Knitting Bee

Thursday, March 17, 2005

afghan yarn?

Not much to post on the knitting front. I've passed the gusset on the sock and am working slowly towards the toe. It's hard to get more than ten minutes at a time to work on it, so I'm hoping that I can get to Sitch & Bitch tomorrow night & spend hours just knitting & talking.

I do have a question, though. My grandmother offered to crochet an afghan for me (a throw for the couch or someplace) and I offered to buy the yarn for two reasons: 1) she buys almost everything at Michaels and I do not want a squeaky afghan that isn't warm at all, I want something nice & warm & soft & cozy that I will want to keep & use & love. 2) she just crocheted an afghan for my sister out of yarn NOT from Michaels (because the color selection sucked) and she put $50 into it which I know she cannot afford. So I'm buying the yarn which will be good because I don't have to feel bad about not wanting a 100% acrylic throw no matter how nice the color is. ANYWAY, I had a point!

What's a good yarn to use for this sort of thing? Not too expensive, but soft & with a decent color selection? I don't mind the nicer acrylic blends. I'm thinking superwash wool would be a better idea than non-superwash, but I don't have a ton of experience with this sort of thing... any tips would be great.

If all goes well & I get to S&B tomorrow, expect a finished sock by the weekend!

Posted at 12:05 am by Sarah Bee
Comments (3) Permalink

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Over a week!

I can't believe I went over a week without posting. I haven't had much in the way of progress to post. Thursday night I went to my first-ever Stitch & Bitch meeting. I really enjoyed myself & loved meeting new people. It's hard for me to get out during the week, but I'm really going to make an effort to do so from now on. While at S&B, I knit the heel flap for the sock. I'm making slow but steady progress on the sock. I'm working on the gusset right now:

I love the pattern that the yarn is making!

My grandmother is predominantly a crocheter. She used to knit when she was younger (& so did her mother & sister) but she says crochet is easier & quicker (she can really churn out the afghans!). Tonight I mentioned to her that I had dropped a stitch on my sock & used a 5mm crochet hook to pick it up because that's all I had. She brought out one of her many craft bins (full of hooks & needles & other notions) and dug out some old steel hooks she had. She told me to take as many as I needed, but I only took one: it's labled "1" and is made by Susan Bates.

She kept digging through her box, showing me all sorts of needles & hooks, and then she foisted a whole bunch on me (some of which I'd been admiring):

-a mismatched set of six US 4 DPNs
-an old knit-check
-an awesome metal ruler that works on the same principle that the snap-bracelets of the early 90s used.
-a single plastic 10" US 10 DPN
-10" plastic US 2 straights
-10" aluminum US 2, 3, & 4 straights
-a set of four US 2 DPNs that are marked 25 cents!

I love 10" needles so I'm pretty excited about those (I also didn't have any needles in those sizes, so yay!). I also didn't have DPNs in size 2 or 4, so those should be useful. I love the vintage feel I get off them and I love that they have been passed to my grandmother from her mother & sister & other women. I love that I'm following tradition in my family the way my mother & aunts haven't. I hope it makes my grandmother happy to know that the hobbies will continue in our family.

Posted at 09:45 pm by Sarah Bee
Comment (1) Permalink

Saturday, March 05, 2005

all fried up & ready to go!

This evening I went to the fabric store & bought a lovely pink zipper (dark old rose) and then tonight I sewed it into my fry-up bag. They didn't have any 15 cm zips, so I bought an 18cm zip (7") and cut it a bit. I wish I hadn't cut it because it would have fit in the opening (I did a half-assed measure) and that extra little bit would have made the opening a bit nicer. I like it anyway, though.

I'm not very adept at sewing & I've never done a zipper before, but it turned out OK & I'm happy with it. I've already stuffed it full of my "necessary objects" (wallet, cell phone, chapstick, hair ties, and tiny box-o-pills) and it's all ready to go to work with me tomorrow (and face ridicule just like my kitty-ear & newsboy hats did).

