Another Project Started

If you live in the Portland area of Oregon, you would know that the last few days have been just glorious. I had the weekend off and was able to enjoy the beautiful weather we have been having. In fact, it was a perfect day to sit out on our stoop and do a bit of knitting and a bit of winding.

 

 

I casted on a new pair of yoga socks for an upcoming birthday

 

 

And because I'm really in love with my ball winder, I wound a few more balls while enjoying the cool breeze that moved through.

It got a little tangly...

Which resulted in this...It was all sorted out eventually though and there was a nice little ball of yarn to put in my basket.

 

An interesting sidenote- if you put your ball winder up on in a public place like an upstairs apartment stoop, chances are someone will see you and ask what the heck you're doing. The next comment will be something like, "do you churn your own butter too?" I can't wait to hear what they say when I bring the swift out too.

 

Hidden Knitters

This afternoon, there have been movers downstairs. I have been passing by them as I go about my projects for the day, and just finished having a nice conversation with them. Just as I plunked myself down on the stairs to chat on their lunch break, one of them remarked, "wow, she even knits!". I stared for a moment and responded (in great shock), that I was very impressed he knew what it was. Then his partner mover joined in, "do you do European or German knitting?" I almost fell off my step and hopped up to show them how I knit.

I know men knit. I know that many are not embarrassed or ashamed to admit it. But this was the very first time I have ever met a male knitter. We chatted for a few minutes about where they learned, how knitting came into being, and the different knitting circles they have been a part of. They know crocheting too, and the difference between the two! I resisted the urge to run back up the stairs to get the cabled hoodie I'm working on right now. Instead, I asked them if they would mind my taking their picture for my blog to mark the occassion. 

Left: Duane

Right: David

You guys rock!

Date Night

Last night, something exciting happened. I wish I could say that I bought some new yarn or finished eight of my WIP's, but this event was equally exciting. Alex and I had went out on a date night! He has been with the Fred Meyer grocery store for five years and last night was a big fancy dinner for all the employees of the company that have made to this mark.

It was very exciting. Alex got and award and we dressed up and had fancy (and free) food, and I even got some work done on the current sock project. It was a great night.

It was a pear salad with a raspberry vinaigrette

This was some sort of beef dish. I had two bites of the meat and ate the mashed potatoes and beans.

And there was tea! My favorite too.

And here is my handsome husband with his award. I forgot to take a better picture after the dinner, so this is what you get to see.

 

As a knitter, I had to figure out what the evening's project was going to be. I didn't want anything to flashy that would draw attention to myself (that left out the bright sparkly pink scarf) and it couldn't be anything with a chart (no sweater either) and it had to be small enough to fit in my little yellow purse. I decided (after an hour of thinking) that I would stick with the ordered pair of socks for my mother's friend.

 

All was going well with the socks until I got to the heel and realized I was four stitches short. So, I fudged I it a little bit and just kept going. It's also a few rows too long, but I figure that after a good washing and blocking, nobody but me is going to know. Unless of course the recipient finds that they fit very differently on each foot; but I'll cross that bridge if it comes.

 

It's beautiful and sunny this morning. If you can, go out and enjoy it.

 

 

 

At Last!

Tonight's post title is very worthy of an exclamation point. I finished the hood on Naomi's sweater and it was hard won.

 

See those charming ridges there at the top? Don't let them fool you.

The pattern, although very clear, told me to do something that I just knew (well, thought I knew) was not going to come out right at all. This is the tale of what happened.

I was knitting happily along this morning while listening to my latest audio book. The hood was nearly to the point that I would begin the shaping of the neckband and then the body of the sweater. Once the last repeat was finished, I consulted the pattern, which read something like, "decrease an even amount of stitches over a total number of stitches that will not give you and even amount at the end of your row".

I'm simply paraphrasing here, the actual verbage may have been a bit different. I digress. I reread the pattern several times and grabbed the calculator. The stitches over which I was to be decreasing was 78. The pattern instructed me to evenly decrease 20 stitches. Now, I'm no mathematician, but I'm pretty sure that 78 divided by 20 does not a nice whole even number make. To be sure, I checked with a calculator. I was right. The result is something with a decimal point and a lot of numbers following after it.

Regardless, I plowed forth, because I am a good and loving sister and a (somewhat) faithful knitter. In short, I sent messages to three fellow knitters, gobbled down a pint of Haagen Daz, and went through at least a dozen pieces of paper while trying to work the calculations. Evenly spaced my arse.

I worked furiously in the car on the drive to work (Alex drove), in the breakroom, during my down time at work, and everywhere in between. Finally, after several hours and a bit  a lot of swearing, I got the answer that was needed. I let out a little yip of excitement so shrill it nearly caused my coworker, David to jump three feet off the ground. He doesn't knit, but he lends a supportive ear when I come into work after a project has really been causing me fits. Such a nice young man.

