Delinquent Croissant

Yay! It's March!

2007-03-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

I'm back! I still haven't written up any patterns yet, but I have been knitting. Starlight is now 32 rows past the joining of body and sleeves. Not much progress, but any progress is good.

Here are some pics of the Large Lattice cabled hat (too long for the mannequin, of course, but it fits me just fine):

And here is a hat made from 2+ skeins of some lovely Noro Silk Garden (color #84) that Glaistig traded me for the Pemaquid hat:

(Why yes, I do regret letting The Wibbles play with my poor, now-noseless mannequin.)

The entire hat is double-knitted, on a size 5 circular. I started with 240 stitches, decreased fairly rapidly to 180 to make the brim, and then continued straight up to the crown. I decreased 20 stitches every 3 rounds (that sounds like a lot, but remember it's double knitting, so it's really like 10 stitches) until I had 20 stitches left, then did a k2tog around, then closed it up. The brim was kind of floppy, so I stuck some millinery wire in there. It could also use a blocking, which I will do later tonight.

I really want to make another one of these! I got some mossy green semisolid Koigu Kersti for another try. This time I want to make more of a cloche shape, with less of a brim. I will also try casting on to the millinery wire instead of threading it in afterwards, because it was a b*tch and a half to get that wire in there.

I Hate February

2007-02-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

I do asset-liability management. If you don't know what that means, don't bother looking it up; it's boring number-crunchy kind of stuff. All my assessments and reports and whatnot are due March 1, so I don't get to do much in February (or January, really, but especially February) besides work.

I have knit a total of 6 rows on Starlight since the last photo I posted. So much for my wear-it-on-Valentine's-Day goal.

I still haven't written up the pattern on the short-rows hat.

I designed two new stitch patterns, both involving ribbing and cables (although not reversible). The first one is small, with an 8 stitch and 12 row repeat:

I started a hat with this stitch pattern, but it became clear early on that it was way too big, so I frogged it. I'll try again, with fewer repeats, when I have time (hah!).

The second stitch pattern is huge: 32 stitches and 40 rows for one pattern repeat.
(click to make bigger and actually be able to SEE it)

I actually managed to make a successful hat with this second pattern! I used beige merino wool (Zara) on size 4 needles. I even managed to come up with crown decreases that blend in with the stitch pattern, which I should probably write down soon before I forget.

I'm debating whether or not to write up this pattern, since I'm not sure anyone other than me can use it. I've noticed one thing that happens almost all the time when other people knit my hat patterns - they leave out one or more row repeats before starting the decreases. Although my head is only slightly larger than average, it is apparently freakishly tall. This is confirmed by my mannequin. The circumference of the hat fits her perfectly (it's very stretchy and should fit just about anyone), but lengthwise it's pretty bad. Bad as in, it covers her ENTIRE FACE. However, you can't just leave off a row repeat if it's 40 rows. Even half a repeat (the decreases would still blend) is 20 rows. So I'm not sure if it can be adjusted for normal heads. It might be worth trying a heavy worsted yarn and leaving off one stitch repeat and one row repeat. Or using a thinner yarn, with a smaller needle, and adding a stitch repeat but leaving the row count alone. I'm not sure. Hopefully I'll get a chance to take some photos of the hat this week. If there's interest, I will write up the pattern exactly as it was knit, and feel free to experiment to get your size.

A Few FOs

2007-02-03T15:25:00.000-05:00

Firstly, the short rows hat worked! I haven't written up the pattern yet - I have my scribbled notes, but I want to add one or maybe two more size options. But here's a sneak peek (sorry for the blurry):

It's easier to tell from the non-modeled photo how the crown is slanted toward the back of the head:

Next are two recipe cloches:

My new favorite closures for the recipe cloches are these rhinestone buckles I got at Les' Bon Ribbon.

The black one is for my cousin Megan. It's a 2x2 rib brim, and the main stitch pattern is "Chunky Rib Pattern" on p.170 of the Readers' Digest stitchionary. I did one and a half repeats of the pattern, ending on a 2x2 rib round. The crown decreases are 8 stitches decreased per round, in a spiral, in 2x2 rib. The yarn is Rowan Kid Classic, color Smoke. I used about one and a third skeins for both the hat and the band. The hat is 144 stitches cast on, using a size 3 needle. The band is 3 stitches cast on, then 1x1 rib, also with a size 3 needle.

The green one is for the fall collection. The ribbon looks a bit loose on the mannequin, because I sized it on myself. This one is three repeats of Barbara Walker's "Wickerwork" stitch pattern (from the Second Treasury), with a 2x2 rib brim and an 8-section spiral decrease in stockinette for the crown. The ribbon is 7/8" wide grosgrain. I cast on 96 stitches for this hat, and used a size 7 needle. The yarn is Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran (I love this yarn, BTW), color #106 "Batik," just under 2 skeins.

Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

2007-02-02T14:07:00.000-05:00

Grief of a Girl's Heart

O Donal Oge, if you go across the sea,
Bring myself with you and do not forget it;
And you will have a sweetheart for fair days and market days,
And the daughter of the King of Greece beside you at night.
It was late last night the dog was speaking of you;
The snipe was speaking of you in her deep marsh.
It is you are the lonely bird through the woods;
And that you may be without a mate until you find me.
You promised me, and you said a lie to me,
That you would be before me where the sheep are flocked;
I gave a whistle and three hundred cries to you,
And I found nothing there but a bleating lamb.
You promised me a thing that was hard for you,
A ship of gold under a silver mast;
Twelve towns with a market in all of them
And a fine white court by the side of the sea.
You promised me a thing that is not possible
That you would give me gloves of the skin of a fish;
That you would give me shoes of the skin of a bird;
And a suit of the dearest silk in Ireland.
O Donal Oge, it is I would be better to you
Than a high, proud, spendthrift lady:
I would milk the cow; I would bring help to you;
And if you were hard pressed, I would strike a blow for you.
You have taken the east from me; you have taken the west from me,
You have taken what is before me and what is behind me;
You have taken the moon, you have taken the sun from me,
And my fear is great that you have taken God from me!

