Never give up!

When I first started to teach knitting on a regular basis I didn't really know as much about knitting as people thought. I'm pretty much self taught, except for a few friends I made along the way, using whatever books or patterns that I liked. I had never knit a pair of socks, for example. I just knew the basics. But I'm pretty good at figuring out what a pattern is trying to tell me.

So over the past few years I've really worked hard to expand my techniques and to get to know more about how to do stuff. I really get excited when there's something new to figure out. Not all patterns are created equal and the number of errors in printed patterns seems to be expanding exponentially. Errata pages seems to go up almost as soon as new books are published. Pity the new knitter!

On the other hand, it's not always necessary to follow a pattern exactly. But one does have to be careful when making changes. And always make notes of what you did. The socks in the picture are ones that I started almost a year ago. I'm using a stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks
by Charlene Schurch. I had put them aside for several months. When I picked them up again I thought I knew what I had been doing. After I had completed about half of the gusset decreases I realized I wasn't using the stitch pattern I had started with. I had to rip back to before the beginning of the heel flap and reknit. Well, I'm started on the second sock now and I'm pretty sure I'll get these done for this year's holiday season. All I have to decide is who's going to get them.

I have to admit that it was pretty tempting to just trash these socks when I discovered my mistake. But, like I always tell my students, if you knit you will rip. And they seem to like it when I make mistakes in my own knitting.

Now busier than ever with not much knitting

Yesterday morning I didn't have much to do. I worked on my chevron scarf for as long as I could stand it. That all changed at about one o'clock when four people showed up at nearly the same time followed by two more a bit later. That's sort of the risk of doing drop in classes. Fortunately no one had a problem that couldn't be quickly resolved but I did spend a lot of time moving around from person to person, making sure they were still on track. And I had a two or three people who just came to visit.

I had pulled some yarn from our marked down baskets (75% off) thinking it was such a good deal I shouldn't pass it up. By the end of the day I still hadn't purchased it so I just put it back for someone else to find.

I didn't knit at all last night. Phone calls and emails plus all that time on Ravelry. I sorted some of the odds and ends of yarn that I had set aside for charity knitting and picked out some needles to take with me today.

We're resuming our weekly charity knitting today. We haven't met for a couple of months but we're scheduled for the balance of the year. I have a couple of hats left unfinished from last year so I'll take those and maybe get them done.

After that I have planned a trip to Unraveled to meet with a couple of friends and then it's back to Pasadena for dinner with the Stitch in Time ladies. We're celebrating the owner's birthday. More Mexican food and margaritas. So I don't expect to get anything done on my current projects, other than the charity knitting, or any stash sorting. Tomorrow looks like it's open.

It's going to get worse before it gets better.

It's too dark and overcast here this morning for me to get any decent pictures of the mess I have on my hands. I've mentioned a few times that I'm trying to sort through my stash and reorganize it into some kind of usable order. So I've emptied a few cardboard boxes and now the yarn is piled in mostly unrecognizable heaps, not only in the yarn room but in the living room. The cat is beside himself.

So, I discovered, as I was trying to figure out Ravelry, that I need to organize my yarns in such a way that I can enter all the pertinent information about each one. This is going to take a long time. Much of what I have has never been photographed. So that's a biggie. And even the stuff that I have photographed isn't always the whole amount. So most of that will need to be photographed as well.

I'm in the market for some more plastic storage bins. I need to get those so I can put the yarn away as I photograph and upload the images. And then I can start going through the yarn that is already in plastic bins.

I found a couple of yarns yesterday that I don't recognize and I seem to have discarded the labels when I wound the skeins into cakes. That was really dumb! Revisiting these yarns is exciting and distracting. So many get pulled out and put near my knitting chair for me to play with. I already have more projects going than I'll be able to finish this year. Still, why not?

More sock yarn

You'd think that someone who was trying to reduce his stash would show a bit of restraint when it comes to buying sock yarn. Well, that's just not the case. This is Classic Elite Alpaca Sox. I just ran across it when I happened to stop in at Unraveled a couple of days ago. It is amazingly soft and the yardage is generous. Enough for a pair of socks of course. Or maybe some fingerless gloves. I'm putting this in line ahead of lots of other sock yarn, just because I think it's going to be a terrific looking sock. And, if you're one who gets cold feet, it's going to be very warm.

