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Getting Hooked
Friday, December 30, 2005 I have this silver charm bracelet that Kyle got me as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago. It only has one charm, a lowercase "a", the kind of "a" with the hook on top and a curly little serif on the bottom. I like it because it's unusual. Most initial charms I've seen are uppercase. Anyway, it's one of the pieces of jewelry I never take off. There's really no reason to and I'd have to be a contortionist to get it on again by myself. I love this bracelet. But there is one small problem. The curly serif on the end acts like a fish hook. It gets caught on everything. I've actually ripped the charm off twice, both times because I got it caught in my radiator grill. But the most annoying thing about it is that it always gets caught in my knitting. I can't even tell you how many times I hooked a stitch and pulled it way out of alignment. And the hook part is big, so a whole entire stitch of bulky yarn can get caught in it. This also happens when I put on sweaters, which can really be a problem when you're halfway into a pullover and all of a sudden you can't move for fear of ripping the sweater or breaking the charm. And I don't even want to get into how many times I've gotten it stuck on my knitting machine. So I thought, "Enough already!" and went back to the store on Wednesday. I had them put the "a" on a fancy silver necklace, then I picked out a charm for my bracelet. They had about forty to choose from, so it took a little while to examine them all. I narrowed it down to three: a martini glass, a little heart with a keyhole and a mini key, and a teeny tiny sweater. The martini glass was a little big. I had thoughts of falling asleep on it and waking up with a dent in my head. And even though people always give me martini-themed things, I thought it was a bit silly to get one as a charm. I really liked the little sweater, but I didn't want to pigeonhole myself into a crafty charm. It's too much like my high school class ring with the painter's palette and brush. Too specific. And with the way my sweaters never fit, I thought it might curse me to a lifetime of ill fitting hand knits. So I went with the "key to my heart". It's really very cute. Sweet. But there is one small problem: the key keeps getting caught in my knitting! And it's not an entire strand of yarn that gets caught, it's maybe one ply that gets hooked and shredded. I give up. I think I'm gonna go back and get the little sweater. posted at 10:48 AM . link .   .
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Busy Little Beaver Monday, December 19, 2005 I've been knitting like a fiend lately. It's very strange, since my urge to knit had been dormant for many months. I guess it has something to do with the time of year. December is cold--wool is warm. I also haven't been hiking around Brooklyn taking pictures every day. I guess I can only be obsessed with one thing at a time. Summer was the time for photography, now is the time for knitting.  This weekend I made a sweater, Norah Gaughan's "Reconfigured Raglan". I downloaded the pattern off of the Interweave Knits website a long time ago and the pdf doesn't have the issue listed, so I can't tell you when it's from. It's a big mock neck raglan with an interesting ribbed motif center front and back. I made it with two strands of Filatura Lanarota "Puno", which I picked up at the annual Smiley's Yarns blow-out sale. Puno is 100% alpaca--nice and soft. I got twenty balls for $60. I was going to make something else with it, something complicated with many cables, but I've been on an "easy knit" kick lately, and I'd been eyeing the Reconfigured Raglan for a long time. It's the first sweater I've finished in a while and of course it doesn't fit. Not that I did anything wrong, it's actually the right size. I just measured it and it matches the schematic perfectly. The problem is me. I'm five foot one. I have to hem every pair of pants I buy, sometimes even the petite ones. And this sweater is supposed to be long. The girl modeling it is wearing it with a skirt and boots. It goes way past her butt, maybe mid thigh. It looks so cute on her. It looks like a dress on me. I always mean to shorten things while I'm knitting, but for some reason I'm paranoid to do it. Next time I should just use smaller needles. There might actually be a next time for this one: it only took three days to knit and I really like the style.I also picked up my "Tweedy Aran Cardigan" again. I'm on front piece #2. It's definitely not an easy knit. It's not insanely hard, it just requires a lot of attention, especially since now, aside from keeping track of two different cable panels and side shaping, I have to remember to make button holes. I also made a "Stashbuster Stole" (pattern courtesy of Knitter's Review). I used a strand of recycled burgundy chenille and Lionbrand Imagine in Cerise. Who knows when it will actually be finished, since I need two buttons. Maybe I'll take a trip to P&S this week and get some. posted at 1:05 AM . link . .
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5 Comments: I find that I go through phases with knitting as well... I usually feel the urge to start knitting sometime in September when the baseball series are going on... Though, last year I tapered off right after they ended cause I was busy with other things... but this year I've been obsessively knitting since September... Though, I didn't knit much in the last month due to school stuff.
I love Lion Brand's Imagine! And with chenille, for a stole, huh? OOOOHHH.
