Work in Progress - Boring Knitting

All of my projects are boring right now.  I am definitely not going to keep up my finished object a week  streak.  I'm still pushing through it though because I want to finish them.  First is a simple scarf.  The interesting thing is the yarn - it is 100% mink.  It is from Lotus yarns and I don't see it listed on Ravelry, the name on the label is Mimi.  I bought it at the summer TKGA show; a friend and great knitter was an enabler on this one.  This is a simple diagonal rib pattern with two strands.  The sample had been put in the dryer to make it fluffy.  It was a dream.  It is pretty nice now but I'm hoping that finishing will help.

Bigger project is a skirt.  I'm halfway through - hmm, hadn't thought of it that way before.  More encouraging.  But it is boring and a rather slow project.  I'm not even going to put up the picture because it is not very interesting at this stage - it looks like tweed, which is what I was trying to do.

I haven't been feeling well lately, allergies, stomach issues, etc…  My husband's recovery has been slower than we were hoping.  He started therapy yesterday and today is the first day that he can drive so hopefully that will make it better.  I have struggled to get back into my daily routine and it all leaves me feeling a little down.  It occurred to me yesterday that I need a more exciting knitting project and that would make me feel better.  So, that hasn't translated yet into the energy to go upstairs to my yarn closet and figure out what to start swatching.  Hopefully today.  

Our guild has Chris Bylsma coming in this weekend for a one day workshop.  She is doing the mornings on necklines and the afternoon on edgings.  I may have that reversed.  I have taken her Design in a Day class before and she is a very good teacher.  I don't feel that worried about necklines but I honestly struggle with edgings.  I have come to hate ribbing.  Just tired of always doing it.  I go out of my way to find other things to do.  So these workshops should be good.

I promise to try to perk up today.  Checking out the great WIP's at Tami's will be a help.

Work in Progress Wednesday

We're back to the regular school year routine.  Back to school has been smooth - hard to believe that next year will be college not high school.  Guild started last night for the year.  I have the honor of being the president this year and it is more hectic than I expected, even after being on the board last year.  But we had a great meeting, good turn out and we're in good shape on membership - lots of new members, several previous members who have come back, and people just getting their renewals in faster than last year.

Our program was the first part of a KAL for an Elizabeth Zimmermann set in sleeve pattern using EPS.  I'm just going to do the doll sized sweater to get the techniques.  This is how much I got done in the doctor's waiting room this morning.  My husband has the green light to start physical therapy Monday, which means he is then cleared to drive and won't have to wear the sling/contraption he is in. Good News!  I will be very glad when he can drive, he definitely has cabin fever.


My major project right now is a skirt, top down.  You can see the black waistband and the body of the skirt coming out.  I'm probably three inches further on this now.  Very mindless knitting which is good but I might be bored quickly.

Head over to Tami's to see the other projects.

Work in progress Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  Things are getting back to normal here.  We're able to sleep through the night without having to get up for medicine or changing dressings.  Sleep makes a huge difference.  My husband continues to improve, so all is good at home.

I've been working on my second Custom Fit Sweater.  For this one, I started with the Dansez pattern from Amy Herzog's book.  It has a lace pattern around the bottom edge, a scoop neck and elbow length sleeves.  I am using a DK weight, much lighter than what the pattern used.  So I used the software to recalculate based on my yarn and my measurements.  I'm up to the armholes of the back.  Doesn't look like much until you block the lace.

Her sweaters have a lot of shaping.  I have started marking decreases and increases with tiny rubber bands (my son's braces are off and we have tons of these around the house, you do have to cut them off later but they are easy to find and basically free until I run out of his stash).  You can see that there are vertical darts.

This one gives a close up on it.  You can see that there are actually three vertical darts for decreases - starting first with the one that is closest to the middle of the back, then going to the next out and just two decreases closer to the edge.  I had never seen this before (well my last sweater had two darts for decreases - but three?!?).  Amy's explanation for this is that when you have a big difference between hips and waist and have to do a lot of decreases in a short amount of space, it is best to do two or three vertical darts.  This way it will fit better, not pucker or gap in weird ways.  Since I have almost four inches of lace border, all the decreases before the waist have to be crammed in to a small space, therefore more vertical darts.  The top marker is actually where the increases start so you can see that it is just a small vertical area for the waist.  I'll keep you posted on how this works out and how it fits finally.