I think it's funny & if it gets a few not-mean laughs, I will be pleased.

Pattern: Fry-up
Yarn used: Wool-Ease (double-stranded) & various acrylic/wool remnants
Date started: February 21, 2005 (well, that's the date I did more than cast on, so it's the un-official official date)
Date finished: March 5, 2005

And from the comments:

My wonderful Secret Pal asked: Can you wash it after you knit it and does any of the dye run? Or fade? Well it's 100% wool (not superwash), so you have to wash it with care, but yes it's washable. It works great for felting projects (I made a horrible, useless felted bag with some Kool-Aid dyed yarn a while back) and the colors stay bright & vivid & don't run at all. You just have to make sure that you rinse the yarn well when you're finished dying it, but the color stays in (just like it stays on human hair... I had a very bad experience with near-boiling Kool-Aid & my scalp in high school).

Posted at 11:44 pm by Sarah Bee
Comments (2) Permalink

kool-aid dyeing!

I've been chugging away at my sock. It's been slow because I haven't had much free time to knit this week. I added a handle to my fry-up bag, but it's still missing a zipper so no photos till it's complete (I'm going to look for a zipper tomorrow after work).

Grumperina and Kelly both asked about my Kool-Aid dyeing, so I figured I would document it a bit.

I'm by no means an expert at this (I've done it maybe a half-dozen times), but the lovely thing about dyeing this way is that you can experiment & have fun with it. I bought a bunch of Lion Brand Fisherman Wool at least a year ago at Michael's. It was on clearance for $5 and I couldn't resist (and I still remember how when the cashier rung up my four skeins for less than $25 she commented "expensive sweater" which I found completely absurd).

To start with, I unwind the yarn from the skein to a hank. I use the back of Mike's desk chair because I don't have a swift. It's tedious & hurts my arm, but it makes a decent skein.

I tied it up in a few spots with some acrylic yarn (so it won't dye & disappear on me) to keep it from tangling & keep it all together. After it's hanked up, I place it in a glass pyrex dish & soak it in a water/vinegar mix (a few glugs of vinegar & the rest water) for approximately ten minutes, then drain the excess off.

I mixed up my dye. I use plasic cups and one packet at a time. I just use straight vinegar to mix it with because it seems to help the yarn take they dye more quickly/hold it better. I apply the dye with a turkey baster for more "precision".

After applying my first (lightest) color where I want it, I nuke it for four minutes.

Then I let it rest for a few minutes. Now's when I usually read or knit for a while. Because I use such a small dye/liquid ratio, the color soaks up quickly. I dump out the used vinegar (it's clear again!) and rinse the yarn in water the same temperature as it. I drain off the excess water & apply my second (medium) color.

Then I nuke it for four more minutes, let it rest, & rinse again. Then I apply the final (darkest) color.

Again with the nuke/rest/rinse and then I mix up a doubly-concentrated version of my lightest color & go over spots I missed. Then I nuke/rest/rinse it again and hang it up to dry.

I just did this hank tonight. I'm not sure what I'm going to knit with it, but I love how the colors blended together. I used: Wild Watermelon Kiwi for my green, Slammin Strawberry Kiwi for my pink, and Raspberry Reaction for my blue.

Posted at 01:51 am by Sarah Bee
Comments (5) Permalink

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

I love socks!

This weekend was very busy. I got my income tax refund direct deposit & spent some money buying things that I've been really wanting. I got a wonderful 19" LCD monitor that I am loving so much. I also bought a few DVDs (Napoleon Dynamite, Here Come the ABCs, and Degrassi: The Next Generation first season box set), a CD (They Might Be Giants - Here Come the ABCs), and a book (Hip Knits). I haven't bought any yarn yet because I don't need any just yet... I haven't got any projects planned that I don't already have yarn for and for once I don't want to just buy yarn for the sake of having it.

