Neighbor Sweater

So here's the sweater I knit for our neighbors' son.  He turns one this month (maybe on Wednesday?) and the weather here in Houston has just turned chilly, so hopefully he'll get some wear out of it.  I measured him last week and ended up making the sleeves just a little bit longer, but otherwise I think it will fit him fine.  I'll check in after a couple of days and see, especially since I forgot to put the care instructions with the sweater!  Oops.

The pattern is the Lottie Cardigan and it was a really simple knit.  It's made from the top down, so there are no seams.  Always fun.  I picked up the buttons at Park Avenue Yarns down south of us.  They were just what I was wanting.

Now I need to sew up my Solis and the Kris sweater for my friend.  I've started on the colorwork hat, and that is going better than I expected.  I'll probably test it out after a couple more rounds, just to be sure that the carried yarn isn't too tight.

I also discovered with the Kris sweater that not only was the back shorter than the front, but one side of the front was shorter than the other.  Yikes!  So that has all been corrected and now I can sew it up.  I need to do that soon!

Catherine is off in Chiang Mai (Thailand) for a month-ish, and then we'll all get to see her and her Evil Twin at Christmas time.  It will be so fun to catch up!

Margie

Overeager

While blocking the Kris sweater, I kept thinking that the back of the sweater looked shorter than the front.  Sure enough, when I held them up together, the back is at least a cm short.  My initial thought was just to stretch the back when sewing the pieces together, but then that would be wrong, and I want the sweater to be worn often, so better to do it the right way.  I undid the bind-off this morning and am about to knit a couple more rows and then bind off again.

After that, I'm hoping to steal a little time to myself to listen to a Craftsy class I got about colorwork. I haven't done it before, and there's a Christmas gift that requires this technique.  I saw that the class was on sale, so it seemed a fortuitous time to learn!  The tricky part has been finding time to sit down alone.

Smallest and I rode bikes a little this afternoon and that was fun.  The Boy promised me that he would go ride with me tomorrow.  That should be fun too!

Here's where you can see the difference between the back and the front.  The bind-off is about six rows, but there's still more to make up.

That's all for me right now.

Margie

Felted Sweaters

I am just about four cm shy of finishing the second Kris sweater for my Seattle friend.  The first one met an untimely end in a dryer.  Once the last sleeve is done, it's blocking time and then just the neckband and button bands.  I don't think it will take long.  Sometime this week, I think.  If I can block it today, then perhaps sew it up tomorrow?  Here is the picture from last week, taken before bus rides to work and riding along to New Braunfels for the weekend.  Lots of knitting time!

I was hopeful that I might finish all the pieces over the weekend and took along Middle's Sock With Holes in progress - this is from another bus ride, dance class, and some TV knitting?

It's the same yarn I used for the toes of Smallest's socks.  It's a lovely brown-green color.  I like the pattern too, easy to memorize and it moves along quickly!

I am excited because my step daughter asked for a hat for Christmas!  Yay!  I'm going to make the color work hat from the Merry Making field guide from Mason Dixon Knitting.  It will be my first color work adventure, so we'll see how that goes.

I spent some time recently moving yarn around the house and came to the conclusion that I have more yarn than I realized.  Before I can buy any new yarn, I need to get rid of a bunch of what I have already!  There are multiple sweaters waiting to be made, and some more shawls and such.  Time to get cracking!  Luckily there isn't a lot of Christmas knitting for this year, so that will allow me to get moving on other projects more quickly (hopefully).  My summer work meeting is in Germany this year, and I'd like to have the option to pick up some yarn while I'm away.  The Schoppe-Wolle zauber balls are really cheap over there, and not cheap at all over here.
Perhaps I can take inventory and make a list of projects to track progress along the way.

More pictures soon.

Margie

A Peekture!

First - here is the bright stripes blanket.  I wove the ends in and gave it a wash in the washing machine (in a sweater bag) and a tumble in the dryer too!

If I made this again, I would go down a needle size.  It did turn out nice and square, and both Middle and I love the i-cord around the edge.  Once I figured out how to do it, it was super easy and nice and tidy too.  You can see Bear the Dog curled up there next to the rowing machine too.  You can't see Jeff because he ducked out of the picture.  Middle has it now, and has promised not to take it to school.  Maybe she'll use it there during finals.  It gets pretty chilly in their classrooms.

