You CAN take it with you...but will you use it??

The mominator (aka my mother) and I left for a vacation on the 12th, but amidst the hustle, bustle, and shouting, I didn't find time for an update. So here it is, in all its posthumous glory!

Knitting needles and planes: there's a lot of infrmation about this topic if you know where to look. (Craftster has a thread featuring experience as well as rock-solid evidence; then there's TSA's list.) Up until the day before our flight, I'd been looking forward to whipping out my knitting 38,000 feet above ground...then the pink fog of dreamland cleared and I came to realize reality: no carry-on inspector in their right mind would let an abundantly-pierced gal wielding sharp, thin metal sticks onto an airplane full of unsuspecting people. Well, they might, but the odds were against me. Besides, I wasn't prepared: circs or even plastic needles look much more benign, and point protectors are good to have as well. Having weighed my chances, I concluded that it would be best for both me and the knitting if it rode in the suitcase. Better than having to stick it in an envelope and mail it back home.

Since our destination featured a beach, I'd imagined that I'd get a lot of knitting done there. And wow was I wrong! Maybe it's because I had forgotten what a sandy, wet place the beach was, or maybe the Harry Potter books I brought along proved more interesting (with #7 coming out soon, I've gotta get in the mood). So in conclusion, the knitting only came out in the hotel room, and just a few times at that. Silly me, I'd even brought materials for starting the front of my WIP, as well as my Vogue Knitting reference book and some larger needles and scrap yarn for the purpose of practicing new techniques. Oh, well. I guess knitting on the beach just isn't for me.

Knitting on the train, however, is definitely my thing. Getting a second job in San Francisco has proved to be pretty beneficial to my knitting, since there's not really much to do for the 35 minutes that I'm on the train. It warrants some interesting comments/conversations/glassy-eyed stares. The interaction is one of my favorite things about knitting, second to the finished product and the experience, that is!

A Small Mistake Almost Sunk This Kitschy Ship...

Yow, not one update for almost a month. (Some would call it a curse, while others insist that it's a form of genius that's closely related to procrastination).

To summarize: I was progressing well on my current WIP and getting a lot done at work...until I made a mistake. About halfway through the ridge-patterned section of my pullover, I must have gotten distracted by something (like my job) and instead of purling 2 rows, I only purled one and moved on. As I was knitting the next row, things didn't look right and I realized my mistake. No problem!, thought I. I'll just frog this row and that'll be the end of that. So I frogged the row, undoing the stitches one by one (they're so small that ripping them out will almost guarantee that some will get lost). My workday was just about over by the time I finished frogging, so I put my knitting away; I could go back to it the next day, right?

That's where things went painfully wrong (insert screeching violins here).

I didn't get a chance to knit at all the following week but when I started again Saturday morning, I was confident that I knew where I'd left off. The first ridge looked right but as I finished the second, I saw that the repeat didn't look right: the WS was on the RS, and vice versa. To say I was perplexed was an understatement. So I frogged what I'd done and set out to correct my mistake, a process that took almost 2 full days of knitting a few rows and frogging them again (stitch. by. stitch)! It got rather depressing after a while. I somehow finally managed to find the right place in the pattern repeat.

After that, things went smoothly until the "knit both sides at the same time" direction for knitting the neck. I'd initially thought that this meant keeping the work on the same needle and to keep knitting as usual. As I tried to knit on the other side of a bound-off row, the two sides became connected and I realized that there must be something else to the whole "knit both at the same time" thing. I looked up the term in my Vogue Knitting reference book, which cleared things up: each 'side' is to be knit using a separate ball of yarn. So I made another skein of yarn into a ball and things went merrily on their way.

Behold, the finished back piece!

I cast on for this piece on April 22 (Sunday) and finished on June 3 (Sunday); that's a little over a month. Not bad for knitting twice a week, plus a row here and there on weekdays.

A few detail shots:

A view of a shoulder and the neck opening.

Armhole shaping.

For the sake of variety, I decided to knit a sleeve now. My progress so far:

As suggested by Gloria, I've been writing out pattern instructions to prevent myself from losing my place (instructions like "decrease every other row 5 times AT SAME TIME cont. ridge pattern" or "*dec. 1 st each side, work even 3, dec. 1 st each side AT SAME TIME...." are just asking for it). Writing out the pattern repeat (k, k, p, k, etc.) and then adding whatever it is you have to do next to that row helps tremendously. I check off rows as I go and there's no chance of losing my place!

