String and Sealing Wax and Other Fancy Stuff

It's been slow on the knitting front this week. Started a sleeve for the Smock Coat and then frogged it. (Surprise!) Knit a few rounds on Darling, but not liking the look of the increases so I need to email the designer to see of I'm doing them correctly, so that project came to a complete halt.

However, I do have a FO for you guys. Alert the Media!

Finished Object 2007 #2:

A Four Corners Dishcloth.

Made from Sugar N Cream cotton yarn in the Key Lime Pie colorway on size 8 DPNs (because I couldn't find my straight 8 bamboo needles and I was too lazy to go and look for them.) If you'd like to make one for yourself, the pattern can be found here: http://1870pearl.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/01/pocket_knitting.html

I also got busy on Rachelle's socks, which I had to rip out completely because they were too narrow for her gigantic feet! I kid. Her feet are perfectly dainty. The pattern was screwy, and I decided to go with the River Rapids Socks pattern from Sockbug instead. See.

Yep, they're flashing and pooling at the same time! I AM GIFTED! Actually, flashing and pooling don't bother me, it's just the nature of the beast, or in this case, yarn. If it bothers you Rachelle, too bad. :P LOL Just be greatful that someone is finally knitting YOU something.

Now, I just need to try it on Rachelle's foot and see if they're okay. I'm a little worried. These socks now fit my gi-normous feet just fine. Now, I'm worried they're going to be too big. Hence, the needles still in the socks.

And finally, the reason why not a lot of knitting got done this week:

Zelda rocks! And it is so kickin' my butt! But I'm persevering with a lot of help from the game guide. :) I'm already to the desert section!

Peace out,
Mel

P.S. Anybody know where I got the title for this entry from? No googling to find out. Just curious to see if anybody else is as weird as I am with the Pop Trivia. First one to guess correctly wins a ball of Sugar and Cream yarn from my stash so they too can make their own Four Corners Dishcloth. (Yeah, I know. I'm a BIG spender.)

Ice, Ice, Baby!

So it's been kinda quiet here at Chez KFR this week. I've been knitting; it's just that brown seed stitch and gray stockinette just isn't very interesting to show, at least until I've made some noticable progress. So, without further ado....

One back for the Smock Coat and...

Two sleeves for the Darling Coat!

Yep, been sittin' around listening to 2 days worth of sleet hitting the windows and knitting away. Very nice. Though I did attempt to do some organization of the stash yesterday, see.


Of course it's still a work in progress. I've got 2 cubbies for sock yarn, a cubby and a half for cottons, and the rest of the cubbies are for wool and acrylics. The bins are holding my cross stitch and needlepoint supplies. The two bins on the floor are odds and ends left over from finished projects. The tan object just to the left and barely showing in the second picture, is a soft-sided under the bed container that is holding all of my Red Heart yarn. Looks like I've got plenty to keep me busy for the year of knitting from the stash and finishing up the UFOs. (And I haven't even shown you guys the other 2/3 of my stuff which hasn't even made it into the closet yet, though this is about 95% of my yarn!)

Well, I'll be sittin' tight at home with the family for a third day of sleet and ice, so back to the knitting and the organizing. Keep your fingers crossed that we'll keep our power!


Ice, Ice, Baby! Bum ba da dum bum bum bum!

Mel :)

I've Discovered Something About Myself

I don't like knitting from charts.

Especially large charts with patterns I can't seem to memorize. Give me a written out pattern any day. I'd like to know what I am supposed to do clearly and concisely, thank you very much.

What sparked this revelation? This:


Knitting from the chart shows that the end stitch to be a yarn over. I had one extra stitch on the needle. Everything was correct. So, what do I do with the extra stitch. Does it tell me in the pattern instructions? No. So I combined it when I purled back. Going along my merry way, I kept at it for a few more rows when, I got to the final row.


Oops, I'm missing a couple of stitches now. Now what?


Yep, I frogged it. (That's okay, wasn't really liking the pattern in cotton anyway.)

I hate patterns that assume you've knit lace before, or are experienced at reading charts and know what you're supposed to do. Give me a break. Spend a few pennies more and be specific. OR give me written out directions.

Back to the grey blob and the brown blob. That is all.

Later daze,
Mel

All is Forgiven

So I picked up the gray, wool heap from the floor, gave it a little hug and went back to work on it. See, I've started a sleeve!


Really, I had to do it. One can only look at dark brown seed stitch for so long before they start going cross-eyed. :)

And this was in the mail when I got home:


Brand new set of 32" KnitPicks cables. The ones that came in my set, would not sit in the needle tips properly, so I called the friendly folks at KP, and they cheerfully rushed out a replacement.

See, they work!


Later daze,
Mel

Seed Stitchin' Along

OK, so the project I was working on is still sitting in a heap on the floor across the room where I threw it during my little tantrum yesterday morning, and I still haven't quite forgiven it yet. Bad knitting. >:(

So I was sittin' here, bored out of my skull, playing game after game of solitare and trying really hard to ignore the laundry, when lo and behold, the postwoman arrived with this:



My order from KnitPicks arrived--14 balls of the new Swish Superwash Yarn. I am in love with the feel of this yarn. So soft, not itchy or stiff or scratchy at all. And that is a good thing, cause I'm knitting up my 1 year old niece her b-day present with it. All of that yarn is going to turn into this:


a Smock Coat by Debbie Bliss

and this:

the Pompon Beret, also by Debbie Bliss, both from her book Simply Baby.

