That is a picture of her hands, posing at the piano. I should have made more pictures of the mitts. Oh well.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Piano mitts
My 80+ year old friend plays the piano, but not for long periods of time, because her hands get cold... So I made her these mitts, using the Skyp Socks pattern for the ribbing.
That is a picture of her hands, posing at the piano. I should have made more pictures of the mitts. Oh well.
That is a picture of her hands, posing at the piano. I should have made more pictures of the mitts. Oh well.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Erratic heels
Behold the erratic heel:
This was my experiment, merging two different heel techniques: Rachel's technique of increases and decreases (as used in this pattern, which I never bought) combined with the boomerang heel explained here, boomeranging every right side of the short row heel. I was trying this on as I erratically created this heel, first with the increases, and then with the boomerangs. I discovered that half a boomerang heel was good enough for my foot. In other words, I got as far as half the short row heel, then simply kept knitting in the round again and performed the decreases:
As Cat Bordhi said, you cannot argue with a foot. The end result is stripes across the heel area without interruption, which is what I was hoping for. Of course, the stripes across instep and heel are thinner compared to the rest of the sock. Upon close inspection, having only half a boomerang heel looks kind of incomplete.
Also, I suck at the increases. But who cares? I have stripes across the heel, and the socks fit. Woohoo!
Do I see some creases on the instep? Mmmmh... I was trying to avoid those, and that is why I did not even bother with Rachel's sock pattern. In my next experiment everything will be the same, but I will try boomeranging the other half of the heel too.That should give more depth to the heel. We'll see.
By the way, the pattern is the Skyp socks, very easy to memorize, creates some visual interest and does not clash with the horizontal stripes of self-patterning yarn. I loved it!
This was my experiment, merging two different heel techniques: Rachel's technique of increases and decreases (as used in this pattern, which I never bought) combined with the boomerang heel explained here, boomeranging every right side of the short row heel. I was trying this on as I erratically created this heel, first with the increases, and then with the boomerangs. I discovered that half a boomerang heel was good enough for my foot. In other words, I got as far as half the short row heel, then simply kept knitting in the round again and performed the decreases:
As Cat Bordhi said, you cannot argue with a foot. The end result is stripes across the heel area without interruption, which is what I was hoping for. Of course, the stripes across instep and heel are thinner compared to the rest of the sock. Upon close inspection, having only half a boomerang heel looks kind of incomplete.
Also, I suck at the increases. But who cares? I have stripes across the heel, and the socks fit. Woohoo!
Do I see some creases on the instep? Mmmmh... I was trying to avoid those, and that is why I did not even bother with Rachel's sock pattern. In my next experiment everything will be the same, but I will try boomeranging the other half of the heel too.That should give more depth to the heel. We'll see.
By the way, the pattern is the Skyp socks, very easy to memorize, creates some visual interest and does not clash with the horizontal stripes of self-patterning yarn. I loved it!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sock Blank Tie-Dye
It started out with a sock blank knitted with the Addi express. Then came a big dye pot with water previously used to soak black beans. I used Epsom salts as mordant, knowing very well that I was going to get a light gray color thanks to a swatch I made sometime ago.
The result was so ugly that I refused to even make a picture. So back to the dyepot, after a few rubber bands were involved, more bean water, and alum as a mordant.
And this is what came out.
Not bad at all. Stripes will be more like flecks, since bands don't necessarily correcpond to rows:
Now onto the next problem: This is the second sock blank I dye, but I am afraid of knitting them up knowing that the color transition/banding will be disrupted when turning the heel. I've been searching for a way to prevent this that does not involve using a different yarn for the heel. This is what I found so far.
