We Have a Winner!

I let Chloe (the unbiased cat) pick the winner, and it is Jean! I’ve contacted her by e-mail and will be posting the Debbie Bliss book to her soon.

To the rest of you, thanks *so* much for taking the time to Comment. I hope you’ll continue reading . . . and writing!

More about the Neon Argyle sock coming soon.

-Mt. Mom

Interesting Color-Work Videos

I watched some interesting YouTube videos today, both using 2-color vertical stripes. One is done in “regular” 2-color knitting, the other is a 2-color brioche stitch.  [Tried to embed them, but I can't get that to work.  Links will work, though!]

This is a 2-color brioche or “double-dutch” stitch technique, demonstrated by BellaKnitting — goes with a Double-Dutch Hat pattern that I don’t have, but the technique is interesting anyway.

Here is a video by knitwhits that demonstrates color-dominance in 2-color knitting (also working one kind of cetered double decrease in vertical stripes) while making a “Nepali hat”, another pattern I don’t have.

Fun!

I was nearing the toe, when. . . .

. . . I spotted a real problem with my LAST project for Level 2 of Master Knitter, the Argyle sock.  I realized that both of the published patterns I was using as guides had the same omission:  no stitches added for seaming.

I had finishED the intarsia section, joinED the back for the heel, completED the heel, workED the sole, seamED the instep to the sole, began working in the round, and was beginning to have visions of Kitchener sugarplums.  I looked at my foot-tube and saw. . . NO CORNERS ON MY INSTEP DIAMOND.  (I *should* have taken a photo — Bad Blogger!)

I had realized the cuffs had this problem, because 1 of the 2 patterns *did* include an extra stitch on one side in the cuff section, whereas the other pattern did not.  But neither one of them had extra stitches in the instep portion, and I missed it.  Didn’t snap.  So, when I seamed the top the bottom of the foot, the edge stiches of each got eaten up in the seam.  Since the diamond came to the edge, it lost it’s corners!

I ripped back fully one-third of my work.  Sigh!

I know I need to add seaming-selvedge(s), but what’s the *best* way to achieve this?  And what about the glitch in the fabric where the instep seam starts?  Now, I’m going to swatch to figure out these related questions , so that the beginning of the sewing-up is smoothest in appearance, and the diamond has points left after the seam is sewn.  Here is the swatch I’ve concocted:

You see, I’ve gotten pretty good at seaming parts that are separate — a major theme in Level 2.  It’s the spot where the fabric goes from being together to being separate to being together again that I didn’t like my results.  Hence the “buttonholes” — hope my idea bears fruit.  First hole has no extra stitches, 2nd has one extra on left side, 3rd has 2 extra, one on each side.  I plan to seam up each hole.  We shall see, eh?

Another knitting frustration:

I finished the Maltese Fisherman’s hat.

A nice pattern from Schoolhouse Press.  But even with my hair at its absolute fluffiest (just after shampooing), the hat is too big.Not sure at this point whether to try semi-felting it, to make it smaller, or frogging it and recondidioning and reusing the yarn to make a different hat.

Meanwhile, this past Tuesday I began planning in earnest for a Fair Isle sweater!  Definitely a LONG-term project!

Let’s Catch Up — A Retrospective and Status Report

I haven’t posted alot about my knitting lately, so I thought I’d do a bit of catching up and summing up.

Last summer, when the bagpipers were in town and the Highland Games were afoot, I was focused on kilt hose.  I started a pair in DK-weight yarn that later got set aside.  I also began a pair in regular sock-weight yarn for a reenactor-friend, to be followed by a pair for an Irish piper.  I set these all aside when submission time came for patterns for Sock Madness 3.  Now that SM3 is pretty much handled, I hope to re-start on my kilt  hose.  I’ve been working both socks on one l-o-n-g Magic Loop circular needle.  Status as of 8/24/2008: 

I like writing patterns for Sock Madness.  Last year, the competitors wrote such nice things!  I know I could make my pattern-writing more terse, and shorter, and be able to say that all the necessary info is “in there”, but I prefer to include explanations and photos, to make the work more accessible and intuitive to the more-visually-inclined among us.  I suppose I write ‘em how I like to read ‘em.  No photo-posting, however, until the Cone of Silence is lifted and the contest coordinators release the pattern.

