Valentine

Let me unveil everything I have knit this year.

Flamingo by Opal



The Knock-Around Weekend Sweater

Gaunsey Socks

I've spun some merino

Knitting this yarn for the 3rd time



Look, I finished the 2007 car socks

The Puff Sleeved Sweater

After Needlefingers Green and Purple post. I love that post. I took a good hard look at my own knitting and noticed that everything I had knit in 2008 was pink, chocolate brown, or white. It seemed fitting to unveil it today. You can thank me for not pulling out and taking photos of my stash to could show that I could spend the rest of 2008 knitting only pink, brown, and white.

Needlefingers, how about sending me a skein of green and purple sock yarn to cleanse my palette? I have Bewitched soap and Blue Lotus lotion with your name on it. I would send you some pink yarn as trade but I know that would never do.

SLR

I'm required to take a photography class this year (yes, life is rough) and for it I had to get a good SLR digital camera. In the tradition of knitting blogs everywhere let me present my cat.

I love how a shallow depth of field makes my dirty kicthen just look like pretty colors.

It's not all fun and games, or should I say, point and click. A nice shot setup. Look how the yarn matches his eyes? And I miss on the focus.

January Socks

I'm very pleased with these socks even if I can't get the pattern to show up in photos.

I started knitting socks 7 years ago. For a long time socks was pretty much all I knit. But some how once I hit 14 pairs I stopped knitting socks for myself. After all, my 7 year old socks still look like new.

This year I want to change that. I want to knit a pair a month for me to keep. 12 new pairs of socks. Think of the wonder. I'll probably forget by July but I hope to remember to at least knit a pair for myself before knitting a pair for someone else.

I also want to knit 12 sweaters this year too. That might not be as good of an idea. But I did start 2 new ones in January, and now both are stalled. Watch me have 12 new sweater UFOs next December.

Classes have started so there is not much time to write but I wanted to post some more photos.


New Years Eve Gifts for the little ones.


Dinosaur Helmet

3 Little Felted Mittens

Some were not well recived.

Everyone had to try on the House Elf Hat. (look at the cool inside)



All knit from my stash. All knit out of wool. Mostly KP Merino Style.

African Inspired Sweaters

For the past 3 years I've knit a ethnic sweater from some spot on the globe for the little people in my life. This years theme is Africa and I knit dashikis for everybody. 3 came from my own head. 1 is the Orphan for Orphans pattern modified quiet a bit and the last is haiku from knitty modified not at all.

Snow Flakes

I was in a winter secret pal swap with my online knitting group. I got a nice package of yarny goodness.

It was all so much more than I can exspress in words so I'll just let the photos do it.






I got 4 balls of really yummy Frog Tree alpaca to knit some color work mittens
1 pair of color work mittens in case i never knit my own
1 organic chocolate bar
1 pair of cat toy mittens



Sumi-e could smell the cat toys and had to help






Thank You

Old and the New

For the most part I don’t reflect too much over the old year or make resolutions for the new. But a few things of happened this year that are worth noting.

Joey: a year ago I called a halt to his cancer treatment after 2 rounds of chemo didn’t eradicate it. He had been on the chemo drugs for 6 month and I felt that putting him though any more would be cruel. The next step was amputation of his back leg and radiation. I stopped all drugs, all treatment, and expected him to last another 3 month. He is still with me today and feeling much better than he did during treatment. The tumor is still there and is still growing but I have hope that he will make it another year.

School: That has gone better than I ever could have hoped. For the new year I want the same success and for it to pay off. A job would be nice. Finishing off the program instead would be nice too. With my being satisfied with either option it should make it easer to be happy with my choices this time next year.

Self Image: I’ve been told a few times in the last year that I’m looking good. That was very nice and they are right. But looking in the mirror I wish I had arm muscles. Strong arms capable of doing anything, especially wearing sleeveless tops. That’s the motivation; the reaction is I’m looking for a yoga or aerobics class to join. I realize that for what I want I would be best served by lifting weights. I've already found and discarded classes for that. I’m full of contradictions that way.

Knitting: I was able to knit 5 sweaters this fall and 3 of them fit great. Really, really great. I am very pleased with myself and my hope in the New Year is to rival those successes. Right now I’m in a slump. Oh, I’ve started and finished a pair of socks in 2008 all ready but I don’t have any passion* about starting any new projects. I suspect that I’ll keep knitting socks until something grabs me. And as much as I need new socks I hope it doesn’t take long.


