September 9, 2008
Gloves!
Pretty, right? I totally ripped this project off of Margene. Same pattern, same yarn... the grrl knows her stuff, what can I say?
I love, love, love the cable at the wrist, and I think the long cuff will make these really practical to keep the cold winter winds from whipping up my coat sleeves.
This is the first pair of gloves I've ever knit. So far, so good. Stay tuned for a pinky finger!
Posted by zarah at 7:17 PM | Comments (3)
September 1, 2008
Somethings green
SOMETHING OLD: Yay! I'm happy to report that I finally finished my first lace shawl! I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with it now, but anyway - it's done! I have to give a HUGE thank-you to JennKnits on Ravelry. I ran out of yarn a few inches before finishing the bind-off, and she was the one person on Ravelry who had any of the same yarn in her stash. I sent a pathetic note, and she gladly snipped a couple of feet of yarn off her skein and popped it in the mail to me.
Project Details:
Pattern: Leaf Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark
Yarn: numma numma Saucy in Green Goddess - 1 skein plus about 3 extra feet of yarn
Needle Size: Size 4 long circular
Pattern Modifications: the edging is shorter than the pattern calls for because I was running out of yarn.
Time to knit: Hmmm... Ravelry tells me that I started this back in February! But there were LONG stretches in there when I didn't touch it.
Final impressions: It's very pretty... but I think the likelihood of my using would be a lot better if it were rectangular. I need to figure out someone to give this to who will actually wear it.
Posted by zarah at 7:59 PM | Comments (6)
August 11, 2008
The Ravelympics Begin!
I must admit, the opening ceremonies for my own personal Ravelympics were nothing compared to the drum-beating, calligraphy-dancing, torch-flying festivities in Beijing. However, I think this year's competition is shaping up nicely.
(For my non-knitting friends and family - "ravelympics" is an once-every-four-years event that coincides with the Summer Olympic Games and is hosted by Ravelry - a website that's sorta like facebook for knitters. The idea is to pick a project and challenge yourself to complete it during the time the Olympic torch is burning at the Games. So, like 16 days or so?)
I'm knitting the February Lady Sweater. I'm past the raglan increases, although my stitch count got off a bit somewhere and the numbers for dividing the sleeves didn't quite match up with the raglan increases - anyone else have that problem? At this point, I don't think it will be really noticeable, but I'll have to see once I get a bit more of the body knitted. Luckily, with this style of sweater, I can try it on as I go!
Posted by zarah at 4:52 PM | Comments (1)
July 28, 2008
The knitting continues...
Even as busy as I've been - OF COURSE there's been time for knitting!
Let's see.... where to begin?
I finished a baby gift for one of my friends, by she reads this blog, so she's going to have to wait until her baby shower! (Err - that reminds me - buy stamps tomorrow!)
I started a new pair of socks while I was at my conference 2 weekends ago at the Lake. I bought the yarn - Happy Feet - at a little yarn shop in Osage Beach called the Yarn Basket. It is temptingly located right next to a frozen custard shop, but I was there pretty early in the day so I resisted. The owner is kind of old school - she doesn't really do the internet thing - but she was really nice and let me hang out there for over an hour killing time before my next meeting. I had some really great knitting time during my meeting, but I ended up rippping it out and restarting with a new pattern. It's the Go With the Flow pattern from Favorite Socks.
Next up! I cut out a bazillion squares for a scrap quilt.
I'm just kind of making this up as I go. I finished sewing the squares together last weekend. I'm still trying to decide on the pattern for the quilting - any thoughts?
(Please keep in mind that I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to quilting. I just wing it. So nothing fancy, K?)
Finally, I pulled out an old project and worked a little more on it. I'm just going to put up a sneak peek since it will probably be a Christmas gift.
I'm off on another bit of traveling... I have a conference in Chicago next week, and I'm taking advantage of the work-sponsored travel (as well as saving work a bit of money on the flight) and going a couple of days early to visit my friend Claire.
Chicken Knits posted about her visit to Loopy Yarns earlier today, so that's definitely in my travel plans! Any other suggestions while I'm there?
Posted by zarah at 8:25 PM | Comments (4)
July 21, 2008
Pattern brewing
I've had an idea for a knitting pattern rattling around in my head for a few days now. Tonight after work I started working on the chart and knitting a swatch. I'd love to get it published, but at this point I don't even know how it will turn out.
Either way, if I get a decent looking finished project, I'll share it in some way!
Posted by zarah at 6:24 PM | Comments (2)
June 29, 2008
Here there and everywhere....
Blogging has been pretty slim in these parts lately. I'm having a lazy Sunday morning around the house (hooray!), so here's my effort to "catch up" on what I've been up to, knitting wise and otherwise.
First up - the Japanese Fan Scarf!
Project Details:
Pattern: 2 Weeknights with Warrick (basic feather & fan scarf)
Yarn: Diakeito Diadomina - just over 3 balls
Needle Size: Size 8 Denise needles
Pattern Modifications: None
Final impressions: This is my first entry in my attempt to knit some Christmas gifts way in advance. I love this color-changing kind of yarn!
I have also started a few small, fairly midless projects, since that's what I like to work on in the evenings after work.
