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March 30, 2007
Mothman Vanquished
Confession time... I have no idea who "Mothman" is, I just thought it would be funny to see what came up when I typed it into the flickr search engine. Apparently, there's a statue built of him in West Virginia. And it's pretty creepy. But anyway....
After a thorough freezing of my entire yarn stash, as well as a dose of common sense from my better half, I've determined that moths were most likely NOT invading my stash. After all, wouldn't we have noticed them getting into our wool sweaters? And there's no dead moths in the bottom of the closet where I store my yarn (It's in a rolling cart with three wire mesh drawers - so anything like that should have fallen to the ground when I was rummaging through it to pack everything away in the freezer.
The good thing about this whole episode is that it's motivated me to use up the stash before I buy much more, and it has also forced me to work on one project exclusively. My MDK moss-stitch handtowel is almost done! Well, almost done according to the pattern. I might make it a little bit longer since it looks like I'll have plenty of leftover yarn.
Posted by zarah at 6:16 AM | Comments (6)
March 28, 2007
The stash is in the freezer
The verdict is in, and some moths have most likely invaded the yarn stash! (I guess this means I probably need to clean out the closet where it normally lives, too.)
But of course, knitting has not come to a total stand still. I've got a MDK moss stitch dishtowel that I started last weekend on the trip to visit my parents. It's nothing terribly exciting, but I can see how it could get addicting, combined with a stitch dictionary. I think I want to make another one to practice the lace stitch on my new Hempathy sweater. I keep screwing it up and that stuff just really splitty when you frog it.
Luckily, the big spring sale at Simply Fibers is coming up this Friday, so hopefully I'll be able to snag some more Euroflax linen there!
Posted by zarah at 6:31 AM | Comments (7)
March 27, 2007
Sock limbo
I've got good news, and bad news. Which do you want first? How about the bad news: I can't pick a sock pattern to save my life, and I think I might have moths invading my yarn stash.
Ever since I finished the Retro Rib socks, I've been wanting to start a new pair. I pick a pattern, find yarn in my stash that's "perfect," cast on, and knit the cuff.... and for some reason it just doesn't work for me.
Finally, I settled on the Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. How can you go wrong with Nancy Bush by your side? I had some beautiful hand-dyed yellow yarn from Lucia from the Project Spectrum yarn swap last year. I started knitting... everything was working out perfectly... then all of a sudden I noticed that the yarn coming off the skein was fraying in one place. I cut it and started with the new end. Then I came to a spot where the yarn was compeletely broken, like it had been cut with scissors. Then another. Then a couple more frazzled places. All of this and I haven't even finished the cuff of the first sock yet!
PLEASE tell me this is not moths!!!!
And the good news, you were wondering? How about a beautiful picture of a Shetland Sheep from my favorite photography blog?
Posted by zarah at 6:41 AM | Comments (10)
March 23, 2007
FO: Back of Lizard Ridge
Remember this crazy pile of ends? All those squares got sewn together, but there were still all those ends to deal with. Plus, the back of the afghan ws not all that comfortable, with ridges around each square. What to do?
Sew a back on it! (See the extended entry for details)
Much better, don't you think? I am not good at sewing by any stretch of the imagination, but several people have asked me how I put the backing on, so here's my method of madness.
Fabric: I used flannel because I wanted something soft. I would think that many different types of fabris would work, though. (I found this floral flannel at Jo-Ann Fabrics, in the children's fabric section.) I bought thee yards, thinking it would be WAY too much, and it turned out to be exactly the right amount. Hint from my 4-H sewing days: ALWAYS wash and dry your fabric before starting a sewing project. I think I cut the fabric in half and sewed it together sideways to make it roughly the same dimensions as the afghan.
Cutting the fabric: Here's where my sewing gets a little loosey goosey. I just laid the afghan on the floor, laid the fabric on top, and cut around it, leaving a couple inches more fabric hanging over the edge of the afghan. The tricky part here is that the afghan - being knit - is WAY stretchier than the flannel. I just tried to lay the blanket flat, not too stretched out, and more or less a rectangular shape. If I were doing this again, I think I might try to fuse some kind of iron-on interfacing to the afghan before I started sewing on it. The stretchiness of the afghan makes this whole project pretty tricky. So anything you can think of to stabilize it is a good thing.
