OK, so you hit the wrong button and you have to start over. Story of my life, right??
So the Robin's Egg sock is almost done. I've turned the heel, finished the foot and am working on the toe decrease. Standard decrease, and then maybe on the next pair, I'll try a different heel and different toe, just for fun.
I also bought some pale blue Cascade 220 heather to begin another pair of hiking socks; using up the remaining purple as cuff, toe and heel on these. It's fun to mix it up, and if they look weird? Well, they'll be in hiking boots, right?
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| Turning the heel |
Here are the first batch of pics from Robin's Egg. I started turning the heel using the instructions from the Madeline Tosh "Simple Socks" pattern by Amy Hendrix. Check it out here. As I noted, this is a "Franken-Sock" because I'm using several different sources. Kind of adventurous for me, but then again: look at the colors here, people!! I'm kind of a vanilla personality (yes, really I am) so if I can do "wild socks" then I'm expressing myself that way. Particularly "wild-knit-by-me" socks. Again, my favorite needles: Kollage square DPNs. Made in USA. Very, VERY sharp points! I ended up buying some sheep needle protectors, but I'm not sure whether I'm protecting the needle tips or protecting me! Either way, they're cute and useful.
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| Heel turned |
You can see that the sock colors kind of puddle at the heel. But it's a pretty shape, and it was easy to do if you kind of disengaged your logic and did what the instructions said, when they said to do it. Heel turning is "magic" no matter how you do it, and I'm always, always surprised! So was Hubby, who said, "Hey, that looks like a sock!" No stopping him, right? I'm glad he's noticing what I'm knitting. Or maybe not, if he keeps nosing in The Stash...
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| Back of heel |
As we see the back of the sock, you can see how the colors blend here. It's not the spiral look on the cuff; it's also not a very dense heel. I'm hoping it holds up well since I didn't do a run-along support thread. And I paid an arm and a leg for the MadTosh yarn! I don't want to have to darn quickly, so they may become "clog socks" so that I prevent heel wear and tear.
Using the Kollage needles has been good for my hands, and yeah, in spite of my usual cynicism about advertising claims, the stitch tension is really nice. A slight brag, but usually, I do get good tension. I just notice that with these needles, there are no ladders, and the stitches are very uniform. Huzzah!
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| Starting the foot |
As I finished the gusset, the colors kind of evened out. You can see here that there was some puddling, but I wasn't worried about it. I knew it would even out once I was in a regular flow, so that the stripes would continue (you'll see that in a little bit). The gusset was a little longer than I thought it should be, but then the pattern for the toe decrease is more gradual, too. We'll see how it looks. All I have to do is make another one - I don't ever have to do this again if it looks weird.
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| The heel |
The heel, close-up - you can see that it's pretty basic, and not as triangular on the bottom as a lot of them are. They had me pick up the same number of stitches as were rows knitted, so it's a 28-stitch gusset. Kind of long, but it worked. I used a crochet hook. Sorry, perhaps lazy, but that's the easiest way for me to do it. You can see on the "heel" picture that the brown puddled directly opposite the blue on the gusset. That's fine, though, because it all resolved itself.
I can't wait to start on Sock #2. And no, I'm not breaking the yarn to see if I can match the starting point directly. Since it's a swirl rib, and since the color goes down the leg the same way anyway, I'm not worried about matching - the yarn isn't self-patterning; it's self-striping. Not worth the waste of yarn to figure it out. If it works out that it starts in about the same place, I'll take it as a sign of grace from the Knitting Goddesses, and off we go. Here's the last shot. See how the stripes resolved themselves?
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| The Foot |
I'm going back now to the toe decrease. I have that oddball Friday class, so I figure I can knit while they're doing their thing. Hopefully, it'll be an early night and we can get home before the next round of storms breaks loose. Right now, it's all tracking south of us, but with the way Mother Nature has been having hissy fits, it could change. Quickly.
So, what's on your needles? Anything fun for summer?
As I promised, here is the finished product. A pair of Liberty Wool "Chevron Lace Mitts" for your enjoyment. FYI, the spelling is correct. A "mitt" is a woman's glove that does not cover the fingers. I looked it up. And again, this is a free pattern. My LYS is doing a program where if you buy a certain yarn (they change up every time), you get a free pattern with it. I have yet to post this on Ravelry, but it'll happen eventually.
