Yay! She liked her handwarmers! And now I'm working on the headband, which is what she really wanted, and I'm not crazy about it. The yarn is yummy, I wouldn't have had enough of the dark grey, so I got a skein of light grey to go with it. Maybe that's why or maybe this pattern just needs some slight variegation? I dunno, it's just boring, but I do hope she likes it. Also, I think it may be wider than she wanted it to be. But, she wanted a button, otherwise I would have made the scrunchy type version I saw at Glenda's. Maybe I'll shoot her a message and ask her if a button is totally necessary.
Finished one Blue Sock and two downloaded books! OK, so they were just short, fluffy paperbacks, but I rather enjoyed being able to read and knit at the same time. Of course, now I need something new to read and I don't know what to go for.
Have decided to wait two days for the new Jasper Fforde Thursday Next book, instead of downloading all the old ones at $12 each. I don't mind paying paperback-ish prices, but that's a bit steep, just to refresh my memory. I found a JF book on the library download thingy, so I'm gonna read that.
I think I may have enough yarn in the light grey to do this pattern. I also think I'd like to add the mock cables in the middle. Maybe. gotta finish it and count rows.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
More socks!
I finished Dev's socks last Friday, he promptly put them on and I don't think he's taken them off since. I hope that means that he likes them and he's not merely too lazy to do laundry.
So I'm working on another pair for him. I didn't buy new yarn, I made him pick from the first three balls I could find. He chose the Trekking pro natura denim blue. It's quite nice to knit with, seems a bit thin. I hope it's durable.
I've waffled for a while now about buying an ereader thingy. They just don't seem very book-like. But I've often wondered whether I could knit and read at the same time if I had a book that would stay open and turning pages wasn't too difficult. So I downloaded the Nook and Kindle apps for my Macbook. Someone at the yarn shop had a Nook and I quite liked it and I've played a bit with the Kindle, but didn't like it as much - However, of the two apps I preferred the Kindle app. And so I chose a book, paid for it and downloaded it and less than a minute later was reading the thing. I've gotta say, that part is just awesome. The book is likely in stock at my local Borders and I even have a coupon for that store, but to be able to read the thing right after I ordered it? That was just splendid. And I can knit rather easily while reading off a screen. It wasn't much of a bother to keep bumping the button for the next page either, although I'm doing a sock, so in short time I have to turn my work.
But, it shows promise and for now I'll just stick to using the Macbook. I even took it to bed last night and that wasn't so bad.
Stinky Yarn is still stinky, although it's almost tolerable now. Used the Eucalan (eucalyptus version) and that helped. Hung it outside yesterday and it got it to 'almost tolerable'. It's hanging out again today and it's quite windy, so I hope it gets less stinky and doesn't blow away.
So I'm working on another pair for him. I didn't buy new yarn, I made him pick from the first three balls I could find. He chose the Trekking pro natura denim blue. It's quite nice to knit with, seems a bit thin. I hope it's durable.
I've waffled for a while now about buying an ereader thingy. They just don't seem very book-like. But I've often wondered whether I could knit and read at the same time if I had a book that would stay open and turning pages wasn't too difficult. So I downloaded the Nook and Kindle apps for my Macbook. Someone at the yarn shop had a Nook and I quite liked it and I've played a bit with the Kindle, but didn't like it as much - However, of the two apps I preferred the Kindle app. And so I chose a book, paid for it and downloaded it and less than a minute later was reading the thing. I've gotta say, that part is just awesome. The book is likely in stock at my local Borders and I even have a coupon for that store, but to be able to read the thing right after I ordered it? That was just splendid. And I can knit rather easily while reading off a screen. It wasn't much of a bother to keep bumping the button for the next page either, although I'm doing a sock, so in short time I have to turn my work.
But, it shows promise and for now I'll just stick to using the Macbook. I even took it to bed last night and that wasn't so bad.
Stinky Yarn is still stinky, although it's almost tolerable now. Used the Eucalan (eucalyptus version) and that helped. Hung it outside yesterday and it got it to 'almost tolerable'. It's hanging out again today and it's quite windy, so I hope it gets less stinky and doesn't blow away.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
February is nearly over!
I started Dev's second sock on the drive to Philadelphia to visit the nephew. That was Saturday. Today is Thursday and I've gotten past the heel and the gusset decreases and now it's just boring stockinette stitch until the toe.
Knitting tip found on Rav: Use electrical tape to tape up my right index finger while knitting socks. See, I use that finger to push the needle as I'm making a knit stitch. It's not much of a problem while using larger needles, but with socks it means a sore finger. Which means I won't finish the sock.
Bought some Eucalan to soak the BHM in. I hope that helps diminish the dye smell. Should've hung it outside yesterday when it was nice and sunny. It's all grey and dreary out there today. I'm really twitching to start something with it - I need to play with patterns and it's damp and stinky.
Also, I keep getting plagued with pattern ideas. Why can't my brain realise that Rav probably already has the pattern, I'm just not looking properly?
I would really like to use the Lotus Blossom pattern as an edging to a bolero/shrug raglan sweater. But I'd like to do it from the neck down, so that would mean the pattern would be inverted. dunno how that will look. I suppose I could do a small version to test things and I have some blue yarn leftover from Alex's sweater.
Projects I'm currently working on: Dev's socks, my cardigan, fingerless gloves for Cat. I should get back to those, but although the yarn is yummy and the pattern is interesting, I'm just not that into fingerless gloves. :)
Knitting tip found on Rav: Use electrical tape to tape up my right index finger while knitting socks. See, I use that finger to push the needle as I'm making a knit stitch. It's not much of a problem while using larger needles, but with socks it means a sore finger. Which means I won't finish the sock.
