Friday, January 30, 2009
yum
Bought the Kool-Aid today, i think i got more than enough if my conversion from grams to ounces was correct. Today i ordered Crystal Palace Kid Merino in Lemon Sherbet (that's a horrible photo, but this is the yarn i hope to dye light orange for the wrap sweater) and 10 skeins of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky for the Ginny GoF cardigan. Were i going for colors as close to the movie as possible i would have used Khaki for the MC, but i chose to use Pistachio instead. For the CCs i’m using Orchid Thistle, Wild Mustard, and Rust. it was hard to pick which shades of the yellow / gold and orange to pick, but the Orchid was always my favorite shade of purple. i also ordered a skein of the Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Ink Blue for a Liberty Cap. i can hardly wait for the yarn to arrive!
progressing on Evi
After a false start with runaway cables on the inner wrist, i have cast back on and knitted to the wrist. i dropped a purl st once and had to undo 3 rows worth of cable pattern to fix my mistake. ): Luckily i saw a video on YouTube the other night that showed me an easy way to quickly un-knit my mistake. As it turns out, i accidentally repeated row 5 on my second repeat, but i liked the way it looked so i did it for my fourth repeat as well. i've been decreasing 3 sts every 5 rows and now have 46 sts on the needles: i plan to dec 2 more sts at the inner wrist and start the thumb gusset next. i wish i had the energy to do so now, but i'm really tired and need to get some sleep cuz i have class in the morning.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Evi update
i guess i'll go with the convertible mittens that i've been meaning to do for forever: i'll use Broad Street Mittens as a guide. So far, i am ready for round 11 and to start the cable pattern. In round five i did a cable round like in the Fetching pattern once (instead of repeating it 3 times on the wrist, i just did it once, and because i don't have a knit 4, p1, repeat going on i slip 2 k sts, hold to front, p2, k2 off cable needle). And because i'm backwards and contrary i'm knitting the right mitten first, which is mostly because i plan to reverse the Evangeline cable pattern on the left mitten so that the cables cross the same way i do up my sneakers (outside laces on top). Yes, i know i'm anal.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Casting on Evangeline!
So i actually knitted a swatch for this (twice), and it turned out that for the pattern's gauge i probably need to use needles in size 1 1/2... but i’m using size 2 and will have 24 sts per 4” instead of 20. i decided to have the cuff come to mid-forearm, where my arm measures 10” in circumference. As it turns out, since i have big bones and am overweight, i can’t cast on 40 like the pattern calls for. i figured out that according to gauge i need to cast on 64 sts and will gradually decrease to 44 at my wrist. So i’m still using 16 sts of pattern, but have 48 sts divided evenly on my other two needles (24 sts on each). i also plan to create a gusset and add some interest inspired by Fetching. To cast on i also used the long tail method for the first time, which as it turns out is super easy, but when my Grandma tried to explain it to me some 15-17 years ago made absolutely no sense. Now i think i’ll use it every time.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
knitting for... politics?
Every day that i go to work, i look across the seven square four-caps (i think that's what they're called) that everyone must pass on their way to check out, and see a book on our magazine rack named Knitting for Peace. For a long time i just stared at its pink cover and the dove on it and wondered... how does one knit for peace? So i picked it up one day and discovered: the book isn't about creating world peace or anything like that, it's about knitting for charities. Inside are patterns for blankets (with info about Blankets for Linus) and chemo caps. As far as i can tell, the book isn't about peace at all.
What a let down.
Now, i do not happen to believe in world peace. You see, the Bible tells us that once world peace occurs things are going to get really, really bad. Christians are going to have their heads cut off left and right and people will have to have a "mark" (probably a tattoo or computer chip) in order to buy, sell, survive. Why would i pray or hope for an event that's going to bring radical changes to the world that are exactly what i am against politically?
i don't normally talk about politics here (you can go to my main blog for that); when i go to a knitting blog, i want to read about knitting. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that all the political knitting blogs i have seen were very anti-Bush. i'm not saying that i agree with everything Bush did during his eight years as president, in fact he did a lot to let me down. A fellow student of mine hates him because she voted for him for one reason and regretted it: her issue of choice? She's pro-life. From a pro-life standpoint W was very much a success (of course Obama has promised to undo all those policies). Even if those the strong pro-life policies of the Bush administration only saved the life of one baby, in my opinion that makes it worth voting for W (which i did twice).