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| Blocking |
Here is a shot of the blocking on the right-hand mitt. OK, they're designed for "either hand" but since I have one wonky thumb, the one thumb hole is a little larger than the other. So there... You can see how the colors lay out. What I did wrong was that when I blocked mitt #2, I didn't measure them correctly. And also, per directions, you block after you sew them up. I blocked flat, which wouldn't make a difference had I measured them so that each flat mitt was equal.
I really like this chevron lace. I'm thinking I'm a "lace person" after all. The next shot shows the lace up close. It is quite subtle, and there's a definite "wrong" side to it. As you will see in the closer shot, the "right" side of the lacework shows the texture quite nicely. These would be equally as lovely in a solid color.
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| Chevron Lace |
The other thing I might do if I do these again is that I'd make them a little longer. They hit right at my watch, just up my arm from the base of the wrist. They're very "square" and don't hug the wrist much; so if I made them a little longer, they'd be a tad warmer, I think. It's an easy fix.
I have some lovely alpaca/merino in a soft pink; this would be a nice pattern on which to experiment. What you can do to give your knits a little "shape" is to make a "waist" by knitting those rows on smaller needles. That way, you don't necessarily have to do decreases but it gives it a very subtle shape. I will probably try that with the pink yarn; it'll give it a little "snug" at the wrist. You could also do a plain knit mitt and do yarn overs for a couple of rows to make holes, and then run a ribbon through - that would also snug them up a bit, but I like the idea of the smaller needles so I don't go all girly on the ribbon. I have my standards!
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| Bottom side |
Here's the backside of the mitts. Notice, again, the color changes. The mitts are actually reversible - you can wear them on either hand. I like that, and I like that the Liberty Wool is superwash; I can dip these in some Woolite and lay them out to dry with maybe a little towel inside to help the drying along.
The stitch definition is really nice on this yarn. I'm not sure I'd do a whole sweater out of it -- maybe the solids, but definitely not the stripes! Or a cardigan, though...that would be nice if you had the striped yarn on the button band and collar? It could work. I just have to add that to my "Knitting Bucket List."
I have bought a pinks-and-greens yarn for my mother-in-law and I will try to finish hers (in size small) for Hubby's visit over Easter. I have no clue what the center of this pinks-and-greens ball holds; as you can see, the purple-to-grey ball went to taupe and red! Luckily, she's easy to please. As soon as I get a chance, I'll take pictures of the work-in-progress and you can see how they're coming along.
In the meantime, knit. It's good for your mind and your soul.
...baby blanket. (sigh) It's finally done!!!
Ok. Whew. I was just so excited to finally be done with it. I have to admit, I was getting tired of it; it weighs a ton, and the kid will have to be 18 before she's able to lift it off herself; but it's really bright and adorable. Even though I had to raid my stash to finish it.
I'm going with "it's a variation on a Fibonacci design" ... The stripes aren't as I envisioned them (i.e. EVENLY spaced), but overall - - I can live with it. Here it is: and yes, it's huge.
It's also very cushy and I really enjoy the colors. Even that odd bit of yellow-and-white that I had to scramble to grab out of my stash to finish it.
OK, my math -- or HUBBIE'S math -- was way off. I should've stuck with the original pattern, but instead, I went with the number of yards per ball and tried to extrapolate. Oh well. It's not the worst thing. Here's a better shot of the afghan, so you can see the whole impact of the color. You can see the little bit of lace on the edge which is produced by a yarn-over before the last few stitches. My friend called it "The Gigantic Wash Cloth" because this is often used as a pattern for those learning to increase and decrease!
I think the New Mommy will love it. And she'd better, because this is my LAST baby blanket for someone who's not directly related to me. I'm taking my friend's advice and stashing some hats and maybe a car-seat-sized blanket or two. And simple sweaters. I just can't do this anymore because I'm burned out.
This blanket was done with Berocco's Comfort yarn, doubled. I used yellow and white for the background and alternated the teal and periwinkle within. You could use any combination - you could just use 2 solid colors. But I bet this thing cost me close to $80 to do...for acrylic!! Luckily, New Mommy does appreciate these things.