This strange little blob will (hopefully!!) become a Baby Surprise Jacket for my friend Emily's baby. I'm knitting it in Socks that Rock Lightweight (Banded Agate) on Size 5 needles. My husband says I should have done it in brown and green, so it would look like camo. (The daddy-to-be is really into hunting and fishing.)
My other easy project is a new pair of Monkey Socks - this time, the no-purl version.
I'm using yarn I got in the Loop Ewe Spring Fling swap. I've never seen it before in a yarn shop or online, but it's very pretty. It's Three Waters Farm Handpainted Merino sock yarn.
I don't normally knit socks with 100% merino (cause I think the stuff with 25% nylon or so holds up better, plus I'm too lazy to hand-wash socks), but I must admit that it is very nice. =)
Posted by zarah at 9:24 AM | Comments (2)
May 24, 2008
Starty starty
Yep, it's a new sweater. (I'm actually a lot further along than this. The back and both little sleeves are done.)
Flutter Sleeve is driving me crazy. The top half (above the ribbed waist) is way too long, so I have to rip out a good portion of it, to shorten it up. I already did a lot of the ripping, but I just can't make myself restart it yet. So - new sweater! It's a short-sleeved cardi from Vogue Knitting, Spring 07. Ravelry link.
I also started a really simple cowl, to decide whether or not I like them.
Posted by zarah at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2008
Hurry up, spring!
It's no secret that I'm sick of winter. I'm doing my best to hurry the season along by starting some spring knits. Let's hope it does the trick!
First up, the ever-popular Leaf Lace Shawl in Numma Numma Saucy, a gift from my friend June. This picture has pretty accurate colors - very springy! One of my challenges to myself for the new year was to learn to knit lace, so hopefully this will be a good first start. Susan (our lace muse in the Scary Lace group on Ravelry) recommended knitting on smaller needles than the pattern calls for to avoid that feeling that the stitches are totally loosey-goosey.
So far, it's working well - I can stretch out the knitted section and see the stitch pattern very clearly. I haven't learned the whole pattern yet, but I definitely feel like I'm getting the hang of it. (Knock on wood!)
Also in the spring mood, I started a Cropped Lace Cardi in Nashua Cilantro. The pattern is so new that it's not even on the Nashua website or on Ravelry yet. I'm almost done (less than a week - woo hoo!) so I'm going to loan it to Simply Fibers for a few weeks as a shop model. Hopefully the weather will turn nice just as it's time for me to reclaim it for my spring wardrobe!
Posted by zarah at 6:10 PM | Comments (3)
February 17, 2008
February Socks
Hooray! I finally found a pattern that looks good with this yarn. It's still pooling afer I switched to smaller needles for the ankle, but I just don't care anymore.
Okay, for those of you who weren't at Simply fibers last Sunday to witness me throwing a royal hissy over yarn pooling, of all things....
I have this big plan to knit up a bunch of my sock yarn in advance of The Loopy Ewe Spring Fling that I'm going to in April. I have all this really pretty brown and dark green yarn that I have earmarked for socks for my husband, so I figured I'd knit some of that. So, I pull out the Colinette Jitterbug in Copper Beach colorway. It's so pretty in the hank, and still super pretty would up into a ball. THEN I STARTED KNITTING.
I tried Monkeys, Jaywalkers, Child's First Sock (all slightly modified to avoid YOs).... and they were all pooling like crazy. at one point, I literally threw my needles across the table and pulled my coat over my head. I'm not sure why I was so upset, but I could only chalk it up to a residual case of "Sunday dread." That's what I call that black cloud that descends on Sunday afternoons when you would rather do anything than go to your job on Monday morning. It's really bad, because it ruins the time off that you do have! Anyway, I have a new job now so I really don't have any reason for Sunday dread. But I think I was getting that feeling for so long that it still happens sometimes by instinct.
Anyway.... (back to the subject at hand) that black cloud was really killing my knitting mojo. Later in the week, I restarted - new pattern and top-down instead of toe-up - and it finally worked. There is still a little pooling - I'm further along now than that picture shows - but I'm okay with it.
Whew! No more Sunday dread, PLEASE!
I'm going back to Simply Fibers today (open every Sunday in February, yay!) so hopefully I can redeem myself with some more appropriate behavior. =)
Posted by zarah at 9:10 AM | Comments (3)
December 9, 2007
Mitten Time
The cold weather was officially hit the Ozarks. I'm hoping that we'll miss the ice storm that's predicted to hit later today, but either way - brrrr!
For my new job, I have to park in an employee parking lot that is a little ways away from the building, so I really need to bundle up. Since I know I can knit those warm winter accessories, I refuse to buy them. This provided quite a bit of motivation to knit FAST!
I've had some sportweight yarn in my stash for quite a while, waiting to become either stranded mittens or a stranded hat. Here's the details:
Generic Mitten Pattern, by Adrian Bizilia
Charted leaf/vine pattern, one of many, many charts available on this site
Posted by zarah at 1:50 PM | Comments (3)
December 7, 2007
Monkeys.... again
Remember that pretty blue and green yarn I got from the Loopy Ewe? I just couldn't resist casting on...
