October 7, 1992

Yesterday I didn't post anything because I was too busy knitting. Ha! But I made lots of progress. I needed to knit 7 1/2 inches plus the waistband casing for the panties before my class this Thursday. I finished the last 2 inches and have them ready for class. I also needed to prepare several hairpin lace panels for the class this Friday so the instructor can show me how to join the panels using different finishing techniques. My friend, Pat Finn, called and asked me to meet her at Tempe Yarn & Fiber to knit with her for a couple hours. I drove over there and crocheted four additional panels while chatting with her. After arriving home, I prepared some pears for dehydrating and then sat down to knit while watching old TV shows and a couple movies. Because I was so busy getting the other project ready for upcoming classes, I was behind on my knitting quota for the Fair Isle Pullover. I still needed to complete 3 rows for last Thursday, which I did. I still needed to knit the 5 rows for Friday, which I did. And I needed to knit the 5 rows for yesterday, which I completed 1 of those. So I am behind by 4 rows and still need to knit the 5 planned for today. That's good. I will attend church and then go to Knit Happens to participate in a charity knit making booties for newborns & preemies. After returning home, I can settle down and complete the additional 9 rows. Should I be unable to do that, Monday is a free day and I can catch up and hopefully knit ahead of my quota then. Here is the progress I have made thus far...

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I went to Knit Happens in Scottsdale, which is the closest yarn shop to me, yesterday after lunch and got the charity knit pattern for preemie hats. I started the bootie pattern while there. The shop was busy but I decided to go home and sit comfortably rather than on the chair at the table there. And I was really wanting to finish the rows needed to be completed on the Fair Isle Pullover. 

Well, I completed all the required rows that I was delinquent in finishing and two of the five that I needed to do yesterday. That means I only have 7 rows to do tomorrow. That's fine because I have a clear calendar for tomorrow. I will do my best to finish today's last three rows, tomorrow's quota and then see how many rows I can knit ahead. That will really take a lot of pressure off of me.

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This upcoming week is filled with lots of knitting activity, too.

• Monday - open and free
• Tuesday - My knitting group "Knotty But Nice" meets at Tempe Yarn & Fiber (Tempe). I purchased the Sasha pattern and some Louet linen yarn in some really scrumptious colors to make a skirt for myself.
• Wednesday - My knitting group "The Needlers" meets at Jessica Knits & Crochets (Scottsdale). I will continue knitting the mittens from the kit I purchased from Knit Picks.
• Thursday - My second of four classes at The Fiber Factory (Mesa) for knitting the unmentionables (panties) that I have knitted to the place where we will next begin.
• Friday - My last class at The Fiber Factory (Mesa) for crocheting the hairpin lace. I have several panels ready for joining. I will try to crochet some panels for a scarf pattern I found before then if I can. That way the instructor can assist me before the class ends that day.
• Saturday - open and free - a good day to catch up on everything.
• Sunday - A KAL (knit along) at Knit Happens. I will be knitting a hat (Poppy Hat Pattern). I have the pattern but still need to choose the yarn I will use from my stash.

That's it for now. I'm off to bed. Good night!!!!

October 5, 2012

Took my class this afternoon and learned how to use a hairpin lace frame and knitted some lacework. It was quite simple really but if I had not had the instructor show me how, I don't think I could have figured it out for myself. This is an old lace technique. I'm glad to have learned it. I had no idea what to make with the panels I finished, but I found a pattern for a shawl that I think I will tackle. Just another project, huh? Why not? Anyway, here are some photos to show my progress.

Notice the frame on the left. The yarn is wrapped around it in a specific way and crocheted in the middle to hold everything together. This also provides the hairpin lace design. The panel on the right is one finished panel of thirty (30) loops.

Close up view of the two panels that have been joined together by weaving the loops down the side of each.

Two panels joined to make one piece.

Now this will be short, because I have lots to knit and crochet. Catch you later.

October 4, 2012

Funny night. Busy, too! I was knitting all throughout my dreaming. Imagine that, since I knit four long rows of Fair Isle just before going to bed. I guess my brain just couldn't stop the "knitting process".

