Photo: Mostly Just Right Wrap

It has been about a year since I completed this sweater, and finally, I am able to post a photo of the completed cardigan. The fellow in the picture is not yet finished, but he's definitely a "keeper."

Throw some modular into the mix

As if I were not already working on too many projects (all sweaters), I have started a modular cardigan, the Mola Jacket by Patricia Werner in Dazzling Knits. I am making one last attempt to make something with the bamboo yarn that I purchased more than a year ago. I went into the local yarn shop (no longer in business) and asked for some red yarn in a DK or lighter weight. The only yarn that even faintly resembled what I'd requested was the "no brand" bamboo in poppy, not really the yarn or color of red I had in mind, but I bought enough to make a simple top with 3/4 length sleeves. In the time since I purchased the yarn, I have attempted to knit and subsequently unknit three different garments. The yarn splits if you breathe and the stitches slip and slide around as if they are snakes in a pit. I will never, never, never buy 100% bamboo yarn again. Did you hear that? I said NEVER!

Modular designs are interesting to knit and produce garments that are unlike standard knitted garments. The knitter must beware of the deceitful nature of modular knitting. It's easy to stay up way past bedtime, not with the "just one more row", the famous last words of the knitter of standard garments, but with the "just one more module" which leads inevitably to another and another and another. I started knitting this garment from the bamboo yarn so that I would discover split stitches sooner and have less to rip out to correct the mess. I had visions of taking my time, and working on the jacket a little at a time to keep the frustration level down.

I should be able to post some "in progress" pictures soon. Until then, happy knitting!

Socks for Mom

The first picture is a pair of socks for my mom made from Knit Picks bare merino sock yarn kettle dyed with pink lemonade Kool Aide. These are plain cuff-down socks with foldover cuffs and eye-of-partridge heels.


The second picture is a pair of socks for my mom made from Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn in the discontinued glacier color. The pattern is "Undulting Rib" from Favorite Socks.

Knitting like crazy, but nothing to show

I have been knitting on several projects so far this year.

Socks
2 pairs for my mother completed
1 pair for my mother-in-law completed
1 pair for my grandbaby due in April completed
1 pair for my grandbaby due in April half done

Hat for husband from frogged and leftover sock yarns

Cardigans
2 cardigans for me in the works

In addition, I am working on a pieced receiving blanket for my new grandbaby and a game for my grandsons.

I really do have some pictures of my mother's socks, which I will publish another day.

More photos

For Christmas, I made the Flowered Cardigan for my mother. The design is from Rebecca Lennox for Elmwood Yarn Shop. I used Knit Picks Swish DK superwash merino in amethyst heather on US 5 needles. My mother was pleased with her gift -- and -- best of all, it fits her.






The photo above, Reversible Vest from Knit One Below, received a first-place ribbon at the Panhandle South Plains Fair in September, 2009. It is made of two colors of sport weight Peace Fleece yarn, which when used together sort of remind me of pigeon feathers -- gray when viewed from a distance, but violet and green when viewed close up. I spit spliced the yarn to eliminate ends to weave in; however, I could not figure any way to avoid weaving in ends at the beginning and at the shoulders. So, my reversible vest is not reversible. The buttons that the I-cord is passed through are metal and partially overlaid with mother of pearl. I think they are perfect buttons for the garment. Alas, the vest is quite large, both too long and too big around for me or for my sister, so I will probably felt it. I am afraid that if I felt it, the loops for the buttons will not go over the buttons, so I am hesitating on felting.

Pictures, pictures, pictures

I have lots of knitting project pictures to share.

The Katrina Ballerina cardigan that I made for my daughter's birthday present is pictured below although it is not modeled by its recipient. Currently, the recipient is pregnant, a fact that my husband and I did not know until Christmas. After presenting us with three little grandsons (who are indeed wonderful), she is due to give birth to a girl-child in April. Now I have the perfect project in mind for some of those luscious leftovers of sock yarn -- little baby girl socks.



Next project is the Triangle Scarf from Norah Gaughan's book Knitting Nature. It is made from yarn given to me as a prize by Chris Hanner (http://www.myfavoritethimble.com). The scarf was a gift for my sister.




I made the fingerless gloves "Musica" for my niece who is 15 years old and plays flute, violin and piano.




That's enough for today. I'll post other pictures another day.

For your viewing pleasure

I have been so inconsistent about publishing anything, especially photographs, on this blog. Yes, I have been very busy knitting my fingers to the bone -- Christmas knitting, you know. I do have some project pictures, but I have yet to post them.

So .... Here are a few of my favorite Christmas photos (lifted from Google images).

Much knitting but still no pictures

I have completed a lot of knitting projects, but I seem to be unable to get pictures of my completed projects. Some projects have been photographed, but I haven't downloaded the photos from the camera. I don't know why I am so slow about posting photos.