Of course, under President Bush the U.S. government has grown enormous, as has the deficit; that's not so good. However, i do not think that President Obama (we can't call him O, Oprah already has the corner on that market) is going to provide any solutions to these issues, from what he has said i think that they are only going to get worse.
According to Amazon, Knitting for Peace mentions Martha Washington spearheading efforts to knit for the troops. How is that knitting for peace? That's knitting for war. The American Girl books about Molly talk about how the girls would knit socks and blankets for the troops. That's very American, but not at all peaceful, it was part of the war effort along with having a garden and collecting scrap metal. The posters of the era were iconic and very patriotic. We've all seen Rosie the Riveter and Uncle Sam pointing at us.
Personally, i would like to knit for freedom. i'm not sure how to do that. Sit ins? Knit Liberty Caps? March in DC with needles in hand? i've never protested, i've never picketed, i rarely sign petitions. Why is it that the people who believe the opposite way that i do seem so much more organized than me? i feel very alone and don't have the slightest idea what to do in response to the change that i can feel is coming. i feel as if the war is already lost. Considering how happy i've been lately, and at peace despite my life's hardships, the prospects for the future could be downright depressing when i think about it.
i think that feeling this way is probably because of the open bias of the media. They want everyone to think that everyone loves Obama. Well this simply is not the case. Not everyone believes in bail outs and nationalizing universal health care and social security. Not everyone wants a third of their paycheck to be taken away before they cash it, and tax dollars going to stem cell research and killing babies. Not everyone believes in closing Guantanamo Bay and giving up on hunting down Bin Laden (as Obama has flip-flopped on his pledge to hunt him down, saying that he's just not that dangerous anymore).
i need to find some friends who believe the same way as me so i don't feel so alone all the time.
What a let down.
Now, i do not happen to believe in world peace. You see, the Bible tells us that once world peace occurs things are going to get really, really bad. Christians are going to have their heads cut off left and right and people will have to have a "mark" (probably a tattoo or computer chip) in order to buy, sell, survive. Why would i pray or hope for an event that's going to bring radical changes to the world that are exactly what i am against politically?
i don't normally talk about politics here (you can go to my main blog for that); when i go to a knitting blog, i want to read about knitting. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that all the political knitting blogs i have seen were very anti-Bush. i'm not saying that i agree with everything Bush did during his eight years as president, in fact he did a lot to let me down. A fellow student of mine hates him because she voted for him for one reason and regretted it: her issue of choice? She's pro-life. From a pro-life standpoint W was very much a success (of course Obama has promised to undo all those policies). Even if those the strong pro-life policies of the Bush administration only saved the life of one baby, in my opinion that makes it worth voting for W (which i did twice).
Of course, under President Bush the U.S. government has grown enormous, as has the deficit; that's not so good. However, i do not think that President Obama (we can't call him O, Oprah already has the corner on that market) is going to provide any solutions to these issues, from what he has said i think that they are only going to get worse.
According to Amazon, Knitting for Peace mentions Martha Washington spearheading efforts to knit for the troops. How is that knitting for peace? That's knitting for war. The American Girl books about Molly talk about how the girls would knit socks and blankets for the troops. That's very American, but not at all peaceful, it was part of the war effort along with having a garden and collecting scrap metal. The posters of the era were iconic and very patriotic. We've all seen Rosie the Riveter and Uncle Sam pointing at us.
Personally, i would like to knit for freedom. i'm not sure how to do that. Sit ins? Knit Liberty Caps? March in DC with needles in hand? i've never protested, i've never picketed, i rarely sign petitions. Why is it that the people who believe the opposite way that i do seem so much more organized than me? i feel very alone and don't have the slightest idea what to do in response to the change that i can feel is coming. i feel as if the war is already lost. Considering how happy i've been lately, and at peace despite my life's hardships, the prospects for the future could be downright depressing when i think about it.
i think that feeling this way is probably because of the open bias of the media. They want everyone to think that everyone loves Obama. Well this simply is not the case. Not everyone believes in bail outs and nationalizing universal health care and social security. Not everyone wants a third of their paycheck to be taken away before they cash it, and tax dollars going to stem cell research and killing babies. Not everyone believes in closing Guantanamo Bay and giving up on hunting down Bin Laden (as Obama has flip-flopped on his pledge to hunt him down, saying that he's just not that dangerous anymore).
i need to find some friends who believe the same way as me so i don't feel so alone all the time.
still dreaming of knitting... and dying too!