I remain unconvinced. I know it's hard to judge from a picture, but I have the feeling that this heel is too boxy. Then there is this pattern. If you look closely, the heel has increases, and then instead of a heel flap, a few more rounds, followed by heel decreases. While this looks like a very interesting construction, I cannot help but notice the crease on top of the foot when the sock is worn, so I will not even attempt to follow it. The increases are, however, very interesting, as they look like upside-down versions of decreases. Very symmetrical, and they are described in detail in this page. What if I combined both ideas (increases, boomerang short rows, then decreases) into a single heel?
Now onto the next problem: This is the second sock blank I dye, but I am afraid of knitting them up knowing that the color transition/banding will be disrupted when turning the heel. I've been searching for a way to prevent this that does not involve using a different yarn for the heel. This is what I found so far.
I remain unconvinced. I know it's hard to judge from a picture, but I have the feeling that this heel is too boxy. Then there is this pattern. If you look closely, the heel has increases, and then instead of a heel flap, a few more rounds, followed by heel decreases. While this looks like a very interesting construction, I cannot help but notice the crease on top of the foot when the sock is worn, so I will not even attempt to follow it. The increases are, however, very interesting, as they look like upside-down versions of decreases. Very symmetrical, and they are described in detail in this page. What if I combined both ideas (increases, boomerang short rows, then decreases) into a single heel?
Monday, December 24, 2012
Hybrid
Not long ago I made this shawl:
I never liked it. Not only was it very boring to knit, it also looked plain and tended to roll up. I wore it once and was uncomfortable with it, it did not work neither as a shawl nor as a scarf. So I ripped it and used the yarn for a new shawl that started out with the Belmondo pattern. After using up a little less than 2/3 of my yarn, I added the edging of the Lazy Katy pattern. Because it comes from two different patterns, I named it Hybrid. This is the result:
Surprisingly, it is a little bit larger than the original. It also looks far more interesting and it lies flat.
I never liked it. Not only was it very boring to knit, it also looked plain and tended to roll up. I wore it once and was uncomfortable with it, it did not work neither as a shawl nor as a scarf. So I ripped it and used the yarn for a new shawl that started out with the Belmondo pattern. After using up a little less than 2/3 of my yarn, I added the edging of the Lazy Katy pattern. Because it comes from two different patterns, I named it Hybrid. This is the result:
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Heat map
The spouse thought of the name and I think it's quite fitting, given the colors. The pattern is the Double Eyelet Rib Socks, by Wendy Johnson, modified to seven repeats around the foot instead of 8 (total 56 stitches instead of 64).
The yarn is something I bought in Germany many years ago, called Belday. It reminds me of a Regia colorway I once worked with, except that it has a bright red instead of orange, but otherwise the striping pattern is very similar, to the point that I am sure they were intentionally imitating Regia's colorway. Here's a picture without flash, but neither one of them captures the colors well.
Someone might wonder if 56 stitches are enough for an adult sock. They were just right for me and I have no complaints.
The yarn is something I bought in Germany many years ago, called Belday. It reminds me of a Regia colorway I once worked with, except that it has a bright red instead of orange, but otherwise the striping pattern is very similar, to the point that I am sure they were intentionally imitating Regia's colorway. Here's a picture without flash, but neither one of them captures the colors well.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Sapphires
Again, some pattern I found in ravelry but never added to my favorites. I just knitted a few rows, memorized it and now I cannot remember what it is or how I came across it. It's a very easy honeycomb pattern, but I would not have come up with it on my own. Pity I cannot give due credit.
The socks are very pretty, thanks to the beautiful yarn from Rabbitworks. The colorway is called "Cryptic Notes".
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Micro
I almost named this shawl "redemption" given the recent bad luck I've had with shawls. But this is just a small kiri, and Micro is what best describes it.
It's not for me, it's for my sister, who admired my Nano once. My sister is allergic to wool, so I had to use cotton. I'm using something called Basics, from the Italian brand lana grossa. It's shiny and soft and much better than your regular dishcloth cotton... but frankly, I prefer Mexican Sinfonia. It splits much less, and one 100g skein holds many more yards than a 50g skein, which is how they sell Basics. Plus Sinfonia is cheaper.