I checked my dehydrating fruit that I left to dry overnight and found that I had made my first rollups. Both the raspberries and the kiwi had dried nicely. I wrapped the rollups in plastic wrap and put both them and the kiwi in separate plastic bags. I like my new dehydrator and plan to use it frequently to dry fresh produce while in season. Storage takes less space than canned or frozen produce.

Today I am taking a new class at The Fiber Factory. This class will be teach how to make "unmentionables" aka underwear. I haven't seen the pattern yet but will get it once I start class. Yesterday I bought a book called Romantic Style by Jennie Atkinson. This book contains lots of patterns for fancy, feminine wear. I had seen one particular pattern for a dressing gown that I wanted to make. I didn't buy the book when I first saw it and then later I couldn't find it when I decided to get it. Well yesterday I saw it again. There was only one book left on the shelf and I knew I was to buy it before it disappeared again. There are also some patterns for underwear in it and I was hoping to get some ideas for what to expect in today's class. I have 500 yd. of beautiful pink cashmere silk that I hope to use for this new project. Not sure if it is the correct yarn weight for the pattern but I am taking it with me to see.

Now I will take a shower and hopefully still have time to knit at least one row of the Fair Isle Pullover before time to leave for the class.
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I was able to complete 1 1/2 rows before I left for class. Hooray! Now only 3 1/2 to go. That should be easy enough between appointments.

I have 500 yards of some pink cashmere silk that I am hoping will work for this pattern I will be learning today.  I needed to search the Internet to get the information about the yarn - what size needle to use, etc. It is a lovely worsted weight called Classic Elite Yarns Posh Prints made in Italy. The yarn was given to me from several friends. We each received one skein from a shop we visited while doing a  "yarn crawl". This is when several of us get together and tour several shops we want to visit. This shop was in northern Arizona called Knit 1 Bead 2 in Jerome, AZ. We also visited the knitting shops in Sedona and Flagstaff during that "crawl". Anyway, three of the ladies didn't want their skein and gave each to me, making four skeins each with 125 yd of yarn, thus 500 yds. I have not found a pattern in which to use this yarn thus far and so I'm hoping today will be the day. I chose the appropriate needles (size 8) and am prepared for class.
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I was not able to use my yarn. If I only wanted to make the panties I would have enough but not if I want to make a bra, too. So I chose a different yarn. I will use the pink cashmere/silk for a chemise or something else that's real pretty. My needles won't work either, so I borrowed the correct ones from the shop. I will return them tomorrow after I get home and transfer my work to my own needles.

My class was wonderful. I am on my way to knitting a pair of panties in a beautiful navy DK weight bamboo/wool yarn by Sirdar (Snuggly Baby Bamboo). The pattern calls for 400 yards. It is yummy soft. The first part of the class was spent taking measurements to configure the total stitches needed to cast on for each individual size. Danielle, the instructor, showed me how to do a long-tail cast on using two needles instead of one. Then the swatch had to be knit in order to determine the gauge for the pattern and to determine which needle size to use. My gauge is 6 stitches per inch using a size 6 needle in a stockinette stitch. I needed to cast on 125 stitches for the front. After that, I cast on the needed stitches and proceeded to knit the waistband for the front of the panties. The casing for the elastic is knitted as a hem, then the rest of the panties are knitted to the other end where the casing for the elastic is then bound off. I love the yarn and hope my measurements are correct because I want to be able to wear these when I am done. The panties are knitted in once piece starting with the front, decreasing with short rows through the crotch and then increasing to finish the back. The diagram of the pattern looks like an hour-glass. I put another 4 skeins of the yarn on hold just in case there is enough time to knit a bra to match the panties. I wanted to make sure the yarn matched.

Right now I am quickly knitting the waistband casing for the required 1 1/2 inches so I can transfer the borrowed needles from the shop to my own. This means I will probably not finish the required 3 1/2 rows needed for today's quota on the Fair Isle Pullover. That's okay. I have most of tomorrow free, except for one class, and I will knit the rest of today's and tomorrow's quota together. Whew!!!! I knew I was going to need to dove-tail. This is one of those times.
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KaTie Jackson, my friend and knitting buddy from church, and I are going to visit Jessica Knits & Crochets tonight. They are starting a charity knit once a month and both of us are interested to hear the details. KaTie likes to knit blankets and this charity is called The Linus Project. The knitted blankets and squares for making blankets are donated to seriously ill and traumatized children.

