I realized that part of my inspiration problem lately is my utter lack of organization when it comes to my yarn and notions.
Not long ago I had all of my yarn stocked in an orderly fashion by project in a dresser and my needles were all in one spot and, well, kind of a jumbled mess but they were all together anyway. Now my system is all in disarray because of two things, one: a disgusting and destructive moth infestation. Those squirmy fuzzy creeps did not get to the bulk of my yarn but I took preventative measures and put it all in the deep freeze anyway. And two: a remodel of the room in which I stored all of my yarn.
It happened like this: I took my yarn out of the dresser to put in the freezer and as it sat in the freezer with all of the cruddy moths dying from cold we started to remodel the room that the dresser was in. So the dresser got moved to another room, there it sat inviting me to put stuff in it that needed to go somewhere that wasn't the couch or the floor, so I did. Now the dresser is half full of other stuff and my yarn is in plastic bags in several different spots in the basement. Plastic bags are not as easily accessible as a dresser or as good for taking a quick inventory. I also happen to be paranoid about taking the yarn out of the plastic bags in case the moths should decide to revisit their old home, which doesn't help the situation.
Now I'm not sure what to do. Maybe I'll re-channel my organizational energy and clean out a closet instead.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Just Cinch It!
So I completed this sweater and I knew it was big as soon as I finished it, but I had hoped that blocking would help. Unfortunately it did not. I tried it on and it appears to be perfect for a person about two rungs up on the size scale from me. Hmm...I think this will be okay because parts of me are about to scale up thanks to the baby boy hiding in my belly but it still kind of droops and sags in a weird way. The pattern calls for putting in hook and eye closures to keep the front together invisibly and I'm not a big fan of adding them to knitting. What to do?
Just cinch it!
I think a belt is the answer. The pattern has a lovely reversible cable on the plackets that I can adapt to make a nice matching belt, and I think that it will afford me the flexibility I need while camouflaging the largeness of the sweater. BRILLIANT! I'll keep you posted on the outcome. Sometimes my great ideas are much better in my imagination than in reality. :)
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Hmmm...
I finished my sweater and I find myself with no big projects to work on. This doesn't happen very frequently and I'm kind of lost. I started some socks but those don't count as a real project. Socks are filler they're what you work on when you don't want to figure out how you got that extra stitch in the cable pattern five rows ago. Usually when I'm in this situation I have a million ideas about things I want to try or items I need (mittens) but this time nothing interests me. Hmmm...what to do. I think I had better take a good look at my yarn and see what I've got. Looking at the yarn always gives me ideas, plus I just like looking at it.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
9 to 5er
Some things that I have observed in my day to day activities have been festering on the inside and I need to let them out:
To all the people who work in an office-ish environment...
1. Strippers don't work in an office, if you don't want to be mistaken for one please take precautions with your attire. Also,in a related item, don't wear tons of stripper perfume because it makes the pregnant lady down the hall want to barf into her wastebasket every time you walk by
2. Clothes should be from this decade. Unless they're cute and vintage and then you must follow this rule: if you were old enough to wear it the first time you're too old to wear it the second time (this also goes for hot trends, like acid wash, and shoulder pads)
3. If you're not a carpenter you shouldn't be wearing carpenter jeans. It's not 1996 so if you don't actually carry a hammer for your job a hammer loop is unnecessary and makes you look a bit stupid and outdated (please see number 2)
4. If you're a woman, it is wise to pay good money for a haircut. Those places that offer super cheap haircuts and color are not doing you a favor by giving you a deal, they're cheap for a reason. Fork out the big bucks for a haircut that looks good on you.
5. Never wear capri pants if you are also wearing hiking boots and black socks. This is especially true if you are under 5'3".
6. Use polyester sparingly. A heavy diet of polyester will make you look way older than you are and also probably chubbier. Just say no.
7. You can't build an outfit without a foundation. Bras are essential. They're best if they fit properly and worst if they're not there. If you don't want to wear one just think of the future, a good bra could help you avoid the embarrassing problem of accidentally buttoning your mammaries in your pants when you're relaxing in the old folks home.
