knit1frog2

saturday's events...

oh yes.  Saturday came...and I thought I'd make some serious progress on my NBaT.  I was knitting away on the front...when it occured to me that I really should hold up the completed back to see how long it was on my frame...

do you see what I see in the background?

It was like a cape when I held it up to my back...so...

away we go...

And then I realized that I overcompensated on going larger.  Yes, it's true...and no, I don't wanna talk about it.  gah!

here I go again.

no knitting pics today...but...

I have no knitting pictures for you today, so this will have to suffice...

Zu getting a closer look at the LOo

I finished up the back of my NBaT with the Japanese short rows, and cast on and got a good 1/4 of the front done last night...I'll post pics soon.

Something I've been thinking and wondering about...

For the 2 socks on the 1 circular...I used a tail from each end of the skein after it was wound into a neat little yarn cake.  (mmmm cake)  What I'm wondering is...does that matter?  I know that yarn has a "direction" of nap.  Go ahead.  Feel it.  Run your fingers one way and then the other.  It will be rougher in one direction.  Does this matter?  Will it affect my socks?  Is the difference negligible?  Anyone?

nbat short rows

I've *finally* started working on the NBaT knitalong again...I've been distracted by socks...those darn socks are so addicting!

I'm altering the pattern just a bit by incorporating the Japanese short rows instead of the staggering stair-step shoulder bind offs.  I know I'm going to like to seam those since I'll be able to do a 3-needle bind off later.

totemo Q desu ne...

I think that I need to designate a day specifically for this knitalong. I hereby christen Tuesday my knitalong day for this project.  This way I'll be more disciplined about getting it done!!

(Okay, I have not mastered the photo editing software...perhaps I need to christen another day for that.  ha.)

bah!

Well, I was reminded last night of why I named this site what it's named.  One step forward, two steps back...

oh bother.

I was at the point to start the bind offs for the armholes and I held it up to see how long it was. After doing so, I saw that it was obviously much too long. Sigh. In order to account for the sweater to clear my chest, I had to cast on for a large size, but I should have remembered to keep the other rows to the smaller sizes since I'm not that tall.  Frog away I went...I frogged so much that my arm was tired!  That huge pile of yarn started looking like blue ramen to me.  It's all a learning process isn't it?  Sigh.

back on track

Remember my over-eager start to the nothin'-but-a-knitalong?  Well, I was knitting along and held it up to my chest...and um...oh...it didn't clear it.  (>_<)  argh!  I looked at the pattern and saw that I had cast on for the wrong size.  Maybe that was wishful thinking for a smaller size?  Anyway, I had to frog the whole darn thing.  I should have taken a picture of unwinding it onto the ball winder, but it was so fun turning the crank, I couldn't stop.  It was odd to me how quickly the sweater unwound, back and forth, back and forth it went, winding into a neat little, powder blue yarn cake, and then I got to thinking about how long it took in comparison to get as far as I had.  Surprisingly I wasn't discouraged...I just cast on and started again.  I could not, however, put it down until I had turned the hem and knit at least and inch into the sweater.  Of course this took me into the wee hours of the AM.  Something that I was trying not to do anymore.  Just this once though...

The knitalong has officially started now and if I would have had time, darn it, I was going to say "I'm Done!!" on April Fool's day (the official start).  heh.  ah well, it's now passed and hindsight is always 20/20 right?

so far, so good!

I'm steadily reaching the armholes and soon I'll be deciphering the complicated looking bind offs to produce the puzzle pieces for the sleeves.  I guess I'll just knit as it reads and see what happens!

calmer

Calmer yarn...how is it that I've never tried it before?  Wow is this stuff soft (sowoft if you say it like I do) and it doesn't fuzz up into your nose while knitting!  AND I finally got gauge.  I never get my gauge to match up to the pattern's suggested needle size.  This time I did and I keep rechecking to make sure along the way.  It's remarkable I tell you.  This makes me worry, however about going back to a sweater that I started in January.  I used to knit a lot tighter then (read:  was getting callouses on my index finger from pushing the needle tip.  eek.  I know.)

Here I go!

Even though I haven't yet been officially added to the knitalong, I have started.  I had always wanted to try that knit hem.  It's quite clever actually!  The purl row gives you that nice scalloped look to the edge.  I am also doing a knit stitch at the beginning and end stitch to get a handy 2 row counter up the side.  Yes, I'm being a good girl of doing that and following Susanna's other piece of advice of carrying some waste yarn up the sweater front as a counter.  Knit 10, flip the yarn, knit 10, flip the yarn back.

I can't wait until next Monday for Susanna's Japanese shortrows class to see what other tidbits of information I will learn.

lookie lookie

What a great day.  I went to breakfast with Shug D, we walked about the Bellevue park in the gorgeous weather, went to Belsquare and drove home while blasting Lady Marmalade with the windows down on 520.  (and yes, both of us were singing at the top of our lungs!)

Shortly afterwards I went to Hilltop Yarn with a friend from my old team, to get my yarn for the nothin'-but-a knitalong!  Look!  I'm all ready to knit!

I forgot all about Lucky when I saw this color

Have I told you how much I adore Hilltop?  No?  Hover over the link on the LH pane and you will see.  They have an entire room in their converted house, devoted to Rowan yarns and pattern books.  OH, that reminds me.  I looked and they did have about 7 copies zero copies (as of 6/20/05 sorry!) left of the Weasley sweater pattern in case you think you've left no stone unturned and are still empty handed.  If you would like a copy, I can try to pick one up for you, let me know.

This trip to the LYS was especially nice b/c I was able to get this yarn "free."  I used my voucher that I had received from previous purchases!  If you think that's all I went home with, you really don't know me, do you?  ^_~  I'll leave the details for future posts...I got some fun stuff!

I'm almost done with the Oral Surgeon socks and am brainstorming on some custom knitting for MF.  I'll explain more about this later too :) ... until then, happy knitting!!

a new knitalong!

So, check out my knitalong area over there to the right.  See what I've recently added?!  It's the nothin' but a t-shirt knitalong (pattern created by lovely Alison).  It's being hosted by Nona.  Though I don't know who she is, anyone who wants to host this knitalong can't be all that bad!  ^_~  Aha, here is a little bit about her...

What PERFECT timing for this knitalong.  Not only have I been interested in knitting this t-shirt, but I have a $75 voucher to use at Hilltop Yarn before the end of this month!  Up until now, I had absolutely NO idea what to do with it. 

this is a pretty Calmer color

I'm supposed to go to the oral surgeon for a follow up for my tooth (or lack thereof) ater today.  Wish me luck!  Oh, and yes, I have my knitting in my bag just in case...