Mitts

I really like making mitts. You know, the gloves with half a thumb (or just a thumb hole) and half fingers (or just a long palm part, no separate fingers)? Why? Because I think they're adorable and slightly... I don't know... hmmm quirky? That's not the right word, but it'll have to do!

Anyway, I don't make them much. I should. But I don't, because, you know, in between starting socks, finishing socks, and putting socks down because they're frustrating sometimes, who has time? But last week, for knitting group, I wanted to do something different. I had some Knit Picks City Tweed in Lemon Curd (a lovely, lovely shade of yellow) that I wanted to make into something, and that something was mitts.

I looked high and low on Ravelry for the right pattern, where I (most likely) wouldn't have to take gauge, where I could just go at it when I got there. I found these http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-fan-mitts. They're nice and lacy, but for some reason they look a little... tom-boyish to me. Even though, as I look at them, I can't really see that. At all. It's just the feel of the design, I guess.

Anyway, I managed to print it (finally!) about 20 minutes before I was supposed to go. They're turning out beautifully! I did make some adjustments to the pattern, because that's how I am.

Firstly, I started out with the recommended stitch count, but quickly realized (within the first 4 rounds) that they would be too big if I did that. I'm a loose knitter. So, I took it out, re-cast on with 33 stitches (it's an 11 stitch repeat) and off I went.

As I approached the thumb I realized that I wanted the cuff longer, so I did that. Also, that the thumb was supposed to go on the needle that would have had 22 stitches on it originally (this is knitted in the round on dpns). Oh, well. I figured I could adapt to that. So I did. I kind of did my own increasing at the gusset because sometimes I just can't be bothered with IncR and IncL. I just knit 2 in 1 and that was that. I followed the rounds for increasing - every 3rd - which was a bit difficult because the pattern is on a 4-round repeat. But I did it! The thumb stitches are on a bit of scrap yarn now and I just have to finish the hand/finger part for the first mitt, then it's on do the second.

I really like City Tweed. I like Knit Picks in general, but this is my first time working with City Tweed. I would have expected it to be more splitty and stuff, but it's not! And it's soft. It's very pleasant to work with. It doesn't shed at all either. Another tweed I worked with before did shed and it was a little rough. This one, though. I just love it. I think everyone does!

Other than that? Not much knitting going on.

For my birthday (the 17th) I went to Cindy B.'s craft camp with my sister for the afternoon. I brought my knitting stuff, but didn't knit. They were tie-dying shirts, and I'd never done that before, so I did! It was fun! Although my sister's shirt turned out better than mine, imho. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Also pictures of the baby beaded skunk and the Matrix-colors (read: black and green) lanyard keychain thingy. I know that's a very middle-school-summer-day-camp sort of activity, but I like doing it. Plus... Matrix colors! Come on!

Why, yes, I am a nerd. Thanks for asking!

Oh, yes! And next month, on the 29th, is my first day of college classes! I'm excited. I'll probably move down there on the 28th. I am staying with a family friend; not the dorms. I'm glad, though, because the dorms remind me of a cheep motel room, only you have to share it with a stranger for a long period of time...and I hate motel rooms anyway. So that's all good. I'm making a Jayne Hat at some point so I can wear it around campus while I'm going to school.

I guess that makes me an exhibitionist nerd? Hmm...

So, that's the news for today! I promise; pictures tomorrow! Provided I can find a camera... I think I can :D

Happy Knitting, all you great people!

Hello, hello

So, I've been neglecting my knitting and spinning... well, not completely. I have about 100 yds of handspun alpaca, the grey that I talked about before. It's a lovely fingering/lace weight... a bit thick-and-thin but not too bad.

I finished a par of socks in Knitpicks Imagination in a color called Pixie Dust, which I think is discontinued. It only took 1 219 yd ball for a pair! I made the cuffs ~6 inches long, too - which is not short. Granted, I have kinda small feet, so there is that... The second sock turned out slightly smaller. I don't know why. The stitch number is the same, etc. I think the stitches for the sole of the sock ended up being more - like I didn't split them evenly or something... and then I didn't knit quite long enough to the toe. The good thing is, even if they both were the same length, I have confidence that I wouldn't have used more than one ball. Also, you can't tell when they're on! Haha!

