How Do I Love Thee, Wedding Shawl?

I promised I'd put up pictures of the finished, blocked "Girl's Best Friend" shawl as soon as I could, so here you go! Just to sum it up, since I hope to not be posting about this every day from now on:

Pattern: A Girl's Best Friend, from Jade Sapphire (hard to find in stores, and no longer on their website)
Yarn: Australian merino roving in natural and tan from Outback Fibers, blended by a friend of Jody's. Spun to 2-ply laceweight, by Jody in the Netherlands, who used to be Jody in Austin.
Needles: Size 6 circular, KnitPicks Harmony.
Beads: Clear size 6 seed beads lined with gold, 1570 or so (most of 5 vials of beads) from Legendary Beads in Austin. Attached using crochet hook method (size 11 hook).
Size: Wingspan was about 60" after blocking, but seems to have shrunk up a bit.

The shawl took me only two weeks to knit, which surprised me, but then, I was not working, and the shawl was so much fun to work on that it was hard to stop. Between the lovely yarn and the fun of the beads, it was endlessly fascinating. It has a nice weight and feel, with the beads on the edges doing a good job of making it drape. And the beads look stunning in person, but hide in photos--I hope you can see them a bit!

My son, Beccano, and I blocked it yesterday using Jody's blocking wires (good thing I know Jody, or this would be a nonexistent shawl) and t-pins that we went out and bought, since my other ones are misplaced somewhere. He was very patient and helpful, which added to how special the shawl is to me. Heck, I had refused to sew him disco pants in some shiny, sheer rainbow fabric he spotted at the fabric shop (he swore he'd wear them to school!), and I made him look at wedding dress patterns, too, but he still helped me! What a guy. He got meatloaf for dinner as a reward.

Today Beccano patiently photographed me in the shawl, twice, since the first set of photos featured me wearing the shawl inside out. The beads are hard enough to see in photos without that extra challenge! He paused a couple of times to photograph lizards and such. The photos you see here are the ones he took.

On my Flickr pages are lots of shawl photos that you can blow up pretty large, if you want to try to see the beads better. Thanks to all who helped me make this or supported me during the process. Now I have to plan the REST of the wedding (November 28, if jobs and availability go right).

Instant Sock Pattern

Today I bring you a pattern for the socks I use in my "Instant Sock" class. It's a very quick knit, thanks to using worsted weight yarn at a large gauge for socks. They end up being "house socks," not something you could wear with shoes.

There are two versions or the pattern, one for the knitter and one for the teacher. Click here for the teacher version. You are welcome to print these out and use them for teaching, because I know how hard it is to find materials with permission to use in a class!

Instant Socks

By Sue Ann Kendall

Top-down house socks in worsted weight yarn using magic loop technique. Perfect as a first sock project, and especially well suited to teaching magic loop socks in a day, because the short top lets you spend more time on the heel section, and in a long enough class you can get all the way to the toe.

Materials

Worsted weight yarn, approximately 200 yards

32-inch circular needle, size 4 or size to get gauge.

Spare double pointed or circular needle if using 3-needle bind-off.

Gauge

5 stitches per inch

Sporty Short Leg

Cast on 40 stitches. Good cast-ons include the knitted and long tail. Just make sure you use one that is stretchy.

Divide the needle so that there are 20 stitches on each half. Use magic loop technique to knit 5 rows in k2, p2 ribbing, then 5 rows of stockinette (knit each stitch).

Heel

You will work the heel back and forth on half of the stitches.

Flap:

Row 1: slip 1, k1 across the 20 stitches. Turn.
Row 2: slip 1, p to end of row.

Repeat these two rows until you have completed 20 rows (you will see 10 raised slip stitch columns).

Turn heel:

K 12, SSK, k1, turn
P 5, p2tog, p1, turn
K 6, SSK, k1, turn
P 7, p2tog, p1, turn
K8, SSK, k1, turn
P 9, p2tog, p 1, turn
Continue in this pattern until there are no stitches left unworked on either end (should be a purl row). Knit across.

Gusset

Pick up one stitch in every slipped stitch on the side of the heel flap after your knitted row. 10 stitches added. Resume knitting in the round, and knit across the side that has been resting (this is the top of the foot, or “instep”). Be sure to knit the first stitch tightly, to avoid a hole at this transition. The instep stitches will simply be knit on each round until you get to the toe.

Shift your needles as if you are about to start the other side, then pick up 10 stitches along the other side of the heel flap, one stitch in each slipped stitch. Continue and knit across the heel and the stitches you picked up earlier (these stitches are the foot and gusset, all one one needle) until the last three stitches, then k2tog, k 1.