No, not committing suicide or going to Heaven through natural means (though i did have an interesting conversation last night with a guildee about the end times and how to become a Christian), but learning how to dye my yarn. This is actually something i have wanted to learn how to do for a long time, whether it be yarn or fabric that i would be dying. i love batik fabrics and it can be a bit of a challenge to find the colors i want for projects. This is especially true of the yarn i want to use for that wrap sweater.
From the beginning, i knew that i wanted the yarn to be fuzzy. That was clear from the photo in Fit Pregnancy that inspired the sweater, that it was soft fuzzy yarn knit with needles a couple of sizes too big so that it is semi-lacy. The closest yarn i could find for a long time was Rowan Kidsilk Haze, which is a challenge to use (i crocheted a hat with it once), and unfortunately expensive. So for the past few days i have been scouring the internet for a cheaper substitute (or any substitute, for that matter) in the color i want. See, in the photo the sweater was a dark orange, kind of on the red side, but in my head i have always seen this sweater as more of a yellow orange: not peach, not gold, not yellow, not orange red, not rust, not red orange, but a light orange that's on the yellow side.
Well i haven't been able to find that color anywhere. So my mind started turning to dying the yarn myself, but i have no idea how to do that! It sounds complicated! What if i buy a bunch of expensive yarn and it still doesn't turn out the color i want?!? But today i stumbled upon KoolAid dying: one apparently mixes the KoolAid to be the color he or she wants, microwaves or simmers the yarn in the said mix, and when all the color has gone out of the water rinses and dry and voila you're done. Sounds easy enough, and it isn't toxic!
Well i found a cheaper yarn substitute finally, after Googling and searching for way too long (i could be lvling an alt or doing homework for crying out loud!). i found Crystal Palace Kid Merino and i eventually found a website where it's on sale and found another color or the yarn that i'm going to be hard pressed passing up (look at the Cocoa Blues at the top of that first page). i was originally planning on buying the Natural, but now i think i'm going to go with Lemon Sherbet because i read on one website that the artifical fibers and cotton don't dye as well (if at all) and that you can also dye pastels and light colors to good effect (hey, maybe i could put some of Grandma's old yarn to use after all...). Crystal Palace is cheaper than Rowan because it uses Nylon instead of Silk; so i might have a bit of lemon in my sweater, too, but that's okay, i want my yarn to be more yellow than pink or red anyway, and it doesn't have to be solid all the way through, i kind of like the hand dyed look after all (lol), i just don't want the yarn to be obviously variegated like Red Heart brand is. ):
In conclusion, i got my mitten yarn today, which is nice and soft, but not quite as turquoise as i was expecting. It's a nice enough blue, but is more on the cornflower side of the spectrum. When i ordered this yarn i almost picked the charcoal grey, now i wonder if i made the right choice (at any rate, it's too late to change my mind now, they are sold out of just about all of the colors now, and don't plan to carry it any longer it seems). Anyways, here's hoping that i get some more knitting done next week, and some of my dream buys will come to fruition. (: i think if i buy the yarn for these sweaters that i will be set when it comes to yarn for quite a while to come. Plus, the leftovers from the Ginny Cardigan will make good Christmas presents.
ETA: i guess that the proper spelling is dyeing... oops.
From the beginning, i knew that i wanted the yarn to be fuzzy. That was clear from the photo in Fit Pregnancy that inspired the sweater, that it was soft fuzzy yarn knit with needles a couple of sizes too big so that it is semi-lacy. The closest yarn i could find for a long time was Rowan Kidsilk Haze, which is a challenge to use (i crocheted a hat with it once), and unfortunately expensive. So for the past few days i have been scouring the internet for a cheaper substitute (or any substitute, for that matter) in the color i want. See, in the photo the sweater was a dark orange, kind of on the red side, but in my head i have always seen this sweater as more of a yellow orange: not peach, not gold, not yellow, not orange red, not rust, not red orange, but a light orange that's on the yellow side.
