ribbit knits

In which she figures it out.

2009-02-12T01:45:00.001-08:00

The internet has been abuzz with the February Lady sweater for a while now (with renewed interest since the Yarn Harlot started hers, I notice). Now, when the pattern first came out, it didn’t really speak to me.

However. (Isn’t there always a “however”?)

I only dislike the sweaters in close-ups. I like the general shape of the sweater, with the buttons just on the yoke and the slightly belled sleeves. However, I can’t stand the look of the garter stitch. I’ve started thinking about the possibility of replacing the garter stitch with stockinette, moss stitch, or something else entirely…

I also think it would be a good match for my long-neglected (due to inadequate yardage) Lana Grossa Royal Tweed:

Ahhhh, that yarn still makes me happy.

Granted, this is all purely theoretical, as I doubt I’ll have time for big-project knitting until the end of the semester. (Did I mention I’m graduating this spring? :D!) Maybe I’ll try to get it done over the summer so I have it ready when things cool off this fall.

…

In which it has been a while.

2009-02-12T01:28:00.001-08:00

There hasn't been much knitting chez moi lately, as school has kept my incredibly busy, and then winter break wasn't much of a break at all. Has it really been that long since my last post? Crazy talk.

On the knitting front:

I last posted about my <a href="http://ribbitknits.blogspot.com/2008/08/in-which-she-finishes-in-time.html">Secret of the Stole III</a>. I fell horribly behind when school started up, and so was able to watch the pattern get revealed... and decided I really didn't like the finished product. To the frog pond it went! I'm now keeping my eye out for a pattern that will look good in my lovely orange Zephyr...

Last fall I went to Europe, and decided I needed cowls to keep my neck warm. The first attempt:

Not horrible, but with a lot of room for improvement. I didn’t use a pattern: just cast on and started knitting. The diameter wound up being far too large for such a drapey yarn (no idea what it is as the skein was a gift, but it's a silky single), so I made an impromptu brooch by sewing a matching button onto a pin back. It's pretty enough, but lacks any warmth, so not so much the goal.

The second try:

This one is The Fidget (Ravelry), which was a quick knit. I’m pleased with the pattern, though I cast on extra stitches to make it wider, and wound up wishing I hadn’t. I’d like to replace the buttons with something more appropriate, but these ones were in my stash and aren’t too horrible, so they’re okay for now. The Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton is a nice squishy yarn, and the loosely-spun nature meant it didn’t hurt my hands to knit with like cotton usually does. However, while it’s soft against the neck, it’s not terribly warm; again, not much protection against cold winter winds.

Enter the hat:

This was my first attempt at actually designing something, and while it could have gone better, it also could have gone a lot worse. I knit Mountain Colors Bearfoot doubled in a simple 2x2 rib, and threw in a twist every five rows on every other column of knit stitches. I tried to work the decreases to keep the pattern intact as long as possible, which kinda worked… but not really. I didn’t decrease quickly enough, so there’s a little bit of a point at the crown instead of being a smooth curve. I may go back at some point and reknit the last dozen rows or so to make a product I’m really happy with.

I finally managed to finish my simple ribbed scarf out of the yummy di’Ve Autumno that I scored a while back. I managed to splice the three balls so that the gradient remained constant, and the ends even almost match. As soft as the yarn is, I’m concerned that my skin just doesn’t like wool; it scratches a little bit (when it really shouldn’t), and I’ve had similar problems with other wooly things. I think I need to stick to alpaca (woe!) and cotton for against-the-skin knits like scarves and gloves.

There’s something new on the needles (which is a gift, so no photos outside Ravelry just yet), which is horribly behind schedule. Was going to be a Christmas present… not even close. Bumped back to Valentine’s Day, and that’s not going to happen. At this rate, I’ll be lucky if it’s done as a birthday present come November…

…

In which she finishes in time.

2008-08-21T09:43:00.001-07:00

So, my rule about not starting the sweater? Definitely too vague, as I instead started a new project...

This is the swatch for the Secret of the Stole III. I'm using Zephyr Laceweight in (surprise, haha) a nice orange. It changes intensity depending on the light it's in, and it usually photographs a bit more vibrantly than it appears in real life. It's soooo soft and squishy...!

