Speed Knitting

So I came across the Sexy Knitters Club (see link at the side) and found that they are a group that does KALs! I find that very exciting and a lot of fun that there are so many people out there working on the same project at the same time. I really enjoyed looking at past projects and pics of FOs. My question is this...How do they/you knit projects so quickly?!?! I see pitures of projects that were cast on and finished in about a week. My most recent project attempt is "Marlo" from Black Purl knits. I cast on about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks ago and am only 3.5 " into the first 7" of ribbing with the most complicated part, the cables at the edges of the sleeves to go. The pattern in not written to be done on circular needles, but I am knitting the body to the arm holes as such, hoping to save time. Apparently not! I wrote about this in my last post, and am giving myself a deadline! Hopefully, I will meet the deadline and be able to wear it to the event I am planning on wearing it to.

I try to knit at least 2 hours per day, but as we all know, this doesn't always happen. I am just in a frustrated mood, because, again, as I stated in my last post, I have a hard time finishing projects. A member of my knitting circle told me that I was a process knitter, not a project knitter, but I want to be a project knitter and have something to show for my time and energy! Humpf!! Well, off I go...hoping to gain at least an inch or two on my sweater.

Knitting ADD

I have spoken to other people through forums on knitting and am finding that summer is definitely a time for "Knitting ADD." I am finding that this occurs for me not only in the summer, but throughout all seasons. I have completely disregarded patterns only to cast on and start something new, and becoming completely commited to them, until.....something new comes along. I have about 5 knitting WIPs and 1 crochet WIP. I give my crochet abandonment the excuse that because it is an afghan, and it is summer, it is ok to ignore. But what about my socks? What about the sleeveless sweater, and now my new project, that I will not give details about because it is for a family member. Plus a dishcloth, a shawl, and a Prayer Shawl for my Prayer Shawl Ministry group.

So, I have decided to give myself deadlines. I have 2 weeks to finish the sleeveless sweater, because I want to wear it to some grad school homecoming festivities. I am giving the new project 3 weeks to completion...as the family member and I will be seeing each other. My sock...I feel that has no hope...but that's ok. I still have the match to make, so my deadline for the socks will be set once the first two are met.

Speaking of socks...I have learned to knit them on dnps. I would like to learn 2 circs or Magic loop technique. Perhaps I will knit the mate to my sock in progress on 2 circs. These socks are for me, so if the gauge is different, of I make mistakes, that is ok. I have 3 pairs of socks to make for gifts, and think that making them on 2 circs, 2 socks together might make it go faster. Hmmm...yet another challenge to my deadline. I will be posting pics of projcets and the progress on my deadlines.

Oh here we go...focus now!!!

Sari Silk Handbag - My First Design/Pattern!

Here is my my Sari Silk Handbag. I found this silk at my LYS and wanted to buy all 6 skeins. I couldn't decide which I liked best, so I bought 3 and decided that the best way to showcase this beautiful yarn was to make a handbag for everyone to see!! I borrowed some general concepts of this pattern from other handbag patterns I have seen. You can modify the pattern to make the bag smaller or larger, but please do not take credit for it. Thanks!




Sari Silk Handbag

Materials: I am not sure of the yardage I used, but you could probably make this from one 50g skein of yarn.
16" circular needles, US 8
US 13 needles
Fabric for lining
"Stitch Witchery" Fabric bonder
Set of purse handles (I bought both black wooden and bamboo--I preferred the black wooden)

Gauge: Doesn't matter as the silk changes gauge throughout the skein, and you can modify the needle size to make the fabric looser or tighter

Cast on 35 stitches with size 8 needle.
K all rows for approx. 30 rows, or until piece is as large as you want the bottom to be

Do not bind off last row. Turn corner and begin to pu stitches. PU 1 stitch every other row, and 1 stitch every stitch on the cast on edge. PM at each corner to keep track of front, back, and sides of purse.

Join. K all rounds until the purse reaches desired length.