Pinning: First, you have to pin the fabric onto the afghan. For me, it was easiest to work with the fabric on top of the afghan to make sure everything was laying flat as it got pinned together. (4-H says: Remember, pin with right sides together! You're going to turn the whole thing inside out at the end, leaving the seams on the inside.) However, later on I wanted to sew with the aghan on top, so I put the pins in on the afghan side, so they were easier to pull out as I was sewing. I found the best way to pin was to put pins at each corner and the center of each edge, then fill in from there.
Sewing: Everything I've read says that when you're sewing on large-gauge knit fabric, you should adjust the tension of the sewing machine so the stitches are longer. So, get out that dusty old sewing machine manual and figure out how that works. If nothing else, it will be so worth it if you have to rip any of the stitches out.
Like I said above, I sewed with the afghan facing up. (4-H says: Don't forget to start a couple of inches ahead of the edge, and sew backwards to your starting point, then start sewing. There's a button on the front of your sewing machine that makes it sew backwards. Knitter says: This is like weaving in your ends for a sewing machine.) I put a garter stitch border on my blanket, so I just tried to keep the stitches running down the valley between the outside 2 garter ridges. I found it really hard to keep the seam straight, but that got easier with practice. I figure as long as it was close, it was good enough. Clearly, I am much more of a control freak when it comes to knitting then sewing.
By the end I think I finally figured out a way to keep the afghan from stretching while I was sewing it. Basically, I held the fabric and afghan straight out in front of the sewing machine, holding it at the point where the next pin was. As I reached a pin while I was sewing, I took it out just before it went under the presser foot/needle. Sometimes the gap between that needle and the next one was pretty long. So I held out the fabric and put the pin back in, about halfway between the presser foot and the next pin. Basically, you cannot have too many pins in this thing. The afghan wants to stretch out as you are sewing it and the result will make the backing look all puckery. (Ask me how I know.)
Okay, so follow these steps for three edges, then sew the final edge but leave about 18 inches unsewn. (4-H says: You better remember to leave that section open, or you won't be able to turn the whole thing right-side out!) After sewing each edge, I laid the afghan back on the ground and made sure that the fabric was laying flat, and adjusted the pins as necessary. If you are doing this the same way I did, with the afghan facing up as you sew, you will realize that one of the sides requires you to jam the entire blanket between the arm of the sewing maching and the needle. That's a lot of fabric to get through a fairly small space, pluc be sewing that edge at the same time. I am here to tell you that it IS possible. However, you could probably flip the thing over and save yourself a lot of trouble.
Once the machine sewing is done, you have approx. an 18-inch hole left on one of the sides. Turn the entire thing right side out. Isn't it pretty? Lay it flat and make sure that the front and back more or less match up - no wonky extra fabric or puckering anywhere. (Knitter says: I'm duct-taping 4-H's mouth shut right now. This is not the time for perfectionism, people.) Using a hand-sewing needle and thread, sew the remaining seam closed. I just went back and forth between the fabric and the afghan - on the afghan side I following the same garter ridge and actualy went through the same stitches I would use if I were seaming up a knitting project.
"Quilting" the back and front together: At this point, there was no way I was sticking the afghan back under the sewing machine needle. Too many chances for something to go wrong. Instead, I went with my grandma's method of quilting, which is threading pieces of yarn through the front and back of the quilt, and tying a knot. Using all the leftover Kureyon scraps from when I trimmed all the ends off the back of the afghan, I tied a knot at the corner of each Lizard Ridge square. This is another opportunity to have the front and back not match up, so I went down the middle first, then filled in each corner. Oh - a note on tools - I had to buy a new needle for this job. You need something large enough to thread a piece of yarn through, but thin enough to stick through a piece of flannel. My normal yarn darning needle is way to blunt, and there was no way I could thread Kureyon through a regular sewing needle. Turns out there is such a thing as a pointy darning needle, I had just never one before. I found a pack of 6 in the Wal-Mart craft section for less than a dollar. This made this part of the project MUCH easier.
