Bummer, no free yarn for me

Well, I didn’t win the Hill Country Sock Pattern Contest, but that won’t stop me from creating more patterns. In fact, I am currently working on two more designs.

Since I didn’t win the contest I have decided to offer the sock pattern FREE on my blog. I have a few tweaks I want to make and I would like to format it a little differently, but as soon as I get that done I will have it here for all to see.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend, and I leave you with a picture of the socks that didn’t make the grade.

So much for one project at a time

Thanks to the famous enabler Miranda I have started two more pairs of socks. You see, Miranda dyed some Knit Picks Bare sock yarn that I had bought, and decided I didn’t want to hassle with dying. But Miranda did a fabulous job dying it up for me. I gave her three color selections and she took it from there. Here are the beauties that she created. If you like what you see, go tell Miranda so and get her dying more yarn. You can see more details on this yarn and my project progess on Ravelry. My code name is BloomingKnitter of course.

A Perfect Gauge

So maybe I will be able to get use to this whole gauge thing. Before I started Wicked again I took the time to do the gauge swatch. This time I used US 8 and it came out perfect. I even knitted the full 4" for a true test to see if I matched exactly. And actually it was rather relaxing just knitting and purling and not having to worry about pattern changes.

Ready to begin again

Although I don’t like the fact that I had to frog two projects yesterday, I do feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, even if it is for less than 24 hours. At this very moment, I only have two, count them TWO, WIPs. Okay, technically I will have four again the moment I cast-on for Wicked and the Mother Lode Socks (which will probably be in like 5 minutes), but it still feels rather refreshing to know I currently only have so few projects on the needles.

Gauge you say

I don’t know if I am in the majority or the minority when I say I don’t typically take the proper time to get an accurate gauge. I mean, there is such a thing as "Close Enough" Gauge, RIGHT! At least I take the time to attempt the gauge, which counts for something. It is just that if I get within a quarter to a half a stitch I decide it is close enough and I can either knit a little tighter or a little looser plus I can monitor my gauge throughout the project.

And can you really get an accurate gauge swatch if, for your project, you will be stockinette knitting in the round and your gauge swatch is knit/purl flat. I have heard so many people say that most knitters knit and purl at different tensions, so is it even possible to get an accurate gauge. And if not do some knitters do their swatch in the round.

Furthermore, who really knits a full size gauge swatch anyway? Four inches is a lot of knitting time wasted on a swatch, plus it uses up a bunch of yarn which I am not willing to take away from my project. I usually knit 5-10 rows, depending on the size of the needle and then count my stitches in an inch; I never worry about row gauge.

I know, I know, a lot knitters either knit tighter or looser at the beginning of a project but as they move forward with it they loosen or tighten up accordingly. But In my case I guess I do a little of both because with one project, see below, my gauge was looser than the project and with another my gauge was tighter than the project. So what gives? How is one to know how to adjust their needle size when they knit so unpredictably?

Lucky for me I don’t have a problem frogging as soon as I realize that I am way off gauge. Granted, I spent a lot of time working on what has already been completed, but do I really want to spend 4, 5 or even 6 times longer on a garment that I will never wear. NO! I guess I should have just knit the full size swatch and kept trying different needle sizes until I got the perfect gauge. Will I ever learn? Probably not!

Needless to say, the new project I started on Wednesday, Wicked, is destined to be frogged today and re-started. I did attempt my gauge swatch and came out with 4.75 stitches per inch; the pattern called for 4.5. I knitted the entire first ball, about 104 yards, and checked my gauge. And, wouldn’t you know I got an average of 5-5.5 stitches per inch. This project is top down and knitted in the round and I have the knowledge to adjust the pattern as I go to make it fit me, but the fact that I bought exactly the amount of yarn called for in the pattern, for my size, I have concerns that I will run out before my sweater is long enough.

So I am going to bite the bullet and frog two projects today, Wicked and the Mother Lode Socks.