Begin next round by BO first 5 st on one of the long sides, knit middle 25 stitches onto size 13 needles, place on a holder. Continue to BO last 5 st of long side. BO all short side st and first 5 st of second long side. K middle 25 st onto size 13 needles. BO last 5 st. Weave in end. Place second set of middle st onto holder.

You can continue by knitting the handle wraps, or by sewing the lining. I chose to sew in the lining before finishing the handle wraps and sewing the handles in.

Lining:

Lay knit handbag flat onto a piece of paper, trace around the outline of the purse. Cut out tracing. Place cut out on fabric and trace around it, this will be your guide lines for sewing the seams. When you cut out the fabric, leave 1/2" for seaming and hemming purposes. You can trim it down later.

I used a satiny fabric for my lining, and it frays pretty easily. So I used Stitch Witchery fabric bonding tape prior to sewing my seams to give the fabric some sturdiness. I also used the bonding tape only for my hem, as I was going to be stitching it by hand into my hand bag. I used some contrasting fabric for my pocket, and as I do not have a sewing machine, simply cheated and used the stitch witchery to bond the pocket to the lining. It's pretty sturdy!

Sew your lining into your hand bag.

Handles:
Knit on US 13 needles. Knit off the stitch holder, and continue in garter st for approx 10 rows, or until the flap is long enough to sew around the handle. BO. Fold the flap down over the flat part of the handle, and sew in place. Repeat on other side.

Finishing:

As I used 3 different skeins, and alternated every few rows, I just pulled my ends through to the inside of the purse, and sewed my lining in without weaving the ends. If you can't do that, weave in the ends and enjoy your beautiful new hand bag.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this pattern. I didn't write things down as I went, and this is the first pattern that I have actually translated from my head to paper (or blog). I appreciate any constructive criticism.

Ball up and Dye!!

After reading several posts and forums on hand dying your own yarn, I decided to give it a shot. I attempted to dye "self striping" yarn with coffee, a tip I read online as well. Lets just say, the results were not pretty. I was skeptical to try it again, and have thought about using several different methods. Kool-Aid, food coloring, and Rit fabric dye. I have used Rit fabric dye to dye a shirt that I accidentally ruined with bleach. It works wonderfully, and is relatively easy. I have "dyed" some fabric with Kool-Aid in the past as well, but obviously not on purpose! So here are my supplies for my weekend adventure in yarn dying:


I bougt some Paton's 100% wool to try my hand at Kool-Aid and food coloring, but did not get to it this weekend. Maybe next weekend. In a small apartment, limited space limits all the projects I want to do at one time! I decided to dye some Paton's Grace using the Rit dye. My goal was to make truly self striping yarn with it. After wrapping 3 skeins of yarn around my dining room chairs, I went to it.

Here is the result after dying and rinsing. I put 1/3 of the length of the skeins in the dye bath for about 20 minutes. The package directions were definitely a guideline. It recommended using 2 pkg of dye in 3 gallons of water to ensure color saturation. I used 2 pkg of dye in 2 gallons of water. It also recommended leaving the fabric/yarn in the dye bath for 30 minutes. After 20, I was happy with the darkness and saturation of the color. After the initial 20 minutes, I took the second 1/3 and dipped it in the dye bath about 4 times to gain a lighter purple color. The last 1/3 I left white for contrast. Here is the finished product. I hanked one and balled 2 to see the coloring.

I plan on making a pair of nice cotton socks. I am a little concerned about the possibility of color bleeding when the fabric gets washed. I will post the finished project once these socks are finished.

Speaking of socks....I am hooked! I have knit one and only one sock in my entire knitting experience. It is understanding how socks can become an addiction. The first time I knit the heel flap, I was excited. The first heel turn, I stood up and did a little feel good dance. The gusset, not my favorite, but one thing I will put up with to get to the toe decreases and grafting. Grafting! With all the cautionary instructions on how difficult grafting can be, I was expecting this to be my Everest of sock making. Well, needless to say, it went smoothly and beautifully. Not so scary after all! Here is the finished sock, on a homemade hanger sock blocker no less...Paton's 100% wool on size 6 needles. Its mate is still balled up in the stash...someday to be reunited!!

