WIP Wednesday: After a Brief Pseudo-Patriotic Diversion...

Apologies for one more week of showing you all the same thing, but at least this week it comes with some additional content that serves as my excuse for one more week of the same thing.

That's right, the Berocco sweater is still on the needles, although if I can put in some quality time over the next few days you might not see it again until next Friday (possibly this Friday if for some reason I manage to get ahead of myself). The below (admittedly poor quality) photo is of the back, the front, and one sleeve done and another sleeve just about to start the shaping for the sleeve cap. Following that, I have to seam the shoulders then pick up and knit the collar, then finish seaming, then wash and block.

​​SML

 

Regarding sleeve caps--I hope they fit. The fact that my stitch gauge was DRASTICALLY different than the pattern stitch gauge was never a problem at all until it came time to shaping the sleeve caps. The pattern, as it should, calls for some gradual shaping for 36 rows and then more rapid shaping for the rest of the shoulder. However, because I had fewer stitches, I ended up just decreasing 1 stitch on each side of each right side row to end up with the requisite number of stitches after knitting the requisite number of rows. I'm really worried that the shoulders won't fit into the openings right and are going to fit oddly, but there's not much I can do about it right now (well, there is, I can pull it back and try to do even more complicated math, but since math and I are sworn enemies, I'm not sure that's the best strategy). For now, I plan to seam the whole thing together, block, see how it goes, and rip back the sleeves from there if I need to. Might not be the plan with the least knitting, but also it might be, so I'm willing to risk it.

And now for something completely different!

Two years ago I dyed some yarn to match the US Men's National Soccer Team's super cool jerseys, affectionately known as the "Bomb Pop" kit after the novelty Popsicle treats that used to be popular in the 1990s (maybe they still are, I don't know). Fast forward to last summer when I started actually knitting it into socks (which, it turns out were too big). I managed to finish one, but then the magic of the World Cup and the Gold Cup (the big international soccer tournaments the US was in) ended and I put it down, saying I'd re-measure and make the next sock later. So...that brings us to now when the USA was hosting the Copa America Centenario and I decided to cast on the correct number of stitches and knit sock 2 whenever I was watching the tournament. I took measurements (spoiler alert, incorrectly) and used Lara Neel's book "Sock Architecture" to cast on toe up and get working.

Which is where adventures and shenanigans begin.

As we began this weekend (since it was a patriotic holiday here in the US I figured I'd just knit the sock all weekend and see about getting it done since I was already past the heel turn), I got about 13cm into the leg (they're tall socks because (a) I like tall socks, (b) that's how the yarn dyeing worked out the easiest, and (c) that's soccer style socks) and then held it up and thought "the foot looks really short". I'd tried it on before and convinced myself that it fit, but I compared it to the too big sock (which actually fits fairly well in the foot, it's just too wide) and it was about 4cm too short for my foot (because for some reason I'd measured the length of my foot as 20cm instead of 24cm. So, I ripped it all the way back to where I'd started the gusset, re-did the math and blissfully began the foot. Where, instead of remembering that I needed to knit to 78 rows (I was already at 66), I had in my head that I needed to knit to 98 rows and then start the gusset. I realised this at around row 102, counted back to 78, ripped out again, and finished the weekend merrily at 19cm of cuff.

 

​​SMXL

 

Which is where it will stay until the US Women's National Team's Olympic matches. Maybe I'll get this one done. And then I'll be right back where I started the year with one sock completed.

WIP Wednesday: IT'S SO CLOSE TO DONE!!!

I promise you that this will be the last week you see this before it gets moved to the FO slot. If I'd actually purchased blocking wires you might actually see it in the FO slot this Friday, but I think if I'm going to get blocking wires at all it will be when I go to knit night at my lys tomorrow at the earliest, so I wouldn't count on an FO post just yet. It might be done, but it's sure not ready to show off until I make it look like more than a tangled up pile of string.

The "Big Damn Heroes" (I keep wanting to call it a shawl, but really it's a poncho, let's be real here) is officially off the needles. All it needs is an applied I-cord edging and a seriously aggressive blocking (using my newly learned blocking skills!) and then it will be ready to wear. With what, I don't know. I'm not exactly a poncho sort of girl, but I guess I'll see if I can't figure it out.

Currently, it looks like this:

It's going to be pretty cool once it's blocked, I think. The larger opening in the centre is the wide shoulder opening and the smaller one is for an arm to go through. Right now it's about half the length the pattern says it should be, so I hope a good block will set it right. I hope I am the sort of person who can give it a good block.

Reminders:

Pattern is "Big Damn Heroes" by Kimberly Golynskiy

Yarn is Wild Hare Fiber Studio Pinnacle Sock in the "Browncoat" colourway from the Nerd Alert Yarns series from Steven Be.

Meanwhile, I've cast on for another thing. It's not a WIP (it's not even technically "in progress" at all), but here's a teaser photo for you.

