Ok, a quick updade on Grace's christmas stocking. How did I not see this sooner? Anyway I was very close to being done only 5 more rounds to go. Then I stopped and looked at it. Why didn't I take a picture? The toe had turned into a point. One side had turned into a 90 degree angle where all the decreases were! It looked stupid.the pattern called for two needles but I thought I could do it with one. Maybe, but I also noticed that I hadn't done the increases right. I was only doing one total when I should have been doing 2 on each side. Why am I such a bad knitter?
So I ripped it back to when I started the decreasing for the toe and used 2 needles (I had 48 stitches total) and put one needle in half the stitches and the other needle in the other half. I used different stitch markers that will not fall out as easy. I also noticed that doing this section will go fast because I will be decreasing 4 stitches each round, 2 per needle. So that made me feel better about ripping back. I really really want to start Hannah's stocking. I was afraid something like this was going to happen.
I also decided that when I am done with this I will hang it up for Christmas but then will take it back, rip it out back to the heel and re-knit the second half till I am happy with it. The heel is much to big. I said I would make them stockings and I want them "hung by the chimney with care".
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Wasted time
Well I finished the "wrap" in the paco-vicuna yarn. Lets just say it was a waste of time. I ended up knitting a big square. I knew early on it would end like this but I hoped somehow it would magically grow. I am ripping it out. I decided to make socks out of the yarn. I thought about mitten liners but fear they wouldn't hold up. I found a sock pattern that uses bulky weight yarn. My only concern is I'm afraid wearing them on hardwood floors will be like walking on ice-very slippery. I do want socks badly but these will have to wait until I finish the stocking at least.
I am making more progress slowly on the black shawl. I can't believe how slowly it's going. Every other row it grows by 2 stitches. I'm regretting the stocking because I'm not crazy about how it's looking and I have a self imposed deadline to finish it by the end of the month so I can start Hannah's.
I figure if I finish Hannah's stocking by end of November I have 23 days to knit that hat for Sam/Joel. I decided that they will share the hat. They have the same head size. Neither wear hats unless bitterly cold outside so why make two when one will do?
I am frustrated by that pattern but I am looking forward to knitting those socks. Let's hope for a really cold winter so I can wear them a lot.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Swimming in soft squishyness!
It's been awhile but I do have an update. Nothing is finished yet but I'm getting close on one. Grace's stocking is past the heel and onto the foot working toward the toe. I kind of regret using 2 strands together. I should have just used 1 strand and gone down a couple of needle sizes. The stocking is thick. It might support a bowling ball! Plus the heel is to big. I'm using size 9 needles.
The other project is a black shawl. I am half done. I'm anxious to finish it before winter. I am happy with how it looks. It's so easy I don't even need the pattern anymore. I can pick it up at any time and know what to do.
I got the itch to cast on something new. I really want something for winter. I was going to make a throw for my lap but 200 yards just isn't much. I decided on the picture below. The pattern uses slightly more than 200 yards and it calls for bulky yarn.The yarn i'm using is called Paco-Vicuna which is a mix between an Alpaca and a Vicuna. Oh my is this yard soft and squishy!!!!! I love knitting with it and wish I had more. It's an easy pattern but it doesn't look like the pattern picture. I am basically ending up with garter stitch. I don't really mind but it's frustrating. I just want to knit on this for hours! If I knit hard I can have two warm things for winter. This picture shows about 1/4 done. The pattern has you do a 10 row repeat for a total of 17 repeats. This is 5 repeats in. I am aiming for 17 but we will see what I get. Sorry the second picture is so big. I couldn't shrink it. But you can see the difference between mine and the original. Where are those vertical lines in mine???
One more thing I want to mention. There is this yarn store in Washington State on an island somewhere called Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. They have some pretty good patterns. There is this one:
I really like it. It would make a nice spring/fall wrap. If you remember I started a poncho last year. I'm thinking of ripping it out in favor of this pattern. After thinking about it I had the idea to change the turtle neck of the poncho. My idea is to pick out the cast on and unravel it down. I'm thinking of turning it into a mock turtleneck. It's just to bulky and big for a turtleneck. I can't mess with it yet because I stole the needles for the Paco-Vicuna wrap I'm making. I also don't know if it fits well around my shoulders or not. I may still rip it out and use worsted acrylic instead for better drape. Maybe this yarn will be my lap blanket.
The the yarn for the picture above would cost around twenty bucks. Based on yardage alone I would need 6 skeins. There is some pretty acrylic at Joanns I think would look good in this. I really want wool for warmth but I can't afford it right now. I can afford the acrylic with coupons and slow buying. I also could make this one of my goals for buying yarn at Maryland. The pattern is $10 though. I had another thought. I really want more of the Paco-Vicuna yarn. The show I got it at is in Feb. Maryland Sheep and Wool is in May. Ugh! I may have to wait till the year after (2015) to get more Paco-Vicuna yarn. She comes all the way from Colorado for this show in Pittsburgh.