Here is the picture showing how much bigger the second sock was, about 4 stitches bigger. Plus I checked my gauge again and I was getting 9 stitches to the inch, but when I checked the gauge at the beginning of the project I was getting 10 stitches per inch. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

What is the hold-up already…

I told you, some 13 days ago, that the pieces to the knitted top with cable were completed and all that was left was the assembly. I just don’t know what it is with finishing that makes me want to run screaming in the other direction. I love knitting but the finishing just scares me for some reason. When it comes time to assemble it I always found other things to do. I mean the bathroom really needed to be cleaned and the kitchen counter had collected a bunch of stuff that had no business even being in the kitchen, not to mention the other knitting projects on the needles that were calling my name.

I don’t know what it is about the finishing but I just have such a hard time starting it, but once I get going there is just no stopping me. I remember how easy it is and how quickly it goes, and then two episodes of Knitty Gritty later the sweater is complete.

What to do…

As you may have read in my post from August 10th, I started another pair of socks, and I must say I love socks, even if it is all stockinette knitting in the round. I finished the first foot, up to the just before the short-row heel and I am three-quarters through the other foot. I tried the second sock on yesterday and it seemed a little big, okay, it was a lot to big. And I thought to myself, what is the deal. I was sure I had tried the first sock on throughout the process of knitting it and I also checked my gauge. I even choose to do one less increase than what the gauge called for since I prefer my socks a little tight. So, I lined up the second sock with the first and sure enough I am knitting a lot looser than I knitted the first. Bummer, I am going to have to ripe back this sock and knit it tighter. Then I decided to try on the first sock again and it too is a little too big.

So here is my dilemma, do I frog both of these socks and start from scratch making sure to knit a little tighter than I am now, or do less increases at the toe, or do I suck it up and leave it as is. My thought is if I don’t frog them know I might not won’t be happy with the finished socks, and in turn won’t wear them. And what good is having hand knit socks if they won’t get worn. So I think I will be doing some frogging very soon.

The real bummer is that I was working on a new textured stitch to incorporate into the leg of this sock. And anyone who has designed a sock knows that the stitch pattern needs to be somewhat easy to modify for smaller or larger socks. I guess it will be back to the drawing board on this one. I will definitely save my notes as I might use the stitch pattern on a future pair of socks.

Sorry I don’t have any pictures of the progress I had made on these socks. I tried to take a picture this morning, but the camera battery said it was exhausted and needed to be recharged. I couldn’t even get one shot taken. Anyway, I will take a picture tonight after the battery has had a chance to recharge, and will post it tomorrow. It is just such a bummer that these socks can’t be saved. I guess there is always the possibility of giving them away as a gift, but I just can’t see anyone appreciating them as much as I would. Plus the yarn was a special surprise my mom picked up for me while she was on a cruise to Alaska.

Adventures in Blocking Cotton…Green Gable

As I mentioned in a previous post, my Green Gable has been completed. Earlier this week I washed and blocked my newly completed sweater. The yarn I used was Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in the Berry Colorway. And, OMG, I had forgotten how much the color bled when I washed my gauge swatch, which incidentally was the very first gauge swatch I ever took the time to wash and semi-block before moving forward with the actual project. Anyway, the water was almost completely pink with my sweater. I am just glad I didn’t go the easy route of blocking by just spritzing it using a spray bottle, because I think I would have totally ruined my towel.

Anyway, not only was this the first project that I washed the swatch, this was actually the first sweater that I blocked. I have only completed two sweaters before this one and I didn’t take the time to block either of them. This time I thought I would give it a go and see how it comes out. What I found was that cotton is very moldable. What I mean by that is, I could kind of pat it here and there and push it a little and it would sort of slide into place where I wanted it, which made shaping the sweater rather easy. Since this is the first time I have actually blocked a sweater I guess can’t assume that this trait only applies to cotton.

I look forward to finishing my other sweater this weekend. I haven’t moved forward too much on the assembly, but I will focus on that this weekend and should have another FO to show you on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Here is the finished product.

