Where I am....

As far as knitting goes, I do know the answer to that. Other things, not quite so much. 

I finished the cabled bag! I did the sewing part today. I'm not so great at sewing, but I think it looks alright. Sewing the straight stitches with the machine to form the lining wasn't too difficult, but sewing the lining to the bag was more difficult. I realize now I should have waited to add the handles until after attaching the lining, but eh, it's okay. Annnnd I should have added the snaps to the lining before sewing it in, but I think it worked out. The only issue now is that they are very strong magnets and I'm afraid they will tear the lining a bit as they pull against it. I'm working on weakening them, but not too much luck so far. However, all in all, I'm happy with the project. 

Still working on the baby blanket. I was able to borrow some needles that are much better. I ended up ripping what I had (cast on row and a half) and casting on 40 more stitches just to get a bit more length. Right now I'm at the garter stitch border, so it's just knit, knit, knit. I'm watching Season 3 of The Tudors so I should have plenty of knitting entertainment while I plug away. I am determined to finish on time! 

Speed Knitting?

Can I knit a baby blanket in a month? Let's hope so....

I finished the knitting on the cabled bag, but I've been putting off the sewing part. I need a new needle for the sewing machine. And...I've never been too good with sewing. I can do buttons and that sort of thing, but I am a little terrified of the sewing machine. So the knitted part of the bag awaits. It's pretty and soft though! I added two more rounds of the cable pattern to make the bag a bit bigger and closer to the measurements given in the pattern. I don't think I knitted too tightly, but I did use smaller needles. I think it worked out. I know the sewing part will be easy once I get going - just straight lines - but between having to go out to buy a new needle, figure out how to use the thing and so on, I'm not feeling too inclined to do it right away.

I started the baby blanket, with the pattern from Knitting To Go, the Lozenge-Look Baby Blanket. I'm calling it Lemon Drop since I'm knitting with a pale yellow yarn. I had originally been planning on a different pattern and when I bought the yarn, I bought needles for that pattern, not the Lozenge-Look one. I do have size 7 circulars, but they are only 16 inches. And they are bendy, sticky plastic. I have only cast on and knitted about halfway into the first row. Also added to my list: metal needles, size 7, 29 inches.

The baby, DB's future niece, is due at the end of May. I hope I can finish by then. I've been looking at patterns for me and it's hard knowing they will have to wait a bit. I found a pretty wrap-look dress that I'm trying to figure out how to add longer sleeves to....a few sundresses....sweaters....and I'm even thinking about learning how to knit socks!

My overwhelm in life is showing in my knitting ideation....Here's where things are: DB got into a school in Missoula, Montana. I was feeling quite on board with this until it was final and then the distance part really hit me. I really wanted to be nearer to my family and friends and start establishing a career out here. However, somewhere along the road this year, he and I did start talking a lot about moving back to San Francisco. So I'm already in the direction of moving eventually. It's just so soon. I may stay around here until after a friend's wedding in November, to give me more transition time. But then I will be away from DB and I'm feeling like that will be really hard. He is home for me now....so I have some figuring out to do and goodbyes and whatnot. Of course it's getting to be termination time at work, so that just adds a whole other layer to all this.

Off to sleep. I'm presenting at case conference tomorrow and will need to be on my toes for that and the rest of my day. At least yoga is at the end of that. Between the yoga, DB and my good colleagues, I don't know where I'd be right now, things have been so hard. Hopefully the knitting will also help!

a couple of projects for me!

I finished the Woodland Trails Cowl! It's a bit late in the season (we've had a few days in the 70s and 80s recently...), but I'm sure I will enjoy it come autumn and winter.

I went a little camera-happy with this one, trying to capture the color(s) and the details of the pattern (the faux-cabling and little purl-bumps). So lots of photos!

I did bind-off a bit too tightly, but not too tightly, fortunately. There is definitely a difference between the cast-on edge and bind-off edge though. Still fits.

I didn't twist a cord yet to make it into a hat. Well, I tried, but it wasn't working out. I'd like to try it using the drill to speed up the twisting process. Anyway, I'm not sure if I will wear this one as a hat, but maybe.

