Insert Witty Title Here

Well, one wristwarmer done, one to go. Actually, it's more of an armwarmer, since it goes up to the elbow. It's kinda scratchy, but it's for Mom, so I don't care. If she really doesn't like it, I'll frog it and make something else out of the yarn. Maybe a felted purse. I've wanted to do a felted project for a while.

Anyway, not much else on the needles. Still need to finish that sock, but now that the armwarmer is finished, maybe I'll have the initiative to finish it. Haven't done anything to the lace scarf or sweater, and that's all that I've got cast on now. After I finish the sock, I think I'll make the second armwarmer. That should make sure that both things get done before spring break next week, when Mom will expect me to have five pairs of wristwarmers for her. Gah.

At Least I'll Have Warm Wrists

I've put off working on my sweater for some new wrist warmers for Mom. I would be angrier about this, but she bought me some yarn in exchange, so I'm not as bitter as I could be. She got me some Patons Classic Wool Merino in Denim Marl colorway, and some Carons Simply Soft in Grey Heather, Iris (purple), and Black. I'm making the denim colored ones now:

I'll work on my sweater after I finish one pair of wristwarmers. I'm kinda afraid, because of yarn size differences, these will be too tight for my mom and I'll have to give them to my roommate, because she's tiny. I'll have the pair finished by Monday anyway, then I'll see what I think of them.

I'm gonna put in a movie now and knit. Maybe a Carey Grant movie. Because, you know, he knits too:

Progress...Time Consuming, but Satisfying

I've finished one skein in my sweater. As you can see, one skein makes about six inches. The first picture's colors are just about true-to-life, maybe a little darker. The second isn't true at all, it's not so yellow. You also get a look at my plaid pillowcase. Lucky you!

I got a new ball-winder in the mail, too. It's awesome. I wound the twelve skeins of yarn you saw yesterday. And plus, it's an antique. It was made in Japan, so I would guess it's from the early '60s. It has an attachment to go on a Brother knitting machine, but since I don't have one, it doesn't do me much good. Anyway, I'll wind up my laceweight next, and then maybe some other yarn, depending. That's all for now!

Yay! Pictures!

All right! It's great to have a camera so I can have a log of all my projects. Here's the yarn I bought for my sweater. The colors aren't very true though, a little brighter than this, and it's red and blue and light grey and white striped. After I get a bit knitted up, I'll show you the fabric.

Now, here's a picture of the lace on my scarf. It's about three and a half feet long so far, but I don't know how long I'll end up making it. Maybe seven feet. I also have a sock in the making, but it's just a regular sock. When I get a chance I'll take a pic of it too, and of my stash if I can get it, uh, organized. Yeah, organized.

Oh, here's my calorimetry. Heh, turned out a tad bigger than I expected.The measuring tape is how big around my head is. I read that some other people had problems with it being too large, and had to go down a few needle sizes and cast on fewer stitches. If I ever make it again, I'll try that. I think they said 80 stitches. At least it would fit a lot better than the 120 in this one!

Hrrrrmmmmm...

I'm perplexed. The guage for the hoodie I'm making is supposed to be 19 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches, and the guage I'm getting, with a needle 3 sizes smaller than recommended, is 19 1/2 stitches and 26 rows per 4 inches. I'm pretty sure I can't go down another needle size; it would be too small, but does that one half inch matter very much? I mean, it'll probably tighten as I go, right? And I want it a little big; I'm making it a size bigger anyway, so the 1/2 inch doesn't matter, does it? I think I'm gonna have to read up on this a little more. If it doesn't matter, then I'll start the hoodie today. If it does, then I'm gonna put it off, because the only needle I have in a size 4 are dpns. Yeah, I've gone from a size 8 to a size 5. Is it the yarn? Is it the way I knit? I just don't know.

EDIT: I just remeasured and got 21 stitches and 26 rows, so apparently I need size 6 needles. I might possibly try 7s again, but I'm pretty sure they're too big. Thank goodness I'm going home tomorrow, and can get some size 6s. Yes!

Surprise!

I've changed my mind. I don't like this yarn for that particular sweater. That sweater is a dressier sweater, suitable for wearing with jeans, but dressier nonetheless. I'm going to make this yarn into a hoodie, because after I knitted a swatch, it really does look more like a hoodie, like something you'd wear with jeans to a baseball game. I guess that's because it's red, white, light grey, and blue, and the color changes aren't gradual; that is, the colors don't lead into each other. Rather, the yarn is 4-ply, and each ply is a color. Surprise! I wasn't expecting that, but I don't really mind, I like it. It's so soft, and when it's not wet it smells wonderful! When it is wet it smells like something crawled in it, died, and then crapped, but after it dried it was fine.

I used the recommended needle size to make a swatch, and the guage I achieved was a lot bigger than it said I should, so I'm going to pull out the swatch and redo it in a smaller needle size. It's funny, because this is actually the first time I've ever made a swatch, and before I blocked it, it actually got guage, but after it was blocked it grew about an inch overall. Boy, am I glad I blocked it; if I'd just trusted the original swatch, I would have made the sweater, gone to block it, and it would have grown one shirt size. Surprise!

I didn't do a swatch for the calorimetry, unfortunately. I used the right size yarn and the correct needles, and it turned out three feet long and 8 inches wide at the largest points, and that's when it's unstretched! I can tie the ends under my head! I haven't pulled it out yet, mainly because when I was holding it up it looked like a little doll hammock, and if my little step-nieces like it (2 and 4) or Mom can think up something to do with it, I won't bother frogging it. I didn't tie it off though, just used a safety pin, so I can take it out anytime I want.