I don't remember if I mentioned this yarn or not. It's Lang Aktion, their newest sock yarn. I've had it for a couple of weeks. It was kind of at the head of the line, having bumped Regia's Designer yarn (mine is the Kaffe Fassett colorway) which I also think I forgot to mention getting. If you get the Berroco newsletter you will have seen a pattern for some fingerless gloves using this yarn just this morning. That'll go faster than socks and I'll still get to enjoy the yarn.

You can click on the pictures for a bigger view.

I got my invitation to join Ravelry. I signed up but haven't done anything else. There's going to be a lot of trial and error going on over here until I figure out how it works.

Not so much with the knitting

I'm still here. I know it's only been a couple of days since I posted but it seems like much longer. I just don't have anything, or much of anything, knitting-wise to report. Still working on those two pair of socks. And I'm still working through my stash to see what I can pass along.

It's difficult to let go of some of this stuff, even the stuff that I know I'll never be able to get to. I get sentimental over some of it because of associations I have with it. People who are no longer here; shops that are no longer around; yarn companies that no longer exist. It's not a museum. It's more like a photo album from long ago. Even the "what was I thinking" stuff tempts me to hold on. Opening boxes, some of which have been closed for years, and seeing what's inside, is a happy/sad kind of thing. I can only do a few a day.

I emptied a large box yesterday. The box that my very first computer monitor came in. I found a lot of the yarn that I bought several years ago to make one of Kaffe Fassett's coats. It was to be for a friend who passed away a couple of years ago from breast cancer. I still have the first part that I started. I'll use this yarn to make gifts for friends this year. I know that Sherry would have wanted me to.

Weekend recluse

I didn't leave the house this weekend except for my walk and a quick trip to Trader Joe's. Just me and the cat. It was nice. And I thought I might be getting a cold but that seems to have been averted with a lot of naps and not doing much.

I did finish a couple of socks. Obviously not a pair but their mates are started.

And I made this hat. On Friday A Stitch in Time held its annual Knit Out to benefit a local cancer treatment center. We had about twelve or fifteen knitters drop in to work on hats and scarves. I made this one for a redhead or someone who wants to find out how they'd look as a redhead.

I pretty much stayed away from the computer this weekend. I have a few emails and comments that I need to respond to. I'll see about doing that tonight.

My new knitting bag

People tell me that my cat is spoiled. To some extent that may be true. Patrick has totally claimed my Eddie Bauer bag that I've been using for a couple of years as my knitting bag. He likes to sleep on it. It is now so completely covered with hair that I can't begin to clean it. So, for the time being, I'm using this perfectly adequate plastic shoe bag to carry all my knitting paraphernalia. I'm thinking about what I want for the next one. I better decide soon because this one is starting to go.


When I cleaned out the cat's favorite sleeping bag I found this sock. Long abandoned and nearly half off the needles. It wasn't quite to the heel flap yet. So now it is retrieved and nearing completion. The first one anyway. I don't think I have a second sock syndrome but I do like starting new ones.

New Sweater Project

The start of a new sweater project. The sweater I just finished is also from this book, Simply Beautiful Sweaters for Men
by Linden Phelps and Beryl Hiatt, owners of Tricoter in Seattle. There are a number of other sweaters and vests in this book that I would like to knit. The one I'm making is called Terry's Ribbed Pullover and that's basically what it is. I've started with the sleeves just so I can get them out of the way. It's also a V-neck which I'll probably change to a crew style since I don't like the way V-necks look on me.

I'm using some Kureyon in color 51. The photo is no where near accurate but I've tried all the things I know how to do and still can't get a better image. But you can see the gradation and the colors themselves except they're deeper in real life. I got the yarn at Velona's a couple of years ago during one of our yarn buying frenzies not knowing for sure what I would do with it. So I'm probably going to have five or six skeins left over. I could use a new scarf.

Is this Monday?

The brown cable sweater is done. And it fits. Even the arms are long enough. I'm sending out to be cleaned and blocked before I take any photos of me actually wearing it. Besides, it's still very warm here.

I haven't checked but I know I started this sweater more than four years ago. And I'm really pleased that I decided to finish it. The arms are a bit tight but I think the blocking will take care of that. And the wool, Crystal Palace Country Wool, is pretty coarse and scratchy so I'll need to wear it over something with long sleeves. But I do like the way it looks, all tweedy and rustic.

Forgive the corny border. I couldn't resist.