I finished Hint #1 this morning, and I'm pleased with how it's coming so far. I'm going to go ahead and put a lifeline between clues; I know what I've done so far is right, and the changes in charts make for easy rip-back points if needed (cross fingers I won't need to do anything that drastic!). And since I can't help but take the beauty shots...

I can't wait to see the final stole!

...

In which her toes are warm.

2008-08-20T22:57:00.001-07:00

(I'm a bad blogger. I'm still trying to figure out why it's so much easier to post to Livejournal, even though I've got clients for both... Hm.)

When last we spoke, I pledged to finish some projects before I started a new one. I think I might have been a little vague in the specifics of that rule... So, I have to finish both the socks and Stag Bag before starting the Opulent Raglan.

Socks? Check!

Pattern: Swirl Socks by Sulafaye (Ravelry) in Large
Yarn: Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks Kona Superwash Fingering in Embers
Needles: US4
Modifications: Short row heel, ankle-high.
Started: March 15, 2008
Completed: July 12, 2008

I'm really quite pleased with how these turned out, especially considering they're my first socks. They are a little loose in places, and a little tight in others, but they're warm and squishy and soft, so really, I don't have a lot of complaints. Were I to knit them again, I'd go for the medium size and just make them longer, increase a couple stitches over the arch, and use a different heel to give me more room there. I also think a longer, 2x2 rib cuff would be a nicer finish, as the 1x1 strains and breaks up the color too much.

All that said, however, the pattern is great for variegated yarns, with the slipped twisted stitches providing that little bit of pop without being busy. They've already gotten some wear around the house and are starting to fuzz a bit, but they're still just as fab. I've got the remains of this skein, plus a whole 'nother skein, with which I plan to make more ankle socks. Just have to find a suitable pattern... Nutkin, maybe?

...

In which she lusts.

2008-07-11T00:00:00.001-07:00

Meet the Opulent Raglan.

She's from the new Fall Knitscene, and I have fallen head over heels. Seriously, if I could take this sweater to Vegas and marry her, I would. I looked her up on Ravelry and cross-checked the yarn requirements with my stash, based on the listed yarn weights, and lo! A perfect match!

Lana Grossa Royal Tweed. Unfortunately, Ravelry lies. The suggested yarn, GGH Cumba, is an "aran/10-ply", at 150 yards per 50 grams. Royal tweed is also listed as an "aran/10-ply", but is only 110 yards per 50 grams, and has a suggested needle size a full two US sizes larger. Since the Raglan's suggested needle size is 6, and I was last swatching the Royal Tweed on 9s... I'm sorry, my pile of red loveliness, your time has not yet come. I will find a sweater for you someday, my dear, yes I will....

With the Royal Tweed a bust, I glanced at my stash again... and what's that?

This lovely Henry's Attic Peruvian Tweed crossed my path at Stitches West '08, and I couldn't leave it in that bin, soft, squishy, and oh-so-forlorn. After doing a little math, this yarn is only sliiiightly thicker than the Cumba (if grams per yard is any indication), so all that's left is to swatch and see if I can match gauge while creating a fabric I like. Note to self: WASH THE SWATCH. The alpaca will do funny things, and you know it, so just wash the damn thing. (On a related note: My birthday's in a couple weeks. Who wants to buy me a swift so I can turn these behemoths masquerading as skeins into neat little cakes?)

I'm terribly excited to start on this, as I think it's high time I knit a sweater for myself (and while I love Drops Alpaca, the gauge is so tiny that I'm hesitant to start a full sweater's worth of knitting before my size stabilizes). Thus, a deal with myself: I can swatch now, but I'm not allowed to cast on until I finish both the Stag Bag (half done, just need to knit the back, then sew a lining and strap) and the second Swirl Sock (had to rip back to below the heel to add an extra inch of length). Since the sock is maybe two hour's worth of work, if that, and the bag should be easy, if time-consuming, I think that's a more than reasonable goal... especially since I have something else on the needles that is keeping me distracted...

...

In which she reflects.

2008-06-19T18:36:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was WWKIP Day, and being dutifully exhibitionist, I went down to Marin Fiber Arts to join the outdoor knitting group for a few hours. I spent the time working on my Intricate Stag Bag by the incomparable Norah Gaughan (Ravelry).

