Sure, it might be too early, usually, to think about Christmas but I have a few very good reasons to start this early:

• I like my friends, and we all like handmade goodies. Thus, I wanted to knit them all something.
• I am a very slow knitter. I prefer small projects, but even small projects get procrastinated on.
• I have plenty of time on my hands.

I love handmade. If I could, I’d buy all my presents on Etsy. Well, I’d buy everything on Etsy. As I try to tell E, I don’t want to keep anything around soley because it looks pretty unless it was handcrafted with detail. So, no Hummels for me¹, but a handmade toy? I’m all over that.

To that end, I have plenty of free time and not so much money. And as it turns out, most of what I want to knit my friends will run me two to three balls of yarn, which in turn comes out to $4.00–6.00 each. A unique Christmas present for $6.00 and a few hours of my time? Color me happy.

As you can see, I’ve already started. The Eggplant (or, Auburgine, as the book calls it) was the easiest of the patterns that I’m crafting, and is for a friend who wouldn’t suspect that I’m sending her anything, so it’s safe to show off. Safe too is the in-progress, as you can’t really tell what it is, other than it looks complicated.

And it is. It’s my first real introduction into stranded knitting, and is why that piece isn’t done yet. If it was all one color, it’d have been done in an hour.

I’ll try to keep track of everything I’ve knit, and hope to do a blog post for each one, mostly to talk about why I chose that particular pattern for that friend, since there is a rhyme for each reason.

But it’s nice to actually complete something. I was so thrilled as the eggplant came together. E was super impressed, and I was happy with how my first attempt at knitting a toy came out. It also made me in awe of the woman who came up with these patterns, as even though it wasn’t complicated to knit, I can’t imagine what it took to originally come up with the form and pattern.

(p.s. if you think you’re getting a softy from me, good luck trying to figure it out. besides, i made sure none of the colors rendered correctly so you could figure out just what exactly I’m knitting.)

1. My sister has already claimed them when the time comes to divvy up my mom’s stuff. However, I think it’s cheating for her to buy my mom Hummels when she knows she’s going to end up with them

The "Cleo" bag stretched out and blocking.

It might have taken me longer than I had estimated, but I really have finished the knitting on the two bags I had wanted to finish by the end of this weekend.

I finished knitting the purple bag while we were camping—actually started a new project and everything—but I didn’t finish the gray bag until Tuesday at work. Normally, I wouldn’t show a picture of half-finished things, but I wanted to get a good pictures of the cables while they were stretched out and blocking.

I really like the way the cables turned out on the Cleo clutch (gray). I didn’t mess up once I started over for the third time, and I even managed to do a cable row without a cable needle. I don’t recommend it, at least not for myself. However, Wendy has a great tutorial on how to do it.

Kendra's birthday present stretched out and blocking.

The Heather bag (purple) I managed to cross a cable the wrong way while on a boat ride. Well, my parents were fishing. I was just along for the ride. I don’t know how I did it, but I caught it on the next cable round, and had to rip back to where I messed up. If I had Stephanie had posted her tutorial on how to fix a mis-twisted cable before I had left, I would have known what to do.

But, it’s very helpful to know for the next cable project, because it’s so frustrating to realize you messed up way back at the beginning and have to frog it all.

Cleo is waiting to be seamed and then felted. I’m a little worried about the felting process, since the last time I tried to felt a bag, it didn’t work out to well, and it’s shoved in the back of the yarn pile. I’m interested to see how the cables felt, though, so it will be a learning experience even if it all turns out like crap.

Heather is waiting to be seamed, a lining sewn with a zipper, and a strap knitted that I’m a little worried about. I am unsure how much the strap will stretch, or how much weight it will have to hold. I’ve never done a purse before, and so am in uncharted territory. And free of the pattern, since the pattern is for a 6″ x 6″ bag, and mine is 11″ x 11″.

I should do the felting this weekend, depending on how hot it is, how much laundrey there is, and what other chores get thrown my way. I feel like I’m 13 again on Saturdays, having to do all my chores before I get to have any fun.

—”She’s Electric,” (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?: Oasis

The start of a birthday present for Kendra.

I thought it was about time for a knitting post, lest people start to think I don’t actually knit. What you see above was taken on June first, as I figured it was high time I got myself in gear and started working on a birthday present for my coworker Kendra. Since I’ve started working where I am now, I’ve knit—or at least tried to knit—a present for Kendra every year, since our birthdays are a day a part. Last year, I didn’t quite make it, and the scarf I started last year for her is still on the needles¹. Lace sure takes a long time.

So, this year decided I’d knit her something I have a chance of finishing in a month, so I decided on a bag. But, I figured I might want to make sure she likes it, so I had her pick out a pattern from one of the numerous pattern books I have. She picked out “Heather” from 25 bags to knit: Beautiful bags in stylish colors, by Emma King. This is actually the first pattern I’ve knit from the book (I got it for Christmas), and as usual, things are not going to plan.

