked the rear view. One of the side seams had come completely undone, and my underwear was totally hanging out. I have no idea how long it was like that. I suspect that the reason for the disaster had to do with my inexperience and the boucle suiting that I suspected was trouble from the moment I cut the pattern. The fabric is rather loosely woven, and came unraveled quickly. I don't really know what I could have done differently, but I think for now I'll stick with easy fabric and work my way up! As for this skirt, I think I'll put it aside until I can figure out the best way to seam boucle, and then I'll attempt repairs!

The Cabled Turtleneck continues to cause me trouble, through no fault of the pattern this time. I was happily knitting away last night, and as I approached the final stripe sequence, I decided to measure and see if I was at the required 18 inches. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the piece measured 24 inches! I picked up the pattern again and reread the directions. Yep. I was supposed to begin armhole shaping at 18 inches. Sigh. That was a big rip.



As a consolation, at least when I reknit, it'll be decreasing rows.

When next you hear from me, I'll have finally experienced Rhinebeck!

Who, me? Impatient?

So there I was, happily trucking away on my Slimline Jacket, anticipating the thrill of binding off the back, wondering if I should start the fronts or sleeves next, and whether I should knit them at once, when I was doing it, I was binding off, and I was so excited. I folded the piece up and poked in my basket and thought of what to start next. "Oh, what the hell," I thought, "I could cast on for a sleeve." I pulled out the pattern again and what did I see? My eyes widened with horror (and a little regret) when I noticed that I had omitted the shoulder shaping on the back. I sighed, and considered for a moment how dire it would be if I left the shaping out, but came to my senses, and began taking out the bound off edge.

Astrakhan is a lovely yarn, it is. It makes a very interesting fabric, it's soft, and while it's a little strange at first, it is pleasant to knit. But (you must have known that was coming), it is the worst yarn in the yarn store to frog. I only got about a quarter through, when I realized I was really hauling on that yarn to get it free, and pulling just a little too hard on the fabric to try to discern which loops were stitches, and which were just texture. I took a deep breath and set it aside, and I'm so glad I did. This morning I calmly took out the bind off, plus another row, and picked up the stitches. I didn't even flinch when I realized I had picked up too many. That will work itself out as I knit the row. The back is waiting for me right now, in fact, to finish it properly.

Finding myself in that situation last night of wanting to knit, but a danger to my project, I did the only thing I could. I cast on for something else. I've had Coif on my mind ever since it came out, but last night was the night to start it. If I work on it tonight, I'll finish it. It's fast, fun and cute! It's also an opportunity to work on my pom-poms. I think those ties desperately need them. Don't you?

Another lesson in gauge.

What you see in this picture is a tragic lesson in gauge. You'd think that after the many, many lessons in gauge I've learned over the years, I would know better, but no. This tragedy could have been averted by two things: better organization and less laziness. Unfortunately, these two things work in tandem, or I may have had a fighting chance. See, the pattern I'm working suggests a US3 needle for gauge. I know I've used US3 double points recently, but I couldn't find them anywhere. I have about ten sets of US1 and US2 dpn, but only one pair of US3. I still can't find them. Now, don't be fooled by this narrative into thinking I looked very hard. I handily convinced myself that, since I routinely use at least one needle size smaller than recommended in any pattern, I could use the set of US2 dpn conveniently in my hand, and that searching for the US3 set would be pointless because I wouldn't get gauge with them anyway. Yeah, the ribbing seemed kind of snug, but I deluded myself with the magic of blocking and continued. Only when I actually got into the meat of the project did I see the folly in all of my thinking up to that point. The silver lining to this whole sad tale is I rekindled my love of bamboo, and today I purchased another set of US3 needles in bamboo. Also, the knitting will go faster with the larger needles. Perhaps this is my penance for putting down the tangled hair scarf. I hereby promise to do four whole repeats as compensation.

In other news, we have a new friend here! Meet Baxter! We adopted him from the shelter on Friday. Mrs. Cooper met him at the shelter with conficting results, so we brought him home to begin the bonding process. The initial meeting at home was less than stellar, but we're trying another approach that seems to be working. Since Cooper doesn't have a cage, we put a baby gate up between the room where Baxter's cage is and Cooper's area, and they interact through the gate. At first they constantly batted at each other through the cage, but now they've been witnessed laying next to the gate occasionally in short cease-fires. Things are looking up!