This is my latest project (one of many!!). A sock, knitted in Austermann sock yarn, I believe. I think I threw away the label in my cleaning frenzy today. I decided to try a pattern, but nothing too complicated, so I am doing the leg and instep in seed stitch after about 1 1/2 inches of 2x2 ribbing. I am excited to see the finished project and will try my hardest to not to fall victim the "second sock syndrome." I don't consider the lack of a mate on my first sock to be an attack of SSS, but rather a "practice" sock.

Now, off to work on my sock, which I will dub "Peachy Keen" !!

A Place for Everything, and Everything in Its Place

Finally, I feel like I am a little more organized with my knitting supplies. I at least have a home for all my hooks and needles. Here is a picture of my cases, all hand made (except for the little red thing to the right, holding my DPNs, that was a $1 purchase at JoAnn's I saw while waiting in line).

The crochet hook holder (left) was made using a Berocco pattern, with a felted based (Paton's 100% wool) and a lacy holder (Lion wool - from stash). It was a quick make, and felted nicely. I tried to give this to my grandma, who has crocheted for many, many years. Unfortunately, she is unable to crochet much more, as her hands have been bothering her with arthritis, so she told me to keep it. She then handed over all but 3 of her hooks for my sister and I to split. She seems so pleased that we have both picked up knitting, and that I taught myself to crochet. Between my grandma and I, I think my sister will pick it up as well. I was in South Dakota last weekend for my grandpa's 80th birthday, and the three of us sat side by side and went over the basics, and really enjoyed ourselves. After all the afghans and doilies my family has gotten from my grandma, I know the benefit and joy of hand made blankets!

The knitting needle case is the pattern from the Stitch n Bitch Handbook. I love the funky fabrics that I got on super clearence at JoAnn's. It makes the case really fun, and definitely one of a kind! This was my very first sewing project, believe it or not! I did not take "home ec" in high school, and though my mom sewed all of her clothes growing up and then sewed pretty little dresses for my sister and me when we were young, she never really passed the craft down to us. I decided to make this case about 3 months ago, and was going to hand sew all of it, but the first 2 pockets done by hand made me realize how cumbersome this would be. Knowing that I would be traveling home to my parents for the Memorial Day weekend, I took the opportunity to get this done...via machine!

My mom was so open to helping me out with the machine, and we used an old bed sheet as "practice" before actually stitching on the real thing. She patiently showed me how to follow a straight line...difficult if you are using a sewing machine for the first time, I realized. After doing a couple of practice runs, I was ready...and somewhat flawlessly sewed all the pockets. We then did the "how to sew a corner" lesson. Though my mom could very easily gauge the 1/2" seam, I on the other hand, had to have some sort of drawn lines to get me to the corners, and turn, and continue on. I seamed the base and flap, and wasn't too crooked with my lines. Mom was impressed, and proud! The next task was doing the top stitching...which proved a little more challenging. I had gotten a little too confident in my new sewing skills, and though most of the top stitching went well...going across the top of the case was not good. I was very crooked and wavy with my line, and the 6" opening that was left to turn the bag right side out ended up being not too even. So out came the seam ripper. I was discouraged, but Mom continued to encourage me, stating that for this being my first sewing project, having to only rip this one section was pretty darn good. Going back the second attempt was much better...thanks to Mom's encouragement, and probably the food in my tummy from dinner, and maybe because of the break away from the machine while eating dinner. Finally...one more line of stitches to sew the flap to the base and the case was done! I sewed on the ribbons, and Mom and I admired my finished project! Success!!