I woke up early this morning and my mind went to knitting. I realized how I am going to make Sam a new hat. I have this black yarn that I ripped a shawl out of and it is part acrylic and part wool. I don't remember the numbers. But I know I have enough yarn and that it's softer than the yarn I originally used and I will not do a double knit hat because it's bulky, but instead I will drop down a needle size or two and make it more dense to make up for it. I hope to have it done for Christmas again this year. But I won't think about it till I get the Paco-Vicuna wrap and Grace's stocking done. Making 1 hat will not take that long.
I think that's it for now.
The other project is a black shawl. I am half done. I'm anxious to finish it before winter. I am happy with how it looks. It's so easy I don't even need the pattern anymore. I can pick it up at any time and know what to do.
I got the itch to cast on something new. I really want something for winter. I was going to make a throw for my lap but 200 yards just isn't much. I decided on the picture below. The pattern uses slightly more than 200 yards and it calls for bulky yarn.The yarn i'm using is called Paco-Vicuna which is a mix between an Alpaca and a Vicuna. Oh my is this yard soft and squishy!!!!! I love knitting with it and wish I had more. It's an easy pattern but it doesn't look like the pattern picture. I am basically ending up with garter stitch. I don't really mind but it's frustrating. I just want to knit on this for hours! If I knit hard I can have two warm things for winter. This picture shows about 1/4 done. The pattern has you do a 10 row repeat for a total of 17 repeats. This is 5 repeats in. I am aiming for 17 but we will see what I get. Sorry the second picture is so big. I couldn't shrink it. But you can see the difference between mine and the original. Where are those vertical lines in mine???
One more thing I want to mention. There is this yarn store in Washington State on an island somewhere called Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. They have some pretty good patterns. There is this one:
I really like it. It would make a nice spring/fall wrap. If you remember I started a poncho last year. I'm thinking of ripping it out in favor of this pattern. After thinking about it I had the idea to change the turtle neck of the poncho. My idea is to pick out the cast on and unravel it down. I'm thinking of turning it into a mock turtleneck. It's just to bulky and big for a turtleneck. I can't mess with it yet because I stole the needles for the Paco-Vicuna wrap I'm making. I also don't know if it fits well around my shoulders or not. I may still rip it out and use worsted acrylic instead for better drape. Maybe this yarn will be my lap blanket.
The the yarn for the picture above would cost around twenty bucks. Based on yardage alone I would need 6 skeins. There is some pretty acrylic at Joanns I think would look good in this. I really want wool for warmth but I can't afford it right now. I can afford the acrylic with coupons and slow buying. I also could make this one of my goals for buying yarn at Maryland. The pattern is $10 though. I had another thought. I really want more of the Paco-Vicuna yarn. The show I got it at is in Feb. Maryland Sheep and Wool is in May. Ugh! I may have to wait till the year after (2015) to get more Paco-Vicuna yarn. She comes all the way from Colorado for this show in Pittsburgh.
I woke up early this morning and my mind went to knitting. I realized how I am going to make Sam a new hat. I have this black yarn that I ripped a shawl out of and it is part acrylic and part wool. I don't remember the numbers. But I know I have enough yarn and that it's softer than the yarn I originally used and I will not do a double knit hat because it's bulky, but instead I will drop down a needle size or two and make it more dense to make up for it. I hope to have it done for Christmas again this year. But I won't think about it till I get the Paco-Vicuna wrap and Grace's stocking done. Making 1 hat will not take that long.
I think that's it for now.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Shawl Pictures
I should have included these in my last post but it was dark and late.
This is the simple black shawl.
It could take forever.
Shawls
Hi. It's been awhile. Not a whole lot to tell. I finally started working on Grace's stocking Friday. I am working on the fuzzy top part. So far so good. I will be glad to be done with the top because I'm not used to working with fuzzy yarn. Of the other three projents I'm working on, are 2 shawls. One is a black simple triangle shawl using the wool I made Sam's hat out of (which I think he lost). I have 4 skeins so a shawl it is. I really like it and it won't be itchy like the hat was. I will remake Sam a hat but now that he is almost always cashiering and not pushing carts, a hat isn't as neccessary. I will make it in a yarn that is less itchy, less warm since it is a double knit hat and with cheaper quality yarn (aka mostly acrylic) so that if it gets lost, I won't be as upset.
The black shawl is coming along nicely. I am almost through 1 skein with 3 more to go. The other project is another shawl. It's a beige one with leaves as the border. That one is only 3 skeins but a thinner yarn and is much more slow going. Each section as as least 6 leaves to it. I plan to make as many leaves as a skein will allow (I am on the 6th leaf of section 1 with enough yarn left for another few leaves) then go to the next section. I want to use all the yarn. The last project is that blue sock. I put it away for awhile trying to decide if I should keep going and deal with how it feels after it's done or rip it all out and use the pattern I made my first two socks out of. Socks hate me. I haven't made a good one yet. The problem with the pattern I used first is that it is direction heavy and I have to look at my notes a lot and keep taking new ones. It's not a pattern I think I will ever have memorized. I wish I could conquor it so I can love knitting socks. I have some great sock yarn begging to be used.
