SUMMER: DAY 1

The days are just flying by... Its now the first day of summer, and the weather is perfect. Why I'm not at the beach is beyond me! (i know, i know, had to go to work, uuug!) I did spend a lovely time eating lunch in the park though. Sunny, cool breezes, pleasant shade under the trees, good converations, and food. What more do you need!

Anyway, in knitting land, I've taken a break from my crop top, as things aren't going quite as intended. The stockinette stitch is curling a lot, even with a few rows of garder. I'v over thought the collar, trying to shape it the way you would a flat pattern, which also isn't working. I have a feeling am going to frog this and start again from scratch, but we'll see. I'm now thinking of knitting it sideways so that i'm starting at the sleeve and knitting across, which will eliviate some the curling and allow it lay the way i want. Then do a straight ribbed boat neck, which will fold the way i want..... I think.

So as I ponder that I've started knitting the Wisp pattern on the Knitty.com. Its a wonderfully easy pattern and makes for good mindless knitting.

I've also started a sock on #1 needles for my summer shoes. Its basically just the toe with a strap to hold it on. Perfect to protect my toes from rubbing inside my shoe when its really humid out.

SWATCHING

I love swatching. I know...I'm a freak... but hear me out. Of course i swatch for guage, but that makes it sound so dull. I swatch to experiment with stitches, new yarns, and color combinations. I swatch when i can't think of what i want to do next. I swatch when I just want to have non-committal knitting in my hands.


Here is a recent example: I was asked by a friend to shorten a store brought sweater. When I started to unravel the bottom, I discovered that the ribbing was very strange. I had to unravel two rows at a time!?! I did a little searching around and learned that the stitch is called Brioche or Prime Rib (tastey sounding isn't it!) Excited, I swatched it in the same yarn I had just unravelled, verifying that it was indeed the correct stitch. I also found several variations in The Big Book of Knitting, which calles it Shaker Knitting. I tried it with different yarns, of varying weights and color.

I save these because they can sometimes provide inspiration or reminders about what works where.

When I'm ready to start a project, thats when i swatch for guage. These I usually unravel, as the project itself will be a big enought swatch for future reference. Also I tend to write down the guage of projects I start, as I often have to recalculate for my measurements or check if I have enough yarn. (I learned that lesson the hard way, having run out of yarn and never finding the right dye lot again)

So swatch for fun, play around with new stitches, colors and textures. Cheers!

A little Backstory

Obsessed?...Dedicated ;-)

I started out as a crafter and a generalist, I would try things out and learn enough to create the desired item out of what i had laying around. Then move quickly to the next exciting dicipline, rotating between, origami, jewelry making, sewing, painting, drawing, sculpting, crochet, beading, even made a doll or two, and then there was knitting.

But the knitting cycle never lasted long. All I had were size 10", long aluminium needles, acrylic yarn and I was knitting English style. The end of the knitting needle would press into my thigh as i tried to balance the needle with each stitch. My arms got tired and my little swatchs never looked that good. I couldn't read patterns and frankly i couldn't imagine that anyone would suffer thru the pain to knit something bigger than dish towel. I put the needles down and moved on to more fruitful pastures.

Till one day, 4-ish years ago, I was in my crocheting cycle, and having a blast. I had just discovered Tunisian crochet and tapestry crochet. I was trying out the double sided crochet hooks, and knitting hats and bowls and... Anyway, I also discovered the amazing resources online. As I surfed the web, meandering as I do through all the cool stuff out there, getting side tracked very often, I fell upon Knitting Help, which had a video on how to knit Continental style. As I'm prone to do, i dropped everything, grabbed the rediculously long aluminum knitting needles and some crappy yarn and gave it try.

Little did I know, that moment would lead to right now: Me sitting, once again, in front of my computer, having finished a long day at work (in front of a computer) trying to find stretchy ways to bind off Double Knitting, reading blogs, planning my next projects... yawning, rubbing my eyes, yawning again, and decided that this is the best time to update my KNITTING blog!?!.

Little did I know, that I would barely dable in the many other crafts that brought so much joy. (Though I have been sketching....mostly new sweater ideas)

I never thought that something could keep my attention for so long (going on 3 years)....

~YAWN~

Ok, I really need to get off my computer now... don't want to go blind cause then I couldn't knit!

Spring is in the air

Spring is in the air, and its been here for a solid week (with one day of summer thrown in for good measure). My thoughts wander to lighter knits. the Anna Socks in Rowan #40, a short spring cardigan, a wispy scarf, short spring gloves, tank tops...

The task now is to look thru my stash and make so decisions. Sketch some ideas.

In the mean time I am making good progress on my Capecho redue. YAY!

UUUGG!

I haven't gotten around to photographing and posting my most recent FO's and FPO's. I did get batteries for my camera, but i have not had a moment to take pics. I would love to buy an arri lighting kit! (Among other expensive things that don't go on sale. Ahhh, the modern conviences.)

Anyway, I wanted to post something, as i get ready for bed. Its 1:20am. My eyes are glazed over in fatigue after a long day, I coulded let Another day pass regretting the list of things i didn't get to upon my return home from my day job. Feeling again robbed of precious time to read a book i must soon return to the library, robbed of the lighting to take pics for your enjoyment, robbed of getting to the supermarket when its open. My mood could just be a symptom of Feburary, that mid winter lull and another snowless day below 20 degrees F. It suposed to be a warm high of 30 degrees tomorrow :-)

Well, Goodnight and Hopefully a brighter and photo filled post will up the weekend.

