December 29, 2007
Yippee!
I found my camera cable! Check Ravelry for newly updated projects - full details on the blog next week.Posted by zarah at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
June 5, 2007
The Queue
First off - apologies to all those who aren't on Ravelry yet and want to be.... I know that the wait is frustrating, but trust me, it's worth it!
Many people have written about Ravelry - the wonderful new website that lets you organize your yarn, needles, patterns, books, etc. I haven't really gotten into photographing every yarn in my stash for all the world to see, but do you know what feature I really love??? THE QUEUE. I see patterns all the time that I would love to knit, but I end up forgetting about them unless I cast on right away. With the queue, I can just add it to my list and I know it will always be there.
I think the Ravelry folks are busy working on blog integration features, but until then, I give you.... THE QUEUE (in no particular order):
Pictureless post: bad Zarah. But stay tuned! I'm almost finished with the first front of the Sunrise Circle Jacket and I finally retrieved the sock-in-progress I left at my mother-in-law's house!
Posted by zarah at 6:10 AM | Comments (5)
January 23, 2007
Blog Clean-Up
(FYI - this post might be really boring, but it's more of a reminder for me than for you lovely readers.)
Stuff to update on since the ice storm:
- More Lizard Ridge afghan squares (how many do I have now? No more yarn left, so this project might be on hold for a while)
- Sorta Custom-fit Raglan Sweater (almost done with the body of the sweater... what kind of edging around the bottom edge and neck? Write down tweaks/notes on pattern.)
- Silk Shrug seaming... it's all done, but it doesn't look good at all. Turns out my plan to save time by slipping the edge stitches isn't working out. This yarn was pretty expensive, so I'm going to have to redo it. But the good news is that it fits and most of the work is done.
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Stash box arrived just before the ice storm hit. I've finally had a chance to sort through it, so I'll post photos of my "finds" and what I'm contributing to the MegaStash.
- Start running again and blogging about it every Friday. I'm getting so lazy!
Posted by zarah at 6:28 AM | Comments (0)
November 6, 2006
Norovember!
I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a good name - Norovember! It's so cute! But I also like joining extremely low-key knitalongs: no extra posts to write, no projects to finish... just knit something with Noro during the month of November. To me, this is the perfect combination. I love the idea of using Noro's bright, crazy colors during such a gray and rainy month (at least it is where I live).
My Norovember project is going to be making a few squares for the Lizard Ridge afghan. I've got one done (exept I read the pattern wrong so I have to rip it out and reknit), and two more balls of Kureyon to knit up. I don't plan on finishing this project very fast, since the yarn is expensive, but if anyone wanted to give me the gift of Noro, I wouldn't say no! (Mom, are you reading?)
I've never knit with Kureyon (or any type of Noro for that matter) until I started this project. I know lots of people complain that it breaks easily or that it has lots of knots. So far I've only found one knot and I haven't had any breaks, although there were some very thin sections that I treated pretty gingerly. I would say my biggest surpise is the thick/thin nature of the yarn. For the blanket, I think it's fine, but I don't think I would like a sweater made out of it.
Each Lizard Ridge square takes almost a whole ball of Noro, with not much left over, maybe 10-20 yards? Being the thrifty knitter that I am, I'm trying to figure out what to do with the leftovers. Surely I could make a hat or two by the time I've knit several squares. If I think of anything good, I'll let you know.
Posted by zarah at 6:47 AM | Comments (5)
October 24, 2006
Yarn shopping...
I took a little trip to the yarn store this week, so of course I had to come home with lots of new ideas - and some yarn! Besides, now that I'm done (except the zipper) with the Cambridge Jacket, I need a new project or two. I think I'm having a bit of project ADD:
Exhibit 1: Lizard Ridge, Laura Aylor (Fall 2006 Knitty)
I drool over this pattern on a regular basis. Who doesn't have a few skeins of Noro kicking around in their stash? I got one more ball at Simply Fibers. I think I'll just knit this one a little bit at a time, as I can find new colors of Noro on sale. If anyone wants to cash in a ball or two of their Noro Kureyon stash, let me know!
Exhibit 2: Silk Shrug, Blue Sky Alpacas pattern
I did not go into the store intending to buy yarn for a new sweater. But... I had a discount to use, and it is really cute, and the yarn is so pretty... I just couldn't resist. I've got the size 4 Addi circular already, so hopefully I will get gauge and get going!
Exhibit 3: Sensational Knitted Socks, Charlotte Schurch
My LYS has a monthly sock knitting club called the Cold Feet Sock Club that is using this book as the basis for all its projects. Plus, it's Socktoberfest, who can resist a new sock knitting book? I've read very good things about this book, but I'll write up my impressions after I get a chance to look through it really well.
