One Geek to Stitch Them All

Its been a while since I’ve posted but plenty of knitterly things have been happening. I’ve finished the blue jeans shawl, which was a straight forward easy knit and gives me hope for one day designing my own triangular shawl.

Pre-blocked it wasn’t much to look at but it sure put my blocking mats to the test.

Just starting out with the blocking here and wondering if I will have enough matting to get it done. Its not the first time I’ve thought of ordering a second set of mats, or hunting them down from a child’s toy store.

There it is when it was finally laid out and ready to dry. I’ve worn it a few times in the cubicle and loaned it out which led to a friend requesting one in black. Or at least a similar one. I’ve started on the Spring Thaw shawl for her in some Black Debbie Bliss Bamboo Wool  Blend.

The Dalek is coming along and is actually nearly done. I just have to do the base and attach the arms. Granted it has been in this nearly done state for a couple weeks now.

Its full of stuffing and simply lacks a base and arms to go exterminating the population.

Lastly a picture a friend took at one of the many summer bbqs so far.

admin knitting blocking, dalek, FOs, lace, shawl

Happy World Wide Knit In Public Day. I hope everyone had a good time and got some good public knitting done. I headed over the the  Central Library at Grand Army Plaza, but didn’t get to stay long, as I had a birthday party to go to. There were knitting, crochet, and spinning lessons. I would have loved to learn to spin but the time crunch as I had to make it down to Prospect Park West.  Maybe next year.

So as you all know I broke the yarn drought while down in DC. I felt this was a good cause when I heard, “I didn’t even bring any yarns or needles with me”. Said friend is only in DC for eight weeks for an internship but still so wrong.

I’ve decided to keep the tally going because I am making a dent in the yarn, and as I gear up for Christmas knitting, and other gifts I will have to buy yarn eventually but I am making progress. So I have simply added a new category. Skeins Purchased in 2010.

Another thing I’ve been picking up like there is no tomorrow are stitch dictionaries:

Those two being the most recent purchases.  Both books have appealing stitches and are helping to inspire and show me how I’m going to pull out some of the images in my head.

I also picked up a new project bag. This one in fact. I had been turned onto the seller by a fellow knitter and needed a second bag.

Despite the knitting in public I’m still only a third or so of the way done with the  blue jeans shawl, I blame writing, and reading on the bus, but I’m sure it will get done soon enough. Hopefully to keep me warm on said bus.

Tally

Skeins Likely to Use: 138
Total Yards: 25, 558
Cast on in 2010:11

Skeins Purchased in 2010: 2
New Skeins used: 0

Days without a yarn Purchase in 2010: 4

Completion

Projects: 5
Skeins: 19.25

Remaining:

Yards:  22,815
Skeins: 118.75

admin knitting bag, books, etsy, WIP, WWKIP

At the moment I’m on a boltbus on my way back from visiting a friend down in DC no idea where I am right now but we just went through a tunnel.  So of course we ended up in a yarn store. Stitch D.C. in fact.  I actually went because I wanted to get size 2 bamboo circulars so I could attempt  Anthemion again after seeing a completed one live in person from another friend who had completed it and thought some of the difficulty may have been my metal circs.

We were up until well past 3am chatting and catching up, so we didn’t have a high hopes on getting a lot of sight seeing done. She’s only been in town a week and neither one of us had a car. We did end up at the National Portrait Gallery where I was distracted by this painting.

My friend despite being a fellow knitter laughed at me. But socks! Or possibly gloves but really its DPNs!

So I have ended the yarn drought.  I bought 2 skeins of 50% Wool 5o% silk, they are being put aside for the pantheon project, because they make me think of Poseidon and Hephaestus and I’ve been keeping an eye out for yarns that make me think of any of the things that make me think of the gods. I have plans to re-read my copy of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology to get some ideas for the rest of the twelves.

Also purchased were some buttons. I had wanted to take part in the Tilting Tardis Cowl knit along over at the Who Knits group on Ravelry but  I didn’t have any buttons, I found these glass recycled ones and thought they would be perfect.

I also picked up some red buttons because despite not being one of  the 12 Persephone was another member of the Greek Pantheon that I had ideas for.

admin knitting 2010 goal, art, buttons, yarn

I’ve been working on a shawl, pretty much since i finished the wedding shrug. This wouldn’t have been such a problem if I hadn’t kept frogging the shawl again and again.

