Tink? Frog? Drop?

Yikes!  Just after completing all the increases to widen the scarf, I look down and see this!

Can you see it?  The white hole about 1/3 from the bottom
in the center.  It wasn't a dropped stitch --
but one where I had split the yarn.
The stitch was there -- but only by one
very fine and fragile thread

Now what?  Tink it?  Too many rows.  Frog it?  Too much knitting to rip out -- it's soooo painful.  Drop it?  Yup.  That's the pathway to correction.

     

Left pic:  I dropped all the stitches in the ladder down to the split stitch.

Right pic:  Trusty crochet hook used to pick them up.

I think blocking will manage/correct any

irregularities that were created.

Whew!

Otherwise, except for this detour, the project is proceeding.  Here are some measurements at the turning point.  After increasing every rs row to 88 st in the st st section, you proceed with decreases eors (every other right side) row so measurements are in order.

  28-29 inches to the turning row.

  

22 inches at the change from increase to decrease.
The crochet hook marks the spot.

The colors are magnificent and the yarn is yummy.  Mini Mochi on a size US4.

Back on track. . . and without tinking OR frogging.  Yea rah!

Clarity

I don't know much but these things are very clear to me.

• It's pretty clear that if I'm knitting a scarf I'm neglecting the matching hat.
• It's pretty clear that the 220 stitches for the afghan and the 40 row cable pattern are daunting, especially on November 27.
• It should be obvious to me by now that some of the projects just won't make it to the "finished" pile in time for gifts.  

But no, I'm still matching up yarn and patterns and recipient for YAP (Yet Another Project) to be completed in time for Christmas gifting.

So the over-arching question for today, for me and for all knitters out there:

Will we ever learn not to add so many projects to the gift list?  

Maybe friend Darliss has learned her lesson.  She just reported the completion of the 7th pair of sox (14 sox!) for grandkids.  Each sock had some duplicate stitch embellishment and some included color changes.  Result:  weaving in ends, lots of ends.

I'm using the calendar as my guide.  This means gifts that have to be mailed need to be finished long before the ones I finish late into the night on Christmas eve.

Here are a few progress pix.

Green lace shawl finally made it to the
blocking board.  Still unable to
capture the brilliant celery green even after
trying 3-4 settings on the camera.
This one will go in the mail by week's end.

Brown and teal will go to a special friend and her husband
-- delivered by hand.
Multicolor hat and scarf to another special friend
-- mailed by end of this week.
Red/Black/White hats -- need 3 more!  All will
be delivered in person on Christmas afternoon.

Battleboro hat will be delivered in person the week before
Christmas.

This one from Weekend Hats, also will be
hand delivered the week before Christmas.

Mailed the mushroom seafarer's hat today to NYC.

So when I'm not doing whatever else life expects of me, I manage to knit on something.  This morning it was a scarf while sitting in the car waiting.  Then I also got to frog it cuz I figured I really did not have enuf yarn.  Maybe this project will migrate to something else.

On the stashbuster front, located some additional sparkly stuff while cleaning out part of the garage.  This is a real find since it will make the headband/turban I have in mind.  

Minus one -- plus one.

The math works, but clarity is still foggy.  The sun here is finally burning off this morning's fog, while I am still in the mist and haze of entirely too many projects planned for Christmas giving.

I reckon I'll never learn.  How about you?

Matched Set -- Stashbuster

This time a hat and scarf that match.  I really like Bernat Mosaic.  It's acrylic so that may turn some of you away.  But I like it for cowls, hats, scarves.  And it's a lot like some of the Noro, without the high price tag.

See the twist in the hat?  Even with the color waves
the pattern is still distinctive.

Here's the Spiral Hat from the Mosaic free patterns. (see note at end of post, pls.) It's a twisted thing -- K2tog and then M1.  This means, among other outcomes, that the beginning of the round moves to the left.  After my fiasco with the Willow Beret I paid close attention to this spot.

Color is called Fantasy.

The scarf looks a bit distorted.  It's hanging over the side of the bed.

The crown continues nicely with the twist created by the
K2tog and the M1.

The scarf is an extraction from a Red Heart pattern for a shawl.  It's a really pretty shawl, but with only 2 balls of Mosaic, clearly a shawl would not emerge.  Instead I put pencil to paper and figured out the repeat, a multiple of 12 plus 1, then added 3 garter stitches on each side for the border.   Here's the Red Heart pattern -- Romancing the Shawl.  Great name, huh!

