Cat's out of the bag

I can finally end my radio silence on all the Secret Knitting I've been working on. The last project was delivered yesterday.

Presto Chango, knit in Punta del Este Yarns South American Cotton for Peanut Sprague. Presto Chango is a really fun knit and the lace panel is surprisingly easy. The yarn is stunning with the depth provided by the space dying process, but I apologize to Bethie in advance for the hand-wash only care instructions!










Miss Dashwood, knit for Miss Sophia, who is finally home! Love, love, love this pattern and love it even more knit in Malabrigo. However, it took me three hours to cast on -- yes, that's right, three hours! -- because I'd never done a picot cast-on before. The K4TOGTBL (srsly, who thinks this up?) round nearly did me in so I skipped the bobbles in favor of a seed stitch band.




Seyi's hat, for Miss Seyi's first birthday. The pattern is the Children's Cotton Hats from Last Minute Knitting Gifts. It's become my go-to gift, and yet.....dudes, this pattern is all jacked up. I can't get gauge with the yarn it calls for and the eyelet holes are messed up. Why isn't this in the LMKG errata? Still, cute, cute, cute.










And I think that's it for the Secret Knitting for awhile. I have a baby gift coming up in June, but I feel pretty confident that the recipients don't read knitting blogs. I'm going to challenge myself with a Baby Surprise Jacket or the Pea Pod baby set. And other than the *$%_@+ Christmas 2007 knitting (yes, 2007) I have to finish, I have time to knit for me, which is a pleasant surprise.

For those of you who don't know, I just started work at Natural Stitches. I'm there Mondays in the daytime for now, so stop by and see me!

Gauge and I are not friends

I have not been able to get gauge with the past THREE projects I've done, which has resulted in me ripping out said projects and starting over at least twice per project.

First, the Toasty Topper Debacle posted about below.

Second, my attempt at the Child's Cotton Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts:
See how it's all pointy? Knitting with the recommended size 7 gave me 4.5 stitches to the inch, while the size 8 gave me 4 stitches but a ridiculous looking fabric. So I split the difference and knit the toddler size at 4.5 stitches to the inch. Other than the point, it actually looks pretty cute, and despite the mysterious extra eyelet, I won't be ashamed to give the hat to its recipient. But it's still frustrating.

I bet some of you are wondering "why isn't she doing gauge swatches and saving herself a lot of frustration?" I'm not doing them because I am trying to channel my Inner Elizabeth Zimmermann, who said that one should just start knitting, particularly if it's a small project, and then check gauge. And for the most part, she's right because it doesn't make sense to swatch for a baby hat, particularly when it's done in the round. But MAN, EZ must have had the patience of a saint if she was willing to do it this way and just keep ripping, ripping, ripping if it didn't work out.

And that brings me to the third project, the sweater vest for The Toddler that I had originally intended to make for a Christmas present. I've ripped it out three times already. Here's a question: other than doing the Dreaded Math, would it be better to knit a larger size in a tighter gauge or loosen up the gauge and knit the size intended, even if one is not nuts about the fabric created? Or what about Option C, chuck the whole thing and knit something else?

So how's that Christmas Knitting coming along?

1. Gigantic Garter Rib Socks: ALL DONE!
   
2. Clapotis: I don't think it's going to happen before Christmas. I got way too ambitious with this one, and when I realized how bad it was getting, I confessed to my mom what was happening and she ordered me to put it aside and finish everyone else's gifts.
   
3. Fetching and Calorimetry: ALL DONE!
4. Thuja: Despite The Toddler, I should be able to finish these tonight or tomorrow. I just have one foot and toe to complete.
   
5. Gentlemen's Fancy Socks: Yep, I have the yarn.
6. Child's Sweater Vest: Have I mentioned I have the yarn?

So obviously, these final two are not going to be even cast on before Christmas. I whipped up a pair of Men's Handwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts to stand in for the socks. For Henry's vest, I started a pair of mittens adapted from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits for Babies. I'm actually kind of excited about these; I've changed the pattern so much it might almost be an original design that I'll share here after Christmas.

I've been thinking a lot about stash and projects for the New Year, and avoiding this situation next year (!), so look for entries on that soon.

Still more finished projects

The Placket Pullover from LMKG and the Moss Grid Handtowel from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I'm not entirely thrilled with either one of them. Both could certainly benefit from some blocking!

More Finished Projects

I've noticed this blog has become more about what I'd like to make and not so much about things I've actually done. Whoops. So here are two projects, just to prove that I am capable of finishing what I start.

The Men's Cashmere Scarf from LMKG; here it's become the Men's Sort-Of Cashmere Scarf. I used KnitPicks Panache. It feels absolutely beautiful, but it does fuzz a bit, and the stitch definition isn't as sharp as the 100% cashmere looks in the book.

Adaptation of the Candy Cane hat from Itty-Bitty Hats. Oh dear. This is going on the UGH! list on Ravelry. I was going for a fun Steelers hat for a toddler, but this looks like a misshapen bee disaster. It doesn't help that I used wool instead of cotton (the KnitPicks wool was the only yarn I could find that came in true Steeler colors), as the wool gives it this fuzzy blended look that makes the gold look dirty. Cotton would have been a lot crisper, at least. Ugh.

So many projects, so little time

I've decided I NEED to make the Tilted Duster, pictured on the cover of the latest Interweave Knits. Something about it is so appealing to me, from the beautiful drape of the "skirt" falling from the empire waist to the jauntiness of the asymmetrical fastening. It's been staring at me from the cover of the magazine ever since it came in the mail, and I finally succumbed. Jimmy Beans pulls through again with the yarn pre-packaged by size. Mine is going to be a beautiful heathered gray.

