Woolly Copse

My sister has a talent for finding expensive yarn in thrift stores. Sometimes this is cause for celebration, and at other times, lamentation. At first glance, I couldn't imagine what this strange yarn should be used for. My sister must've have thought the same thing because she gave a big bag of the stuff to my mom.

My mom is not daunted by weird yarn. She knit a blanket, and it's kind of cool. Look how good it looks on Ziggy! Ziggy's been under the weather for more than 3 months now :( But, at least he's keeping cozy in this thicket of wooly boucle.

I'm nearly done with a summer cardigan. I think these buttons look about right. Best of all, both the yarn and the buttons are from my stash.

And, here's a little swatch of what I hope will be a simple, summer tank. I'm experimenting with combination knitting. I have a couple of wrong way decreases, but other than that, I like the results.

I don't generally have trouble with rowing out, and I'm not opposed to imperfections, but the stitches in this 100% cotton yarn looked a little too uneven for my tastes. Combination knitting helps to keep the tension of the purls equal to the knits. (It's probably hard to tell from this stupid picture.)

Learn more about combination knitting from Annie Modesitt and Grumperina.

Argyle Man Pattern

This pattern is available for $6.00 as a pdf download via Ravelry.*


Argyle designs are timeless and beautiful. The set-in sleeves and standard fit on this sweater add to its tailored, classic look. The pattern includes two charts for the color work: one scaled for the smaller sizes and one for the larger.

The argyle motif appears on the front only. The back piece is solid. You'll get plenty of argyle goodness without the sorrow involved in trying to match the design at the side seams.

Argyle looks classic in subdued colors, funky in bright shades, and subtle in earth tones.

Information
Recommended skill level: experienced knitters and patient beginners

Size: 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50
To fit chest size: 37-38 (39-40, 41-42, 43-44, 45-46 ,47-48,49-50) in / 94-96.5 (99-101.5, 104-106.5, 109-112, 114.5-117, 119.5-122, 124.5-127) cm
Sweater pictured has about 3 inches of positive ease.

Yarn: Elann Superwash Worsted
11 (12, 13, 14, 14, 15, 16) skeins in Jet Black (MC), 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2) skeins in Denim Grey (CC1), 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1) skein in Pewter (CC2)

Substitute yarn of similar weight (light worsted) and composition (wool) in the following approximate amounts:
For MC: 1301 (1393, 1487, 1584, 1667, 1772, 1909) yds / 1190 (1274, 1360, 1449, 1525, 1620, 1746) m
For CC1: 79 (81, 83, 84, 113, 116, 121) yds / 73, (75, 76, 77, 103, 106, 111) m
For CC2: 29 (30, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34) yds / 26 (27, 28, 28, 29, 30, 31) m

Needles: US 4/3.5 mm, US 6/4.0 mm straight, US 4 circular,16 in/40 cm (for neckband)
Misc: stitch markers, tapestry needle, optional yarn bobbins

Gauge: 22 sts and 28 rws over 4 in/10 cm

Techniques and stitches: casting on, binding off, intarsia, following a chart, increasing, decreasing, picking up stitches, mattress stitch or invisible seaming, Stockinette st, 1 x 1 rib

Click image below for a larger schematic.

* The button will take you to PayPal. After entering your payment information, you'll receive an e-mail with a download link, or if you're a ravelry.com member, the pattern will be placed in your library.

Hot Toes

Is it just me, or are these some good looking feet?

These are basic, toe-up socks. I added a few hugs and kisses cables on the cuff. I thought the cables were appropriate for a Valentine's Day gift, but unobtrusive enough that a fellow wouldn't feel ashamed to wear them.

I tried to use a tubular bind-off, but couldn't get it to look nice. I'll need to practice more before I master that technique. Instead, I worked the [k2tog, transfer just-worked-stitch back to left needle] repeat, bind-off. It's stretchy though nothing special to look at.

I think Don's feet look not only handsome, but happy.

Stats
Pattern: improvised the ribs and cables, consulted Wendy's Toe-up Socks for toe and heel construction (can't remember which pattern--they're all good).
Yarn: Paton's Kroy Socks, 75% washable wool, 25% nylon, in Flax, 2 skeins
Needles: size 2 dpns
Size: Don's. I traced his foot.

