New Dimensional Tuck How to Video!

There are four primary stitches used to create most of the stitch patterns found in Dimensional Tuck Knitting . Below is a video showing you how to do the most basic of those stitches, Right Tuck Together (RTT) and Left Tuck Together (LTT)

Happy Dimensional Tuck Knitting!!!

Feel free to ask questions in the comments or email me!

Skewed again

Thought you'd like to see the finished pair.


Pretty sexy for a sock huh.





Very rarely does the foot of a sock fit me so nicely. Granted the leg portion is a tad bit looser than I would like but, that is pretty normal for my scrawny ankles. They still stay up and don't slouch so they get a thumbs up from me. Next time I'll incorporate the sizing modifications the Yarn Diva has been working on. Check it out. There is something there for everyone, higher instep, roomier legs, thinner legs/ankles, and roomier heel back. I'd say that just about covers it. :o)

The details of the pair I made aren't too thrilling. I followed the pattern, pretty much, (I did make the second sock with a broader toe 10 stitches per needle rather than 6) but then I did run into some trouble of my own making. When I first began the journey of this sock I started out using Bernat Sox then I got kinda bored with the color and decided to stripe the socks with a random beige I had sitting around. I think using both yarns and making the stripes was a good call.



Bernat Sox only on the right, Sox and random beige solid striped EOR on the left. I knitted along swiftly working the Sox yarn on the rows that had the stitch manipulations and the random beige on the plain even rows. Added bonus doing it this way, I never had to give a thought as to what row I was on and it certainly made counting rows much simpler for the these old tired eyes. It worked great, that is until I reached the short row pairs on the leg. Ooops. Short row pairs giggle/snort. The eagles eyes among you may have already noticed it in the photos above. See how the stripe pattern changes from a 1x1 color sequence to a 2x2 color sequence? See? On the top of the left sock. When I was working that portion of the sock I was too drugged up and dancing with the devil to care much about a little change in the stripes. I wanted to see this new sock on my foot! I trusted the new to me pattern and soldiered on switching to a 2x2 sequence to easily follow the pattern. Notice by the time I got to the same spot on the right sock I decided to tackle the "problem" of the inherent need for the 2x2 color sequence through the short row pairs. It's not something I'd recommend, doable obviously, but not recommended. It would have been easier if I had been using dpns but on 2 circs it was kinda fiddly. A striped pattern could easily be done, without a single glitch if I had used the 2x2 sequence throughout the entire sock. Live and learn, isn't that why we exist anyway?

Still have plenty of yarn left so I'm casting on for a 2x2 sequence tonight, incorporating the thinner legs/ankles mods the Yarn Diva has suggested. I'm pretty sure Skew is now going to be my always-on-the-needles sock pattern.

I'm Skewed

but in a good way.

I think.

I have fallen completely and totally in love with the sock pattern Skew
(Rav link here) It has everything going for it in my book. First off I couldn't get my brain twisted around as to how the sock pattern worked, which is a huge plus in my book. Secondly there is something, just a little thing or two, in every other row, with a plain row in between. A fabulous attribute for when you have to rip back, or get your head ready for the next trick on the following row. Thirdly, it looks amazing. And fourthly, it is a genius way to use all those beautiful to look at but not so fab when knitted handpainted or self-striping sock yarns, of which I have lots, but never ever use cuz I'm just not a crazy sock color kind of gal.

The down side of the pattern is that it only comes in one size (not mine, it's too big) and there are some notes available here for making it a larger size (another bummer for me) But seriously, when has that ever stopped me? So far I have started this sock 4 times. Don't be discouraged, I'm not, in fact I am still full speed ahead.



My first attempt seen above in the nine o'clock position was worked on zeroes 9 stitches to the inch. It failed cuz I left out the entire mid-toe section. duh. The second attempt shown above at high noon was also worked on zeros and I thought it was going just peachy. Even worked pass the heel and began the leg portion. Hmmmm the foot is a tad bit too tight, my gauge was too much smaller obviously, highlighting the only other downside this pattern has. That downside being I haven't found a good way (or at what point) to try on the sock in progress to check the fit. Up until I finished the heel I thought the fit was spot on. The sock at three o'clock is done using a slightly heavier yarn and worked on size three needles. I really wanted to start that sock on 2's but could only find one size two needle. I think it is going to be too big, remember, I haven't gleaned a proper way of checking fit while the sock is in progress, I haven't pulled it out just in case. I was getting 27 stitches to 4 inches instead of 31 stitches so it will prob'ly be too big. The latest attempt is at six o'clock. I'm thrilled so far, even though I haven't gotten very far. I think it is going to work.

Oh no, did I just tempt the knitting fairies? Naw, they messed with me enough this week. Case in point, the Ravelympics and the Knitting Olympics beginning just two days after they have smitten me with this sock pattern. Could they be any crueler? I committed myself to 4 events. Egads.

The Ravelympics:

The Flying Camel Event
438 grams to be spun


276 grams spun 621 yards 2-ply sport-ish wt. Graduated coloration.
162 grams left to spin

The Sock Hockey Event & The Nordic Colorwork Event
Faroese Footlets



As you can see I was just a little bit tensed and slightly stressed when I was teaching myself this two-color knitting. The first one (on the right) is so much smaller than the other. sigh. I'm sure it will block out. um. er. I'm sure it will.

