Summer Crafts

On June 1, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knitting, Other CraftsLeave a comment

The dish towel set for my brother’s birthday is zipping along nicely. This is towel number three (out of four). The lunchtime knitting has been making an impact and I’m getting through this project a lot quicker than I thought I would. True to my sci-fi knitting heritage, I knit the majority of towel #2 and started towel #3 while watching V For Vendetta on TV last week. For some reason, that movie has been making the rounds on cable television lately. It’s on again tonight on IFC, which probably means it will be shown with no commercial interruptions, unlike some channels out there *cough*BBCAmerica*cough*.

Today I did nothing but read knitting and spinning magazines in bed, directly underneath my ceiling fan. Has anyone read the summer issue of Spin Off? I thought it was fascinating, with its emphasis on historical spinning. I particularly enjoyed the article on the unusual spinning wheel that was restored and is displayed at a Jane Austen museum. All the while I was eating a bag of Fruit Rolls–fruit-flavored Tootsie Rolls. They pop up around Halloween and the holidays packaged along with other Tootsie products, but I haven’t seen them bagged by themselves since I was a kid. So when I saw them at the Special Thoughts Outlet today, I bought two bags. Does anyone have any childhood favorite candies that are out there but hard to find today? Share your stories with me!

Last week I was complaining that it was unseasonably cool. Now we’re having a heat wave and it’s been 90 degrees every day since Tuesday. And I’m still unhappy. So I guess that means I’m just never happy, weather-wise. What can I say, I’m a complainer! Knitting with cotton is fine for warm weather, but what should I make when the towels are done? I have Ann Weaver’s Partition Cardigan on deck, but I’m not sure I want to knit it during the summer. Yet I want to wear it in the fall. I’ll probably end up casting on for the cardigan next anyway, with thoughts of cool autumn weather and walks in the park among the changing leaves to keep me cool while I knit.

I popped into Beadworks today because I haven’t been there in a while. I wanted to find starfish-shaped beads. Now I have a quick little project shaping up to put me in an a cool ocean mood.

It’s a smorgasbord! (of yarn!)

On May 26, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knittingLeave a comment

No matter how much yarn I have hiding in my house, more keeps finding its way in. I’d make a joke here about how the weather’s getting too warm to knit and all, but it’s been rainy and cold all week here in the ‘burbs of Boston. The sun finally came out today, but then the wind kicked up. So it’s still cold out. Uncool, Nature!

The yarn I’m referring to is, of course, more Knit Picks, which I love because it’s so budget-friendly. Remember when I told you all about the cotton yarn I bought a couple of weeks ago to make dish towels? I bought 6 balls of Wool of The Andes as well, for an as-yet undecided project that I hinted at in my previous post.

It’s going to be Fair Isle. This much I have decided. I’m thinking about trying my hand at designing something original but incorporating a traditional Fair Isle or Norwegian chart. I might make a cowl, which feels like sort of a cop-out. But I’m not that into math so a more complicated garment is not in the cards for now. For the most part, it’s the armhole shaping that intimidates me; measuring myself, adding a few inches for ease and knitting a tube sounds easy enough.

I’ll keep these colors in the back of my mind and think of something fun to knit. Though I will probably stick with the cowl idea. I want to do the fair isle in the color couples as pictured. I don’t know exactly what I’ll end up with, but I’ going to have fun figuring it out. Now, where can I get some knitter’s graph paper?

My love-hate relationship with cotton has come to an end. I am loving knitting these dishtowels with Dishie. Lookie–I already have one done! Well, except for washing and blocking. I’m done with the Conch yarn and have moved on to Azure. I can’t believe how fast these are to knit. I finished the first one in a week, including knitting on my lunch hours. I’m already past the first set of white stripes on the Azure towel so I’ll be approaching the halfway mark soon.

I’m glad I gave cotton yarn a try, although I suspect the unseasonably cool weather we’re having is contributing to the ease in knitting. I’m hoping to be done with this project before the humidity kicks in, which, at this rate, feels like never.

Dish Towels, Cotton Yarn. Or, Cotton. Oy.