- Translation from the Irish (Anonymous) by Augusta Gregory

In Search of Lost Time: Short Rows

2007-01-29T11:26:00.000-05:00

I wanted to talk a bit more about my short rows ideas (this was not clear from my Ideas post, but I have two separate ideas involving short rows). I’m finding it very interesting how some of my designs just work perfectly on the first try, as if by magic, and others make their way into the world over a period of years, leaving many failed attempts in their wake. I wonder, do other designers experience this also? Or are the "slow" designs just a result of my ideas being way ahead of my knitting ability?

In the first short rows idea, the short rows all occur over the same stitches, making the front of the hat significantly taller than the back. This results in a cloche shape, with the top of the crown toward the back of the head rather than centered on top of the head. In the second idea, the short rows occur "randomly" throughout. I say “randomly” because, although it appears random, it's actually arranged so that after a given number of short row segments have been completed, the same number of rows have been worked for each stitch in the round.

My first try was Idea 2, in Zara. It starts with a ribbed band, as did all my hats at the time. The short row sections are in stockinette, with one strand of burgundy held together with one strand of lilac. Between the short row sections, I knit a few rounds in reverse stockinette, with two strands of burgundy held together. This hat was not actually a total failure; it was just kind of mediocre. I probably would have posted about it, but I wasn’t blogging yet. It fits well (at the time, it was actually my best-fitting hat – I was having some serious size issues back then). The biggest problem with this hat is the colors. I used one MC + one CC (instead of 2 CC) for the reverse stockinette bands on purpose, because I thought it would obscure the little jog that occurs where you switch to reverse stockinette. It does obscure the jog, but the whole thing just looks kind of, um, muddy. And, I no longer care about jogs. You can’t really get around them in circular knitting, so I’ve learned to just accept them. Another, more minor problem is that I continued with the short row sections for too long, then did a final band of reverse stockinette, followed by some very fast decreases in stockinette. Due to the decrease speed, the last band of reverse stockinette puckers a bit.

Second try: Idea 2 again, in camel and grey Margrite Bulky. After a ribbed band, everything is in stockinette stitch. The short row sections are in the grey. The ribbed band, and the rounds between each short row section, are in the camel. Problem 1: There is not enough contrast between the two colors, so the camel bands do not stand out enough against the grey background. Problem 2: The hat is ginormous. Biggest problem: My short-rowing technique is awful, and you can see little puckers and/or holes where the wraps were picked up. I wonder why that didn’t happen with my first try. I’m assuming it has something to do with using two strands held together.

Third try: Idea 1, in grey Misti Alpaca Chunky. The entire hat is in garter stitch. Minor problem: I didn’t know yet about the alpaca issue, so although the hat fit perfectly right after I made it, it quickly became too big. (I did manage to wear it twice before it grew.) Major problem: Since garter stitch was used throughout, the short row sections don’t stand out AT ALL. It may as well be a plain old garter stitch hat. The good news is that my short rows don’t look bad in garter stitch.

Fourth try: Idea 1 again, in brown Ribbon Twist. I figured I’d get around the Major Problem by knitting the short row sections in garter, as before, then doing the crown decreases in stockinette. This idea may have worked, had I been a better knitter at the time. However, I grossly miscalculated the point at which the crown decreases should begin. Newbie that I was, I figured I could fix that by decreasing more slowly. Result? The hat comes to a very pointy point on top, and looks like a Hershey’s Kiss. (It certainly doesn’t help that it’s brown.)

Fifth try: Back to Idea 2. Cashmerino Aran. (Side note – you can tell how surprised I was by all these failures, by the quality of the yarn I was using. Nowadays, when I try out low-confidence ideas, I use cheap yarn!) I decided to use garter stitch for the whole hat, so I wouldn’t have short row issues. I decided to use black and white, so I wouldn’t have contrast issues. I did the short row sections in black, with a few rounds of white in between. This idea may also have worked, had I been a better knitter. When you knit garter stitch in the round, you have to knit one round then purl one round. You get a subtle “seam” at the end-of-round, where you switch between the two. If you don’t pull the first couple of stitches of each round tight, you can get some gapping at the “seam,” which is a Bad Thing. There are also some tension issues when you are switching colors with several rounds between switches, and carrying the yarn up rather than breaking it. These two things combined completely overwhelmed me, and my “seam” was Gap City. With Puckerville in the suburbs. Also, I didn’t really like the color jogs - they were very noticeable due to the high color contrast.

Sixth and current try: I’m back to Idea 1. I’m using a skein of Noro Kureyon that I had in my stash. I’m doing the short row sections in garter stitch, with a few rounds of stockinette in between. Due to the self-striping, the short rows would have been visible (albeit in a more subtle way) even without the stockinette breaks, but I like them anyway (and besides, I could make another one in a solid yarn and it would still work). I’ve been trying the hat on as I go, and it fits. The short rows look good. The stitch jog (aka the garter “seam”) is very subtle and does not bother me. Using one yarn means no color jogs and no gapping problems. Last night I believed I was headed directly for success and then BLAMMO! I ran out of yarn. But it’s Kureyon! So I can get more, without worrying about matching the dyelot (or even the colorway, for that matter – anything that has a significant amount of either black or grey in it should work)! I’ll be off to the LYS this afternoon. Of course I can’t say “success” until the hat is actually off the needles, given my history of crown decrease nightmares, but it’s looking pretty good. I think I’ll buy 2 skeins, so I can take a similar stab at Idea 2 when this hat is finished. Time Regained!

The Blob

2007-01-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

Starlight, 5 loooooooooong rows after joining the sleeves to the body:

The blue yarn is holding the underarm stitches. I'm going to do three-needle bind off rather than grafting. Same goes for the shoulders. Since I'm going for more of a jacket-y look than a sweater-y look, I want that "seamed" look of 3NBO over the continuous look of Kitchener.

Side note: It's sunny today! No flash, so the color is true for once. All my other Starlight photos look bright red.

Kyoto

2007-01-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

As I said before, I luuurve this hat.

I made up 2 extra sizes for the pattern, since size appears to be important - it fits me well, but is obviously too big for the mannequin. However, be warned that only the large size has been tested out.

