Why Yes, I Have Been Knitting! And Planning!

I am getting a bit more back into my old knitting rhythm, though I am also still playing word games online, too. I can't help it...I love word games. I find it interesting that I win most Words with Friends games and lose most Scrabble games online. I can't figure out why I am good at one and not the other, but I still enjoy the mental challenge...but I also have been knitting.

When I am sitting in Unitarian meetings and various choir rehearsals (mark your calendars for February 19 if you are local! Texas Choral Consort will present Out of Israel, a fun presentation including lice, flies and other plagues), I have been working on the K1P1 scarf. It's looking really nice and the color changes are very lovely. I will give you a picture next time. Gotta save something for the future.

When I am not doing something that requires a lot of other thought, I am working on the absolutely beautiful Paintbrush Lace Cowl pattern that I got the yarn for when I was shopping with Jody. Two different Alchemy yarns--Silken Straw and Haiku. I sure am enjoying the feel of that silk and mohair gliding through my fingers, and I am also really enjoying the pattern. It is easy to follow but makes a cool effect. It has lace and cables, but neither are overly difficult. Just a pleasant thing to knit. I am beginning to wish I had more yarn. I probably only have enough to do 4 pattern repeats (though the pattern calls for 5). Here's how it looks now, with Scrunchy the Pug inspecting it:

Scrunchy sez, "This is intruding on my space."

I have been thinking about how nice the mohair scarf I got for Yule feels. Maybe I will make a scarf or stole out of one of the skeins of alpaca lace yarn I have, using the Paintbrush lace pattern. That would feel soooo good. And it would also not be so hard I would get discouraged again.I think that will be a nice thing to work on while doing the other, simpler projects I have in mind (gloves, mittens, etc.).

I realized I didn't post the earlier photo I took of the project, showing the two yarns involved.

Paintbrush Lace Cowl, pattern, and a bit of a view of the yarns that are knit together in my version

I found out today that the most elderly student I ever had in my knitting classes had passed away. She was a lovely woman with so many stories, and a kind listening ear. She was also very, very funny. It was so hard for her to knit, since her hands shook, but she kept at it, and always had questions and wanted to learn more. One of the nicest things about teaching was meeting so many interesting people and hearing their stories.

That ending brings me to a new beginning. I asked if it was OK, and sort of got permission to start a knitting group where I am working now. I hope to get to know some of the people there better, and satisfy my urge to teach people to knit or crochet. We'll see if it goes over well or not--I think about 8 people expressed interest, which is great! Of course, I didn't ask permission correctly, even though I tried to. Oh well, I made it over 4 months before getting into trouble over anything at the new job, which is considerably better than my record at the last "real" job I had. But wait, I am not looking backward anymore. I am living in the present! Right now! And right now I want to enjoy some more zen knitting...you all go knit or read or enjoy the moment in some way that has meaning for you now, OK?

Knitting Inspirations

Not only did I actually go to a genuine LYS the Friday before New Year's, but I also got some other new yarn in the past week, one as a gift. I have been trying to knit from my very copious stash this past year or so, since I have been in the throes of my "knitting identity crisis," but like the ones I mentioned yesterday, these "spoke" to me (or showed up!).

I have been wondering if I'd ever get to write this blog post, though--ever had one of those days when technology hates you? Well, all of my various technologies for getting photos onto blog posts broke this morning, and I got a bit frustrated. Finally I found a cable, dealt with some issues on the phone and the computer, and was able to copy all my recent photos onto my computer. WHEW! Still not sure why I can't upload photos to Facebook today, but I will live. I can at least blog now!

First I wanted to show you this very interesting yarn that I found when Jody and I were shopping. I know it looks like a bit of a mess, but I saw it knitted up and woven (that was lovely!) and I really liked the tweedy effect it made. The yarn is called Mericash Thousand Colors and it is from Punta Yarns in Uruguay. Of course, it is no longer being made, sigh. It's a merino cashmere blend with 3 strands that each change colors. My plans for this are to knit it tightly and make myself a pair of warm gloves. I LOVE my very old cashmere fingerless gloves, so I predict I will like these.

Mericash Thousand Colors

And look, I found PhotoShop so I could crop pictures.

Next is yarn I ordered from the blog's old friend Ray Whiting at Knitivity. I was really intrigued by both of these. The one on top I am totally in love with. The colors are so subtle and muted. I realize I am on a real tear with hand coverings, but I really, really want to make another pair of mitts in this. I have a simple pattern with cute edgings in mind. I may have enough left over to make a matching hat and/or headband, too. The bottom skein reminds me of blue and white china, even though it has pale orange or cream color in it. It will probably be socks, if I ever get back to those. I am suddenly getting holes in my socks, some newer ones. No moth signs, but it makes me hesitant to make more.

Sock Yarn from Knitivity

And next is yarn I received as a Yule gift from my friend Diana, who went to Ireland and thought of me when she saw this yarn there. As you can see, it's a boucle yarn, in a lovely reddish purple-y color. It feels oh so soft. I wish I knew what the yardage was, because there is a pattern in Vogue Knitting this month for a very simple sweater with a twisted front that would look cool in this knitted very loosely--it would be more of an overlay than a sweater. I may have to get one of those things that measures how much yarn you have! I think this is a goodly amount, since it is thin yarn and tightly wound. it's surely enough to make a very simple shawl that would showcase the yarn.

Lovely Irish Mohair

Diana also sent me a really lovely mohair scarf or wrap that was hand knit in County Clare near the Burren, one of my favorite spots on earth. I love the very simple pattern used.On larger needles, this could be done in the boucle.

Scarf I got as a gift.

So, these are all the things that are inspiring my knitting these days. Now I need to write one more blog post and I can knit! It is SO nice to finally have a relaxing weekend.

Mismatched Mitts

My friend Mary in North Carolina works in a very cold office in a UU church. She asked if I could make her a pair of mitts after she saw the pair I made Leigh for Christmas. She said it could be wild colors, since UUs love her tie dye. So, I found the balls of Poems yarn I had been trying to make a vest out of (it was coming out way to small BEFORE I gained my recent pounds). Since this yarn changes colors, I figured I better not use cables, so I made the trusty pattern linked right here in this blog. The first one came out quite nice, as this blurry photo taken in the RV shows.

First Mitt

As I made the second one, I realized it was going to bear very little resemblance to the first one, in color. I seriously considered making another mitt from a second ball of yarn, but then I asked people on Facebook, and they began to say not to worry--mismatched is cool now.

I asked Mary, and her daughter seconded that opinion. So, here's the second one.

Second Mitt

They came out quite warm, though I think they'd have been warmer if I put in a gusset. Maybe next time I make this pattern I will  do that.

I sent the finished ones off to her a couple of days ago. I sure hope she likes the sophisticated mismatched effect!

Both mitts, in focus, and a view of the wine fridge

I decided I liked the self striping stuff again, so I got two balls of yarn at Hill Country Weavers when my old knitting friend Jody came to visit, one a semi-solid and one really nice stripes in the colors of rocks. This yarn is from Knitwhits, called Freia sport. I love it--single ply, hand-dyed wool.

I started one of those easy K1P1 scarves with this yarn, since I need something very easy to knit during 6 weeks of choral rehearsals coming up. So far it is red and gray, but the gray will be changing!

Very simple scarf in very  nice yarn

It was really fun to go shopping with Jody again. She is quite the enabler. She was intent on getting Jared Flood yarn, while I wandered around trying to not buy stuff. However, when I saw this one ball of yarn, it just had to go home with me. It looks like it is liquid metal--a very cool roving surrounded by a mesh. I believe the shade I got is silver with red mesh, but it looks purple. This stuff is absolutely amazing. It weighs practically nothing. It's Sublime Yarns Lustrous Extra Fine Merino Wool DK and wow, it is most unique.

I had just gotten the Vampire Knits book by Kathy Pendry on my Kindle and remembered there were cabled mitts in there. I wanted a pair after making Leigh's. In between the vampire trivia and famous vampire quizzes (quite the snooze for me), there are some rather nice patterns. My only complaint about these "pulse warmers" is not in the actual product, but that there are no charts for the cable pattern. It would have been easier to knit fast with a chart. Also, it was knitted flat. Ick.I did a fine job mattress stitching the first one together, but I sure would rather make them in the round.

Here are a couple of photos of the yarn and the finished first mitt. Still working on the second one.

Yarn and project. You can't see how slinky and shiny this stuff is

This is a little overly flashed, but you can see it looks a little metallic. 

The yarn looks somewhat between these two images.I have some yarn and another knitted item I did not make to show you, so I will try to blog again tomorrow. Oh sure, two posts in two days???

I actually made something!

I have been totally free of knitting mojo. Too many unpleasant things have been cropping into my head when I knit. So I took a pretty big break. I did carry knitting around wherever I went, though. Every so often I would knit a few rows on the shawl using two complementary sock yarn colors, and think how nice it would be to wear it. Then I would stop again.

Shawl made from two complementary sock yarns, each knitted from the opposite side.

At some point in the fall, Leigh asked for a pair of leg warmers. So, I found what looked to be an easy enough pattern, Waterlily Leg Warmers. To make sure the pattern would work, I got some inexpensive worsted weight yarn, two skeins of Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool. Well, I have now made four projects with that yarn and I STILL have half a skein left. I need to move on!

Here are the leg warmers as I was working on them. I am in the RV somewhere, because I recognize that upholstery! Oh yeah, in case I haven't mentioned it, we have an RV, of all things, Ursula, and I blog about that a lot. Feel free to visit Ursula Lumbers!

Leg Warmer on me!

Here are the completed leg warmers. I realize this picture is not very pretty, but I have not gotten a photo of them on her.

Obviously I should have cropped this.

So, when I finished this, I still had a lot of yarn. So I decided to surprise Leigh with hand warmers to match the leg warmers. I would knit them really hard whenever we were going to the ranch or farm, then forget about them at home, because Words with Friends is too enticing.

Just before Christmas, I managed to finish the last couple of rounds.  What I did was cut the number of stitches by a third, and only put in one cable pattern (there are three on the leg warmers). I knit back and forth to create the thumb holes. I should have started back and forthing on an odd row, because I ended up having to do the cables on a purl row. Well, I can fix that next time. It was easy to just improvise a pattern based on the leg warmers, though. They came out quite cute and made a nice Christmas gift!

Happy with hand warmers.

I single crocheted an edging around the thumb openings, too.

Tuba Boy (Kynan) looked at all the yarn and had left and mentioned that he did not have a warm hat. I knew I could make one pretty quickly, so I went to find a really simple ribbed pattern. Sure enough, I found the extremely popular Hat Fit for a Boyfriend. It also made a hat fit for a son! It came out rather short when I made it following the instructions--the original was made for a fellow with no hair, and my kids, they have hair. Once I made it longer, it looked great! I finished it on Christmas Eve as the kids were serenading Lee's dad with the blues.

A warm head means warm musical tone.

Lee's dad is not doing real well, health-wise. It was a hard Christmas, with my dad gone and Lee's dad so sick. But he is holding on...has a new tractor and cows about to calve. He has to hang on for them! He remarked more than once how warm Kynan's hat looked. I asked if he would like one and he said, "Oh yes, I would." So I started knitting fast and furious. There's nothing like a request from the father-in-law to get back your knitting mojo! By the time Christmas dinner was done, the second hat was finished!

Looking very modern in his beanie.

This will help him in the biting wind out on the farm. Lee's dad is a warm weather person--he thrives in heat. Long-time readers will remember I made him socks a few years ago.

Speaking of socks. I keep making holes in mine. Makes me sad. Either I have a moth or they are showing their age. Makes me not want to knit more socks, too.

I was asked by a friend to make her some hand warmers, so maybe I will have another post for the new year. Things ARE better for me, in many ways. Just need to work on knitting happiness.

Moving on to Something New

I could not get myself motivated to knit much on the little blanket, so no photo of it. I spend a lot of my time this week thinking of knitting, reading about knitting and mostly not knitting.

But tonight I am going to start knitting a two-color shawl with these two yarns:

Two sock yarns, which won't rotate for me. Blogger keeps "helpfully" changing the orientation.

I think the two colors will go together fairly well, since they both have brown in common. We'll see. I am using some pattern "suggestions" I got from Ray at Knitivity. These are two of his blog special yarns, the top one from a year ago, and the bottom from March.

I'll get to work on it and let you know how it's coming along later in the week. I predict it will either look cool or awful. In any case, it will mostly go with brown stuff.

Crocheting Mitered Squares

I started on the knitted throw (baby blanket size) made with organic cotton over the weekend, but encountered a sudden lack of desire to knit. Instead, I read a lot and did a little crochet project.

Someone had asked me on Facebook, in the comments on the finished mitered square blanket project, whether it could be possible to get the same effect with crochet. I have crocheted a lot of squares in my day, but never mitered squares, so I messed around with my yarn and the lovely crochet hook I always carry in my knitting basket. The results do, I think convey the same effect.

Two squares of mitered crochet.

If you are interested in how I did the ones in the picture, building the squares from the outside in so that you can build each square on the next, and how I’d go on to complete a larger project in crochet, here are abbreviated instructions.

Crochet Mitered Squares

Use this technique to make mitered squares with self-striping yarn. You can change colors as you wish if you choose to make your own stripes.

