Hat in Progress

I’m so happy so far. I love the shape, and I love that I made it big enough and deep enough to go down over my ears. I’m working on the brim now, and hope to be done by the end of the week. I am determined that 2012 is going to be a good year for finished projects. And I’m almost there with 2012 No. 1!

See you soon.

crocheted circle in progress

Sadly, not long after this, I stopped crocheting in favor of knitting. I had hurt my hands badly with the twisting motion of crochet, and learned to knit instead. But for some reason, the desire to crochet has never left me. I’ve been trying multiple styles of “ergonomic” crochet hooks, and I’m finding that I can crochet, as long as I only do it in short bursts and take frequent breaks. So, yay for that!

The original hat starts with a circle. Easy enough, right? Apparently that part of crochet wasn’t coming back to me so easily. I don’t know how many times I started this project, over and over, but the counts were wrong. Now, they’re finally on track. So, I think I’m on my way!

The other thing about the original hat was that it was made from cheap acrylic yarn, held doubled, on a hook much smaller than usually required for that thickness of yarn. This is critical for the hat to keep it’s well-defined shape. So I’m using a worsted acrylic, double-stranded, on a size G hook. This hat will be able to stand up on its own.

So, what you’re seeing here is just a beginning. But, I think I’m on my way. Hopefully this won’t take long! I want to wear this hat THIS winter. Wish me luck!

On my way back to the car from the nail salon, I popped into the bookstore, intent on having my last gingerbread-latte-hurrah of the season. Of course, rather than making a beeline for the coffee counter, I snaked my way through the magazine rack. And, ooh-boy, am I ever glad I did. Look what I found!

Knit Simple Knits Plus magazine

It’s the Knit Simple Knits Plus: Great Fit, Great Style! “Bookazine.” It features 50 patterns in larger sizes, and there are quite a few things in there that I’d consider knitting. It’s great to have so many patterns to choose from all in one place.

While I’m talking about cool new stuff, I have to mention the Kindle Fire I got for Christmas. I love it! So far, my favorite part is the interactive magazines. I’ve subscribed to several, including one knitting magazine. It’s Your Knitting Life! magazine, which I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen on a newsstand, but, I think I like it ok.

I think this is going to be a good tablet solution for me. The iPad is just a bit big and heavy for me to handle, plus I never get to use ours very often because the kids are always on it. Plus I’ve already added some PDF files of knitting patterns I’m working on, so now they’re always handy. I’m looking for other ways to use my Kindle for knitting… so if you’re out there and you’ve figured this out already, let me know.

So I’ll be in my little corner, knitting and reading, and knitting some more. I’ll try to poke my head out and say hi once in a while.

So a new year is about to start, and our knit group is settling down in a new place (I hope) and I’ve decided to go back to what makes me happy. This means I only completed one charity scarf this year, and I am returning to my shawl, which I had set aside while trying in vain to be successful at charitable knitting. I think I’ve realized that charity knitting is not for me. It’s great for the people who can crank out so much knitting that giving away some of it only seems fair. I, on the other hand, have realized that I spend so little time knitting, that it’s becoming a miracle if I can complete more than one or two projects in a year. So, in order for knitting to make me happy, I have to knit what makes me happy. Does that make sense? So, back to the shawl it is. I hope that none of you get bored with me talking about it, because, well, it’s gonna be a while before it’s done.

There’s also been a lot going on that I haven’t blogged about. Like in November, when I went on my first-ever cruise, and Rick Springfield and Beeb Birtles happened to be there. i should really write about that, maybe, except that probably for most of the folks who know me, that whole story is old news by now. But, if you read this, and still want me to write about it, let me know, ok? And I will.

And then last week, there was a Christmastime tour of The White House. I once went to the White House when I was about 7 years old, but I barely remember it. Though, I do remember that it was at Christmas time, because I have a distinct memory of the Christmas Tree in the Blue Room. I was in Brownies then, only I was in a troop of all girls with disabilities, because the disabled girls were not permitted to join the other girl scout troop at our school. (Yes it was really like that in those days.) So, I think since we were a troop of all “special girls” the leader called ahead and arranged a meeting with the First Lady for us. (It was Mrs. Nixon; I’m getting old.) Other than the Blue Room I have almost no memory of this day, except that Mrs. Nixon gave us all gold pens with her name on them. So it was fun for me to go there, and I have pictures of that, too… perhaps I’ll post them here, though they are on my Facebook Page, if you want to peek.

But other than those events, my life has been fairly uninteresting and work has been fairly stressful, and so knitting has been stalled, thus, so has this blog. So, my resolution for 2012? To rediscover the joy of knitting, and to make it worth writing about. Are you with me? I hope so.

Garter stitch scarf underway

Other than what you see here? Not much else to say about this project. It’s garter stitch. It’s a scarf. ‘Nuff said.