It started with a pattern that was a LOT of ST and then when I started to feel the never ending hate one can begin to feel for ST. Then I learned I had misread the pattern and the finished shawl would be much shorter than I would want unless willing to knit a few more miles of ST. So that was frogged.

There were a couple of other patterns that I had to abandon when I could not make out the instructions, on how to do the lace repeat.  I had hoped it would make it self clear as I knit but no such luck. Another moment where I was not sure if it was my lack of lace knowledge or too many beers (it was a beer and knitting), or a short hand that I have not come across and am simply missing.

So having given up on that.  I hunted a new pattern down, and started on that. This seems to be going much better its the Blue Jeans Shawl, < ravelry link.  I’ve made it farther than I have before and have memorized the lace repeat. So I’m hoping this continues to go well. Though I’ve picked up a new book that is cutting into my bus knitting time as I devour that instead.

Getting a Kindle and having that read to me may be a really good investment sometime in the near future.

No frogging and plenty of yarn left to keep going to make it a size to keep me warm on the bus of high AC and not take up too much room in the bag.

And I leave you with the sight that started my Memorial day weekend as I exited the building and crossed the parking lot to wait for the bus. Hopefully everyone had a good time this weekend and are ready to get back to the grind tomorrow.

admin knitting lace, shawl

So I’ve started the new job and the lovely epic commute. Its been anywhere from 2 hours one way to 4 hours. Not fun, but the job itself is a good thing and really that’s what matters.

This past weekend an old friend got married. It was on the water so I figured a shrug would be perfect. So of course I had a whole 5 days before the wedding. I had even planned to break the yarn diet except that it was Mother’s Day. Yarn stores closed. But I was able to find two skeins of an off white, wool from the Lion Brand Studio.

It was an adventure, knit flat, as I traveled the wilds of NJ. It didn’t help that I had only been doing the commute a week and hadn’t fully adjusted to my new earlier day. I would drift off,  think i missed my stop, and lots of other wild bus moments. But I kept at it. Even when on Monday there was lots of frogging as I tried to get the right dimensions.

I’m glad I used such a simple and easy to memorize pattern.  It was the Lace Knit Rib Shrug by Crystal Palace Yarns.  I did a simple garter edging, mostly because I did not think I would have enough yarn for full sleeves,  and would instead make  3/4 sleeves.

And I was able to finish it by Friday, with some wild, Thursday into Friday blocking, involving fans, and knitting the band onto a slightly damp project on the bus, I let it dry out in my cubicle and by the end of the night had weaved in ends, and bound off ready to head to the marina come Saturday.

Next up is a shawl or two, I may make one for the office and one for the commute if I can manage it. Both are air-conditioned and I get cold very easily. I’ve had my fingers start to turn blue, in a chilly office. And I tend to be the first to pull out the fingerless gloves and the last to put them away.

I’m tempted to use all that fingering weight yarn I got at the Hotel Sale but, part of me still wants a sweater hold out so we’ll see.

Days without a Yarn Purchase in 2010: 137

admin knitting lace, shrug

Right under the wire I suppose. A Stash busting update for April.  Four months in and still not the biggest dent, though I wonder how the soon to be almost 4 hour round trip to work will effect that.  Likely on the positive end. I had a 1 1/2 hour commute round trip when I first learned to knit and that is when I made the EPIC Christmas gifts, I’m talking,  Hat, Scarf, and Flip top mittens for way too many people.

Pioneer is kindly kicking my butt which may help explain the increase in cast ons and not so much with the binding off.  Smaller size, the sleeves are perfect, the front works, the back is still too big, growls.  I will just have to deal with it later.  Ah the first sweater.

But on  to the  Tally:

Tally

Skeins Likely to Use: 138
Total Yards: 25, 558
Cast on in 2010:9

Days without a yarn Purchase in 2o10: 119

Completion

Projects: 4
Skeins: 16.25

Remaining:

Yards:  23,576
Skeins: 122

Slow and steady win the race I suppose. And I did just pick up E. Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop today so I’m a step closer to starting my  Captain America’s Shield Shawl.  Likely, I   shall break my yarn drought with white lace weight yarn to start the shawl.

admin knitting 2010 goal, books, sweater, WIP

So I  started to knit Pioneer, in black and red cascade 220 that I picked up nearly two years ago at Knitty City.  I think the only alteration I will be making to the project is to make it longer sleeves, here’s hoping I have enough yarn to cover my torso. So far it is going well.