Last night was Night Knitting for our guild.  We didn't have a great turn out - time of year, people getting ready for school to start, etc… but we had a few.  I was helping someone with a pattern which was really poorly written.  They didn't want to use more than two pages so they skimped on the instructions.  It makes you really appreciate when designers put the time into writing clear instructions.  Especially when you are doing something for the first time like three sets of darts.

Head over to Tami's to see all the great projects.

Work in Progress Wednesday - Started the CustomFit Sweater

Happy Wednesday.  I'm back to lots of projects.  The newest one is my CustomFit Beta Sweater.  I mentioned last week that I am a beta tester for Amy Herzog's soon to be released CustomFit software.  Using the software, you put in your measurements and gauge information from a swatch.  You can make style choices around neckline, pullover or cardigan, length, sleeve type and length.  After you input that, it generates a pattern sized for your body.

I started on Monday.  I had the swatch done on Sunday and thought I had measurements done then as well but had to redo one.  Measuring yourself is not always the easiest, and as wonderful as my husband is, he wasn't always measuring right.  So I am almost to the back armholes.

Amy is big on vertical darts - see her blog for why.  I like waist shaping but until I read Amy's book I always did it on the sides.  One of the last sweaters I did, I used her method of vertical darts and it did fit really well.  In this case, the software is putting in two pairs of vertical darts on the back to get the amount of decreases I need without puckering.

I also cast on socks just to have a pair on hand when easy portable projects are needed.  These are Dead Simple Lace Socks by Wendy Johnson.  Red is my favorite color, though it hasn't shown up in my knitting in the last six months to a year.

Tomorrow my husband is having shoulder surgery, so I'm going to have about five hours of waiting time.  Knitting will help keep my mind off of all of it.  Recovery is supposed to be long and painful so it will probably be a difficult couple of weeks.

To see lots of great projects, head to Tami's.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  I've been knitting away on my lavender cardigan.  I started it a week ago Tuesday and mentioned it in last week's WIPW.  It's amazing how much you can get done when you focus on one project and are on vacation.  Here is where it was a week ago.

I mentioned that it was a top down set in sleeve construction called English Tailoring.  I had heard it mentioned by JC Briar in a class once but had never seen instructions for it until seeing Julie Weisenberger's ebook on it.  You start with the back neck, then do the back shoulders by doing increases (knit front and back) and then holding the back stitches on waste yarn, pick up for the front shoulders, knit three inches straight down.  Then knit across a front, pick up for arm stitches and knit across the back.  That is where I was last Wednesday.

Here's where I am now.  Body is complete including the ribbing at the bottom.  One sleeve is done and second is maybe halfway.  I  picked out buttons yesterday - I have learned that it is better to pick the buttons first and make the buttonholes match them than be stuck with buttonholes that aren't size to the buttons you like.

Here are some more pictures with the details.

 Here is a close up of the shoulder join.  Basically this shoulder seam sits behind the top of the shoulder, on the back.  You can see that it makes a nice tailored looking join.
I will confess that I wanted to do this pattern very badly - it is the last and most advanced in her ebook.  I did not bother doing the intro lessons of course, nor was I deterred by the fact that the pattern was for worsted weight and I had DK weight yarn (Cestari Island Collection - have I mentioned how much I love this yarn!!!).  So I redid the calculations for my gauge - perhaps a bit ambitious.  Laying flat like this you can see that the front shoulder is a bit gathered.  It looks great on, but you can see it laying flat.

Here is a better picture of the arm cap.  The flat section across the top basically becomes the top of the shoulder - you can see the trapezoidal shape of the sleeve cap.

It looks great on and molds to the shoulder well.  Now I did other modifications to match my shape (broad shoulders, small bust, bigger hips).  I added vertical darts (a la Amy Herzog Knit to Flatter) but those pictures didn't come out well.

Here are some other shots.  Shoulder, arm and front with v neck.  That dimple at the shoulder/arm/body join doesn't show up when wearing it.  Well, not as much.

