column of leaves WIP pix

A close-up of the most obvious error, as seen from the wrong side:



For some reason I think it is maybe more obvious in this one:



A nice pic of it laid out on the carpet, right side up:



That glaring error on the wrong side? Not so obvious on the right side!

in which she describes stuff

I made myself one of those bamboo variation one dishcloths. I really like it; I haven’t photographed it yet. I used the same greeny color of cotton I used for SILFH’s cloth. It’s hanging out in my bathroom with my orange garterlac washcloth ☺

My column of leaves scarf is getting nice and long; it’s also FULL of mistakes. I think my problem is that sometimes there is a YO between a P and a K and I screw it up and throw off my stitch counts. So there are a couple of spots I ended up having to M1 (I just Kfb); there is also one place where try as I might I could NOT figure out what happened and after unknitting and reknitting two rows a few times I just went with it. The center ridge of the scarf is therefore running up the center from the bottom, and then somehow moves over one stitch at one point, I really don’t get it because it is still in the center... I’ll have to photograph this, but I’m not ready.

I keep thinking “oh, no one will notice” but I’m at the point where I’m pretty sure I can’t give this scarf away. Which is ok - I kind of love it, actually. But, I also like giving stuff away. So, we’ll see.

bamboo cloth FO

This is the right side of the cloth. I really think it looks cool, and it has a nice texture for use as a washcloth. This picture is from after I washed it and stuck it in the dryer.





Here it is "in situ" and ready to be gifted to my SIL. I think it came out really nicely, and my SIL seemed to at least not hate it, so I feel good about having knitted and gifted it. I really enjoyed the pattern and am seriously considering making a few more. I have a bunch of leftover cotton so what the hell?

what the...??

OK. I was looking at patterns here: http://www.jimsyldesign.com/~dishbout/kpatterns/knit4.html and saw one called “Bamboo variation 1 -1” as well as the one I’m using called “Bamboo Cloth - 2.” Now, the pattern I’m using credits Vaunda Rae Giberson as the designer, and the pattern says the stitches used are YRN = yarn around needle and M1= make one stitch. Then in the pattern, the pattern row includes the section *YRN to M1, K2, pass M1 over K2*.

OK, so, I could not find any reference anywhere to what “YRN” meant but when you wrap the yarn around the needle without knitting a stitch, well - isn’t that a yarnover (YO)?? Actually I take that back - I see here according to the publishers of the Harmony stitch library books, YF, YFON, YFRN, YON, and YRN all are the same as YO. So, I’m right. OK.

So here is what I do not get:
Back at ye olde dishcloth boutique, I looked at the bamboo variation pattern. Under “designer” it says “Karen has adapted the original bamboo cloth pattern by Vaunda Rae Giberson.” The pattern reads exactly the same (even the stitches used section still says YRN and M1) except in the pattern row it reads *YO, K2, pass YO over K2*. Then near the bottom it says “Thank you so much Karen for sharing this pattern and allowing me to post it on this site.”

I do not get it. Why is Karen getting any credit for doing anything here? This is not a different pattern! I do see that the photo with the variation is of the WS and the photo with the original is of the RS but still. It’s the same pattern with the abbreviation “YRN to M1” replaced by the abbreviation “YO.” It’s not an adaptation and I think it’s really weird.

Ahem.

WIP

that’s Washcloth In Progress!

I decided that after agonizing over what to get a particular person for her birthday I would stick with some tried-and-true bath stuff. Having previously rejected the idea of knitting something because I couldn’t bring myself to knit for such a likely-to-be-hateful-in-some-way-about-it recipient, I bought the gift and set it aside and that was that. Until, of course, late last night, when I realized I could not actually gift bath stuff without an accompanying hand-knit washcloth. So. The gifting occurs on T-day, I should be able to bang this out today.



Now that I look at the picture I think the yarn is knitting up kind of weird - green/white striped sections separated by yellow blobs. Whatever (heh, typed blogs instead of blobs at first). I’m not going to actually care that much about it given the situation. I do like the pattern, though. It’s pretty cute. If I make one for myself I think I might use a size 6 instead of 7 needle, though. It’s kind of a flabby cloth. Again - whatever.

WIP: column of leaves

OK. I think this is for MIL but who knows. It is out of Rowan Cashsoft Aran, in a pretty light greyish blue, and it’s slow going for me - my first real lace pattern other than the airy scarf.

sweater pics!

So, without further ado... I bring you Lilah’s “jacket!” (that’s what she calls it - Jacket, Jacket! too cute.)

The only pic of her wearing it is from when my camera was still charging, so it’s a blurry phone pic, sorry.



