Trish Knits.com

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.

The other day I mentioned that I was disappointed with the color of the Knit Picks Comfy Yarn in the deep purple shade. Well, yesterday I had the chance to play with it a little and I have changed my mind! I cast on for a wrap from Amy Singer’s new book (more on that soon) and it is GOR-geous! I don’t know why I said that I didn’t like the color before except that the lighting in my house can sometimes play tricks on my eyes.

I happened to be in the car when I cast on so the yarn was in sunlight. And wow, the color was great! I adjusted my camera when taking this picture to approximate what I saw. My sample is two strands held together on big needles. This yarn is so soft and squishy! I think I am already in love.

If I have any complaints I can say that the yarn picks up lint really quick! I don’t quite get it, but oh well… it feels great and there’s not enough acrylic in it to give me that sticky feeling in my hands as I knit with it. I think I am going to love knitting by the pool with this yarn all summer.

Yesterday I received in the mail my first shipment of Comfy yarn from Knit Picks. Shown are the colors Pomegranate, Fedora, Planetarium, Cypress, and Blackberry. I haven’t swatched yet but the yarn feels yummy! I’m thinking of doing a knit version of the Babette Blanket with it but I am not sure yet.

I have to say that my anticipation of this yarn was very high. I was especially looking forward to the introduction of a dark, rich purple. And I hate to say it, but I am a wee bit disappointed. Especially with the brown and the purple. Those two colors are SO dark that it’s almost hard to see what the colors are. They’re nearly black.Am I sounding whiney? I mean, I like it, but I don’t love it as much as I was so hoping I would. The blue, green and red shades are great. If only the brown and the purple were just a hair lighter…

Got My Sock Wearin’ Shoes!

Ok, now it’s official that I have to learn to make socks! I just found the perfect shoes for showing them off. They’re Dr. Martens Mary Janes and I am more excited than ever about learning to make socks now. Only problem is that with my brace my foot is a little wide, and so I will need to go to a shoe repair shop and have them put an extension on the strap.

I got a new sock book, too… but more on that tomorrow.

Ok, this is going to sound crazy, but on the Knit Picks discussion board on Ravelry, folks started talking about finding a better way to store their Harmony needles. Someone mentioned that they found a “worm binder” at Wally World and that it was a perfect fit. Now, I don’t go browsing the fishin’ pole section every day, in fact, never, so I had never even heard of one of these marvelous contraptions. Yesterday, I braved a throng of tween girls at the new Hannah Montana movie, and it just so happens that at this mall where my favorite theater is, there is an Outdoor World store, that includes a Bass Pro Shop. Lo and behold, there they were! But alas, the one I found in the store, and bought fairly immediately, is not available online — yes it is, here’s the link: Extreme Worm Binder (Mine is the “medium” size.). The bag is made of some sort of waterproof fabric, and includes lots of little ziploc bags (for fishing tackle) inside. The outside has a zipper pocket, and because the bag itself is soft sided, it is really very roomy.

Here is a view of the inside front cover, showing two zipper pockets. They are the perfect size for my needle sizer, scissors, or whatever else I need to carry.

And here is the inside back cover, which has quite a few small pockets, perfect for end buttons, stitch markers, the little “key” thingys that help tighten the needles, etc.

And this is the back cover, which has a mesh pocket with a velcro tab for holding it closed. Overall, this bag is great! All of my needles fit in there, which is more than I can say for the bag that came with my Harmony set. (Ok, there’s enough room for one pair of each of the interchangeable tips in the bag that the set comes with, plus you can throw cables and stuff in the center section, but then where would I put my fixed circulars that are sized 0 to 3? especially since the 1’s and 2’s have two sizes each, and the needle sizer doesn’t have holes for each of these. I would have a devil of a time telling them apart. PLUS, I have multiple pairs of tips for my favorite sizes, and now they will all fit in the ziploc bag things. It’s great that I can keep all of my needles together.

So, I highly recommend a fishing worm binder (also called a tackle binder or a bait binder) as wonderful knitting needle storage. I should have gotten more than one. The only thing is I hope I can somehow remove the Bass Pro patch off the front and replace it with something a little more “girly”…. My dad would be rolling his eyes at me if he could see this!

Ok, yes it’s true… my Yarnaholic Tracker does not lie. Last week, I caved and bought yarn. LOTS of yarn. What am I going to do with it? I don’t know yet. But it’s here. In my stash. That pile, you know, the one that’s overtaking my house.