I’m using Cascade 220 in a purple heather, and I didn’t do a gauge swatch first. The bag is supposed to be a small one, just 6″ x 6″, and when I finished the back, I was at 8″ x 8″, unstretched ribbing.

The oversized bag; this is why you do gauge swatches.

I’ve started on the front of the bag, and while I’m glad the gauge was bigger so that the pony beads fit in better with the design, it still leaves me in a quandary . With the bigger size, I’m going to alter the pattern from a hand bag to a shoulder bag, but that means I need to do a flap to close the bag with, and I don’t know what a good size for the flap is. A third of the bag? A fourth of the bag? I just don’t know.

Also, I don’t know how long to make the strap, since I like my shoulder bags to be able to be worn across the chest (I hate it when the strap slides down your shoulder), but KG doesn’t normally use shoulder bags, so she doesn’t have a purse she really likes that I can measure. Add into that the stretch factor, and it’s just a crap shoot all around.

I think I’m going to line the bag as well, and am undecided if I should put a zipper in the liner or what. At this rate, I should have just sewn a purse for all the headaches this one is causing me. But it’s going to look so killer when it’s done.

A grey clutch knit from Cascade 220.

Since I have no project fidelity, I’ve been working on a bag for me at the same time, although this image does nothing for it. It’s a really dark gray heathered Cascade 220. The pattern I’m using is from Spun Magazine – the Cleo Clutch. I wanted something like this all last semester since I don’t carry a purse when I have a backpack with me. This clutch is the perfect size to throw in the front pouch of my backpack, and stop rummaging all over the place for my wallet, keys, etc. Which always sucked when going into the bookstore, since you can’t take your backpack with you.

I know, I’m such a girl.

Anyway, I have only two more repeats of the cable pattern to go, and then it’s on to the seaming and felting. I hope to finish this bag before Friday , so I can focus completely on Kendra’s bag this weekend. Until I get bored and cast on for a second sock that’s been awaiting it’s mate since February, I believe.

Anyway. When I printed out the pattern, the chart got cut off, and the site went down so I couldn’t print another copy. Working from written out pattern did show some errors, and it took me a couple false starts to figure them out. To begin with the abbreviations contain a critical error that if you have never done cables before would be hard to catch, and the finished project would look rather odd.

>>T4B – Sl next two sts to cn and hold in back of work, p next 2 sts, k 2 sts from cn

By following this, purl ridges will mar the cable on the left-traveling cables. It took me three tries to figure out what I was doing wrong, and it turns out the pattern instructed me wrong. It should read:

>>T4B – Sl next two sts to cn and hold in back of work, k next 2 sts, p 2 sts from cn

This way the cables will come out correctly, looking identical to the right-traveling cables. Also, in the written out instructions of the cable pattern, row 9 just kinda stops before the actual end of the row. Where it ends with p2, it should really say p5, k4, p3, k3, to end the row. In essence, you’re just mirroring what happened with the first half of the row, and by reading your knitting you should be able to see what your doing.

Even though it took me a bit to figure it out, I really like this cable pattern. I nearly have it memorized–I can never remember when the side cables need to cross, but the traveling cables are easy to see. I really can’t wait to see what this looks like done.

—”Carry This Picture For Luck,” A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar: Dashboard Confessional

1. Edited to add: Finally finished the scarf. In October of 2009. So it’s not like she had to wait awhile or anything.

I have wanted this book ever since Ann and Kay announced that they had signed a book deal. Released last March, this book has managed to make it to the top of the “must have knit book,” alongside other bloggers like Stephanie Perl-McPhee, and Wendy Johnson. And, oddly enough, there are actually patterns that I want to make¹ so badly that I’ve been eying my stash to see what kind of cotton I’ve got hiding in there.

Mason Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitters’ Guide—Stories, Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Questions, Answers, Jokes and Pictures

Mason-Dixon Knitting, by Gardiner and Shayne.

Such a long title for a knitting book! I even left off the last portion of the title, just to save space. However, this book is worth it, and worth every penny (I think).

Kay and Ann met online in a Rowan Yarns online forum², and their friendship snowballed from forum messages to email messages, to finally a co-blog authorship. Long before they had ever met in person, they had won an eBay auction of old Rowan magazines, and had co-ownership of a piece of knitting history. Their online friendship blossomed, and they met in person for the first time at a sew-up bee for the Afghans for Afghans knit square drive that they sponsored on their blog. They took charity knitting to an all new level, and inspired people all over the world to send in knit squares to be joined together in a blanket.

The book is filled with stories and anecdotes that blog readers will appreciate. For all the questions I ever had about the two of them, this book answered.