I have completed all the knitting for the Debbie Bliss animal scarves (bear, monkey and zebra). Now, I need to assemble the scarves. Also, I have completed one of the fingerless mits and started the second for my niece. They are black and white fingering weight yarn with music symbols on them. I have swatched for the flower cardigan for my mom's Christmas present. The swatch looks great. I think the sweater will be beautiful. The yarn is KnitPicks Swish DK in amethyst heather. It's a wonderful, rich purple, but when I look at it under the light in my living room, I could swear there is an orange "fuzz" on the surface. Odd, the tricks our eyes play on us!

Still knitting after all these years!

I continue to work on the Elektra and enjoy watching it grow. The Katrina Ballerina, on the other hand, is quite another matter. The knitting is not complicated, but it does not progress as rapidly as I would like. The yarn is not a pleasure to work with and is a contributing factor to the slow progress.

Today is just a daily day, not spectacular in any way. Why is it that when we are in a period of "ordinary time," we long for celebration, for a change of venue, for excitement, for brass band days? Then, when we finally are on vacation, enjoying holidays, the celebratory seasons, we long for ordinary time, for routine, for predictability, for daily days? The human race is a curious species.

My husband and I are looking forward to a week of vacation in the Portland, Oregon area in the latter part of October. I think it will be the perfect time of year to be in Oregon. Planning a trip that is not primarily to visit family is a foreign concept for us. We have rarely done that in our lives.

Enjoy the ordinary time for the frantic, frenetic, frenzied days will come when rapidly approaching deadlines loom, and there seems never to be enough hours in the day.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday, the 60th anniversary of my birth. I was born in Dallas, Texas at St. Paul Hospital, a Catholic hospital. Since I was born on a Friday morning in a Catholic hospital, my mother was served an entree of fish for dinner, which she refused to eat based on her grandmother's admonition that one should not eat fish right after giving birth. When the nurse in attendance assured her that the fish would not cause harm, my mother stuck with the "old wives tale" and continued to refuse to eat the fish. This is one of the family tales that has be told and retold throughout my life with very little embellishment, which is not always the case in my family.

Most of the family stories I have heard in my lifetime have been embroidered with various embellishments depending on the story teller. My Aunt Norma (married to my father's eldest brother) once queried, "Why is it that your side of the family keeps telling tales about family members whether the subject of the tale is alive or dead?" My response was, "We see no need to let a good story die just because the main characters are dead. A good story is a good story."

My current knitting projects are going well. The knitting has been uncomplicated, and, as the garments grow, I enjoy watching them develop into exactly what I had in mind when I started them. I suspect the Electra is telling me that it wants to live in my sister's closet; however, I am still trying to convince it that I would enjoy it more. The fact that my sister saw it last weekend and commented on how the colors in it are "her colors" does not help my case for keeping it for myself. I keep telling myself that if I do decide to give it to her, I can always make another one for myself. Decisions, decisions!

Knitting miles of stitches

I am currently working on two different cardigans, one for me and one for my daughter. The cardigan I am making for my daughter is the Katrina Ballerina Lace Layering Cardigan from No Two Snowflakes Alike (www.notwosnowflakesalike.com). It is a lovely top-down raglan with the top portion in stockinette with garter stitch borders and the lower portion or skirt in a simple lace pattern which resolves into a garter stitch edge. It is a lovely design which I think my daughter will enjoy wearing. I am making it from some DK weight mercerized cotton yarn that I purchased as a kit and decided to make something different with the yarn. My hands are "crying" from working with this yarn. I am hoping to finish the sweater in time to enter it into the South Plains Fair in September.

The other cardigan I am making is Elektra by Twisted Sisters (from their book Double Trouble). It's a rather simple design to knit especially since I made a pullover from that same book and that pullover uses a similar process. The yarns I am using are all fingering weight sock yarns in cool colors with a strand of blue-black lace-weight yarn carried along with the sock yarn. The blue-black lace weight yarn has the affect of blending together the sock yarn colors. I am alternating bands of multi-colored sock yarn with bands of navy sock yarn. This yarn is a pleasure to knit, and the finished garment will be light weight and warm.

Tee Leaves Photos

I have been enjoying wearing my new top, the Tee Leaves top. It is comfortable and the fit is loose enough to be comfortable without being too baggy. If I were making this design again, and I probably will use the basic design again, I would make the armscye more shallow and that would make the sleeves not so wide at the underarm. This is the first garment that I have made that I put in bust darts, and I really like the fit. The top does not stand out or ride up at the lower front. I made the neck trim as a straight band that is basically a 2 by 2 ribbing except the middle rib is twisted and then attached the band when it was long enough to fit the neckline. One other thing that I did on this garment that I have never done before, I made the leaf edging to my hip and forearm measurements, made each piece into a ring, and picked up stitches for the garment from the straight edge of the border. I think it worked out well.

Tee Leaves top

Detail of the leaf edging

Detail of neckline trim

Tee Leaves -- a quick knit

Well, my Tee Leaves top is working up very well indeed. I lack just a little bit at the shoulders/neckline, the neckline trim and the sleeves. I really think I will enjoy wearing this garment. My plans are to complete it this week and start over with my bamboo yarn. It will be another tee with the same measurements as the current project. The only difference I am planning at this time is to change the edging on the bottom and sleeves. I want to use the tilting ladders lace on it. Photos will be posted later.

