My (Late) Resolution for 2009

Top-down half sock with curious cat looking on

I am bound and determined that this is the year that I will become a true knitter. To accomplish this end, I must gather my concentration and my patience and knit a pair of socks. The word pair is key, here. Many aspiring knitters have slaved and picked and despaired their way through that first sock only to succumb to the deadly Second Sock Syndrome -- that dreaded malady where the thought of casting on another set of tiny stitches in tiny yarn on tiny needles is so over-powering. Add to that the necessity of having Sock #2 be a reasonable facsimile of Sock #1 and many a knitter falls by the wayside. This is my year -- I WILL create a pair of socks.

Attempt #1

This is a traditional "top down" sock (while not actually knitting socks, I have at least learned the lingo -- socks fall into two general categories of "top down" and "toe up"). I bought some sock yarn without reading the label as carefully as I should. That means, should this pair come to fruition, I will be hand washing them in cold water for the duration of their lifespan. I thought it would be prudent to start with a child-size pair, also -- fewer of those tiny stitches to worry about while still learning all the ins and outs of sock construction. I found a promising pattern online (Basic Child's Sock Pattern) and went to work. The sock was really coming along fairly well until I got to the heel. ...cue ominous music here...
Problem 1:
At this point, the pattern says (I'll translate for any non-knitters reading this):
Put 26 stitches on working needle
Purl 12 stitches, purl next two stitches together, purl 1 stitch and turn, leaving remaining 10 stitches unworked.
No matter how many times I read this, I can only count 25 stitches being accounted for in this step. I leave 11 unworked stitches and continue, feeling a little nervous.
Problem 2:
Now, there is a series of rows that seem to follow a logical pattern:
Slip one stitch, purl 2, purl decrease, purl 1, turn
Slip one stitch, knit 3, knit decrease, knit 1, turn
Slip one stitch, purl 4, purl decrease, purl 1, turn
Slip one stitch, knit 5, knit decrease, knit 1, turn
Slip one stitch, purl 6, purl decrease, purl 1, turn
Slip one stitch, knit 7, knit decrease, knit 1, turn
Then:
Slip one stitch, purl 8, knit decrease, purl 1, turn
Do I really want a knit stitch in the middle of this purl row?
Then, again:
Slip one stitch, knit 9, knit decrease, knit 1
Slip one stitch, purl 10, purl decrease, purl 1, turn
No "turn" after that knit row? This has to be a mistake.

Things like this were eroding my confidence very quickly. I had my own problems to worry about and couldn't be bothered worrying about the integrity of the pattern. I suppose that's what I get from scrounging a free pattern -- you get what you pay for.

I went ahead and "turned the heel" (another bit of sock lingo) for the sake of experience. I will probably finish the sock but I doubt I will try to do a mate. I would rather take that time and effort and try a different pattern.

Rudy investigates comfort level of this half-sock

Rudy settles down for a nice nap

Update on French Market Bag

My French Market Bag is coming along nicely -- and rapidly, too, especially considering that it could be such a monotonous knit. Since it is knitting "in the round" on circular needles, there is not even a "knit one row, turn, purl one row, turn" rhythm to break that long, spiral row of knit stitches. However, I have found that it is the perfect project to take someplace. I can knit a few minutes in the car on my lunch break, knit during TV shows that require more attention (I'm looking at you, Lost), and even knit while carrying on a conversation with friends. No pattern to track, no natural stopping point (i.e., the end of a row) that needs to be reached -- just that long spiral of knit stitches.

Here we are at the color change -- my next bag will have several of these

The body is almost finished in this shot. A few more rows and it will be ready for the handles and then it can be felted.

This is really a popular pattern. I have recently joined Ravelry.com, an on-line knitting/crocheting community, and found that over 1000 members have either made this same bag (not a similar bag but the pattern from knitty.com) or are working on it right now. It is interesting to see how other knitters have modified the bag by either adjusting the color pattern or changing yarns. One of my favorite versions had flowers embroidered on the bag before it was felted -- the final look was gorgeous. I want to try that, too. This bag would make a great gift -- I may end up making several this year.

A New Year and New Projects!

First, a finished project -- this is a baby blanket for a friend expecting a little boy. Child's Knitted Blanket at Lion Brand Yarn. I bought the yarn at Lion Brand, too - 6 balls of Jiffy in Heather Blue. Look closely at the uuper left corner of the photo and you can see little white cat feet trying to get on the blanket (and into the picture).


One thing I really like about this pattern is that the reverse side is just as attractive as the front side. The front is an hourglass design while the back looks a lot like a basketweave (see below).


See the basketweave design? This was a great project for a baby shower because it worked up very quickly (3 weeks).

Not every project is a knitting project ...