I did get started on a sock this weekend. I'm using the Wildfoote yarn my Secret Pal sent me and size US 1 DPNs. Everything is teeny & it's a bit hard on my wrists, but I love how they are turning out!

I also bought a ridiculous amount of Kool-Aid and a gallon of vinegar so that I can finally dye some of my stash Fisherman's Wool I picked up for $5 a skein last year.

I've been watching back-to-back episodes of Degrassi & knitting away on my sock. Both things are completely addictive!

Posted at 10:39 pm by Sarah Bee
Comments (5) Permalink

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Secret Pal package!

Oooh! I'm so excited & happy! I grabbed the mail today and amongst a pile of bills & junk mail, there was a package addressed to me! I love getting packages and this one had me smiling from the moment I read the return address:

I showed my little sister & her friend (they didn't quite get it) and then I opened it up. Inside I saw this:

Gorgeous sock yarn! Brown Sheep Company's Wildfoote in Ragtime. And a really cool postcard with wasps on it. Want a closer look at that yarn?

The photo is a bit bright (the cloudy sky didn't provide enough light so I had to use the flash), but the colors are gorgeous & definitely have an autumnal feel. On the back of the postcard I got a lovely note from my Secret Pal and two cards of this:

Bee buttons! I have to figure out the perfect use for them. I love everything and now this snowy evening is going to be a lot more fun! Thank you so much!

On another note, memes:

I've seen this one going around and nobody passed it to me, but I like it and I want to do it anyway (dork much?):

1. How much space is left on your TiVo or Comcast box? I don't have TiVo. I download the majority of my tv anyway.

2. Have you ever bought a DVD of a TV series and, if so, which one? I adore TV DVD box sets! Adore! I've got: Alias seasons 1 & 2, Buffy seasons 1-7, Dawson's Creek season 4, Dead Like Me season 1, Freaks & Geeks complete series set, Gilmore Girls seasons 1 & 2, Kindred: The Embraced complete series set, My So-Called Life complete series set, Popular season 1, Punky Brewster season 1, and Quantum Leap seasons 1 & 2. There are many more that I want to get, but I can't afford them right now.

Even though I download my shows, I buy them on DVD, too. Buffy I had seasons 5-7 on my computer, but I bought the DVDs in a snap. I have all of the Gilmore Girls on my computer and most of Quantum Leap, too. I haven't bought any in a while (we're trying to save up for a new apartment) but I know that once I get my Refund check, some of that money will go for TV DVDs & yarnyarnyarn!

3. What was the last TV show you watched before reading this message? I watched Alias last night & felt all of the Sark love.

4. List five TV shows you won't miss: I miss most of my shows (until recently I didn't know when half of them were on) but I still watch every single episode. I download like mad, but only the stuff I love (and no movies!). The top five are: Alias, Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, The O.C., and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

5. Name three people -- pass the stick. It didn't get passed to me, so I don't feel right passing it on. Do it if you want to, it's fun!

Bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now...

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C / Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you.

Posted at 05:28 pm by Sarah Bee
Comment (1) Permalink

almost finished!

I feel so productive! Last night I finished the second side to the fry-up bag and then today I knit up some egg and bacon. I attached them to the bag & sewed it together. I was undecided about lining the bag, but when I couldn't find my sewing needle, I decided against it for now.

I need to go to the store & get a zipper soon (oh how I wish I hadn't forgotten about it on Saturday) and I also need to figure out what sort of handle/strap I want. Does it feel like a handbag or a purse? Do I want two handles, one handle, or a long strap? Decisions, decisions!

Posted at 01:57 am by Sarah Bee
Comments (2) Permalink

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

success!