I've got the front completed (about time, since I cast on in July '07), and now I'm just trying to decide what fill pattern to put on the back. The pattern calls for a plain stockinette back (black, in my case), and that's just boring. Right now, it's looking like I'll just repeat the chevron chart over and over to make zigzags.

Anyhoo, I bring this up because another knitter was astonished at the stranding, and asked how long I've been knitting. "A year and a half," I replied, and she just stared at me.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that's a lie. I've considered myself a "knitter" for a year and a half, ever since I finished my first real object (the Medallion Mitts) at Thanksgiving '06. However, I'd been stumbling along for a few months at that point, with little skill or real "knitterly" tendencies. And really, when I sit and recall properly, a friend and I would spend rainy recesses knitting in the library way back in elementary school (somewhere between ages 8 and 10).

I find this kind of throw-back is true in most of my creative endeavours. I haven't been "a knitter" for very long, but I've always been knitting. I've been "a costumer" for the past several years, but I've always been sewing. It makes me wonder what I consider myself in the future.. I've made a couple quilts, but will I one day consider myself "a quilter"? I can write blog entries and clever emails, but will I ever be "a writer"?

Just some food for thought.

...

In which she contributes.

2008-06-19T18:14:00.001-07:00

Pattern: Sampler Afghan from Cables Untangled (Ravelry)
Yarn: Garnstudio Paris
Needles: US9
Modifications: None
Started: May 15, 2008
Completed: May 15, 2008

Tabby, from the Marin Fiber Arts knit night group, is pregnant, so the gals got together to create a baby blanket for her. Everyone picked a color of the cotton Paris and knit an 8" square with a garter stitch border, and Renee seamed the squares together and added a border.

After seeing everyone else's squares, I realized I may have been a little overambitious with the cabling.....

...

In which she catches up.

2008-06-19T17:58:00.001-07:00

So, apparently, I completely fail when it comes to keeping this blog up-to-date. I'm going to make a couple FO posts over the next couple days to try and catch up to my current projects, and hopefully that will get me to post more regularly... We'll see!

Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket (Ravelry)
Yarn: Cascade Eco+
Needles: US10
Modifications: Modified bind-off (k3 into YO instead of k5) to create less-frilly edge
Started: Feb 4, 2008
Completed: March 16, 2008

The throw blocked to just over 4 feet. I was hoping it would be larger, but I already had issues getting the feather and fan to lay flat due to the number of repeats and the limits of how far it could stretch.

I really love the finished throw, and I'm tempted to make another one, but with very bulky yarn and huge needles. I think that would also help with blocking, as fewer repeats seem to submit to flatness much more easily.

The cast-off process was frustrating, to be sure, but the agony has since faded (much like that of childbirth), so I'm excited at the prospect of knitting another... Or perhaps find another doily to "blow up" into a throw!

...

In which she must be patient.

2008-03-15T13:12:00.001-07:00

After ripping out the bind-off and last two rows on Thursday, I was able to successfully finish binding off the Hemlock Ring Throw later that night. I've waited to block it, as really, where do you block a 4' circle when there are kids in the house? Answer: the bed. Unfortunately, I have this horrible habit of sleeping in the bed....

However, as I'll be out of town overnight, I'm taking this opportunity to spread towels over the bedspreads and pin this sucka out. It's still kinda puffy, but survey says: that's normal. I'll take a warm iron to it before I unpin the throw when I get home Sunday night.

I'll make an official FO post early next week. So far, absolute adoration for this guy!

...

In which she is grumpy.

2008-03-13T15:20:00.001-07:00

Well, doesn't that just take the cake! I've been working ever-so-diligently on the Hemlock Ring Throw (Ravelry link). Everything is going beautifully, despite the fact that it takes over 30 minutes to knit a round, thanks to the 500+ stitches on the needle.

Fabulous!

HOWEVER.

The bind-off. Oh, bind-off, starter of a dozen threads on Ravelry. I thought I was thinking ahead, leaving a nice little cake with plenty of yardage for the lacy, yarn-consuming edge.

But then, halfway through the bind-off.. that happy little cake ran out. I knew it was going to happen two repeats ago, but in a fit of denial did I soldier on. Yeah, that worked. =____= So tonight I get to rip out the binding-off I've already done, then frog down two rows into the shawl and start again. YAY! Not.

Awesome! :)

...

In which she fidgets.