Well i haven't been able to find that color anywhere. So my mind started turning to dying the yarn myself, but i have no idea how to do that! It sounds complicated! What if i buy a bunch of expensive yarn and it still doesn't turn out the color i want?!? But today i stumbled upon KoolAid dying: one apparently mixes the KoolAid to be the color he or she wants, microwaves or simmers the yarn in the said mix, and when all the color has gone out of the water rinses and dry and voila you're done. Sounds easy enough, and it isn't toxic!
Well i found a cheaper yarn substitute finally, after Googling and searching for way too long (i could be lvling an alt or doing homework for crying out loud!). i found Crystal Palace Kid Merino and i eventually found a website where it's on sale and found another color or the yarn that i'm going to be hard pressed passing up (look at the Cocoa Blues at the top of that first page). i was originally planning on buying the Natural, but now i think i'm going to go with Lemon Sherbet because i read on one website that the artifical fibers and cotton don't dye as well (if at all) and that you can also dye pastels and light colors to good effect (hey, maybe i could put some of Grandma's old yarn to use after all...). Crystal Palace is cheaper than Rowan because it uses Nylon instead of Silk; so i might have a bit of lemon in my sweater, too, but that's okay, i want my yarn to be more yellow than pink or red anyway, and it doesn't have to be solid all the way through, i kind of like the hand dyed look after all (lol), i just don't want the yarn to be obviously variegated like Red Heart brand is. ):
In conclusion, i got my mitten yarn today, which is nice and soft, but not quite as turquoise as i was expecting. It's a nice enough blue, but is more on the cornflower side of the spectrum. When i ordered this yarn i almost picked the charcoal grey, now i wonder if i made the right choice (at any rate, it's too late to change my mind now, they are sold out of just about all of the colors now, and don't plan to carry it any longer it seems). Anyways, here's hoping that i get some more knitting done next week, and some of my dream buys will come to fruition. (: i think if i buy the yarn for these sweaters that i will be set when it comes to yarn for quite a while to come. Plus, the leftovers from the Ginny Cardigan will make good Christmas presents.
ETA: i guess that the proper spelling is dyeing... oops.
Friday, January 23, 2009
knitting on the brain
So no sooner do i say that i don't need a digital camera because i have a cell phone than i have to update the software on my phone because it won't charge and suddenly i can't download photos from my camera any more. So i need to figure out a new way to get that photo off that i promised you last post and i really don't want to text it to my e-mail account but we'll see.
i finished my first sock last night while listening to homework and cast on to the second during lunch today. Earlier this week i ordered the Hauk yarn in color 5943 for my mittens off the internet and used my gift certificate at the local yarn store to buy more sock yarn (in oranges 145 and blues 1606) and cable needles.
i am really tempted to buy some Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky for Stitch 'N Bitch's Fairly Easy Fair Isle in colors like Ginny's cardigan (from GoF i believe) as well as that lacy wrap sweater that i've been wanting to knit for forever (the trouble is that i can't find the yarn in the light orange shade i want).
i think that it's safe to say that i'm obsessing about knitting a lot this week.
Oh, i also bought some fabric paints and stencils to decorate some thrift store pillowcases that i'm turning into shopping / book bags. Next i need to buy some straps (i'm thinking about using ribbon) and the cuffs that i've been meaning to put onto my blue zipup hoodie for a while now. Oh, i'm thinking about making stitch markers too and selling some on my Etsy store, and ordering the yarn to knit a blue Liberty Cap. Hmm i'm creative lately, the trouble is finding time to follow through on my ideas.
i finished my first sock last night while listening to homework and cast on to the second during lunch today. Earlier this week i ordered the Hauk yarn in color 5943 for my mittens off the internet and used my gift certificate at the local yarn store to buy more sock yarn (in oranges 145 and blues 1606) and cable needles.
i am really tempted to buy some Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky for Stitch 'N Bitch's Fairly Easy Fair Isle in colors like Ginny's cardigan (from GoF i believe) as well as that lacy wrap sweater that i've been wanting to knit for forever (the trouble is that i can't find the yarn in the light orange shade i want).i think that it's safe to say that i'm obsessing about knitting a lot this week.