I got home and finished the hood. Now, I'm going to do a little clever placing of stitch markers and start the rest of the sweater.

Good night.

As Long As I'm Up...

It is five-o-clock am on a Saturday and here I sit. On any given day, it is a struggle to get out of bed before eight in the morning, let alone five. However, I can't seem to sleep so the thought of a cup of tea and a few rows of knitting seemed like it would do the trick to relax my mind enough to doze off for a few more hours. We'll see. I'm going to finish my cup of Chamomile Nights by The Stash Tea Company and the last couple pattern repeats, and then snuggle back under the covers next to Alex.

This morning I'm stitching away on the hood of my sister's Christmas sweater (and making pretty decent progress). Last night, I could hardly keep awake at work, so I made some coffee (a rare thing for me) and did a few (dozen) rows. It was a quiet night and when there is down time and we're in-between chores, I need a way to fill the space.

 

The yarn is actually more of a turquoise and absolutely lovely. I can hardly wait to see the end results.

For My Love

I have become rather fascinated by Aran sweaters lately. The history itself is fascinating. I'll let you do the research yourself, but in short, the skill in time that goes into these incredible garments is pretty intense. I have been itching to knit another sweater for the love of my life and have been thinking that an Aran sweater would be just perfect. I'm not sure what color, but am leaning toward the natural colors of wool, a gray or cream or something of the sort.

I am crazy in love with Alexander and I want this to be something that will be cherished forever. Now, it's off to look at patterns and wool and see how I might be able to pull this project off. It might take months before I even start, but it will happen.

Memories

The first time I used my yarn swift and winder things were a bit fiddly. Once I finally found just the right spot to set things up and wound a few (dozen) balls of wool I felt comfortable with this new equipment. The soft whoosh-whoosh-whoosh sound of the swift and winder took me back to something from my childhood. My mother is an avid seamstress and can sew anything you ask her to. Her sewing machine makes the same sound. Whoosh-whoosh.

It's comforting. Each time I sit down to wind my yarn, memories of my mother gently come forward and fill my mind. Her sitting at her sewing machine, working on clothes for my dolls or a new apron, or hemming the pants for my dad or brothers. Knitting is like that too. The clacking of the needles, the feel of the wool between my fingers; it makes me think of the generations before me that sat for hours in the evenings, or between chores, or during visits and tea with friends.

I feel connected to those fore-knitters. The ones that took something as simple as wood and wool and created something warm for their children to wear to school, or maybe, for their husbands to wear while away overseas at war. The patterns, techniques, and fibers have changed over time, but our reasons for knitting really haven't. I knit because it's a calming presence when there are hardships, when I worry, while I'm waiting in line, because I simply love to knit.

Someday, Alex and I want to have children and I don't want them growing up that it is some silly pastime meant only for elderly ladies in rocking chairs while they watch Jeopardy. I want them to appreciate the time, love, effort and care that has gone into the sweaters they will wear on play dates in the park, socks they put on their feet at bedtime, and blankets to cuddle up in while watching a movie with the family. I want them to have memories of more than just wool. I want them to have memories of someone that loved them and clothed them everyday in some simple reminder of that. My knitting.

Knitterly Love

I really love to knit. Lately I have been wanting to dabble a bit in designing my own knitted items. This is the first. It's called the Portland Sweater.

It's Here!

My yarn swift and ball winder have arrived! I'm so excited! I came home from work last night and, as promised, did a test run. The hank was from Knitpicks and was placed gently on the swift and threaded through the winder.

 

Then, I started to wind and the result was lovely. I stayed up late (1am) winding.

The idea was to turn this:

 

Into this:

I think I'm in love. Or addicted. It can be difficult to tell the difference sometimes...

I Changed My Mind

Yesterday, I was lamenting about this sweater and whether or not to give it as a gift. I was going to, but decided that I really couldn't give something to somebody that I just didn't feel was right. So, since the yarn was donated to our charity knitting group, that is where the sweater will go. Instead, the expecting mother was given this sweater, and from what I have heard, she really loves it.

It's rainy and stormy today. When I finish with the laundry here at my parents home, I will be going back to our cozy nook and perhaps stopping by the library on the way. I'm running low on audio books...

Some Sadness and Some Gladness

Last night, something very sad happened in my little knitting world. I was searching through all of my supplies to find my size #4 Harmony Wood needles from Knitpicks. These are really the best needles I have ever owned and the set I have are interchangeable with any length of cable I need.

I found the appropriate cable and commenced to adding the needles. As I twisting them on, one of those beautiful needles snapped like a toothpick. Staring and swearing for a moment I almost couldn't believe what had just happened. I quickly composed myself and put them aside, deciding I would use an aluminum set of needles instead.