Honestly, I don't know what was more fun...actually sewing something for the first time on a sewing machine, or having my mom be there to help me every step of the way. Its pretty much a tie! Thanks Mom, I love you!! And I think I need to get a sewing machine... :)

Shhhhhh....it's "Top Secret"!!!

I finally finished my first large, wearable project!!! Aside from a couple of scarves, and a couple of hats, I have not made anything large and wearable, so here it is!! "Top Secret" from knitty.com

This sweater was so fun to make. It is done all on circular needles, so that means, no seaming! Which I was excited about. Underneath the arms was the only place that seaming needed to happen, and they were actually seamed using three needle bind-off, which I like a lot. I used Paton's Divine for the yarn, and the recommended needle size. The yarn, contrary to it's name, is not so divine to work with. It is an acrylic/wool/mohair blend, and the mohair is a little too fuzzy, and makes stitch definition difficult, especially when trying to count for the increases and decreases. But all in all, I really like it, and though we were at almost 90 degrees yesterday, maybe I will just have to crank the A/C really cold and wear it around for a while!

Hello...?? Is Anyone There??

As a fairly new blogger, I am not sure how often to write on my site, but 2 months (almost) between postings I know is not an acceptable time frame! Well, I hearby promise that I will write more often, but refuse to give myself a time line of sorts...so we will see.

Since my last posting, a lot has happened in my life that has prevented me from thinking of things to write. I am not sure how personal to go on my site...I want you to know me, but do I want you to really know me, you know? Well, anyway...at the very end of February, my grandfather, who has been battling for 8 years with myelodysplastic syndrome anemia (MDS), entered into hospice care, and two weeks later, succumbed to his long battle. Although we knew this time was approaching, it was very difficult. During that two weeks, I was 600 miles from my family in South Dakota and Iowa while I was living in Chicago. The one thing that did help me from going absolutely stir crazy was knitting and teaching myself to crochet. The pics in my previous post of the crocheted washcloths were the products of my nervous energy. I am happy that I have learned both crafts, and realize now what stress relievers they can be.

About two days before my grandpa went into hospice, I decided to make another life altering change, and split with my live-in boyfriend of three years. In one week, my world was turned upside down by these two events. I was completely shelled out. A lot of crying, praying and hoping for things to look up ensued. My ex was wonderful during the time we were waiting with Grandpa, and I couldn't ask for a better friend. We moved out the end of April, and thankfully continue to be friendly and supportive of one another.

My knitting took a back seat to all of the preparation surrounding the move, and finally, I had to take a hiatus...forced, I am quite sure! That was unacceptable, so I gave myself a reward system, pack for a while, knit for a while, pack a little more, knit a little more. For anyone who knows me, and knows me well, also knows that I am a little bit of a procrastinator. So needless to say, most of my packing got finished in the two days prior to moving day.

Now that I am finally settled, I am back in the groove of things. Finally, thankfully. I am about 2 inches away from finishing Top Secret from knitty.com...I will post a picture later this week. I have ventured into my first pair of socks courtesy of Miss Wooly Knits... (http://knittingbunny.blogspot.com/2007_04_20_archive.html) who has a great tube sock pattern that makes socks, especially the first, not so scary! Thanks! Here are a couple of pictures of my sock...in progress






I also got brand new furniture last week. I am pretty excited about this as well. I have never had "brand new" furniture before, always some crap handed down from a family member or a friend. I found a discount furniture center that sells clearanced furniture. So I got my furniture for about 50% of original cost, which I thought was a helluva deal! I am so excited about it that I want to show it off...I hope you don't mind!! I am eventually going to center my decorating around the color scheme in the pillows. It is kind of difficult to see, but the general idea is there!





This is my couch...

And this is the love seat!! (Sorry about the back lighting!)

These pictures and my sock pictures were taken on the cell phone as my digital camera is still packed away. I also do not have a computer at home yet...yes I am blogging at work, you do it too!!! So I don't really have a great way to upload real pictures, so cell phone pics will just have to do for now!

Happy Monday to you all, and have a great week! I will blog ya later!