Friday, June 25, 2010

Friday Fill-in

1. On vacation, I like not being at work.
2. Fishes live in the ocean.
3. One of my favourite vacation spots is my house.
4. I adore watching a full moon.
5. Up, up and away like a zeppelin.
6. Bananas are high in potassium.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing Mathew, tomorrow my plans include hanging out with Amber and Sunday, I want to start moving stuff into Michael's apartment!

Posted At: 5:16 pm by Lizz - Comments [2]

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Well, the start of my return to blogging went fairly well, and then after a busy week, I fell off the horse so the speak. I'll try to do better.

I have a new finished project that I've been plugging away on for a bit, a Tea Mitten for my new tea pot. I'm making it out of bright green Red Heart Super Saver Sport. I like the acrylic because I am sloppy (especially in the kitchen) and like things that can be thrown in the washer when necessary. This project is not big but it knit up fairly slowly, because the yarn and needle combination that I'm using made my hands a little sore.

Tea Mitten

The reason for my new tea pot is that my roommate is moving out at the end of the month and will be taking his with him. It's an amicable parting of ways and we're still great friends. After eight years, it's just time for a change, so I'm going to be living alone for the first time ever.

Posted At: 7:58 pm by Lizz - Comments [0]

Friday, June 18, 2010

Friday Fill-in

1. Tomorrow I hope to be asleep at 6:58.
2. It was the reason, of course, that I thanked Angela and Reed.
3. Paying rent is something I no longer feel the need to do.
4. I have another errand to run, then I'll be able to make tea when Michael moves out.
5. Pretty yarns and needles ...just go find it
6. What were once vices likely still are.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching more PVRed Fringe, tomorrow my plans include spending time with my parents and brother and Sunday, I want to buy some yarn at Saxe Point Park and spend time with my pal Megan!

Posted At: 4:13 pm by Lizz - Comments [0]

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The second problematic project I'm working on is a pair of Crusoe Socks done toe up in some Elann Colori that I bought years ago. I started with plain vanilla socks in this yarn but it was pooling unattractively, so I switched to the Crusoe pattern. I love how it looks in this yarn.

Crusoe Sock in Elann Colori's Northern Forest

The problem I'm having with the pattern is that I'm doing the foot as shown in the pattern, with the bottom knit plain. The slipped stitches on the top of the foot are causing the top to be shorter than the bottom. When I look at the pattern again, it doesn't specify that only the top stitches should be knit in pattern, even though that is what the photo depicts.

Bottom of Foot longer than the Top

Here are my three options:

1. Do something to make the bottom and top of the socks the same length - Short row just the top for a few rows?
2. Just continue as I've been going as the difference in length not matter in the end.
3. Start over and pattern the bottom as well. - How comfortable would that be?

Please share your thoughts and suggestions. I would really appreciate the help.

Posted At: 4:46 pm by Lizz - Comments [1]

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The baby sweater I'm working on has been an ongoing saga. It's one of those times that the yarn is just so pretty but doesn't seem to want to be knit up successfully.

The pretty, and hopefully not cursed, Wendy Peter Pan 4 Ply

My first attempt was to knit the Modified Drops Eyelet Baby Cardigan. I got through most of the yoke and then messed up somehow and ripped everything back. I think it must have been a pretty big mess up, but I seem to have blocked out exactly what happened.

After a lengthy time out, I decided to try another pattern with the yarn. This time I choose the Feather and Fan Jacket for 3 Months from an old Paton's booklet. I generally don't check gauge too much on baby sweaters, because as long as it's reasonably close to the pattern then it should fit a baby at some point. I worked on the skirt of the sweater for about 3 inches before deciding to do a swatch. My gauge was 7 sts/inch instead of the 8.5 sts/inch required. I did some math and realized that the chest of the sweater was going to be 4" larger than the pattern specified. On another sweater that might have been okay, but this pattern is fairly old fashioned and while it would look cute on a little baby, I think it might be a tad cumbersome for a mobile year old. So I ripped it out again.

Now I've started the Veronica’s Beginner Baby/Toddler Lace Sweater in the 6 month size. I bought this sweater pattern to make with some Bernat Sox yarn. The gauge I liked for that yarn was too big for the sweater, so I switched it up and made a Helena with an Old Shale lace skirt instead. Hopefully this pattern and yarn combination will work out. Third time's a charm, right?

Last but not least, Happy Anniversary to my parents!

Posted At: 4:34 pm by Lizz - Comments [1]