*In the time between writting and posting I've cast on for a sweater. The slump didn't last long.

2007 Down the Drain

I came home from my New Year Eve party to this.

Sumi-e must have had some strong thoughts about 2007.

Pay it Forward

I saw this on Needlefinger's blog.

Thought I would play along.

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise!

The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I won't go so far as to demand you be a blogging reader, I know the premise is to make it visible in blogdom. But there are ways blogless readers can pay it forward. They are connected through knit groups and friends. It would be easy for them to continue the movement without a blog.

So, who's game?

Fini

Photos of the finished sweaters...

Cobblestone

Handspun Sweater, I did weave the ends in last night.

Briggs & Little

Lopi

Tree Jackett

Knitting on Cabblestone is Finished

I finished the knitting on Cobblestone last night and tried it on. I love it. Big and comfy but not too big. Pink but not too pink. Waist shaping would make it better but even so it's a good sweater. Maybe even a great sweater. Tonight I'll graft the underarms and tuck in the ends and it will be done. I can wear it on Thursday since I don't think we will be painting in Color Theory class.

Today I am wearing the other sweater I cast on and finished in November. I bought 4 skeins of Briggs & Little on sale and was so excited that I started swatching that night. 6 days later I had a finished sweater. And this time I was smart. I took out my favorite sweater of all time, a cotton sweater bought at Penny's a few years ago. I measured everything. The width, the armhole depth, the waist shaping and drew a schematic before I started. Then using knitting Without Tears I did an EZ percentage system saddle shoulder sweater with wast shaping and a panel of lace and cables down the front. It matches my schematics exactly and yet the hip shaping is a bit too abrupt and the waist shaping too high. Goes to show that measurements from a freshly washed cotton sweater don't transfer over well to wool. But overall this sweater is a succes. And the minor problems it does have can be fixed with a steam block. I'm wearing it right now.

I want to post photos but next week is the last week of school. That means 3 final projects, a paper, and portfolio review. I have very little motivation and have squandered my morning online. Having typed that I might be motivated to start working for the day.

Anyway, no photos this week or next. Maybe photos the week after. I have so much to show. It seems that I've been buying some yarn.

Sherri

Just checking in

I haven't been blogging because my knitting is gotten in the way. I can't put it down long enough to download the photos. But I've finished the Tree Jacket, the Spartan Pullover, the Lopi Sweater, a Sweater of my Own Design out of Briggs & Little, and am 90% done on Cobblestone that I started since posting last.

Take that NaKniSweMo.

Tag

I've been Tagged. I'm of two minds about this. First was Whoohoo someone does read this blog. Love you Needlefingers. The other was dang I now have to do this.

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? I didn't laugh last night. I was knitting. Fun but not funny.

2. What were you doing at 0800? Stopping at the store to buy cinnamon rolls for class. Mondays where I haven't finished my homework needs a little something extra.

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Playing around online.

4. What happened to you in 2006? Nothing good.

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? No, I did not bake the cinnamon rolls.

6. How many beverages did you have today? Just my coffee. I'd better go find some water.

7. What color is your hairbrush? Don't know, don't care. But my toothbrush is pink.

8. What was the last thing you paid for? Cinamon rolls.

9. Where were you last night? Knitting while listening to Kim by Kipling. I love books on tape.

10. What color is your front door? Gray.

11. Where do you keep your change? In a coffee mug, a bowl, another bowl, a carved wooden box, and the pockets of my coat.

12. What’s the weather like today? Dark, windy, and warm.

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Rocky Road.

14. What excites you? Buying yarn, learning new things, and having people over.

15. Do you want to cut your hair? Yes, it needs a trim.

16. Are you over the age of 25? Yes.

17. Do you talk a lot? When I have someone to talk to I'm a chatterbox but I can go all week without talking to anybody.

18. Do you watch the O.C.? No, it's not still on, is it?

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Steven and Stephen and if there is another spelling I know him too.
20. Do you make up your own words? All the time.

21. Are you a jealous person? No, I don't think so.
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Anna

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Needlefingers

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Is that on my phone? I try to leave my phone alone. We are all happier that way.

