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April 28, 2009

Some Real Live Knitting

Top-down Baby Dress
Originally uploaded by kerner

I might talk about my plants a lot, but it's only because I'm so impressed with how great they look with almost no effort on my part. The yarn, on the other hard, doesn't knit itself.

Since my husband conveniently told his sister that I had already finished a gift for her new baby, I reeeeally need to get knitting. I decided on Little Sister's Dress, along with a coordinating set of bloomers and an embellished onesie in a cute polka-dotted fabric.

Wish me speedy knitting!

Posted by zarah at 8:21 PM | Comments (2)

March 23, 2009

Knittin Mittens

Embossed Leaves Mitts
Originally uploaded by kerner

I started these as socks, but then I decided they were too pretty to wear in my shoes. I knit the palm of the hand in plain stockinette and used the thumb gusset from the Knotty Gloves pattern (free Ravelry download - I made some for my mom from Christmas) and did a tubular cast-off to make the top of the hand look nice.

(I finally resorted to a solid colored yarn after I tried to start socks with two different variegated yarns and both of them kept doing crazy pooling, which drives me insane. I knit because I like to do it and like to wear the stuff I make, and I'm not wearing socks that have ugly blobs of color on them.)

Posted by zarah at 8:31 PM | Comments (2)

February 24, 2009

Yowzers

IMG_3566
Originally uploaded by kerner

True sisterly love is 20 appliqued circles on a baby blanket.

I made great progress on this qullt over the weekend, but I'll have to wait for the big reveal until the baby shower in May. It's really amazing to me how much more I am enjoying sewing now that I am doing it more often. Changing the needle on my sewing machine makes a pretty huge difference, too. (It's just like buttah!)

Posted by zarah at 6:56 AM | Comments (1)

February 21, 2009

Quilt layout options

Quilt layout options
Originally uploaded by kerner

I am almost finished sewing together the 42 (!) squares that will make up the king-size quilt I've been working on since the beginning of the year. Now I have to decide how I want to lay out the squares - the left side is the more traditional courthouse steps layout and the right side turns every other square 90 degrees. Which do you prefer? (I think I know which one I like best, but I want to get some input from the wisdom of the internet.)

Posted by zarah at 11:12 AM | Comments (3)

February 6, 2009

Stocking Update

IMG_3544
Originally uploaded by kerner

I finally, finally conquered the fair isle section, and am on to the very easy part of the stocking. Hooray! It's really cute, but I'm not looking forward to knitting another one. Luckily I've got plenty of time. =)

In weekend news, I have way overscheduled myself, so it will either be awesome or exhausting (or quite possibly both). Highlights include:
MSU vs. MU hockey game
Winter Clearance Sale at my LYS
Breakfast with friends
Gardening class
Decorate the altar for church (the sermon is on the basics of United Methodism... any ideas for the altar? I'm kinda drawing a blank as far as visuals are concerned.)
Pick up farm share veggies
Church
Teach knitting lesson
Hopefully exercise in there somewhere
Hopefully do some sewing somewhere in there

Well, it will be busy, but it's all things I love to do, so it should be great.

(Usually around Thursday or Friday I make a list of "my perfect weekend" and list all the things I'd like to do that weekend. It is amazing how often I can actually make it happen just with a little planning. It helps that my perfect weekend includes things like finding time to sew and read, and not jetting off to the Bahamas, so it tends to be a bit more achievable.)

Posted by zarah at 6:14 AM | Comments (2)

January 21, 2009

Woo hoo!

IMG_3532
Originally uploaded by kerner

I conquered the diamonds! I knit them intarsia instead of stranded. It was my first attempt, but I got much better by the time I was done. Here's a picture of the inside:

IMG_3531
Originally uploaded by kerner

Nice, eh?  And just a little bit crazy. 

 

Posted by zarah at 9:53 PM | Comments (5)

October 6, 2008

Glove Update

Lookin' good, right?  That's what I thought, too.  Then I put the thumb on and triumphantly pulled on the finished glove...

WEB-THUMB.  

 

I don't know how well you can see it in this picture, but somehow I wasn't sticking my hand all the way into the glove when I knit the fingers, so the thumb is super short -- giving me a webbed thumb.  

Riiiiiiiiiiip! 

Posted by zarah at 7:18 PM | Comments (3)

September 8, 2008

The Birthday Sweater Monster

Well, it's not really a monster.  Not quite. 

 

It looks innocent enough, doesn't it?  And look at this sleeve - perfectly ordinary, unassuming!

 

But something - I don't want to call it a "curse" - but definitely something, is lurking behind those innocent loops of Cascade 220.  Every single "birthday sweater" I make for my husband - this will be the fourth - has something go wrong.  The first one - well, what didn't go wrong?  I leave you with this little gem (the second picture has a normal-sized sweater over it for comparison):

The second one turned out pretty well, although I had quite a time with the zipper.  And I guess I used slightly thinner yarn than the pattern called for, because the whole thing is much, um, drapier than a man's sweater/jacket thing should be.  And it's a bit too long.  Plus the bottom edge rolls up, which drives me crazy.

 

Last year's was the best so far, although the neckline is a little too big* and I think Matt thinks the yarn I used (Peace Fleece) is a bit too scratchy for his tastes.  (*He's wearing the same color shirt underneath so you can't really tell)

 

Anyway - this year's difficulty (knock on wood it's the only one) has been running short of yarn.  I was not even being cheap and trying to scrape by with less than the pattern called for.  I bought exactly what I was supposed to - even the same brand of yarn! - and I have already run short on the sleeves.  I am waiting for a package from a helpful Raveler, and anxiously knitting the front, hoping it doesn't have the same problem!!

Oh well.... this is how we grow as knitters, right?

Posted by zarah at 7:19 PM | Comments (0)

September 3, 2008

Tomato Lace Socks

I started these a couple of months ago... they've been snoozing during the Ravelympics, crazy shawl-finishing, etc. But now that I've been hired as lead sock knitter in AfricanKelli's dream dog-friendly knitting bakery, I figured I'd better play the part!

(Wanna know what I'm talking about? Join the fun on twitter!)

Posted by zarah at 8:07 PM | Comments (1)

August 26, 2008

Missed it by that much...

Yeah, I love me some Maxwell Smart. (Why is that show not on TV anymore?!)

Anyway - BR (before the Ravelympics) - I was knitting away like mad on my Leaf Lace Shawl. I reached the tipping point where I was so close to finishing that I just wanted it DONE. Then I took a 2-week break for the sweater, but now I'm back.

I was running very, VERY low on yarn so I figured I better just find a reasonably good place and bind off, even though I hadn't finished all the border rows.

Of course - I ran out. See that little squiggle of yarn up in the left hand corner? Yeah, that's not going to cut it. Luckily a very nice stranger on Ravelry is going to send me a couple yards so I can finish. Hooray!

Posted by zarah at 5:25 PM | Comments (2)

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)

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)

June 1, 2008

Not exactly the look I was going for.

Yeah.... so I "finished" the Flutter Sleeve Sweater a couple of weeks ago. Except... who in their right mind would wear something that makes you look so dumpy? I mean, I've gained some weight since high school - but I swear I am not THAT wide.

I think the problem is that the top half of the sweater is too long. Plus, you can't really see it, but the way I did the neckline (converting this pattern from a cardigan to a pullover) didn't work very well, There's some very strange-looking spots right at the bottom of the V-neck. (Not exactly an area I want to draw attention to.)

What to do? LUCKILY this is knit bottom-up, so I can shorten the top without ripping the whole thing. The bad news is, with the neckline issues, I have quite a bit of reknitting to do.


Grrrr.......

Posted by zarah at 5:49 PM | Comments (3)

April 29, 2008

Back to Springfield

Well, I've survived two days of work after the Spring Fling weekend. It's nice to get back in a routine, but I could have used another day off in between! I had planned to knit the sock I designed in Cookie A's class while at the Fling, but I didn't like how it was turning out, so I ended up mostly knitting this sweater while at the sock-knitting retreat.

It's the Flutter Sleeve Cardi from IK Spring 08. Except, as you might be able to tell, I'm converting it to a Flutter Sleeve Sweater. I don't like dealing with buttons and button holes, so I figured a nice V-neck sweater would work just as well. I already have the back done, and the sleeves are integrated into the body of the sweater, so once I finish this section I just have to seam it up and add a seed stitch border around the sleeves.

The weather is finally turning warm here, so I'm looking forward to wearing this sweater soon!

Posted by zarah at 5:22 PM | Comments (3)

April 2, 2008

Ugh!

Those on Ravelry will recognize that sentiment.

Glee is finished (mostly - ends not woven in yet), but I'm not thrilled. It's kinda big and bulky, when it was supposed to be sleek and streamlined.... grrrrrrr.

I've got some ideas on how to fix it. I'll keep you posted!

Posted by zarah at 7:55 PM | Comments (3)

March 11, 2008

What Not to Blog

Now I know not to leave my laptop on the coffee table where Lucy can get to it!

I guess she's right though, I have been complaining a bit about my "boring" knitting projects. The problem is that they're all fairly big projects. But I think if I really apply myself tonight, I might get pretty cose to finishing Matt's socks. That would be very good, since I'll have basically knit 3 socks by the time I'm done, thanks to my idiot move that caused me to frog the whole second sock.

Moving on....

Here's a progress pic of the Glee Tee. It will be cute when it's done, but my goodness it is boring to knit. I'm adding a bit of waist shaping to keep myself awake.

Next we have the Green Leaf Shawl, which fits my criteria for trying to knit up some of my sock yarn stash in anticipation of the Loopy Ewe Spring Fling. (Yarn: Numma Numma Saucy in Green Goddess - thanks June!)

Last but not least, I've been working pretty hard to finish a baby quilt for my friends Will and Nicole, who are expecting baby Ainsley in May. It's the Stacked Coin Quilt from Last-Minute Quilted and Patchwork Gifts - very cute. I doubt I'll be able to hold out on posting until the baby shower (April 20), but I'm going to do my best.

Posted by zarah at 5:59 PM | Comments (3)

March 6, 2008

The lace is growing!

Hmmm.... not too much to say about this.

I've got the pattern down, so I can knit it without having to look at the chart every time.  But - definitely still not boring.

The colors are turning out well - no wierd pooling.

It seems like it's going to take forever, but I'm using 1 skein of sock yarn, so it can't be that much than a pair of socks, right?

I'm not sure how I'll actually wear this, but lace has always been really challenging for me, so I'm glad that I'm finally having a little success (knock on wood!)

Also - totally random - is anyone watching "America's Best Dance Crew"?   Carol (owner of Simply Fibers) and I share a love of the show "So You Think You Can Dance," and she turned me on to this new dance show.  I love it!  The contestants choreograph their own dances, and they are AMAZING.  

Posted by zarah at 9:44 PM | Comments (2)

March 5, 2008

Double Blarg

No new pictures lately, but these socks were cruising right along.  Finished the first sock - foot fits great - leg not long enough, so I cut off the cast-on edge at the top, picked up all the live stitches, and added another inch or so.  Woo hoo!  Now that that's good, I started the second sock and had almost competely finished it.... when things went south. 

