Knitting Meme! I was tagged by Shetha for this one:

What is your all time favourite yarn to knit with?
I haven't knit with a lot of nice yarns. If the 'cheaper' yarns I like Bernat Satin, and Lion Brand Woolease. Sirdar Rio (cotton/acrylic blend) was super nice to knit with, and I liked Patons Look at Me, before they discontinued it.

Your favourite needles?
Circulars, for everything. I like doing socks on two circs, and even flat knitting feels better on them. Most of my needles are Aero or Susan Bates Metal and plastic needles I've picked up at thrift stores. I have one pair of casien DPNs that are nice to knit with (but taste and smell nasty) and my Pony Pearl DPNs are comfy, too. I don't really like bamboo, they grab the yarn too much.

The worst thing you've ever knit?
I tried making Chicknit's Boatneck Shell, but I tried to do it in the round and adjust the measurements. This was as a very new knitter, and I didn't even know about guage. I used Phildar's Paper Phil yarn which is hard to knit with and impossible to rip, so this project lingered for a few years before I finally just threw it out.


Your most favourite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it...but it was the most fun to knit)
I love making these cabled hats:

Super easy to knit, but work up fairly fast. Good portable knitting that isn't straight stockingknit. The pattern was from a book called Hip Knits, I think.

Most valuable knitting technique?
I don't know the name for it, but when you need to rip many rows, and you insert your needle into the stitches, then rip-rip-rip and the stitches land back on the needle automatically at the intended point. Saves so much time and stress versus trying to get all the stitches back on the needle one by one after some frantic ripping.

Best knit book or magazine?
I don't really have one. I really like "Adorable Knits for Kids" but I haven't knit anything from it yet. I love Debbie Bliss' items, but don't like her patterns. if that makes sense.

Your favourite knit-a-long?
I haven't completed one. I joined the Soleil-along, and failed out.

Your favourite knitblogs?
Sandra at Stay at Home Knitter, Carrie at Carrioke.net, Spring at Twistedstitcher.net. Wendy at Knit&Tonic is really entertaining, too.

Your favourite knitwear designer?
Uh, don't know if I could name enough to pick a favorite! I like Debbie Bliss' stuff quite a bit, though.

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)
I haven't knit a lot of things for myself to wear, actually. Ironically the one handknit top I wear the most, though, is the very first one I made, one of the first things I knit. The pattern was in the first Knit It, and I used Lion Brand Homespun.

Sorry for the darkness, it's the only photo I could find.

Tagging Sandra at Stay at Home Knitter

Not making much progress on Accordion. I dropped an edge stitch and had to rip back abotu 12 rows = lame. I'm just not motivated, Woolease on Bamboo needles was a mistake. It's also just really boring knitting 4x4 rib.

I started a baby hat because I wanted something different, we'll see if the break can get me moving again.

I'm still working on Accordion. I finished the back and got a good start on the one front panel, but it's slow going. I haven't had much knitting time. The few times I've managed to flop in front of the TV in the evenings, I haven't wanted to knit, even. I've got to hurry, the cooler weather is starting and I want Teagan to be able to wear that sweater!

I'm craving quick knits, so if I can't get motivated to work on Accordion maybe I'll whip up another baby hat or a dishcloth or something. Christmas is coming, so it can't hurt to have a couple things stashed away.

Accordion

accordian
Originally uploaded by wendymc.

Here's my progress on Accordion so far. It's 8 inches, so I'm a little over halfway done the back. I thought it was going to be way too big when I first cast on, but the ribbing really pulls in.

I'm working on straights for a change. Usually I use circs, even for flat knitting. If I could have found a circular needle in the right size (4.5mm) I would have used it this time, too. Oh well, I wanted to give the bamboo ones a try anyways. They're nice and light in my hands, but a bit catchy on the woolease yarn. I can't get over how LONG the straights feel as I'm knitting. I feel like I take up more space knitting with them - hah!

Wow, almost a month since I posted! I really haven't been knitting much, so I haven't had anything interesting to say. I'm nearly done a fruit hat for Teagan, out of Handicrafter cotton, and I made one chunky baby hat that just needs it's ends woven in, but that's about it.

I did start knitting up a chunky cardigan from Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits, but my guage was off and the rolling was way too much for me to imagine it blocking out, so I ripped it. Then I started on Accordian from knitty.com, but I'm worrying that it's too wide. I was on guage for the swatch, so I'm going to go a little farther and see. It's all ribbed so it should shrink in a bit. Photos when I have more than an inch knit up.

