Happy Rocks & Friendly Fossils

Knitting right along!

2011-07-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting throughout the spring and into the summer. Here are a few projects I have completed.

Warning, this is a photo intensive post!
Buzzy Bee Baby Blanket in Berroco Weekend

Oriental Top in Sinfonia by Omega

Heartbeat Sweater by Jill Vossburg in Berroco Linsey

Tanzanite by Norah Gaughan in WEBS Valley Yarns Longmeadow

Hot! Hot! Hot! and may I add dry!

2011-06-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here in Texas, we have been plagued all spring with wildfires. In west and northwest Texas, we have had little or no rain for about nine months. Combine no rain with triple digit temperatures every day for weeks, and high winds, and there is great potential for disaster. And, believe me, we are well acquainted with disaster this year. Every day in Lubbock County, there are reports of one or more homes that have burned. Grass fires break out almost every day burning structures, fences, crops, and forage for wildlife and livestock. We watch and pray for rain, and not a drop falls. Farmers planted their seeds knowing that unless we received rain, the only reason they were planting was to be able to qualify for a settlement on their crop insurance.

We desperately need rain!

Got to be a better way!

2011-06-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Warning -- this is a rant!

I have been shredding old financial records. I do this every summer when I am the only person in the office. It is a nasty job, uses lots of time, and the shredded material takes up way more space than the documents did in their original form. Yes, I understand that for security reasons, old financial records need to be destroyed, but there has to be a better way. A small pile of mostly biodegradable paper is shredded and placed into trash bags which not only take up way more space than the unshredded documents, but it goes to the landfill preserved in plastic trash bags which last an infinitely long time. Isn't there some other secure way to destroy sensitive documents?

Finally Faith and More

2011-01-06T08:11:00.001-08:00

I have not been idle, sitting around eating bonbons, and watching TV. I have plenty of project photos to share what I have been knitting.

Faith is finished and I have worn it many times. Love it!

And then, there are the sweaters for the grandchildren ...

Turtle Crossing Sweater for oldest grandson, Joshua (age 6) -- I made up the pattern and used elements from the afghan square designed by Celeste Pinearo published in The Great American Afghan and the turtle from Barbara Walker's third Treasury.

Fast and Faster Pullover for second grandson, Szachary (age 4) -- I designed the sweater.

Owlet Sweater for youngest grandson, Benjamin (age 2) -- I designed the sweater except for the owl cable.

Baby Katrina Ballerina Lace Layering Cardigan (downsized version of Carrol Feller's design) for granddaughter, Karalyn (age 9 mos.)

And finally, a little cardigan I made for the expected granddaughter of a coworker. The design is original but the stitch patterns are from stitch dictionaries. I call it the "Sweatpea Cardigan."

Lots of Knitting, but no Photos

2010-10-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting with abandon for what seems like months, but I have no pictures to post.

My sweater was judged Best in Show for the knitting, crochet, tatting and weaving division of the Panhandle South Plains Fair last month. I was quite pleased. It was a design that I made up as I went. I started with a hemmed border, knitted a bi-color slipped stitch pattern throughout the body and sleeves to the underarms, then starting from the top, using Carol Sunday's Acorn Cardigan yoke modified to suit my yarn and gauge, I knitted a round yoke and joined the yoke to the body and sleeves using a 3-needle bindoff. Nothing was left but to add the ribbing to the neckline. I like it, and apparently, so did the fair judges. I also entered a pair of socks that received a second place ribbon.

My faithless Faith cardigan is finished except for assembling and the neck trim. I think it is quite lovely.

Currently on my needles is a baby sweater for my granddaughter. It is frustrating to knit because the pattern is very poorly written. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in Punky Fuchsia. It is not at all the kind of color one thinks of in baby clothes, but I cannot picture my granddaughter in pastels. She is going to look great in strong, saturated colors. She has to be a bold, assertive little girl with three older brothers.

Faithless "Faith"

2010-08-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well, that reverse stockinette stitch in Faith was bugging me so much that I have frogged Faith. I did not frog the cuffs and peplum because I really like them and the sweater I will knit from the yarn will still incorporate those pieces. I just want to change the pattern stitches on the main body of the garment. Faith will never make it to the fair -- at least not this year.

On a totally different subject -- on Saturday, I did a household task that should never be attempted in the heat of summer. I decided it was time to run the self-cleaning cycle on my oven. The cycle takes five hours to complete and heats up the kitchen something awful. I'm sure it is not a process that should be started during peak electrical usage hours. I will probably have to ransom my first-born child to pay my electric bill for August.