Next:
Row A: knit across instep stitches; on foot side k 1, SSK, k across.
Row B: knit across instep stitches; on foot side, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k 1.
Repeat these two rows until you have 20 stitches on the foot side.

Foot

Knit in the round until the sock is long enough to cover the tip of your little toe. You can try on your sock at any time by moving the stitches to the cable part of the needle. It will stretch.

Toe

Row A: k 1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, K1; repeat on other half of round.
Row B: Knit.
Repeat these two rows until you have 8 stitches left on each half of the sock. Graft the 8 stitches together and fasten off.

OR

Repeat these two rows until you have 10 stitches left, then repeat Row A only until you have 4 stitches on each half of the round. Cut the yarn, leaving a 10-inch or longer tail. Poke this yarn to the inside of the sock, and poke your needles to the inside as well. Turn the sock inside out and straighten the needles so they are parallel again. Then, use a spare double pointed needle to use the 3-needle bind off technique to secure the 4 remaining stitches on each side of the sock.

Weave in your ends, turn the sock right-side out if you need to, and admire your new instant socks.

Copyright ©2008 Sue Ann Kendall

---

Instant Socks, with teaching tips

By Sue Ann Kendall

Top-down house socks in worsted weight yarn using magic loop technique. Perfect as a first sock project, and especially well suited to teaching magic loop socks in a day, because the short top lets you spend more class time on the heel section, and in a long enough class you can get all the way to the toe. An average knitter can easily knit at least one of these in a day. This version of the instructions has teaching tips for each section, marked with a ***and italic text.

***Most knitters can complete one of these in four hours, especially if you make a “class sock” with a shortened foot section.

Materials

Worsted weight yarn, approximately 200 yards—machine washable is preferable

*** Suggest students use light-colored yarn, so they can see their stitches more easily.

32-inch circular needle, size 4 or size to get gauge.

***If you know your students knit very tightly or loosely, adjust the size. I knit loosely, so should have used size 3.

Spare double pointed or circular needle if using 3-needle bind-off.

***Students who are afraid of grafting may prefer this method.

Gauge

5 stitches per inch

***On this practice sock, don’t spend a lot of time knitting swatches.

Sporty Short Leg

Cast on 40 stitches. Good cast-ons include the knitted and long tail. Just make sure you use one that is stretchy.

***Here is where you can teach a new cast-on, if desired. It’s always good for knitters to know a variety of techniques. The backward loop method is a spectacular failure for sock legs, so steer students away from that one.

Divide the needle so that there are 20 stitches on each half. ***I find it easiest to demonstrate how the magic loop set up and start works, then watch each student as she or he starts their sock. That avoids unexpected twisting or big gaps in the first stitch, so they will have a more successful experience. If you want to show them the technique of casting on one extra then knitting the last stitch together with the first, you can.

Use magic loop technique to knit 5 rows in k2, p2 ribbing, then 5 rows of stockinette (knit each stitch). If you have time and sufficient yarn, you can make the leg as long as you want.

***Explain to them how to avoid gaps between the halves of the row, and remind them to move the yarn to the right position at the start of each half, since they are doing ribbing. When they are working on the easy part and getting used to the magic loop technique is a good time for introductions and for finding our if they have the skills needed for the heel (picking up stitches, SSK, k2tog, p2tog).

Heel

You will work the heel back and forth on half of the stitches.

***Stress this.

Flap:

Row 1: slip 1, k1 across the 20 stitches. Turn.
Row 2: slip 1, p to end of row.
Repeat these two rows until you have completed 20 rows (you will see 10 raised slip stitch columns).

***Point out that they will not slip as if to knit—the slipped stitch needs to just transfer to the needle in the orientation it is already in. Tell them why the flap uses slip stitch technique, and point out that the slipped stitches make it easy to figure out where you are on the flap. Mention that they will use the slipped end stitches later. Check their work frequently.

Turn heel:

K 12, SSK, k1, turn
P 5, p2tog, p1, turn
K 6, SSK, k1, turn
P 7, p2tog, p1, turn
K8, SSK, k1, turn
P 9, p2tog, p 1, turn
Continue in this pattern until there are no stitches left unworked on either end (should be a purl row). Knit across.