I'm really happy with how this came out - I think it will be soft and warm for cooler days. And, I love the pattern and colorway. It also matches my Valentine Mitts. This pattern might go on the list of possible gift ideas - it is so lovely, fun to make and relatively easy. It also went quickly, though I did stretch out the process longer than it needed to be. I actually had a few days last week where I was too stressed out to knit. Weird.

I think I'm over that now. No post-doc for me right now, and actually in some ways that's a relief. I'm going to focus on finishing my dissertation so that I can graduate at the end of the Fall semester. I'm also revising my proposal slightly so that I can do phone interviews since the face-to-face ones aren't happening (quickly enough or at all). I revised my methodology, informed consent forms and my HRRC application and submitted those to my chair on Saturday, so hopefully all my ducks are in a row, I can submit the changes, get approved and start collecting data! I've got a number of people from far geographic places who have volunteered, so I think the process may go quickly once I am able to start. I do need to finish basically before Fall semester even starts, so that means August. Ugh. So many deadlines for my school just to get the dissertation submitted.

I'm not sure what else the future may hold. We're looking at either Missoula, MT or Greensboro, NC for graduate school for DB. Either may be a difficult move, but they've got to better than where we are currently living. He and I still want to take a road trip this summer, so I've got to figure out how to finish the dissertation either before or while traveling. Speaking of DB - no further progress on the neverending hat. Until I start the baby blanket, another forever long project in my eyes, it may have to remain in hibernation.

For now, I'm working on another new project for me: The Christine Bag. I've got the super bulky Wool-Ease in "Linen" - very neutral and pretty. I bought a pair of black wooden bag handles and some pretty fabric to line the bag. I originally was going to use 17s because I know I knit tightly. I bought a pair of circulars to use, cast on and started to knit with them, and it just wasn't going well. Messy, uncomfortable and no way was the cabling going to be visible. So I switched to 15s as suggested even though I was concerned my gauge would be way off. It's hard to tell so far and there isn't an actual gauge given for this pattern, aside from the final measurements. So I'll go by those and add rows if I need to. I can't wait to finish - and it is going quickly. I'm a bit tired of the purses I have now....my current one is too small....and I don't want to go through the process of shopping for one and settling. I'm excited to have something I really like and can customize. Off to knit some more...then warm restorative yoga tonight, yay!

Long time, no write

Things have been a little crazy lately, so I haven't had much free time, knitting time, or blogging time.

Lots of not-so-great things going on and I think maybe hardest of all is that DB and I are still waiting to see what will happen for next year. He got into school in a couple of places, but we are still waiting on one more which should notify this week. Likewise, my postdoc should notify this week, too.

The problem is, I am behind on data collection for my dissertation and it would take a lot to pull off finishing the dissertation to graduate in August. Ugh. So even if I get it, I might not be able to accept it. If that is the case (or if I don't get it at all), I'll be following DB wherever he goes, more or less. I might have to stay in the area for a bit to finish data collection, but ideally, I will finish that this spring either way. It is exciting, but also scary not knowing where we will live next year!

Knitting-wise, I finally, finally, cast on for the Woodland Trails Cowl. I'm kind of in love with the pattern....it is turning out so lovely, even in its unblocked, sort of bumpy, funny form. I'm knitting it in Knit Picks Yarn of the Andes (colorway: Iris Heather), the same yarn I used for my Valentine Mitts. Pretty, pretty, pretty!

I was concerned at first that the yarn is a worsted, not aran. It's not a huge difference, but with my wacky gauge issues, I hesitated a lot before finally casting on. I'm using size 9 circular needles and at first I thought my gauge was too small, then too big, but then I realized it was just right. A Goldilocks moment. I was fortunately able to ask a fellow Raveler about her choice in needle size for a similar yarn and that helped as well.

I've also been plugging away at DB's cashmere hat. It's getting bigger and does appear to be big enough to fit his head this time. I'm not as motivated to keep going at a good clip on this one because it is a dull pattern and it is out of season for him to wear anyway....but I'll keep it going slowly anyway in case I need something different to do.

Next on my agenda is a baby blanket. Actually, first, I want to do a purse. Or both, at the same time.