I've been knitting a bit, just no time to take photos, so I haven't bothered posting. I made one and a half mittens to match the pink hood, it's WAY big. So the hat is too small, mittens too big, sigh. Teagan found the hat on the couch (my fault leaving it out) and tried putting it on. It was bound off but not tied off, so a LOT of it unravelled. I haven't figured out if I will fix it or start over and make it bigger. I really do like the pattern, I may try AGAIN with different yarn.

I finally finished the blue pinwheel baby blanket. I like how it turned out, but I'd like to block it. It's acrylic, but I still think some blocking could make it look even nicer.

I've started a chunky 3-pointed hat, and have lots more projects in mind, just not enough focussed knitting time. I really should start on some christmas knitting. I should decide WHAT I'm knitting, so I can start on it, eh?

The Tiny Tot Helmet was an abysmal failure. I tried about 12 times to make it work, following the pattern exactly, following it fairly closely, making up my own ideas, and every combo of those. It would not work out no matter what I did, so I gave up. And then I found a new (and much better/cuter/comfier looking) pattern, the Toddler Knit Helmet! My first one, int hat koolaid dyed yarn, ended up really large. I could squeeze it over my head, it was that big. I'm debating trying to felt it. If I put it away until it will fit her.....that would be a LONG wait, and I'm just too impatient for that. I'm a little worried that felting it would make it funny at the neck though, since the ribbing wouldn't stay stretchy.

I really liked the pattern, and the size issue was my own fault for using the wrong yarn and needles, so I gave it another shot. Here's the second attempt:

It's a little smaller around the face than I'd like. I think I would knit a couple more rows in height, maybe increase by a few more to make the head bigger around, and add a couple rows of ribbing. It's knit in a cotton/acrylic blend, but despite living in Canada, it really doesn't get THAT cold, so it should be perfect. I'm working on matching mittens now, with the rest of the yarn.

Red Koolaid Yarn

Red Koolaid Yarn
Originally uploaded by wendymc.

I dyed up a HUGE hank of wool I had kicking around. I used kiwi strawberry and Raspberry koolaid to make the lighter pink (a tad lighter than the photo shows it) and Tropical Punch + Raspberry koolaid for the darker shade. I'm happy with the colours, girly but not wussy - perfect for my daughter! I'm going to make her a Tiny Tot Helmet and maybe matching mitts, I'm sure there is more than enough wool.

Tivoli is workin up fine. I tried it on and it's a tiny bit looser than I'd like around the chest, but otherwise great. I'm working the waist decreases now so not much left.

Still working away on my Tivoli, I'm into the waist shaping now. It's getting a bit boring, but I really want to wear this top so that is keeping me motivated.

There are a whole bunch of things I want to make, baby things, christmas gifts, stuff for my daughter. I think my next project could be this Tiny Tot Helmet for my daughter. It would look great in some koolaid-dyed wool, I think. Now I just have to find the big stash of white and cream worsted wool I bought for dying. I got a bunch at a thrift shop (50cents a skein!) and then some Lana at Walmart ($2) knowing I'd use it, but I haven't seen it since we moved......I sense a search and rescue mission this evening.

Here is my Tivoli T so far:



I'm halfway through the "knit straight for 5 inches" section. It's a little boring at this point, but knits up fast at least. I really want to finish this so I can wear it. We're having our first 'coolish' day in a while and it's making me more aware that summer won't last forever.

The reclaimed yarn is well on it's way to becoming a Tivoli T. It's kntiting up nicely, and fairly fast. I just finished casting on for the underarms, so it should go pretty quickly now.

I'm having severe startitis pains these days. I keep seeing more stuff I want to start, but I've got the pinwheel baby blanket AND Tivoli on the needles, plus an abandoned fruit cap. That should be enough for now.

Reclaimed Yarn

Reclaimed Yarn
Originally uploaded by wendymc.

Reclaiming this yarn was a lot easier with the winder! This yarn used to be a failed attempt at Knitty.com's Bob sweater, and I may try this time to turn it into the Tivoli Tee. That's definitely the next pattern I want to make, I just haven't decided if I should make it with this yarn, or some other cotton yarn I have.

Baby Hats

krishats
Originally uploaded by wendymc.

I finished up a couple baby hats for my friend. She had twins a couple weeks ago, so they had to be smallish, I hope these do the trick. I used the same yarn for both, the blue/green is the stuff I dyed before, the reddish hat I dyed after knitting. It took two attempts but the dye soaked into the cables ok, there aren't many spots where the old colour shows through, and they're really subtle, so I'm leaving it.