After about 4 false starts, I finally decided to knit another pair of Monkeys. I am really picky when it comes to variegated yarns. If there is ANY flashing or pooling, I have to start over with another stitch count or pattern. I really wanted to knit this yarn on Size 1 needles, to make the sock more durable, but I just wasn't working out. All the blue ended up on one side, all the green on another. That's just not good eats.*
So, Monkeys it is. Normally I don't knit the same pattern twice, but since my last pair was toe-up with a short row heel, I still feel like there's a little something different about this pair. Plus, its nice to already know the stitch pattern and not have to pay attention to the pattern all the time.
*What's that you say? I've been watching too much Alton Brown? Is that even possible?
Posted by zarah at 7:12 AM | Comments (2)
December 4, 2007
New yarn makes it all better
Hey there - I've been a major slacker on posting lately. "Major Slacker!" [salute]
I've actually been doing quite a bit of knitting on the Lady Eleanor scarf, plus I started a new pair of socks. I hadn't really been feeling the sock-knitting mojo, but that was before I got a package in the mail containing these beauties:
The Loopy Ewe: How Zarah Got Her Groove Back.
Some pretty purple Trekking XXL....
A gorgeous skein of Wooly Boully Meanie (colorway "Fishing with my Father")....
And last but not least, my treat for becoming a "Loopy Groupie" at the Loopy Ewe - a skein of Seacoast Handpainted Supermerino. This is going to be a Christmas gift to Kate, since it's totally her colors.
Posted by zarah at 5:58 PM | Comments (3)
November 28, 2007
Lady Eleanorette
I finished all my Christmas knitting! As a reward, I started a project for myself. I got 7 balls of Reynolds Odyssey for 50% off from Simply Fibers. I planned to knit the Here and There Cables scarf, but the wierd cable pattern wasn't working for me, so I started a small Lady Eleanor instead. I've never done entrelac before, and the pattern directions are really clear. The variegation in the yarn is pretty subtle, but I really like it.
On another note, the new job is going well! I'm definitely learning a lot, and I'm still adjusting to the new schedule (leaving the house about an hour earlier every morning!) but I feel good about it.
Posted by zarah at 6:37 PM | Comments (4)
October 1, 2007
Socktoberfest!
I can't believe it's October already, but there is one awesome thing about time passing so quickly - it's Socktoberfest again! I've got both feet of these socks for Matt knitted, so my goal will be to finish them up along with a pair for me by the end of the month. (Although I might be lenient and work on them during vacation at the end of October/beginning of November.) Oooooh.... vacation. I can't wait!
Posted by zarah at 6:26 PM | Comments (3)
September 18, 2007
Sweaters all around!
The birthday sweater won't be appearing on the blog again until after my husband's birthday, so.... I'll have to find something else to entertain around here.
I started knitting a Baby Surprise Jacket for a friend's new baby. I'm not really sure what size it's going to turn out, so I figure I better knit quick so I can get it to the baby before she grows out of it!
ETA: No, I didn't spin this yarn, but my friend June did! It's really, really soft, too. And superwash! Perfect for baby Ally.
Posted by zarah at 7:10 PM | Comments (5)
August 13, 2007
The birthday sweater begins...
Knitting a sweater for my husband's birthday is quick becoming an annual tradition around my house. This year, I had decided on a seamless hybrid raglan by Elizabeth Zimmermann a la b r o o k l y n t w e e d, but then the IK Fall preview came out, and there was the Cobblestone pullover, this time designed by the genius Mr. Tweed.
I showed Matt the pictures of both sweaters, and he picked Cobblestone. So Cobblestone it is! I had already purchased some Peace Fleece for the other sweater, but I got perfect gauge with it for Cobblestone. The garter stitch column going up the middle of the sweater is actually the side. I like the little detail, but it really won't be too noticeable once the sweater is done.
I've never knit with Peace Fleece before, but my friend Brianne used it for a baby blanket and it's great. It's not the softest yarn in the world to knit with, but it really softens up after a couple of washings - I think she might have even put it in the washing machine - is that right, Brianne?
Posted by zarah at 8:06 PM | Comments (9)
July 16, 2007
My first toe-ups!
So, I know I'm supposed to be really focused on my Tour de France knitting, but all my Springfield knit-buddies are knitting toe-up socks, and I want to be one of the cool kids!
I'm doing the famous Monkey pattern, and I am just doing it upside down instead of trying to rewrite the pattern the look the same as it does toe down.
The yarn is Lorna's Laces in the Devon colorway. This photo captures it pretty well.
I'm worries about getting big ole ladders where the loops of the circular needle stick out on either side - any tips on that?
Posted by zarah at 9:04 PM | Comments (8)
July 6, 2007
What do you think?
Yea or nay? Does this pattern (My So-Called Scarf) suit this yarn? I think the Manos yarn that's used in the pattern has much shorter color repeats. I'd love to hear what you think.
Oh yeah... it's Friday - I'm supposed to be writing about my triathlon training! Well, I finally went swimming. I am definitely going to need some practice in that area. I've got the breathing down pretty good, but I have trouble remembering to kick and move my arms at the same time.
This weekend I'm planning to go for a long bike ride on Saturday, then on Sunday I get to splurge by eating homemade ice cream at Grandma's house! (I'm hoping she'll have ripe tomatoes, too.)
