Moved

I moved over here!

To Remember Later

Just a reminder for myself for later, I think this yarn in butternut might do for B's hat.

Mail Call

The mail brought me some presents today. I ordered Rowan #35 because I have plans to make Audrey. I won the Rowan Calmer yarn from ebay, so I can get started on it as soon as the yarn arrives. I also see a few other patterns I'd like to make in the Rowan book as well.

I bought the Jaegar Handknits book because I liked the wrap top on the cover. There are also a few other patterns in this one I really like also. Looks like I'll have my needles busy for awhile. B also wants me to make him a hat to wear while hunting. I have a pattern I found online, but he wants it blaze orange so other hunters can see him in the woods. So I'm on the search for that. I'm sure I could find some in cheap acrylic, but I wanted something a little bit nicer and something with at least a little bit of wool to keep him warm on winter mornings.

Here's an update photo on my progress on Blaze:


I've made it through three pattern repeats, about 8.5 inches. I have to divide it up for the sleeves at 13.5 inches. I'll have to find some size 7 doublepoints before I get to the sleeves. I needed 7's to be on gauge rather than the 6's the pattern calls for, but I don't have size 7 doublepoints to do the sleeves in the round. Michael's was completely out of the 7's this weekend, so I need to go check Wal-Mart or else I'll have to order them from somewhere.

Progress

I'm about seven inches into Blaze. I'm still amazed to see the pattern turning out like it's supposed to. I'm still worried that I'll mess it up, heh. It's getting much easier to work with the cable needle now that I've found my rhythm with it and can just grab up the stitches, knit, put the stitches back on, hook the needle around my finger, and keep on going.

I bought the Boye Needlemaster this weekend at Michael's. I was worried that the cords might come unscrewed while I'm knitting, but I haven't had any problems so far. I read on Knitter's Review posts about both the Needlemaster and the Denise set, but I decided the Needlemaster would probably work better for me because I just don't really like plastic needles. The yarn doesn't seem to move across them the way I'd like while I knit. Just a personal preference though. I'm sure the Denise set is great since other people seem to enjoy them. But I love having the Needlemaster and having all these different size circulars right at my fingertips. I've been wanting to stop knitting with straights and use circulars instead because they're much better on my hands.

I've been looking at this pattern. I really like the skirt, but I'm wondering how well it wears. Do the stitches stretch out any while sitting? Hmm, I'll have to do some research and see if I can find anyone who's made it.

Adventures in cabling

I'm almost all the way through one complete group of the cabling pattern of Blaze, only four more rounds to go to complete the first sixteen. The pattern is already becoming clear in what I've done so far.

This is my first experience using a cable needle. It was a bit awkward at first. It slowed me down to have to pick up the cable needle, use it for a stitch or two, set it back down on a table, knit a few more stitches, pick up the cable needle again. So I figured out a way to keep the cable needle in my hands the entire time while knitting, even on the stitches where I don't need it. After I use it, I hook it around the middle finger of my left hand (I knit English, but not actually throwing, my hands never leave the needles and only my right index finger wraps the yarn around). By hooking the cable needle onto this finger, I can still knit my regular stitches, but have the cable needle within easy reach.

I'm happy so far with the way this sweater is turning out. I'm having to use size 7 needles to get on gauge, so when I do the sleeves, I'll need to get some size 7 doublepoints.

I'm an idiot

Remind me next time to carefully read the instructions before I start knitting. I casted on for Blaze and zoomed through the first 8 rounds of ribbing. I started on the cable pattern. I thought something looked a little strange, but I kept going through two rounds.

Then I glanced back over the instructions again and that's when I realized something was wrong: I had done the 8 rounds of ribbing backwards! Instead of doing p4, k2, I did k4, p2. So the back of my ribbing was right, but not the front. So I thought, hmm, maybe I can rip down to the end of the ribbing, turn it inside out and try to go from there rather than frog it all. After I did that and got all 210 stitches back onto my needles, I realized my work was twisted. Nothing I did would untwist it, even after I took it off the needles. How in the world did that happen?

So anyway, it's all been frogged and wound back into a ball, waiting to start all over again. Wahhh. At least I had only done ten rounds, but still, this is annoying.

Okay, p4, k2 this time.

Socks Two By...Er, Well, There's Just Two By Themselves

I have completed socks! B tried them on and said they fit good, but I think I'll make the foot slightly longer with the next pair I make for him. His foot was longer than I thought, even though I measured it.

But these are done and so I'm on to the next thing, which for now is Blaze. I cast on 210 stitches tonight. I realized I need to buy some aluminum circulars. I use aluminum straight and double points and I prefer them over plastic needles, but I only have plastic circulars. If I can get a chance to go out to Michael's this weekend, I'll look for some aluminum circulars. I like the way yarn moves over the metal more than with the plastic. I wish I had a real yarn shop around here, but there isn't one. If I want something other than what Michael's or Wal-Mart sells, I have to turn to the internet.

Why am I here again?

I have a domain. I have a livejournal. I have had a knitblog before, but then I gave it up. Why am I doing this again?

I feel the need to talk about my knitting and other projects a lot, but I'm sure that not everyone who reads my other blogs wants to read about knitting. And I'm part of a group blog, but I feel a little strange about rambling on too much there and kind of taking over the blog. Sometimes you just need a place of your own, right? And the good thing about blogger is, I don't have to come up with a design on my own if I don't want to.

Right now I'm trying to finish up the second of a pair of socks for my husband. They're made with Lion Brand Wool Ease using this pattern. I made some slight changes though. The leg part of the socks I'm doing is 10 inches instead of 8 because B (the husband) wanted his socks to come up over the tops of his hunting boots. I also did the leg part in size 10 needles and then switched down to size 8 to do the foot on gauge. I tried the leg in size 8, but when B tried on the partial first sock, it was way too tight on his leg. So I frogged that and used 10s to loosen it up. Hopefully I can get these socks done before bed tonight. I think I may try to cast on for Blaze tonight also.