I was more than halfway up the leg, and I started comparing the first and second socks to figure out when I needed to switch needle sizes (for calf shaping).  I had been knitting the second sock with the first as a template - 7 pattern repeats on the foot, 8 on the leg.  That was fine.  Except the second sock was longer than the first.  Oh #$^&!  I've been knitting 8-row repeats instead of 6-row repeats!  So that meant the foot was 14 rows longer on the second sock - that's not going to work.  

After consultation with my knitting brain trust (Tammy & Kate), I determined that I was not going to settle for less than perfection after all the trouble these socks have given me!

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!  Back to the toe of the second sock.  Blargity Blarg!

Posted by zarah at 6:11 AM | Comments (4)

February 4, 2008

Pretty but boring

Good ole Clapotis.... she's sort of like a model. Very pretty, but not so much with the conversation. But the final photo shoot will be worth it!

In other (random) news....

I'll be starting a new pair of socks soon - another pair of Child's First Socks from Vintage Knits. It's our February Knit-a-long for Knit Together.

Exciting news from my friends Matt and Meredith - they're starting the process of adopting a child from Vietnam, and documenting the process here.

A slightly sketchy looking place in my living room ceiling finally reached a critical mass this weekend. We peeled back the drooping popcorn ceiling texture, and saw a corroded and water-stained drywall above it. That's not good at all..... time to call a plumber, then a remodeling crew to close the hole that the plumber's going to have to make! I don't even want to think about how much it's going to cost.

I taught three people to knit in the last two days!

(See, I told you it was going to be random!) I'm off to bed now, I've got to get up early and VOTE! (Go vote on Tuesday if you're in a Super Tuesday state!)

Posted by zarah at 9:59 PM | Comments (5)

January 29, 2008

Ainsley's Quilt: in pieces

I'm up to my old baby-quilt making ways again!  This time it's for Baby Ainsley.... who will be making her appearance in May!  She is a VERY long-awaited baby being born to good friends of ours, so I knew she needed a special present. 

All these red, pink, and orange-toned fabrics will be stitched into five columns alternating with strips of brown fabric to make the Stacked Coins Quilt from Last-Minute Patchwork Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.  It's such a beautiful book - Joelle Hoverson definitely knows her color theory!  (I hope I can do her design justice with my more reasonably-priced fabric selections!)  

PS for sewers and quilters - Jo-Ann's had all their fat quarters on sale for 99 cents last time I was there!  

Posted by zarah at 9:31 PM | Comments (5)

January 20, 2008

Friday Night Knitting Club

This Friday my LYS hosted its monthly Knit In, where the store stays open til 10pm and there is always a special sale! I did my best to distract Tammy from her warp-speed Clapotis-knitting, but I didn't have much luck. She has a funny post about it here. Looks like I better get ready to start sewing up afghan squares!

I did manage to get a nice start on the second Firestarter sock, since I'd finished the first one Thursday night. I hope I can remember how I did the short-row heel over the cable pattern.....

Posted by zarah at 3:36 PM | Comments (4)

January 17, 2008

Clapotis continued

Slowly but surely wins the race.  I'm in no hurry to finish this project, but I'm enjoying the soft slick yarn and dropping the stitches.

But... Last Thursday at Knit Together, I might have "bet" Tammy that she couldn't finish a full-sized Clapotis by the end of January. She insisted that she could, and I was sure that it was impossible. (She also has to knit a baby sweater out of sock yarn for a baby shower this month, and she wants to finish about 5 Lizard Ridge afghan squares.)

Anyway, I decided to make things interesting - I said that if she finished it by the end of January, that I would sew together all her afghan squares AND knit a border. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?! Of course NOW she's going to get it done! So now I'm on a mission to distract her from that knitting.

I've been suggesting other projects she should work on, and I tried to get her to rip back a couple of rows tonight when she made a mistake. Any other ideas?

Posted by zarah at 10:21 PM | Comments (9)

January 15, 2008

Starting a Sock Fire?

I love it when a plan comes together! Ever since Kate suggested that I knit the Firestarter pattern, I've been thinking that my Fleece Artist "Eye of the Tiger" yarn would be perfect for it - it's so fiery!

I'm really only using the stitch count and the cable pattern. There is a really neat feature in the original pattern where the cables go down the heel and interlock to avoid any holes. I knit the socks toe-up, because I wasn't sure how much yarn I would have, so I had to get a little creative with the heel. 

 

Since short-row heels (like this one) have you knitting short rows over half the stitches, that means I was knitting and turning in the cables on both sides. It was the first time I'd ever tried to knit short-rows over a pattern, but it ended up working out okay, and I even got to cross the center cable in the first row after the heel was turned, which closed up the last little hole quite nicely. I hope I can recreate it in the second sock!

Tammy and I are both trying to knit a pair of socks per month in preparation for the inevitable splurge at our visit to The Loopy Ewe in April. All I need to do is add some ribbing and I'll be right on schedule - yippee! 

Posted by zarah at 6:09 PM | Comments (4)

January 7, 2008

Odds & Ends

A random assortment of stuff to start the week:

1.  (No, it's not a knitted thong!)  I started a new Clapotis last Thursday at Knit Together.  Tammy, Kate, and I are doing a knitalong of this pattern.  I wasn't sure at first - I kept worrying about the curling, but I think it will be fine once I drop the stitches.  

2.  I found a new podcast - Sticks & String.  The bad news is that he's taking a break.  The good news is he has 50 episodes to keep me in podcasts until Nicole & Jenny come back! 

3.  New Year's stuff - January 1 is an arbitrary date, but I can also use a bit a self-improvement.  I'm using Joe's Goals to track how much I'm: eating my veggies, working out, reading, and not drinking Diet Coke (my carbonated beverage of choice).

  

4.  The Firestarter sock is coming right along.  I think it's going to be the project that travels around in the car with me.  No, I don't knit while driving, but sometimes I get stuck waiting when I'm out adn about, and I am always glad if I happen to have a knitting project in my car. 

5.  Exercise.  I know I've said it before, but I really am going to try to start posting regularly about my running and triathlon training.  I'm planning to compete in another sprint triathlon this May, so I've got to get back in shape. 

 6.  Sewing!  My mom got me Joelle Hoverson's "Last Minute Patchwork & Quilting" book for Christmas.  Lookee!  I made a pincushion!  It really was a quick little project.  I think I'm going to try a tied quilt next.  

Posted by zarah at 6:51 AM | Comments (3)

December 17, 2007

Minor adjustment

One of the mittens is done - yay!

I finished it up by knitting the thumb.  But.... do you notice anything strange?  The proportions are a little bit off, don't you think? 

Yeah.... the hand is a little short.  I guess next time I should go ahead and do the thumb before start the hand decreases.  Off to the frog pond! (Just the bind-off, don't worry)

(I know, it doesn't look too far off.  But once my hand is inside the mitten, it's really bunched up.) 

Posted by zarah at 8:36 PM | Comments (3)

December 14, 2007

Mittens are fun

Woo hoo! As you can see, the mittens are almost done! (As you can't see, they don't have thumbs yet.) I'm really happy with my second-ever straded knitting project. My big accomplishment was learning to knit with each color in a different hand - that made it go so much faster! I'm not sure if I'm knitting the official Continental way, but it works for me. (I tried to purl with the yarn in my left hand, too, and that was just a disaster. Kate? Help!!!)

Now that I've got this project almost done, I'm having lots of fun looking at all the mitten patterns on Ravelry. Thankfully, Anxiousdog Kate has queued up about a hundred of them, so she saves me the time and I just go straight to her queue and favorites.

In other news, I has finally occred to me that Christmas is really right around the corner - as in, relatives show up in 9 days! - so I should probably do something about getting the house decorated. I have a wreath on the front door, but that's about it. Most of my decorations are ornaments, so with no tree, my house looks a wee bit Grinch-like.

Hopefully by Sunday I'll be able to post a picture of a fully decorated tree. That's doable, right?

Posted by zarah at 7:01 AM | Comments (4)

October 12, 2007

Friday Mega-Update!

I know I promised pictures of a bunch of stuff today, but I'm SO close to really being done with the ice storm sweater, that I want to hold off and do a real FO post for it. Hopefully this cute photo of my dog Lucy will distract you! (As you can see, she likes the sweater, too. She's a funny dog - she will always lay her head on a pillow if it's available!)

Next up, my little sewing project!  This is the Frenchy Bag pattern from Amy Butler, using Alexander Henry fabrics.  The bag almost looks like it's done already, but in this picture I still need to put in the lining and do some finishing stitches on the outside.  But you get the gist...

One thing I will say is that following this pattern seemed WAY easier than the sewing patterns I remember from my 4-H days.  (Probably because my mom was such a perfectionist!) 

(Moveable Type is being screwy today, so you'll have to scroll down to see the rest of the pictures.)

Last but not least, we have the beginnings of my Central Park Hoodie!  I'm using Dream In Color Classy (the yarn everyone's using to make those cute Tulip baby jackets). I bought this on a trip to Independence, MO for work.  I got there a little early so I walked around the town square and looked through some of the shops.  And what do you know, there's a yarn shop!  (Knitcraft)  It was a large store with a lot of selection.  And really, who can argue with Dream in Color yarn? 

 

Posted by zarah at 6:33 AM | Comments (11)

October 11, 2007

And one more thing...

Did I mention I've been sewing?  I'm almost done with the Frenchy Shoulderbag (an Amy Butler pattern) that I got from She's Crafty, a new shop near downtown Springfield.  I'll post some pictures tomorrow, I promise! 

Posted by zarah at 6:40 AM | Comments (3)

October 10, 2007

No pictures yet...

I apologize for yet another "drive-by blogging," but work and life have just been busy lately.  So, I thought I finally finished the ice storm sweater, right?  Well, I got it all washed and blocked, and it finally finished drying.  I tried it on, and the arms are too long!  (This is especially annoying because I unravelled a few rounds of the bottom hem to add length to one of the sleeves.) 

Oh well, this just wouldn't be the ice storm sweater if every single stitch of it hadn't been ripped and reknit at some point! 

Posted by zarah at 7:09 AM | Comments (3)

September 26, 2007

It was a surprise, all right...

So, yeah....  it's supposed to be a surprise when you fold up the wierd looking thing and it ends up looking like a perfect baby sweater.  But this one.... it's surprising indeed.  What is going on with that bottom right corner?  It's not folded up funny, it really does veer off on the angle like that.  Surprise!

I guess my friend Melissa's baby is just going to have to wait a little longer, because I cannot possible give this thing as a gift.  The only thing I can think is that I forgot to increase on the outside edge of the mitered square several times.  Any other explanations?  

Posted by zarah at 9:05 PM | Comments (5)

September 11, 2007

Ice storm sweater resurrected!

Well, the weather this time around is certainly much better. I've started working on the sleeves of the Ice Storm Sweater. (If you don't remember, here are some of my pathetic posts from when we lost power for ten days last winter.)

I think my goal for this sweater is going to be to finish it in time for my vacation to Santa Fe in late October. I think it will be pretty chilly there in the evenings, so it would be cool to be able to wear my own customized sweater.

Speaking of Santa Fe, I've also got an idea brewing for my vacation knitting - I think I'm going to do a pair of Santa Fe-themed socks,

In totally un-knitting-related news, I did my first mediation today! I know I didn't do perfectly, but we got the case settled and it was a really good learning experience.