Faith knitting

2010-07-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Faith is going really well. I am above the armpits on the back. I think the sleeves will be different from the sleeves designed for the sweater. In my opinion, those balloon sleeves just don't seem to fit with the rest of the sweater design. I will start the sleeves in the same way as the peplum and make them close fitting from cuff to shoulder. I think I will be more pleased. The yarn seems to be working well for this design.

I think I want to make another Faith-like sweater from a different yarn. I like the sweater shape very well, but I don't think that reverse stockinette as the main stitch for the body is the best choice. I think I will make one for my sister (who wants a black sweater) with a higher neckline, using stockinette stitch as the main stitch on the bodice and sleeves and using a delicate cable stitch that I like very much instead of the rows of eyelets on the front, sleeves and back. The cable stitch seems most like the gull stitch cable in the Barbara Walker books, but it was called the "lobster stitch" in an old Vogue Knitting when I first encountered it in about 1980. The fabric and style modifications will make a more modest garment and a lovely difference in stitch patterns. -- at least these are my thoughts at this time --

Started knitting for the fair

2010-07-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today, I started knitting on my entry in the "sweater" category at the Panhandle South Plains Fair. It is "Faith" (Heartfelt the Dark House) by Kim Hargreaves. I am using Knit Picks Andean Treasure 100% alpaca yarn in Summer Sky (blue) for the garment. At this time, I do not plan to make any modifications except to make the sleeves more fitted. I would like to have made Erin from the same book; however, I only have 15 skeins (110 yds/50 gm) of the yarn and the color has been discontinued. A co-worker gave me 5 skeins for Christmas last year and I purchased 10 skeins. I have planned to knit a garment from the yarn before she retires next February so that she can see what I've made with the gifted yarn.

I think this project will not take more than 3-3.5 weeks to complete. Then I need to work on my entry for the "vest" category, Meg Swansen's "Mimbres Vest." I have ordered the yarn from Schoolhouse Press.

Last month, I began a major project -- doing my best to exercise and eat more intentionally. To start with, I joined a nearby Curves gym. So far, I am enjoying the program and feeling increased energy; although I don't believe I have lost more than a couple of pounds and maybe a couple of inches. There have been a few activities that have interfered with my getting a really good start on the program: VBS, and vacation. Nonetheless, I like being more mindful of my activity level and what I take into my body.

Photo: Mostly Just Right Wrap

2010-05-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-02-25T17:44:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-16T11:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-09-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-05-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-03-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

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.

Some photos added to posts

2009-02-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

At last, I've downloaded some project photos from my camera. They are posted with the applicable articles.

Reversible hat -- "Out of hibernation" posted 1/16/09
Little boy sweaters -- "Well, I did it!" posted 12/30/08
Fall Leafy Cardigan -- "Cardigan completed" posted 9/15/08

Looping the loop

2009-01-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

I have been knitting right along on the Arwen. I have completed the left front and sleeve, but not the left side of the hood. Progress on the right front is steady and fast. The pattern calls for knitting each side of the hood with the front side and corresponding sleeve; however, I think I will experiment with making the hood after attaching the fronts to the back using the live stitches that I left on the back neck instead of binding them off as the pattern instructed. I'll let you know how that goes and hopefully post some pictures of the work in progress. As you may have noticed, I am not very good at providing photos of the work or the completed projects.

Out of hibernation

2009-01-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

This morning, bright and early, I took out my Cardigan for Arwen to resume working on it. It was a real pain to figure out where I am on the cable braid on the cuff and front edge. I think I will leave myself more copious notes next time I place a project in hibernation to work on other more urgent projects (like socks and little boy sweaters that needed to be completed before Christmas). The Elann Sierra Aran wool and alpaca blend that I am using for the Arwen is really a pleasure to work with. It just flows through my fingers in a most satisfying way.

The first week of January, I made a nice wool hat for my husband, because he is constantly complaining that his hats do not keep his head and ears warm. His new hat is quite plain, reversible, and made of merino/nylon sock yarn left over from the Christmas gift socks. He likes it. I like it. It's one of those knitting projects I will have to repeat at some time in the future.

Well, I did it!