Another picture!  Here is Solis:

What you can't see in this one is the tiny amount of yarn that remains.  I might have enough to do the neckline?  I'm supposed to block it, then three-needle-bind off the shoulders.  Next knit a couple of rows around the neck and seam up the sides.  I don't think there's enough for all of that.  However, I bought some extra yarn back when I was burning through yarn on the back, so all is well.  The pattern called for 5 skeins for this size and I just about made it.  If I had made it a little shorter (which it could probably stand to be) then I would have had plenty.

I've moved things around in the house.  All the yarn and knitting gear used to be on the ground floor in The Boy's closet.  That became rather inconvenient once he was living at home again.  Up in our bedroom on the second floor we have a wardrobe with all our games and puzzles inside.  Jeff suggested moving the yarn up there, so I sorted the games and put the yarn where the less-loved games were.  Not all the yarn fit, but all the yarn that has a destiny is in there, so that's helpful, and all the needles and bags and other stuff is up there too, so it makes project choosing much easier.

The next projects include finishing the blue baby sweater, hopefully for our neighbor whose baby is turning one in November.  A remake of the sweater for my Seattle friend - there was a dryer accident - is also coming, that should be fast!  Younger stepdaughter has asked for a hat, so I might as well make one for her sister so they can match.  Smallest has asked for a headband to keep her ears warm, and I'm planning to make an Easel-like sweater for Middle.  Jeff bought me a kit for the Hue Shift blanket, so that might be my couch project once other things are underway.

I've decided to bail on the Sunwalker.  I need to unknit it and rewind the yarn.  I'll either rework it with larger needles, or find a better way to use the yarn.  I still love the pattern, it's just not right the current way.

I think that's it.  Middle is deep in the thrall of quilting.  It's lots of fun.  She is also very fond of weaving, so I've given her some yarn that I will never use and she loves it.  It will be fun to see what she makes!

Catherine is currently in Vietnam after spending the summer/winter in Melbourne.  I wonder if she picked up some yarn there...

Margie

Bright Stripes is done!

Now all I need is a picture.

I do have a few more ends to weave in, and then a nice wash before it's officially turned over to Middle.  I hope that she appreciates it.  It is Ginny the Cat's favorite thing to sleep on.  Especially if it is on someone's lap.

I'm also close to finishing the little sweater.  I am thinking that I will give it to our neighbor for their son's birthday, but I need to make sure it will fit.

I've started on a sweater for me, and I'm one row away from finishing the back.  I'll post a picture of that as well.  The pattern is Solis and I'm using the recommended yarn.  Although I thought I would only need five skeins of yarn and I've gone through at least 2.5 for the back.  I bought a little extra after starting the second ball, and perhaps the front will use less yarn.  Then I'll have extra.  Oh no, not that!

Still no new progress on the Bad Shawl.  I think that I will pick that up after Christmas knitting.  We shall see.  I'm also a little tempted to just undo the whole thing and start over with bigger needles too. Then I could also put the white stripe in earlier as well.  Time will tell.

School has started.  Middle and Smallest are in the same school this year and Middle loves driving to school.  The Boy is home for another semester and working on things more diligently than in the spring, so perhaps he'll head back to college in the spring.  Time will tell there too.

Sockrageous!

More socks!  Just what everyone wants...

Smallest was feeling left out because she had no mom-made socks, so while she was away at a summer dance intensive in Austin, I made her some socks.  After we dropped her off, Jeff and I found a yarn place that I had been to the last time we were in Austin (Hill Country Weavers) and I picked up two skeins of sock yarn, one for Smallest and one for Middle.

These are made with the Socks With Holes In pattern.  Middle chose the pattern a while back and I will be making her some of these as well.  It was an easy pattern to follow and I really love the how the toe spirals closed.  I decided to make the toe for Smallest's socks out of the yarn for Middle's, and I'll reverse it for Middle's socks.  That way they can have connected socks, which seems appropriate as they are becoming more connected as they are getting older.

Smallest is delighted with the socks and wore them on the airplane to go spend time with her dad.  It is nice that there's a bit of me there with her.  I think Middle took some of her socks as well.  Now I just need The Boy to want something...  There is a possibility that he'll be staying in Canada with his dad for the rest of the year, so perhaps a hat will be in order.

The day after I finished Smallest's socks, I had a plane trip to pick up Middle from her art program near Boston.  I didn't want to start on more socks, but I wanted something quick and mindless (not the bad shawl) so I decided to make a little sweater for my physical therapist's daughter.  I found a cute pattern (Lottie Cardigan) and cast on while waiting to board.  After the weekend of flights and some doctors' appointments with Smallest, I'm about to pick up the sleeves.  It's very cute and I'm hoping to finish soon.  Even better, it was made with yarn I already had.

