Lurv

I haven't been blogging because I haven't had any photos to blog. I've been TAKING them, they just never make it from the camera to the computer. Then I have to take more because the ones I just took are out of date.

I got a LOT of knitting done at the amusement park. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of it had to get ripped out and reknit. DANGIT. I did successfully finish the socks I started at MD Sheep and Wool in the car on the way to the park...only to find that somehow I had experienced a guage change and while the first sock I knit does fit, the second sock is much too big. My stitch guage went from 8.5 st/in to 7.5 st/in. I think I started knitting further down on the needle. I'm unhappy, but not about to rip and reknit.

I finished most of the toe of my soldier socks, but later had to rip it out because I didn't have the pattern with me and read the instructions wrong. So, I spent Sunday undoing that bit and reknitting it. Then I triumphantly wove in the ends, put the socks in the laundry, and triumphantly came out with...a pair of socks approximately 1/2 in different in length. ARGH. I'm nervous about unpicking reknitting now that it has been washed, but I don't see that I have much choice.

Also in the car, I cast on and knit the first couple rows of the socks I planned to knit actually at the park. I'm using the embossed stitch pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks. The yarn is the C*eye*ber Fiber merino-tencel sock blend I got at Maryland Sheep & Wool. The colorway is Periwinkle and I LOVE it. It's so shiny and pretty and it is turning into a gorgeous sock. It's pretty enough in the pattern stitch but then I started doing the heel flap and it is striping in beautiful even stripes that have me tickled so much that I am afraid there may be something wrong with me. I also switched down a needle size for these socks, since I really haven't been happy with the fit on all my previous socks, and I'm much happier with the tighter fabric I've been getting. My only sadness is that I fear these socks will wear out rather quickly since they have no nylon content. I'm not into darning.

However, it hasn't all been roses and happiness...I messed up the stitch pattern for the first few repeats. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't looking right and eventually I found the bit I had been reading incorrectly...and I had to rip out all the progress I made while standing in the 2 hour plus line for one of the rides. I was really unhappy about that since making so much sock progress was the only thing that made that line bearable (it was not my idea to stand in it). Fortunately, I was out of the line by the time I discovered the mistake, or I might have stabbed someone. By the time we got back to the car that evening, I had almost won back all that progress.

A lot of people in the line did kind of the nudge-point-whisper thing at my knitting, but by the end of the line, after passing the same people in the cattle gates fifty-bajillion times, people were starting to actually talk to me about it, to ask what I was making and voice their wish that they had something to do. It was kinda neat!

Amusement Park Knitting

I love the SO. We're going to Hershey Park this weekend, and I mentioned that I needed to pick my trip knitting, and I said something about socks, and he said, the sweetheart, "It's a long trip. Are you sure socks are enough?"

^_^ Isn't he cute?

I don't think there is really any danger of me running out of stuff to knit. First of all, I plan to take both my socks for soldiers socks and the socks I started at MD Sheep and Wool, in the hopes that I can finish both in the car. Then, I want something to knit in line, and socks are definitely on the menu for that (don't worry, I will leave them at the loading area when I get on a ride, so that I do not get punctured). I'm thinking I'm going to wind up the C*eye*ber Fyber I got at MD Sheep & Wool, and xerox the Embossed Stitch pattern from my copy of More Sensational Knitted socks. I think a 4 stitch pattern SHOULD be easy enough to not mess up.

I have the skein of Casbah in Peacock all wound up and ready to go for the Caledonian Mist socks from Pink Lemon, but I think the merino-tencel blend will be more pleasant to work with the the hot weather.

I will probably also take along a shawl project of some sort, just in case - I have all that Jojoland sitting around for a Wrapped in Comfort Shawl. I think I've decided on the Water Turtles Shawl, but "decided" is always a moving target with me.

There is, of course, always the chance that I will fall asleep or something and get no knitting done at all, but I'm hopeful.

Getting there

The first repeat was a huge struggle. I couldn't knit from the chart at all, because I just couldn't wrap my mind around it, so I ended up using the written instructions, which worked out fine. However, I still had a lot of problems. What really threw me is the way the starting point for the 12 stitch repeat moves when you turn the work. Thankfully, now that I have completed a repeat I think I have it kind of figured out. I just wasn't expecting it. It took me forever to get through the first repeat, but the first half of the second repeat has flown, so I think I am past the learning curve (knock on wood). I can also see how the pattern works and flows now, so I think if I screw up I will catch it faster. Here's hoping!!

A Hazy Shade of Moonlight

Normally I post once a week or so, so that I have pictures to post - but, it's been a busy week and it makes me feel better to blog, so we have a bunch of small pictureless posts instead. Actually looking back - there have been a lot of pictureless posts lately. Oops. I promise, the pictures will return shortly.

