A New Sweater Project

Now that I have finished Even Flow, I have decided to start another sweater.  This one is for my mom (and funded by her; she bought the yarn).  I will be making Chickadee from Little Red in the City by Ysolda Teague.

A swatch of the yoke motif in the colors that mom and I picked.

I am very excited to be working a sweater with a yoke, and Ysolda's book is fantastic at describing pattern alterations. 

A box of yarn!  For me!

I have figured out the gauge (she got the same gauge on #5 needles that takes me #8 needles) and I am ready to cast on.  I will keep you all posted.

But first I need to finish my French Market Socks. *sigh*

I am on the second sock's heel right now, so I will finish these in the next few days.  But as someone who rarely makes a pattern twice, I am a drudge when it comes to second socks.

However, these are turning out to be really pretty.  And I'm finding that my stranded colorwork looks way more awesome after blocking.

Ooooh . . .

There is a bit of stress along the edge of the heel that worries me.  This yarn is a loosely twisted 2-ply, which means that it is super easy to break, but it grips to itself and the stitches around it.  I think that I will just reinforce this area with another strand of the same color stitched over it in Swiss darning.  This should make the row along the heel better wearing, but only time will tell.

Just Like a Little Bird

That's right!  Just in case you can't get enough of my obsessive ramblings, I am on twitter!  If you would like to follow me, please check me out @AngieChervenak or just follow the link on the right side of the page.

I have actually been making pretty good progress on my list of projects since last post.  Some of the progress is on design projects though and I won't be able to share those with you until they are done.

However, I did whip up the crocheted slouch hat!

See, I can crochet too!

I have to say, this was a fun project.  I especially love the look of the band.  It is done in back post single crochet.

However.  Hmm.  I apparently crochet at a much tighter gauge than whoever wrote this pattern and instead of starting over when I realized this, I just decided that I would keep going as long as it fit.  So my super slouchy hat basically has no slouch at all.

Which doesn't really matter to me.  The even bigger problem is that my greatest fears about this yarn were realized.  The fiber content is wonderful, but the colors are hideous together.  Beautiful colors, absolutely goofy when knitted up together.  But I will wear this hat, because I love a hideous hat.  (Something my husband and I always had in common.)

There has been no sweater progress over the past few days because I decided to put it aside for a minute.  I have been working on that sweater very hard and I am proud to say that I will likely finish the whole thing within a month of starting.  But it is a personal project and I have other things to work on too.

However, the sweater has inspired me to add a list of links to helpful tutorials.  Check out the new "Links" tab at the top of the page.  This week I have added some links for my favorite yarn joining methods.  I have been spit splicing my yarn for this sweater and I am very pleased with the results.  Leave it to me to find a way to avoid weaving in all of those ends.  The russian join method is great for joining yarns of different colors without having to weave in ends.  I will be adding more links as I think of them.

Finally, I have a confession to make.  I gave in to the trend and made a ruffle scarf.  I can't see myself ever wearing it, but I am considering trying to start up a class in Custer on how to make these.  Gotta give the people what they want, but I can't help but think that this yarn would make a way better skirt embellishment than boa.

Not too bad.

Pockets!

My Even Flow sweater now has pockets!

See? Pockets!

I decided yesterday that I need to get more organized.  I wasn't sure what I had going on and I was getting a nagging feeling while working on my sweater for the past couple of days that I should actually be advancing other projects as well.  So I made a list of all of the projects that I am making or that I intend to make soon.  I came up with a list of 15.  Seriously.  15.

That might not seem like a lot, but you have to remember: These are knitting projects.  Most of them cannot be knocked out in a single day.

Here's a quick overview of some of my ambitions:

A few years back, my grandma gave my mother a knitting bag and some fabric.  The idea being that I would take the bag apart and reconstruct it.  Last week, I finally got around to taking it apart.

The handles aren't worn out.

It is currently sitting in my workspace waiting for me to draft and cut out the pattern in the new fabric.  But I kinda figure that if I am going to bother to do one of these, I might as well bother to do three at once.  So if I ever get this sorted (and find some handles that I am satisfied with at a decent price), there may be fabulous knitting bags up on an Etsy store.

Next, as a way of using up some of my limited edition colorway yarn, I have decided to crochet a slouch hat out of this Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted.

A beautiful colorway of which it would be difficult to find any more.

I got this colorway at the 2013 MN Yarn Shop Hop.  But designing with exclusive colorways isn't very nice, so, darn it anyway, I get to make something for myself.