2008-02-13T00:25:00.001-08:00

I am a knitting slut. No, really. I don't have a monogamous needle in my stash. Even though I'm actively working on Jeanie, the Hemlock Ring Blanket, and a simple ribbed scarf (not to mention all the ignored projects that are monopolizing needles...), I decided I need something I can wear to Stitches West. There's no way Jeanie will be done by then, and the Hemlock Ring is a bit heavy and awkward for a shawl...

Hence, Norah Gaughan's Medallion Shawl (shown in lavender).

It'll be a quick knit (knock on wood), portable so I can take it to school and on the road, and a stashbuster to boot; I picked up the yarn last summer in Fort Bragg. The pattern calls for a 16" circular needle, but I'll definitely need to work it on DPNs - I can't deal with that short of a circular once you start decreasing. I'm also going to need a template to block the hexagons.. As you can see, it's a bit wonky when I do it by the seat of my pants!

As a sidenote, the yarn I'm using is Zitron Campus. It's a discontinued fingering-weight yarn, and it subs just fine for the DK-weight Ultra Alpaca Light called for in the pattern. I wasn't sure it was going to block out, but once soaked it didn't need any coaxing to reach 8" point-to-point.

...

In which she drops a link.

2008-01-24T23:45:00.001-08:00

I think I've found an update client that will make posting easier.. we'll see how well it works. ;)

For those of you on the bandwagon, I'm on Ravelry as FaireGoddess. My notebook there is much more up-to-date in regards to my knitting exploits, so I suggest you check it out. :)

In which the blog lives up to its name.

2007-06-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

So. Socks. They suck. Or maybe I suck, and I just happen to be fighting a sock at the moment.

The yarn I'm fighting is Wildfoote yarn in the Mums colorway. I really love the color, and it's held up well so far to all the ripping. ;)

The first attempt was using size 1 dpns and Wendy's Toe-Up method. The whole provisional cast-on and short row thing Did Not Work for me, so I ripped it out, retried the same toe, then ripped again. The yarn and needles sat in their project bag for a couple months. Then..

Then, Interweave Knits Summer came out, and lo, there was a toe-up method that made sense to me. I cast on with size 2 dpns (because my gauge was too tiny on the 1's ugh, even though the fabric was nicer on the 1's), and it was going well.

The fit was promising.

And headway was made.

And then I spotted a dropped stitch a couple rows down. I spent a good fifteen minutes trying to fix it at BobaKnit, but it wasn't working. Having a crochet hook handy would have been helpful. :) But then I counted my stitches... and hooooo boy was I off. At that point I snapped a picture and ripped because, really, I didn't feel like fighting with it anymore.

So now, I'm back to just a skein of yarn. Alas. :( At least I'm making progress on the Binary scarf!

In which she starts again.

2007-04-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

Sigh. I knew I was going to frog it the moment I realized I was messing up (and then I re-re-re-read the instructions, and I was messing up a lot worse than I thought!), but that doesn't make it any easier to do! I put in a safety line, but I haven't done that before, and was going through ribbing, so it wasn't helpful beyond telling me to slow down the frogging process when I got close.

Back down to the ribbing, sigh.. I was at row 20 of the cabling before I frogged, and now I'm back up to row 6.

I think the travelling cables are looking better (since I'm following the pattern!), but I can't really tell yet. Hopefully they'll be fine, as I don't want to have to frog the whole thing again. >___>

On an unrelated note, Jenni linked me to Craftster, which I hadn't seen before. Oooo inspiration! But Lindsay, you need to get better at reading patterns before you start making up your own.. !!

...

In which there are three kinds of people.

2007-04-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

Nezumi's on hold for a bit, so I thought I'd share progress on my Binary scarf. This is what it looked like on December 15:

Exactly four months later, this is the progress on April 15:

I'm on character row 27. The pattern says to switch directions after row 30, but knowing that my favorite scarves are significantly longer than that, I'll extend the pattern until it feels like it's suitably long.. Hopefully not too much longer, as it takes half an hour to do a row. XD My favorite part, though, is the wrong side:

All that neat, even color stranding just makes me happy inside. :) Really though, I love colorwork, and I've got my eye on some Fair Isle after I finish this guy. That's at least a couple months off, though. ;)

...

In which things go horribly wrong.