Oh, i also bought some fabric paints and stencils to decorate some thrift store pillowcases that i'm turning into shopping / book bags. Next i need to buy some straps (i'm thinking about using ribbon) and the cuffs that i've been meaning to put onto my blue zipup hoodie for a while now. Oh, i'm thinking about making stitch markers too and selling some on my Etsy store, and ordering the yarn to knit a blue Liberty Cap. Hmm i'm creative lately, the trouble is finding time to follow through on my ideas.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
on second thought...
i was looking at digital cameras at Target the other day, then glanced at them at Wal-Mart. i don't want a cheap digital camera that will break quickly, i want a nice one like the one my brother-in-law has. Right now, my cellphone camera will just have to be good enough. Luckily i can download photos off of it directly to my computer.
Here is a picture of my aunt wearing the scarf i knitted for her for Christmas:
CO 16 sts, k every row, bind off when you reach the length that suits your fancy, easy peasy nice and cheasy. i was actually surprised how fast this went and how much easier it was to go back and forth in a garter stitch than knitting in the round with it. Total knitting time was less than five hours, i'm happy with it, but still don't love the eyelash fur stuff.
Here is a picture of my aunt wearing the scarf i knitted for her for Christmas:
CO 16 sts, k every row, bind off when you reach the length that suits your fancy, easy peasy nice and cheasy. i was actually surprised how fast this went and how much easier it was to go back and forth in a garter stitch than knitting in the round with it. Total knitting time was less than five hours, i'm happy with it, but still don't love the eyelash fur stuff.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
re: Christmas knitting
So, i decided weeks ago to keep half of my "Christmas knitting" for myself, because the more i worked on it, the more i couldn't bear to think of giving it away. i am 2/3 of the way through a sock, which is just sitting on a shelf above the head of my bed. i hardly put it down for a week and since then i haven't touched it. i've been so busy.
Finals are finally over, however. So i do need to finish my one piece of Christmas knitting, finish my Christmas shopping, and continue putting thought into my Etsy shop. i haven't listed anything there yet, i ran out of time to put up what i was thinking of, as the project didn't work out and it had a clear Christmas theme and it's too close to Christmas now (maybe next year)? i am now working at Hobby Lobby, so my employee discount should come in handy when it comes to mats. i'm thinking about making stitch markers, decorating canvas bags (maybe even buying some at Goodwill and fixing them up, thus Reusing), but knitting is still too dear to my heart at this point. It's too much effort to put a reasonable price on and i pour too much of myself into it to give away to someone who won't fully appreciate it.
Anyway, i hope to buy a digital camera soon, but i also need to save money to pay back my sis... and of course there's so much yarn that i want to buy, that i've been waiting forever to buy. /sigh We'll have to see what works out. i need to buy new glasses first.
Finals are finally over, however. So i do need to finish my one piece of Christmas knitting, finish my Christmas shopping, and continue putting thought into my Etsy shop. i haven't listed anything there yet, i ran out of time to put up what i was thinking of, as the project didn't work out and it had a clear Christmas theme and it's too close to Christmas now (maybe next year)? i am now working at Hobby Lobby, so my employee discount should come in handy when it comes to mats. i'm thinking about making stitch markers, decorating canvas bags (maybe even buying some at Goodwill and fixing them up, thus Reusing), but knitting is still too dear to my heart at this point. It's too much effort to put a reasonable price on and i pour too much of myself into it to give away to someone who won't fully appreciate it.
Anyway, i hope to buy a digital camera soon, but i also need to save money to pay back my sis... and of course there's so much yarn that i want to buy, that i've been waiting forever to buy. /sigh We'll have to see what works out. i need to buy new glasses first.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Christmas knitting underway
i spent way too much money at Tangle yesterday: fifty dollars and change for three balls of yarn and two sets of needles. Unbelievable. But i'm knitting again, and i like that. i bought quality knitting tools and i am now more broke than i would like to be. i need a job but don't know how to handle having one. Hopefully once i get into the swing of knitting my second pair of socks (my first real pair, mind you, the first pair were kind of slipper socks and i'm not sure they count) it will help calm me down. i don't know, i'm just so happy to be knitting again. i'm thinking about opening an Etsy shop, maybe that's what i should do with the last of my money, but it would require me making an investment and taking a chance. i don't know what i'm going to do.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
grr
Blogger keeps losing my list of knitting blogs, and it's irritating me. How am i supposed to keep up with my blogs if they delete them? Luckily, i bookmark them as well. i still wish that the stinking thing worked.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
a new left-over-yarn stash use?
i just started running this week (amazing, i know, but true). The trouble is, i'm not sure what to do with my cellphone/mp3player while i'm running. i'm afraid that if i hold it in my hand i'll drop it, and it's already awkward enough switching my water bottle back and forth. i'm kind of ashamed to admit that i have been putting my cellphone in my bra, in between my breasts, but it gets sweaty in there and that's just... gross. i need to figure out a way to carry my water bottle without it being difficult to use and bouncing all over the place, too.