On May 24, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knitting2 Comments

I don’t seem to be able to work on one project and one project only. Ever. I get the desire to move on and start something new, even when I’m happy with what’s on the needles in the first place. I managed to work on the Albers Cowl from (re)start to finish focusing all of my attention on it, but now that I’m in the weaving-in-ends stage, my attention is starting to wander. The weaving in is tedious but coming along, to be followed by blocking each square and then sewing them together. Due to an impending birthday deadline, I’ve cast on for the Dish Towels pattern featured on Knit Picks’ website. Four towels make a set.

I have to admit I’ve never had the urge to knit dish towels before, but this pattern is so cute and so simple, it had me at Cast On…I don’t know, maybe it’s the jaunty racing stripes. The towels have a clean, retro look that I really dig.

Knit Picks was sold out of the Ocean colors kit when I placed my order so I used their Kit Builder feature and chose the yarn colors and the pattern. I don’t like the dark green Jalapeno so I chose the peachy Conch as the fourth color to keep with a beachy/ocean theme. Since my brother lives in a town known for its ties to the sea, I thought it was a nice touch. Kit Builder is a great tool, but separately the cost is higher than the kit. I didn’t how how long it would take me to knit four towels so I bit the bullet and hit the buy button (I’ve gotta stop doing that).

I’ve knit with cotton only once or twice before, so I’d forgotten how different it is from wool. I gave up on a sweater that’s currently stuck in the Ghosts Of Projects Past bin because the cotton kept sticking to the needles. That was when I learned that plastic Denise Interchangeable Needles and cotton don’t get along very well. I cast on in Conch for the first towel on a humid day earlier this week and almost regretted starting the project in the first place. The cotton yarn was slippery on the wood needles–a little too slippery–but sticky on my fingers. My cast on was very tight so the first row was hard to knit; passing the stitches over was frustrating. And then this happened:

Cotton, you’re not exactly winning me over.

Albers Cowl & The Knit Picks Book Sale

On May 20, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knittingLeave a comment

Behold, I’ve finished the third and final log cabin square that makes up the Albers Cowl. Now all I have to do is weave in like a gazillion ends and then sew the three squares together. This will not be a swift or fun process. At this point it will be several months before it’s cold enough to start wearing cowls again so I’m not going to sweat it. But I’m not going to let it sit unfinished for months, either. I’ll work on it little by little along with a newer and more urgent project: a set of dishtowels for my brother for his birthday. Because I never know what to get him (i.e. he’s kind of a pill), and everyone uses dishtowels, right? I have until July 4th to finish a set of four towels. So I’ll work on a warm-weather project and a cool-weather project at the same time for the next month or two. No biggie.

One of the things I look forward to each year is Knit Picks’s annual 40% off book sale. This year I got a couple of great bargains on books I’ve had in my wish list for a while.

The Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt

This book is HUGE! I’ve been looking around for ages for the compendium of knitting knowledge and I’ve been thwarted at every turn. Richard Rutt’s History of Hand Knitting? Forget it. Vogues’s Ultimate Knitting? It’s hard to find a good vintage copy. Principles might just be what I’m looking for. First released in the 1980s, this reissued edition is bigger and better than ever; completely updated for today’s hand knitter. From gauge to measurements, math for designing garments, to finishing techniques, this book promises to be a treasure trove of important information and practical guidance. I’ve only flipped through the book so far, but, despite it’s hefty size, I’m looking forward to reading this from cover to cover. Coz I can be a total knitting geek like that.

Knitting With Two Colors: Techniques For Stranded Knitting and Designing Color-Patterned Garments by Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen

I’ll admit it: I judged this book by its cover. I am so in love with this beautiful Norwegian colorwork. And there’s that blue again. I’ve long been an admirer of Meg Swanson and her Schoolhouse Press website, and so I decided that this would be a great addition to my knitting library and repertoire. After all, I love two-color stranded knitting.