***Go over the directions before they start the heel turn, pointing out the pattern. You can mention that a way to figure out where to start the heel is to knit half the stitches on the needle plus two, then SSK, K1, tuen. Next P5, p2tog, p1, turn. This will work no matter how many stitches are on your sock if there is an even number. You just do more short rows on socks with more stitches.

***Show them how you don’t really have to count—you always do SSK or p2tog on the two stitches on either side of the short row gap.

***Make sure they end up on the correct side of the sock to do the gusset pick-up.

Gusset

Pick up one stitch in every slipped stitch on the side of the heel flap after your knitted row. 10 stitches added. Resume knitting in the round, and knit across the side that has been resting (this is the top of the foot, or “instep”). Be sure to knit the first stitch tightly, to avoid a hole at this transition. The instep stitches will simply be knit on each round until you get to the toe.

***If you want to show them your favorite techniques for snugging up the hole, now’s the time. On these loosely knit socks, gaps are hard to avoid. Let them know that even good sock knitters sometimes have the hole.

Shift your needles as if you are about to start the other side, then pick up 10 stitches along the other side of the heel flap, one stitch in each slipped stitch. Continue and knit across the heel and the stitches you picked up earlier (these stitches are the foot and gusset, all one one needle) until the last three stitches, then k2tog, k 1.

***Make sure they don’t try to put all the stitches on one half of the sock. Have them snug up the gap on this side, too.

***This set up is what I always use on socks, rather than shifting stitches and putting half on each side of the needles like some sock patterns do. When all the gusset and foot stitches are on one needle, it can be a little awkward at first, but really not too bad. Give it a try if you haven’t before! Or, feel free to do the gusset your favorite way.

Next:
Row A: knit across instep stitches; on foot side k 1, SSK, k across.
Row B: knit across instep stitches; on foot side, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k 1.
Repeat these two rows until you have 20 stitches on the foot side.

***I wrote this out the way I did so students can see the pattern. I usually also show them how to tell whether they decreased on either end, by checking for two loops on the second stitch from the end. If there are two, you decreased on the last row and don’t need to now. If the second or second-to-last stitch looks normal, you need to decrease. I point out that many of us find it less stressful to not have to count or keep track of rows by “reading our knitting.”

Foot

Knit in the round until the sock is long enough to cover the tip of your little toe. You can try on your sock at any time by moving the stitches to the cable part of the needle. It will stretch.

***If your time is limited and you really want to show the students all the parts of a sock in one class, you can cut the foot short and go to the toe at any time. This will make a “class sock” that doesn’t fit a real foot, but has all the elements of a real sock.

Toe

Row A: k 1, SSK, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, K1; repeat on other half of round.
Row B: Knit.

***Ensure that the students are doing the decreases on BOTH sides of the sock.

Repeat these two rows until you have 8 stitches left on each half of the sock. Graft the 8 stitches together and fasten off.

***It helps to have an illustration for grafting. Use whatever technique works for you.

OR

Repeat these two rows until you have 10 stitches left, then repeat Row A only until you have 4 stitches on each half of the round. Cut the yarn, leaving a 10-inch or longer tail. Poke this yarn to the inside of the sock, and poke your needles to the inside as well. Turn the sock inside out and straighten the needles so they are parallel again. Then, use a spare double pointed needle to use the 3-needle bind-off technique to secure the 4 remaining stitches on each side of the sock.

***I find this method sturdier than grafting on worsted weight socks or any ones that are loosely knit. The bind off is not irritating to the wearer, either. Moving the yarn and needles to the inside of the sock is the trickiest part of this technique.

Weave in your ends, turn the sock right-side out if you need to, and admire your new instant socks.

***Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving this pattern or the teaching notes, please!

Copyright ©2008 Sue Ann Kendall

Wedding Shawl Off the Needles

Unblocked Wedding Shawl
Originally uploaded by sunasak

It's not blocked yet, but it is knitted! Yes, here's my shawl. It is currently rather small, but we'll see how it turns out once I block it tomorrow or Sunday. All the beads (that border is solid bead, just about) make it hang nicely, so I don't think it will fall off a lot when I am wearing it. A good thing. And I am glad it isn't TOO long, so whatever dress I find will show! I am soooo happy with this. Well, that and having some positive job news today--no offer but two very positive signs. I think I'll just stick in more shawl photos now.



First, here the shawl rests on some big-ass plant in my front yard. The color is more accurate in this photo.



Next is a close-up, so you can really see the beads. The sun is hitting them, so some are extra shiny. I hope it's OK to put in so many photos. I am just happy to have the shawl.

We Have Reached Bind Off!