Hopefully I'll have a finished sleeve for you next time I post!

Posted by zarah at 6:38 PM | Comments (7)

September 8, 2007

Clean Sweep

I was rifling through the "knitting bucket" I keep in the living room yesterday, and I realized I have a LOT of abandoned projects.  Generally, I'm pretty good about sticking to one or two projects at a time, but once I set something aside, it's like it never existed.  I'm declaring the rest of September to be Clean Sweep Month! 

1.  Ice Storm sweater.  It just needs sleeves.  How hard can that be?  But I haven't picked it up in, oh... 8 months!  Ridiculous.  Magic loop sleeves, here I come!  (hmm... I hope I wrote down my needle size somewhere.  It's not in Ravelry.  Bad Zarah!)

2.  Glee tee.  If I hurry, I can still wear this before it gets too cold!  I think I stopped knitting it because my needle was too crowded and I need to get a longer one.  Yarn shop, here I come!

3.  Sunrise Circle Jacket.  I planned for this to be a long term project, so it's probably going to stay on the back burner for now.  It requires a little more concentration than I want to give on most days. 

Posted by zarah at 9:02 AM | Comments (5)

September 3, 2007

Labor Day Mega-Update!

Woo hoo!  I love days off, especially when they make a three-day weekend.  I spent most of the day furniture shopping* with my parents, but now I'm home enjoying a relaxing evening.  Matt's going to throw some steaks on the grill pretty soon, and I've got baked potatoes and brownies in the oven.  YUM! 

Update #1 - Cobblestone Progress! 

This sweater is cruising right along!  As you can see, in this picture I've attached the first sleeve to the body of Matt's sweater.  I already started working on the second sleeve, and I'm really amazed how quickly I can knit them using the magic loop method.  I still like my DPNs for socks (I think) but I think I'm sold on using the magic loop for sleeves. 

I think I've said this before, but I REALLY like this yarn!  It's Peace Fleece in the DK weight (color: Sheplova mushroom - are there red mushrooms?)  It has a really pretty heather look to it, and the yardage is amazing.  I'm knitting this whole sweater (43" chest) with 4 skeins!  (That means fewer ends to weave in, too!)

Update #2 - Mismatched Monkeys 

 

 

Well, what do you think?  I definitely think I ended up with two different dyelots.  It actually doesn't look that bad in the picture, but it's a pretty noticeable difference in person.  I've considered overdyeing them when both socks are done.  

Am I being paranoid?  Or would the color difference bother you, too?  I'm just worried that I will ruin the beautiful colors if I dye them.  

* So... furniture shopping.  My dad always complains when he comes to visit me because my guest room only has a double bed in it, and my parents are used to a king size.  (So basically I think my mom ends up getting squished against the wall.)  So, my dad is always saying that he needs to buy a bigger bed for my guest room.  Matt & I decided to upgrade to the king size in our room and move the queen size to the guest room.  Thanks Dad!

 

 

Posted by zarah at 6:05 PM | Comments (7)

August 28, 2007

Geez Louise

It's almost September... where did the time go?  I have been busy.... just not busy blogging.  Here we go with a rambling catch-up post:

1.  Knit knit knit - despite my lack of blogging, I have been knitting a lot.  Matt's birthday sweater is done up to the armholes, and I finished one sleeve and joined it to the body of the sweater. 

2.  I started a red scarf for Norma's Red Scarf Project, but I don't really like it.  Any suggestions on patterns for two skeins of solid red Malabrigo (worsted weight)?  I probably need to go play on Ravelry and see what I can find. ETA - maybe Grumperina's Sharfik pattern?  I think I have enough yarn.  

3.  I started the second Arctic Monkey sock.  Love the pattern, love the yarn.... but I totally got two skeins of different dye lots, and I didn't realize it until I started knitting.  I'd say the second skein has about double the amount of white in it.... I think these will be socks that I wear hidden inside tall boots anyway, so I think I'm okay with the socks being fraternal twins.  But it's still annoying.  I got the only two skeins of that color left at the store, so someone else must be having the same problem, too!

4.  Trip to Chicago.  Last weekend I visited Chicago with my sister and two friends that grew up in our neighborhood (one of them lives there).  The point of the trip was mostly just to see each other, but we did lots of fun stuff, like... shop, watch the Chicago Triathlon, eat out at yummy restuarants, play frisbee in the park, look at our reflection in the shiny bean at Millenium Park, buy fake designer sunglassses at the Greek Festival, and ... last but not least... watch an old favorite movie, Adventures in Babysitting.  That really is a good movie - so 80's! 

We now return to your regularly scheduled knitblogging.   

Posted by zarah at 9:39 PM | Comments (5)

August 14, 2007

One little monkey, jumping on the bed!

The first monkey sock is done!  That's one full skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock - it's almost a knee sock!  As you can tell, I had to add some calf shaping (although not a ton - I sort of have chicken legs).  I took a better picture of the calf shaping using a milk bottle as a model.  (it's not easy to take a picture of your own calf!)

  

I added calf shaping by doing the YOs from the pattern in between two pattern motifs, for two repeats of the pattern.  On the second repeat, I started the YOs back in the center and moved out again, so at the end of the second set of increases, I had a 5th pattern motif on the back of the leg.  I then increased 8 more stitches by doing the YOs in that motif in the next pattern repeat, but not the pattern decreases (so there ends up being a column of 4 purl stitches on each side of that motif).
 

Posted by zarah at 8:52 PM | Comments (4)

August 7, 2007

Tall monkeys = orangutans?

Hmmm... not too much to say about this, except that my monkey sock is getting very tall!  I just started the ribbing, which I plan to do until the yarn is all gone.  I found a great post comparing and rating all types of stretchy bind-offs, which I hear are essential for toe-up socks. 

I was really picky about how the calf increases looked, so I ended up ripping and reknitting 3-4 time to get them right.  I'll write up the details and post it with a good picture when I finish the first sock.

Posted by zarah at 6:20 AM | Comments (6)

August 1, 2007

Monkey Love

That's Monkey-sock love, you sickos!

Aren't they looking pretty? I'm knitting toe-up, so I'm planning to just keep going until I run out of yarn. Carol, the owner of Simply Fibers (my LYS), always says that you can knit three pairs of socks out of two skeins of Lorna's Laces.  ETA 08/03/07:  I'm an idiot.  I meant to say two pairs out of three skeins.  I think she's probably right, because I always have a ton left over. So, this little toe-up experiment will be a good chance to actually use the whole skein.

I took this picture last Sunday, I'm already about 4 or 5 repeats up the leg now. I'm trying to figure out when I should start the calf increases... The whole sock is slightly loose, so I don't want to start them too early. But my experience has been that LL socks shrink a little bit when I wash them, so I'm guessing these will fit perfectly once they're washed.

(For the toe-up Monkeys, I am knitting the chart as written, so the pattern is upside down. There's a thread on ravelry with people discussing how to rewrite the pattern for toe-ups, but I don't really think it's necessary.)

Posted by zarah at 7:46 PM | Comments (10)

July 24, 2007

TDF KAL Update #3

Or... Knit 2 Together!

Well, not really, maybe Seam 2 Together? Either way, I feel like I made really great progress on the Hempathy sweater over the weekend. I guess that's the one good thing about having to share my copy of Harry Potter - lots of knitting time while I wait!

I finished knitting the front Sunday night, and did the long side seam last night. I tried to do the shoulder seam, too, but I think I'm going to have to look up some seaming techniques so I can get it right. I really wanted to do short rows and three-needle bind of for this sweater, but I couldn't figure out how to do them on the back. I was trying to keep knitting in pattern as long as I could, and the back shoulder and neck seams are a little strange. 

Posted by zarah at 5:34 AM | Comments (4)

July 18, 2007

TDF KAL Update #2

As you can see, the front of the Hempathy sweater is coming right along! I'm not quite as far as I'm hoped to be, but I'm still quite impressed with how much progress I've made. The blue string running through the back is wher the armhole decreases start. Unfortunately, that doesn't make the knitting go much faster, since it only takes away the stockinette side panels, and none of the lace pattern.

I've been getting distracted with other knitting projects, as well as trying to keep up my triathlon training, but I guess biking in the Tour takes discipline!

Oh - on a totally unrelated note - where's a good and not too expensive place to go for vacation in late October?  (traveling from Missouri)  (Preferably somewhere not too cold!)

Posted by zarah at 6:25 AM | Comments (6)

July 7, 2007

Tour de France KAL starts today!

You can follow all the action at the official Tour KAL blog.  

I'm starting strong with a long bike ride this morning, then hopefully some knitting time this afternoon before the ubiquitous 7-7-07 wedding I'm attending tonight.

For this KAL, I'm going for the green jersey (that's the fastest rider knitter) by trying to finish my Hempathy sweater.  My goal for this weekend is to complete the ribbing and do at least one pattern repeat. 

Photo credit to Maurisico via flickr.

Posted by zarah at 12:26 PM | Comments (5)

July 5, 2007

Tweedy good times

I has a very relaxing Fourth of July - I sat around in my jammies most of the day, knitting and watching the Project Runaway marathon on Bravo. Then I went to a BBQ with some friends (only one minor BB gun incident, so nothing compared to the near-drowning that happened last time I got together with these folks! ) and then to a baseball game with fireworks after. Can't get much more all-American than that!

As you can see from the picture, I'm coming right along on Glee. I've got a few more rows to go before I get to the armholes. I also joined the fronts and started knitting in the round earlier than the pattern calls for. I'm hoping that I'll be able to add the edging and not have to worry about the hook-and-eye closures. I think the Silky Tweed looks great, and I'm hoping I will be able to wear this top even during the heat of summer.

My goal is to get as far on Glee as I can before July 7. I signed up for the Tour de France KAL, so I'll be knitting exclusively on Julia (the Hempathy sweater) during that time, trying to win the green jersey!

Posted by zarah at 6:52 AM | Comments (3)

June 6, 2007

Right Round like a Record

The Sunrise Circle Jacket is taking shape! I really love the construction of this sweater, with the two overlapping curved fronts.

I've never knit anything where the row gauge was more important than the stitch gauge, and I'm starting to get concerned. I had to go down two needle sizes to get the right row gauge, and now I'm worried that the sweater is going to be very short. I guess if worst comes to worst I could just find a short person to give it to. =( Maybe it will lengthen when I block it?

Oh well.... round and round she goes!

Posted by zarah at 6:34 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)

May 29, 2007

Summertime and summer knits

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I went floating yesterday with three other couples, all of whom brought their kids along. There were more kids than parental units so my husband and I got a kid (Sam) in our canoe. The river was really high and running pretty fast from all the rain we've been getting. Early in the float, our canoe flipped and got pinned under a log with Sam trapped inside. I was sitting in front of him so I had no clue what was even happening (somehow I got out of the canoe no problem), but thankfully my husband kept his wits about him, dove over the canoe, and untangled him from the cross bars and pulled him out from under the water. That was REALLY scary, but thank goodness it turned out fine. Sam was a really good sport about the whole thing (although I'm not sure he'll ever go floating again!)

Okay, so that makes it sound like we had a terrible day, but it really wasn't.

Well... this post ended up being about something totally different than I intended (summer knitting projects), but here's a little glimpse of what I've been working on. 

