We're moving!

We bought a house!  Hurray!

All progress on my screen has stopped.  It is now invalid.  It feels like a waste but I'm glad I had the project to occupy me.

Also I'm going to kill my mother-in-law.  Because moving sucks when its just you and then throw in a moderately disabled woman who has a house full of 8 years of crap. 

Deep breaths.

One section done

 

So I started with the section furthest from the door.  The 3-year-old has a tendency to see something new and want to go check it out immediately.  This way I'll have the second panel on before he demands to go outside and check it out!

I think I need to go over the closest edge with some more string so its not so jagged, but overall I'm impressed.  It took forever to get on though... 

I'm really glad I broke it up into 3 panels.  And the second is about halfway done!  I need to get my butt in gear and get it going.

My neighbors think I'm crazy.

So recently, I had an epiphany. 

It may be easier to make 3 different panels for this gigantic knitted project then just one long one.  I'm very glad I did.  I finished one panel and have put it on over the holiday!  I nearly dropped my tools off the balcony at least a dozen times, and had a yarn snap accident that actually worked out for the best.  So for the next panel, I'm dropping stitches around the edges.  I'm excited for panel 2.  My neighbors are not excited for the cursing.

Pictures to come.

A bit ridiculous

So, what am I working on now?

Well, once upon a time when I first started knitting, I found these huge needles on sale at wal-mart.  I'm assuming I didn't have quite the stash of needles I do today, though that might be giving myself too much credit.  I do still routinely have to back myself off when strolling down the clearance aisle, telling myself that just because it's on clearance does not mean I need to have it.  But I digress.

So I bought these huge needles.  Like, bordering on sex toy size needles.  I would like to think they were pretty cheap, along the lines of $1, but once again, my head was not where it should have been regarding clearance merchandise.  Officially, they are marked US 19 (15mm).  As you would be expecting, these ugly, plastic, straight needles that I had to have were never used.....until now! (cue dramatic music)

Our balcony is quite sturdy for an apartment.  The railing has a huge design flaw in the form of gigantic gaps that a reasonably sized child can fit through.  My husbands 3-year-old can easily fit through them.  In come the big needles.  Finally a use!  AND miracle of miracles, I can get rid of some of my yarn that I just didn't want to throw away or give away!  Thus the gigantic balcony net project was created.  The large needles still give that airy feeling with out having to knit 12 yards of straight knitting and using an enormous amount of yarn, and its a project that can be done fairly quickly.  My husband asked me if I was knitting a net the other day.  To his surprise, I promptly said yes.  I think its genius.  Everyone else thinks I'm crazy.

Unfortunately now this only validates my urge to never throw anything out, no matter how I've had it in my stash and never used it.  Eventually, it will come in handy.

Genius I tell you!

 
 
 
 
 
 



Well, it's been a while.  Seriously, a while. 

Not really sure why I'm starting back up, except maybe to give me something to do in the down time at work.  Those magic hours between getting everything done, lunch (technically dinner since I work second shift), and when the second run comes in. 

I have a new career, a new family, a new baby, but still knitting perseveres.  I have new hobbies, new interests, new musical tastes, but still knitting perseveres.  No matter what happens, knitting is what I always come back to.  I may take up other crafts for a quick sense of accomplishment, but knitting is what I return to.  I knit less, understandable with a new baby, but still I persist.  Creating stitch by stitch to weave together my life and my hobbies. 

My baby already has a knitted sweater he's never worn because its been too warm outside, and a thousand patterns I want to knit though he'll probably outgrow them before they're even finished!

And so I return, as I always do, to knitting. ❤

Double Moss Ensemble

So, apparently having a job makes me lazy as well. That and it took forever to get good pictures. No one wanted to pose for pictures, and my crazy neighbors kept me from just laying them outside and getting pictures that way. I would have taken pictures indoors but the lighting in my apartment is terrible. But it got done finally!

download now

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Unexpected Twists

Ok, so apparently being unemployed just makes me lazy and not want to work on anything.