I shopped at Knit Picks, as per usual, and got Wool of the Andes in Amethyst Heather and Onyx Heather. My daughter has a lovely purple afghan that my step mother made for her a number of years ago, when her room was purple. So I got enough yarn to make myself an afghan and have some left over for some felted hats (of course).

Then there is the not-so-small matter of the endless brown blanket for Miss Z. I am making progress. I am. I am. I am still enjoying knitting it. But there is the issue of that huge box of new yarn and I SO want to make something with it. The Miss Z. blanket cannot wait so I must remain strong. I must hold my resolve to finish that project first and to work on nothing else until it is done. Miss Z. needs it. I need to be able to give it to her. And I will. In a way I am glad she likes brown and I don’t. for a brown blanket, it is turning out BEAUTIFUL if I don’t say so myself, and if it were in colors I actually loved I might have a hard time giving it away. No, not really. I can’t remember the last time I knitted something with such joy and such purpose. It’s a cool feeling.

Wanna know what else was in the box? A set of size 7 Harmony needle tips with a 24″ cable set, that’s what! IJ at work has been eager to learn to knit. About a month ago she bought herself a learn to knit book and I told her about KnittingHelp.com. She doesn’t live near a yarn shop so I offered to include starter needles and a ball of yarn in my big order, which of course she then paid me back for. She decided she would go home with her book, yarn, needles, and website and see what she could do on her own, then she’ll come to me with questions next week. I hope she has an easy time and can get going! I bet she’ll be fine. She seems like the kind of person who would be a successful self-taught knitter. I can’t wait to give her some pointers on Monday!

The last item in my bag was the Harmony Cable Needle Set. Aren’t they just lovely? I usually prefer to cable without a cable needle, but there are times when the extra insurance is really helpful, such as with a slippery yarn or one without much give. I just love looking at them, and hope they will be not too slippery to do the job!

All for now, talk to you soon.

The other day when my mom was over she asked me if I still have the yarn I was planning to use to make her a felted hat. The snot green yarn. for the snot hat? Why yes, I still have it. My mom has taken up knitting this year, and nearly every grandkid has been gifted with fuzzy mittens this winter. But now she wants to tackle her hat. Herself. How cool is that??

So on Sunday, she’s having a hat knitting lesson. She of course needed the right tools for the job, so I ordered for her, her very own Size 11 Harmony needle tips and cables, which will be perfect for the job. The yarn is all balled up and ready to go. And I actually own more than one copy of the pattern (link chosen at random… lots of folks carry this pattern). I’m going to teach Magic Loop simultaneously with the concept of knitting in the round, so that my mom will never have to switch to double pointed needles while making her hat. I think it will be fun. Then we’ll wrap up our knitting lesson with a yummy steak dinner. I can’t wait! How fun it is going to be.

Of course, I couldn’t buy needles for my mom without putting in an order for a little something for myself! I got all of the Harmony Circulars in sizes 0 to 3, just to round out my set. I also will get a set of the Harmony Cable Needles sometime soon, but only because they’re so pretty. I don’t really use cable needles that often… it depends on the give in the yarn. Still, I am finding these Harmonies to be too beautiful to pass up!

Miss Z.’s blanket is coming along great. Yesterday we had lots of volunteer knitters at work, so the list is growing! Our director of HR gave permission for me to send an email to our whole organization. So, people were coming in and out of my office all day. More pics this weekend…

Well, here it is, the latest “baby pic” of Miss Z.’s Blankie. I am enjoying making it but I wish it could go faster. Miss Z. starts her chemo very soon and I want it to be done. Now that the holidays have wound down and most folks are back at work, I am getting even more takers on the “many hands” aspect of the project.

I have now used all of the yarn colors that I have for the project, so am starting over, in a slightly different color order. I hope I can keep the variations going. In a recent stripe I added Knit Picks Shine Sport in the colorway, Willow, but I’m not sure I love it being there yet, since it is so much lighter than the other shades. But I was having an interesting dilemma of not having enough yarns for the parts in between the primary shades. I had some Shine on hand, so decided to try it. So, I guess we’ll see how it works out.