My Hempathy sweater is coming right along... that turquoise string in there is not part of the pattern, it's just marking where I started the armhole decreases so I can match up the front and the back. I thought when I got the armholes it would really start going fast, but the neckline is pretty high, so I'm really only about 2/3rds done with the front. Grrr.... this project feels like a black hole sometimes.

Posted by zarah at 6:29 AM | Comments (4)

May 22, 2007

Okay, then

Back to your mild-mannered knitblogging.  Superarmadillo begone! 

So.... am I the last knitter on earth to get this book?  So good. 

The Jaywalkers are coming right along.  It's amazing how misplacing one project and dreading fixing a mistake in another one can turn into amazingly quick knitting.  I'm almost to the toe of the second sock!

 

Posted by zarah at 7:45 PM | Comments (7)

May 11, 2007

Eye Candy Friday

All my knitting projects have been sucking lately.

Exhibit 1: I knit a large portion of the Child's Placket-Neck Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts before I realized the pattern has a bunch of mistakes in it, and I wasn't working off the corrected version.

Exhibit 2: I was cruising right along on the second Child's First Sock last weekend, but I left it at my mother in law's house. She said she would send it back with my husband's aunt and uncle, but I haven't had the chance to touch base with them.

Exhibit 3: Small victory - I'm up to the armhole decreases on the Hempathy sweater, then I got and screw up the decreases. Normally, no big deal. I have no problem ripping out my knitting to fix a mistake. But this lace pattern is SUCH a hassle to get back on the needles once its been ripped out. I just haven't wanted to deal with it this week.

Sometimes, you just can't fight it. I'm clearly not supposed to be knitting right now. So, fun with sewing it is!

The funny thing about me trying to sew is that I know just enough to be dangerous - I think I can wing stuff without a pattern or reading about how to do a particular technique. I'm going to try to make a baby quilt for a friend that just found out she's having a girl.

Posted by zarah at 6:49 AM | Comments (6)

May 1, 2007

Lace is fun!

Well, let me qualify that...

Lace is fun, when:

- you charted out the pattern and have a magnetic chartkeeper to keep you on track

- you've learned the pattern so you don't have to rip out and deal with the yarn splitting

- you seem to be making pretty quick progress, even though you're using size 2 needles!

I'm almost to the armhole decreases, but it won't really make the knitting go any faster because the edges are just plain stockinette. 

The real challenge in this pattern is going to be the shoulders.  I'd like to make short row shoulders and finish them with a three-needle bind-off, but I think the knitting stays in pattern all the way to the top.  I guess I could leave off the lace pattern at the very top, but keep the garter stitch columns, so it wouldn't be too obvious. 

When I get to the shoulders, I need to remember to document where I find instructions on converting regular stair-step shoulders to short-row shoulders... it seems like every time I do it, it's like learning it all over again. 

ETA:  Here's a Knitty.com article on it!   

ETA2:  In case you're wondering, the pattern is Julia from Rowan Classic Summer 11, and the yarn is Elsbeth Lavold Hempathy.   

Posted by zarah at 6:49 PM | Comments (7)

April 25, 2007

Moving right along!

I may not have been blogging much lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been knitting! I finished the first of this pair of socks last last week, and I'm well into the ribbing for the second one.

I like the way the yarn turned out with this pattern - there is a little bit of a color-swirl going on around the leg, but it's so minor I really can't complain.

Also, the pattern calls for a very short heel flap which didn't fit my foot at all. I added about 6 rows - so I had 16 slipped stitches along the edge of the heel flap, instead of 13. Then I just did some extra decreases on the gusset to get back to the right number of stitches.

Posted by zarah at 6:44 AM | Comments (7)

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 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)

February 27, 2007

Retro Rib: the good and the bad

The good: It's pretty, right? Nice subtle color changes, nice long length, great pattern.... I really can't say anything bad about this sock. I really enjoy knitting it and it's coming out great. Matt requested fairly long socks, and the 20 pattern repeats called for in the pattern make the perfect mid-calf length.

The bad: I'm going to run out of yarn. I weighed the rest of the ball, and I'm already almost at the half-way point. There's no way I can knit the whole foot without dipping into the yarn for the second sock. I have come to terms with that. So.... here's where you guys come in:
    A. Keep going, and knit half the foot with different yarn. It will be inside a shoe anyway.
    B. Rip back and have a shorter leg. Socks this nice shouldn't be messed up with mismatched feet.

Ordering more yarn is not an option. All the STR mediumweight in this color is sold out.  Grr....

ETA:  Matt prefers option A - he really wants the longer socks.   

Posted by zarah at 6:44 AM | Comments (7)

February 21, 2007

Stitch n Bitch

Yep, the finishing for Lizard Ridge continues... I don't mind a little bit of seaming here and there, but sewing together that many squares is just ridiculous.  And I've already decided against the crochet border, I think I'll do a plain garter stitch border instead.  But picking up all those stitches?  Hoo boy. 

On a happier note, I see that Ann of Mason-Dixon Knitting is knitting the same shrug I am, so I guess I better finish mine up quickly so I can email her and show her how cool it really is. Oh wait.  That involves more seaming and picking up stitches.  Maybe not.  One thing at a time, after all.  

Ozarks knitters - don't forget about the Knit In at Simply Fibers this Friday Night! 

Posted by zarah at 6:27 AM | Comments (2)

February 13, 2007

Four more squares!

Just a quick post to brag on my Lizard Ridge progress! I'm so close to being done.... This photo is from last weekend; I only have two squares left now. I estimate that I will start seaming this weekend. Hopefully I'll get some good movies from netflix so it's won't get too tedious.

Posted by zarah at 6:08 AM | Comments (5)

February 12, 2007

So. Close.

Only two squares left to go on Lizard Ridge!!!  (Yes Tammy, I knit another one last night after your party.  I'm freakin' addicted, that's all I can say!)

I blocked the rest of the squares (well, they're drying in my spare room right now) and starting playing around with different layouts.  It's going to be so pretty. However, it is starting to dawn on me that I have some severly neglected projects waiting to be completed besides this blanket.  I know I'm not going to be able to focus on them until I finish The Lizard, but when I do finally finish, I need A PLAN.  Because, you know, I'm a girl that likes lists!  So, here we go:

1.  Raglan sweater - if it's still cold out, finish the sleeves.  They're not getting any shorter by waiting.

2.  If it's starting to feel like spring, abandon the sweater for warmer weather gear.  Decide whether the shrug really needs reseaming (I'm pretty sure the answer is YES) and just bite the bullet.  I'd really like to finish that thing in time for the first day of spring - aka - my birthday!

3.  As a reward for finishing something, cast on for Green Gable with that Cotton Fleece that's been hanging out in the stash for over a year.  I meant to knit it last fall, but I think it will be really cute for spring/summer.

 

Posted by zarah at 6:58 AM | Comments (6)

February 8, 2007

Seasonal Affective Knitting

Yes, it's true.  I have been churning those Lizard Ridge squares out with prodigious speed.  It is rather odd for me to be so single-minded in my pursuit of finishing a knitting project.  I usually have at least 3-4 different things on the needles and actively in progress at any one time. 

I think this long period of cold weather is really making me want to finish that blanket, so I can snuggle up underneath it!  My silk shrug is really beautiful, and it's really not too far from being done, but I know I won't be able to wear it until at least March.  So what's the rush?  I guess I could be working on my raglan sweater, it would keep me warm.  But that requires math at this point in the pattern, and that's the last thing I want to do when I get home from work.  

Actually, I think the real reason I love the LR squares so much is because at this point (19 squares done!) it is totally mindless, without being boring.  It's the perfect knitting project.  This is really nerdy, but i just LOVE that row after the short rows, where you go back and pick up the rest of the wraps and everything looks neat and tidy again. 

Sooooo much more satisfying than folding laundry or vacuuming!  =)

I've got a day trip to Bentonville Arkansas tomorrow for work.  That's right, I'm taking on Wal-Mart in a court case!  Wish me luck (I'm gonna need it!) 

Posted by zarah at 6:49 AM | Comments (7)

February 6, 2007

Ze blanket, she grows!

A few of you asked for a more direct photo of my progress on the Lizard Ridge afghan, so here it is! Isn't it pretty? I finished a couple more squares over the weekend (Super Bowl = good knitting time) so I really feel like I am getting close. I need to start blocking all those squares and trying to figure out how I should arrange them. Any hints from people who have already finished this project?

 

 

 

 

 

Also..... eek!  Look at all those loose ends!

Posted by zarah at 6:48 AM | Comments (8)

February 1, 2007

Ice Storm Raglan

Here it is - the much-anticipated "ice storm sweater"! I actually started knitting this the week between Christmas and New Years, but I made most of my progress during the two weeks of the ice storm. I'm using recycled yarn from the Cutaway sweater I knit last year. It was my first sweater and I didn't do a very good job on it, so I decided to rip it out and try again. This time, I'm doing a basic top-down raglan sweater using this pattern.

A few notes on the pattern so far:

1.  When taking measurements, measure a sweater or shirt that fits you well, not your actual body measurements.  For some reason, I followed this advice on everything but my neck measurement (maybe because it's hard to measure the neck of a sweater?)  But I ended up with a very close-fitting neckline on an otherwise fairly relaxed sweater.  I tried to rip back the neck a bit, but I couldn't quite figure it out.  

2.  The ratios don't add up.  It wants you to have 25% of your stitches for each sleeve, plus 33% for the front and 33% for the back, plus 8 stitches for the raglan shaping.  Ummm... that's way more than 100%.  Maybe I'm just missing something, but I just had to rejigger the figures until it added up, but roughly keep the same proportions.

3.  I haven't started the sleeves yet, but I'm afraid they're going to be quite a bit more voluminous than I normally like them.  This pattern dates back to the 80's or maybe even earlier, so I think it's just a matter of changing styles.  

I've actually gotten a bit farther on this sweater than the picture shows.  I finished the body and put on a reverse stockinette edging around the bottom and neck.  I'm really happy with the fit except for the puffy sleeve possiblity. 

Posted by zarah at 6:44 AM | Comments (3)

January 29, 2007

The foothills of Lizard Ridge

Wow! Taking pictures during daylight hours makes such a difference!

Here's a dachshund's eye view of my progress on the Lizard Ridge afghan.  I've got 16 squares done so far (8 to go), but I might do a couple extras to get some prettier color schemes.

I've also managed to get Tammy hooked on the pattern - here's her very first square! 

Also per Tammy's request, Six Wierd Things about me!  

1.  I like lima beans.  Ummmm... yum.  (Really!)

2.  I hardly ever watch movies, but when I do, I really like ones that follow a particular formula - a bunch of different people and all these different stories and they all come together somehow in the end.   

3.  I was named after a prize-winning dairy cow.  (According to my dad, that is.  My mom vehemently denies this!)

4.   I've always lived in Missouri, except for that one year, when I lived in Spain. 

5.  I have a phobia of eyes.  I couldn't put contacts in my eyes until I was 22 (trying since 8th grade!) and I can't think of anything that creeps me out more than when people flip their eyelids inside out.  

6.  Sometimes, when I'm laughing at something, I start laughing really, really, really hard and can't stop for a looong time.  I think this first happened on a long car trip to Colorado with my family when I was about 12, and we started calling it "the jollies."  Usually this happens with really random things that just strike me as funny.  It happened at work once, which was a little embarrassing.  