I've been really busy, or so it seems. After all the excitement of last week's yarn swap and the yarn/yard sale on the weekend, and finishing the finishing of the brown sweater, and a tailgate yarn swap with wine, and then working. Well, it's just too much to keep track. And to further confuse the issue, my daughter came to visit last night. Generally she comes on Sunday but she has some other obligation that's getting in the way so she came over last night. Therefore, I feel like today is Monday and I should be thinking about getting ready to go to A Stitch in Time. But I'm not. Instead I'm getting ready to go for a walk.

Knitters redistribute

Unfortunately my photos this evening are not good enough. This rather blurry shot of the yarn redistribution pile is about as good as it got. There was a lot more yarn earlier and a bit more arrived later with, well, late arrivers.

A lot of yarn changed hands so I'd say it was a success. There was yarn leftover, some of it stuff I had taken. It's all in the back of my car at the moment. It was too late in the evening to schlep it in. Once I have it in I will go through it and decide what to do with it. I'm sure a lot of it can go to our charity knitting boxes. I'll keep some of what I took over since I still like it even though I was willing to part with it.

Georgie did a great job hosting us in her office. And she provided plenty of snacks. There were nine of us there. Three people who had said they would be there didn't make it. Maybe I should leave the yarn in my car and have a tailgate yarn swap just for them.

Knitting some

I did manage to get some knitting time in last night. Not so much that there's cause for alarm or justification for a picture. It's a sock after all and you've already seen the interesting part. But I did knit for a couple of hours. And it was good.

We had fun at the Fair. Except for the heat. And I also forgot where I parked. I think this might be a tradition. I've forgotten every year. So maybe I should just accept it and not try to remember to write the location down.






We started by going to see some farm animals. I almost never do this but the friend who was with me wanted to. I think he might have spent some time on a farm as a child and just wanted to revisit some memories. I spent some time on a farm when I was in high school and it's definitely not a memory I care to revisit.


There were plenty of animals of assorted kinds. The barn was kind of dark so it was hard to get any really good pictures plus the animals moved when you least expected it. But then my camera batteries died. So you're spared the agony of looking at more farm animals.

But you also don't get to see the knitting and crochet exhibit. There were other things in the fiber exhibit but I don't know anything about scrapbooking. Of course there was quilting. Don't know much about that either.

I'm almost always disappointed in the knitting and crochet exhibit. Not that there isn't a lot of really top notch work. It's just that so much of what is on display is kind of boring. Not in a been there, done that sort of way. More in a that's really practical, you'll get a lot of wear out of that sort of way. But then it is a craft show, not an art show. Let's don't get into a discussion about craft versus art.

I do have to hand to the people who put the show together. It's got to be hard to arrange all those entries into an attractive and viewable way. The quilts were mostly really easy to see and they made spectacular backdrops for some of the afghans and sweaters that filled the lower spaces of the display cases.

The main reason I go to the Fair is because my daughter works there. (I get free tickets and parking passes.) She's in charge of one of the exhibits, Education Expo. That's where the local high schools get to show off some of the art work that they're done. I spent quite a bit of time there. This year there was mostly flat art with a bit of wood working thrown in. Most of the art was pretty much what you'd expect high school art to look like, a little stiff and contrived but still upbeat on the whole. Some years there's been a lot more angst.

A lot of walking! I was really happy when it was time to meet up with my daughter so we could all go to lunch in a nice, quiet and cool restaurant. They had margaritas but I was driving. So diet soda it was. I got home and promptly fell asleep in the middle of a game of FreeCell.

Knitting, not so much

I don't remember when I've been so non-productive. I think I managed 16 rows on a sock yesterday. And that was it. Monday was only slightly better. And it's not from want of wanting to. I just seem to be really busy with lots of little stuff that is taking me away from my routine. It looks like I'm going to be pre-occupied until the end of the week.

I've been working more days for the last week. Spent four days at Skein filling in for a vacationing instructor. That's done now. I enjoyed the time there as I got to see a number of people I haven't seen since I left Skein last year. Ann Mary hasn't always been real upfront when people have asked where I am. Some have asked if I'm feeling better or how I'm enjoying not working. And there was some pressure to consider coming back to teach there again, even if it was only on Saturday. I don't think so.