Penny and I are working on the same counted cross stitch project. Right now, she is way ahead of me but she has recently started working full time so the advantage is about to be passed back to me (I have loads of experience in dealing with the battles of full-time work vs full-time hobbies). This piece is a series of six panels (all worked on the same piece of fabric, not six separate pieces) surrounded by a border. Last I saw, Penny had about 2 1/2 panels finished. I have done the outlining on three and started one of the scenes. I have to admit that I prefer knitting -- counted cross stitch takes too much concentration and too much, well, counting. I can knit while watching a movie but the stitching requires too much of my attention.

... but there is a new knitting project waiting in the wings

Here is the beginnings of my next project -- are you as excited to see it as I am? (Probably not)

This is my next knitting project but it is also something brand new for me because it will be felted after knitting. I've never felted anything before and am really looking forward to trying it. Felting requires a natural fiber yarn (like wool) which is knit and then deliberately shrunk in a hot bath. That means the knitted article needs to be larger than the desired finished piece. I am going to make a French Market Bag which I can use to carry my next project.

Extreme Knitting

Remember this picture from an earlier post? This would be Extreme Knitting in the sense of extremely small:


Here is the opposite extreme:


No, this isn't me in the second photo. I found the photo online on someone else's blog, but it is still an interesting shot. This woman specializes in giant knits and will use anywhere from 3-200 strands of yarn on these and other giant needles to knit things like rugs.

Other Extreme Knitting ideas getting some publicity - someone has created a Kniittiing app for the Nintendo Wii. Now, you can knit for scores as well as warmth!

Little Knits for Little Gifts

I love to knit gifts. Here are little mini-stockings that I made for our church's Baby Day celebration. There is a music button in each stocking that plays "Jesus Loves Me" when squeezed.

Baby Day Mini-Stockings

I made mittens for all of the kids in the family this Christmas. Here is my selection of mittens hanging on the back of the couch (I had to take the shot fast because Rudy and Tux thought this was just a mitten playground for them). If you look closely, you can see the twisted cords that can be threaded through the sleeves of a jacket. Penny and I made the twisted cords by tying yarn to one of the beaters in Penny's hand mixer and then using the mixer to twist the yarn. (see instructions below)



Along with the mittens, each gift included a copy of Jan Brett's The Mitten about a grandmother who knits a pair of mittens for her grandson.


My friend, Penny, introduced me to the book which is simply wonderful. It is a sweet story with beautifully detailed illustrations. Knitting all those mittens was a lot of fun, but I did get tired of making all those tiny thumbs!

How To make a Twisted Cord

1. Cut a length of yarn twice as long as you want the twisted cord to be. Tie one end to a single beater that is placed in a hand mixer. Note that one beater will spin clockwise and one counter-clockwise. Give it a short "test spin" to see if the spin direction is making the plies of the yarn tighter or looser -- if the yarn looks like it is getting looser and unraveling, you need to use the other beater.

2. Once you are sure you are going in the right direction, hold the yarn so that it is slightly taut and then turn the mixer on. Let the yarn twist for about 30 seconds or until it is trying to "kink" on itself. For a long cord, you really need a friend to help hold everything. Stop the mixer.

3. Keep hold of the free end of the yarn and keep the yarn stretched straight as you use your other hand to grasp it in the middle. Bring the free end up to the end tied to the (stopped) mixer, and hold those ends together so that the yarn is folded in half. Let go of the middle and the twist will form.

To make a two-color twist (like the red and white twist in the photo), tie a length of red yarn to a matching length of white yarn and treat like one long strand. Twisted cords make a nice finish to lots of different craft projects. You can twist them by hand but that is really only practical for small (12" or shorter) pieces. Besides, using the mixer is a lot of fun -- people watching you will think that you have lost your mind before you "magically" create the twist at the end :)

A Finished Project!

Tuesday night - 16 points

Saturday night - 30 points and complete!

The pattern suggested using snaps to connect the ends, but I found this lace is stretchy enough to just pull it over your head. Now, I just need some cold weather so I can have a chance to wear it!

Finally! A project that I can show "in progress"

This new project is not a gift, so I can post photos showing it growing. It is a knitted lace neckwarmer (used like a scarf but without the long ends) and I am knitting it for myself. I started it Saturday morning and it is working up quickly. One nice thing about this pattern is that it is worked sideways so you just work until it fits around your neck -- the finished piece will probably have about 30 "points".

Saturday evening - 9 points

The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles. I am using a lighter-weight yarn and size 7 needles, instead. The yarn is called Jasmine and is a blend of cotton, silk, polyester, and bamboo. (It's hard to believe that you can get wonderfully soft, silky yarns from a woody plant like bamboo but it is a popular new yarn fiber.) This particular yarn has tiny metallic flecks in it that give it just a bit of sparkle.