Friday, January 28, 2011

Does he really think that's a good place to rest?

Bond kitty on my computer.... 
I wandered away from my knitting corner and my husband says "Hey Julie, come look at this?"  I was busy in the kitchen, so he brings me his cell phone with a picture of the cat on my computer!  Had he removed the cat?  No.  He went back into the room to do that, but instead came back to me with another picture!  Is the cat still there?  Uh, yeah, he just looked too cute.

I finished up what I was doing and headed back to my knitting, and yes, the cat was still there...  so, of course, I had to go and get the camera....

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Be true to your knitting self

Why did I do it?  Why did I start knitting a scarf?  I don't like knitting scarves.  They are long.  And about half way through, I'm done.  I don't want to knit anymore.

Why did I do it?  My very good friend was knitting one.  The pattern looked beautiful!  I thought "I haven't knit one in a long time.  It'd be perfect in those hand painted yarns."

I got half way.  Knitting it was addictive in some ways.  Just one more row.  Oh, let me finish a repeat.  One more?  Soon, it was half way done.  Since then, however, it's been like pulling teeth to get myself to work on it.  And it's lace.  I'm not sure I even like knitting lace, the yarn overs, the knit 2 togethers, the ssk's.  I'll be knitting along and will realize that I forgot to knit 2 together 2 rows ago.  What a pain it is to go back and fix it. Why then (if I don't think I like knitting lace) am I finding more lace projects that I want to knit?  This isn't my first lace project and I don't remember having such difficulties in the past.  Maybe this scarf and me just don't get along well.

The scarf is almost done.  It'll be my last scarf.  For a while.  Until I forget how much I dislike knitting scarves.  There are those who have sss (single sock syndrome) and then there is myself, with hss (half a scarf syndrome).  While I won't be knitting another scarf anytime soon, I probably will knit more lace as it is so lovely.
 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Green Weave Tabi Socks

So, I started knitting a pair of socks for myself, following the Mad Color Weave pattern, when my youngest started talking about how much she missed her tabi socks. One of the socks got lost at a friend's house and that friend's mother said "sorry, we can't find it."

Tabi socks are from Japan and they are socks with a separate big toe, like socks for flip-flops.  My children are very interested (some might say "obsessed") in all things Japanese, loving anime, manga, and dressing up for cos-play in Japanese inspired costumes.   My parents went to Japan last year and my children were thrilled with the presents they came home with: tabi socks and kimonos for all! 

I searched online to purchase new tabi socks for her, but couldn't find anything in her size.  Truly there must be something I'm missing because I can't believe that they aren't exported in greater numbers.  Oh well.  I'd been planning to knit her some new socks anyway, and she says "Could you knit tabi socks?"  Oh, hmm...  hadn't thought about that.  Sure, I can knit up some tabi socks!





Here they are!  Now that they are done, I can get back to knitting my socks using this pattern.  Sock number 1 still in progress....

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Blue Wave Mobius Cowl

I knit my first cowl a couple of months ago and absolutely love it!  It helps to keep my neck warm, but then, when I start to overheat, I can fling it off (which one can not (well, should not) do with turtlenecks in public).  I found the pattern in a Knit Scene Easy magazine which I had bought to try to encourage my teenage daughters to learn to love to knit.  It didn't work so well at that, but I found some cute projects!

I love the premise of this cowl - knit a rectangle, twist it, and then sew it up half way.  A half-mobius scarf, if you will.  I wanted to explore this form in something other than garter stitch and I wanted something smaller.

I started searching online for reversible cable patterns.  I found references, but nothing exactly fitting my desires.  I wanted something that was the same on both sides, not just something that looked good on both sides!


