Continental knitting blah!

I stick my tongue out at the concept of continental knitting!  I did the class last night and while it was informative it was hard.  It hurt my hand and it was awkward and a challenge to get the yarn wrapped around my fingers so that they slid.  Though after an hour and a half it was much easier.  I found purling continental style to be easier than knit stitch and ribbing was uber easy!  We’ll see… I will keep working on my swatch that I started last night.  I used a bumpy cotton – the same one I used for my baby sweater and that may have led to my poor lesson experience.

Today we went to do our 3rd day of the P90X, which according to the dvd host, is the hardest day.  Well, we watched and they were jumping.  We figured it would be terribly rude for two people to start jumping around at 7 in the morning, especially for the poor girl that lives below us.  We didn’t go back to bed though… we went for a power walk down by the water.  Modification is key to any workout so that you can get the best possible workout for you.

*P.S. I’ve started doing my decreases for the sleeve.

Ohh, I’m behind!

Well, I need to get many photos in which I will do this weekend!  I finished the baby sweater…it’s adorable!  I’ve put in the pictures – the poor colour photo is more to show the detail of the sweater.  I also bought new needles!  I have a problem! Next comes a hat or two, socks or two…some other cute things!  These projects aren’t for any one just for the future, and they are so quick and easy to do up!

I’ve been spending a lot of time at the library lately which is nice – so much to do and look at actually!  I had been actively searching for a pattern by Alan Dart, who is a truly amazing knitter!  I was looking for a pattern from the March 2009 issue of Simply Knitting of the wedding cake.  I want to knit the bride & groom.  Two weeks ago, I had gone for a private lesson at knit-O-matic to create a pattern for a bride and groom and found a knit book to make dolls ect…it wasn’t exactly what I wanted but I figured I could make due!  Well… after searching on ravelry, simply knitting, the library, and countless (well not countless) other places I found the recipe on ebay.  The seller stated that Simply Knitting wouldn’t be reproducing the pattern again and Alan Dart replied to my email by saying he might put the pattern up in the summer (might).  Well I bought the pattern book on ebay… I can’t wait till it gets here!  My only concern (though small) is the different colours yarns I’m going to have to buy and how little I’ll be using of it.  I’ll figure it out later…so not a big deal!

In a couple weeks I’m going to another knitting class at lettuce knit with my mom for log cabin knitting – I don’t know what that is.  Okay, now I know what it is. About a week after that class I have another one – last for the year (I’m probably lying) about continental knitting.  I thought that that might be a faster way to knit but then I learnt that scottish knitting is apparently faster but you can’t knit in the round with this technique.

I’m also going to be taking up origami – not to a huge extent though – making boxes as wedding favours.  And lastly,  I’m going to start cooking one new recipe a week!  There I’ve said it, and now I must commit to that!  I don’t know what the recipes will be yet, and I may just start at the beginning of a cookbook and work my way through…it could take a really long time.  Oh oh! I know!  I will do eenie meenie minee moe to pick the book, and then randomly select a recipe from the index page!  How hard can that be?  I think I will be documenting it as well with pictures!

Baby sweater – arms on the way

Recent purchases!

Top down seamless baby sweater

Detail

Knit class at Lettuce Knit

So, on Jan. 24th I went to the first of two classes to teach me how to knit a baby sweater without seams and from the top down.  It was a nice class.   I picked some nice cotton wool (can I call it wool if it didn’t come from an animal?) as well as some for my own stash, a very fine baby alpaca – so soft!  And with my 16″ 4.5mm circular needle I set to work along with 4 other women.  I learnt how to do a kfb stitch (knit in the front and back of the stitch) which is not so hard once you get going.  I also learnt how to cast on extra stitches in the middle of my work, not to be confused with the middle of the row, but adding more stitches rows after I’ve already cast on.  And, I was also reminded how to cast on using two needles.  I prefer to use the long tail cast on.  We’re supposed to work up to the armpits but I think I’m going to do more – in fact I know I’m going to do more. 

I’ve added the pattern to the pattern page!  I’ll let you know how it turns out!

A few knitting tips and tricks

I continue to learn, as I’m sure I will for many years to come!  Today I picked up a new circular needle.  I’m going to start working on that hat for my cousin.  I went by knitomatic and just the right needle size (they were out of the dpn’s in the size I needed) and assumed I had the right length.  I was then told that (and here’s a tip) if the circular needle’s length is longer than what is needed it will stretch out the project! Ahhhh! Makes sense.

This will be my first project on a circular needle.  I tried once and it just seemed awkward.  So, I’ve been sticking with dpns.