Poll: Pointed vs. Rounded Hoods

Do you like pointy or round hoods?

I like a pointed hood. But, they can look, well, too pointy.

Since I'm writing a pattern for the hoodie pictured, I thought I'd ask my readers. So, to my few and cherished readers, please make your voices heard and take the poll to the right. Leave a comment if you need more room to expound.

I did a few decreases to make the hood a little less angular. I like the way it looks here. Still, I can't decide if a round hood might not be better. I could easily rip out a few rows and rework the top.

When I write that part of the pattern, I could include instructions for both a pointy and a round hood. Maybe that's the best solution.

Birdie: free hat pattern

I like my running hat so much I decided to design a knitterly version of it.

Birdie is a trim hat with a petite brim. It is knit in the round from the bottom. On top, the cables twirl together in a sunburst design. Just like the classic baseball caps which inspired it, Birdie is topped off with a button.

Made from lightweight yarn, you won’t have to wait for cold weather to wear Birdie. Knit it in a luxurious silk and merino blend, or choose an affordable soft acrylic. Birdie also looks great as a beanie. Instructions for a brimless version are included at the end of the pattern.

Info
Yarn: 150 yds (135 m) of dk/sport weight yarn. The orange-red hat was knit in Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend, 30% silk, 70% wool, in color 3069. The purple hat is in Bernat Satin Sport, acrylic, in plum. Choose substitute yarns that have some elasticity, and that will meet the gauge below.
Needles: U.S. 4 (3.5 mm), 16” circular and 4 dpns
Crochet hook: U.S. D (3.25 mm)
Cable needle, stitch markers, tapestry needle
Gauge: 23 sts, 38 rws per 4 in. in st st. One 16 st pattern rep at cast on edge, where it is stretched, is 2.5 in. One pattern repeat, relaxed, is 2 in.
Size: One size fits most teens and adults. Finished hat at bottom band, before brim is attached, is 14.25 in, after brim is attached, 17.5 in. Hat will comfortably stretch up to about 23 in. The brim is 1.75 in deep by 5.5 in wide.

My Lucky Hat

The field in today’s Vancouver Fall 5 Miler was lucky; the rain poured down before the race and picked up again afterwards. Conditions during the run were good, no real rain, no real wind, just lots of wet leaves cushioning the path.

I had a bit of extra luck today, too. I got a blue ribbon. That’s always fun.

The course was flat, two loops through Marine Park and out along the riverfront past zillion-dollar condos with zillion-dollar views of the Columbia R.

I started too fast and drooped the last couple of miles. I’m still learning to pace. “Still learning” means I stink at it.

Last night, I reread the chapter called “Mental Training” in the racing book Don gave me. After reading this, I was determined to have a steely enough mind to make up for my lack of speed conditioning and running talent. This really didn’t work.

It did succeed in giving me monkey mind for the rest of the night. I tossed and turned, trying to come up with affirmations and anything else that might help with the discomfort of trying to run fast. Finally, I gave up on that and switched to inventing affirmations for falling asleep.

I’m still learning how to suffer (see above definition of “still learning.”) I’m getting a little better, I think. I tried to push through the discomfort and not let fatigue take too much of a toll. Don calls this “paying the price.”

For what it’s worth, I have a raw throat from gasping for breath. At one point, I thought I would puke. I told myself, unless I really did puke, I wouldn’t slow down. I think the imagery of that distracted me for a couple of seconds. Probably lost some time there.

I finished in an OK time, though. My pace was about the same as my 10k pr from a few months ago. A bug got lodged in my eye.

I’m always freezing after I run, so I piled on my sweats, parka, and a hat I knit last fall. I think it's just fine to wear stupid-looking hats. The stupider, the better, really. I feel satisfied that I’m able to combine a running post with a knitting FO post.

2 Hats and a Hoodie

I finished a hoodie, pattern to follow shortly. (Update: no pattern. I'm not really happy with how this hoodie turned out.)


And, a hat, free pattern to follow very shortly.
And, another hat, knit from sock yarn. It's light enough to wear running and to get stuffed into a pocket if the runner's head starts overheating. Notes and photos to follow shortly.

I'd like to apologize for the following boring post

Tomorrow, I’m set to run in a 15k. Yesterday, I hurt my back. As of today, I’m too sore to sit for more than 30 minutes at a time or to even attempt running.