While i haven't figured out what to do about the water bottle yet, my thoughts immediately turned to the iPod armband that was featured in one of the first issues of Knit1. A quick Ravelry search has uncovered several options. i'm not sure how well an armband will work, or how long it will fit (my goal is to lose weight after all!). Maybe i can knit it to the size of my forearm and hope that it will fit my bicep eventually? Another option is a pouch around my neck, which i like, but i'm not sure i want another thing bouncing around all over the place up there.
Of course i'm bouncing around up there, i'm running. i want to find some exercise bras, bandeaus, or tube tops to use as an alternative to my bras. i'm worried about the fact that, though my bras fit just fine, they get to be uncomfortable, and when i take them off i itch. i know this is a similar phenomenon to when i take off my socks, it just means that i'm getting a return in circulation, kind of a subdued, barely noticeable, waking up from being asleep affect (like when your leg falls asleep and tingles). This can't be good for my breasts or my body. i'm thoroughly disgusted with bras really, i'm anti-females-as-a-sex-object outside of the privacy of my bedroom, tyvm. i only want my husband (whoever he may be) to think of me like that. That's part of why i dress in such an androgynous manner (though i'm sure my mother would probably say i dress in a masculine way).
i don't wear a lot of skirts because they're either old fashioned/not my style or too short/not my style (not to mention that thighs rubbing together gets to be a tad uncomfortable). i've wanted to start wrapping shawls or scarves (the thin, silky kind, not the warm kind) around my hips over jeans as a more feminine touch but it seems a tad extraneous and over the top (not to mention the fact that i don't own any shawls, can't afford any yarn, and most scarves aren't long enough to fit around me).
Anyway, back on topic. i'm going to get out my old yarn and try to figure out a quick solution. Ravelry awaits....
While i haven't figured out what to do about the water bottle yet, my thoughts immediately turned to the iPod armband that was featured in one of the first issues of Knit1. A quick Ravelry search has uncovered several options. i'm not sure how well an armband will work, or how long it will fit (my goal is to lose weight after all!). Maybe i can knit it to the size of my forearm and hope that it will fit my bicep eventually? Another option is a pouch around my neck, which i like, but i'm not sure i want another thing bouncing around all over the place up there.
Of course i'm bouncing around up there, i'm running. i want to find some exercise bras, bandeaus, or tube tops to use as an alternative to my bras. i'm worried about the fact that, though my bras fit just fine, they get to be uncomfortable, and when i take them off i itch. i know this is a similar phenomenon to when i take off my socks, it just means that i'm getting a return in circulation, kind of a subdued, barely noticeable, waking up from being asleep affect (like when your leg falls asleep and tingles). This can't be good for my breasts or my body. i'm thoroughly disgusted with bras really, i'm anti-females-as-a-sex-object outside of the privacy of my bedroom, tyvm. i only want my husband (whoever he may be) to think of me like that. That's part of why i dress in such an androgynous manner (though i'm sure my mother would probably say i dress in a masculine way).
i don't wear a lot of skirts because they're either old fashioned/not my style or too short/not my style (not to mention that thighs rubbing together gets to be a tad uncomfortable). i've wanted to start wrapping shawls or scarves (the thin, silky kind, not the warm kind) around my hips over jeans as a more feminine touch but it seems a tad extraneous and over the top (not to mention the fact that i don't own any shawls, can't afford any yarn, and most scarves aren't long enough to fit around me).
Anyway, back on topic. i'm going to get out my old yarn and try to figure out a quick solution. Ravelry awaits....
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
i just put ice in my waterbottle
It feels cold now. Is there a way to knit a cover that will keep my bottle cold? Would the condensation get the yarn soggy? Which type of yarn would i use? Those wetsuit-material bags that are sold at REI are neat but way too expensive.
