4 posts tagged “yarn”
I had one goal for this weekend: finish my husband's socks because I am really sick of knitting them and I want my sock-plate clear for when I start the Rockin' Sock Club. (Sock plate.... ewww)
But.......
That's right, I ran out of yarn. I can't say I was that surprised, but I was in a stubborn state of denial until the bitter end. Even before I turned the heel I began to have that sinking feeling that I didn't have enough yarn to finish, but I preferred to look the other way and say "I'm sure it'll be fine - a little yarn goes a long way!" (Let me just say I am terrible at guessing how much yarn is needed to complete something and I was hopelessly optimistic).
Well, a little didn't go a long way at all. I still have about 5 inches left to knit:
So I'll have to order another skein and hope that it looks semi-similar to the original skein, which I purchased about 2 years ago. The most painful thing is knowing that the socks still aren't done. I swear, they are testing my patience and are making me more prone to falling victim to Second Sock Syndrome again. I wish I hadn't knit the leg part so long because then I'd probably have enough yarn to finish. But mostly, I wish my husband's feet weren't so big! Uggh... they will be completed though, mark my words!
Every other Tuesday morning, my LYS has a thing called "Breakfast Club" where, for $5, you can come in a couple hours before the store opens to knit and enjoy good company, coffee and bagels. It's sort of become one of the highlights of my, well, fortnight. And it's pretty much the only time I go to my LYS to sit and knit for a couple (or few) hours and spend time with other knitters (and crocheters).
Seeing as how I'm fortunate enough to work from home, I realize I could, hypothetically, go to the LYS like every day of the week and hang out, especially since it's only a 15 minute bike ride away. But, of course, that wouldn't be very productive - especially since the yarn store also doubles as a black hole where all time and space becomes distorted. Therefore, what feels like an hour and a half is actually more like... uh, 5.
5 hours is what I spent there today I'm somewhat shocked to admit. But I think it's ok because I'm sort of in job-limbo. (More on that in a second). Anyway, I enjoyed myself as always but I did not get an inch of progress out of my dreadful Avalon Hoodie. It wasn't for lack of trying. I had to rip back 3 times because, no matter how closely I tried to follow the directions, my collar was not turning out at all like it was supposed to. And looking at the photo of the finished product, I can not conceive of how the corresponding pattern could possibly result in that same look, because, believe me, I've tried. I do find it mildly suspcious that in ALL 4 photos of the finished product, the model's hair or hand just so happens to be covering up the crucial part of the pattern upon which I am stuck. (I could just be paranoid and delirious, however.)
As of right now, I am screwing the pattern and just improvising something that I (hope) will work. But I have to say, I am getting dangerously close to loathing this project and wanting to rip it all out and never speak of it again.
I should have just spent those 5 hours finishing my husband's remaining sock.
I was so frustrated I had to buy some yarn to soothe myself. I bought some beloved Noro to make a striped scarf. I wanted to use Silk Garden but there were no colors available that I liked. So I went with Kureyon. And instead of colors mixed with dark stripes, I'm going to try a light-striped version.
I also picked up these cute and teeny little circs. I had no idea they came in this size! I'm gonna try to knit a sock on them, because double pointed needles get on my nerves sometimes (although they are quite efficient).
Anyway, back to the job-limbo. For the past 5 years I have worked for a certain comic book company as the writer and illustrator for one of their monthly books. It has been a most satisfying run, but alas, all good things must come to an end. Last week I completed my final issue. And for the first time in years I find myself without a deadline. I do have other projects lined up but nothing as reliable as that first one, and those are still in early-stages. So right now I'm sort of in project limbo and have a bit more time on my hands until things pick up on my other projects. Part of me is like "woo hoo!" because I suddenly have some time to get some personal projects complete (I'm trying to write a novel), and of course, knitting! But another part of me feels a little adrift and sad at losing such a big part of my regular work routine.
Right after I finished my final issue, I felt a little melancholy and decided that I needed both a pick-me-up as well as some kind self-congratulatory prize for my 42 issue run. And what better way to acheive that than with a little retail therapy?