Food for thought...

good quote from a fortune cookie:

No snow flake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.

chew on that for a minute!

Relaxing Holiday

I had a pleasant and Relaxing holiday.

This year, like no other, with the realities of wars, global warming, natural desasters, etc being at forfront of my mind, the idea of buying shit i don't need and getting shit i don't want is particulaly distastful. Which is why this holiday worked out so well.

I got a lovely heart felt card from a dear friend. I spent a few days with Family, eating good food, watching movies and knitting. I installed my zipper into the orange cardigan and knitted a pair of socks for my mom.

In the spirit of recycling i got some secondhand and useful things, like yarn bobbins, a great Samsonite hard suit case, zippers, threads, buttons, sewing needles, and pots and pans... All which help clean out others clutter.

Knit related, I got a single Turkish-style fair Isle sock! :-) I really like the motifs on it and I have never see this style sock done with such fine yarn (thread really). I own a pair of black and white turkish style slippers with a gauge of 4 sts per inch. This one has a gauge of 18 sts per inch. I've graphed the motifs, but i think i'd use a bigger gauge. I think I'll use the main motif on a knit bag that i've wanted to make.

Happy Holidays

What i like about the holidays is not working, or i should say not going to my paid work. I always endup working on all the stuff that i didn't or couldn't get to while I was a working. Right now that includes cleaning my apartment, finishing my orange cardigan and figuring out what pattern I am going to use on a knit bag. (I even got the hardware for the bag already.)
Its also a time to enjoy the city during the day and not on a weekend. So I'll be going the museums, especially the Met., the Brooklyn Museum and some of those museums i never get to, the the Museum of the City of New York.

And since it is only a week off, i try to plan enough that i get everything done, but not so much that i am stressed if something doesn't get done.

Anyhoo, i've needed a subway knitting project for a while now, and i've been very indecisive about it. So i decided to make a second "wrist thingy". After completing my finderless gloves, i've decovered how affective covering my wrists are against the cold. (who knew?) After that's done I'll start some socks for my mom and Dad, in the same yarn I used for the "fancy gentleman's sock".

I am determined to finish the orange cardigan. I want to where it for the new year!

I also have a lot of reading to do, as i have several books from Library on starting a business. Essencially a Production company/Artist studio. I'm writing the plan every so slowly and discovering that it may be two separate businesses....but thats the point of business plan, to figure it all out.

So Happy Holidays!

Spinning

Well its been two week since i purchased my drop spindle. I am really gettng the hand of it. Its so fun. Of course now i have decide what the knit with it. I still haven't measured to see how much i have.
I went to Silk City Fibers yesterday and in their $2 bin were two small bags of silk roving. Very Exciting. I'm going to hold off on that till i really have this spinning thing down.




In other news, I've completed a sheer scarf made of a wool, acrylic and pam varigated boucle. I bound off the end of the green tank top. Its rolling terribly, so i will add a boarder stitch to it. Still haven't touched my orange cardigan.

Sheep and Wool Festival, Rhinebeck

I went to the Sheep and Wool festival on the Sunday with my Dad. We both just had to the PunkinChunkin contest, of which we missed most of because they started an hour earlier then sceduled. But we did get to see the last round of chucks ! My Dad who has no idea about knitting, but understands fabrics was eager to see why i was so excited about this fest. By the end of the day, he was almost ready to buy a spinning wheel. ^_^. The layout of the festival was great. We watched the sheep shearing demo and looked at the prize winning alpaca. We felt yarns, rovings, and completed garments. We ooed and ahhed at the ladies spinning and the many fiber gadgets we saw.

Please understand, I have soft spot of gadgets. And fiber gadgets are among the more facinating because they are so simple. Niddy Noddys, Lacets, Knitting needles, crochet hooks, spinning wheels, and bobbins. Some of which were hand crafted out of fine woods.
I had two main goals for the festival, 1. see what all the hub bub was about, and 2. try spinning. It wasn't till we were at the last building they I found my drop spindle. JOY!! I got the Tsunami by Golding. It was perfect. Though i was tempted by several other great gadgets like the Journey Wheel (maybe next year).

I look forward to next year.

Rowan confusion...

I was thinking about making the Miss Marple pattern in Rowan 38, but i've found that the directions are a little confusing. One of my knitting friends started the Jefferson sweater and i helped her "translate" the directions. Is it just us? or are the Rowan directions a bit long winded. For example, they have ytf (take yarn to the front) and wyaf (with yarn at front) so the instructions say: Using yarn B K1, ytf, (sl 1) 3 times wyif, ytb, (sl 1 wyab).... I mean, duh! Could've just said Using yarn B K1, sl 3 sts wyif, sl 1wyab..., clearly i would HAVE to move the yarn to the front to acomplish the sl wyif. o_O!

Anyway!

I'm knitting a light weight scraf out of a this boucle yarn i got for Silk City Fibers. Its 52% Acrylic, 22%wool and 26% pam. (i don't what pam is). I've also been plugging away at the green tank top. I guess i've been in the mood for mindless knitting. I also pulled out the collar stitches on my sweetpotato cardigan.

I'm going to go to the Sheep and Wool fest in Rhinbeck next weekend, and hope to replenish my stash. I've never to been to this fest and i am excited about it. Most of what i have left are small quanitites of yarns, one or two skeins. These were yarns i purchased early on when i was just doing hats and scraves. AND They are having a pumpkin chunking contest on sunday :-D.

Link to a cute short

Very cute animated short about the obsession that is knitting. It called The Last Knit.