I have come to a new place with my knitting.  Sure I like the challenge of a new cable or lace pattern.  But right now I am enjoying the pleasure of knitting things that, for me, are relatively easy.

• They are easy for me to complete in a reasonable time.  
• Each pattern uses yarn and needles that I can easily put my hands on.  
• Each item is wonderful as a gift.  

I am looking forward to more of this kind of knitting.  It's the relaxation I need right now without the pressure.

I wish you joy with your knitting.  Life has so much chaos on its own; we might all be better off if we un-chaosed some of the knitting we choose.

One knitter's opinion.

Hospital Time

There's God's time, earthly time, and Hospital Time.  If you've been a resident there or sat by the bed of a friend or relative, you know that HT elapses at a pace unknowable to mankind.  I don't think even the docs and nurses and aides can explain HT to you.  HT has a willful mind of its own and can be slower than glaciers and then pass more quickly than synapses in the brain.

Second verse -- sorta same as the first.  Another set of chest pains, a call to 911, EMT's at the house, ambulance trip to St. Joe's, boocoo tests (as in blood, x-ray, dye stress tests), and lots and lots of waiting in between -- all on HT.

I had a flight instructor who explained Flight Instructor Time to me this way:  hours and hours of boring flying punctuated by seconds of sheer terror  (remember there's a student pilot in the left seat, Pilot In Charge.)

HT feels the same way.  Long periods of boredom, bad food, interruptions for vital signs, and then finally a minute or two with someone who can explain test results and next steps.

Meanwhile -- I've grabbed my knitting bag on my way to the hospital.  Of course!

Here's what I worked on, all depending on available mental energy, interest level, and access to decent light.

Snug Sockettes -- from Vanessa at Mixed Martial Arts and Crafts.  Vaness at Mixed Martial Arts and Crafts.  Also on Ravelry if you wanna log in there.  I used stash, left-over Harry Potter sock yarn.  It's Cascade Heritage washable.

All the pics today were taken on the deck, as we finally have a bit of overcast sun.  We call them sun breaks here in PNW, USA.  It's a situation full of hope as in "we see enuf sun we can hope for the full dose soon."

Arimono Shawl -- Megan Goodacre from Tricksy Knitter.  I'm completely addicted to Megan's designs.  Just bot two patterns at her end-of-summer sale.  You might still be able to find a kit for Arimono, using Sweatermaker Yarns.  I gotta tell ya -- this is some of the most wonderful yarn I've ever worked with.  It's silk and cashmere, hand painted.  Tricksy Knitter.

Manchester United scarf -- my design and first experiment with Double Knitting.  Yarn is Patons Astra, sport weight acrylic.  This is very fun.  I encourage you to try something in Double Knitting.

We're home now and much improved.  We both enjoy being on our own time and away from HT.

Me, I prefer KT.

Knitting Time.

Twice as Nice

Now this is fun -- call me a knitting nerd -- but this is fun.

Double Knitting.  Two sides happen at the same time with the designs reversed.  One side is red with yellow design; the other is yellow with red pattern.

You goth admit that's very cool.

How did I get here?  Well, I'm on Twitter @RebeccaBianco and finally reached the incredible status of having 100 followers.  The 100th asked:  What do I get for being #100?  I offered a hand-knit scarf.  Mr. 100 is a rabid Manchester United fan.  And thus was born the scarf in double knitting.

• Front side / the 'right' side will be red with yellow pattern and words that read Manchester United.
• Back side / the 'wrong' side will be yellow but the words won't read correctly.  Maybe it will be mirror writing, but I haven't put any brain cells on that one.

I decided on Double Knitting so the scarf would be warm, reversible, and I would not have to use Duplicate Stitch or Intarsia (one layer) to add colors.  Double Knitting is really intarsia with two 'pieces' of knitting.

The process took at least 3 cast ons and frogs before the process gelled.  Here are some sites I used to help me along.  Both are easy reading and have clear directions.

• Knitting Help:  Where you can make a hot pad with a heart.  Author is Nancie Kramer and she's good.
• Knitty:  Where you can make "Not Your Grandma's Double Knit Hat."  Author is Jenanne Hassler, very nicely done.

I'm designing my own letters, one at a time.  I'm also a math nerd, so graph paper is a long time friend.  Yarn is Patons Astra, a sport weight.  The yarn label suggests US6 but the ladies above suggest smaller needles so I'm using US4.

Having fun -- double the fun.  