8. Variety is the spice of life. If it's cold in your office and you keep an office sweater consider changing it every now and then or, taking it home for a quick wash or better yet get a bunch of sweaters to wear with your outfit and then you won't be cold outside or in.
9.Dress for your position. If you are making fifty thousand dollars a year or more, you should dress like it. You don't have to sacrifice personality or style to look good, but it's inappropriate for you look like a slob.
To all the people who work in an office-ish environment...
1. Strippers don't work in an office, if you don't want to be mistaken for one please take precautions with your attire. Also,in a related item, don't wear tons of stripper perfume because it makes the pregnant lady down the hall want to barf into her wastebasket every time you walk by
2. Clothes should be from this decade. Unless they're cute and vintage and then you must follow this rule: if you were old enough to wear it the first time you're too old to wear it the second time (this also goes for hot trends, like acid wash, and shoulder pads)
3. If you're not a carpenter you shouldn't be wearing carpenter jeans. It's not 1996 so if you don't actually carry a hammer for your job a hammer loop is unnecessary and makes you look a bit stupid and outdated (please see number 2)
4. If you're a woman, it is wise to pay good money for a haircut. Those places that offer super cheap haircuts and color are not doing you a favor by giving you a deal, they're cheap for a reason. Fork out the big bucks for a haircut that looks good on you.
5. Never wear capri pants if you are also wearing hiking boots and black socks. This is especially true if you are under 5'3".
6. Use polyester sparingly. A heavy diet of polyester will make you look way older than you are and also probably chubbier. Just say no.
7. You can't build an outfit without a foundation. Bras are essential. They're best if they fit properly and worst if they're not there. If you don't want to wear one just think of the future, a good bra could help you avoid the embarrassing problem of accidentally buttoning your mammaries in your pants when you're relaxing in the old folks home.
8. Variety is the spice of life. If it's cold in your office and you keep an office sweater consider changing it every now and then or, taking it home for a quick wash or better yet get a bunch of sweaters to wear with your outfit and then you won't be cold outside or in.
9.Dress for your position. If you are making fifty thousand dollars a year or more, you should dress like it. You don't have to sacrifice personality or style to look good, but it's inappropriate for you look like a slob.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Pattern
Here is the pattern for the above baby hat:
Yarn: Lambs Pride Worsted
Needles: #8 (5.00mm) 16 inch circular and double points
Gauge: ~4 stitches/inch
Cast on 56 stitches (st). Join, being careful not to twist.
Knit(K)4 Purl(P)4 for 4 Rows
*Cable row: slip 1st 2 st to cable needle (cn) and hold in front K2, K2 from cn P4. Repeat around
Next row: K4 P4. Repeat this row 5 more times*
Repeat the 7 rows between the *. Work until the hat measures 3 1/2 inches and begin decreases. Switch to Double points when needed.
NOTE: Independently of decreases work cable pattern until there are no purl stitches between the cables.
Decrease (Dec) row 1: K4 P2 Purl 2 together (P2tog)
Next row: Work even
Dec row 2: K4 P1 P2tog
Next row: Work even
Dec row 3: K4 P2tog
Next row: Work even
Dec row 4: K3 Knit 2 together (K2tog)
Next row: Work even
Dec row 5: K2 K2tog
Dec row 6: K1 K2tog
Dec row 7: K2tog around
7 stitches left.
Break yarn and pull through remaining stitches on needles.
Only 2 strings to sew in!!
Losing Patience
Sometimes you encounter a pattern that is more trouble to make than it is worth. Usually for me these patterns look super easy and result in a really cute piece of clothing but they have all sorts of funny demands and lots of finishing work.
First, let me just say that I hate finishing work. It is the worst. If I wanted to sew I would get a lot more use out of my sewing machine and wouldn't spend hours building fabric stitch by stitch, but I knit because I like knitting and it seems efficient, if done right. I often see patterns for adorable little stuffed animals that I would love to make but I know that all of the tiny tube knitting and sewing and stuffing would kill me so I avoid them like the plague. My favorite knitted items are ones where you make a complete garment or thing and have only two strings to sew in. What a sense of glorious victory!
