One down, and two on the go!

I finished my Burberry-esque scarf for my mom, and the response was amazing. She loves it! It makes me really happy to see something I’ve done have such a positive response! She was so inthralled that she wanted to do something nice for me, so she bought me new yarn for me to knit myself something with! I got some beautiful alpaca wool by Rowan in a fabulous blue-green colour. I don’t know what I’m going to knit yet, but I have been searching Ravelry for some ideas. Part of me thinks I might just knit the same Burberry-esque scarf because I love it so much, and the pattern was easy to follow.

I also started the gap-tastic cowl. It’s my first “in the round” scarf, and it was pretty intimidating for me! The pattern is simple, and a stitch that I’m really comfortable with (seed stitch) but I still managed to mess up the join. I don’t know if it was because I used larger needles than were recommended (I’m using 8mm needles with a yarn that is supposed to be for 6mm needles- but that’s what the pattern called for), or if I just did something wrong. It worked out okay however, as I was able to use the yarn from the cast on to weave it together so it looks like it fits. This also marks the first time I’ve used the long tail cast on. I was actually really scared of the long tail cast on before, it looked like I would have to do a bunch of really technical stuff to do it, but after I watched a few videos, I caught on to it really quickly. I can see why this is a favourite cast on for a lot of knitters.

Also, I found a new resource that I adore! I accidentally stumbled upon this fabulous resource by following a few links. The website is called Knit Purl Hunter, and can be found here. She has absolutely fabulous knitting tutorials, and an extensive library of patterns. Very happy to find this resource!

I haven’t been around in the past week because I’ve been a very busy woman. I spent a lot of time working, and, well, let’s face it: a lot of time watching football! I got a lot done on my knitting during the past few weeks with knitting. It’s such a pleasant time for me to knit! I find it to be quite soothing: while I’m tempted to yell at the TV, I breath, and knit and purl.

Happy knitting!!

Winning at the Infinity Scarf

I’m happy about my scarf project!! It’s coming along very well! I have finished the third repeat, and I’m thinking I might need to do one extra repeat but we’ll see.

I’m a little nervous about the Kitchener stitch I have to do to end the scarf; I probably should have read the fine print first: the creator of the pattern very clearly said to be comfortable with the Kitchener before trying it on the scarf or to just do a regular cast on, but I’m not that smart!! I think I’ll try Kitchener on a smaller pattern to see how to do it. I watched a great YouTube video on how to do it, but doing it on a sample swatch versus on a scarf I’ve put hours upon hours into is probably a much smarter option! That being said, I have this terrible habit of being super amazing at something the first time I do it, and then goofing up on it subsequent times (snowboarding is the perfect example of this!!!).

My Knitty Resolutions

With less than 12 hours to go before my time zone rings in the New Year, I thought it might be fun to create some knitting specific resolutions; I have several for the rest of my life, but knitting has become very important to me.

1. Learn to do cables
2. Learn some knew stitches
3. Learn how to do yarn overs
4. Learn how to read the patterns
5. Knit something for myself!!

So I might have gotten a bit of a head start on Resolution number 1; I started doing a cable on the scarf I’m working on now, but it isn’t a typical cable. I want to try to do more cabling, because I think it looks really nice- and ultimately isn’t that difficult.

For resolution number 2, I purchased a book with 400 different stitches. Unfortunately, the book somewhat requires me to get Resolution number 4 down, before I can read it properly!

What are your knitting resolutions?

Happy New Year!

New Project: Infinity Scarf

I really think I have to figure out how to knit according to the patterns. I decided to take on this pattern I found on Ravelry. But of course, I’m not using the right yarn!! Oh well.

It’s coming  along- but it is the first time I’ve had to follow a pattern with counting. It’s also my first cable pattern, and I’m having some concerns about my cabling. There seem to be quite large gapping holes around the cables. I haven’t done cables, so I don’t know if this is normal, or if it’s because the pattern calls for 8 cable stitches; usually I’ve seen cable stitches for 4-6 stitches, not 8.

Anyway…pictures to follow!

The sad little scarf

Well, this scarf isn’t turning out quite as I had hoped.
Details:
Wool: big softie
Needles: 8mm
Pattern: knit 2 purl 2 (cast on 16)

Ultimately, I’ve messed up on this scarf a few times…I’ve purled where I should have knit, I’ve twisted a few stitches, I’ve messed up my tension more than a few times. But bless my sister, she says she loves it (so far– I showed her on the 26th) and has said she’ll wear it, goof-ups and all.

And on to the next project

For my next project, I’m creating a skinny infinity scarf for my sister. I’ll be honest- I’m cheating. I’m going to sew the ends of the scarf together to make the infinity loop. I did get circular needles for christmas, so the next goal I have is to learn to knit in the round. However, I had already started this scarf on straight needles, so I am just continuing on with it.

