Monday 28 May 2007

First sock finished!

On Donna's recommendation to buy a set of five needles, I bought two sets of four needles at Lincraft today and finished the first sock including the grafting / Kitchener stitch (my first attempt) just before dinner tonight! The second sock has been cast on - so far I have avoided SSS (second sock syndrome!)

WM wore the first sock inside his zip up leather boot and walked around the house a few times. He found the toe graft kept slipping uncomfortably under his toes. Does this mean the socks are too big or too small?

By the way, Lincraft Penrith has dpns all the way down to 1.25mm! They look like elongated sewing needles.

Sunday 27 May 2007

Socks knitted in the round

I am knitting my first pair of wool socks in the round - Heirloom Jigsaw yarn (colour 26) on two 2.25mm circulars (40cm). My lys didn't have any dpns in stock so I bought these as an alternative.

I'm really struggling with two circulars; I get to a point about halfway through my 66 stitches and I can't manipulate either needle. Sometimes I pull up the line between the two metal points to shorten one of the circulars but all this stopping and pulling makes for very slow knitting. Plus, all the stress changing from one circular to another is stretching the space between stitch #1 and stitch #66. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. I'm knitting all 66 stitches from one circular to the other. Is that correct? I think I'll go to Lincraft or Spotlight to buy a set of dpns for the second sock - with my rising frustration levels and the slow speed of the knitting, we're definitely heading for second sock syndrome!

The Jigsaw yarn is not as soft as I thought it would be; WM seems quite happy with the yarn - he's talking about these as the prototype and the next pair will be easier! Perhaps he secretly hopes they'll soften on washing! Generally, I knit loosely, so I can't imagine what this yarn would be like in the hands of an 'average' or tight knitter! Do you knit socks? What yarn do you prefer? Is it long lasting/hard wearing? Does it come in a range of "men's colours"?

The pattern for the socks has a moss stitch rib which looks great in the pattern photo but in reality doesn't look good. The self-striping effect is completely lost in the ribbing. The acrylic socks I knitted a few weeks ago, were knitted from The Twisted Sisters' Sock Workbook. They had an hourglass heel which I found to be a challenge but was a nice finish. These Jigsaw socks have a gusset heel. No matter what I do, when I pick up stitches along the selvage edge I always create a ridge on the wrong side, which I would have thought would be uncomfortable for the wearer! Luckily, the ridge is in the ankle bone area and not on the back of the heel!

So, with the first sock still in progress, and WM egging me on, these are the changes I would make if a second pair of socks were ever to eventuate:
1. dpns not circulars
2. the ribbing, perhaps K3, P1 (a test swatch will be needed)
3. an hourglass heel to avoid ridges formed when picking up stitches

And what have I learnt? Knit a test swatch even if the pattern shows eight colour variations, all with the same moss ribbing!

Your comments, hints and tips are very welcome.

Tuesday 22 May 2007

Still here and still knitting!

I can't believe I haven't posted for 12 days! I guess I've just not had much to say. I keep changing my knitting progress bars and adding to my finished items list - at the terminus 2007 - but knitting-wise I've not had much to say!

I've joined a gym and although I only go twice a week, I'm more physically tired than I can ever remember being. Fifty years of neglect isn't going to succumb easily to my new exercise regime. I was already walking an average of 2.5km every day but core strength remained non-existent.

Albert Einstein is credited as saying:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
I've used this quote a lot in training others, and I realised that my health/fitness wasn't going to improve unless I did something different. I found a small, privately owned gym close to home, where the fees are a reasonable $30 per month, and there's no joining fee or contracts. The owner is a qualified PE teacher and knows what he's talking about. So I joined. A week later WM followed! DD, unfortunately, already belongs to an expensive gym on the other side of town and is locked into a contract until March 2008.

On the knitting front, I have completed three wraps from the Sullivan's Magnifico I bought in Robertson at the beginning of the month. I also experimented with the same pattern and a ball of mohair-style acrylic I picked up in Lincraft for $1.00 a couple of years ago. There were not enough metres in the acrylic to knit a wrap so I ended up with a capelet (which is also good for wrapping around cold feet while watching television)!

I've started yet another "AIDS Orphan" jumper, this time in green Carnival Fair Isle Effects. These jumpers will not be going to Malawi as originally planned. Ken and Lyn Begley have received so many knitted jumpers they are totally overwhelmed. More than 10,000 in one weekend. So they have asked knitters to STOP! You can read the whole story here. My finished jumpers will go to a charity which I have supported for several years - Operation Christmas Child, run by the Samaritan's Purse organisation. You can find a link to this charity in my sidebar.

I have continued knitting squares for my Large Triangles afghan/blanket. I've just passed halfway - 15 done , 13 to go.

Well, for someone who had not much to say, I've said enough!

Keep knitting.

Thursday 10 May 2007

Come on, Aussie Knitter, Come On

I have joined another charity knitting KAL Rugz 4 Kidz.

This is for Australian knitters only. The idea is that each knitter will knit a section of a child's blanket using machine wash 8 ply yarn (wool, acrylic or a blend) then send it on to another knitter to add their bit and so on until it is finished.