The Short Track Shawls Event
Citron


I chose this one precisely for the mindless-ness of it considering the other events needed a little bit more conscious effort. I've gone a little too mindless, and my stitch count is way off, I messed up the beginning, and I don't think the pattern and yarn are a good match. sigh.

I have yet to even begin my Knitting Olympics entry Drops pattern 116-53.

I think I'm skrewed. Or maybe my thinking is just skewed? I can get all this done right?

Seriously?

LOL

Progress

I am sooooo loving this. The foot of each sock will be done today and then onward to the heels, might even get those done today too. :o)

Here are a few thoughts/observations I have so far in case any of you guys wanna give this a go. (and I strongly recommend it)

I really like using two circs in this circumstance instead of using one and the magic loop method. Granted I don't have a needle long enough for a magic loop but having said that, even if I did, I'd still use the two needle method. IMHO two circs is less "fiddly" than magic loop and maintains the knitting rhythm. The needles I'm using are 28 inches and as always I'm using needles of different colors. Using differently colored needles eliminates any confusion there might be when turning and grabbing the needles to knit, plus you always know where the beginning of the rounds are, which are the sole stitches, and which are the instep stitches.

I haven't had any problems with the yarns getting all tangled. All 12 balls are in a small ziploc bag. It's a snug fit but it reduces the possibility of the balls getting all jumbled around each other. Every now and then I'll let the ziploc bag dangle to release any twisting of the yarns. It isn't a tangled twist merely a turning of all the yarns together like a neatly plied rope. I have found that it is easier and less likely to cause tangles if I pull out the working yarn slack for all 12 yarns at once rather than pulling it out one yarn at a time. I was planning to stuff each ball of yarn into it's own sock as soon as the foot/feet were large enough, I prob'ly won't bother, I'm not having any tangling issues. (might consider doing it at heel time though)

The next time I do this I think I'll separate the pairs and not have two socks of the same color next to each other. I've only used the wrong yarn once and realized my error after only 3 stitches. If I hadn't noticed that could have been a huge PITA.

Next time I'll prob'ly make all the toes one at a time "remotely". In other words, I'll make a toe then transfer it to the needle(s) I will ultimately be using (just cuz I think it would be quicker) Here I used a short row toe that starts off with a provisional cast on of half the stitches, when the toe is complete half the stitches are live and half are sitting there waiting to be freed of the scrape yarn holding them. This made it super easy to slide the second needle into the cast on stitches and begin knitting the rounds of the foot.

I've been thinking hard about what heel to use and how to do it. Certainly any heel would work but the back and forth turning of some heels could cause some major tangling of yarns especially if heels are made one a a time. Hmmmm, work all the heels at once or work them one at a time or work them one at a time remotely, aka on different needles? Not sure what I'll do it yet, although I am leaning toward working them all at once. When experimenting one should be consistent in their methods right? btw I think I'll use the Balbriggan heel although it is supposed to be a cuff down heel I like the way it looks toe up too.

I haven't given any thought to the leg/cuff yet. Prob'ly this time around a simple rib, the yarns are nothing fancy or super nice, just scrapes really, and I have plenty of yarn for more socks.

Another To-Be-Finished

One more item to be thrown upon the TBF* pile.


Made with one skein of supersocke 100. I had just a teeny tiny bit left. So little left in fact, I wasn't absolutely sure I was going to be able to match the shoulders. Oh well, the goddess of yardage and I go back a long time. You know that sickening feel in the pit of your stomach when you think you might run out of yarn at the very end? It is becoming a required ritual for me. The goddess of yardage and I are so entwined I don't think I could knit anything and bypass that stage.

I have a couple of other things on the needles as well as a few at the ready to begin. I'm still sorely lacking in babyboy appropriate yarns but I'm making due. One thing on the needles is a little surplus sweater (original pattern from 1957). I don't really care for surplus style sweaters but the construction caught my eye. The bodice is knit in one piece and then a round yoke is picked up. Of course I had to change it before I even started, but it's coming along nicely. I'm working it in garter stitch, I think the juxtaposition of the garter ridges at the bodice/yoke transition might prove to be interesting.

Also on the needles is a size 2 "snowsuit", (original pattern from same book as the surplus sweater). Of course I had to modify, and size it down to a 6 month-ish size. I'm using Caron Simply Soft. Sheesh, I didn't realize how snobbish my fingers had gotten. Everyone knows this workhorse, stand by, dependable, been around forever, yarn is nice for baby stuff. Super soft, washable, and cheap, what more could a person want? Um, yeah, I can only handle working with for so long then the plastic-ness begins to creep me out. Who knew I had such delicate finger tips!?! You'd never be able to guess such was the case if you ever saw my never manicured much abused hands.

I've also found what I think is to be the perfect "lace" blanket/wrap for Babyboy. I have a few "normal" blanket patterns planned but I really wanted a lighter than usual weight blanket too. Something drapy and light weight either means 8-12 stitches per inch with thread-like yarn, or lace. Sure thing, me, the one who has issues with project completion coupled with a short attention span knitting a blanket at 8 or more stitches to the inch. That's not going to happen. So lace it is. But a manly man lace nothing frilly or girly. Something geometric would be good. Plans now are for a blanket worked in garter (a manly stitch) with a couple of plain borders separated with a row of simple eyelets and a center panel of eyelet diamonds. I think it will work. I haven't started it yet, not even sure what yarn I'll use, but I am keeping my eyes and options open.