Then there is the design project that I had to rip out and now have to restart.  Luckily, it will be on these needles:

Gotta love #17 and #19 needles.

And last but not least, about a year ago I said that I would make the Lampwork Hat and Mitts for Athenais and the yarn has been just sitting in my stash ever since.  Maybe she'll get to wear them this winter.  Maybe she'll have to wait until next.

So, as much as I enjoy blogging, I'm afraid that I have quite a bit to work on today.

Phoning This One In

I am feeling pretty sick today with a sinus/ear/throat thing and I do not feel very verbose.

So here are a few pictures of progress and projects:

My new homemade niddy noddy.

Side view of the Even Flow sweater.  I am now working on the front edge, with stitches held aside for pockets.

Working it

I have been pretty busy the past few days working on my crochet design project.  If all goes well, I should have my first crochet pattern out some time next week! 

I have realized through switching  back (I learned to crochet first) that I am a much better and more sophisticated knitter than crocheter.  And the next time I say that crochet is easier, because I will, remind me to read this post. 

The stitches aren't difficult, but there are so many different kinds of them!  And seriously, I cannot remember the last time I had to count this intensely.

Lovely double crochet

In other news, another design project (a knit one), that I have been working on for a couple of weeks, has hit a snag.  I am almost done with it and I am not happy with the gauge.  And I am out of yarn.  And I was already working on the largest needles I own.  This is very frustrating.

So, I picked up some numbers 17 and 19 needles and I am about to frog (rip it) the whole thing and start over from scratch at a looser gauge.  Maybe I can get the drape of the thing right this time and stretch the project yarn to be enough all at the same time.

Otherwise, I am continuing to work on the black socks that plague me and the Even Flow sweater.  I am almost done with the patterned body of the sweater and will soon be working on the collar and the central front.  And I have turned the heel on the socks.

More work to do today, and I'm trying to dye over the coffee portion of my last dye project.  There's no rest for the wicked.

Knitters Love Winter

It snowed last night!  And it is still snowing.  Sometimes there is nothing better than weather that tells you, "Just stay inside and knit."

And what will I be working on?  Why, my Even Flow sweater, of course.  The last week or so hasn't been all that great, but I tell you what, sitting around and watching movies sure helped me make progress on this sweater.  I'm starting to get excited about it.  I'm not so excited about picking up the stitches along both sides of the front to make the edge, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

And to anyone who is wondering, that curl will come out when the edge is added.  And if there's any left after that, that is what blocking is for.  Wet it down and shape it nicely, there will be no curl at all.

Tons of progress for less than a week.

Last Saturday was my wheel spinning class at Fall River Fibers in the Ace Hardware Store in Hot Springs, SD.  It was great.  I took a sleeping pill the night before so that I could be up in time to make it to the 9 AM start, and then I slept through my alarm.  But I wasn't too terribly late, thank goodness, and it was awesome to be around other people who love yarn.  Ok. it was awesome to be around other people period.

I found out that I am a fast spinner!  I am a productive spinner!  I make "art yarn"!  These are all really nice ways of saying that I should slow down and that I may need some more practice before I can be consistent.  Well, everyone starts out as a beginner, and I really did have fun.  Throwing myself headlong into new things is really how I learn best.

But Fritz thinks it's awesome.

After washing and setting the twist.  I think that little bit of plain white is probably my best piece.

And I am still working on dyeing yarns.  I now have pH paper!  I'm not sure that it makes me a better dyer, but it makes me feel more confident that I know what I'm doing.  This latest skein, I tried coffee and my new neon McCormick food dye.  I also tried a non-immersion dye method. 

I really like the blue.  I am very happy with the food dye results, but I am pretty nonplussed by the coffee.  I think that I will have to overdye the coffee part of this one before I am satisfied.  I think I may go for a purple rather than a brown.

Ooh, blue!

I also picked up a 100g skein of undyed, New Zealand, 2-ply, wool yarn.  It is about worsted weight but I will check.  I was thinking that this skein has hat written all over it and I will have to dye it in colors that I will actually wear. 

Well, that was the weekend for me.  Pretty dang productive actually.  And now I have to leave you to work on the crochet design project that I have become obsessed with.  I have a few more knit designs currently on the needles, but they have to stay under wraps for now.

A Knitting Hermit?

I wimped out.  I didn't go to the Fiber Arts Guild meeting.  I just didn't have it in me.  I will go to the next meeting after first making contact with the group.  

