Satisfaction

I apparently develop super-completion-powers when I get sick.

I’ve been sick with some kind of flu/cold bug since Saturday and the fog that comes with it has made me want to sit back and finish the things that are already on my needles so I can start some fresh projects. First thing  was the last bit of sewing on my Festival Print skirt. All I had to do was finish up the hem by Saturday and I’m pretty sure I actually got the hem straight.

 This last one’s a little blurry, but it shows the length.

And if we’re talking about things that need to get finished, Trellis was it. It had to go. It’s been causing me so much worry that I needed to at least be able to say “Well that’s over.” So I sewed it up, finished the collar, then proceeded to try and block it. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Used all of my T-Pins and the tiny cardigan looked like it was auditioning for the Hellraiser remake. If anyone ever makes a “lolknitting” site I’d like to suggest a caption for this pic:

“O hai. U needz moar T-pins”

It’s just the flash on that photo that make it look like the cables aren’t even there. There’s a better photo on my flickr. But now that this isn’t using up a 7 circular, I can swatch for the Back to School U-Neck vest.

Then I wanted to start my first sock club socks, but I had to make sure those size 2 dpns were going to be free…Well to do that I clearly had to finish that second Endpaper Mitt in one night. After all, it simply wouldn’t do to start the socks only to realize I needed those smaller needles to do the ribbing for the top of the Endpapers! So the Endpaper Mitts are done. I absolutely loved this project. It’s quick, easy to follow, and has some really great new techniques to learn (the tubular cast on is my new best friend). It also gives you plenty of confidence when it comes to color-work, which I’d never done before. It was a project way out of my comfort zone and I had fun with every part of it. So if anyone out there is looking for a way to get in to stranded knitting but doesn’t know where to start, I highly recommend the Endpapers.

Lastly, I think as a reward for making something cute for a family member, Mommy took me out to the yarn store in Montclair and I got some gorgeous Rowan Felted Tweed in a super pretty red for a sweater vest that I’ll probably think up off the top of my head, and some Lorna’s Laces in a colorway that I think is called “Gold Hill.” It’s a beautiful fall color variegated that I think I have just the pattern for…but first, my super cool awesome Harry Potter colorway

These aren’t even my kids…

Trellis is creeping toward completion. I’m a few inches away from finishing the first sleeve, and then I get the pleasure of making another one…and then I get to graft everything together…and then I get to pick up the collar stitches…and then I give it to the family and the little guy might wear it once before it stops fitting him. Maybe knitting for babies will be more rewarding when it’s my own kids but man alive I’m losing my willpower to finish off this sweater.

For the other little one I’m making a Baby Suprise Jacket. This one’s been a much more pleasent experience since I can stripe are will, am using very soft smooshy yarn, it’s just garter stitch, and it’s the kind of design that the baby can get quite a bit of use out of as she grows in to it. This’ll also be my first time following an EZ pattern. I’ve got a bunch of her books and use the techniques and tips she provides (I *love* the sewn bind off), but I’ve never quite gotten up to making a project from one of her books. Once I get past all the Christmas knitting and the pre-made sweater patterns I want to do (hoping to get the yarn for the Fitten Knits Cozy V-Neck Pullover soon), I’m gonna try an EPS sweater with that pretty fair isle yolk from Opinionated Knitter…

…this is of course assuming that I ever finish my Christmas knitting. Haven’t started on the scarf, the mittens, or all those hats…so.many.hats…

In personal knitting news, one Endpaper Mitt is done! Yay! Colorwork is so much fun! And these look so cool! I want to start on the second one right away, but I’m barganing with myself that I need to at least finish one Trellis sleeve before I get distracted again. This is how I roll, making personal bargins with myself: working hard on one thing before I can do something fun. Hey. Got me within spitting distance of graduating with honors from University (3.48 cumulative gpa…I coulda died right there in the mailroom when I got that last report card but that’s a story for a different blog)

Christmas in September

Last time I blogged, I mentioned all the holiday knitting I’ve suddenly realized I have to do. *Thankfully* I took that list to heart, and started work on the first of two baby sweaters.