It seems like everyone has already done this meme, but if anyone wants to.... go for it! 

Posted by zarah at 7:24 PM | Comments (4)

January 10, 2007

Shrugging towards the finish line

Silk shrug, where are you? Last time we saw you, you were blocking on Zarah's laundry room floor. Has she been paying attention to you? Maybe giving you a sleeve? Or just ignoring you?

This was one of my many knitting cliff-hangers that I left you guys with, oh... quite a while ago now.  I have good news and bad news about the shrug.  First, the bad news of course.  I have not been taking pictures of this thing as it goes along.  Bad blogger!  The goods news?  Well, the shrug is progressing nicely!  I finished the second sleeve last weekend while transitioning back into the real world from vacationland.  I seamed up one sleeve last night, despite my husband's constant interruptions about how cool the iPhone is and making me watch Steve Jobs' keynote speech.  =)

Hopefully I'll be able to get the other sleeve done tonight or tomorrow and start working on the collar.  I made the body quite a bit shorter than the pattern calls for (on Connie's advice), but now I'm starting to get worried that the whole thing will be too small.  I guess the only way to know for sure is to get that other sleeve seamed and try it on. 

I think I've got the comments fixed now, sorry for any problems you might have had! 

 

Posted by zarah at 6:10 AM | Comments (7)

December 7, 2006

One-armed wonder

With all the exciting super-secret-Christmas blogging going on around here, some of you might be thinking that I've FORGOTTEN about my pretty little shrug, the Blue Sky Alpacas Silk Shrug. Actually, I've been knitting on it here and there, just sneaking in a row whenever more detailed projects get annoying.

The silk shrug might look kinda wierd right now (I'm blocking it to make sure I get the right measurement across the back) but I'm actually coming right along! I just need about one more inch on the back then I'm down to the second sleeve. It will just FLY with the decreases down to the wrist.

You really can't tell from this picture, but it's all just plain stockinette. So lovely... so perfect for when my family (and in-laws) invade. =)

Posted by zarah at 9:57 PM | Comments (5)

December 5, 2006

Another knitty day

The pictureless posts continue... seriously, it gets dark at like 4:30pm these days!  I can't take a decent picture for anything.  Ridunkulous!  (Just say it out loud.  It's a funny word.)

I was planning on taking a super up-close picture of the secret Christmas knitting, but since that didn't come out very well, I will give one clue - the cheerleader's hometown on Heroes.  If you figure it out, don't tell!  It's a secret, remember?!

In new knitting news... Matt has been asking for a scarf to match the hat that I made him earlier this year.  The only problem is that I bought the yarn in the super discount bin and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to find anymore.  Plus, it's pretty fuzzy so that stitch pattern doesn't really show up in it very well.  So, what do you think - new hat AND scarf?  Or just try to match one of the colors in the multi-colored hat? 

Oh, we finally got the Christmas tree put up in our house!  We bought it over the weekend, but we had to let the ice and snow melt off of it in our garage for a few days before bringing it inside.  I got lights put on last night, and hopefully I will be able to hang all the ornaments today and tomorrow.  I just love how a fresh Christmas tree smells.

Posted by zarah at 6:06 PM | Comments (5)

December 1, 2006

Digging out

I survived my "snow day" - which actually turned out to be just a light dusting of snow on top of a massively thick layer of ice. (lovely) Right now it's cold and clear, and I think I should probably go into work, but our shovel won't go through the ice coating our driveway and our street hasn't been plowed yet.

We had another couple stay with us last night because they lost power at 7am yesterday and it still wasn't restored by the time it started to get dark. Needless to say, it was getting a little chilly over there. Apparently lots of power lines were down because there was so much ice on them that they broke - luckily that didn't happen at my house. But I know the power near the college campuses was out, so hopefully all the students found a warm place to sleep.

In the meantime, I guess I should show you my progrees on Lizard Ridge. Last month truly was Norovember for me... six squares blocked and another one finished. I really enjoy knitting this pattern, and the squares are small enough to knit up fairly quickly. I don't think I'll have any problem finishing this project as I get new balls of Noro here and there. (PS - I got 7 squares out of 5 skeins, plus about a third of a skein leftover.)

I am trying to remember which ones are the Frankensquares... I'm sure the bottom right is, and maybe the bottom center one too. I tried to match up the colors when I was joining leftover bits so it wouldn't be too noticeable.

Happy Friday everyone! Hopefully I'll be able to leave my house today!

Posted by zarah at 7:55 AM | Comments (11)

November 9, 2006

Lucky Lizard

See, I wasn't just telling wild stories - I have been knitting away on my Lizard Ridge squares!

really like this pattern. The designer did a great job of getting the pattern to show off the changes in the Noro colors. I've got a few more colors of Kureyon on order - I think my Norovember goal will be to finish 4 squares. Don't forget, I've got the green socks to finish up, plus the silk shrug for me!

I started teaching knitting at the Boys & Girls Club this week. I had about 6 middle school girls this week. Between me and my sister, we were running like crazy for the whole hour trying to help everyone, answer questions, etc.

So far, I think my main lesson learned has been that metal needles are too slippery for beginners. I know the project coordinator got them because they were the cheapest, but I think I'll donate some bamboo needles. I think half the time was helping the girls put the stitches back on the needles after the needle slipped out.

Another interesting thing is that the younger kids (maybe 8 or 9 year olds) really really wanted to learn. I think we're going to try to expand the program if we get more volunteers and interest stays high.

Posted by zarah at 6:00 AM | Comments (11)

November 2, 2006

As Promised . . .

a project update! 

First up, it's the second sock of a pair I'm knitting for my grandpa for Christmas.  For regular readers this (hopefully) looks awfully familiar to the first sock of the pair.  (If you didn't see the first one, the pattern is Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush.   The yarn is wool2dye4 supersock, hand-dyed by yours truly!)

This is my first pair of adult socks that I have made with short row heels.  I wanted to try a new technique during Socktoberfest, and I think it turned out pretty well.  Somehow I managed to close up the little hole on one side but not the other.  I was winging the short row part of it and I may have started turning the heel one stitch in the wrong direction.  Hopefully I can figure out what I did wrong and fix it the second time around. 

I told myself I wouldn't do any Christmas knitting this year, but I have obviously broken that rule already.  I actually started this pair at the very end of September, so I thought I'd finish in October for sure.  But a few other things got in the way (see the next two pictures!)  Now I'm trying to finish a section of ribbing each day before I work on anything else.  

When I get to the heel, I'm going to write up what I did (assuming it works this time) so I can come back and use it again, but maybe some other people will find it helpful, too.   

Next up, we have my first Lizard Ridge square - I love the colors, but do you notice anything odd?  Those rows with the "bump" in the middle are missing something - ahh... the short rows. 

The pattern is written a bit strangely, and there's actually a section that you're supposed to repeat in that row - to be fair, it is in brackets - but it never actually tells you to knit it twice.  I suppose if I actually counted my stitches I wouldn't have had that problem, but alas. 

This little square will be getting ripped out and reknit.  Actually, it's just as well, since I figured out about halfway through how to pick up the wraps on the short rows so they don't show.  I'm not sure I could explain it, but I think there was a good explanation in one of the tutorials Lolly linked to during Socktoberfest. 

Oh, and yes - those bumps will flatten out during blocking.  The pattern says they're normal. 

Yes, yes, but surely that one little square hasn't been taking up ALL my knitting time, even with all the little fiddley short rows! 

That's true.  Remember a couple of weekends ago, when I stopped in the yarn shop for a ball of Kureyon and came out with yarn for a shrug?  Well, it's coming right along.   

What?  You don't see it?  Well, right now it's basically a sleeve.   I have to knit across the back and then down the other sleeve, and that's it!  Connie knit a pretty version of it in green, although hers was a store sample so it's a little big on her. 

So, it's not terribly exciting knitting, because all the magic happens when you seam it up and add the ruffle. I did splurge for the alpaca and silk yarn that the pattern was written for - I know some people think it's scratchy, but I noticed that the gauge swatch that got dunked in water & wool wash is much softer than the unblocked piece.  So it should be nice and soft once it's blocked. 

 

Posted by zarah at 6:20 AM | Comments (10)

October 18, 2006

First half of Socktoberfest

Hasn't Socktoberfest been fun so far?  I can't wait to see what Lolly has cooked up for the rest of the month.  My main Socktoberfest activities have been knitting some socks for a Christmas gift and teaching my sister to knit socks!  (I'll post on that tomorrow.)

I've shown some progress pics of the Gentleman's Fancy Socks before, but I finally finished the first sock, so I have to show it off!  (Modeled by my lovely sister.)  I finished this on the drive to Columbia last weekend for my cousin's wedding. 

I have already cast on for the next sock and have completed the ribbing at the top.  I don't have to have these done until Christmas, but I would love to finish them by the end of the month!

I'm sure I could finish them no problem, but some other deadline knitting is looming over my head.  Teh Cambridge Jacket is nearing completion, but I still have to add the collar and trim, plus sew in a zipper, before the "birthday deadline" in early November.  The zipper realyl scares me.  I don't want to screw up the whole piece because I'm a crappy sewer.  Maybe I'll take it to the yarn shop this weekend and see if I can get some help (or pay someone to do it for me!)

Posted by zarah at 6:18 AM | Comments (5)

October 12, 2006

Socktories: My first short-row heel

Socktoberfest continues...

Last week, I had so much fun reading everyone's Sock Histories.  I love hearing all the different ways we create the same basic product - one that people have been knitting for hundreds of years!  One of my goals for Socktoberfest was to challenge myself to learn some new sock-knitting techniques.  I decided to tackle Short Row Heels on the Gentleman's Fancy Socks I'm knitting this month.  In true Zarah fashion, I pretty much winged it.  I knit a pair of baby socks (Better Than Baby Booties) a couple of weeks ago as a short-row warm-up, so I felt like I had the basic idea down.  I just took the principles I gleaned from the baby socks and applied them to this one.  

Also, some of you have asked for the details of how I changed the sock pattern to knit on Size 1s instead of Size 0s, so I'll go ahead and give you my modifications up it this point.  (Apparently I am not the only one with an irrational fear of Size 0 needles!)  I will also give some details about how I figured out how to modify the pattern, in addition to a short description of my short-row experience.  I'm sure many of you are far more proficient at this than me, but I'll do my part to help those that are interested. 

First of all, the pattern:  The pattern repeats over 4 stitches, so I need to make sure the number of stitches I use is divisible by 4.  Now, I want to increase the needle size from 0 to 1 and keep the size of the sock the same. 

The pattern is essentially a ribbed sock with no cabling (requiring extra stitches) or lace (requiring fewer stitches).  So I turn to the handy-dandy Universal Sock Pattern and see how many stitches it recommends to use over size 1 needles:  72.  This is divisible by 4, even better!  (If your pattern does't turn out that way, just add or subtract a couple of sts to get the right number.) 