I also feel apprehensive about the spinning class tomorrow.  What if I don't feel up to interacting with people?  I think all of this anxiety is something that I had best just push myself through.  I sometimes get this way, but once I am actually out of the house, I tend to have a good time.

Well, enough obsessing about my social anxiety.  The week has gotten rough since Tuesday, with the anxiety and my sleep schedule being thrown completely off, but I have managed to cast on for my Even Flow Sweater!

So far, so good.  What you can see in the picture is the back between the shoulders and I have just started working the right front panel.

Other than that, I have only been plugging away at the black socks.  I have a few more design projects on the needles that I hope to get out in November, I am waiting on pH paper to dye more yarn, and I will definitely keep all of you updated on how the spinning class goes tomorrow.  I have to admit, I am excited to learn about making yarn.  But really, who wouldn't be?

One last thing: I would like to thank everyone who downloaded my dishcloth pattern.  48 downloads and counting!

The sweater thus far

Publish or Perish

Ok, so the title of this post is meant to be a really bad pun on dyeing.  I may occasionally be guilty of awful puns; I blame the geology degree.

It was a pretty good weekend.  I even managed to have a somewhat relaxing day on Sunday in which I only knit for some of the day.  Otherwise, some very exciting firsts happened:

I published my first pattern:

Double Heart Dishcloth

It can be found here, as a free Ravelry download or from the links on my brand new Patterns page!  Seriously, download one even if you don't need one; just to make me look good.

It actually is a kinda fun, quickie project and the cotton yarn it's made of is dirt cheap.

I also swatched for my Joji Locatelli Even Flow sweater.

Mmm . . . swatches

I have to admit: I hate swatching.  I want to just cast on and go!  That is why so many of the projects I do are items that you don't need to swatch for or that (like socks) you can measure your gauge as you are knitting it.  I know that you are supposed to swatch on pretty much everything, but I find it very boring.  

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure that I would be more annoyed to knit an entire sweater only to have it not fit.  And judging by the fact that my swatch on the recommended needles didn't match the gauge in the pattern, it is time well spent.

Then, the most exciting news:

I am teaching myself how to dye yarn!

I started with food dye on some cream colored Cascade Eco Wool that I had lying around and came up with this:

My first attempt

Not too bad for the first time.  Of course it leaves plenty of room for improvement though. 

This was done with just water, white vinegar, and McCormick food dye.  Apparently if your dye bath is too acidic, the red will be taken up into the yarn faster than the blue and instead of getting a purplish-blue, you get red splotches with blue around them.

In order to prevent this from happening again, I have ordered pH paper from the internet.  When in doubt, apply science.

Finally, tonight I may go check out the Black Hills Fiber Arts Guild meeting.  I don't necessarily feel like going out and talking to people, but I think I have to remember that it is never as scary as it feels before hand.  And I have baked an apple spice cake to take with.  How could I go wrong if I'm bringing a cake?

Why Do I Even Ask?

I wonder if everyone experiences this:  Last night I talked to my brother.  He lives out in California and I wanted to get his sweater measurements because I'm kicking around an idea for a Christmas present for him.  However, I have been so excited about this idea, that I actually told him the basic concept.

I think this is where I may have started to go wrong.  Now he has an opinion for everything from exact length, to zipper vs. buttons, to design motif, and I am listening to him.  I know, it will be his sweater, but it will be mine as well since I am designing it.  Where do you draw that line?  I want him to be happy with it, but it is a present that I am going to be spending a lot of time on.

And my brother may be notoriously fussy, but I did explain to him that if I take the time to design and knit a f***ing sweater for him, he will f***ing love it.

I guess I may be a little cranky today.  I have been pretty knocked out by the flu for most of a week now and although I have gotten some knitting done, I have managed to take care of very little else.

Right now, my socks are the only thing that I have on the needles that isn't a design project.  I have moved from the instep decreases to the foot now and feel like I am in the home stretch with this first sock.  I will be teaching myself how to graft with Kitchener stitch for the toes!  I am actually kind of excited.  I love how seamless Kitchener stitch can look and I know it frustrates some people, but I seem to enjoy some of the more frustrating aspects of knitting.

So close to done!

And now, the moment people have been waiting for:  The Drawing!

I ran the 35 comments through the random number generator at Random.org and the winner of the Knit Picks 4" dpns is . . .

#23 - Connie K.  greyowl (on ravelry)

Congrats to Connie and I will be PMing you on Ravelry to get your mailing info!

May these needles make you many beautiful socks.

Fritz don't care, he's got a sunbeam.