Selfish Knitting for the Holidays

Inspired by Marie I have cast on and completed the first side of a Brea Bag (pattern link).



This is like (almost) instant cable gratification. I'm using a chunky/bulky weight mystery yarn I got in a mill ends bag at Walmart years ago. I love how the cables and moss stitch are popping in it.

Knitting feels really really really good after all that crochet!

Oh! Hi There!

So... how are you?



We had a blizzard this past Friday. A real, honest to goodness, blustery blowing wind blizzard. It was awesome. And a bit scary. There are meter deep banks on streets all over the place. Some of the communities on the edge of the city have so much hard packed snow on the street that buses are snowed in and can't move. Following the blizzard our temperatures dropped so now it's wool season. Whee!

I've been working on afghans for my nephews & niece in Houston. I made afghans for the other nieces & nephews for Christmas 5 years ago so I figured the newer ones needed afghans too. I don't often crochet but I've been on a crochet kick the past few weeks while working on these blankets.

First up: If you knew my nephew Nicholas, you would not be surprised by my choice here.



If you ever want to hear a really in depth analysis of Spiderman, taking into account aspects of Black Spiderman (Venom?) and all the ramifications of the changes in Spiderman, good vs. evil, ask my 4 year old nephew about Spiderman. Or just wait 5 minutes and something that is happening around him will bring Spiderman to his mind and he'll talk about it. We were joking that he can bring any topic back to Spiderman. I said that when he's defending his Doctoral dissertation he'll end up working Spiderman in there somehow.

(and if you think i used the word "Spiderman" too many times just now, that's a small small example of what it's like to talk to Nicholas)

Pattern: Superhero Dreamcatcher Afghan by AngelCrafts. Nice, simple pattern that works into a really interesting afghan.
Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable from Michaels (a nice, fairly inexpensive acrylic)
Mods: I left off the last band of blue as it was already 5' in diameter. And I wanted to die. I think I figured that I had over 600 stitches per round at the point where I stopped.

For my niece, Kaylee, I'm working on a granny square afghan in what I hope are sufficiently girly colors. She's a bit of a princess... haha



Pattern for the square: Summer Garden Granny Square from Attic24
Yarns: Purple: Bernat Berella "4"; Pink: Red Heart Soft Touch; Green & White are both Loops & Threads Impeccable.

My plan is for 121 squares to be laid out in an "Around the World" type pattern. I'm about 2/3 done. Woo.

I need to get working on an afghan for my other nephew (the boys are twins), Logan who is a BIG fan of Disney's Cars... I see charted picture crochet in my future and I'm a little scared of it.

I got a bit sidetracked by these on the weekend while it was snowing for real:



I've since made 6 more and hung them by threads in the hallway window in my office at work. (what's that you say? Did you just cough-speak "dork" at me? really? hmm).

Pattern: White Hooky Snowflakes also from Attic24.
Yarn: um... some acrylic I found lying around here.
I stretched them slightly and pinned them, then sprayed with spray starch. I then removed the pins and covered them with a cloth before pressing with a warm (not hot) iron to give them some shape and make them a bit stiff. It worked really well.

I need to get back to Kaylee's afghan. Surprisingly it's not crocheting itself!

So close! (Also: New Sock!)

I've been working on the Ariosa Wrap Cardi (free from Classic Elite yarns web letter available here) and I knew I would be cutting it close with my yarn. I'm using a worsted weight (did my patented lazy easy resizing method of just casting on the size larger to make up for the difference in gauge. It works!) yarn from Custom Woolen MIlls here in Alberta.



I knit the sleeves yesterday while semi-lying in bed and because I'm lazy I'm impatient I wasn't sure how long I would have water due to a posted warning about a water outage, I did a steam block. I sewed it together (it fits! woo!) and started on the collar. I was hoping I could squeak by with the amount of yarn I had left but no... I'm about half way done the collar.

So today (while on my way home to spend the afternoon on the couch due to the ongoing battle with whatever this is that's making me sick) I stopped by Gina Brown's, hoping they might have a skein. They didn't but Diana (the owner) took down the color information and said she'd see if she could get me a skein with her next order. I love that store!

And, because I was there and it's completely impossible to NOT buy yarn when one goes into a yarn store (in spite of all promises to myself) I picked up 3 skeins of sock yarn to start the Cranberry Biscotti socks. I'm not knitting them in cranberry-ish colors but I think that's okay. (A "shout out" (I'm way too white and old to use that. sorry) to Marie-Jolie from Permission to Unwind for pointing out this awesome pattern!)



