Crafty?

I am very happy with knitting ... I find the process of knitting relaxing (great for when I am watching a good sports game) and fun (watching a pattern emerge, multicolored yarn stripe/pool out...). Knitting , or maybe reading other blogs, has peaked my interest into other crafts. I love my handmade sweaters, hats, mittens ... what if I could sew? And fabric seems to be be just as enticing as yarn.

So, with the new apartment, and a limited budget, I made a small foray into the sewing world:

See the headboard? And the pillow?

I bought some pretty fabric and stapled it to 2 canvases, then hung them behind my bed. Obviously, very influenced by Apartment Therapy. Specifically this, alright not influenced, copied!

What to do with that leftover denim when you get your jeans shortened?

I then made a simple pillow using some more pretty fabric and the bottoms of some jeans that I had shortened a long time ago (and have been holding onto, including going through 2 moves because the jeans were expensive, and I couldn't throw away the scraps!). This was also influenced by the internets, I read Sew, Mama, Sew! sometimes, just wondering what if I had a sewing machine...

Afternoons = nap time, Chief was tres annoyed, but not giving up his turf!

Imperfect, yes. But I am happy. I'd love to learn how to sew. Maybe make some lounge wear pants, a new laundry bag, skirts....Right now, there is no time, but hopefully someday....

Late to the party, but just in time...

My first cowl:

Gloria Cowl
Misti International hand-painted sock yarn, held double
US 8 needles

It was a little big, I cast on 99 stitches - so, I did a gentle shrinking in the dryer, and its so nice when mistakes work out! The yarn was beautiful to start out with, but the drying process really enhanced the softness and fuzziness of the yarn from its alpaca content (but just a little, we don't want too much fuzz around our necks - itchy!) . Perfect for fall! I've been enjoying the weather, letting my apartment get a little cold and snuggling up with the cowl and a quilt. Now, if only the grocery weren't out of apple cider (how!) ... I guess other people love fall as much as I do.

So, keeping with the fall/october theme ... I have been a little spooked lately. This is a knitting blog, but I am going to go beyond that now, so don't read on if you just want knitting!


8 years ago, I thought, how much damage can one person do, especially if there is relative incompetence, they just won't know how to do things, so, nothing will get done. Well, we saw and will continue to feel where that went. Now, what about the thought of having someone even more so as the vp, with an above average risk of becoming the president, exhaulting and aiming to emulate a person who has done unmeasurable damage to this country's ideology (and democracy itself), whose job she hopes to have - very, very, scary. The top of the ticket doesn't fall too far from the tree either. If you aren't registered to vote, please do, the deadline is just a few days away, don't be late to the party! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have some optimism?

Just a picture post

Although blurry, Chief hasn't made an appearance on the blog for awhile ...



I am also only working on this project until its finished. This was the status on Saturday afternoon. I'm curious to see how productive I am (in terms of FOs) when I focus. I have 700 yards of yarn I'm hoping to use on this one.

Oh Noro...

So, I was just stopping into a wonderful LYS, and was completely enamoured by their selection of Noro sock yarns, specifically Noro Silk Garden Sock. The colors were amazing, the texture, and it seemed much softer than their Kureyon sock yarn. I got home and uncharacteristically immediately cast on for some socks. I wanted them to be perfect, basic socks. I wanted the socks to be twins (unlike my previous pair made out of Kureyon). I wanted to use as much of the yarn as possible. Maybe I have a low entertainment threshold and was too entertained by watching the colors change, or that they were knit on US 2 needles, but these flew off the needles and 10 days later (which includes a 4 day weekend in which I did not bring this project), a finished pair:

Noro Knee Highs - Basic toe up socks using this pattern
Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn - s258, and a white sock yarn from the stash held double
US 2 needles

Love them!

As I said above, I loved watching the colors change. I was almost successful with matching the socks, but, Noro, and its knots - sigh. There were 2 knots in my skein - the first came conveniently at the end of the first sock. The second came during the leg of the second (right) sock - it should transition from yellow to purple, but goes from yellow to pink. Its less noticable on the picture, and only threw off the colors a bit, but arg! Oh well.