A (blurry) example of my notes:

This update is dedicated to a Mr. B. Franklin, whose aphorism I stole and twisted into what is now the title of this post. You rawk.

The Selfless Knitter 6.0 (batteries not included)

My FOs are few, but I can safely say that I enjoy knitting for others more than for myself. (My current WIP is a necessary exception). Coupled with my love of pleasing people is my reluctance to disappoint them: in essense, to say 'no' when they suggest that I knit them something.
Now, don't get me wrong, getting requests is flattering and frankly, sometimes I suggest it myself. But I get to thinking sometimes...could that be what knitting is all about? I'm by no means a knitting history buff, but I do know that from the very beginning, knitting was a practice that benefited many people other than the knitter. Whether it was a necessary craft (socks, sweaters, etc.) or simply entertainment (lace, etc.), the knitted items always seemed to benefit somebody else. But does that meant that knitters are selfless folk working tirelessly for the good of others? I'm not so sure. The act of knitting something is, by itself, highly rewarding, pleasing, and challenging. Watching somebody accept your finished item and knowing how much good they'll get out of it is, as they say, the icing on the cake. Besides, there are only so many things you can knit for yourself. Would you ever be able to use them all? Not to mention that after weeks of working on an item (if not longer), I'm pretty eager to send it on its merry way.
So perhaps there's more to knitting than yarn and needles, cardigans and baby socks. Maybe knitting has hidden intrinsic value that only really makes sense to a knitter.

So what has my knitter's nature wrought upon me? Why, more future projects, of course! There are many thigns I want to knit for myself, but the majority of future projects are for other people:

M-the-younger: He's my co-worker and we're only a few months apart in age. He was the first to (jokingly) ask for something after seeing me knitting the now finished faux-lace scarf at my desk. He requested a tie (really) and since then I've found a few good pattern that will work.

M-the-elder: Another co-worker. This one wants a vest, with cables and all. Well, if he wants it done before the year is over, he'll have to settle for something simpler.

G: My little cousin. She requested a rainbow-colored scarf and matching hat. I'm planning to have them ready for her by this fall.

N: A former lady co-worker who may have asked for a scarf at some point. I'm thinking something lacy.

M&C: The original muses :) These two can pull off things like shrugs and capelets. I'd love to make things like that but I know that I'd never wear them; just a matter of taste. Having friends to gift things like this to allows me to make things that I wouldn't necessarily use myself. And of course, it's fun figuring out what they'll like.

The rest of my list includes projects for people that didn't ask for them. A huge benefit of making things for others is the opportunity to learn new skills and practice learned ones--both parties benefit!

Moving right along...

I've made a lot of progress on the pullover--it's almost time to shape the armholes, neck, and shoulders!

Aerial view: the sides roll horribly, so they were pinned out for the photo session. Look--shaping!

A close-up of the ridge pattern.

Another view of the ridge pattern.

I wasn't kidding when I said it curled! Half of the time, it doesn't even look like the front or back of anything.

And the WS of the piece. Lots and lots of garter stitch.

Currently, the piece measures 36.5 cm; it needs to be 37.5cm before I can start shaping the armholes. I started a second hank last weekend! This time around, winding it into a ball by hand turned disastrous towards the end--a scary, tangled mass that took me about a half hour to fix. Maybe it was a combination of the late hour and listening to a radio show. Perhaps there is something to having a partner help you wind...

The photos were taken with different types of flash, which is why they all look different. Still not sure which is best for 2am photo sessions with the floor lamp on...

It's been very smooth sailing so far and I'm a bit nervous about starting on armholes, shoulders, etc. Something about "working both sides at once" scares me. That and the AT THE SAME TIME directions--not only must you continue the ridge pattern, but you should also decrease/increase every x number of rows. The first two repeats of the ridge pattern called for this and it wasn't so much difficult as it was about planning ahead and knowing after which row to increase. My other concern is the length. The ridge pattern on the sweater the model in the mag is wearing doesn't start at the same place it starts on me. Granted, we're not the same person but the size of the sweater is the same! I'm afraid that it'll turn out ot be a little long for me. In that case, I'll probably frog from the bottom and re-do the ribbing so that it fits better.

Not only have I been able to knit at work, but during the week as well! A row here, two more there--that adds up to a lot, considering that it takes me about 10-12 minutes to knit a single row. There are currently 134 stitches on the needle, although it doesn't look like it! (No, I didn't count them! 'Just glanced at the pattern!) Initially, I thought that bringing my knitting to school would just distract me, but I've actually found that knitting a bit before hitting the books is relaxing. Plus, I'll never be bored during a dull lecture hour!