The colors aren't quite true in that picture. I need to learn how to adjust my camera better.

Oh! Funny story! While I was in Gina Brown's waiting for a customer to finish up at the counter, a man in a dress shirt and tie burst into the store. While that sounds very dramatic and like an exaggeration, it really is what he did. Everyone in the store turned to look at him, as he planted his feet and said, rather loudly, "I need help! Can someone help me?" We all were frozen. I was wondering what sort of emergency he was having. He didn't seem panicked, but he was rather urgent and insistent. I thought maybe he had locked his keys in his car or something.

"I need sock yarn." We all just blinked at him. He pushed in front of me to the counter as the woman ahead of me in line finished and told Diana he needed help. "I need yarn. For Socks. Any kind. Just, for socks." An employee came and led him away trying to determine what exactly he needed and I heard him saying it was for his mother. Lucky her. But oh how funny for the rest of us.

Diana looked at me with a "did that just happen" expression and said "That was... like if one of us were to go barging into a tire store and just shouted that we needed a tire!"

Completely made my day. Well, that and the new sock-in-progress. And the nap. I need to get rid of this ever-present headache and sinus pain and stomach ache. ugh. Back to the couch for me.

Yes I have a problem.

Today I decided to sort through (some) of my projects on needles and decide what will be finished and what will be frogged. (some of) the items in the "to finish" queue, in no particular order:


Sock #2 of the pair. The first has been completed since March/April. I don't know why this second one has sat for so long. I knit the heel flap today (WOO). Also, the color in this photo is not accurate but my camera decided it was a fiery red rather than a deep red.


Scarf knit with some yarn I don't remember buying but I love the look and feel. I've started and frogged too many projects with this yarn and it WILL be knit and it will be something I love and use. It will. No pattern, just starting from a center point and knitting up in a shallow triangle with an openwork pattern I found somewhere. (these notes are super informative, huh?)


Again with the camera not seeing these tones properly. This is some handspun I finished last week. It had taken forever (measured in months) to spin because the roving was slightly matted from when I dyed it and I was frustrated by it. The color is actually more purpley. (Shut up spell check, that is so a word). Pattern is Lavalette from Through the Loops.


Sahara in Patons Bamboo Silk (or Silk Bamboo?). LOVE this yarn but growing bored with it. I seem to recall the same problem with my first Sahara... Must finish before end of summer as this will be sleeveless or with small cap sleeves.


Apres-Surf Hoodie in handspun. I'm knitting it in the round and will likely omit the hood. And when I say "I'm knitting it" I mean "I was knitting it although I haven't touched it other than for this photoshoot in over 3 months". ehem

So, of course there are other knitting projects that I haven't unearthed yet which should be finished, but my goal was to complete these projects before starting any new knitting projects. I say "was" because (and here is where the title comes into play) 2 hours after setting myself this goal I cast on a new project:


Although in my defense, it is a baby blanket for Craft Hope and it was because the blanket I wove turned out so horribly wonky as to be unusable and...

yes, I know, I have a problem.

Quiet Sunday

It's been a nice quiet weekend. Well, other than the near heart attack watching the Canada/Russia semifinal game in the World Jr.'s yesterday. That involved a lot of yelling at the TV and jumping/cowering on the couch (reciprocal scoring throughout the game, Canada down by 1 with under a minute left in the 3rd period, Canada scoring with 5 seconds left, overtime and a shootout. It was a doozy)... Where was I? Oh yeah, a quiet weekend.

Today I took down my teeny tiny very fake Christmas tree and noticed that my Christmas Cactus had a big bloom on it that was being hidden by the tree.


After I had the tree and ornaments packed away I decided I wasn't ready to relinquish the tiny LED lights yet, so I put them in a jar. I really like how it looks and I may keep it like this for a while.


The rest of the day was spent watching Wild Card football games and knitting a new pair of mittens (well, the first of the mittens).



This is something I've wanted to do for a long time (since 2006 according to this blog). I charted the pattern from a pair of authentic Norwegian mittens loaned to me by my "aunt" (my dad's cousin's wife) whose aunt knitted them for my aunt's father in Norway in 1949 (I posted a pic of the originals here in Dec. 2006).

The background yarn was spun by me about a year ago (and I just realized I didn't ever post it here, bad blogger)

The colorway is "Snow Squall", which seems very appropriate for mittens. It's a wonderful wooly Icelandic wool from Spunky Eclectic FOTM. I navajo plied it so it has long color runs. The contrast color is SandnesGarn Tove, also very very wooly. My mom would go squirrelly just thinking about these mittens.