Next, I take a look back at the original pattern to see if there's anything else going on I should know about before casting on.  Hmm... typical Nancy Bush pattern, looks like there's some calf shaping.  I come from a family of scrawny chicken-legged people, so this really isn't all that important.  Plus, it turns out that the number of sts after calf decreases is the same number I am going to cast on with - so I could follow the heel shapping as written if I wanted to.  I decide not to worry about the calf decreases because the ribbing should keep the sock tight enough around the ankle.

Then, the easy part.  Cast-on, follow the 4-st pattern repeat down to the heel. 

Now things get really tricky:  the short rows.  I have read on other blogs that short-row heels are not as deep as heel flap heels, so I knit an extra inch before starting the heel to compensate.  

In the baby sock pattern I practiced with, half of the total stitches are used in the short-row heel construction.  So I knit half of the stitches onto one DPN.  Next, I followed the same directions I used in the baby sock pattern until 1/4 of the total number of stitches in the sock remains between the  "pairs" of stitches created by the yarnovers, then followed the directions to close up the stitches and make the second half of the heel.  It looks pretty good, eh?  I've never tried the wrap-and-turn short row method, but I'm pretty sure any variety would work just as well. 

Posted by zarah at 8:13 PM | Comments (7)

October 10, 2006

We have reached Knitting Nirvana

The Mason-Dixon girls are at it again - this time they've whipped up The Perfect Sweater, a sweater designed by blogommittee back in the pre-book days before we all knew the wonders of Peaches 'n' Cream Cotton.  The sweater is knit with Cascade 220, and there are a couple of shops offering great deals on it in conjunction with the release of this pattern. (Click on the link above for more info, you yarn hos!)

Someday I would like to knit this nice basic sweater for myself - I think I would wear it a ton - but first, I have a few sweaters' worth of yarn to deal with!  

Exhibit A:  4 skeins of green Cascade 220 Quattro, destined to become Forecast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit B:  11 skeins of Sierra Aran (Elann.com), destined to be the Sunrise Circle Jacket. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit C:  3 mega-skeins of Tess merino superwash, soooo very close to being a Cambridge Jacket!

Posted by zarah at 5:55 PM | Comments (7)

September 18, 2006

Looky-loo

Check 'er out! My journey with the never-ending green yarn is getting closer to the end! (Only two 17" sleeves to go. Yeah, don't remind me!)

I was feeling the need for a little celebration, so I blocked the three completed pieces. I am pretty happy with how they look. Hopefully the stockinette curl will calm down a little.  There is only one tiny area on that whole front and back that had any pooling - can you see it on the left front, even with the armhole decreases?  Really, it's not bad at all.  Matt is still not "convinced" that he likes the color, but I think he might just be razzing me.  Lord knows he better wear this a lot this winter!!!

I had a very relaxing weekend - I went to church on Saturday night so I had ALL DAY on Sunday to relax around the house. I did some laundry, knit, listened to some podcasts, and....

 

Attacked the craft room!

I am not too proud to show you the "before" picture - this is it in all of its junky glory. It doesn't really look much different now, but maybe tomorrow I'll show you a picture of my newly organized yarn stash. I certinaly don't need to go yarn shopping anytime soon!

I hate cleaning with a passion, but having a ncely organized room is so rewarding it ALMOST justifies the work.

To make up for last week's slackitude in the running department, I am going to try to run or work out in some way every day this week.

I'm off to the gym!

Posted by zarah at 7:27 PM | Comments (11)

August 17, 2006

GO MIZZOU!

I think I owe you guys a knitting post, eh?

I finished my first Jaywalker Mizzou sock... isn't it cute?  I moved up to Size 2 needles and it went SO much faster!  This pair is for me, so I did some shortcuts, like changing to a star toe and three needle bind-off for the toe.  

What do you think of the pooling?  Normally I hate it, but in this case, it seems okay.  Kind of like a tiger stripe?  (Lorna's Laces thinks its a "bee stripe," but they're wrong!) 

 

 

 

 

 

I also cast on for the next section of the Cambridge Jacket - the left front and right front.  I like to knit the two sides at the same time so they're the same length when I'm done.  Also, did you notice my fancy yarn ball holders?  Yes, you're seeing right - knee highs!  It really helps to keep the extra bits of yarn from tangling in when I already have so many things going on. 

What knitting hacks have you discovered?   

Posted by zarah at 9:25 PM | Comments (5)

August 10, 2006

Cambridge is Back!

Just a quick post today - no, it hasn't just been all-socks, all-the-time around here, I actually finished something else!  (It's the back of the Cambridge Jacket - just two sleeves and two fronts to go.)

(Okay, well I haven't actually finished anything.  But this sweater is so large I think I'm going to have to treat each piece as a separate project or I'll lose all motivation.)

I like how the colors came out - no major pooling but not too "patterned" either - I hope the other parts of the sweater look similar!  

I'm doing good on my running this week, too - tune in tomorrow to find out more! 

Posted by zarah at 6:11 AM | Comments (9)

July 27, 2006

Cambridge progress

I have a not-so-surprising news flash. Men's sweaters are boring to knit. They're just so... rectangular! At least I have my little bits of ribbing at the sides to keep it slightly interesting. But I did cringe just a little when the instructions set up the foundation row and there's no change for FOURTEEN INCHES. Seriously.

At least the colors are pretty!

I am having a bit of concern about the rolling action in the middle. I probably should have added some ribs along the bottom, but I didn't think of it until it was too late. Dropping down that many stitches always ends up looking messy, I think. So, will a single crochet border really stop the rolling? I guess I can always go back and add ribbing along the whole bottom edge after its all seamed up.

Posted by zarah at 6:17 AM | Comments (5)

April 28, 2006

First half of Orangina done!

That's right, I know I'm supposed to be taking it easy on the knitting these days, but I actually got out a meausring tape and checked the length, and I was sooooo close to finishing the first half of Orangina. So you know, just a few rows here and there. =) So here she is! I think it looks really good so far. (And I might have cast on the second half. Maybe.)

Posted by zarah at 6:36 AM | Comments (8)

April 26, 2006

On the Injured List

Thanks for all the advice on avoiding hand injuries.  Just to be safe, I'm putting down the needles for a few days.  I want to work on Orangina during my vacation next week, so I'm playing it safe now.  In the meantime, I've been working on matching up the May swaps for the Project Spectrum hand-dyed Yarn Swap.  We have one international participant this month, so if anyone is willing to do the international postage thing, please let me know (probably $10-15).

In other news, we have a sponsor for the swap!  Wool2Dye4.com is going to donate a skein of undyed fingering-weight sock yarn each month - any ideas on how to award prizes?  I can do a random drawing, unless anyone has a better idea. 

I was also thinking it might be fun to add something to the yarn swap - maybe a little something else hand-made in the color of the month?  You guys are so creative, you're probably already doing that.  Anyway, I just thought I'd throw it out there.  Edited:  You don't have to send anything else handmade - but if you want to, go for it!  Just communicate with your pal so no one is disappointed. 

Posted by zarah at 6:40 AM | Comments (5)

April 17, 2006

Orangina revisited

I have made quite a bit of progress since I took this picture - it is over 12 inches long now... but I slipped it off the needle and held it up to check the sizing. Bad news. It is WAY too small. Lots of people over at the SKC KAL were having gauge issues, so I figured I would beat the system and size down accordingly. This just goes to show you that even gauge swatches can be deceiving, because I actually knit the correct size once, and it looked way too big. Or maybe I just think I'm skinnier than I really am. =)

So, to make a long story short... I have cast on AGAIN for this project. I just hope it will work this time. I think one of my problems is figuring out the right amount of ease - my last wearable knit was Picovoli, which was meant to be knit about 2 inches smaller than your actual bust measurement, but I think this should actually be a little loose. Suggestions, anyone?

Posted by zarah at 10:10 AM | Comments (4)

March 2, 2006

Almost

It has been nice to have a little rest from blogging (and knitting).  I've been doing a few odds and ends, but my hands were really tired from the last weekend of the Olympics.  Cutaway is seamed (yippee!) and just needs another blocking and the ends woven in.  My bind off on the ribbing was a little tight, so I'm hoping a good soak will relax it and help the fronts of the cardigan lay flat. The sleeves are the perfect length, but I would like the body of the sweater to be a little longer -- can I do that in blocking after it's been seamed?   

I'm headed off to visit some high school friends this weekend in Missouri's capitol, Jefferson City.  We are going to catch up and maybe hit the outlet malls -- maybe I'll do a Cutaway photo shoot, too!  See you on Monday! 

Posted by zarah at 7:16 AM | Comments (7)

February 26, 2006

No Olympic gold for Zarah

Well folks, that wraps it up for Torino 2006.  It was a valiant effort, but the last push on the seaming put her over the edge.  She just hasn't trained for these conditions, she's spent most of the season knitting in the round.  These seams were just more than she was able to muster in the last few moments of the Games.  Not to worry, though.  She's still young knitter, and we definitely expect to see her back in 4 years in Vancouver.  I imagine by then she will have much more experience in international competition and hopefully a few more sweaters under her belt.  This was a fine effort for this first-time Olympian.  Now back to Bob in the studio. 

Posted by zarah at 9:42 PM | Comments (3)

Cutaway buttons

Which one should I choose?

A B

C D

If none of these are good, I have to go to the crat store, and I'm pretty sure I don't have time!

Posted by zarah at 9:34 AM | Comments (2)

Olympic Knitting Update

Just a quick post before I head off to church this morning: As you can see, I FINISHED knitting all the pieces of Cutaway last night. The plan is to do all the seaming and add the ribbing today! I am meeting with my knitting group this afternoon then I have the rest of the night free to work on it.

"This one's going to come down to the line, Jim, but she just might pull it off."

I'm sure the Olympics officially end sometime this afternoon, but I'm giving myself until the end of the day. Watch this blog to see if I make it!

Posted by zarah at 8:43 AM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2006

Olympic spirit

We've been having great Olympic knitting weather here in Springfield. It snowed a couple inches over the weekend -- here's the view off my back porch. I especially like the snow on the big magnolia tree in my neighbor's yard. It just seems so contradictory -- I usually don't associate snow and magnolias.

I managed to finish both "fronts" of my Cutaway cardign Sunday afternoon.  I really felt a sense of accomplishment for finishing the "main" part of the sweater, then I started contemplating how long sleeves really are.  And there are two of them.

The last thing I want on my first sweater for myself is two different length sleeves.  So I decided to cast on for both of them on one long needle and knit them simultaneously.

I've got about 11 inches of each sleeve knitted right now.  The good thing about this project is that it is so boring, I am learning to knit without looking at my work.  Usually I don't mind knitting and just listening to the TV, but the Olympics is more of a visual thing.  I'm getting sick of ice dancing (3 nights of competition, really?!?) but I am loving the ski racing events (Bode - you suck! Go Austrians!).  Tonight I was especially impressed with the Aerial Freestyle skiing event -- as my husband said, it's like diving on snow.  Basically, the skiiers ski off a ski jump that sends them directly into the air, then they do a ridiculous number of spins and dips before trying not to land on their butts.  Seriously -- I think almost all of them slid down the hill a little bit before standing up to ski off the hill.  The finals of this event are still coming up, so you have a chance to see it if you missed it the first time.  I hope they add skiboarding to this event in future years - I would love the see what kind of tricks they could come up with. 

 All right, that's enough Olympic nerdiness for one night.  Tomorrow I might take a break and watch a little of my favorite embarrasing TV show -- American idol!  (The audition shows are over now, so it should be a lot better.)