Posted by zarah at 6:24 AM | Comments (12)
October 4, 2006
Sock History
Good news! I have a new camera battery charger is on order. In the meantime, I'll have to amuse you with archived photos and random thoughts about sock knitting!
When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I taught myself to make socks, about 2 years ago. I had only knit scarves and a hat before I tried it. I just got a pattern and starting knitting!
What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
I saw some fun self-striping sock yarn at a craft store (Lion Brand Magic Stripes, I believe) and I decided I should give it a whirl. I downloaded the free sock pattern off the Lion brand website and away I went. I don't wear them very much because they are too big, but sometimes I will wear them around the house in the winter.
What would you have done differently?
I didn't pay attention to gauge at all, so they turned out way too big. Plus, I have learned that I prefer socks with some ribbing all through the sock, so they stay up better.
What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
I really like Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock and www.wool2dye4.com supersock that I dye myself! I refuse to knit socks that are not superwash. I am learning that I prefer solid colored and self-striping yarns to the multi-colored hand-dyed yarns - the pooling just drives me CRAZY!
I wish I liked think socks, because I love the idea of knitting socks on bigger needles so I finish faster... but size 1s create the perfect gauge for me.
Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I'm a DPN girl! I like using five - four hoding the needles and one working needle.
Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
I usually do heel flaps, but I just learned short row heels and they look pretty nifty too! I think they both fit okay.
How many pairs have you made?
Four, plus one pair of baby socks and one pair on the needles!
Posted by zarah at 7:59 PM | Comments (3)
August 1, 2006
Gift knitting
Non-knitters are an interesting group. Some of them think the whole playing with sticks and string thing is just wierd so they try to ignore it. My some of them actually seem want to understand .... why? Why all the yarn? What is the motivation for a perfectly intelligent girl to spend so much of her free time looping yarn around needles, writing about it, photographing it, etc.
My friend Steve knew I was knitting a sweater for my husband, and he had read my post complaining about how boring that particular project it was to knit. He asked me why I knit a project - do I pick something I want to have, or do I knit it for the enjoyment of knitting. I'm sure he was asking because it didn't seem like I was enjoying knitting the Cambridge Jacket very much - but he really hit on the ultimate knitting question: project or process?
Margene's entire blog is devoted to celebration of the process, groups have been formed in defense of the more mundane part of the process (stockinette avengers, anyone?), so should any "real" knitter be allowed to gripe that the process is boring? Could I be - gasp! - a project knitter?
Well, the answer is "not usually." I love the challenge of trying new stitches and knitting techniques. I also knit for relaxation, just enjoying the repetition of a long stretch of stockinette. I've even abandoned perfectly good projects simply because I wasn't enjoying knitting them.
When is comes to knitting gifts, though, my enjoyment of the process isn't my first concern. I've been knitting like a maniac for about 2 years. I think my husband's been very patient putting up with all the yarn and knitting books, tools, etc. all over the house - the guy deserves a sweater! I tried to make one last year, but it ended in disaster. This year I am determined to succeed! So, of course I had to pick a pattern that he liked, even if it is a bit boring to knit.
ps - I got up to the armholes so at least I have some decreases to keep me from falling asleep!
Posted by zarah at 6:40 AM | Comments (8)
July 10, 2006
Carla in progress
As promised, here is a picture to prove I really am making progress on Carla. I love the way this sweater is knitting up, I just hope I can put it together right! I found the Carla-Along website, so I'm going to read through the entries for tips on seaming and doing the fancy stitchwork on the arms.
This is also the debut of my craft room! (Or crap room, as my husband likes to call it - he's so sweet: "Zarah, where are you? Are you crapping in the crap room?" "Yes dear....") Sheesh.
At this point, I have an old couch moved in and a little folding table for the sewing machine. I arranged my yarn stash and knitting book collection in the closet. It's very functional but not too pretty just yet.
Ah, yes... you caught me. I said sewing machine. Back in olden times (elementary school and jr. high) I was in 4-H, and I actually entered sewing projects for the county fair 6 or 7 times. But truth be told, I'm pretty sure my mom did all the hard work and I just sewed a few seams. I really don't remember anything. But I'm very good at reading instructions, so I've got the sewing machine book out and I am trying out my rudimentary sewing skills. Of course, I didn't want to spend too much money on this crap craft since I'm not good at it yet, so I bought some fabric and thread and that's it.
I've been working on a purse from an on-line tutorial, and I've learned a thing or two.
A: I need good scissors. Or maybe a rotary cutter.
