Tukats

Shedir

I have to say I totally enjoyed knitting Shedir, except for Row 54, where I had to seek advice from the Knitty Coffeeshop, which was very helpful.  Obviously I was NOT the only one to have a problem with that row! I knit it without using a cable needle, except on Row 54.  Once I learned how to do it, I really love that technique, although I do have to brush up on how to do it every time I begin a new project.  I do think the pattern is well written, and I commend Jenna Wilson for all the hard work she put into designing it and then offering it for free.  It's a fast knit that keeps your interest. 

Personally, I don't wear hats too much, even in the torridly hot frosty winters of Southern California, but I'd like to make another just because I enjoyed it so much.  It took me approximately 1 1/2 balls of Rowan Calmer to finish, and I did frog back and take out one of the main repeats only because the cap was just too long.  If I made it for myself, I might even take out another repeat, but that's just a personal preference.

Once again, I've been lurking over on Ravelry way too much.  There's so much to see.  I found it very helpful for my next project, another stash buster (yes, more cotton).  I was searching through my patterns, and then I thought, let's see what Ravelry has.  You click on Tanks/Camis, then it comes up with the 20 most popular, with the gauge right below.  So it gave me a couple more options I hadn't thought about.  Now the hard part is making a decision.  Eenie, meenie, miney, moe...

Isn't it funny how, when you begin a new project and are collecting all the necessary tools, you never seem to have the right needles?  Now, I've been knitting for probably 30 years-plus, and I thought I had multiples of every needle, but on the last two projects I've started, I'm digging through the needle bags, and nope,  don't have that US3 16" circ.  Huh?  Nope, don't have that US5 24" circ.   Whaa?  It seems to me to be the same phenomenon as losing a sock in the dryer.  Where do they go?

Ahem.  I finally was invited to Ravelry.  I swear I did a happy dance right then and there.  It is so totally cool just to see what other people are working on, what yarns they use, and on and on.  There's a lot to explore on that site.  It did take a while, though, for the invite.  I think I applied in May and here it is July, so just be patient if you're waiting.

I've been knitting with some stash yarns as of late.  I'm making Shedir for a friend of mine who is going through chemo.  Sometimes you just don't know what to do or say when cancer strikes, and you want to do something, so with every stitch I'm thinking of my friend and putting a whole lotta love into that little cap.  I love the pattern, even though  on about Row 57, I realized I wasn't doing one of the cables properly, but since it's consistent and not noticeable to a nonknitter, I'm leaving it.  It just makes the cap look a little more rustic, I think, but because of that, I want to make another correctly.  I'm using the suggested Rowan Calmer, but it's taking at least a ball and a half for me to finish, hopefully by the end of this weekend. 

Also on the needles and out of the stash is a shrug that I'm not so sure about, but I figure I'll give it a chance and it just might surprise me.  I'm using some Crystal Palace Waikiki that I had bought for a tank, but when I knit the swatch, well, it was just too sheer, I'm talking see-through naked here, even going down a needle size.  This shrug is really a toss-up, because I don't know if I have enough yarn.  I'm working from the top down, so there is some leeway in what I do with it.  I'm designing as I go.  I guess time will tell.

I haven't been blogging as much because I'm finally focused on my summer knitting and excited about using up some of my stash yarn.  I've got a few other stash projects for summer lined up in the brain queue after these.  I'm not a great fan of cotton yarns, but I'm finally figuring out that I need more negative ease in a top due to cotton stretching widthwise,  and also lengthening what I knit due to cotton shrinking lengthwise, so the tops are coming out with more success.

Off to watch the British Open.  Go Tiger!

Wicked It Was

This was knit up so fast, it wasn't hardly detected on the radar.  This is Wicked knit up with Misti Cotton in the eggplant colorway using US 7s.  I had a great time until I got to the sleeve ribbing, and then I sounded like a longshoreman in a bar fight.  I used the two-circ method and MUST have been doing it wrong.  I found it very difficult, what with circs snapping up in my face, twisting up on themselves and being generally unruly, but we came to a truce and it's done.  I promised to not cut them up in tiny pieces and they promised never to volunteer for sleeves again.

I do like the pattern and next time would use the US7 dpns for the sleeves.  I'm tall, so I made it a tad longer and I didn't increase for the hips.  I find that cotton in a larger gauge tends to stretch a bit, so I was counting on negative ease to get me where I wanted.  Also,  Chauntel told me that the Misti cotton tends to shrink a bit in length, so I took that advice to heart.

BFF Socks Are Done!

At long last, the socks, they are a done.  Once the Fabulous Cookie A. corrected the pattern for the large size, they were a breeze.  The Vesper yarn is soft and wonderful to work with, and I still love the colors in the Knit and Tonic colorway.  I do think I need to go down a size, though.  Seems most of my socks so far are a little loose, but that's easy enough to correct.  Although I knit these on 2.75 instead of 2.25, but I did have gauge, so maybe going down to US 1 or US 1.5 would do the trick.

Also, you remember that blink of an eye when ponchos (sorry, La) were in fashion?  Well, I knit myself up one in some Fiesta Rayon Boucle, I think in the Safari colorway, which I also love, bought some rustic Russan and African beads for adornment, and I was right in there with the Saks Fifth Avenue crowd, baby.  Now, I haven't worn the darn thing for who knows how long, but it keeps catching my eye in the closet.  I was thinking of putting it in the give-away bag, but I really do love this yarn, so I'm going to recycle it into some kind of scarf/shawl thingy.  Just got to find the ends to start the unraveling process.