I'm going to go pull out my swatch (secured with a safety pin) and try again on smaller needles. Good luck to me!

Coming soon: Pics of FO's!

This weekend I'm going home for a dentist appointment, and will bring back a lot of yarn and a camera. I'll be getting rid of a bunch of finished objects, too.

• Two funfur hats for some step-nieces
• A warm headband for Missy J
• Armwarmers for my mom
• A black and orange washcloth with an invisible alien on it
• A pair of socks for my grandmother
• A Calorimetry for Mom if I finish it (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html)

Still waiting for my yarn in the mail. I wasn't really expecting it this soon, but it would be nice. It'll be here in like 2-3 weeks, if I judge by my past experiences with Knitpicks. I really like their prices, but wish the shipping was a little faster.

EDIT: I did Knitpicks a disservice. The yarn did come in today and I love it. It's not exactly the colors it showed in the picture, but it is still wonderful! I'm gonna knit a swatch in the recommended needle size and see what it looks like knitted up! I'll post a pic of it next week, after I get the camera!

Metal, Plastic, or Wood?

• Metal is my favorite. I have sweaty fingers when I knit (someone else has to have this problem), and the cold metal keeps my fingers cool for a while. They're just the right amount of bendy, and come in pretty colors and most are fairly pointy, which I like. They're affordable, and found in most department stores. They're also really hard to break, which is a plus when you're a clutz. Metal needles are very slippery, which is a negative for some knitters, but I appreciate that I don't have to manually move the stitches over the needles; they slide by themselves, and are good for the stickiest yarns (funfur ick).
• Plastic is ok. Very bendy, and fairly easy to break, plastic needles come in lots of colors and can be found in most stores for fairly affordable prices. Plastic is slowly taking over stores, with less and less metal to be found. There are light-up plastic needles that are expensive. Not nearly as slippery as metal, knitters who have very loose knitting or use slippery silk like these more than metal ones. Plastic needles tend to be blunt, but there are pointy ones out there. Plastic needles are fine for me if I can't find metal ones.
• Wood (bamboo, ebony, etc) I don't like wood. Wood proponents list bendability, warmth, and they say wood needles don't make their hands hurt like metal needles. I don't like wood needles because they're easy to break, they make my hands sweat, and yarn sticks to them. Wood needles are my least favorite.

In other news, I'm trying to finish a slew of projects before I go home next weekend so I can distribute gifts of a knitted nature to my loved ones. Knitting whenever I'm awake, and watching lots of movies and tv, and working on things that aren't my favorite and putting off my favorites (sory lace scarf!). I especially love putting in the 300 minute A&E version of Pride and Prejudice for knitting, because it's mostly talking, and I've watched it so many times that I can pretty much quote the whole show. It's so yummy, especially Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. He is so awesome.

In Which I Discuss Circular Needles and Their Link to the Devil Himself

1. When using straight needles, the yarn pulls itself over the needle with minimal work on your part. Circular needles, especially cheap ones, catch the yarn on their wonky circley circular parts and you have to move each piece up by hand.
2. Circular needles come not only in different sizes, but in different lengths too, so if you have a 16" US 8 needle, but you need a 30" US 8 needle you have to go buy a new needle.
3. You can get cheap straight needles even at most dollar stores. Circular needles are much harder to find, and are more expensive to boot.

Obviously the devil invented circular needles to delude poor knitters into thinking that they are better than regular, historically efficient straight needles. Not only do they cost more, but they are less comfortable and slower to use too.

Tune in next time for further debate: Metal, plastic, or wood?

P.S. If you like circular needles, you go ahead honey. I personally don't, and this post is for fun only, so don't leave me any mad comments, just go on with your bad circular self.

Oh yes, Knitty Tubey

I've found the sweater I'm actually going to make. It's awesome. Just imagine this: (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTtubey.html)

out of this yarn :

(http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/itemid_5420126/yarn_display)

Oh I am in love and shall knit this until it is finished. Even though half of it is on *gasp* circular needles! Oh, you do right to gasp, for circular needles are the tools of the devil, but I shall use them if it means I can attain this beauty of a sweater of which I love love love the square neckline and even in the variegated yarn it will look so cool I believe oh yes. Sorry for the babbling. More on the evils of circular needles tomorrow.

Hello and Welcome

I needed a blog to display my knitting prowess to the rest of the world. I am a novice knitter, meaning I haven't knit a sweater yet but have finished many scarves, hats, and socks. Currently I am working on:

• http://www.magknits.com/feb06/patterns/ziggy.htm
• http://acunningplan.typepad.com/andsheknitstoo/patterns/silk_garden_beanie.html (but in Funfur which I have a lot of and am trying to get rid of)
• http://schrodinger212.blogspot.com/2006/01/supple-rib-knit-arm-warmers.html (but in cotton)
• A sweater (half the back done in 6 months) from the book The Yarn Girls' Guide to Beyond the Basics
• A pair of plain socks from the book Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Yarn Harlot)
• Headbands to protect the ears from cold (i.e. 38 degrees or lower, usually about 20 is the lowest in Texas) while still allowing me to wear my hair in a ponytail
• An Alien Illusion Scarf from the book Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook, but in orange rather than green which is strange but I don't have any green yarn right now

That's it for now. As soon as I get a camera (over Spring Break) I'll start posting pics, but right now I have to get ready for a class. Good thing I can knit my socks in class, huh?