Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's been months.

I didn't quit knitting, but I just started putting all my knitting stuff on Instagram. You can find me there if you like. Here's the linky. 

When the sweaters just don't work.

Once upon a time, there were three sweaters. I knitted them all.  All names of sweaters are Ravelry project names, but I didn't link them. You'll see why soon. 

There was "Tappan Zealand"

 "Cosima in Lime"

and "My Casual Red Cardigan"

Here they are in a pile on the dining table on the evening of Friday, August 2, 2013. 

And this is their state on the morning of Saturday, August 3, 3013. 

Tappan Zealand

Cosima in Lime 

And My Casual Red Cardigan. 

And just for fun, the lovely Lindsay, AKA Shnoodle, wearing My Casual Red Cardigan as a bouffant. She earned it; she's the one who broke that sweater down. I did the other two. 

For some reason, knitters tend to like to break themselves into smaller groups. Continental versus English style (or pickers versus throwers and then you have to take out the "flickers" and the lever knitters). Only natural fibers versus only man-made fibers. Wool versus cotton. Linen versus silk. 

And don't get me started on knitting versus crochet. As you know, I'm firmly in the knitting camp. I can crochet, but I'm not a fan of the look of the fabric, so I only use my ability to crochet as a tool, sometimes to put an edge on a knitted garment, etc. 

Anyway, one of the larger divides in knitting tribes, at least from what I can tell, is product versus process.  A product knitter wants the finished product, and she wants it to fit well, and to be wearable (or useful if it's not a garment). A process knitter doesn't care about the finished object; it's all about the actual knitting. The journey as opposed to the destination. Personally, I think it's kind of bullshit. Every knitter has a bit of both tendencies. 

That said, I'm primarily a product knitter. Spending all the time (and the money) that I do on a project, I want it to be useful, to fit me properly, and to be flattering. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the process immensely. I find it very soothing and meditative, and I really like watching my hands as they form the stitches. But, when I'm done, if that thing that I've worked so hard making isn't what I want, then I'm pissed. Usually mostly at myself, but sometimes also at the yarn and the pattern. These three sweaters are prime examples of projects that didn't work out the way I wanted them to. Essentially, they represented a drawer full of yarn that I couldn't use because it was already sweaters. 

The Tappan Zealand was finished more than 3 years ago in July 2010. I wore it more than I wore the other 2, but less than a dozen times. It didn't fit quite right through the armhole (armscye if you're being all snooty), and I found I fiddled with it a lot to get it to lie properly as I was wearing it. Also, I seem to have poorly executed a spit splice, and it developed a hole that I couldn't fix. I love the yarn, which Shnoodle brought back from New Zealand for me after I allowed Maggie and The Pickle to come live with us while she was on the trip. It's really, really special yarn, and I want the project that it's made of to be one that I'm proud to wear/display. It really was a pretty easy choice to frog this once to reuse the yarn. 

Cosima in Lime is a prime example of yarn substitution gone wrong. I actually chose the correct thickness of yarn and the same alpaca/wool blend that the pattern called for, but I chose (unknowingly) a very dense single ply yarn when the yarn specified in the pattern was a multi-plied much lighter yarn. I got the specified gauge and I liked the fabric while I was knitting it, but when I put it on, the sweater was stiff and heavy. It was like wearing lime green armor. I wore it out once and then it went into the drawer, never to be worn again. 

My Casual Red Cardigan was a new sort of construction, top down contiguous set-in sleeves. The contiguous method of construction is really interesting, but it didn't work for me. I'm narrow through the shoulders and busty at the same time, and this sweater really didn't allow for my body type. I tried to wear it once, and didn't like it. I never even bothered to put buttons on it. I think I always knew it was destined for Friday Night's Main Event. 

Friday night came around, and I got out the swift, the niddy-noddy, and some sharp scissors plus I had a nice bottle of red wine open, and we got to work. It took about 4-1/2 hours total with me doing Tappan Zealand and Cosima In Lime and Shnoodle doing My Casual Red Cardigan, and by the end my back hurt, but the job was done. The lovely, lovely yarn had been released from it's (mostly) wrongful imprisonment and is again free to be knit.