Stash or Not to Stash

If you read my blog a few weeks ago you would have seen a post for the World’s Largest Yarn Stash, which was quite massive. If you missed the post scroll back to July and take a gander, I am sure you will be impressed.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, I have been contemplating whether I want to have a stash or just buy yarn for my next project. I have to tell you that I do currently have a stash and I am quite happy that I do, since I will be unemployed in a few weeks and won’t have any disposable income in which to purchase yarn. So at least I will still have yarn to knit up. But the thought of not having projects hanging over my head sounds so appealing. I have been Stacy’s Blog at Very Pink for a few months now and it is quite incredible that she does not have a stash, or a very small one, and she only knits one thing at a time. And as great as that sounds, I have always thought it would be impossible to do, because every time I find a pattern I want to knit I feel the need to run out and buy the yarn just in case it is discontinued before I get around to knitting the project.

I know it seems insane, but so far I have had a tendency to purchase only the yarn the pattern calls for and haven’t had the nerve to think outside the box. But now that Ravelry exists, and I can look at what everyone else is using for the same project I don’t feel as intimidated. In fact, I took a sweater designing class a few months ago I feel even more confident choosing a different yarn than the pattern calls for or even a completely different gauge. So now I don’t feel so compelled into rushing out to the LYS the moment I find a pattern I love. I just need to make sure I buy the book, magazine or pattern so I have it when I decide actually knit the project.

The only real problem I see with this is that if I finish a project at 2:00 am I can’t immediately cast-on for the next project. Okay so that really isn’t realistic, because if you know me you know I am typically in bed by 9:30, 10:00 at the latest, but I do get up bright and early with the birds. So let me rephrase that, if I finish a project at 7:00 pm, when the yarn stores are already closed for the night, I can’t immediately cast-on for the next project. And what if I finish the project at 6:00 pm on Saturday and the LYS is closed until Monday, and I have to work on Monday and can’t get to the yarn store until after work. Oh No! I don’t know if I could do it, I am getting hives just thinking of the possibility. It would drive me absolutely crazy wondering if the yarn store will have the yarn I am looking for in the color that I want.

No, No, No! I know I would not be able to do it. I think I will always have to have a stash that would consist of at least 2-3 projects waiting to be started.

I am glad that has been resolved. Let’s never talk of this again.

One or More?

I have been debating a few things about my knitting lately. The first being whether to work on multiple projects at the same time or to cast-on one at a time and work only that one project until it is complete, not including the traveling socks. Just about every knitter I know does something a little different and it is all a matter of preference, but the thought of completing a new project every few weeks just makes me all warm inside.

Since January, when I first discovered the world of fiber at my LYS, I have completed a number of projects, but the progress seems to have gone very slowly towards completion because I have been working on multiple projects at the same time. The great thing about doing it this way is that I get work on each WIP a little at a time and I don’t have time to get bored with any of the projects. Then all of a sudden I am completing 2, 3, or 4 projects within days of each other. I have to admit that is great fun, but the problem I see with that is that for a long time I don’t have any FO to show on this here blog.

So what I am going to attempt, and I say attempt because I am not sure if I will be able to stick to it, is to work on just one project at a time until it is completed. That is to say once I complete my current round of projects, which should be very soon. I know there will be times when I find I don’t like the yarn as much as I expected, or that the pattern isn’t very interesting or inspiring, but I tend to be a finisher. What I mean by that is, I have this compulsive tendency to complete everything even if I don’t think there is a chance in hell that I am going to actually like the FO or wear it for that matter. I figure there is always the possibility of giving the FO as a gift or donating it to a charity, because the fact still remains that I had the joy of knitting it and that is what counts most. RIGHT!

The second thing I have been contemplating is to stash or not to stash, that is the question, which will come in a later post.

The status update on the current projects, Green Gable is done and about to be blocked; the pieces of the Knitted Top with Cable are done and just need to be blocked and assembled. I would like to finish the Brown Ribbed Sweater before I start another project, but I am not sure I will be motivated to do that since I still won’t be able to wear it for a few more months. I also started a secret project, but it is a quick knit and should be completed by the end of the week as well. And don’t forget about my socks, which by the way don’t count in the one project until complete plan, but my goal is to not have more than two pairs of socks in the works at any one time. The socks haven’t had much progress in the last few days because I have been focused on finishing the sweaters.

I will have pictures of both sweaters as soon as they are wearable.