As stated exactly in the title, the book’s focus is on the techniques for two-color knitting and on how to design garments. That’s great. I assumed, reasonably, I thought, that this book would include the chart pictured on the cover along with other colorwork charts. It does not. The focus is strictly on the processes described above. Except for a couple of tiny charts printed as examples, the book refers the reader to several Schoolhouse Press patterns available for purchase separately in order to knit the projects shown in the book. The blurb for the book states: “This book is a two-color knitting workshop for beginner to advanced knitters and a companion to the multitude of color patterns and color charts available in our knitting world.” I guess if I had read it more carefully I would have picked up on the phrase “companion to the…patterns and color charts available.” The misunderstanding could be on my end alone; I tend to hit the Buy button with an itchy trigger finger at times, especially when there’s an almost half-off discount to be had. But to me the wording seems a little vague, so I didn’t originally pick up on it. I think it could have been made a little clearer that there were no actual charts to knit from.

I liked the chart on the front cover so much I bought 6 colors of Knit Picks Wool Of The Andes because I wanted to use the chart to make a long cowl, perhaps with a picot edge. Sort of dipping my toes into the designing pool–the book’s purpose–but coming up with a simple shape and then using a chart borrowed from someone else. I’m disappointed that the chart is not part of the book. I might buy it from Schoolhouse Press, but I will probably just use a chart from one of the colorwork books I already own.

Who says you can’t buy candy for a quarter anymore?

Two Squares Down, One To Go

On April 24, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knitting2 Comments

It’s a beautiful evening and the sun is still shining. The days are getting a little longer. This means I can still go outside and snap a few pictures on my porch after dinner. Spike likes to come with me. Tonight we went outside to document the progress on my Albers Cowl. As you can see by the title of this post, I’m in the home stretch. The Knit Pick Palette colors for this square are, from the outer edge to the center, Fairy Tale, Rouge, and Cosmopolitan.

I’ve used Fairy Tale in previous projects and it’s quickly found its way into my heart. What can I say? I’ve always been a purple and pink sort of gal, even when I was a kid. I’ll point out the obvious flaw here: the row of holes along the bottom of the center square. That’s where I cast on, and where the holes formed when I picked up stitches. I don’t know if there’s a different technique to picking up stitches along garter stitch than there is for stockinette, but I’m too lazy to redo it, and it probably won’t be visible when worn anyway. In other words, I’m OK with it.

Knitting this square took me all of last week, and what a surreal week it was here Massachusetts after the Boston Marathon bombing. I spend most of my knitting time in front of the TV anyway, but last week there was nothing on any of the local networks but bombing coverage, literally, all week 24/7. All I could do was sit in front of the TV, glued to the non-stop coverage as the story, events, and the week grew more and more unbelievable.

It was a hell of a week. Boylston Street opened today for the first time in a week. Boston is trying to get on with life and return to normal. Normalcy is something we’ll never take for granted again. And normalcy is something that many bombing victims will never experience in quite the same way again.

So here’s my Albers Cowl, 2/3rds of the way complete. Notice how my first square is oddly slanted. I have no idea how that happened. I can be so ignorant about my own knitting sometimes. So yeah, I’m going to block the hell out of this thing.

Sigh. All those ends to weave in…

Albers Cowl, Part Deux

On April 13, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knittingLeave a comment

Here I go again. I’ve called a do-over on the Albers cowl. I have new yarn, a new colorway, and the first square out of three is almost complete. Reknitting this project has made me realize two things:

I’m really OCD about color.
I really hate garments that are knit entirely in garter stitch.

Let me elaborate. Didn’t someone once say the proof of insanity is doing the same thing over and over? Does returning to the same colors over and over again count? Well, it should. My attraction to the whole aqua/turquoise thing has been well-documented on this blog. I think we can add magenta/fuschia to the crazy list. As soon as I started knitting with my new pinks and magentas, I realized these are virtually the same colors in the Noro Silk Garden Light yarn I used for the Spectra scarf I recently completed. I also have quite a bit of yarn and spinning fiber in my stash in similar colors. Sure, it’s OK to have a favorite color or two, but seriously, what gives? I’m beginning to scare myself. At least the first Albers square I knit was in a completely different palette. The newest Knit Picks catalog came in the mail recently and even though I just placed an order for Palette, I was mesmerized by the two-page spread of all the Palette colors. I’m thinking of buying a bunch of yellow/burnt sienna/brown yarns just to break out of my rut. I know–Harvest Gold again, right? But what am I to do?! Professional help may be in order.