And voila! Here is the finished project. I really like how using the scraps brings all the different colors onto the back of the afghan, too.
Posted by zarah at 7:22 AM | Comments (9)
March 21, 2007
FO: Retro Rib Socks
Voila! A new pair of socks - aren't they pretty? (Pretty in a manly way.)
Project Details:
Pattern: Retro Rib Socks, available in Interweave's new book, Favorite Socks and Interweave Knits magazine Winter 2004
Yarn: Socks That Rock, mediumweight, Obsidian colorway - 1 skein
Needle Size: Size 2, Susan Bates metal DPNs
Skills needed: cast on, knit, twisted knit stitch, purl, slip stitch, decrease, short rows, picking up stitches, kitchner stitch
Pattern Modifications: I shortened the leg by 4 pattern repeats so I would have enough yarn - if you're planning on making men's socks, having an extra skein will never hurt. I also added a row of purl stitches at the end of the patterning before starting the toe decreases. I like how that separates the pattern from the toe.
Time to knit: February 2007 - March 2007 This was a really quick knit - thank you STR mediumweight!
Final impressions: These are socks for Matt (my husband), so it was a little tricky knitting for someone with much bigger feet than mine. However, he tried them on and gave them his stamp of approval - hooray! I really like that the yarn shows slight variegations but nothing crazy - and the colors didn't pool! I will definitely use this yarn again (but mediumweight it sold out until April, so I'll save you a click over there.)
Posted by zarah at 6:52 AM | Comments (7)
March 20, 2007
You say it's your birthday...
Well it's my birthday, too!
I did get myself a little yarny present.....
(No, not the whole basket - but that's Tess superwash sock/baby, people! For sale within a 20 mile radius of my house!) I found a lovely turquoise skein that I just had to have. (Actually, there was a burgandy one that I liked pretty well too, but someone got it first!)
But the very best gift of all was getting to spend Saturday with my knitty friends Tammy and Brianne!
On Saturday morning we met at my house and drove out to Rogersville, Mo to look for a new yarn shop that opened recently. It's called One City Market and it's in an old house that has been converted to yarn shop, knitting and weaving studio, and - coming soon - dye studio! The selection is really good, and there is lots of room to pull up a chair, knit a while, and chat. I loved the shop owner Lisa's stories about knitting socks for her teenage nephews, who insist on socks made from the yarn that has jojoba oil in it, because they like how it makes their feet soft! I just kept cracking up picturing a pack of teenage boys surrounding the sock yarn section, picking out their next pair. =)
Posted by zarah at 6:06 AM | Comments (12)
March 19, 2007
FO: Silk Shrug
I'm back! I'm still waiting for a new laptop battery from Apple, but in the meantime I can still use my computer while its plugged in. I've gotten the finishing bug lately, so expect to see quite a few FO reports this week!
Here's the first one...
Project Details:
Pattern: Silk Shrug, by Bobbi Intveld (Blue Sky Alpacas pattern)
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk (sportweight) - 7 skeins
Needle Size: Size 4 for main part of shrug, size 9 for edging
Skills needed: cast on, knit, purl, increase and decrease, mattress stitch, picking up stitches, cast off
Pattern Modifications: I shortened the back by about 4 inches. (I have really narrow shoulders.) I think the back might have laid a little flatter if it were longer, but I like that the shrug stays put on my shoulders.
Time to knit: October 2006 - March 2007 Whew! Those LONG sleeves on Size 4 needles were no fun, but it's the back that really kills you. (Perhaps another reason for the pattern modification!)
Final impressions: The shrug fits well and I like the color. I've already worn it twice! I guess I didn't realize just how WARM Alpaca Silk can be, though. I doubt I'm going to get to wear this too many more times before the weather gets too warm for it.
In other news ---- tomorrow is my birthday! Yippee!
Posted by zarah at 6:35 AM | Comments (6)
March 12, 2007
Blog Hiatus
It's that time of year again - the sun is out, the warm winds of Texas and Oklahoma are blowing into the Ozarks - it's almost spring! The daffodils should be blooming any day now.