The decreases may look slightly different for the smaller sizes, but should still look pretty much like this:

I definitely recommend wet blocking this hat; it was a bit puckery in places before the blocking. I didn't pin it out or anything, though - I soaked it in tepid water and Eucalan for about 10 minutes then put it on the mannequin head to dry.

Yarn
Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed Aran (100% wool; 88m per 50g ball):
One skein color 281101 black (MC)
One skein color 281706 natural (CC)

I like this quality, but the black tweed has natural flecks and the natural tweed has black flecks. Sometimes, at first glance, this may make it look like you've made a mistake:

If that bothers you, I would consider a yarn substitution. I wonder if something like Cashsoft Aran would knit up to the same gauge.

Other Materials
Size 7, 47" Addi Turbo circular needle (as usual, I recommend Magic Loop)
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
8 stitch markers; one different from the rest

Measurements
Gauge: 17.5 stitches and 22.5 rows to 4", after washing and blocking.
Circumference: 18"[20", 22"] for sizes S[M,L], unstretched.

Abbreviations
CDD (centered double decrease): Slip 2 stitches together as if to knit, k1, pass the 2 slipped stitches over
K1CC, for example, means knit 1 stitch with CC. Similar meanings for K1MC, P1CC, P1MC, P2MC, P3MC, and CDDCC.

Kyoto Rib
Worked in the round over a multiple of 4 stitches.
Make sure that both yarns are held to the BACK when changing colors.
Rounds 1-3: *K1CC, P1MC, repeat from * around.
Round 4: *K1CC, P1MC, K1MC, P1MC, repeat from * around.
Rounds 5-7: *K1CC, P3MC, repeat from * around.
Round 8: *K1CC, P1MC, P1CC, P1MC, repeat from * around.
Rounds 9-11: Same as rounds 1-3.
Round 12: *K1MC, P1MC, K1CC, P1MC, repeat from * around.
Rounds 13-15: *P2MC, K1CC, P1MC, repeat from * around.
Round 16: *P1CC, P1MC, K1CC, P1MC, repeat from * around.
Repeat rounds 1-16 for pattern.

Hat
With MC, cast on 80[88,96] stitches (I used the alternate cable cast-on). Work a setup row: K1CC, P1MC across. Join into a round, being careful not to twist. Use the distinct stitch marker to mark the end of the round. Work in Kyoto Rib until hat measures 5.5"[5.5",6"] tall (or desired length - the 6" length just covers my ears). Be sure to end on either Round 8 or Round 16 of the pattern.

Work marker round, following Round 1 of the stitch pattern: *Work 11[11,13] stiches, place marker, work 9[11,11] stitches, place marker, repeat from * around (omit the last "place marker," since the end of round marker will already be there).

Begin crown decreases:
"Work stitch in pattern" means that if the next stitch is a CC knit stitch, then K1CC. If the next stitch is a MC purl stitch, then P1MC. Half the time on the row after a CDDCC, you will need to K3CC. (The other half, will be P1MC, K1CC, P1MC.)

Size L only: *Work 5 stitches in pattern, CDDCC, work 5 stitches in pattern, slip marker, work 11 stitches in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 88 stitches remain.

Sizes M and L only: *Work 11 stitches in pattern, slip marker, work 4 stitches in pattern, CDDCC, work 4 stitches in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 80 stitches remain.

All sizes continue here:
*Work 4 stitches in pattern, CDCC, work 4 stitches in pattern, slip marker, work 9 stitches in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 72 stitches remain.
*Work 9 stitches in pattern, slip marker, work 3 stitches in pattern, CDDCC, work 3 stitches in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 64 stitches remain.
*Work 3 stitches in pattern, CDDCC, work 3 stitches in pattern, slip marker, work 7 stitches in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 56 stitches remain.
*Work 7 stitches in pattern, slip marker, Work 2 stitches in pattern, CDDCC, work 2 stitches in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 48 stitches remain.
*Work 2 stitches in pattern, CDDCC, work 2 stitches in pattern, slip marker, work 5 stitches in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 40 stitches remain.
*Work 5 stitches in pattern, slip marker, Work 1 stitch in pattern, CDDCC, work 1 stitch in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 32 stitches remain.
*Work 1 stitch in pattern, CDDCC, work 1 stitch in pattern, slip marker, work 3 stitches in pattern, slip marker, repeat from * around - 24 stitches remain.

From here on, all stitches will be in CC only.

*K3, slip marker, CDD, slip marker, repeat from * around - 16 stitches remain.
*CDD, slip marker, K1, slip marker, repeat from * around - 8 stitches remain.

Cut CC yarn, leaving a tail. Thread the tail through remaining stitches and pull tight to close. Cut MC yarn also. Weave in ends.

I will end with a bonus innards shot:

Ideas

2007-01-24T16:05:00.000-05:00

It always feels like I have way more hat ideas than I have time to try them out. Trying out an idea is a big investment for me, because

a) they often don't work out (I have many, many hats that I've finished but never posted about, because I consider them unsuccessful), and even though I do gain information from a failed idea, it's still a lot of time and yarn spent on pretty much nothing, and

b) I have very limited knitting time, and - particularly this year - things that I need (OK, want very badly) to get finished. Like my hat collection.

However, when I get an idea it tends to plague me mercilessly until I try it out. I am currently being plagued by a host of ideas, so I thought I'd temporarily appease the Furies by posting about them, since I can't knit them anytime soon.

1. Felting/fulling. I have a two-color Fair Isle stitch pattern I made up that looks like zebra print. I would love to try a felted cloche using this stitch pattern. Unfortunately, this is the last thing I would ever try, since it would be my first felting attempt and pretty much a certain disaster.

2. Earflaps. This idea is not plaguing me too badly, so I'll probably leave it alone for a while.

3. SHORT ROWS. This baby has had its claws in my back ever since I bought Loop-d-loop and saw that short row Fair Isle pullover. I already have several unsuccessful experiments under my belt, so I have pretty low confidence with this idea. However, the plague factor is extremely high, so I will try again. This is one that I probably won't let go until I make it work. Especially since most of the problems seem to come from my crappy technique rather than my actual ideas. Eventually I'll be a good enough knitter for this idea!

