JeanJeanieDotKnit

Yarn over (YO) and Slipped Stitch (SS)

2007-04-02T12:08:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I forgot AGAIN. *facepalm*

Anyway, without further ado: 5 million years ago, sunbrae asked in the comment trail...

1) What is a yarn over? How do you do that? 2) How does one slip a stitch? I see these in patterns all the time, but I don't know how to do it.

I answered her there, but I'm re-posting it here with pictures to illustrate what I'm talking about. Please pay no attention to my pitiful lack of a manicure.

Those are both very simple things that you probably did a lot of by accident when you were first learning to knit.

A YO is exactly what it says--just wrap your yarn over your needle between stitches. Do so in the same direction as when you're knitting (or purling, as the case may be), without first inserting your needle into a stitch. See below (I had to do this one Continental style so I could hold the camera):

Once that's done, continue knitting as normal. This (the YO) is a type of increase that comes in especially handy when knitting lace patterns or button-holes, as it tends to create a hole in your work.

To slip a stitch, you just insert your needle into the stitch as if you're going to knit it (Fig. 1, below), but then slip it off of the other needle without knitting it (Fig. 2).

These really are as simple as they sound, so don't overthink them.

~~~

In other news, I knitted this weekend! I finally got my wrist brace on Friday afternoon, and it made a tremendous difference. I took a break from any kind of repetitive activity on Saturday and let it rest, and then Sunday I worked in short intervals on a tank top I started weeks ago (the project pictured above). By Sunday night my wrist was starting to turn a bit sore, but for the most part, there was no pain. I think I'm about ready to return to my regularly scheduled knitting. Huzzah!

2007-03-29T15:51:00.000-06:00

I haven't updated in forever because I haven't knitted anything in just as long. I haven't knitted in forever because my hand is still jacked up. I'm pretty sure that typing is the cause, and knitting only exacerbates the problem, so I've ordered a wrist brace through my company's office supplier to wear at work. Now if it will only show up so I can start wearing it, then maybe my hand and wrist will have a chance to heal and I'll be able to get back to my favorite way to pass the time.

I did mean to do a picture post last week demonstrating a yarnover and a slipped stitch for sunbrae. I'm so sorry, sunny. I could have sworn I made that post, but I must have just thought about it so hard that I just assumed it would show up here psychicly or something. I'm out of time today, but if I get time tomorrow, picture demonstrations will ensue.

What I've been up to

2007-03-02T14:55:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned earlier, I finished the sweater I was making my husband for Christmas. Sadly ('cept not really, 'cause, winter: yech), winter decided to skip town the day before it was done, so it'll probably be NEXT Christmas before he gets a chance to wear it. It looks great, though, and I'm pretty proud of myself, it being my first sweater and all.

I still need to take pics of the finished project, but I do have some that demonstrate how badly I was screwing up the intarsia on the sleeves before it finally clicked for me.

Here you can see the puffy, puckery, WRONG flame on the right. The lovely, smooth and correct redo is on the left.

And here you can see the complete mess that was the back of the wrong version, while the correct version is still lovely.

I also mentioned previously that I made some wooden knitting needles and stitch markers that aren't quite fit to sell. They're still pretty cute, though, as seen below.

I don't mind at all keeping these for myself.

I finished the needle case I was working on, but after felting it turned out to be too small, so no pictures. I'll try again after I get around to buying more wool. The sleep mask still needs all of its ends woven in, so no pics of that yet, either.

Right now I'm between projects, and taking a break to give my hands a rest. My wrist has been pretty hurty lately. I think that has more to do with needing an ergonomic mouse here at work, but I'm sure the knitting isn't helping, so: break. After that, I'll probably work on whittling down the stash and try to be thrifty and avoid buying any new yarn for a while. Soon, though, I need to start on the kitchenette set (place mats, pot holders, a felted centerpiece bowl and possibly a table runner) I'm planning for my nephew's wedding gift. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to get them.

I'm not ignoring you.

2007-02-26T15:37:00.000-06:00

Really, I'm not. If you read my daily blog then you know I've been slammed at work lately, which makes finding time to update quite the challenge. It hasn't kept me from getting crafty, though. Among other things, I finished the husband sweater, and there was much rejoicing. It turned out beautifully and I'm very proud of myself for completing it and I don't see myself devoting that much time to a single project again any time soon. Later this week there will be pictures, both of the sweater and of other projects. For now, dear readers, kindly direct your attention to the sidebar to see what I've been up to this weekend. Stitch markers! I have a crappy, crappy camera when it comes to picking up detail on small objects, and that combined with my equally crappy photography skills means that the pictures don't really do justice to how well these turned out. They are seriously cute. Anyway, I am now officially an Etsy.com seller, so go me.

I promise not to neglect you for so long. There will be pictures soon. Promise.

Entrepreneurial endeavors

2007-02-12T09:03:00.000-06:00

I spent the better part of the weekend making knitting needles and stitch markers. The plan was to put them up for sale on Etsy, but I'm not all that pleased with how the needles turned out. I used oak dowels and Sculpey for the ends, and I think they're too heavy to be very comfortable. I also used Gorilla Glue to secure the ends and it bubbled out of the sides and dried that way, which is not at all pretty. I'm also not so thrilled with my complete lack of sculpting skills as applied to the ends. They're cute, bu they could be a lot cuter. I think I was happier with the Crayola Model Magic that I used the first time I ever made my own needles. It feels weightless, and the ends came out resembling the rooftops of Smurf houses, which is maybe a look I need to stick with. So I guess I'll add this batch of needles to my private collection and chalk them up as practice.

I'm happier with the stitch markers, but I think those, too, will get better with practice. I bought the supplies for two sets, but when I started the first I realized I needed different connectors than the ones I bought, although they worked okay for the second, which turned out pretty cute. I can't decide whether to put them up for sale or keep them for myself. Either way, I'll post pics eventually. I was too tired and lazy to take any yesterday.

I'm also working on a pattern for sleep masks. I've made a couple of functional ones for myself that get the job done, but I think they could look better. I have this super-soft, green Debbie Bliss cashmarino yarn that I thought would be really cute if I made a mask that looked like two leaves sewn together, but I haven't gotten it quite right yet. I frogged it and started over at least three times last night before I gave it up and went to bed. I think I'm close to getting it right, though.

These are the things distracting me from finishing my husband's sweater.

Overhaulin'

2007-02-09T13:50:00.000-06:00

New look, new location, new direction. How ya like me now?

If you're here at the blogspot address, that's going away as soon as I figure out how to make it so. Please point your bookmarks and links to the new URL, which is http://jeanjeanie.addr.com/knitting. If you read this via RSS or Atom, those will need to be updated as well.

For why, you ask? Because, dear yarn lovers, I've decided it's high time I got serious about putting this knitting hobby to work for me, and one of the first steps to making that happen is to present a more professional appearance. I think this fits the bill. This is still just a blog for the time being, but soon, oh so soon, it will also be a storefront for my own line of knitting tools and accessories. Isn't that exciting? Well, it is to me, so there.

You might also notice, upon further inspection, a link to a yet-to-exist lessons page. This is where I'll detail private classes I'm offering to hold for the locals. And where I'll point my Craigslist ad when I'm ready for that to happen.

Even more astute readers might notice a link to something called "Vanilla Fizz." I think I'm going to let that one remain a mystery for just a bit longer.

So that's what's the what. Naturally, I'd appreciate any publicity you can send this way.

