Black Cable Mitt #1 (sans thumb)

Ok it's been a while and the Blogger interface looks different ... let's see if I can figure out how to create a new blog post.  :)
 
Vicki gave me some Cascade 128 bulky(?) black yarn a couple years ago to make her some fingerless mitts. I haven't knit in a while and was a little rusty. It took me a while to figure out how to join a round. Eventually joined it and started knitting in a round. It wasn't too bad, knitting is a bit like riding a bike. It all came back to me. I even did the cables without a cable needle with no problems at all. 

This is the first time I've ever worked with this yarn and I wasn't sure how much yardage I would need for a pair of fingerless mitts. I only have this one ball and hope it is enough. I've completed the main part of the first mitt and will hold off on doing the thumb until I have completed the second mitt. I figure I can knit the two thumbs in a different contrasting color yarn if I run out of the black yarn.

The yarn label suggests a needle size of US10 or US10.5. I'm using US8 circular needles because I couldn't find 2 US9 or 2 US10 needles (a side effect of having too many WIPs hiding in obscure corners of the house). I am glad I'm using US8 because the mitt seems to fit just right and would have been too large if I had used a larger size.

The photo above doesn't show the actual yarn color, it is a dark black color. I find it more difficult to see the stitches. It doesn't help that I do most of my knitting at night when the lighting is not very good.

... now I need to start the second mitt. :)

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iterum

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I finished The Historian some time back and found it a nice diversion at first, then it dragged a little, and then I suddenly found it was over and felt dissatisfied with how it ended. Oh well, I've moved on to Innocent Traitor which I picked up a while back and then forgot about. I've read many of AW's biographies about British royalty and enjoyed them all; the author's official website is here. This is my first experience with her historical fiction. I like it so far.



I've made it through Torchwood season 1, except for disc 7 specials. Love love LOVE the series! I'll try to watch this last disc within a week. Will have to hold off on Torchwood season 2, cuz we need to catch up on all the other Tivoed stuff. I've been watching this Dickens miniseries and am thrown off by seeing Martha and Gwen in their Dickensian roles. I had never read Little Dorrit before so I have no idea how true to the book this miniseries is.

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64 st 2.25 mm

Related posts:
18Apr2009 post (4 photos)

I've been pushing some fiber around some sticks lately, this is my latest exercise. I'm using the red yarn you saw last time. Does this look familiar? It's my second attempt at this. You saw my first failed attempt (pink yarn) last month where the short row heel didn't fit well. This red yarn is slightly thinner than the pink yarn. The pink one was worked on 56 sts, this red one is 64 sts on 2.25 mm ndls. It is fitting very nicely around my foot, MUCH better than the pink attempt.



I'm trying out the underfoot heel flap with this one and it fits nice and snug. This is my 3rd time using the underfoot heel flap and I am liking it !

That white spec on the right side of the sock, directly above the "ri" of my watermark, is a small section of un-dyed yarn. I was hoping it would fall on the back side of the sock but there was no such luck.

After turning the heel and picking up stitches, I decided to work in some cables at the back of the heel while doing the gusset decrease. I had several ideas for what to do with the back side of the leg and went with a quick easy one that didn't require too much brain power to keep track of relative to the instep/front side pattern. It is entirely intentional that "pattern" rounds on the back side coincide with the "pattern" rounds on the front side ... that way I don't have to keep track of which side to work a "pattern" on every round. It works nicely the other way around too, the "plain" rounds are the same for both front & back. This isn't much to look at right now, and I'm not entirely sure I am liking how "stretched out" the cabling is coming out. But knitting on....

Gusset decrease completed plus a few more pattern repeats on the front side later and it is looking quite nice on the front side. It actually looks like a sock from this perspective. :-D




I'm not entirely happy with the cable choices for the backside of the sock. The XO looks squashed due to lateral stretching.