4. "Freeform" hat made out of a bunch of knitted flowers made separately and then sewn together. Low confidence factor + low plague factor = not anytime soon.

5. High-confidence idea: More Recipe Cloches! There are stitch patterns I know will work (Wavelet, certain ribbing variations, etc.) - some of these are already in progress and some are on my short list. There are some other stitch patterns where I'm not quite sure how to do the decreases and/or the eyelet round (knot-type stitches, or this one stitch pattern I've got a hankering to try where you just cast on an odd number of stitches and keep doing right twists until the thing is done). Those are of course lower-confidence and will have to wait. (I've actually got a few failed twisty-all-over hats. I've tried some different things for the decreases and they all look terrible.)

6. Colorwork. This is pretty low-confidence in general, although the plague factor is pretty high so we'll see. I've never attempted intarsia or mosaic knitting, and my few attempts at Fair Isle have had very wonky tension. However, the Kyoto hat came out really well, so I just might try some of the very simplest FI patterns, where you change color pretty much every stitch like in Kyoto - the tension doesn't suffer as much when the floats are short. In particular, I have one idea for a hat that is entirely 2x2 corrugated ribbing. Two colors per round, but there are color changes throughout, so six colors for the whole hat. I've already ordered the Spindrift - when I receive it I'll probably cast on right away.

7. I-cord hat. This one requires two colors of the same yarn, and a head form (I've got my Styrofoam mannequin). With MC, knit a super-long I-cord. Pin it onto the head form, starting at the top of the crown, into a big spirally hat shape. With CC, slip stitch crochet the thing together, removing the pins as you go. Medium confidence, medium plague factor - maybe I'll get to this one after some recipe cloches and the corrugated ribbing hat.

8. The Frankenhat. High confidence, but low plague factor. I should do this one, though, because I think it will look cool. It's basically a plain stockinette hat, but in random places a random number of stitches would be bound off and then re-cast on the following round, creating what amount to large, various-sized buttonholes all over the hat. These "buttonholes" would then be stitched shut on the right side in a contrasting color, using a very noticeable stitch, kind of like Frankenstein scars.

9. My last idea is the Turban. I've got a neckwarmer I made out of Classic Elite Montera. It's 48 stitches, and three repeats of a giant ribbed cable. (Every row is 2x2 rib, and every 23rd row the center 40 stitches are cabled.) I used a provisional cast-on, and grafted the two ends together to make the neckwarmer. I never posted about it (or wear it) because my grafting was really, really bad. However, it fits very nicely on my head and (except for the fact that it has no top) it looks just like one of those early 20th century turban-style hats. Now that I've got that finishing class under my belt and can graft properly, I'm thinking I could make another one in Manos, then pick up stitches for the crown to make a proper hat.

Kyoto is finished!

2007-01-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

The black and natural Donegal Tweed hat from the previous post has been finished (including a wet block) and I luuuurve it! Photos have been taken; they and the pattern will be posted this weekend (also, somewhat longish post on ideas is coming tomorrow).

Unfortunately, I had to take the Kyoto pics on the mannequin (for whom the hat is a bit too big), since I couldn't get a decent shot of myself. I look like crap lately due to work stress and lack of sleepage. My husband recently decided to take up snoring as if it were some kind of freakin' competitive sport or something. Maybe I should try smile therapy.

Weekend Update

2007-01-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

1. Starlight
Body and sleeves are ready to be joined! Progress photo of the giant blob coming next weekend.

2. Heatherly's hat
After browsing through her blog, I decided to go with the colorful hat rather than the neutral one. And, it's finished! It will go in the mail on Monday. I've taken photos, but I won't post them until after she receives it.

3. WIP's
Here's an in-progress shot of the super-girly hat I posted about a while ago:

The burgundy stuff is waste yarn; I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the brim edge yet. Also, the color in this photo is completely untrue; it's really more of an emerald green.

And, after finishing Heatherly's hat, I couldn't resist casting on for the rejected idea:

The stitch pattern is my own invention, a hybrid of Corrugated Ribbing (this has been lodged in my brain ever since Anemoi Mitten Fever took over the blogworld) and a diminished (to steal a term from music theory) version of the Chunky Rib Pattern on p.170 of the Readers' Digest stitchionary.

ETA: The yarn is Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed Aran. I find it very similar to Rowan's Yorkshire Tweed Aran, although it is very slightly thinner and has a bit more in the way of tweedy flecks. I like the way the black has natural flecks and the natural has black flecks, making the pattern look slightly imperfect.

Nathalie Convertible Hat

2007-01-19T23:59:00.000-05:00

Worn as a beret:

And as a hat:

Yarn: Muench Naturwolle, 2 skeins. I can't remember the name of the colorway, and I lost the ball bands.

Needles: Size 9 and 10 47" Addi Turbos.

Pattern:
With #9, CO 60 stitches using the alternate cable cast-on. Join into a round and work in k1, p1 ribbing for 3.5". Switch to larger needle and work one more round of ribbing. Work increase round: Kfb into each P stitch - 90 sts total. Work k2, p1 rib for 3 rounds. Increase again: Kfb into each of the second knit stitches - 120 stitches. Work in k2, p2 rib for 3-3.5". Decrease: (K2, p2, k2, p2tog) around - 105 sts total. Work in patt for 3 rounds. Decrease again - (K2, p2tog, k2, p1) around - 90 sts total. Work in patt for 3 rounds. Decrease: (K2, p1, k2tog, p1) around - 75 sts. Work in patt for 3 rounds. Decrease: (K2tog, p1, k1, p1) around - 60 sts. Work in k1, p1 rib for 3 rounds. Commence final decreases: Divide sts into 6 groups of 10. SSK the first two stitches of each group together and work the rest of the stitches in patt; do this until 12 sts remain. Cut yarn, leaving a tail, and weave the tail through the remaining stitches. Pull tight to close. Weave in ends.

Comments: I have kind of a big head (22.5" around). As a hat with the turned-up brim, the fit is perfect. As a beret it's just a little bit looser than I would have liked. If I made another one for myself, I would CO 4 fewer stitches. If you have a smaller head than I do, I would definitely recommend reducing the initial stitch count by two or three multiples of 4 stitches.

