Experimenting with heels January 30, 2007

So in order to distract myself from making a decision* (I suck at making decisions) I created a problem that needed solving (I love to solve problems). Neurotic? Maybe, but at least I am aware of my sickness.

Problem: Need for a better short row heel (I was using the wrap method)

Possible Solutions: Laura B’s Toes and Heels

Experiments conducted:

Verdict: Japanese short row heels ROCK! They are not only the easiest (which also means quickest) but I think they give the best results.

Sorry for flash photos, but it’s raining again.

So how do the kiddos feel about being trapped inside on a rainy day with a crazy mom who insists on clearing off their train table** to sit on top of it and take pictures of a sock?

The jury is still out on this one….

*still on the fence about what to knit next

**it’s really a large wooden coffee table with drawers, buts substitues nicely for a train table (or whatever else they are playing with in the playroom)

Very Rainy Weekend… January 29, 2007

But fortunately the mailbox was filled with some sunshine.

Okay Cara, I get it.

But you must hold JulieFrick completely accountable. Because, you know accepting responsibilty for my own actions would make me like a grown up or something.

The End of the Endpaper Mitts…for now January 26, 2007

bad blogger, originally uploaded by RonikinsKnits.

I forgot to take a before photo.Opps. Bad blogger.

But it wasn’t much, so whateva. I really like the yarn- so soft and wooly (Brown Sheep’s Wildefoot in Temple Turquoise and Gunsmoke ), pattern is great, color work is fun, and I love the colors. I think I’m just done with fingerless gloves for now.

I did finish up the hubby me gloves. Yeah they are for me now. Apparently the hubby is not MAN enough for purple (more of an eggplant really). And he keeps calling it pink. Sweetie, it’s not pink. It’s okay though, I really like them. And he went to great efforts to reassure me, “It’s not the knitting, I love the knitting…it’s just pink.” So I’ll be on the lookout for none girly yarn for him. Any reason to yarn shop is fine with me!

(Named the Cactus Mitts because of this photo. click to see specs…and I will post pattern soon Becky!)

I finished them up at knit night at the LYS. I’ve been very excited all week to go again. And then I had to stop and ask myself why are you soo excited?? Not that the girls there aren’t great (You are!!), but it’s not like OMG backstage pass!! exciting. Then it hit me, I think last Thursday was the longest I’ve ever been able to just sit and knit. And being surrounded by people who speak and understand knitterease, icing on the cake baby! Last night was even better, cause I got to meet Lynda and Kaity! I’ve been totally lovin on reading their blogs for a lil while and they are just as nice in person!

So I’ve got semi empty needles (just some socks- there is always socks.) I started thinking on my next project earlier this week and made some lists and matched it up with my stash spreadsheet (Yes I am that geeky!) But this messed it all up. Now I don’t know what to do. I think I’ll sit and think on it for a minute.

First attempt January 22, 2007

First attempt 1Originally uploaded by RonikinsKnits.

So I happily cast on Saturday morning for hubbys fingerless gloves, with my new favorite tubular cast on, even get the correct number of stitches on the first try! I enjoy the rest of my day hanging with my family and knitting a row here and there. Later that night, after all kiddos are in bed, hubby and I are relaxing. I grab my knitting and show him my progress, he’s pretty impressed thinking he might be able to wear these pretty soon. I had just placed the thumb gusset stitches on a scrap of yarn, and decided it was time for a try on. Opps, hubby does not have Sasquatch hands. Gauge?, you say, oh no – spot on. Correct number of stitches? Nope, perfect. So what’s the deal? I forgot one of the most important things! Looking at the schematics to determine size. So it has already been ripped and started again. This time after careful examination of the schematics and much measuring.

*Warning: Some content may cause cuteness overload January 19, 2007

So for the first time I went to my LYS knit night. I have been wanting to go for AWHILE. But I’ve chickened out every week for the last year. It’s not anxiety of meeting new knitters and getting to sit there, knitting and chatting, with no kiddos in sight. That is actually the stuff dreams are made of. I love to knit, I love to chat, and I love meeting new people. So what has been stopping me from going?