I should be done with this side by the end of this month, finals and all being taken into consideration. Maybe I should do a sleeve next instead of the other side, to keep things interesting.

I'm considering starting a second, smaller project in addition to this WIP. There are a lot of things I'd been planning to knit--mostly things people have requested. But that's another can of worms meant for another post...

Stash: Not just for yarn anymore

I've made a lot of progress on my pullover over the past week--in reference to the pattern photo in the last post, I've just begun the ridge pattern.
So far, I've been surprised at how some of the direction details I'd previously thought of as challenging were a breeze when it came to actually following them. For example, I was worried about how I could keep track of the number of rows I'd done (and in what stitch) and, at the same time, make the right number of increases. The problem was easily solved with a piece of paper to tally up the number of increases and write down either 'k' or 'p' for the row I was currently on. The upcoming directions will probably challenge me a lot more than this, since they involve shaping for the sleeves and picking up stitches to form a neckline. I'm hoping that it'll fall into place when the times comes to knit them, just like everything else!

Progress photos in the next post.

On stashes. Since I've only recently started to get serious about knitting, my yarn stash is pretty nominal. And actually, I'd like to keep it that way! I like impulse buys as much as the next knitter, but the longer that yarn sits unused, the more guilty/frustrated one feels. My plan is to buy yarn as I need it, whether it be for a current project or for a future one (yarn specs. would be known). It's pragmatic and ambitious. Let's see if I can stick to it!

My weakness, however, is books. And magazines. And anything craft-related. So, for your viewing pleasure as well as my future nostalgia, my book-stash!

Clockwise from top: 3 books on sewing, 1 small book with Chinese patterns (knitting inspiration!), my current collection of past VK issues (80s-early 90s), a Vogue Knitting reference book (very handy; it's got articles from past issues, stitch patterns, techniques, etc.), a few books on marcame. This section of my book-stash is dubbed 'the old stuff' because, well, it's all second hand! And yay for that!

Dubbed 'the new stuff', this is my collection of current knitting magazines and books. Only the Vogue Stitchionary (vol. 2: cables) is second hand (I'm not ashamed to admit that as a relative cheap-skate, I try to buy as many things used as possible).

And now the yarn stash, plus where I keep my notions and all that jazz...

It all fits inside a medium-sized box: needles, yarn, ruler, faux stitch holders (made out of paper clips).

Not pictured are my pattern binder (downloaded patterns from online) and an inspiration folder (holds clippings, pictures, etc. that are somehow inspirational).

New Horizons: 1st sweater progress!

Ever since I learned how to knit in the fourth grade, I'd never gone beyond making rectangles (ie. scarves). I've only recently become interested--no, fascinated--with the world of knitting.

Having the desire to develop my skills was one thing, but getting there was going to take an initial push! So I hopped on the bus and rode downtown to buy a Dummies book on knitting. I knew the basics (knit, purl)...or so I thought. Somehow, the easy to follow instructions confused me; my knit stitches looked the same as the purls. Frustrated, I began making another long rectangle. A few months later, the curiosity returned with a vengeance, so I began searching for different instructions. Ironically, while considering which book to buy, I realized that Lionbrand and Knitpicks had instructions that I actually understood (and they were free!). So I obviously never did end up buying another book.

As I studied the aforementioned instructions, I had one of thone AHA! moments: I realized that I'd been knitting wrong for years. My purl stitch was actually my knit stitch, and vice versa. Re-learning them was pretty helpful, to say the least. I've currently learned the proper way to do simple decreases/increases.

Well, enough on that! My current WIP:

A "close-fitting crewneck pullover with set-in sleeves". This pattern is from a Spring/Summer 1989 edition of Vogue Magazine.

Progress after 2 weeks:

Another photo

A close up:

And for the curious ones, the magazine cover!

A better look at the decreases (I'm finished with these as of now; if you look at the pattern photo, I'm right where the model's waist is)

The yarn is Knit Picks Gloss in Woodland Sage (70% Merino Wool, 30% silk). This yarn smells absolutely heavenly and feels almost as good. The best I can describe it is as a high-end department store smell. Clean, yet perfumey. I ordered 7 hanks, and at $3.99 each, my first big project isn't going to make me poor(er). The sweater is knit mostly on size 3 needles (I don't blame you from shuddering in horror), which gets a lot more comfortable after a little while. The ribbing was knit on size 2's.