I just want to quickly shout with glee that I have reached the bind off on the wedding shawl! It's a mini i-cord one, so it will probably take a while. I am glad I will have something so wonderful to show for my unemployment time!

(I am still in the running for the great job I interviewed for week before last, I just found out, so I have some renewed hope.)

I also have three exciting dishcloths done, and tomorrow will finish some very hideous "teaching socks" when my students come in (I will share a photo when finished, but you have to promise to not laugh at them). They will be good to wear around the house to keep the danged mosquitoes off.

Project Overload Commences

Pink Dishcloths
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Suddenly I have a LOT of projects lined up for after the shawl, none of which are for me. At least I will not be bored in my unemployment time! Here are some pink dishcloths I am making for Des in New York. Also there is the yarn I got to make some more, since the LYS is having a sale and I get a good discount when that happens. I have about had it knitting with Sugar & Cream yarn, so some nicer cotton will be a relief. I am making a mitered square cloth out of the leftovers of these two, then will make a solid pink cherry one (I may make two of those in different pinks, since she has a cherry theme). I look forward mostly to making three from patterns I found in the Harmony Guide with lace stitches in it. Whee. It's nice to have an easy commission.

Then Suzanne in Georgetown wants me to make a Lace and Cable top like my recent red one, since it was a bit much for her to try for herself (really was frustrating to her). I love the yarn she picked, so I will try to do that for her.

And I DO have to finish the grandmother afghan, which is sitting there waiting for me to finish just a few rows. I need to give it to its owner! Gosh, I really have to get that done! But, noo....I decided to make the wedding shawl one border repeat longer, so that is what I will be doing the rest of today! I only have 3 or 4 rows left, then the knitted i-cord cast off. Wah. Then I will block it, and I guess just look at it and sigh with pleasure for 5 months. I am pretty sure I will design my own mitts to go with it, using the medium and small diamonds from the pattern on the mitts. But, I may wait until the commissions are off my plate. I must not be so selfish and just make my own beautiful items, hee hee.

OK, the day is young and I need to do a job interview in a few minutes, so I'll leave you to your blog reading!

Suna Buys More Yarn

Rio de la Plata
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I remember that I don't have a job, but yarn cheers me up. So, when I dropped by the Gauge LYS on my way to buy D&D stuff for my kids and more beads for the wedding shawl, I let myself get some new pretties. Here you see lovely Rio de la Plata sock yarn that I let Beccano choose the color of. Certainly it's bright and cheery. I also got Panda Silk in blues and, sigh, I succumbed and bought some Noro sock yarn. I'd been waiting to get some at my usual shop, but I don't think she's going to order any. It's certainly Noro-esque, rough and irregular, but the colors are very pretty. I've seen the one I got knit up (greens and pinks) and it is quite fine. Now at least I can give these yarns a try, if their numbers come up, heh heh.

At least I am on sock #2 of the Cherry Rib ones, so some day I'll get to pick a new sock yarn!

The Wedding Shawl is taking most of my knitting time. I got to the end of it, and since I bought three more tubes of beads, I decided to add one more repeat of the border pattern. It will make it very bead-filled on the bottom, and more important, a bit longer. From what I have read, this is not a really big shawl when blocked, so a few more inches may be good. I am looking for a nice lacy fingerless mitt pattern to knit and add beads to as an accessory. It may be chilly at the wedding, so this seems wise. And it will be a good use for the leftover yarn. Another idea would be to incorporate the motifs from the shawl into fingerless mitts.

When I don't have time to sit and work on the shawl, I am making some cotton dishcloths for a blog friend who has a pink kitchen with a cherry theme. I found the one cherry patterned dishcloth on the Internet (yay) so one cloth will have that. The others are some patterns in a Lily brochure that I am doing for fun, plus I made up a few based on Harmony Guide patterns, which I'll do next. I'll put up some photos soon as I have some. I am just using Sugar & Cream, nothing fancy.

Well, I have to get ready for a job interview. Yay for that.

First Cherry Rib Sock/Shawl Progress

Cherry Rib Sock
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I had to stop knitting on the shawl yesterday, since I needed to teach a class and it now requires a bit of concentrating. So, I finally finished the first of these Cherry Rib socks. I am enjoying beads so much that I just put a few of them up at the top of the sock foot. They show up on the close-up picture.

