Sweater Error

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

So, I finished my misti alpaca sweater and after spending nearly a month and $40 on it, it looks atrocious. The thing came out short and wide even though I tried to lengthen it by adding extra rows. This is my first adult sweater (shirt) and I’m not really sure where I went wrong. The gauge was pretty close.

I’m really upset and am not sure how or if I can fix this. I wish I knew about knitting sweaters.

If anyone has any advice, please help. Until then, maybe I’ll stick to scarves, shawls and things that aren’t supposed to fit to my figure.

Summer Shirt

by Tracy, posted in knitting

Two weeks ago, when I was still on vacation, we took a trip to the Miami area to run errands and so that I could go to one of my favorite knitting shops. The Knitting Garden is a very nicely set up shop with a comfortable atmosphere. It’s located off of Ponce De Leon Boulevard in Coral Gables. I bought four skeins of off white Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton and Silk blend. I was mentally drunk at the time (you know when you feel all light-headed and giggly but he haven’t had any alcohol and you decide to do something that is against your better judgement.) Maybe I was drunk on yarn, surrounded by all those magical varieties of soft shiny material that I could transform into useful objects. So I handed my credit card over and held my eyes tightly shut.

Last weekend, we went to Tennessee for my husband’s daughter’s wedding and with so much car time, I began knitting a shirt for myself. This is my first sweater/shirt for an adult. I’ve done shrugs and shawls as well as baby sweaters but never completed a sweater/shirt. The pattern I’m using is straight off the misti alpaca site. I’m definitely leaving off the cowl and probably the sleeves. I’d rather have the sweater longer. I tried adding on to the bottom rows but when I was done with the back, it still seemed very short. Hopefully after I block it, I’ll have more length.

Here are the pictures of what I’ve done so far. I love the soft material and think it will make a great light summer shirt to show off.

Vacation

by Tracy, posted in knitting

My intense six-week class is finally over and I’m taking a week-long stay-cation. I will try to keep the site better updated from now on. I had to focus on school work for a few weeks there. I’m still working on the scarf with the fine wool. It is getting longer slowly and I still love the candy colors. I should hopefully have it done within the week.

I’m hoping to visit a yarn shop on the East Coast of Florida at some point in the next week. We have to take a visit, but am not sure when we’ll make it over there. I love going to new places and visiting new local yarn stores. You never know what you might stumble upon. They are all so different. Each has its unique flavor. I may wind up back at The Knitting Garden, which is still my favorite due to its comfortable homey atmosphere.

Lazy Summer Days

by Tracy, posted in books, knitting

Tomorrow is Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer. In Southwest Florida, it has been summer for about a month now. The days are above ninety degrees and no one wants to spend time out in the summer. While the pool looks appealing, the air-conditioning is much more comforting. I’m about five inches into my light summer scarf/shawl after a week’s worth of work. I should have this done by Labor day if I’m lucky. Once it is completed, it’ll be my favorite summer accessory. The warm weather is a good time to work with lightweight materials such as cotton, linen, silk and bamboo. I’m using very, very fine wool. I’d love to make a skirt out of linen, but right now I don’t have the budget or the time to cover such a large project.

Summer is a great time for reading for those of us who love to delve into a novel while relaxing pool side or beach side. I recently finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This is something that I could not put down. If I only had five extra minutes in the morning before rushing off to work, I spent those few minutes perusing a few more pages. This is a story of the maids who work in the deep south in the early sixties and the families that they take care of. If you like reading, go out, buy or borrow this book and tell your friends. I hope that this will change how we think of people and class structure.  Society has changes but in some ways, it never will. Kathryn Stockett allows the reader to empathize with Miss Skeeter – the upper class white woman who decided to write the stories of the black maids, as well as the maids themselves, Minnie and Aibileen. I read this in five days despite work, school and even a guest visiting (read a few pages, talk a bit, sneak back to read another page). This one will definitely win awards and hopefully be discussed in classrooms as part of regular curriculum some day.