All these thoughts were going through my head as i was walking from lunch to the computer lab. Not knitting is definitely getting to me, especially considering the fact that when i knit in class i have better focus and remember lectures more clearly. Drat it all, why can't i find a job so i can fund my knitting obsession???
All these thoughts were going through my head as i was walking from lunch to the computer lab. Not knitting is definitely getting to me, especially considering the fact that when i knit in class i have better focus and remember lectures more clearly. Drat it all, why can't i find a job so i can fund my knitting obsession???
Monday, September 08, 2008
September is here...
...and once again i have an itch to see snow and strap on my board. In fact, the itch started before September did, in a rather typical fashion for me, that is no doubt amplified by the fact that i spent most of my last winter in warm Savannah, GA (it also doesn't help that the leaves are starting to change early this year). So i've been browsing the usual places for new gloves for when i hit the snow. i have horrible luck with gloves, and seem doomed to always lose one glove right away, or discover that i have paid too much for a product that is going to start falling apart the first time i wear it, or even more annoying is the tendency for my hands/gloves to get wet and freezing long before the rest of my body is. Snowboarding requires one to put her hands in the snow a lot, far more than when skiing. Every time one sits down, gets up, turns too sharp, grabs, scrapes the excess snow off the top and out of the bindings, straps in, you're probably going to get snow on your hands and/or gloves/mittens. Even so called "waterproof" materials allow far too much moisture to accumulate in the place where i get cold first... my hands.
So i don't want to pay $50 for some nice gloves that i'll probably just lose and/or won't keep me dry and warm. And because i'm crafty i'd much rather be able to knit something at a fraction of the price. Browsing at all the handmade things at Etsy got me thinking... even wool yarn gets wet, right? Maybe i've found a solution.
The Knitter's Reviwe wrote Yarn Profile: Dalegarn Hauk four and a half years ago... and it looks promising. Not only is it wool, it's teflon coated so it repels water. Other water-repelling options seem to be tencel, yarn spun from ecospun (fiber made from soda bottles), jellycord, or fuax cashmere (though i'm not sure how warm all of these choices would be). i think that as soon as i find a job i'm going to have to buy some of this Hauk and knit myself some gloves or mittens. Yarndex features some Gryffindor colors, as well as some choices that would match my board nicely (it's even an affordable price). i'm excited that i discovered this! Thanks to Knit Lit and the power of Google!
So i don't want to pay $50 for some nice gloves that i'll probably just lose and/or won't keep me dry and warm. And because i'm crafty i'd much rather be able to knit something at a fraction of the price. Browsing at all the handmade things at Etsy got me thinking... even wool yarn gets wet, right? Maybe i've found a solution.
The Knitter's Reviwe wrote Yarn Profile: Dalegarn Hauk four and a half years ago... and it looks promising. Not only is it wool, it's teflon coated so it repels water. Other water-repelling options seem to be tencel, yarn spun from ecospun (fiber made from soda bottles), jellycord, or fuax cashmere (though i'm not sure how warm all of these choices would be). i think that as soon as i find a job i'm going to have to buy some of this Hauk and knit myself some gloves or mittens. Yarndex features some Gryffindor colors, as well as some choices that would match my board nicely (it's even an affordable price). i'm excited that i discovered this! Thanks to Knit Lit and the power of Google!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
knitting deprivation!!!
My yarn stash is pretty much exhausted at the moment, except for personal wips that i don't want to focus on before Christmas (and the dreaded afghan for Mom that i don't know if i'll ever complete)... and i have no money to buy the yarn for the gifts i want to knit!!! The places i've put applications in at have yet to get back to me or are waiting on background checks. Financial aid is similarly wishy-washy and i don't even have money for my tuition or textbooks yet. /sigh
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Ravelry updates
i finally got a lot of pics of finished projects up, though not all of them yet. i hope to get some wip pics up soon, too. Finally, some updates of consequence!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Abby's sweater--now for Alice--update
So far i have sewn the shoulders together and one of the sides. i have also picked up stitches for one of the sleeves and it is nearly halfway done. i think they're going to end up being 3/4 sleeves but i'm worried about running out of yarn and no matter what i do they're going to be too short on Alice eventually. So hopefully i'll be finished with this project within the next couple of weeks.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
whew
So i didn't finish one of the gifts i wanted to give, but it was the one i started a long time ago for Abby and meant to give Alice, so i did finish everything i started this past year (hurray!). Abby's upset that she got a scarf instead of mittens or gloves, d'oh; guess i can't please everyone. (: Pics will be forthcoming soon (well, within the next month sometime).