I've also been playing around searching for that perfect sloper for babyboy pants/shorts. Do other people do this? Find/create a pattern for a given garment that is simple-no-frills and then use it as the basis for all variations. It's like having a muslin sloper but instead of sewing the garment I'm knitting it.

*TBF to-be-finished. Knitting is complete seams and/or buttons needed.

Balbriggan heel

I adore this heel!!!!


I stumbled upon it in a vintage knitting book....another thing I love. :o)

Um yeah nice pix huh...sorry I can only contort myself to an extent. Did you notice the sock isn't even done yet?....yeah that's so I could try it on both ways. And my ribbing ends at an odd place, I should have continued it down the instep. Oh well this pair is just an experimental pair anyway the sock pictured above is worked cuff down, its mate will be toe up. :o)

Why do I like this heel so much? Plenty of reasons, primarily I like the fit. It is also a very intuitive heel, not a lot of stitch counting, and/or wrapping and lifting those wraps, and it looks good toe-up as well as cuff down. Sure a short row heel can be worked both ways as well, but this little heel has gussets whereas short row heels usually do not.


I've already got plans for a cute little vine or flower growing up out of that seam on the back of the heel. A perfect heel for clog socks!

There are some aspects of this heel I dislike, but I've figured a way to get around those. I'm not exactly sure if the more recent renditions of this heel in some of the current sock books out there address these points but the way my circa 1940's pattern explains it is a really fiddly heel. The 40's era pattern has 2 yarn ends to be worked in plus my nemesis the kitchener stitch....ick.

The adaptations I do eliminate the cutting and rejoining of the yarn (thus the ends) and the grafting.

Here's a few notes on how to do the balbriggan heel with some modifications. (ie minus the cutting and joining and the grafting)

If you'll notice this heel allows you to take whatever pattern you're working almost all the way down to the sole. Without having a whole lot of experiences with this heel yet, about all I can tell you is work the leg to the length you want so it just grazes the top of you instep and then begin the heel.

You will use half the total stitch count for the heel. An even number of stitches works best, and if that number is divisible by 4 you're golden. :o)

Here is a quickie row by row for a heel on 28 sts.

Heel flap: work 15 rows in stockinette beginning on a purl row (WS).

Begin heel shape/turn:

Row 1: k5, ssk, k5, ssk, k2tog, k5, k2tog, k5

Row 2 and all even rows: purl

Row 3: k5, ssk, k3, ssk, k2tog, k3, k2tog k5

Row 5: k5, ssk, k1, ssk, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k5

Row 7: k5, ssk, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, k5

Row 8: purl

This is where you would normally divide the remaining 14 stitches on two needles and kitchener stitch them together, but since I don't like doing that.....

Row 9: K7, place the remaining 7 stitches on a second needle and forget about the working yarn for a while all you'll be working with are loops.

Begin with the center two stitches, one from each needle and "weave" the stitches over each other "eating" one of them. How do you weave them together? Simple, take a stitch from one needle and lift it over a stitch from the other needle. You just eliminated one stitch by "weaving" them together. Now lift the this woven stitch over another stitch from the other needle. Continue eliminating stitches alternately until one stitch remain. There you go, a nice little seam done without kitchenering and you have your working yarn right where you need it.

To finish the heel:

This one heel stitch on your needle is now the new beginning of the subsequent rounds. Pick-up and knit 18 stitches, knit across the instep stitches, pick-up and knit 18 stitches. You are now at the beginning of the round again. Start decreasing one stitch at the heels stitch/ instep stitch junctures until you reach your original stitch count and your heel is complete. In this example 56 sts. (56 stitches makes a nice sock for me in sport wt.)

If you try this heel yourself let me know how it goes. I think you can see the decrease pattern that creates the heel cup, if you have trouble figuring it for a different stitch count feel free to drop me a line. I've crunched the numbers for all even numbered heel stitch counts from 20 sts to 44 stitches.

Almost FO's

Nope none of these are finished. Some need buttons, some need blocking, some need ends worked in and some need seams.

Ick.

At least for now it is ick. I don't mind the blocking bit, and buttons? eh, if I find/have buttons I like. But the other finishing tasks.....?.....let's just say I have a hate/love relationship with them. Notice the hate part of that equation comes first, and to be quite frank is the typical sum total of my feelings on the matter. Usually. Maybe it's just me, but I can and will let a so-close-you-can-almost-wear FO sit idle for days, weeks, months, and if the whole true be told, occasionally years!