Will I become a toe up sock knitter? I don't know. I do like the ability to use up all of the yarn without worrying about running out (for socks with yarn that you don't want to waste). And this cast on makes everything a lot less painful (I had been doing a crochet cast on for toe ups). I'm still more comfortable/familiar with the top down, and it seems to go faster (ending with the leg/boring part seems to make the toe up drag on a little more). We'll see! I have some lovely yarn that also will be toe up socks, and after that....

Boo!

Hi. Still here. Been busy.

Well, not that busy. Getting settled into my new job, home, classes (do I remember how to study, or even learn?), and city has been going well, but its exhausting and the blog has suffered. And then the Olympics and all of the political conventions on top of everything. But with all of that TV time, there has been knitting!

Another Koolhaas Hat, I felted my first one. I'm still upset, I don't want to talk about it.
Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood (have you seen his new hat?)
Dream in Color Classy - Beach Fog (leftover from my Hourglass sweater)
US 8 needles

I've also knit a cowl (my first!) and am getting closer to being done with my Chevron scarf (it is taking FOREVER to knit this!), and started some socks. I'll post again soon with those, promise!

Drama

My first real lace project:

Adamas Shawl by Miriam Felon
Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb - Color 307 (turquoise)
US 5 Needles
Mods: 1-2 fewer repeats than in the pattern

I know that this was my first lace project (using real lace yarn, blocking...), so there are bound to be mistakes. But, there were real issues with this one. The pattern was well written, fun to knit, and has made a beautiful shawl. The yarn is very soft, very fine (maybe a bit fragile), and I love the color (I picked this color to go with this orange/red dress - my wedding dress this summer).

So, here is what happened:
I cast off the wrong way - I got excited that I was done with the shawl and just cast off instead of checking the pattern. I thought, no big deal... Well, as I was blocking the shawl, I felt a give and looked and saw that something snapped in the middle of the cast off row area and had unraveled a significant amount already. It would not be easy (or probably possible) to fix this area by picking the stitches up again. I sat there, thought about crying (I've been working on this for a month), and just stared at the wall for a while. I thought about just giving up, but then found the broken ends and tried to rip side to side. That didn't go well, it lead to unraveling in other areas. So, I got out the scissors. And cut. Across the shawl, under the affected areas. I then found the first row unaffected and unravelled that, picking up stitch by stich as I did that.

2-3 hours of my life, but I saved the shawl.

I think I lost 2-3 pattern repeats (really, I was panicking a bit when this happened and I wasn't paying attention at first, or when I cut). I knit one more repeat, then cast off the right way, then blocked it.

Fine, all better, right?

Then, as I was taking pictures with the timer, my camera fell off my counter and the lens was visibly displaced and wouldn't extend/retract. I thought, why did I have to fix the shawl, if I hadn't my camera would be ok! I really like my camera, and don't want a new one. Its about 4 years old, and takes great pictures. It was still making the mechanical noises, so I took the little screws out but couldn't get the camera open (I don't really know what I would have done if I accomplished that, but taking the screws out made me feel like I was at least trying to do something). I checked Kodak's website, and found out I would have to send the camera in and pay $150. Not good. So, I sat on the carpet, and made the camera make the mechanical noise, and jammed the lens back into position. And it worked. The camera seems to be fine (the lens cap doesn't stay on, but thats really nothing). And I was very happy to get out of making this shawl in one piece. Should I really wear it to a wedding, is it cursed?

Good excuses

Yes, its been a while. But, there have been lots of happenings around here! First, this is where I am now:

Indianapolis

So far (one week), so good. Moving is no fun at all but as I get settled in, I feel like I am in a good place now. I and am liking my new job - I can walk (more likely bike) to work and there seems to be excellent knitting stores here... dangerous, I can walk to that last one. I haven't had a chance to explore too much yet, if anyone has any Indianapolis suggestions, please let me know! I moved here for the job, so I am fairly unfamiliar with the city, but its kind of fun and refreshing to start anew.

Its also been fun stalking Apartment Therapy for the past few months getting ideas for my new place. Heres how it looks so far:

(Click to see larger). I know I went a little Ikea overboard, but I like Ikea!)

There also has been knitting, and not without drama. I'll save that for the next post (which should come pretty quickly as I have a FO to report).
Here's a preview:

Summer!

