WIP Wednesday: Ralph Askew 2

We were traveling last week, and I didn't get to knit as much as normal. Despite having a squirmy toddler in my lap most of the time, I'm happy with the progress that I made on Ralph Askew.

Check that out! It is a finished sock!

Every row of the second sock has had me wondering if the black spot would return. This has been the most anticipated pooling of my knitting existence, and ladies and gentlemen, sock 2 did not disappoint. In fact, it has far exceeded my hopes. Warning, if you found my zebra eye a stretch before, you might as well give up on me now. Today I present:

HIDDEN MICKEY!!!

WIP Wednesday: Ralph Askew

A girlfriend of mine is making a big move from Arkansas to Indiana. I don't expect her to have too many winters like the ones that I grew up with in Wisconsin, but I'm hoping she will enjoy a winter that is truly cold and snowy rather than wet and dreary. (I confess... I like snow.) During her last visit we packed the time with yarn shopping and tips on how to winterize your home and keep warm in January. While at my LYS Knitty City we found some really fun yarn: Meow Yarn. It is a lovely fingering weight yarn with colorways inspired by cats and part of the proceeds go to benefit stray and abandoned cats. Everything came together when she found a black and white skein matching her lovely tuxedo cat Ralph.

(Isn't he a cutie?)

(So is that skein)

I knew instantly that she needs her first set of hand knit socks for her first snowy winter. When I unwrapped this skein at home, I got even more excited about the project. It is gorgeous all twisted up, but it is intriguing laid out. It is half black and half white to the length of the skein. I've worked with variegated yarns in a variety of color options. some with just one or two stitches in each color and others with long striping color changes. I haven't however worked with any two color yarn or anything so meticulous in the short repeats. Since these will be socks I'm very excited about seeing how they work up. The potential for one row stripes is making me nearly giddy.

(See? Half and half! and surrounded in toys)

(Look at that beautiful cake!)

My friend and I have also picked an exciting pattern: Skew. The unique construction of this pattern means that I can't predict at all what is going to happen. Even if I do figure it out, something new is going to throw me off all over again. Case in point, I've gotten the first toe done. I am seeing the cool striping that I expected and I love them. They are turning out much more zebra* than kitty though. The only spot of pooling so far is clearly a zebra eye.

(I like that the curled up edge makes a little ear too. Squint a bit if you can't see it, or just love me for my crazy.)

What really has me curious about this pooling spot is that there is no corresponding white pool, or any other pool the opposite side is all stripes.  Ralph Askew is my new subway project and since I am so fascinated  with this yarn, these are going to work up super quick. I'm still riding on the high of my first finished Christmas present, and I'm starting to wonder if I should make her wait for these. It would be torture for both of us, but then I'd have 2 Christmas presents done! That could be enough to inspire a hand made Christmas.


*Random lesson for the day: Zebras are black with white stripes. I learned this on Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom so it must be true. According to our safari guide, we know they are black because their nose is black. There are some other more scientific explanations supporting the black animal with white stripes claim, but I like this one so I'm sticking with it. The more you know.

WIP Wednesday: Jeanie Continues

I am dedicating this WIP Wednesday to math. I started Jeanie in September of 2010 and since starting up knitting again it has been competing with my brother's blanket for the project that will never end. It is a great pattern with enough going on that I don't get bored, I have a happy little cheat sheet that keeps me on track but doesn't require that I reference the pattern or charts anymore, and I am very excited about the finished wrap. For some reason, it just doesn't seem like it is getting any bigger. I can work and work and work on it, and I swear it should be somewhere between 8 to 12 feet long by now. Oddly though, it is only 40 inches. My goal is 66 inches. To help me get through it, I am going to try to rephrase my goals. Let's work some math magic, and maybe one of them will be more manageable.

1) 26 inches - Well this one is obvious.

2) 3 balls of yarn - that's all I've got so it has to work. The first ball knit up about 23 inches so in 6 more inches I'll be starting number 3. Then I'll only have 20 inches left!

3) 8 and a half more pattern repeats. One full repeat is about 3 inches so this is a bit more digestible of a goal.

4) 34 more cable rows. This isn't completely accurate because some cables twist more than others, but it makes sense to me because I really recognize the full cable rows.