You can see how much stretching goes on back there when you look at the purl stitches. Still doesn't look very nice on the back side. It is supposed to be a column of little circles, which is surrounded by columns of XO on each side. Can you see it?

It's not easy to see it when the sock is on foot. So here's a flat view of the back side. It's definitely looks better unstretched and flat.

I guess now would be a good time to explain how these cable panels were chosen. It all started with this scarf which later spawned the matching mitts. This sock is my attempt to amalgamate the cable panels from both scarf & mitt. It's not quite working out the way I would like though. :-(



This is bag you see in the background of my photos. It's actually a kids garden tote I spied on a trip to the Big Bullseye Store. Isn't that cute? I love how the sides remain standing up. My big 100 gm ball of sock yarn sits nicely in there (along with the project itself). There are pockets along the outside which can hold little knitting knick knacks. I can keep the tote on the floor next to me, and easily pull for more yarn with the open-top/stand-up-sides design. (I have lots of "floppy" tote bags that are nicely sized for medium to large size projects, but their "floppy" nature can be frustrating). This little garden tote is perfect for the portable sock project. It doesn't hurt that it is cute an so springlike.


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A's Mitts

I've received photos of A wearing the mitts I made her. I wasn't sure how they would fit since I didn't have a 6 yr old or kindergartener handy for sizing purposes. I'm glad the mitts fit her. Her dad tells me that she loves them.

The purple mitt you see underneath A's mitts is the same one you saw here.

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Let's see, what else is going on in my neck of the burbs. I'm still working on the handle for the burgundy bag, you saw the fabric liner for the bag here. I am about halfway done with this strap and hope to finish it soon so I can give it (and the handles for the red bag and black bag) to V when we meet next Friday.

M & I colored Easter eggs yesterday. We started out with a dozen, lost 2 to cracking during the boiling process, and then this morning she dropped one on the floor. So now we have 9. The idea of coloring eggs seems more exciting than the act of doing it. M keeps asking "is it done yet?" type questions most of the time ... while the egg are boiling, while the coloring tablets are dissolving, while the eggs are immersed for their color bath, and while they are drying.

We picked up a cheapo cookie press and may get to try it out today or this weekend. I thought this would be easy & fun with M, without the mess of using a rolling pin. If this works out, I'll have to consider a stainless steel version. Oh, we also picked up sprinkles! I've never used sprinkles before. It's not rocket science, right? Just throw it on after the cookies come out of the oven? I made sure we got some in purple. :-)


Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

Solar what?

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I couldn't believe it. On Mon 16Mar09 when I went to watch Ashes2Ashes and GrahamNorton (which had been recorded earlier from BBCA onto my DVR) and found nothing but a black screen with a bouncing dishcompanylogo screensaver. Aaaaaaacccckkkk!!!! Then DH mentioned that he got an email from the dishcompany about solar flares possibly affecting reception. What?! I hope this isn't gonna be a common occurance...

Losing GNS wasn't too bad, they seem to show a lot of reruns. A2A, on the other hand, was something I had just picked up at the right time where I actually got to watch episode 1 when it started!!! How cool is that? I usually catch onto something much later and then have to wait to see a tv series' pilot. So the GNS ep I lost was #2. I was bummed. But perked up when I found another ep #2 coming down the pike so I got my DVR set to record it for me. Yay!

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I have to thank Benne and Bets for helping me sort out the chart symbol translations for that German knitting book I recently got. Love love love this book! I don't think I mentioned before that it is a hard cover book. Very nice. I love flipping through this book, though I haven't tried anything from it yet.

On the knitting front...

Pattern: Blueberry Tea Mitts (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Elann Baby Cashmere
Needles: 3.0 mm

Related post:
29Jan2009 post (2 photos - modifications to resize mitt)

I managed to weave in ends on this Blueberry Tea Mitt (RavPattLink) and take photos. You already saw the 1st mitt here. There is actually a booboo in the 2nd mitt (shown above). I didn't notice it until after I cast off & weaved in ends. And I wasn't about to frog 80% of the mitt just to fix the problem. You see, I have an inability to read directions. It said to repeat the pattern twice before starting the thumb gusset. I left out the repeat part and only worked 8 rounds of the pattern instead of 16, before beginning the thumb gusset. So when you compare the photo above with the photo of the 1st mitt here, you will see that the 1st mitt has more wrist coverage. The one above is on the shorter side. Here's a side-by-side:

I used the 5" Lantern Moon DPNs from Michele to work the thumb section of this 2nd mitt. The pointy sticks are nicely weighted and have good "grip" on the yarn. I never felt at risk of losing stitches. And the shorter 5" length was very nice! It is amazing what a difference one inch makes. You can see the pointy sticks in the sock photos below.

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Practice Pair of Socks #3

Related posts: 04Apr2009 post (13 photos), 28Mar2009 post (8 photos).

I've also started on socks. Practice Pair #3, this time starting at the cuff and doing plain ribbing down the leg. Easy peasy. I needed a change so I used variegated yarn instead of solid; it's Red Heart's Heart & Sole (Ravelry link). It's neat to see how the colors change, keeps the knitting interesting. I just want to keep knitting to see what comes next.

56 sts, 2.50 mm

I was thinking about how to make striping on its mate match the 1st sock. You'd have to pull out the yarn on ball #2 and start at the same striping sequence as the 1st sock. That sounds easy enough. But how much yarn would you potentially have to pull out before casting on that 2nd sock?

In the photo above, the purple arrow marks where the striping sequence begins again. The distance from cast-on edge to that purple arrow is about 3 inches. So this means potentially pulling out yarn that is up to 3 inches worth of ribbing. That seems like quite a bit of yarn! Now I have to wonder... if I end up pulling close to 3 inches of ribbing's worth of yarn before I can cast on sock #2, couldn't this mean a risk of running short of yarn near the toe end of the sock?

Anyhow, I knit this portion of leg for over 3 inches and decided to put it on circular needles so I could try it on. (I learned in earlier socks that it is better to use the circs because picking up stitches from waste yarn is much harder) It was snug around the lower part of my leg and was definitely too tight a bit higher up my leg.

I decided to frog it and start over from the toe end. I didn't like how pointy my first attempt at toe-ups (the pink Practice Pair #2) came out and I think part of it has to do with how many stitches I started out with. That one had 10 sts across, or 20 sts total. When I re-CO for this Practice Pair #3, I made it 12 sts across, or 24 sts total. And this time I am aiming for a total of 60 sts (instead of 56 sts from before frogging).

Pair 3 Sock 1 - take 2

I am finding it ambiguous to say "sock" and "socks". It could mean "one sock" or "a pair of socks". And when referring to one sock, are we talking about the "1st sock of a pair" or the "2nd sock of a pair"?

60 sts, 2.75 mm

Here we have CO attempt #2, starting at the toe using 12 sts (24 sts total). I think this already looks less "pointy" than the 10 sts (20 sts total) CO. I did the toe increases and then started K2P2 ribbing on the front side of the sock.

Note: You'll find K2P2 ribbing in Barbara Walker Treasury 1 pg39 and many other stitch dictionaries. It is a 2-row pattern. The beauty of working K2P2 ribbing in the round is that it gets reduced to a 1-row pattern. :-)

Here is the back side of the foot section. I kept this side in stockinette stitch.

Note: You'll find Stockinette Stitch in Barbara Walker Treasury 1 pg10 and many other stitch dictionaries. Like K2P2 ribbing, it is also a 2-row pattern that is reduced to 1-row when worked in the round. (And if you're wondering why I'm stating this, it is because somebody may eventually ask me about it).

I knit the foot section for just about 6" then did the same thing I did with the pink sock to get a feel for how long my heel flap will end up. I took a sampling of 30 rounds from the foot section. It turned out to be just a hair over 2.5". I decided to work 28 rounds of heel flap before doing that "heel magic" (viz. turning). That is still a magical experience for me. I wonder how many pairs I'll have to knit before that feeling wears off.

There was a minor hiccup while working the gusset. See that strand of blue yarn running across the inside of the sock? I somehow knit the stitches on that needle and brought the yarn back and re-knit those same stitches! I can't complain if this is the only problem in the gusset section. It was easy enough to correct.

So after having knit 2 pairs (or 4 socks) and trying different increases/decreases, I find that I prefer doing my increases/decreases 1 stitch from the end of the needle (rather than right at the end of the needle). For example, I prefer doing "... K2Tog, K1" and "K1, SSK ..." instead of doing "... K2Tog" and "SSK ...". Can't really say why, but I do.

60 sts, 2.75 mm

I placed the sts onto circs to try it on. It's on the loose side. Perhaps this would have been better with 56 sts instead of 60 sts (using 2.75 mm). I like the variegated yarn and am starting to wonder whether I should not have picked up all those solids; you saw 14 hanks here, 3 socks worth over here, and there are just a "few" more balls cough26socksworthcough I haven't shown you yet. Yep, I think that pretty much sums up my sock stash. But sock yarn doesn't count, right?

Here's a view of the top and bottom. I've started working the ribbing on the leg section.

I keep hearing about Judy's Magic Cast On, I need to try that soon.

Tracy asked about the heel flap on the toe up pink sock, and Claudia asked about a toe up pattern. In the toe up sock, I am working the heel flap exactly the same as if I were going to work it for a cuff down sock. I haven't done anything special to make this work. It comes out exactly the same as a cuff down, except that it is oriented backwards or upside-down. Hmm... that's not a very clear way of stating it, huh? lol. If you look at the whole heel flap/gusset section, it is pretty much rotated 180º in one direction and then 90º in another.

As for a pattern, Claudia, I would suggest trying the sock class that is linked in my sidebar under the Knitting Resources section. I haven't tried it myself but I did look it over and it seems pretty good. I didn't actually follow a specific pattern for either cuff-down (blue pair) or toe-up (pink pair). What I did was read up on the theory of sock construction from several sources and then gave it a whirl, trying different things here and there. I bet that's why my socks aren't coming out perfectly.



Sometime after I finished my cuff-down (blue pair), I got my hands on Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd from the library and found it to be a good absolute beginner sock book, covering the basics of cuff down socks. However if you have already knit even one sock, then you may not find this book very helpful as you will have already understood the basic sock concepts. The book only talks about cuff down socks and does not cover toe up. It does have some basic sock pattern/formula for various gauges which I think many people would find a useful resource.




I am still reading the Historian and it is keeping my interest. Yay. I'm at the part where he is in Istanbul and his daughter is on a train to France. I'm hoping to get my hands on Twilight soon because everyone talks about it and I want to be able to say I've read it too. I have to finish the Historian first. I'm pretty good at reading one book at a time. Not so good with one knitting project at a time though...

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Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

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mordues de mitaines kal

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Pattern: St. Albans Valentine Cable Mitts (scroll down for download)
Yarn: Elann Baby Cashmere, mulled grape
Needles: 2.75 mm

I feel like I'm going to burst. I've been wanting to show you these since last November!!! But I had to keep it under wraps until Feb 1st for the Fingerless Gloves Fanatics Designer Feb 2009 KAL. Well now that the time has come, I can show you what these look like!!! Yay! These mitts were designed to match the St. Albans Valentine Cable Scarf.

(Yes, I know, it is not Feb 1st yet, not even in GMT ... however we've got James' blessing to post early)

The purple one is mine. Susan made the red one, visit her at her blog here.

St.Albans Valentine Cable Mitts Pattern

St. Albans Valentine Cable Scarf

Note: Chart last updated 6 March 2009 to correct typos in definitions for BC & FC.

Hope y'all enjoy knitting this mitt.

If you're wondering why all my photos look a bit "lumpy" around the left wrist, you can ready about it here.

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.
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mitaines roses

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Related posts:
22Mar2009 post (2 Photos - finished mitts)

Pattern: Blueberry Tea Mitts (Ravelry Link)
Yarn: Elann Baby Cashmere
Needles: 3.0 mm

These are the mitts I test knit for Paula, using fingerling weight yarn and 3.0 mm pointy sticks. I was off to a slow start with these since I thought I'd try ML and I also CO too many sts to fit my petite hands. That didn't work out so I eventually reverted back to my pointy sticks. What I ended up doing to make these fit me is to CO 52 sts for the ribbing, increase 3 sts for the pattern, then decrease by 3 for the ribbing. I could have CO 56 for ribbing, decrease 1 for pattern, then increase 1 for ribbing, however I decided a snugger fit for the ribbing section would be better for my hands. In the end they are a perfect fit for my small hands.

I don't know what these mitts will be called. The name Paula had originally chosen is already taken, so she is going to rename them to something else soon. You'll find her blog here.
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Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

Angelina Cable Fingerless Mitts Pattern

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Related posts:
22Jan2009 post (Angelina Cable Fingerless Mitts Pattern download page)
14Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Adult Size)
11Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Kindergartener Size)
07Jan2009 post (1 Photo - Kindergartener Size)
05Jan2009 post (2 Photos - Toddler Size)
04Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Toddler Size)

I've received requests for the pattern for the basic mitts you saw here, here, and here. I've been trying to type up an outline all week, but it's been a crazy week and I hadn't had time to sit down and do it until now (plus my short attention span didn't help). Well, here it is:

Click here for Angelina Cable Mitts pattern

Well that's all for now, just a quickie post. Gotta go watch CSI live cuz Tivo is busy recording 2 hrs of Bones tonight (followed by Burn Notice). Gotta hate when shows overlap!

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

Angeline Cable Mitts - Peach

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Related posts:
22Jan2009 post (Angelina Cable Fingerless Mitts Pattern download page)
14Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Adult Size)
11Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Kindergartener Size)
07Jan2009 post (1 Photo - Kindergartener Size)
05Jan2009 post (2 Photos - Toddler Size)
04Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Toddler Size)

Pattern: Angelina Cable Mitts

Yarn: Elann Highland Wool, autumn peach
Needles: 4.5 mm (US7)

The peachy mitts are finished. It's made with the same yarn, Elann Highland Wool and color as my Shadow Cable Scarf. I modified the pink kindergartener sized mitts slightly to make them adult sized. They fit my hands, which means a small ladies hand.



This photo was taken yesterday after Missy & I played with playdoh. Since many of the colors had dried up, I had to add water and knead them. There's still a tinge of blue/green after washing my hands. You should have seen my hands before I washed them!

Just to recap...

This peach adult size is modified from the pink kindergartener sized version I made:
11Jan09 post (finished mitt, 3 more photos)
07Jan09 post (left mitt, 1 photo)

The pink kindergartener size is modified from the short purple toddler version I made:
05Jan09 post (finished mitt, 2 more photos
04Jan09 post (how mitts began, 1 photo)

I haven't gotten around to writing up a "how to" for these mitts. They're so ridiculously basic that you can just wing it as I did.

Do you remember the loopy piece of yarn on Missy's purple Pythagorean Hat? (boo boo seen here; Pythagorean Hat pattern here) Well, I managed to fix that little boo boo with a crochet hook and some patience. That was easy! Now I've got a more serious problem with her purple Asherton Toddler Scarf. Look what I found! A hole!!!!! And SEVERED yarn!!!!

See those two yarny ends sticking up?



Anybody have ideas for fixing this mess? Can it be saved? Or does the scarf need to be tossed out?

On a happier note, here's something I received today. Knit Picks Nickel Plated Sock Size DPN set. I can't wait to try them out. Now you'd think that I'd have time to knit on those days when Missy goes to daycare. I envision myself sitting on the sofa, watching a little telly, and doing a little knitting. That has never happened! I always end up doing house things, running errands, etc. Those are rather crazy days for me. Perhaps I'll get to play with my new pointy sticks tonight.

Have a sweater project you've been meaning to start? Join the Fashionably Late KAL! Perhaps it'll give you the extra little push you needed to cast on or dig out that WIP.

Okeedokee, my time is up, gotta go!


Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

kindergartener sized

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Related posts:
22Jan2009 post (Angelina Cable Fingerless Mitts Pattern download page)
14Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Adult Size)
11Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Kindergartener Size)
07Jan2009 post (1 Photo - Kindergartener Size)
05Jan2009 post (2 Photos - Toddler Size)
04Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Toddler Size)

Pattern: Angelina Cable Mitts
Yarn: Elann Highland Wool, orchid pink
Needles: 4.5 mm (US7)

You had seen the left mitt in my 7Jan09 post. I used the toddler size version I made earlier in the week as a sizing reference point when resizing these for Udar's soon-to-be 6 yr old girl, Angelina. They're just a little wider with a slightly larger thumb. These photos show what the results look like on my 3 yr old:


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I must say these photos came out better than I expected. You'd never guess that she was constantly in motion the entire time I tried to snap these. This is how I envisioned Missy's version would come out ... more wrist coverage, more finger coverage. But NOOOOO, my picky toddler wanted hers short all around (see 4Jan09 post).

Yes, there is tape on her finger. We were mending something (paper + toddler = rips), and she took a small piece of tape to wrap around her finger.

Missy is enjoying the purple pair I made for her, and hasn't lost them yet. She can't distinguish the left one from the right one; it's a good thing these are interchangeable. I think it just bothers me when she mixes them up, because I intended the twists to twist outwards on both hands. Nobody else would really notice the difference.

I've started another pair of these mitts in a peachy color, this one will be a ladies small size (viz. fits my hand). Ok, I know I said I would stop winging it, but I can't help myself! It's like an addiction. Maybe I need a 12 step program.

Today, I spent the day doing the unglamorous task of looking at commodes and I think I have found the one I want. Well, the 2nd one on my want list. It's the American Standard Champion 4, because it is one of the few toilets with a 4" flush valve. Bigger is better. The only thing I haven't quite decided on is whether to go with an elongated bowl (like photo above) or round bowl (like photo below). They advertise the elongated styles as being more comfortable.

The round bowl model comes in a more standard height, which might be better for Missy. The elongated bowl model is higher by 1 to 2 inches.

Yes, these are #2 on my want list. The one that was at the top of the list is also a Champion 4 model, however it is a one-piece unit (instead of 2 separate pieces, bowl and tank) -- great for easy cleaning. The downside of this one is that I saw it for $500 at HD. Eeks! Oh, did I mention we need to get two? Yes, both of the ones that came with our new house are leaky and super loud wailers. It has gotten progressively worse over the past year. We are just fed up with them.

Now that I have finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell on 26 CDs, I have started Lord of the Rings Return of the King which is short in comparison, only 16 CDs! I'm near the end of the 2nd CD, and I'm wondering whether I should have chosen a book with more instant gratification before beginning this one. It's slow going as I tend to listen to audio books while knitting in bed. My current "bed" project is a lace scarf, something that requires so much concentration that I am unable to work on it while watching TV. That's why I have "mindless" knitting for the telly. The peachy mitts fit that bill. Which do you think you'll get to see first? Prolly the mitts, the scarf is moving slower than molasses on a cold winter's day.

Okeedokee, time to go make a minor dent in tonight's episode of 24; thank goodness for Tivo!
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Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

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oh nine already?

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Related posts:
22Jan2009 post (Angelina Cable Fingerless Mitts Pattern download page)
14Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Adult Size)
11Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Kindergartener Size)
07Jan2009 post (1 Photo - Kindergartener Size)
05Jan2009 post (2 Photos - Toddler Size)
04Jan2009 post (3 Photos - Toddler Size)

Pattern: Angelina Cable Mitts
Yarn: Elann Highland Wool, grape
Needles: 4.5 mm (US7)

The new year is here and it hasn't quite sunken in. It was not too long ago when I wrote a check dated 2008, the last one of that year. I guess it's that time to think about the goals for the new year.

1. French language studies.

I've been neglecting my French language studies. I suppose it's more challenging with self-study and trying to set a decent pace. It pretty much came to a halt during the last couple of months -- I blame it on the holidays. I'd like to chip away at it again.

2. Keep in touch with friends.

This is one area in want of improvement. I am not very good at keeping in touch, whether in person, over the phone, or through email. It can take me weeks to realize I have VM on my cell phone and it can be years before I respond to email.

3 & 4. Knit my second "real" garment, another vest for Mom. Find a lightweight shawl pin for Mom.

Of all the things I have made for my mom -- mitts, scarves, 1 shawl, and 1 vest -- she recently told me that she liked the shawl (29May2008 post) and vest (10Aug2008 post) the most. Then she went on to mention that she would like another of the same vest, made a little bit longer, because the first one came out a smidgen short (see photos in vest post). It took me 8 months to make the first one. I will try to gather enough will power to make a second one this year. Since I substituted yarn for the pattern, the easiest thing would be to use the same yarn in a different color, since I already have extensive project notes in my vest post ... this means I have a good idea of final sizing AND I won't make the same mistakes again (we hope).

The other thing my mom mentioned is that the shawl pin she got was too heavy. So another goal for this year is to find a pretty and light weight shawl pin for her.

5. Refrain from buying yarn and shop from stash.

I've reached "SABLE" aeons ago, I have absolutely no excuse for further purchase. You can check my Rav stash to get an idea, I think it's mostly up to date. I know it doesn't look like much, however it is A LOT when you take into account how little knitting output there is at Chez Smariek.

Given the low output, I sometimes think I am more accurately described as a yarn hoarder than a knitter. I often think about reserving a bag of yarn for a future larger project (shawl? sweater?) that never comes to fruition. I need to strive to shop from my stash and not be afraid to break up bags of yarn for smaller projects.

6. Learn to knit socks.

I am determined to learn how to do this! Yes, this year! However my excuse for not jumping right into it this very moment is that I lack the sock size pointy sticks I need to start this project. I ordered a set from KP back in Nov and it is still on back order or something, cuz it hasn't arrived yet.

7. Start my holiday knitting early.

Cuz I hate the stress of last minute knitting. I've actually started on this one. :-) It's just a little scarf for L.

You saw the left mitt in yesterday's post (4Jan2009 post), where I also explained why they're so short. I finished the right mitt last night, and took a quickie photo this morning before Missy wore them to school; I was afraid they might have gotten lost by the time I pick her up later today, so I had to make sure I snapped a pic before that happened. I cannot explain how difficult it is to get toddler hands to remain still, even when you have them on a stationary surface. This was the best I could do.

This is the first completed project of the year. Now that I have a reference point for sizing, this one fitting a toddler's hand, I can go forward in trying to make a slightly larger pair for Angelina who is turn 6 yrs old this month.


Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

Great Grandma Scarf

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I have finally seen the light. It is WAY easier to knit from someone else's pattern than to tinker around and create something from scratch myself. I'm not a great collector of patterns, either in books or PDF files. Except for a book on knitted flowers (a gift), all my other knitting books are stitch dictionaries. And I'm not inclined to collect PDF files partly due to not having a printer. But this scarf I just made was so simple that I didn't need to print it out to be able to follow it.