~~~

In knitting news, lately I've been concentrating on finishing my husband sweater, which I still keep neglecting to photograph. There aren't going to be any in progress photos to show at this rate. I'm close to finishing my redo of the first sleeve, and it looks a zillion times better now. I've been working on sleeves for so long that I can't remember whether I already knitted the backside, although I'm pretty sure that I did, which means the sweater is getting close to done. Winter doesn't seem inclined to move on any time soon, so maybe my husband will actually get some wear out of it this season.

Leftover Yarn Project: Pretty 'N' Pink Purse Accessories

2007-01-30T10:09:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend I took the wool left over from my Lucy Bag and whipped up a few coordinating accessories: a cell phone cozy, a business card holder, and a key fob, all felted:

I love how the first two turned out. I'm less in love with the key fob. I think I'd like it better if it were rounder, and the intarsia heart didn't turn out so well. Back to the drawing board on that one. The others, though, turned out great.

I created an actual button hole for the business card wallet. Heh, I really need to update my cards.

For the phone cozy I used Velcro, with a button on the flap merely for added cuteness. I didn't want to have to futz with trying to unbutton the thing when I'm trying to answer the phone.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with myself. Each project took me less than two hours, minus the sewing. My phone really needed a cozy, too. I drop it all the time and the poor thing is all banged up. Now at least it'll have some cushioning whenever it falls.

The Lucy Bag - Finished!

