I Got Nuthin

Happy September!

I love firsts and I love first days of months that start on Monday. It's a quirk. Anyway, I have uploaded all the projects I've done. I've gone through all the photos and I got nuthin left. I do have some projects on my needles. Cai, my earthtone afghan is closer to the finished line. There are five strips in total and I am about to complete the 4th one. The baby blanket for the nephew arriving in a few weeks is on the needles. I have not touched it since the day I cast it on and worked on it because I will start a new project about every ten days or so (it's on my schedule) but I only work on one project at a time. So, when Cai is done, I will pick up the baby blanket and work on it. I have the second Travis Wrap to work on as well but that is still in my mind and I haven't even selected the yarn for it and according to my schedule, a new (as yet unknown) project, will come to life within about a week.

So, it's the start of a new month...and I got nuthin'. I am working on Cai to the tune of about a square a day so it should be done in about six days. That will depend upon the work schedule, of course, and the times of the Cubs games because time stands still for the Cubs. (Die hard since 1969!)

I need to stop blogging and go the store to get bathroom cleaning supplies - don't envy me my glamourous life-you, too can live this way if you choose!

When Is an Afghan Not an Afghan.

Ok, so here's another pillow that started out as an afghan. I made about seven of these Aran cable squares and for whatever reason, didn't feel like finishing the remaining five squares I would need. So, I turned two of the squares into a pillow. Just like I did with the beach blanket. Unlike the beach blanket squares, the rest of the cable squares will go into an afghan. They are being used in Cai. Which I wanted to finish in time for the Ravelympics, but I won't be able to get it done -I'm just on the second of five strips. However, I am keen on finishing it as I am pulling stitch patterns from different sources to complete the 25 square afghan. The pillow will make its way to the November sale where it will sit with the beach blanket pillow. Hopefully someone will want to give it a nice home.

Purple Quick Knit

Isn't it cute? It looks blue in the photo, but that's just because of the flash. It's my favorite color-purple. The one on the right is without the flash. (I just stick things on Marilyn's head and take pictures. She's so used to it, she just kept on knitting away. I'm not sure if I stuck a pom-pom on the top, though I think one would look really cute.

This was going to be my entry hat for Ravelympics, but decided I needed to design my own - pray for me friends, I still have four strips to complete in five days to earn my afghan marathon medal. It's going to be a photo finish!

This is almost the same as the other quick knit hat except I used a different stitch. It's a knock off from Quick Knit - Cool Accessories. It's probably Caron By the Pound because I don't have any other yarn in purple. Well, I think I have some Hobby Lobby yarn in purple, but I haven't knit with it yet.
Check out the archive for the info on the hat!

Quick Knit Scarf

Well, I'm just a knitting fool since the Ravelympics started. I still have the olympic scarf and the cai afghan to go, but this was almost done so i thought it would be best to go ahead and finish it up.

This scarf goes with the hat (that's Marilyn modeling it). They're both made with Red Heart yarn on size 9 needles. The hat was modified from a pattern found in Quick Knit - Cool Accessories and the scarf was made up from a stitch I found in a stitch dictionary and thought it would make a great scarf. and so it does.

this cute little set will be sold at the November Bazaar - come on by and buy it!

Ravelympians Unite!

It's almost time for the Ravelympics to begin. I am entered into three events: hat dash, scarf stroke, and afghan marathon. Oops, make that four, I am also in the design discus since I'm designing all the things I am making.

Tomorrow is also a StitchCraft session so I will be knitting with friends at the church. I already have the designs in mind. I will need to cast on during the opening ceremonies and complete them all within the next 2.5 weeks. That shouldn't be too hard. If I stay up late this evening and finish the scarf I'm working on now. (The added incentive is that when I finish the scarf, the set will be complete and they will go from my house to Marilyn's house where all the completed items are stored!) Less stuff in my house - more stuff in her house; that's my definition of fair. (Hey, I store the yarn at my house and trust me, there's a boat load of that as well.)

Good luck to all the Ravelympians and to all the Olympians as well. I hate the United States has silenced our athletes about other things going on in the world - it's not just sports; it's sportmanship and that goes beyond the playing field. I think we should let our athletes be all around people and not just players.

But I'll watch the track and field and the other events because i love the games and the sports!

Knitting One Project at a Time

Here's the thing: I used to have up to seven knitting projects going at one time. I would alternate them every day. Then one day, I thought I was driving myself crazy. So I changed my chaotic way and went down to one project at a time and I think I've probably been that way for the better part of a year.