The baby blanket is for DB's brother and sister-in-law, or rather, their daughter due at the end of May. I found a pretty pattern in Knitting to Go (picked up in the Border's bargain section) for a "Lozenge-Look Baby Blanket." I'm going to do it in a yellow cotton worsted. I wanted a natural fiber that could be machine washed and dried and Bernat's Handicraftier is it.

For the purse - and I actually do need want a new purse - I'm going with the Christine Bag pattern. I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Linen. I'd like something neutral that will go with just about everything, but I can jazz it up with a ribbon or a purse charm or something as I decide. I thought about using a purse charm while I was at Jo-Ann Fabrics the other day, but I had no concrete plan of what I needed, so it turned into me wandering the jewelry aisles aimlessly, back and forth, for a good hour. On top of the 90 minutes it had already taken me to pick a fabric to line the bag! And three hours later (add on the time spent looking at everything and ooooh I need needle case and project bag and....) I finally made it home. I realize I swore off chain craft stores, but Jo-Ann's seems to be in a different level than A.C.Moore or Michael's. I'm planning on making the nearly 40 minute drive in the future when I do need crafty stuff, instead of spending hours just being frustrated with the other two, as close as they are.

Anyway, that's where I am, knitting-wise. Otherwise, eh. Trying to be accepting of the not-knowing right now. It's hard. I did start taking hot yoga classes and that has been extremely helpful. This week I have a few appointments that will interfere with my classes, but I'm still hoping to make at least two. For now, I need to sleep. I'm starting a new testing rotation tomorrow, because, yes, I need more stress in my life.

Four days later....

I wonder what this says about me: It took me four days to knit a 30 stitch by 30 row swatch, with size 6s and worsted weight yarn. Last night I finished, and even then, it took me a while. I cast on for the neverending hat again and knit one row and then went to bed (it was nearly midnight). Pathetic! Motivation may be a huge factor. Why knit a cashmere hat when the weather has been in the 70s and the wearer won't need it for many months? Okay, it's still kind of pathetic.

I'm going to do a bit on that tonight and hopefully cast on for the Woodland Trails Cowl. I'll have a few hours to knit tomorrow on the train. I'm heading to Connecticut to try on a bridesmaid dress and have lunch with the girls! Then it's off for a fun game night with coworkers. Should be a nice Saturday and maybe it will give me a chance to make up for the poor showing in knitting the rest of this week.

No pictures because I'm being lazy and really, I had better get straight to knitting if I want to get anything done tonight.

Kaeru, kaeru, kaeru*

Well, hello there cashmere yarn. We meet again.

Only this time I have size six knitting needles. Take that, yarn!

Okay, I know it's not the yarn's fault. It's lovely, soft cashmere yarn in two beautiful colorways I wound together in a ball as I ripped, ripped, ripped that hat. There's actually nothing wrong with the yarn, and I doubt it has consciousness, much less evil intentions.

Again, another warning against making knitting decisions after a concussion: "Let's put these two purty yarns together! Hmmm....the fingering is so small that adding it to the DK yarn, well, it's not much bigger, so I'll just knit it on size 3s. It really doesn't add anything! No gauge check for me!"

Not a problem was putting the two colors together. They complement one another and create a nice rich tone with green-blue lowlights.

The problem, to anyone else in the world who knits, is putting together two yarns and figuring that their combined weights will not equal more than any one of them alone. Okay, that will make sense to anyone who understands basic arithmetic. 1 + 1 does not equal 1. Likewise, Fingering Weight + DK Weight does not equal DK Weight. It's really more like worsted.

To top this off, I know I am a tight knitter. (Result of anxiety. Hypothesis: Post-dissertation and graduate school life will be markedly less stressful, therefore my knitting will be less tight.)

These factors combined, of course, led to the smallest hat ever intended for an adult man.

So, tonight I frogged the hat. And I'm arguing with myself about knitting a gauge swatch. I really don't want to, but I know I should, especially after how badly my last Kasimiya no boushi attempt went. Okay, I'll do it...may as well get in the habit. It looks like with a DK weight, it calls for 23 stitches and 32 rows to a 4" swatch. I'll knit that much at least since it should give me a bigger than 4" swatch. Also, in converting the centimeters to inches, I realized this hat measure 50 centimeters, which is about 20 inches. DB's head is about 22 inches in circumference. So, 20 inches of ribbing should have enough stretch to it. I hope I can tell with the swatch. Here goes....