I only used two skeins of basics for this shawl. That meant hiding four ends. Cotton is not lace friendly when it comes to weaving in ends. If I had gone with Sinfonia, I could have finished this shawl with only one skein.
Live and learn...
It's not for me, it's for my sister, who admired my Nano once. My sister is allergic to wool, so I had to use cotton. I'm using something called Basics, from the Italian brand lana grossa. It's shiny and soft and much better than your regular dishcloth cotton... but frankly, I prefer Mexican Sinfonia. It splits much less, and one 100g skein holds many more yards than a 50g skein, which is how they sell Basics. Plus Sinfonia is cheaper.
I only used two skeins of basics for this shawl. That meant hiding four ends. Cotton is not lace friendly when it comes to weaving in ends. If I had gone with Sinfonia, I could have finished this shawl with only one skein.
Live and learn...
Monday, August 06, 2012
Confetti
For some reason, I forgot to post this pair of socks here after posting them in Ravelry. Well, here they are:
It's a simple pattern, with lace ladders all around it. On the back of the sock the lace is made with purl stitches as an experiment. There isn't really much difference in the end result. The little holes and the splashes of color make me think of confetti, hence the name.
I seriously thought I should name them "transition socks", since I finished them as I was changing jobs. But the truth is, the job change is completely unrelated to the socks. It came about without me having any control in the process.
Long story short, I was told my contract was not going to be renewed, but before my contract was over I had found a different job. The new job is nothing to be excited about, but then, there is no such thing as a perfect job. I consider myself lucky to have avoided unemployment. I even managed to squeeze in a long weekend in a Mountain Lodge between jobs.
The yarn is called Admiral Flakes, by Schoppen Wolle. I loved it. It came with my swap socks from Estibaliz and it was a wonderful gift.
It's a simple pattern, with lace ladders all around it. On the back of the sock the lace is made with purl stitches as an experiment. There isn't really much difference in the end result. The little holes and the splashes of color make me think of confetti, hence the name.
I seriously thought I should name them "transition socks", since I finished them as I was changing jobs. But the truth is, the job change is completely unrelated to the socks. It came about without me having any control in the process.
Long story short, I was told my contract was not going to be renewed, but before my contract was over I had found a different job. The new job is nothing to be excited about, but then, there is no such thing as a perfect job. I consider myself lucky to have avoided unemployment. I even managed to squeeze in a long weekend in a Mountain Lodge between jobs.
The yarn is called Admiral Flakes, by Schoppen Wolle. I loved it. It came with my swap socks from Estibaliz and it was a wonderful gift.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Haruni
There was once an incomplete shawl that ended up abandoned in a corner after running out of yarn. Several attempts were made to substitute with a similar yarn. None worked. But finally, I am pleased to announce that embroidery floss, split in half, worked out. It's only the final crochet row that ended up finished with floss, the rest is all kidsilk spray. Which is, by the way, a terrible yarn for this pattern. The two contrasting colors create splotches that blur the pretty leaf design. All in all, I loved the yarn and the pattern, but not the combination of both.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Slanted
Thursday, April 19, 2012
They're Here!
They arrived last Saturday, but with the spouse taking until the last minute to file taxes I was unable to post pictures until today:
Monday, April 02, 2012
Right on time
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Monochrome Argyle
I finished today the spouse's socks, the ones that were originally on my needles. I finished them using my grandmother's needles which, unlike my addis, have a stiffer cable and the union between cable and needle is not as smooth.
Anyway, picture time:
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Better than nothing
At least I am past the toes. Which isn't much, especially considering that I am going to rip the few rows I've knit after finishing the increases.
I am making Pinwheel Socks. I have made two pairs so far and feel confident enough with the pattern that I will not have to worry about screwing things up. I also wanted to try it with a single yarn, given that so far I have used this pattern to get rid of scraps.