Greenleaf Center Christmas Scarf

Notes:

(This scarf was knitted as a donation to the Greenleaf Senior Center in Washington, DC.)

Ok, so you know how everything old is new again? Well, it’s kinda that way with this scarf. I didn’t invent anything about this pattern. I just did a sort of knitting mash-up of several things I already know how to do. I bet you do, too. So, let me explain what I did.

The scarf is in three parts. It starts with 8 rows of 2×2 rib, then transitions to a basic seed stitch pattern, with a plaited cable in the center, and ends with 8 rows of ribbing again. All of these stitch patterns can be found in Barbara Walker’s “A Treasury of Knitting Patterns” (the blue one). But I will describe them in my own words, below.

Yarn: Heavy Worsted Weight Yarn. (In my example I used about half a skein of Caron One Pound. Wool would be nicer, but it’s what I had that was washable, which is a requirement for the recipient.)

Needles: I used a size 9 circular needle. In general, use one or two sizes larger than you normally would, so your scarf is a little loose and drapey.

Cable needle

2 stitch markers

2×2 Rib Pattern
Row 1: *K2, P2* across, end K2.
Row 2: Sl first st P-wise, P1. *K2, P2* to last 2 sts. End P1, K1. (this will give you a good selvedge on both sides.)
Row 3: *K2, P2* across, slipping firs stitch p-wise. End K2.

Seed Stitch Pattern
Row 1: *K1, P1* across.
Row 2: Repeat Row 1. (You will be knitting the purls and purling the knits, as they face you.)
Note: Always sl first stitch of every row P-wise.

Cable Panel (worked over 13 sts)
Row 1: P2, K9, P2
Row 2: K2, P9, K2
Row 3: P2, sl next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in front. Knit next 3 sts. Knit 3 sts from cable needle,K3, P2.
Row 4: K2, P9, K2
Row 5: P2, K9, P2
Row 6: K2, P9, K2
Row 7: P2, K3, with cable needle, sl next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in back. Knit next 3 stitches. Knit 3 sts from cable needle. P2.
Row 8: K2, P9, K2

Begin Scarf:
CO 34 stitches. I did the knit-on cast on, but long tail or something similar will do. Knit the Rib pattern for 8 rows (or however many rows suit you… end on row 2 of pattern.)

Seed Stitch/Cable Pattern Setup Row: Follow seed stitch pattern for 11 sts. (your 11th st should be a k.) Place marker, if this helps you. Begin cable panel, P2, K4, M1, K4 P2. (The M1 is very important because it will give you the correct number of sts you will need for the cable pattern.) Place marker. Do seed stitch pattern for remaining 11 stitches, starting and ending with a K stitch. (Note: You will now have 35 stitches on the needle.)

Rows 2 through 8 –Follow cable pattern for center of scarf, and continue the seed stitch on the 11 stitches on either side.

Repeat Rows 1-8 of cable pattern with seed stitch sides until you’ve reached your desired length. End pattern on Row 1, being careful to do a decrease in the center of the cable panel. When you reach the end of the row, you should now have 34 stitches on the needle.

Begin 2×2 rib pattern, starting with Row 2. Continue for 8 rows, ending with Row 1. (This is so the two ribbed ends will match.)

Bind off, and you’re done!

In general, my rule of thumb is to make the scarf as long as the recipient is tall. I made mine about 5 feet because chances are good my recipient will be a wheelchair user.

I hope my instructions are clear. If not, email me at trish@trishknits.com and I will try to help. Happy Knitting!

New "Biggo" yarn from Knit Picks

I’m nearly done with my charity scarf for work. And, there aren’t that many donations coming in, so I feel like I have to make more. Except that I am a slow knitter. So I’ve been looking for a bulky, washable yarn, and then this one just fell in my lap at just the right time.

Biggo is 50% merino and 50% nylon. I don’t know that much about fiber construction but it looks basically unspun and then wrapped in a thread. It’s BIG, hence the name, so it will knit up quickly. And it’s SO squishy and soft. I bought 4 hanks, and I’m actually hoping I’ll get two scarves out of it. Secretly, I want one for me. I think it’s going to be great for what I’m going to use it for but I have to wonder how it will hold up in something like a sweater. It’ll be interesting to see what others think of this yarn.

Hopefully I’ll have an FO report on the other scarf soon. Keep on knitting!

Scarf Progress

At least one person has asked me if this scarf is of my own design. Well, yes, and… no. It’s a simple thing, really, in a basic seed stitch with a plaited cable in the center. So, nothing earth-shatteringly new there. But, someday soon I will write it all down for the curious and post in these pages. Perhaps when the thing is finished.