Last night I took that bag and went riiiiiiiiiip. I wound it into a ball and then did some math to calculate how many stitches to cast on & where to begin the decreases. This time, I got it right:

My altered pattern: (using double-stranded wool-ease & size 10 1/2 DPNs & 16-inch circ) cast on 89 stitches, join & knit four rows. *k2tog, k7, k2tog* repeat to end, k1. Knit three rows. *k2tog, k5, k2tog* repeat to end, k1. Knit three rows. *k2tog, k3, k2tog* repeat to end, k1. Knit three rows. *k2tog, k1, k2tog* repeat to end, k1. Knit three rows. K3tog around, k1. Knit one row. Cut yarn & bring through loops, secure.

The side is approximately 9" in diameter, the perfect size for me.

From the comments:

Casey: yes, I did get the needle back! It's buried in a pile of stuff, still in the envelope, but I got it a while ago, sorry I didn't mention that (I'm forgetful!). I was glad to be of help. :)

Mozemen & Nyxxie: blocking definitely would not have helped my misshapen bag-half. My mistake was that I didn't account for the "decreasing the amount of sts in brackets by two" part. I just thought "k2tog, k15, k2tog = 19 stitches" and subtracted 19 from 153 until I got approximatley 1/3 the amount: 96. Then I followed the pattern decreases. To achieve my altered pattern, I figured out that the decreases cause 16 stitches to be lost so I subtracted 16 from 153 four times to get 89. Then I remembered the decreases & accounted for them (four decrease rounds less than 15 is 7). I think I just made it more complicated than it was.

I've already got the second side cast on & I'm excited because they knit up very quickly & easily.

Oh and ps, did anyone else make the same stupid mistake over & over again that I did? Instead of *k2tog, kn, k2tog*, I was doing *k2tog, kn* which messed up my stitch count because I'd get to the end and I'd have less than n stitches, but not the one stitch I was supposed to have. I just all-around dislike the way this pattern is written. It took me way too long to grasp that I was supposed to have two k2togs next to each other.

Posted at 02:38 pm by Sarah Bee
Make a comment Permalink

Monday, February 21, 2005

argh!

I was so pleased with myself for knitting & knitting & knitting today so that half of my fry-up bag would be finished. Pleased, that is, until I closed it up and saw the "bag" that I had made. I had cast on 96 stitches, joined them in the round, & then followed the pattern. I don't know if it's my lack of a seam or (more likely) my fewer stitches that is the culprit. But I have a hat-type-thing instead of a bag:

So it looks like tonight I'm going to be ripping & reworking this again.

Edit: I figured out my mistake and although it means ripping out ~~practically~~ the entire thing, it is going to work properly once I get it finished (again).

Posted at 06:15 pm by Sarah Bee
Comments (3) Permalink

riiiiiiip

OK, first of all, I love comments, but hate that I can't respond to them all quick & easy-like, so from now on I will make like Wendy and respond in my entry (if there is something to respond to).

And even though nobody asked, I thought I would clarify: my little sister is 8 years old (9 in June). She's very small for her age (she weighs a little over 40 lbs... for comparison JP is nearly 15 months old & weighs over 20lbs) and is often mistaken for a 6 year old, but she's really smart & sweet & cute. She really seems to enjoy knitting. She's very slow at it (I only cast on 5 stitches for her to practice with because it's like instant gratification & also it's easy for her to count the stitches after each row to be sure she didn't mess up).

The baby shower was today. I didn't take photos because I forgot my digicam, but my friend really liked the bunny ear hat. Everyone was amazed that I made it & then she pulled the blanket out & she was very happy & appreciative (totally why I love her). My little sister was right up front (making a ribbon hat) and she kept bragging about how I knit the blanket & hat and how she's learning to knit & it was so cute.

And now I get to my subject line. This fry-up bag is going absurdly slow on size 7 straights (the stitches are crammed!) and I think I messed up a few times, so I am going to rip rip rip this out and then double-up the yarn & knit it on chunkier circular needles. I'm going to size the bag down a bit, too, if I can manage.

Posted at 12:14 am by Sarah Bee
Comment (1) Permalink