Of course, I'll do it for my own kids and my nephews, as needed, but for others? Not so much.
So here's what I'm working on now. Finally. Fingerless mitts for me. In Liberty Wool. I like the colorway (Berry) but I don't like that it splits easily. It's superwash, though, so it's worth the material.
This is part of a new concept our yarn shop owner is doing. There is going to be a featured yarn; and when you buy that, you get a free pattern, too. The new owner has called the shop Elemental Yarns and she has some interesting new fibers in there. They're slowly making their way in the community. She has her own style of doing things, and maybe it'll loosen up as she gets herself settled. But so far, things are going ok.
What I like about the Liberty Wool is that it surprises you. You end up with something yummy even though you look at it and think, "Ok, this is purple and grey." There are shades of hot pink in here, dark grey... just lots of surprises. Here's another shot of what I did; I have more done, but I'm not at the photo stage yet. That'll come. The chevron lace is gorgeous, and with what I have leftover (because I think I'll have a good bit left) I would like to do ONLY the chevron lace and make a foofy little scarf. Just for fun.
A bunch of the gals made the "Molly Scarf" and as you can see by the picture when you click on the link, the colors are extraordinary. It's a bunch of short rows and I figured I'd rather do something else, so I chose the mitts. Which, as you may remember, I've been dying to do for like forever and I couldn't settle on a pattern. For free, I can settle. And I think they're interesting, because it's side-to-side construction, not knitting in the round. Which was a little confusing at first, but now it's just 16 rows, repeated 5 times for the large size.
I may do some of these for my mother-in-law, if I can find out her favorite color!
...from the news, politics, and the Never-ending Baby Blanket. (Sorry, little one, but you're going to be 18 before you'll be able to lift this blanket!!) I have decided I needed a little "instant gratification," so of course, I was tempted beyond reason at the LYS.
I ended up with 1 ball of Liberty Wool. This is a lovely super-wash wool in simply amazing colorways. You look at the ball and say, "well, I think this might be ok" and then as you work with it, the colors unfold in many and marvelous configurations, giving your knitting a hand-painted look. Without the price!
So I'm doing a freebie pattern of simple chevron-edged mitts. Right up my alley, right? Here's the project in progress: As you can see, I don't bother with a "katcha." I use paper. :) And I actually did a partial gauge swatch. I am hoping that this appeases the Gauge Gods and they turn out ok, but if they're a little off, well -- they're mitts. Not a sweater.
The yarn doesn't look like much, does it? Well, guess again. Look at the picture. THAT is the colorway I got. Yes, hidden amongst the greys and drab are glorious spikes of purple, periwinkle and hot pink. Just what I want to chase away the boring and dull March weather we're having now.
While I don't normally do it, I'm trying the "pm" command (place marker) as they've indicated. With this very simple lacy pattern, I don't think I'll need it, but it gives me (a) a way to use my nice girly stitch markers; and (b) practice in using a marker mid-row and having to move it.
Here's another shot at what the yarn and the first 7 rows looks like. For some reason, the flash on the Crappy Red Camera wasn't firing, but you can still see the yarn against the white desktop. And even the cutsey pink marker. Gotta love glitz, right?
I figure after this, I can complete the Never-ending Baby Blanket (slated for this weekend - I have about 30 rows left, and it's all decreasing from here). And then I move on to the car seat blanket, in progress, and the charity afghan square -- of which I have 4 to do.
Then, maybe... I can finish the blueberry t-shirt, start the cocoa brown one, and finish (well, hang on - gotta FIND IT) the yellow shell. It's supposed to be spring and then summer, after all, and it would be nice to have something to wear that I've knitted with my own hands.
In the meantime, I'll look out at the 34-degree weather and watch the wind blowing snow flurries sideways, and observe that there are about 20 robins in the field next to me, industrially poking about for worms. If they can plug along, so can I.
Back to that set of mitts and the rest of the WIPs in my stack.
OK, for a quick weight loss diet during the holidays, have your deviated septum fixed on December 23.
I guarantee that you'll lose weight. Initially, I'd lost nearly 7 lbs., but then my appetite came back so the net loss is about 5 lbs. Not bad, considering that most people ADD at least 9 lbs. during the holidays.