In a matter of about two days, I’ve ditched one idea and switched little Matthew’s sweater from the rather plain pattern I’d picked before to the much more fun Trellis. I’m using Siridar Snuggly Tiny Tots to make this, and despite the fact that it’s acrylic to the max, I think it looks great with this pattern. Sort of like a tweed aran for a baby…despite the fact the the yarn is not tweed and this is not, technically speaking, an aran. The deal I’ve made for myself is that I don’t get to start the U-Neck vest that I want until I finish this. How’s that for rationalizing, eh? 

I just hope it’ll fit…babies grow so fast, but the pattern and the yarn are both very stretchy, so hopefully it’ll make it through the whole winter. The other baby sweater I’m going to make is the Baby Suprise Jacket, and hopefully I can size it up so the little one will get some good use out of it. Plus I think they’re gonna have more after this one

Not that I’ve completely stopped knitting for myself. Still have some stuff on the needles for when I need a break from the acrylic. The Endpaper Mitts are coming along much much better than expected! I had a little bit of confusion about the pattern when it came time to work it in some crazy mirror fashion, but I’m over that now. I hope they fit, though…Oh! And my blanket is growing! It covers my lap now, but it’s just too hot to work on right now.

Lastly, is it weird that I kinda miss making socks? I mean, I have *more* than enough yarn and plenty of patterns I want to try…but I have so much on my plate right now that socks are just not on the agenda. I’ll of course pretend I didn’t just type that within the next week or so when the  first shipment from the sock club I joined comes in. Yeah. I signed up. I’ll find the room somewhere, especially since I’m using up all this yarn on the baby sweaters.

A challenger appears!

Over on Ravelry I’m in a Knit-Along group based on going back through the Harry Potter series and knitting along to diferent themes picked for each book. It’s a really cute idea and since it’s not September, I decided to get moving on my project for the first book. One of the project themes is to try something completely new that you’ve never done before. I’ve never done stranded knitting before, so I decided to use the popular “cut-your-colorwork-teeth” project, the Endpaper Mitts, to learn how to make colorful knitting.

But the Endpapers had more in store for me than just learning to strand…I had to learn an entirely new cast on…the Italian Tubular Cast On….’Okay seriously what the hell kind of moon language is this’ I thought as I clicked the link, figuring it would be no big deal….

I was so very very wrong. The cast on honestly took me about 10 times to figure out. Every time I mastered one stage, I messed up the next and had to start over. I was wondering if it were possible to fire a technique from existing. I eventually got crazy fast at the initial steps of the cast on where you manually tie the yarn around the needles, which I chalk up to being insanly awesome at making friendship bracelets when I was a kid. Even still, it looked really unstable compared to the long tail I’d been making this whole time. But on the plus side, I noticed right away, it used up much less yarn. Then you move in to the 1×1 ribbing and I was convinced there was no way my cast on edge could look like the one in the picture on the site….lo and behold, a respectable faxscimile. But enough test driving, time to move on to the real thing….with black yarn. Goodie goodie gumdrops….

I was so compulsive about getting this started just right, that the Italian Tubular Cast On even managed to make me pause the Heroes DVD I was watching…not much can make me abandon Hiro and Ando’s Excellent Adventure/Bogus Journey, but I was actually starting to like what this cast on was doing for me. The edge it produced is nice and clean, it’s sturdy, stretchy, and uses up *way* less yarn than the Long Tail. After about 3 attempts at perfection, I settled on something that didn’t look like my cat ate it.

When it came down to the colorwork, I think I was so emotionally spent after the cast on that I didn’t sweat it too much. I followed EZ’s advice about colorwork and did the two handed method (one color done English, one done Continental knitting) and got right down to it. I went through a repeat the chart and was amazed to find that there was still something of the ultra pretty design visible in spite of my fumbling. The two handed method is working out great, by the way! The slack from my off hand keeps the work from getting pulled too tight, so both of the colors stand out quite well.

Yarn: Knit Pick Palette in Black and Yellow

Needles: Crystal Palace DPNs sizes 2 and 3.