 

I have to admit, I’m loving my interchangeable needles. I love that when I’m not knitting, I can let the row rest on the cable. I love that I can have a smaller space to knit in, versus what I had to have when I was using my longer straight needles. I love that they are pretty colours (yup, I’m one of those!). And most of all, I love that my mom bought them for me. It might sound sappy, but quite often, I have things for the “right now” not for the “long term”, and I feel like knitting needles, if taken care of, can be a long term thing that I can use with my children, and my children’s children…

Since I’m not going to get much else done today, I think I’ll turn off my computer and get back to knitting.

❤

A new knitting lesson learned

I learned something new today- and unfortunately, I learned it the hard way.

When I started my scarf I thought I would need two balls of yarn. The idea of more than two balls being used on this scarf was more than overwhelming. Now, as I near the end of the second ball, I realize that It isn’t going to be enough. I went into the yarn store to find that they had SOLD OUT of the colour I was using. I wanted to cry. Part of this is that I knew I would need a third ball, and went in to the yarn store last week, and didn’t buy it. I thought “I’ll grab it when I get closer to the end”. Now, I’m kicking myself for not buying it when I had the chance.

 

So….I guess I make due with what I have. And learn that next time, Buy than what I think I’ll need.

Things I tend to mess up on

When I’m knitting, there are “those things” that I tend to goof up on. Thankfully, I’m starting to learn how to fix things, even if it’s slow and time consuming to do so (Lesson: Be as Type A as I can be, and every stitch MUST be perfect!!! HA!).

My main goof ups:

• I often “gain a stitch”: Why? I don’t slip the knitted stitch off of the needle completely and end up knitting it again. Fix: Luckily, I tend to use patterns that I notice when I’m off by a stitch (Example: Knit 2 purl 2 results in quite a funny looking pattern if I gain a stitch). I usually count backward and unravel until I get to a row that I know is right.
• I sometimes forget which stitch I should be on: Why? Simply put, I can’t count, and sometimes I put my knitting down and can’t tell if I should be knitting or purling, etc. Fix: As time consuming as it is, I count my stitches (example: I start at the beginning and say “knit purl knit purl knit purl…” until I get to the offending stitch. Apparently, experienced knitters are able to look at the stitch and know what they should be on. I’m not at that point yet with my moss stitch, but I can do this in my knit 2 purl 2 patterns.
• The last stitch on the row looks funny: Why? I have no idea! Fix: I’ve read a couple of different options on fixing this, but haven’t found a method I like yet. One experienced knitter suggested I carry the stitch over as it is without knitting it. When I flip it and start on the next row, this should fix what it looks like. I tried it and didn’t like it but that’s probably the Type A talking again…
• Re-inserting/twisted stitches: Why: I don’t know how to re-insert! Fix: I watched several videos, got a book, and asked for help. When I goof up, I sometimes have to pull the row apart and reinsert my needle. The first few times, I ended up with terribly twisted stitches, and they looked funny. Type A says “START FROM THE BEGINNING AGAIN!” For the first little while, that’s what I did. But thanks to this video (warning: It starts as soon as you click the link, so if you’re reading this at work and don’t want everyone to know you’re reading blogs instead of working, wait until later to open the link!) I have found it much easier to reinsert, and was able to undo two rows and correct what I was doing, instead of 3 feet of knitting which would have probably made me cry.

So there you have it: these are my most common problems. I read a lot about dropped stitches and I’m happy to report that at this point, I haven’t dropped a stitch. Ever. Why is this you might ask- the simple answer is that I am so afraid of dropping a stitch that I am hyper vigilant about it. We’ll see if that holds true when I start working on more complex patterns!

 

 

What I’m knitting today

As a beginning knitter, I’m knitting….a scarf! Ha- big surprize, right?

I’m actually making  a slightly modified version of this scarf (pattern posted on Ravelry). I’m in Vancouver, BC so my “local” store is Baaad Anna’s. I feel very spoiled by this, as I really love everything about Baaad Anna’s, but I’ll save that for another post.

So, the triangle scarf: I’ve modified mine by using a slightly bulkier wool and slightly larger needles.

I’m using Diamond Lima in Cranberry Flare (1940) and using 6mm knitting needles. I still cast on 41 stitches, so the width of my scarf is 8.5″ instead of 8″ as per the pattern.

So far, I’ve knit about 2 feet of the scarf, and have 3 feet to go. I am trying to get this done before Christmas, because it’s going to be a gift for someone. But I’m keeping my sanity and mantra as I knit, and I don’t let it freak me out, or start the negative “YOU HAVE TO DO THIS!” thoughts. Instead, I find 5-10 minutes at some point in my day, and knit. When I get home, I try to turn the computer and cell phone off, and knit. On the nights that I do this, I seem to sleep a whole lot better!

I’ll post pictures soon!