contemplations on knitting

There are times when i feel like a poser when it comes to my knitting (let alone my crocheting).  There are all sorts of shortcuts i take that i'm sure would shock many a veteran knitter.  I don't knit a complete swatch, block projects, or seam.  I pick up stitches and knit in the round whenever possible.  I procrastinate horribly when it comes to finishing.  No matter what pattern i'm doing, what weight the yarn is, there comes a point where i am going to get bored with it and wish that i was already finished with the object.  There are periods of time where i don't knit at all, because i lose interest, because it's too hot, because i can't afford yarn for the project i want to do, because i threw out what the pattern said, made it up as i went along, only to discover that my project is now in need of frogging (to a certain point, if not entirely).

Will i always feel this way?  Will there ever be a point where i don't feel guilty yet completely justified in cutting corners, when i feel completely skilled as a knitter and/or pattern designer?  I have been knitting for fifteen to sixteen years now, after all!  And i still feel like there isn't enough knitted clothing in my wardrobe.  Perhaps there never will be.  It will be a sad day when i start to retire some of my more recently finished objects, however.  Sadder still that some of them are never quite done.

February already?

It feels like it's been forever since i've posted here...wait, it has been!  So knitting, unfortunately, has been on the back burner lately.  I had Bell's Palsy this past fall and school things started requiring a lot more concentration than usual (i.e. multi-tasking was impossible for a while).  I have gradually improved and think that my brain is finally pretty much back to normal.  However, this semester is even more hectic than the last one!  In fact, i'm going to be dropping a class tomorrow (no worries, it was an elective, i took a class in January Term so i could complete my final semester with only three classes if need be).  So i've only been knitting a little bit here and there and don't really have anything substantial to tell about...other than my Christmas knitting, and even in that case i unfortunately didn't get as far as i meant to.

So, in 2010 i completed the following projects:

Dashing Evi mittens FINALLY

Ginny's Hex Vest...which somehow ended up felting in cold water

Tangy Giselle - even more FINALLY, as i had been dreaming of this project for years and had multiple issues with it

Drunken Bees Toes - my socks still have issues that i need to work out

Gentleman's Matrimony/Cozy Socks

four Monteagle bags (with various variants)

a Lacy Starfish Snood that i'm in the process of reworking the band of (it turned out to be too loose)

Mega-Sonic Screwdriver for Megan

Shy Adipose for Josh

Wisp scarf for Abby

Lacy Skull Cap for Alice with matching mini-hobo purse

Baby Totoro cap for Caleb (that turned out being huge)

And my Asymmetrical Wrap...which doesn't have finished sleeves yet, but i've worn a couple of times as a vest.  The sleeves are in the works (i've finished the cuffs so far...pathetic, i know) and i'm planning to make them removable anyway.  I'm also planning to add ribbing to the back waist because it rolls up so much right now.

I guess i did get a lot of knitting done in hindsight, with about 15 projects completed and a few more started.  This year i hope to improve upon my finishing methods (weaving in ends, putting the zipper in my Fair Ginny cardigan, figuring out how to seam that baby sweater i knit years ago, etc.) and will probably eventually get around to working on quite a few projects.  River's vest (from Firefly) being among them... yeah, i've been crocheting more, even tackling amigurumi for the first time.  Yeah, i have been dreaming of a couple of projects but have no idea when i'll be able to tackle them.

2009 in review

i did, quite honestly, a lot of knitting this year, and also some crocheting. It seems rather amazing to me that i finished eleven projects and began at least five more. i knitted my first sweater, my first pair of socks, and knit in Europe (most notably the airport in Germany, the hostel in Barcelona, the train to and from Rome, and the ship on the Mediterranean). This blog may not show how busy i was, but Ravelry was one of my most frequently visited sites, and i fully intend to keep knitting... and maybe crocheting, too. (:

My 2009 projects included:

Fox Coffee Beanie Reborn


Liberty Cap 1.0


Fair Ginny


Ohm Mat Bag


Chunky Cabled Cap


Ski Helmet Liner, Jr.


Boing Socks


three Hobo purses


Ski Helmet Liner

and pictures are forthcoming on Dashing Evi and the Ginny Hex Vest.



Since the new year i have already completed two more projects and started two more! So even with reduced time for knitting (this semester is intense!) i have been knitting every spare moment. i even wrote a poem about knitting last week... and am dreaming up new projects all the time.

bitter lemon-limes

After looking at at least five grocery stores, i have finally found some lemon-lime Kool-aid. The bad news is that i neglected to write down how many ounces of yarn that i'm going to be dyeing, and only bought eight packets (when there is 16 ounces of yarn). So, the question is, do i buy more? Perhaps dilute the green with the leftover yellow and orange that i have left over from dyeing Tangy Giselle? i'm undecided. i think that i will probably be using what i have and then adapting to fit my needs as i am actually doing the dyeing. i do not want the colors to be too bright or too diluted, either. i'm not exactly sure what color i'm going for here, just something greenish, but not blech (like the $200 handbag that my US Lit professor bragged about getting a good deal on last semester). i'm definitely going for a bogey color (hex!), but i want it to be pretty, too.... Does that make any sense???