For a while I have had this pattern for booties that is ADORABLE. I have attempted several times to make these booties (one attempt is chronicled here)but the actual finished booties have never materialized (I have a pair laying around somewhere unfinished). After carefully attempting to finish this one completely I figured out why.
There is like, 10 strings hanging off and a bunch of seams that need to be sewed! Yuck! These things are tiny, 2 1/2 inches long maybe, and there is a ton of finishing work. Ugh! I gave up. I decided that they are more trouble than they're worth and made this instead:
This looks like more work but it's actually less. It's a baby hat, and the best part about it is when you are done there is only two strings to sew in. VICTORY!!
First, let me just say that I hate finishing work. It is the worst. If I wanted to sew I would get a lot more use out of my sewing machine and wouldn't spend hours building fabric stitch by stitch, but I knit because I like knitting and it seems efficient, if done right. I often see patterns for adorable little stuffed animals that I would love to make but I know that all of the tiny tube knitting and sewing and stuffing would kill me so I avoid them like the plague. My favorite knitted items are ones where you make a complete garment or thing and have only two strings to sew in. What a sense of glorious victory!
For a while I have had this pattern for booties that is ADORABLE. I have attempted several times to make these booties (one attempt is chronicled here)but the actual finished booties have never materialized (I have a pair laying around somewhere unfinished). After carefully attempting to finish this one completely I figured out why.
There is like, 10 strings hanging off and a bunch of seams that need to be sewed! Yuck! These things are tiny, 2 1/2 inches long maybe, and there is a ton of finishing work. Ugh! I gave up. I decided that they are more trouble than they're worth and made this instead:
This looks like more work but it's actually less. It's a baby hat, and the best part about it is when you are done there is only two strings to sew in. VICTORY!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Advice to New Knitters
I was talking with a friend last night who is just starting out knitting; she has made several scarves and likes good materials, which is critical to making your projects look good, and it also sounds like she has good knitting buddies to guide her through the trials of dropped stitches, miscounted rows and decrease disasters. But even with all of these things in her favor she is a little nervous to try something even slightly more complicated, like a hat.
It seems that this nervousness is pretty common. I have met many a person who mastered the knit and the purl only to make use of those skills on flat long scarves. While I like a good scarf, in general, I think they are ridiculously boring to make. Plus a person only needs so many scarves and your friends and family only need so many scarves. You don't want to be the crazy scarf lady now do you?
What's the solution? Be adventurous!! Give those circular needles a try!Keep in mind that it looks way more difficult than it actually is. And if you know good knitters who can teach you how to fix mistakes you're three steps ahead.
My favorite thing about knitting is its pliable elastic nature. It's not like ceramics where if you fire something and it blows up in the kiln, you're done and it's gone. If you make a sweater and don't like it, you can rip it out and make it exactly what you want, you can even wait 7 years to rip it out and it will still look good in the end. If a pattern is funny and you don't like it, you can change it. Knitting is simple and easy to figure out, deceptively so because sometimes the easiest things will bite even the most practiced knitters but that shouldn't be a deterrent. The most fun in knitting is when you try something and it turns out more beautiful than you ever thought it would, what a sense of accomplishment! But you can't get that feeling (or that gorgeous sweater) unless you try something new. So go ahead, step outside the boundaries, jump into something and know that you are going to mess it up somewhere at some time but that it will be o.k. and you'll either fix it or no one will ever notice.
It seems that this nervousness is pretty common. I have met many a person who mastered the knit and the purl only to make use of those skills on flat long scarves. While I like a good scarf, in general, I think they are ridiculously boring to make. Plus a person only needs so many scarves and your friends and family only need so many scarves. You don't want to be the crazy scarf lady now do you?
What's the solution? Be adventurous!! Give those circular needles a try!Keep in mind that it looks way more difficult than it actually is. And if you know good knitters who can teach you how to fix mistakes you're three steps ahead.