New Projects

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

Congratulate me. After a little over a months hiatus, I am back knitting. It is not a grandiose project, but I think it will be treasured. Back in January my mother bought me a skein of this gorgeous candy colored yarn Lace Wool yarn in Gelato made by Prism. We bought it from a small shop in Coral Gables, The Knitting Garden. It is a lace wool and I’ve been waiting for the right idea to pop into my head. I’ve decided to start a shawl/scarf out of the light weight material seeing as the temperatures are going to remain hot in Southwest Florida for several more months. The only problem is that I’m using size 0 bamboo knitting needles. In other words, this is going to take forever. I know it will be worth it in the end.

I’m attaching pictures of the project and the label. I’ll keep updating this as it goes a long.

If anyone is in the area, I recommend checking out The Knitting Garden. It’s a cozy shop with a great selection and a comfortable environment. The staff is extra friendly. There are big chairs to sit and hang out and they even offer coffee and tea. It is an experience not to be missed. I look forward to going back one of these days.

 

Making Moolah with Knitting

by Tracy, posted in knitting

How to make money knitting? If you find out, please let me know!!!!

There aren’t too many people who actually make money knitting. Most of us try hard not to spend too much of our hard earned cash on the prized strings in our local yarn stores. There are a few people who are making money and even a couple who earn a regular income off of knitting in general. Most of us don’t have the resources to go out there and open a yarn shop. From what I can tell, it is hard to keep up the enthusiasm after awhile. If you are a really talented knitter, there are wealthy people who will pay good money for a hand knit sweater or fancy shawl. I think bags are good too, as long as you can find someone who will pay for your labor as well as the cost of yarn. So far, I haven’t earned even close to mininum wage.
There are companies that will pay to have you test their patterns. Once again, you have to be an experienced knitter. I’m not sure how much they pay, but I’d assume the more experience, the more your income potential.
A great website to visit is etsy. On etsy, people can set up shops (similar to ebay) but can only sell vintage, supplies, and hand-made items. It is fun just to browse around or to find gifts for other people. I have my own shop set up- but I haven’t tried selling anything up to this point.

Most of us don’t knit to make money, but it is definitely a plus if possible.

Ode to Knitpicks

by Tracy, posted in knitting

Most avid hobbyists have a favorite store/a favorite brand/ a favorite website to browse around. I have an activity that I liken to window shopping online. I’ll go to a webpage, add everything I could ever want into the shopping cart, and then eventually close out the page. Some places, like amazon, have a wish list so that later on I can decide if I really wanted that thing-a-ma-bob or not.

One of my favorite sites to do thing is Knitpicks. I know this is a not a new company and if you’ve ever favorited anything to do with knitting on Facebook, you’ve likely had an ad from them pop up in the right hand side of your window. Yet, I still love the site. I have the Harmony Options Interchangeable Needles. They are colorful and sharp. Some people may not want pointy objects that are that sharp, but I don’t mind the occasional jab at my fingers as long as they help me tear through some rows faster.

A favorite part of the Knitpicks site is their enormous amount of accessories. Yes, accessories are not always necessary but they are almost always wanted. I don’t mean in that -I need a stitch holder while making this collar- kind of useful way. No- I want the Crafty Critters Knitting Tool Holders because they look cool! I want something shaped like a crocodile to hold my needles. Why not? I do have a GoKnit Pouch which is very useful. I like to throw my small projects in their and I can take them in the car, to work, and to the lunchroom with me as I need to. The best part about it is that it is waterproof, so I don’t have to worry about a loose cap on my water bottle messing up my yarn.

There are tons of great gadgets and gizmos, quality knitting needles, and plenty of yarn on the site. If anyone is looking for a sturdy set of quality interchangeables, I recommend the wood harmony options set. I have no doubt that any of their products will be loved. Happy Knitting.

Sticks and Needles Part II: Shapes and Sizes

by Tracy, posted in knitting

Most of us picture a pair of knitting needles, long and skinny with a knob at the end.  I’d imagine them being aluminum and purple.  Those were my first pair of knitting needles bought at the local store, Raindew.  I loved the click click sound they made as I create each stitch.  It was not until years later that I learned about the variety of needles out there.