 

Posted by zarah at 10:01 PM | Comments (1)

February 19, 2006

Olympic knitting progress pics

My Olympic "challenge" project is finishing the Cutaway cardigan that I started around Christmas time, then put away when the directions for the front were confusing me.

So, when I decided that this would be my Olympic challenge, I had only finished the back and half of one front piece. As you can see in this picture, I finished off the first front got a good start on the second.

I have actually finished the second front this weekend, and started the sleeves. I decided that I'm going to knit them both at the same time, side by side on one long circular needle. That way, when I finish one, they will both be done. Also, the increases should match up perfectly -- no uneven sleeves for this handmade sweater!

The bad part about that plan is that it feels like it takes twice as long to make any progress. I'll give you a sleeve update tomorrow.

I have to nominate Lindsey Kildow for an honorary Knitting Olympics gold medal. She is skiing her heart out, even after a bad fall. I hope she wins a real medal... she definitely has the most heart.

I loved the snowboard cross event, but I couldn't believe Jacobellis lost the gold at the end with her little stunt jump. Although I do have to say, I think the media was a little too hard on her. She was just caught up in the moment. You know I'm going to be throwing down some bodacious moves when I get close to finishing Cutaway. Hopefully I won't drop a stitch and blow my chance for a medal.

Posted by zarah at 6:38 PM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2006

Olympic Challenge

I guess no one has any better ideas, so I'm declaring my official Olympic challenge to be finishing Cutaway -- hopefully it will fit! I already have the back and about half the front done, but I put it down several weeks ago because I was having trouble following the pattern. In the spirit of the Olympics, I will take on that challenge!

Posted by zarah at 8:21 PM | Comments (1)

January 26, 2006

Conwy the First - Done!

[Picture removed -- major computer problems]

Well, what do you think? I finally made something that fits! I'm so excited. I can't wait for the other one to be done. But first, I'm going to try to finish up Picovoli.

I won't be having any more pictures until Feb 1. I maxed out my flickr account because apparently I was taking the largest format pics with my new camera. At some point I guess I should read the manual, but learning along the way is so much more fun. At the wedding last weekend I discovered "night mode" which still uses a flash but still makes the room look dark. Also, everything is a little blurred unless it is absolutely still. I got some pretty cool pictures of people dancing. Stay tuned!

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (5)

January 22, 2006

Picovoli is almost done!

I have finished all the increases called for in the pattern, but I think I'm going to add a few extra since my hips are big compared to my chest. I am also planning on making this quite a bit longer than the pattern calls for. I am using a t-shirt that I like to compare the length.

Posted by zarah at 6:02 PM | Comments (1)

January 20, 2006

Conwy update

Aren't they cute? Twins!
Conwy the First is coming along nicely. I am really enjoying the pattern -- interesting but not difficult. I am defintely coming around on the yarn, too. I thought it would pool, but the color is staying nicely distributed. (LL's Shepherd Sock).

How long should the foot be? My foot measures 9" from back of heel to end of toes.

I have been obsessed with socks lately. I've especially been drooling over the Socks that Rock yarn that Margene over at Zeneedle has been using.

Posted by zarah at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)

January 19, 2006

Sock cannibalism

Readers of beautyschooldropout know that no project is ever really over. Either it has a life of its own as a finished object, or it languishes in the bottom of a closet and eventually gets remade into something else. My frugal grandmother would be so proud.

That brings us to today's Reuse-Remake-Reknit challenge. Remeber these socks? They're knit out of some really great Cherry Tree Hill yarn, with my own pattern. Can you guess the problem? (Hint: Not the yarn.)

I just winged it on the pattern, since I couldn't find any patterns for worsted weight yarn. Well, the socks are way too floppy, even on my husband's big feet. So a-ripping we will go!

The frogged yarn gets a little soak in the hot tub (err... bathroom sink) to relax all those crimped fibers.



Then it gets hung up to dry, with some professional yarn weights =) to make sure it dries straight and not crumpled up.

Here's my plan for the yarn: Thuja! I still need to buy the needles, but I am declaring this my Olympic Knitting 2006 project. I have to finish BOTH socks during the Winter Olympics. Challenging, but not impossible. Stay tuned to see if I win a gold medal!

Posted by zarah at 10:30 AM | Comments (3)

January 13, 2006

Decreases -- Test swatch

After my last post about the problems I was having with my decreases, I got several people suggesting I should try SSK “improved – slipping the first st knitwise and the second st purlwise (normally they should both be slipped knitwise). Here is a test swatch I knit to try out the difference:

SSK (slipping both knitwise) is on the on right.

SSK Improved (slip first knitwise and second purlwise) is on the left.
I think the SSK improved does look a little better, although they really aren’t very different.

Posted by zarah at 2:49 PM | Comments (1)

January 11, 2006

Decreasing -- why so tricky?

Okay, so I'm knitting away on Picovoli, right? Easy pattern, great design, nice smooth yarn, delightful Addi needles. Lovely.

Now I get to the waist decreases. I put my stitch markers in the right place, and my k2togs are looking great. A nice smooth decrease.

But the SSK on the other side looks wonky. Instead of a straight line where the decreases happen, I have this little stair-step effect. Is this normal? Is there a different decrease that would be straighter? Experienced knitters, give me your advice. I still can't remember which is right- and left-slanting, much less make them match up. Ergh.

Posted by zarah at 10:10 AM | Comments (3)

January 10, 2006

I have conquered the Size 1 needles!

Lookee! It's Conwy from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. It's got a twining rib pattern that looks like a little braid that runs down each rib.

My LYS had all sock yarn on sale last month, so I splurged and got some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn. I wish the color was a little more uniform, but overall I really like it.

Knitting with the tiny yarn and needles isn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be!

Posted by zarah at 10:22 AM | Comments (4)

Conwy update

Isn't it cute? They're twins! Conwy the first is coming along nicely, if I do say so myself. I love the pattern. It looks really complicated (ooooh - twining!) but it's really pretty easy, once I stopped splitting my stitches.

I am headed off to Kansas City this weekend for my husband's sister's wedding. I am in the wedding party, so I think there will be lots of waiting time (pictures, hair appointments, etc.) that should be prime knitting time. I would like to finish this sock and start the second one.

The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. I really like how it has stayed fairly even as far as color distribution, even around the heel. (knock on wood!)

Posted by zarah at 10:01 AM

December 21, 2005

Umm... socks? What socks?

So... I know I said I was going to work on those socks... but I want to wear this sweater!

Posted by zarah at 10:13 AM | Comments (3)

December 20, 2005

Christmas Knitting Strikes Back

I finished Winter Vineyard. (Woo hoo!) My only other self-declared Christmas knitting project was the socks for my husband. But you know... there's less than a week until Christmas. Those socks have been on the needles for months. No need to rush, maybe I should start a little something for myself. =) (I never even told anyone that I was trying to finish them by Christmas anyway... except you guys.)

So, I cast on and knit the ribbing for Cutaway. I've been planning to knit this sweatter since about September -- I even bought the yarn -- and it's been patiently waiting in my stash cupboard. But after I started the first row of stockinette, my husband looked over at me and asked: "How are my socks coming?"

So, long story short: Bye bye Cutaway. It's sockmania time!

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (2)

December 19, 2005

Stop the Presses

We have actual KNITTING content here at Christmas ornaments-R-Us. I finally managed to get a non-blurry picture of the cable pattern I'm using for my Grandma's scarf, Winter Vineyard. It is a bit unique because the number of crossed stitches are not equal -- one stitch crosses over 2 stitches each time. I also really like this scarf because it is reversible -- there are cables on both sides. If you want to see a pattern (and keep in mind I've never written one before), click here.

The good news is that I finished the scarf, with plenty of time to spare! (Not really -- I wanted to finish this weekend so my parents could take it with them to my grandma's for Christmas, since I won't be there.)

The bad news is ... I left it at my parents house without taking a finished picture!

Don't worry, though. My grandma has made me promise I will visit sometime not-too-long after Christmas. So I'll be sure to get a pic with the happy (!) recipient.

As you can see, we got a little snow at my mom and dad's house this weekend. It was great because it wasn't enough to make the roads bad, but just enough to have big fat snowflakes floating around outside while we celebrated Christmas.

Next weekend... Christmas with the in-laws and more knitted gifts! (Don't worry, they're already done.) I'll be sure to take pictures this time!

Posted by zarah at 12:00 PM | Comments (1)

December 1, 2005

It's a bird, it's a plane!

It's Super-Swatch!

Confession time: I have never actually knitted a swatch, cast off, washed and blocked before. Is it any wonder I've had the problems I've had? That would be a no. But this is a fully processed swatch. And I don't think the size changed one centimeter. But hey, it could have!

I'm trying to change my bad habits, because I am jumping (timidly) back into sweater-land. Someday, this tiny swatch will grow up to be a mighty Cutaway cardigan.

The yarn is quite pretty too, isn't it? I'm on a tweed kick lately. I found this Queensland Kathmandu DK at discountyarnsale.com (color 417 -- also my area code, how random).

Posted by zarah at 10:28 PM | Comments (3)

Blanket needs a name!

This is one of my on-going projects. It is a log-cabin quilt pattern that I add to whenever I finish a project a have a little yarn left. Right now it is about 18 inches by 18 inches, so I've got quite a way to go. I was thinking I should post a progress pic every so often, so to keep track of how it's going. Just for reference, I started this a little less than a year ago.

I really like it because it reminds me of the crazy quilts my grandma used to make -- absolutely no regard for matching, and they turned out looking great.

Anyway, I need a name for this little project -- any suggestions?

You can find directions for how to make your very own log-cabin knitted blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting -- here.

Posted by zarah at 11:06 AM | Comments (2)

November 28, 2005

Yarn & Chocolate...

Look what I got in the mail! Jeannine was nice enough to respond when I put out the call for yarn to finish the toes of the beautiful possum socks I am making for my husband. I wanted some nice wool but it had to be washable, since that's the reason I bought the possum yarn in the first place! She rummaged through her stash and came up with this lovely dark gray Muskoka, 100% merino wool -- and mailed it all the way from the Netherlands! Being the nice girl that she is, she also sent delicious dark chocolate. (When my husband saw that, he decided the time I spend blogging isn't wasted after all!)
Here are the socks that lack toes. I am notorious for trying to save on the heating bill by moving the thermostat "just one degree lower" in the winter, so I figured the least I could do was make my husband some nice socks to keep warm around the house. They are knitted with worsted weight yarn so they go super fast -- I should have a finished product soon!

I think they will be much warmer with toes!

Posted by zarah at 6:02 PM

November 14, 2005

Never-Ending Sweater Update

I've been finishing things like crazy lately... so of course my camera would be lost. I'll add photos later.

Many of you followed the saga of the Men's Zipped Raglan sweater I am knitting for my husband. First I ran out of yarn, then I sent it out to have the zipper sewn in and it was done wrong, and now all that stuff is fixed but it ridiculously stretchy. The yarn itself has some stretch to it, but I guess if you combine that small amount of stretch over a whole sweater, it becomes super-stretchy. My husband and I could fit in it together if we tried. The main problems seems to be the armholes and the neckline -- I think if they were less stretchy, the rest of the sweater would behave.

