Tag Archives: knitting

Knots Are Not Cool

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I know it’s to be expected in commercial yarn….but darn it….knots are infuriating! I am working on the heels for my Big Bang Vanilla Socks and I hit a huge knot.

My heel yarn is some Deborah Norville Serenity Sock. It’s a nice soft workhorse yarn. A lot like Knit Picks Felici and the colors don’t bleed like some other commercial mainstream brands. I was knitting in bed last night (hence the bad flash photography on my comforter) and decided to put this WIP in a mini timeout until I decide how to deal with the knot.

Harrumph…..I mean Happy Knitting!!

Oh Yarn Balls

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You guys….baby brain and sleep deprivation are a real thing. I’m back to work (and I take PB with me) and I feel like I run ALL DAY LONG. I am happy with my choice but boy is it a different way to work. It definitely has it ups and downs. I have found myself doing the silliest things.

Case in point….PB’s Sporty Cardigan #2….I picked this up and merrily knitted during a nap. I thought I knew where where I was but that was a bald faced lie. I started doing my increases on the wrong side of the work. And after three garter bumps my issue became apparent. I literally exclaimed “Oh Yarn Balls” to the bewilderment of my hubby.

I took a deep breath and told myself I was the boss of my knitting. I knew that this would bother me and I really needed to fix it. So I pulled out some fingering waste yarn and put in a lifeline where the work was correct. And then….I ripped out the needles and frogged.

I was totally racing the clock of PB’s naptime. But I managed to get all the needles back in the stitches without too much headache before PB woke up.

I was quite pleased with myself and I know I’ll be happier with the finished product. I’m just mad I lost an ENTIRE nap time worths of progress on this baby sweater to a stupid sleep deprived mistake. I literally ended back right where I started. I guess the silver lining is that even when crazy tired I can still read my knitting….after a few row anyway, lol

Happy Knitting!!

 

Wishing Knitting: A Good Hat Yarn

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I have been having a hard time getting a skein of yarn from my stash out of my head these days. I picked up some Lemonade Shop yarn earlier this year. It’s an amazing grey and rainbow combination. It’s delicious……

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I want a nice plain project that will really let this yarn shine. I’m thinking about the Sockhead Slouch by Kelly McClure. The trick will be to get the gauge just right so the yarn doesn’t flash or pool and lets the rainbow blips show up like I want. That might mean a couple starts and frogs. I’m not sure how I feel about that….

Does anyone else have any vanilla hats they like for fingering weight yarn?

 

Cast On: Easy Peasy Triangular Scarf

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I bit the bullet and decided to cast on one of my wishful knitting ideas.

I pulled out my Nickie’s Knots sparkle sock blank and after much deliberation decided to use the pattern for which this yarn was designed for. It’s called the Easy Peasy Triangular Scarf and the pattern is not listed on Ravelry. But I had a copy of the pattern from the dyer/designer. I initially started from the wrong end of the blank but I quickly remedied that.  The pattern is pretty easy to memorize and incorporates a faux i-cord edge on on side. Otherwise it’s all garter stitch and simple increases.

Working with ramen like yarn is a new experience but not altogether unpleasant. I’m a good chunk of the way into this and I don’t hate it, so I’m going to keep going. I really like the sparkle and how the subtle yarn variegation is showing up. It will be interesting to see how this crinkly looking project will look after a good bath when it relaxes into it’s new form.

Happy Knitting!!

Big Bang Tubes

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My bedtime knitting time has lead to some (almost) finished socks. My Big Bang Vanilla Socks are officially complete tubes!

I’m just beyond tickled pink that they match exactly. Turtlepurl yarns is a genious and an amazing dyer. I have some big box store solid red yarn on hand for the afterthought heels. I just need some good light and uninterrupted knitting time to get them started. But those two things are a precious commodity these days. Time will tell….

Happy Knitting!!

A Sweater…Minus The Buttons

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PB’s Gidday Baby sweater is all done but the buttons.

I need to give this thing a good bath and blocking. It’s not going to solve my obvious sleeve tension issues but it will even out the body stitches and give a nice fresh smell. The sleeves didn’t turn out as long as I thought and I probably should have extended them. But I was kinda over knitting them and bracelet length are okay for babies right?

I need to dig out some buttons as well. I’m really not sure what kind or color I’m looking for. I may just hit the fabric store and browse until something strikes my fancy.

Happy Knitting!!

Date Night Knitting

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The Hubs and I scored a date night thanks to the grandparents and the glory is that pumped breast milk. We had some yummy mexican food and margaritas followed by a viewing of Ant Man and the Wasp. I had my Big Bang Vanilla Socks hanging out in my purse and I churned through some of the second tube.

I’m doing my best to make them them match….including the increases for some slight calf shaping I put in the first tube. I managed to catch myself just at the right stripe in the dark at the movies to put in the first set.

I managed to put the set in while PB was snoozing and take some sneaky photos on the bed. I’m loving having these easy tubes to knit on. But I’m not sure how or when I’ll manage to get the afterthought heels installed. Between being back at work and taking care of the house and two kids my knitting time is precious and I’m not left with many brain cells.

Maybe I can get the grandparents to come back?? Happy Knitting!

Gauge Is A Thing

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PB’s Gidday Baby sweater has one sleeve. But my sleep deprived noticed one small problem.

Guess what…..gauge is a thing….

I just grabbed the DPNs at the bottom of my project bag and merrily knit away. Well, they are one size smaller than the needles I used for the body. And boy howdy can you tell they are different gauges. I quickly made the executive decision that I don’t get enough knitting time to rip them out and redo them. I’m just going to call this an “unintentional design feature” and move on the second sleeve.

On the upside….I did manage to minimize the laddering between my DPNs, lol. Happy Knitting!!

Gidday Baby Update

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PB’s Gidday Baby cardigan is done through the body!

I’m so glad the button bands are knit as you go. Not that I mind button bands but I’m absolute rubbish at picking up stitches as I go. I never get the ratio just right. But I’m pleased with this cardigan so far. Berroco vintage is a nice washable workhorse yarn. The sizing is working out decent. I’m not sure this is a 12 month exactly but it’s big enough to fit PB this fall. I still have to work the sleeves and they include some striping.

The only hesitation I have about this garment is the color combo. It’s not horrible but the cream and blue sometimes just catch my eye in an odd way sometimes. But considering PB is gonna spit up and chew on it…..I’m not sure the colors matter all that much, lol. And this is using up some relatively old stash for me so that’s a plus. My hubby keeps saying as long as she warm that’s all that matters!

Happy Knitting!!

It’s Back to Work I Go….With Knitting Of Course

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I am back to work today. And my desk wouldn’t be complete without a project tucked into it’s drawers to save me during long and boring conference calls/webinars. But I finished my “desk knitting” before PB was born and never replaced it. So when I was packing baby gear to deck out my office I also did up a project bag with some knitting.

I grabbed two skeins of Felici self-striping in Cheer and my US 0 needles and threw into a project bag. The socks are not started and lord knows between catching up on work and taking care of an infant while at work I won’t have time to actually knit. But I find it oddly comforting to know it’s there just in case I need it!

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Am I the only one who stashes knitting like a squirrel stashes nuts?