25. What does the last text message you received say? See above. I like to leave my phone alone. If it rings I answer it. That's all a phone should do.

26. Do you chew on your straw? Yes.

27. Do you have curly hair? No, it's limp and thin. It could use a little curl.

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? I haven't decided. Maybe Half Priced Books to turn a few of my books into cash.

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? I can't think of anyone. I usually don't dwell on such things.

30. What was the last thing you ate? Cinamon rolls, already.

31. Will you get married in the future? I think not.
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? I haven't watched a movie since, what did I go see this summer?... Right! Spiderman 3 sometime in July. I don't care that much about movies.

33. Is there anyone you like right now? All my friends, but my family is giving me pains.

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? By hand? I think not. I ran the dishwasher yesterday.

35. Are you currently depressed? No, thankfully. That doesn't happen until mid winter.

36. Did you cry today? No, why would I?

37. Why did you answer and post this? Because it's my very first tag.

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. No, I think not. Let it die here.

33%

I knit the sleeves up. Since the body of the sweater was so big I may have knit the sleeves a bit big too. Maybe by an inch, maybe even two inches. But when I was happy with them I did the math and I was right at 33% of 190. I used this as an excuse to do nothing to the body. It must be fate. Or me twisting the information to be what I wanted not what it really is. But is there a difference? So I’ll have another oversized sweater to add to my closet.

It could be pointed out that I don’t wear either of my 2 other oversized sweater and I rationalized this way. Both of them are 44” around this one is only 42” I’m sure those 2 inches will make all the difference. Also I’m going to knit 2 or 3 more inches to the body so it’s a long oversized sweater. I’ve learned my lesson that a 44” really short sweater never gets worn because it makes me look stumpy and heavy. The other one is long but I don’t wear it either. The ribbing flares out at the bottom after felting it a little bit in the machine to make it smaller. I am ignoring that it went into the machine because I wasn’t wearing it.

I’m just sure that the 2 inches will make all the difference.

No really, it will.

At the Crossroads

Ok, there are a few ways I can deal with this.

Pull it all out and start over

Pull it out to the color work band, decide where around my hips it should rest, measure and map the inches to my waist, decrease away 30 stitches, the do the same and increase back up to the bust to 175 stitches or so.

The second is more complicated and much more prone to error and of course is the one I’m leaning toward. And do I want 160 stitches at the waist or more? Do I want my original 160 at the bust or do I now think that would be too snug? I’m pretty sure it would be too snug. Would 175 be better? Tinkerbelle was a Luster Longwool/Romney cross. Not soft at all, but surprisingly, not scratchy either and the yarn is shiny and smooth and a little crunchy with almost no drape. I’m now thinking 160 wouldn’t have been what I wanted either. All ready I’m scribbling out equations and feeling all sorts of unsure of myself.

I do know I want to make the saddle shoulder sweater from EZ No More Tears. So for now I’m putting the body aside and I’m knitting a sleeve to fit. EZ says the sleeve should be 33% of the body for this sweater so when I have the sleeve I can then figure out the bust size I want.

I really should just knit the sleeves first. I did that with the lopi sweater and it seems that I didn’t learn my lesson that ripping out and reknitting a sleeve is much nicer than doing that to the body of the sweater. I think I was too absorbed with the fact I had to rip out the sleeve. Now I know.

Ugh

Some days I hate my brain. Oh, usually it works well enough. It gets me by in regular life. It has even garnered me an invitation to join Mensa. But in some ways, It. Just. Does. Not. Work.

I was knitting along on the Spartan sweater having a grand time listening to The Fellowship of the Ring and then The Two Towers on tape and at an inch an hour had finally almost finished the body. Well, the tape measure said the body was almost long enough but it sure looked a bit stubby to me. But who can tell all bunched up on circular needles. I kept on knitting. 2 inches later it was for sure long enough and the stubby look was still there.

With growing dread I pulled the knitting off the needle and beheld an incredibly wide sweater and not the slim sweater I had cast on. Hmmm, gauge problem? I had been checking my gauge all along and it was spot on. I check it again. Nope, it’s still fine.

I measure it, I try it on, I push it and stretch it. Nothing comes to me. I count my stitches 3 times. It is the perfect 190 stitches. Somehow it is still too big.