2007-01-22T10:51:00.000-06:00

As I last reported, I was happily ignoring the husband sweater to knit myself a "Lucy" bag, but trying to put my own spin on it with intarsia polka-dots. Those didn't turn out so well, so I ended up frogging it and going with stripes instead, and it turned out lovely. Here it is, pre-felting:

And here it is again, in all of its adorable felted shrunken glory:

Yes, those are homemade knitting needles poking out the top.

In sweater news, I finished the right sleeve. And then I started the left sleeve and FINALLY something clicked into place and I understood for good and true how to do intarsia and what I'd been doing wrong all along, and suddenly I was doing it right and everything was lying flat and looking like it was done by someone who actually knew what they were doing, which, HOORAY, except that now I'm going to have to redo that frigging right sleeve. All of this is teaching me that I'm not a sweater person. I think Dear Husband can breathe a sigh of relief that after this one, I'll never inflict any hand-knit sweaters on him again.

2007-01-09T16:33:00.000-06:00

Still no pictures of the husband sweater, but I'm getting close to finishing the first sleeve. Now I know that next time I want to make somebody a sweater for Christmas I need to start knitting it in September. Or possibly I know that I'm never making anybody a sweater for Christmas again.

When I went by the nearest yarn shop on Friday to pick up supplies for S-I-L's mittens, it was closed, so I went to the next nearest shop, which was still open but which had neither the needles nor the yarn I needed. But they had plenty of examples of this bag sitting around, so I broke down and bought the necessary yarn, with which came the pattern. Not content to do a simple solid color felted bag, I envisioned a two-toned randomly polka-dotted intarsia cutie, and set about throwing in random large "dots" without any guidance except my own judgment and imagination.

I'm not sure I like how it's going. Some of the "dots" are more diamond-shaped, and I don't think I like how they're spaced. I keep telling myself that I can just use duplicate-stitch to round them out once I'm done, and since it'll be felted nobody will ever know the difference, but I'm not so sure. I might end up frogging it and trying again.

I do, however, love the color combo, so at least I'm on the right track there. And now I'm inspired to convert part of this pattern into a felted basket/bowl pattern, but I'm not going to let myself play around with that idea until my current projects are done.

Catching Up

2007-01-05T08:21:00.000-06:00

It's been one heckuva busy week, as you already know if you're reading my main blog. I keep meaning to take and post pictures of my husband sweater, but I keep being too tired in the evenings to bother. Maybe I'll finally get that done this weekend.

Meanwhile, I went ahead and frogged the sleeve and started over, and the flame pattern is much less puffy now. It's still not as perfectly flat as I'd like, but it looks a lot better than it did, and I think I'm finally getting a handle on this whole intarsia thing.

I'm debating whether to stop by the yarn shop tonight and pick up new yarn to make mittens for my S-I-L's b'day. I'm fairly certain there's nothing in my stash that will coordinate with or compliment the scarf I gave her for Christmas. I might also break down and pick up some wool for a new purse. It's been a while since I've done a purse, and I'm pretty unhappy with the storebought one I picked up last month, and I kind of have a vision for a felted purse design, and I don't have any wool in my stash... thankfully, I did NOT resolve to reduce my stash or declare any moratoriums on new yarn for a while, so I guess I don't need to work so hard to justify it. I really should start doing something about the size of my stash, though. It already fills three extra-large Ziploc Big Bags. If I collect much more yarn I could open my own shop.

Round-up of Nifty, Strange or Otherwise Unusual Knitting Projects, As Posted By Boing Boing, In 2006

2006-12-29T16:12:00.000-06:00

All links via Boing Boing, natch.

Knit your own Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo

Knitting Mathematics

Dirty, Crafty: Adults Only Knitting Salons

HOWTO Knit a Skull Afghan

HOWTO Knit Retro Computing Socks

HOWTO Knit a Princess Leia Wig

Knitted English Garden

Fabric Brain Art

There you have it. Here's hoping 2007 proves even more wildly creative.

Happy New Year!

Extra! And, finding a cure for puffiness. Sleeve puffiness, that is.

2006-12-28T14:51:00.000-06:00

I ~~ripped off~~ borrowed an idea from Brenda Coulter at No Rules Just Write and added a little something extra to the bottom of the blog as a treat for anyone who a) actually visits this page instead of reading off a feed and b) reads all the way to the bottom. This will be something fun that may or may not be related to knitting, like pictures of famous cute boys or recipes or jokes or whatever strikes my fancy. It will also get updated according to my whim, although my whim will probably occur about once a week. This week it's a cocktail recipe. Scroll down and enjoy.

