FO Round-up

Let's take a break from the baby blanket squares (I'm sick of linking them; just look at the last few previous entries), and it looks like we'll have more than enough for a 40x40 blanket. There definitely won't be enough for two blankets, so maybe I'll just make a slightly bigger one, like 48x40, or something like that.

I've got some small projects finished weeks ago. For some reason I never got around to posting pictures. Life's just been busy. (If you ask why I'm too busy for some things but still find time to knit, you'll get a long, convoluted explanation of events and beaurocracy at the school of music that anyone but me would find dreadfully dull, so let's leave it at that.)

FO #1: a scarf! This one was sent to Syracuse already a couple of weeks ago. It's a thank-you to Pam's mom, the very kind and generous soul who housed and fed me and my son while we were there to do a concert with her daughter.



Pattern: Vintage Scarf from Scarf Style
Yarn: Lion Brand Cashmere Blend, 5 skeins
Needles and Gauge: Meh. It's a scarf. I used size 8 needles, which is what the yarn called for.
Comments: Very cool pattern. The cable is a reversible ribbed dealy, so that was fun. I chose black yarn because the recipient is a professional orchestra musician and they have to wear black all the time. Knitting with black yarn? Not so fun, but the result was worth it.

FO #2: a pair of mittens! This is the first pair of mittens I've ever completed. This little project took me three or four days. Of course, that was over two weeks ago, and I have yet to send them to the intended recipient, but she doesn't know that. It's totally the wrong season for mittens anyway. (BTW, these are for a woman named Marilyn, another kind soul in Syracuse who lent us a crib, a car seat and some toys, and did some babysitting for Daniel. I really need to get her last name and address so I can send her this much belated thank-you!)



Pattern: from Vintage Knits by Sarah Dallas
Yarn: Dale of Norway Heilo in a pretty teal and a bit of cream
Needles: size 4 DPNs for a gauge of 6 stitches per inch in the round
Comments: The design is beautifully simple, which is probably why I finished these so fast. The pattern, oddly enough, calls for knitting the mittens flat and then sewing up, even the thumbs. I did everything in the round, but otherwise made no modifications. I wish I actually liked to wear mittens, or I'd make more!

FO #3: last but certainly not least, Embossed Leaves Socks from Favorite Socks

I don't know who these are for. Maybe I'll keep them for myself, or maybe save them for a time when they seem to make an appropriate gift. I can't bring myself to wear them just yet.




Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks from Interweave
Yarn: Dale of Norway Baby Ull
Needles and Gauge: on size 2 DPNs, I got 7.5 stitches per inch
Comments: How I loved this pattern. I didn't change a thing about it. And the yarn? Baby Ull is a dream. I made another pair of socks with it ages ago and they still haven't pilled or worn out or shrunk or anything.

Next up: some brainless knitting, which is just what I need at the moment. Plain Jane ribbed socks with (!) variegated yarn in colors perfect for spring:

Dreaming in Green

At least twice this week I've dreamed about green yarn and green squares. Hmmm, I wonder why!

Here's a picture of the two most recent 8" squares for the baby blanket project, getting acquainted with the bok choy plants going into my garden this weekend. (In my garden, it's sort of a "survival of the fittest" deal for vegetables, so we'll see how they fare.)



I just liked this picture. The 4-square garter thingy in the middle here is made with Malabrigo. I had a love affair with this yarn. I think Malabrigo is to knitting what pure, fresh cream straight from the grass-fed, raised-in-an-organic-field-full-of-clover cow must be to a chef. Rich, buttery goodness.



One cupcake of Berocco Ultra Alpaca in a deep sapphire. I've never knit with this yarn before, but it feels nice, too.



I've been doing garter stitch to the point of being cross-eyed.



Here's how to jazz it up a little (this is also good if you're not sure of your gauge and don't want to do a 4" gauge swatch for an 8" blanket square):

1. Cast on as many stitches as you think you'll need for 4". With worsted weight yarn, I always guess 20.

2. Knit in garter stitch until your piece is long enough to measure accurately for width. If it's 4" across, you're in the chips. If it's bigger or smaller, don't worry about.

3. Keep going in garter until your piece is 8" long. Cast off all but the last stitch.

4. Calculate your row gauge. If it's twice as many rows per inch as stitches, the next step will be a piece of cake. If you're off by a little, it's a tiny bit more complicated, but not much.

5. Turn the work and pick up stitches in the ridges. (Yes, this is the same principle as the log cabin design from Mason-Dixon Knitting.) If you're getting twice as many rows per inch as stitches, just knit happily until your piece is 8" long and cast off. If your row gauge is a little more or a little less than twice the stitch gauge, you'll need to adjust the number of stitches on your needle. For example, if your stitch gauge is 5 per inch and your row gauge is 8 per inch, you won't have enough garter ridges from which to pick up stitches to get 40 stitches for the 8" you need to finish the square. No problem; just do a few increases or decrease to get the 8" width and knit until you have an 8" square.

The 4-patch variation requires that you know your gauge and is the same method as log cabin except that when you get to the fourth quarter of the square, you have to pick up a stitch from the side of the first quarter every other row and then decrease right away on the next row so you don't get extra stitches. Comprendez-vous? (I imagine this is how one does a knitted-on border for a lace shawl, but I've never done that before, so it's a guess. I just came up with this little method to avoid seaming.)

Squared

Steph and I have made about a dozen squares so far for the Afghans for Afghans baby blanket.

All greens and blues, just like Daniel's sippy cups:



Here they are, all stacked up:



She thinks I'm a bit touched in the head for posing our knitted squares with sippy cups, but dude, she's trying to devour my kid's head:

More Afghan Squares!

Steph is here this week helping with Daniel, cooking kick-ass Indian food and generally having a great time.

We've also been knitting some more squares for that baby blanket for Afghans for Afghans:



See? Here's a project I'm really serious about!

By the way, we went to The Sow's Ear to pick up some green yarn (for the baby blanket) and the experience was so absolutely completely different from the one I had the other day at Lakeside Fibers. All it takes is a toy broom and a Mister Potato Head to keep the Danimal entertained for an indefinite period of time.

An Open Letter to a Certain LYS

Dear Employees of Lakeside Fibers,

I am a fairly regular customer at your store, regular enough that many of your employees recognize me when I walk in. You have a wonderful selection of yarns, and they are displayed beautifully. I think your coffee shop and seating area are a nice addition as well, as knitting and non-knitting customers alike have a place to sit and relax.

I was in your shop early in the afternoon yesterday (Friday, April 20) with my young son. He is fourteen months old, and while he of course requires close supervision, he is generally very good about leaving the yarn and other merchandise alone when I bring him into a store. Yesterday was no exception. He did occupy himself with the potted plant in the back room for a few minutes, but he wasn’t in anybody’s way, and I asked for a broom to sweep up the small mess of dirt on the floor when he was done.

Then it was time for me to check out. I had two small purchases, which I had asked to leave at the front counter because my hands were full with my child and our little bag of toys and books to keep him entertained. When I approached the counter, there was one customer ahead of me who had several questions for the employee at hand about the yarn she was purchasing for a project. The consultation took at least ten minutes, during which time the employee neither offered to quickly ring up the two items I wanted to buy, nor found someone else to take care of it while she helped the other customer. Eventually, another employee entered the store, saw us waiting in line, went behind the desk and proceeded to make a five-minute phone call. All this time we were waiting, my son was becoming increasingly tired and cranky and ready to leave. I nearly walked out of the store without buying anything, but instead I asked employee #2 (I’m sorry I can’t tell you their names, but you don’t wear name tags in your store) if she could please check me out quickly, as we had been waiting and my son was tired and ready to go.

While your shop is lovely, your customer service leaves much to be desired. I felt I was treated unfairly and ignored because I had a small child with me. Ironically, as badly as we wanted to leave, we couldn’t because no one was helping me at the time I needed to make my purchases. Surely you know that parents (and grandparents) of young children are a large part of the knititng community and therefore essential customers in local yarn shops. I am sorry that you have chosen to alienate those with young children. I have taken my son with me to other yarn shops in Madison and been treated with far more respect than I received in your store yesterday.

I will certainly tell others about my experience at your store, and I will consider taking my business elsewhere in the future.

Sincerely,
Susan xxxxxxxx

It's a start

So far I've made three squares for the baby blanket. Care to see?

Afghans for Afghans - quick addendum

Thanks to Thorny and Steph for agreeing to participate in this baby blanket project for Afghans for Afghans. I hope more of you want to chip in (assuming that more than two non-muggles read this blog).

I've got a few of my knitting friends here to help out, too. None of them are bloggers. I don't think they know about my blog, even. (One of them is 70 and sharp as a tack, but her husband does all her emailing for her. It's very sweet.) We discussed the project this morning and we agreed on a few more specifics, namely:

1. Reversible stitch patterns only (like seed stitch, basketweave, garter but feel free to get fancy).

2. My little group of friends and I are planning on using just blues and greens, because green is the beloved color of Islam.

Now, regarding #2, that's not to say I won't accept other colors. If I get enough squares, I could do more than one blanket, and I can arrange the colors however I like: a blanket in rainbows and one in neutrals and one in tweeds. I doubt there will be enough to get that specific, but one can always hope.

Finally, spread the word. I mean, getting one blanket done would be great, but wouldn't it be super-cool to have a whole stack of these to send? I doubt I'll be inundated, but if that happens, I'll draw on other knitters I know in the community to help with the stitching up.

That's all. My next post will have pictures, I promise!

Afghans for Afghans - Mothers' Day Deadline!

The horrific events at Virginia Tech yesterday really made me think about compassion and what we should do for others. My younger brother attends V-Tech as a PhD student; he was home when the shooting occurred - Thank God Thank God Thank God - so he's fine.

If you haven't already heard of Afghans for Afghans, by all means take a few moments to look at their website. In short, Afghans for Afghans is a non-profit organization that sends hand-knit and crocheted blankets, hats, socks and other clothing items to families in Afghanistan to help keep them warm during their harsh winters with little indoor heat. A few years ago, Steph and I sent them a blanket and a few baby items. I just read on Mason-Dixon Knitting about the campaign to send baby blankets and garments to Afghanistan for Mothers' Day. Mothers' Day is the deadline for us to send them items so that they can get to Afghanistan by the time the weather turns cold.

I know there's no real connection between Virginia Tech and Afghans for Afghans, but hear me out. When something really awful happens, like the worst shooting in American history, it hurts my heart and makes me want to counter-act that with something good. I believe in balance in the Universe (this is one way I've retained some hope throughout the Bush Presidency; we've just got to have some better times coming to us!), and I also believe this balance is achieved by being pro-active. I want there to be more good and compassion in the world, so I have to act accordingly.

Now, Mothers' Day is a little less than a month away. Could I knit some hats and sweaters by then? Oh, sure. Could I knit a 40"x40" (the minimum size requested by the organization) baby blanket by then? Uh, maybe. Could several of us knit a baby blanket by then? Absolutely! I know I don't have a wide readership here, but it wouldn't take very many of us very long to knit enough for a baby blanket.

So here's my plan. It would take 25 8" squares to make a 40"x40" blanket. Anyone who wants to participate would knit as many 8" squares as he or she cares to and sends them to me by, say, May 5. That gives me almost a week to sew them up and send them off to Afghans for Afghans by Mothers' Day. So that the blanket or blankets have some consistency in the design (re: so they don't look like ass), here are some guidelines:

1. Read their memo on which fibers to use. Basically, everything has to be at least 75% wool or other animal fiber to be warm enough. This is essential.

2. No lacy or holey stitch patterns. These blankets are for warmth. Dense, reversible stitch patterns, like seed stitch, garter, basketweave, you get the idea, are ideal.

3. What about color? No whites or light colors, as they are hard to keep clean (this is on their website, too). Anything else is a go. I'll arrange what I get as best I can and do some kind of border to bring it together. If I get enough squares, I could make one blanket using cool colors (blues, greens) and another using warm colors (reds, yellows, oranges). Green is the beloved color of Islam.

4. What about color patterns? Images are not allowed, but stripes are fine, including self-striping yarns.

5. Yarn weight: I think worsted is the best choice for this project (18-20st=4"). It will knit up quickly and be nice and warm. Sport or fingering weight yarn could be doubled. This is a good way to use up leftover bits of yarn from other projects. 8x8" is basically a big gauge swatch.

Is this a good idea? Will you help me? Leave a comment or email me at: madtownmama (at) gmail and we'll get the ball rolling.

My first ever second mitten!

I've drooled over many mitten patterns, from fair isle mittens to aran mittens to felted mittens to little striped toddler-sized mittens with oh-so-necessary idiot-cords holding the pair together. I've owned the book Folk Mittens for a while now and haven't done much more than look at it. I've started at least three mittens in my life and never even got to the thumb, much less the second mitten.

Why this gap in my knitting repertoire? The first one I tried, a two-color design in sport-weight yarn, had about a million stitches (it felt like) and I forgot all about the thumb, had to rip back, couldn't get all the stitches back on the needles, and then gave up. The second one was intended to be a men's size and I got about 2 rounds past the ribbing before realizing no man I know would wear them. The third one I barely remember; I think the yarn was too itchy. Plus, I don't really wear mittens. I wear gloves. I'm a cold-weather biker and it's hard to manage all the gear/brake mechanisms with mittens on.

But this week I was inspired to knit a pair of mittens. About a month ago, I was in Syracuse, NY to play a concert with Pam, a wonderful singer and good friend of mine, and Daniel came with me. We stayed with Pam's mom, who let us sleep in her guest room, fed us, and watched Daniel a few times while I tried to sleep off the unfortunate cold-flu I caught on the way there. So I made her a scarf and sent it as a thank-you (I'll do a separate entry on that later so it gets it due as a finished object). Pam's mom's friend lent us her granddaughter's portable crib, a car seat, and an assortment of toys so I wouldn't have to lug all that stuff on the flight, and on top of that, babysat Daniel for a whole evening so Pam's mom could go to our concert. I thought she deserved a little something, too, so I am making her a pair of mittens.

Here's the first one, perched atop the tiny pile of snow clinging desperately to the lawn; don't look too closely at the top. I thought I could just remember how to do Kitchener stitch/grafting and I was wrong. It's a little funky, but I'm leaving it.



(This is actually the left mitten, not the right one. It's just upside down.)

And now, drum roll please, here's the nearly-complete second one. Sorry about the bad light, but I did this entire thing today during naptime/post-Daniel's-bedtime and it's night now. It's like my needles are on fire! All I have to do is graft the top (I'll look up Kitchener stitch this time), finish the thumb and hide the ends.

Knitting on TV

So the other night I watched a whole episode of "30 Rock" for the first time in my life and there was knitting on that show! A GUY knitting! A bikini for his Nana, no less! It featured the NBC peacock on each, er, cup. I'd put up a picture, but I don't think it's legal, so you'll just have to trust me on this one. It was pretty funny.

It's not a tube top...

...though those of you who know me might be slightly less surprised to discover that it is actually a skirt! (This snow has me wacked, but not that wacked. You wouldn't catch me dead in a tube top.) Not even the somewhat-more-sensible and less-shocking Indigo Ripples skirt from Interweave Knits (which I still want to make, by the way), but a flirty little number from the Rowan Linen Print collection. That's what snow in the middle of April does to a knitter. Well, that and finding the pattern book and yarn 40% off...

So anyways, I'm halfway done with it. It looks small, but this stuff stretches.



The hip-shaping and darts are all done with short-rows. This is the first time ever I've done short-rows on anything but socks. I learned how to do a wrapped stitch, and it was very, very cool. (For the muggles out there reading this blog, normally one knits across all the stitches on the needle; a short-row is when you turn around and go back across before completing the row.)

But this is the coolest part. There's a fringe at the bottom (have I mentioned how unpractical this garment will be?) that one accomplishes by knitting the bottom edge of the skirt with doubled yarn, then casting off all but the last 3 stitches:



Then you pull them all out:



And voila! C'est le fringe!



Fun, fun, fun. Forget anything I ever said about not using non-wool, bulky yarn with variegated colors. This is a blast.

I've got some finished objects to show you, but I think I'll wait for another post to do that. This one's got enough pictures as it is.

Spring Fever

When it looks like this outside in mid-April,



something compels me to defy it by knitting this:



Any guesses?

Looky!

Check out my mom's mad knitting skills, ya'll. This is the sweater she was working on when they were here for Thanksgiving, and now it's finished! Of course, coming to Madison for her spring break in mid-April means she has ample opportunity to wear it in all its wooly wonder because it's downright cold here. As we say in the South: "Ooooo! Idn't it purrrrrrty?"



Close-up of the sleeve:



Next, goodies for me!



She's giving me the leftover yarn, because - brace yourselves for this one - my mom doesn't keep a yarn stash, and she doesn't want the extra lying around. Save your sighs of sympathy, my friends. The real reason she doesn't have a yarn stash is because it would take valuable space away from her quilting stash, which is quite prolific. I plan to use this to make a jacket for Daniel for next year. It's warm, itchy wool, so I will definitely be lining it, probably with a soft knit jersey fabric. This will be my own design...I'll let you know how it goes.

Flash!

So I guess in knit-blog-land, April is flash-your-stash month. Or maybe it's just April 1 that you're supposed to do it. Obviously I missed that deadline. Anyways, you don't get to see my whole stash for several reasons:

1. Most of it is in the basement in plastic (re: mouse-proof) tubs. Not exactly
photogenic.
2. But not all of it is in the basement. Some of it it distributed in various other places in the house. To assemble it all in one spot would be time-consuming and, with a toddler in the mix, just asking for one gigantic wooly tangled mess.
3. To assemble it all in one spot would mean you and I would see the actual size of my stash and I think I might be a little embarrassed and over-whelmed by it. Let's just say I have enough to keep me busy for a little while.

Nevertheless, how about a little taste?

(I have to tell you that I suffered a bit for these pictures. It's really cold outside - maybe 25 degrees - and very windy, so despite the bright sunshine and bit of greenery you see, my hands were stiff and my lips were turning blue.)

There's been some progress on Aran Rose. The color I'm using is called "Sage," and hey look! There's some new growth on the sage plant. A fitting pair.



Some Heilo in a bluish green and a dabble of cream. At one time I thought I would makes socks from this, but I've changed my mind. Instead I am going to make vintage-style mittens (plain, but with cabled ribbing on the cuff and contrasting trim) for a very kind and generous woman who volunteered an evening of babysitting while I was in Syracuse. Here's the Heilo hanging out in the lavender:



Some Cotton Fleece
in "Midnight" and "Putty" I'm tired of having sitting around. This will be a striped sweater for Daniel next fall.



Tweedy in thyme. This is slated to be another pair of navy socks for my father-in-law, only these won't felt like the last pair.



Some Plymouth jeanee, in two blues, to be a little baseball-type raglan for our nephew due next month. I'm not sure what these flowers are, but they're all over. Aren't they dear?



Denim among the poor drooping daffodils. Even though it's cold as a witch's teat outside, I have summer knitting on the brain, and I'm considering the "Indigo Ripples" skirt from the latest IK. I never in a million years thought I'd want to knit a skirt, but somehow this one appeals.

I'm kind of a doofus sometimes

It all started with Stuart. He bought a new pair of pants on Sunday, a pair he needed badly, I might add. My husband wears pants until the knees are worn through and the cuffs are hanging on by mere threads, at which point he'll come to me asking that I repair them. Sometimes I do my best, and sometimes I break the news gently that it's time that this pair be torn apart for the rag-box and that perhaps he should buy himself a new pair. Stuart is right between common inseam lengths. 30" have the slightest element of high-waters on him, and 32" drag under his heels. I've hemmed up probably half a dozen britches for him, even a couple of dress pants with folded cuffs, so by now it's old hat for me.