Posted by zarah at 6:40 AM | Comments (13)
June 21, 2007
Glee in Tweed
Remember last week, when I was sulking because it had been such a long time since I bought any yarn and I was hoping to get some for my anniversary? Well.....
My little pity-party purchase came in the mail! I guess it ended up being fairly unnecessary, since Matt came through like a champ with the yarn from San Francisco, but I'm still really excited about knitting something for summer. I bought 6 skeins, which should be plenty to knit Glee by Zephyr Style.
But I told myself I would cast on until I finished the sleeve of the Hempathy sweater.... so here it is!
(Yeah, yeah, it's not supposed to be short sleeved. But I think I will run out of yarn otherwise. Seriously, I decided to go short-sleeved way before my new yarn showed up!)
In other news... AfricanKelli has inspired me to to start training for a triathlon. Look for the old "Running Fridays" feature to start again - hopefully it will keep me motivated and accountable for my training!
Posted by zarah at 6:32 AM | Comments (9)
May 30, 2007
Summer knitting - re-do version
So, yesterday I meant to blog about my knitting plans for the summer, but somehow I got sidetracked and didn't get around to it.
I've been obsessively knitting for almost three years now, but I've never had great luck with summer knitting projects that are actually wearable. It gets really hot and humid in the summer, and its just miserable to even think about wearing most knitted stuff. So what's a knitter to do? Try again...? or just give up? Actually, I've decided I'm going to do a little of both.
In the "try again" category, I think the Hempathy sweater I'm currently working on has the possibility of being really wearable, even during the hot summer months. It's hemp and cotton, very find gauge, and it has lots of ventilation from the lace pattern! I'm going to change it to short sleeves, and it should be perfect! (Not sure I have a choice on that one anyway, since it looks like I might right out of yarn otherwise.)
In the "give up" category, I decided I just couldn't wait any longer, and cast on for the Sunrise Circle Jacket in a wool/angora blend. Definitely not summer-wear, but hopefully I'll have it done before the cool weather comes this fall and winter.
I started on the sleeve, since the pattern notes at the Sunrise Circle KAL site recommend making the front of the sweater first, then adjusting the width of the back depending on how much overlap is desired on the two fronts.
Posted by zarah at 6:44 PM | Comments (5)
April 9, 2007
Do you hempathize with me?
So, a couple years ago I bought this great book of patterns, Rowan Classic Summer 11. I've never made anything out of it, but I really like all the classic, 50s-inspired styles. This spring, I've decided to knit a couple of my favorite sweaters from it - Julia and Tea Time.
This is the beginnings of Julia - I couldn't find the called-for Cashcotton 4-ply when I was in St. Louis visiting Annie, so I went with Elsbeth Lavold Hempathy instead. Plus, I figured the hemp/cotton blend would be really cool and comfortable in late spring and early fall. (It's a long sleeved sweater.)
I swatched... and got gauge on size 2s, rather than the size 3s called for in the pattern. Egads. An entire long sleeved sweater on size 2 needles?!?!? Oh well, is it really that different than size 3s anyway? I'm sure the sweater will look really nice at that small gauge. So away I go! (I started knitting this about three weeks ago... so it's pretty slow going.)
I've finally got the lace pattern down, thanks to my nifty KnitPicks chart keeper. (I took the row-by-row written instructions and charted them out.) I think there's a mistake in the 5th row of the lace pattern, but I'm not a lace expert so I wouldn't swear to it.
This is going to be a slow and steady process, without too much excitement along the way, but I'm going to try to post pictures fairly regularly to encourage myself to keep working on it.
I hope everyone had a happy Easter!
Posted by zarah at 6:56 AM | Comments (9)
April 5, 2007
My mojo's back!
After about 6 false starts, with various combinations of yarn and pattern, I finally found one that fits! Hooray!
I started knitting Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern (from Knitting Vintage Socks) last weekend, and it's looking good so far (if I do say so myself!) =)
For some reason this pattern always looked really complicated to me, but once I started knitting it, I realized that it is really intuitive and easy to follow. I love the subtle variations of the Tess superwash sock yarn, too. I think I'm moving towards using only solid and semi-solid colored sock yarns. The multi-colored ones look beautiful in the skein, but it's such a hassle to get them to look right when they're knitted up. (Just this knitter's opinion!)
I mention this because part of my no-yarn-buying plan is to trim the yarn stash down to a yarns that I really love. That is good news for my local knitty buddies, since I may be looking for some yarn swaps or giveaways in the next couple of months.
Posted by zarah at 6:41 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)
February 19, 2007
Finishing = new project?
I'm proud to report I've finished all the Lizard Ridge Afghan squares.
While I deal with getting them all sewn together and and putting the edging on, you won't blame me for starting a new project, will you? (Yes, I know, I have two sweaters that need attention. Shut up.)
After I got such great ideas from my last post on Matt's socks, I couldn't resist! Let me introduce to you the Retro Rib socks suggested by Ms. Gray la Gran. The pattern is from an old issue of Interweave Knits (W04), but my LYS had a copy in stock so I just bought it. I like trying out new stitch patterns when I knit socks, but sometimes I need a little hand-holding through the heel section.