Blue Wave Mobius Cowl


Yarn: 100 g fingering weight (I used Whimsical Colors Cashmere Bliss, 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon in the Blue Seas colorway)
Needles: 3mm (US 2 1/2) (straights, circular, whatever!)
Finished Size:  9" x 21"




Stitch pattern:
Row 1 & 2: K1, P1, (K1, P3, K1, P1, K3, P1) repeat until last 2 stitches, K2
Row 3 & 4: K1, P1, (K1, P3, K1, P1, CB3, P1) repeat until last 2 stitches, K2
** CB3:  3 stitch cable - Slip stitch purlwise onto cable needle in front of your work, K2, K1 from cable needle **

Scarf:
Cast on 94 stitches (multiple of 10, plus 4).  Repeat rows 1-4 until the scarf is about 21 inches long.  Cast off all stitches - leaving a tail of about 20 inches to use to sew it up.

Now lay out your rectangle and take the right side and twist it (your scarf should look the same on both sides, so it does not matter which side is up).

 Then fold the two short edges together (it doesn't not matter which way you fold it, it all turns out the same):
Using your long tail from the cast off, sew up the short edge together - but only sew up half the short edge, leaving the other half open.  Weave in the ends of your yarn.  Wear it or give it as a gift to someone you love!

Friday, January 14, 2011

No longer stuck in a Sock Rut?

So, I've realized that I was firmly ensconced in a sock rut.  I knit 10 pairs of socks last year (at latest count) and they were all either just stockinette socks, or My Favorite Socks (which I found refered to as Garter Rib Stitch in a stitch guide book).  

Thanks to a dear friend who encouraged me to dive into Ravelry deeper (I was barely using it at all), I have discovered some beautiful sock patterns that I'm dying to knit!  I've started with the Mad Color Weave socks and love, love, Love it!


Part of my sock rut was due to previous sock knitting outside my lines and not being happy with the results.  I seem to be quite picky about my socks.  But these patterns are so gorgeous (and yes, I have quite a few sock knitting books as well) that I am truly inspired to try something new.  Plus, the benefit of Ravelry and being able to see these patterns in different colors as other knitters explore the patterns has shed new light for me.  So, here's hoping these socks fit and feel as great as they look!



Friday, January 7, 2011

The pattern for My Favorite Socks

Here is the promised pattern for My Favorite Socks:

My Favorite Socks





Size: Ladies (4-6)
Needles: 1 set (5) of DPNs size 1.5 (2.5mm) or size 2 (2.75mm)
Yarn: 100g of fingering weight
Finished circumference: 7 1/2 inches
Gauge: 8 stitches per inch in stockinette




Cuff:
Cast on 15 sts to each of 4 needles for 60 sts total. Being careful not to twist the stitches, join and work in the round. The rounds begin at center back. Work K2P2 ribbing starting (and ending) each round with a K1 for 2”.

Upper Sock:
Pattern stitch:
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: K1, (P2, K2) repeat until last 3 stitches, P2, K1
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until sock measures 6” or desired leg length, ending at center back with a Row 2.

Divide for Heel:
You will only be knitting half the stitches, those from needles 1 and 4. Knit stitches from needle 1. Turn work. Slip first st, purl remaining stitches from needle 1 and then continue purling all stitches from needle 4 onto the same needle. Turn, slip first stitch, and then K 29. Working back and forth, continue in st st, slipping the first stitch of each row. (K on RS rows, P on WS rows). Work 30 rows for the heel, ending with a WS row.

Turn Heel:
K 18 sts, slip 1, K1, pass slipped stitch over (psso); turn
P 9, P2tog; turn
Slip 1st st purlwise, K8, slip 1, K1, psso; turn
Repeat these 2 rows until only the center 10 stitches remain.
K these 10 stitches and divide back onto 2 needles, 5 per needle.

Pick up 15 stitches along the heel edge
K needle 2
K needle 3
Pick up 15 stitches along the other heel edge and work 5 stitches from needle 4

There are now 20 stitches on needles 1 and 4, 15 on needles 2 and 3 and you are working on all 4 needles again.

On the top of the foot, continue working in the pattern stitch from the upper sock. On the bottom of the foot, work in stockinette stitch.