Straight Needles: These are the long skinny needles with a knob at the end.  They are good for scarves, small blankets and smaller simpler projects.  The knob at the end prevents the stitches from falling off and the stitches are passed from needle to needle with each row.

Double Pointed Needles: These are shorter, skinny needles, usually coming in packs of four or five.  Both ends are pointed with nothing to prevent stitches from falling off.  These are used for socks, i-cords, stuffed animals and small shaped projects.  The stitches are knitted in the round, going from needle to needle with two-four needles holding yarn and one ‘working’ needle.

Circular Needles: These are two straight needles connected by a cord.  The yarn is knit from one needle onto the other, with the stitches sliding on or off via the cord.  These are used for round projects such as hats and sweaters, can be used using two needles to make objects that would normally require double pointed needles (knitting with two circulars), or can be used for knitting flat objects such as scarves by turning the work at the end of each row as if one was working with two straight needles.

Cable Needles: These are used for cables.  They are a smaller needle, usually in the shape of a hook or similar to a ‘V’.  These are used for holding stitches behind or in front of the work, while other stitches are knitted and then knitting the cable needle stitches to create a bump, design or cable.

Respite

by Tracy, posted in books, knitting, Thoughts

I have a two week respite from classes before returning to the overwhelming summer schedule.  I have been focusing on school and other things and have taken a break from knitting.  Like all hobbies, sometimes people just need to take a moment to reorganize.  My felted bag has an issue that I have to fix and the chunky shawl is short of yarn.  A lot of times when you have a large project and run into a problem, it is easier to simply put it aside and take a break.  Most of the time, that problem remains in the corner for months or even years.  Then, all of a sudden, the light will go off and you’ll pick up the needles with fervor, onto the next great idea. 

Instead of writer’s block, this seems to be more of a knitter’s block.  It’s easier to leave everything alone until I get that desire back.  In the meantime I want to indulge in books, movies, writing, and guiltily- the Sims 3.  I know it is terrible and unproductive- but I love the game.  I’m trying to keep this to a minimum because it is easy to get lost in the imaginary world of the people I create and control.  Why put all the work into writing myself, when I can make my character do it and make money on it in my world.

Right now, I am enjoying The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.  I am only about 150 pages into the grandiose novel but I am enjoying it.  His story is set in 12th Century Europe.  The characters are interesting and fluid.  The plot is thick but intriguing.  Tom Builder and his family are traveling across England trying to find work, preferring to work in Cathedrals.  Prior Phillip is a genuinely pious priest but also a proven leader despite his youth.  He becomes engulfed in the politics of his day.  I still have a long way to go in the novel but am looking forward to it.

Spring Cleaning

by Tracy, posted in knitting, Thoughts

Spring has sprung in Southern Florida.  However, down here, April feels more like summer than spring.  The weather has finally turned and the days highs are in the mid eighties.  About once a year, I go through this period when I really don’t want to knit.  I take a vacation.  I have the chunky shawl sitting on a chair covered with shirts, books, and my ten thousand nightshirts because I can’t possibly rewear them or wash them and put them away.  I have the bottom of the felted bag that I’m working on sitting in my work purse, waiting to be continued.  I have textbooks, regular books and library books surrounding me.  My vacations from knitting usually don’t take too long; two weeks or so.  Sometimes I may stay away for as much as a month.  My hands need a vacation.  I usually come back with plenty of ideas. 

I have to clean up now.  My stash is filled and a mess, intertwined with other yarns in the gigantic plastic containers.  Part of hurricane preparedness in this part of the woods is keeping that precious yarn in water proof bins that can be covered just in case.  It’s also good to have something that can be thrown in the car, especially something that can distract you from the chaos of an oncoming storm.