Everyone who saw this sock yesterday wanted the pattern. I did share the stitch repeat I used a few days ago. The only addition is that I have a twisted stitch column going up each side, since the socks are 68 stitches around but the pattern is 32 stitches (multiple of 5 plus 2). What surprised me was how incredibly "ribby" the ribbing pattern is. Look at the photo of the sock without a foot in it and you will see what I mean. The leg resembles a loofah or something.Certainly these socks will stay up! They'd be good for someone with thick calves and thin heels!


I realize I really ought to do these original designs in yarns that highlight the design more. I did recently buy some more solid-esque sock yarns. I may re-do the Rainy Day Socks in a less busy yarn, for example, so people can see the umbrellas and raindrops. I just have SO many colorful yarns...Guess I should churn out some plain socks in those.

In shawl news, I got a few rows in last night. The borders have a LOT of beads in them, which does slowdown the process. But, whoa, does it look nice! I am very excited about how it is coming out. I see that it will be somewhat small, so I am considering making the border longer. I have to get more beads anyway, and they aren't expensive. The border repeat is only four rows, so it would be easy enough to do one more repeat of the edge pattern, which would add about 4 inches to the completed project. So, I will think on this.

Thanks to a suggestion to one of the ladies who come to the LYS, I added one blue bead to the shawl, so it can be "something blue" in my wedding ensemble. Thanks to Dawn for this idea!


On Friday night I decided I wanted to meet some new people, so I went to the Mystery Knit Night at the LYS. I'd had a bad day (made better by a job interview that came in very late!), so I was ready for something distracting. It was a good event, with just enough people but not too many. We got a bag with three partial balls of cotton yarn, a tongue depressor with a tiny mirror on it, and some instructions. We weren't told what we were making (that was the mystery). I wish I had picked a different pattern, since mine turned out to be mostly a stockinette rectangle, but I enjoyed listening to people talk (for the most part), and guessing what we were making. I was wrong, I was NOT making a butterfly. We were given a second bag with a bar of soap and a shower cap in it. Yes, the thing we made was a soap sack. We got ribbons to sew it up when complete, then we were to put on our shower caps and look at ourselves in the tiny mirror. I do believe photos were taken,of everyone in their shower caps, but I don't have copies (luckily). The project was not terribly thrilling, but I enjoyed the new people I met and the old friends who were there as well, so it was worthwhile.

Yesterday I taught a new class, "Instant Sock" and it went pretty well. The idea is to knit an ankle sock, so the student will have a chance to make a heel in the session. It worked--the student did get down to the gusset in the three hours allotted. Yay! I also started teaching a felted bag class, but will have to finish up on that one next week.

The goal of today is to see how much more shawl I can do. Go me! I guess I'll go until I run out of beads. Beccano and I will go to the bead store tomorrow to replenish. Have a good week, everyone, and post a comment to let me know how you are doing if you are so inclined.

Another Lesson in Knitting Repair

Blocked Raglan Cardigan
Originally uploaded by sunasak

First, here is one more photo of that cardigan I finished. This is its blocked look, so you can see the little collar that showed up when I improvised a bit. Blocking the Cotton Bam Boo yarn went really well. I steam pressed it. The stitches evened out well, and it got just slightly bigger, so it fits very well. Other people's versions on Ravelry are bigger, but I think this one is nice.

It's good to have some successes, since I really messed up last night. I had knit 6-7 rows on the shawl yesterday. The going is slower now that I am finished with the diamonds and on to the edging, which is where more and more beads show up. I was admiring its shininess when I noticed that I put two beads in the wrong spot a few rows down. One was in the center of a motif, so I was able to put one in the right place easily, but the other was in a section with a lot of YO and decreases, which are hard to reach down and undo. I thought, well, I'll just make the extraneous bead go away. I had read that you can use needle-nose pliers to crush "bad" beads on a string, so I figured I could just crush the one in the wrong spot. I enlisted poor Lee's help, and when the thing finally crushed, it also broke the yarn. 5 rows down. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

It wasn't Lee's fault--I'd asked him for help. But, let me tell you, undoing 5 bead-filled rows was not a joy at all. Beads were everywhere. But, after close to an hour of work, I had gotten the stitches back onto the needles, spit spliced the yarn, and successfully knitted a non-bead row. It will be OK. WHEW. I will get to knit those fun rows again, which is fine. I am enjoying the shawl a lot.

The key to successfully fixing the shawl was to stop pulling stitches out the row before the yarn break, so that I could carefully un-knit a stitch at a time on that row. That way I didn't lose any delicate stitches above yarn overs and such. It made getting started again a lot easier.