On  a lighter note, I finished the baby sweater for Alex's coworker. I washed it again and added some extra fabric softener to the dryer, but it still just feels scratchy, despite smelling fresh and clean. I plan to give her this small gift to keep her baby warm, hoping that she won't mind my nutty, perfectionist attitude I take on with all my projects.

I really have grown quite fond of these little wooden buttons...I sewed them on in my car when I got to work yesterday. I was listening to a really good audio book about President John Adams and his family, and it was rather difficult to pull away...

Finally!

Alex and I made an agreement regarding The Knitting. The agreement was that the next time a yarn swift went on sale through Knitpicks I was going to buy one (along with the ball winder). Then our car ended up in the shop and we bought a new one and we discussed the fact that there would be some temporary cuts to the budget (the knitting always goes first for some reason...)

Then the Knitpicks catalogue arrived and there, on the back cover, a picture of beautifully dyed yarns on swifts. And they are on sale! So, I rushed over to the computer and ordered my very own yarn swift and ball winder! No more having to wrap yarn around my dining chairs or having someone hold their arms up until it has been successfully balled up.

I don't feel any guilt here because we discussed this before the car issues, and I did let Alex know after I placed the order. It should be here Friday and I have a hank waiting for a test run.

Mornings

I am not a morning person. Getting up early (before 8am) doesn't appeal to me. This morning, however, I woke up, and couldn't get back to sleep. So, rolling out of bed, I started about my day. I set about my day baking banana bread and cookies to share with the neighbors and friends. I sipped on some tea while listening to an audio book and working on a sock*.

The window is open and letting in the fresh morning air. It feels so good; the smell of springtime flowing into our home and filling each corner with newly fallen rain and everything green, mixing with the smells coming from the kitchen. It makes me glad to rise early in the mornings. I have some quiet time; before Alex gets up and starts his day. It's peaceful and joyful and I love it.

*The audio book is Knit Two by Kate Jacobs. It is a Friday Night Knitting Club novel, which I have come to enjoy. The socks are an ordered pair for a friend of my mother's.

Patience

You all remember the Suki shawl that I started, right? It was to be knit out of a lovely wool dyed in a springy sort of green and a calming shade of lavender. They worked up beautifully together. The pattern was going well, and then, a mistake. It was a very minor mistake; I was short one stitch. The next few rows were worked up trying to fix this via increasing without having to rip out the hundreds of rows already worked up.

Then, I got to the end, right before I start the edging. I started and found that after counting, and recounting, there were ten missing stitches. How could this be? The chart was a another issue. While, to the experienced knitter, the chart would have been completed with very little issue, that was not the case with me. I started the chart, then recounted, and ripped back a few times before deciding that it just was not going to work unless I started completely over.

I put the shawl aside for a few days and sent off a message to knitting buddy, Camilla. Our conversations went something like this:

Me: I'm having trouble with the shawl chart*. I'm sure it's very simple, but I can't quite seem to figure it out.

*It is important to note that I was only thinking about the chart from memory while I was at work. It was 8:20pm and I had nothing to look at while I tried to describe my predicament to her.

Camilla: Give me a moment, and I will look it up*.

*She just so happens to have this very pattern.

C: So, all you need to do is everything on the right of the chart, and then the repeats inside the box, and then everything on the left of the box.

M: But what about the stitches on both sides? How often do I do those before each repeat? it was getting late for me, and I really wanted to understand why my shawl was turning out so wonky.

C: Are you talking about the wrong side rows?

M: silence. crap! I had not paid enough attention to the chart! No. I hadn't thought of that. Thank you for taking the time to set me straight.

C: Are you sure?

M: Yes. Thank you. When I get home, I'm ordering new yarn to cope.

C: Anytime :)

I appreciate your help very much Camilla. That shawl will be finished (after I start it again), and I will wear it someday.

Today, I began my garden. There are some pots out on our stoop with fresh earth and seeds. I can hardly wait to see how they grow.

The pot on the left has marigolds, and the one on the right has morning glory.

Left to Right: The first two are empty, but will have herbs and tomatoes once I buy the plants, carrots, morning glory, empty (strawberries), peas, daffodils and alyssum.

Pretending

There comes a time in every knitter's life when the yarn budget must be trimmed down. Sometimes, this means that instead of buying the really nice, soft wool blends, it means buying cheap acrylic and pretending that it's really a handspun from a local vendor. That's just what I am doing now with this little number.

The yarn was some that was donated at the charity knitting group I participate in, so it was exciting to bring home something free. The color is really quite nice, a cream color with flecks of brown, black and grey. It is 100% acrylic and itchier than some of the pure wools I have come across.

The needles that I am using are bamboo and makes the yarn sort of stick to the needles. But, at this stage in the game, the sweater is nearly done, and I'm too lazy to switch to different needles. It was free, and I like the color, and there isn't much money in the yarn budget for the really nice stuff. So...I am pretending that this was a nice handspun wool that I bought from some kind sheep farmer out the country.