Well, KaTie just called. She just had a tooth pulled so we won't be going to the knit shop tonight. That's okay. The meetings for this charity work will be held the first Thursday of each month, so we will try again for next month. That means I will actually be able to continue knitting tonight and maybe even finish all of my quota for today. I told KaTie I would come by her home for a little while in case she needs anything. I will take my knitting and we will knit and watch TV together for a couple hours. How's that for fluidity? Still get a night of fun with my friend.

Well more changes...KaTie was feeling worse than she thought and decided to go to bed. So I will stay home and knit more rows for my quota. Still a nice ending to a great day.

Designing Plans

I am amazed at the progress I have made this year in designing. I started with one idea and now have several. I was impressed by Cat Bordhi in one of her classes that I took at Tempe Yarn and Fiber in Tempe, AZ to design something with the rib stitch. She gave us a sample to examine and asked the class to discover how the pattern was knitted. I did and was fascinated with the stitch design. That started my "design juices" flowing and I began my first pattern. I call my pattern "Cable Me One Side - Rib Me The Other". I have already completed patterns for a hat, a mobius, a scarf, a skirt and I am currently designing a tank top. I have plans for patterns for hand warmers, matching leg warmers, socks, and sweaters, both pullover and cardigan. Each of these patterns use the basic rib design with cables on one side. I have changed the cable pattern so that it is different for each pattern. The skirt is designed with several options that totally change the look of each skirt but use the same basic pattern. This will be true for the sweaters, too. It seems that each time I finish one pattern, another variation pops into my mind. I am hoping that I can finish all of these and even get them printed into a book maybe. Right now, however, I am just enjoying the process of creating my own designs.

Today I will attend the session with my knitting group, The Needlers, at Jessica Knits & Crochets in Scottsdale, AZ. We meet each Wednesday for a couple hours to knit and socialize. I am currently knitting a pair of mittens during those sessions. I really enjoy sitting and knitting and chatting and knitting and shopping and knitting. We have such fun each week. We are a close-knit group, pun intended.

Returning home, I will engage myself with completing five rows of the Fair Isle Pullover Sweater that I am knitting for the class I am taking at The Fiber Factory in Mesa, AZ each Tuesday morning. I have estimated that I need to knit five rows daily in order to be at the place in the pattern requiring help from the instructor. I am knitting the sweater in the round on circular needles, which will make one long tubular sweater. When the tube is long enough to reach the underarms, I must make steeks at each juncture where the sleeves will be placed. I have never knitted a steek before, which is why I am taking the class. Once the steeks are knitted and the sweater tube is completed to the top, the steeks are then cut (yes, I said cut - you know, with scissors) and the stitches around the cut opening are picked up so the sleeves can be knitted onto the tube. I have this humongus fascination with the idea of cutting the yarn that I have finished knitting. I am wondering how the garment will stay in tack without any unraveling. But since this is not a new technique, having been done for years and years over in Europe and maybe other countries I don't know, I am sure that it works. I just don't know how it is done. That is why I am taking the time to knit this sweater so I can learn.

Plus, as I have been knitting, especially the ribbing for the waistband, my mind has been toying with ideas of using Fair Isle designs in a ribbed/cabled pattern for my collection above. Hhhhmmmm, interesting! The ribbing is really neat looking with the seven color yarns I am using. It is a simple k2p2 ribbing and the colors are interchanged each two stitches. The main color is used for knitting and the other six colors are used for purling. The six colors are changed approximately every three or four rows, which can be altered any way I would want. This creates a very pretty pattern of striping. I can see how that would easily be adapted to cables across the ribbing. This pattern would require a lot more work than the simple patterns I have already designed. But I am up to the challenge. My mind is racing with the idea already. Okay, need to slow down a little. Too many other projects right now. I will save this one for next year. Whew!