Jeff and I are heading on a last-minute vacation while the kids are all with their dad, and I'm thinking about what project to take with me, and planning yarn shop visits in Chicago, where we are heading.  There seem to be several nice places to go, so that will be fun.

Catherine is still having All the Fun in Australia.

Margie

Socks for Everyone!

I am behind on posting, but there wasn't a lot going on for a while except me preparing for the Annual Meeting of our graduate student program.  That was over at the end of June and I've had a little more time for fun since then.

First, I give you Jeff's socks with an afterthought heel.

This was the first time I've done an afterthought heel, where you make up the sock as a tube and then go back, cut the knitting, and pick up stitches to put the heel in.  I was worried about having enough yarn, so I used the extra yarn from supplementing my Sunwalker shawl as the heels and toes.

It was also my first time to use Kitchener stitch.  The first two went very smoothly.  The third was not so great, and the fourth was better.  Perhaps a good reason to switch to toe-up socks...

I picked up some yarn from Must Stash in the Dark Side of the Moon colorway to make more socks for Middle.  As we were discussing the socks, Smallest mentioned that she would like to have a pair of socks, since I don't make things for her.  I have made things for her, I think she's just not remembering them.  I also spend way more time with her than I do with Middle, because of all the dancing.  However, I told her I would make some socks.  When I dropped her off in Austin at the ABT Summer Dance Intensive program, I picked up some local yarn at Hill Country Weavers and cast on when on the plane to take Middle to her pre-college art program at Monserrat in Beverly, MA.

 

The first one is early on the plane trip there, and then the second one is towards the end of my return flight on Sunday.  It was a good knitting trip!  Lots of plane time, and some sitting in the airport waiting time as well.  I did have a scare where I thought I lost one of my needles on the flight back.  I'm already down to four in that size, so I can't lose another!
Not much has been done since, but I'm hoping to have them finished before I pick her up.  I'm going to make the same pattern for Middle, and my plan is to switch yarns for their toes, so they can look at their socks and think of each other.  They have become very attached to each other this summer, which is nice.  I'll include the pattern and the yarns with some more pictures soon.

There are other projects in the works, but we're waiting on the sewing machine tune-up.  It should be back by the end of the month, and then there will be more to do!

Margie

More socks, and sock frustration

So perhaps I need to be more careful about reading directions?  Or maybe not?  Perhaps I need to knit a bunch of sock swatches.  Here is my dilemma.

I've started knitting Jeff a pair of socks, since I'm ignoring the sweater I should be knitting for him.  The yarn is from Schachenmayr Regia, and it's called "Pairfect" because you get a perfect stripey match from the two socks.  The ball band says use size 1-3 needle, so I'm on a smaller size 2, and I've cast on 72 stitches because Jeff has big feet.  Also on the band, there are instructions on the back that talk about using Color 1 for the cuff and then Color 2 for the sock.  I thought it was just one ball for all the sock, so I've forged ahead.  My sock looks like there's a lot more non-stripey parts than the sample sock.  I suspect that I need to go down a needle size, although there is still no Color 1 and Color 2...

The cool thing about the yarn is that you can start from the inside of the ball or the outside, so in theory, I could pull from the middle and test it out on smaller needles to see if I like that better.  That way, I don't have to destroy the current sock until I decide what to do.

Other than that, it's been some blanket work and some shawl work.  Not a lot going on!  Easter was nice, there's been a lot of dance as well.  Smallest has been accepted to the dance program at the Performing and Visual Arts high school that Middle goes to.  She is super excited!  

I may get to help Middle with a seat cover for a chair she made at school.  I've loaned her a quilt pattern book and she's chosen a design and bought some fabric.  I hope she'll let me play too!

Catherine is currently in Japan.  We may never hear from her again!

Margie

Socks away!

I finished the Swirl socks for Middle.  Making the correction to the first sock took no time at all, and I gave them their bath last night.  I don't think she's wearing them today, but she likes them a bunch and I am sure they'll go in rotation soon.  They fit me as well, so I can steal them sometimes.