Heatherly's Hat

2007-01-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

After much deliberation, I have two ideas, and I can't seem to choose between them. One is a very simple stitch pattern, with the interest coming partly from the shaping and mostly from the yarn (colorful and variegated). The other is a more complicated stitch pattern (both colorwork and texture going on), in two contrasting neutral shades.

1. Do you have a preference? I can give more details if you want; I wasn't sure how much of a surprise you want it to be.

2. Do you want to be completely surprised, or do you want to see WIP photos?

Contest Results!

2007-01-17T05:35:00.000-05:00

I guess lurkers mostly just want to stay lurkers! Well, I did get two entries. Both sets of answers were the same (mostly correct), so the winner is the author of the first comment and that's Heatherly! Let me know what kind of hat you're interested in!

The correct answers are:
0 = number of nieces/nephews I have. I do have a brother, and he is married, but they don't have kids yet.
2 = number of times I've been to Europe. I went all over Ireland on vacation once, and once to London on business.
3 = number of my father's sisters who are named Maria.
5 = number of times I've had pneumonia. Once for every winter I spent living in Canada.
12 = age difference between V. and me.
15 = number of years I've been working full time at my current job. I've actually been working there 17 years, including 2 years part time while I was still in school, but that conflicted with the next answer.
17 = number of first cousins I have.
24 = number of years I've been living pneumonia-free in New York.
31 = number of lipsticks I own.

Mini-Update

2007-01-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

Starlight has become my weekend-only project, as it isn't portable and I get pretty much no chance to knit at home during the week. But I'm still working on it! The body pieces have about 2" more to go before I join the sleeves.

In the meantime, there are hats. Just knitting during my commute and for part of my lunch hour, I can complete a hat in two to five days (depending on gauge and amount of cabling).

Recently completed: Pemaquid hat

In progress: A convertible hat (that wants to be called Nathalie), which can be worn as a hat or as a beret. In black and white variegated Muench Naturwolle, on a #10. I can't find this color any more, and I can barely even find the yarn, but it's a thick-and-thin single ply, so I'm thinking Manos will be an excellent substitute if I want to make more of these.

In the wings:
Three recipe cloches.
1. Super-girly cable-and-lace stitch pattern ("Tilting Ladders" for all you Barbara Walker fans) in green Laines du Nord Cashsilk (color 08). I don't know what's up with the recommended needle size being 8 or 9 for this yarn. It's pretty clearly a DK-weight, and I'm going to swatch on sizes #4 and #5 to figure out which is best. The brim will be 1x1 rib, and I'll probably finish this one with a fancy ribbon for extra girliness.

2. Extra-chunky, cloche version of the Wavelet. In dark grey Misti Alpaca Chunky, on a #11. Brim in 2x2 rib. Finished with a ribbed button band, just like the Moss Cloche.

3. Twisted-stitch pattern (BW's "Wickerwork") in Rowan's Scottish Tweed DK held together with a strand of Kidsilk Haze, on a #7. Brim in 2x2 rib, ribbed button band.

"Get Out the Lurkers" Contest!

2007-01-09T15:15:00.000-05:00

I recently installed a hit counter on this blog, and I was absolutely stunned to see that I get around 100 hits per day, on average. Stunned, because I've never had more than 5 comments on any post, and I've only got 11 subscribers on Bloglines (and that's including myself).

So, I've decided to have a contest in order to see who's lurking around here. The prize will be a hat, newly knitted by me, just for you. It can be any of the hat patterns I've already posted here, or a cloche-recipe cloche. For a recipe cloche, please specify:
1. Desired stitch pattern (pretty much anything will work).
2. Desired gauge range (sport/DK, light worsted, worsted/aran, or bulky)
3. Some indication of the kind of yarn you had in mind (eg, "tweedy" or "no mohair" or "self-striping" or "something with alpaca" or something like that. We can come to a final choice on a specific yarn by e-mail.)
If you don't wish to specify, of course you can just say, "Surprise me!"

I can't guarantee when the hat will be finished, but I can promise to have a WIP-update post at least once a week, doing my best to include a photo (unless you are being surprised and don't want to see any photos).

How to enter:
Match the numbers a-i on the left to the items A-I on the right. Leave a comment by 11:59 PM on Sunday, January 14th to enter; you may enter as many times as you like. First correct entry wins. If no entries are correct, the first entry with the most correct matches wins.

a. 0 ******** A. Number of my father's sisters whose first name is Maria
b. 2 ******** B. Number of nieces and nephews I have
c. 3 ******** C. Age difference (rounded, in years) between my husband and me
d. 5 ******** D. Number of first cousins I have
e. 12 ******** E. Number of years I've lived in New York
f. 15 ******** F. Number of times I've been to Europe
g. 17 ******** G. Number of years (rounded) I've been working full-time at my current job
h. 24 ******** H. Number of lipsticks I own
i. 31 ******** I. Number of times I've had pneumonia

Some hints:
A. It's not zero. They have different middle names.
C. I think the answer to this is floating around somewhere in this blog.
E. More than half my life.
G. Less than half my life, but not by much.
H. You'd be surprised.

Good luck everyone!

... And, First FO of 2007

2007-01-06T07:42:00.000-05:00

The Pemaquid hat:
(Color is truest in the closeup photo.)

(Like my new hat model?)

I used 2 skeins of Pemaquid from The Fibre Company, purchased at Webs. Man, I love this yarn. It has the sproinginess and non-itchiness of merino, but it feels even butterier. It's expensive, but for something small like a hat, it is totally worth it.

Needles: Sizes 9 and 10 47" Addi Turbo circulars. I highly recommend Magic Loop for hats in general, but especially for this one, because the decreases are very fast, and it's important to get your hat the right length.

Pattern
With #9 needle, CO 60 stitches. (This fits my 22.5" head, although it also appears to fit my mannequin, who has only a 20.75" head. The moss stitch cloche, by comparison, hangs over her nose. If you still want to adjust, add or subtract a multiple of 4 stitches, and the basic pattern will be the same). Join into a round, and work k2, p2 rib for about an inch. Switch to #10 needle.

Work increase round: (K2, p1, M1, p1) around - 75 stitches (or 5/4 of your CO amount).