B: I need a good place to lay out the pieces while I measure them. The ironing board isn't working for me. I will probably need another table in the craft room.
C: I need some kind of storage system for all the sewing gadgets - the sewing machine pieces alone are creating a big mess on my tiny table. My mom used to have this tackle box-looking thing except for sewing... I think I need one.
D: This no-pattern thing isn't good for a total beginner. I need some structure, then if I want to improvise a little, it's all good. For example, I had to change the way the handle attaches on my bag because I sewed the side seams too far up before I attached the handle. Argh....
Anyway, hopefully I'll have some pictures of the little purse I made tomorrow. It's reversible.... and it's Project Spectrum-y!
Posted by zarah at 6:35 AM | Comments (6)
June 14, 2006
Knitting Vacation Swap
A couple of months ago, I joined the Knitting Vacation Swap, where each person has a different pal and we send a little package appropriate for that person's vacation. One of the items was supposed to be knitted, but I have to admit I cheated a little! I made one of the recycled sweater bags from AlterKnits. I found this sweater at a local thrift store for $3. It would have been better if it were a little bigger to start with, but the men's sweaters were boring colors. This is a picture of the sweater after two washing machine cycles on hot.
As you can see, I have very high-tech methods of measuring the straps - two pieces of scotch tape! But hey, it works. I just cut off the turtleneck and sleeves, then snipped straight down on both sides to make no-sew handles!
Next step - stitch up the bottom! Here's where I realized another problem with using a sweater from the juniors section at Old Navy - waist shaping. Great for sweaters, not so great for bags. But oh well, it has an interesting bell shape at the bottom. (And by the way, this is NOT hard sewing. I am totally clueless and even I can do it!)
And voila - the finished product!
I'm pretty proud of it, even though it was super easy. I made this in about 30 minutes. When was the last time you had such an instant gratification craft project?
Posted by zarah at 6:15 AM | Comments (15)
May 19, 2006
Jaywalkers that don't suck
Just in case you were wondering, these are NOT my socks. I wish! But it does prove the point that they ARE possible. But not for me, right now. (this particular pair was knit by heylucy - I found it on flickr.)
Thank you all for the comments, I really appreciate the guidance. I do think I'll knit the Jaywalkers again at some point, and I will definitely go about it a little differently next time.
I'm considering the possibility that the yarn I'm used was a hair too thin, combined with my ill-fated choice to knit the smaller size, and possibly needing to use a larger needle size. Anyway... note to self: knit a gauge swatch next time!
Moving on.......
I met up with Brianne last night at Panera for a little knitting and catching up. She found a cute pattern for a vest to wear over a dress shirt that I think I will make for myself out of that Cotton Fleece that has been hanging around my stash begging to be knit.
This weekend, I'm headed to Kansas City for a low-key bachelorette party for my sister, plus a visit with my friend Jill from law school. And I might just pop in to Yarn Shop & More, a yarn shop in Overland Park KS where my sweet sis got by copy of MDK autographed. Fun times! I promise lots of pictures when I return!
Posted by zarah at 6:25 AM | Comments (5)
May 18, 2006
Grrr. Argh!
Remember those yellow Jaywalkers? The ones I attempted surgery on and failed, so I was forced to reknit the entire gusset? Well...
I finally decided it might be a good idea to try them on. (Full disclosure: I don't knit gauge swatches for socks.) Yeah, you can probably guess what's coming next, right? Yep, you guessed it: Too small. It requires a shoehorn it get my heel into the things - I may have broken a few strands while trying to extract my foot from its death grip.
So, I have a question for you.... what should Zarah do?
(a) Knit on, but gift them to a small footed friend or maybe a small child.
(b) Rip and start again with more stitches
(c) Put it in a dark closet and back away slowly. We shall never speak of this again.
(d) Other
Whatever you advise me, I think this is definitely a sign from the knitting gods that I need to take a break from the small needles for a while! Coming up: pattern #2 from MDK - the baby kimono! (No, Mom, I'm not pregnant. But lots of my friends are!)
Posted by zarah at 7:08 AM | Comments (8)
May 15, 2006
Post-FO Depression?
Does anyone else feel a little sad when they finish a project? Maybe the feeling is more like "adrift" than sad. I am happy to have finished Orangina, but that was the main project I had worked on for over a month! I think I miss Orangie!
Actually, I have been working on one other small project. Just before I left for my DC trip, I cast on (about a million times) for a pair of socks. After trying several different patterns, I finally settled on the infamous Jaywalkers. That Grumperina, she's clever. These socks look so tricky but they're really simple! I'm using the yarn I got in the Project Spectrum Yarn Swap, from Lu of Maglia! I think it looks really great in this pattern - there are hints of yellow, white, beige, orange, and red. A few other bloggers saw me knitting on this at Maryland Sheep & Wool and asked me about the yarn - Lu actually has her hand-dyed yarns for sale here.