I really like the effect of the yarn over increases.  And that was the yarn right after adding a second ball. I have six of the cascade.

So that  picture was two weeks ago, I moved the sweater to a longer cable and realized how scrunched it was.  Oddly enough it fit pretty well in the front and was off by  about 4″ in the back. So  on Sunday as a friend drove me to the Tanger outlets in honor of my NEW JOB, and as thanks for helping her pack her apartment for a move I frogged the whole thing.  I started it again and have been knitting non-stop pretty much the last two days of  Census training knitting as I was talked at.

I am working on the Small instead of the Med but now I wonder if I don’t have the same problem anyway. I’m going to measure the back and see.  You’d think a top down Raglan would be easier than this.  But it is the first sweater.  So I suppose if  I didn’t frog it at least once it would be unnatural.

But even as I hit the sweater wall, I am making some progress on the Big 12 project and have swatched a possible stitch for the Hades’ Cowl.

admin knitting sweater, WIP

So today  we had another day of nice weather, and I decided to head over to Prospect Park and take pictures for a lot of the writing I’m working on and just as general inspiration. I had a leaning towards, paths, openings, tunnels, and stumps and  fallen trees, looking it as the remnants of a battle field,  and paths where every turn there is a surprise. Also it was a great time to test out my Nikon Coolpix!

One of my favorite images is this one which leads my mind to a post apocalyptic future where humans are gone and nature has come back to take things over.

An opening between some fallen logs.

This Cloud so looks like someone’s cloaking device is malfunctioning just a smidge right there.

Just one of the many paths and ways that i took

One of the many arches in the park.

And  Grand Army Plaza

Back to knitting in the next post I swear.

Days without a Yarn purchase in 2010: 104.

admin Uncategorized photos, prospect park

So I’ve made a few sets of stitch markers based on TOS. I blame this on listening to the Star Trek audio book read by Mr. Quinto himself.

So each set includes 4 red shirts and 1 blue and 1 gold. There are some left over red shirts that may be turned into earrings. I’d say keep your eyes on the Etsy shop for that.

I’m hoping everyone has seen the new spring Knitty? Its very pretty, but what jumped out at me was Anthemion. Its an amazing shawl, and though its possible I should have gone down 2 needle sizes instead of one I’m enjoying my first intricate lace pattern.

Its also amusing how slightly odd knitting habits cause pause. The pattern includes a K1 tbl. I insert my right needle behind my left when knitting, so I’m always knitting tbl but without the twist that it is supposed to cause. This video shows my normal knitting style when flat. So when faced with a k1 tbl like Anthemion I just sit there and look at the yarn and try to figure out what its supposed to look like at the end.  In this case pretty simple.  Though it took some frowning as i tried to figure out how to twist my stitches.

I finally ended up with a S1-knitwise (in the more traditional through the front method. Slip back to LHK then knit and viola! twisted stitch. More work but something I will likely have to keep in mind with the Pantheon project.
What’s that you may ask? Well with all the Greek themed movies that seem to be floating around I have planned to put together some designs basked on the Greek Pantheon, either based on their  myths, their designations, or their symbols/representations in popular culture.

Some examples – Hades – hat/cowl , Hephaestus- Gloves/Gauntlets

I’ve started on a Aphrodite lace scarf, with the reclaimed yarn from a sweater ages ago, that I plan to also make my first try at dyeing once its knit up.  Right now only the first section of lace is done, to look like ocean waves.

admin craft, knitting pantheon, plan, red shirt, shawl, star trek, stitch markers, tbl

Well you may have noticed that over the last week I have added quite a few things to the Etsy Shop. I’ve added more markers, some jewelry, and pot holders.

So if something catches your fancy go off and buy it. I also ordered cards though it will be a long while before they arrive as there were 21 days of shipping.

But with the update of Etsy I decided to spend my Sunday making more things that I shall be adding to Etsy, or working on improving to Add to Etsy.  So new items that shall be added to the shop over the next few days.

Read more…

admin beads, craft, knitting DC, etsy, polymer clay, red shirt, star trek, stitch markers, Tardis