Lemons

Well, it turns out that the glove I turned into a sock really wasn't working out for a sock. The leg was fine, but when I made the heel (my best one yet!), there weren't enough stitches to make a proper one. I considered trying to size the foot for a child, but selfishness won out. I want that yarn on my feet! Here it is on its way to the frog pond:

I'm thinking I'm going to use the yarn for Hedera by Cookie A. The more I see that sock, the more I like it.


My pain does not end there, though! I casted on for a Christmas stocking last weekend. It's a pattern I've made before, so I didn't think much of working on it while I visited with a friend and taught her how to make cables. Turns out that you really need to pay attention to those letter charts. I made two O's instead of an O and a B. Oops.





I don't think I'll need to rip this all the way back, just to the beginning of the chart. I tried to drop the stitches and pick them back up correctly in fair isle pattern. Yeah... it didn't quite work out. But I gave it a shot!

Lemonade

When your knitting gives you lemons, what should you do? Knit socks, of course! In my rush this morning, I forgot my camera cable and so I can't show you a progress picture, but if you follow this link, you can see a photo of the gloves I started before things went awry. See, I was a foolish knitter, and I:
1. Didn't do a gauge swatch.
2. Didn't recognize the recommended yarn, but didn't want to wait to look it up.
3. Really, really wanted to cast on something using my brand-spanking new Gloss right away.

After I completed the ribbing, I thought the cuff looked a little large for a glove (which ought to stretch to fit, after all), so, faced with the decision whether to rip out, swatch and start over, or turn my work into something else, I chose the something else. There was minor fiddling to make the lace pattern continue evenly around the (now) leg, but I think the effect is worth it! These are only my second pair of lace socks (the first pair I actually designed myself), and I am loving it! The repeats are only 15 rows, and easily memorized, so I can knit along with minimal attention, but the finished product is so daintyand pretty. And the yarn! As I said above, I'm using KnitPicks Gloss, which is a merino/silk blend. I've purchased other lines of KnitPicks yarns, and been less than impressed. This yarn, however, is wonderful! It has a lovely sheen, the color is deep and rich, and it feels so soft, I never want to stop knitting for the evening! I have plans to pick up more for some gloves, just so I can have something made from it that I can wear every day. Highly recommended.

So, hopefully tomorrow there will be a picture of my progress. I'm at the heel now, and wondering whether to do my usual short-row heel, or try something new out of Knitting Vintage Socks.

And here I thought it was too cold for the pool....

I decided to cast on for some socks the other day. The ribbing at the start is torturous, but I was jonesing for some straight stockinette in a tube. A confession: I always knit socks using US2 needles. I never ever swatch for socks. If I use a worsted weight, I use US5, and for sport, I use US3. I have never had an issue. Until now.

First and foremost, does anyone else see the polka dots forming here? They only occur on this needle (which happens to be the top of the sock), but they're pretty obvious. I can't live with them. So I decided that I would rip this sock (after taking a picture, of course), and reknit from a different starting point in the yarn.

Then I got honest with myself about the cuff. Look at it! I mean, sure... oftentimes a sock's ribbing looks a little wonky until the first wash, when the yarn blooms and the stitches settle down. But I don't think that a little water is going to dampen this party. These stitches are loose. Knowing that I am using a yarn with a different fiber content than what I'm used to for socks, I should have gone ahead and swatched. Or at least realized after the first few rows that it wasn't going to work. Live and learn. I'll cast on for these again in a couple of days. Tonight, I think I'll cast on a hat.

The yarn pictured is Sockotta, in color 10. Nice, neutral brown and tan. It's 45% cotton, 40% wool, and 15% nylon. I've never knit cotton socks before this pair. I hope the wool will be enough to keep them from sagging.

In other news, in the interest of full disclosure, I fell off the wagon this afternoon. I stopped at one of my favorite yarn stores (but not one that's local) for some dpns for a hat project. When I walked in the door, it looked like a rummage sale. There was yarn piled everywhere, and I wondered if someone had forgotten to lock the door. Turned out they were having a going out of business sale! I got four hanks of Classic Elite Lush and one hank of Cascade 220 for under $20! I tried to resist the yarn, but then came to my senses. I mean, if I didn't grab some of that Lush, I might have kicked myself for the rest of my life. Now to find the perfect, cuddly project.

Oh, bother....