The bitter part of this post is that i am trying to figure out a good way to unwind this yarn and i have managed to get it royally tangled in the process. i'm almost finished untangling it now, but it's taken me over an hour. The board game box was too small, the ironing board kept collapsing, but the empty laundry basket turned upside down seems to be doing the trick.

update

sigh...

Well, i've completed knitting projects for two Christmas presents, and bought some yarn for additional projects, but haven't started them. It seems like so many of my projects don't turn out the way i expect them to or age prematurely. My PoA scarf looks horrid, probably because i washed it in the machine and wore it every day and the yarn was hand wash only, and the scarf really wasn't wide enough or long enough in the first place. My messenger bag never got truly finished, it turned out that i didn't purchase quite enough fabric, and the flap was too short, which didn't stop me from using the bag every day... and a seam needs to be repaired as a result, but i don't even know where i stashed the bag, it probably needs to be washed, too. i've never found a pattern that would work for the Fox beanie visor. The crocheted newsboy cap from Knit 1 has never looked right on me, and i'm not happy with the visor on it. My swimsuit/coverup project has been a complete fiasco. i haven't taken the time to sew all the projects i've cut out. My digital camera's screen is totally messed up now for no explicable reason. It's all very discouraging. i must get some more projects done but i'm not sure that i can take failure right now...

Summer's here

Well my swimsuit has become a swimsuit coverup and is currently in progress using a Vogue pattern. Brinna's swimsuit was crocheted (based on a Macy's product, i believe) and i hear it's done but haven't seen it. i've began collecting yarn for Christmas presents; need to get started soon while i have plenty of time! So far i will be knitting a fancy fur coonskin cap, a scarf, and some socks.

re: the $60

Incidentally, i also spent my money on Christmas presents. But me trying to not knit (or crochet now it seems) is nearly impossible. I enjoy working on projects in class or while listening to books on tape. I'm going to have to start bringing my work while on carpool. And i can't believe that i'm becoming such a yarn snob!

I never thought i'd see the day that i'd become a crocheter, though. I'm still highly selective about which projects i'd like to do, but then, i'm that way about knitting, too, aren't i?

crocheting again (yes, you read that right!)

Yesterday (was it only yeterday? it seems so far away) i finished crocheting a lacy hat that i just happened to find in a book at the library. See, on Monday i sold my books back and instantly had $60 burning a whole in my pocket. I headed over to the new knitting store in town (the Cozy Knit & Purl) for the bamboo needles that i know i can't buy anywhere else and while i'm there i stumble upon some Rowan yarn that is just beautiful and the perfect color. It matches Arwen's chase jacket. And as soon as i had seen this hat pattern i thought it looked elvish. So i splurged on the yarn and now have a completed pattern. Not only that, but i'm currently working on an advanced pattern that's in the newest Knit 1 magazine.

Of the Rowan yarn: i really wasn't happy with the quality of it. I think this is the same color that i got, but it seems a bit greyer in person. It's a very pale color. Just a bit more turquoise in it than Arwen's chase outfit.



Of the Lion Brand suede that i'm currently using for two different hat patterns i am fairly happy. It's a bit difficult to cast on with but it crochets like a dream. I'm crocheting with Ecru and knitting with Coffee.



Hopefully i can post pics soon, but Brinna is on the road again... rather, she's in Korea seeing her husband for the first time since May.

punk wristwarmer conversion

The more time i wait to do this, the less i want to do it. It would be really easy to do, in fact i could type up the pattern in ten minutes, but i don't think i want to make another pair of those wristwarmers. I didn't really like them that well once i finished them. My tension when crocheting is a whole lot better, but i'm still no crocheter. I'm not sure what i'll do.

Oh, and sorry about the lack of pictures: hopefully i'll be posting some real soon... really!

beanie hats galore

I have finished my beanie visor, am nearly done with brinna's, and am finally posting this image that i saw shortly after Star Wars 3 came out: they're crocheted but i think it's a great idea. As an R2-D2 fan i may have to make one of these myself.

Punk Wristwarmers

made by Luinel
based on Midnight Knitter's Punk Crochet Wrist-Warmers

It used to be that i couldn't crochet a square shaped object. Because of this project my tension and ability have vastly improved when it comes to crocheting. I'm still a knitter by choice, but it's nice to know that i can now crochet something if i need to or choose to.

I made a couple of modifications to this pattern: i only crocheted 24 rows before joining the wrist and i extended the top of the pattern a couple of rows so it would reach my knuckles. Nothing fancy. I'm getting ready to swear off Bernat, though: the brand's yarn worked great for Alice's Sweater, but the camo yarn didn't do as well. I wore one wristwarmer two nights and the other one night on a campout and they're both already getting stretched out and messed up.