As part of this lovely circle of life, my laptop has decided to go on the fritz. Maybe it has allergies? It doesn't know it has a battery when it's not plugged in, and I spend WAY too much time each day staring at the evil spinning beach ball of death. Anyway, long story short, I'm going to take a blogging break while I get my computer fixed.
But stay tuned, there are exciting things happening behind the scenes at The Dropout:
- I finished the Silk Shrug!
- The backing is almost done for the Lizard Ridge afghan
- Retro Rib sock #1 is done, #2 is begun
- and now for a teaser that only Anne knows... Hempathy, anyone?
See you in a couple weeks!
Posted by zarah at 6:09 AM | Comments (2)
March 8, 2007
Hee hee!
I so love YouTube - watch Wooly Bullies!
Why oh why am I so lazy? The shrug is finished - Just a few ends to weave in - but have I done it? OF COURSE NOT!
I'm hitching a ride to St Louis this weekend with some relatives, so.... excellent knitting time. Plus, wouldn't it be fun to show off my new knit to Annie?
Posted by zarah at 6:08 AM | Comments (4)
March 5, 2007
The mojo is back!
Yippee! Third time is a charm on the Retro Rib socks! I ripped back about an inch of the leg, and the plan is to knit until I have used exactly half of the original skein (2.75 oz. - measured with our kitchen scale). I guess I could post another picture, but it looks almost exactly like the one in this post. Having shortened the leg, the yarn may hold out quite a bit longer than I think, but I still have the backup skein of black for the toe, just in case.
I've also been forcing myself to work on the ribbing for the Silk Shrug, even though it's REALLY boring, and I hate that I can't seem to keep even tension. The body of the shrug is knit on size 4s, but you switch to size 9s for the ribbing. Hopefully blocking will even everything out, because right now? Not zesty. Anyway, I think I've only got about one more inch to go before it's done.
Posted by zarah at 6:06 AM | Comments (5)
March 2, 2007
Blarg
Erg. I'm still not happy with those dang socks. Maybe I can come up with a good solution this weekend. In the meantime, I've picked up the silk shrug again! It's starting to feel like spring, and I want to finish that project so I can wear it! I have about 4 inches of ribbing left to do on the ruffle. It's 300 stitches around, though, so it takes FOREVER. Doubleblarg.Posted by zarah at 5:40 PM | Comments (4)
March 1, 2007
Retro Rib Result
The most ingenious plan for solving my sock dilemma was coverting the pattern to resoleable socks - that way, the top of the foot would match the leg, but the bottom could be a different color, allowing me to stretch the precious STR a little further.
I bought Favorite Socks, which contains a pattern for resoleable socks, and I read through the instructions very carefully, so that I could apply the resoleable concept even though I am knitting socks at a much smaller gauge than the pattern calls for. I knit the top of the foot and picked up stitches all around, but it didn't take me too long to figure out that my knitting math skills were not up to converting the pattern without having knit it as written at least once. I should have taken a picture when all the stitches were picked up. It looks totally crazy. You have to use about 6 dpns just to keep everything straight. (luckily I always buy two sets of each size since I tend to lose them)
Since the resoleable thing wasn't working for me, I've decided the knit the heel in the contrasting black yarn, then I'm just going to try to get as far on the foot as I can with the regular yarn before switching to the contrast yarn for the rest of the foot.
Even though this little experiment didn't work out like I'd hoped, there was one bright spot. A new knitting book! I'm sure long-time Interweave Knits subscribers think it's chintzy that IK made a book full of reprinted patterns, but I only have one of the patterns in the book, plus from what I can tell, the book contains a lot of extra information about each pattern. Brenda Dayne wrote a really good review of the book here. I agree with her assessment that this book is definitely for sock knitting traditionalists, but I must fall into that camp because I love the patterns in this book! I especially like the fact that there are several more unisex or masculine patterns in there. Those are pretty hard to come by, in my opinion.
In non-knitting news - March came in like a lion in the Ozarks! There's nothing like waking up to tornado sirens at 4am to start your day off right! Luckily I don't think any tornadoes touched down, but it's still no fun.
Posted by zarah at 6:17 AM | Comments (5)