Well. I got about 10 rows into my 30 stitch swatch and got distracted. I just bought the Woodland Trails Cowl which is really nifty and also works as a hat and wimple. I want it to match my Valentine Mitts and I'm trying to work out if I have enough yarn since I probably have 165 yards, maybe more, of the Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. Also, which size needles to use. This is really too much math and research for a cold Monday night. But, I'm looking forward to starting the pattern, once I finish the swatch for the neverending hat. Seriously, too much math for one night. Off to bed!

*Japanese: Frog, frog, frog. To go with the pattern, you know?

Selfish knitting thoughts

I have been in the mindset that selfish knitting is just more gratifying. And I think by and large it is....but I just finished the Cafe au Lait mitts, which are not for me, and I really like them!

I'm looking forward to giving them to their recipient tomorrow and hopefully that will be another point on the side of doing a little gift knitting once in a while.

It is definitely adding to my happiness with these mitts thinking about brightening someone's day (hopefully)!

Also, I had fun doing this pattern once I learned the proper way to do a yarn over! I really like how the lace comes out....it has me thinking about Gothic cathedrals for some reason, maybe because of the arches in the pattern.


Okay, I admit I do want to do some more selfish knitting. Next on my list though is to re-do DB's hat and maybe a pair of mitts for him if I have enough yarn leftover. Then a baby blanket, and one or two prayer shawls. Though after the hat the others should go quickly as they use bulky weight yarn. I'll have to think more on what I'd like to do for me.

I got the new issue of Interweave Knits yesterday though I haven't looked at everything yet. And I have yet to get the new Vogue Knitting even though it came out on the 9th! None of the bookstores I've been to have the new issue, just the winter one. I know for certain there is at least one pattern in there I like. So....maybe something summery. Or, maybe I could start The Afghan.

For now, I'm just going to bask in my latest FO and relax....long traveling weekend involving trains, delays, cancellations, flooding, power outages and driving a really stinky, in bad condition car. Also, a frisky cat is demanding attention. Once she starts chasing her tail, I start to feel really bad...

Mis-shapes, mistakes, misfits....

I've been really into Pulp lately, mostly because of that song as well as "Common People." They sort of capture my feeling very, very broke and not fitting in and all that. Life has been a bit rough the last few weeks. Very briefly: concussion, upset stomach, another sty, ridiculous heating bill, bill from ER that insurance won't pay, dent in my car from backing into a snow (ice?) drift in my driveway and just not knowing what the future holds. I worry about the cat who eats random fuzz and stuff off the rug. I worry about DB who has not has good news yet about graduate school. Plus, work has been crazy and now two days in a row I haven't had a lunch. I need food. I get cranky without food. Oh, and I had two termination sessions which are always a bit hard.

Oh, mistakes! I've been working on the Cafe au Lait mitts. I've not been too happy with them and a few repeats into the lace pattern, I put them down for nearly a week. Usually I stick with patterns (like the forever and ever hat) and don't let them hibernate. I don't like leaving things undone. I haven't been working on the mitts, because I kept looking at the lace part I've knit, and something didn't look quite right. But, I re-read the pattern and kept thinking, well, I've been doing everything right so far as I can tell!


Then I saw this thread [Ravelry link] on the Ravelry forums. Curious, I read it. Oh. I see now....

Then I said a few four-letter-words to myself. Decided I didn't want to rip back to just the start of the lace, but all the way back. Like completely frog and start over. It felt cleaner that way. I'm still saying some four-letter-words.

So, I had been reading YO, K1 as do the yarn over thing and knit that stitch, then knit another. I learned YO from the Vogue Knitting book which is super clearly illustrated and whatnot. But apparently not clear enough for me. In retrospect, I was trying to figure out why the pattern stressed dividing the stitches into 6 stitch portions when, the way I read it, each row was made up of 7 stitch repeats.

Blah. Well, I guess that's a better word than the others. And I'm very grateful to Ravelry for enlightening me where I didn't know I needed it! I am very much a hands-on learner. And now, maybe I will better enjoy knitting these mitts on the start over. I have to say - the rib pattern on these came out very satisfyingly. I hope that now that I know how to do a proper yarn over, the lace section will be satisfying as well.