I can't explain it other than to say, as much as I detest the chore of finishing, I do have days (rarely, but they do occur) that all I want to do are finishing tasks. I figure since this baby is still several months away from making his/her debut the chances one of those extremely rare finishing days will come, hopefully. :o)

I've thrown caution to the wind and have just been knitting willy-nilly. Note the various sizes of the above pictured sweaters and socks. It is an undeniable fact that the child will grow, so as long as it is not too small to begin with, it will fit at some point. Another reason for my hit and miss approach to this knitting is believe it or not, massive stash notwithstanding, I have a very small amount of baby appropriate yarn. Darn the luck, I have to do some yarn shopping, sigh. ;o)

There's not much new under the sun up there in that photo. Of course there is an EZ Surprise (red), and an EZ Surplice Surprise (yellow). The center blue/brown sweater is the Seamless Yoke Baby Sweater (Ravelry link) [non-Rav link here] This is a really nice sweater. The sweater in the upper left of the photo is a vintage pattern that is eh, the tiny grey sweater is also a vintage pattern but has a very intriguing construction. This sweater will prob'ly never be worn by the baby to be, but certainly a cousin of this design will be. The grey sweater was worked at a gauge of 12 stitches to the inch, to me that's a just a tad bit ridiculous. The huge "sweater" in the lower right isn't going to be a sweater at all, it's just a bodice for a little jumper I have in mind. I have some purple wool to make the skirt but that will be toddler size.

As for the socks, the pink, red, and green socks are just plain old ribbed socks. The yellow socks are The Sweetest Little Baby Socks (rav link) and the blue socks are the Lacy Rib Baby Socks (rav link) [non rav pdf here] Not sure which one of these I like the best, the stitch pattern is very similar. On the needles are baby Jaywalkers, and up next are baby No-Purl Monkeys. (rav link) [non rav link here]

Oooo how do you like my needles??? Yeah I know you really can't see them but I love them! I re-fashioned them myself. I had to, I've been totally obsessed with knitting these little socks. Each pair has been made differently and I don't mean the stitch patterns. I've been playing with different toes and heels, top down and toe up, dpns, 2 circs, and magic loop and having a marvelous time. The only thing that was really bugging me was the length of my dpns. When you've only got 30ish stitches on your needles 7 inch dpns is a little over kill wouldn't you say? So I dove into my stash of needles, yes Virginia, I do have an enormous stash of needles too. A few snips with some wire cutters a little bit of filing and ta da. Now I have 4 sets of 5 dpns, 4.5" long, in sizes zero, one, and two. (I have two sets of size two cuz I made a set out of some vintage casein dpns too.) I know you can buy such things, but making them seemed just as simple, a whole lot cheaper, and besides, all those needles were just languishing in boxes anyway....you have no idea have many needles I have, sigh, and I've even given away more complete sets of needles than I can count, but I digress....

So now that I have all these sock specific shorter needles, plus the fact that a baby sock can be whipped out in an hour or two I needed a bag devoted to tiny baby socks.....doesn't everyone? Tune in soon and I'll show you my new baby sock bag.

Annie/Baby update:
All is quiet and progressing well. No emergencies and aside from a few weepy days (don't we all remember those well?) everything is fine and dandy. Tomorrow we just might learn if this little one is a boy or a girl.

White Plastic

White plastic stackable chairs, that is, my next project. I promise.



Waaay too fun and kitchy not to do doncha think? Love the song too. (giggle/snort)

Follow these links for The Knitted Chair blog and the pattern. (Ravelry link) I suggest you read all the other blog entries Yuvee has written.

I've been playing around with some slip stitch patterns, but haven't cast on yet....too many other things on my plate right now, but soon, very soon. I'm thinking it/they will go pretty quickly, 750 yards on huge needles. No problem.

Oh and if you are wondering about the status of my other knitted chair, it is coming along after a looong period of hibernation. No pictures though, looks pretty much the same as the last picture, just bigger. It is still a rectangle of squares, but with even more ends! :o)

Wow. I just publicly admitted to having one knitted chair on the needles, one, maybe two others planned, on top of the two rugs for the patio a knitted/crochet rug and a woven one, not to mention a woven table top (pic in the last post in the last link). Wow.

I promise not to knit a cosy for the refrigerator or the car............sigh

Obsession

I warned you before.

I told you once or twice already.

This is where an obsession will take me.

A tiny copper bowl.

It's 3 inches in diameter, 2.25 inches tall, and of course done in Viking Knitting.

Even I was getting tired of making chains. :o) I see some places for improvement in both execution (duh) as well as design aesthetic, but hey, I started out not really knowing if it could be done so I'm happy.

Although that is a gazillion tiny stitches I as able to get a bit of knitting in as well.
This is the previously mentioned boyfriend sweater. My cousin and I have had some discussions about the gender of this sweater. Is the color manly enough??? Is the softness of the yarn (Frog Tree Alpaca) and cable too much???? One thing for sure it's going to be a beautiful sweater. I can't wait to see if after blocking!

I'm having a love/dislike relationship with this yarn. It is an incredibly soft single ply. I love the warmth both on my lap and even in my fingertips. I'm not loving the occasional snag cuz of uneven places in the yarn itself, but they are few and far between and the overall lushness of the yarn clearly makes up for the tiny inconveniences. This is definitely NOT a yarn I could knit in the summer, but now, in the doldrums of winter, it is fabulous.

Arrrgh

I started this vest a while ago, before the Holidays in fact. It began as a sweater but when I got this far it told me it really wanted to be a vest. The only thing it needed was a finish for the armholes.

I fiddled with the armholes all week. What you see here are attempts number 6 and 7. I did not begrudging the multiple armholes, I actually enjoyed doing them and then re-doing them again. I learned something new with each modification so all that ripped knitting had a purpose and I held no ill will unto it.

