This is mostly a knitting blog. Sometimes pictures of things I've made, sometimes not. I'm a guy who knits, I usually attend a men's stitch 'n' bitch on Monday nights, and I prefer natural fibres to artificial ones. I have a love-hate relationship with bamboo yarns: I love what they can do and how they look, I hate how they are made. I've been knitting since about 2003, though I really didn't get into it until 2005, while convelescing with a broken leg. I must have discovered something good, 'cause I'm still knitting years later.

Friday, July 22, 2011

It's been a long time since I last posted

It has been too damn hot to knit. I never thought I'd say that, since last summer I whipped up six shawls in alpaca (and bought an air conditioner in order to do it), but packing for my move and a lack of internet at home has made both knitting and blogging just a tad difficult.

Currently on the needles a seven year old project, abandoned and re-taken-up. It's a hat in cotton and I'll post pictures when I can. Meanwhile, the Christmas knitting list has begun, and I know what I'm making (and what yarn I'm using) for a few people on my list. I'm giving out about five things this year, and I've got the yarn for four of them, the patterns chosen, and one of them actually started! The last one I've picked out the yarn, but not bought it yet. Since I'm no longer in school, I'm a little more relaxed this year about getting my holiday knitting done before September, though as it's almost August, I shouldn't get too relaxed. I'll try and post pictures of the yarn and discuss the patterns, after I move.

Oh, and one final thing. Whilst packing, I found my copy of Knitting With Balls, by Michael del Vecchio. I repacked it, of course, but all my knitting books are in a couple of boxes, and are labeled so. They will be the first ones I open in my new digs.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Still Crazy After All These Years

So a while back I mentioned that I went through my stash box and picked up a project I'd begun seven years ago, and put aside. Well, it's done. Hooray! I've even sent it off to a friend. I hope it fits him. Now I want to make one for myself. In blue, of course. But I'm going to figure out how to do  it in the round, because I really hate seaming things.

Here is a picture of the seven-year-hat.


I know, it's very dark. I took several pictures of it, and they all came out this dark, and yes, the flash was used. The main colour is rich purple, the lighter colour is lilac, and the third colour is black.

If I can figure how to make it in the round, I'll be very happy. I've already got the yarn, and it's already cast on flat, because I cast it on when I cast this one on, seven years ago. But this time I hope there won't be a seam.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Blocking

I finished Lyle's Irish Hiking Scarf (http://www.helloyarn.com/irishhikingscarf.pdf), knitted in Cascade Eco Duo in a soft grey. The knitting was finally done, and all that was left was the blocking.


The scarf before blocking.

I pinned the scarf to my blocking board (a dress making board, that has a wonderful grid at one inch spaces), and spritzed it with some water.

Before spritzing, I evened it out along the board, and was able to do half the scarf at a go.

This is the scarf drying from the spritzing.

The blocking made the cables really pop, and while it didn't stretch out as wide as I thought it would, it did look a lot better after I'd blocked it.

I mailed it off to Lyle, and I hope he will send me a picture of himself wearing it. If he does, I'll post it here!

Friday, July 1, 2011

I walked across that burning bridge

In her song, Anchored Down in Anchorage, Michelle Shocked writes:

I took time out to write to my old friend
I walked across that burning bridge
Mailed my letter off to Dallas
But her reply came from Anchorage, Alaska


While I didn't write to an old friend, I did go through my stash and pick up a project that I started seven years ago. Seven, as in 7. Years ago. It was a hat, in cotton (done flat!) with a kicky little slip stitch pattern. I can't remember why I didn't finish it. Maybe I got bored. Maybe I was intimidated by the psso pattern in the crown. Maybe I had just gotten some wicked pissa cool yarn and wanted to make that first sweater, or something. I dunno. But it has sat languishing in my big box o' yarn for seven years.

So, I have just finished knitting the part that goes around the head. What is that called? I need to start on the crown, but don't have my circulars with me right now. But I will probably finish it sometime this weekend. Then it gets popped in the mail and sent to someplace far away for someone who needs a new hat.

It took me a few minutes of staring at the pattern, staring at the UFO, of staring some more at the pattern, to figure where I was and what I had to do. I can read patterns a lot better now than I could seven years ago. I'm still not a genius with psso, but Miz Lucy told me that I can substitute ssk and that it will look better. Since I trust Miz Lucy implicitely, I shall make the substitution. It is, however, a bit weird to pick up a project from so long ago. I was just a baby knitter back then, and I didn't know a whole lot about it, or why what I was doing looked the way it did. I've got a much better idea of what's going on these days, even if I can't pick up dropped stitches with a crochet hook.

It kind of fun to pick up these old projects and start them again. It's almost like they're new, and I don't have to deal with casting on. I think I'm a lot better at that, too, after seven years practice. I'll post pictures of the hat when it's done. It's kind o' cool.