The only part that irritated me a little is that it was hard to tell which one of them had written the introduction to each chapter. I suppose it’s to be expected, though, because it wouldn’t quite make sense if the book was written in the same pen-pal format that the blog is.

Over all, if you read their blog, you have no excuse for not buying their book.

Must Knit Patterns

Kay and Ann are famous for three things: dishcloths, buttonhole bags, and log cabin knitting. While the buttonhole bag isn’t in the book³, the other two patterns are, and with such variations.

I am looking forward to knitting a log cabin blanket, but I can’t possibly hope to create anything as good as Cara over at January One. If you think log cabin sounds boring, you should check out the photos Cara has documenting her creation of a blanket done entirely in shades of green.

Their dishcloths are so simple, I think about making one every time I see a picture, even though we don’t use dishcloths in my house. And the rug patterns which are based off the dishcloths, genius. Now I want to buy old tee shirts to make them into rag rugs.

I’m so very sorry that I can’t find any photos to post that wouldn’t break some copyright rules. I suppose I’ll just have to start knitting some of the patterns up, so that I can feature them here.

Conclusion

This book is a must-have if you’re a knitter. Simple patterns, clear instructions, and photos to make you drool over each and every project make the book as addictive as crack cocaine. I can’t stop myself from flipping through the pages, and rereading passages. That it is hardcover makes the book even more special, and the amount of detail in the styling is fantastic. Not that anyone buys knitting books for that, right?

Ahem. So, if you’re a knitter, and this book isn’t on your book shelf, you are completely missing out.

Rating:

[rate 4]

1. K thinks it’s funny that I own over 25 knitting books, and have only made patterns out of maybe five of them.
2. Where all the Rowanettes hung-out online in the pre-blog era.
3. It’s available for free on their website.

This is amazing to me. I mean, I always thought I was smart, but this is really the first time I’ve ever pushed myself to actually do good in school. I never got straight A’s in high school. I never even tried. And the B I got in math this semester isn’t going to dampen my enthusiasm . I’m actually thrilled that I did so well, considering that math is really, really hard for me. All those rules for what to do when really make it hard for me to remember how to work a problem without external help with the way of a book, but since we have to take tests without notes, I did my best, and it’s good enough to let me go on next semester. Only two more Math classes to go until I’m done with Math for good. Yay!

However, with school done for the semester, I have no idea what to do with all this time on my hands. It’s very weird to get home and not have any homework that needs to be done. No papers that need writing, no equations that need to be solved. No real reason to sit down at the computer and get things done.

This lack of school work to be done does leave time for things I haven’t really done much of. TV watching, for instance. Although, I kind of liked not watching so much TV. But, with the TV watching comes knitting, because then I feel like I’m really getting things done.

I have a couple of projects on the needles that I need to get back to, and some socks that need pairs. So, this summer, instead of blogging about school work, I’ll be blogging about knitting. And reading. And writing. And pretty much the same old stuff, just repackaged into something new. Maybe.

But I’m still having school withdraws. I’ll let you know when I get my books for next semester. Because I’m forcing myself to not buy them now. I need some sort of vacation, I guess.

— “Losing a Whole Year,” Third Eye Blind: Third Eye Blind

Last Saturday was an oddly busy day for me. First thing in the morning, my entire family (minus my sister and a cousin) arrived at my Grandma’s house to do yard work. There were 12 of us, and we re-landscaped the entire side-hill of her yard. It wasn’t easy. I have the blisters and sunburns to prove it.

Saturday afternoon was an entirely different story. I hung out with my brother’s ex-girlfriend.

Which is weird, let me tell you. J. and I have always been friendly, but until her and my brother broke up, we weren’t friends or anything. Since they broke up, though, we’ve been emailing and chatting on ICQ, and on Saturday, we hung out for the first time ever.

J. is the only knitter I know in real life, besides myself and my mum. Which, originally is all we talked about. So, on Saturday, we went to the yarn store. Or three, to be precise. First we headed out to Frog Pond Knits, which I had never been to. She picked out some sock yarn, and I did the only act of goodwill in knitting I will ever do.

She picked out yarn that I wanted badly. And I didn’t fight her for it.

However, she’s going to knit arm warmers, and the yarn was a lovely mottled gray and black, which would go with absolutely everything she wore (as it would if I had arm warmers from it). Refrained from straying outside my budget, and only picked up a set of needles that I needed, to replace some that had gone missing (damn black hole in Dustin’s room).

Then, we went to Rumpelstiltskin , which also, I had never been to. We got slightly lost downtown, as the shop is at 10th and R, and R isn’t a real street for a bit, as it’s taken over by lightrail. There, I managed to keep purchases down to on skein of Cascade 220, for which it has a definite purpose. It’s gray, though, in keeping with my strange affinity to all things gray.