I have, of course, started some new things since finishing Scheherazade. Or at least, I've attempted to. It's...not going well. I first tried to tackle the Jojoland Harmony scarf I was planning, Elm Row from Knitspot...but the yarn has gotten hopelessly tangled. I'm not sure what I did - I must've wound it too fast? Is there some type of rule about winding laceweight? I don't know, but it tangled badly right off the ball and I didn't make it more than a couple of rows in before I gave up in frustration. Not sure how I plan to resolve that problem, since rewinding it will still mean dealing with the tangles.

I put the yarn in time out and fetched out the Kidsilk Haze I've had squirreled away for the Moonlight Sonata shawl. That one's giving me trouble too...I've never worked with mohair before, and I really had a lot of trouble with the pattern instructions at first. I am trying not to lose hope - this frequently happens to me at the beginning of a pattern. It takes a while to get into the rhythm. Anyway, I have the collar plus two rows done. I'm really struggling with doubting my choices - doubting the yarn, doubting the color, doubting whether I should even have attempted this whole mess at all - but I'm trying to have a little faith. I'll give it a few more rows and pretty soon I'll be sailing along...hopefully. I did worry about guage and whether the pattern would show up as it should, but I checked out a few Moonlight Sonatas made out of KSH on Ravelry and it seems to have worked out for them. The color is "Nightly" and it is one of those navy blues so deep it is almost black. I keep worrying about whether it is TOO close to black, but one of the first things the SO said when he saw me making the collar was "That's a pretty color" so it must not be too bad. When I set it down and step back a bit, I feel better, so I think it's just new project anxiety. It'll be fine. (or am I in knitter's denial? always a possibility).

The Longest Mile

That last repeat seemed like it took forever, but - it's finally done! It looks like crap because it hasn't been blocked so I didn't photograph it (also, I had to work late and I was tired) but it is, in fact, finished!!

Disappointment

I didn't finish Scheherazade this weekend. I was so close!! I finished the second edging, successfully ripped out the first one, and I am ONE PATTERN REPEAT AWAY. 28 rows!! But it was after 10 p.m. and I just had to quit because I have found that after 10 the number of errors I make skyrockets, and I'd rather not have to rip out again.

So, I am nearly done, but not actually done.

I did start working on the heel flap for my sock, but that was the only other knitting progress made.

28 rows! So close, so close!

Setback

I am a FOOL. Sigh.

I finished chart 6, completing the main body of Scheherazade. However, I was prevented from doing a little happy dance by a) the late hour b) a horrifying realization. I was trying to remember whether I was supposed to purl across the final row or not, and after examining the instructions for the edging, concluded that I was not supposed to. The problem is...I was pretty sure I HAD done so the first time.

I checked. I had. Which meant...the edging was on backwards. If you place the shawl right-side up, the WRONG side of the edging is face up. AGH.

Fortunately it was late at night so the blow was somewhat numbed by tiredness. In a schocking display of good sense that can only be explained by the late hour, I did nothing. I didn't rip anything out, and I didn't keep going on the second edging. The way I saw it at the time, I had several options:

--Put the second edging on correctly and live with it.
--Put the second edging on incorrectly and call it a design element.
--Rip out the first edging and reknit it correctly.

I wavered equally between all of these decisions, and now in the clear light of day, I have made my decision. I'm going to rip out the first edging. I hope. I discounted this possibility last night because I was worried about losing the last row of the shawl, BUT, because the edging is knitted on sideways, one stitch of the body is set free for each row that you rip out, which means that, carefully done, I should be able to pick up those stitches carefully one at a time.

Risks:
--The yarn, after ripping out, will be in no shape to knit up again.
--I drop/fail to correctly pick up body stitches.
--The yarn will not rip.

Response:
--I'm pretty sure I have enough yarn to cut any damaged areas and do a spit splice.
--I've knit the body charts twice now. I'm pretty sure I can fix any damage with a minimum amount of risk, though it may cost me my sanity to do so.
--I can (gulp) snip the yarn if I get to a really knotty spot. I'm actually really kind of concerned about this one because I know there was a place where I was tinking back and got stuck because of some bizarre splitting that had managed to tangle up the stitches. I just can't remember if that was on the edging or the body. Then, again, we spit splice and move on.

I think it is a sign of knitterly growth that I can consider the matter so coldly. It is probably not a sign of maturity that I really, really want to put the end I'm on now on a holder and go fix the bad part first. It would be silly and I'm trying not to give into this impulse. I will finish the second edging before redoing the first. Maybe. Since I don't have another pair of wooden needles that size. Although, I could just take the tips off and put the cable caps on, because I DO have plenty of cables. But that would be silly. Sigh.

Everything is Relative

I had to work late last night so there wasn't much Scheherazade knitting progress. I think I knit about six rows (counting wrong side rows, so 3 chart rows). I was just too tired.

When I moved upstairs to the bedroom I wasn't quite ready to quit knitting for the night, but I realized I had left ALL my projects in the living room, so I didn't have anything in my room except the Beginner's Lace Triangle from A Gathering of Lace, which I hadn't touched in kind of a long time. It's charted lace but I am not that concerned about mistakes on it (since it was my first lace and there are plenty of mistakes in the part I have already done), so I decided just to pick it up and give it a try even though it might be too much for late night, prebed knitting.