Of course, I was in extreme pain for about 36 hours, had plastic splints shoved in my nose, had to sleep upright for nearly a week and had to breathe through my mouth.... And the worst was the night I awoke in a state of panic thinking I'd swallowed at least a yard of cotton batting. Which I hadn't, but since I was mouth-breathing, my entire oral cavity was dry as a bone and I couldn't swallow.
On the other hand -- there was that 5 lbs. lost... and not having to deal with crazy relatives over Christmas, since I truly couldn't have made it to any celebrations on the 24th or the 25th.
The post-op migraine was a bear. And no matter what the pharmacist tells you, please do not take your pain med WITH your migraine med. I don't think I'd make a good addict; I was so loopy and out of my normal controlling-type-A behavior that I was feeling like my world was all a-kilter.
My ENT, however, is a total hoot. I guess if you work with "snot" all day, you get a unique perspective. He took the splints out on Wednesday of this week, and while I'm still a little stuffy, it's all healing well, and I don't need him to "power wash" my nose. I can and do use a neti pot, so he's cool with everything. His parting line: "I have patients who'd pay big bucks for a nose like yours; now it's straight INSIDE as well as on the outside!" OK, I guess that's good!
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| Knitted Easter Eggs |
Drumroll here, please!! The eggs are DONE! I finished the last one yesterday and here's a shot of them. They're a baker's dozen. So the bunnies are done, eggs are done...just waiting on the tree. I grouped them by the skeins I used, mostly. From the top row left, I did 2 out of a navy blue yarn, emulating the original Pysanky, which are usually finished in a dark color. Next up are the "garnet to grey" with sparkles. At the end of the row is a sock yarn I had intended for hacky sacks, but now I'm itching to knit SOCKS (go figure) with it. It's all blue-to-grey, but there are shots of red and yellow in it - can't wait to see what that looks like in a sock! Can you believe that these 2 eggs were even knit from the same ball of yarn?
Bottom row, left: a dessert-colored yarn; next to that is a red-to-brown, then a yellow-blue-white combo, then the "Easter pastel" - those two are knitted one right after the other, and look at how different they are!
The bottom center is Sonda's hand-dyed. This is a gorgeous superwash merino with a touch of nylon in a yellow-to-orange colorway. After lots of deliberation, I think I'll make socks out of the remainder of this yarn. I hate to "waste" it on my feet, but the color is really not suited for my complexion, and I don't want this just sitting in stash. (Did I just commit knitting heresy??) I want people to see and admire Sonda's work, since this and the periwinkle are the only bits of her hand-dyed I have.
I'm working on the March Baby Blanket... Which I thought was the only one, but I got fantastic news! My friend Janet told me her son and DIL were going to have a baby. The reason I'm so excited? Well, they were told about 2 or 3 years ago that because of several medical conditions, Leona would "never have children." Hmpfh. While they had indeed reconciled themselves, this is certainly a startling and happy bit of news.
So while the March Baby Blanket is going well (a bias knit using double strands of Berroco Comfort), I got some self-patterning yarn for the Summer Baby Blanket. And no, I don't have any idea what I'm going to do. I just know that like the March blanket, this one will NOT be traditional colors!!
The March Baby Blanket is a variation on the "Easy Baby Throw" out of Lion Brand Yarns. I changed the yarn, changed the needle and changed the colors... I'm using yellow, white, teal and cornflower. The yellow and white are the "carrying colors" - I'm doing the following sequence of colors:
Yellow + teal
Yellow + cornflower
White + cornflower
White + teal
And it's a bias pattern, so it's increasing to a set number, then decreasing. The yarn-overs add a touch of "lace" to the pattern, and the non-traditional colors mean that it can be used well beyond "baby" years.
I'll post a shot of the work-in-progress soon. For now, I figured y'all would be as excited as I am that the eggs are "done" and ready to hang.
This is a good harbinger to the new year; lots of projects scheduled and I'm just planning on keeping moving. And I'm also planning NO MORE CHRISTMAS SURGERIES! Though that 5-lb. loss is sooooooo nice... LOL
Lots of things are coming together, and some things have ended. Our LYS has closed. That's the sad news; the owner has an inoperable cancer and she's decided that while knitting has been a huge part of her life, she'd rather spend her time with kids, spouse, and grandkids. And I'm actually happy about that.