Tonight is a mystery knit night at the local yarn shop, so I will see what funny project Pat has in store for us. I really shouldn't spend money on stuff like this, but I need to keep my spirits up, and being around people really helps, especially my nice knitting friends.

Knit, Knit, Knit

Bam Boo Raglan Front
Originally uploaded by sunasak

It was pointed out to me that I haven't blogged in DAYS. OK, since Friday, which isn't all that long. It is the fault of Jody the Enabler, who spun that nice wedding shawl yarn and went with me to get my lovely wedding shawl beads, which is leading to so much knitting and bead fun that I haven't wanted to stop to blog. But this post is for Jody, because I am so happy she called the yarn shop while I was there so I got to talk to her and reassure myself that she is getting by OK in the Netherlands. I worry about my knitting pals, ya know.

So, here is a photo of the Bam Boo Raglan cardigan, which I whipped out in 8 days. Amazing how much you can knit when work isn't edging into your knitting time. This is pre-blocking. It fits a bit better now and the stockinette edges curl less. Click the photo to go to my Flickr pages to see the back. It's very nice and light-weight, which means it's a great summer top. I am wearing the white sideways cardigan today, and it is a perfect thing to wear over a camisole on an incredibly hot Texas day!

My current and total focus is on the wedding shawl, however. The "A Girl's Best Friend" pattern is really nice. It is very easy to follow and it's so much fun seeing how the next set of beads looks that you have a hard time stopping with it. I am already into the medium diamonds section, so I'd say I am over halfway done. The edging has lots more beads in it, though, so I imagine it will go more slowly. Jody's handspun really knits up nicely and is quite consistent, though she says that the second skein is a bit thicker. Since I'll only be using that yarn at the end, that will probably be OK (and I may not need it--the first part of the yarn is holding up well).

Other than cooking, cleaning, interviewing, and driving the kids around (now that they are back from Ireland, yay), all I am doing is knitting. I'll get a lot done while I wait to hear back on interviews! Keep sending "good job" vibes if you are so inclined!

Knitting Frantically

Drawstring Raglan Almost Done
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I am knitting as hard as I can on this project, because I want to start the wedding shawl so badly! It is looking pretty good, and I think it will end up a reasonable and wearable size. I am not really impressed by the edges, which, being stockinette and all, are curly. I guess the designer intended it that way, and of course I can try to block it. Maybe the original yarn she used didn't curl as much as this cotton/bamboo blend is curing. I think this will be really cute over a pale blue tank, though!

I plan to knit in public tomorrow at the LYS, and hope you are celebrating Knit in Public Day somehow, somewhere. I'll probably be toting one of my new sock yarns around with me (yeah, I broke down and ordered some stuff from the Loopy Ewe, cause, well, I did have that $25 credit sitting there waiting for me to use it. I wanted something dark red to use with the second bunch of beads I bought, so I got a Dream in Color Smooshy in Gothic Rose that will make either a lovely scarf or some very snazzy socks. But, my favorite purchase is this Tempted Glam Grrl yarn in a color called Moonlight. It's that stuff with genuine silver in it. Not fake shiny stuff, but real silver! And it looks spectacular with the hand-dyed pale gray yarn. My blogging friend who also got some Glam Grrl said to open it in the sunlight, which of course I couldn't do because I got to the mailbox after dark, but I took it outside this morning. WHOA! That is some effect! I'm glad my picture shows a bit of sparkle, anyway, because sometimes it doesn't show up in photos.

Off to another job interview and some relaxing knitting. I'll try to stay out of the heat. I know the floods across the Midwest of the US are worse, but our very early 100-degree days are pretty icky.

Honesty: It's Some Kind of Policy

I am not sure if honesty is the best policy, but it appears to be one of mine, regardless. I had a phone screening yesterday, and the woman asked me what the ideal job for Sue Ann would be. I honestly blurted out, "knitting instructor." Then I added, but you can't make a living at that around here! She laughed and said she needed to learn, so she'd bring needles next time she visited Austin. I then told about how much I'd like to help people figure out how to use software and help make software that met the needs of its intended audience. I think that is more what she wanted. But really, the ideal job IS knitting instructor!

Since I have no photo today, I recommend you go over to Fluffy Knitter Deb's blog and take a gander at her magnificent granny square aghan, which is all one huge square made out of leftover sock yarn. Well, actually, the last rows were made with new balls of yarn, since they were so big. I think it is one glorious piece of crocheting, and such a great use of the leftover sock yarn! It reminds me that I ought to work on the mitered square thing I was making out of my leftovers. Well, some day I will stop making new things...