It turns out that the real beauty of this pattern lies in the vertical stripes. Using only one yarn is creating a very boring pair of socks. Luckily, I have another skein of this Rabbitworks yarn, in a pretty blue colorway called "Cryptic Notes". I hope they work well together.
I am making Pinwheel Socks. I have made two pairs so far and feel confident enough with the pattern that I will not have to worry about screwing things up. I also wanted to try it with a single yarn, given that so far I have used this pattern to get rid of scraps.
It turns out that the real beauty of this pattern lies in the vertical stripes. Using only one yarn is creating a very boring pair of socks. Luckily, I have another skein of this Rabbitworks yarn, in a pretty blue colorway called "Cryptic Notes". I hope they work well together.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Shame
Last week I posted a picture of my sock swap yarn, wound up into two nice center pull balls. Have I made any progress? Why yes, I put the yarn in a baggie:
You might have noticed that there are no needles in the baggie. That's because the needles are currently in another baggie, holding another pair of socks I thought I would have finished by now:
Yes, I know, I should not procrastinate, after all there's a deadline. I am posting this to shame myself into hurrying up.
You might have noticed that there are no needles in the baggie. That's because the needles are currently in another baggie, holding another pair of socks I thought I would have finished by now:
Yes, I know, I should not procrastinate, after all there's a deadline. I am posting this to shame myself into hurrying up.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
To hell with shawls
So, way back in October, I was working with a yarn that had glitter in it but was still very soft: Lanalux. I wanted to create an object of beauty and I chose the Sheri shawlette pattern, simply because it allows you to use up all the yarn with not much waste, since it is knitted sideways. I called this thing boredom because it requires a lot of boring stockinette.
Speaking of which, all that stockinette might have worked with another yarn, but my shawlette rolls at the edges even after wet blocking and steam blocking. I don't dare to use the iron because of the glitter. Don't let it fool you. It's lying flat against the sofa but in reality it rolls on itself without provocation.
In November I moved on to another shawl, something more challenging and without any stockinette: Haruni. I used two balls of kidsilk spray and finished the second to last row. Alas, there is not enough yarn to finish the last row. Kidsilk spray is, by the way, discontinued. So the future of my shawl is bleak.
After three failures in a row (I am counting the Garden View Shawlette as a failure) my knitting mojo dried up.
But I find myself itching again for the needles, so I joined a sock swap for Spanish speakers: Swapetines. I used to participate in that sock swap, stopped for a couple of years, but now feel like it's time to rejoin them. Today I split the skein into two pull out balls:
This is 75% superwash merino from Rabbitch, in a colorway she calls revenge. I had originally ordered a different colorway, but she had ran out of it. She reimbursed me, including shipping, and then sent me a skein in this colorway free of charge. Isn't she a nice lady?
The yarn is beautiful, though these days I find myself gravitating towards browns, grays and tans. When I learned that my swap victim likes bright colors I thought it was time to knit up this pretty yarn.
Speaking of which, all that stockinette might have worked with another yarn, but my shawlette rolls at the edges even after wet blocking and steam blocking. I don't dare to use the iron because of the glitter. Don't let it fool you. It's lying flat against the sofa but in reality it rolls on itself without provocation.
In November I moved on to another shawl, something more challenging and without any stockinette: Haruni. I used two balls of kidsilk spray and finished the second to last row. Alas, there is not enough yarn to finish the last row. Kidsilk spray is, by the way, discontinued. So the future of my shawl is bleak.
After three failures in a row (I am counting the Garden View Shawlette as a failure) my knitting mojo dried up.
But I find myself itching again for the needles, so I joined a sock swap for Spanish speakers: Swapetines. I used to participate in that sock swap, stopped for a couple of years, but now feel like it's time to rejoin them. Today I split the skein into two pull out balls:
This is 75% superwash merino from Rabbitch, in a colorway she calls revenge. I had originally ordered a different colorway, but she had ran out of it. She reimbursed me, including shipping, and then sent me a skein in this colorway free of charge. Isn't she a nice lady?