I was shocked at how easy it was. I had so much trouble with this project when I first started it last Christmas. Even after I had gotten a ways into it, it was tough for me. Now...it's like nothing. I think it helps a lot that I have finally gotten into my head which decrease leans right and which leans left, so reading the chart is not nearly the chore that it used to be. I was really genuinely pleased.

The needles at size 7 seemed huge in my hand, and the yarn (Fleece Artist Suri Blue) seemed quite thick. Everything is relative, I guess, but it's nice to feel like I've made some skill progress!

Home Stretch

I actually really thought I might finish Scheherazade this weekend...but I was clearly a little deluded. However, I am on Chart 6, so the end is in sight! I've enjoyed this project but I think my neurotic little mind got a little obsessed with being able to put a mental check beside each chart. I love checking things off lists. Chart 1 - check. Chart 2 - check. CHECK CHECK CHECK I LOVE THE CHECK. I also have to admit that the size of the thing is starting to interfere with my enjoyment. I hope it comes out looking nice once it is washed and blocked...it's a little underwhelming at the moment. I know, I know, blocking is magic, etc. I'm also worried about stuff getting on it. Mostly dog fur. Ella has given me a heart attack several times by spontaneously walking across my lap and getting tangled in either the project or the yarn. NONONO DOG CLAWS PLUS KNITTED LACE IS BAD BAD BAD.

Anyway. Rather than actually finishing anything, I started a swatch hat out of the Elann Incense I bought to check out the yarn as a possibility for Eris. I started this hat twice since I somehow managed to twist my stitches when I joined. I admit to being very careless with it - it's just a swatch shaped like a rolled-brim hat. I'm enjoying the yarn, though, so this may in fact be what I decide to make my sweater out of, if they ever get it in the color I want. I'm thinking one of the tans or the mineral green. I really like the Cypress but I think it's too dark. If anyone's used this yarn before (and if anyone actually reads this blog, heh) then please let me know what you thought.

I have made a rule for myself that I am allowed to work obsessively on Scheherazade as long as once I finish it, I don't start anything else until I finish my soldier sock toe and turn the heel on my other sock - the pair I started on the way to MD Sheep and Wool.

After that, my head spins with the possiblities. I really want to start something with the Jojoland stuff I bought recently, so Elm Row is definitely on the short list for things I want to start. I have more yarn for another (hopefully smaller) pair of soldier socks. I have the Caledonian Mist socks from Pink Lemon that I have really been wanting to do, although I am still scared of my yarn choice. I'm waiting for a KnitPicks order to arrive with some size 1 sock needles in it, because I have decided that the socks I get with size 2s just are too loose on me, so I'm going to give it a go with the 1s and see how I do. I really don't think I could switch down a size on the cast-on and still be able to fit the thing around my leg.

I'm actually toying with the idea of giving dpns a try for socks...I have to admit that the two circs method does kind of irk me a little sometimes. Trouble is, I'm not sure the things that irk me would be diminished by the switch, and I am terribly afraid of dropping needles out of the sock.

Still, something to think about for the future!

Turn, turn, turn

I took a spinning class not long ago at Springwater Fiber Arts in Alexandria. I selected the drop spindle class, because drop spindles are cheap and with my addictive personality I was really frightened of getting hooked on something that required $300 or $400 worth of equipment (I am deliberately avoiding weaving classes).

I sucked. I really really did. I didn't expect to be a spinning maven right away but the things I was frustrated with just seemed to be things that no one could help me on. I realized eventually that I was kind of doing things out of order, but to me there was just so much going on that I couldn't keep up. I would spin the spindle, park it, draft out my fiber, and then let the twist up, because I could not draft and spin at the same time. My resulting yarn was, unshockingly, uneven, in many places barely twisted at all, and then at the thin spots where the staple lengths met, the yarn kinked up so badly it knotted.

I brought home my spindle and a bag of fiber, both the plain undyed wool that was part of my class materials and some really stunning teal wool that I just couldn't walk away from, but I have hardly spun at all since then. I did a little bit to show my friend and I actually think it went a lot better than my class spinning, but I haven't picked it up at all since then and that was a long time ago.

The more I see spinning the more I think I would love to do that, but I just can't bring myself to go back to the spindle. The stop-and-go of it drove me INSANE, the results weren't that great, and - it would eat into my knitting time. So my spindle has sat unused. I have toyed with the idea of taking a wheel class now that I know (so I tell myself) the basic principals of spinning via the drop spindle. I don't know that much about wheel spinning but I imagine it involves a lot less stopping - stopping to wind the fiber on the spindle, stopping to take the wound fiber off the spindle when it gets full (which, let's face it, happens quickly when your 'yarn' has big giant fat fluffs in it).

This all came up to mind when I was listening to Heather on a back issue of CraftLit (I am so far behind) talk about Start Spinning from Maggie Casey. I think I may get this book and give my spindle another try. I still can't afford a wheel, but - I don't want to give up on spinning just yet.