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
I FOUND IT!!!
:jumps up and down in glee:
Which is a relief, because otherwise i would have wasted the last two hours of my life and never gotten to try this method. It was on a site that i had bookmarked the hompage of, Ysolda, which wasn't very helpful to myself. It's called Tubular Cast On and apparently there are a couple of different methods (that are featured on other websites and blogs) and i'm going to try them all! Eventually, at least. (: Here's the video, which you can find by searching for "Tubular Cast On" using her site search engine.
Which is a relief, because otherwise i would have wasted the last two hours of my life and never gotten to try this method. It was on a site that i had bookmarked the hompage of, Ysolda, which wasn't very helpful to myself. It's called Tubular Cast On and apparently there are a couple of different methods (that are featured on other websites and blogs) and i'm going to try them all! Eventually, at least. (: Here's the video, which you can find by searching for "Tubular Cast On" using her site search engine.
Casting On
So i have discovered (though long suspected) that my casting on method does not really have a name or actually exists as a taught method. i learned to knit a long time ago, when i was still in junior high, and taught myself from a book that did not have the best illustrations. For a long time my knitting was perfected through the elbow grease of trial and error, and as a result i probably don't know all of the tricks that would have been taught to me had i learned from another knitter. i'd been meaning to look up cast on methods, but last night i was talking to one of the women i work with, and she said that all cast on methods are supposed to have elasticity, and i inwardly knew that my cast on has never been elastic. It used to be tight, even, but though my tension has improved with time, the resulting edge has always been rigid. i imagine that this might actually be something that could be helpful in certain situations and projects, but not usually. (:
So i visited KnittingHelp.com and here is my discovery: my cast on is a modified version of Knitting On, though i don't twist the stitch the way they do (i sometimes twist the sts while working the second row, but usually just leave it as normal).
Grandma tried to teach me the Long Tail Cast On when i had only been knitting for a few weeks but my brain couldn't wrap around it at the time, and she didn't do enough knitting anymore to really answer my questions (i couldn't even form them yet, as i recall). Though now it looks easy enough i still am not thrilled about figuring out how much yarn i need before hand.
The Single cast on looks like it's cheating. A row of half hitches, come on, how sturdy can that be? But there a lot more methods of casting on for me to try that there are videos for on this website! i am so excited. Incidentally, the KnittingHelp website also says "Casting Off" instead of "Binding Off", so i'm not a total loser!
But the method of casting on that i really wanted to try i can no longer find for some reason. i know that i had it bookmarked, and i know that i watched it last week, but now i can't find it! i went through all my knitting bookmarks and still can't find it!!! And that's why i started writing this post in the first place, to tell you about that method, and in the meantime i got sidetracked finding the other webpage and trying to find the one video i wanted to show you in the first place. ):
So i visited KnittingHelp.com and here is my discovery: my cast on is a modified version of Knitting On, though i don't twist the stitch the way they do (i sometimes twist the sts while working the second row, but usually just leave it as normal).
Grandma tried to teach me the Long Tail Cast On when i had only been knitting for a few weeks but my brain couldn't wrap around it at the time, and she didn't do enough knitting anymore to really answer my questions (i couldn't even form them yet, as i recall). Though now it looks easy enough i still am not thrilled about figuring out how much yarn i need before hand.
The Single cast on looks like it's cheating. A row of half hitches, come on, how sturdy can that be? But there a lot more methods of casting on for me to try that there are videos for on this website! i am so excited. Incidentally, the KnittingHelp website also says "Casting Off" instead of "Binding Off", so i'm not a total loser!
But the method of casting on that i really wanted to try i can no longer find for some reason. i know that i had it bookmarked, and i know that i watched it last week, but now i can't find it! i went through all my knitting bookmarks and still can't find it!!! And that's why i started writing this post in the first place, to tell you about that method, and in the meantime i got sidetracked finding the other webpage and trying to find the one video i wanted to show you in the first place. ):
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