The zipper? I love having zippers in sweaters. Sewing them isn't that bad, but it can be fiddly and not work well the first time, therefore I dread the prospect of doing them. This time the zip went in without too many problems, only having to start over just a couple times. It was at that point I should have put two and two together and realized something was afoot.

Last night having completed the 7th armhole finish, I tried the vest on again. I was thrilled with the prospect of just one final hour of ripping and knitting a matching armhole finish on the other side, and the vest was done. Complete. No longer an UFO nagging and mocking me as I cast on for something else. It was a garment to be worn the next day. Even the ends were sewn in. I was thrilled I tell ya. Jubilant.

It was not to be. The flippin' zipper broke.

Arrrrrggghhh.

The thrill is gone. The happy little task of knitting the 8th armhole finish, grateful for what it has taught me, is now nothing more than a Sisyphean task to which I am condemned. Will the replacement of the new zipper be another?.....sigh

I'm bitter, to say the least.

Amused...

1. to keep pleasantly or enjoyably occupied or interested; entertain we amused ourselves with games

And yes, I was thoroughly amused.

My unblocked, ends dangling, binderclip closures, version. I like this pattern. Rav link here.





















Love, love, love this reversible cable!


Not loving how it's wonky at the back of the neck, but I'm sure that will work itself out in the blocking. If not, a few whip stitches here and there on the inside will tame the bulge.




I used this yarn, stuff that I dyed a while ago and is nearly as old as I am, Bear Brand twin pack, from an estate sale. The pix in the link are truer to the color but even warmer, it is definitely brown not so raw meat-like as in these pix.

I started this sweater just before X-mas. Went gangbusters on it working both sleeves and getting about 6 inches below the armpits in just a couple of days. Then I ran out of yarn. Dang. I put it away and thought about it for a while. I really didn't think I'd be able to recreate the coloring. The original yarn had prob'ly been in 7 or 8 different dye pots to get the mottled brown/rust/navy colorway I was sure I couldn't do it again. I came sooooo close to ripping it out I can't believe I restrained myself. I suppose it was the fact that I really really love the coloring of this sweater is what pushed me on to try dyeing some more.

I had a few skeins from the original batch that were a little more cooler than warmer in overall coloring and a tad brighter on the orangey/rust side of the equation, so I crossed my fingers and threw it in and warm olive green dye pot. Is it exact? Nope. Is it close enough? Yep. The navey parts of the original dye lot are a dark almost black green in the second batch, but you really have to know what you're looking for to notice. I took the sweater to my Friday Lunch group and all professed they couldn't see the difference. Maybe they're just being nice, I can see it with no problem, but then again I don't care about it either. :o)

Overall pattern critique:
Well written. The yoke is kind of a PITA to work cuz the increase rows are at odds with the cable rows but it's only painful for a little while. Once you reach the point where you're just about to give up on the frustratingly constant row counting you're done with it. Just plan on working the yoke when you have time to pay attention, it's not a chat-with-the-girls kind of knit.

Obviously I changed somethings on this pattern. The most apparent being I made a cardigan and not a pullover. That was a no brainer change. I also lengthened the sleeves, I don't get 3/4 sleeves. Yes, I push my sleeves up all the time, but to knit them at length?!? Not my style. After deciding to make this a cardigan and not a pullover of course the ribbing was going to be all wrong so I opted for a boarder of the cabling all around. I took into consideration the drawing in of the fabric caused by all that cabling and increased the stitch count between the front edge cables from the original 108 stitches to 178 stitches.

If I was to knit this again (and I might) I'd consider increasing the width of the sleeves. I have pretty skinny arms and I think the sleeves are on the snug side, especially if you want to wear this over something. Over bare arms? Then maybe they aren't too snug.

I haven't decided on what type of closure, if any, I'll put on this. Maybe a zipper, maybe some big loopy toggle clasps. I'll see what moves me after I've blocked it.

14+ Hours

This is what a somewhat neurotic (ok, ok, totally nuts) mother does while her baby is driving 14 hours (in good weather) across icy roads,

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

through sleet and snow,

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

in a high profile vehicle, with winds gusting 45mph.

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

single digit temperatures,

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

from IL to PA through highly populated deer country

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

at night.

KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT KNIT

Sexy Vest almost done.




Non ravelry link here.

She made it safe and sound. Me not so much, all that driving can really get to ya. Did I mention, I wasn't actually in the car with her, I was here at the Hermitage the whole time? Um yeah, I'm a total nutzoid freak.

So Gillian is gone, off to spend Christmas with her bf's family. (sniffle, sniffle) She/they have been here since the day before Thanksgiving. I really don't think I'll be able to make it until next Christmas before I see her again. (sigh)

Sunday we had a just-us family dinner, just Joe, the kids and I. And darn if the weather didn't turn bad. Rain, to sleet, to snow, with minus 20 something wind chill. It was a crazy day, high of 53 degrees, which is crazy in and of itself in December around here, dropping to 9 degrees in a matter of a few hours. Needless to say no one was going to be driving home in that weather. I bet it's been over 10 years since all my babies were sleeping under the same roof. To say I loved it would be an understatement. Lots of food, laughs, games, and teasing. Ha, I even made doughnuts the next morning and I know it's been at least 12 years since I've made doughnuts!