My favorite thing about knitting is its pliable elastic nature. It's not like ceramics where if you fire something and it blows up in the kiln, you're done and it's gone. If you make a sweater and don't like it, you can rip it out and make it exactly what you want, you can even wait 7 years to rip it out and it will still look good in the end. If a pattern is funny and you don't like it, you can change it. Knitting is simple and easy to figure out, deceptively so because sometimes the easiest things will bite even the most practiced knitters but that shouldn't be a deterrent. The most fun in knitting is when you try something and it turns out more beautiful than you ever thought it would, what a sense of accomplishment! But you can't get that feeling (or that gorgeous sweater) unless you try something new. So go ahead, step outside the boundaries, jump into something and know that you are going to mess it up somewhere at some time but that it will be o.k. and you'll either fix it or no one will ever notice.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Know-it-all Knitting Ladies
Sometimes when you go to a yarn store you encounter the Know-it-all Knitting Lady. These are the ladies who feel the need to help you out so strongly and to tell you exactly how knitting should be done even when they don't really know what they are talking about.
Went to a store recently where someone in my party asked if they had metric gauges for knitting needles. The Know-it-all Knitting Lady proceeded to tell us, forcefully, that Metric was exactly the same as US and all gauges had both on them and that Addi was the only needle that was different. Well, my compatriot and I looked at each other knowingly and quickly left the store because we both knew that the Know-it-all Lady didn't know quite as much as she thought.
In my possession right now I have a nice package of sock needles with 6 sets of needles that are labeled with both their US and Metric sizes. In US sizes the set contains exactly one set of size 0 needles, 2 sets of size 1, 2 sets of size 2, and one set of size 3. In Metric the same set contains one set each of 2.00mm, 2.25mm, 2.50mm, 2.75mm, 3.00mm, and 3.25mm. Hmmm...it seems as though they're not quite exactly the same.
The lesson to be learned from this incident is that Know-it-all Knitting Ladies don't always know it all. Trust your guts.
Went to a store recently where someone in my party asked if they had metric gauges for knitting needles. The Know-it-all Knitting Lady proceeded to tell us, forcefully, that Metric was exactly the same as US and all gauges had both on them and that Addi was the only needle that was different. Well, my compatriot and I looked at each other knowingly and quickly left the store because we both knew that the Know-it-all Lady didn't know quite as much as she thought.
In my possession right now I have a nice package of sock needles with 6 sets of needles that are labeled with both their US and Metric sizes. In US sizes the set contains exactly one set of size 0 needles, 2 sets of size 1, 2 sets of size 2, and one set of size 3. In Metric the same set contains one set each of 2.00mm, 2.25mm, 2.50mm, 2.75mm, 3.00mm, and 3.25mm. Hmmm...it seems as though they're not quite exactly the same.
The lesson to be learned from this incident is that Know-it-all Knitting Ladies don't always know it all. Trust your guts.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Adios TV
We took down our television for the summer. I think it's a good thing. I want to be more active this summer and spend less time watching mindless crap.
I worry, however, that I will do less knitting. I like knitting and watching TV. Not TV that you need to pay attention to, but crappy shows that are entertaining and there's no need to follow them or really understand what's going on. There are a lot of those currently on TV.
Maybe I'll just sleep better and get as much knitting done as before.
I worry, however, that I will do less knitting. I like knitting and watching TV. Not TV that you need to pay attention to, but crappy shows that are entertaining and there's no need to follow them or really understand what's going on. There are a lot of those currently on TV.
Maybe I'll just sleep better and get as much knitting done as before.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Flowers!
It's an early spring this year and thank heaven for that! The last two winters have been horrid. I got excited today when I looked in my flower bed and saw that the little flowers that grow there every year despite all my neglect were in bloom. I love flowers and I wish I was better at growing them, but I figure you can't be good at everything so I just enjoy them when they happen to pop up.
Happy Spring!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Don't Wait Too Long
I have a bad habit of being overconfident in my ability to remember things and this week that bad habit caused me to rip out and re-knit the same four rows about four times. Why do I always do this to myself?
Here's what happened
I'm making a pair of socks and I decided not to follow a pattern for the lovely cables but simply came up with an ingenious design myself...ahem. Ingenious until you wait four months after finishing the first sock to continue on to the next one. What did I do on the first one? Well, it's right there in front of my face but apparently my counting skills have deteriorated in the intervening four months and...re-knit four times.