...which reminds me, I have gotten through the frustrating section of beginning the sleeves on the Drawstring Raglan, which required using an extra DPN at first. I think it will end up looking fine after all, but yhou sure stretch out a couple of stitches when you start. You make the sleeves by casting on a bunch of stitches at the point where the sleeve would start, then going back to knitting the body. It is pretty hard to get your knitting cable to go through the contortions required, and even worse when the sleeves are on t he straight parts of the needles. But, I managed, as have others.

Wedding Shawl Ingredients Are Here!

Wedding Shawl Ingredients
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Remember my quest last year to find the thing to wear for my wedding? I had a kind knitter, Gena volunteer to send me her copy of the "A Girl's Best Friend" shawl pattern from Jade Sapphire, because I loved her version so much. Then, in January, Jody and I found some wonderful fiber to use, mostly a natural color but with a bit of golden tan. Jody had the fibers mixed by someone she knows, then we wandered Austin until we found the beads we wanted to use, which are simple clear ones with gold lining. Next, she up and moved to the Netherlands, and who could blame her for that? After all, her man got a job there, and there was no wonderful job keeping her here.

Thankfully, she hasn't been too busy discovering Europe, and was able to not only spin up the yarn but eventually find the post office so she could mail the finished product to me. Woo! It's here!

As soon as it showed up I made a swatch. It's a weird swatch, since it is 2.5 repeats of the top border, but it did give me a chance to get gauge and see if the beads would work or not (yay to me for having a collection of tiny steel crochet hooks on hand). And they dowork--just sparkly enough to not detract from the pattern! (They are more visible in a close-up view). I am glad I will be able to get the shawl done before the wedding. Actually, since we do not have an official date and I can't find any dress that looks like what I want, the shawl is the best planned wedding element so far. Besides, a job comes before a wedding, so first things first!

But, wait, I am still working on the Interweave Knits Drawstring Cardigan. See, there it is, at least the bottom of it. I may have gone a little slim on the gauge, but hey, at least it won't be gigantic. The colors look great together. I am glad a Ravelry reader encouraged me to just use 4 colors. They are fine. At the rate I am sitting around the house while waiting for the phone to ring, I'll have the cardigan done pretty soon. Note that I am also making sock progress, but that is pretty slow, since I am only doing it while riding in the truck with Lee.


I promised a photo of the Sideways Cardigan on me, so here it is, below. Thanks for asking, Colin! It is actually more flattering in person than in the photo, which makes it look somewhat clunky---it's really flowy and soft. I love how soft it is. I am taking good care of its whiteness and was smart enough to remove it before cooking lasagna last night.

I Lack Resolve!

Sideways Cardigan
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Yay, I finished the Sideways Cardigan. I decided not to do the button band, because it looks so cute buttoned at the top. This meant i didn't have to go buy buttons or use any of Pat's. I got one of the agate buttons from the LYS (see photo) that I really liked, and it looks marvelous. in the photo the cardigan has been pressed and is drying. I'll try to get a photo of me in it tomorrow. The cardigan looked pretty good on me before I pressed it, so I am happy. Those big ole sleeves actually are pretty flattering. I feel SO lucky to have two new summer knits to wear!

You may recall that I vowed, just a day or two ago, to finish old projects before starting something new. Well, that resolve failed, thanks to a trip to the Gauge shop in Austin with my friend Tina (yay, Tina and I actually SAW each other). I'd tried to visit there last time I was unemployed, but I picked the day they were closed. Well, good news is that they are now open 7 days a week, so even when I get work I can visit on a Sunday every so often. I really liked the shop. The owner was very nice, and everyone else there was good, too. I even ran into some old knitting guild acquaintances and did some networking. Gauge doesn't have tons of yarn, but what is there was carefully chosen and great quality. I love getting to see different yarns, so I had a great time checking out what was there. Then I saw it...yarn that was 100% perfect for the only pattern I really loved out of the latest Interweave Knits, the Drawstring Raglan. It's Classic Elite Cotton Bam Boo. So light and with a great sheen, plus the colors they had were perfect for the project, a cream, a medium blue, a plum and a mauve. See my lovely photo of the yarn and the project, which I so conveniently made for your pleasure.

After Tina and I had a grown-up lunch at Chez Zee (with dessert, even), I headed back to "my" yarn shop, where I had a great time chatting with folks and meeting new people. There was a visitor knitting with some very, very interesting Habu yarn, though it looked hard to work with. Katie brought birthday cake, which reminds me to say happy birthday this weekend to her!! I am really enjoying Chicks with Sticks lately. Everyone has been so friendly to each other and so supportive. It's so nice to see people helping each other, supporting different projects, and mingling.