Not only was I unhappy with the colors on my first attempt at this cowl, I didn’t like the way the square turned out, either. Because it’s all garter stitch. All-garter stitch garments bug me because to my eye they look like something that something that someone would knit because they haven’t learned any other stitches yet. There. I said it. There are so many wonderful stitches out there that create such beautiful fabric; why use only the most basic one? The first square looked lumpy and uneven, and this pink one is shaping up in a similar fashion. Clearly this project is one that will benefit greatly from blocking, so I Won’t Stop Believin’ just yet. The cowl pictured on the pattern is beautiful, and of course that’s what made me buy it in the first place. The projects on Ravelry are equally gorgeous, so blocking is the key. I bought some blocking mats from Knit Picks when I bought the Palette yarn. I figured with a serious lace shawl attempt in my near future, these would be useful things to have. I’ve made my peace with blocking. Weaving in ends, however, is another story, and this project has tons of ends to weave in.

Remember last week when I broke my Denise interchangeable needles? I ran to my LYS to buy a fixed set of circulars to complete my project and the saleslady there told me that Denise replaces their needles. I emailed the company and sure enough, they told me to mail them the broken set and they would send a replacement. I mailed my busted set to them last Saturday. This is what came in the mail today:

It’s exactly one week to the day that I mailed the broken set out. Thank you, Denise!

I passed this sign today outside a local restaurant proclaiming free beer!

Only there wasn’t any. Viewed from a certain angle, they had me fooled.

Good one, Shanty!

My Completed Cambrian Cowl

On April 8, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knittingLeave a comment

…is no longer cursed. Blocked, steam-pressed, and buttoned, my cowl is finally happy and I’m ready to hit the town with some style and outside element protection. Amount of time it spent sitting in a project bag: 356 days. Amount of actual knitting time involved: 8 hours. This should have taken me a weekend to knit.

It’s supposed to be spring but there’s a definite chill lingering in the air. I put the cowl on as soon as I finished sewing on the buttons and wore it while I took my dog for a walk. It’s getting chilly now that the sun is going down and I was very glad to have an extra layer of warmth…and FABULOUSNESS!

The buttons are the Celtic Blue Ceramic Buttons made by Irihana Arts over on Etsy. They came in a set of three. I had a lot of fun shopping for buttons for the cowl. It’s funny, because ceramic buttons are something I don’t normally give much thought to, but once I wanted some nice buttons for my cowl, they were all I could think about.

So that’s two UFOs finished, and two to go. But I’m not in the mood to finish those just yet. As always, I’m eager to cast on for something new. I’m ditching the Albers Cowl…sort of. Remember this Seventies-tastic colorway I started to knit? Here’s a little reminder:

I’ve fallen out of love with this. I guess you could say I’ve fallen out of love entirely with the Knit Picks Palette Warm Color sampler kit. I hate to say that, because I am a big Knit Picks fan, but together, the colors in the kit started to look dated. I’m giving up the ghost on this one, but I’m starting the Albers over in a fresher, more sophisticated palette. Some happy pinks and purples are just the thing for spring, don’t you think?

Clockwise from the top the colors are Fairy Tale, Cosmopolitan, Peony, and Rouge. Already I can see that Cosmopolitan and Rouge are very similar in tone so I’ll have to separate those two. I’m using only 4 colors to keep it simple and affordable. Knitting starts tonight.

Once I went on to Etsy to look for buttons, I couldn’t stop. I knew right away the Celtic buttons were the perfect match for my cowl, but there were so many other pretty, pretty buttons vying for my attention. I couldn’t pass them up, so I bought them in the hope that someday I’ll find the perfect project for them. Meet the runners-up:

They’re all from Unique Buttons. I especially love the starfish buttons, although I don’t know what I’ll do with them yet. Maybe I’ll make another Cambrian Cowl in a natural sand color and put the seafoam blue starfish on it. Yes, I wouldn’t mind knitting another Cambrian Cowl at all–without a year-long gap next time.

My Cambrian Cowl Is Cursed.

On March 30, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knittingLeave a comment

I’m certain this project is trying to tell me something. Two mishaps in one day surely are an omen that No Good Can Come From This. One mishap was completely my fault; I didn’t pay enough attention to what I was doing. The other mishap, though, that’s the yarn’s fault. Totally.