Each rug requires 20 knitters and so far we have only sixteen so if you live in Australia and want to be part of this check out the link.

Oh, each knitter also sends a small gift to the next knitter as a way of thank you so it's like a knitters' treat as well as a KAL and a way to bless someone in worse circumstances than our own! And possibly make new knitting friends along the way! So, come on fellow Aussie knitters, have a go!

If you live in United States, Rugz 4 Kidz is based on a similar idea happening there: the Oddball Charity Blanket KAL

Wednesday 9 May 2007

A Knitting Meme

I lifted this from Kim's blog

Mark with bold the things you have knit at least once, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

I guess I have a few more things to try! LOL

Sunday 6 May 2007

a trip to Robertson

Today we had a family outing to Robertson in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Robertson is a pretty little town and the people who work in the businesses there are generally friendly and helpful (with one notable exception - read on).

My not-so-hidden agenda was to visit Limited Edition Designs at the Old Cheese Factory - I wanted some yarn for a particular project for our one skein challenge which finishes 19 May so it was today or never! Robyn, the owner, was very friendly and helpful - nothing seemed too much trouble for her. She stocks a wide range of Sullivans yarns**, a much greater range than I have seen in any of the so-called "major retailers". While the Sullivans yarns are mostly not wool, Robyn also showed me a gorgeous 'beanie' knitted from beautifully soft alpaca, which she also stocks. Robyn's mum does a lot of the knitting for her, so there are a large number of pre-knitted articles for sale as well.

We ate a delicious lunch at Cafe Pirouette. They cater for a wide variety of tastes, including vegetarian and the health-conscious. The service was wonderful, as soon as we sat down we were given menus and about 30 seconds later a bottle of water and three glasses! The bruschetta was absolutely delicious, the garden salad was fresh and lightly dressed, and all three main courses were enormous and very tasty! We would have rolled out of the cafe except that we were sitting outside in the warm autumn sunshine!

After lunch we visited the Old Potato Shed Gallery which had some Mollydale skeins for sale, as well as garments from Signatur Handknits and Belisa Cashmere. Unfortunately, we were not impressed by the 'service' in this store - none in fact; we were not even greeted or asked if we needed anything by the young woman behind the counter. I don't think this is usual as I have heard other knitters talk of this store in favourable terms.

In order to work off our delicious (large) lunch we went to the local rainforest walk - Yarrawa Brush - a short almost level circuit of about 600m maintained by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. We then drove to Belmore Falls - a spectacular waterfall, despite the fact that we have had very little rain in the past few months. We walked to each of the four lookouts - hard on my knees but worth it for the view of the 'double' waterfall. We had time for a cup of tea while watching the beginnings of the sunset and having gumnuts dropped on us by two crimson rosellas.

For more information about Robertson, read this article from the Fairfax news group.

~~~~~
**A word of warning about the Sullivans website, it is not particularly helpful - there is little to no information given about the yarns. However, if you see something you like and can't get it locally, give Robyn a call at The Old Cheese Factory - she will mail order (and no, I don't receive any commission for this free advertising but I do believe in giving good service a plug!)

Thursday 3 May 2007

I'm a knitting guru!

I followed a series of links from Angie's blog to this site and took the "What Kind of Knitter are You?" quiz.

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.

Wednesday 2 May 2007

A most useful tool

A few years ago WM and DD bought an electronic set of kitchen scales. I thought they were a waste of money - most of the cooking around here is measured in cups and spoons not grams.

However, the scales have turned out to be one of my most frequently used knitting tools. I can't begin to count how many times they have saved me from starting a project I could not finish, simply by weighing a finished article.

For example, last night I weighed the blue scarf - 92g. Allowing 40g for the novelty yarn, I need at least 52g of Carnival acrylic to complete another scarf. I had only 32g of the colour I intended to use so that little exercise has saved me from a time-consuming mistake!

And how did I know I had only 32g of the yarn I wanted to use? On Sunday night, I weighed all my 8ply acrylic "part balls" and wrote the weight on the label or wrapped paper labels showing the weight around those which had lost the original labels.

I have also weighed the AIDS baby jumper, which surprisingly had two different weights - one weight for the Carnival 8ply acrylic (approx. 86g) and another for the Lincraft 8ply acrylic (approx. 68g). I've knitted two jumpers in each of these and the weight remains consistent for the brand. I've also weighed the purple hat and the diagonal squares knitted for Wrap With Love. All weights are recorded in my knitting journal. (If you don't have one of these I highly recommend it - just taking simple notes can save so much time later - especially if the item is a long term project!) Now, I am prepared whenever I want to repeat an item, which I often do in my charity knitting.

I'd like to move those kitchen scales into the lounge room but I don't think WM would be impressed - some of our living space is already given over to WIPs, FOs and stash! Mind you, it's mostly behind the lounge and on the piano stool - I rarely play the piano anyway, and if I feel the urge to tinkle the ivories, it's my knitting and I'll move it if I want to!! LOL