Heather Joins The Round

Because the world needs more knitting blogs.

Monday, May 21, 2007

New Knitting!


Not much knitted on the Sock Class Sock (must find a better name...), but I did get the heel turned and finished the gusset, so it's all mindless knitting until the toe.

But what is that knitting on the right? Well, grrlfriends, that is my sister L's FIRST KNITTING EVER! Doesn't she rock? We're going to buy yarn today so she can make something more exciting than a garter stitch square.

Sharing the craft is sharing the joy!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

All the knitting I did last night:


Lame, eh? But I was really tired last night.

In case you're wondering, it's the Sock Class Homework. It's two colors because the pink yarn I grabbed off the top of the pile wasn't giving me enough stitch definition. I figured it might be useful to actually be able to see what I was doing in the class. I dug a little deeper down to the baggie I have of Cotton Fleece remnants left over from my Baby Garment Period.

The Baby Garment Period ended about the time I moved to Utah, so many of you grrls probably aren't familiar with it. It was a fairly long-lasting phase of my knitting, and I used a lot of Cotton Fleece, so much that I got sick of the yarn and forgot how much I like it. It's very pleasant yarn.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Dummy Spring Things Update

Am about 2/3 done with the first chart, chart B, of my Spring Things For Dummies. And guess what? I can now read my knitting while doing lace! Go, me!

I had feared I would never develop the ability; last year I tried several different lace patterns without success. But I think I've got the hang of it now!

Not to say that I haven't made mistakes. But I can find them now, and see which way things are supposed to be going. SMILE!

Lego!



OH MY WORD what is that my sweet four-year-old has made of Legos?












Oh, it's a cordless drill. Cool!

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Mmmmm


Crepes for breakfast? Must be Mother's Day.

I have to admit ambivalence about Mother's Day as a holiday. My own Mom died when I was in high school, and I didn't have kids until my mid-30s. I still feel a sensitivity, a discomfort, about the holiday, and a great deal of sympathy for those women who are left out of the fun.

I'm very comfortable with sleeping in until 9:30 and having crepes for breakfast, though. That man of mine, he can cook!


In other news, I've just about finished the leg of my Sock Class Socks. Notice anything? Why, yes, that is the Super Nova yarn. In the end, I couldn't put it down. I admit the kind of sock might have been more attractive in a solid color. This yarn also caught on the kitty-chewed section of my needles, snagging it in an unattractive way. A less splitty yarn would have stood up better to my newly-damaged needles, and I knew it at the time. In the end, I just couldn't put the yarn down.

My basic "design idea": a sock with a fold-over lace cuff and a picot edge.

What I'm doing so far: Lativan Twist Cast-On, two inches of Lace Rib from Barbara Walker #1, purl a turning row, turn the sock inside out by pushing everything down towards the middle, wrap and turn, start knitting the other way while reversing the ribbing, decrease 10 st, and knit 3" of ribbing. I'm now ready for the heel flap, or whatever groovy new heel I learn in the class.

What I've learned so far:

1) Latvian Twist Cast-On ROCKS. I have a hard time learning new techniques from books--can't follow the diagrams very well--and I would NEVER have understood the directions without the demonstration. Check out how it makes a twisty rope. Very cool!

2) Check out how the purled turning row scallops because of the lace pattern. A lovely surprise.

3) Folded lace cuffs are kind of bulky. My ankles are also kind of bulky, you do the math. The socks are still pretty, though.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Supernova!


Went to the Wool Cabin last night for the first night of Susan's Sock Design class. I learned like five new ways to cast on, which pretty much doubles my repertoire.

Also bought some yarn-Wool Cabin's just started carrying this Spunky Eclectic yarn. Isn't the colorway astounding? It's Super Nova in colorway "I heart fall". It looks like spring tulips to me. I fell hard for this yarn, let me tell you.

I worked on my swatch last night, long enough to feel quite stupid. I didn't like the very simple lace pattern with the ribbing I added to make it stretchy for socks, and I was quite annoyed it looked nothing like the picture in the book. This morning's revelation: there's an error in the book I copied the chart from. I fooled around with it enough to realize that I want something even simpler for what I have in mind, so I'm switching back to baby cables or baby shells and solid color yarn. And I'm thinking I'll make a scarf or something of this SE yarn, something I can wear close to my face.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Let's Play "I Never"

Stolen from Lauren, who's got a great blog. Love her blog!

Anyway, bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing.


Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns (unless I’m misunderstanding the term)
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting (although maybe I don’t know what this means)
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching

Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair (wish there was a font for HELL NO)
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Sweaters for the babies


Apparently the baby cow and the baby horse were cold this morning--can't blame them. It's been quite chilly here in Salt Lake City. We even got some snow flakes yesterday.

The kid, who's four, has his own knitting needles and yarn, the plastic blue and red kid's needles with kitty heads and some Paton's Classic Wool. He asks to knit, and even did a couple of stitches on the baby horse's blanket, but he loses interest very quickly. Which is fine, although if he actually did pick it up, I think knitting would be great for his fine motor development. Mostly, knitting is something we play with together. I love that his imagination turns a tiny garter stitch rectangle into a blanket for the baby cow.


Knitting continues on the Dummy Spring Things. I'm
at 219 stitches and about 39 inches across. I'm not sure
if I'll need to increase the number of pattern repeats to get a proper wingspan. I'm still having fun, though!

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Sock Class!

Bonnie, thanks for asking about the sock class. It's at the Wool Cabin. Here are the details from the flyer:

Create Your Own Sock Class
Taught by Susan Lawrence
May 10 and May 17
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
$40 class fee

I hope you can make it!

The Wool cabin's phone number is 801 466 1811

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Going to live with it

I've decided to live with the mistake. I think I'm going to need the extra yarn to fix any mistakes I make with the lace border. I will make mistakes, and they will have to be ripped out, and that yarn will have to be discarded. I'm fine with it, but a little irritated at myself for not paying more attention.

I'm up to about 200 st. I'm very excited to start the lace, probably tomorrow night, but by the weekend at least. Am going to put in a lifeline, get out the stitch markers, and see what happens.

In other news, I've registered for Susan's sock design class at the Wool Cabin. You pick a stitch pattern from a book, and learn how to do it as a sock. This is just what I've been trying to teach myself, so I think the class will be a blast. So far, I'm the only one signed up. Come take it with me!