Decrease round: K the last stitches from needle 1 together
At the beginning of the 4th needle, slip the 1st st, K the second st, pass the slipped stitch over (psso)

Continue knitting, repeating the decrease round every 3 rounds until there are 15 stitches on needles 1 and 4. Continue knitting sock until foot measures 7 1/2” long from back of heel (to the height of your little toe).

Toe Shaping:
Work in st st. On needles 1 and 3, knit sts 3 and 2 from the end together; on needles 2 and 4, slip the 2nd st knitwise, knit 3rd st and pass slipped st over. Repeat these 4 decreases on the following round once, on every 3rd round twice, on every alt round 3 times and then on every round 6 times. Knit needle 1 so that your yarn tail is at the end of those 3 stitches. Place stitches from needles 2 and 3 on 1 needle, and stitches from needles 1 and 4 onto 1 needle. You should have 6 stitches on each needle. Using the kitchener stitch, graft the ends together.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

My Favorite Socks

My favorite sock pattern is a top down sock with K2P2 ribbing at the top, and then alternating K2P2 rib and plain K rows.  Since I'm a picker, purling is slower than knitting, so a pattern that is mostly knitting gets done faster, but I like the extra stretchiness and shape-holding properties of a rib sock, so this is my compromise.  I love how these socks fit.  I wear a women's size 6 1/2 to 7 shoe (euro size 37-38) and have a wide foot.  Even so, I find that any more than 60 stitches for my sock and they are too loose.  And I always use 2.5mm needles.  My mom knits with 2.75mm (US 2) and I find her socks just a bit too loose for my taste.  Once, my favorite needles (8" metal DPNs) were otherwise occupied and so I used some bamboo 2.5mm needles.  That pair of socks is too loose!  So, from now on, it's got to be 2.5mm, and it's got to be metal.  (And yes, I've tried the Magic Loop and the 2 circular needles methods.  I prefer DPNs.  You are welcome to use your preferred method when you knit.)  Pattern to come....

Saturday, January 1, 2011

A little bit about me and my blog

Welcome to my blog.  Here I will share some knitting stories and patterns.  I may also share some of my life here on a little island in Puget Sound, or the Salish Sea as we like to call it.  The Salish Sea refers to all the waters that are connected, be they part of Washington State or part of Canada.  The waters know no boundary lines.

My grandmother was a knitter and my mother is a knitter, however I did not learn how to knit from either of them.  Oh, I have a vague recollection of them trying to teach me to knit, but I didn't ever catch on, nor really desire to learn.  They were both "throwers" (or English style), perhaps that is why?  I spent one of my university years as a student in Denmark.  At the time, it seemed every one in Denmark was a knitter, and they were "pickers" (continental style).  It was the thing to do and I wanted to learn to knit.  While we sat in classes at our højskole (literally translated as High School, but it has nothing in common with high school in the states), we listened and we knitted.  There were no tests or assignments, it was experiencial education.  Listen and learn.  I knew no Danish prior to going and was nearly fluent when I left.  Sadly, with no one to talk to here in the states, my Danish fades.

My very first knitting project was a scarf, which was wider at the beginning than at the end, not because I lost stitches, but because I was knitting tighter and tighter with every row.  Tension.  I learned a lot about tension while knitting that scarf.

I knit several sweaters, including my very first Scandinavian motif sweater (still looks good after more than 20 years!).  I remember it was important to me that it not be red, white and blue.  Even though they are traditional colors in Scandinavia, they were too American for me.  So I picked navy, off white and magenta.  I still love this sweater!  While knitting the bottom in solid navy, I was fascinated by the texture of the fabric that I was knitting.  As I started on the 2 color star pattern, I learned about keeping the yarn loose.  I had to rip out those stars and redo them at least once as the fabric was puckering due to the "carried" yarns being too tight.