2008-12-30T12:23:00.000-08:00

This is my first post-Christmas article since I have spent much time with needles in hand since the last entry. I completed all of my Christmas knitting projects except one sock (note I said one sock, not one pair of socks) before Christmas. All of the gifts have been given, but few photographs to show for it. Comments on the gifts have been positive so far. The last package -- three sweaters, one pair of hand-knit socks, one pair of store-bought socks, and three personalized pillow cases -- was mailed out on Saturday after Christmas. This year I have competed 16 pairs of hand-knit socks, one lace scarf, three little boy sweaters, two sweaters for myself (blue-ribbon winners mind you), and just this morning a reversible hat for my husband. I started two other sweaters for myself which are my first projects for the new year -- I resolve.

Lovely friends who appreciate my knitting obsession, gifted me with cash for Christmas, which I promptly spent for some knitting items that have been on my wish list for awhile.

Now, as for 2009, I must find some way to get some exercise. I would like to do some gardening, but my space for growing things is limited. My tentative (very tentative -- as in, I have not shared them with anyone, yet) plans are to plant a few squash and cucumbers outside our fence in the alley, plow a plot in the back yard for beans and peas, and plant a few tomato plants, peppers, and eggplant in the front "flower bed." I am also looking at continuing education opportunities both for work and for personal growth. The Dallas/Fort Worth Fiber Fest in April looks enticing, especially Suzanne Thompson's "SEVENESS" class and her polymer clay buttons classes. I've also been toying with the idea of entering the Master Knitters program. It would be a challenge, but I just don't know if I want to get that academic with my knitting.

Enough for now!

Why! Why! Why!

2008-11-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

I have done it again -- committed to myself to knit more than I can complete in the time allotted for the projects. I started with a seemingly managable project, making a pair of socks for each female coworker and family member on my Christmas gift list. I started back in March and I've made good progress toward the goal, having only two pairs or maybe three pairs of socks to complete. However, my daughter wants me to make each of my little grandsons a sweater for Christmas. I only found out about this a month ago. There are three little boys ages 4, 2 and 8 months. I started with the sweater for the oldest grandson, but it is taking longer than I estimated, so I'm afraid I won't finish by Christmas. My only hope is that the two smaller sweaters will not take as long as the first one. The first one is made in pieces, but I'm planning to make the other two with fewer seams. Actually, the first sweater is not the first sweater. I started with a sweater for the middle child, but it looks too small to layer over a shirt. That's okay, I can always gift it to a charitable organization since it is a perfectly darling sweater.

The most troubling aspect of running short on time to complete a task is that the process leaves me weary of knitting rather than excited and energized as I usually am. Oh well, I'll get over it when I complete the planned projects and get to knit what I want to knit.

Y-E-S

2008-09-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, I took two items to enter in the Panhandle South Plains Fair. One was the Leafy Fall Cardigan which I entered in the division for knitted sweaters. The second is my Geese Gone Goofy ruana, a knee-length wrap made of fingering weight yarn. It is knit so that there are diagonal stripes, and all in garter stitch. I figured that I knit a bit more than a mile of yarn into the rauna, but because the yarn is light weight, the garment is drapey and light, very comfortable to wear. I entered it in the knitted coats division.

Yesterday, I went to the fair to visit my sweaters. I have never before even considered entering anything at the fair. I was really surprised to see that both garments received blue ribbons. I will post pictures as soon as I have them ready.

Cardigan completed

2008-09-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

This morning, I completed my leafy fall cardigan. It is beautiful. I like the derived design made by combining features of Jean Frost's Hanover jacket and Ruthie Nussbaum's Minimalist Cardigan and adding a couple of features that were my own design elements. I really like the result and the yarn is soft and drapey. I hope to have some photos posted tomorrow. (Pictures did not show the garment well, so I'll have to try again.)

Sock woes

2008-09-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Several days ago, I got as far as the middle of the leg of the second sock when I decided to suspend working on it because it will not be suitable to be a fair entry. The reason for its current status is that the socks are for me and therefore, the left leg must be larger than the right leg due to my lymphedema. So---, I have started a second pair of almost "Spring Thaw Socks" for the fair. These are made from Paton's Stetchy Sock yarn, very like the Dancing yarn that Knit Picks used to carry. The colors in the ball look sort of like old bubblegum stuck to the bottom of a desk. When the yarn is knitted, the color blend really comes alive with purples, greens, cream, pink. Unfortunately, because the yarn is multicolored, the leaves don't show up as well as they do with solid colored yarn. I have begun the outer spiral of leaves over the knuckle of the great toe instead of in the middle of the top of the foot, and I am eliminating the inner spiral. So far, I like the derived design a bit better than the original. I'll just have to wait and see how it turns out.