We tried to head out to Filati after that, but by the time we got there (just after 5pm), they were closed. So, when J. says lets go shopping, she means it.

Filati is the best of the stores by far, as it has the biggest selection, and all the British brands. The other stores didn’t even carry Rowan. Which is one of my guilty pleasures, along with Koigu, which also, only Filati carries.

However, the other two stores do offer spinning lessons, which Filati doesn’t, so I know that I’ll be headed out to one of them this summer to learn. Probably Frog Pond Knits, as it’s the closest to the house.

By the way, yes it was weird hanging out with my brother’s ex. I wouldn’t hang out with K’s ex (unless it was You). I didn’t feel like it was wrong, only that I shouldn’t tell my brother about it. And J. stayed and ate dinner with us like she used to, and my mom said yesterday at work that she felt like she was “cheating” on my brother, because she still likes J., even though they’re broken up.

I’m not giving up my only knitting friend just because her and my brother aren’t together anymore. We just don’t talk about him at all. It’s working so far. Although, I am a bit worried that she’s using me to get to my brother. But, time will tell.

—”Calm Before the Storm,” Take This to Your Grave: Fall Out Boy

Sock Yarn: Trekking, Lorna's Laces, Koigui PPM

I’m sure it’s an ominous start to the photos that the very first one happens to be sock yarn.

But, I love yarn. I love socks. And I love sock yarn doubly so. And, I really just wanted to share my yarn.

I had been saving gift certificates to the yarn store since Christmas, so when I got an email telling me that they were having a sale, I practically begged [redacted] to take me out there. I was so excited; I thought that maybe the Cascade 220 would be on sale. Or maybe the Rowan yarn. Alas, no, I wasn’t that lucky. And since I didn’t have any extra money to spend, I decided on sock yarn because I am more likely to finish a pair of socks than any kind of larger item.

I decided on the blue-ish Trekking XXL because I had never tried it, and because I really liked the colors. It was the only XXL color I liked, really. The others looked to be the fake-fair isle, and I don’t really go in for that. Also, I am thrilled that one ball will make an entire pair of socks, and am so glad that it is superwash. I dislike having to remember what socks can and can’t be machine washed.

In the middle is Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, which I have wanted to try forever. It is also superwash (genius!), and I had to dig around to find two of the color I wanted—Mixed Berries. I am so in love with this yarn that it is still sitting on my desk, waiting to be made into socks. I am looking for a good pattern, but I’m not sure what that will be.

The brown skein all alone is Koigu to finish the socks I started last year but had to abandon when I ran out of yarn an inch before the toe shaping. The brown goes really well, and I ripped back what I had to to heal, so that the heal and the toe would be the same color. I should be finished with the sock by the end of the week, and if I remember, I might post a photo. I really love the way the sock has turned out.

In all I spent just over $50 at Filati, only getting these four skeins. And that’s why I don’t get to buy yarn all that often.

So, there you have it. My first knitting content in over a month… It isn’t that I haven’t been knitting. It’s that the lack of a camera makes it hard to write about knitting. And besides, I’ve had some other things to talk about.

—”7 Miniutes in Heven (Atavan Halen)” From Under the Cork Tree: Fall Out Boy

My hands are always cold, no matter what I do. Here, in the middle of February, I sit at my laptop working away on… Well whatever I’m doing. Surfing forums when I should be writing papers. Anyway, my right hand is so cold. So much colder than the left. If I’m not doing any typing, I’m wearing the one arm warmer I’ve completed out of the Cashmerino Bulky. I really should get a move on the left one.

But, this isn’t just limited to my hands. My feet freeze too. I can’t sleep wearing socks, because they just bother me, but my feet never warm up. I have two down throws on my bed, and still I sleep with extra pillows over my feet, just to keep the warmth in. It isn’t very cold here in Sacramento. Not compared to back East, or Canada. It almost never drops below freezing here in the valley.

Oh, but my parents are so against the heat. We have a two story house, the second floor being home to the family room and my parent’s bedroom. Really, the only places they spend most of their time, while I nearly never venture above the ground floor. Apparently, they forget all about the “heat rising” thing, and when it’s nice and comfortable upstairs (where the AC/heater controls are), it’s still nippy downstairs. I am rarely without a sweatshirt in the winter.

So, how exactly does one go about getting better circulation? While it’s fun to touch [redacted] with cold hands and make him jump, it is really quite annoying to have nearly-numb hands. It’s a wonder I can even type without errors, as it is almost like I can’t feel where my hands are going.

While I love winter, I can’t wait for the warmer weather, if only for my hands and feet to get back to normal.

- “Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part To Save the Scene And Stop Going To Shows),” From Under the Cork Tree: Fall Out Boy