Friday, September 19, 2008

Doesn't feel like there's any progress

First, I wasn't doing a lot of dedicated knitting as I was busy with the move... a little here, a little there. Then, I wasn't "focused" enough to handle anything challenging, so I worked on a simple, easy, brainless shawl -for the charity Wrapped in Care (it's almost done).

But honestly? I've got a few too many unfinished projects that are unfinished for more than one reason. I'm not happy with the baby sweater (80% done)... and as much as I'd like to rip it out, I'm actually partially got the idea I might just toss it in the garbage as is instead of trying to save the yarn (which is really a shame). Can't quite bring myself to be that wasteful - if I'm not going to save the time I spent knitting it, the least I can do is make something else with the yarn. We'll see.

I'm almost done with the second panel of the afghan - and have decided instead to turn it into a lap afghan for Vets... so I'll rip back both panels to a smaller length - and then work on the third/fourth panel.

My spring sweater is still only about 50% done... and in two days it'll be the first day of fall. The good part of that is I can dig out the sweater I knit for "a" - still too small. But it makes him happy. When money starts flowing a little easier, I'm going to go pick up a half dozen bright colors of $2/skein yarn... I've been wanting to make him a winter cap that I saw when I was on the ski slopes last winter.... my version will be brightly colored - with primary colors knit into "braids" that all pop out from any direction. Looks kind of funky & fun and I think he'll love it.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Not much progress to Post

My sweater has been put to the side for a while (new puppy tends to try to chew everything visible); and have been working on an afghan. Puppy still trying to chew, but the yarn being a boucle has a little bit of "give" and won't look like it's been tore up! And she's learning that mommy's yarn is a no-no and I can still work on something. But it's going to take forever, as big projects tend to do.

I do love the yarn & the colors -- will try to snag a picture and edit this. It's got self-striping built-in with a neutral color running along with it. I've got a couple of different kinds - but love the colors anyway... so I've got a second neutral that I'm using to separate out sections instead of linking two similar (but not quite the same) skeins to each other. I'm making it in panels; and am planning on putting thin vertical stripes in with the second neutral color when I piece it together. Only issue is that it looks like with the yarn I have, I only have enough right now for two panels. So, when I get a little further, I'm going to have to go back to the yarn shop and either pick up the first neutral color to do a couple of panels of that color - or a mixture of the other colors and use them to make a couple of panels that have different colors from one "section" to another. Guess now, I'll have to post a pic of the first panel I've completed so this wandering verbose explanation makes even the slightest sense.

No pattern. Just working with a loom knitter in a ribbed knitting. The yarn is yummy soft and I'm hoping my sister will like it (as it's for her Christmas gift). Issue is that if it's for this year's Christmas present, I really should be looking at completing THREE more afghans... so my brothers and their wives/significant others can also get one. I'm thinking that's maybe a little overly optimistic. We'll see!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

OH, my goodness!

I don't check this blog too terribly often, as I was certain my only reader was Phil and I knew that while she's a wonderful and supportive friend, going on about knitting projects and lovely yarn - is probably pretty boring to a non-knitter.

Lo & behold, I have a comment... and NOT just from any commenter! The author of the book I used to knit my socks (even though I totally messed up the name of her book)... posted a comment - on my socks... I feel so excited! AND she had just posted about going to a Yarn Harlot event - which I had wanted to go to so badly! One day, I'll get to see her - I swear! Anyway - here I am feeling quite excited by getting a comment from someone who is out-and-about in the knitting world!

Here's a link to her blog..... 2-at-a-Time-Socks

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Pair-at-a-time Socks

OK, I have NEVER knitted socks before. There was just this negative idea about spending hours and hours and hours to knit a pair of socks, when you can buy a pair for a couple of dollars that just kept me from even considering it.

But, a co-worker has been doing them, and having tremendous fun... and it's gotten my curiosity up. But, knowing that it takes about 12 hours to knit one sock, and knowing that once your done, having to turn around and start over on sock number two? Well, that's just kind of depressing concept.