The funny thing is, my stiff back may be a knitting injury. There’s nothing more unhealthy than sitting. It not only makes your hips large and flabby but stiff and tight. I haven’t figured out how to knit without sitting, though. And, I’m eager to finish my current project, the cabled hoodie.

Then again, I may have done damage to myself by running fast on pavement Wednesday. I just felt so good; the air was crisp, the sun was shining.

All I know is that Thursday, I woke up crippled and crimped and thought to straighten myself out with a cautious walk/jog on the treadmill. As I felt better, I sped up, ignored the twinges in my back, and did a few short strides of 30 to 60 seconds. This was a mistake.

Sometimes the runner’s high is a bad thing; you don’t notice the impending catastrophe. If I feel OK, I’ll run tomorrow. It’s going to be a mild October day in a park by a lake, so even if I don’t run, I’ll be on the sidelines cheering Don. It’ll be fun.

Calm after the storm

Last night and today the first of the season’s big storms blew through. I love to run after a night of wind and rain. The ground is soft and the air is fresh. Less hardy walkers and runners are scared off by the prospect of more rain.

The empty trails are especially welcome on a Saturday morning when running on a narrow track can be more like dodging and weaving. On sunny days, the trails are crowded with baby-strollers, dogs, and the obliviati with headphones and cell phones (did I just make-up a word?).

Autumn really is the most beautiful time for both running and knitting: it’s warm enough to run in shorts and cold enough to anticipate sweater weather.

I ran six miles between systems. (I’m not so hardy that I like to run during a storm.) Then, I settled in for an afternoon of knitting.

I think I’ll use these clasps instead of the wood buttons I originally planned on. I love moss stitch for its texture and simplicity. It adds depth and sheen to otherwise matte yarn (Cascade 220, cranberry). But, now that I’m nearing the end of this moss-stitch-heavy project, I’m looking forward to knitting something more involved. Something lacy, or cabled, or both.

Rough Stuff

I have a rough draft of the Kelso pattern! The pattern needs some heavy editing. Then it will go to my two test knitters, then more editing, before I can finally say "TADAH!" and publish it.

Now that I've turned the corner, I think I'll go for a refreshing run. I need to clear my mind since there's more math ahead.

Thanks for all the encouraging comments. You've kept me motivated.

Crap-free pattern writing is difficult

I miss knitting. Lately, I've been spending my knitting time writing a pattern for the Kelso Lace Cardigan, aka Horseshoe Corset Cardigan.

Pattern writing is a high-anxiety activity. My brow is furrowed. The stressful part is trying to make sure I don't publish something that's a piece of crap! No one likes crap.

Thanks for all the queries and compliments, both here and on ravelry. I hope to complete the pattern in August. I hope it will be sooner rather than later. I hope you will like it.

Horseshoe Corset Cardigan

I made this sweater from scratch. It’s a bottom up raglan, knit in one piece to the arms. I knit the sleeves individually and joined all the pieces on one circular, decreasing at the raglans and front neck until the yoke was okey-dokey.

I eyeballed the decreases and adjusted as I went. I was aiming for a shoulder and sleeve that are fitted but not tight. I hate it when my armpits are strangled.

The stitch pattern is horseshoe lace. I threw in a few rows of straight stitch at each “side seam” to give me the right width. The front edges are a 4-stitch eyelet pattern. I picked up stitches around the front and bound off purl-wise. This gives the edges a firm, neat finish. I thought the neck might stretch out, but on its test-drive, it was fine.

Horseshoe lace is very easy and looks cool. It doesn’t look much like horseshoes to me. The curves bisected by the ridged spine remind me of a fossilized something or other.

I didn’t want to think about waist shaping and interrupting the stitch pattern, so I went down one needle size in the midsection. This, along with negative ease, gives the cardigan shape. The width is 2” narrower than my chest measurement. Lace is stretchy, and looks good when it’s “opened.” So, I figured negative ease was the way to go.

I also wanted the look of an A-line without the extra width at the bottom. Leaving the bottom half of the front open, gives me that nice triangular shape. The lacing was an afterthought. It's a crocheted chain.

Specs
Pattern: My own.
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Lake (#110), about 3 skeins
Needle: Size 7 & 8 circulars and a crochet hook.