Every once in a while I would put down a project to whip off a quick prayer shawl because we needed one at church or a hospital would contact us saying they needed more preemie hats, but as a rule, I was doing just one project at a time.

At the moment, I am working on some squares for an afghan I designed and I have the itch to begin another project. I find there may be several reasons for this:

1. We have a sale coming in November and I am always worried about not having enough items to sell.

2. My next 10 projects are full sized afghans (I don't work on more than one, but I know what they are) and I am a bit afraid of never leaving the afghan world if I don't get through these next ten projects.

3. I have a ton of yarn but I always have the urge to buy more. However, my house already resembles a LYS so I have to use it up before I can satisfy the gnawing urge to order more.

4. I'm stalling because the colors I chose for my design is not as stunning as I thought, but I have to carry it through. (None of the photos in this post is the square - under wraps it is.)

5. The squares will take a bit of time to complete and I have the attention span the size of a newborn gnat.

Now, I personally believe there's a little bit of all those reasons in the itch I have, but the last two are probably the most true with reason three a strong next in line.
So, will I start a new project? Not today. But I have solved the problem by putting a new item in my schedule: "New project" Yep, it's an actual part of my schedule like my workout and cleaning the kitchen. My weekly schedule takes about 10 days to get through so I suspect I will start the next afghan around Tuesday or so. I believe I can happily alternate between two projects and by the time I get around to that entry in my schedule again, one of them will probably be very close to completion and I will be ready to begin again - because hope springs eternal.

The Knitter as a Writer

I had to change my profile and I've changed my schedule. I use an Excel spreadsheet to hold my weekly schedule and the days are broken down into hours.

This is the hour I am to be a writer. I have two clients, I have the blog, I have to source new clients (because I freelance) and I have my own projects I would like to work on. So, this writing session (which includes this blog) will take about five hours and I work five days a week. Doing the basic math, that means I work about 25 hours a week.

Not bad.

I understand how blessed I am. I understand how many talents gifts I have been given - and I really understand how long it has taken me to acknowledge the creativity I have because I was so scared people would call me arrogant.

And they have. But I don't believe I am - I believe I have a great capacity for it - but I do believe I fall short of it. (Thank God!)

I am coming to believe how incredibly important it is to recognize what God and the universe has given each of us in the way of lights to shine. I think we need to tell what gift we have that we can offer to others and learn what they can offer to us. We share that knowledge and share the gifts because we share the planet.

It just makes sense.

So, I have several hours to go on my job. I have some hours ahead of me. I am going to look for some new clients. Then work on the projects of the clients I have and end the session with working on my next project - I think I know what it is - but I'm not letting the cat out of the bag just yet. And I will knit. I was knitting right before I started working. I am working on a nice afghan that I designed. I am eager to see it finished and placed on line - I am eager to see if anyone finds it.

Smooches.

What's New

OK, so it's been about eleven days since my last entry. I actually have completed two more projects in that time. I've done a prayer shawl and I just completed a hat and scarf project. I've taken the pics of them and they are on the laptop computer. I just haven't gotten around to writing and posting.

I suppose life has been in the way...which really isn't an excuse at all. I haven't thought about the postings and when I have; i haven't thought enough to get up and write about the knitting I've been doing.

And I've been doing the knitting. The truth is, I had begun to design my own afghan making my first pattern and I didn't like how it turned out. That's when I moved on to the prayer shawl and the hat and scarf. But, I looked in my books, 200 Knitted Blocks and Knitting Out of Africa and I came up with something.

I didn't think I was ready to tackle the sweater in the Africa book, but it did include the pattern for a square I could make and I was thinking about how to do the design. I know that same square is the 200 book so I leafed through it and came up with a design I really liked. I looked all through the book again to make sure I wasn't stealing a design and I wasn't. I started work on the afghan last night using the yarn I have left over from the Sit & Knit. It will take a total of 56 squares. Of course, if it comes out right, I will have made a major breakthrough.

Wish me luck!

The Knitter's Restaurant -Color Block Afghan

It seems like it took forever for this afghan to be done and when i finally laid it out - it's huge! This is draped over the dog's cubby hole with more to spare!

This was a very simple design and was a way to use up a whole bunch of yarn! This is mostly done in Caron By the Pound, but there's a few Red Heart and Herschnerr's in there somewhere.

Basically, it's six strips of seven blocks in a stockinette rib of 46 rows per color; 33 stitches per strip. I used the cream as the main color then just placed about seven other colors in a tote bag and pulled them out at random. I used size 8 needles.