I love it when people have the ability to determine - inasmuch as any cancer lets you have any control - how they want to spend their days. I appreciate her making a very tough decision, and making it with grace.
So the yarn shop is being sold and will be re-opening with a new owner sometime in early 2012. It will be interesting to see how this works, and what the new owner will do. I hope that the community that was established (a) comes back; and (b) lets her make HER mark on the shop. It would be sad if the knitters had 'founder's disease' and never let this gal make her shop her own.
'Founder's Disease' is an ailment known by its chief symptom: "We've ALWAYS done it this way." So we'll see what this new person makes of the shop and life will go on.
Our yarn community is not "dissolving." It's actually "reconstituting" as people make plans to find other places to knit, gather in different groups, and keep in touch; I'm hoping we do keep in touch, because several of us have become good friends, bound by fiber and love of creating.
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| "Chocolate" Bunnies |
On a good note: The bunnies are DONE!! Here's a shot of them. I took a suggestion from one of my knitter buddies and visited the local Fannie May candy store. I plopped them on the counter and said, "White chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate. Think I could buy some ribbon?" They loved them. They gave me the ribbon. What do you think?
I ended up with pearlized heart buttons for their fluffy tails, and then shirt buttons for eyes. Since these are not toys, the buttons are only secured enough to stay on when they're sitting on a display. If I had created them for toys, they'd have no eyes - I'd have embroidered them using duplicate stitch.
So, on the last day the shop was open, I asked for a smidgen of yarn that she'd dyed herself for an egg. Yep, I'm on egg #9 and working toward a baker's dozen. This is what I got handed. "If you can find the end, take what you want."
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| Hand-dyed sock yarn |
This is what we'd classify in knitting as a "total disaster" - and it would only be a "total and COMPLETE disaster" if the yarn was a mohair or eyelash or something like roving.
This is about 500 yards of superwash merino sock yarn. Now, the shop hours were 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. I got handed this hot mess at about 1 p.m. I worked on it, since I'm a pig-headed person, from 1 p.m. till 10 p.m. that evening, and then was back at it the next day.
I spent about 16 hours unraveling this mess. I have lived with this ball of yarn. I have grown attached to it. Even though it was handed to me, I will mail my friend a check for the yarn. I believe they thought I wasn't going to do it. It's only because she'll never dye any more yarn that I spent that kind of time with it. It's not even a color that looks good on me. However, I see some sort of shawl or shrug or something in its future. It's too pretty to make into socks that might wear out, though I may do that, too.
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| Order from chaos |
This is what it looked like after I got done with it. Plus the egg.
Once I get the eggs done, Kid #1 is finishing up the tree for the eggs. The bunnies are done. I have to figure out how to display this whole thing; and then I'm done in time to photograph and enter it into our contest.
Along with the order from chaos that was this yarn, I also completed the 2011 Ornaments. As you may remember, I do ornaments for the kids each year. Each kid in the family gets 18 ornaments. This year is the smallest year in decades! Here are those ornaments. Of course, OUR kids still get the ornaments. What? I can't play favorites with my own kids? Be serious!
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| 2011 Ornaments |
So it's harder and harder to find these plaster ornaments. I'm going to have to suss out a new supplier, since the local big box craft stores don't have much of a selection. Someone suggested I knit them. Thanks. No.
What I could do is take the remnants from the sock yarn eggs and do little granny squares or small swatches and use those as ornaments! Or knit a verrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyy long I-cord for a garland. OK. I'll calm down.
Just to top off our Christmas, I am again having surgery. I have a very deviated septum - which would explain over 5 years of allergy shots that still leave me unable to breathe through one side of my nose! At any rate, I can now be around your cats without a "croup-like" cough. If you're not old enough to know what "croup" is - please look it up. Hard to explain until you have had one.
Surgery is December 23. My mother says I'll do anything to avoid the crazy relatives on Christmas. Hmmmmmmmmmm. She may have a point!