Work in Furrow Rib (see below) until hat is the right length, ending on Round 2 of the pattern. What is the right length? Try it on. Placing the bottom where you want it to go (I like my hats to cover my ears, but some people prefer half coverage or even a beanie shape where the ears are not covered at all), the top should come about an inch short of meeting at the top of your head. For me, the right length was just under 8 inches.

Work Decrease rounds:
Round 1: (K2, slip 2 together as if to knit, k1, p2sso) around - 45 stitches total (or 3/4 of your CO amount)
Round 2: K all stitches. When you get to the marker, remove it, k one more stitch, and replace it.
Round 3: (Slip 2 together as if to knit, k1, p2sso) around - 15 stitches (or 1/4 of your CO amount)
Round 4: K all stitches.

Cut yarn, leaving a tail. Thread tail through remaining stitches and pull tight. Weave in ends.

Furrow Rib
Worked in the round over a multiple of 5 stitches.
Slip all stitches purlwise with yarn in back.
Round 1: (Sl 2, k3) around
Round 2: (K2, p3) around
Repear rounds 1 and 2 for pattern.

Last FO of 2006

2007-01-05T19:36:00.000-05:00

Here she is, the Moss Cloche:

(Color is truest in the one where you can see the camera.)

This was a Cloche Recipe cloche. I used two skeins of Rowan Big Wool in color Cassis (#24, I think), and 47", size 11 Addi Turbo circular needle. (Side note: I always use Magic Loop for hats, so I can try them on as I go.) I cast on 60 stitches to begin with, and followed the Recipe. For the decreases, I divided the stitches into 5 groups of 12 and SSK'ed the first two stitches of each group on every round. The band is 5 stitches in K1, P1 rib with a chain stitch selvedge (exactly the same as for Glaistig, but without the bobble).

I'm going to have to make another one of these for the store. I can't in good conscience use this one because I have literally been wearing it EVERY DAY. I'm kind of over the spiral decrease thing (it's been a while since I leafed through Knitting Nature), so for version 2 I'll be using the centered double decrease - sl 2 tog as if to k, k1, p2sso - instead. Well, probably. I want to swatch(!) for that first. I like that decrease for stockinette, but I haven't tried it yet for moss.

Large Project for 2007

2007-01-03T20:52:00.000-05:00

I think I'm going to make this coat from Cottage Craft.

Random Thoughts

2007-01-02T13:07:00.000-05:00

Firstly, Happy New Year, everyone!

Since I'm back at work this week, I'm a-cheatin' on Starlight. It's too big to lug around (back/fronts now about 2/3 of the way to the armhole shaping), so I've ripped back my Pemaquid hat to before the decreases and plan on finishing that up in the next couple of days. Hopefully before Friday, because that's the only day I really get to make proper posts with photos (The ~~Tyrant~~Wibbles does NOT like me using the computer and posts w/photos take forever).

I will also post pics Friday of my final FO of 2006 (another hat, of course). I finished the knitting on this one back in August, but I didn't have the right button. I've been wearing it anyway, using one of the buttons I originally bought for the as-yet-unstarted Asymmetrical Cardigan. I bought a button for this hat a couple of months ago, but had been too lazy to sew it on until last Saturday.

The last picture I'll post Friday is of my sassy new face. I suppose that needs some explanation. This year, rather than making a bunch of resolutions that don't last past January, I decided to make only one resolution. My resolution for 2007 is to at least pretend that I give a crap what I look like. I mean, I dress okay (although this is more because I like clothes than because I care what I look like), I shower, I tweeze my eyebrows, and shave what needs shaving and all. BUT... I only cut my hair about once every 5-6 months (the time it takes for a chin-length bob to grow to my shoulders), and I wear virtually no makeup (pretty much just concealer and lip balm). So here I am, in my new chin-length layered bob, which I will maintain properly, and two(!) shades of eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, tinted moisturizer and powder. No blush. I draw the line at blush!

Starlight Progress

2006-12-29T17:08:00.000-05:00

Sleeves, waiting to be shaped together with the body pieces:

Back and fronts:

Closeup of center back, where the cables change directions:

While I knit, I've been thinking about what Eunny said about working a set-in sleeve together with the body. In this post, she says she hopes it will basically involve making "the appropriate decreases on either side of an imaginary seam line between body and sleeve cap." I think there's a little more to it than that. That imaginary seam line bit will work up to the top of the cap, where if the sleeve were being worked separately, you would cast off the remaining 30 stitches all at once. When you reach that point, I'm pretty sure you will have to start using short rows, attaching first one front to half of those 30 sleeve stitches, then the back to the other half, then the same deal for the other sleeve. I think. I've never done this before, and haven't been able to find anything to read about it. I guess we'll see!

Mini-Update

2006-12-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

I've been completely faithful to Starlight since I started it - not only have I not started any new projects, I haven't even touched any of my other WIP's. This is like a minor miracle for me, and says what an enjoyable knit Starlight has turned out to be.

The sleeves have been worked up to the point of the cap shaping, and are waiting for the body to catch up so the set-in sleeve can be worked seamlessly a la Eunny. I am working the back and fronts simultaneously (but as three separate pieces). As of now they are just under 1/3 of the way to the armhole shaping. There will be a proper WIP post (with photos) on Friday.

An answer to Glaistig's very kind coment on my last post: I decided to wait an extra year before showing the hats to the Candy Plum owner. This will give me time to get a proper collection knitted up, plus get a real ("real" meaning not hosted for free) website working, business cards, etc. I'm (probably) not going to design any hats this year - instead I'll focus on knitting up hats I've already designed, a few of each in different colors, for the store. Also perfecting the finishing, refining some designs, things like that. I hope to have everything ready to show Candy Plum before the 2007 fall season starts.

The hat business is my main knitting goal for 2007. Other than that, I want to finish Starlight (my somewhat unambitious goal on that one is to be able to wear it by Valentine's Day), restart and finish Demi, and to make something LARGE - either a coat or a blanket. I think I'm going to need to take a Fair Isle class before starting seriously on my Mom's sweater. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do that next year too.