Decision made!

I have definitely decided to rip out the Ogee Tunic. I will photograph it first to show why it must be frogged. It is a case of a design and a yarn that are not compatible. The cables and the lace are invitations to split the yarn. Believe me when I tell you that 100% bamboo yarn does not need any excuse to split. When manipulating stitches with this yarn, the stitches become distorted because of the slipperiness of the yarn. I will definitely reuse the yarn. It was too expensive to abandon, although, I really would rather abandon it. I have a project in mind for it. Another reason not to like the yarn is that it has absolutely no body. It is so drapey that it hangs like a lifeless old dishrag.

To assuage my guilt and to bolster my confidence, I have begun a simple tee using Elann Callista (50% viscose, 25% cotton, 25% linen). Now, this is a yarn that is more to my liking. It shows stitch definition wonderfully, has a bit of crispness to its texture, but is, at the same time, soft. It is a cohesive yarn, showing no tendency to split. For the most part, the knitting can be on "auto pilot," but there are a few details that will make it a pretty garment.

Ogee Tunic Blues

I've ripped and frogged
And stitched lots of knitting.
This doggone yarn has me
Fuming and spitting.

How can I deal with this yarn
That keeps splitting?
This ogee front
Will I ever finish knitting?

I'm just not feeling the love for this yarn or design at this time. If I can just get finished with the front, I think the rest of the sweater will work out okay.

Happily knitting along!

I have been knitting Norah Gaughan's design, the Ogee Tunic, from Knitting Nature. Although the front of the sweater looks very complex with its meandering cables, it really is quite easy to follow the charts if one remembers to take one line at a time and carefully read the symbols. I am enjoying knitting the garment; however, I am not thrilled with my choice of yarn. The yarn is 100% bamboo, a heavy yarn with absolutely no body. My least favorite feature of the yarn is its structure. It has 14 strands (yes, I said 14 strands) with no twist, that is to say that the strands lie mostly parallel to each other much like embroidery floss. It is so difficult to avoid splitting the yarn.

I will give a progress report soon.

Promised photos

At last, I have some knitting project photos to post.

Geese Gone Goofy Ruana




First socks -- Off the Cuff (Knit Socks! by Betsy McCarthy pg. 80ff)


Classy Slip-up Socks (Knit Socks! by Betsy McCarthy pg. 104ff)


Best Foot Forward Socks (Knit Socks! by Betsy McCarthy pg. 56ff)


Waving Lace Socks (Favorite Socks from Interweave Press pg. 104ff)


Spring Thaw Socks designed by Cat Bordhi



Arch Shaped Socks

Projects -- Spring is coming!

Last Friday, I finished my reversible vest (Knit One Below), although it is not really reversible. I could not figure out how to hide the yarn tails that resulted from casting on, joining yarn to knit the back and right front above the underarm, and the ends at the shoulders. There just did not seem to be any way to hide them so that the vest could truly be reversible. I did "spit splice" the yarn joins in the middle of the project, and, I must say, the joins are really invisible. It's a technique I will use in the future with any "feltable" yarn.

I have knitted my swatch for my first warm weather garment, a cardigan in garter stitch with lace lapels. It's a very simple, but practical and elegant garment. The yarn I am using is Queensland Soft Wave, an unmercerized, sport-weight cotton yarn that has a crinkled appearance somewhat like Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, although it is much more pleasant to knit. I'm a bit concerned with the strength of this yarn because it takes no effort at all to break it. The color of the yarn is a very light sage green -- very spring-like.

Reversible Vest

I am currently working on the Reversible Vest from the book Knit One Below. It is a simple project that seems to be taking an inordinately long time to complete. The stitches are wide but short, with a gauge of 4 stitches per inch and 8 rows per inch. Of course, that means that fewer stitches need to be cast on, but it takes forever to make any progress vertically. Since it is a reversible vest, I am "spit" splicing the yarn. I've never used that technique before, and I must say that I will probably employ it whenever I am knitting with feltable yarns in the future. It certainly makes the inside of the garment neater to eliminate working in yarn tails.

Another comment about the knit one below (k1b) technique: the stitches are not as even, at least in the unblocked garment, as stitches produced with stockinette stitch. I am hoping that the stitches take on a more uniform appearance when the garment is blocked.

Blogging the blahs!

I really have the knitting equivalent of a bad case of the mullygrubs. Currently, I am plodding along on a couple of winter knitting projects like a grasshopper dragging itself along at the end of summer. I'm trying to finish my Arwen hoodie and also the reversible vest in Knit One Below. They are both lovely projects, but spring has sprung in west Texas, and winter knitting is just plain dull. My fingers are itching to begin working on my spring knitting -- cotton and bamboo yarns in lovely spring colors, lacey, flouncy, fancy knitting, lovely and enticing projects. Oh, to be finished with these winter woolies! What I need is a good, west Texas norther to put me in the mood to complete these wintry projects.