Ended up with Saturday off..

 So I dragged Curt out to sit in obnoxious bridge traffic (hate the  Mid-Hudson bridge)

 Made some new friends

 It was a gorgeous day!

 Waited in line for probably 40 min for a lamb sandwich that was oh sooo worth it.

Yes, you guessed it- I went to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Show.  I only bought one skein of yarn (really hadn't been planning to go, so no yarn budget) but I had a fantastic  time !

Fall yarn ready to go

If only the weather would cooperate!  I have Wabbit Season, Duck Season - going to make camo mitts with orange trim and orange socks with camo trim:

And fall mini skeins for more hexis, all from Gnomeacres:

Trying not to cast on anything new until either I finish the Philosopher's Stone or Oct 1st (new Nerdopolis tournament starts)

 
 

 

Shawl updates

 Finished chart 2 on Ghost Dance

Got to week 12 on Last Year's Scoreboard

Got another repeat done on the METs shawl

Signed up for the Philosopher's Stone Mystery Shawl KAL.  A gradient yarn was recommended.  I had the black and the 2 lighter grey yarns already, so I bought the medium grey and the beads -- even swatched!!  Ready to go for the 22nd.

 

ball sacks!

Made two ball sacks to hold balls of yarn for two shawls I'm working on.

Beaded Shawl

So I'm going to do a beaded Mets shawl this summer with this yarn and beads:

I'm trying to pick the pattern.  If you're on Ravelry check the craft a long thread here, to see the three I'm deciding between and give me an opinion.

Here's pictures of the three I'm considering:

 

Finished my mom's afghan

It took a few days more than a year (according to Ravelry) in my defense I did complete a lot of other projects in that time frame, and while it wasn't done for Christmas, her birthday was two weeks ago - so I'm giving it to her for her birthday when I see her this Sunday.  The yarn started out as just leftovers from projects for Christopher and the Angie, but then I added some red's from mine to give it better balance.

Boot Cuffs

I've been on a boot binge.  Yup, binge.  I went from one pair of tall boots to 5, and bought a bunch of new short boots.  I really like all the boot cuffs I've been seeing on Ravelry, and when I saw them in the store I liked them - but I have thick calves so the ones in the store really don't work well. So I dug around my acrylic yarn bag and found some thicker yarn so they would work up quickly and knit one pair and crocheted another.  I actually have 2 more in progress as well. 

 You can actually see an awesome "hack" I picked up from my daughter.  Pool noodles at the dollar store can be cut and you can get 1 1/2 to 2 pairs from one noodle depending on the height.  The things they sell to put in your boots to keep them upright start at $8 a pair -- and that's TJMaxx's price!! so I did all my boots for $4 instead of $40!!

 

Ikea Knitting Hack.

I was in Ikea with Curt a few weeks ago, and we walked past "Mala" in the children's section - it is to hold a roll of drawing paper for kids to color on.

I thought it would be awesome to hold yarn, especially for multi-yarn projects!

Pieces...

Assembled..

Loaded.

The little grooves, that I guess are for crayons or pencils or markers are great to hold needles!!


 
 

Want to join Team Fraggle?

If you've known me awhile - you know I'm involved in NerdWars and Nerdopolis on Ravelry.  I'm captain for Team Fraggle in Nerdopolis.  We're a small, friendly, laid back team, main goal is not coming in last, life happens you know?  Sometimes projects don't get done on time - but an end of month deadline sometimes helps.. Signups for the next tournament (starts Feb1 ends Apr 30) run through the 27th.  Link for signups is HERE, you do need to be on Ravelry to play.

If you more do, larger longer time projects, Nerdopolis has the Summit Seeker challenge - you gets stars (points) for progress during a given month. If you have a lot of WIPs there is the Area 51 challenge - where following the theme is optional and you can submit 2 things for stars each month.  If you tend to volunteer or donate (stuff or$) there is a different charitable focus each month to get a star (donated stuff doesn't have to be made that month) There is even a section called The Lab - which is for non Ravelry specific crafts. Beading, painting, colouring, baking,sewing there are a tons of non fiber craft options to explore.  And then there are three challenges each month, which get answered with a Rav sanctioned project.(knit, crochet, spin, dye, weave)  You can get one star or the max 5 stars (there is a badge for over 5 stars- but only 5 count for the scoring)

Was in some Card Swaps

On Ravelry, I'm usually in the monthly card swap on the Tiny Owl Knits group.  It's one card and if you want to add something as long as it still fits in a flat envelope that's a choice. (they had some issues with bubble envelopes not getting to their destinations - especially overseas, and trying to keep costs down.) But for the holidaze, I did that swap, The Cave (group for hermit and recluse wanna bees on Ravelry) had a card swap (just a card) everyone sends to everyone, if someone didn't want to mail overseas they would just get domestic partners, and if you wanted to do it by email, only partners ok with email.  So I think that was 26 cards. 