My wonderful knitpick harmony needles are strewn about the house.  I even have one sitting outside on the table of the lanai.  It seems to be calling to someone to knit, but I’ve lost interest for a little while.  Maybe my cats will make me something pretty instead.  I’ll come up with new ideas soon enough to post. . . I promise.

Time

by Tracy, posted in knitting, personal, Thoughts

I am afraid I have been overwhelmed of late and my knitting has been neglected.  Working on two group projects with school, busy work week, and trying to write for another personal project is taking up so much time.  I still have the shawl on the needles because I ran out of yarn.  Yes, I know- I should have gotten enough when I bought it.  I think I might just pull the whole thing off anyway.  I have another project a few rows in.  I want to make another felted bag, but this one in brown.  I have so many tan and brown items of clothing and no bags to match.  I have a few shades of galway yarn that look good together.  Now, I just need time.  I think my idea in my head would make a great pattern that I can’t wait to share.  I love felting bags.  The great thing about felting is that the gauge is really unimportant.  I can even knit and read at the same time without having to focus on an intricate steps of a pattern.  Of course, now that I’m listening to books, I don’t have to do that. 

I’m trying to cover knitting topics little by little since it takes so much time to get a pattern/project done.  Please let me know if there are any topics or questions you would like me to cover.  I’ll get to more about knitting needles in the next post. 

Happy Knitting.

Sticks & Needles Part I: what’s your needle made of?

by Tracy, posted in knitting

Knitting needles are those indispensible tools of the knitting trade that seem so simple and yet are available in an immense variety.  Many people remember the long skinny metal sticks that their Grandmothers used and the sound of the click click click, stitch by stitch.  Today, needles are found in just about any material.  The most popular ones are:

Metal: smooth, good for quick stitches, can be more difficult for slicker yarns.

Wood: Warm to work with, more mailable will flex while working, better for slick yarn and tighter stitches. 

Plastic: Light, smooth, flexible.  Can become very warm while using.

Bamboo: Has a lot of the same qualities as wood needles but are lighter.  They are also more abt to breaking (as I have broken my share of cheap ones).

If you are just starting out, try different needles to see what is most comfortable.  As with everything, different people like different materials.  My favorites of the moment are my Knitpicks Harmony needles and the Lantern Moon Sox Sticks.  I do go through phases where I prefer to use metal needles.

Happy Easter

by Tracy, posted in knitting

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter, a Happy Passover and a joyous Spring.  This is the time of year for rejuvenation.  As the weather calms and the trees begin to bloom, it is a change of pace for most knitters.  While many concentrate on scarves, hats and sweaters during the fall and winter months, these are too heavy for many as nature begins to warm.  Spring is a time for making lighter garments and experimenting with more delicate materials.  It’s ok to put away the wool and pull out lighter cottons, linen, and (yeek if I could only afford it) silks.  There are an assortment of spring and summer yarns available at your local yarn shops, online and even at the big box craft stores.  It’s a great time to make that light tank or even a cardigan set.  Have a spring jubilee with other knitters in the area.  Make a baby blanket just because you can.  Ok, maybe I’m the only one who does that. . .

Seed Stitch Belt 2010-03

by Tracy, posted in knitting, pattern

I wanted a quick project and while I was hunting down a new belt in Kohls, I had an idea!  Rather than paying $20+ for something I really don’t care for, I’d make my own.  This is a great beginner pattern, no shaping necessary.  Think of it as a skinny scarf that has a little sewing involved.

Caron Simply Soft

Gauge 6 stitches 7 rows = 1 inch

Size 4 needles

1 Belt Buckle (try a craft store or take a part an old belt)

Cast on 7 stitches

Row 1: K1, P1, Continue to end.

Row 2: K1, P1, Continue to end

Repeat this row until desired length- remember that the belt will stretch (a lot) so put it around your waist to check.

Take Belt clip with tong and fold over one end.  Seem this to the belt.  See Picture below.

Knit loop- cast on five stitches and knit in seed stitch as above.  Bind off after 3 inches.  Seem together around belt (near belt clip.)

Wear with pride!