Of course, now that I'm getting to these new mittens the weather will start to improve... Sigh. Oh well, I'm not going to turn down a chinook at this stage in winter. It's been too cold (and snowy) for a month now. I'm ready for some Calgary warm weather.

Wow, time flies, huh?

My weekend with Mom turned out differently than planned. On my way home my sister-in-law called to tell me that Mom was being transferred to Saskatoon to begin radiation treatments. I was almost to my hometown at the time so I just carried on and went to Saskatoon the next day. Mom looked really good and was in good spirits. Her symptoms (memory, speech issues etc) were still pretty noticeable but she was doing really well otherwise. So I spent the weekend visiting with her in the hospital there. On my way back to Calgary the Boy called to tell me there was a heavy snowfall warning, and he was not kidding. We got around 15 - 20 centimeters in one day. It was heavy wet snow and the roads were terrible. The last 150 km of my drive was so slow... it took about an hour longer than it should have. Whew.

The past week and a half have been COLD. -25C to -35C (-13F to -31F) ish. so cold. And snowy. And icy roads. And... Yes, I know, I live in Canada. Yes, I grew up in Saskatchewan (even colder and worse winters). But it's cold and I'm ready for a Chinook now...

So I made myself a new toque last night.


Yarn: handspun
Pattern: Merlot from Stickchicky.
Mods: I was running out of yarn so I did the decreases at the top faster than written (i.e. 1 dec. round, 1 round plain until I had 5 stitches between decreases then dec. every round)


Love this toque! It's big enough for my big noggin, long enough to cover my ears and just slouchy enough.



I'm not doing much Christmas knitting this year. But that doesn't seem to have prevented last minute knitting crunch time...

Mom's Christmas present in progress... I have time. Honest. (February Lady Sweater)

I got (next to) nothin'

So... what's new with you? You look nice. Is that a new shirt?

Yeah, I'm kind of boring out of things to write about today. Oh, there's this:


Crappy indoor evening photography of slipper parts in progress!

Pattern: Aran Isle Slippers from Interweave Knits Holiday 2008
Yarn: Rowan Magpie from stash

Instead of completing or even working on any of the kajillion projects currently on my needles I started these a couple of evenings ago. But, they are Christmas present knitting, so I'm giving myself a pass. Whew.

So, yeah. There's that.

I'll try harder tomorrow. I promise.

Toques

Quickie post today, I know it's terribly disappointing. A full day at work in front of my computer left me with strained, dry eyes. Need to rest. Plus, I don't really have anything else to post... but... ehem... moving on.

Toques for my nephews and niece:


Kaylee's Toque
Pattern: Brioche Helmet Hat from Interweave Knits Fall 2005
Yarn: Bernat Satin from the big stash of acrylics.
I hope it's big enough after all this. I love this pattern, but the k3tog when combined with the yarn overs from the row below are a killer!


Nephew Toque #1 (twin boys... I wouldn't want to tell them which toque goes for which twin... they decide for themselves!)
Pattern: I used the short-row directions from the Brioche Helmet but knit the earflaps and brim in garter stitch and the hat itself in stocking stitch.
Yarn: stash acrylic.


I did raglan decreases for the top, I love how it looks with stripes.

I have one more "boy" toque to do and then mittens for all... yeah, this post should have waited. I blame NaBloPoMo...

Leftovers Blanket: Mitered Corners (or Mitred Corners, if you prefer)

I've had a few questions lately about how I knit the mitered corners for the Leftovers Blanket. I needed something to post today to do more rounds of the solid colored bands, so I thought I'd start the next one and document the corner. You're welcome.

This band is 18 stitches, knit on to the previous round like so: on the wrong side (WS), slip first stitch, knit to last stitch, slip stitch (sl 1), pick up & knit one from previous band, pass slipped stitch over (psso). Turn work, slip first stitch with yarn in front, knit to last stitch, knit through back loop.


Knit to corner of previous band, and begin short rows:

On WS knit to last unwrapped stitch (in first row of short rows, knit to stitch attaching to previous band) wrap stitch and turn: bring yarn to front, sl 1, bring yarn to back, return slipped stitch to left needle, turn and knit to end. Continue in this manner until there is only one stitch left.

You will now begin to knit, picking up wraps. On WS knit to first wrapped stitch, pick up wrap and knit together with stitch, turn and knit to end.

Continue in this way (slipping the first stitch of WS rows and adding one more stitch each row) until all wrapped stitches have been worked and you are back at the previous band.


And, there you go.

I hope this was clear and/or helpful. If nothing else, it is a post, and I haven't missed one in November. NaBloPoMo!