By Hi! I work with Kyle who mentioned your website. Love the URL (and its history) and the site. Re: the Reconfigured Raglan---one of 559 items on my wish list---don't be paranoid about shortening it. Whatever you do, don't(!) move to a smaller needle---you will compromise overall fit. May I recommend Deborah Newton's Designing Knitwear and Priscilla Gibson Roberts' Knitting in the Old Way? Also, Beth Brown Reinsels' Knitted Ganseys (garment specific). Paranoia? What's that? Happy Knitting!
By Hi there. I know you knitted this a long time ago, but I'm wondering if you still have the pdf of this pattern. I downloaded it a while back, but moved and left my patterns folder in storage. It feels like winter is closing in fast here and I'd really like to make a sweater to cozy up in. Thanks! diane. The pattern appeared in Interweave Knits's Fall, 2001 issue, according to the IK web site. Cheers!
Swamp Thing Wednesday, December 14, 2005 I'm making my very first pair of gloves! Well, not full gloves, I'm making fingerless gloves. The kinds that have cut off fingers, not the mitts I made last week, which, by the way, rock. I love that cherry red color. I have a rather drab purplish grey down coat, so I like to  jazz it up with bright accessories. This year I've been rotating my helmet hat with a two by two rib hat I made with Lion Brand Landscapes. I really like Landscapes. It's a super-bulky wool blend multicolored yarn. I made a hat and a mistake rib scarf by alternating two rows of Rose Garden with two rows of Raspberry Patch. It's very bright and warm and kinda funky. It goes well with the cherry mitts. The gloves I'm making now are green–Avocado Green Wool of the Andes. I finished one tonight, but I didn't weave in the ends yet so I can make sure both of them are basically the same length when I'm done. I got the pattern from Interweave Knits Winter 2003. I think this "Progressive Glove" pattern and article is worth the price of the back issue. Along with the gloves, which are made using your gauge to calculate cast on stitches and how many stitches for each finger for a custom fit, they also have four different thumb gussets to try out. I'm using the basic thumb gusset. This same issue of Interweave Knits has a one of my favorite sweaters I made, "Dolman Updated". Of course, the arms to way too long, but this shouldn't surprise you by now. Nothing I ever makes fits right. The only sweater I even knit perfectly is the one I made for Kyle. He looks great it in and it's just a boring old roll neck drop shoulder.I tried the finished glove on with the tails streaming and Kyle said I looked like the swamp thing. I had to agree. posted at 12:18 AM . link . .
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It's Not Unusual Monday, December 12, 2005 I just got my "Unusual Toys for You to Knit and Enjoy" booklet in the mail. Woo-hoo! These creatures are so cute. I can't wait until I'm done with my Christmas knitting to make one of them, or this. So freaking adorable. posted at 4:16 PM . link . .
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I got mine today too, but unlike you I have no restraint (possibly it was that the box of Knit Picks yarn I ordered last week is here too). I worked for about an hour on Henry the Bear and I finished his body...just joined for his head. I think her patterns are so well written and cute.
first time to read yr blog. Knitted toys are so cute. I haven't tried one. Is it worth to add "ads by google" to earn just a small money. I don't know.
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Finished? I finished knitting my grandmother's Christmas afghan, wove in the ends, put it in the gift bag and then decided I didn't like it, so I made her a new one. I know, I'm crazy. I made a diagonal throw with a yarn over and garter stitch border. I used a free pattern from Lion Brand, only I knit the middle part in stockinette stitch instead of garter stitch. It came out okay, better than the other shapeless thing I ripped. I should have used smaller needles though. It's very stretchy. Oh well. posted at 3:16 PM . link . .
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Panache Wednesday, December 07, 2005 Here's the hat and scarf I made for my sister in law for Christmas. She wanted something brown or cream to go with her camel coat. I was dying to use one of KnitPicks luxury yarns, so I chose Panache in Cloud. It's a bulky weight 40% baby alpaca, 20%  cashmere and 20% extra fine merino blend. I made a basic 2x2 rib hat with a brim which fits me well, at least. Krissy can tell me how it fits her when it arrives. She requested the scarf to be long and skinny. I'm not really pleased how it came out though. I'd rather I'd made it a little wider. And I cheated by making on my knitting machine. Just the scarf though. I knit the hat in the round on wooden dpns.I have a color card in front of me and I really like it in Cranberry, Mulled Wine, Moss and Slate. Perhaps the selfish knitter deserves another scarf. There's also a sport weight version called Ambrosia, minus the silk and extra fine merino, which would make a nice pair of gloves. I'm plugging along on Grandma's Throw, almost half done. And I ordered votive candles for my "Sachet Gift Experience". I went with Yankee Candles, that way I could get two for each gift bag. The more the merrier, I say. posted at 2:44 AM . link . .