I know that there are knitters out there who are horrified by the thought of doing this. Even Shnoodle said, "why don't you just cast on a sweater that does fit?"  And I could have chosen that, but the ill fitting, not perfectly executed sweaters in that drawer were doing me no good in that drawer. The yarn for each of them is lovely and deserves to be seen. So I'm going to take the skeins that we made, soak and dekink them, and then put them in the stash and allow them to marinate until the perfect yarn/pattern combo presents itself. And then they will rise again. 

Secret knitting let out of the bag

To my FB friends (which is probably most of you), you've seen this picture before, but I'm showing it off again anyway. 

This is my most recent finished object, a Baby Surprise Jacket made from this yarn: 

I like the way you can see how the colors are going to stripe in the cake (the yarn on the right; the put-up on the left is frequently known as a pill). 

The specs (all links to Ravelry)
Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket
Yarn: Look up and see the picture. If you click to embiggen, you should be able to read the label.
Needle: US 6, which is 4 mm. 

Time: About a week, but I didn't work on it every day; probably a total of 8 hours actually with the project in hand working on it. I've knitted this pattern more quickly in the past, but I'm still lever knitting (this was my first lever project on a circular needle), and I'm a little slower (gaining speed all the time).

This is the link to my project page on Ravelry (it's public so you don't have to be a member to see it). There are a couple of progress pictures and yarn amount used, etc., for those interested in the technical details. 

On another yarn/knitting-related note, I doubt that I'm the only one who feels this way, but I'm really bothered by this notion amongst knitters that LYS (local yarn shop) staff are supposed to help you with your actual knitting, like tell you how to fix problems, how to work a tricky section, etc. I've seen so many complaints on Ravelry from people who get upset because the clerk in the yarn store (who is probably only making minimum wage) can't tell them how to fix their knitting. Yeah, I get customer service and all, but to expect a stranger to tell you how to fix your knitting for whatever pittance they're being paid (in addition to doing the part of the job they get paid for) is a foreign concept to me. Also, I can attest that the ladies in my LYS (nice as they can be) don't always know what the fuck they're talking about. It's not my story to tell, but either the non-owner clerk is an idiot, a non-knitter, or was under instructions to sell, sell, sell a certain yarn which was totally inappropriate for the project in question. 

Serious question though, do you expect LYS employees to help you with knitting techniques and/or fix mistakes? If so, why do you expect this? I really do want to know. 

Secret Knitting

I'm working on a gift right now, and so as to not take chances, I'm kind of keeping that project under wraps. 

In my quest for lever knitting greatness, or at least lack of ineptitude, that's how I'm knitting right now on circular needles and on DPNs. I did figure out that I can't use magic loop and lever, at least not on my ChiaoGoo needles (cable gets in my way), so I have 1 project using each method on the needles right now. The circular needle project you can see later, and for the DPN project, I'm bringing one out of hibernation (actually restarting because I fucked it up last year). 

This is how they looked before the giant cock-up. Lesson learned from these socks: When knitting a sock pattern by Cookie A; put in a lifeline before the heel flap. That way when you fuck up the gusset/instep (which I frequently do at least once), you don't have to rip out the entire sock (too much knitting through the back loop and yarn overing for me to rip back and put back on the needles without a lifeline. I shed a tear or two. 

The end of that scarf

So, I didn't actually knit for about a week. It all started when I grabbed my Kindle and not my knitting to take with me while I took mom for an eye dilation appointment. I ended up reading a couple of books last week instead of knitting. It happens from time to time. 

Then, yesterday, I was ready to start again, and if you're keeping track of the numbers, you'll see that I got a fair amount done. The scarf was longer than the measurement part of my tape measure. The key word being was. 

I knitted on and off for quite a while yesterday. I'd pick it up between doing other things around the house and put it back down again. Unfortunately, the last time I picked it up, something BAD happened. All the stitches jumped off the needle and several of them started to drop down through the scarf. 