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Solstice! And I'll hold off on Kwanzaa, since it starts after Christmas, and I may be back to the keyboard by then!
Bunnies, you say? What???
Ok, so there's this contest we have at work. If you create something (music, art, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc.) you can enter it to have it judged and if they like it, you get published in the Magazine. The BIG PRIZES get money.
I won last year, but I got a certificate. So this year, I wracked my brain and I came up with something unique.
Y'all know I knit. So I figured that since the theme this year was "food" I could knit food! But not just any food. No cupcakes, no lobsters, no wedding cakes, no hamburgers. And if you think I'm kidding, just go search for "knitted lobster" or any of the other things I just mentioned. Knitted pizza? Seriously. But no thanks.
I found a "chocolate bunny" to knit. Here's where I found him: Blah, Blah, Blahhhg: Knitted Chocolate Easter Bunny Pattern. http://ax174.blogspot.com/2006/04/chococlate-bunny-pattern.html - and yes, I spelled it exactly how the link looks on my paper.
I thought about the bunnies I have received. And I always liked the white chocolate bunnies the best. But I know there are 3 kinds of chocolate: dark, milk, and white. The foodies will tell you that "white chocolate" isn't really chocolate since there's no cocoa in it. But that's ok. Here are the yarns I picked:
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| Bunny yarn |
At about 11 o'clock, the "milk" chocolate is Bernat Cashmere Natural Blends, color 16013, "Earth." It's leftover from a prayer shawl we did for a friend, and it's a blend. It's 65% acrylic, 30% nylon and a mere 5% cashmere. Not sure how they get "Cashmere" right up there at the front of the name, but it doesn't matter. The yarn will make a nice "milk chocolate" bunny.
At about 2 o'clock, the "dark" chocolate is Bernat Satin, color 04013, Mocha. This is a lovely 100% acrylic, and right below the hank, you see the bottom of the dark chocolate bunny. Size 6 DPNs.
At about 8 o'clock, you will see Stitch Nation (Debbie Stoller) "Full O' Sheep" which is a gorgeous 100% Peruvian wool that is almost "roving" in texture. The color, coincidentally, is "Little Lamb." I bought this just because it was on sale. But it's really a stunning yarn. It's so soft that it makes Cascade feel rough. Take a look at these shots. You'll see that there's barely any twist to this.
The pattern calls for using needles smaller than the yarn label indicates, so that it's a tight fiber. Look at this close-up shot; you'll see that this white bunny will be plenty tight!
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| Check out the ply here! |
I've just started the white one; and I have to tell you that though I am no speed-knitter, this little stinker works up quite quickly. I did the dark chocolate one in just a few days. With the texture of this yarn, though, I may go a little slower so I don't pierce the fiber with the needles. Once you get the stitches picked up, you just knit. You're in the round so it's all a lovely Stockinette Stitch without even having to think.
There's some shaping in the form of making the body and then tapering the ears, but seriously, there is NO SEAM on this bunny after you graft the ears. I used a Kitchener stitch for that, but if you've got a better grafting technique, by all means: go for it! The instructions just say: graft ears together.
So. The accessories. If you check out the pattern (and no, I don't know if the link is still alive), you will see that the creator recommends embroidering the eyes. I could certainly see this if you were going to give this as a baby toy.
Since I'm using it as a strictly decorative item, here's what my bunny looks like. Isn't he cute?? I used some old shirt buttons I had, and then some lilac sheer ribbon, since I remember my bunnies coming with a bow.
Here's a hint: Start stuffing WELL before the pattern tells you because the neck is really, really narrow. I started right about his belly button.
And here's another hint: I used about 1/2" of pony beads at the very bottom. That gives him a little stability, because you bounce him lightly to make sure his bottom is flat, and with the beads, he stands right up.
So for the white chocolate bunny, I might just use regular snaps...no sewing! The eyes don't need to be embroidered or tightened down, because the bunnies will be sitting on a doily.
The other thing I'm thinking of adding: about 7 pysanky, Ukrainian Easter Eggs. See here for more information on those lovelies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pysanka
For the record, no. Mine aren't that pretty. And if I can't make them look like I've done them actually with HANDS instead of FEET, then I may skip that part. Heck, I can always KNIT Easter eggs!