Yep. My follow through skills are not so good. I read a lot of self-help crappy pop-psychology magazine articles and apparently there are people out there who are good at the elusive follow-through. That is, they can take a task and see it through to completion; make a plan and follow it. This is not my forte. I like ideas, big ideas, and I'm often overwhelmed by the details, or what I think are the details, of following through. This shows itself in every aspect of my life and, in this case, my knitting is bearing the brunt of my shortcoming. Patterns...just details...who cares...
At least there is hope. Slowly, ever so slowly, I'm improving. I have, in my old age and wisdom, learned that there is value in being exact, following the plan, and taking notes. Perhaps this will not happen again, somehow though, I think it might.
Here's what happened
I'm making a pair of socks and I decided not to follow a pattern for the lovely cables but simply came up with an ingenious design myself...ahem. Ingenious until you wait four months after finishing the first sock to continue on to the next one. What did I do on the first one? Well, it's right there in front of my face but apparently my counting skills have deteriorated in the intervening four months and...re-knit four times.
Yep. My follow through skills are not so good. I read a lot of self-help crappy pop-psychology magazine articles and apparently there are people out there who are good at the elusive follow-through. That is, they can take a task and see it through to completion; make a plan and follow it. This is not my forte. I like ideas, big ideas, and I'm often overwhelmed by the details, or what I think are the details, of following through. This shows itself in every aspect of my life and, in this case, my knitting is bearing the brunt of my shortcoming. Patterns...just details...who cares...
At least there is hope. Slowly, ever so slowly, I'm improving. I have, in my old age and wisdom, learned that there is value in being exact, following the plan, and taking notes. Perhaps this will not happen again, somehow though, I think it might.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Photos
I've been lazy and down lately. I think these last months of winter are difficult for me; it seems I'm more prone to melancholy now than at other times of the year. Because of that it I have failed to post pictures of my completed projects so here are a few:
...Or maybe only two, since it seems I have actually failed to take pictures of my work not just failed to post them. Yes. Well. More later.
...Or maybe only two, since it seems I have actually failed to take pictures of my work not just failed to post them. Yes. Well. More later.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Knitting Away the Winter
It's very pleasant to knit in the winter, a big project on the lap keeps you nice and warm in the cold weather.
Although, sometimes I wonder if I'm happily knitting away my life. Should I be doing bigger, grander things? I have talents, should I be making better use of them?
I always second guess my choices. I wish I didn't but I can't help it, my mind always tends towards thoughts about what-might-have-been. I keep hoping I'll get better as I get older and I have, a little bit. But still I'm plagued by the idea that I should be striving for greatness. Seems silly when I put it in writing. Maybe it's our culture, or maybe it's my inner competitiveness showing up when it's absolutely useless. Who knows?
In any case I find sitting on the couch watching a movie with a nice warm future sweater on my lap far more satisfying than conquering mountaintops or scaling the corporate ladder.
Although, sometimes I wonder if I'm happily knitting away my life. Should I be doing bigger, grander things? I have talents, should I be making better use of them?
I always second guess my choices. I wish I didn't but I can't help it, my mind always tends towards thoughts about what-might-have-been. I keep hoping I'll get better as I get older and I have, a little bit. But still I'm plagued by the idea that I should be striving for greatness. Seems silly when I put it in writing. Maybe it's our culture, or maybe it's my inner competitiveness showing up when it's absolutely useless. Who knows?
In any case I find sitting on the couch watching a movie with a nice warm future sweater on my lap far more satisfying than conquering mountaintops or scaling the corporate ladder.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Television is ruining my neighborhood!
Stupid TV! First Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins (or whatever it's called, the one with the stupid bleached blond guy who wears his sunglasses on the back of his head) ruined my neighborhood burger joint. I live a block away and can't get into the place when I'm hungry for a burger or beer. Lines out the door all of the time!
Now, as I write this ESPN is filming some homecoming show with Joe Mauer at the high school down the street. I couldn't even drive to my house! Well...actually, I could drive to my house but I had to use the alley and clearly there were a lot more people driving around who aren't familiar with the streets, or how to park on them, or how to properly pass cars on them, or how not to do stupid Y turns in the middle of a busy street and nearly kill other drivers.