Upon returning to the United States, my knitting needles were set aside while I finished my university degree.  In Denmark, every town had a wonderful yarn store.  I either didn't notice yarn stores upon my return, or they just weren't as plentiful.  Perhaps now I just know where they are!  In any case, I didn't find inspiration here and I didn't knit.  Then, on my honeymoon (much to my new spouse's chagrin), I found myself in a yarn store in New Zealand.  Oh, look at all the Baby Wool!  It's so soft!  And these cute baby sweater patterns!  Oh dear, I bought yarn, I bought patterns, I started knitting again.  A baby sweater.  On my honeymoon.  And no, I wasn't pregnant nor intending to become that way.

I knit a little, but then, eventually, a baby did come our way and I found less time for knitting (even though I had someone to knit for, that is so unfair!).  I was also frustrated that the patterns I had didn't list a size by age, but by chest size.  What in the world does it mean to be a 22 inch chest?  Is that for a toddler?  A 3-4 year old?  A baby?  I still don't get it, I much prefer for sizing to be age related.  While pregnant, I had no idea what chest size the little baby would have.  The sweater I knit ended up having sleeves that were too tight for my chubby baby.  And before you suggest that I could've looked it up on the internet, this was all before the "age of the internet".

I am also a sewer.  I sewed most of my clothes as a teen, and now that I had babies, and baby girls at that, I sewed.  The first child would only wear a dress that would spin.  Full circle skirts.  So I sewed.  I have 3 daughters and 2 nieces.  My sister-in-law is also a seamstress.  We sewed dresses and more dresses for our girls.  And before you think we're totally sexist here, these girls WANTED dresses.  We, their mothers, didn't wear dresses and we tried to encourage the tom-boy in them, but they wanted clothes that spun and were fancy.  The baby girls were dressed in overalls and pants for comfort, but when they could get up and dance, they wanted clothes that would get up and dance with them.  The knitting needles had been set aside until future inspiration.

When our oldest child was 5 and our second 2, we took a trip to Denmark and Norway.  One of my cousins was getting married in Norway and so we took advantage of the opportunity for some world travel.  Revisiting Denmark with my family was wonderful.  I was surprised, though, to find it difficult to find a yarn store.  Hmmm…  Had things changed?  Then, off to Norway.  We headed to Bergen and rode the coastal ferry up to Honningsvåg.  On one stop, we got off and I found a huge yarn store.  I re-discovered Scandinavian knitting and once I found the Dale of Norway baby pattern books, I couldn't knit fast enough, I wanted to knit them all.  I love Scandinavian patterns, they inspire me to knit.

So back to the US with yarn, yarn, more yarn and some patterns (perhaps this was the most important item?) I started knitting.  Now I found time to knit.  I knit sweaters for the girls.  I had my mom's help as there were too many for me to knit by myself.  I knit a yellow one for the oldest, my mom knit a purple one for the 2nd.  Soon daughter number 3 was here and I knit the zebra sweater and matching pants for the baby.  I knit a ladybug sweater for the baby.  I knit a red Norwegian sweater for the 2nd child.  One of my favorites was the Dale of Norway "Hans" sweater, in blue.  Sadly, the original sweater was lost.  I loved it so, I knit a second one, in a larger size naturally as the baby had grown.  I had to make it up as the pattern didn't go up to size 4.  I'm not 100% satisfied with the neck, so if I ever knit it again, that will have to be improved upon.

The youngest is now 8, the middle 12, and the oldest 15 so I find more time for knitting (and seem to do less sewing, except around Halloween.  My children always have big plans for Halloween costumes!). 

I find I spend a fair bit of time looking for the "right" pattern for a project I want to knit and then end up creating something myself (or altering something to be what I really want).  I prefer knitting with fingering (sock) weight yarn, sport weight and dk weight.  Sometimes I knit with worsted for items like hats and scarves.  I plan to post my patterns that I've come up with and show some of the changes I've made to patterns.  If anything inspires you, get out your needles and your yarn and let's knit.