The yarn, alongside a member of my tiny stash (everything else are half-used skeins of Red Heart Acrylic that I'm not too keen on using anymore):

I've got a long, long way to go until I finish, given that I'm knitting with tiny needles and have to study for finals (and fend off the urge to 'just forget about it all' and hole up somewhere to knit).

I got a lot done last Sunday at work--as a receptionist, there's not much else for me to do on a slow day. A few customers saw me knitting at my desk and stopped by to chat! All said things along the lines of compliments and interests, and one elderly lady asked if she could just watch me for a while. These types of results of knitting in public are my favorite; what I don't like is when people treat me as an anomaly (which I may be, to them) and make a big fuss...and ask if I'm knitting them a pair of socks. Somehow, the response of "Hey buddy, you need more than two needles to knit a sock!" doesn't have any effect.

Return to Blogging: some FO's and promises

Ask anyone, and they'll uphold the fact that procrastination just makes the issue snowball out of control. After a few months, I've finally triumphed over the "I'll do it tomorrow"s and have against started to blog and, most importantly, knit!!

First, some finished projects.

I did end up finishing the scarf mentioned in my last post, the only difference being that I narrowed to 3 pattern repeats instead of 4. Much more attractive, I think!

Pattern: Here
Yarn: Bernat Cottontots (worsted weight, 100% cotton, 4oz/113g)
Needles: size 11 (US)
Duration: too long

Blocking (I misted this one instead of dunking it in water; the cotton yarn as well as the 'lacy' stitch would have made it easy to stretch out of proportion)


It was gifted to my friend, Marina, who's studying away at college. More on that later...

I started a second scarf after finishing this one. It was inspired by a (rediculously priced--around $200) Anthropologie scarf my friend Chelsea and I had looked at online. Genius here didn't save a photo from the website but my recreation is pretty identical to the original, albeit slightly lighter and made out of better materials. The dimensions were specified on the site, which made the recreation even easier. They were 3in by 60in, I think. To get a similar color, I used two strands held together.

Pattern: my own (1x1 ribbing)
Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns 'Iceland' (100% wool; the green/yellow yarn), Red Heart Super Saver (wosted weight, 100% acrylic; the blue yarn)
Needles: size 11 (US)
Duration: 5 weeks or so?

A closeup:


Action!

This scarf was we-blocked as well (dunked instead of misted). I was so surprised that despite the freezing water, the wool felt warm!

The scarves were included in care packages sent to M & C, along with other goodies!

In current news, I'm a week into a new (more ambitious) project! Pictures and details in the next post.

Wanted: Escape from project boredom

My current project, yet another scarf, has dragged on for a little more than a month.
The pattern I'm using: http://www.madisonknittersguild.org/p_faux_lace_scarf_lc.html
Don't let the perfect example lull you into easy-pattern land--the thing is bloody irritating! Well, only if you're a perfectionist. The X design comes out a little loose for me and two extra stitches have appeared in my row (which isn't exactly noticeable as far as the Xes are concerned). I'm using Size 11 needles and a natural-fiber yarn (exact details later).
I had planned to gift it but now I'm not sure if the recipient would like it. On top of that, I'm itching to get started on more complex patterns!


Knitting and the World: According to the 'experts', knitting is a trend that comes and goes and is occasionally pronounced dead only to spring back to life at the fingers of creative folk. Fashion, a not much removed cousin of the Fad, is also cyclical and it just so happens that the time is right yet again for bulky knits. While as an enthusiastic knitter I appreciate that cables and argyle patterns are in the mainstream, it also angers me. Who's to say what's fashionable and what's isn't? More importantly, it's about consumerism. Many people still view knitting with a kind of childlike wonder--whenever I KIP (knit in public) I'm often treated like a prehistoric animal in a cage. Fashion-conscious people are buying cable-embellished cardigans and T-shirts with argyle print (which is an atrocity in itself) without really knowing what it all represents, how it's made, etc. And really, what's with the miniscule cables? The whole point of the cable is to embellish, to make a statement, to be noticed! In my kitschy opinion, machine made knits, especially with cables, don't look right. They don't 'pop' like they should and tend to blend into the background, giving the garment a very cheap look that a handmade one does not have. Here we come to another part of consumerism: the price of handmade garments. Many knitters, myself included, get inspiration from the collections of high-end designers becuase we a) can't afford their overpriced duds b) don't want to possible support a cheap-labor company and/or c) know that we can alter a few things about the piece, make it, and have it come out better than the original.

There, my first kvetch session! Feels bloody good.