So, I went out and bought a book, called pair-at-a-time knitting. The idea is that you knit both socks simultaneously on the same needles. Still takes the same amount of time, but you avoid that whole depressing condition that's got an official nickname "second sock syndrome". Which means that there are LOTS of knitters out there who make a sock, but never quite end up making it's pair - which how depressing is that? All this singular socks who never even get to the point of getting worn, to getting washed to losing their match! Their match never gets made!

Knowing that I'm a prime candidate for second sock syndrome. I figured that if I was going to learn how to knit socks, I was darn well going to do it two at a time and try to avoid that second sock syndrome.

HA! I failed miserably. Not in making the socks, if I do say so, I think they're quite cute. I failed to avoid second sock syndrome? Why? Because in the book, the first time you do this, it's QUITE CHALLENGING.... and they strongly recommend that you use two different colored yarns one for each sock so that you can tell them apart and not mess up. SO, I ended up with two different socks. If I want to make 2-pairs, I can, but that would involve making a second set of mis-matched pair-at-a-time socks. Guess what? I'm not going to bother! Totally have second sock syndrome. These two lonely socks will never meet their sole-mate (sorry, couldn't talk myself out of that pun!).

2-at-a-time Mismatched Pair!

Half-done with sweater

It is definitely taking forever to do! I got a lot of work done on it while I was laid up... but then there was a damaged knitting needle issue that I had to get new ones. Didn't trust "A" to run to a knitting store to pick up the needles for me... so I got them online.

Here's the back piece:
Back of sweater

Promised slideshow of a trying on his sweater

"A" is off of his computer this morning - means I have time to sneak on and make my slide show. "a" was playing superman the day we tried this on - so there was no 'holding still' and making nice for the camera. What was I thinking even trying? LOL

So here is my Super-a doing his best Super-a poses!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Afghan pieces

I've mostly been working on dishclothes - and I know those are probably pretty boring to view, so I haven't been posting them. I've worked on my sweater a LOT - only then I had a small issue with the plastic knitting needles I'm using.... I got a slit in the needle itself and it would keep 'catching' the yarn. So, I tried filing it a bit/cutting it a bit... and it only got worse. I ordered new knitting needles to replace them via eBay - so once those arrive, I can go back to work on it again.

I also finished my ski cap/scarf the night before my first trip to the Mountain to go skiing... one of these days, I'll snap a picture of it & my progress on my sweater.... I swiped my camera back from "A" so I could get pictures taken - right around the surgery; and he managed to sneak it back before I got anything done.

So - these pictures, I had to snap before I shipped them off.... so sorry for the quality - this is off my cell phone.... These are donated pieces of an afghan I'm donating to a project that an online group has put together to provide 'comfort' to a mother who recently lost her child. Not much 'comfort' I think - but it's something that several of us at least can do something.... and hopefully the message still comes across that there are those who care and wish they could do more.

Basically these are adaptations of washclothes - so ... sorry, you're still getting more poor 'washclothes' only - I get to lay the name on as if it is something different - LOL!

A little bizarre - this is called scales.... and is about a 1/2 inch thick --- very 3-dimensional!



Bobbles - again, bizarre, but not as bizarre as the scales... this has little 'bobbles'... that are basically balls that stick out of the pattern. I'd never done them before, and even reading the instructions two or three times didn't quite give me what I needed to know to figure it out. I had to search online & watch a video... that helped a lot. I think that the instructions just were a little too 'unclear' if you'd never done one before. Now that I've seen it done, it was pretty easy.



Heart Cables on Stockinette panels - I love to do cables even though they can be quite time consuming. I think they add a nice touch. This has simple enough cables on it.... the stockinette panels - are basically the sides that are 'smooth'.




Adagio Ensemble - I don't know if I like this one very much... it's just kind of 'odd'.... different, so I guess that's cool. But still kind of weird.