Anyway, isn't it turning out pretty? This is STR mediumweight in Obsidian (one of their "watercolor wave," or semi-solid colors).
Posted by zarah at 7:54 AM | Comments (5)
February 2, 2007
Eye Candy Friday
I'm not a regular participant in Eye Candy Friday, but I couldn't resist this picture.
Look at that lovely tubular cast-on! (I'm so proud of myself, can you tell?) I used this tutorial.
After working so long on exclusively the Ice Storm Raglan sweater, I was feeling a bit of cast-on-itis. I have about 2/3rd of a skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (colorway - Irving Park?) that I've been wanting to use up. I tried several fair isle patterns, but I don't have much experience with that technique, and it really wasn't working for me on the tiny metal needles. I decided a nice striped sock, with a solid contract color would be just the thing. I think it shows off the colors of the variegated yarn really nicely and HOORAY! no pooling of the colors! Other than that, it's just a plain stockinette on size 1 needles, so these socks are gonna take a while!
Posted by zarah at 6:12 AM | Comments (3)
December 12, 2006
Stripey sock ideas?
Well, then. I am recuperating from the slew of bad mojo that came my way last weekend. My computer is back in my possession with a shiny new hard drive. I admit to not keeping it backed up like I should, but at least all my pictures are on flickr, most of my music is on my iPod, and my email should still be saved on our server. Now I just need to retransfer everything from my old computer to my new one and I should be back in action! (I'm giving my old laptop to my MIL for Christmas, and I've been bugging my husband for a week to erase the disk so we can give her a clean laptop. Luckily this time his procrastinaton paid off!)
The only thing left to resolve is those socks I had to rip out because they were too small. I could:
(a) reknit the same pattern with more stitches,
(b) pick out a new pattern - I need some ideas for something that looks good with a self-striping yarn,
(c) knit a pair of plain stockinette socks, maybe with a different color for the cuff, heel, and toe, OR
(d) give up for now and start something totally different.
Your thoughts?
Posted by zarah at 6:08 PM | Comments (2)
December 4, 2006
Winter Wonderland
There's nothing like snow to make you feel like knitting, is there?
I started a couple of new projects this weekend... I meant to take pictures yesterday but it just didn't happen. First up, a pair of socks for my husband, who I realized is the last person in my family to get any hand-knitted socks from me. I'm using a self-striping fingering weight superwash wool that I received in the great Project Spectrum Hand-Dyed Yarn Swap of 2006. It was from the "neutrals" month, and is in appropriately manly colors of black, gray, beige, and white. Right now I've knitted a ribbed cuff and I'm trying to come up with a pattern that shows off the stripes in an interesting way. I have a plan, but I'm not sure how it will play out.
My second project will have to be kept SECRET until after the holidays, since I'm sure the recipient reads this blog. (Hee hee - that will have my mom and sister guessing!) (I know I said no more holiday knitting, but this is a really quick project and I am really enjoying it. I would probably be making it for myself, but the bargain yarn was not in my colors.)
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I started teaching knitting at the local Boys & Girls Club. They've been getting together every week since then, and we have a good group of about 4-5 girls each week. They've all learned to knit and almost all have learned to purl. I've noticed that they get bored very easily - they are not interested in "practicing," they want to know "What are we making?" So, I decided it was time to start a simple project. I know most people start with scarves, but honestly I don't think they've got the patience for it. So I decided a good first project would be a simple hat. (I'm using the Hot Head pattern from SnB.) This will be a challenge, but I think that's good for them. What time like the present to learn to read a pattern, learn to make ribbing without a million yarnovers, and learn to count rows?!
Posted by zarah at 6:01 PM | Comments (5)
October 9, 2006
Socktoberfest Socks
Just as promised... my camera is finally working again! Here is a picture I took a few days ago of the socks I started to celebrate Socktoberfest.
Isn't it pretty? I dyed the yarn myself - full immersion in brown, the overdyed the whole skein in green. I think it looks very manly. =) It's going to be a Chirstmas present for my grandpa. (He's allergic to the stretchy stuff in socks - the perfect hand-knit sock recipient!)
I'm using the Gentleman's Fancy Sock pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. You might remeber that one of my Socktoberfest goals was to knit more Nancy Bush patterns... unfortunately I will have to deviate slightly from the pattern to squeeze in one of my other sock-goals: short row heels! I have actually already turned the heel on the sock pictured here...
It turned out pretty good. I was winging the pattern a bit since it's written as a heel flap, but I think I managed to only have one tiny hole where I rejoined the heel with th rest of the sock. Turns out I learned how to knit yarnover short rows whenever I knit the Short-Row Hat a while back. The instructions for that pattern were so clear I didn't even realize I was learning something that was supposed to be "hard." (PS - if you want to learn short rows, and you have some yarn with long color repeats in it, this hat turns out really cool. I'll probably knit it again as a Christmas present for someone.) I guess it just goes to show, most things are much harder in your mind than in real life!
I can't wait to get my Funky Scarf!!!! It's swap week!
Posted by zarah at 10:34 PM | Comments (7)
September 25, 2006
Socktoberfest Wish List
Are you already scheming your Socktoberfest plans? I know I am. There's a flickr group to join if you need inspiration, but I have way more ideas than I will have time. Just for my own reference, here are some of the things I would like to do during Socktoberfest:
- Knit a pair of knee socks
- Knit a pair of socks to give away as a Christmas gift.