I looked at it for a (little) while, and then I made a choice. I could spend at least an hour if not more, picking up all the stitches, attempting to fix all the ladders, and hoping that I could get the whole thing back on the needles and finished. Or I could chuck it. 

I didn't quite chuck it, but I did spend just a couple of minutes unraveling (frogging) it and rewinding the yarn into a cake. There are a few reasons I made this choice.
1. The project had served its purpose which was to build muscle memory for lever knitting.
2. I almost never wear scarves.
3. I put it around my neck, and it was itchy. I have a fairly high itch tolerance, and don't have a problem wearing most wool next to my skin, but neck skin (like all erogenous zones) is pretty sensitive. If something itches, chances are I'm not going to wear it, and if I find it itchy, the most likely recipient (my lovely daughter, Ms. Thang), would be even more bothered by it. 

In the end, not a terribly hard choice, and not one that I lost any sleep or shed any tears over. 

Farewell, Anger and Despair Scarf, your job is done now. Of course the big question is how to notate the Rav project. It's like Schrodinger's Cat, it's both a finished object and a frogged project. 

Decisions, decisions. 

Lever knitting practice day 18 (no text)

Back for day 17 of lever knitting practice.

After 3 nights away, I've recovered enough that I can knit comfortably again. The scarf is now just over 4 feet long; it's almost full grown. 

And yet I still can't seem to figure out my next project. I'm thinking a sock though. I just queued a couple of new sock patterns on Ravelry, both from Knitty Spring+Summer 2013.  Slipstream and and Dressy. I have plenty of yarn to choose from: 

This is my stash at the beginning of Feburary

Don't you think?

Injured, dammit

I managed to take a small chunk out of my left thumb a couple of days ago, and it's still just a little too uncomfortable to lever knit because of the way the stitches are fed off the left needle. I'll be back to it as soon as I can, promise. I tried tonight, and I managed to knit 1 row before I had to put it aside.

The funny thing is, if it were my right thumb, working would be more difficult, but lever knitting would be easy, since the right thumb mostly rests. But since it's the left thumb, I can work with no difficulty; I just can't work on my current practice. 

Fuck a duck. At least it was a tasty apple (what I was cutting up when I injured myself). 

Lever knitting practice day 16

Another 3 inches tonight. Switched the end of the work that I start the tapes measure at just for a change of pace. I have 36 grams of the skein left, should finish up in the next couple of days.

Lever knitting practice day 15

Hit the big 4-0 tonight. Yep, it's 40 inches long now, and the ball of yarn that I'm working from is getting progressively smaller. I really need to start planning a new project.

Lever knitting practice day 14

Lots of knitting time today. Zero pain and far fewer dropped stitches. Sometimes you have to slow down to speed up. I am starting to get itchy for a new project, though. 

Lever knitting practice day 13

Lots done tonight. This is some slippery-ass yarn and slick needles. If these factors weren't combined, I feel like I'd go faster and spend less time picking up dropped stitches.

Lever knitting practice day 12 that should be 13

I had one of those days yesterday when I was essentially a zombie, so I didn't practice last night. Tonight I got back to it. Glad to say it went well.

This is the first time I've blogged from the iPad. Interested to see how it looks.

Had to come back and edit the iPad post. It might be a handy tool for drafting an entry on the go, but I don't like the default font, and I'd prefer to place the pictures where I want them within a post. Things that are good to know. 

Lever knitting practice day 11

Today was weird. There was a note on my door yesterday that the power was going to be out for an unspecified amount of time today between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. It just threw my whole schedule off. I would have liked to have been sleeping like this guy (my brother's dog who spends a lot of time with my mom; he's a sweetie). But instead I was up and waiting for the power to go out, and then waiting for it to come back (although I did go out to breakfast while it was out). 

After breakfast, while he was snoring away (which is really funny to hear), I was hanging out at mom's for today's practice. I would love to have more time to knit on this tonight, but I'm kind of fried. I just want to sit and have some screen time. 