Inside seam:



Closeup of applied i-cord at top and bottom:



closeup of buttonhole ☺



Inside the sweater; the buttons; the back:



Blurry action shot:

camera not ready

so these are from the cellphone, sorry (she says, as if anyone is actually reading this):

so excited I can't speak

I finished the colorblock cardigan. I just have to get buttons. I’m beside myself! Will post pictures after I recharge my camera’s batteries.

and so it goes

I took the sweater out with me today on my daily rounds, and I swear I tried doing the applied i-cord oh, about 150bazillion times - to the point that the yarn I was doing it with actually FELTED IN ON ITSELF the last time I frogged it. For some reason I just could NOT get it to work. I was trying to use the working yarn to pick up stitches with, is the problem. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I actually finished the seaming this morning while my middle child N was having a visiting day thing at the school she will hopefully attend next year. Actually, first, I ogled the sweater of another hopeful mom, and then I finished the seaming. This other mom was wearing a beautiful cream colored sweater done in a heavy worsted or light bulky weight yarn with a simple 2x2 ribbing at the hem and cuffs, close-fitting stockinette body, and raglan sleeves, with a really cool lacy yoke going on. She probably thinks I’m a lesbian. I was ogling her sweater but I didn’t have my own knitting with me at the time so she must have thought I was just staring at her torso for some OTHER reason. Oh well. I brought it in when I picked N up, to show it to the wonderful and amazing MG, a knitter who happens to be in charge over there, and who occasionally, so I am told, reads this blog. Hi MG! (and I am working on the teddy bear. Jacob insists. I just have to do the arms and the scarf. Oh, and the second foot.)

I also took my sweater to the public library when I went to return some stuff - the librarian there is all about my knitting and I knew she’d be tickled to see it. She was. But, she started in again about I should sell handbags, blah blah blah. No. I am not prostituting my artistic self. Ha ha. But seriously, no.

So I went to the bookstore to look for “applied i-cord techniques” in the huge knitting section at B&N. No joy. I sat and listened to a group of studious med students TOTALLY misunderstanding or at the very least misarticulating the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but I said nothing. Was that evil? I mean, I can’t imagine them having taken so well to my inside-out-shirt-wearing (noticed that on the way home *eyeroll*), furiously-flipping-through-knitting-books-while-knitting-the-same-six-stitches-OVER-AND-OVER-AND-OVER-AGAIN self suddenly busting in on their study group and proclaiming “I am a veterinarian; I grok COPD like you can’t possibly imagine; you guys are totally missing the point, let me lay it out for you...” can you?? Thought not. So I silently sat until the felting occurred and then I left.

I went home and googled it. Duh. Shoulda done that first but I hadn’t wanted to try because the girls wouldn’t have let me, anyway. But when I finally did I found the Keyboard Biologist’s fabulous tutorial:
http://www.keyboardbiologist.net/knitblog/archives/000344.html
Yay, Keyboard Biologist! Is that not the best blog name ever, btw? Hee hee. Anyway, now I’m just picking up every “purl bump” or whatever you call it, from the garter edging on the sweater, instead of trying to pick up with the working yarn like a moron. It’s looking really good (she says, knowing that even as she says it, the sweater is metamorphosing into something that looks like crap. O Fate, why do I tempt thee so?) and I’m excited to finish it hopefully this week.

I ordered some yarn (Cash Iroha, on sale at LittleKnits) to make a Column of Leaves scarf for MIL to replace the Magic Ball scarf I knit for her and gave to my aunt. Of course I am still seeking the perfect ribbed v-neck sweater pattern for me to make myself with my peruvian tweed...

I think I might be overdoing it with the knitting.

Post-blocking, pre-gifting. The shot on the right is a close-up of my favorite bit of the scarf. The scarf was sent on its merry way with my Aunt Joan this evening after all, so that’s taken care of. Now I have to plan a new knit gift for MIL. Oh well. :)

major sweater update

I have seamed the shoulders!! I have some pictures of the sweater laid out as if it were all seamed, but it isn’t - just the shoulder seams. I just put the sleeves in position (although I put on sort of crooked I see) and I am so excited. I’m just not thrilled with my shoulder seams so i am really hesitant to try seaming the sleeves/sides. I need to get some chutzpah together and just do it.

I also finished my magic ball scarf.

Some photos:


See how those seams just aren’t perfect? argh.

But how cute is this going to be???? And it doesn’t even have the icord edging yet!!



My magic ball scarf blocking. The close up is of my favorite section. I’ll have to re-photograph over a plain background so you can see. It’s such beautiful color and fuzziness in this section! I’m not sure if this is for MIL or Aunt Joan yet. Time will tell!

child's color block cardigan progress

One sleeve


two sleeves



two fronts, a back, and two sleeves!