Elsewhere, I meant to post pictures of this to illustrate, but the intarsia flames on my husband's "Jesse's Flames" sweater (a SnBN pattern I'm working) are puffy. Is this supposed to happen? I'm working them fair-isle style by twisting the yarn instead of cutting it each row, because that's way neater and I can't deal with weaving in that many ends. But, puffy! I'm trying to decide whether it's a big enough deal to frog the sleeve to start over, but I honestly don't know that it would do any good. Any suggestions on achieving non-puffiness (preferably without, y'know, having a million dangling yarn ends to weave in) will be appreciated, as will assurances that puffiness is normal and to be expected.

"A-ha!" ...followed by: "Oh, duh."

2006-12-27T13:20:00.000-06:00

While looking over my shoulder at the intarsia chart for the sweater I'm knitting for my husband, he commented that it looked like a blown-up, pixelated image. "Ding!" went my brain, realizing that blowing up and pixelating an image is indeed a simple way to create a DIY intarsia chart.

But just as I was feeling all puffed up with cleverness, I got the nagging feeling that I'd read that somewhere before. Sure enough, Debbie Stoller suggests doing exactly that in SnBN. I can never trust that my ideas are my ideas. At any rate, on the off chance that there are others out there who either hadn't read that advice or already figured it out, I thought it was a helpful enough tidbit to pass along.

Another helpful intarsia hint I recently picked up from lurking the Knitty board: learn to be functional at both styles of knitting (that is, English and Continental, aka right-hand AND left-hand), and then when doing either intarsia or Fair Isle you can hold both yarns in both hands and work them at the same time instead of having to drop one to pick up the other. I've never even tried Continental knitting in my life before this weekend, but I tried it for the flame pattern on my husband's sweater, and within a few rows I was getting the hang of it and my color work was moving along much more quickly.

I'd decided that '07 was going to be a year for learning new knitting tricks. So YAY! for already getting a jump on that.

Holiday Shopping For Knitters: A Last-Minute Gift Guide

2006-12-21T12:37:00.000-06:00

Maybe it's just me and my clueless circle of family and friends, but it seems like whenever gift-giving occasions roll around, everybody forgets that I love to knit. Either that, or they have no idea about all of the too-extravegant-to-justify-buying-for-me odds and ends that would nevertheless make me immensely happy to add to my knitting arsenal. If so, then I guess this isn't so much a shopping guide as it is a personal wish list. But if you have a loved one who knits and are stuck for ideas beyond needles and yarn, about which you know nothing and are too intimidated to buy anyway, then this article's for you.

I'll make it even simpler for you by breaking it down into three categories: tools, books, and stuff for beginners.

TOOLS

Let's begin with the basics: knitting needles. Not the plastic or aluminum cheapies you find in chain craft stores, but nice ones. Needles lovingly carved out of hardwood, or crafted out of bamboo chopsticks, funky handmade needles topped with buttons or beads, high-quality speed needles for speed knitters... fact is, we can never have enough needles. Don't get intimidated worrying about little things like size, or fitting a pair of needles to a project. Trust me: if the needles are special enough, your knitter will eagerly find (or even create) a pattern that will fit them. Luxury needles are as inspiring as luxury yarn. So before you balk at the price and reach for the cheap aluminum alternatives, just remember, you're not just buying a pair of needles. You're buying inspiration.

Of course, special needles need a special place to be kept. Needle cases are ideal both for helping your knitter stay organized and for adding a touch of class to her knitting bag. And just like we can never have enough needles, we can also never have enough places to stash them.

With all of this extra-speshulness going on, you wouldn't want your knitter to have to count off her stitches with plain old, cheap, plastic stitch markers, would you? Of course not! She should definitely have some pretty beaded stitch markers to help keep track of her knits and purls. Sure, the cheap ones do the same job just as well, but again, it's not about function. It's about inspiration.

Finally, all of these tools need a place to be kept. For the knitter-on-the-go, which I believe is pretty much most knitters, that would be a good tote bag. This is where you have a chance to show off how well you know your knitter's personality. If she values organization over fashion, this project bag will be perfect. If your knitter is less concerned with having a pocket for everything than she is about making a statement, then something like this skull and cross-needles, "Knit or Go Home" bag might be more her style. And if she falls somewhere in between, this stylish organizer tote is a safe bet.

BOOKS

Knitting books make great gifts for knitters. Often designed as coffee table books, they tend to be a little pricey, thus don't generally fall into the category of "things knitters buy themselves." Aside from the usefulness of the patterns and instructions they contain, just flipping through and looking at the pictures can inspire ideas and spark the knitter's imagination.

