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Tag: book

Baby Sweater Redeux

Not much, is it? Well… I should have been photographing along the way with my various experiments all week, but it was hot and I was lazy, and so… well… I didn’t. It wouldn’t have made for exciting reading anyway.

What you see here is the beginnings of my EZ February Baby Sweater. The pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac, and it gives a glimpse into Ms. Zimmermann’s infamous percentage system on a small scale. I like that! Especially since the yarn I have was way thinner than what the pattern was originally designed for, and the lace pattern used in the design just wasn’t giving me a substantially cozy looking sweater in that yarn. I’m a loose knitter, and so my yarnover holes are big, even with small needles, and so it was looking too lacy, and too girly, for this particular project need. (I don’t know the sex of the baby. Therefore, a totally feminine knit is out.) I’ve seen lots of these sweaters online, and many of them don’t look particularly girly, but with this yarn, somehow I couldn’t avoid that overall feeling.

So this morning when I couldn’t sleep and was up at 5:30 a.m. for no good reason, I sat with my stitch dictionaries and looked until I found something I like. Twin Rib. It’s a standby for me, but I like it. What can I say? I like it.

(I also used the gauge calculator at this site to help me with my math shortcomings… time will tell whether it worked!)

So, now I’m doing the sweater with teeny yarn on size 1 needles, at a different gauge with a different stitch pattern. Does that mean it’s the February Baby Sweater at all? Yes, because that’s the beauty of Elizabeth Zimmermann Knitting. It sets you free.

June 15, 2008
Now This Is How It’s Supposed to Go…

Tonight I decided to be brave and try to wind one of my other Lisa Souza yarn hanks into a ball. My daughter gave me that, “Mom, you’re NUTS!” look as I began to drag out the swift, knowing full well my troubles from the last week. But I knew that the hanks from this one particular colorway of yarn seemed to be more tightly wrapped than the others, so I figured my chances of success would have to be pretty good. I was right.

My kids both found my new Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder to be a wondrous machine, and enjoyed immensely taking turns at the crank. I’ll have to get pictures of them doing this next time since they seemed to enjoy it so much. I am now happily swatching for my Elizabeth Zimmermann February Baby Sweater from Knitter’s Almanac. (Note to self: I’m using the 3 mm Harmony needles for my swatch. I can’t tell yet, but I think they’re going to be too big. I’m a loose knitter. Wonder how many repeats of the stitch pattern I’ll have to add to make the sweater fit an actual baby?)

New Baby Knits Book

BabyKnits Hats & Booties–by Edie Eckman, Bonnie Franz, and Debby Ware. Well, it’s new to me, anyway. I bought it yesterday while at my knitting group at Borders. I especially love the hat and bootie set on the cover, but as a mom of people who used to be actual babies? I’m not sure what I think about the ribbon yarn in terms of safety. I’d probably substitute with icords or something. That said, there are some SERIOUSLY cute patterns in here! Definitely worth a look if you want to knit something cute, and maybe a little fun, for baby.

June 8, 2008
Yarn Barf

More evidence of my complete undoing this week:

There’s no other word for it. Yarn Barf. This is the thing I hate most about knitting. The starting. Perhaps this is why I hate finishing so much? Because finishing something means starting something else. Now, I don’t mind the excitement of a new project. But for me, the excitement only comes AFTER the winding of the yarn and the casting on and the knitting of the first row. After that, it’s all good. But the setup? It kills me, every time.

I’m thanking God that this week is our knitting meetup. One of my knitterly friends has offered to come from afar and help me dig my way out of yarn hell. Thank goodness for good friends, or I don’t know what I’d do.

On a Lighter Note…

Today I found out that Franklin has a new book coming out, featuring the adorable and hilarious Delores. It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons Looks like it’s due out in October. Honestly, I don’t think I can stand the wait. But still…. thinking about that book sure beats the yarn barf alternative that’s facing me tonight.

June 2, 2008
Baby Knitting

Today I finally received the book, 50 Baby Bootees to Knit by Zoe Mellor. I love, love, LOVE the adorable and interesting designs. There is everything from basic booties to Mary Jane shoes, to cute little baby socks. I also love Ann Budd’s Better than Booties Baby Socks and so am trying to come up with some combination of socks, hat, and sweater or jacket. The Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting : The Curious Knitters’ Guide: Stories, Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Questions, Answers, Jokes, and Pictures is also on my short list.

Here’s the thing: I’ve managed all this time to be a decent but limited knitter, without having to do a lot of math. I’ve never knit a project that truly required a gauge swatch. Now, though, I have some specific yarns I want to use:

These are Lisa Souza Sock! Merino in the Spumoni, Pumpkin, and Peacock colorways. I don’t know the gender of the baby I’m knitting for, but he or she is due to arrive in the fall, which prompted the pumpkin colors. (The others I just liked for a baby.)

Maybe the big problem for now is that I have too many choices! I’ll give myself a week or so to narrow it down. Then I’ve got to get busy knitting!

May 29, 2008
Almost!

I’m just about done with the slipper sock. The cuff has about 15 rounds in it and I’m going to go until I’m just about out of yarn and see how many more that gets me. the cuff is loose and slouchy so it will be comfortable for sleeping or lounging around the house late on a Sunday morning. (Kid’s favorite pastime of late.) Too bad she’ll have to wait a while for the second sock, as I have a brown ripple afghan to get back to, post haste. I’m pleased now that I know some basics about how socks go together, and can’t wait to make my first real socks on sock yarn.

Toward that end, I received Charlene Schurch’s More Sensational Knitted Socks, which I am going to love! Even more of the patterns in this book are offered in toe-up versions, and I think THIS is the sock book that is really going to get me on my way to being a full fledged sock knitter. I’ve been hanging on to some Knit Picks self striping sock yarn (Simple Stripes, now discontinued) for several years and the daughter has been after me to make the socks ever since she laid eyes on the yarn, which was purchased in girly colorways with her in mind. Soon, dear soon.

But this coming week I fear is going to lead to a whole new obsession. Dare I say it? Kauni. Shoot me now.

April 20, 2008
It’s a Slipper Sock, Ok??

So, the other night, the Yarn Harlot and I shared a laugh over the size of my elephant sock. Well, what if it’s just a big, roomy, slouchy, slipper sock? I’m torn between just plodding forward and ripping out and starting over. Socks in worsted weight seem silly to me anyway, but I do have good friends that make them and say they’re cozy and good on a cold winter’s day. So, maybe I will keep going. I don’t know… Am I nuts?

The Hunt is Over

Just gotta say I’ve been looking for this book for a LONG time. It doesn’t show up on eBay at a price I was willing to pay very often, and I got lucky a few weeks ago. But alas, just like all of my other books, I am wondering if I am going to ever actually make anything out of this book, or if I will only use it to understand the techniques, and do my own thing. I’m such a loose knitter, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do someone else’s charted design on something that’s actually supposed to fit. Oh well, mittens from this book are a bit of a ways off for me, but I am so glad that I found it.

Ciao for now! ER is back, so I’m outta here.

April 10, 2008