Today I'm going to the LA County Fair. That should be lots of fun. We'll meet my daughter Lisa there and she will show us around. I didn't go for my morning walk today since I'm sure I'll be doing plenty of walking at the Fair. We had our three or four days of fall last week and now we're back into summer. High 80s and lots of sun.

Anyway. Not much knitting right now. Maybe tonight.

Knitting yarn to go

I think I mentioned it before. We're having a yarn swap this week at our Thursday night knitting group. I spent several hours last night going through some boxes. So far this is what I've decided I can live without. And that doesn't count the stuff I just put in the trash.

Some of these yarns are pretty nice. But when I consider how much yarn I will still have after I pass these along, and how much time it takes to knit something, I realize that there isn't enough time to use it all.

I did enjoy rediscovering some of the stuff in my stash. Some of which I don't remember buying and some of which goes back to my earliest knitting days. A lot of what I have is no longer available. I discarded some Orlon yarns, some crafting yarns, even some candle wicking yarn. Anyone remember candle wicking? I did find two cones of lace weight wool that I had been looking for when I was getting ready to knit the Swan Lake (MS3) a couple of months ago.

I don't know how many more boxes I'll get through before Thursday. I'll do a few more tonight and maybe consolidate some of the now only partially full boxes. I haven't ever started on the yarn that's stored in my living room. Most of that is pretty current so I may have a harder time recycling that.

I hope all this stuff finds a new home. Now that I've said my goodbyes I don't want to have to bring any of it back. My plan is to keep going through the boxes and taking stuff to future knitting nights. After all, I need the room for all the new stuff.

Avoidance knitting

I've been busy. And I've had very little time to knit. Or to work on the finishing of the brown cabled sweater. Yeah, that's it. I'm just too busy to sew that thing together. I did get the neckband done though. And besides, I really need to work on these socks. Socks that I started probably last spring.

I actually picked them up again a couple of weeks ago and promptly screwed them up. Used the wrong stitch pattern which I didn't realize until after I had already done the heel and started on the gusset decreases. So that all had to be redone and now I'm back on track. So it doesn't totally look like I'm avoiding the finishing.

In less than twenty four hours I acquired enough yarn for six more pairs of socks. Three were purchased at the knitting night at Unraveled. The other three I got on Friday while I was working at A Stitch in Time. Not that I'm in any danger of running out of sock yarn. We're having a swap night this week so I'll be getting rid of some stash, probably not sock yarn though. And then there's a yarn de-acquisition yard/yarn sale coming up that will give me a chance to replace some of what I've swapped out.

I haven't started anything new though. The Chevron Scarf is growing, slowly. That one is my KIP project. And the Jitterbug socks that I started a few weeks ago are still nearing completion of sock one. And there's a blue cotton lace stole that I haven't said much about here.

I'm working three days this week, going to the LA County Fair one day, and doing some chores (laundry) on another day. So it doesn't look like there's going to be much finishing time this week either.

It was like a party

Our Thursday night knitting group got together at Unraveled tonight. Usually I'm not one to take pictures but this was a good chance to not only show off the wonderful space but to show you some of the people I run with. I think I got everyone. My friend L (of L&H fame)was there earlier but she had to leave before I remembered I had brought my camera.

I won't bore you with who all the people are except for the photo in the upper left. That's my friend Susan who was our host tonight. She's just getting all the cheeses and wine that she brought for us to enjoy. And we really did.

A new book

This book came in the mail yesterday. I ordered it, along with four or five other books, from Overstock.com, my favorite book source. I had seen a number of references to it on the blogs. It had been well received so I was looking forward to getting my copy.

I have to say I'm not wild about it. That doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile. Most of the patterns are suitable for advanced beginner to intermediate knitters. And the styles are very wearable, pretty much as I think the designer intended. There's nothing over the top. Just very traditional styles with some updating via the use of color and yarn.

I do like the throw/afghan and can actually see myself making it but maybe not in the yarn shown since I have plenty of other yarns on hand that could be substituted. The scarves, hats and socks are nice but not earthshaking. The British Checks Sweater is also something I would consider making.

I like the photography. It makes me think of snapshots, which I think was the intention. The models look like everyday people and the sets are real and unpretentious, a nice change.

The technical section at the front of the book is well done but probably only useful to beginners. The book itself is printed on very heavy paper that has a nice matte finish so there's no glare.

Overall I'd say I'm glad that I got the book. It's straight forward and usable. Even if I may not ever get around to making anything from it.