We are going on vacation next month and I have to decide what projects to take. The black shawl for sure since it's so easy and I have the pattern memorized. The stocking to. Maybe that will be it. I plan to hit 2 yarn shops in South Carolina so maybe inspiration will hit and I will see some yarn or a pattern that begs me to knit it. I am such a slow knitter that it takes so long to use up any of my yarn to justify buying more. But If I finish these 2 shawls by next May, I will have reduced my stash by 7 skeins of yarn! Easily replenished at Maryland Sheep and Wool.
I will update as the shawls progress.
The black shawl is coming along nicely. I am almost through 1 skein with 3 more to go. The other project is another shawl. It's a beige one with leaves as the border. That one is only 3 skeins but a thinner yarn and is much more slow going. Each section as as least 6 leaves to it. I plan to make as many leaves as a skein will allow (I am on the 6th leaf of section 1 with enough yarn left for another few leaves) then go to the next section. I want to use all the yarn. The last project is that blue sock. I put it away for awhile trying to decide if I should keep going and deal with how it feels after it's done or rip it all out and use the pattern I made my first two socks out of. Socks hate me. I haven't made a good one yet. The problem with the pattern I used first is that it is direction heavy and I have to look at my notes a lot and keep taking new ones. It's not a pattern I think I will ever have memorized. I wish I could conquor it so I can love knitting socks. I have some great sock yarn begging to be used.
We are going on vacation next month and I have to decide what projects to take. The black shawl for sure since it's so easy and I have the pattern memorized. The stocking to. Maybe that will be it. I plan to hit 2 yarn shops in South Carolina so maybe inspiration will hit and I will see some yarn or a pattern that begs me to knit it. I am such a slow knitter that it takes so long to use up any of my yarn to justify buying more. But If I finish these 2 shawls by next May, I will have reduced my stash by 7 skeins of yarn! Easily replenished at Maryland Sheep and Wool.
I will update as the shawls progress.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Finished some thing!
It's done! I got my new MP3 Player/Samsung ipod on Monday. It was really easy to make. I just did 2 by 2 ribbing on straight needles till when I folded it, it covered the player. Then I bound off till where I wanted the strap. I knit those four stitches then bound off the rest. I went back and knit the strap till it was the length I wanted. I bound off those 4 stitches. Then I seamed up the sides. Next I made the icord necklace. Finally I sewed on the snaps. I am not a sewer so I had no idea there were sew on snaps. Brilliant! I am very happy with it. Now, back to my shawl.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Blanket turned into a shawl x 2
After knitting 5 -10 rows of the blanket there was hardly any progress made. My 4 skeins wouldn't go far and I feared I would have to triple the number of skeins needed to get a decennt sized lap blanket. I decided to frog it and make something else. I found a shawl that takes the amount of yarn I have plus maybe one skein if I decide I need it. It is quite simple and it's coming along nicely. It will be black but black goes with everything so...Plus it's peruvian wool so it's slightly rustic. I like the feel the fabric is making, soft, squishy and stretchy. One of these days I will finish something. I really want a shawl. I have 3 on the needles and none are done.
This pattern is interesting and slightly boring at the same time. I have learned how to wrap stitches and do short rows. I hope I did it right. I could not find a video on what I wasn't sure of when it came to 'working" the wrapped stitches. I really can't tell very well how the pattern is coming along since I am using black yarn. I just finished one pattern repeat and will do 3-4 more. I have to do 2 rows 23 times. Then I have to work the wrapped stitches that occur during those 23 rows. I am getting close to using up the first skein I have. I love how the ruffles are made without really realizing it.
Well, the shawl is no more. I really liked how it looked but I am convinced I did something wrong. There were to many ruffles and no stright edge that goes around your neck like the picture shows. I decided to frog it (rip it out) and start a new pattern. I do not like this one quite as much but the pattern is easier. The other one was a yarn hog due to the short rows as I realized as I ripped it out. But I really did like the fabric I got. So now I am doing a shawl that is a cross between a shawl and Ruana. It's longer in the back than in the front. This one doesn't eat yarn and has taken a few rows to start showing the pattern like the picture shows. Here's a picture: We will see how thins one goes.
This pattern is interesting and slightly boring at the same time. I have learned how to wrap stitches and do short rows. I hope I did it right. I could not find a video on what I wasn't sure of when it came to 'working" the wrapped stitches. I really can't tell very well how the pattern is coming along since I am using black yarn. I just finished one pattern repeat and will do 3-4 more. I have to do 2 rows 23 times. Then I have to work the wrapped stitches that occur during those 23 rows. I am getting close to using up the first skein I have. I love how the ruffles are made without really realizing it.
Well, the shawl is no more. I really liked how it looked but I am convinced I did something wrong. There were to many ruffles and no stright edge that goes around your neck like the picture shows. I decided to frog it (rip it out) and start a new pattern. I do not like this one quite as much but the pattern is easier. The other one was a yarn hog due to the short rows as I realized as I ripped it out. But I really did like the fabric I got. So now I am doing a shawl that is a cross between a shawl and Ruana. It's longer in the back than in the front. This one doesn't eat yarn and has taken a few rows to start showing the pattern like the picture shows. Here's a picture: We will see how thins one goes.
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