All of a sudden its full blown summer! While I don't really like the 90 degree heat, summer also means its time to bring out the sandals. I love my sandals, I don't know how I can go the rest of the year all cooped up in shoes and socks (regular socks, not handknit socks!). Anyway, here is a pair of my favorite summer shoes with a new FO:

Marigold Socks by Pamela Wynne (I love reading her blog. Have you seen her new pattern? Just beautiful!)
Koigu KPPM
US 1.5 needles

I started these a while ago (November) and got major second sock sydrome ... I'm not sure exactly why, once you get started on these they really seem to knit up fast (the pattern is interesting, yet there is still a good amount of plain knit rows). Probably, part of it was that these are toe-ups, which I'm not as comfortable with and so have to sit down with resources in order to start. I like the concept of toe-ups, that you can use up all of the yarn (which I did), the way the toe is formed, etc. But they seem to be more of a pain - the cast-on is a bit more tricky (I like this explanation of a provisional cast-on). Plus, I'm just not good with short rows, I can never get them to look neat. Maybe I just need to get more familiar with them.

And, because I am pleased with myself for getting a chunk of these WIPs done before my move later this month (including all of my single socks), I allowed myself to cast on another project:

An Adamas Shawl.

I love this blue; its bright, but its so pretty. And the yarn (Lacey Lamb), its so soft and light and just summery! This is my first major lace project, I've knit simple lace projects before, but never so complex and never with this fine of yarn. I think this will look great with a dress I bought for the summer weddings this year: Its orange and red (across the color wheel from blue!). But that means I need to get it done this summer....

And, thank you all for the nice comments on the Hourglass sweater ... its nice to know that I'm not wearing my knitting goggles (you know, everything you make looks wonderful because you have put so much work into it and subconsciously you can't admit it when things don't work out...)

A good knitting week

As pleased as I was with my Pomatamus Socks, I am even happier with this:

(I'm attempting to pose like the model in the book here)

Hourglass Sweater by Joelle Hoversonin Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Dream in Color Classy, Beach Fog - About 3 1/2 skeins (probably less)
US 8 Needles

(I went to a park to take these pictures, and got a little bashful after about 2 mintues of taking pictures of myself with the timer, so wimped out and just took pictures of it on the grass)

The Dream in Color Classy was wonderful to work with. I did this as part of The Loopy Ewe's Dream in Color Sweater Knit-a-long, and before the KAL there were only a few sweaters in this yarn (look now), which surprises me just a bit. It seems like a very good sweater yarn, soft but sturdy, not with a huge fuzz potential, and the colors ... I had a hard time deciding, but blue is my favorite color so it was mainly between the different shades of blue (there are at least 3 different ones, I think). I'm planning my next project in this yarn already, I think a Tree Jacket in Strange Harvest.

I did 3 extra yoke decreases to not have as much of a boat neck, and I added contrasting yarn for the hems (they were a lot of work, so I had to show them off!). I used Malabrigo worsted Frosted Grapes leftovers - Its so nice to have that lovely Malabrigo softness along my neck and wrists! I only cast on 54 stitches for the sleeves, and decreased once to 52 stitches, so the arms don't flare as much as the pattern. I alternated skeins every other row to avoid pooling. Where the yarns switch there is a bit of pull on the stitch (I don't know if this is avoidable or not), but I ran these joins down the insides of the sleeves and along one side (the sweater is knitted in the round, so if anything it just looks like a really neat seam). My favorite thing is definitely the finishing on this, the hems were a pain but there really are what makes this sweater perfect. And I'm really happy with the fit and style (I'm always drawn to the J Crew plain crewneck sweaters, every year I am tempted to buy one, but now I can make a better one!)

I've never done a knit-a-long before, it was a good experience (well, any experience with The Loopy Ewe is, the customer service there is amazing - Sheri really does an unbelievable job leaving little notes with the orders, getting the orders out very quickly, giving free samples of things or a little gift in each order). I don't think I would be done with this sweater now had it not been for the deadline (June 1, I cast off May 31st). I had swatched as soon as I got the yarn in early March, but didn't really get working on it until earlier this month (it was a quick knit, luckily). Of course, now its in the sweater box for the summer, its going to be great to pull it out in the fall (its hard to believe its summer already!).