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1 Comments: Thankks for this blog post
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Beware the Savage Jaw of 1984 Tuesday, December 06, 2005 I took a little break from knitting Grandma's Christmas present to make myself some fingerless mitts. Normally I prefer mittens over gloves, but for some reason I didn't have either last winter. Instead, I wore a pair of dayglo pink and black fingerless gloves that I got back in 1984. I shit you not. I got them when I was in sixth grade, at the height of the Madonna/Dayglo craze. They'd been kicking around in my underwear drawer for twenty years before I thought, hey, I think I'm gonna wear those! So that's what I did last winter, but sadly, they're starting to unravel. I've been keeping an eye out for replacements, which I thought wouldn't be so hard since Urban Outfitters has been hawking fingerless gloves for the last couple of winters, what with the '80s being "in" again. Unfortunately, the gloves they sell are itchy and expensive.  So I thought maybe I should make my own. I'd never knit gloves before (I find all those fingers intimidating) but mitts could be a possibility. Then I remembered an article from an old issue of Interweave Knits that had step-by-step instructions for gloves. After some searching, I found it in the Winter '03 issue. The easiest version is fingerless mitts with no thumb gusset. I upped the ante by actually knitting a gusset (I'm such the intrepid knitter!) and made these tasty cherry red numbers. I used KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Cherry Blossom. It's one of those patterns where you have to measure your hand and calculate everything with your gauge, so theoretically the gloves should have been a perfect fit. Alas, nothing ever works out that way for me, so part of the way through the first mitt I decided to full them a little in the bathroom sink when I was done. Worked like a charm. The mitts are warm and bright and they actually fit!Now I'm making a pair of avocado green tipless gloves with a ribbed cuff. They're coming out well, but I just got to the point where I have to start knitting individual fingers, so who knows how they'll end up. Of course, I will definitely let you know. posted at 12:01 AM . link . .
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2 Comments: i like the fingerless mitts because i need my fingers free but i have small fingers and can't find gloves that fit well... used a pattern from alterknits to make a laceup fingerless glove for this winter and i absolutely love them!! i have thought about fulling them (they are 100% merino) as they are a little big, and the yarn is fuzzing the more i wear them, but i don't know how. any tips?
By You can try fulling them by hand, which is what I did with mine. Fill your sink with water as hot as you can stand, add a little wool wash, and then do what you're not supposed to do when washing a wool sweater: agitate, agitate, agitate! Rub those suckers together. Mash them up. It actually takes a lot of effort to full wool by hand, so keep at it and eventually the fibers will start to meld together. If you're afraid to do this to your gloves, try it on a wool swatch first. You can also alternate hot and cold water, which helps speed the fulling process along. Once they seem to be the right size, roll them in a towel and lay flat to dry. If they're not small enough when they dry, you can start the process over. Good luck!
BBBB Blocked & Knitting With Dildos Monday, December 05, 2005  Here is the finished blanket. I should have put my cat on it for scale, but she wasn't around at the time. Believe me when I say this baby blanket is ginormous. It's forty-four inches square. Uh, yeah. Baby blanket. For the biggest baby ever! I've been busy knitting all sorts of good things recently. I'm making a throw for my grandma out of Lion Brand Homespun using this pattern. It's for Christmas. Sources have informed me that she has too many sweaters, so I was forced to come up with other gift alternatives. The throw is coming out nice so far. I'm one third done, which isn't surprising when you use size 35 needles. It  should be done in fifteen more minutes. Size 35! It's like knitting with dildos. Hahah, I'm so crass. Oh well. I know my grandmother is going to complain when she opens her present because it's not crocheted. She's always telling me how I need to learn to crochet. She thinks it's classier, somehow. Maybe one of these days I will learn how to read crochet directions. It's like reading Greek. To a non-Greek reader. You know what I mean.
posted at 3:22 PM . link . .
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Big Bad Baby Bedspread Thursday, December 01, 2005 Quick update: I finished the BBBB that I started on Sunday. Isn't it amazing what you can do when you don't have a regular job? Good thing I finished it though, because I actually do have a job I'm starting tomorrow. Oh, and I have to tell you how ridiculously large the blanket is. It's waaaay too big. If I ever make one of these again with a double strand of worsted I'm going to cast on fewer stitches. I'll post pics after I block it, by which time I'm certain it will be large enough to cover a queen size bed. Oh well. I'm sure everyone will just be impressed that I knit something for someone else for a change. I'm so selfish. posted at 1:04 AM . link . .
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Acrylic doesn't change a lot when you block so you should be ok. :) I did 8/47/47/8. I should have done what you did. Make sure you post pics when you're done. I want to see it!
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