Back on Track!

I’ve recovered from my “wall” episode. Stress can make one so overwhelmed, the mind and body tends to shut down as a defense mechanism. Luckily, we have hidden resources that can reset our thinking and get one back on track. My stress related to a big review coming up in my job and my limited time to prepare for it, while attempting, at the same time to conduct all the duties of my job. Once I made a workable plan to break it in small chunks and received the approval and support of my boss, I feel a lot better.

So……I am back to my knitting. I am back to repairing the sweat pants I’ve started in September. I’ve ripped back the body and am reknitting them. My husband and I went to see a movie yesterday, and I got a lot done in the theatre. Luckily, it was all in stockinette on Size 7 needles so I did not have to look at it in the dark. I’m so glad I can do this.

I’m also working on my Candlelight scarf. This soft yarn is so soothing, but it is very challenging, since the stitches are so tiny on Size 2 needles. I tried to knit under a large magnifying glass but I still need a lot of light to see the stitches. Perhaps I should invest in one of those OPT lights.

Well, today is the day! Today I tackle cataloguing my handspun and commercial purchased stash for Ravelry. My” Stash Wall” is in need of a lot of organizing, as you can see. This is two or three years of spinning and dyeing. I could probably open up a small yarn store with all that I have. Hmmm, …..perhaps I should explore that idea!

I wanted to share this little thing I saw a few days ago that I found simply ironic. I was taking my lunch break and went to a local Taco Bell. I was sitting in my car listening to my Knitting podcasts when I saw this.

There was an owl sitting on the roof of the Taco Bell. Actually, there was two owls: one on each end of the restaurant, which are not common in my area of Los Angeles County,. It wasn’t long before I realized that these were wooden owls that the owner put up to scare away other birds that like to roost and leave their excrement on the Spanish tiles of the roof, waiting for tidbits of food to be left by customers. This is how effective they were……



…….or NOT.

Orange you glad to know?

I just couldn't wait to start my October project sweater. Once I make my mind up to do something, it so hard not to. I started my Wishbone sweater from the December project of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitter’s Almanac.

I don’t believe EZ intended this sweater to have a ribbing, but I put one on anyways, because finishing is just not something I like to do. I think she intended for a facing to be added and then sewn up, but I just couldn’t bring myself to commit to this. I can handle the sleeves and the neck line, but 48 in of sewing a facing was just not very motivating.

I just love the color. I don’t think my camera has caught the true color. The Lion Brand Jiffy color is rust but it looks more like a pumpkin orange. The Acrylic in the photo makes it sort of shine. It’s somewhat fuzzy, like mohair, which makes it soft. In the photo it looks more redish than it really is. It is knitting up quite fast as expected. The above is two days worth of knitting on Size 11 needles.

I’m afraid my sweatpants is in danger of becoming a UFO (aka unfinished object). I am going to have to do a lot of ripping back to correct it. (Sigh!) Well…I hope that when I get tired of knitting the rust, I will be motivated to knit the cream. (So uninspiring, huh?) I am so glad to get back to colored yarn again. I plan to dye the cream sweatpants. What color did my son request? Dreadful Black; another reason to be uninspired. I hope to get back to it before Christmas.

I am so excited that I am getting closer to getting an invite on Ravelry, the knitting community (what do you call it?) website database? I’m now at 654 people in front of me and believe it or not 17,423 people behind waiting.

I heard an interview on the Stash and Burn podcast with the creators of Ravelry, Jess and Casey. Wow, do they sound tired but very gratified to have created something that has taken off so well. Thank you Jess and Casey! I’ve heard so many great things about it. It may prove to be an excellent model for a new kind of supportive community that brings out the best talents, resources and gifts of people. Knitters rule! We have a potential to change the world in so many positive ways!.

Fall Fiber Storm

This had been a very productive knitting week. I finished the baby leggings. I think the body part may be too long and may come up to my granddaughter’s chin when put on. I haven’t yet had a chance for her to try them on.

I wish I had knit these baby leggings before the adult ones. I realize now that I did it wrong and may have to rip back to the joining and redo the body part. I misread the double decreases and thought I was to decrease at the sides to fit the waist. This created an oddly shaped pant part with a bulge at the hips and very tightly fitting around the crouch. (See picture below) .I think my son is either being very polite and agreeable or very impatient and wants to get the fitting over with. I really want these to fit, so he will actually use them. So…..I regretfully think I must undo and correct them to better fit. Which means they will take longer to finish than I thought.

