(no subject)
Time for a knitting update.....
What am I knitting:
- Neckwarmer for me. Burgundy and black Maryland Yarn from Wolle Rödel (50% Merino 50% Polyacryl 115m/50g needles 3.5-4.5 10x10cm = 22sts and 26 rows) I'm knitting it on 3mm needles. Started with black and 3x1 rib, then changing to little cables after a few rows (still 3x1 but cables in some of the 3k sections) Then I changed color and increased to 3x3 rib (k3, m1, p, m1, k3, m1, p, m1,....)I think I might have twisted the m1 so the holes wouldn't show as much. Now I'm back to black after using a whole ball of burgundy for the 3x3 rib section (no cables there so it's reversible) I've decreased back down to 3x1 rib (k3 sl1, sl2p, psso,....) and changed to dpn's because the circular was giving me trouble (cord just a bit too long, which was the real reason for the increases when I changed colors). It's about 35cm long right now and I'm guessing it'll be about 40cm once it's finished which means it'll be scrunched up a lot when I wear it, so it'll keep my neck nice and warm.
- Jaywalker..... It's giving me grief! I'm knitting the smaller size minus the ribbing at the top (I like the pointy cuff) but I can tell it's going to be a bother to put on because it's getting tight around my ankle when I try it on. So now I'm debating whether to rip it out and start again or what. I love the pattern idea. I love how the stripes look super cool with the zigzag pattern. I love the points. But I hate that this is my second attempt and even with my "freakishly small feet" the small size is too big! When I knit toe up "plain" socks I need 14sts/needle i.e. 56sts total. I cast on 76 stitches, so that's _20_ more stitches than usual or 35% more stitches than usual. I just can't believe that the patterns eats up that much stretch and/or circumference.
- Pullover from a leaflet. Purple fuzzy Lana Grossa yarn (Sorry, I'm too lazy to go and look it up). Love the pattern, love the style, changed it from being a bottom up raglan with a million seams to a top down seamless construction. However I messed up my increases (I placed markers for the start of the round/middle of the back, the 4 increase points and the middle of the front) and somehow wound up increasing at the middle of the front for a few rows and only noticed what I had done when I'd already done it for maybe 3 rows. I thought I could fix it by just unraveling the few stitches and taking out the increases and hoping the fabric would even out and "eat up" the extra yarn, but I'm not so sure anymore. So now it's sitting in my UFO pile while I think about what to do. It's super fuzzy and hard to unravel (it's a mohair blend) so I'm kind of worried the yarn will look crappy and have bald spots from the unraveling. Plus I'm still hoping it'll maybe all work out without having to unravel if I just block it properly. But it's knit on _big_ needles (I think 8 or 9mm) so the stitches are already "loose"..... Anyway, I' just waiting for a solution to present itself.
- Raglan top down pullover, my own design. Numero Uno yarn from Lana Grossa (100% Merino) in white. I've only got two balls of yarn left, I knit on big needles (7mm) while the yarn calls for 3.5-4mm needles. I like the fabric, I like the general shape (V-neck with cables along the V merging into one cable down the front) but I made it up as I went and instead of knitting stitches together when I joined the two cable panels for the V I just moved my stitches over one at a time. No, I don't know what I was thinking, but it looks strange. Also, since I only have 2 balls of yarn left and no sleeves yet, plus the body isn't quite as long as I'd like it to be I don't quite know what to do. Do I frog the thing up to the neck, redo the V shaping and knit most of the body again. Do I just frog the whole thing and call it a good learning experience and knit something else with the yarn? Do I just keep going with the two balls, finish the body and knit the sleeves at the same time and just go as far as I can get and hope it ends up looking good enough to wear? I don't know.
What I need to knit until xmas:
- One pair of socks for my brother. I have the yarn and I know what I want to knit: TechGuy Socks, by Alison Hansel. He's an architect in the making so I want to duplicate stitch something that has to do with architecture on the leg. I think a simple house or something... I want to knit them in 3x1 rib and leave two stst squares on either side of the leg to duplicate stitch the design on, if you know what I mean. I like 3x1 rib for socks a lot but I can't see how to duplicate stitch something onto that.
- One neckwarmer for Alex. He wants one, I bought the yarn and it should be a fairly quick knit. But I want it finished and gifted before xmas because it's damned cold already and he rides his bike in the morning and at night to and from the train station.
- second sock for Alex. Different than the first, but using the same yarn. He likes wearing two different socks ;-)
- second striped feather and fan sock for me.
- a pair of socks for Sam.
- A scarf for my grandfather. Well, I _want_ to knit him a scarf, but I'm still not sure how practical it'll be. He hardly ever goes outside anymore because he's not walking well at all, not even with the little "battle chariot". I would knit him socks, but he's got his feet/legs bandaged so they'd need to be huge and super stretchy _and_ made out of a yarn that won't be destroyed in their laundry and I have no idea what they wash with and what kind of temperatures they wash at, so I don't think it's a good idea. A hat is out because he has some open wounds on his scalp that just won't heal and I don't want wool fluff sticking to that.