Warning -- either this will become your new yarn addiction OR you will decide it's fiddly or requires too much attention.  Don't try to look up while double knitting, so if you combine TV with knitting, you'll have to choose.  No more multi-tasking.

Project Details

Beatrice Wrap
Yarn:  Red Heart Stardust, superwash wool, nylon, and sparkle

Manufacturer:  Red Heart
Pattern:  Free from Red Heart
Bot the yarn online.  I will admit to price shopping.

Harry Potter Sox
Yarn:  Heritage Superwash, superwash wool and nylon

Manufacturer:  Cascade Yarns
Pattern:  from a library book, Charmed Knits for Harry Potter Fans
Needles:  size US1, dpn
Bot the yarn at Yellow House Yarns.

Bernat KAL Afghan

Yarn:  Waverly for Bernat

Manufacturer:  Bernat
Pattern:  Afghan Knit-along, 2012 Mystery Afghan
Needles:  US8 (5.00 mm)
Bot the yarn online from Bernat.  It was on sale with free shipping when they announced the afghan KAL.

Cream Comfy Shawl

Yarn: Paton's Shetland Chunky, 75% acrylic, 25% wool

Manufacturer: Paton's

Pattern: From The Prayer Shawl Companion by Bristow and Cole-Galo

Needles: US 13(9.0mm)

Don't remember where or when I bot the yarn, but patting myself on the back for using stash.

My Blue Sweater
Yarn:  100% washable wool
Manufacturer:  Cascade 220 washable wool and Cascade 220 Paints
Pattern:  New England Knits (it's on the cover, but I modified it)
Needles:  US8 (5.00 mm)
Bot the yarn:  Yorkshire Yarns in Lakewood, WA and Yellow House Yarns in Puyallup, WA

Prayer Shawl
Yarn:  Red Heart Eco-Ways
Manufacturer:  Red Heart Yarns
Pattern:  Joyce Fassbender's Deja Vu Scarf/shawl from Knitpicks
Needles:  US10 (6.00mm)

Strolling Mitts

Yarn: Cascade 200, 100% wool

Manufacturer: Cascade Yarns

Pattern: Strolling Mitts from Stitch Nation

Needles: US6 (4.00 mm)

Bot the yarn for the TKGA Level I Master Knitter submission package of swatches and a hat.

White Lace Shawl

Yarn: Comfy Fingering, 75% pima cotton, 25% acrylic

Manufacturer: Knit Picks

Pattern: Spider half hexagon from Victorian Lace, by Jane Sowerby

Needles: US 6, 7, 8, and 9

Bot the yarn: online from KP, which has great customer service.

Mosaic Cowl

Yarn: Mosaic, 100% Acrylic

Manufacturer: Bernat

Pattern: Mosaic Cowl -- Knit, free from Bernat

Needles: US9

Bot the yarn: don't remember. I liked the colors.

Rick Rack Scarf
Yarn:  100% wool
Manufacturer:  Rowan
Pattern:  Rick Rack Scarf from Purl Bee
Needles:  US10.5
Bot the yarn:   online, this scarf made from last skeins left over from a cable sweater.

Burgundy Lace Crochet

Yarn: 100% wool, lace weight

Manufacturer: Knit Picks

Pattern: Emerald Scarf by Tracy St. John, Interweave

Needle: a crochet hook, USB, a little tiny one

Bot the yarn: as part of a shawl kit and stole this color for a special friend.

Mohair Gossamer Lace Scarf

Yarn: 37% acrylic, 33% mohair, 30% wool

Manufacturer: Nashua Handknits, Gelologie, 142 yds, Italy

Pattern: Gossamer Lace Shell, One Skein Wonders, pg 55

Needles: 10 1/2 US, wooden, Clover probably.

Bot the yarn: part of a scarf-of-the-month club from Patternworks in NH.

Swatches and Hat for Master Knitter Level I

Yarn: 100% wool, Cascade 220

Manufacturer: Cascade Yarns

Patterns: all instructions from Level I, TKGA

Needles: swatches and hat use 7US, ribbing on hat uses 5US

Bot the yarn: Yellow House Yarns and Shibori Dragon, in Lakewood, WA.

Hat -- resubmit for Level I, TKGA
Yarn:  100% wool, worsted weight
Manufacturer:  Shetland  Wools
Pattern:  Hat, Level I, TKGA
Needles:  US5 and US7
Bot the yarn:  Yellow House Yarns, Puyallup.