Detail of the underarm shaping.  In general, I'm very happy with this type of tailoring.  I know want to go back and do the intro lesson baby sweater and there is a top down coat pattern I really like.  The instructions for the pattern are a little bit confusing and the schematic is not even close to matching the pictures for sweater length but that is a minor problem.  With luck, I'll have this finished and blocked in a week or so to show on a Friday.



In the meantime, happy knitting.  Check out all the great projects at Tami's.

Work in Progress Wednesday - Can't make up my mind

 The last few days have been confusing on the knitting side.  Lots of projects have ended and being on vacation, I don't have access to my stash.  Of course I did buy lots of yarn last week at the Knit and Crochet Show - which was fabulous by the way.  So I've been swatching like mad to figure out what to make now.  A friend told me it is always best to start swatting and planning your next project before the last one is done.

These are some of them.  There are several more but they are in the room where my DH is sleeping now.  Yes, blocking is more difficult when you don't have your pins with you.

My cable sweater is not going great.  The sleeves are moving right along but the gauge is giving me fits.  I'm far off on row gauge.  I can keep knitting to make it the right length but I'm just not sure how this is going to work.  So I could be done in three days if I worked at it but doubt is causing me not to want to work on.  Therefore the need to have another project.

I started this sweater last night.  It is a top down, V neck cardigan sweater with set in sleeves with an unusual construction.  It is from Julie Weisenberger (CocoKnits Designs) ebook on English tailoring.    The construction technique is one I've heard of in passing but not seen in a pattern.  You shape the back shoulders for a steeper slope and then do the front shoulders straight and they wrap over the shoulder line.  When I heard of it before, they did the sleeves just like normal set in sleeves, but she does them differently.  This should be a good challenge.  I got this yarn at the show, it is a cotton, wool, silk blend from a rancher in Virginia with his own mill.  Great color and feel.  Of course it is not the same gauge as the pattern so I'm changing the pattern to suit it, because there wasn't enough of a challenge.

At the show I took a class on Magic Loop, which was timely because it is needed in this.  It also covered Judy's magic cast on - which I use for toe up socks, but they were using it for double knitting - brilliant - and also provisional cast on.  Very interesting.  I also took Gwen Bortner's class on skirts.  Gwen is terrific.  Just a great class.  I can't wait to have the time to put it to use.  I also took Twined Knitting with Beth Brown Reinsel, another of my favorite teachers and just loved that as well.  So a great knitting week - learned new techniques and construction methods and bought great yarn with lots of possibilities.

Head over to Tami's to see all the great projects.

Work in Progress Wednesday

The pictures don't show much progress.
The unending socks are at least recognizable as socks.

My cable sweater has been in time out for a few days.  Cables were just not behaving themselves.  I'll probably start up in a few days on it and it is the time to divide for the armholes.

And while it doesn't look like it, I think that I will finish the blue sweater in time to wear it at the Knit and Crochet show next week.  Just a little bit left to go on the neck line.  The good thing about top down construction is there is no finishing to speak of.  A few ends to weave in and blocking but this is so thin it should dry quickly.  I'll just show the neckline and with luck have it to show on Friday.

Head over to Tami's to see lots of great projects.

Work in Progress Wednesday

It has been a few weeks since I posted on a Wednesday.  My unending socks are still in progress, though for a week or so I did do a minimum of one round per day.  Things do progress if you work on them.  Imagine that.  My pink cable sweater got to the armholes and since it is part of a class I am taking, I set it aside when I got to that point per the homework instructions.  Class is on Saturday so I'll start working on it again this weekend probably.

I think I hadn't started this sweater when I last blogged.  It is an experiment.  Oh, by the way I want to be wearing it at the TKGA show two weeks from today.  Yes I am delusional.  Here are the challenges I gave myself.
1.  This is a great tencel/merino wool lace weight hand dyed yarn from BuenaSuerta, a great independent dyer from near Austin.  I loved the yarn at a fiber show last fall, but I am tired of making lace shawls that I don't wear much.  So, how could I do a sweater from the lace weight - challenge 1.
2.  I have a shirt that I love that has pin tucks down the bodice.  I wanted to get that look from knitting.
3.  I wanted to emphasis the waist with horizontal welts - meaning have the knitting stitches go across the bodice not in the direction of the knitting.
4.  I wanted to put beads in it - not sure why, I just did.
5.  I wanted to try top down construction with set in sleeves.