Mishap #1: Due to my apparently poor pattern comprehension skills, when joining the cowl in the round I accidentally placed the button band on top of the buttonhole band. So if there had been buttons on the buttonhole band already, they would lie beneath the button band. Fortunately I had only knit 4 rounds before I noticed. The frogging was minimal. I took no pictures, I disavow any knowledge of my own actions.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — There’s a tiny plastic piece from the inside of the endcap stuck in the blue cable.

Mishap #2: see photo. Yes, I broke a pair of Denise needles. You’d think I could just screw the end of the needle back into the blue cable, but you’d be wrong.

It’s not my fault, it’s the damned yarn, I swear. Up until that moment I had been loving–LOVE-ING!!–the Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky. Yes, it’s slippery, but it’s amazingly soft. It’s perfect for wearing close to the skin for warmth, and this will be such a great accessory when the weather gets cold again. But somewhere while knitting a round the stitches bunched up right behind one of the size US 11 tips. They were crowded together pretty tight and it was hard to spread them out a little. While I was pushing the stitches around, I heard a snap. At first I thought the cable had simply separated from the tip; that happened a lot when I used the Denise needles on cotton. The cotton stuck to the plastic needles. But the damage is not that simple. The small black plastic cap on the end of the cable snapped in two. Part of it is stuck in the needle, the other part stuck in the cable. It’s impossible to pull out, and even if I could, it would be impossible to glue back together.

Luckily it’s a five-minute drive to my nearest yarn store so I flew into town to get some new needles. I bought a pair of K&A bamboo circulars and flew back home. My cowl is saved and knitting is once again underway, but I’m still not completely happy. I’m having a hard time moving the stitches from the cable up over the join. It’s a metal join attached to the bamboo, and it’s the same size needle as the other set I was using (obviously!). I knit loose enough so they weren’t tight and crowded, but it’s a chore to get them onto the needle. I’m just going to keep knitting, and hopefully I’ll finish this thing without further incident.

Because I love this cowl. I really do. I love its style and simplicity. I adore the ceramic buttons I ordered from a seller on Etsy. They are going to look lovely.

I pulled the first part of the cowl I knit a year ago out of a bag and blocked it, as per the pattern. I am so glad I did. The first band is a 20-inch-long piece of stockinette stitching, so it curls like crazy. Once blocked, it stayed flat. Picking up the stitches was effortless. I have been schooled on the need for blocking.

I’ve sat on this project for long enough and there was no need. No need! It’s incredibly easy and fast and the result is going to be a very polished looking piece. Maybe the cowl’s taking its revenge on me for abandoning it for so long.

One good thing about having to run back to the yarn shop was discovering these adorable little zip pouches. It’s hard to read but the character is called Miss Rabbit. The lettering on the pouch actually says Miss. Rabbit. With a period behind the word Miss, although it’s not an abbreviation. There’s absolutely no company name or logo on the pouch but my guess is it was made in Asia. I love how cute these are! They will be perfect for dumping stitch markers into it. They remind me of my hometown of NYC when my sister and I used to prowl the little shops in Chinatown for exactly this type of kawaii stuff, like little notebooks, pencil cases, pouches and things. (Kawaii is a Japanese adjective for “cute, adorable, endearing) etc. I kept the top bag for myself and gave the bottom bag to my sister as an early Easter present.

OK, enough bitching and moaning. I really do love this cowl. And Baby Alpaca Chunky? You know I can’t stay mad at you.

Spectra Scarf: Finally Finished and Fabulous

On March 24, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knittingLeave a comment

Somewhere up above there’s a pig zooming around in the clouds, and somewhere down below they’re playing ice hockey, because surprise, surprise, I actually finished a knitting project.

Yes, I finally finished the Spectra (designed by Stephen West) that I started way back in August. It’s not that I didn’t love knitting it, I just took my time with it. I cast on during the dog days of summer, and knit from time to time in the cool days of fall. I let it languish during the frigid days of winter–when one needs a warm scarf the most–and picked it up to finish a couple of days before the official start of spring. Since there has been a significant snow storm nearly every week since February, and there’s still a lot of snow on the ground, I don’t feel all that guilty about finishing it in the spring. It’s still cool and gusty out, even though the sun is starting to feel a little warmer on my back. I may just get a couple of weeks’ wear out of this before retiring it until the fall.