END OF THE DAY
Well I really enjoyed my time with The Needlers. Elizabeth had returned from her vacation and we were all thrilled to see her again. I discovered immediately that I had already two rows too many with one color on the mittens. So I took out all those stitches and reknit them. I finished the five required rows and changed colors. I had knit three rows when I noticed that I had a hole where the last two colors were exchanged. So I took out those three rows and started again. Two rows later I still had a hole at the joining. So I took out the two rows and rejoined the yarns again. This time I got the join correct and was able to finish the three rows once again. The problem with joining yarns is that the yarn being added must be joined from underneath the yarn being replaced. There must be a twisting of sorts so that a hole doesn't remain. For some reason I just couldn't get the yarns twisted correctly. Strange, because I have done this many, many times. Oh well. It is fixed now.

After arriving home, I prepared some raspberries and some kiwi for dehydrating. I have a new dehydrator and wanted to try it. I made the raspberries into a fruit rollup and just sliced the kiwis. This took most of the afternoon, so it was pretty late in the day when I actually sat down to knit the last four rows of my required "five a day" for the Fair Isle Pullover. I was able to knit one row this morning after blogging and before attending my knitting session. So glad I did. I was really pushing it to finish the 5th row before going to bed. But I did.

October 2, 2012

Today is my granddaughter's birthday. She is 17 today. Happy birthday McKenzie!

This month I will be VERY BUSY with knitting projects. I am currently taking and/or signed up for several classes. I will go to the second class this morning to continue working on a Fair Isle Pullover Sweater. It is pretty intense with all the color and pattern changes in the design. But I want to learn how to make a steek. So thus, the class. I learned how to carry over the different colors by holding the main color in my right hand and the secondary color in the left. It becomes necessary to over/under lap the yarn not being used for the stitch.The idea is to make sure the unused yarn is caught by the used yarn so that it doesn't show in the front of the work. Now the yarn switches back and forth without having to swap the skeins each time the color changes. This is much quicker but my hands are slow right now because the technique is new.

The beginning of the Fair Isle Pullover Sweater

I am also knitting some mittens. I am not sure who they are for at this time. I bought the kit from Knit Picks last year and just didn't take the time to knit the project until now. I am doing this every Wednesday with my knitting group, The Needlers.

I have made some progress with the tank top that I am designing. Here is what I have done thus far.

This is the swatch and the chart diagram.

The beginning of the tank top.

Starting Thursday I will take a class that will teach me how to make knitted unmentionables (aka underwear). I have chosen some cashmere silk yarn for this project. Hope I have enough. I only have
500 yds.

Then on Friday I am taking a class to learn how to tat using a tatting needle. I own tatting shuttles but this class indicated that using a needle is quicker and easier that tatting with a shuttle. So I am going to find out if this is true. Actually I don't know how to tat with the shuttles but I will take those classes later in November and December. Then I can decide for myself which I prefer.

Later this month I will take another class learning to make hairpin lace. I have always been fascinated by lace patterns and this is just another type. This is just another way to crochet, I think. Anyway, I am going to learn the technique and I'm looking forward to it.

And last but not least, I am going to take a class to learn how to do Continental Knitting. I never learned how and have been told that it will speed up my knitting, while reducing the stress on my wrists, shoulders, and elbows. It will also allow me to complete color work more efficiently. I hope I don't struggle too much with unlearning how I hold my yarn and knit now. I don't want to be the "old dog" that can't be taught "new tricks".

Well, that's it for now. Gotta get to my knitting. Going to have much to complete by deadlines for these classes.

September 30, 2012

Well, I have been gone from blogging quite a while now. But I am back today so I will press on. I did finish the skirt that I was designing. It is smaller than I thought it would be, but still looks okay. I will need to configure the gauge to determine the correct sizes for it. I used a swatch of stockinette stitching, but the skirt is completely ribbed, so I will need to re-figure. Anyhow, here is a photo of the finished skirt.

I made a waistband and inserted elastic to fit my waist measurements. The white item at the top is a hanger. 

Here is a close up of the stitch pattern and hem.

I have yet to type the instructions as a pdf file so I can make the pattern available for sale. But that is the next step, which I will get to soon. Just wanted to capture the finished photos today.

I have started another Cable Me One Side - Rib Me The Other project. A tank top.

This is the swatch for the tank top and the chart diagram.