 Other than being done in two weeks, I'm pleased with my progress.  Not great pictures but here is a peek.  One sleeve is done - 3/4 length with a hem.    It came out pretty well - could have been a bit narrower at the underarm but this is the area I struggle with to fit properly.
The yarn is working out great.  This is on size 2 needles and the drape is wonderful.  I thought it might be too see through and I'd have to wear a cami under it but I don't think I will have to.
The pin tucks worked out great - these are twisted knit stitches on the right side and slipped on the wrong side.

Here is a close up of the pin tucks.  The horizontal welts worked out too - attached I cord!  takes forever but worked out great.  Those are beads between the welts emphasizing the waist.  So in general, I feel good about all these challenges.  I probably have about 4 more inches on the body and then another sleeve and the neck finishing.  That is the great thing about top down construction, you can try it on as you go.  Cross your fingers that I can get it done.  The socks will certainly not see any action any time soon.

Head over to Tami's to see lots of great projects.

Work in progress Wednesday

Hey there.  I started a new project this weekend, Kathy Zimmerman's Plaits and Links Cardigan.  It is a great aran pattern with saddle sleeves.  I'm doing it as part of a class with some members of my guild.

I'm using Louisa Harding's Grace Silk and Wool.  Really great yarn, holds color great and isn't itchy (I'm sensitive to itchy).  It is a single ply so it may pill badly but we'll see.  I've had it in my stash for years and got it on sale for 50% off.  We're doing it in one piece up to the armholes, so a row takes forever.

Other projects are just about complete - buttons and buttonholes - so hopefully I will have something to share on Friday.  Of course my never ending socks are still in the same place as usual.

Head over to Tami's to see the great projects there.

Work in Progress Wednesday

It's a short week here and it is messing me up.  I'll be a day behind all week long.  It was nice to have a long weekend and I got lots of knitting done.  The fronts of my grey sweater are complete and the short sleeves are started.

I also have been working on an article for Cast On magazine and had to do a lot of swatches for examples.

The other work in progress I have to mention of is a bit different.  Today is my 20th wedding anniversary.  Marriages are always works in progress, but this is one that gives me joy every day.    

Head over to Tami's to check out the other projects.  

Work in Progress Wednesday

Good morning.  I do have a project going on now, besides the unending socks.  It doesn't look like much now but it is the back of a sweater.  I picked the yarn to match a skirt that you will hear more about on Friday.  It is in cotton, so tension is a challenge but so far so good.

I've been reading Amy Herzog's Knit to Flatter and find there is a lot of good information in there.  I think you can tell from the picture that the back has waist shaping with vertical darts.  I'm used to doing it at the sides, so I'm going to be interested to see how this looks.  She has some very interesting techniques.  Hopefully in the not to distant future it will be ready for a Friday.

Also, just in the category of just for fun, here is a picture of my husband trying to fit my small Norwegian sweater on our cat.  This was not the cat's idea of fun.  She is also not the smallest cat around so we could only get one sleeve on her.

It lasted all of about half a second.  How on earth do people get dogs to wear sweaters?

Head over to Tami's to see what others are working on.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Okay, so it has been awhile since I have posted.  And I've gone from having three or four projects at a time to having just one.
These Mock Cable Socks look great but have honestly not been my favorite thing to knit.  If I do a couple of rounds per month, that is a lot.  But I have at least turned the heels and with nothing else to work on, hopefully it will speed up.

Since I last posted, I've taken a couple of classes.  One was with Franklin Habit on photographing knitwear.  I learned a ton.  And I do think my pictures are better - colors are at least truer and they are clearer.  These are hard to get the detail of the mock cable, but I tried.

Check out the great projects at Tami's and enjoy the rest of your week.