- Learn new sock techniques - specifically toe-up, short row toe & heel, and new cast-ons and bind-offs.
- Go to an Oktoberfest celebration (trip to Hermann, MO, anyone?)
- Knit another Nancy Bush sock pattern
- Knit some baby socks for my friend Amy's soon-to-be-born baby, preferably out of the leftover Tiger Stripe sock yarn. (Does anyone have a pattern for baby socks in sock-weight yarn?)
Photo credit to bpdphotos via flickr.
Posted by zarah at 6:02 AM | Comments (6)
August 8, 2006
New socks - yippee!
I just HAD to start a new sock project... always gotta have a pair of socks on the needles. I was at Simply Fibers last Saturday dropping off some BEAUTIFUL new yarn I dyed (hint to Springfieldians!) and I saw the new shipment of Lorna's Laces! This colorway is technically called "Bee Stripes," but I saw it and immediately thought: MIZZOU
For those of you who aren't from the Midwest... that's the nickname for the Missouri Tigers (Univ. of Mo.), my alma mater.
I usually go to the games and tailgate with my family a couple times each football season, and people go all out with black and gold everything - from their clothes to their cars. I just think the idea of stripey socks - tacky as they are - is perfect for that atmosphere!
(You might have noticed this is my second attempt at the Jaywalkers. I think they're fitting better this time... but I really won't know until I get to the heel.)
Posted by zarah at 6:39 AM | Comments (5)
July 18, 2006
Casting on
Ahh.... there is nothing like casting on for a new project. For me, it ranks right up there with making lists: so much potential! Now I just have to click click click back adn forth on those stitch til I'm done.... just like checking thing off my to-do list. Sometimes I put things on my list after I've done them, just so I feel like I accomplished something!
Anyway, for those of you who asked, I'm knitting the Cambridge Jacket from the Summer 06 Interweave Knits. I just started my subscription to this magazine, and I have to say, so far it does not disappoint!
What's your favorite knitting magazine?
Posted by zarah at 9:48 PM | Comments (11)
July 17, 2006
Here, swatchy, swatchy!
I took everyone's advice and decided to get a jump start on the sweater I am knitting for my husband. My goal is to finish my his birthday in November, but men's sweaters take FOREVER so I think it's good I'm starting now.
Except I haven't really started, have I? Nope, that's four, count 'em, FOUR swatches I had to knit before I hit gauge. I had to go down three whole needles sizes to get the gauge the pattern called for. I was very excited about knitting the sweater on size 9's, but size 6's? That's a lot of stitches!
But, the yarn is pretty, huh? It's the Tess yarn I bought at Maryland Sheep & Wool. Supposedly a new yarn shop that is opening in my area is going to carry it. That would be pretty exciting, but I would really like to try my hand at dyeing my own yarn for a sweater. I can get undyed yarn that I almost identical to this Tess yarn, so sometime I would like to make myself a sweater with my own hand-dyed wool.
But first.... I must continue to work on the stash! How's everyone else doing on their Summer of Stash?
Posted by zarah at 10:34 PM | Comments (7)
June 8, 2006
Startitis Continues....
This cannot be good. I have always been an anti-shawl activist - does anyone ever wear them? I knit a lot of barely-practical things, but something that no one will ever wear? I just can't do it....
But apparently I have made an exception. Ever since I ripped this yarn out of the Jaywalkers, I've been wanting to make it into something lace. I've never knit something other than a simple lace repeat, so I started looking around for a free pattern. I ended up with the Snowdrop Shawl from Yarn Harlot. The only thing I might change at this point is the needle size: I used the same size needles, but fingering weight yarn instead of laceweight. Does it really matter? I have no clue. But at this point I'm not very far along, so I'm willing to rip back if someone gives me a good reason. (Plus, I have several little mistakes already that I certainly wouldn't mind fixing.)
Also, a question: what do you do with a shawl once it's knit?
Posted by zarah at 7:01 AM | Comments (12)
June 6, 2006
New Project Overload
Yes, some might call it an overload, but I'm happy as a clam! Lots of new projects, how fun! I had been feeling extremely uninspired lately, but a wild round of startitis took hold of me and I'm not looking back.
I started a new sock for the new month of Project Spectrum - I have lots of blue sock yarn, and I briefly considered pulling out a self-striper for another go at the Jaywalkers, but... I've been eyeing this Trekking XXL ever since I bought it at the first Knit In at the beginning of the year. The ball band has vanished, but it's the color with all the blues. It's very denim-y!
IMG_1127.JPG
Originally uploaded by kerner
As always, we have my lovely picnic table as a backdrop. =)
Next up, the beginnings of a tank top in Rowan Cotton Tape. Elann had this for 50% off a while back, so I bought 7 balls with the Pool pattern from the Cotton Tape Collection in mind. Its a fairly simply tank top in reverse stockinette, with two neckline options: basic v-neck or turtleneck. Since it's freakin' hot here already, I don't think the turtleneck is too practical, even though it looks adorable. But I am considering trying to modify the pattern to make a cowl-neck, sort of like the Somewhat Cowl pattern from Knit and Tonic.