The mitts are frogged back to a simple skein of yarn (yummy yarn, by the way) and I'm not going to begin them tonight. It's been a rough week (month, year...). Dear DB has suggested a glass of wine and one of my favorite games, Scrabble. Knowing it's his least favorite game, this warms my heart to no end so I'm off to kick some DB butt.

Planning

I've been thinking about the afghan. Or just afghans in general. I'd like to knit one for my home - something that would be warm and cozy, and that I would feel very proud of. I've been thinking about it, reading, looking at stitch patterns, searching Ravelry high and low. I took out Cover Up by Nicki Epstein from the library to see if any of those patterns were what I was looking for. I do like the Wedgewood afghan (white with blue applique) and the Diamond Lace afghan, but they aren't the kind of thing I'm really craving right now. I also like the Craftsman Afghan by Knit Picks, but, again, it's not exactly what I was thinking of. Also, I would probably do it in a cooler color scheme, blues and greens. Anyway, I do have a sort-of pattern sketched out, but it wasn't totally working for me. It seemed fragmented and didn't have all the things I wanted in it. Then I was flipping through the latest issue of Interweave Knits magazine and found the Yggdrasil Afghan. Yes!

It's essentially what I was looking for, with gorgeous cabling and braiding and a tree theme. A great archetypal tree in the center. This was the grounding, earthy motif I wanted. Perfect for a housewarming for me no matter how many times I move. Bonus: mythological reference in the title and designer's inspiration. I'm dying to start it, but I know I need to get a little more experienced reading charts first! Check out the pdf file (free download!) on the Interweave site. It's complex. But I think it would be so worth it. On Ravelry, there's a great picture of the bedspread size in the author's collection of projects, which is what I'd like to do. A blanket can never be big enough for me, and whether I use it as a bedspread or a nice big blanket for the couch, I'll be pleased with it.

The pattern calls for Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton. I'm not sure I want to use cotton. Certainly I want to use a natural fiber, but I had been thinking of wool primarily. The option of organic cotton is attractive. I'm not sure about colors - I'm thinking of probably a cream/natural color though a sagey green might be nice. I have noted that for the largest size of this blanket, 37 skeins are called for. That's over 3,800 yards of fiber. I'm trying not to think about what a dent that will put in my small bank account. This would be an investment piece, like my black wool suit. And I could always scour Michael's and A.C. Moore with coupons every week and build up my 37 skein supply slowly. (Being careful to get the same dye lot if I can. Though with a natural or undyed shade, maybe it would be easier.) Actually I just did the math: 37 skeins multiplied by approximately $7 per skein is $259. You know, that's just a tad less than last month's heating bill. And had I had such a deliciously warm blanket, the bill may have been less. Yes, it's certainly an investment piece in many ways. A means to greater energy efficiency and an heirloom. Plus organic cotton. It's a crunchy granola hipster's dream. (Not that I am those things, just sometimes they fit....my friends always did call me a hippie.) What more could I want?

I won't answer....oh why not? Dissertation participants, a job/post-doc/fellowship for September, a city where both DB and I would be happy, and an MFA program for DB - that's not so much, is it??? I should get back to my Cafe au Lait mitts. They are moving along slowly, though I have a feeling if I work at them more they will go quickly. It's been more my slowness lately and wanting to read instead. Also, all the aforementioned afghan research.

I finished The Thirteenth Tale. Wonderful! Definitely in the vein of Daphne du Maurier and Jane Eyre for those of you who enjoy gothic ghost stories. Makes me want to read The Turn of the Screw which so happens to be sitting on our bookcase. But I started Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton, lent to me and recommended. I try to finish all books I start. Not always the most enjoyable policy, but I feel sort of obligated once I open a book to read to the end....that no matter how awful it is, especially if it came highly recommended, there must be some redeeming quality to it. I'm finding more and more this isn't so (Twilight, I'm thinking of you!) so maybe my policy will change for my own happiness. So I'm off to do something that will make me happy. Not sure if it's reading or knitting, but either will be perfectly fine for me this evening.

DIR Knitting?