Wednesday Work in Progress

A few weeks in a row!  Yeah.  I'm working on a sweater, my design.  I had this idea about a chevron striped pullover.  I haven't had any luck getting good pictures of the stitch pattern.  It is a combination of two different chevron patterns (one with yarn overs and one with yarn in front and back) and a garter stripe.  There are four colors and five sizes of stripes.  I'm really enjoying doing this - no deadlines, no worrying about sizing it four ways.  The yarn is Berroco's Remix, which is a recycled yarn of cotton, silk, nylon and acrylic.  I got the yarn on the yarn crawl this fall and just loved the colors and the feel of it.  This is the back, I'm making it long enough for a tunic but just at the point of shaping the armholes.  I'm going to try to do the sleeves as set in from the top down to match up the stripes.  We shall see in a few weeks how that goes.

I'm still working on hexipuffs at various times and my socks.  For some reason I can't find a picture of those at the moment.  I like the way that the pattern looks but it is not going very quickly.  I might need to change needles.  Last night was our guild meeting and I polished off two more hexipuffs in between taking the minutes. Everything else i was working on is at a difficult place.  Socks are just about at the gusset and the sweater is at the armhole shaping.  I can't do all of those things at a meeting while taking notes, but hexipuffs are perfect for that.

On a sadder note, my first ever pair of socks has bit the dust.  Holes in the heels.  These were made of a superwash sport weight wool - not sock yarn.  I did them in a toe up sock class and they were the socks that convinced me last fall that I could conquer my sock fears.  I'm on my third pair of socks since then - all out of yarn that is actually designed for socks.  I have to admit that I didn't treat these very well - washed them until they were practically felted and also wore them out on the driveway to get the newspaper.  I'm going to save them though because they make me happy to look at them.

Head over to Tami's to check out the works in progress.

Work in Progress Wednesday - Holiday Version

Merry Christmas!  I hope you had a great holiday however you choose to celebrate.

We went to church on Christmas Eve, woke up to a terrible rain storm and by time we were finished Christmas dinner, we had snow!  Where many of you live that isn't a big deal but this is North Texas and snow on Christmas is not a given.

It was a fluffy, wet, heavy snow.  My poor roses were laden down - they were blooming a week ago!

In total we probably had three inches.  The snow has now stopped but it is very cold and the roads are icy.  Unfortunately I have to go to work but I'll wait an hour or so.

I did get a lot of knitting in over the last four days.  Unfortunately I don't have a lot to show for it.  The socks still look the same.  I'm working on a sweater that has been accepted for publication and that means I obsess about it being perfect.  I have started over twice now, hoping that the third time is the charm.  My mother did love her socks and they fit perfectly.

I'll skip the pictures of WIP because they haven't change.  Head over to Tami's  to see great projects in progress and have a great day.

Work in Progress Wednesday - Healing!

The good news is after six weeks of having my ring finger taped, strapped or otherwise immobilized, I am now able to return to normal activities.  For the next three weeks, if I'm doing heavy activity (lifting, moving furniture, exercising, gardening) I have to put the straps on but the rest of the time I am free.  I still have to do my exercises three times per day for six weeks, but other than that I am basically healed.  The doctor says I will still have daily pain for three more months and then occasional pain for a year.   Yeah!  this is a big step forward and will speed up the knitting!  Also typing is much easier so I don't have that excuse on not blogging!

I finished a pair of socks for a Christmas present.  I started a new set for me.  Toe-up and with a mock cable.

Have a great day - hard to believe it is a week before Christmas.  Go check out the great projects at Tami's

Work in Progress Wednesday

So the last three weeks have gone pretty quickly.  I went back to the doctor yesterday for a check up on my finger.  The sprains are healing well and I'm on to phase two of the process.

These are called bands and it is 24x7, take them off only to do the exercises three times per day.  Typing is a bit difficult.  Knitting is tough but I think it will get easier.  After three weeks of not bending a joint, it doesn't like to do that.  I'm considering knitting to be physical therapy.  It just might take some building up.  Oh, and yes, it does hurt.  The doctor said that "you must not confuse healing and pain."  So a little pain is necessary.  Actually I'm feeling much better about the prospects.

In the meantime my socks are slowly progressing.  I also did some swatching this weekend for some new designs.  Thank you all for your encouragement on my hat design.




You know the drill  - check out Tami's to see lots of great projects.