I have knitted quite a lot though, but have been slackin on pictures and stuff.

I have finished an entire set consisting of a hat, scarf, and mitten in double moss stitch! I should have the pattern up sometime next month. I would normally say sooner, but I have a feeling I'll just keep putting it off again and again.

I really like double moss stitch, I have decided. The only bad thing, is that it tends to be very airy. Even when using a tight gauge, it still tends to have a little bit of spread and small holes.

I also like the brioche stitch. I have started a blanket for my mom for christmas out of brioche stitch and I enjoy it. It tends to use more yarn, but for a blanket it makes a big, squishy stitch that will be wonderful to wrap up in. I hope.

Hopefully I will have pictures and other stuff soon. I am starting a job soon so hopefully that will motivate me to get my butt in gear!

Dear Lion Brand Homespun,

Your colors are beautiful. Even though you are an acrylic yarn, I am half in love with you. Not only are your colors rich and vibrant, the heathered quality of the yarn makes me drool a little. The best part about you is the way your colors blend into one another and still stay unique. The more I look at you, the more depths and hues I find.

But why oh why must you be a boucle yarn? And a bulky one at that. In my opinion, you are only good for making large items like afghans and pillows. Due to the nature of your construction, the likeliness of any garment that is knitted from you actually flattering any figure is very low. Unfortunately, the high price assigned to you makes you an unlikely candidate for even the large projects you are suited for.

But your colors still make me want to knit everything I can out of you. The only thing keeping me from buying all the stock I can afford is the underspun quality of the boucle.

Would it be possible to compromise and just spin the gorgeous colors a little tighter? Possibly into smaller plies to make at least a worsted weight yarn?

Still dreaming of your gloriously saturated colors,

Abby

Buzz Buzz

I've been a busy little bee. Not having a job means I have a lot of time on my hands. I'm trying to clean a lot, and knit a lot, and sadly I have ample time to do both. Ideally, I would only have time to knit so the cleaning could wait, but such is life.

Projects!

Crotched Scarf, courtesy of Lion Brand.

This project was fun. It was my project while watching the prisoner and during the brief period I had yarn and no needles. I kind of did my own thing on the ends because I didn't want to puzzle through the directions.

Kindle Cover 2!

I like my first kindle cover. I like it a lot, but I wanted something that was a little bit more snug. I used US4 with a double strand of caron simply soft and it turned out thick and a little stiff, but I like it. I still need to close the top with a zipper or some other fastener. It will probably end up being a zipper, but I might get creative one of these days and do something more fun.

Crotcheted potted plant, also courtesy of Lion Brand.

This project was fun and a pain at the same time. Crotcheting 18 little flowers then sewing them on after wasn't really a good time. It didn't help that my flowers turned out small so I had to crotchet even more. It also doesn't help that I like a lot of leaves so I made significantly more leaves. It turned out all right and I survived with the help of a little Fringe.

Internetz again!

Hurray! Except for a few small things I am moved! The big excitement is now I have internets again! The comcast guy came this morning and gave us our borrowed modem and now I am happy. I have ravelry access again, as well as the whimsy to look up exciting new recipes and try them on a whim. Plus the whole job hunting thing, but that seems secondary right now.

I also have some sad news. It was bound to happen, I know, but I didn't think it would set in this soon. While moving in yet another container full of yarn, my SO loudly announced that I wasn't allowed to buy any more yarn until I lessened my stash a bit. :( I protested, of course, and pleaded to have my yarn privileges reinstated, but he was solid as a rock. I got nowhere. Now I have to find a bunch of projects that are fast and use up a bunch of yarn. On the bright side it means I get to spend more time on ravelry :)

I did finish my scalloped scarf, as well as an adorable octopus from Amigurami Knits! I have started another kindle cover as well as a sweater (crosses fingers).