So I cast on immediately for the Smock Coat and have managed to get this far since yesterday afternoon:



That's 5 1/2" of seed stitch for the back of the coat in dark brown yarn on size 5 needles. That's the second ball of yarn right there. Only 7 more inches to go and I get to decrease down a bunch of stitches. Time to go pop in another DVD of Battlestar Galactica and get to work. :)

Later daze,
Mel

I'm Throwing the Knitting Across the Room

I. HATE. INCREASING.

That is all.

Mel

The First Finished Object of 2007!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you read that right. I have a FINISHED object of knitting to show you....

Birthday socks!

These are for my niece, who's birthday is February 16th! She'll be 3.

Knit with the now discontinued Parade yarn from KnitPicks on size 2 needles using the 2 circ method. I don't know what the color is called as the name is not listed on the ball band, but keeping calling it Grape in my head, so maybe that was it. I used the generic sock pattern from this book: http://www.interweave.com/knit/books/knitters_handy.asp. It is an excellent book. Two thumbs way up!

I did have to frog the first sock (big shocker) because my gauge in the round is tighter than my gauge knitting flat, so instead of 6 sts to the inch, I was getting 7 sts. Needless to say, the sock was a little too tight for the lucky recipient.

I began these on Saturday afternoon. I started to re-knit the first sock Sunday while watching Battlestar Galactica Season 1 DVDs and ringing in the New Year. (I'm such a party animal, I know.) Finished the second sock tonight. Now, they fit perfectly, if I do say so myself.

Off to go work on the next project waiting in the wings....

Later daze,
Mel

Happy New Year!

It's January 1, 2007, a time to look back and reflect on what I accomplished last year and what I want to accomplish this year.

2006 was the first full year of my knitting life. I started many projects. I frogged a few. And I even managed to finish some of them.

Finished Objects for 2006:

Pair of socks for DD
2 pair of socks for DS the Younger
2 pair of socks for DS the Elder
1 sweater for DH (a christmas present that he loved by the way!)
Hat and scarf for Mom
Hat and Scarf for Dad
2 matching cotton halter tops (1 for DD and 1 for my niece)
Poncho for another niece (this was crocheted, but it still counts!)
Striped tunic and hat for DD (this was my Knitting Olympics project)
Lady bug sweater for DD (this was my Knitting World Cup project)
OU Stocking Hat (My design.)
2 sets of Tiger hats and socks for my twin nephews
2 pumpkin hats for my twin nephews
2 baby hats and 2 pairs of baby socks
Sweater for DS the Younger
Lady bug short set for DD
Jumper for DD
Kitty and checks summer onesie for niece
Cotton cardigan for DD
Black and white houndstooth poncho for ME!
Baby bumblebee bootie socks for sister-in-law's new nephew
Strawberry Shortcake doll for DD (this was crocheted too, but it still counts!)
Head band and fingerless Fetching mitts
Sweater jacket for a little girl (I designed this myself.)
Long stocking hat for DS the Younger
1 sock for DD
1 sock for ME!

Hmm, I've knit quite a bit for DD. Of course she's small and her projects do go quicker (and they're cuter too.)

I have some unfinished projects that I need to finish up this month:

1 sock for ME
1 sock for DD
Pirate sweater for DS the Elder (All I need to do is seam the darn thing, but I hate seaming. Next time the boy is getting a one piece raglan from the top down!)
My first lace shawl
2 Baby cardigans (I'm designing these myself.)
Tote bag
DH's Aran sweater
Yellow cotton sweater for DD (Again, a seaming issue.)
Dragon scarf
Purple tank top for ME
and finally, Rachelle's birthday socks so that she will stop bugging me! LOL LOL LOL

I have lots of projects I want to do this year. I also plan on trying to knit exclusively from my stash a la Wendy of http://wendyknits.net. (Of course, sock yarn and any yarn purchased to use for a gift knit doesn't count.) I also vow to knit my hubby a complete pair of socks!

I would also like to do a bit more designing and get the stash organized. I also want to update the blog a little more frequently than I did this year. And just maybe, maybe, knit a little something for me: http://www.knitscene.com/photos/spring2007/earth/project1b.asp

Finally, a picture of a little something I finished a few months ago but never showed:

DD in her Tater's Cotton Cardi from Marie Grace's blog http://mariegrace.typepad.com.

It was a joy to knit and very quick. I used Sinfonia mercerized cotton yarn in Turquoise. I knit it a size larger because I wasn't sure how much it would shrink when washed. It didn't so she should get a couple of years wear out of it. The only change I made was I crocheted the ties instead of knitting them.

Happy New Knitting Year Everyone!
May your stash be plentiful and your gauge spot on!

Mel