Category: Knitting

Knitting

Fashion Forward?

Jen3 Comments

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a fashion trend-setter. I do my best to look presentable with what I can buy at Target or Lane Bryant. Occasionally, I watch What Not To Wear (US version) and I own the book written by the creators of the UK version. I have sort of a loose understanding of what’s in style and an even looser understanding of what looks good on my body, but I’m a stay at home mom. My primary goal is to be comfortable while chasing children and managing a household without wearing pajamas all day long.

Imagine my utter surprise when Buzz Feed posted these links. Now check out this, my little felted bag from January. And that’s not even the original. I based the dimensions on a tiny purse my friend Jen gave me as a bridesmaid gift when she got married 11 years ago (the strap on it finally gave out and I needed a replacement). I am really on the cutting edge of a new fashion trend or am I just having delusions of grandeur again? Oh dear.

Don’t forget to take the poll and leave a comment on yesterday’s post to enter the drawing for a set of hand-crafted stitch markers (made with Swarovski crystal beads!).

Knitting

Short Row Heels

Jen18 Comments

I turned the heels of the toe-up tigers this weekend.

The pattern I was using was from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits article by Ann Budd. She has you do the YO method of short rowing but frankly, I just couldn’t grasp that. Something about doing the YO just hurt my brain, so I thought I’d try the wrap and turn method. I found that to be cumbersome and confusing as well.

So, I got my Google foo Google-fu on and found this post from nonaknits about Japanese short rows, but seriously? When you are knitting socks, do you want to have 9 million little stitch markers cluttering up your heel? Heck, socks are supposed to be a portable project.

Anyway, it was around the time that I was putting on the 8,999,999th little stitch marker that I realized all you’re doing to close the gap between turns is a M1 increase and then knitting it together with the turned stitch. That’s what all of those methods are about. So, I figured I’d just do that and forget about the stitch markers, or doing YOs or wraps and turns. Guess what. The heels look great. Well, maybe not great, but they sure are good enough.

Anyone out there ever do a short row heel before? What is your favorite method? Take my poll and leave a comment (be sure to include your email address). You could WIN a set of 5 lovely hand-crafted-by-me stitch markers! The winner will be picked by random number generator on September 1st, 2007 and notified by email. Good luck!

***Update 8/14: I will announce the reader on the blog and we’ll work out contact information at that point.***

***Update 8/15: A clarification: Only comments left on THIS post will be entered into the contest for the drawing. I figured I’ll probably post at least once more before the 1st of Sept.***

Knitting · life · Summer of Socks

Summer Fun

Jen3 Comments

Last Sunday, we went to Lake Compounce. It was miserably hot that day, and dreadfully crowded (a surge of humanity). Mostly I stayed with my sister and one or both of the kids on the beach by the lake while my DH and her BF went on roller coaster rides (I’m just not a roller coaster person). I tried to knit. Here are my SIPs watching the children fight over who gets to own the patch of dirt we were sitting on build sand “castles”.

Here is the water slide we were sitting under. Isn’t the sky a beautiful shade a blue?

Afterward, we were all hot and dirty but decided to go out for pizza anyway. I tried my hand at Kinnearing my sister and her boyfriend. How come it looks like I said, “pretend I’m not taking a picture”? I totally didn’t.

Finally, here are my SIPs today. I’ll be turning the heels. How about a haiku?

knitting socks toe-up
goes faster if you can do
two at the same time

Knitting

Jaywalkers Done!

Jen6 Comments

I finished the Jaywalkers for my MIL yesterday.

Yarn: Tofutsies
Color: #733
Needles: 2 mm

A fun pattern and an excellent yarn. They are beautiful and soft and I think she will love them.

After I wove in all of the ends, I cast on these (again!) for my FIL.

These were originally going to be Jaywalkers, but that didn’t work out. Then they were going to be plain old double ribbed socks. I wasn’t too thrilled with that either. Now I am doing two socks at a time in a 5×1 rib. I’m going to call them Toe-up Tigers.

A note on knitting my first two-at-a-time-toe-up pair. I can’t help but think they look like boobs.

Knitting · links

And now, we return to our regularly scheduled blog

Jen

A lot of people out there are knitting socks. I know because I saw you last night, with your teeny tiny DPNs or dangling circulars, and oh so pretty sock yarns. Oh, yes. You’re out there.

And why not? Sock knitting is fun, portable, and instantly gratifying. That is, at least until you finish the first sock and start on the second. It’s called Second Sock Syndrome, and I’m sure you’ve heard of it. You may even suffer from it. But now, there’s a cure for SSS. It’s the Second Sock Swap!

Sign up and you’ll “only ever need to complete one sock at a time, and you’ll still get pairs, Hooray!”

Check it. (Link via Crafty Crafty, thanks!)

Knitting

I think it might be too big…

Jen2 Comments

Here’s the progress on my first toe-up sock.

Doesn’t it look big to you? It is, it’s just about 12 inches long. Big enough for my husband’s size 13’s but I think that my FIL is more like a size 10. I decided to rip back a little, so I pulled out the needles, then I thought it might look nice with a different ribbing pattern–maybe a 3×1 or a 4×1. I haven’t decided so the sock is on vacation while I sort it out.

In the mean time, I started this:

I am almost positive I do not have enough yarn for a pair of socks, so I was thinking I would do just one really spectacular and adorable kid-sized sock. Perhaps a lacy knee-high. We’ll see. The Jaywalker for my MIL is still incommunicado–having a vacation at my friend’s house.

Knitting

One Finished Jay

Jen4 Comments


Told you I’d post a photo! :-)

Knitting

One Jaywalker Down…

Jen

One Jaywalker to go. Pictures tomorrow.

Knitting · links

Hah.

Jen3 Comments

Did you know that the Sweater Curse has its own Wiki?

Knitters use the term Sweater Curse or the Curse of the Love Sweater to describe a situation in which a knitter gives a hand-knit sweater to a significant other, who quickly breaks up with the knitter. In an alternative formulation, the relationship will end before the sweater is even completed.

Knitting · Summer of Socks

Houston, we have a problem

Jen4 Comments

I took yesterday off from knitting my Summer of Socks socks and instead read a fun Carl Hiaasen book. (Actually, I was already about halfway through the book, so I only read 1/2 the book yesterday.) I recommend anything by Hiaasen if you are in the mood for some fun, well-written light reading that does not involve muggles, firelizards, Aes Sedai, or any kind of spaceships.

Anyway, the reason I took the day off and read instead of knitted is because the jaywalker was on a timeout. The other night, I was knitting along, watching The Bourne Identity with Mr. Interrupted when I looked down and saw a hole. (When am I going to remember that I am supposed to be a knit blogger and that this is exactly the sort of thing I should be taking pictures of?) It was a massive hole surrounded by random, free-form decreases–I must have been tired. It was a mess, and I had to put the Jaywalker on a timeout while I thought about how to fix it.

I really did not want to rip back the sock, even a few rounds because, while I am capable of picking up the stitches, I find it incredibly tedious and didn’t feel like doing it. So this morning I started out by dropping the FUBAR stitches (it was three rounds’ worth).

Then, I took out my crochet hook and extra size zero needles and I started knitting up the dropped stitches.

I had to do a triple decrease instead of a double when I got to the top, but I think it’ll be OK. The intended recipient of these socks won’t notice.

I’m feeling a little tickled with myself, even though I’m positive I’m not the first knitter to fix a mistake this way. Now I can keep on knitting. At least until July 21st when I will probably end up reading instead of knitting.