I've realized I don't knit as many sweaters because the annoyance of the gauge swatch is nearly too much for me to handle. I knit one swatch, sure that I know myself and my knitting tendencies well enough, only to find its not correct. Then I take it out and knit another swatch, usually with smaller needles, and it still isn't correct. After several repeats of the swatch at numerous needle sizes, I usually either give up and decided the project isn't worth my time or I give up and randomly choose a needle size I think was closest. I think this is a good indication that I need to learn patience.

Been a while

So much has been going on it makes my head hurt. I finished a bunch of projects and am really happy but am probably never going to get good pictures of them. Sadness. A good part of the problem is that I'm moving! Sterling/Rock Falls, here I come!

This has been a huge thing on my mind lately. My wonderful boyfriend asked me last month if I would move in with him. I haven't been dating him for very long, so naturally I was worried, but we looked at apartments together and we picked one out! Now he's stuck with me for at least a year. I'm terribly worried because all the other times I've had roommates I've wanted to kill them with a couple months, so I really hope that doesn't happen. I'm definately going to do my best not to let it.

I have also discovered something very important. Well, two things actually.

1. Home is where the stash is.

If you move half your yarn, then wait a couple weeks to move the second half, you feel a little lost. It's sad really.

2. If you're only going to move half of your yarn, MAKE SURE YOU BRING NEEDLES!

I completely forgot to pack extra needle so when I forgot the yarn for my current project I could find something else to start. I ended up wandering around my new apartment for a few hours doing small chores until I decided to go to wal-mart and buy cheap needles.

I started this cool new scarf from Lion Brand, too. Its crotcheted which is a little weird for me (but crotchet needles are cheaper than knitting needles and wal-mart doesn't carry the size circs that I want), but it's coming along nicely. I watched the miniseries The Prisoner (good show by the way) while I started it and I almost finished it! It's a little short, but something this pretty isn't really meant to be super functional, I don't think. Pics to come later!

Discovering slipped stitches: A beginning

So I have decided that some knitting techniques are just overlooked. For example, the slipped stitch. I like slipped stitches. They create texture and interest and they're kind of fun to do.

Since I will most likely be jobless at the end of the month, I have decided that in between job searching and stressing, I will be knitting, probably a great deal. Instead of starting new projects, I think I want to explore the world of slipped stitches, and how to manipulate them and create interesting textures. I feel that the slipped stitch is almost forgotten, used only in some stitch patterns, and I want to make it interesting again!

I have no idea if it will work. I have no idea what my knitting foray will discover, but I think it will be fun to explore this technique that I really haven't used. I think it will be interesting to pair it with reverse stockinette and see the textures emerge and discover how they drape together.

Hopefully I don't get bored and ignore this project after I've started. I'm hoping at the start that the swatches will be small enough that I can take them anywhere with me, which is good for me.

Well I'm off to job hunt before starting my project. :)

A series of unfortunate events

So my last post referred to the printer being broken at my job. Unfortunately, the part that needs replaced is $19,000 to fix. Bummer. Combine that with the fact that the last manager was not only incompetent but also dishonest, and then you find out that the owners decide to close the store. Major bummer.

I can't really say I blame them, but I also am sad that I will no longer have a job. Now I could go on and on about how my job really isn't that great, but since come march 31st I won't have it anymore, the point is moot anyway.

On a brighter side, I did finally finish my last sock. It is very interesting and the ribbing gives it a great texture, but i think they will end up as house socks when it gets cold again. I think if I had knit them out of scrumptious sock yarn they would have turned out much better. Pictures to come.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my future. The problem is that everyone seems to think they know what is best for me and is pushing to do it. My mom wants me to go back to school and get my nursing bachelors. The problem with that is I don't really know if I want to become a nurse.

One of my friends wants me to get a part time job and collect unemployment. This would be great and I could concentrate on knitting. The problem with that is I don't want to get tired of knitting and I get stir crazy if I'm not doing something. I think I would like working part time, but if I don't work enough I'm going to go mad. I need something to keep occupied.