Blue Lace Shawl

Yarn: 85% cotton / 15% silk (Lyndon Hill)

Manufacturer: Bristol Yarn Gallery, Plymouth Yarn Co, spun in Peru

Pattern: from Victorian Lace Today, Jane Sowerby

Final measurements: will update when I finally finish it!

Needles: Size 6 US

Where I got the yarn: Webs (www.yarn.com), a favorite site for yarn and patterns and other supplies.

Crochet Interlude

Yarn: Silky Alpaca Lace, 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk

Manufacturer: Classic Elite Yarns

Pattern: Shawl from LionBrand free patterns

Hook: size US G

Where I got the yarn: Special gift from Fiona Pearce

Special notes: Decided to take the advice of wonderful owner at Yellow House Yarns in Puyallup. We were being knitting snobs and making derogatory comments about crochet. She then commented positively about the work of a friend who took a very light weight, lacy yarn and a very large crochet hook, creating a final fabric that was soft with a nice drape.

There you have it.

Crochet Interlude #2

Yarn: 100% acrylic

Manufacturer: Bernat Super Value acrylic

Pattern: from one of Bernat's afghan books

Hook: size US I

I bot the yarn online at Yarn and Thread by Lisa, outside of Lincoln, NE.

Shawl in the Sun

Yarn: Cotton, Silk, Wool, Nylon

Manufacturer: Noro "the world of nature"

Pattern: Joyce Fassbender, Deja Vu Shawl from Knitpicks IDP

Needles: probably a 10 US, but I don't remember

I bot the yarn at Yorkshire Yarns in Lakewood, WA

Another one leaves the nest

Got to thinking about all the knitting projects that I've sent to different people over the years.

This one's ready to wing its way to the recipient.  I love knitting and I love knitting for others, thinking about them as I knit, thinking about them as I choose the project and pattern that will be best for them.

Paton's Chunky Shetland, size US13 needles.
Pattern from Prayer Shawl book

• The cowl is in Richmond.
• Scarves are in Wenatchee, Perth (Western Australia), Seattle, Connecticut, NYC, Anchorage.
• Shawls are in Florida, Arizona, one to Amsterdam but now in Chicago, Lakewood.
• Afghans are in Baltimore, Cincinnati, Alaska.
• Sweaters are in Lakewood.
• Baby preemie hats are in Africa.
• Who knows where the Special Olympic scarves landed, around the neck of a deserving athlete.

Several projects on the needles will find their way to another place on the planet, to other people that share my world.

Most of the knitters I know knit for others, either a friend or a deserving group (homeless, preemies, chemo patients, and more.)  Keep sending your talent into the world; the world is better for it.  Leaving your nest allows the work of your hands to warm the next nest.

No right side

One side or the other, it doesn't matter.  Think reversible.

I went back and reviewed Whit's requirements for a scarf, from the Purl Bee Rick Rack Scarf.    In the designer's words we read:  

After all, the criteria for a scarf pattern are rather stringent: something that lies flat, that looks good on both sides and that has a soft and beautiful drape.

Working on the cream shawl, an easy and satisfying pattern, gave me a chance to really think about the design.  Hint:  It's a 3 row pattern.  Conclusion:  It's reversible, as in no right side (and no wrong side, for that matter.)

While this revelation may not be astonishing -- or even interesting -- to some readers, this very idea launched me onto a whole new knitting space.  I've decided to do a couple of things to see if the exploration of this new space is both fun and rewarding.

Here's the white shawl -- no right side.

Folded the long shawl over onto itself so you could see the
'other' side.

Now, this pattern is both easy and satisfying (and didn't I already say that?)  The pattern itself is 28 stitches, and repeats itself just two times across the shawl.  It's got no right side, so how would that work in a scarf?

I took the leftovers from the Bernat Mosaic Cowl and cast on 28 stitches on a US 10 1/2 needle.  Here's what I've got so far.

On top of the cream shawl, the scarf pattern shows up clearly
and I already know it has no right side.

The Purl Bee Rick Rack scarf has no right side.  I've used a pattern from 101 One Skein Wonders that also has no right side.  And the Universal Scarf from Interweave has no right side.

So I am on a search for patterns that create no right side, maybe have 3 or 5 rows, or maybe a 4 row pattern  that will work if I eliminate the last row.  This is called a knitting adventure.  Please note that I do not need special shoes or boots, no special climbing gear, nothing to protect me from the elements.  And please also note that the sun is shining today so I will perhaps sit IN the elements on my back deck and search for other knitting discoveries that have no right side.