I have been rethinking my October project which is a open collar shirt short sleeve sweater (aka polo or golf shirt). I am thinking I chose a yarn that might be too warm for wear in California. This is a short sleeve shirt and would be foolish to wear wool when the arms are not covered as well. I’m thinking that perhaps a cotton blend would be better. I have never made an adult sweater before and the December Wishbone sweater looks a lot easier to make for a first sweater.

The Wishbone sweater is made with bulky yarn with a gauge of 2.5 sts per inch and should go quickly since there will less stitches to knit. As I scanned the Sunday paper today, I saw an Michael’s crafts ad for Lion Brand Jiffy yarn at $2.50 a skein. I went right over there and purchased 11 skeins for a sweater, a lovely Burnt Orange color, just right for October Fall season. This yarn is 100% Acrylic. OOOH NO, NOT ACRYLIC!!!, you might be saying, but this yarn has a soft fuzzyness, like mohair and IS WASHABLE.

I knitted up some “Jiffy” swatches (pun intended) using 9, 10, 10 ½, and 11 needles. (swatch)
Needles (cm) ,Size, Measured, Gauge (sts/inch) ,Gauge (rows per in)
5.5, 9 ,9sts in 2 in, 4sts ,6 rws
7.0, 10, 7 sts in 2 in, 3.5, 5 rws
6.5, 10 ½, 6.5 sts in 2 in ,3.25 ,5
8. 11, 6 in 2 in, 3, 3.5
Yarn doubled
6.5, 10 ½, 5.5 in 2 in, 2.75, 4rws
8, 11, 5 in 2 in, 2.5 ,3 rws.

The swatch with the single strand knitted up too loose and open (on right) The only acceptable fabric was with the Size 9 needles, whose gauge was too small for the pattern. Elizabeth Zimmerman suggested a gauge of 2.5 sts/in. She points out that it doesn’t work with other gauges. I doubled the yarn (left) and the Size 11 (botton left)came out perfectly with a gauge of 2.5 and a firm, flexible fabric, thick, pliable and not stiff. So it looks like I will start the Wishbone sweater soon while also working on a redo of the adult sweatpants.

While after finishing with the baby leggings and at a standstill with the sweatpants, I was driven to finish my Forest Canopy Shoulder shawl. I blocked it and the results are below. It is made of handspun merino wool that was hand dyed. I started with it as roving and spun it myself. I just the love the softness of it. It will come in handy on the cooler mornings that are beginning to show themselves at the beginning of fall, which was yesterday. Fall really came in like gangbusters this year, with the first downpour of a storm on the day of our Town’s Route 66 parade.

Another project I picked up again was the baby surprise sweater. I am trying to add a hood. I worked on the math for the increases today. Stayed tuned to the finished product........

Sweatpants and planning for October

After a very busy week at work, like most 1st weeks of school are, I've been trying to work on the cream colored sweat pants I'm knitting my youngest son using an adaptation from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Nether Garments. I will most likely dye them to a darker color as my son requested after I finish them. I've been able to join the two legs and knit the crotch. I am increasing stitches in the front center and center back to the hip size and now I am starting on the decreases on the sides for the waist size. I have been debating whether to insert some elastic in the waist or make an I-cord drawstring to allow him room to grow. Stay tuned for the result.....

October's project in EZ's Knitters Almanac is an Open Collar Pullover. My adult middle son, who is a teacher, seems interested in the style. Knowing how my son does laundry, I wanted to choose a yarn that was easy to care for and practically indistructable. I obtained some worsted Bare Superwash wool from Knit Picks and knitted up a swatch in Size 6, 7 , 8, and 9s to see which gauge would be better. This is a yarn that I believe is Swish in colors.

First of all, I was amazed at how soft this yarn was and how easy it knitted up. I just couldn't believe it wouldn't shrink and felt in the washer. To test it, I put my swatch in the washing machine with jeans and dried it in the dryer at normal temperature. To my amazement there was no felting. The stitch definition was intact and it shrunk less than 1/4 in. After washing, it was even softer than before. I'm in love with this yarn. My mind started to go crazy with thoughts of future knitting projects to come with this yarn. Below are pictures of before washing (left picture)and drying and then after (right picture). Sorry about the formatting. I haven't figured out how to line them up.