Thursday, January 6, 2011

New Year, New Blog

I miss my old blog and have started a newish hobby so what better thing to do than to blog about it.

On the needles...

1. My first pair of socks...
(Black)hearted
First sock complete. Second sock at heel turn.

I chose to do 1x1 ribbing for 5 rounds at top. Next sock I will do at least 10 rounds.
Followed by 5 rounds of stockinette since I only wanted a short cuff.
Pattern (15 rounds). If I do this pattern again I will do it with beads instead of yo for the heart.
Then 6 rows of stockinette before heel flap & turn.
Heel flap is eye of partridge. Not perfectly executed but still acceptable for a first go round.
Stockinette foot, tried on several times to ensure that the sock would fit.
Toe is Anatomically Correct Sock Toes. I like this toe since my big toe is a bit longer than my others. I will keep this toe in my back pocket for future use.

Lessons learned/learning: 1.) Bamboo needles are great in larger gauge but for socks they bend and flex. Buy metal needles. 2.) Dropping a stitch is not the end of the world. You can m1 if you cannot find where the error is. 3.) Finding an extra stitch is easily eliminated with k2tog. You can really tell when the stitches are this small. And if another person is close enough to my feet to see the error then we have an entirely different problem.

deadline: Jan 10th

2. Stacey's scarf
Simple c8b cable with garter stitch and p2 edging.

My sister, Stacey, asked me to knit her a lllllooooonnnnnggggg & narrow scarf for her while she was in town taking care of my household while I was in the hospital after my car accident in November. Her requests/requirements: narrow, long enough to nearly reach her ankles when draped over her neck (she is 5'11" so this will be really, really long), and black or gray.
I found some acrylic black yarn with silver thread wrapped around it. I instantly thought of my sister. Acrylic because it was readily available and machine washable. Black because of her request and wardrobe. Silver because she always has a little bling.
After working with this yarn for 200 rows I decided that I would modify the cable a little just to keep it from getting too monotonous. So I switched the cable from every 10th row to every 20th row for the next 100 rows. I added in a couple of cable rows to signify the center point and give myself a good measuring point. Then to repeat the whole thing in reverse.
I dont have a picture of that at the moment but will try to take one tomorrow when we have sunlight.
Lessons learned: Acrylic is not my favorite thing to knit with. I need to find another yarn that is accessible, low cost and lovely to touch that is also machine washable.

self imposed deadline: Jan 14, 2011 so I can mail this for her birthday.


Up next on the needles:
Hubby's birthday is February 13th and I need to make some socks for him. He is fully aware of them since I will have to have him try them on as I knit to ensure that they will fit. No ideas on the pattern yet but I am sure to find something soon.
Something for my niece, V. My sister Stacey has requested a wide headband for her daughter with flowers on top. I am debating American Beauty Rose headband or Calorimetry with knitted flowers added on.
My son will be turning 4 in April. Gasp! 4! Oh, how time flies. He has requested many items be knit for him since I started again knitting last month. For him I want to make this Teddy Bear by Debbie Bliss or some other kind of toy and maybe some socks.

Podcasts I'm watching & listening to:
The Knit Girllls
Round The Twist with Carin
Clothed In The Lamb
Never Not Knitting

In other crafts:
Sewing - working on living room curtains. This is a much slower process than what would be normal since I am unable to stand for long periods of time to press the seems. I hope to have them (2) complete by end of January.
Kiddo crafts - Alex and I have a lot of black foam to use as shaped sponges for painting. I need to get some brown craft paper from my dad so we can make an art project to decorate our living room.

So I guess that is it for now. Until next time... Knit, Lizzy, Knit.

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