I didn't immediately inquire about the hat when I picked up DB at the airport. It had started to weather, as his plane landed, and I was happy to see him. So hat inquiries waited until last night. I settled down to finish the hot water bottle cosy and at some point asked. He laughed....not in a mean way, in a kind of "I didn't want to say anything" way. Definitely too small. He said it felt like a vice, and that it was slowly creeping up his head. That kind of too small. I tried it on. Yup. Too small.

Oh, the importance of gauge! Every knitting book, help forum and most experienced knitters say: Check your gauge. Me, I assumed I didn't have to for some reason. Not that I was "too good" for gauge, but that my knitting wasn't on the level of a sweater or something really complex, so it must not matter. Right? Right???? Also, I'm not much of a book learner, when it comes with anything that can actually be hands on. I need to do things and figure things out for myself by doing them and making mistakes. That's how I learned how to knit/purl backward to correct errors in a row or round, by making mistakes and figuring it out on my own. I never ran across a project where gauge was crucial, so it never seemed important. Now that this has happened, I get it. I'm not thrilled about it, because I always just want to dive in to a project.

Now I'm faced with leaving the hat as is and hoping boyfriend's head will get smaller. (I'm a head shrinker, right?) Or, frogging it and knitting it again, with bigger needles and possible a few more stitches. Not thrilled about the last option, but I'm equally unhappy about essentially wasting gorgeous yarn. So what's Japanese for "to be frogged and re-knit"? This won't happen for a while because I am not looking forward to it and it wasn't the most interesting of projects. But it's on the list. At the bottom, for now.

Last night, I finished the hot water bottle cosy. I have to say, I have typically been more pleased with the items I've made for myself, than those I've made for others. Maybe this is related to the idea of Scroogenomics? Either way, it encourages me to keep up the selfish knitting!

The changes I made to the pattern were starting from the top down, with 10 repeats of the rib, then the eyelet rows, then starting the cable pattern backward from row 12. It wasn't quite long enough for my taste, so I continued the rib for I think 4 or 5 more rounds before using a three needle bind off to complete it, no seaming required! I love this cable pattern. Cabling has been such a rewarding knitting technique. Love love love!

Currently the HWB, cosy and all, is under my covers, warming up my bed before I climb in for a little reading before sleep. I've always had cold feet, poor circulation maybe, and I wish I had a hot water bottle years ago. I found one - in a fuzzy, pink acrylic cover, complete with pompoms - at Christmas Tree Shops a year ago. I loved that thing - perfect for keeping warm, but also for stomachaches, cramps and other aches. Recently the metal fitting came off and though I tried to fix it, it leaks. The new one is fine, but not as nicely made since it doesn't have ribs on both sides of the bottle, just one.

I've been leaving it on the couch for the cat on the days she's home alone. I think she likes it too, being a snuggly cat. (Currently she is being a bad cat. She jumped on the kitchen counter and dragged the little microwave bag for the curry we had tonight off the counter and down the hall. Obviously someone needs some attention.)

I'm not entirely sure what I will do next. I want to do a pair of mitts for a coworker who really wants a pair. I'm trying to decide between doing the pair I did for myself, doing the Cafe au Lait mitts or Fetching. Maybe I'll do the last two and save the other for a gift. I think I will probably do the Cafe au Lait mitts because it's a beautiful pattern and something different. I've really been needing variety lately, and those would work for me I think.

I've been thinking about an afghan, too, plotting one out in my head. I've got a lot of ideas, but nothing final yet. Basically I've planned something that will have four 8"x8" motif squares in the corners, and then long strips on each side of a pretty design, like a vine. Finally, the center. So I would produce it in pieces and seam. I know. My favorite. Why would I do that to myself? I think because doing a big afghan in pieces like that would be more manageable for my attention span than doing the whole thing all in one. Also, I can't figure how I could possibly do that with all the different stitches all over the place. Yeah. I feel like I'm integrating DIR into knitting for myself....considering my attention span, learning style, strengths, weaknesses, knitting skill level....not so much the relationship piece. But the development and individual differences part at least. As you can see, I am fully back into work!

Off to read. Currently on the nightstand: The Thirteenth Tale. I'm enjoying it a lot, and all the more so with toasty feet and my hot water bottle!