The knitting group is planning a yarning trip. We go do all the yarnshops on "The Coast", eat lunch (might be tricky for me; I'm vegan, but oh well... I'll figure something out!), and have fun! It's an all day deal.

This weekend, I'm probably going over to Cindy's to make stitch markers. It's also my birthday, which I forgot when I told her I would be there. It doesn't change anything; we never do anything really big for birthdays around here!

The reason I haven't been knitting so much? Well... I've kind of taken up running...and I've kind of been getting that on track. As a matter of fact, I'm going to start a blog dedicated to running (I've given up on making this anything other than a knitting blog; it just isn't going to happen, I don't think... although 2 blogs might be hard to maintain... oh,well... we'll see).

So, wish me luck with my yarning adventures next month. And if anyone's actually reading this, could you please reccomend a neat, unique, but not crazy, lace-and-cable scarf pattern? Or just something that would look nice in worsted weight Cascade Pride in pink? I love the yarn; can't find a pattern for it...

Things about Spinning

Hello, hello!

J, from my knitting group, recently decided to try spinning. She knew that I spun, and has been talking about 'getting into it' for a while... she has said, however, that she hasn't been sure, because then she'll have to buy a spinning wheel, and all the nice fibers, along with all the beautiful sock yarns and needles she already gets! But a couple of weeks ago, she decided to take the plunge, along with P and B, and she ordered some Turkish spindles. She also got 3 colors of fleece from an alpaca farm, locally, which she has been carding and turning into rolags.

J asked, to continue the story, if I would be willing to teach her and P to spin. I said "Of course!" P let me borrow her Turkish spindle, since I had never used one, so that I could get used to spinning on that. It was a little difficult to get used to; the spindle was much lighter than my usual. I admit, I was quite frustrated and may have lost my temper a bit when the yarn kept breaking...

I finally got it, though, and I love the fact that the Turkish spindle creates a center pull ball... I'm going to buy one when I can!

So, I spun it, and plied it, and you can see how it's loosely spun and a bit thick-and-thin below:



I have no idea how much this is; I don't want to unroll the nice ball and figure it out, haha.

So, I went to J's house to meet her and P, and we sat together in J's beautifully redone loft (where she used to keep a whole truckload (literally!) of yarn, which she has just cleaned out (she says it was the 'Hoarder's Nest')). I taught them the basics and kind of helped them troubleshoot. P caught on right away; I was so surprised! Not that she wouldn't learn quickly, but that all I had to do was show her once and tell her what to do and, boom, there she was, spinning a light worsted/fingering weight single ply, that was fairly smooth. J had a bit more trouble, but once she had the basics down, I had no doubt she would get it on her own, once she had time to think about it and practice. I was right. Last time I saw her, she said that she was already knitting with the yarn! She says that it's a bit "thick-and-thin" but, in my opinion, that's great! It's so much harder to spin thick-and-then when you've been spinning for a while, concentrating on consistency of thickness.

Anyway, J gave both P and I bags of rolags in white, chestnut, and grey. The chestnut is soooo pretty and I'll post pictures of it once I get to spinning it. Right now, I'm on the grey (the same I used with the Turkish spindle) and it's going nicely. I had 9 rolags and I'm spinning 4.5 at a time, so I can ply it as evenly as possible later. I'm nearly done with the first half.




And now, drum roll please, I have finally finished my dad's socks! Socks that he has been asking for ever since I started making socks, and socks that I have promised him (at least in my head) from that time on. I've had to rip them out 3 times due to missing the stitch count when I was increasing at the toe (I made them toe-up so I could get them nice and long like he wanted). They look great, in my opinion, and the Knit Picks Stroll is so delightful to work with. It's squishy and satiny and soft and warm. I want more of it... for myself.

They were knit in Navy, as you can see, and while I was making them I heard from a lot of people that Navy was their least favorite color to knit in. I can see why; it's nearly impossible to see the stitches in poor light.