The yarn is beautiful, though these days I find myself gravitating towards browns, grays and tans. When I learned that my swap victim likes bright colors I thought it was time to knit up this pretty yarn.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Soon to be frogged
Another September Project.
The pattern is the Garden View Shawlette. I like the pattern, but not with this yarn, which is Newton's Yarn Country Rayon Ice Hand Painted. Rayon has no memory at all, and a stockinette shawl, no matter how well blocked, just rolls on itself. It slides of my shoulders, even after tying it.
Also, where did all the yardage go? The pattern calls for 200-300 yards. I started out with 2200 yards, according to the label. The fabric was thin and my gauge was way off. I order to get a better fabric and also to hit gauge, I used two strands, which meant I had 1100 yards, right? Enough to make a much larger shawl, with 9 or 11 leaves instead of 7. That’s why I started out with a long garter strip to be able to tie it behind my back.
Well, I am glad this pattern is constructed sideways. This allowed me to weigh the skein as I went. After three leaves I realized that I was approaching the middle. I had to settle for 7 leaves. Of course, The shawl is more triangular now than crescent shaped, given that there is only one center leave instead of three. Also, the tie strips are now pointless.
I am afraid to confess that for the first time ever a FO is going to the frog pond. I just do not see myself wearing this monster.
The pattern is the Garden View Shawlette. I like the pattern, but not with this yarn, which is Newton's Yarn Country Rayon Ice Hand Painted. Rayon has no memory at all, and a stockinette shawl, no matter how well blocked, just rolls on itself. It slides of my shoulders, even after tying it.
Also, where did all the yardage go? The pattern calls for 200-300 yards. I started out with 2200 yards, according to the label. The fabric was thin and my gauge was way off. I order to get a better fabric and also to hit gauge, I used two strands, which meant I had 1100 yards, right? Enough to make a much larger shawl, with 9 or 11 leaves instead of 7. That’s why I started out with a long garter strip to be able to tie it behind my back.
Well, I am glad this pattern is constructed sideways. This allowed me to weigh the skein as I went. After three leaves I realized that I was approaching the middle. I had to settle for 7 leaves. Of course, The shawl is more triangular now than crescent shaped, given that there is only one center leave instead of three. Also, the tie strips are now pointless.
I am afraid to confess that for the first time ever a FO is going to the frog pond. I just do not see myself wearing this monster.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Snakes and Ladders
Another September project. I did not know if I wanted lace or cables in my socks, so I went with both. Someone from India told me years ago that she knew knitted cables as "snakes", and so I thought of the game "snakes and ladders" as I knitted the socks. Later I learned that in the US the game is know as "chutes and ladders".
Thanks to wikipedia, I now know that the game originated in India, and that over there it is still known as "snakes and ladders". So I'm sticking to that name.
I used a yarn called Summer Sox, which was a pleasure to knit with, though the ends tend to get splitty and weaving them in was not easy. In keeping with my obsession of using up all my yarn, I used the leftovers to make fingerless mitts for a friend, in the same pattern.
No leftovers! Yay!
Thanks to wikipedia, I now know that the game originated in India, and that over there it is still known as "snakes and ladders". So I'm sticking to that name.
I used a yarn called Summer Sox, which was a pleasure to knit with, though the ends tend to get splitty and weaving them in was not easy. In keeping with my obsession of using up all my yarn, I used the leftovers to make fingerless mitts for a friend, in the same pattern.
No leftovers! Yay!
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Now with pictures
September was a productive month. Sadly, it was not a camera busy month. For one reason or another, I was posting to ravelry but not taking the time to take pictures of my stuff. But now that I did, let me show off, starting with a raglan I made with Sinfonia cotton that I got in Mexico eons ago:
I did not want to run out of yarn, so I started from the top and kept going until I had used up all three skeins. Yes, I am lucky to be short.