I really need to complete the "Leafy Fall Cardigan" by assembling the pieces. All the knitting is completed and the pieces have been blocked. It will be a lovely, soft, colorful sweater -- perfect for cool fall days and a great addition to my wardrobe -- I hope. I have not yet tried on the sweater, so I don't know how it will fit me. Perhaps, sewing the cardigan together will be my craft night project for tonight.

One sock down ...

2008-09-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I completed the first sock of the pair of Spring Thaw Socks. There is absolutely nothing boring about knitting this pattern. Just as you are about to complete one leaf, you have to start the next one. On the leg portion of the sock, one may be working on as many as three leaves at once, all at different stages in the chart.
For the first time, since this is the first time I've knitted socks toe-up, I bound off at the top of the sock. The pattern called for using the tubular bind-off. It was a bit of a challenge to figure out the tubular bind-off, and a bit more of a challenge to ensure that the sock top would fit around my leg. I measured my calf and then found a can (a tuna can) in the pantry that had the same circumference as my calf. I bound off most of the sock making sure I left it somewhat loose, and then inserted the tuna can and completed binding off. It worked well.
Now, what will I do for the other sock? Because I have lymphedema, my left leg is 4 inches larger at the sock top than my right leg. I may have to go up a needle size on the leg of the left sock. I don't usually have to make any adjustment; however, as I've said before, this is the first pair of toe-up socks I've made.

Sh-sh-sh! Christmas gift socks

2008-09-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

The photo above is a pair of socks I have knitted as a Christmas gift, one of eight pairs knitted so far since March. I won't say who they are for because I do want them to be a surprise. The leg of the socks is the maple seed spiral stitch pattern Angela Hahn used on a hat she created. I think the pattern comes from one of the Barbara Walker books; however, I haven't found it yet. I intended to continue the spiral onto the instep, but that does not work out. The maple seed spiral stitch pattern is a simple 4-row sequence that is very easy to memorize. On the left sock, the pattern spirals one direction and on the right sock, the pattern spirals the opposite direction.

Socks defrosted

2008-08-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

No, I am not finished with my cardigan, but I have started the Spring Thaw Socks. Wow, what a fun knitting project and what a gorgeous design. This is the first pair of toe-up socks I have made. Instead of using Judy Becker's Magic Cast-on that Cat Bordhi called for in the pattern, I used the Turkish Cast-on. All I can say is that it's amazing to take yarn wrapped around two needles and begin knitting. The toe looks great, continuous, seamless, uninterrupted stitches. I struggled a bit with the increases and frogged the toe when I discovered that the increases did not look symetrical because I had not done them correctly. After about 20 false starts, I finally succeeded in getting the first sock started yesterday (8/28/08) morning. I made good progress, yesterday. This is not a design for the faint-hearted, but I think it will be rewarding to successfully complete it.

And yes, I will complete the cardigan. I am very good at finishing projects that I start. That's what I say, and I'm standing by it!

No joy in Mudville

2008-08-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

On Monday, August 25, I completed the second sleeve. Yesterday, I frogged the back neck trim because of an error at the shoulder seam. I have reknit and attached half of the neck trim and will try to redo the other side tonight. I should have the sweater completed by Friday night. It seems, I just cannot break the 3-week barrier.

I have started the Spring Thaw socks, my first pair of toe-up socks. They are lovely, but the increases don't match. I'll have to re-examine that technique, and maybe frog the sock. The twisted ribbing really looks neat, much better than my regular one-by-one ribbing.

I hope to get some photos posted this week.

Ouch! Sore muscles

2008-08-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

Who knew knitting could be such strenuous exercise. I am sore all over from sitting and knitting. I finished the first sleeve this morning, washed it and blocked it. It is drying at this time. I don't see any possibility of completing the cardigan before the end of the closing ceremony. Oh, well! I will probably get it finished on Sunday afternoon. This is a record for me. My previous record for knitting a sweater was three weeks, and that was for short-sleeve, mostly stockinette sweaters, albeit made with skinny yarn. I am quite pleased with my work on this, both the design and the knitting. The yarn has been great to work with and I like my hybridized design. I'll put some progress photos up tonight or tomorrow and a finished photo on Sunday.

Sailing right along ...

