Trish Knits.com

Category: Project Progress

Doing Battle with the Yarn

navy blue silk yarn being balled up from a swift
You’d think I’d learn, but apparently not. Never ever try to ball up a hank of yarn you’ve had in storage for three years unless you have a lot of time on your hands. Or when you’re really too tired to do it. Either of those two factors are a sure bet that the hank will be a twisty, loose mess. In fact, the more rushed and the more tired you are? The worse it will be. Trust me. I know.

The mere mention of the February Lady Sweater last night got my heart all a-flutter. I could not stop thinking about the prospect of starting that project all day. But I know enough about myself to know that I just dread winding yarn. Every time I try, it never cooperates. I even thought maybe I should wait until a weekend when I can have a friend over to help me.

Patience, however, virtue that it is, is something that I lack. Not just lack. Patience? I no haz it. So there was no waiting for the weekend, no pleading with ~~some poor sucker~~ one of my good yarny buddies to help me with the winding. So, start out on my own, I did, and this tiny ball, representing maybe one tenth of the yarn yet to be wound (from this hank; I have two more) is all I have to show for an entire evening’s work. I am not surprised by this, but I am nonetheless disappointed. I wanna knit! And I have miles to wind (literally) before I stitch.

My fingers are blue with navy yarn dye. It is the mark of a battle not yet won. I do so love this yarn, and the color, and the way it feels in my hands. I can’t wait for it to become something more than a pile of stringed frustration. Someday this beautiful yarn will be transformed, and perhaps I will forgive it for the trouble that it gives me now.

But it’s a long way before I’m there. For tonight, UGH!

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March 11, 2009
Lonely… and Totally Square

Noro Kureyon squares in progress
I’ve got the blues. The “when the hell’s this winter gonna be over?” blues. And, the “I really wish I didn’t have to work ever again and could just sit and knit all day” blues. Sigh.

Good thing I’m into color, because this blanket in all its weirdness is the bright spot in my days lately. I’m loving the simplicty of the garter stitch and the constant surprises as the colors unfold. Each time I start a new square I have to contain myself from squealing with glee, practically, even though most of the time, no one is listening.

The cool thing about Noro Kureyon is that the color runs are so long that I can switch off from one end of the ball to the other, thereby doubling my color choices. It’s like a wonderful game for the easily entertained. And that, my friends, would be me.

But I must stop. I have about three more hours of work to do before bed, thanks to a tragic brain fart I had while saving an HTML document preparing an HTML e-mail newsletter. I’ve got lots of code to strip before bed and I hate that I haven’t been able to face it all evening, so I’ll be up late again. Ah well, at least I can knit again before breakfast, which will be sometime after the customary three-hour’s nap that I’ve been calling an excuse for a night’s sleep lately.

Do I sound grumpy? You Betcha.

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March 5, 2009
Hip to be Squares

third square in progress on the blanket

fourth square done

As you can see, I’ve been busy with the knitting! Over the last several days I’ve completed the third and fourth squares on my Noro Kureyon Babette. I was feeling all accomplished-like, until Her Highness the Tween pointed out to me just how many squares I have left to do! I think, though, in a similar way that people say entrelac is never boring, neither will these squares be, despite the miles and miles of garter stitch. Watching the strips of knitting magically become squares as the center double decreases are made, is just enough entertainment for a simple girl like me. I can’t wait to be showing this project off as it grows and grows.

I Bought a Skein of WHAT?

vitreous humor eyeball yarn
So, do you think I’m crazy that I actually WANTED this yarn? Would you believe me if I told you I’ve been wanting and waiting for it for TWO years? (The waiting was some small amount of self control on my part.) Yes, I’ve always loved things that would make people look twice, and the first time I saw this yarn I knew that one day it would be mine. Of course, the classic line I’m telling people is that it’s perfect for my standard witchy Halloween costume, but the truth is, I don’t think I’ll need to wait for Halloween to wear something made from this baby!

For those of you who haven’t seen this yarn before, it is Vitreous Humor, by Insubordinknit, a.k.a., the wonderful Jacey Boggs. Grossness aside, this is a lovely work of artistic handspun. It is beautiful and soft, and the felted eyeballs? Well they do give the yarn that certain something! The whole thing is a work of art. It is all at once beautiful, and a pile of sadistic muppet roadkill. That makes me love it all the more! Perhaps I will knit it up in time to wear it to Maryland Sheep and Wool. That is, if my friend Steve will be seen with me while I am wearing bloody eyeballs around my neck.

We’ll see.