Remember the baby kimono? I ran out of green yarn, so I added the blue as a little design accent. I think it turned out very cute. I still need to weave in the ends and (gag) seam up the sides... luckily all my friends' babies aren't due until fall, so I'm not in any rush.
And last but not least.... here's the new yarn I scored on sale at Simply Fibers last weekend! It's probably going to be a Christmas present, so if anyone in my family is reading this, put your dibs on it now!
Hi to my cousin Laura if she's reading this! Leave me a comment!
Posted by zarah at 6:35 AM | Comments (11)
January 31, 2006
Olympic Event Selected!
Guess who called me today? Jeannine... from Amsterdam! (It's not every day that I get international calls.) =)
In the true spirit of international cooperation that the Olympics represents, we are going to compete in the 2006 Knitting Olympics by knitting each other a One-Skein Wonder! We agreed to keep the details a surprise, so no pictures until the end. (Sorry!)
I've never gotten anything handknit before... I'm very excited!
Posted by zarah at 5:56 PM
Olympic Event Selected!
Guess who called me today? Jeannine... from Amsterdam! (It's not every day that I get international calls.) =)
In the true spirit of international cooperation that the Olympics represents, we are going to compete in the 2006 Knitting Olympics by knitting each other a One-Skein Wonder! We agreed to keep the details a surprise, so no pictures until the end. (Sorry!)
I've never gotten anything handknit before... I'm very excited!
Posted by zarah at 5:56 PM | Comments (1)
January 9, 2006
Picovoli!
Well, what do you think? I told you I'd been knitting during my blog-downtime! The pattern for this cute little top is at magknits.com. I'm doing a knit-a-long of Picovoli with the rest of the gang over at Sexy Knitters Club! I'm knitting it in KnitPicks Shine, a cotton/rayon blend. It's really soft and hopefully it won't stretch like 100% cotton.
Posted by zarah at 10:15 AM | Comments (1)
December 28, 2005
Mail call
One little package waiting for me on the doorstep... and I'm ready to start my first KAL of the year. All the gals over at Sexy Knitters Club are gearing up to knit Picovoli starting in January.
This is a free pattern and the yarn can be had for a very reasonable price from KnitPicks.com. Join us, won't you?
Posted by zarah at 7:34 PM | Comments (2)
December 12, 2005
Grandma's Scarf
This is the scarf that I am knitting for my Grandma for Christmas. It is about halfway done -- because I am halfway through my yarn. I was originally going to knit the Here and There Cables pattern from Scarf Style, but I ran into some problems. First, I tried to make it narrower but miscalculated the size of the pattern repeat. Second, I didn't understand the pattern. If anyone out there has knitted it, what does it mean when you put the stitches on the cable needle adn then put some of them back on the regular needle? I'm just not sure why they go on the cable needle in the first place. Anyway...
That wasn't working out, so I ripped back to the first 6 rows of ribbing and made up my own pattern. My main goal was to make a cabled scarf that is reversible, just like my inspirational scarf, Here and There Cables.
I am calling this scarf "Winter Vineyard." It fits the project because the muted purple color reminds me of the wilted grapes left on the vine when the weather turns cold. My uncle runs a vineyard that is right down the road from my grandparent's house.
I know you're all dying to knit up this scarf for yourself (ha!), so without further ado:
Yarn: Cascade 220, 100% wool, 2 skeins for average length scarf; 3 skeins for long scarf.
Needles: Size 7 straights
Gauge: The ball band said 5 sts / in on size 7s. Honestly I didn't knit a gauge swatch -- it's a scarf!
Pattern:
CO 26 sts (long-tail cast-on works well).
Establish pattern as follows:
P1, *K3, P3,* Repeat from * 7 times, K1. Repeat for 5 more rows.
Begin cable pattern:
Row 1: P1, *Put first Knit stitch on cable needle and leave it hanging in front. K2. Knit st off cable needle. P3. K3, P3.* Repeat from * 3 times.
Rows 2&3: Knit in pattern (P1, *K3, P3,* Repeat from * 7 times, K1)
Row 4: Repeat Row 1.
Rows 5&6: Knit in pattern (P1, *K3, P3,* Repeat from * 3 times, K1)
Row 7: P1, *K3, P3. Put first Knit stitch on cable needle and leave it hanging in front. K2. Knit st off cable needle. P3.* Repeat from * 3 times.
Rows 8&9: Knit in pattern (P1, *K3, P3,* Repeat from * 3 times, K1)
Row 10: Repeat Row 7.
Rows 11&12: Knit in pattern (P1, *K3, P3,* Repeat from * 3 times, K1)
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (1)
November 3, 2005
Midwest Moonlight
Wow! The fall colors this year are really spectacular. I can't recall ever seeing a light blue tweed on the dogwood before.
Slowly but surely, I am making progress on Midwest Moonlight (from Scarf Style). I just joined the third ball (out of four) of yarn -- so, I guess I'm half done! This is a scarf for me, so I'm not in any big rush... although every time we have a chilly day I am motivated to knit on it when I get home from work.
I think I have raved about Scarf Style before, but it is a really great book. I would knit and/or wear almost everything in it, which is very unusual for me.