Oh well, tomorrow will be another (long) day. 

Lever Knitting Practice Day 10

Solidly producing about 2 inches an hour the last couple of days with this technique. The scarf may not look much different from one picture to the next, but I can totally see the changes. 

Lever Knitting Practice Day 9

About an hour's worth this evening, less than the normal amount of knitting I generally do on a Monday (and not even 1 complete episode of Top Gear, which is way less than a normal Monday), but I was busy today with errands and a cut and color late in the day. 

I got another couple of inches done, see?

Soon, I'm going to cast on something in worsted weight and do the stitches per minute test like we did in the Knitting for Speed and Efficiency class. I'd like to know what my stitches per minute number is looking like now. It was 30 per minute at the start of the class and 32 per minute at the end with my former "normal" way of knitting. Maybe tomorrow night for that one. 

Lever Knitting Practice Day 8

At this point, I'm not even sure what to say about this project anymore. I got a lot done today in a relatively short amount of time. I'm going to have to be more creative in my picture taking so I can get the whole thing in the frame and still have the tape measure to show the growth. 

First I finished this hat. And took a picture of it. And then celebrated a little bit the fact that I don't have to work on it anymore. Although I like the way that it looks OK, I'm not a big fan of the yarn. Maybe when I give it a soak, it will be nicer feeling. 

Anyway, by that time, we were into Oscar Red Carpet Special. So I whipped out my straights and the scarf and worked while I oohed and aahed over pretty downs, and only spent a few moments wondering if a particular person actually owned a mirror. I stopped well before the actual show started, so maybe a couple of hours tonight. That means in 1x1 rib, 50 stitches, with fingering weight yarn, on size 4 needles, I'm churning out a couple of inches of knitting an hour. Not too fucking shabby. Especially since the yarn and needles are both slippery, and I've dropped more stitches than I care to think of due to that combination, and it does take time to pick them up and fix them. 

The fabric that I'm making with this method is pretty amazing. Because it's 1x1 rib, it's springy and cushy, but it's also really, really even and nice looking, not just nice feeling. 

I'm not going to deviate from the instructions and stop working this method on straights sooner than the prescribed amount of time, but I am starting to think about how it's going to work with double-pointed needles and with circular needles. I may actually have to give up magic loop for socks and knit them on DPNs (which I don't really mind) because I think that ML is inherently too inefficient to really work with lever knitting, but I suppose that all will be revealed in the fullness of time.

I sure as fuck hope so, anyway. 

Lever knitting practice day 7

Getting longer every day. I've been working at this for a week now. Depending on the source, that means I either have 14 or 23 days to go (some people say every day for 21 days, others say every day for 30 days). I may end up going until I run out of yarn. 

Tonight I practiced knitting lever style without looking. On a project like this where it's all K1P1 rib, it's pretty easy. I kind of have to think about it, but I don't have to look at every stitch. Which is nice when you're watching TV. 

I knit a little bit on the hat that I showed a few days ago today, too. I need to finish that up in the next couple of days. I have high hopes for tomorrow during the Oscars.  After that, who knows? We'll have to see what the Nerd Wars challenges are for March. That will guide my choice as much as anything. 

Lever knitting practice day 6

And here we go, day #6. I feel like I have the right hand action pretty well in hand at this point, so I'm working on the left hand actions. The left hand actually has quite a bit to do in this style of knitting; it's one of those instances where lefties and righties can learn the same style and nobody really has to make any adjustments. 

Tonight I was able to put in about an hour, and I got quite a bit done. This was the last long work day of my week, so I'm really looking forward to working for longer periods of time tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday. It should really grow over the weekend. 

Lever knitting practice day 5

Definitely getting faster, absolutely no pain in my thumb or shoulder, this is great. 

This was about another 40 minute session today, and it looks like I got a couple of inches in. What I'm waiting for to happen next is for my left thumb and index finger to be able to really feel the stitches as they're coming and know whether it's a knit stitch or a purl stitch. I'm super right-hand-dominant, so I imagine it takes a bit longer to really attune to my left hand.