Bought some Eucalan to soak the BHM in. I hope that helps diminish the dye smell. Should've hung it outside yesterday when it was nice and sunny. It's all grey and dreary out there today. I'm really twitching to start something with it - I need to play with patterns and it's damp and stinky.
Also, I keep getting plagued with pattern ideas. Why can't my brain realise that Rav probably already has the pattern, I'm just not looking properly?
I would really like to use the Lotus Blossom pattern as an edging to a bolero/shrug raglan sweater. But I'd like to do it from the neck down, so that would mean the pattern would be inverted. dunno how that will look. I suppose I could do a small version to test things and I have some blue yarn leftover from Alex's sweater.
Projects I'm currently working on: Dev's socks, my cardigan, fingerless gloves for Cat. I should get back to those, but although the yarn is yummy and the pattern is interesting, I'm just not that into fingerless gloves. :)
Friday, February 18, 2011
Perfumed pickle
I did try working with that yarn last night, but as soon as I pulled it out of the bag dad started coughing (which is nothing new, but he doesn't need one more thing to aggravate it) and it made me nauseous as well.
I have worked with it before, but in different colours, so I am assuming it's the dye. It's very perfume-y, like the stuff they add to Febreeze (which may smell 'nice' but always makes me nauseous) So, I re-hanked it by winding it back onto the swift, tied it up and tried to wash the smell out. Just some mild soap didn't help, so I tried some vinegar in the water. Now it smells like a perfumed pickle.
If the weather cooperates I may just put it outside and see if the fresh air helps. Then I can keep it to work on it at the Knitter's Retreat.
I should cast on Dev's Other Sock, so I'll have that for the car ride tomorrow. We're going to visit our nephew in Philadelphia.
I have worked with it before, but in different colours, so I am assuming it's the dye. It's very perfume-y, like the stuff they add to Febreeze (which may smell 'nice' but always makes me nauseous) So, I re-hanked it by winding it back onto the swift, tied it up and tried to wash the smell out. Just some mild soap didn't help, so I tried some vinegar in the water. Now it smells like a perfumed pickle.
If the weather cooperates I may just put it outside and see if the fresh air helps. Then I can keep it to work on it at the Knitter's Retreat.
I should cast on Dev's Other Sock, so I'll have that for the car ride tomorrow. We're going to visit our nephew in Philadelphia.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Shiny new yarn!
Blue Heron Metallic. How gorgeous is this yarn? It's gorgeous mottled spring green tones and I love it muchly. I don't love how the dye smells, but I can live with it.
Thinking about using a variation of Barbara Walker's Scroll pattern.
I really should at least start Dev's other sock, but the new yarn is so pretty!
Thinking about using a variation of Barbara Walker's Scroll pattern.
I really should at least start Dev's other sock, but the new yarn is so pretty!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
mad ideas
Glenda has gorgeous Blue Heron Metallic yarn and I'm trying to find a pattern for it. Saroyan would look perfect, the yarn is mottled subtly in cheery spring green tones. Something with leafs would be perfect, but I'm just not finding anything that's grabbing me.
Found one pattern which is called something else, but is just Barbara Walker's Scroll Pattern. I saw that in a recent trawl of the pattern book and thought I could make it reversible. So that's what I'm currently playing with, although I really should make some tortillas, since we're having fajitas for supper...
It seems to be working, but the yarnovers are getting lost. They might not in the BHM, my test yarn is Berroco Comfort. So I might try this pattern with a double yarnover that will then get dropped the next row. maybe.
Found one pattern which is called something else, but is just Barbara Walker's Scroll Pattern. I saw that in a recent trawl of the pattern book and thought I could make it reversible. So that's what I'm currently playing with, although I really should make some tortillas, since we're having fajitas for supper...
It seems to be working, but the yarnovers are getting lost. They might not in the BHM, my test yarn is Berroco Comfort. So I might try this pattern with a double yarnover that will then get dropped the next row. maybe.
Monday, February 14, 2011
resurrecting my blog
My long neglected blog! I sort of take notes during Ravelry projects, but sometimes I have knitting ramblings that don't really apply to a specific project or do so only indirectly.
Like the cardigan I started on. I'm using two strands of Jawoll Magic held together and I seem to have gotten two skeins with nearly the exact dye spacing. Which would be fabulous if I was making socks. As a sweater it came out all stripey. Which is also awesome, but on a bust as big as mine horizontal striping is not the way to go!
So, I switched to the other two skeins, and those two have different dye spacing and it's coming out all mottled, which is exactly the effect I wanted.
Thankfully I'd only done about 5 inches, so that's not so bad, but I will have to unravel and re-wind one other skein so that the colours don't match up again.
Unwanted stripes:
How I wanted it to be:
Like the cardigan I started on. I'm using two strands of Jawoll Magic held together and I seem to have gotten two skeins with nearly the exact dye spacing. Which would be fabulous if I was making socks. As a sweater it came out all stripey. Which is also awesome, but on a bust as big as mine horizontal striping is not the way to go!
So, I switched to the other two skeins, and those two have different dye spacing and it's coming out all mottled, which is exactly the effect I wanted.
Thankfully I'd only done about 5 inches, so that's not so bad, but I will have to unravel and re-wind one other skein so that the colours don't match up again.
Unwanted stripes:
How I wanted it to be:
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