Trish’s Got a Brand New Bag

Ok, as much as I absolutely LOVE my Jordana Paige Knitter’s Satchel, I have finally had to admit, it’s really not the most practical solution for me. I’ve managed to bend the metal bar that holds the clicky clasp on both of my bags, and so neither one closes well. Which is causing me problems, because except for the little stuff in the zipper pouch, most of the stuff is rolling around in there and all jumbled up with everything else.

So I bit the bullet and bought a Namaste Executive Bag. I’ve been hearing about these as they seem to be the buzz of all the knitters in the know. But, it’s hard to get. I hear it’s been discontinued, and that a newer, better bag may be coming out soon. But, I gotta admit, this one’s pretty cool! I like that it has separate compartments fort the “purse stuff” and the knitting gear. I also like that it seems to have stronger closures, so I shouldn’t have to worry about the bag tipping over and all of my purse stuff falling out.

It does seem that the material it’s made of is kinda thin. That’s one complaint I’ve been hearing is that the bag isn’t as durable as some folks would like. So I guess we’ll see how I make out with it, given that I do seem to be pretty hard on stuff. Wish me luck…

On a Roll

And now for something completely different…

I heard Kelley Petkun talk about this on her podcast a few weeks ago, and I thought, “Who in their right mind would buy a book about THAT??” But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Then, this week, my copy of Toilet Roll Covers finally found it’s way to my door. I cannot believe I started feeling all nostalgic, as my mom and grandmother used to make cozies for just about everything. But my mom has never seen toilet paper cozies like this! They are fun, funky and adorable. Of course I will have to make a hat for my toilet paper, and maybe even an Aran sweater. The piano keys are also very cute, and someday, I’ll have to make the “Drum Roll” for my brother the drummer.

Sigh. Looks like my Redskins are losing to the Seahawks. It’s been a tough year for them. I was really hoping…

Ciao for now!

Hi, all! I hope everyone had a great holiday. I know we did. Our kids got a much-wished-for Wii for Christmas, and much to our delight (and dismay), even our 5-year-old took to it pretty quickly. (He’s the current bowling champ in the household.) Thankfully, he still says his Thomas the Tank Engine Carnival Play Set is his favorite gift (from Grandma, of course…) though the older one LOVES the Wii. Hey, at least we’ll know where to find her.

Me? In between the Christmas card writing and the cooking and the eating and all of that other stuff, I’ve been trying to steal as many moments as I can to work on Miss Z.’s Blanket. It’s coming along, but with me being the admitted slowest knitter in the world, of course it will take longer than I ever would want it to. I decided during my last week at work during the holidays that I was going to call the project the “Many Hands, Big Heart” afghan. My logic is that since Miss Z. is a co-worker, that I would let any other co-worker who wants to, to knit on it for a stitch, or a row, or whatever suits them. Even if I only teach a person to make one stitch, their contribution still counts. I only actually work on-site two days a week these days, so coordinating the project will be interesting, but I am hoping to get lots of hands to chip in. So far, MANY people have expressed interest, and the Office Director for our department has said I can send an email to everyone in our wider group. That’s cool.

A little bird mentioned to me recently that I wrap my stitches “backwards” when I knit. I didn’t realize this as my stitches aren’t at all twisted (at least I’m consistent!) but now seeing so many other knitters work on my blanket too I can definitely see that my way of doing things is not what the majority does. In this case though I have many colors and textures going, and with the whole concept of Many Hands, I think it will be a design feature, if you will, if some of the stitches might be a bit twisted. I don’t think the recipient will notice, and if there does end up being a twisted stitch here and there, then so be it. Each one will be twisted with love.

Knitterly Gifties

Santa was very good to me! DH presented me with the long-awaited Options Harmony interchangeable needles. Now I have the whole set, except for the largest sizes of tips, which aren’t included. I’ll probably get them separately just because I am a completist, even though it is rare when I knit with anything higher than an 11. I did cheat and get myself a couple pairs of tips before Christmas, but I did wait for the whole set to come. Yay! I’m even thinking of switching out my metal Options on my current WIP to the wood ones. Haven’t decided yet on that.

My inlaws gave me the Quantaray Portable Photo Studio, which I am also considering to be a knitting related item. I love to shoot photos of my yarn related things for this blog, and frankly, I’m getting tired of shooting from the same old red kitchen chair every time. The kitchen chair has been optimal to now because I have overhead pot lights in the kitchen which are pretty good for color accuracy. So now I get to play with mini photography lights and see how I do. That is, when I get them working. Unfortunately one of the lights in my kit is loose and we could not tighten it and get it to work. I’m going to have to exchange my kit for another, which hopefully won’t be too hard to do. I can’t wait to play with it! Yay!!