5) 17 more dropped stitches. Really this is the fun part; these are the rows I'm really looking forward to so why not count them.

WIP Wednesday: Cody's Blanket

I love my brother, and that love is what keeps this blanket chugging along. I started this project in August 2010. Granted I took a sabbatical from almost all knitting but this is still moving slowly. I dedicated all of my Olympics viewing time to this and probably 90% of my tv time since including the Grammys. Here is my before the Olympics progress 

And here is after the Grammys

Just one new white section is all I have to show for all of that knitting. The good news is these white sections are the final round of the blanket. I'm thinking I will round it out with an Icord boarder. 

Right now I'm trying to decide on the boarder color. I have enough yarn for any of the three. I'm thinking brown and blue on their matching sides. Or maybe a striped boarder that is white/accent color. The stripes might be too busy. I clearly have hours and hours left to decide.  

False Starts

I finished flock, and need a new project. I cast on a quick little toy for Hubby and got this far before I realized my yarn just wasn't going to work.



I started again with new yarn and got this far before I realized I was using the wrong needles.



 I took it as a sign and cast on for a pair of socks instead.



This is how far I got before I realized that I messed up my ribbing and it needs to be started over again. I knit, but I did not accomplish this weekend.

WIP: Growing Flock

My flock hasn't gotten much attention lately but my time table has been pushed way up. Fortunately these birds are quick little knits. I only have two more before I start the branches and leaves. I've found the best way to get work done on these is to carry all of my supplies for the project around in one bag. It really is more than I need for any bit of knitting, but these work up so quickly that it is only a bit of knitting before I am changing colors or sewing up a new piece. I feel like I'm carrying around an ridiculous amount, but I am not getting stuck with nothing to do after 10 minutes of knitting. No hangups means progress continues. Now on to the next one, with a green tail, and maybe yellow stripes.

WIP: Myrtle

My sleeves are attached! I am getting really excited about this sweater being done. Look at it! I almost looks like a sweater. How could I not be getting excited? You wouldn't be able to tell how excited I am based on the time I've been devoting to it though. I've reached a point where I need to reference the full set of instructions (not just the lace repeats) pretty regularly so this project hasn't left the couch.

  I have all of my knitting patterns on my phone and it works out great for my purse project. Myrtle has exposed one weakness with this set up though. The moment I started this project I went through the pattern and highlighted my size in the PDF.* This is awesome on my laptop, but the highlights do not carry over to my phone. That takes all of the quick out of the quick referencing my phone. Even though the project in my purse gets the most attention and knitting time, it is my 'little bit here and little bit there' project. I really need to be able to look things up easily and on the go. I don't know why I don't just print out the instructions and throw them in my bag. I printed out the pages with the lace pattern and put them in my chart keeper. I use to print out all of my patterns prior to being shown the joys of iBooks. Now, I just don't want to. I really like not having it printed, and I need a couch project anyway so it is staying electronic. My quick referencing sure is slowing down my progress though.



*P.S. Adobe, I'd love to have multiple highlighting colors in your basic functionality for both knitting and work.

WIP: Stripe Study - So Very Very Close

I've tried to make a major push to finish my Stripe Study Shawl. My dark yarn ran out about two short rows short of the 14th stripe so I ripped it out. Let me warn you, do not underestimate that final band in the main color. I've been loving this project, and it was a perfect for traveling. Now that I'm so close to the end it seems just like miles of garter stitch. I plan on using every bit of the light purple yarn I can and making this as big as possible. That ball of yarn sure seems like it is never going to end. Hopefully a couple knitting meet ups will help me make it though.

Recuperating from Vacation

Hubby and I got back from Orlando last night. I have an overwhelming amount of internet to catch-up on and photos to go through. I expect the knitting over the next week will be pretty limited, but hopefully I will have some awesome pictures and tidbits from the webz to share. Fortunately, I did get some great travel knitting done. I brought the Stripe Study Shawl with me. It was a perfect project for this week. I love short rows and garter stitch meant I didn't have to focus at all on what I was doing. It is a full relaxation project.

WIP: Myrtle

I am continuing on with Myrtle. Here is a sleeve!