First Square
Ch 42 (last two chains count as first sc in next row).
Sc in third chain and next 18 sts, skip 2 chains, sc 19. Ch 2, turn.
Sc 17, skip 2 sc, sc 18. Ch 2 (counts as first sc in next row), turn.
Sc 16, skip 2 sc, sc 17. Ch 2 (counts as first sc in next row), turn.
Sc 15, skip 2 sc, sc 16. Ch 2 (counts as first sc in next row), turn.
Repeat this pattern, with one fewer sc on each side of the skipped sts until the last row:
Skip 2 sc, sc, fasten off if changing colors.

Remaining Squares on First Row
From where you ended off with first square, ch2, pick up 19 sts across edge of previous square, ch 22.
Complete square as with first.

First Square, Second and Subsequent Rows
Chain 20, 20 sc in top of first sqare on previous row. Complete as with first row squares.

All Other Squares
Attach yarn where previous square ended. Chain 2, ch2, sc 18 sts across edge of previous square, skip two sc, sc 19 across top of next square in the row below.

Make a square or rectangle as large as you want, combining colors however you’d like. It’s easy to mimic quilt patterns, for example, using these squares.

More Resources for Your Perusal

There are plenty of ways to make mitered squares in crochet. I found some that you might want to use to make up your own blanket or other project. Just substitute a self-striping yarn to get the kind of effect in my sample. My taste would run to using thinner yarn and smaller hooks to get a more blended effect. Leftover sock yarn can be crocheted as wel as knitted, you know! It would make a nice sturdy vest fabric in crochet.

• A way to make them starting from one corner and making larger and larger rows.
• One very similar to what I made, but with nicer photos.
• Soemone did some interesting variants on the square linked above. 
• A commercial pattern from Bernat. It has solid squares, which shows how the texture can also be interesting.
• A tawashi (Japanese scrubbie to be made in a sturdy acrylic). It sould be good practice. 
• And now, for the most wonderful example, check out this beautiful shawl!! It’s the same technique, just with varied square sizes. 

Marble Mitered Square Blanket, Finished

My posting bonanza continues! First, I am both happy and sad to report that I finished the mitered square blankie project last night, other than neatening up the ends on the back. I got some Fray Check stuff last weekend, so I will work on that this evening in the RV. Then I can leave it there as a blanket for guests and a throw for when it gets cold. Of course with over 30 days of temperatures over 100F I wonder if it will ever cool off again.

Finished blanket, resting.

I had a hard time getting a photo of the whole thing, and probably didn’t choose a very scenic spot, since you can see my huge stack of knitting magazines and my suitcase packed with stuff for the weekend. Well, whose house is perfect? Not mine, I assure you.

As you can see, it is as long as a king size bed is wide. I just looked it up, and that is 76 inches. Hooray, that is long enough to be a blanket, and is actually the length of a twin mattress! When I finished it, my friend Martha and I picked it up, and it was pretty heavy, too. A substantial product for nearly three months of work! It has been quite a healing project for me. I managed to finish something and it looks OK.

I took a few close-up pictures while I had the nice light last night. First, here are two good close-ups of the corners.

A corner!

Another corner!

The only little bit I dislike about the corner square feature is that two of them have the central decrease going the “wrong” way. I think that’s not a bad thing, especially since those are two dark corners. I guess I took photos of the “good” corners, subconsciously not wanting to focus on the others.

And just for fun, here’s a picture of some of the squares in the middle. I do find them cheerful!

Hoping this close-up gives you a good idea of what the stitches look like.

Just as a reminder, the yarn is James C. Brett Marble DK, though it would be fine in the chunky version, too. The pattern is this one that I put up on Ravelry and is also linked in the left column of this blog.

I am ready to cast on the small throw using interesting textured yarn that matches my home color scheme this evening. I may try to wind the hanks into balls if I have time before we leave for the campground tonight; otherwise, I will just do it by hand. I remember how!

Two Posts Because I Took a Picture

When I got home today, I looked at what I had knitted, and realized the light was good. So, I squished the ole blankie around and took a picture of the borders that are finished. I think they look pretty darned good. The purple border is set up to be far from all the purple squares, in some attempt at balancing all those 14 vaguely related colors.

Three borders and two little squares!

I have to say that I find it sorta cute. I now want to make a zillion blankies!

On the other hand, I wound up some yarn I really love this afternoon after work. I think it may be this really incredibly simple wrap thing I saw on a free website. It's just 3x3 ribbing, 18" long and 35" wide. I think I can do that without a printed pattern. I'll give it as a gift. Maybe to poor Carolyn, who is still waiting for a beautiful lace shawl I can't finish.

I have also made a plan to make a shawl as a gift using my friend Ray's idea for a two-skein shawl. Well, it's pretty much the same as that kerchief triangular shawl I made out of two Noro sock yarn skeins a few years ago, but with colors that blend. (Click that link, then click "kerchief" and you can find pictures of that project.) So, if I can find the pattern I got in the mail with my last order from him...I will make that as well. Yeah, that will keep me busy on my weekend of camping. It can be a gift, too. Maybe I will make both and see which one Carolyn likes. Gosh, hope she doesn't read this (HA, highly unlikely).

I must say I do appreciate all of you who are reading this, since I was such a dud blogger for a year or so. Thanks for all the Facebook likes. You can 1+ it on Google Plus as well. I do like comments here, as well. It's fun to have conversations!

Hey, Two Borders!

I have been meaning to share a photo of the mitered square blankie with two borders, and keep falling asleep at night instead. I know you have been waiting and waiting to see it, so here we go—I am quite satisfied that the blues coordinate so well. If you can’t tell, the second border has purples in it and the first one has green.



Look, there are two borders!

 I must sheepishly admit that I finished the first top border already, INCLUDING the little squares, and I cast on to the last one before I could get a photo. Silly me. I will have the last border done tonight, I hope. I’m going to knit like crazy, since I was so tired that I did not knit a stitch last night.

I guess I will have to investigate why the heck I have been so tired lately. I know the 500-page document I have just put together tires me out—lots of small print and details. That’s what I get for choosing technical writing as a career path—or letting it choose me.

Good news is that the next place we are going to visit with Ursula the RV has wireless Internet, so I should be able to blog from the Live Oak Ridge park.

I will take along with me the yarn I got not long ago to make a small lap blanket. Then I do not know what I want to work on. I have seen lots of sweaters and such that I like but none I am dying to make. I have a vision of a curtain for the kitchen door or window with beads in it that will shine in the light. I will think about that for a while. Maybe I can swatch something. I have some yarns I really want to knit with, but no project I am dying to make. I am still trying to avoid the pressure of making anything fancy, I am afraid.

Here Is the Border

OK, I did it. I finished the first border while there was still enough light to get a photo of it. Wow, what a difference a border makes! I think the edging really ties the whole thing together. I got a lot of nice comments on Facebook, too.

The next long border also has blue in it--it's the blue and purple colorway. The left short border will the all purples and the final one is the one with some greens in it.

What I am going to do is leave the ends open, which will result in an area in each corner where I can insert 4 more mitered squares. Those will be dark blue, maroon, pink and brown--the four most intense colors. I figure that will tie in the intense bits, and look pretty interesting. I just hope I can remember that and don't just go ahead and pick up across the edges of the long borders. Now that I have written it down, I have hope.

Must run off to work now, and I hope you all have good days.

A Little Preview

I didn't manage to finish binding off the first border tonight. Wow have I been tired, plus lots of issues at home, just the normal stuff, doncha know. But here is what the first border looks like, sitting on the bed and rather rumpled. Doesn't that make you want to see more of it, less rumpled?

That's the border, at the top.

Oh of course it does. Perhaps I will be home and knitting more tomorrow and get that border done! It goes fast. It's not that I was dealing with a constantly crashing Words with Friends application or anything. No, not me.

I will go, since my sarcasm-0-meter is really going off.

Congratulations! It's a Rectangle!

We spent the Independence Day weekend at the Farm visiting ELAB's dad and his nephew, who was also there. I got to spend a good amount of time in the air conditioning, so the blanket got worked on quite a bit.

And yes, I finished the final square of the main part!

Mitered square blankie on an old trailer with a very old door behind it.

There it is, in its 9x14 glory. The bottom right pink square was the last one I did. I like the way it fades from subtle to bright and back to subtle.

Since that photo was taken yesterday, I have done one of the borders except for binding it off. I picked up stitches along the long edge closest to the front of the picture, in the colorway that is mostly blues with a little green. I did a long side first, since I want the borders the same height, and I didn't want to start with a short one and make it thicker than one skein of yarn would make on a longer side. I needn't have worried. I made 12 garter stitch ridges along the long side and still have a bit of yarn left. 12 just looked good to me.

I will tell you all about my plans for the borders tomorrow, when I take a picture of the first finished border. I have an idea that I think will look good for finishing the project.

And yes, I also worked on the socks. I got 3 inches into the leg of the first sock and can't decide how I want to finish it. I thought of a folded cuff, of a folded lacy border, and of a hemmed top. In the end, I may just do twisted ribbing, because twisted stitches look good in the Summer Sox yarn, judging from the heel flap. I will have to get a picture of that, too!