Another of my friends wants me to quit cameraland all together before the end of the month and get a part time job just for the summer to hold me over until i get another job. I don't really want to have a job for a month then say, "So long!" the instant I find something else. I think that's kind of rude.

The way I see things right now, I will only go back to school if I'm guaranteed a job afterwards. Nursing will do this. Teaching will do this. I already know I do not want to jump through the bullshit hoops to become a teacher, even though I think I would enjoy the profession. I really just want to start paying off my student loans and have a savings account.

On a lighter note, in a weak moment I bought Amigurami knits this past weekend and I love it. The cute little knitted critters have stolen my heart. I started the starfish last night and aside from finding a mistake, I love it. I can't wait to knit a whole host of cute little stuffies!

The Butterfly Trellis Scarf

The Butterfly Trellis Scarf

Designed around a herringbone fagoting, this scarf includes lacy trellises and playful butterflies. This pattern incorporates a lot of techniques including picking up and knitting on the edging as well as a variety of knitting techniques.

The file is formatted as a PDF and comes with charts for easy knitting, but written instructions are available on request.

Download here:
download now

Pictures!

FO MANIA!!

Well, maybe not mania. I did finish my southwestern shawl which really hadn't been a UFO for long. I got it blocked because I finally got a new vaccuum and could sweep then pin it out on the floor! Pics of that to come. After that, I decided I would work on my second glove. Yeah....

So I've been knitting on it all weekend. Today at work, the printer broke so there's nothing to do. So I've been knitting. I finished my second glove. Unfortunately, its enormous. How enormous? Well my boyfriend's hands are probably 3 times the size of mine. I think it would fit him quite well. Don't believe me? Proof:






























The right hand I did first. It fits well. It's nice. The left hand I started last week. Its enormous. That's what I get for waiting a couple years in between each.

Apologies

Ok. So I realize I'm not the best blogger in the world. I get too distracted and then I don't want to sit down and type out an entry. I do love to knit though. And that is what makes me happy.

So I have been doing a lot of stuff. Right now I'm on a spree to finish a lot of my UFOs that have been sitting around. I'm finishing a sweater right now with knitpicks swish worsted. I love this yarn. Its soft, it feels great while you're knitting, it comes in great colors and is superwash wool! I can't wait to finish this sweater.

I also need to finish my sahara. I still have just one sleeve left to do and I just need to sit down and say, its getting done. That is next on my list. After that I am going to finish my second sock. No if, ands, or buts. Its getting done. Then I need to finish my second glove. The real problem there is untangling the yarn where its gotten hopelessly gnarled during my months of shoving it aside and the moving fiasco last july. I'm not aware of any more UFOs that need finishing, but I'm sure the next time I clean a couple will pop up.

I am currently working on the fiery bolero, but the problem with that is I need to unravel another project to reuse the yarn and the thought of unraveling, then stretching out the yarn, then rewinding it while untangling the inevitable tangles really turns me off. I just want to knit. Maybe one of these days I'll start feeling productive and tackle it, but I don't think it will be soon. Its probably going to be a UFO for at least another year.

I really want to start on the airy wrap sweater from fitted knits. I even have the yarn for it, but i keep telling myself I need to work on getting other stuff finished. Casting on will be my reward for finishing all my other projects. I hope.

So sometime a long time ago I went through a lot of my stash and decided projects for it, and then somewhere along the way I never started any of those projects. It is my goal to try to work on some of these and possibly destash. I don't think I'll ever destash enough that my apartment won't look like a lunatic yarn bin when my cats get into it, but I do want to get rid of some of the yarn I will never use. This is probably why I made the list in the first place.

Hopefully I'll get off my butt soon and start taking a couple minutes to update and post pics.

Until next time.

A revelation!

I have taught myself to knit backwards!!! It saves so much time now that I dont' have to flip the project around. It's awkward when I have to purl, but when I'm working in garter stitch, its amazing!

It's perfect now that I've started playing around with modular shapes in a vaguely vision of a blanket. I say that because I know i will probably get tired of working on it so it will probably never actually become a blanket.