I guess one of the reasons I worked on it so sporadically was due to the weight of yarn I used. The pattern calls for fingering weight. I chose sport weight yarn. I’m happy with the results, but damn, the more I worked on the scarf, the heavier it got. The solid color is Filatura Di Crosa sport weight wool; the multi is Noro Silk Garden Lite. This was my first time knitting with Filatura Di Crosa. The yarn is super warm, very soft, and very, uh, sproingy. It springs back just a little when touched. I’m a big Noro superfan, but the Silk Garden Lite, as with all Noro yarns, is scratchy and unevenly plied in places. It goes from thin to thick and back again frequently. I hate the really thick stitches that stand out among the thinner ones, but you can’t beat Noro for astounding color changes. A little Eucelin should take care of the scratchiness–it’s something Noro knitters know they’re going to encounter.

I wore Spectra today and I received a compliment on it from the cashier at the grocery store. She is also a knitter and appreciated a hand-knit when she saw one. She is a regular customer at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn as well. It proves once again that knitters are everywhere!

I don’t have any photos of me wearing the scarf because today I didn’t have anyone to take a photo of me. I took a few by holding the camera out in front of me but they didn’t turn out well.

I wouldn’t rule out making another Spectra in the future, but I’ll make it in the fingering weight the pattern calls for. So that brings me to my next crossroad: Which UFO should I finish next? I have a Noro sweater almost halfway done, but I’ll pick up something smaller first. In the running are the Cambrian Cowl from Coastal Knits, Lion Brand’s Cloudsong Cowl, and the Jaywalker socks. I’m leaning heavily towards the Cambrian Cowl. It takes bulky alpaca yarn, and it’s a very quick knit. The only reason I stopped is because the pattern called for blocking it a certain point before continuing so the cowl would lie flat when picking up stitches. I didn’t feel like blocking it.

I can be a real jerk sometimes.

I Won A Yarn Crawl Door Prize!

On March 23, 2013 By happygingerhomeIn knitting, Life, The Universe, And EverythingLeave a comment

And here it is. A skein of lovely Malabrigo kettle dyed pure merino wool in Tiger Lily. I won it from Hooked in Essex, MA. They called me on Tuesday, and I happened to be home that day thanks to a snow day off work. I drove to Essex today to pick it up and, man, I must be psychic because I kept thinking to myself all week, “Malabrigo would be nice, even if it’s just a skein or two.” I don’t know why I had Malabrigo in mind; I didn’t know what the door prizes were because I didn’t really peruse them when they were on display during the Crawl because they and the entry slips were positioned near the crock pots and baked goods. Hello, food?!?! Maybe it was just wishful thinking because Malabrigo can be a little pricy.

I’m happy to take home a free skein of Malabrigo. I’m going to scan the interwebs to find a nice one-skein project for this yarn. It’s unplied but super soft an snuggly. Any suggestions, dear knitters?

This is the first Yarn Crawl door prize I’ve ever won. My sister and I seem to be on a door prize roll lately. Back in December, a local movie theater held a fundraiser to raise money to pay for the equipment needed to go digital. My sister entered their raffle and won dinner and a movie for two. We saw The Hobbit for free and then had dinner afterwards! Both the movie and dinner were awesome.

While at Hooked I picked up a pack of sewing needles because, as usual, I can’t find the dozen or so I already own. I have small notions bags stashed all over the house with knitting projects I’ve temporarily put down. So naturally, when I actually finish a project for the first time in a year, I can’t find any. So I bought more needles because I finally finished the Spectra scarf I started last August. I just need to weave in the ends and she’s ready to hit the town. This occasion will be celebrated with another fabulous photo shoot at the same location as the first, Forest River Park. Until then, enjoy some beautiful Essex scenery, and a giant lobster sign.

This looks almost like an Impressionist painting but I took it with my iPhone. I don’t know why it’s a little fuzzy but I like the effect.

The sky and clouds are amazing today.

Hungry?

Happy Ginger Home

Category: knitting