The one thing I regret is that I thought a seed stitch edging would be decorative enough, but it wasn't. Towards the end I added a few lace butterflies. If I were to knit this again (but I am not) I would add the butterflies at the neckline and at the sleeve cuffs.
The spouse concurs. Only to him those are little holes, not butterflies. But to him, all lace projects are just random holes.
I did not want to run out of yarn, so I started from the top and kept going until I had used up all three skeins. Yes, I am lucky to be short.
The one thing I regret is that I thought a seed stitch edging would be decorative enough, but it wasn't. Towards the end I added a few lace butterflies. If I were to knit this again (but I am not) I would add the butterflies at the neckline and at the sleeve cuffs.
The spouse concurs. Only to him those are little holes, not butterflies. But to him, all lace projects are just random holes.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Waffles
This was an August project: Socks for the spouse. Well I think I actually started them in July, but had to interrupt them to make the Shedirs. Which reminds me: Many thanks for those of you who offered to pray for my sister. She keeps to herself these days, and I repeat to myself over and over that no news is good news...
Anyway, onto the pictures:
Socks in a very boring gray, knitted with 2 mm needles (that's US size 0). They would have been a drag were it not for the fact that heritage quattro is really nice to knit with. Also, the Ridge Squares pattern was easy to memorize.
Nowadays I knit mostly socks. And I always start them from the toe with a figure 8 cast on, and I always do a short row heel, and I always cast off with Jeny's stretchy bind-off.
There was a time when I liked trying new techniques and I even bought Cat Bordi's first book on adventurous sock knitting. I usually do not buy many books, much less knitting books, so that was a biggie. But I never bothered with the second book. I didn't even try to check it out of the library.
As for Sock Summit, as much as I love the concept, I've never been there. Let's face it, I'm too settled into my sock knitting by now. I know what works for me, and I am not itching to learn anything new.
I am one boring knitter.
But Rabbitch's post about Sock Summit got me thinking about another undesirable aspect of my knitting. Why am I so cheap? Why can't I splurge once in a while? Especially when it comes to independent artists. I love the stuff they make, my mouth waters when I see their lovely merchandise, and yet I never buy any fiber or yarns from them.
Next year, I will skip Stitches West and spend some money on Etsy instead. I will try Rabbitch's goodies, of course, but I will also consider other Etsy shops. Does anyone have another favorite Etsy yarn or fiber shop to recommend?
Anyway, onto the pictures:
Socks in a very boring gray, knitted with 2 mm needles (that's US size 0). They would have been a drag were it not for the fact that heritage quattro is really nice to knit with. Also, the Ridge Squares pattern was easy to memorize.
Nowadays I knit mostly socks. And I always start them from the toe with a figure 8 cast on, and I always do a short row heel, and I always cast off with Jeny's stretchy bind-off.
There was a time when I liked trying new techniques and I even bought Cat Bordi's first book on adventurous sock knitting. I usually do not buy many books, much less knitting books, so that was a biggie. But I never bothered with the second book. I didn't even try to check it out of the library.
As for Sock Summit, as much as I love the concept, I've never been there. Let's face it, I'm too settled into my sock knitting by now. I know what works for me, and I am not itching to learn anything new.
I am one boring knitter.
But Rabbitch's post about Sock Summit got me thinking about another undesirable aspect of my knitting. Why am I so cheap? Why can't I splurge once in a while? Especially when it comes to independent artists. I love the stuff they make, my mouth waters when I see their lovely merchandise, and yet I never buy any fiber or yarns from them.
Next year, I will skip Stitches West and spend some money on Etsy instead. I will try Rabbitch's goodies, of course, but I will also consider other Etsy shops. Does anyone have another favorite Etsy yarn or fiber shop to recommend?
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