It's fluffy, soft and warm. It is certainly colorful. It reminds me of the Twister game - though this would be very hard to play it on!

If you need to follow a pattern; the one which inspired this afghan is here.
It uses only three colors and is way smaller, but is a nice, novice pattern that produces a very nice result. You can follow it to the letter, of course, or just get crazy and do your own thing!

This will be placed in the completed project bag and held until the November craft sale.

Cropped Top from Jil Eaton

Information and registration for the Sit & Knit is here.

Seriously, how cute is this little crop top? I didn't make it with the chenille yarn they suggested because I didn't have enough. I do have some in my stash, but I am determined not to buy any more yarn until I at least make a dent in what I have.

Anyway, this top was designed by Jil Eaton in her book 'After Dark: Uncommon Knits for Night Time.' I saw the book in the clearance box at the grocery store for $2 or $3. I did look through it before I bought it and didn't think I would make anything out of it, but it was only a few bucks and there is this cute little cape for a girl that I thought I might manage one day.

But here's the thing: this top isn't what I started out making. I actually made a sweater from a magazine - I mean I made the whole thing: front, back, two sleeves. I sewed it together and it just didn't come out right. So, the next book on the shelf was After Dark and the first item was this crop top and I thought I could just do an unravel and do the top. It didn't take as much yarn as the first one - so now i have a sleeve that can be waste yarn or used in something else.

Speaking of yarn: this is Caron's By the Pound (Quelle surprise!) on size nine needles. The original pattern called for chenille and I don't think I would have used it even if I had it. Chenille has a tendency to pill and shed. So, it was worsted weight acrylic for me. I'm just glad my first adult top came out ok. (Ok, it came out a little short, but I haven't blocked it yet and it can block out that extra inch.)

This little cutie is going to be on sale at the UMW Bazaar sale May 3 at First United Methodist Church of Oak Park.

Marilyn's Afghan

Information for the Sit & Knit is here.

So, the co-founder of StitchCraft, Marilyn, made this fabulous afghan. Believe it or not, this is actually made of four diamonds that are sewn together.

This was one of those patterns she had been looking over for some time before deciding to tackle it and she says it was surprisingly easy. My phone rang last Sunday and Marilyn was all excited because she had knit the diamonds together and it came out looking like what you see here. I immediately told her I was coming over to take a look at it and I brought my camera cuz I thought it would make a great entry. (And to prove that not only my finished projects needed to be on the blog!)

Also, it used only 10 balls of yarn. The yarn for this is Lion Brand Wool-Ease. I don't know what the needle size is and I don't have a link for the pattern (bad, bad blog mistress) but I am sure once Marilyn reads this, she will give me the 411 and I will give it to you.

If you happen to be in the Chicago area, you can purchase this afghan at the Pancake Breakfast and Bazaar May 3rd at First United Methodist Church of Oak Park. Marilyn would be pleased to see it go to a good home.

The Thick & Quick Cable Comfort Afghan

Information about the Sit & Knit is here.

This lapghan is headed to the May 3 United Methodist Women Bazaar and Bake Sale.

Because I didn't learn my lesson the last time I made an afghan with Thick & Quick, I decided to make another one. I had these eight balls of Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn and nothing to do with them so in the hunt for my latest project, I came across the pattern for this one. No, I grant you, the pattern on the website is a solid color. But I didn't have nine balls of one color, I had eight balls of three different colors. So I decided to do it anyway. All I had to do was buy one ball in the fisherman and I was set. As it turns out, I didn't need nine balls. I used only seven. I had a pumpkin and a cranberry left over (but I think that was because Marilyn gave me the extra ball of cranberry she had from a project she was doing.)

In any case, it's very soft and plush, and the cables were very easy to do. (You only cable in one row out of an 18 row pattern) and I have this HUGE cable needle that I love. For this project, I used the hook cable needle and the bow needle - I preferred the hook needle - the yarn is so thick and the hook held on to it better than the bow.

I still have a thing or two to learn about stitching, but it will come. The final lapghan is about 48 inches square. It's not blocked, nor is it likely to be because that will make for a very heavy lapghan, but it is machine washable, so it will be bigger once that's done.

And remember...don't be thrown by cables - it's nothing more than knitting stitches out of order (on purpose!)

For the Love of Yarn Baby Blanket

Information and registration forms for the Sit & Knit are here.