By the time the plows and the salt trucks came by the next day (yesterday) the oldest kids were itching to get back to town and get to work having missed half the day already. While Gillian and Nick finished packing up the jeep for their journey eastward (following the bad weather I might add), I finished Fences another vest Gillian had picked out from my Ravelry queue. No photo of that one, they literally walked out the door and got on the road the second I clipped the very last end. Maybe she'll send me a photo after she has blocked it, IF she remembers how I told her to do that. :o)

To answer a question or two regarding the video of Hiram and Bart working glass....

The long "rope" or "snake" of glass they are pulling at the end of the video is how a "cane" is made. Canes are one method that can be used to add color to the glass, and there are several ways to go about it. I'm afraid to explain it any further cuz I might tell you something really wrong! I can get mixed up fairly easily, Bart began working "hard glass" on a torch, what the video shows is the guys working "soft glass" from the furnace. There are some techniques which can be used in both torch work and furnace work, and there are some that are used with one and not the other. If I told you anything more I'd prob'ly get it screwed up. Suffice to say the rope thingy they are making is a called a cane and it is one of the ways they can add color to the glass cuz all the glass in the furnace is clear. Another way to add color to the glass would be rolling the hot glass in "frit" which is crushed colored glass that comes in many grades of coarseness (fine almost talc like to pea gravel size) In the video at the 5 second mark there is a shot of a several canes they had already made. They look like multi-colored Barber poles. One of the end shots is Bart cutting the long cane they had just made into lengths that are easy to handle.

Here are a couple pix of some pieces Bart brought with him on Sunday.



I'm fairly certain my vase got it's coloring by rolling the hot glass in frit. The rock glass on the top right is a different coloring technique but I can't remember what Bart called it.



I'm pretty sure canes were used to add the color in these paperweights but I could be wrong. Exactly how a straight, long slender cane becomes all these magical swirls, loops, and zig zags engulfed within the depths of a solid glass dome is a mystery to me.

Catching a minute

Today seems normal. It's quiet. But that will be the exception for quiet a while now so I'm snagging this time to update you on what's been on the needles and on the wheel.




This pattern is named Nutkin and you can find it here. There is a chart as well as written instructions for the stitch pattern, but really once thru a couple of rounds you'll have it memorized, it's a very intuitive stitch pattern, thus, a mindless pattern. :o) Love it when I find a "mindless" pattern with so much bang for the design buck. It goes very fast too, case in point, I start this sock last night!

Oh if you're wondering about the white edge at the top, that's just the waste piece I knitted for the tubular cast on. I didn't do the hemmed cuff like the pattern says, I did a tubular cast on with a little bit of 1x1 ribbing.

I finally got around to spinning and plying the pencil roving I dyed when Joyce came for a visit. It's the last pic of the post and the roving that I dyed using the spray bottle method.


The color is close but not quiet right. It is a little less blue and a tiny bit brighter. There is only 264 yards so I haven't figured out what to make yet.

I did work up one more variation of the mousetrap in an adult size. This one is more of a clog style slipper. Now with all the snow we got yesterday and the day before, felting all these "one off sculptural pieces" (giggle/snort) will go fast. I really like using the snow when felting it just makes things go so much faster.

Off to felt the sculptures and finish this sock.

Cows

Ya know how cows spend their entire day grazing. They eat for a while then lay about chewing their cud (all the while looking very contemplative and content), then they eat some more, and the cycle repeats itself. I've been a cow.

A cow has four chambers in it's stomach rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. The rumen, is the first compartment where everything goes and the good stuff, like sweet tender grasses and such pass through there onward to the other parts of the stomach to get absorbed and digested further. The flotsam and jetsam of their foraging, the stuff which is harder to digest or the stuff that really should not have been eaten at all but got scarfed up while grazing, is spit back up from the rumen for another go around through the teeth. This is the cud part, a "lets try that again I've got to chew on it a little more" thing if you will. Hopefully after a few go a-rounds with "I've got to chew on that a little more" everything passes on through.

This is how my days have been spent of late, chewing the cud of what is/was attempts at sizing the mousetraps for babies, kids, and adults, along with numerous other variations. I've had some successes, and a whole lot of jetsam. lol

I know I could figure a neat and tidy algebraic equation to whip all this out in a flash, but alas, while the gray matter is still churning out ideas, it is still also stuck in the no math zone. Case in point, I've made several errors by my inability to count by two's!!!.....sigh....Nonetheless, I carry on.

Four newly sized booties to felt, the sweet tender grasses so to speak.


Pix of "finished" felted booties/slippies to come, and I'm still chewing on a lot of cud, but I really, really, gotta put down the needles and the pen and paper and get the house ready for Gillian's arrival home for the holidays. Then of course there's that Turkey Day thing that is coming some time this week. ;-)

Mousetraps

You guys are so clever. Even though I threw you that red herring of a picture that was waaay out of proportion, you did come up with some really good guesses, as well as some that were actually right. LOL I'm still giggling over the Wonder Woman breast plate and the bat catcher. ROFL.

Yes it is a sock, of sorts, a felted bootie technically.



An adaptation of Debbie New's Better Mousetrap Sock. (found in her Unexpected Knitting book with a basic version printed in Interweave Knits Fall 2001)

Obviously I had gauge issues to work through doing this in stockinette as opposed to garter stitch, plus embiggening it for felting. There was also getting the decrease angles right, and of course having absolutely no sewing/grafting was a must.