So I finished the scarf that Kid #1 will eventually ask me to do for his G/F of just over a year. I can see it coming, so I figured I'd get it done before it got too late. He seems to think that I'm sustained by "knitting fairies" who allow me to knit without sleep and still function at work the next day!
I know that his G/F, lovely as she is, is no yarn fancier. Kid #1 gave her an alpaca sweater last year, and she had a tepid response. Heck, I would've loved an alpaca sweater! Anyway, he says that I've "ruined" it because I made him into a yarn snob. Which makes me laugh. So, since I know eventually it'll come to him to ask me, I did a stash-kind-of scarf.
I'm not necessarily a believer in the "sweater curse." If you don't know what that is, I'll tell you. NEVER knit anything for anyone you're dating. Never. Because one of two things will happen. You'll either break up when you're about 2/3 of the way into the project or you'll break up immediately after giving the gift. I didn't knit anything for Hubby - mainly because I wasn't knitting when we were dating! So I never saw the curse in action, but I've read about it enough times.
To avoid any supply meltdowns, I considered seriously what I was willing to invest in this scarf. I knew it wouldn't be alpaca! I dallied with the idea of Lion's Cashmere - it's not horribly expensive, and it has good stitch definition. Then I thought of the time I wanted to invest in actually doing a complicated pattern, or even an easy basketweave. I thought "not much" simply because I don't have a lot of time. And also, you can't exactly toss cashmere into the washer. That consideration always sits near the front of my brain when I think of knitting for others.
I have a friend who's a marvelous knitter. She has a daughter-in-law who is either stupid or has issues. She made her first grandchild (ok, maybe it was over-enthusiasm for the first grandchild) a lovely layette out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. It's what you'd think it was, even if you're a novice knitter. Cashmere + merino - two of the softest things you can put next to your skin.
The daughter-in-law washed the layette. And dried it in the dryer. Yep, now it's doll clothes.
So The Sweater Curse can also be retooled into The Unappreciative Recipient Curse. That's the person who says, "Oh, you made this." In that tone which implies that you were too lazy to go buy something. You know the type. They don't get knitted or crocheted - or ANY hand made items from me. Not even cookies. Fie on them. A pox on their houses. May their store-bought gifts all break upon opening. May their batteries be dead. Serves 'em right!
Soooooooooooo - I tend to think of who it is I'm knitting for and their capacity to care for what I'm handing them. I know the Yarn Harlot says that once you've given a gift, it's out of your hands. But I like to think I'm educating people about the yarn and the significance. If you don't want to wear my hand-knit super-wash wool hat, that's fine. Go wear your Gap or Old Navy hat. But at least with super-wash wool, you can't really destroy it by washing it! For my sister's pregnant daughter-in-law, there's fine pima cotton. She's sensible and she loves yarn. But she'll be adjusting to a first baby. I don't want her to have to worry about the blanket when Baby pees or yarks on it. For my mother: something gorgeous because I know what she likes AND that she'll take appropriate care of it. She doesn't knit but she appreciates it.
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| Simple Knit Scarf |
Here's what I ended up with for the G/F: Homespun. Colorway Painted Desert. Here's the end product, knitted on size 15 needles. I don't know what Lion calls this, but as I was rooting around the Michael's for the yarn, this was a pattern on the back of some hideous Homespun color (yeah, it was green/yellow/tan and I just couldn't imagine it...) and so I copied the pattern onto a scrap of paper.
I call it the G/F Scarf. You take one skein of Homespun, cast on 11 (I did 12) and then knit on size 15 needles. Straight knit. Nothing fancy. But what you do have to do is pull it from both ends of the skein. Which, even in their skeins, is a major pain in the sit-bones because the yarn is not twisted tightly, it's wound on a skinny acrylic thread and it's more boucle in nature and prone to snagging like crazy. So I took both ends of the yarn and wound it into a ball. Check out http://www.lionbrandyarn.com/ to search for simple scarf patterns - and I think you can go directly to the Homespun and look at it.
I liked the Painted Desert because it was bright; it has flame red/orange, deep blue, a touch of green and some pale versions of those colors. This shot doesn't do it justice unless you click on it to enlarge it. The double-stranding of the yarn adds enough heft for it to be nice and warm, even though it's acrylic. And the G/F is a small person - this scarf is plenty long for her. If you wanted to, I guess you could do two skeins and still double them for a super-long scarf.