What am I knitting:
- Neckwarmer for me. Burgundy and black Maryland Yarn from Wolle Rödel (50% Merino 50% Polyacryl 115m/50g needles 3.5-4.5 10x10cm = 22sts and 26 rows) I'm knitting it on 3mm needles. Started with black and 3x1 rib, then changing to little cables after a few rows (still 3x1 but cables in some of the 3k sections) Then I changed color and increased to 3x3 rib (k3, m1, p, m1, k3, m1, p, m1,....)I think I might have twisted the m1 so the holes wouldn't show as much. Now I'm back to black after using a whole ball of burgundy for the 3x3 rib section (no cables there so it's reversible) I've decreased back down to 3x1 rib (k3 sl1, sl2p, psso,....) and changed to dpn's because the circular was giving me trouble (cord just a bit too long, which was the real reason for the increases when I changed colors). It's about 35cm long right now and I'm guessing it'll be about 40cm once it's finished which means it'll be scrunched up a lot when I wear it, so it'll keep my neck nice and warm.
- Jaywalker..... It's giving me grief! I'm knitting the smaller size minus the ribbing at the top (I like the pointy cuff) but I can tell it's going to be a bother to put on because it's getting tight around my ankle when I try it on. So now I'm debating whether to rip it out and start again or what. I love the pattern idea. I love how the stripes look super cool with the zigzag pattern. I love the points. But I hate that this is my second attempt and even with my "freakishly small feet" the small size is too big! When I knit toe up "plain" socks I need 14sts/needle i.e. 56sts total. I cast on 76 stitches, so that's _20_ more stitches than usual or 35% more stitches than usual. I just can't believe that the patterns eats up that much stretch and/or circumference.
- Pullover from a leaflet. Purple fuzzy Lana Grossa yarn (Sorry, I'm too lazy to go and look it up). Love the pattern, love the style, changed it from being a bottom up raglan with a million seams to a top down seamless construction. However I messed up my increases (I placed markers for the start of the round/middle of the back, the 4 increase points and the middle of the front) and somehow wound up increasing at the middle of the front for a few rows and only noticed what I had done when I'd already done it for maybe 3 rows. I thought I could fix it by just unraveling the few stitches and taking out the increases and hoping the fabric would even out and "eat up" the extra yarn, but I'm not so sure anymore. So now it's sitting in my UFO pile while I think about what to do. It's super fuzzy and hard to unravel (it's a mohair blend) so I'm kind of worried the yarn will look crappy and have bald spots from the unraveling. Plus I'm still hoping it'll maybe all work out without having to unravel if I just block it properly. But it's knit on _big_ needles (I think 8 or 9mm) so the stitches are already "loose"..... Anyway, I' just waiting for a solution to present itself.
- Raglan top down pullover, my own design. Numero Uno yarn from Lana Grossa (100% Merino) in white. I've only got two balls of yarn left, I knit on big needles (7mm) while the yarn calls for 3.5-4mm needles. I like the fabric, I like the general shape (V-neck with cables along the V merging into one cable down the front) but I made it up as I went and instead of knitting stitches together when I joined the two cable panels for the V I just moved my stitches over one at a time. No, I don't know what I was thinking, but it looks strange. Also, since I only have 2 balls of yarn left and no sleeves yet, plus the body isn't quite as long as I'd like it to be I don't quite know what to do. Do I frog the thing up to the neck, redo the V shaping and knit most of the body again. Do I just frog the whole thing and call it a good learning experience and knit something else with the yarn? Do I just keep going with the two balls, finish the body and knit the sleeves at the same time and just go as far as I can get and hope it ends up looking good enough to wear? I don't know.
What I need to knit until xmas:
- One pair of socks for my brother. I have the yarn and I know what I want to knit: TechGuy Socks, by Alison Hansel. He's an architect in the making so I want to duplicate stitch something that has to do with architecture on the leg. I think a simple house or something... I want to knit them in 3x1 rib and leave two stst squares on either side of the leg to duplicate stitch the design on, if you know what I mean. I like 3x1 rib for socks a lot but I can't see how to duplicate stitch something onto that.
- One neckwarmer for Alex. He wants one, I bought the yarn and it should be a fairly quick knit. But I want it finished and gifted before xmas because it's damned cold already and he rides his bike in the morning and at night to and from the train station.
- second sock for Alex. Different than the first, but using the same yarn. He likes wearing two different socks ;-)
- second striped feather and fan sock for me.
- a pair of socks for Sam.
- A scarf for my grandfather. Well, I _want_ to knit him a scarf, but I'm still not sure how practical it'll be. He hardly ever goes outside anymore because he's not walking well at all, not even with the little "battle chariot". I would knit him socks, but he's got his feet/legs bandaged so they'd need to be huge and super stretchy _and_ made out of a yarn that won't be destroyed in their laundry and I have no idea what they wash with and what kind of temperatures they wash at, so I don't think it's a good idea. A hat is out because he has some open wounds on his scalp that just won't heal and I don't want wool fluff sticking to that.