I’ve been away from the blog for a long while. No good reason, really… but I will say that this summer I have been in a kind of a slump. It was just the scarf and me, all summer long, day in and day out… and I thought certainly it would be too boring to hear of this same project over and over, so, instead I’ve been quiet. While knitting this scarf I have been pondering my next one, which is a commitment I’ve made to do a Special Olympics scarf. In the meantime I’ve developed a strong love-hate relationship with knitting scarves at all, so I’m starting to lose hope a bit that the next project will ever get off the ground. What is it with scarves, anyway, and why does something that seems so simple take forever to do?

A couple of other things to catch up on:

A few weeks back I bought some new yarn that I had never heard of before:

mink and cashmere yarn

This is the Mink and Cashmere Yarn from the Great Northern Yarns company. The fiber content is 70% mink (sheared) and 30% cashmere. It sounded on the surface, like it should feel like the most amazingly luxurious yarn ever made. Well, let’s say that I was somewhat under-impressed for what I was thinking it should feel like. Don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly soft, but I’ve had my hands on a mink coat or two in my lifetime and well? I guess I was expecting it to feel like that. And it doesn’t. Not really… but it did sort of remind me of this silk that I have, at least in the feel of it. I haven’t knit with it yet so I don’t know what it’s like to knit with. But I’m thinking maybe someday DH will get a scarf out of this to go with his dress coat. He can’t stand the feel of wool (“itchy”) so I think this will fill the bill for him, someday.

I have something else to share:

Jackie's Tam

This is my friend Jackie, from knit group. She is a relatively new knitter, and she made THAT hat, from the book, Colorwork Creations: 30+ Patterns to Knit Gorgeous Hats, Mittens and Gloves. I’m very proud of Jackie. She came to us I think less than a year ago, learning to knit her first scarf, and now, she is fearless. She saw this book somewhere and I liked it and got one and loaned it to her, and off she went. Her very first hat looked as if it would fit a giant. If that had happened to me, I might have thrown the book across the room and stomped away in disgust, but not Jackie. She was undaunted, and tried again. I think, but I’m not certain, that this was her third attempt. And it was a huge success! Not only does the hat look great, but it looks great on her, a wonderful match to her coloring and hair. She says this hat is a gift for someone, but personally? I hope she gifts it to herself. I think Jackie deserves such a lovely thing.

As for me, it’s back to the scarf. I must keep knitting, must keep knitting, must keep knitting… ciao for now.

So I’ve learned, learned not to make promises when it comes to my knitting. And yet, here I am, about to tell you about yet another promise I’ve made. Guess what? I’m knitting for a charity drive at work. And guess what it is? A scarf:

Beginnings of cable and seed stitch scarf

You see, my office has a longstanding tradition of charitable giving to one of the senior citizen homes in Washington, DC. Among other activities, every year, we host a Christmas luncheon for them, and everyone receives a gift of some sort–maybe playing cards, toiletries, etc. This year, it was decided that a handmade gift should be included in each gift.

And it is no secret that I am a knitter.

I’ve been personally asked to make something, and to tell all my friends. So, I’m doing both. There are not many rules… they’re collecting things that are “keep warm” type items, that don’t have to conform to a size. Scarves, small shawls, hand warmers, lap robes. That sort of thing. And they have to be made from a machine washable yarn. Someone in my knit group yesterday asked if she could make a lap blanket out of fabric, as she’s recently gotten back into quilting again. I certainly wasn’t going to say no to that! So, wow. I’m doing it. I’m making a scarf.

Now, since the last scarf I made clearly took about a year, and this time I don’t have that kind of time, I have to stay focused. I have to stay dedicated. I have to get it done, this dang scarf, so I can say I got it done. I decided to make it with seed stitch and an easy cable, so there’s just enough interest on every row to keep me going. So far, it’s working, but it’s only been 10 days.

Wish me luck, will you? I’m SO really bad at knitting for Good. Even when that good thing is a small thing, it’s usually such a big deal. I can finish this one thing this year, can’t I? Or. make that two things. I’m also signed up to do a Special Olympics Scarf. Oh, boy, am I in trouble.

Shawl Progress

It’s my Pi Are Square shawl, designed originally by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I just started the largest lace section, which is a garter stitch version of the Flame Chevron stitch. I don’t know yet whether it will look good in garter stitch, but I’m hoping so! I made a commitment early on to make the whole shawl using garter stitch lace patterns, sort of as a tribute to the Great Elizabeth, who inspires my knitting so much.

The only problem I see so far is that this is the largest section with tons of stitches per row, so it’ll be slow going. And you know what that means for me, usually, when it comes to knitting! I have a really poor track record with finishing stuff. But, I’m hoping that this time will be different. I really, really want this shawl! So, I will soldier on. I’ll be counting on all you knitters to cheer me on.

Thanks in advance! In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a closeup of my shawl:

Closeup of my shawl in progress