*You have been for forewarned:

My BabyDoll.

(And yes she’s a true pirate going “Argghhhh” in the pic with eye patch)

 When she was born was the beginning of me becoming a REAL stay at home momma. I say real because up until then I had always worked a lil bit. Few hours a night, or on the weekend. But without the need (as in paycheck) to leave my baby, it has been very hard to do. But it has been a looonnnngggg couple of weeks around here. Teething and a never ending cold makes for a sad, sad BabyDoll who wants only to nurse. Around. The. Clock.  And let’s face it – nursing a snot nose that’s prone to biting just sucks. Yeah, I needed to get OUT.  

And it did feel so good. Besides my mom (aka Nana) I really don’t have any fellow knitters to chat with. My dear hubby will pretend to listen to the woes of gauge and love of yarn so sincerely, but in the end I know he’s pretending. (I know because he gets the same glaze I do when he mentions The Steelers or motorcycles – and yes he’s equally aware of my pretending). I left feeling recharged and ready to tackle another long night. Funny thing though, she turned back into the sleeping angel last night that I knew she was. (cross fingers for more of that!) I guess a happy mom does equal a happy baby. 

I do love my LYS and feel sad that I don’t support it as much as I should. (Being the deal hunter that I am I’m often shopping at some sale online). So to make up for it I left with a lil something.

Sorry this is the best photo I could do. L But this stuff is gorgeous. It’s a new sock yarn by Colinette. 100% merino goodness called Jitterbug, colourway Castagna (which is Italian for chestnut). Quite pricey too, $21.50 for a little less than 300 yards. But this was a guilt induced purchase which apparently cancels out my frugal nature.  It was bought with thoughts of hubby and he loves it too. So I’m gonna get started on some fingerless gloves RIGHT AWAY! 

(I also took home an orange chi, cause I NEED one, and a magnetic chart keeper because it was only 6 bucks and looked way cool. And I don’t need to justify this, I’m just sayin incase you were wondering. )

So what did I knit at knit night?

I cast on for these when I started the Endpaper Mitts. I needed something that was equally pick up-able and easily throw down-able. The Endpaper Mitts are in reserve for when all kiddos are gone or asleep, so needless to say they haven’t been seeing much action. And because I don’t trust myself to chat and follow a chart yet, I did not take the Endpaper Mitts to knit night. 

So the specs,

Pattern: My own

Yarn: Regia Silk, color Navy Blue

Yardage: 1 50gram ball with loads leftover, might be enough for a 3^rd even!

Needles:  Knit Picks Classic Circulars, size US 2

Gauge: 8 sts/inch

Date Started: Jan 15^th

Date Completed: Jan 19^th

For: Nana

Cost: $5 (yarn bought on sale of course!)

Thoughts: Love the yarn, love the needles, love knitting for my mom, and love completing something I intended to do months ago!!

And I swear I do knit things other than fingerless gloves, but right now I just can’t stop myself. Well alright, I’ll see ya next time! 

p.s. what’s up with wordpress. I seem to be only able to get my pics viewed  as a thumbnail or HUGE. Or is it me?

As promised… January 17, 2007

More about casting on those Endpaper Mitts. And I do mean the actual “cast on”. Eunny’s pattern calls for the Italian tubular cast on. But first I must say, that I love. love. love that Eunny specifies which cast on. Most commercial patterns don’t and it always bugs me, because I am a firm believer in using an appropriate cast on. Eunny even links to fantastic tutorial. Second, today must be the day to discuss tubular cast ons. Kathy’s blog is one of the first I ever read. Or for that matter, stumbled on to, while googling the combined method of knitting. I’m a big fan of Grumperina and take her suggestions seriously. Her first mention of Monste Stanley’s book and the loads of cast-ons, cast offs, increases, decreases, etc had my heart go pitter-patter. That is the kind of info I CRAVE. And the book does not disappoint! I’m not even ashamed to admit that I occasionally HUG it. But this Italian tubular cast-on is (gasp!) not in the book. So I was very eager to try this cast on. And the aforementioned tutorial is really clear and helpful. I practiced and practiced till I had mine neat and pretty like the example. BUT of course I don’t know how to count. It only took a few hundred times till I had the 56 (not 46, 58, 52, etc) stitches ready to join in the round. I guess that would be the only tricky part of the cast on for me, it’s a lil difficult to count the number of stitches cast on until you’ve knit those first two rows (especially with my lil helpers helping). But I do love the end effect. So that’s all I got for today. I won’t bother with a pic of my meager beginnings of these mitts, but to avoid going picture-less here is picture of the octopus from World of Knitted Toys  (just for you Jo).