Pomatamus Socks

I love these:

Pomatamus Socks by Cookie A. in Knitty
Koigu KPPM - 10 years old!

US 1.5 needles

Its no wonder its such a popular pattern, its just beautiful. I know that the yarn is colorful, and that its a complex pattern which usually doesn't go with busy yarn, but I love the combination. I have been saving this yarn for the perfect project - I bought it over 10 years ago when I wasn't really a knitter but was taking a knitting class in college (we had something called alternative college, which were practical or fun classes like knitting, homebrewing, car repair - just for fun, no credit for those). At the time I thought I would make socks with it, but sitting down and having the confidence to knit a sock at that time was a different story (although, now I know, socks aren't bad at all!). So, since I had been holding onto this for so long, I had high expecations for it. I'm happy with the results.

These socks will only been worn with open heeled shoes! Even the soles are perfect!

Also, something else is done that I am quite happy with. Its blocking now, but I had to try it on and snap a picture (or 3), here is sneak peek:

I'll be back soon with more on this.

Are we there yet?

That is totally how my Hourglass Sweater is making me feel! I just finished the arms, and looking at the picture feel a little bit better, but each arm seemed to take forever (thus, the need to take a picture). Now that I am at a more exciting part (the yoke), its time to go to work.

Dream in Color Classy, Beach Fog - still no pooling!

Luckily, I can usually knit a little at work, although when I plan to knit at work it tends to jinx things so that there is no time for knitting. I usually just throw a sock project into my bag, that keeps the superstitious side of me happy.

I've also made some progress on my Pomatomus Socks:

Koigu KPPM

I am very worried that I am going to run out of yarn. I just made it for the first sock with the first skein, there were (maybe) a few yards left over. This yarn is very old, I bought it in college before I even knew what stash was! I'll keep my fingers crossed, but the second sock may have to have a different colored toe.

Pretty

Nothing too interesting in this post - I'm in the middle of seemingly endless stockinette and I just love the way it is looking. So, I thought I would share:

Dream In Color Classy - Beach Fog
US 7 needles

Alright, I am also gloating just a bit that its not pooling (I'm alternating skeins every other row).

Progress, kind of...

I am a bit closer to my move ultimatum:

Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery in the spring, 2008 Knitty
Shibui Sock Yarn - Wasabi, 2 skeins
US 3 needles

(I'm not trying to be overly provocative here, I made this scarf specifically to go with this dress in the summer, and its been so rainy and gray out ... its nice to pretend - I love the green-navy combo)

This took longer than I anticipated (a little over a month), but its a beautiful pattern and not too difficult. A great alternative use for sock yarn too, always a bonus! The Shibui is nice, I like the color a lot but ...

...boy, is it pooley for a solid-looking yarn. Its OK though, you really can't notice it (except in this picture), and the color variation makes very appealing row to row stitch definition in some areas (you can really see this in the first picture, isn't it nice?). I like the row to row effect so much more than I dislike the pooling, overall making it OK.


I haven't been completely on track, I did a few other very small projects:

I am very happy with the Blackberry cozy in particular, I used the Jaywalker Sock stitch pattern, and love the way the reverse side looks. They are small, right? I needed something to keep busy during the NBA playoff games...

And, I made some necessary modifications to my Central Park Hoodie:

New buttons that don't pull as much and I did a crochet chain across the neck to prevent hood sagging (idea from here). Its much better now.

Next up, a Chevron scarf, hopefully!

Wow, May

The spring is flying by, isn't it? I guess that I have had big projects to help pass the time ... I'm going to be moving to a new city in a few months, so have been spending waaay too much time online looking for apartments and reading about the city (because I don't know much about this city, but am getting excited).

I also just made a major purchase:

Keychain Sock Blocker Sock by Debbie Jennings, purchased at The Loopy Ewe
Koigu KPPM
US 1 needles
(the car is cute too, isn't it?)

But, there has been knitting as well ...