They're sort of an early-father's-day, late-birthday gift. I can't wait a whole month to give them to him; I'll do it tonight or tomorrow.

That's pretty much all for now. Oh! To any knitters reading this, any suggestions about what to do with my handspun charcoal grey alpaca would be fantastic! It's going to end up being a heavy lace weight/light fingering weight once plied, I think. I am seriously thinking about putting the white and and the grey in the same project. But I really don't know what to make... It has to be something that will show it off, I don't have to worry about running out of yarn, and is special. I know a scarf is logical, but I don't know that I'll have enough... Anyway, suggestions are totally welcome!

Happy Knitting!

I am Dissapointed

...in myself. One year. Well, nearly... One year since I've posted here, when I had so many hopes and excited feelings about this blogging thing. Reminds me of a few knitting projects I've started, haha.

Well, it isn't too late for new beginnings, is it? Or continuations.

First things first : I've finally finished the first sock of a pair that my dad has been asking for for ages. I've been working on those for nearly a year, too, I think. Seriously, how many mistakes can you make with a simple, toe-up, knee-high sock? Apparently a lot, especially if they're made in navy blue.

I've recently discovered Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Okay, well, that's not completely true. I've heard of her, and looked into her blog once or twice, but never really... gave her a chance, I guess. Then a knitting friend of mine (part of my knitting group, yay! more on that later) gave me a book by her called At Knit's End. I read the whole thing (300 some odd pages) in 2 days. Admittedly, they're small pages, but the book was fantastic and funny and I want it... but I guess I'll have to give it back on Tuesday... sigh...

Now, about this knitting group... I only found out about it last summer, well, August, I think. I was quite nervous, but how can you not feel comfortable around people who love knitting as much as you do, despite the fact that the youngest person there is more than twice your own age?

Really, I don't mind. They're all lovely, amazing, surprising ladies. They are my knitting friends. They understand. That's one of the main things, isn't it? They're the ones that will get excited over Knit Pick's new Tonals in Wool of the Andes and Stroll. Other people will think "That's nice." Or even "How pretty!" but only a knitter will really get excited. Also, with other knitters, you don't have to explain why you're knitting your hundredth pair of socks (or hundredth sock without a mate) or why you've put down that sweater for over 6 months... or why you have to have that yarn in that color, even though you have no idea what you're going to do with it.

We meet on every week on Tuesdays - someone volunteers their house for us to invade and knit and drink tea or coffee. We knit and talk and help each other out from 1 to 3. It's a fantastic arrangement.

Now, let's hope I can get on with this blog and not leave it abandoned again.

Pictures and details about the socks when they are done. All 56 inches of them...

Also, really, anyone reading this should go check out Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's blog (http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/) she just finished a shawl out of hand-spun that will make you die to knit some lace!

Let's Take A Ramble

I have made a decision. This thing is way too confining. How, now? (to quote Nietzsche). Well, firstly, knitting is more to me than just making a pattern and knitting it up, or knitting someone else's pattern and loving when it comes out just like in the picture. Color me simple, but I still love that feeling.

Anyway, the mild announcement is an expansion in written matter.

Lately, I have been exceptionally bored. It's quite annoying, to say the least. I've been knitting quite a bit; I even finished a pair of my first (completed) socks here on ravelry. I've been working on That Other Pair as well, but I'm not completely enthused. The first one came out a bit short in the foot (teach me to be overeager in getting to the toe, eh?), so the second one will have the toe starting a bit later.

Still working on the Santa Cruz hat... and getting a bit bored with it, I must say. It's not the pattern, it's me. I love the color, the texture that's coming out. It's very nice.

I finished the knucks I started ages ago for my dad. I'll take pictures once I give them to him on his b-day. They're tucked away until then. I can't wait to give them to him! Alright, yes, it's sunny, it's warm, and he probably won't need them for a good 4 months, but I must say that I am very proud of them and I think he'll really get a lot of use out of them.

I just finished a book called The Knitting Circle, by Ann Hood. It was all right, a good book, but not, in my opinion, an excellent one. But I would recommend it to knitters, especially. It tends to focus on the therapy aspect of knitting that so many knitters (me included) love.