*New and improved... now with pictures!*

So I finally got my act together yesterday and took some pictures for ye olde blog, and now I'm having issues getting the pictures off the card. Long story short, my card reader doesn't seem to work with the brand spankin' new iBook I just got (I love it though!), and my PC is refusing to find the card reader now, as well. I am ready to pull my hair out. As soon as I get my act together and am able to retrieve pictures, I'll be sure to post some, until then, a pictureless post.

I zipped along happily on Rogue, finishing the body and back in short order. The yarn is wonderful to work with, and the pattern is excellent for movie or reading knitting. Or so I thought.


I got about, oh, 12 rows into the throat chart on the front, when I stopped to look at my work. "Hmm, that doesn't seem quite right," I thought. It looked very... flat, and... ugly. Kind of like a mishmash of garter and seed stitches. Obviously, I did my increases incorrectly somehow (that's the only explanation I can come up with), though when those same increases were called for before, I did fine. I thought of dropping down stitches and picking them back up correctly, but I think with all the increasing in that tiny area, it would be more trouble than it's worth. I will have to rip out what I've done for the front so far. Since I am loathe to do it, enter new project #1.



I'm making a sweater for my youngest nephew, who turns two on Wednesday. Just a simple rollneck in this beautiful alpaca yarn, Artful Yarns Jazz. I have the same yarn in a blue color that I plan to use to make a sweater for my five year-old nephew (he turns six on November 30). My sister is okay with handwashing, so I don't feel the least bit guilty about giving her sweaters that require it. I have to use up my alpaca somehow, anyway. I get about three rows into this sweater before I start sneezing. Such a shame.

Yesterday was the annual sale at one of my LYSs, and my favorite knitting buddy, Amy, and I went. This year, I knew exactly what I was buying. You know that Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Astrakhan cardigan in the new Vogue Knitting? I am all over it. I planned to make mine in black, but they didn't have any black when we got there. I like the way the brown looks in the photo shown in the magazine, but I wasn't crazy about it in real life. It wasn't as dark as I would have liked. I was beginning to despair when Amy pointed out a beautiful shade of blue toward the bottom shelf. It didn't take me long to decide that the cardigan would work in blue. And blue is my favorite color, after all. I have a dearth of it in my wardrobe. I made a swatch, and couldn't wait to cast on for the sweater when I was done.


Due to the nature of the yarn, I did my swatch a little differently. I casted on for the numbers of stitches I should have in four inches, and measured the entire piece. As for casting on, the pattern has you do just two rows of garter stitch in the beginning before switching to stockinette. I didn't feel this would be enough, so I did about a half inch of garter stitch instead.

I'll come back and edit this post when I can get my pictures off of the memory card. Maybe by the time I do that, I'll have the damn cardigan finished!

***Now that I'm a couple of rows into the Astrakhan cardigan, I can see that it's way too big. Now, granted, the smallest size says that it's 41", but what I have looks even bigger than that. Since I have a 34" bust, I'm thinking I'm going to have to do a little creative math. Maybe I'll wait and see what Becky does, since she's a skinny minny and she's making the same sweater.

Also! I totally forgot to post pictures of my completed Branching Out. Here goes:



The GGH Mystic I used for the scarf is quite slinky, so the scarf is not so full anymore. I don't mind though, it's the look I was going for. Kind of a touselled, casual elegance kinda thing. You know.

I finished up the main piece of the lamb all-in-one last night. You might notice something a little off in this photo.

If you look up at the tops of the fronts, you will notice that the shaping is identical on both sides. This, of course, should not be. Fortunately, it's just a couple of rows. That is why I hate when patterns just tell you to mirror the other side. I always have this crises at the end where I get myself so confused that I just jump in. I've been lucky up to now. I didn't even notice until I laid the piece out for the picture. I will begin the sleeves this week, and hope to actually have the whole enchilada wrapped up by next weekend. I also need to put a zipper in the zippy cardigan, and then I can mail both things out at once.

I'm working on the first triangle bit of my tank.



Whenever I'm working something in the round, I rarely, if ever, use stitch holders to hold my non-working stitches. This is convenient for me, because then I don't have holders flailing about and I feel like I have more control over the piece, but it's not so good for picture taking. I'm very excited to see how this comes out. I hope I did my math right and it fits!

I would also like to bring to your attention the severely different lighting in both of these photos. I took these pictures about three minutes apart, in the same room, in the same amount of natural light (no flash), and from the same angle. What the hell is going on? I can't get a good picture of this all-in-one for love or money! I'll keep experimenting, I guess.