The Universe is expanding.

I am honored that so many of you take the time to tell me you are 'following' me.  Your comments come to me via the blog, from Twitter, from Facebook, from email.  Your comments come as gifts when I see you at the grocery, at church, at Crossfit, at the library.

I am humbled by your attention and grateful that now and then you take a minute or two to enter my knitting world and then take another minute to share a word or two.

The free stats from blogspot tell me you are from Australia, the UK, all over the US and some from other lands distant from my home in Lakewood.  This blogging thang has expanded my universe exponentially.

Readers are the reason.  I thank you.

The scarf is heading east later this week to a friend whose photography and video work inspire me.

Great texture and nice dense fabric.  Very warm.
Rowan Wool

It's the Purl Bee Rick Rack Scarf.  Read the designer's requirements for a scarf and you'll see why this wonderfully simple idea meets all the stated expectations.  Purl Bee Rick Rack Scarf.

Thanks again for knocking at my door, for sharing my interest in knitting, and for giving back in comments.

Moving along -- shawl, cowl, and scarf

Good news on several fronts, tho the weather is quite unsettled, wet, and gray.  Good weather for knitting.

The white shawl is growing.  I've up-sized the needle to the final size, a US 9.  I've confirmed that the pattern stitches are building upon one another in the correct fashion.  Pattern is from Victorian Lace by Jane Sowerby.

The cowl using Bernat Mosaic is almost complete.  The long side needs to be 28"; it's now 26.5".  After I reach the required length for the 'long side' I'll reduce the finishing end to a triangle, similar to the one that began the cowl.

The Rick Rack scarf from Purl Bee is just wonderful.  Despite the somewhat intricate nature of the stitches on both right and wrong sides, it is possible to develop some rhythm.  Rhythm makes the knitting satisfying and relaxing, IMHO.

Here are the update pix.

The handy fix-it tool is lying across the first row of the
challenging pattern.  The black cord, thru the stitches,
now has a US 9 on each end.  No more up-sizing....
. . . just lots of knitting (and keeping the pattern on track.)

Wonderful colors in this yarn from Bernat.  The little pink
pin tells me this is the right side (helps for keeping the
pattern on track.)  The book is a favorite:
Knitter's Handbook.  It's concise and quite portable.
Running between the book and the cowl is a tape measure.
It reads 26.5" as you will see in next picture.

The gray point is the beginning 3 stitches where the
cowl began.  I've measured the long side and it's at 26.5"

And finally, that wonderful Rick Rack scarf.  The yarn is Rowan wool and the needles are 6.00mm, Aeros.

The first time I showed this one it was a wider scarf.
I decided I didn't like it quite so wide so using Whit's
directions for the "multiple plus" number of stitches,
I reduced the size by casting on fewer stitches.

Each project offers something wonderful for a knitter.  

• The white lace shawl is good for total concentration, blocking out everything while I focus on the 6-stitch repeat with its add and take-away stitches.
• The cowl is an easy and relaxing 2-row pattern.  The yarn and needle size combo make for fast progress.  I can work on this while I watch football or listen to a book.
• The Rick Rack scarf is so portable because of the size.  The pattern is only 2 rows, repeated over and over. The yarn is wool so it's wonderful to work with.  I can see progress, though not as quickly as with the cowl.

Knitting projects and their relative demands are selected so as to match both my mood and my place on the concentration spectrum.  Today I've worked mostly on the lace shawl, needing to get the pattern established as well as seeing progress when I shift to the final up-sized needle.

Today has been a heavy concentration knitting day.  Leftovers for dinner -- they take no concentration.  And meanwhile, I've left laundry in the washer.  Get it?  Some knitting concentration takes the knitter totally into a quiet world with only a lovely lace shawl sharing space with the knitter.

You can't roller-skate in a buffalo herd . . .

. . . and you can't knit while driving.  Lakewood to Portland in a horrible rain storm; trucks splashing up water and visibility poor.  No knitting.

Finally last night had time to finish the Andean Silk scarf that matches the hand-warmers.

Even had time to weave in those pesky tails.  Feels good to be finishing some of the UFO's.

This pattern works out so that the scarf has good
texture on both sides -- no 'right' or 'wrong' side.

But of course I have also ordered yarn for another shawl.  I reckon I'll slip this transgression into 2011 and begin anew with a solemn vow to finish the two sweaters in my project bag before I buy supplies for another new project.

Except those gloves are calling me.  And I need them for driving.