 And then I thought the Card Swap concept was such fun - that I ran one on Backstage Team Fraggle (the group for the Nerdwars/Nerdopolis Fraggle teams). 

 Then at the last minute Team Iron Throne (another Nerdopolis team) decided to do one - only it was three partners and each partner had a secret word  that you had to put in their card.  When you received your cards - your code words spelled a phrase from Iron Throne.

 My phrase was "Words are Wind"

I have a thought... I'm going to use christmas cookie cutters and cut out the images on the card. Use crochet thread to crochet (hopefully - never crocheted with thread before) a "frame"  then use  Christmas coloured fingering weight yarn to attach them all into a garland for next year.... eventually I WILL have a handmade tree! (well not tree but decorated tree)

Swap!

On Ravelry (social media/giant data base for fiber related crafts) groups have swaps from time to time.  I recently participated in a Beer Swap.  My sender, Michelle from San Diego sent 2 pumpkin ales from local breweries, as well as a beer in honor of her favorite sports Tony.  ( I just love the name Punk in Drublic)

 She also sent a wonderful blue yarn - La Jolla - dyed in her area that she got on the San Diego Yarn Crawl - I love that the color name is Rogue... I'm going to have to make sure to stock up on Rogue's Dead Guy Ale before casting on!!

 

Knitting...

I haven't actually finished anything yet this month. Had some startitis issues.  I started an "F" bomb, a Shamrock Charm necklace - no pictures of these yet - the necklace needs to be finished for Tuesday obviously..  I haven't touched my vest since seaming the shoulders - I need to pick that up soon if I want to be done for Easter.



I did finish one of my Bow Knot Ankle Socks and started the second.



I started the left sleeve of my Sleeves.



I started a Hexagon Afghan with yarn leftover from my various projects for my nephew, Christopher.  Some of them are almost full rolls - but most aren't something I'd use for other things.  Of course, Miss Can't Follow Directions, screwed it up already.  I did hexagon 1, then hexagon 2, then I attached on the wrong side so am doing hexagon 7... sigh, It's very fixable though. The hexagons are connected with picked up stitches during the cast on, so they are knit together - no seaming needed (that's what drew me to the pattern)  I'm not using a self striping yarn like the pattern calls for - so at random points I'll switch colors to make "bullseyes"  and I'm (so far) weaving in ends as I go. 

Light Sabers & Shoulder Seams

One of Nerdopolis's challenges this month is something inspired by a favorite villain in another Nerdery.  Clearly, I had to use Darth Vader (if you ever heard my phone go off, I have several Star Wars sounds for various things).  I also needed something I could accomplish in the short month of February.  Rules have changed when NerdWars and Nerdopolis split apart, but both got rid of the requirement that a project be started that month, however, since I didn't have anything started that was appropriate, I needed a small project. 

What do you think of when you think of Vader?  His helmet?  His voice? His lightsaber?  I went with the lightsaber, and made 2 - one for the Burt's Bees lipbalm I always use, and a slightly longer one for the kind that the Angie uses (pity it doesn't seem like she'll be joining me on the Dark Side anytime soon)  I used beads for the buttons on the sabers.  The original pattern was written for a heavier weight yarn - so I had to adapt it to sock yarn since the scraps I had in the colors required were sock weight.  Overall I'm pretty happy with them.



In  knitting  updates, I finally finished the back of my Tracery Vest and seamed the shoulders!!  Not I just have to do the neck and arm trims(two color ribbing) and block.  It is conceivable that I will have this finished by Easter!  (Now that I said this - watch and see what life hurls my way) I probably should have taken the picture before I picked up stitches for the neckbanding...




I also started a pair of two color toe up socks.  The pattern I chose for the instep doesn't really show in the dark yarn - but plain socks take me twice as long to knit, so I'm sticking with it.  Also the other pair of socks I made with Bearfoot yarn really bled out a lot of color when I wash them (handwash with Euclan!!) so I'm expecting these to fade quickly and maybe the pattern will show more then.  The toe and heel will be done with some leftover Happy Feet yarn - it goes well together - and Happy Feet makes me happy!

Perfect Knitting?