With the socks done, I've reverted to working on the Sunwalker shawl.  I stopped by the post office and they let me use their scale to measure 1.5 oz of yarn, which should be about 200 yards.  I need to use less than that, but I figure it's safer to have a little extra.  I've finished the first textured block and now am on the lace portion, so I'll put the stripe in soon.  There are three blocks of 24 rows, so I'm trying to decide between the first block and the second.  Here's my little ball of yarn, and the remaining skein:

I did some work on Middle's blanket as well while we were watching Valerian and the City of 1,000 Planets.  A decent movie, and I got four or five rows in?  They're rather long now.  The shawl is getting big too.  I think next will be a pair of socks for Jeff, and maybe a quick sweater for Smallest.  This is the plan, the Uncomplicated sweater, with a pocket made with the pompom yarn.  Pompoms at the collar, cuffs, and bottom as well.  Should be cute!

Looking forward to Easter this weekend.  We're getting our bad weather now, so the weekend is supposed to be nice.

Margie

So behind!

Oh my, I didn't realize I hadn't written anything in so long.  Here's a quick update.

Catherine has now moved from Hawaii to Tokyo.  Her travel adventure continues!

Since January, I've been working on the green swirl socks for Middle.  I finished the first, had to re-do the bind off because it was too tight, and then start the second.  I've now almost finished the second, and I ended up making it a little longer than the first, so I'll need to go back and correct the first.  For some reason I didn't "get" the pattern with the first sock, but now it's super easy for me and much more enjoyable to knit.

We went to a ballroom competition in NYC and Jeff and Smallest were kind enough to accompany me to Purl Soho.  I picked up some yarn to make Smallest a sweater, a Threadfollower kit for Smallest, some fabric scraps for Middle, and that might have been it.  It was lovely to be there and pet all the yarn in person.  We got tiny pom-pom yarn to use in the edges of the sweater and to make a pocket.  The one we picked is a different color, but this gives you the idea.

I've been working intermittently on the Sunwalker shawl.  I realized that I wasn't going to have enough yarn, so I've been looking for something that would substitute.  I ended up with something too dark, something too bright blue, and now instead of trying to match it, I got some plain off-white yarn that looks to be about the same thickness and ply, so they should match pretty well.  I'll do a stripe in the lace part and hopefully it won't be awful.  Here's the yarn with the bright and dark.

There hasn't been a lot of TV watching lately, so not much progress on the blanket for Middle.  I think that's about it!  We're driving up to Dallas this weekend for Jeff's younger daughter's 18th birthday, so that means lots of knitting time for me!

Margie

Tiny Sweaters

I mentioned previously that I was making a sweater for a friend's baby.  The baby is one, but big like The Boy was, so I made a larger size sweater that I think will fit.  We shall see!  It took me a while to sew the pieces together, but I finally mailed it off on Tuesday.  Yay!  Here is the finished product.

Now that the sweater is done, and Christmas knitting is done - I finished the fingerless gloves for Smallest as well - I started working on something fun for me.  I bought some pretty blue sock yarn in Savannah when Middle and I were visiting SCAD and I thought it might make a nice Polka Dot scarf.  I was on a business trip in early January and made a test swatch that seemed okay, so I forged ahead.  I got about six inches or so in and decided that this was not the right pattern for the yarn.  Boo!

(Where are the polka dots?  Plus it's too narrow.)

I tested out another pattern, but decided that the yarn was too dark to nicely show the stitch pattern, so I scrapped that one too.  No picture of that one.  After some time spent searching Ravelry, I found Sunwalker (which keeps making me think of Skywalker) which seems to be made for sock yarns with lots of speckles.  I started on the plane home and out of the 24 repeats of the textured part, I've just finished 20.  The yarn and the pattern are playing nicely this time.  I would add a picture but I've left it at home today.  I'll add one later, along with Smallest's gloves.  I don't think I got a picture of the Christmas scarf and cowl.  Alas.

While Smallest was getting her braces on this morning, I turned the heel of the Swirl socks I'm making for Middle (I forgot the Sunwalker shawl at home).  They use shadow wraps on the heel and that was something new to me.  It was pretty cool and I'm looking forward to doing it again on the other sock.  I feel a bit like the first sock is a bit of a practice sock, so it's a shame I'm not making three!

I can't think of what else is going on.  Jeff is in Dallas this week with his younger daughter while his ex is taking their older daughter to Madrid for a semester abroad.  Pretty cool!  

Oh - and I get to see Catherine in person in just a few weeks at a science meeting in San Francisco!  Yay!

Margie

Unhappy Cat

This is Ginny McSqueakins yesterday when I took her to the vet.  She was generally silent and unhappy, stuffing her head into the corner of the carrier, perhaps in an attempt to reach another dimension where there are only sunbeams and couches to sleep on.

Margie