I know that I said that I was going to follow the pattern as is, but I made an early-morning-middle-of-the-subway-unplanned-spur-of-the-moment decision. I've decided to do an extra pattern repeat and make the sleeves a little bit longer. I confess I think it was a waiver in my swatch faith. I was confident after the support I got, but I decided that my swatches were knit flat and these are in the round so if I felt they were too short I was fine to make the adjustments that I want. I knit so I have all the control right? I'm sure it will be fine. As long as the right sleeve doesn't start to drag on I won't regret it.

For Charity

I've decided to create one more exception to my rule. One of my knit groups, Pints 'n Purls, does periodic charity projects. To strictly follow my rule, I wouldn't be able to knit gifts for friends and particpate in the charity projects at the same time, but participating is something I want to do, so I've decided that I am allowing myself. There are still some restrictions though. For now, I've decided that I am only going to work on these projects on Fridays. This means that I get subway time, and I go out for dinner and knitting with a girlfriend of mine that night every week. That is a fair amount of knitting without overtaking my other projects. I'm slowly becoming a more promiscuous knitter.

Now that I've reworked the rules, on to the fun stuff. The group is currently working on squares for a patchwork blanket. I decided to use my stitchionary to play with some cute knit/purl patterns. I am really happy with this first one. It is Pie Crust Basket-weave. I like how tight the basket-weave looks, but the fabric isn't overly dense. This was made with some dish cloth cotton, so it doesn't have much for drape, but I think with the right fiber it would drape nicely.

Final Teaser

All of the secret knitting is done!

Some writing and shipping needs to be done before a full unveiling, but it is going to be soon!

Back to Knitterly Things

Take a look at this -



That is Myrtle on scrap yarn. I had to take it off the needles because it can't go any further without the sleeves. I've started the first sleeve and am about 2 1/2 inches into it. As soon as I had the body off the needles I wrapped it around my torso. It doesn't seem wide enough. When I look at the swatches and remind myself about the button band it seems fine. I am really pushing my faith right now though. I washed and blocked my swatches, so I should trust the process (and the math!) but I'm really missing Francis right now. I really liked trying things on along the way. I didn't mind waiting during Aleita because blocking wasn't going to make nearly as much difference. I just need to be more confident with my lace. I'm working on it.

Secret Knitting

I am so close to being finished with the secret knitting. I am hoping to be able to tell you all about it next month. I'm so excited!

Myrtle Grows

Have you forgotten about Myrtle? Did you think that I have? Well, she did get neglected while I worked on Mixed Motives, but she hasn't been abandoned. In fact, I've made some good progress.

I've accomplished even more since this picture was taken. Right now I am one pattern repeat away from beginning the arm shaping.

At knitting group last night we talked about modifying sweaters for better fit. I'm a true believer in adjusting for your size, but I haven't dared to make any edits to this pattern. It is my first full size lace sweater, so I'm going to be smitten even if I look like I'm wearing a potato sack.

Beyond that, I'm sticking to the pattern because of Snowden. I've decided that she and I think just a little bit differently. As I go through this project, I see things in the pattern that I think that I would have done differently. I am certain that she has a method, it just doesn't always match up to my madness. For example, I generally prefer to knit from charts. This pattern changes the number of stitches from row to row, and she doesn't mark the changes on the chart in the same way that I would. (I say, "I would," like I've written a chart, I should probably say, "I prefer.") I've had to use the written instructions instead. I don't mind, but I think that the reason I don't mind is because she's done so well with the pattern. Even though it isn't what I would prefer, it is written so clearly and is so understandable that it gives me faith. Snowden, I'm gonna trust you on this one.

Eye Candy

I bought some new yarn! Here is some eye candy for you.



Since I'll be caught up in blog week next week, I probably won't be talking about my WIPs very much. I have a quick update on my Bo Brite scarf. I am close to finished with the second balls of yarn, and my scarf is fantastically long. Really, really long. Taller than me long!

WIP: Seattle

I managed to do a fair amount of knitting over my wonderful game weekend. Not only did I have a long bus ride, but I also find that the right project means a lot of knitting can get done between turns.