Here are three books I found myself salivating over in the craft section of Barnes & Noble last weekend:

Home Knits by Suss Cousins (no relation) ~ this book has some fantastic ideas and patterns for knitting home decor. Some of it's items, like coasters, place mats, table runners, and bed spreads, I had already thought of and either attempted or put on my "To Attempt Eventually" list; but the book also contained some surprises that I would never have thought of, like lamp shade covers, flower vase cozies and wall art. This would make a great gift for a knitter with a flair for home design.

Knitting Beyond the Edge by Nicky Epstein ~ This beautifully photographed book explains how to knit decorative cuffs, collars, hems and necklines. It's advance stuff, and probably not for beginners, but the instructions looked pretty easy to follow. Excellent for any knitter who is ready to learn how to add some flair to her projects.

The Knitted Rug: 21 Fantastic Designs by Donna Druchunas ~ This book delivers exactly what it says. By the looks of the pictures, you would be amazed at the beautiful rugs and carpets that can be knit out of regular bulky yarn, and by the patterns, you'd be even more amazed at the simplicity. This has patterns suitable for every skill level. As I flipped through it I couldn't wait to start knitting some rugs to decorate my own home. The only hard part is deciding which of these gorgeous patterns to knit first.

As long as we're talking about inspiration, another great gift for any knitter is a knitting journal, someplace not only to track projects but also to jot down ideas and even attempts at creating new patterns. Your knitter's future self will also love being able to look back at everything that went into making her creations.

BEGINNERS

How-to books naturally make excellent gifts for beginners. Someone who is new to knitting, however, is probably still gathering the basics.

Knitting kits contain everything a beginning knitter needs to complete a simple project, from needles and yarn to easy-to-follow instructions. These are a great way for a new knitter to learn and practice her craft.

If she's been at it for a while and is ready to move beyond garter-stitch and rectangular projects, you might consider giving her a gift certificate for an advanced knitting class at a local yarn shop. It's the proverbial gift that keeps on giving, and she might even be grateful enough to give back to you when she knits her first sweater.

There you have it. When shopping for knitters, you simply can't go wrong with the items on this list. And if any of my Secret Santas happen to be reading? Well, you've probably already done your shopping, so just consider this a great big hint for the future.

Finished: Purple Christmas Scarf

2006-12-21T10:11:00.000-06:00

Last night I finally finished the scarf I was making to give my sister-in-law for Christmas (as modeled by Fizzgigg, below).

It's a simple K2P1 rib in a chunky yarn, which I thought would knit up really fast, so I'm surprised that it took me this long (I've been working on it off and on for about three weeks), despite its vying with my husband's sweater for attention. Maybe I should have used bigger needles. I used size US11, which made for a pretty tight knit.

I delved into my existing stash for the yarn, which was left over from one of my first projects, "Meema's Felted Marsupial Tote" from the original Stitch 'N' Bitch. Back then I was a poor college student and shocked by the prices of quality yarns, so instead of using the wool that the pattern called for I settled for this less expensive wool blend (I've lost the labels so I can't remember the brand, but it's probably Lion's Brand Wool-Eze). Obviously, I didn't get the felted effect and the tote turned out to be huge, but that worked out. It's made for a pretty good beach bag. At any rate, the yarn turned out to be perfect scarf yarn, all low-maintenance yet cuddly and warm.

I was also going to make S-I-L an accompanying pair of mittens, but considering Christmas is only four days away and I still have a sweater to finish, I guess those will have to wait for her birthday.

Inaugural Post

2006-12-20T16:19:00.000-06:00

Every blog's gotta have one. So why, you ask, has Jean gone and started herself yet another blog? Well, a number of reasons, but chief among them is the fact that my other blogs are more writing-focused, and I don't want to clutter up my personal blog with knitting blather. Or with ads. There, I said it. Yes, there are ads here, and affiliate links. I have to support my yarn habit somehow, so please click on them. Buy yourself something pretty. Say hi to the owners for me. Or, y'know, just do me a favor and click a Google ad.

With that out of the way, the other reason for this blog's existence is that I wanted to do a little experiment. I don't really have time to run another blog full-time all by myself, so I'm hoping for some help in the way of guest bloggers, or even better, write-in questions that I (or the readers) can answer right here on the blog. Check the announcement over there (---->) in the sidebar for the sort of thing I'm looking for and where to send it. Pretty much anything goes, so long as it relates to knitting.

Really, I'm just looking to surround myself with enablers who share my addiction. So stick around! We'll enable each other. It'll be fun!