Junuary becomes June

Wasn't there once a transitional period between winter and summer? I think it was called spring. Anyway, after months of wet, cool weather, this week it got hot.

Today was 101 F. The heat is making me dream weird.

Dream #1: Someone bludgeons Ziggy. I'm running around with him in my arms trying to staunch the bleeding and get him to the hospital.

Dream #2: Another cat, who looks just like Ziggy except that he is black, tries to pass himself off as the real Ziggy. I am tipped off to the scheme when I see both cats in the same room, and by the the fact that Ziggy is a Seal Point Siamese not a black cat. Alarmed, I try to chase the black cat out the back door. Then I realize I'm not sure which cat is the impostor.

What kind of lame dreams are those? If I have to wake up hot and bothered, why do I also have to feel ashamed at the ridiculousness of my dreaming. I blame Ziggy. He was sleeping next to my shins the whole time I dreamt, hooking me with his after-stretching retracting claws. Why can't he stay on his side of the bed?

Knitting update: I'm working on my first pair of socks. I started with a lacey pattern, but decided what I really wanted was a plain, straight-stitch footie. I finally got past the heel on the first one after 4 false starts.

Honeycomb Vest

My sister realized that knitting and tendonitis don’t mix, so she gave me some yarn from her stash. Included in the bag were four skeins of Silky Wool. When I saw the Honeycomb vest pattern calling for four skeins of Silky Wool, it seemed like an omen.

I’m the model in the picture (note to self: in future, find something less weird to do with hands), but the vest was a b-day present for my sister.

I’ll always remember this project as the one that inspired me to walk to Walgreens and purchase reading glasses. I also learned to cable without a needle. I’m glad I did.

Specs
Pattern: Honeycomb by Sarah Caster, size small. Published on knitty.com.
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, four skeins
Needle: size 4 circulars
Modifications: Increased the length by .5.” Knit front and back in the round. Omitted waist shaping since the vest has several inches of negative ease.
Notes: This yarn should come with a warning label. It is very stretchy. I’m not sure if I’ll ever want to knit with it again. It requires careful blocking and reshaping after washing, and I’m lazy about those kinds of things. It also took a couple days to dry even after a run through the spin cycle.

Love sees what it wants to see

Why is it, I wonder, that I never remember to avoid projects that have a lot of stitches to pick up, especially when those stitches are for ribbing? I guess, if you fall in love with a pattern, you dismiss potential complications.

It usually takes me a couple tries before I pick up the right number, at the right tension, so that everything lies flat. (Or is it "lays flat"... another thing I can't get right.)

The Honeycomb vest has ribbing around the neck and armholes. Ribbing around the neck and arms is either perfect or it's crap. There's no middle ground. I like to eyeball things and improvise, but that usually doesn't work for ribbing...I'm going to have to rip out the first armhole's ribbing. Sigh. I wonder if icing one's head is as effective as icing one's feet?

I hope the Honeycomb will be a success and that the recipient will like wearing it. I hope she won't mind if it's a day or two late. I hope she looks on it with the eyes of love.

Two swatches and a cat

It's pink, and it's lacy, but so far that's all I know. Here's a swatch with a few stitch patterns, but no clear favorite. I bought this cotton yarn (Reynolds Saucy) a year ago after I learned to crochet. My intention was to make a lacy jacket thing. But, then I learned to knit. I haven't really crocheted since.

This is the beginning of the Honeycomb vest. It's pretty. The cable twist is kind of a pain in the gluteus maximus, though. The yarn (Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool) is thin and much darker than in these pictures. I'm having a hard time seeing the stitches. I'm getting used to it. And, since it's not for me, I can congratulate myself on what a self-sacrificing martyr I am when the irritation starts building.


It kind of looks like Ziggy is genuflecting to me in this pic. That'll be the day. He's playing on the bed. Like Oprah, he prefers fresh sheets daily, or at least every other day (I heard her say that on her show once). Clean bedding makes him frisky (don't know what effect they have on Oprah). As soon as the sheets hit the mattress, he starts prancing around, arching his back, hissing and acting tough. He does not deign to frolic on unclean sheets. He thinks they're...unclean.