The sum is greater than the parts

Well, at least, the parts are done. Now I just have to put them all together. That should happen this week sometime.

I don't enjoy the finishing part of sweater knitting. I can do it but I don't like it. I saved myself a few ends to be woven in. I used spit splicing whenever I could with this yarn. It's a single ply wool and the splicing, which I've never used before, seemed to work really well.

I'm working a few days this week at Skein, the shop where I worked before I went to A Stitch in Time. I'll only be there from 11 to 5 for the next three days and then one day next week. So if you're in the area, stop and say hello.

New yarn has begun to arrive at A Stitch in Time. Some Kureyon and Silk Garden. Lots of Debbie Bliss, even some Sirdar Baby Bamboo. And yesterday I discovered that there's also some lace weight Malabrigo. And there's more to come!

Mornings around here

Rosy-fingered Dawn has been arriving a little later each day. Most days it's still dark when I leave the house to take my walk. And it's getting to be cool enough that a light jacket will be needed before too long.

It seems so much quieter in the morning now. There's less traffic or maybe the faint light just softens it so that I'm less conscious of the noise. It's very pleasant. I see most of the same people every day. I might miss one or two if my schedule is off a bit. There's the uber-chunky guy with his two uber-chunky dogs. The three of them totally block the sidewalk as they stroll side by side. The tall lanky guy with his hair pulled back in a ponytail. Always carrying what looks like a roll of miscellaneous paper. He walks very fast. Actually I saw him last week in the supermarket when I was there to get some kitty litter. And the guy who lives up the street from me who walks with such purpose that I just want to move out of his way. Each step is precise and he moves his arms with such purpose that I'm afraid to disrupt him with a spoken greeting. I just nod. And then there are the street people that wander around in the early morning, looking for a handout or for some place to stop and sort through the bags of stuff they're accumulated overnight.

I did manage to miss walking into that dead palm frond that's been hanging from the tree in front of Burger King for the past couple of weeks. So far I've run into it twice or maybe it's three times. Whatever. Today I remembered in time to veer out of its way.

I've added some stretching exercises to my morning routine. Nothing serious, just some twisting and bending stuff. And when I get home I do some leg exercises that require me to get down on the floor. Freaks the cat out. He always comes running and meowing like "what are you doing down here?"

I finished the first sleeve of the brown sweater and have continued with the second one. I'm not exactly bored but it sure seems to be taking a long time. Only about 80 rows to go, including the cap shaping. Sticking to one project is hard.

Harvest time

When my friend Robert brings home fresh produce from the market he usually arranges it in a basket on his kitchen counter so he can enjoy it while it's waiting its turn. I don't. My kitchen counter is too small as it is. But these squashes and the pumpkin are just too colorful and lush to be hidden away in the refrigerator. It's a lot harder to arrange these things than you would think. They keep rolling around. I liked it better when I had just taken them out of the bag and put them on the counter.

Lisa's friend JC (not that JC. This is a different one.) has been sending over fresh vegetables for most of the summer. Green beans, tomatoes, various squashes and even some exotic eggplant. This is probably just about the end of the bounty.

So where was I? Oh, yeah. Knitting. I'm just about done with the first sleeve of the brown cable sweater. Since the other one is already started I might still get this done by the end of the week. I'm home all day today and tomorrow, except for Thursday night knitting, so there's plenty of time, if I just don't get distracted by the new blue lace shawl I started on Sunday night. More about that another time.

Thwarted!

Faithful readers may recall that I said I was going to knit both sleeves of my cabled brown sweater at once. That was supposed to help motivate me to get it done.

I only have two size 8US/5mm circular needles. The Addi turbo is 60 inches long. The other needle is a 29 inch Clover bamboo. I do not like circular bamboo needles and will avoid them at almost any cost. So I started with the Addi. Everything was fine except for all that extra length. It really made switching sides a hassle. So I gave that up and switched to the Clover bamboo. And that was working fairly well.

Yesterday morning I noticed that the stitches being placed on the right hand needle were suddenly moving a lot more easily. I looked down and discovered that the cable had separated from the needle leaving about half a row of unsecured stitches.

Fortunately the wool yarn has a lot of nap so the stitches held really well and I was able to slip them onto a straight needle. So I'm about half way through one sleeve while the other one awaits its turn. So much for my plan. Plus I really prefer working one sleeve at a time even if it does mean making the same thing twice.