27 July 2006

Knit or get off the pot, part II

The Straight-Laced Sock from Knitty is not dead yet ... but it's not at all well.



The Nice Yarn Shop Owner suggested twisting the knit stitches in the ribbing to try to create a tighter sock, or perhaps crocheting in a bit of elastic afterward. Meanwhile, another knitter at yesterday's knitting group session repeated something I'd read on the Socknitters list -- Jawoll Color Superwash really does call for teensier needles.

In either case ... the sock is going to be frogged.

Which is fine. It frees up my size 4 circs so that I can turn this

Inca Fiber Concept @ Flickr

into a pair of Knucks. (The Beloved felt that the yarn needed bunny ears.) The label says Inca Fiber Concept and gives washing instructions and a URL (www.incatops.com), but is mute on exact composition of yarn or yardage. (I'm guessing there's alpaca involved, but don't quote me on it.)

It would seem that I do more frogging than knitting ... but I assure you, the Mom's Sophisticated Scarf is coming along swimmingly. One more skein of yarn to go ...

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23 July 2006

Knit or get off the pot

The Tribble is dead.

Branching Out attempt #1

The Tribble -- my initial attempt to do Knitty's Branching Out scarf, as chronicled here -- simply was not meant to be, at least not in that yarn. If I still want a fuzzy one, my LYS seems to have some other yarn candidates, but I think I have a yarn or two in the stash that would also work. Of course, with my luck, that'll go pear-shaped as well. (I have yet to master the art of substituting yarn. Ah, well, learn from experience and all that ...)

I was unsuccessful at ripping out all of the Tribble's yarn -- Artful Yarns "Portrait" yarn, in what I think was the "Arnolfini Marriage" colorway -- because it all matted together. *sigh* But I think I have enough left to resurrect the Tribble, in a different pattern, later on.

Tribble, R.I.P. (And r-i-p.)

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Casting on ...

Because teh 1ntarw3bz can never have too many knitting blogs ... I've begun one of my own.

So who am I? I picked up the sticks about 2 1/2 years ago and never quite put them down (despite a few periods of knitter's apathy). I've made eyelash-yarn scarves. (In purple! And blue for my sister! And rainbow for her friend! And there's more in the stash!) I made an Eros scarf. I've made dishcloths. I've made something that was meant to be a dishcloth but that is adorning my Beloved's bedside table. I've made potholders. I've made a slipper that fits the Beloved's size 11 1/2 feet, but was intended for mine (7 1/2). I've made baby blankets for my niece and nephew. And I recently made a hat for my sister, my first successful foray into both knitting in the round (both on dpns and circs) and cables.

Plans for the future? Attend knitting group sessions at the LYS. Go on a knitting retreat. Explore more new techniques. Use my stash. (Yeah. Right.)

What's on the needles now?

This is the start of a Straight-Laced Sock from Knitty, worked in Jawoll Color Superwash on two circulars. (The pattern directs you to knit both at the same time, but I don't think my circs are long enough, and I think managing one at a time is quite enough for now, thanks.)

This required some adventures in swatching. Yarn and pattern say size 3 is cool? OK, I have 2 pairs of bamboo circs. Let's start from there ...

*knit knit knit*
*show to Nice Yarn Shop Owner*
*be informed that you are getting 7 stitches to the inch, when in fact you should be getting 5 1/2*
*discuss with Nice Yarn Shop Owner the possibility of finding a new pattern or new yarn more suited to my tight-ass knitting*
*try it on metal 4s, just to see what happens, even though it is not expected to net me much*
*knit knit knit*
*miraculously get gauge! ... WTF?*

I can only conclude that because the metal needles are more slippery, I knit more loosely on them. Worth knowing.

This is Mom's Sophisticated Scarf from SnB Nation as modeled by my stuffed bear. (I have no cats to pounce on the yarn and look cute, so I need alternative sources of cuteness.) My mom decided she wanted something neutral-colored she could wrap around herself for quick forays between heated car and heated building in the Ohio winter rather than unnecessarily wrestle with a bulky coat. I may be a Floridian now, and I may have traded blizzards for hurricanes, but I have not forgotten the art of coat-wrestling. So I'm making her a scarf out of Lion Brand Wool-Ease, and I think it will do nicely.

I'm itching to do a pair of Knucks or some other sort of fingerless glove, because my hands get cold at the office from the A/C. (Yes, in Florida. In July.) I don't want to have too many works in progress, though. (Especially since there's another blanket -- non-baby -- in the closet, from which I'm taking a hiatus.)

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We do need steenkin' badges

So I stumbled across The Illustrious Order of Cast On Knitting Scouts . I resemble some of these remarks: