Knittymama

So with not quite as much of a bang as some of my fellow bloggers have started out, my Olympic knitting challenge is off!! I had a rough beginning Friday. Little Man got to stay up late and watch the opening ceremonies (because what little kid wants to miss guys with fire coming off of their heads?) but that also meant too much distraction to really start much knitting. He finally tuckered out for bed around 9:30 so when Matt put him down I got started.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t swatched prior to Friday and then thought I’d better do it just to work out the stitch pattern. Lucky I did. It took me five tries to get it right. First I had trouble with my new Addi’s and the Rowan 4-ply merino I am using. The yarn was slipping all over the place and I got really frustrated. So I switched to bamboo which was just too slow, and went back to the Addi’s again. I got more used to the Addi’s, but then kept losing the right number of stitches. On the fifth try I realized that I wasn’t doing one of the yarnovers right, fixed it, and cast on. My Heirloom Silk (merino) Baby Shawl from Erika Knight’s “Knitting for Two” is off!!!

I showed Matt the picture of the shawl in the book and how much I had done. He’s such a great coach. I asked him if he thought I’d get it done. His reply, “No way.” (Not only is he honest he knows me too well) Then he asked me, “So how many other knitters do you think are sitting around freaking out about this like you are?” (This was after the fourth swatch and many unpleasant words). I’m guessing quite a few of you!!

I’m feeling better now that I’ve gotten a start, but this is going to take some late nights. I figure the center panel is 28 inches, so I need to be doing about 4 inches a night to get done soon enough to start the four side panels. I’ve got four inches done in three days, and that was over a weekend. But, I’ve got the hang of the pattern now and it actually goes quickly as long as I’m not interrupted or falling asleep.

As for the blog woes, I have to ask you fellow bloggers for some ideas. With the new computer, I’ve totally got the picture thing down now. My problem? The side panel. It is taunting me with its plainess and totaly lack of anything other than the Knitting Olympics button. I tried to add the Team Wales button, but again, can’t figure out the picture attachment to the link (Nate, where are you? I can’t bug him again, I mean the guy gave us a free computer and he already showed me once.) I just can’t figure out how to get the stupid picture to be on the link. I also can’t figure out how to get new sections put up there. I really would like to have a seperate list of blogs, as well as a list of WIP and FO. I have read over Blogger a million times and can’t find any help, and the html sites just make me feel like I’ve had way too many cups of coffee right now (and I’m off of caffiene). But I know it can’t be that
hard, as everyone else seems to have it figured out. So, I give. As stupid as I feel asking this question, where is the secret “How to put things on your sidebar” page? I know it’s out there somewhere!

Now, as Matt just said, “Shouldn’t you be knitting right now?” Yup.

Okay, so you don’t get to see the tam tonight. My bettery supply for the camera is out. I love having a digital camera but I have to say I can’t believe how this thing sucks that batteries down. We’ve got to get some rechargables.

Not that much happened with the tam. I washed and blocked it and now it is pretty much the same size as before. I hate to do it, but I actually think I am going to rip out a FO, which is really depressing for a couple of reasons. I’ve been trying to find time to knit myself a hat this winter and I never seem to get to it. I finally get one done and it doesn’t fit. I’d dive right back into it, but two things are in the way: dishcloths and the olympics.

The dishcloths are for my brother, who through ups and downs in the real estate world, has finally bought his first house. We are very excited about this as he’ll be living just five minutes from us rather than twenty-five, so we all get to see much more of each other. But he closes already next week, which means a housewarming gift is in order. As much as I hate kniting them (let’s face it, dishcloths are not exciting) the boy needs some dishcloths. We had Christmas at his house this year, and my mom actually called me and said, “Can you bring a dishcloth with you when you come over?” This cracks me up, and puts me into big sister mode. So part of his housewarming gift has to be dishcloths. Right now everything has stopped so I can knit them up, because I only have until Friday before before they need to be done.

Why Friday? The opening ceremony of the olympics starts, which means I am off and running on the Heirloom Silk Baby Shawl. I’ve getting worried that I’ve bit off more than I can chew with this one but I guess only time will tell.

I’m getting into a knitting funk. I’m glad the Olympics are starting soon, maybe that will get me moving!!

On a whim this weekend, I knit up a Tam. I started it Friday, took it to our playgroup’s monthly knitting gathering, and then ripped it out as the yarnovers were all crooked. But I started again that night, whipped through it and finished it off last night. Only two misplaced yarnovers this time, but too far back that I decided not to worry about it. I figured they weren’t that noticeable so I just finished up.

Of course, when I tried it on, it fit more like a stocking cap rather than a tam. Which might have been all right, except Matt looked at me and said, “Do you know it has a bunch of holes in it?” So much for my strategically placed yarnovers in nice neat lines (minus two, of course.) I pointed this out to him but he just gave me a look that meant he still wasn’t quite sure about the hat, but I don’t know if I can stand ripping it out. I have never ripped anything out completely, maybe it is time. But first, I’ll try blocking and stretching a bit to see if loosening it up helps. I’ll post a photo tomorrow (I can’t seem to find it on my hard drive right now) and we’ll see if it stays or goes.

So the finals are graded, but this hasn’t been much of a week for knitting. Long days at work and I keep falling asleep early, so all I really have is my pathetic sock report from the weekend.

I had planned ot work on my first pair of socks on two circular needles, using the Columbine Peaks pattern from Cat Bohrdi’s book. I had done the ribbing last summer and everythig was fine, but once I got started again I had two problems. One, I didn’t count and messed up the pattern, and two, I’m not too crazy about using these needles. They are Crystal Palace and the joins just aren’t that smooth, so it’s taking a lot of effort to switch back and forth. So they went back in the bag. Great yarn though. It’s Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn.

I went on to Little Man’s socks, to match Mama’s socks (I’d better not hear “these are tickly” this time around! :-)They were coming along nicely until he decided to break one of the needles in half (what better way to get his Mother’s attention, right?) So they went back in the bag as well.

On to pair number three. I can’t find my pattern now, but these were the biggest success over the weekend. It’s a Fiber Trends pattern, I can at least remember that much.I’m quite proud of how it turned out. But then on our drive home we ended up leaving late and this is not a sock to knit in the dark, so I sat for three hours doing nothing;it nearly drove me nuts. I had gone through all my backup knitting and had nothing left.So much for good travel planning!

All in all it was a great weekend and the Little Man had fun with all the family, I simply lost my knitting groove and have not been able to get in back. Maybe this weekend, we’ll see…

On a final note, I have to give a HUGE thanks to my brother-in-law, who not only gave my html lessons this weekend, but a LAPTOP!!!! (We’ll just call him the used computer-fixer-upper genius. Nate, you really do rock and I promise we (meaning Matt)won’t break this one!) I can actually use Blogger now as intended, meaning no more outdated Mac 9.2. We’re all Windows now, which makes Matt incredibly happy but also unwilling to share; I nearly had to rip this thing from his hands, and now it’s way past bedtime for me. I do feel sorry for my Imac just sitting there, it looks lonely. I keep telling it it is not it’s fault that the internet world just doesn’t want to support it anymore. Now I’m rambling which proves it is WAY past bedtime now.

80 finals to grade (9 pages, what was I thinking?)
No knitting for me today…
Enthraling sock weekend update coming soon.

Lots of family time this weekend, so I’m declaring it a sock weekend. We’ll see what I get done by Sunday!

Also, the big question is, what knitting team do I join for the Knitting Olympics? I have noticed some bloggers who have more than one team, but I feel like I should just pick one…..

Team Minnesota?
Team USA?
Team Chocolate?
Team Midwest?
Team Wales? (I’ll explain that one later)

noroscarf
Originally uploaded by knittymama.

So this one goes right up there with my Anouk in the “idiotic knitting mistakes” category. But this time I can’t even blame a long car ride and misread instructions; it’s one of those moments when you feel just plain dumb.

I started this scarf in Noro Silk Garden last Thanksgiving for an easy “knit and socialize” project. It was great until I realized that I had not nearly enough yarn to finish it. So I tossed it in the closet and just decided to keep my eye out for a skein. But one wasn’t turning up, and I had forgotten about it unitl a couple of weeks ago when I came across the same colorway. The blues were a little different, but the whole thing was close enough that I grabbed it, threw it in with the scarf and made it my lunchtime project. Perfect, right?

I have been knitting this scarf every day now at lunch, 7 or 8 rows a day, for the last two weeks. Today, however, I had an appointment and ended up with a lot of waiting room time. So I pull out my scarf, happy to have some time to relax. I knit about ten rows before I start to think things like: “Why is this yarn so rough?” and “The stitch definition is just not the same as the beginning” and so on until it actually dawns on me…

This is not Silk Garden. It’s Kuyeron.

I actually went straight from silk/mohair/wool to 100% wool and didn’t notice for about 8 inches. The colorway is close, but the texture is not nearly the same, so how is it even possible to knit that much and not have a clue?? I could chalk it up the to cruel 25 minute lunch breaks we teachers have to try to eat, pee and maybe relax a litle bit, but I still knit quite a bit this afternoon before it dawned on me. So I’ll blame this one on “post holiday/end of the semester/working mama stress” and leave it at that.

Now the question is, me being a very type B knitter, do I keep looking for the Silk Garden and rip it back, or do I finish it off and call it my “Noro Sampler Scarf?”

handspun1
Originally uploaded by knittymama.

Finally, I’ve got something to show for my early tries with the spinning wheel. These are actually two separate batches. The two skeins on the right I made at Woolstock (hosted by Susan’s Fiber Shop) last summer. I took a beginning spinning class (of which I was the only person!) and after about 3 hours of spinning walked away with some pretty decent yarn for a first try.

The two on the left are from my own wheel that I picked up in August. The wool is punta top. The one on the far left is double-ply, and the next one in is a single. This yarn is not very well balanced and quite curly, but for my first try on my own I’m happy with it.

The big question is what to do with it? I’m going to knit up a big swatch with it to see what it turns out like, but where to go from there I have no idea, other than to just hang it in my yarn closet to look at. Crooked potholders anyone?

After a few months of collecting dust in the corner, I finally got my spinning wheel back out today and actually got about an hour of spinning in. I had gotten an Ashford Traveler last August and had a good start at it, but my problem was the Little Man can not keep his hands away from it. So everytime I thought I had a bit of time to spin it was all messed up, which left me frustrated and too crabby to spin. I still haven’t found a good place to put it that he’ll leave it alone, but the good thing is that it’s old news now so he doesn’t play with it quite as much.

I managed to ply up some singles of the punta top I had been working on last fall. It is drying in the basement as I speak (LM was very helpful in the washing of it!) I’ll post pictures once it’s dry.

I think we’ll get an early bedtime tonigth since LM refused a nap again, so I’m hoping for a good three hours on the color by color scarf tonight.

As for the blog, I need to get some help with this thing. I can’t seem to find the help I need on Blogger’s help page. I’m trying to find out how to use a button as a link rather than a text. I got the Knitting Olympics link up on the side, but have no idea how to make the actual button the link. I’d also love to get my own button. Any ideas?

socks
Originally uploaded by knittymama.

So the other night Matt and I are watching a documentary on Eleanor Roosevelt on PBS. I’m trying like crazy to get MY socks finished when he comments to me, “Hey, Eleanor’s knitting a sock” in this very casual sort of way (like he talks about this all the time). I had noticed that she was knitting in just about every other photo, but was shocked that not only did Matt notice, but he noticed it was a sock! I guess there may be hope yet…

As far as my socks go, as you can see they are done!!! I’m starting to think that one should not photograph ones own feet (what an unflattering angle, never mind the unshaven legs) but I’ll let vanity go for the night so you can see the stitch pattern. These are the Classy Slip-Ups from Betsy Lee McCarthy’s book, “Knit Socks.” The yarn is from Knitpicks in marigold.

The socks feel wonderful, but I have to say I’m not crazy about the color, especially combined with this stitch pattern. I’m not a yellow/red kind of girl and have no idea why I ordered it. I started the socks last summer for an easy travel project and wasn’t happy from the start, but I kept running into times that I needed some knitting and these were the only travel-friendly items on the needles, so here they are. I still have half a skein left, which will go to another pair for LM. I have to say, he is still my biggest knitting fan and was very impressed with mama’s skills!