I'm reading The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs and it's, again, okay but not excellent. It's more about personal relationships and the problems that arise therein than knitting, which seems to be just a bit more than a background for the plot, but not an integral piece.

I am beginning to want more yarn. Yes, I have quite a bit. No, it's nothing like any other knitter's stash I know of, by which I mean it's actually relatively small. I have plans for most of it, except for some sage green lace-weight that I love, but have no idea what to do with. I want to make a rectangular shawl, but I have no idea where or what to start... After looking at some of Jared Flood's designs, etc, I have determined that I want something complicated, textured, and true knitted lace - meaning the pattern formation takes place on the right and wrong sides and not just the right side.

But I really want some fiber that's exotic, inspiring, something that I can design from. Seriously, I need to get into a position where I can actually get yarn before I start dreaming about it! Alas, the funds are dried up at the moment.

It's looking more spring/summer-like outside. I am wanting some cotton cardigans, scarves, hats, mitts, that sort of thing. Back we go to the yarn craving. I really dislike, though, the fact that the hand-knit things I wear most often (this scarf and these mitts) are more fall-winter items. I want something lighter that I can wear in the spring and summer months.

But enough of that; spring's too nice for me to feel down!

Hello, hello, again!

Alright, so stuff is going on in the knitting realm... and in the other realms affected by it. My progress on my dad's knucks is significant; I'm 5 rows away from actually beginning the body of the first one. I couldn't get a good pic, otherwise there would be one. My camera only takes good pictures in natural, outdoor lighting...and it's cold out there and may rain any second. I don't want to subjugate my knitting to that. No, really, I'm just lazy.

I've finally convinced my brother to stop borrowing my failed VW hat for when he goes out in the cold and to let me make him one. He wants one with a 'slime face' on it..... meaning, basically, a hat that looks like the slime I made before. See previous posts.

I theroughly enjoy all of the knitting blogs I read. I get to go through projects without actually making them, through the experiances of other knitters. A terrific learning experiance, if you ask me.

I have some Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in gray heather that I want to use up. It's almost a full ball. I'm thinking of designing a nice cowl, but then again, Lamb's Pride is a bit scratchy for up close to the neck. I mean, usually I don't mind that, but I thinks something else may be in order. Perhaps a felting project? Probably not. I'm scared to death of felting!

Anyway, that's all for now...

Just Enough Mitts

This pattern I came up with when I was wondering what to do with a bit of o~wool in Willow that I had left over from making a cowl that I can't remember the name of at the moment!

These are attractive little mitts made for when it's just cold enough where you want something on your hands, but nothing to heavy. In other words, they're perfect for the typical winter weather of California!

The pattern is written for s/m ladies hands. The thumb gusset is roomy because I don't like tight thumbs! These can be easily adapted to a larger size if needed.

Just Enough Mitts

Materials:

*1 pair size 8 dpns
*tapestry needle
*heavy aran/worsted weight or light bulky weight yarn

Guage:
4 st 5 rows = 1 in

Mitt (make 2) :

Cast on 25st over 3 dpns (8, 8, 9)

Round 1: Join round by slipping the last cast-on stitch to the needle with the first stitch. Knit these two together. P1 "k1, p1" to end of round.

Round 2: "k1, p1" to end of round.

Repeat round 2 for 4 more rounds (6 rounds total from cast on)

Change to stockinette stitch and knit 4 rounds.

Thumb Gusset:

Round 1: k 11, kfb of next 2 st. k11

Round 2: k 11, kfb, k 2, kfb, k11

Round 3: k 11, kfb, k4, kfb, k11

Round 4: k

Round 5: k 11, kfb, k6, kfb, k 11

Round 6: k11, kfb, k8, kfb, k11

Round 7: k11, kfb, k10, kfb, k11

Round 8: k

Round 9: K 12, bind off next 12 st, k 12

Top edging:

Round 1: "k1, p1" to end of round

Round 2: "p1, k1" to end of round.

Continue rounds 10 and 11 (seed stitch) for 8 rounds (4 sets of seed stitch rounds)

Bind off in pattern; weave in ends.