Long Time, No Blog

Well, nothing like taking a year's vacation from blog land. I'm still knitting socks--trying to finish up some UFOs that have been hanging around in the basement for years.

The sweater I mentioned a year ago is still yarn. Oh, well...

I'll try to get some pics of the recently finished projects of the last couple of weeks on here tomorrow. It' s too late tonight.

Back from vacation

We were in Louisiana for the last week visiting the in-laws. Got a lot done on my socks for the knit-along I'm a member of. Six socks a year--a new pair every two months. Maybe I'll get these finished by the end of May. I'll post a pic later.

Restarted the mittens while I was there. It's wierd trying to figure out the increases myself since the pattern was wrong. It's going a little slower than before, mainly because I'm getting distracted by other projects.

While in Louisiana I decided to do something that I had been contemplating for the past six months. I'm ripping out what I had completed of the Aran-style sweater I was making for myself (started it four years ago). I had the back and half the front complete. Over 1500 yds of yarn...

Started ripping about four hours ago. Ripped out the front and am halfway through the back.

Why am I ripping it out? Because it gives me a headache to look at it. I'm not in love with the pattern anymore. I've found a pattern in one of my other books, also Aran-style, that will look better in that yarn. So once I rip it, I'll put it back on the needles and start over. However, I will be knitting in the round instead of in pieces that have to be sewn together.

I'm going to make myself some strong coffee to get myself through the next few hours of ripping.

Ouch...

Alright. This has been an annoying day! Remember those mittens I was working on? Well, I had to pull every stitch out.

Warning to anyone who has the Folk Mittens book from Interweave Press and who plans to do the Selbu Mittens. There is a major discrepancy between the chart and instructions and the way in which the author intended the mitten to be knitted. Oh, and now I'm supposed to be a mind reader????

Anyway... I got a good piece done on the mitten and started comparing it to the sample photo. Hey! The palm area on my mitten doesn't look at all like the sample. Shot off an e-mail to Interweave last night and got a reply today. At least they're quick.

Turns out that the author intended the knitter to not knit the stitches between the thumb gore and the border. This of course subtracts five stitches which need to be increased in the thumb gore, not in the first pattern row as she states.

The instructions say to cast on 54 stitches, work cuff in 2x1 rib as long as you wish, then increase 6 stitches evenly in first round (60 stitches). This should leave you with 30 stitches for the back of the hand and 30 for the palm, except for the fact you have to leave out those five stitches! So basically at the end of the cuff, you make sure you have 30 for the back of the hand, then add one measly stitch in the first row of the thumb gore and increase the next five as you go up the thumb gore!

Big difference!! So I ripped it all out and I'm starting over. Sheesh, and to think I plan to give these mittens away!

Long time no blog!

Catching up on UFOs sure does take time away from new projects. I'm finishing up some things that I started before the Knitting Olympics. OTN (On the needles): bedsocks for me in worsted weight llama fiber, a sweater for my youngest for next year, and dress socks for my husband.

Last year I got a lot of knitting books for Christmas and I promised my family members mittens. (I got the Folk Mittens book.) I've been going through it and picking out patterns for my brother, SIL and mom. My husband is getting kilt hose from the Folk Socks book. Four fairly complex projects finished by Christmas??? I hope so.

I've started the mittens for my SIL. I'll post a picture of my progress as soon as I have achieved some. Right now all I have is one blue 2" long cuff...

Getting back to the sweater for my youngest. You think you know your kids. His favorite color is green. He picked out a nice leaf green last year that he wanted the sweater made from. I got a sweater complete except for one sleeve; he looked at the pattern and said, "No, Mommy, I wanted a green one like my brother's."

Two years ago I did a sweater for my oldest that looks like the sweater Harry Potter wears for Quidditch matches--burgundy crew neck with a wide gold stripe across the chest. Stephen tells me that he wants a dark green sweater with a silver stripe. "But, honey," I say, "green and silver are the Slytherin colors. They're not the good guys." "That's OK, Mommy," he says, "I'll be the good Slytherin." Oh, dear...

So now I'm knitting a Slytherin Quidditch sweater in a rather nice mohair yarn. Gotta admit that it's a pretty color combination.

Choosing what to do now...

Such a flurry of activity going down to the wire on the Olympic socks. I was left not really knowing what to do next.

Well, I'm not starting a new project, that's for sure. I've got a lot of UFOs to deal with. Socks for my husband in a really sweet feeling gray Silja fingering weight wool, bedsocks for myself in soft brushed alpaca (I'm afraid I'm not going to have enough yarn to finish the foot, so I may have a frog coming my way soon), and socks for my youngest in self-patterning Fortissima Colori. That's only three UFOs!

There are also two sweaters for me, a sweater for my youngest and two scarves which will probably find themselves converted to socks. It continually amazes me how focussed I am on sock-knitting nowadays. I hated doing them with DPNs but, now that I've learned how to do them with two circulars, I love knitting socks.

G

I did it!!!!!

The socks are finished!! Before the end of the Olympics!!

I DID IT! I focused on one project for 16 days and got it done!

Woo Hoo! Yay for me! Here is the photo of the finished product.

Now I'm going to choose a new project. Probably the kilt hose I promised to my husband a month ago. I'm off to soak my poor sore hands for a while now.

Delays, delays...

I've not gotten as far on the new sock by now as I'd hoped. I arrived back home yesterday to find that my husband had a "crisis". One of the waist straps on his kilt was coming off and needed to be repaired immediately! 5:00pm on a Sunday and I'm supposed to find someone to mend his kilt... Uh huh...

I did a little knitting last night but today I decided that mending the kilt myself would leave me with more knitting time than driving all over town trying to find someone who could mend it. Bear in mind I've never mended a kilt before... but how hard could it be???

I went to pick up some strong thread to sew the leather strap back on. Did you know that the hand sewing needles called sharps can actually be pushed through leather with a thimble? I know that now. And if your finger's in the way they'll go through that too.

So now I sit here with a band-aid on my finger wondering if the pain has subsided enough to knit. Can you say glutton for punishment? I already rubbed a callous on my finger from knitting so long the other night. Didn't know I could do that either...

As promised here's the pic of the finished sock. I have gotten far enough with the next one that I've finished the ribbing and started the lace. I think I'm going to make it.