A few weeks ago, I asked if anyone had any knitting book recommendations for me. I ended up buying Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush, mostly because I know people love her designs and it was the right price to get me to free shipping on KnitPicks. (My husband did not think this was adequate justification for buying more knitting stuff, but oh well.)
I haven't started anything out of it, but it looks like a really good book. And I do love to knit in the car, so the design (sprial bound so it lays flat) is really nice.
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (3)
October 20, 2005
Do-over, again
I took Jeanie's advice and tried a swatch with the Java yarn on larger needles. Much better. So, I started the sock again for the third time. Let's review what I've done so far:
1. 60 stitches on size 3 needles -- oops, I'm not married to Bigfoot.
2. 40 sts on size 3's -- not married to Tinkerbell either. And doesn't this yarn seem kinda big for these needles? It knits fine, but the fabric is reallllly dense. Yes, I am in denial that the yarn label says worsted. I want to make socks with it, so it must be sock weight! Right?
3. Now I know what I doing! Six 6 needles, 48 sts. I'm even going to try a short-row toe-up design. (Never mind I've never done either of those things before. Knitting is all about learning new things, right?)
I am actually pretty proud of my little sock toe, even though it has a strange row of holes down each side. I think I don't understand what it means to "knit the wraps" or where the wraps are, or something. Plus, this yarn is a little fuzzy so it's hard to see where the wraps are. But it is the right shape and size, and that's something.
That brings us to attempt #4, which I haven't started yet. I think I have settled on the correct needle size and number of stitches. Now I just need to do a basic top-down, heel flap sock. I've decided that the "new thing" I'm going to learn with this project is a tubular cast-on. (Although I also learned provisional cast-on for attempt #3. All in all, knitting mistakes are usually worth it.)
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (2)
October 19, 2005
Spoiled Rotten
I stopped by Simply Fibers over the weekend, because my sister wanted to pick up some yarn for a little project. I told myself I had too many projects going already, and I didn't need to buy anything. But I was "just looking" at the sale bin, and there was some Cherry Tree Hill supermerino for sale. We're talking FORTY-FIVE PERCENT OFF. I couldn't resist, even though it was still fairly expensive (this must be some kickin' yarn, I think to myself).
Most of the colorways on sale were a little too "Mexican Fiesta" for me, but then at the bottom of the bin, I found a beautiful, subtle shade called Java. It looks brown from a distance, but it is actually muted shades of blue, green, purple, black, and brown. It is pretty, but it is MANLY. So I decided that I would make my second-ever pair of socks for my husband. First a sweater, now this! I hope he knows how lucky he is! (spoiled rotten, that's what I think).
Since I finished the sweater, I decided I would let myself cast on the socks. I don't really have a pattern, I just cast on 40 stitches (it's worsted weight & I'm using size 3 needles) and am working the leg in k2, p2 rib. I want to try to do a short-row heel, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. (If anything I'm doing sounds bad so far, please let me know).
This yarn is awesome. I know people normally complain about superwash wool being slippery, but this is really soft and actually a little fuzzy. I'll try to work on it a little more tonight so I can have a decent amount to show you when I get photo capabilities back!
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (3)
October 10, 2005
New Project!
No pics today (sorry!) but I am very excited about my next project. Since I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel for the Never-Ending Sweater (see: Men's Zipped Raglan), what's a girl to do but... rev up for another sweater -- this time it's for ME! I bought the Cutaway pattern from the very creative Bonne Marie Burns. I also ordered yarn from Discountyarnsale.com. As far as I could tell, you can only buy yarn by the 10-skein bag, but it's a great deal if you need to get enough yarn for a sweater (or I guess if you just really love one type and color of yarn). I was going to get DB Cashmerino DK, but I wanted somethinig a little tweedy so I went with this, in color 417 - purple.
Posted by zarah at 10:09 AM
September 30, 2005
A new Art & Souls scarf
Doesn't this yarn look comfy nestled in among the gourds? Soon it will lose it's gourd-like shape and be transformed into another scarf! I think I need to come up with more inspirational names for my creations (cause knitting a scarf called Fat Cables makes me feel a little dumpy!) I'm still trying to decide on the design for this yarn. Maybe another cabled scarf. Who knows... hopefully the yarn will speak to me. Or maybe my readers will comment? (yes, that was a pathetic plea.)
Addition 10/2/05: This is handspun bulky from handpaintedyarn.com in Burgandy. I bought all my yarn for my Art & Souls scarves from that site. I have been very happy with it -- the yarn is beautiful and it is a very good value.
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (1)
September 27, 2005
Scarf yarn
Yes. I grant you permission to bask in the beauty of my fancy yarn. I got this for a steal from elann. I love that place. Thank you, Canada!
Anyway, back to my beauteous yarn. It is Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed. 85% Wool, 10% Silk, 5% Cashmere. I don't usually buy the fanciest yarn out there, but the price was reasonable and I had just bought Scarf Style.... what's a girl to do but knit herself a Midwest Moonlight? Especially living in the Midwest and all!
I am supposed to be focusing on Art & Souls scarves right now, but those big needles and thick yarn (essential for quick scarf-knitting) are starting to get on my nerves! I just want to work with something thin and pretty and... cashmere. Yum.
Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM