It’s starting to look like a sweater

See!

This is the Sea Princess Sweater I said I was going to make for the Kiddo. It is, in fact, VERY pink. But the pink is actually quite pretty and not as harsh as I initially thought it might be.

Looking at the progress, I might actually be done a bit earlier than anticipated. In which case, the Kiddo has also requested a pair of matching legwarmers. I’m fairly certain I’ll have enough yarn to accomodate that request, but we’ll see. I hope so.

I still need to decide on buttons. I have to go through my button stash first to see if I have 6 buttons that will match and look pretty with this sweater. If not, I’m not sure where I want to look to try and find them….maybe Etsy, maybe Jimmy Beans (a new fave of mine that I’ll talk more about soon, by the way).

Plans and goals and projects, oh my

Yes, it’s already been 2013 for a week, but I think I’m still safely in the window for resolution-making.

1. Make at least 2 “Project Use Up All the Cotton” items per month. I have no illusions about actually emptying the cotton stash completely, particularly because I’ve had to buy more to use in customer projects. However, I figure 2 items each month is a reasonable and achievable goal. Plus, it would be nice to have a stash of washcloths & soap pockets to donate later in the year.

2. Make this sweater for the Kiddo. It’s a beautiful short-sleeved cable sweater that would be great to wear over a long-sleeved shirt in the early spring. The designer is Elena Nodel and she has created some wonderful patterns. For me, this will be only my 3rd sweater ever attempted and the largest. I’ve always been a bit intimidated by larger garments, but I figure if I was able to tackle a lace shawl in 2011/2012 I can take on a child-sized sweater in 2013.

photo from “Sea Princess” (by Elena Nodel) pattern page on Ravelry

3. Learn how to make an “Aunt Gert” blanket. What is that you ask? Well, the simplest explanation is that it’s a crocheted ripple afghan. More than that though…it’s a blanket that almost every kid in my family has received – me, my sister, my cousins, my niece & nephew, the Kiddo. Aunt Gert was my great aunt. I don’t really remember her, but she made my blanket, my sister’s, and 2 of my cousin’s. My Aunt Barbara and my mom have made all the others. My mom can’t really sit and work on the blankets like she used to so someone needs to step up and make them. That’s really the main reason I decided to learn to crochet. (I had the story totally wrong earlier & my mom called…she was like, “You know all this.” To which I responded, “Duh! Yes I do. I don’t know what I was thinking. So I came back & fixed it.)

There are lots more plans I have in my head for what I’d like to do this year, but as far as solid goals go I would be super proud of myself for accomplishing all three of these.

3rd time’s the charm – my February Nerd Wars plan

February is Round 1 of Tournament 4 of Nerd Wars…my 3rd NW Tournament. I’m like, a real veteran now.

Since it’s a short month & there are actually things I want to knit, here’s what I’m planning for the month:

Porifera Socks

These will apply to the Scientific Challenge which is to create a single something or an item out of all one “thing” – such as one ball of yarn. And that’s what I’m doing…making a pair of socks out of a single ball of yarn. I have no idea how I’m going to tie these to the team yet.

The pattern is quite pretty and is working up quickly so far.

iPad cozy

This I am making from scratch without a pattern for the Nerd Culture Challenge (make an item inspired by technology). The yarn is a very nice dark purple. I am going to tie it back to Warehouse 13. I figure I can make a nice little story about neutralizer (purple goo) infused yarn keeping Steve Jobs’ original iPad from going all “artifacty.” (In reality, I need a cozy for my fancy new iPad that the Hubs got me for Christmas.)

If I wind up having time I’ll try to do a third project, but at this point I’m only planning on two. I figure I’d rather aim a little lower this time and not have to be sad when real life intrudes on my knitting time.

I have achieved a sock!

I did it! I made a sock! My very first one. And, considering that the pattern was part of a tutorial and had none of the finer points about sizing to a specific foot, it doesn’t fit too badly.

Until last week, I’d never really felt confident enough in my knitting skills to attempt making socks. Now after completing Silver’s Sock Class, I feel like kicking myself for not having tried earlier. As I was walking through the steps I found myself wondering when it was going to get complicated, but it never did.

And about that tutorial…

As I said, I used Silver’s Sock Class. The steps were INSANELY simple and easy to follow. Photos are included to demonstrate each technique along the way. A novice knitter who has never knit in the round on double-pointed needles (DPNs) should feel very comfortable using this tutorial to learn how to make a sock. (Interestingly enough, there were times that I needed to go back and review the instructions several times before realizing it was telling me to do something I’ve done a thousand times before – for example the author doesn’t use shorthand for stitches in the tutorial so a ssk (slip-slip-knit) was written in longform and I didn’t know what she meant at first.)

Seriously, I would recommend this tutorial to any knitter wanting to learn how to make socks – or even one who needs a photo tutorial on how to knit in the round with DPNs, as the first section of the tutorial tackles this topic completely.

As for me, I am now going to go back and use the tutorial again to make a second sock. With any luck I’ll be able to get the stripes of the self-striping yarn I foolishly chose to use for my first socks to come close to lining up.

Knitting like a mad woman

Okay…carpal tunnel is feeling better and I’m out of my knitting funk again.

I’ve been working like crazy to get my Twiddlebug Shawl/grandmother’s Christmas present halfway done for this week. I’m almost there. 7 repeats to go. I promise I’ll post some pics & tell you about this project soon.

I also need to get at least one project done for the regular Nerd Wars challenges by November 30th. Technically, I don’t have to get a project done since no one on the team would think any less of me if I didn’t…except me. I don’t want to be a team slacker.

Back to work!!!

I shall now revel in my joy

I made it through one repeat of the Leaf & Acorn Shawl!!  It only took me 2 weeks (and 4, I think) restarts.  And, although I knew I should have been using a lifeline in the first place, I have now learned to love that bit of waste yarn which saves my project, and more importantly my sanity, from having to be unraveled back to the beginning.  Hooray!

Only 5 more repeats to go.

Crap.

Apparently I’m “counting challenged”

In a fit of post-Nerd Wars ambition, I decided that I would tackle my first official lace shawl project.  I looked & looked until I found a pattern that I liked, but that didn’t seem monumentally over-challenging and that would work with the Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Twilight that I already have a bunch of.  And I found a pattern that I think fits those criteria nicely.

Leaf & Acorn Lace Shawl*

From what I can gather on Ravelry, there used to be a Leave & Acorn Lace Shawl pattern specifically for worsted weight yarn but it’s been discontinued.  Instead the pattern link takes you to another very similar pattern that is for a certain yarn on the pattern provider’s site (as they are also a yarn-seller).  The yarn seems to be a much lower weight, as I figured out pretty early on in my first attempt at knitting the pattern.

Yes, I said first attempt.

I’ve been knitting this shawl since September 1st and I’m only on about row 30. (Actually I’m on row 33, but I screwed up – again – and I have to work backwards.)

First I started using only slightly larger needles than were suggested on the pattern – but much smaller than suggested for the yarn weight.  The shawl looked more like a small scarf and you couldn’t really differentiate the lace pattern at all.  So I ripped back to the beginning and started over.

Then I got to about row 15 and something just went horribly wrong.  Stitches were dropped and lost and I don’t even know how to explain how badly messed up it was.  So I started over again.

Now I’m on my third attempt and, again, things are just wrong.  However, as I said, I’m about 30 rows in…I was nearly 40, so there’s no way I’m starting over again unless I have absolutely no choice.  I know that I dropped at least one stitch and I thought I fixed it, but then I counted the # of stitches in my row and I had 4 less than I needed.  I worked one row backwards and it was still wrong.  So, I went back another row…still wrong.  You can guess where this is going.

Now I’m going back to at least row 30 and hoping that I can start moving forward again tonight.

This shawl may mean the end of me.

Well, probably not…but I may have to jump to something simpler for a week just so that I don’t get too annoyed with myself.

 

*You have to register/sign in to view the pattern, but it’s free to do so and it doesn’t appear you need to buy anything.

The four seasons

When I first found out that my friend was having a baby in the summer, I was a little perplexed.  What do you knit for a summer baby?  I mean, sure, a hat is ALWAYS great and the little one will certainly get some use out of that.  But is there something the baby might be able to use earlier?

I started browsing patterns and found 2 adorable knits right away – Chubby Chirps (one of which I’ve already made & you can read about here) and the Take-Along Sun.

And then I made a hat anyway.

Now I’m working on the sun because it’s cute.  But how in the world can I make a gift for a baby that has any semblance of cuteness which contains a Sunshine, a Pumpkin & some Birds?

As I thought about what I’ve already come up with I realized – DUH – The Four Seasons!  I already have a fall item and I’m working on the summer one now.  I made a spring prototype and I know it only takes me a few hours to make 1 bird.  Now I just need to pick a winter knit and I’m good to go.  I think I’ll be able to make the baby shower deadline.  If not, definitely by the time the baby is born in July.

On a slightly different note, I didn’t really think about it until now but I hope she hasn’t been reading all of these posts.

More holiday gifts

Just the other day I realized that I probably should give gifts to the Kiddo’s day care teachers.  There are four of them.  And they range in age and background.  So, what in the world can I get these women?

I’ve decided, at this point, to go with coffee mugs and Dunkin Donuts gift cards….which, at first, sounds chintzy.  But I’m also going to knit mug cozies.  So there will be a bit of “personal touch” that goes along with the present.

I hope it’s not too cheesy or cheap-seeming.  I’ve never had to do teacher gifts before.

At an impasse

I’m 160 rows away from finishing my sister’s Christmas present.  However, my yarn will only last for about 2 more rows.  Ordinarily coming to the end of a skein would be no big deal.  You just move on to the next skein and weave in the ends.  Not this time.

I had only 3 skeins.

I thought it would be enough.

But nooooooo.

And guess which yarn is discontinued.

Balls!

I’ve been searching the interwebs with no success.  I’m trying to see if someone on Ravelry will sell or trade with me.  I’m going to hit A.C. Moore & Michael’s on the weekend, but it’s been a long time since I bought the original skeins so I don’t know how much luck I’ll have.

Balls!!

At any rate, here’s a picture of what I have to this point.  I know it’s hard to see, but the cables came out really nice.  If I’m super lucky I’ll be able to finish it and give it to its rightful owner.

Almost done