Not cool, Nature. Not Cool.

Yesterday was sunny (for the most part) and warm(ish). Would it have killed you to do that for one more day? Really?

Not in the plan. Nuh uh. Not at all what was agreed upon.

If you need me I will be holed up in bed with my knitting and my computer (blog reading, catching up on Corner Gas) until the situation is rectified.

Cowl in some of my handspun. I'm using the patterns from the Spiral Boot sock (!). This will be a gift for a co-worker

I don't think unseasonably warm weather and sunshine are too much to ask on one's birthday, are they? (clever how I snuck that in there, huh?)

Favorite Things: New Socks & November Football

I finished my Spring Forward socks on Thursday evening. I love them.
Pattern: Spring Forward from Knitty
Yarn: Silver Pine from Gaslight Dyeworks Etsy store. I love this yarn! So soft and has a slight sheen. It was wonderful to knit with and feels so good knit up. Yay! Also, the colors are perfect for today's West Semi-Final Riders game (yes, I'm from Saskatchewan. I'm one of those people... )




As soon as I finished the 2nd Spring Forward sock, I cast on for a new sock. It is just FLYING off the needles!

Pattern: no-purl version of Knitty's Monkey pattern. I chose the no-purl version (Ravelry link) because, well, frankly, I hate purling on DPNs, especially at the beginning or end of the needle.
Yarn: Lang Yarns Jawoll Silk

Oh, gotta go, the East Semi-Final is starting.

Close call and comfort knitting

I was working on the 2nd of my Spring Forward socks on Sunday when I decided to check the foot length on the first one. I put it on and that's when my heart momentarily stopped:


Somehow I dropped a stitch on a decrease round on the toe. Enter the trusty crochet hook and a blunt needle and:

Barely noticeable. And even I only notice it because I know where it was. WHEW.


After a very stressful end to my day yesterday, I came home, put some chicken in the oven (cheatercomfort chicken: made with Shake N Bake), rode my stationary bike for 20 minutes (6 km! woo! i'm so out of shape), then settled in to start a toque for my friend from work, Sheri. As I was about to start, she called to tell me that the stressful thing at the end of the day wasn't actually nearly as bad as it had seemed. What a relief! It seemed a nice coincidence that I was about to knit something for her right then!

(Hi Sheri!)


So, after the stressful day, I enjoyed an evening of comfort knitting (simple 2x2 toque with fold up bottom) in front of the football game.

I wonder if the Redskins predictive powers will be back this year? Every presidential election since 1936 (except for 2004) has been accurately predicted by the outcome of the Redskins last home game before the election. If the Redskins win, the incumbent party remains in power. If the Redskins lose, the incumbent party is out. The Redskins lost last night so... we'll have to see if it's back!

I'm on a roll

(apologies for the crappy lighting/indoor evening pictures, but it's dark early... and I'm lazy)

I finished another sock! Yay! I realize this is not as exciting as if I had actually completed a pair but it's a sock and it's finished.

In order to avoid the dreaded SSS (second sock syndrome) I immediately cast on and knit 2 rounds for the second sock.



I know! I'm as shocked as anyone.

Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go cough for several hours due to the awesome cold I have start another new project knit on a sweater that has been a WIP for too long and watch the Flames game. (but really I'm going to end up starting something new. Don't tell).

Flame Stitch Scarf

In honor of the new Calgary Flames season (and to have something red to wear to the game on the 28th) I used a Flame Stitch lace pattern from a stitch dictionary and some leftover red yarn to make myself a new scarf.



(Also, check out my new bangs! My hair was WAY overdue for a cut).

ALSO, i finally finished the first of my Spiral Boot socks. I hope to start and possibly finish the second within a reasonable time period... ehem.



I had about 5 yards of yarn left from the skein. whew. (Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed)

I need to focus on finishing up some of the random UFOs lying around, and I'm also thinking about Christmas (I know!! early!! well... for me it's early). What are you planning to knit/craft for your friends/loved ones? (or are you planning to knit/craft for Christmas?) I'm looking for inspiration.

We need to talk...

Dear Options needle set*,
You know how much I love you. I love the whole set of you. The smooth needles with super sharp points, the joins, your case. I love how pliable your cables are and how easy you are to switch. In fact, I love you so much that almost all of your parts are in use at any given moment.