Last night after I got Daniel to bed and the dishes washed, I was all prepared to bust out my sewing machine and sew the hems. I had trimmed, ironed and pinned them, and even had matching thread:



But then I noticed my machine was missing a small, but crucial piece: the spool-holder. See that little hole?



That's where a small plastic rod fits in to hold the spool of thread. That damn little thing comes out so easily, but I've never actually lost it. Does it drive you crazy when you lose something small but important and you have no idea where to look for it?

Today I called a local sewing/vacuum store (why are those two things always combined in one business? I don't get it...) The lady told me to come in with my machine and we'd see what they have that fit. So I packed up the Danimal in the car, found him some toys, drove across town, waited for her to finish with another customer, presented her with my machine, removed the cover, and TA-DA!



Duh. The real spool-holder is that metal pole that doesn't even come off. It's always been there and I've never used it or even noticed it. The one I've always used that I lost is merely there for a second spool, for doing sewing with double needles (something I never do). I felt like a grade-A nitwit, but at least there's not a problem with the machine.

Have you ever had a moment where something was completely obvious the moment someone else pointed it out? Please share; it doesn't have to be craft-related or anything. I don't want to be the only one, and I'm interested in my readers' stories!

(BTW: While I was there, I bought a "walking foot" for the machine. I've never used one, but my mom, who is a quilter extraordinaire, tells me that it makes machine-quilting much easier. So the trip wasn't a lost cause. And I might try and start up a little quilting again. Like I have the time.)

Some Sock Pictures and More

I may have mentioned that I'm an on-again, off-again sock knitter. There are knitters who are crazy about knitting socks, and there are those who never knit socks, and then there are a few of us who remain somewhat ambivalent about the whole genre. When I first learned, I was addicted for a short time. I was fascinated with the whole thing of knitting in the round, which I'd never done before, and I liked having a small project I could finish in less time than a sweater.

I think I go in and out of sock phases because I vacillate between loving and appreciating the beautiful, unique quality of hand-knit socks and wondering what the whole point is when they're just going to be covered up in stinky shoes anyway. Besides, I love my smart-wool socks from REI. Second Sock Syndrome is one of my worst afflictions as a knitter, second only to Start-itis. That's probably why I give away most of the socks I knit; if a pair of socks is intended as a gift, that's motivation for me to finish.

Still, a good pattern always grabs my attention, whether it's for socks or a sweater or what-have-you. (Note: this does not apply to cozies. There are no good patterns for cozies because cozies are stupid things to knit. Some folks have tried to change my mind about tea-cozies but I'd rather drink my tea than let it sit under a felted hat all afternoon, thanks.) I started what I thought was a good pattern, the Austrian Diamonds sock pattern from the Fall 2006 Knitter's Magazine...





...and eventually got fed up with it. Too many damned twisted stitches, too many cables, too much fuss for a sock. If I wanted to go to that much trouble, it's going to be for something that goes on something more visible than my foot. I didn't even bother to frog it. I just picked up the second skein and started a new sock, the Embossed Leaves pattern from Interweave (most recently published in this book):



I think I started this sock on Wednesday and finished it on Saturday. It's beautiful, a great pattern, goes fast as lightening. Of course, it's too beautiful to keep. I'll have to finish the second one straight away and figure out who to give it to.

Speaking of gift knitting, here's something else I'm working on:



It's a scarf with a reversible cable pattern (how cool is THAT!) for Pam's mom, who graciously hosted Daniel and me while we were in Syracuse to do a recital (with Pam) a couple weeks ago. The yarn is Lion Brand's cashmere blend and I really like it. I never thought I'd say this about anything produced by the Lion Brand people, but this stuff is sooooo soft and springy and perfect for this kind of project. I chose the color black, which is hard to see, but Pam's mom is a professional violinist and has to wear black all the time, so I thought it appropriate.