2008-08-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night (Aug. 19), I finished the fronts of my cardigan, attached the fronts to the back, completed the back neck trim and tucked in all the yarn ends. On Wednesday morning, I cast on for the first sleeve and as of this morning, I was up to the elbow. Also, this morning, I blocked the bodice of the sweater. Blocking it required quite a bit of scrunching to conform it to the measurements. It really looks beautiful to me. I'm thinking more and more that this cardigan will be entered into the fair. I've never entered any projects in the fair (Panhandle South Plains Fair), but this seems a likely candidate. My Geese Gone Goofy ruana may also be entered once I redistribute the yarn that got caught in a brooch while hanging in my closet -- reminder that I need to post photos of this project.

Behind, as usual

2008-08-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when we work on a project, we tend to underestimate the amount of time needed to complete the project. I have never been known to overestimate the time needed. Contrary to what I stated in my previous entry, I did not compete the fronts of my cardigan and attach them at the shoulders by bedtime on Saturday. It is now Tuesday, and I'm still working on the back neck trim. Maybe I'll finish that part today, but I wouldn't bet on it. It's my birthday, and I'm hoping my husband has dreamed up a fun celebration -- at least a yummy dinner out.

Yesterday, I received a really neat present from my daughter and her family including her three little pre-school boys. In the package was a birthday cake (plastic bag of dry ingredients and instructions for making the cake) and a booklet of the boys' artwork. I love it! And, I love them -- one and all. A coworker gave me the book, Knitting for Peace. How special it is to work with friends who understand and affirm my passion for knitting and/or sewing.

Making "expected" progress

2008-08-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

The fronts of my cardigan are about half done. I think I should be able to complete the fronts, join the fronts to the back at the shoulders, and attach the back neck trim before bedtime on Saturday. Then, all I'll have left to knit is the sleeves. That sounds really good; however, my history with knitting sleeves is that they seem to take a long time to knit. Logically, I should be able to knit the sleeves and complete the sweater by the end of Wednesday, but I'll bet I won't finish until Friday. I have never been able to figure out why sleeves take me so long to knit -- it's just always been that way.

I am still hoping to get the socks done as well as the cardigan, but I have to take some time out to walk and get some exercise or I'll be a "basket case" by the end of the Olympics. It's funny how Olympians get more fit as they compete while Ravelympians accumulate more adipose tissue and aches and pains as they compete.

Sock yarn arrives -- finally!

2008-08-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the yarn for my Ravelympics socks arrived. I can't say I'm thrilled about the color, but it will be okay once it is knitted into socks. I just hope I will have time to make them.

The fronts of my cardigan are started, but the knitting is going much more slowly than the back. The yarn from the two balls tangles so easily and has to be periodically untangled. Just putting down and picking up between the two fronts uses valuable time. I may decide to make the sleeves one at a time rather than both at once. I have no doubt that I can finish this project within the allotted time, but the socks -- that's another matter.

Onward

2008-08-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

The back of the cardigan is finished. Now to cast on the fronts. I did not make as much progress as I had hoped I would yesterday. By the time I got home from work, I was hurting all over -- every muscle, every joint.

"Got to move it -- MOVE IT!!" "Get physic-ally fit!!"

Knitting is going swimmingly

2008-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Three days of knitting when I can, and I'm up past the armpits on the back of my cardigan. I think that is good progress. I should be able to finish the back and cast on for the front by bedtime tonight. The yarn is really good to work with and shows off the texture very well.

Since I am such a buxom broad, I have decided to modify the front pattern slightly to add more ease over the bustline. I will add another pattern sequence to each side of the front, then decrease those stitches away after I've done the armscye shaping -- sort of a dart next to the front panel. I see no reason at this time that it would not work out well.

The yarn for my second Ravelympics project has still not arrived. I'm not exactly depressed over the delay because I'm not at all sure I will even be able to get to the socks after knitting the cardigan.

All this sitting and knitting is taking a toll on my neck and shoulders -- must take time to get some exercise.

Ravelympics Knitting

2008-08-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

I have been neglectful about posting knitting in my blog; however, that does not mean I have not been knitting. This year, I decided it was about time I learned to knit socks. After knitting three pairs of socks for myself, I concluded that if I started right away, I will be able to knit a pair of socks for each female member of my family for Christmas. At this time I am well on my way to my goal having knit either nine or ten pairs. I will post photos of the socks soon.