I’m terrified to sew it up and don’t even have a clue about the applied i-cord edging but I really want to do this so hopefully I will figure it out.

blocking board and sweater progress

So... I did not have a blocking board, and I was kind of bumming out. I did some googling and could only find these massively overpriced or undersized excuses for same. Plus, I wanted instant gratification (not to wait for shipping!). So I googled some more and found some instructions...and found some along the lines of this (although those aren’t the exact ones I saw - I can’t find them right now for some reason, though).

I went and bought the homasote - which in and of itself was a major hassle, but at least it was an amusing hassle. It went like this:

I go into Home Depot and grab a 4’ x 8’ sheet of homasote. The nice guy in the lumber/wallboard area cuts it into 4 2’ x 4’ sheets for me. I take it to the register and say to the lady there, as I point at the pieces of homasote in my cart, “this is a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of homasote. It’s $23.72. The bar code is on the edge in the front there.” The lady looks at me blankly, picks up the scanner, and attempts to scan it in. It doesn’t work. She tries repeatedly, but it continues to not work. She looks at me and the following conversation ensues:

HDL (home depot lady): it ain’t scanning. what am *I* supposed to do about it?
Me: are you asking me?
HDL: well, it ain’t scanning!
Me: Well, it’s $23.72
HDL: it ain’t scanning. I’ma sposed to do what now?
Me: I don’t know. I don’t work here. Call a manager?
HDL: [stares blankly]
Me: [looks around][waits] look, it’s $23.72, can you just put that in?
HDL: I TOLD you, it ain’t SCANning.
Me: yeah, you said. [waits]
HDL: [pulls out list of hardwoods, looks for homasote]
Me: this is not hardwood. It’s homasote.
HDL: well, where you get it from?
Me: [pointing] right there.
HDL: you sayin’ this came from there? this ain’t from the floor department?
Me: that’s correct.
HDL: well.
Me: [waits] so, are you going to call a manager or something?
HDL: [tries scanning again]
Me: [becomes impatient and starts looking for manager type]
LG (lumber guy): [notices problem] problem ladies?
HDL: it ain’t scanning
LG: she has one 4 x 8 foot sheet of homasote. It’s 23.72.
HDL: but it ain’t SCANNING.
LG: you want me to get you another one?
HDL: well this one ain’t scanning.
LG: so I’d heard. Be right back. [goes, returns]
HDL: [scans] This one scans.
Me: praise the lord.
HDL: [punches in “4 @” ]
Me: no, just ONE please.
HDL: now don’t you get all playin up in my face. I see you got four. I can COUNT.
Me: yes, I have four pieces of 2 x 4 foot homasote, because they cut the ONE sheet into four pieces
HDL: well how I’ma sposed to know that?
Me: Gosh, I don’t know. I told you I had one 4x8 foot piece. The lumber guy told you I had one 4x8 foot piece. The items you are looking at are clearly not 4x8 feet, they are obviously smaller. I didn’t realize I had to explicitly state that I had the lumber guy cut my homasote into quadrants. My deepest apology.
HDL: I can COUNT you know. You can’t be playin’ me.
Me: are you going to finish the transaction or what?
HDL: [grumbling] FINE.

Yeah.

Then I went to Joann’s and bought some 1-inch checked gingham, and some organic cotton batting, and I also went to Michael’s and got a staple gun. Then I went home and covered the board with the batting and cloth, and stapled. Then I pinned out the two pieces that were done. Today I pinned out the third. Here are some photos:

The plain homasote:



The sweater fronts (this pattern is asymmetrical, btw - my gauge isn’t horribly off)



The back and the two fronts:



side view of the board:



I have enough supplies to make three more and I do plan to eventually :)

WIP pix

What I did at the knit-in last night: this is part of a teddy bear.


The sweater I’m working on for Lilah:



But I’m using different colors. This is the back of the sweater which I’m doing in orange obviously:



This is the beginning of the right front:



And this is my yarn. Orange = back, dark purple = right front, mauve (that is not pink, it’s more pale purply pink) = left front; the greens = stripes for sleeves; dark green = icord edging. So excited...

action shot!

He wore the sweater to school today. too cute, really. “mommy, why are hand-knitted sweaters always softer than machine-knitted sweaters?”
I tried to explain it is all about yarn choice but then he got all hung up on the idea of alpaca and how soft and wonderful they are ☺







I did cast on for Lilah’s new sweater. I’m an idiot. I’m not using Lamb’s Pride Bulky - I’m using LP Worsted, two strands together. Whatever :)