 

Christopher's Prescott Vest

Last week at breakfast, Grace brought up an interesting topic, and it's a conversation that I've had with more than a few of my Ravelry friends as well.   Here's how it goes:  You see a knitted item (could be a sweater, a shawl, socks, a toy, but we'll use sweater in this example)  You really, really want to make that item.  You look at the materials list.  The yarn for that amazing sweater is going to cost you $200+ !! That's eight hanks of hand dyed sock yarn!!!  (hand dyed sock yarn is my personal weakness... fortunately my favorite weight of yarn to knit with, but really since my catphew lives almost 2 hours away, I pet my sock yarn instead) That's a lot of money for yarn for just one project.  Sometimes it can be justified, a knitter I know knit a full length swirly duster coat from Dream in Color's Starry in winter white with clear, silver lined white and pearl white beads, to wear over her wedding dress (it was a Vermont winter month wedding) Or what I think about - how often will I wear/use this?  If it's a cardigan I'll wear 4 times a week all  winter and it's style is classic enough I know I'll wear it for a lot of winters the cost per wear goes down.  ( I justify  a lot of things via cost per use) 

My Moustache Cowl

Realistically though, what a lot of knitters do, because we aren't independently wealthy and have developed a habit of eating occasionally, and we like not living in a tent (where would you keep your yarn if you lived in a tent???) is we look at other more economically priced yarns.  Now, unless you want to do a shit ton of maths (I love math, but not in terms of converting an entire pattern) the most important thing to look at in a substitute yarn is the gauge.  You want a yarn that knits up at the same number of stitches per inch.  You can finagle this a little bit by changing up your needle size - but if you stray too far one way or the other you will totally change the fabric, making it too loose or too tight.  

The trouble with just looking at the yarn gauge, is there are a lot of other factors.  The twist of the plies, the sheen, the halo, the type of fiber - all these affect how the finished project comes out.  There is also how you knit.  Some people knit so evenly the stitches could be machine made.  Some people knit a little lumpier.  My stockinette stitch has a texture  to it because when I taught myself to knit, my yarn gets wrapped under the needle when I purl instead of over it. It took me a long number of years to figure out WHY my purls twisted, and then I decided I liked the more textured stockinette anyway.  And finishing techniques.  You can be sure the finishers that work for Vogue are perfect at the seams they make, never a buckle or a gap anywhere.  ( I personally despise seaming... ok hate weaving in ends more, but ugh) 

Blocking skills also come into play.  Not just how well you block, but what type of blocking you use.  There's wet blocking, steam locking, mist blocking - all affect the yarn finish look.  Different yarns and stitch patterns respond differently to the different types of blocking, yet the magazines never seem to mention how it was blocked.

So with all this - is it any wonder that our projects don't look exactly like the picture in the magazine??  (not even touching on lighting, computer editing of the photos after they are shot etc)

These discrepancies normally don't bother me.  I rarely want exactly what's in the picture, I usually have a different yarn in mind,  I hate haloed yarn - it just seems too fuzzy.  Even then, I don't always end up with the picture that was in my mind.  I think that's why it's easier to cast on a bunch of projects than finish them.  When you cast on - perfect is still possible, finishing is admitting it isn't perfect.   I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to knitting.  I'm a I'm happy with it, if I'm not- I'll give it away.  I think this is why some knitters also are afraid to try new techniques.  A knitter I work with will do phenomenal lace work, has never knit a single cable - because it looks hard!!!!!!   It took a really good friend of mine (yes you!) a really really long time to try DPNs.  Now she makes a ton of toys.

My only suggestion??? Knit what makes you happy, be happy with what you knit.  Don't try to duplicate another project - if the person who knit it made two they probably wouldn't be identical either.  And as much as I hate to admit it - when in doubt swatch.  One of the best things I gained from NerdWars is that you had to submit a swatch with your dissertation proposals.  While I am convinced swatches lie - especially about gauge, if you swatch and block you can get a better feel for how the final fabric will turn out.  Do I do this?  Mostly NO.  But, these things don't bother me, I'm just trying to understand why others get so bothered.  

My two pictures above show a successful and a not so successful substitution.  I knit Christopher's vest in Knit Picks Brava, don't trust his mom with anything not seriously machine washable.  Here's the pattern picture. I actually like how my yarn choice shows off the stitches better.  (granted both yarns from same manufacturer and approximately the same price)

My moustache cowl was a different story.  I used Cascade 220 fingering.  it's the first time I used this yarn in a fingering weight.  Cascade 220 is a workhorse yarn , great color selection, blocks well, felts well (if you don't accidentally get the superwash)  I've made a lot of projects with it - and loved it.  So I felt very confident when I decided to substitute the 220 fingering for my cowl.  I hated working with this yarn!!  SO much that I haven't worn the cowl! I even did a small swatch since learning double knitting was my dissertation theme last spring.  The brown yarn seemed thinner and more twisted than the cream yarn, so there were tiny gaps- that didn't block out. I may try reblocking it now that I have a steamer to see if that helps.  Here's the pattern picture - much smoother, even taller..