Help save a Sun Bear

Perhaps you are thinking, given the photographic evidence, that I’m peculiarly untalented when it comes to knitting socks. It’s true; I have yet to knit a single pair of real socks. I started a pair about a year ago and haven’t progressed beyond the first 2 inches of cuff. However, this particular sock is humongous because it is for a Sun Bear. (It’s a bear bootie, sock or mitten, depending on your preference.)

Malay Sun Bear at Oregon Zoo. Photo by Stuart Seeger

A couple months ago, Animals Asia Foundation and Oregon Zoo requested help from knitters. Sun Bears need mittens to keep them warm after surgery. The bears need surgery to repair damage from years of living on bear farms in China. The farms are in the business of extracting bile from the animals’ gallbladders. The bile is used in traditional medicine.

It’s not a nice practice. Animals Asia Foundation has been rescuing and rehabilitating bears since 1998. Twisted, a yarn store in Portland, designed a pattern for the bear mittens/booties/socks. Any knitter who has a little time, some machine-washable yarn, and a love of bears, should knit some booties.

Ziggy says, "Be nice to bears...and isn't it past time for my 8pm feeding?"

Minimalist Raglan

Although I love Dobby the House Elf in the Harry Potter books, I’ve decided to give up dressing like him. I never meant to become an eyesore. Slovenliness snuck up on me. But, in my defense, it seems like a waste of valuable knitting time to put together a coordinated look in order to sit at home knitting.

Still, one doesn’t want to let these things get out of hand, so I compromised by knitting a house sweater. I’m happy with how it turned out. It’s roomy, comfortable, and looks better than lots of things I wear. It was also fun to knit because I made up the design as I went.

I started only with the intention of knitting a simple sweater with minimal shaping. I determined my gauge and my desired neck width and decided on everything else as things progressed. That’s the beauty of a top-down raglan. You can try it on and adjust things as you go.

I didn’t want any pattern or embellishments on the sweater, but I did add visible decreases on the front and back. I like the rolled hem at the neck, but chose a bumpy garter stitch hem for the bottom and cuffs. On the raglan seams, I increased every other row for the first and last couple of inches, and every third row for the main section. That gave me a roomy but neat looking armhole.

I’m calling this sweater a success even though it’s not gorgeous, and it’s made from yarn of questionable quality. That’s all OK, because the yarn and the design were perfect for my plan of a hanging-around-the-house-doing-dishes-and grooming-the-cat kind of sweater.

Specs
Pattern: My version of a basic top-down raglan. Finished chest is about 36".
Needles: size 10 for the body
Yarn: A little less than 6 skeins (750 yards) of Patons Shetland Chunky Tweeds, in Beige. 25% wool, 75% acrylic.

Dude, I needed more coffee

Yesterday was a rest day from running. I used the time to knit. I’m calling it “The Minimalist Raglan.” That name could change later.

I’m not using a pattern, just making it up as I go and keeping the numbers and measurements in my head. Except, my head is failing me.

I was happily knitting and watching a recording of the Boston Marathon, and I made a lot of progress on the sweater. I was in a great mood, sitting with my feet up, knitting and eating banana bread.

I got past the waist decreases and on to the hip increases. I felt kind of smug that everything was going so well. Then, I realized I had miscalculated the decreases.

Even without the help of a calculator, I know that 2 decreases x 2 sides does not = 2 decreases. I know, for a fact, that it = 4 decreases. It has always been 4. It always will be 4. 2 x 2 = 4. It does not equal 2. And, of course I did several decrease rounds, so the mistake was multiplied each time.

Does that mean the error grew exponentially? Well, anyway, I need a calculator for anything beyond 2 x 2 (which = 4).

My sweater was 2 inches narrower than I had planned. I could have worn it that way. It would have looked fine as long as I was always sucking in my stomach and standing at a certain angle. But, that's more work than just re-knitting.

I ripped it back and started again. After four rows, I noticed I was increasing instead of decreasing. And, it’s been that kind of a knitting day today, too. I have a picture of the sweater before I ripped it, but why waste the bandwidth posting it.

When I told this story to my mom, she laughed and laughed. She’s also a knitter.

Procrastination

This morning it was snowing. By 2 p.m. the sun was shining and pink cherry blossoms were standing out against a blue, white and gray sky.

Here is my blue, white and gray sweater in progress (shot in black and white). It took two days to knit and is taking two months to sew together…