Of course, nothing ever goes exactly according to plan here at Chez Zarah. See that middle ridge? It's supposed to be straight, but.... as you can see, it got derailed. I suppose most normal people would call this a design feature and either correct it or continue knitting with the center stitch one stitch off center. But no.... I have to try to FIX IT. Because I am the knitting guru of all my knitting friends, and I think I can fix EVERYTHING. Just let Zarah fix it, everything will be FINE.
I had to document the carnage. If you've never knit Jaywalkers before, I am ripping out a vertical row of 3-stitch decreases. It was fairly simply to rip out, but.... not so easy to reconstruct the "slip, slip, knit 3rd st, slip first 2 sts over 3rd st."
In the end, I had to rip back almost all of the gusset stitches. (argh)
I've decided to take a break from the tiny needles for a while, though. Between Jaywalkers (size 1) and Orangina (size 3), it's been all small needles for way too long. I picked up some Rowan Cotton Tape on elann.com not too long ago (50% off!) so hopefully I'll be able to whip up a quick little tank out of that fairly soon. (Maybe this one?) Meredith - if you're reading this, I need to borrow your Rowan pattern book. Thanks!
Posted by zarah at 9:14 PM | Comments (10)
April 19, 2006
Spring knitting
This is a bleeding heart bush in my backyard. When I moved into our house last summer, it was shriveled up like a dead twig. I actually ripped out a couple of the bushes, not realizing what they were. But this one managed to survive the Mad Gardener. =)
Lolly just emailed me and told me that my Washington DC trip coincides with Maryland Sheep & Wool.... but my husband isn't too keen on that idea. "We don't plan our vacation around yarn," he says. ("Ha!" I say to myself, but that's okay. We'll just let him go on believing that.)
Any ideas to convince him that I should go?
In other news, Orangina has been restarted and I've knit about 6 inches - only 11 more to go on the front! (Cringe.) The good thing is I will hopefully have lots of knitting time on our trip to Washington - I bought Addi Naturas just for the plane trip.
I did plan to write about my spring/summer knitting plans when I started this post... let's see:
1. Orangina - This has been started (and restarted) in Rowan 4-ply cotton. I have done several blocking sessions and this yarn doesn't seem to "grow" like other cottons I've used. Maybe because it's such a tight ply.
2. I bought some pink Rowan Cotton Tape from Elann (50% off until they run out!) - I have big plans to make a tank top of some sort. My friend Meredith has the Cotton Tape Collection book, so I'll see what my options are. That should be a quick knit.
3. I have some cotton/nylon sock yarn to try out summer sock knitting - I've only ever used superwash wool. Hopefully they won't be too baggy.
4. Last but not least, I got 3 skeins of navy Cotton Fleece from my secret pal... another tank top? I'm thinking about playing around with designing something myself. I have an idea in my head, I'm just not sure how to go about getting it out into stitches.
Posted by zarah at 7:03 AM | Comments (12)
December 6, 2005
November Wrap-Up, December Plans
Let's start with a check-up on those old November goals:
1. Finish the Possum Socks. Not done. I had to put this project on hold because, true to form, I ran short of yarn. Luckily Jeannine came through for me and sent me a spare ball of superwash from her stash to complete the project. I think these are going on the Christmas gift list.
2. Finish Midwest Moonlight scarf for myself. Done! I really love this scarf. I wear it around town and I think to myself, "why isn't everyone swooning over this scarf?" But I guess it takes a knitter to appreciate such an awesome design.
3. Start gloves for Nona's Peaceful Palms Knit-Along. Not done... not even started. Although I noticed that there is a glove pattern on the new Knitty (urban rustic gloves) that looks interesting. (Actually, that whole issue looks great!)
DECEMBER GOALS
1. Christmas Knitting. I said I wouldn't do it this year, but I made a hat and it was so fun and easy... Now I am about 12 inches into a self-designed scarf for my grandma and I am forcing myself to finish those friggin Possum Socks in time to put under the tree.
2. Do I really need any other projects? I would like to start Cutaway, but the small needles are scaring me! Also, I have some really big projects at work that are going to be taking up lots of time over the next week.
If I can get that Christmas knitting done, it will be enough. That's the gift of peace, people.
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (1)
November 30, 2005
Christmas knitting
I told myself I wouldn't do any Christmas knitting this year -- too stressful! But I was feeling a little bored after the turkey fest last weekend, so I wandered down to the LUS to see if anything inspired me. I decided I wanted to play around with some Cascade 220, which was determined to be the perfect yarn in the perfect handknit project going on over at Mason-Dixon Knitting.