And Homespun is easy to care for. And it cost me $4.79. So if she loses it or wrecks it - or if they break up - I won't have spent a fortune. It was done in essentially a weekend.
I was disappointed in Michael's. Their yarn selection is getting really weird. Lots of private-label yarns, and hard to find the old standby selections. I'd have done a crocheted chenille if I could've found it. I did one of those for Kid #2 when he had lost yet another scarf and the kid wore it till it was ragged - I literally had to snatch it from him and toss it. He's now got a lovely wool-blend in black and garnet red.
Kid #1 had a crocheted acrylic that was the cammo-pattern. He lost it. So he got a chenille quickie in black and tan. He hasn't lost that one yet. And if he does, I have plenty of acrylic stash for him.
By the way, they begged for their wool hats early. I swear Kid #2 is living in his! They both love them and since November has turned really toward "cold" it's good for them to be wearing the hats.
Knitting for someone doesn't have to call down "The Curse." Just be judicious in what you're knitting and in the type of yarn you use. I can guarantee that the more expensive the yarn, the worse "The Curse" will be.
So I have found the easiest baby hat pattern on earth. I've got some babies coming (one friend due in January, and my sister is awaiting her first grandchild), so I thought I'd do some baby things. I was looking to do hats but I didn't want anything too complex, at least till I finish this last MBA class. I need mindless knitting.
And I found it!! Go to http://www.redheart.com/ and look for "free patterns." Under that, see if you can find Sweet Baby Hat. On top of the fact that they have the most angelic baby modeling this hat, you'll find an oh-so-simple hat that literally whips together in a couple of hours. And I'm no speed-knitter.
For the swift knitters out there, if you wanted a stash-buster, you could whip through as many of these as you could stand over a weekend and fill an entire "Giving Tree" at your church or favorite charity. The size is both preemie and baby so you have a couple of options there as well.
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| Hats for a baby girl |
Here's a shot of the "girl" hats I've done so far. Both hats have a "grape" stripe in them and the hot pink hat actually has 2 wide stripes. The "berry" one on the right has three "grape" stripes. The pink hat was the first one I made. I figured out after that one that it's best to put the stripes above the roll-up ribbed brim! Oh well - it won't matter in the least to the baby, and I'm sure my friend Allison won't care if the stripe shows. The "grape" doesn't show up well in this picture, but you can tell it when you see them in person.
I really like the Simply Soft yarn for this project. It has a nice sheen to it; the colors are certainly bright and cheerful! And it's washable, light enough so it won't be too bulky for a little baby, and it holds its shape really well.
I suppose if you wanted a rolled-brim, you could omit the K2P2 rib on the bottom inch-and-a-half and just do Stockinette all the way to the crown. That way, you could also stripe it as you wanted. Or you could make the K2P2 rib in one color and add the main color after that.
The nice thing is, these are knit flat - you sew up the back seam and you're good to go. I do have some hat patterns for knitting circulars, but I don't have time at the moment to learn the ins-and-outs of DPNs, so this is a quick and easy solution.
The first "boy" hat is done as of this afternoon: the bright lemon yellow with lime green stripes. My hubby joked that, since this was our nephew's first baby, he might "misplace" the boy...but if he just looks for this extremely bright hat, he's likely to find the baby wearing it! I may do the berry with the yellow or lime green stripe next.
The options are endless: you can use the recommended variegated yarn; you could do double-stitching and do a solid hat with a pattern stitched atop the knitting. Since it's a baby hat, I'd avoid buttons or beads - there's so much you can do with yarn that you really don't need any extra stuff on these hats.
Check your stash, pull out your size 8 needles and get cracking - Christmas is coming and I'm sure that if you don't have any babies coming, your favorite charity could use some hats for the cooler weather. Hospitals are often looking for preemie hats. Homeless shelters can also use the help. Have a "Knit Along" or a mini-Olympics in your knitting group and have awards for "most creative," "most hats knitted," "most colorful," etc. You can do this project in one sitting.
Enjoy!