I have to admit, I was dubious at first if this was going to felt like I wanted.


The bunchy part at the break of the ankle was worrisome as well as those incredibly pointy toes and heel. Even before I felted these babies I casted on for a version that has a less pointy toe and heel. I'm ok with how the toe felted I'd still like to work on that heel, and obviously, I have to use a different decrease. See the tiny holes at the decrease seam on the heel? Not a big deal on the toe but problematic for wear and tear at the heel.

In regard to the first attempt that was so out of proportion, it wasn't a complete failure, it actually turned on the light bulb of how and where to make some adjustments to make a more substantial boot that has a tongue and laces up. Hmmmm considering I don't have any boots, and this year is supposed to be colder and with more snow than we've had in many many years, maybe I ought to actually consider a "real" pair of boots!

After I'm done with the next version of this boot, of course I'll start thinking harder about a real boot, but I'm thinking working this in a slip stitch checkerboard pattern would be kinda fun, a harlequin jester's boot kind of thing. :o) And there are certainly globs of embellishments that could happen, embroidery, needle felting, etc. Then of course there is putting in zippers or buttons for a better overall fit. Egads, I do go on don't I? I can't help myself, when faced with something so incredibly mindless and easy to make it begs for just a little more time spent to make it extra special.

I like it. What more could you ask for in a design? 34 mindless rows of simple knitting and you've got yourself a bootie. I think, "normal" socks should be blushing with shame.

Gotta go, I've got waaay too many variations to get knitted....rounder heel, shorter cuff, with tongues that lace up, zippers, buttons....

Ooops

Um yeah, I forgot to mention that in a fuzzled state, my math skills aren't too good. The proportions of the yesterday's mystery piece were waaaay off. It is supposed to be more like this. (I think)



I really did like the Wonder Woman breast plate guess though! LOL

Fuzzeled*

Typical of days following a rather long interlude of dancing**, I'll be rather fuzzy. On occasion there will be aftershocks, Wednesday and Tuesday were aftershock days. Days spent out of sorts, with low energy and episodic riffs of the dance*** revisited. What I find immensely curious regarding these days is my level of creativity. That is to say creativity on the thinking side of the equation not the actual production side. I come up with some of the most outrageous ideas on days like this.

Obviously I can't tell you why this is, I'm not a doctor, but I can play one at times (giggle/snort) and this is what I think. I think the reason is two-fold.

The first reason could be cuz for several days previous I am desperately placing myself into self-induced hypnotic-meditative state of sorts. Consciously trying to induce a "coma" for the sake of pain relief....sortof. Maybe a bio-rhythm/transcendental meditative kind of thing, I don't know I've never read up on any of those techniques, it's just a "thing" I've been doing all my life to escape the dance. Perhaps it is this "biotranscend-rhythmative state" I had been so completely immersed in during the days of the dance is what sparks the creativity. And just maybe this recently immersed, often practiced, somewhat easy to slide into, "altered state" is close to, or at least passes along the way, the place where new ideas are hatched in my brain. Or maybe it's just that being so close to that "calm center" lets the thoughts and ideas flow.

The second reason for an increase in creativity might be, perhaps these brow beating sessions actually do spark areas of the gray matter that are usually overlooked or run rough shod over when "normal" brain activity is going on. And on these fuzzy days and aftershock days I can actually stop and smell the newly bloomed roses.

Whatever the reason, these spurts of creativity that come following a dance, I'll take them, and chalk them up to the one and only good reason I can find for having these episodes.

Oh yeah, and did I tell you I have a tendency to babble on these days as well? :o)

So what does all this rambling about altered states have to do with knitting? Here's what, an example of something born of my state of fuzzle-ness.


It's half done and it's going to be felted. Any guesses?


And the footnotes for those of you who are completely confused as to what it is I'm rambling about:

*Fuzzled v., being in a state of contemplative fuzziness, usually accompanied by a strong focus on puzzle solving

**Dancing v., being in the throes of a migraine.

***Dance n., a migraine

Another Sweater and Neckwarmer

Greetings! I've been "dancing" again so several days have been literally lost. Not a good time of year to be losing days. Frankly no time of year is good for losing days, but that's how it is, how it's always been, so be it. Now on to what I did get done before the lost days.

Last Thursday before all was lost I finished yet another neckwarmer. They are like popcorn or potato chips, I can't stop myself.

This one has a 100% to-die-for silk outer shell and a cashmere lining. I want to fondle it constantly. And just think, it's a sage-y khaki color, hmmm wonder who this one is for....um yeah I'm selfish that way.


Next checked off in the finished column is this sweater. It's big, bulky, blue, and beautiful, no real pattern, I just winged it. Typical top down raglan big comfy 'comfort sweater' made with Lana by Tahki. It's a comfort sweater with two definitions, 1) perfectly simple, bulky knitting for the days proceeding and/or following dinner and dancing with Mr. M 2) one of those sweaters that you just want to wrap yourself in on those cold icky days that are fast approaching and read a good book while sipping a hot toddy of your choice. For the tiniest bit of interest I added a simple cable down the sleeves.


Does this blue looks familiar? Yep it is the yarn from the car coat sweater I started a while back. The one with the colorwork problems. Remember? I worked the sleeves in one pattern and the bodice in another that looked like a swastika. Um, yeah, that was an unfortunate ordeal. sigh.