I decided a hat wouldn't take too long... and I was right. I knit this in about two days, using the Basic Cable hat pattern from SNB Nation. I did lengthen the hat a little by adding one more twist in each cable (six rows).
It was a quick and easy knit -- and non-knitters are always so impressed with cables!
(Don't worry about the fact that there is a mountain man standing in my kitchen. I promise he's a nice guy under all that scruff!)
Posted by zarah at 12:53 PM | Comments (1)
October 31, 2005
October Wrap-Up, November Plans
October has come and gone, and it's time to review how well I stuck to my October goals...
My first goal was to finish Men's Zipped Raglan. If you have been reading this blog lately, you know I have been having some issues with this sweater. But the knitting is done. And my husband's birthday is still a few days away, so hopefully I can figure out how to fix it by then. I will definitely keep you posted on my progress.
My second goal was to knit a couple of scarves for sale at Art & Souls. I finished them off this week -- pics soon! I think the price on the first three I made was a little high, so I made them thinner so they wouldn't use up so much yarn.
My last two goals were more basic -- learn how to block and make a list of Christmas gifts I'm knitting. I blocked the sweater (see above), so I guess that's a start. I still don't know what I'm making for Christmas, but I've been feeling like making some stuff for myself lately, so maybe that's just what I'll do!
Now for the fun part: November goals!
1. Finish the Possum Socks. (That's right. They're made of possum yarn. I know I rock.) Just gotta get some superwash to finsh the toes. (Oops -- hopefully running out of yarn before the end of the project will not become a running theme for me.)
2. Finish Midwest Moonlight scarf for myself. I haven't been blogging about this very much, but it's fairly boring. "Yup, I knit another inch on the scarf today!" I've finally got the pattern down now, so I remember all my yarnovers.
3. Start gloves for Nona's Peaceful Palms Knit-Along. It looks like several people are doing the Hooray For Me Gloves -- I have yarn that would work, so I might try them. But I want full-fingered gloves, so modifications will be in order.
Okay, I also have another project I'd like to start, but I don't want to commit just yet.
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (2)
October 6, 2005
October Knitting Goals
1. Finish Men's Zipped Raglan, aka the Never-Ending Sweater. This is my husband's birthday present, and his b-day is in early November. I probably need to finish mid-October so I have time to figure out how to sew in a zipper or pay someone to do it.
2. Knit at least two scarves for sale at Art & Souls. My first three scarves go on sale tomorrow evening, so I'm hoping to get some feedback on price, style, etc. I've still got green and yellow yarn that I bought for this project but haven't used yet. The green is beautiful, I just need to come up with a worthy design. The yellow is... a little bit cheesy 70's harvest gold, so I'm trying to decide what to do with it. I'm thinking about going totally retro -- maybe bobbles? I've never learned how to make them, so that will be fun.
3. Learn how to block. (Pathetic, I know.)
4. Figure out what Christmas knitting projects I am doing and buy yarn for them.
I think that's fairly doable. I can whip out those A&S scarves in about 3 days once I decide on a pattern.
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM
September 21, 2005
Current Projects
What's on my needles now? I usually have several projects going at once. I used to be a strictly one-project-at-a-time girl, but a certain Honeymoon Cami involved a heck of a lot of stickinette, and I got bored. (Sorry Julia!) It was my first time knitting an item of clothing (not accessory) and it was . . . really big. That's okay. I learned lots of lessons with that project. But that's another post.
Current knitting:
1. The Never-Ending Sweater. This is the Men's Zipped Raglan from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It is temporarily on hold while I wait for more yarn to come from oh-so-helpful Kennita at Wildflower Yarns.
2. The Copper Scarf. This is one of several scarves I am knitting for sale at a Springfield store that carries work by several local artists, Art and Souls.
3. The Fake-Cabled Socks. Actually these are from a free pattern I got from the internet with the intention of teaching myself to do short row heels. It's not going so well. I really need to find a knitting buddy here in Springfield that can show me all these tricky techniques.
4. The Fat Cables Scarf. Another scarf for sale. All of the scarves I'm making for Art & Souls are made out of delicious 100% merino from handpaintedyarn.com. I admit it was a little sketchy ordering from their site, and it took longer to ship than most yarn orders I've placed, but it was worth it. Great prices and beautiful colors. I'll devote a whole post to it (and its home, the yarn closet) sometime soon.
Okay, I promise: photos of all these projects soon!
Posted by zarah at 9:39 PM