Combination Work in Progress and Finished Object

I started this post on Tuesday night.  It is now Thursday night.  I have a bit of an excuse.  My big news is that I hurt my ring finger on my right hand back in July.  Why would that qualify as news you ask?  Because I just ignored it for four and a half months because I was afraid that they would tell me not to knit or that I had arthritis  or needed surgery.  So I said nothing, knit through the pain and told no one until two weeks ago at my annual physical.  The doctor sent me to a specialist. The good news is no surgery, no weird shots, no bone damage, no arthritis.  I sprained a tendon and a ligament and need to wear a splint for maybe three weeks.

The doctor was very apologetic of how this will be a long, three phase healing process and I will have pain for at least four months.  Hey, I've lived with it for five months with some pretty serious pain when I did a lot of knitting.  No surgery - great, I can live with some pain.  I can knit, though it is slow.  Typing is also difficult.  An excuse for poor spelling.  Two days later, I'm getting a better idea of what he meant by pain.  This is going to be highly annoying.  If I don't hurt one of the other fingers in the process it will be a miracle.  By the end of the day, it hurts pretty much.  Of course that is when I want to knit.  This work in progress stuff will hang around for a very long time I'm afraid.  

But here is what I have in the works.  My second pair of socks.  Toe up and two at a time has been a revelation.

My Sophia sweater is progressing slooooowly.  I'm almost done the sleeves.  

For a finished object, I never shared my first pair of socks.  I'm wearing them now.  Very plain but I love them.  

I'm excited that this weekend is the Kid 'n Ewe fiberfest in Boerne TX.  I'm going to go on Saturday for the first time.  It is supposed to be great.  I might not be able to knit much but I can buy yarn!

So, tomorrow head to Tami's and Wisdom begins in Wonder to see great items.

Work in progress Wednesday

Yeah, I finished my deadline driven knitting yesterday.  Hopefully I will be able to share some of them soon but one will wait until February.  It is very nice to be able to just knit to knit.  And I have all that yarn crawl yarn to work on.

My Sophia Cable Vent Jacket is actually making progress.  Fronts and back are done and I'm a third of the way through the sleeves.  No pictures but it is moving along.

And I may have conquered my dislike of making socks!  I don't want to jinx it but the secret for me is toe up.  This means I'll have something to share on Friday but till then here is what I have started as my second pair.

I have had this yarn for YEARS and I like the way it is knitting up into the stripes.  This will be just a plain toe up, slip heel sock.

While taking pictures of yarn and projects, I tricked my camera shy cat into a pretty decent picture.

Enjoy your Wednesday and check out the projects at Tami's

Work in Progress Wednesday

Like many of you, it is hard to remember today is Wednesday and September - our hot weather came back when we thought it was gone.  School is in full swing, work is busy and I have self imposed deadlines on knitting.  I'm fitting in my blogging early in the morning before going to exercise.  It means the pictures could use a lot of help.

My Sophia Cable Vent Jacket has not gone very far.  I decided I wanted my other project done before a trip so this has been relegated to a corner.  I think I am ready to start shaping the armholes.  I never know when I am going to walk away from a project, and therefore don't put down good notes about where I am. Starting back up is then a pain.

My other project is a sweater I am designing.  It is a top down, set in sleeve project.  I took JC Briar's class on set in sleeves last spring and it was great.  Combining what I learned in that and Ann Budd's new Top Down Sweater Book with the classic Barbara Walker Knitting from the Top, I am very pleased with the result.  I always found Barbara Walker's book a bit inaccessible, but with the class and the new Ann Budd book, I think I understand it much better.  The pictures don't do it justice.  The sleeve join looks great.

My cat loves the yarn - a silk cotton mix.  This did not help the photo session.

Got to run to exercise.  Go check out Tami's to see lots of great projects.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Today, we're in NYC so I'm scheduling this in advance.  Still working on the red sweater.  There is more than this done by now but it still doesn't look like much.  This yarn is Pashmina by Madeline Tosh, an independent dyer from here in Texas.  This is great yarn - merino, cashmere, silk blend.  Feels just great and I love the colors.

Off to have fun.  Head to Tami's to see all the great projects.