Pattern: Bainbridge Scarf (PDF)
Yarn: Worsted Weight
Needles: 5.0 mm (US8)

Here's a little something for M's great grandma. She's 92 and hobbles very slowly with her walker. It is a tube that is worn similarly to a cowl, so this scarf is perfect as there is no risk of it falling off, and thus no temptation for her to attempt the dangerous manouevre of bending down to pick up something off the floor. Another advantage is no long dangling ends to catch on anything and make her fall. There are so many similarities between her and M. For both, you have to consider possible strangulation hazards with neckwear. Both are picky eaters. It takes just as long for both to get from Point A to Point B. Well, I could go on...

The Bainbridge Scarf was a little tricky to figure out how to wear, but I think I've figured it out. Here's Pooh Bear, my stationary model, wearing the scarf. My other possible model (viz. Missy) can't stay still. I must say he looks pretty good wearing the scarf! (BTW, Missy still refers to him as "her") The scarf is easy mindless knitting. So easy that I lost track of what I was doing and knit 5 inches before I realized I only needed 4 inches.

Now I'm wondering what to make next. Except for the mitt that will be used in the FGF Feb 2009 KAL (Ravelry group) and the lace scarf I started aeons ago, I think I will take a break from creating something from scratch. Knitting is like cooking. It's easier to look up a recipe in a cookbook than to create something from scratch. No point in reinventing the wheel. I do need to get a printer though.

(pers note: adjust for yarn weight, co120. could prolly go with 130 next time)

Pattern: Asherton Toddler Hat
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country 8 Ply
Needles: 4.0 mm (US6)

Never go stash diving with the little ones. They zero in on yarn based on color and will invariably pick out the nice non-machine-washable merino wool!

Missy wanted a new hat and she tends to gravitate towards the purples. I tried to show her the machine wash purples in my stash, but she’d turn them down saying, “no, it’s too dark,” or, “no, it’s too light”. Then she spies the shade of purple she likes and it turns out to be merino wool, hand wash.

We revisited the stash again another day, this time with some planning ahead and placing only the machine wash yarns on the bed (and a few “approved” hand wash yarns too) so she could choose from that. She decided on the same lighter pink yarn which was used in her 2nd hat of the same style (see 22 Jan 2007 post for 2nd hat; see 6 Oct 2006 post for 1st hat). Ok, we finally have yarn and color.

Next up, what style would she like her hat? After showing her a few, she decided that she wanted this exact same hat. Okeedokee. At least I knew I could knit one. :-)

Now this is Missy's new winter hat. The old one was was getting a bit short on her. She can still wear the old one, but the brim no longer folds up/down. I made this one with 20 rounds of ribbing, so it folds up while wearing, but I can fold it down a little more for more coverage when needed.

Outline: Warm Hands, Warm Thumbs
Yarn: Elann Highland Wool
Needles: 4.5 mm (US7)

Nothing terribly new here. This just shows the 4 pairs of the same basic k2p2 mitts. You last saw 3 pairs in my 17 Dec 2008 post. This one only adds one more grey pair. All gifts for Christmas. I am sooooo sick of knitting mitts. I made 8 pairs for gifts. The other 4 were the cable mitts you saw in my 22 Dec 2008 post.

So for a change of pace from mitts, I have started a scarf for L. AND I am finally getting to use the Knit Picks Options Interchangeable Needles Set I got earlier this month (4 Dec 2008 post). It came with 2 cord lengths. I found the shorter one too short for my liking, I'm not sure what I will use that for. The longer one in the set is perfect for knitting a scarf. Yup, these needle tips are pointy. Just like the Knit Picks Harmony wood DPNs, it made this yarn seem more splitty than it's ever been for me in the past.

I'm still waiting for the Knit Picks Nickel Plated DPN Set (sock size needles) to arrive. Still on backorder I guess.

We'll be going on a little mini-roadtrip, same place as last May -- Monterey, CA and Carmel, CA (see 29 May 2008 & 3 June 2008 posts). Forecast says chance of showers on the 2nd day there, hopefully it will only turn out to be cloudy. I'll be taking L's scarf with me, easy mindless knitting.

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