<3

I love knitting. I love reading about it. I love doing it. I love talking about it with my knitting friends! I never would have thought that back in 7th grade when Mrs. Edwards brought in someone to teach us to knit that I would fall so deeply in love with it.

My scarf is coming along nicely. I have a name for it already but I am still undecided about charts or written instructions. I don't really have a program for charts, but I'm certain I could do something equivalent in photoshop. I really enjoy using a chart when I knit, and I know that is what I would prefer, but I also know there are knitters out there that do not prefer charts, even despise them. Hopefully in the next month or so I will be able to get the pattern written down and posted for all to enjoy!

Yesterday I spend more money than I should have. I went to walmart, for lack of a better place to go, and bought a skein of yarn that I've been wisting after to make a pair of fetching for myself. I also bought a ton of fabric because it was on sale and I really really wanted to! I managed to wander down the magazine aisle after that and I bought myself a magazine too! I absolutely love looking through magazines! I love the patterns, even the ones I would never dream of knitting for myself, and I love taking it home and poring over the articles. I even love looking at all the ads! It is my opinion that nothing in the world could be more perfect than the knitting magazine in all its splendor, except perhaps that softly beautiful skein of yarn in the perfect color.

My crazy watermelon scarf is almost done. I've been working off and on for a while now and since the weather is growing colder I have decided I need to finish it. Of course, that means I will have to start a new project that is easy and I can work on while I'm working, but that shouldn't be a problem for me. :)

Life is good, though I have so many ideas and dreams that sometimes I think they might all burst out of me!

Getting my butt in gear!

I finally kicked myself in the butt and started something original. I have such a bad habit of aspiring to larger, intricate sweaters and non-realistic projects unless I want to spend every waking hour knitting. So yesterday on my day off, I got tired and frustrated and I started a new project! I wanted to do something quick with the herringbone fagoting pattern that I've been playing with so I started a scarf! I knit like a maniac yesterday, with a little cleaning thrown in there (HURRAY ME!) and I've got about a third of it done.

I'm doing it in a lace weight yarn, which is taking forever. I might knit up two scarves, one in lace and one in sport weight to show what it looks like in different gauges. Plus the sport weight is going to go a lot faster than the lace weight. I hope.

It's really a simple project, though I think it looks pretty complex. I'm pretty sure it will be a free project since I've been trying to up my free projects so that more people become interested in what I'm knitting.

I may try to work up charts for it, as well as written instructions since some people don't like charts, but that seems like a lot of work. I haven't decided yet, and since I'm only partway done with it I can think about it for a while.

I'm so excited to finally be working on something again. I've been back and forth on starting on new projects since I've got so many in progress right now, but I've decided my original designs should take precedence over the others I'm knitting. I really want to work on it nonstop like I did yesterday, but I'm afraid if I bring it into work that I'll screw it up. Better just to knit like a maniac while I'm at home. I'm so excited I might not get any sleep for a while!

New stitch pattern

Fagoting - noun, an openwork decoration of fabric in which thread is drawn in crisscross stitches across an open seam.

I am in love with a stitch pattern. It is open and beautiful and amazing. I'm having so much fun imaging ways to incorporate it into designs.

It is much more workable in the round. The only issue I have with it is that when you work it flat you have to work a yo followed by a P2tog. I find it a little awkward, but I'm not used to working YO's on the WS of the work.

I'm trying to work a suitable ribbing to openwork ratio. I cant decide to do knit 4 purl 2 ratio since the pattern is 4 stitches but I'm not sure if I like it. I kind of want to do alternating plain ribbing with the pattern so I don't overwhelm a piece. I haven't decided. I'm in the process of swatching and seeing what I enjoy. I'm so excited!

I really want to make socks with it. I think the pattern would look cool with alternating ribbing and the herringbone fagoting. I have to figure it out though. I'm totally stoked. I have so many ideas, but I'm such a procrastinator. I hope I actually work on something this time, and not just talk about it.