I like to pick up some sock yarn as a souvenir when I travel but this trip I knew I wouldn't venture far enough away from the convention center.  I decided to combine my last souvenir yarn into a trip project so I could have one project full of two trips.  I picked up this yarn at Tricoter in Seattle. It is my very first ball of Noro. I confess I was a little concerned about making socks out of it. It feels really rough, and I just don't want rough socks. I went with the shawl, but I'm still worried that it might be too scratchy.  Hubby is confident it will soften up once I wash it. I am going to trust him (and the overwhelming love for Noro that I always hear about) and hope for the best.

Mixed Motives

Just over a week ago, I found out from a friend that she has brain cancer. When I first saw the news, the only way to describe how I felt was mentally winded. My mind had all of its processing power knocked out of it and for the next hour, I lost my ability to really do anything. I wasn't reacting. I wasn't working. I wasn't feeling.

Once I got over the shock, I was still at a loss for what to do. We are not close enough both physically or as friends that she really needs my help. If she had come to visit NYC, I would have dropped everything to spend the time with her, and I'd do the same if she needed me to come be with her now. She doesn't though. She has a great support group, and it sounds like she is doing a great job of taking care of herself. Knowing that, I did what I could. I pulled the softest most colorful yarn out of my stash and cast on.

I've been knitting nonstop in this project and with every stitch, I've been thinking of her. Each of the last minute late night perfectionist changes we made to our final paper in grad school. Every single stair that we climbed in Paris. The discussions from our counseling class. The moments we should have spent together that I skipped out on. Each bright color that passed through my fingers reminded me of how vibrant she is.

I never backed away to look at this project. I just kept stitching and looking at it one loop of yarn at a time. I'm not certain if I've been infusing the memories into or drawing them out of this project. Now that I am casting off, and looking at it with a just a little bit of distance, I think my motives may have been lost.  I wanted to create some comfort for my friend Danielle. I wanted to knit up the hug that I am not nearby to give.

Now, I am questioning what I had intended based on what I have accomplished. I look at the colors together and see that their combined brightness has made a dark shawl.   This yarn served me perfectly one stitch at a time, but I don't know that she'll see the beauty in it that I did. The more I look at it, the more I see a project that I would have made for me and not a non-knitter. I am often a problem solver, driven to help whenever I see an issue. There is nothing that I can do to cure cancer, and I think that this was my answer. I couldn't fix anything, so I created a project that I could do in order to allow myself to cope. I am confident that this shawl will still work to warm chilled shoulders. Hopefully she will still find the intended comfort and this will bring her some of the peace it has brought me.

Bo Brite

I am so obsessed with this project that I feel like I've been hiding it from you. I needed to buy some yarn to have the right colors for the Blood Angel Bag so I decided to place a Knit Picks order. Of course, I was just using that as an excuse to order some of their new line Chroma. I have desperately wanted to make a Noro striped scarf ever since I saw Jared's beautiful photos, but I've never picked up the Noro to get it done. With Chroma so accessible, affordable and tempting, I couldn't resist.  I have been incredibly happy with my new yarn.

I had a ridiculously fun time winding this yarn.


I got to admire each of those beautiful colors one at a time as they balled up. I was concerned when I wound it up. I am not use to working with a single ply yarn like this one. I started to doubt its strength. I worried with without the extra strands making up the yarn it would just pull apart like unspun fiber. I can assure you that I haven't had any issues like that at all. This yarn does go thick and thin a little bit, but I've been knitting happily along. Now that I'm use to it, I don't doubt it at all. It has been so soft and fluffy running through my fingers. I find myself not knitting and just cuddling.

I cast on 41 stitches for my scarf and I've been addicted to it ever since. Every time I pick it up, I feel like I am just about to start a new color and I cannot wait until I see it.


I've brought it to a couple of knitting groups, and I've almost made it though the first two balls. Not even half way through my yarn, I am currently at 55". I like my scarves really long because I like to be able to wrap them around my neck with a little drape. I'm excited about this one being extra long.  Maybe I'll be abel to wrap it twice.

No Disrespect to the Blood Angels

While watching a movie with Hubby last night and catching up with TED talks this morning, I've finished the rest of the bag and bound off.  I wanted to take a pre-seaming picture to make it even more clear how I'm attaching the image panel to the rest of the bag.

At this moment, I don't think this looks as bag like as it should.  In fact, in it's current pre-seamed state, I can only see a diaper. Wouldn't it be the cutest little Warhammer diaper ever?