So, I guess it took me a little less than a week to make the little blankie. Considering it has all those cables, I guess that's not such a bad time.
This little cutie came from the For The Love of Yarn website. It's not yet blocked and the yarn, Caron By The Pound in jonquil, says that no blocking is needed.
While I'm famous for not blocking, this item could actually benefit from it because the ribs between the cables are a little poofy and can stand to be flattened a little.

It took about half (or 8 oz.) to make it using size seven circulars. It's incredibly soft and the color is very intense. Put this in the stroller and you'll be able to spot the baby from down the block!

The Soho Scarf - Exquisite Little Knits

So I've made another scarf. That's ok. Scarves are good for the craft sale and they are good for donations. Scarves serve many purposes.

This scarf was done in my favorite yarn, Caron By The Pound, knit on size eight circular needles. I think it took two days to knit. What makes this scarf so much fun is that it is made of three panels; two are vertical and the one in middle is horizontal and it is knit all in one piece. The technique involves adding on stitches, binding off, and picking up stitches. The reason it's on circular needles is because it requires two hundred stitches. It is a reversible scarf though one side has a little more texture than the other.

You can find the complete pattern in Exquisite Little Knits by Iris Schreier & Laurie J. Kimmelstiel.

I would love to see this yarn done with self striping yarn, as opposed to variegated yarn. I would love to see what the yarn does when it moves the horizontal to the vertical strip and back again.

The Debbie Macomber Scarf - almost

So, after the nine day afghan (that took 20 days) I needed to do something simple. The next book on the shelf was Knit With Debbie Macomber. The first pattern in the book is a pattern for making seven variations of a scarf. A scarf! Now that is simple, indeed. So, I thought I would make her scarf - only different. This scarf is headed for the Head2Toe Project. We're planning a Sit & Knit in May! Watch for more info.

The pattern called for chunky weight yarn - so far so good. I now have a bunch of chunky weight yarn in the stash. But I didn't have the speckled kind the first pattern called for, but the second one was a solid color.

I had a solid color!! It's Lion Brand Jiffy. I used it to make my brother in law's scarf for Christmas as well as the Nomad Hat/Scarf I made for myself. I still had a lot of it left over; certainly enough to make a scarf.

The pattern called for size 13 needles. Well, I used size 10 because that's the one the yarn suggested. I have nothing against size 13 needles - it just didn't feel right for the yarn- and since it's a scarf, gauge doesn't really matter much.

The pattern called for 17 stitches - that was a little narrow for me (probably because I used smaller needles) so I cast on 21 and that seemed just right.

The pattern said to make it 62 inches or the desired length. I chose the desired length. There was no fringe in the pattern - I felt like adding fringe.

Other than that, I followed the pattern to the letter!

The Doggie Sweater

This sweater is way too small for Duke, but fits Sashi just perfectly. This dog sweater was done before I even knew it. Talk about your quick knits and that's exactly where I got the pattern from a book called Quick Knits ~ Cool Patterns
from the House of White Birches.

I used size 17 needles (the largest size I will use, by the way, because I have small man hands) and Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn. It's in a simple rib stitch and rates as a beginning project. There is some shaping, button holes and yarn-overs, but nothing difficult to master. There's also a matching human hat and scarf pattern, but I think if I make them at all, they will be a stand alone project.
I'm pretty sure I didn't use a full skein because I used it from an afghan I started but for some reason don't want to complete. I wish I could show you the buttons in greater detail because they have this cool looking hologram image. The entire project didn't take three hours. Alas, it will not stay on Sashi but will be sold at the next pancake breakfast and craft sale in May. But perhaps Sashi will attend and buy it for himself.

Drop Stitch wrap - Blocked

Here's the Drop Stitch Wrap I wrote about on 12/30. This same wrap is twice as long as it was when I knit it. It's hanging in the bathroom because I did a wet block.

Blocking is shaping a garment. Sometimes it's essential; sometimes it's optional. I wanted to block this wrap because it's a stockinette rectangle which means it has that roll around the edges that happens with stockinette. (The person who creates the yarn that won't have that roll is going to be wealthier than Oprah - well, maybe not that rich.)

I put the wrap in the sink with tepid water and a drop of soap, agitated it around, rinsed it, blotted out the excess water and then hung it. the weight of the wet wrap will keep the length even as it dries - which should be sometime before midnight.

I block some pieces this way, even though the conventional school would say to dampen as oppose to soak. But I like this method especially when using 100% acrylic yarn because it can take it and because it's almost like a mini wash of the item. If it doesn't look like I want it after it dries, I'll pull out the ironing board and work a little steam magic.

For a quickie run down of blocking, check out what About.com has to say.