That Debbie Bliss

I am stillllll working on the first sleeve of my mom’s cardigan! Still!  In the beginning of it I pulled out like 30 rows – remember? I screamed!  It was because she had written in her pattern to increase 2 and then to continue in that way increasing 1 until blah blah blah.  I thought it didn’t sound right but figuring she’s the pro I would follow her words.   Then 80 some rows later realize her words were wrong!!!! So I pulled it all out and started increasing 2 until blah blah blah! Grr! Well, it’s happened again.  At the shoulder she said “Dec 1 st at each end of the”…oh wait! Eeep – *sheepish grin* I read it wrong!  *Bashful, eyes downcast*  Needless to say, today on the streetcar I pulled out another 40 or more rows and started decreasing 2 per row instead of the one I thought she wrote.  She wrote it like this “Dec 1 st at each end of the next and every foll 4th row…” doesn’t that sound like dec 1 st at (1) end? Doesn’t it? :’-(

Spinning Queen

Okay I know I haven’t updated for A WHILE!!! But over the next few days you can expect some updates.  Here’s a quick recap…I’ve finished the left front of the cardigan for my mom; L’s socks are on a major hiatus – for now; I’ve started the right front for my mom; I finished a hat in a week and started another one, the second one was with a 50g ball and turned into a horrible piece of work…it looks like a purse or a clutch (you’ll see); and I’ve started spinning.  I did a drop spindle class at lettuce knit and spun 22 yards.  I know that it’s not very much but I’ve bought more roving and will get good!

It was a lot of fun!  First, she explained the different types of wool/sheep and what to look for.  Then we took the roving and plied it – pulled it apart, widthwise so we had a bunch of pieces.  Then we took those pieces and gently pulled those pieces length wise but not apart just to ‘release’.  From there we started spinning.  We took a piece of string – the leader- and attached it to the ‘mast’ and then wrapped in under the hook.  Next I took from plied roving and started to spin bit by bit onto the string.  When it got long I unhooked it and wrapped it around the base of the mast. 

It was hard!  Mine came out smooth, thin, thick, and bumpy.  Others came out the same.  Where are two people spun this perfectly thin wool!   The next class we made 2 ply yarn.  So she taught us how to put the spun wool together to make 2 ply or 3 ply or 4 ply…. So as I mentioned I ended up with 22 yards!  But those other two ended up with well over 200 yards!!   Blah! And yes, we all started out with the same amount of roving!

Da da da dah…trumpets blaring!

I dyed roving today! What’s roving you ask?  Well,  roving is a piece of wool which has been combed, drawn into a clump, and then twisted slightly to hold the fibers together and to prepare them for spinning.  And today, I picked 200g of BFL (Bluefaced leicester) and dyed it 3 colours.  Well actually 4 – black, violet, turquoise, and a splash of yellow.  

 

 

So in April I’m going to do a drop spindle class, and I will take this dyed roving to it and took it into yarn!  It was a fun class! I’m really excited to see how this will look when it’s been spun and knittable!  I’ll keep you posted!

Dyeing to dye

See my little play on words there?  I went to lettuce knit yesterday and registered for the dyeing wool class in March.  Apparently they only take 3 people.  Just as I thought you dye a hank of wool. I’m not sure if I’m using the right definition of hank-raw, cleaned wool (sheared from the sheep, washed, brushed, waiting to be used).  So I get to use that wool and dye it.  She said that I could even bring in other wool I didn’t really like and dye them a different colour!  She said it makes a neat effect.  So step 2 will be taking the dyed wool to the drop spindle class.  At this step, I’ll turn my newly dyed hank into beautiful yarn!  Step 3, will be taking another raw hank, hank, hank -sorry I just like saying that word-and turning that into yarn and then doing the (step 4) hand painted yarn class!  The drop spindle and handpainted yarn class are  both in April!  I’m excited!

Trying to diligently knit…trying

So, as I’ve mentioned I’ve got a few projects on the go-socks, hat, cardigan.  I would like to learn how to knit Continental so I’m going to check knittinghelp.com and watch their videos than that way my wool won’t twist when I work on the hat.  I’m excited to take the wool dyeing workshop and all the possible things I could do.  L told me that I can get untreated/raw wool at Romni Wools on Queen St. W.  When I’m ready I’ll give it a try (on my own).  At lettuce knit you can rent studio time to dye wool and other messy projects!  At the moment I’ve got 4 more rows on the hat until it’s time to decrease so off I go and then I’ll add pictures of what it looks like!

Some new found knitting knowledge

So, L informed me yesterday that if by some chance you are knitting a scarf on circular needles or if you started knitting a blanket on circular needles and then realized it was going to be WAY to costly to continue and changed your project to a scarf, that over time that scarf would stretch!  When scarves on made on circular needles somehow they slowly stretch out!  Good luck!

I went to knit-O-matic the other day and Hayley the shop owner, told me about a website called www.ravelry.com.  It’s like facebook for knitters!  So I went on there to find a recipe for a beret and you can search by the type of wool you have, the project you want, if you only have 1 skein and all that!  It was great! I found this great recipe for my mom’s new hat.  I’m knitting a beret in this beautiful worsted weight wool from Dreams In Color; it’s hand dyed and purpleIsh.  Very nice!