I hate TV.
Now, as I write this ESPN is filming some homecoming show with Joe Mauer at the high school down the street. I couldn't even drive to my house! Well...actually, I could drive to my house but I had to use the alley and clearly there were a lot more people driving around who aren't familiar with the streets, or how to park on them, or how to properly pass cars on them, or how not to do stupid Y turns in the middle of a busy street and nearly kill other drivers.
I hate TV.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Damnation!
I started a beautifully cabled top-down cardigan in hopes of using up a large chunk of yarn I bought for another sweater that I never made. I used up the first skein of yarn and grabbed another out of my yarn drawer without looking too closely. I then set aside the project for a couple of days and only looked at the new skein and the quarter of finished sweater together as I was packing up to go visit a friend. Shit. Different colors.
Going back to my yarn drawer I realized that the first skein was one of two that I had purchased for accent colors in the original sweater, not one of the eight skeins of main color I have. SHIT!
Now I'm left with two ultra shitty options:
1. Buy 5 more skeins of yarn at a total expense of around 50 bucks
2. Rip out a perfectly good sweater and start over with the yarn color that I have enough of.
Now, normally I promote ripping, but for me normally is when you have a terrible mistake that can't be fixed any other way or your sweater looks like crap and you hate it and will never wear it. This sweater is pretty, I really like it and I don't especially want to rip it out. I also don't especially want to spend 50 bucks when I have eight skeins of the same yarn in a slightly different color that need to be used. What to do?
My lesson from all of this is don't be flippant about your stash, check before you start that you're using the right stuff.
I even made a gauge swatch for this one!!
Going back to my yarn drawer I realized that the first skein was one of two that I had purchased for accent colors in the original sweater, not one of the eight skeins of main color I have. SHIT!
Now I'm left with two ultra shitty options:
1. Buy 5 more skeins of yarn at a total expense of around 50 bucks
2. Rip out a perfectly good sweater and start over with the yarn color that I have enough of.
Now, normally I promote ripping, but for me normally is when you have a terrible mistake that can't be fixed any other way or your sweater looks like crap and you hate it and will never wear it. This sweater is pretty, I really like it and I don't especially want to rip it out. I also don't especially want to spend 50 bucks when I have eight skeins of the same yarn in a slightly different color that need to be used. What to do?
My lesson from all of this is don't be flippant about your stash, check before you start that you're using the right stuff.
I even made a gauge swatch for this one!!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
January Already
I've been in a lazy slump for the past few weeks. Maybe that's what comes with cold weather and shorter days, maybe I'm just lazy, either are very plausible, and maybe both are happening at the same time. I had a nice vacation that was very productive knitting-wise, mostly due to my extended hours on the couch, and would post pictures except I'm too lazy to find my camera.
I did do one good thing recently: I joined a gym. I know, I can't believe it either. I got on the scale after Christmas and felt my heart stop a little from the shock of the number (or the eight hundred pounds of extra fatty holiday food clogging up my arteries) and thought that maybe I should tweak my routine. Hopefully I'll go... regularly I mean.
In that spirit I have put myself on an extra-strict no fudge diet. That's right, NO fudge! I can eat everything else that I normally eat just no fudge. It's great, I'm setting myself up for success since I don't eat fudge outside of the holiday season normally. Brilliant right? Goal accomplished!!
Hmm...Maybe that's kind of lazy too, oh well.
I did do one good thing recently: I joined a gym. I know, I can't believe it either. I got on the scale after Christmas and felt my heart stop a little from the shock of the number (or the eight hundred pounds of extra fatty holiday food clogging up my arteries) and thought that maybe I should tweak my routine. Hopefully I'll go... regularly I mean.
In that spirit I have put myself on an extra-strict no fudge diet. That's right, NO fudge! I can eat everything else that I normally eat just no fudge. It's great, I'm setting myself up for success since I don't eat fudge outside of the holiday season normally. Brilliant right? Goal accomplished!!
Hmm...Maybe that's kind of lazy too, oh well.
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