In what was clearly a haze of desperation and sorrow, I found myself signing up for Blue Moon Fiber Art's Rockin' Sock Club. I can't be held responsible for my actions, really. ;)
I must be crazy because I have only completed ONE pair of worsted acrylic socks to date. But, when I'm learning something new I ususally like to just dive right into it and tackle it head on. So what better way to learn to knit nice socks than to subscribe to a sock club that will surely have patterns that will drive me insane? Of course, the yarn is main draw to the club. BMA has some of the most gorgeous colorways out there. I ordered two skeins of their yarn back in my early knitting days (when paying more than 5 dollars for yarn was ghastly and risque!), and I loved and treasured them so much I couldn't bear to use them. As a result, they have been sitting in a bowl on my coffee table as decoration for the past 3 years! Of course, for my husband's socks I finally relenquished one of them (Beryl) and used it. And I love the yarn so much I am totally sold.
One last note.... it seems I have been wearing my aforementioned acrylic socks a little too much. (More like slippers than socks, really. I only washed them once, but I swear they don't smell!). It is a little painful to see a gaping hole in something I spent hours on... but it kinda just makes me love 'em even more.
I have a short attention span. I think I have more projects in-progress than I do actual completed projects. The projects that I have completed tend to be one-shape deals. A scarf, a baby blanket, a coffee cup cozy. As soon as extra elements such as sleeves, shaping, seaming, and especially pairs are introduced, the chances of my finishing the project drop dramatically.
However, I've decided to take a stand and start taking care of those un-finished objects (or UFOs in yarn-speak) and get them done, if only to free up some of the needles they're resting on. And so far so good! I think it's a promising sign that my knitting is getting more proficient because finishing my projects seems to be taking much less time than I anticipated.
Last February I knit a cozy orange neck-warmer and wanted to make arm-warmers to go with it. I completed the first one, but lost motivation to finish the second. Well, I picked it up the other night and was amazed that I was able to finish the second arm-warmer during a few episodes of 30 Rock. That wasn't so bad... and now I have a cozy neck and arm-warming combo to wear just as the weather is getting more nippy!
Emboldened, I dared to face a project from my very distant past. Almost 2 years, to be exact. That's right... my first sock. I was so proud to have finished the first one, but also traumatized and I couldn't bear the thought of repeating the experience. I even dabbled in other sock-knitting, but as I mentioned in my last entry, socks are just not for me. But that one single sock has been a spot of bother in the back of my mind for the past 2 years now and I decided I wanted to be done with it once and for all!
My poor neglected first sock and the accompanying ball of yarn were buried in a basket and somehow coated in dog hair. I spent a good amount of time picking these hairs off as I contemplated my mission. Then I began, feeling somewhat reluctant, like it was a chore.
But then, something funny began to happen.
I began to enjoy myself. The sock seemed to fly off my needles (it is worsted weight yarn on size 6 needles, after all), and it seemed like I was done in no time at all. And even though the socks were made of basic acrylic yarn - nothing fancy, when I slipped them on my feet (which are perpetually cold, by the way), I experienced a sudden blissful feeling of "Aaaahhhh". I'm wearing them now as I write this and my feet feel so cozy. I'm usually always barefoot in the house - I don't like wearing socks indoors...but I'm changing my mind!
In fact, I've decided to give socks another try. I'm now working on a "real" pair of socks using real sock-yarn and tiny needles for my husband's huge feet. I'm almost done with the first. If I can finish the pair I'll know I have beaten my second-sock-syndrome for good!
It isn't just knitting projects I've been finishing. I also weaved in ends and embelleshed three market bags that I made for my aunts for Christmas. I'm feeling quite good about getting all these things out of my way!
I still have projects left though.
The main one that's bugging me is the second Beer Glove to match the first I made for my husband. I learned that if there is something I like less than socks, it's making individual finger holes. But the first turned out fairly well and I would really like to get the second one over with. That's next on my list.
Next, is my Avalon Hoodie. I fell in love with the image in the magazine and I really should have held out for the kind of yarn shown in the magazine (Lorna's Laces Swirl in Pewter).....