But, my dear Options, I think it's time for us both to admit we have a problem. I think it's time for us to take a step back. You see, this is the third time one of your cables has come apart on me in the middle of a project. Now, considering how many cables I have (a lot... 1 set of 2 in each size available) it's not that bad, but... well... I'm hurt and a little angry after you came apart on me on Saturday. I was in the middle of the back of my February Lady Sweater ** and you knew how much I wanted to finish it. You also know how much I hate the thought of having to save stitches in a lace pattern.

I just think I need some time. I will come back to you, you know I can't leave you. I know you don't mean to hurt me, but... I just think we need some space. You understand.

I do still want to be friends,

Lori


*Dear reader(s), please do not let my experience with these joins deter you if you are considering these needles. I LOVE them. I can't overstate that. They are great. In fact, after the first problem, Knit Picks sent me a replacement set immediately. Love them.
** I keep forgetting to post the in progress pics of my February Lady Sweater (you can get the free pdf from Flint Knits' blog on the linked page). I kettle dyed the yarn using some beige wool I got in a bag of mill ends from W*lm*rt a couple of years ago ($4.99 for a pound!!).

Birthday Socks and WIPs

so... wow. Where have I been? hmm... Well, you know how you sometimes have to plan your day around nap schedules when you have babies and/or small children? Yeah. My days for 3 weeks were scheduled as follows: Wake up at 7:30 am. Make coffee. Eat cereal. Climb back into bed with laptop and log in to work. Work for 3 hours from a nearly horizontal position (due to the magic of my awesome wedge shaped pillow that i made years ago). Sleep for an hour or two. Lunch/shower/brush teeth. Lie down for a bit. Work for another couple of hours while watching the Olympics (and then later the nearly endless CSI marathon on Spike TV). Lie down for another couple of hours (possibly sleep). Find something to eat that doesn't take much effort to prepare or eat. Lie down for another few hours until it's time to go to bed. This past week I was at work until 3pm when I would come home and crash. It's been fun. Most days I've not even felt like knitting. I can't believe how tired I was that I couldn't even do that!

However, I've been able to get back on the horse somewhat and I finished a pair of socks for my friend Julie's birthday:


Pattern: my own. I charted a Diamond pattern with knit and purl stitches, knit toe-up with short row heels.
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed Sock Yarn in Auburn Kettle. I love this yarn!! I bought the Essential Kettle Dyed sampler earlier this summer and I am so excited that I have enough for 5 more pairs of socks!


(modeled by me)

These were a present for my friend Julie. She loved them, which always makes me glad.

Now that I'm back to knitting I've been WIPping it up (hahaha, I'm hilarious).


Today I finished off the body of my Sahara. I'm using Super 10 Cotton which I recycled from my Modified Mesilla. Somehow I seem to have gained weight since I made the original (I have NO idea how that happened... cough cough) and the Mesilla, which I LOVED no longer fit. I had a whole extra skein of the yarn so I decided to go ahead and make something I could wear now, rather than wait for my weight to comply with my fervent desire that it go back to normal... (apparently wishing it has not made it so. Which is strange. cough cough).


I love the hem in this pattern. The shirt-tail hem made up with short rows and this lace rib is a really great touch. I was going to start on the neck line and then the sleeves but I need a break from the yarn. I love the look of mercerized cotton but I do not like working with it.



I've also been working on my Sunrise Circle Jacket. The yarn is 100% wool that was unmarked, sold in 1 pound bags at Walmart a few years ago. It's mill-ends and is similar to Patons Classic Wool. I need to block it because I realized, after I was already half way through the left sleeve, that my gauge was smaller than called for... I started the back in the spring sometime and apparently I thought I had checked gauge at that time, but apparently I did not.


I have no idea how this will look on me, but it's so fascinating to knit. I knit the sleeve in the round (the pattern calls for flat) but switched to back and forth for the start of the front. The front grows out of the edge of the raglan decrease on the sleeve. I'm really looking forward to finishing this for fall.


As soon as I finished Julie's socks, I decided I needed to knit a pair for myself with the Essential Sock yarn. This is the Spiral Boot Sock from Interweave Knits Summer 2007.


I am into the ankle section of the leg and have about 4 inches to go before the heel. I love how this yarn looks (colorway: Oak Kettle according to the number on the ball band) and feels. I'm sure these almost knee high socks will be a favorite in the winter.

And... um... I can neither confirm nor deny that I started another sock on Friday because I couldn't seem to find the Spiral Boot sock (it was in my bag)(duh).

Pattern: Spring Forward from Knitty Summer 2008.
Yarn: Silver Pine from Gaslight Dyeworks Etsy shop. So soft and i love the color.

So, now we're (pretty much) caught up. Gotta go. Geek time (i.e. new Mythbusters).