Next… January 17, 2007

Done.

Done.

Scored at local thrift store! (only $1.50!!)

So I’ve cast on (more about that later) for Eunny’s Endpaper Mitts. But right now I feel like a fish trying to swim upstream, so who knows how long those will take.  

Okay, I’m gonna go snuggle with my sweet baby girl.  

p.s. So I really bite at this picture thing, but I promise I’ll try to improve.

Mamma what you Knittin’? January 12, 2007

This question fills me with such emotion.

On one hand when my boys ask this I feel soo *loved*. My boys wanna know what’s going on with there mamma.

On the other hand my answer feels me with such GUILT. My 3 yo son doesn’t care what color, shape, size it is – whatever I’m knitting “For me?”

And the elder son (who just turned 5 a week ago tomorrow!!) way back when had requested a knitted octopus. He picked out the yarn himself and browsed through my copy of “World of Knitted Toys” for days before deciding. And I was a good mamma, got started right away. But minutes into it I realized this Octopus had 8 horribly long legs boring legs, and the “yarn” my son picked was RED HEART. UGHHHH. I could barely stand it and never completed even one leg. I’ve tried to nudge him to a different pattern (the parrot looks so cute and would be a great addition to pirate play) or different yarn, but to no avail.

So when they ask, and my answer isn’t what either of them wanna hear I feel it like a pound of bricks on my back. 

And truthfully my answer to this question lately is not what I wanna hear either. Now don’t think my disgust of Red Heart makes me a complete yarn snob. I’m not. I can’t afford to be. (We are the opposite of DINK -dual income no kids, we are SILK- single income lotta kids). Evidence below. A pile of acrylic. I do so love the GOOD STUFF, you know and do work with it when I can. Ah well, anywho.

Here’s what we got:

A commissioned scarf (commissioned meaning my MIL’s co-worker saw the scarf I made her for Christmas 05 and wants to pay me to make her one too) in Lion Brand Suede yarn. It’s just simple singe crochet all the way. 

Calorimetry that despite my reading of everyone’s troubles with size I decided I have a big head and it would be fine. Yeah, uh NO. My head isn’t that big, and I don’t know whose is. It’s TLC acrylic something that I’ve had for many, many months that I bought only for the colors. I’m quite in love with the teal/brown combo. But I’ve now decided I don’t know if I’m a Calorimetry kinda girl anyway and it’s going to the frog pond.

And the last is a hat for my BIL. He’s a single dude who lives alone, so machine washable was a must. My hubby designed the motif and it’s just a real basic ear flap hat that I winged on my own. My first real attempt at Fair Isle and it isn’t perfect. I’ve done the exterior and now I’m working on the lining. (Oh yeah the yarn is Bernat Camouflage and Caron So Soft in a beige-ish color).

I will be glad when I can move on from these projects. And I should be able to cross them off my list by the end of tonight.I’m really hoping to do some thrifting this weekend. We will see. Hope you have a great weekend!

Should I?? January 11, 2007

I’ve been  fighting the urge contemplating  to make my own blog for a while now. I am the queen of lurking and feel like such an outsider in the knitting blog world with out a blog. I just feel a lil wierd commenting, giving advice, gushing, asking ?s, etc. with out it being a two way street. I guess it just feels a lil unfair to me if  I can look at all your pics & read your thoughts, but you can’t see mine. So I’m just gonna jump into the sea of knit blogs and try to keep up!

p.s. I may have been a professional lurker for awhile, but I’m still not real blog savvy. So I’m gonna do things the way I feel is *right*, and you all just correct me when I’m wrong, ok? Okay. ;-D