Oops. I forgot one thing. I also got a sock yarn. In my defense, it is Mondial Ciao, a yarn I didn't have any of before. Speaking of socks, Diane at the yarn shop pointed out to me that the colors I got for the next project are the same as the ones in my Cherry Blossom socks. Well, great, they'll be an "outfit." Hee hee. And yes, I did work on the socks a bit yesterday. I messed up the gusset somehow, but it is not the end of the world. I'm human.

D'OH!

Lest any of you think I am some kind of brilliant knitter, let me tell a tale about myself. I spent much of the day yesterday at the LYS trying to finish the main pieces to the Sideways Cardigan. I was triumphantly finishing the right side, and held it up to the left. What did I see? The confusing instructions had bitten me in the butt, and I had made the sleeve on the left side half a repeat too short. D'OH! I greatly amused my LYS friends by calmly ripping out the top of the left side and starting to add the half repeat, but every minute or so sighing very audibly (it was a slow day in yarn world, so very quiet).

I am happy to report that I finished it AGAIN, and sewed all the pieces together (I did a darned good job of matching the sides, too, so it looks nice. It does seem like it will fit, too. Now I just have to make the buttonhole band, block or at least press it, and find two big buttons. Lee's asked that I not use an "ugly wooden button" like in the magazine photos, so I may go get an inexpensive pair of white ones, then when I have time get something nice. Pat the LYS owner has a huge button collection, so she's going to see what she has, too.

Shelda has asked in the comments if I can share the stitch pattern. Well the cardigan patterns are in the VK Spring 2008. What I did on the socks was tweak one of those slightly.The top of the foot is 32 stitches:

Row 1: K1, *[P2, YO, K2tog, P1, SSK, YO]*, repeat between * until last 3 stitches, P2, K1
Row 2: K1, *[P2, K5]*, repeat between * until last 3 stitches, P2, K1

The bottom of the foot is stockinette.

When I get to the leg, I will add a twist going up the sides using the two K1s at each end of the needles (using magic loop).

I worked on the socks a little last night. When I finish the cardigan, I'll focus on them and, yes, believe it or not, finishing my orange alpaca cardigan I started in January.

Today I am meeting my friend Tina and we are going to visit the Gauge Knits store, which I still haven't been to, because last time I was out of work and tried to go there I picked the day they are closed. I'll try again!

Brush with Fame, Sorta

Cherry Lace Rib Sock
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Here's the current sock in progress. That's Cherry Tree Hill Cherry Blossom yarn from the Loopy Ewe done in a variation of the lace panel in the Vogue Knitting Spring 2008 Sideways Cardigan, which I have been going on about for weeks. I tried three different patterns before settling on this one. I mentioned basing this sock on a reverse stockinette with knit squiggles pattern I saw online, but I didn't like my version in this yarn, so I scrapped that plan. This is an interesting lacy rib, so I am liking it!

I am into the top of the left side of the Sideways Cardigan, and if I will just stop blogging I will get more done, heh.

But, knitting fun was had by me and my almost-birthday-twin friend Suzanne yesterday. After taking my kids to the airport for their summer Dad Visit and Trip to Ireland, and after Fed-Exing the younger one's forgotten passport to him (no stress there, nope), I headed to the LYS for a bit, where my friend Lisa was visiting. I chatted with her and a couple of other nice folks, then Suzanne showed up and whisked me away to deepest South Austin, because she wanted to visit the Knitting Nest. I'd only been there once before, and really hoped they'd have some different sock yarn. It turns out that we went on a big day--they were hosting Franklin of the 1000 Knitters Project. Suzanne and I dutifully knitted a bit on his scarf, so we are in there with all the famous people, including what I am sure will be hundreds when he goes to visit the Yarn Harlot in a couple of weeks. It's a neat project, anyway, and I wish him good luck, even if he is weird and thinks the hot weather here is better than the Chicago weather (OK, it HAS been a long chilly spell up there)!

After our brush with fame, Suzanne got me some lovely Cascade Heritage sock yarn that I gave #13 to (that is the number the Cherry Tree Hill yarn in my new socks had). I still have fewer yarns in my stash than I had when I started, though, so I am being good. I like the yarns they have at the Knitting Nest, but am being good and not buying stuff while unemployed. I hope to go back again--they had some nice knitters there, too.