Aside from the socks, my main project-of-focus has been Level 2 of TKGA’s Master Handknitter program.  I worked through the swatches and their accompanying questions, section by section.  Remember when I was experimenting with buttonholes in 1×1 ribbing?  Boy, I had fun with that one!

And then there were the reports (started, but not done), book reviews (not started, although I have taken some notes), and projects.

Vest 

Mittens

And now, Argyle sock[Yes, they really are THAT BRIGHT.  Dale calls these colors "neon".]

I have progressed on these to just past the centers of the second rank of diamonds, but I don’t have access to the digital camera just now. . . .

I hope to submit my Level 2 work soon.  Perhaps by the end of the month?  No reason to hurry, except to be Done.

Along the way, I’ve worked on some hats — always hats!

Currently, I’m developing the pattern for my Square-Topped hat

and knitting my second Maltese Fisherman’s Hat, by Elizabeth Zimmermann.  [This one's for ME!]

That pattern is available in a SpunOut one-sheet (#9) called “A Horde of Hats”, along with 4 or 5 other cap patterns, for $1 (plus postage) from Schoolhouse Press.  [NAYY, but I love to do business with them.]  Dig the garter stitch short rows.

Other projects still live, but are receiving less of my attention:  Fair Isle sampler scarf, Reversible 2-color pattern sampler, Twisted bias scarf, Noro entrelac shawl.

I think that brings us pretty much up to date!

Don’t forget to enter my 2nd Blogiversary Book Giveaway — scroll down a few posts and leave a comment THERE (so I’ll know it’s an entry) with a kid-safe joke/riddle or other nice comment about Aran/Guernsey/dbliss/kid-knitting.  Deadline is Jan 28, 2009, so there’s still time to join in.  I love to “meet” my readers!

Color amid the White

Some delicate pink in my kitchen window:

See, I “rescued” a broken geranium stem from my neighbor’s driveway back in October/November.  Only a month ago, it looked like this: I love seeing it each day, and thought you might too!

Blogiversary Book Giveaway

I feel like doing another book giveaway!

My second blogiversary is coming up this month (the 28th), so that’ll be the occasion.  Here’s the book I’m offering up:  Debbie Bliss’ Classic Knits for Kids. 

Full disclosure:  This is a used book.  No marks inside, but the top corner is a bit crumpled.

To enter, leave a comment that includes a clean, kid-safe joke or riddle.  That’ll be fun!  (If you can’t come up with a joke, that’s OK.  Just say something nice about your interest in Arans,  Guernseys, and/or knitting for kids.)

I’ll select one commenter on Jan. 28th.  The comment form should ask you for an e-mail address, and I’ll write to you there.   If I don’t hear back from you within 5 days, I’ll select another recipient.

Ribbing Troubles

I’m having a crisis of knitting-confidence . . . about my ribbing.  The harder I try to correct this (relatively new) slanting problem, the worse it seems to get! 

This is for my level 2 Master Knitter work — the widely-dreaded Argyle sock.

Is blocking going to help this?  I’ve tried fiddling with a needle tip to straighten these guys, but they don’t stay fixed.

I’m considering whether I might rip this part out later,  and either (1) work a second band bottom-up from the freed stockinette stitches — but then I’d be 1/2 stitch off at each end for later seaming — or (2) work a second band from top-down and graft the 2 pieces together with a row of MC stockinette before the intarsia begins — challenging.  Either way, I’ll have to be making nicer ribs before I replace these.  Meanwhile, I’m pressing ahead with the intarsia, waiting for inspiration.

Ufff.  I’d like a knitting “fairy” to drop in, sit by me, and patiently guide me through this!

Insights, encouragement, and/or constructive suggestions welcome.