In the Spirit of EZ

2006-12-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

I didn't join Zimmermania, since I've got too much on my plate right now, but I have been ogling all the awesome projects. I really like EZ's knitting philosophy, especially the idea of using "recipes" instead of set patterns. So here is my generic cloche recipe.

First of all, why a cloche?
1. They're feminine (cute or elegant, depending on your choice of yarn, color and finishing), and flatter most face shapes.
2. You can't ignore gauge completely, but you don't have to obsess over it to get a good fit. A cloche is a good surprise gift for a woman, since you don't need to get her head measurement first.
3. There is no need to increase between the brim and the main body of the hat, so you can use complex stitch patterns without having to worry about the increases blending in nicely. Or about choosing a separate stitch pattern for the brim.

The recipe:
1. Choose your stitch pattern. Knit a gauge swatch. (Disclaimer: Only once have I ever actually done the swatch - for Glaistig, since that was for publication. However, I have had to rip out and start over on occasion, so maybe I should swatch more often.) Since gauge is not terribly crucial, don't worry about using any of those crazy techniques for knitting your swatch in the round. Just knit it flat. If it's a little off, it won't matter.
2. Measure your swatch. If it's ribbing or some other stretchy stitch pattern, pin the swatch out to a comfortable stretch before measuring. Figure out how many stitches to the inch you're getting.
3. Cast on enough stitches for the size of your head plus one-half to one inch. Add an extra inch or so if you're using an inelastic yarn like cotton or silk. Adjust (upward, always upward) if necessary to get the correct multiple for your stitch pattern. If it's a gift and you don't know the recipient's head size, just go for about 24". A cloche can be waaaaaay too big and still look good. But it won't look good if it's too small.
4. Join into a round and start knitting. If your stitch pattern is simple and non-curling (seed, moss, rib) just start off in pattern. For stockinette, or any other curling pattern, I recommend a stockinette hem. After 1.5 to 2 inches, work an eyelet round. Space 6 to 12 eyelets (made with a YO followed by working 2 stitches together) evenly around the circumference. If you are knitting a cabled hat, don't start cabling until after the eyelet round - the brim will flare out a bit, which is good. If the cables are on a ribbed background, do a ribbed brim. If on a stockinette background, do a stockinette hem.
5. After the eyelet round, continue knitting in your chosen stitch pattern until it's time to start the decreases (hat will measure about 8" in length at this point).
6. Figure out how many stitches to decrease each round. For garter stitch, 4 stitches. For stockinette, seed and moss, 5 stitches. For rib, 6 stitches. For cables, it depends on the density of the cabling. 8 to 12 is usually about right, but it can be much higher if the cabling is very dense (Diminishing Braids, for example). Work your decrease rounds until you have 4-16 stitches left (less for bulkier yarn, more for thinner yarn) and close up your hat.
7. Now, for the finishing. This is where you are able to get that perfect fit, which is why you don't really have to worry about it when you're knitting the hat. The simplest thing (and the best choice if it's a gift and you're unsure of her measurements) is to just thread a nice piece of ribbon through the eyelets, and tie it in a bow. You could also make an i-cord bow, as Meg did. Or, you could knit a ribbed band. 5 stitches in 1x1 rib generally fits nicely through the eyelets. Make a yarnover buttonhole at one end of the band, and either make a bobble on the other end or sew on a button. The knitted band should fit around your head with 1 or 2 inches of overlap when comfortably stretched.

Ta da!

Now for Starlight news. I've been knitting! The sleeves are now about an inch short of starting the cap shaping. I've also cast on for the back, and have about 3" of that worked. I've decided to copy the great Eunny and work the sleeve cap together with the body pieces rather than seaming them together afterward. I'm still working the body flat, though, and working the back and two fronts as three separate pieces up to the armhole shaping. So when I'm done knitting, I'll have a big flat blob to lay out and block. Then I can sew the side and sleeve seams, and after that work my edgings.

Starlight

2006-12-16T19:09:00.000-05:00

First, good news. Last Sunday I attended a Barbara Kerr finishing workshop at The Point - a birthday gift from my parents. Boy, did I learn a lot. There are some things that it's really difficult to learn from books, and finishing is one of them. Not only did I finally learn how to seam properly, I also learned how to do short-row shaping for sweater shoulders, how to graft in a sleeve, and a bunch of other stuff.

Now, the bad news - I decided to frog my Demi sleeve and start over, this time adding a stockinette stitch to each edge. It will make finishing easier and better looking, and I wasn't so far along (about 2 inches more than in the last photo I posted) that ripping was a disaster.

I haven't actually done the ripping yet, since I have raging ripaphobia. I will stall FOREVER before ripping something out, often completing a project or two between the decision to rip and the actual ripping. (Wondering what happened to my Pemaquid hat? I didn't like the way the decreases were going, so I need to rip back to before I started them - STALL.)

So instead of ripping out the Demi sleeve, I made a scarf and started on Starlight. The scarf is just a simple cartridge-belt rib scarf out of some yarn my parents got me from Argentina - 100% Patagonian wool:

I thought it was variegated, but it turned out to be self-striping:

And this is what I've got so far on Starlight:

The yarn is my birthday Ella Rae Classic. It's a much deeper red than it looks in this picture, about halfway between red and burgundy. I'm going to cut off the pink cast-on yarn at the end, put the live stitches on a needle, and do two more rows of garter stitch and a picot bind-off for edging. It should look similar enough to the edging in the pattern, which is knitted separately and then sewn on.

I'm working both sleeves at once, which is what I'm going to do on Demi when I get around to restarting it. The markers are just there to help me remember which direction I'm working in - I get distracted when I knit and watch movies at the same time.

I'm not quite getting gauge - 28 stitches and rows to 4" instead of 30 - but I figure a little extra ease and length is probably a good thing, especially since I am not adding extra stitches for hippage and I am making the size for my real chest size (which is significantly smaller than my hip size). I am increasing more frequently on the sleeves, though, since I don't want those to be too long.

I have no knitting progress to show, but I made some new wallpapers

2006-12-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

To use as your desktop background: Right-click on the picture of your choice, and choose "Set as Background" from the menu. It should tile over your entire desktop. If it doesn't, right-click on your desktop (I'm assuming Windows here) and choose "Properties" from the menu. On the "Background" tab, set the "Picture Display" item to "Tile."