I finally pull out my calculation card with all the scribbled and crossed out and erased math bits. And right there. Right in the center. With a big circle drawn around it and little stars marking it was my cast on number.

160.

Damn.

Handspun sweater

We are going to avert our eyes from the fact that I have 2 almost finished sweaters on the needles and I will show the new sweater I cast on. We will also ignore the elephant in the room that I don’t have anything close to gauge and that I may not have enough yarn. We will refrain from speaking of the amount of math I will need to do to make this one come out ok. Instead we will talk about the lushness of the handspun and the shinny happy joy of casting on a new sweater.

I bring you Spartan Pullover in IK Fall 2006.

The white yarn is handspun wool from the sheep Tinkerbelle and the brown yarn is handspun Shetland Llama blend. The soft hairiness of the brown yarn against the silk like shine of the white yarn gives me chills.

Lopi Sweater

With all of the talk about the Tree Jacket my Lopi sweater has fallen by the way side. But I still pick it up from time to time and am now almost done with the yoke.

But look at the yarn I have left. I bought the recommended amount for size M but I'm knitting the size S. I should have more than plenty. I'm almost done with the white part of the sweater and have barely used half of the first of the 2 balls it calls for. I guess if I was knitting the M I might have needed 2 feet or so from the second ball, maybe. But that is being generous I can't imagine even in the size M using more than one ball of white.

That is my last ball of blue. It's half gone and I still have plenty of knitting left. Now I'll have to knit faster so I can finish the sweater before the yarn runs out. I would have been in big trouble if I had actually knitted the size M. I seriously think sweater patterns designers just take wild guesses when saying how many balls of yarn a sweater will take. I will ignore the fact that my sweater is actually 3 to 4 inches bigger than the size S should be so my running loose with my gauge is what is causing this yarn shortage and not bad record keeping by the designer.

Ok, it’s time to graft the tree jacket back together. I’m not sure about the arm shaping. The red circle shows were the first decrease is but the arrow is where I now think the first decrease should be. And the funny shape that the increases made (pointed to with the green arrows) I have a bad feeling about those. But I just can’t tell until I put the sweater on and I can’t do that until the sweater is all back together.

The 2 pieces of the tree jacket waiting to be grafted.

Grafting the first stitch.

Tangles happen all the time.

A few inches in, so far so good.

Woot! Two hours later and only a few inches left.

It’s all done and surgery scar shows. I hope that a good washing will relaxes the grafting edge. But it may not relax enough. My tension varied wildly as I grafted the two pieces back together and the extra knit row before the eyelets starts shows more than I hoped. I thought of that before I started but decided I wasn’t ready to learn to graft garter stitch together. I’m going to see if I can get used to it and if I can’t I bet I can cover it up with a bit of beading or embroidery or maybe a ribbon.
But look at the funny edge from increasing at the bust. It looks just like my Photoshop drawing said it would but I had sort of thought it wouldn’t be that drastic. I hope it falls better when I’m wearing it.

Good it does. The grafting scar still shows but the fit is just right.

Oops, not the arm. I need to give that another try.

Taking apart the Tree Jacket

The first step of reducing the bulk of the underarm on the tree jacket is to take the perfect body off of the very imperfect yoke. I started with snipping one stitch right above the body and pulling one row of stitches out. The live body stitches are put onto a circular needle and DP needles are used to tease the yarn out of its row. Doing this isn’t complicated but it does take care and with a clingy, furry, white yarn is a very slow process.


The first few inches are done.


With my fingers to see it better.



Look how well it is going.


Finally it’s done.



Sumi-e approves.


The next step is to unravel the Tree Jacket back to the safety pin that marks were the armhole should be. Then to join the body there and keep increasing at the underarms to bring the body stitch count back to the right number of stitches for re-joining and to knit new smaller sleeves. Once the sweater looks something like the Photoshop image I will try to graft the body back onto the yoke of the sweater.


I considered putting the increases in as bust darts for a more elegant fit rather than just increasing in the underarms. But I decided against it for all sort of reasons I can’t think of now. But it boiled down to keeping the raglan line going and that I wouldn’t have to think to do it this way. I won’t know for sure how it works out until I get the body back on.