The other really lovely thing from the latest issue is the Minimalist Cardigan. I was daunted by the amount of seaming on it (I have vowed to knit in the round as much as possible) but my mother kindly volunteered to do the finishing work for me. Woo Hoo! These two sweaters are truly lovely and unlike anything you can buy in a store these days. I feel fortunate that I can knit well enough to make what I like.

And as always, I need to finish some projects before I begin the new ones. The boyfriend scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts is done. Henry's placket neck pullover, also from LMKG is also just about done, except for (what else) the finishing work. I think I will make myself finish Tempting and allow myself the pleasure of casting on Anouk, and then I can begin on my own sweaters.

Hello from Wyoming!

For the month of August, I'm writing from Jackson Hole, where my husband plays in the Grand Teton Music Festival each summer. I'd put off doing any blogging until I uploaded pictures to share, but this morning, I realized I must have forgotten the cord for the digital camera at home. Ooops. I'll have to show my readers (all two of you) pictures of the mountains and moose-sightings when we get home.

This also means I have no knitting pictures. But here's an update, done Amy-style, of my projects.

1. Socks: I was rolling merrily along, comfortable in the knowledge that I have an extra skein in case I run out. I was also feeling smug that after my rough start with knitting on DPNs, I didn't have any ladders in my knitting. Lesson #1: Never feel smug because it will bite you in the ass. I stretched out the sock to see if it would fit around my calf and what did I see? Ladders. In my defense, I didn't have them before; I'm thinking my gauge changed when I started knitting out here.
2. Placket Pullover: I'm ready to do the sleeves and I see the same confusion about attaching the sleeves as I encountered on Tempting. I'm just going to do it my way and see what happens. Also, the idea that this is a four to six hour project is a LIE. Maybe for the newborn size, but definitely not for the toddler size. And finally, this Cotton-Ease, is, uh, growing. I thought the acrylic was supposed to prevent this issue?
3. Speaking of Tempting: nothing to say. It's in the bag, looking at me reproachfully for neglecting it in a recent fit of Startitis.
4. Men's scarf: I'm doing the Men's Cashmere Scarf for my husband for our anniversary. Did I mention our anniversary was two days ago? I'm loving the Panache yarn from KnitPicks, but I cannot get the gauge right: size 11, as called for in the pattern, is too loose. Size 10 is too tight? And guess where my size 10.5 needles are? Yes, they're at home. Oh well.

Happily, there is a LYS here, and a very nice little one it is, tucked under a chichi shoe store in a side-street of "downtown" Jackson. I added to the stash:

• one skein of PURPLE varigated Manos
• three skeins of Brown Sheep Handpaint Originals, which I've never found at home, and
• one skein of Trekking sock yarn

Other things of interest: I picked up the anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting, and it has two wonderful, informative roundtable discussions, one from the "Old Guard" of knitting (Meg Swanson, Alice Starmore, Kaffe Fasset, etc), and one from the "New Guard" (Debbie Stoller, the Yarn Harlot, Vickie Howell, etc). I'm dying for someone else to read it and discuss it.

And finally, HOORAY! I heard through the Ravelry grapevine that Martha Underwood is re-opening her yarn shop in Friendship. Hooray! Her shop is sorely needed, and I'm so excited for it to open.

The downside of Ravelry

I have been so busy Raveling (Ravelating?) that I have not been knitting much at all in the past week since I got in. I'm a "single parent" this weekend, and last night I knit two rounds of the Placket Sweater before I put it down and dozed off in front of my tivo of "What Not to Wear." This is probably for the best, though, as the more I look at it, the more I think I should frog it and start over in the two year old size. The Cotton-Ease is knitting up like a dream, which is a pleasant surprise.

The good news, for those of you still waiting to get in to Ravelry, is that they've installed a feature that lets you type in your email address and then it shows you where you are in the queue to get in. Every day something new is added, or a function is improved. It's a lot of fun, and I'm really impressed.

Terrible Case of Startitis

Yes, I have one. I blame that Knitting Crack known as Ravelry. I got my KnitPicks order this morning, including the dark blue Panache to start the Men's ("Cashmere") Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I also cast on last night for the Child's Placket Sweater, also from LMKG, inspired by Erin's baby sweater from the Knit and Stitch. I'm using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, and this yarn snob is impressed so far. The swatch is amazingly soft and the stitch definition is great.

I'm still plugging away on my socks. I realized that one skein of Koigu isn't enough for one sock! What a dirty trick! My options are to make the leg shorter or suck it up and buy another skein. Thankfully I realized I was going to run short while I was still on the leg, so I won't have to frog anything. Sheesh.

Raaaavelryyyyyy......

Braaaaaaains. I feel like a zombie. Must. Play. With. Ravelry. It's wonderful. It's addictive. And best of all, I have told my husband that it will help me organize my yarn. He's been on me to clean out my yarn cupboards and other hidey-holes for months. I seem to have him thinking that this Ravelry thing is good and he's let me play on it for the past day and a half while he takes care of Henry. Ha! Can I also say that my favorite part of Ravelry so far is the UGH! section? It makes me feel better that other people have disastrous projects sometimes.



Speaking of disastrous projects, yesterday at the Knit and Stitch, Erin asked me if I brought my sock. Well, I had, but I was too embarrassed to bring it out. So instead, I will show it to the entire internets. I have no idea what I am doing wrong except that the needles feel too clunky and the tension is terrible - very loose and shapeless. Is this something that will shake out as I continue, or have I screwed it all up?


In happier news, I'm making a scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my husband for our anniversary. Not exactly cotton, but it'll do.