Well, it’s getting late here so I better sign off for now and get ready for bed. Hope everyone is recovering well from much celebrating (or if not from celebrating, from doing something else fun on your day off!) Me? I gotta go back to work tomorrow. Drat.

Ok, I’ve said to more than one person recently that I would probably never knit another afghan. Now, watch how fast I am going to eat my words! I’ve mentioned in a recent post that I am knitting with a heavy heart lately. Now I can say why, at least some, and then the afghan will make some sense.

I have this friend. A co-worker, actually, and I don’t think she knows that I adore her as much as I do. This fall she surprised us with the happy news that she was expecting her third child. Soon after though she began complaining of a pain in her side that would not stop. (She was due at Christmas, so by telling us in the early fall she was already quite far along.) It was difficult to do too many tests, because of course, she was very pregnant and they didn’t want to hurt the baby. However, soon the doctors began to suspect the possibility of colon cancer. They wouldn’t know, of course, until after the baby’s birth, but the situation began to take on some urgency.

The baby was born after Thanksgiving, about 5 weeks early, and had to spend some time in the NICU at the hospital, but is fine now and at home. About two weeks later mom had surgery and the diagnosis was unfortunately confirmed. She will recuperate for about 8 weeks or so and then begin treatment for cancer.

I did have all sorts of plans to make tons of things for her new baby, and had even bought mountains of yarn and had started knitting on a baby hat for the baby. As it turns out I made a yucky mistake with the hat and need to start over anyway (my color changes look awful, and I forgot to do the jogless jog, AND I made a mistake on the decreases at the top so have to rip those out anyway). So I need to rip that hat back to before the first color change and start over. While I’m at it, I might as well make the next biggest size, too… so baby won’t outgrow it too soon.

But anyway, the problem with knitting for Baby, (though I can’t wait to do it someday soon) is that every time I did knit for the baby I would think of mom and start crying. So instead I decided to pour my efforts into knitting for mom. And what did I decide on? A snuggly throw, knit on very LARGE needles so hopefully it will go lots faster this time. I am already having some doubts, but I’m determined to do this for my Miss Z.

I don’t do browns, and of course, browns are what makes Miss Z feel happy. So I went online to Knit Picks, and buy boatloads of brown yarn in different colors and textures. Clockwise from the top, in the 12:00 position:
Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand Dyed, colorway, Redwood Forest; Suri Dream Hand Dyed, colorway, Falling Leaves; Suri Dream, colorway, Sandstone; Wool of the Andes Bulky, colorway, Taupe; Andean Silk, colorway, Cinnamon; Quarry, colorway, Dakota Mahogany; (center) Andean Silk, colorway, Chocolate.

I bought two balls of each color, except for the Andean Silk, for which I bought 6 balls of each color, as it will be my dominant two colors with the others in between. I’ve doubled the Andean Silk for a really soft, bulky feel and am doing a simple ripple pattern from Jan Eaton’s book, 200 Ripple Stitches. I’m liking it so far but am finding the Suri Dream to be a bit fussy to work with. Hopefully I’ll survive. It’s for a good cause. And it’s on size 11 needles, too… so hopefully won’t take me a year like the last blanket did.

With holidays fast approaching, I’m not sure I’ll be able to post much again before the new year. Thanks for reading, and if I don’t get to it before, I’d like to wish everyone now a joyous holiday time and Peace for 2008. Also, if you’re a praying person, please flip a few skyward for my Miss Z. She’s got three kids who need her very, very much. Thanks for reading.

Ok, when is it too much? I do think I am addicted to KnitPicks Shine yarn. When I was reading the KnitPicks Lover’s board on Ravelry the other day, someone mentioned that certain colors were being discontinued. You can guess it took me all of about 30 SECONDS to surf on over and pick up TWENTY balls of one of my favorite colors–Crocus. Not that I have anything specific in mind to do with it at the moment, but you know how it is when it’s on sale! Irresistible. I probably have enough to make myself some kind of top and have some left over, but time will tell what I do with it.

Blankie Update

Three more rows. Then I’m done. Just sayin’…