So, my idea is to sew some non-stretchy hem tape into the neck and armholes and connecting them all together (the armholes meet at the neck, since its a raglan). Basically, it would be like a little harness for the stretchy sweater. Has anyone ever had this problem before or know if my solution will work?

Posted by zarah at 10:10 AM | Comments (1)

November 10, 2005

Same old, same old

I've been working a little bit on Midwest Moonlight, slowly watching the last ball of yarn dwindle down to nothing. It pretty much looks the same, so no new progress pics to show. I think the weather is going to cooperate with me, and turn cold right about the same time as when I finish. I really started liking to knit this scarf as soon as I started remembering to put in all the YOs. Ripping back to fix one is a pain when there are lots of other YOs on lower rows.

I haven't started anything new in a while, even though my yarn for Cutaway showed up a week or so ago. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to knit any Christmas gifts this year. I haven't really been in the Christmas spirit lately, what with the 80 degree weather and all. My LYS is having a Christmas party at the beginning of December, so I need to get my butt in gear and knit a little ornament for the gift exchange. Does anyone have any suggestions for cute knitted ornaments?

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (2)

November 2, 2005

Yallow scarf

Here I am with my latest creation... no, I didn't graft two dogs together to make a super-long one, that's just my dachshund, Lucy. I'm talking about Maize, my latest scarf for sale at Art & Souls (a local art gallery). I'm trying to be "artsy," so I wanted to come up with a unique design. I wrote about my design process here. I think it is pretty cute, even though I originally didn't like the color very much.

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (2)

October 28, 2005

Calm down... maybe it can be fixed.

The sweater is done, and I got it back from the dry cleaners where I had the zipper sewn in. I have my husband try it on.... DISASTER.

Here are the problems.
1. The yarn is slightly stretchy. I didn't realize quite how stretchy, though. The weight of the sweater pulls itself down so the sleeves are way long and the shoulders are all stretched out. Also, the armpit holes seem to be hanging all the way down to his waist.
2. The zipper is installed wrong. I bought a zipper that was exactly the right length to go from the bottom of the sweater all the way up to the top of the collar. But the idiot who sewed it in stretched out the body of the sweater so it runs from the bottom of the sweater up to the neckline -- but not up the collar. So the collar is just flopping around loose.

The really annoying thing is, when this thing is just laying out flt, it looks perfect. The shape matches up exactly with a sweater that fits my husband perfectly. So... what should I do?

Please give me any suggestions you can think of. Here's what I'm thinking right now:

Obviously, the zipper needs to be fixed. So, I'm taking it back to the place today to get that done. (I would do it myself, but for $18, they should do it right!)

I think a lot of the stretching issues can be resolved if I somehow reinforce the neckline and armholes. I'm thinking about sewing in some seam tape or whatever that stuff is called. Since it's a raglan sweater, the armhole seams meet the neckline -- maybe if it's all connected with not-stretchy tape, the rest of the sweater will behave.

If the sleeves are still too long after the tape is added, I can shorten them without much trouble, I think.

So, it is fixable?

Posted by zarah at 1:35 PM | Comments (1)

October 27, 2005

Kill me now

I am observing a moment of silence on the blog as I try not to burn my completed sweater THAT DOES NOT FIT. I will rage in silence. And my stomach will continue eating itself. I am so mad at this stupid sweater.

Posted by zarah at 10:14 AM | Comments (1)

October 25, 2005

Possum, it's what's for dinner

I really like the yarn I'm using for the Man Socks. It's a pretty color and not too slippery for superwash. I started wondering what was giving it the soft and slightly fuzzy texture, so I checked out the label a little more closely then I did when I was swiping it out of the bargain bin at my LYS.

The mystery ingredient? Possum. That's right -- I'm making socks out of possum fur. (Well, only 30% possum fur, but still!) Now, I don't know what you think of when you think of possums, but I think of roadkill. Apparently it's quite a "luxury yarn," (and it does seem nice to knit with), but I just keep thinking: what's next, a scarf out of raccoon? Perhaps I just need to rename my blog Hillbilly Knitting.

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (2)

October 24, 2005

Photos at last!

Here it is, the sock that has given me so much grief. You will notice the lovely colorway, "Java," which is boring enough for men's socks, but interesting enough to keep the knitter entertained. You will also notice the heel flap construction, which I was not planning on doing, but I couldn't quite master the short-row. What you may not be able to see is that I RAN OUT OF YARN AGAIN! This is exactly why I wanted to start toe-up, but I couldn't figure it out. I was almost ready to tear my eyes out, but my dear friend Meredith pointed out that I could just do the toe in a complimentary color. It will be inside a shoe most of the time anyway. Thank you Meredith -- my sanity remains intact thanks to you!

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (2)

October 18, 2005

Grrr... Argh...

I started knitting another scarf for sale yesterday. I wanted to use up the rest of my red yarn (about a skein and a fourth) but still get a decent length scarf, so I did a skinny version of Red Rocks, with only one cable down the center. (I shall name it "Rio Rojo.")

I just finished the first skein, and joined the leftovers from the second ball. Umm.... major color difference. I love the hand painted yarn, but this is ridiculous. Maybe I'll rip a few rows back and alternate the new ball with the old. I just HATE to do that when there's not even a mistake to fix (cause you know I've had to do that plenty, too!)

Pics soon, I promise. My "technical difficulty" is my husband being out of town at a technology conference. I realized it's pretty hard to post pictures when your camera goes to California!

Did anyone see Extreme Home Makeover on Sunday? They were making over a camp for disabled kids in the same (tiny) town as where my grandma lives -- it's about an hour and a half from Springfield. I'm not normally into that show (dare I say it... too sappy?) but it was a pretty good one. Plus we got to see that beautiful Missouri landscape. (And Ty only said he was "in the middle of nowhere," oh... three or four times?)

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM

October 17, 2005

The never-ending sweater...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an announcement. The impossible has occurred. The time-space continuum has warped. The never-ending sweater is COMPLETE!

I am dropping it off today to have the zipper sewn in! It will then go into hiding until my husband's birthday in early November.

This the first sweater I have ever knitted. I am so excited to finally have it done. I'm still a little concerned about fit (trying it on with the circular needle still in it can be a bit tricky) and the yarn choice (it's kind of stretchy) but I'm not worrying about that now... it's done!

(No pictures this week, I am having technology issues.)

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM | Comments (1)

October 11, 2005

I'm jealous!

Carrieoke already finished her Cutaway! Go see!

Posted by zarah at 5:35 PM | Comments (1)

Slow progress

Slowly but surely wins the race! I have been distracted by other knitting projects lately (never-ending sweater!) but hopefully I will finish this little gift to myself before the winter chill sets in here in Springfield. I actually have finished a little more than this photo shows -- I knitted up the end of the first ball last night while watching Be Cool. I never saw Get Shorty, but it was a good knitting movie. I'm not quite skilled enough to totally take my eyes off my work, so I like movies/TV shows that have lots of dialogue. My current favorites: West Wing, King of the Hill, and Scrubs.

Posted by zarah at 10:28 AM

October 4, 2005

It's ALMOST a sweater!

Here's proof: I really am ALMOST done with M's sweater. I just had to take a month-long hiatus while I waited for more yarn to arrive. Right now I'm busy finishing up a scarf for sale, but hopefully sometime this week I will find time to test the new yarn and see if it matches well enough to avoid ripping back to the stripe. (Knock on wood, fingers crossed, please please please!)

This is the Men's Zipped Raglan out of Last-Minute Gifts. I used Schoeller Stahl Merino Stretch and added the chest stripe since the yarn I used doesn't have the natural variegation of the Manos that is recommended.

Posted by zarah at 10:42 AM | Comments (1)

October 3, 2005

Yarn Harvest

I know three little balls of yarn doesn't look like much to be thankful for, but I was overjoyed to see these arrive in my mailbox this weekend. They are all that stand between me and my first finished sweater! (knock on wood)

Here's the story: I've been knitting consistently for about a year now. Finally, my husband started wondering: when are you going to make something for me? We looked through my small collection of knitting books and he picked out the Men's Zipped Raglan from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. (of course, it is not one of the "last minute" patterns.) I started the sweater in April or May. I was trucking along nicely, working on it and a few other projects. I was almost to the shoulders when I realized... I'm going to run out of yarn. I had gone down a couple of needle sizes to make the stitches smaller (which involves lots of fun math -- but that's another post) and it never occurred to me that smaller stitches = more yarn. Well, now I know.

I had originally bought the yarn from elann.com, but in the meantime they sold out of the color I needed. I checked eBay and my local yarn shops, but they didn't have it either. Finally I just started calling shops listed on the manufacturer's website. The owner of Wildflower Yarns in Manhattan, KS found out that Yarn Theory in Bedford, VA had the yarn I needed and arranged to have to shipped to me. I've never been to either of these shops, but I can guarantee they have excellent service. They reallly went out of their way for someone they had never even heard of.

So now I have a sweater to knit. And the moral of the story is: Never talk to muffin trees.

Posted by zarah at 7:04 AM

September 29, 2005

Moonlight Madness

MmMmMmMm.... I cast on for Moonlight Madness with my lovely Jo Sharp yarn. I love the yarn and I love the pattern so far. I have had to rip back a couple times, where I mysteriously lost a stitch without having dropped any. I blame the yarn overs.

So far I am not seeing the zig-zag effect that the picture in the book shows. But hopefully it will start happening as the end of the scarf gets farther from the needle.

Oh, can I just say WOW at the great deals in Elann's last newsletter? What a great resource for affordable yarn. Unfortunately I am on a yarn diet until I sell some scarves. I had to make a fairly major investment on the yarn upfront (more than I noramlly spend, at least!) some I need to knit it up before buying more.

Yes... I have willpower not to buy yarn... Just stay out of the yarn shops!

Posted by zarah at 10:00 AM

September 28, 2005

Fat Cables

Look! I finished my second Art & Souls scarf. This is also my first cabled project. I think it looks pretty good for a beginner. It is a simple 6 stitch cross-over cable. I call it "Fat Cables" because that is what Size 11 needles do to a cable. It's just a fact of life. I attempted to cable without a cable needle, but of course I am too stubborn to actually look up instructions, so that ended in disaster. Pretty much every time I would try to do it, I would drop stitches left and right.

Is there a way to fix a cable crossed in the wrong direction without ripping back to the mistake?

Posted by zarah at 8:35 PM | Comments (1)

September 19, 2005

All-Blogger Shrug

My inaugural blog photo! It is very blurry but I was taking pics at night. At least this shows the yarn I used a little bit. The un-pattern I used was from Purly Whites, and can be found here. The only change I made was knitting the two arm sections in the round -- no seaming for Zarita! I also didn't put any edging on the wrists -- I ran out of yarn.

The yarn is ONline Linie 76 Cup -- everything on the tag is in German, so I'm not really sure what the color name is. It is a mostly burgandy colored yarn with orange, pink and blue threads running alongside and occasionally changing to beige, green, red, or blue. It sounds really gaudy but the color changes are fairly subtle. I like the way it looks when it is knitted up. It's about 50% wool, 50% poly -- I don't think it's too scratchy, but it's been too warm to wear it yet.

Posted by zarah at 7:18 PM