Jules Socks by Kate Blackburn, in The Inside Loop (a new online knitting magazine!)
Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight - Rose Quartz
US 1.5 needles

I knit the first sock in Israel, of course using up precious packing space to bring yarn for another project just in the case that I finished the pair ...well, it was not completely for waste because my next sock project was to be Snicket Socks from the suddenly (at the beginning of April) non-existent Magknits. Yes, the pattern is on Ravelry now, but it took about a week for it to appear there and I was very proud of myself for having the pattern printed out already during that time!

(The precious pattern and Claudia Handpainted sock yarn in Honey)

I've also been chugging along on two scarves, both of which seem to be taking longer to knit that I expected. Hopefully I'll have finished pictures soon, my goal is to get as many UFOs (2 sweaters, 2 scarves, 3 single socks, and 1 pair of mittens) done before I move as possible, and to try to not cast on for any more projects either until they are all done .... delusional, I know ...

Back home!

I had been meaning to post before I left on my trip, but this wasn't done until the night before (really, but I did meet a deadline!)

Montego Bay Scarf by Amy Singer from Interweave Knits, summer 2007
Handmaiden Sea Silk - Wildflower. Excatly one skein.
US 8 needles

A better picture of the fringe

Great pattern. Easy, well written, and I thought it knit up pretty fast. Definitely do the fringe - it was a pain (taking longer than I thought it would and the braiding hurt my hands after a while), but it really makes the scarf. I love Sea Silk! Unlike other silk yarns, it doesn't fuzz and has held up really well. And I wore this A LOT. It was perfect for Israel (where we went). It was pretty hot there (40 C one day in Tel Aviv!), and you just feel ick after a while travelling so it was great to just be able to throw on this and voila! feel a little nicer and semi-fashionable! And it helped with the packing: I was gone for over 2 weeks all together, so the packing definitely could get out of control. But have you heard this tip? Only pack 2-3 colors. So, according to the scarf, it was pinks, blues, browns. I only took one, really stuffed, backpack.

We had a great time. I went with my sister and we stayed with old friends so it was nice to catch up. Neither of us had been there before, so there was a lot to see and I think that we made a dent. And we really enjoyed eating there: all of the fresh fruits and salads, the emphasis on breakfast, hafuch (cappuccino, one of 2 Hebrew words I learned), and falafel and hummus galore!

How random! A restaurant called Cynthia and Me in the Old City!

And on any vacation, especially one with over 24 hours of flying all together, there must be vacation knitting:

Jules Socks by Kate Blackburn from the Inside Loop (a new online knitting magazine!) in STR

I did cast on the second sock on the trip ... but just the cuff because between the touring, hanging out with old friends, and sleeping (it was vacation!) there just wasn't a lot of knitting time. Of course, in my overstuffed bag, there was yarn for a second sock project, just in case...

Noro Socks

I made some socks that I just love (I know these pictures are similar, I couldn't decide which one I liked best!):

Montreal Socks (because I started them in Montreal)

Noro Kureyon Sock, alternating from each end of a center pull ball every other row
Basic Sock Recipe from Knitting Rules
US 1.5 Needles

I was quite excited when I first found out there was a Noro sock yarn, and I thought a lot about which sock pattern to use. Inspired by the Noro Scarf, I first knit these alternating colors every 4th row. Looked OK, but the stripes were striping a bit and it just didn't look as sharp. The drawback with changing colors every other row is that that is a bit of a jog, so I ran it down the medial side/inside of each sock:

I manipulated the colors to get solid areas on the cuffs, heels, and toes. I decided not to match the socks, mainly because of the yarn. It tangled easily, and pulling from both ends of the ball was a hassle enough (I probably should have wound it into 2 balls, but didn't). The yarn felt scratchy when knitting, but the finished sock isn't scratchy or uncomfortable to wear. I only had one knot in the ball.

I love the color combinations in the stripes. I had a hard time putting these down because of those stripes: what would the next combination be? This led to late nights. And then got me thinking about color, and what colors to use for these mittens (which I have been admiring for sometime now and the pattern just became available), and my LYS was having a sale on the recommended yarn (Harris Tweed), and ... another project I can't put down:

Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilla!

You'll see, the colors are going to be similar to the socks. This knitting is wrecking havoc on my life: My apartment is a mess, I am not getting ready for the big trip I am taking next week, the plants need watering...help!