Oh yeah and one more thing regarding the limitless mockery of that first attempted sweater with this yarn. Doncha think a normal person would have ripped it back to a spot just above the bad colorwork and then continue from there? Sure, of course, why not? Why rip everything just to do it all again? Right? Right. Ooops. I didn't even realize what I was doing until one day I picked it up to start knitting and was confused for a second as to exactly which piece I was knitting and which piece I was ripping as I knitted. I was at the point of equilibrium where both pieces of knitting were identical. The damn fairies got me one last time, I ripped and reknitted virtually the same damn thing. Oy.

In the not so finished column we have this sweater. Not much to look at I know, but I'm almost to the armholes just a couple more inches to go. I'm kinda fudging an old Bernat pattern circa 1964ish. It's actually a guy's sweater in their Cables and Raglans Book #130. I've changed the stitch pattern using a k2p3 instead of the faux 2 stitch mini cables with a purl, moss, purl pattern between the cables. It's a nice stitch pattern and I'll prob'ly use it someday but it is also an yardage gobbling stitch pattern and I'm using reclaimed wool for this. You know me and the constant struggle between me and the yardage fairy, nuff said.


Aside from the stitch pattern change I'm also adding a hemmed button band, see the row of slipped stitches that will be the turning?


And I've also added a hem at the bottom. See the purl row for turning?



I think, (I hope) this will ultimately become a nice sweater jacket. I considered putting a zipper in it like the original I've morphed this sweater from but instead I'll use some pewter clasps I've got. Then again that could change we'll see what happens. I'm really excited to get started with yoke/shoulder area. In the original the front(s) end straight across at the base of the neck. The back comes up over the shoulders and is seamed to the front and with a little bit of shaping becomes a standup collar. The sleeves are a very shallow raglan shape. It's interesting, I haven't seen many like it.

Seeing Red

...but not in a bad way.

The other day Joe and I went into town. We were running the usual errands, one of which is to go to UFS. Let me tell you about UFS, it is a, um, "unique" store. It has just about everything you can think of from appliances, furniture, stationary, household goods, clothing, food and alcohol, personal care/makeup, toys, construction materials, the list goes on and on and every bit of it is "displayed" in a no frills fashion. Completely without frills, picture huge dump bins and boxes with the tops cut off that on occasion have some sort of alignment that almost reassembles rows and aisles. The lighting is poor, the flooring is, well, mostly non-existent and what is there is waaay older than me even though they sell flooring! It's also in lousy part of town.

OTHO I love it. It is a family owned business. I can't be sure when it was first established, but it's been in the same location since it opened it's doors and is now with it's second (third?) generation of owners. I wouldn't be surprised if generation #3 (#4) won't soon be taking over. The original name was the "Unclaimed Freight Store", thus the variety and variability of the inventory. To be fair though nowadays there is a substantial portion of their inventory that is constant having picked up distributorships of some name brands ie GE appliances, Ashley Furniture. They also have an excellent liquor/wine department. That is the reason we visit UFS so frequently. No other store can touch their prices and if you buy by the case, well nuff said.

Sooooo the other day while doing our wine run at UFS I poked around the boxes and bins and found a perfect knitting bag for $7.99.




Technically it is a tool "box". It is made of canvas and has a tough plastic tray like bottom, all the better not to stain when placing it on the floor at knit night right?. The interior has pockets all around, there are pockets on the outside, and it comes with a removable shoulder strap. Oh and the coolest part, notice how the zipper across the tops curves down the side giving the whole bag a shape similar to a Doctor's bag? When opened the zipper kinda pops open wide exposing everything making every corner of the interior easily accessible.



Isn't that the coolest???? In the last pic is one half of a bulky weight sweater plus all the yarn needed to make the second half. All zipped up the dimensions are 16 x 9 at the base and it is 9.5 inches tall (remember the doctor bag/triangular shaping) Open it is 16 x 9 x 11.5

Moving on from small thrills to bigger ones, I finished Pretty in Red. Here is Vivian wearing it. I couldn't stop her, she just had to put it on before I got it blocked.


I struggled it away from her and it's now blocking on the day bed in my workroom.



Pretty in Red specs:
Pattern: Drops 105-1
Yarn: Classic Elite Four Seasons 9 balls (927 yards) 70% cotton 30% wool
I also held a strand of a random lace wt. mohair blend to meet gauge.
Needles: size 6 & 7

Modifications: Not too many, pretty much stitch for stitch per pattern til I came to the sleeves. I found the sleeve directions leaving something to be desired, um, like an ending stitch count. Granted I could have figured it out knowing what I started with and calculating what would be left after the decreases, but given the occasional iffy translations I winged the sleeve cap on my own. I also originally placed 5 buttonholes but then decided to close up the lower 2 button holes, partly cuz I only had 3 of the buttons I wanted to use. Oh yeah and I also made the sleeves a tad bit longer cuz their 3/4 sleeves hit me just above the elbow. If you plan on making this yourself, check the sleeve length I do have freakishly long arms.

The Four Seasons was a pleasure to use. I used it cuz this is a sweater for Gillian who doesn't need heavy winter woolies living in Savannah. If she doesn't like it I'll keep myself. :o)