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March 3, 2009
Trish–1, Yarn Ball–0

mitered square made with Noro Kureyon yarn
I declare victory! I finally finished my first square of my Noro Mitered Squares Babette (Ravelry link), after two false starts and frogging due to totally inept counting on my part. Sheesh! Now at long last I can move on to the second square. I think I’m probably going to take years to finish this project, because it can be something I just pick up between projects and add a square here or there, or maybe add one each time I come across a new Kureyon colorway that excites me.

You know? There’s something to be said for easy-peasy garter stitch. It seems to be the perfect antidote to stress. It’s calming to be able to knit the same thing over and over, to be able to knit without looking or thinking, or to get into a calming rhythm. I know there are people out there who really don’t love doing garter stitch, because the monotony of it drives them batty. But the thing is that I don’t think I am one of those people.

Check Out This Blog!

Susan B. Anderson’s Itty Bitty Blog
My knit buddy Rhoda sent me a link yesterday for an adorable stash-busting little animal called Elefante, which turned out to be on the blog of Susan B. Anderson, author of one of my favorite books, Itty-Bitty Hats: cute and cuddly caps to knit for babies and toddlers. Why oh why have I not paid attention to this site before? Susan’s books are among my most favorite because the patterns are just a-DORABLE, and this site is like an extension of the books. The photographs are beautiful, and there is a plethora of free and for-sale projects to choose from. I’ve already found several things I’d like to make, including the bunny and chick seen in the screenshot. If you like making cutie pie kid things, definitely check this site out!

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February 26, 2009
Mine Enemy the Yarn

I am just about fed up with knitting right now. Do you see this yarn? It mocks me. I’ve been trying to make a mitered square a la Vivian Høxbro, and for some reason, no matter how easy it seems, I’m always messing up. Somehow one leg of my square is always bigger than the other. They’re supposed to be, well, square, which would, of course, imply that the sides must be the same size. Why, oh why can’t I seem to count?

I have this goofy idea of making a mitered square knitted version of the Babette Blanket, where, instead of crocheting individual squares, I’ll be knitting mitered squares and knitting them onto each other as I go. I’ll use the basic layout of the Babette blanket as my guide, and various colors of Noro Kureyon yarn. I can see it in my head. But this first square is going to be the death of me. I’ve started it, and ripped it out completely, twice now. I’d love to see this idea starting to take shape, but here I am, months into the project, and I still only have this yarn ball to show. Can you hear its maniacal laughter? Dr. Demento is running through my head right now. (“They’re coming to take me away, ha ha, ho ho, hee hee, they’re coming to take me away.”) Shut up. You know you hear it. Stop laughing at me.

My daughter, on the other hand, is having much better luck with her knitting. Tonight Diana knitted two more little hearts! Only this time, she got my huge bag of polyfill out of the closet (we call it, “monkey butt,” in honor of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Monkeys that I hope to knit and stuff their butts with it someday… ok, don’t ask). So she made this teeny little heart pillow as practice, because she wants to make a bigger one. I think she’s getting the idea of the heart shape down. Cool, huh? My daughter is a knitter!

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February 23, 2009
I Just Had to Knit Something New

ruffled edge of Pfeiffer Falls scarf

I’ve been needing to start a new project for carrying along, since I finished the knitting portion of my most recent hat. A couple of posts back I mused about the Pfeiffer Falls Hooded Scarf in the current issue of Interweave Knits. So yesterday I started it, after spending nearly a week reading and re-reading the pattern. I admit that I still don’t understand the construction of the thing entirely, so I am having to trust that the pattern is completely correct and just follow it. I’m hoping that the light bulb goes off soon. Thankfully the designer, Anne Kuo Lukito is on Ravelry and a knitalong will begin soon. I suppose that I knit so slowly that this head start I’ve got going won’t matter much. I’m looking forward to working on this project together with a group.

Hey, look at the new pet that the postman brought me today!

Wollmeise

It’s my very own skein of Wollmeise! Now, I think most folks know I am NOT much of a sock knitter, but I do love me some nice yarn. And I hear people get so worked up about this one that I just wanted to see what it was about. A fellow Raveler had some in a colorway she thought I might like so we struck up a deal. And now it lives with me.

The skein is very generous, which I noticed right away. The yarn itself is very soft too. Perhaps I’ll make myself a scarf with it someday. But really, sometimes I just buy yarn for yarn’s sake. This one is so lovely to pet I’m half inclined to adopt it as my new teddy bear. There’s plenty of time to decide what it will be.

Ciao for now… off to knit a bit then pet my yarn. Then bed. All this new president stuff has my head spinning. In a good way, but honestly I’ve been too excited to sleep. Good things are coming… I can feel it.

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January 23, 2009