I love the swift and winder. The swift made setting up for koolaid dying, and winding after, so nice. And the wound skeins are great to knit from. The yarn doesn't get stretched, they don't roll around on the floor or table, and they remain tangle free RIGHT TO THE END!

I bought a bunch of wool for koolaid dying before we moved into our house. Some Lana from Walmart on clearance, and 5 or 6 smaller skeins of wool from a thrift shop. I don't have a clue where they are! I would love to do some more dying, but I don't know where these yarns went. Maybe I'll work on organizing my stash this weekend. I need to sort out all the yarn I don't want, maybe try to find some local knitters to swap with or something. It's hard to find the yarn you want when it's burried under lots you don't want.

I got a couple of neat knitting gifts for my birthday on Saturday: a ball winder and swift from my husband! The swift is so pretty, soft light coloured wood, so smooth. The winder is industrial looking but works great. I've been resisting the urge to wind up everything in site! (I did do a few balls right away)

I got a chance to do some koolaid dying yesterday so I put the swift to use making hanks. Let me tell you it is SO much easier using the swift than winding around chair legs, which is what I used to do. Way less tangles, too. And once everything dried in the morning, winding the hank into a ball using both pieces was so fast and easy!

Here is the yarn I dyed, using ice blue lemonade and changing cherry koolaid. You can see the blue in pretty hank form, and then in skein form, with a tiny ball of scrap I dyed using spiderman koolaid (thought it would be green but it was red so I dyed the scrap rather than waste it)

Blue Pinwheel Blanket

Blue Pinwheel Blanket
Originally uploaded by wendymc.

I started another Pinwheel Baby Blanket and have abotu 9inches done so far. I REALLY like his pattern for mindless knitting, and it grows quite quickly. This colourway looks really nice to me, but I'm dissapointed to notice that it's not as soft as others in this yarn. The solid white and solid pink I've used before were much softer than this one. It's still okay, just not as nice. I've heard of this happeneing, different dye colours affecting the yarn differently, maybe the veregated yarns have to go through different processes as well. (It's Bernat Satin, incidentally)

I think I want to make the Mu Shu throw from Berroco's latest newsletter. It was the "no finishing" note that grabbed me, but I think it could make a really nice baby blanket. I'm not sold on their yarn, I'll have to think of what I'd like to make it in. The Vibe yarn they use looks interesting, but nothing amazing, and I suspect it would be expensive as most Berroco yarns are. Surely Bernat or Patons have something I could use. It might look good only in two colours, just a checkerboard pattern as well.

I knit a little more on the baby hat in "be mine" but I'm not loving how it's turning out. I like the yarn, it's a lot like snowflake but stronger so it's not as delicate to knit with. I was aiming for a roll-brim hat, but my cast on was a bit tight so I'm not sure how that will work out.

I've been working a bit on my soleil top again. I haven't got much done but I'd like a chance to wear this during the summer, so I'd better get knitting! The cotton blend yarn is knitting up nice and light, so it's easy to cart around, not too bulky.

I am still knitting.....a little. We just moved into a house we bought (go us!) and life has been busy and stressful to say the least. At a time when knitting would be most welcome, I didn't have time for it! I finished reknitting the hat for my neice in time for her birthday. I don't know if my sister liked it, the party was on our moving weekend so I couldn't go. She didn't get that it matched the cardigan, my mom made her dig it out to see that. (thanks mom!)

I bought some Patons Be Mine yarn yesterday. It's SO soft, I'm going to make a fluffy baby hat out of it, I think. Probably just stockingknit in the round - nice and easy.

I want to make another pinwheel baby blanket. I have been looking for a nice veregated yarn in a large skein, but not much other than the cotton seems nice. Walmart has some Red Heart Comfort, but it feels scratchy and the colour repeats are really short. I'm thinking about Bernat Satin, it's really nice and soft, and thick so it would knit up fast. I'm not sure if the blanket would end up really heavy, though. I'm liking what Emily did with hers, she put garter rows in. It looks really nice, if I don't go with a veregated yarn I might try that.

Off to the frog pond with this hat:

The only thing wrong with it? It's too big. It's for my neice, to match the cardigan I made for her in april. It's meant for fall, when the cardigan will fit, and she'll be the age my daughter is right now. I tried the hat on Teagan this morning, and it's a bit too big, and my daughter has a BIG head. No sense making a matching hat that can't be worn with the item it matches, so I'm ripping out and starting over. I made it 96 stitches around, maybe I'll go down to 80, that seems like it will be about right.