This morning at 7:00 a.m. CDT, I cast on for my Ravelympics knitting. I have entered in two events: the Sweater Sprint and the Sock Put. My team is the Lone Star State Knitters. The sweater I have planned to knit and which I began this morning is a cardigan styled like the Minimalist Cardigan designed by Ruthie Nussbaum for the Fall 2007 issue of Interweave Knits; however, I am using the stitch pattern combination from Hanover in Jean Frost Jackets. I have combined the two designs with a few changes of my own, run the whole thing through SweaterWizard so that the instructions conform to my yarn and stitch gauge, and modified the file to produce instructions for the knitting. The yarn is Lily Chin Park Avenue merino and alpaca, and I get 22 sts and 30 rows in Shadow Rib pattern on US size 7 needles.

My other Ravelympics project is the Spring Thaw socks designed by Cat Bordhi and published in the Summer 2008 issue of Knitter's Magazine. I will use apple green Essential sock yarn from Knit Picks, if my shipment arrives in time (ordered on July 16).

Knitting: Mom's Guilt Sweater

2007-12-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

Last week, I completed a sweater set for my mother. I have title the set "Mom's Guilt Sweater." The short version of the story behind the title follows. More than a year ago, I volunteered to shorten the sleeves on a ready-to-wear sweater that my mother had purchased. In the process of shortening the sleeves, I ruined the garment. Thus, I knitted the set pictured below to assuage my guilt for having destroyed her sweater.

The photo to the right is the completed sweater set. The jacket is made from the Winchester design in the book Jean Frost Jackets. The instructions call for three colors of sport weight yarn, but the yarn I wanted to use was Knit Picks Gloss (merino and silk) and a now discontinued Memories (merino), both fingering weight yarns. The gold (Serengeti) is the Gloss, and the background yarn is Memories multicolored yarn in Redwood Forest. I chose to use the Gloss for the main color and Memories for both coordinating colors. I really enjoyed working with both yarns. They are soft and easy to knit. Memories gives a consistent gauge regardless of the needles used; however, Gloss shows every loose stitch. Bamboo needles work best with Gloss. On the jacket, the stitch used is a tri-colored linen stitch (closeup in photo below) which is a slip-stitch pattern using only one strand of yarn per row. It is an easy stitch pattern but tedious to work.

Gloss was used for the shell companion sweater. I used 3 X 3 ribbing throughout the garment except for the bottom trim and the neck trim plus a little bit at the top of the front. Seed stitch was used on the neck trim and the top front shoulders. A twisted stitch design from Nikki Epstein's book Knitting on the Edge was used for the trim at the bottom of the sweater.

I used Sweater Wizard software to customize the instructions for the fingering weight yarn. The shell was completely designed in Sweater Wizard. Using Sweater Wizard has given me freedom to design my own sweaters and to modify or customize commercial patterns to suit the yarn I want to use on the garment.

Gypsy Woman

2006-07-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, world! I have started this Web log so that I can chronicle and display some of my activities and interests. I hope others will find something in my comments and activities that is interesting as well.

I was born way back last century and have lead a rather gypsy-like life. My father was an oil field worker, so we moved around a great deal during my years growing up in my birth family. About half of that time, we lived in a mobile home (largest was 41 feet long and 8 feet wide). Surprisingly, I do not remember feeling crowded or deprived in any way. In fact, we had a fairly insular life. We were rather like a family of turtles living in one shell. When we moved, our house moved with us. Indeed, when my dad's drilling rig was moved, three 5-man crews and their families moved. We simply changed yards surrounding our houses. In one town, perhaps one family would live in front of our house, and in the next town, that same family might live three spaces behind us.

I met my husband when I went away to college. He had lived in the same town all of his life and in the same house since he was four years old. Talk about culture clash! We've been hanging out together since 1969 and married in 1971. We have two children who are both married. Our daughter has two little sons, one who was 2 in March and the other who was born in January, 2006. In 1977, my husband joined the U.S. Air Force as a dental laboratory technician, and we began seeing the world. Our military family lived in Texas, Utah, Colorado, Maryland, Turkey and Spain. Oh, the stories I could tell!

Since my husband retired from the Air Force, we have lived in Lubbock, Texas, the city where he grew up and we began our life together.

Trying to set up my blog

2006-07-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Setting up my blog is proving to be more difficult than I had imagined it would be. I did the initial setup yesterday, but it does not seem to have published. Perhaps I will succeed in getting something published today.