...BUT... I was impatient and bought what was immedietly available at my LYS, (Lorna's Laces Swirl in Black Purl). Now, don't get me wrong. I like the color - it reminds me of my favorite time of day - dusk. But I'm not sure I like it on me. I very rarely wear purple and as I've been working on the hoodie (I've got the body done, just need to finish the sleeves and hood), I'm not sure I'm digging the stripey effect of the yarn.
I'm having a hard time seeing myself wearing this, and from trying it on so far I fear the bottom edge isn't as long as I would like so I'm already wondering if there's a way to knit from the cast-on edge to make it longer... As if that weren't enough, the LYS only had 5 balls of the yarn, not 8 like the pattern called for. But I was too impatient to worry about it (else I would have ordered the color I really wanted and waited for it to come in), so I bought the 5 that were available and knit until they were almost gone and ordered 3 more online. And, of course, the dye lot is different. Luckily it seems very similar, if not for the annoying shades of pink in the new lot of yarn that were absent in the first skeins. Sigh...
As a result of all these annoyances I haven't been working on the hoodie much of late, which is a shame because I do have so much of it done and that yarn was not cheap!! So that will be next after the Beer Gloves.
Lastly, I have a crochet afghan that I started enthusiastically when my good friend Cecily was asked to host a Crochet-Along for Lion Brand. I started using all the random acrylic colors in my stash just to get rid of some stuff I wasn't going to use ever again. But the damn thing was just so ugly!!! And when I saw Cecily's blanket which was in lucious shades of purple, and crocheted with a much bigger hook so the blocks were large and springy compared to my tightly-wound curmugeons,
So I basically got yarn-envy and ripped out all my blocks in brown and orange and god-knows-what-other-random-pukey-color and ran out and bought a bunch of puple Lion Brand yarn and started over. And I got like 6 blocks done! But.....then I sort of lost interest and I currently have a bag full of blocks and heaps of yarn that I bought in desperation.
I'll have to deal with that later...
I also have a gray boatneck sweater that I've barely started. I may just rip that out and pretend in never happened. (Anyway, gray boatneck sweaters are so two years ago.)
I think that's all of my UFOs...though I'm sure if I went digging I would find one or two more. I'll try to pretend that isn't the case while I get my current list tackled.
I'm already forming a resolution for next year and that's that I will not start a new project unless I finish another one first!
We'll see how long that lasts!
Well, I haven't fulfilled my sock itch yet, but I did buy some lovely orange Koigu yarn that is destined to become biking socks! For some reason, I feel a little reluctant to actually cast on. I always feel a little intimidated casting on for a new project - especially with yarn as thin as this. It's like part of me already senses the hours of work ahead of me and balks a little. So, for now, I've mostly been squishing the yarn and appreciating it in cake form.
I guess my knitting has improved because the 2nd one felt much easier to knit and I didn't mess up on the placement of the thumb like I did the first. However, I realized halfway through that I must have been using a larger needle size than I did on my first armwarmer (either that or my hands have learned to relax considerably) because the stitches looked much bigger. But I wasn't willing to rip back so I plunged ahead and finished the thing anyway. Now, seeing them side by side, I can see that they are, indeed, two different sizes. Fortunately, it's not as noticeable when I'm actually wearing them. It's just that one feels a little more snug than the other.
Anyway, I'm just glad they're done with.
I also finished a quickie project the other night - a neck-warmer. My friend Feaver sent me a link online to a shop that sold neckwarmers and commented on how it'd be cool to learn to make one. I agreed, and decided to try one out. It's basically just a really short scarf, so it flew off my needles.
Speaking of needles, I actually started this project as an excuse to try out my new Lantern Moon rosewood needles that my friend Cecily got for me! They are the most amazing knitting needles I have worked with. I thought I was happy with bamboo... until now! Thanks, Cecily!!
Anyway, I digress. Here's my finished neckwarmer which I made using Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends Yarn:
I love Alpaca yarn and was excited to see a "cheapie" yarn with Alpaca fiber at my local Michaels. But even though it feels soft to the touch, it's incredibly itchy against my neck...