2007-04-14T00:49:00.000-07:00

OH NOES, FAIL. I just realized I've been working the travelling cables wrong on Nezumi (it's supposed to be c1 ktbl, but I was doing c1 k, but still doing k tbl on the non-cabled rows), but I'm already half done and I don't want to frog back to the top of the ribbing, but the cables are really horribly wonky and I should redo them. See?

SIGH. I'll see how I feel in a couple days.. but I'll probably wind up frogging it all. Good thing I wasn't planning on gifting it for a few months yet.. >____>

And to make me feel better, here's a FO. ;)

Pattern: Fetching from Knitty
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in Cream
Needles: US7 DPN
Modifications: Worked thumb over 8 stitches instead of 7; no picot edging; last row before bind-off knit as [k1, k2tog, k1, p1] to fight the flaring out that others have reported
Started: March 2007
Completed: April 2007

They got their trial run today, and kept my hands extremely toasty (if mildly scratchy at times). They're not as soft and comfy as my alpaca mitts, but they should be more durable and therefore stand up to the rigors of retail. XD Now I just have to finish the bright yellow Dashing pair..

...

In which things get colorful.

2007-04-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

Because it's currently spring break, and because my sewing space is the shared living room and I don't feel like spending time with my roommate, I've been knitting! It's small, portable, (mostly) mindless, and doesn't involve interaction with others. ;)

This is Nezumi, in bright purple Wool-Ease. When I saw this pattern I immediately thought of Alisa (on the left) from my ren faire guild, so this will be for her. (The bright purple is because she got fabulous purple striped socks last year.. that she realized after the fact were Royal Purple and therefore couldn't be worn. XD) Of course, I probably won't give it to her until faire starts again, and since that isn't till the end of August, I shouldn't be working on this now.. but it's fun! And it's cabled!And it's really going incredibly fast, actually... I've got two skeins, so I'm thinking a pair of matching gloves/fingerless mitts with one of the cable motifs pulled from the hat.

With this hat, I'm experimenting with cabling without a cable needle. The cable fronts are much easier than the cable backs, but I can manage the c1b without a needle. The c2b's, on the other hand, elude me, so I still have to keep a cable needle on hand. Woe!

Also, I've been inspired by all the lovely stitch markers on etsy, but being a poor student I can't afford an awesome set. (See: Wool-Ease. XD) So I took some toggle clasps, jump rings, and nifty glass beads to make some of my own:

A lemon on the left, and a bunch of grapes on the right. The grapes are a lot more purple when they're not against purple! yarn, I swear. I'm really digging these, but the danglies get in the way when I'm slipping them, as they tend to sit on the back but I pass them to the front. Haven't quite figured out a way to slip them over smoothly, yet...

...

In which things get kicked off.

2007-04-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

So, I finally broke down.. I wanna play with other bloggers! This blog will be mainly about knitting (and the frustrations therein), as I have other places where I post about life and costuming and.. well, all that other stuff.

I figure it's best to start off on a good foot, so here are a couple FOs from my favorite book of the moment.

Pattern: Medallion Mitt from Knitting with Balls
Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist Baby Twist, color 3003
Needles: US7 dpn
Modifications: None
Completed: Thanksgiving 2006

These guys were my first finished knitting project.. like, ever. The first one took ages, but the second was the work of an evening. They're actually a bit short, and I wish I had worked the ribbing a bit longer before starting in on the hand. They also pull a lot around the thumb joins, which makes me think they should have been wider, or the thumbs over more stitches. Either way, not perfect, but they're soft and pretty and my first FO so I love them anyway. ;)

Pattern: Beer Cozy from Knitting with Balls
Yarn: Crystal Palace Bamboozle in Fern
Needles: US7 DPN
Modifications: None
Completed: March 18 2007

This was a fun, quick knit. Finding an elasiticized yarn locally was tricky, but a not-so-local-yarn-store came to the rescue. I plan to make several sets of these, but I don't know if a set should be same color, different stitch patterns, or different colors, same stitch pattern... The former would make a prettier set, but the latter would be more useful, I think.. *ponders*

Also, I love this book. I'm finding more and more attraction for the "guy" patterns (Never Knit Your Man a Sweater (Unless You've Got the Ring) is on the to-acquire list, as soon as I get a good coupon).. Guess I have to balance out my girly-girl costuming side somehow, huh? XD

...