Please feel free to copy these for your own personal use. No commercial use, please.

(If anyone is interested in the symmetries here, they are - top to bottom - pgg, p4g, pg and pgg.)

Knitiversary

2006-12-08T13:06:00.000-05:00

The second anniversary of my learning to knit is approaching, so I thought I’d share the top 10 list of useful tips I’ve assembled over the past two years. The ideas are all mine, but some of them are very simple – bordering on common sense – so I wouldn’t be surprised if they existed elsewhere.

1.Before you knit, WASH YOUR HANDS. Particularly if you are working with light-colored yarn. No, that chocolate stain is not coming out of your cashmere. Sorry.

2.Don’t get hat hole.

3. If you want to make a striped scarf, it may seem like the only choices are (a) weaving in lots of ends, and (b) carrying the colors up one side, which makes the two edges of the scarf different. However, you can use an ODD number of colors, and make the number of rows in each stripe ODD, and colors will be carried up both sides and the edges will look the same. You can also use an even number of colors (but more than just 2) and a combination of odd and even stripe lengths, but this requires some math to make sure that the color you want next is always available and not parked on the other side.

4. My favorite stitch pattern for scarves is still Cartridge Belt Rib (as defined by Barbara Walker, not the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary). It's worked over a multiple of 4 stitches + 1. Every row is the same: Slip the first stitch pwise, then (k2, sl 1 pwise wyif, k1) over the rest of the row. It looks similar to Mistake Rib, but better (in my opinion) since the columns of knit stitches are elongated and stand out more. It's easy to knit, easy to memorize, and unisex. The edges are especially nice due to the double slip stitch selvedge. It's also visually interesting without being (a), a yarn hog, or (b) too interesting for variegated yarns. What more can you ask for? You can also do a two-color version (using the same method as for two-color Brioche stitch - see the Shadow Dance capelet from Wrap Style) where the columns of knit stitches are all MC on one side of the scarf and all CC on the other side.

5. Any all-over cable pattern can be made reversible by doing the cables in a reversible stitch like garter, seed or rib. With 1x1 rib, you usually have to double the size (meaning, for example, a 4x4 cable instead of a 2x2 cable) to make it look good. For instance, the stitch pattern for the Glaistig hat is the same as the one for the Wavelet hat (which I got from one of the Barbara Walker books - I think she calls it Little Cable Fabric), but doubled in size and done in 1x1 rib. Another way to make cable patterns reversible is to have the number of rows in the pattern repeat be odd.

6. Alpaca is insane. I only use it for scarves, because nothing I make from it will stay the same freaking size. I have one scarf that was 65" long after I knitted it, and is now more than 7' long. I also made an alpaca hat for The Wibbles, which fit him for about two days, after which it fit me for a while, before becoming even bigger. Two other hat-unfriendly fabrics are cotton and silk - neither one is elastic enough. The best hat fiber is by far merino wool.

7. The recommended gauge on the ball band is not gospel. It's usually pretty reliable if you want to make a sweater/top, but I would go down 1 or 2 needle sizes for hats and socks, and up a needle size for scarves.

8. Don't expect to do much knitting around a child between 9 months and 2 years of age, unless said child is asleep. Although perhaps I am just lacking some mysterious skillz, since lots of knitters have cats and still seem to manage not to get their projects destroyed.

9. Don't try to be fancy all the time. Some yarns show texture well, some don't. Some yarns are so interesting (*coughNorocough*) that anything but the plainest stitch pattern detracts from them. Your project will look a lot better if you let the yarn dictate what you do with it, rather than trying to force your fancy idea on the yarn.

10. My favourite yarn for scarves is Manos. Unless there is cabling, two skeins makes a perfectly acceptable-size scarf (5" x 5.5'), and three skeins makes a very generous scarf. I have three staple scarf patterns that I use over and over with this yarn, and I'll share them here.

3-Skein Cartridge Belt Rib Scarf
Materials: 3 skeins Manos (I like to use 3 subtly different shades of the same color), size 10.5 needles. (Scarf will be 7-8" wide, depending on your gauge, and probably over 6' long.)
Scarf: Cast on 33 stitches with Color A. *Work 1 row Cartridge Belt Rib with Color B. Work 1 row Cartridge Belt Rib with Color C. Work 1 row Cartridge Belt Rib with Color A. Carry unused colors up the sides. Repeat from * until you run out of yarn (save some for fringe, if desired) or reach desired scarf length, ending with color C. Bind off with Color A. Attach fringe if desired.

Giant Cable Scarf
Materials: 4 skeins Manos in the same color. Size 10.5 needles. Spare 16" circular needle in size 10.5 to use as a cable needle (trust me, there is no other way to do a cable this huge).
Giant Cable Pattern (over 40 stitches):
Rows 1-22: (K1, p1) across.
Row 23: (K1, p1) twice, slip 16 sts onto "cable" needle, (k1, p1) 8 times from left needle, (k1, p1) 8 times from "cable" needle, (k1, p1) twice.
Repeat rows 1-23 for pattern.
Scarf:
Cast on 42 stitches (I prefer the alternate cable cast-on). Keep the first and last stitch of each row as a selvedge stitch (slip 1st st pwise, k last st), and work center 40 sts in Giant Cable pattern. Work until you run out of yarn or achieve desired length (save some yarn for fringe - this scarf looks funny without it), ending on row 19. BO all sts in pattern. Attach fringe.

Fibonacci Stripe Dr. Who Scarf
Materials: 4 skeins Manos in coordinating colors, size 10.5 needles.
Scarf: Use alternate cable cast-on (25 to 35 stitches, depending on desired width) and work in 1x1 rib throughout. Alternate colors in order A, B, C, D throughout. Alternate #rows in each stripe in order 3, 5, 8, 3, 13, 8, 21, 1, 2, 13, 1, 34, 21, 5, 2 throughout. Carry unused colors up the sides. Work until you run out of yarn (save some for fringe, if desired) or reach desired scarf length. Attach fringe if desired.

A note on fringe: I have always liked Julia's idea for fringe (just about the middle of the way down the page) the best.