​​SM

WIP Wednesday: Big Damn Heroes

As part of both Stash Dash AND trying to use up super old stash, I am apparently continuing to knit scarves/shawls even though I still don't understand how to wear them without looking like something is trying to eat my head. In this case, I did a bit of a stash sort to find which things in my stash had the greatest yardage and then went with what was oldest(ish....I fudged it a little). After trying several patterns that were supposed to use up all 1300yds of this yarn that I have (including crochet lace???), I was forced to abandon in favour of a project that is supposed to use up two of the three skeins and then hopefully I will not be tired of the yarn (or I will and I'll save it for later so I can knit it again, I guess) and knit another thing with the other skein. The kicker is that since this is specifically geek-themed yarn, I wanted to keep the pattern in the same fandom.

 

First, photos.

So, I get that it's nearly impossible to see unblocked lace knitting on a circular needle even with the zoom in on the pattern, but hopefully you can get some idea. Essentially this will end up being a poncho/coverup thing (which, again, I don't usually wear, but I am determined to make the styling on this one work without me looking clownish... I'll keep you posted on that.)

Yarn is one of the Nerd Alert yarns that my lys carries. This one is Wild Hare Fibre Studio Pinnacle Sock in the "Browncoat" colourway (SW merino/nylon). Sort of a story about how this yarn and I came to be together... A long time ago (3 years, maybe 4) I was working on my still in progress epic novel series that will perhaps be finished someday if I can figure out how to balance my hobbies now that I have reclaimed my free time. As motivation, I set myself reward levels for hitting word counts. At 50,000 (I.e. "winning" NaNoWriMo) Jonas promised to buy me this yarn. And somehow I ended up with three skeins because at the time I didn't know how to knit socks. Fast forward to now and I have learned that I don't really like highly variegated yarn in straight up sweaters because I don't like pooling or striping, so I had to find an appropriately named/themed pattern to keep it in the fandom (Firefly, for those who don't know the reference).

Enter the pattern:

Big Damn Heroes by Kimberly Golynskiy

 

For those not in the know, "Big Damn Heroes" is a line from the show (which one of the browncoat characters says to another), so it's basically a perfect fandom match. We'll see if it's a perfect garment or not. The rows are getting REALLY long and even though I have the pattern memorised, I can't seem to get through a lace row without having to tink and fix, so it may be done soon or it may take another lifetime. We shall see.

(Another) Triumphant Return

Hi again! It's been a while, I know, and I'm sad to say that although I took a pretty awesome trip just a few short days after the last time I posted that I want to tell you about, I think I'm going to push it to next week in the interest of getting the photos a bit more in order and once again trying to regroup my thoughts. So I guess for now I'll just check in quickly and re-establish a bit now that I'm officially done with classes. I know I always make promises about posting and then life gets in the way, and I'm not going to promise it won't this time, but I will say that I'm going to give it my best effort to maintain a regular MWF(ish) posting schedule. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into my crafting in earnest and the content will be there and I'll have something more interesting to show you than just the same thing week after week.

For now I'll pretty much leave it at that. I'm (pseudo???) participating in Stash Dash, so hopefully some big projects are in the works (and hopefully I can complete them.) I'll be heading to a knitting retreat in June, so look forward to hearing how hard I fall off the no purchases train at that point (we're almost at the end of May and I've made 4 purchases so far this year! Only one of them was yarn!). Jonas is building me yarn shelves (and he's basically unskilled labour, so that should be an adventure). Plus, you know, all the usual shenanigans. So here's hoping we'll be seeing more of one another (and there will be new shop content!) in the next few months.

Thanks to any of you who are still bothering to read this after a 3 month hiatus. I promise to do better this time!

Sari

Knitting Firsts: Part 4 - Ravelry Competition

Fourth First (although I guess we’ve now established it’s my Sixth First): Ravelry Competition

Unrelated to all of the buying of yarn at festivals and receiving of yarn from swaps, I’ve decided that I need to do my part to decrease the amount of yarn I have. Now, compared to many people I don’t actually have that much yarn, but I also don’t have that much yarn space in my flat and it’s already become incredibly cluttered. Aside from the Kauni, everything I brought into my house from the festival was already DFA (designated for assignment) to a project in my queue, so I felt comfortable with it. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Ravelry trying to match up the oldest yarns in my stash with projects so that when I finish the epic deadline knitting of summer (it’s getting wild around here) I will have clear directions for the older yarns in my stash. Problem was that because of the plan (knit the oldest first) conflicting with reality (knit all these things by these dates and also you need to buy yarn for them) I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. Enter the Knit Girllls podcast (which I don’ t listen to yet, but was mentioned on another podcast) and their StashDash 2014. The objective is between May 26 and August 2 (I think) to knit 5km worth of yarn. Which sounds impossible. The catch is … things already on the needles no matter how far they were in progress at the start of the competition, could count their full yardage. So here I was with a sport weight vest, a pair of knee high socks, and an 800yd sweater project already in the works and scheduled to be completed by July 9. So I’m doing it. I don’t think I actually get anything for completing it other than the satisfaction of having FOs and getting yarn used up, but that’s good enough for me. I haven’t really been participating in all the chatter etc.  because while I know other people feed off the social energy of these sorts of things I find it draining. I’d rather compete against my personal goals and not constantly compare my progress to that of everyone else who seems to either have all day long to knit or are the fastest knitters on the planet. I’m making progress, I finished one thing, I’ve established a rhythm for finishing the others, I have plans for the future, and I’m going to make it as far as I can and do my best to not buy yarn in the interim.