Swedish knits: classic and modern designs in the Scandinavian traditon -- Review

I grabbed this book because I liked the look of the scarf on the cover. However--the title of this book is completely wrong....this is a wonderful book for new knitters.
There are basic instructions, basic and advanced stitch patterns, and the best part--a chapter on "averting disaster" with the best instructions and pictures for correcting mistakes that I have seen. There are patterns--which of course lean heavily towards sweaters. There are also instructions on making your own patterns, including measuring.

Overall, this is a pretty decent reference book. Recommended for new knitters to add to their reference library. Experienced knitters--use a copy from the library!

Pattern writing is NOT fun

So, I need to make a scarf pattern for someone to wear at football games....and because it will have obscene language, I am pretty sure I will have to do something on my own rather than find a pattern.

The color scheme will be black and gold (Go Hawks!), so this would also lend itself to shadow knitting....but I don't know how to do that either.

I have found some knitting/chart pattern generators online, but they really don't seem to be working the way I intended. I may have to use graph paper and just do it the old-school way.

I am thinking that intarsia will be a)too much work b)look terrible in the back. Duplicate stitch will be first. A hat with an intarsia border might work ok too.....but might not have the same affect as a scarf.

And why do I care how this looks, since it is a joke after all? I expect my design to be on national tv, as the intended recipient--Russell--is always in the front row at football games.

400 Knitting Stitches : a complete dictionary of essential stitch patterns- review

I had high hopes for this book, and the online reviews looked good. However--it is not something I feel compelled to add to my knitting library.
+lots of interesting patterns, arranged in logical categories
+charts included (not that I care)
+binding lets the book mostly lie flat when you have it open
+18.95 list price is decent

-instructions sort of ramble on and don't have line breaks--so they sort of go like this 1st:blah blah blah. 2th, 7th, 9th rows do this. 3rd do something else.
-no yarn or needle size recommendations--you are just supposed to intuit what would work best
-the title made me think this would be very comprehensive, but there were lots of patterns missing

Check this out from the library before purchasing.

Vogue Knitting Shawls & Wraps - review

As I would expect from Vogue, this is a gorgeous book, with patterns at all skill levels, including the adventurous and the easy (felted shawl). The directions look complete, with charts and written instructions.

The only problem that I see is--many of these projects require numerous skeins of high end yarn (10 skeins of cashmere = $375-500!!!) and if you wanted to exactly replicate the look, it could be beyond expensive. No yarn substitutions are suggested, but since sizing is as important with shawls and wraps, you could probably make adjustments.

At $24.95 list, I'd recommend looking at this at the library first. I will probably try to buy it at a discount so I have enough money left over to buy yarn.

Book Review - Hattitude: Hats for Every Mood

by Cathy Carron, $19.95

I was very excited to get this book, but now I am not so sure about it. There are many hats in the book, many different styles using many different yarns, but there are a few problems.
- Most of them take expensive yarns (Ozark Mountain Handspun, Classic Elite...)
- The yarns are not washable (not so good for gifting in my case)
- Some of the stuff would just not be wearable except in an urban area by someone with a very high level of confidence
- lots of patterns require the ever evil DPNS
+ lots of interesting shapes that could be fun to play around with
+ lot of different colors
- not much for men

So-recommended for those with deep pockets, a very full stash, or hat lovers. Otherwise-borrow a copy from the library.

Knitspeak: an A to Z Guide... - review

First of all, I just want to say that I hate titles which combine two distinct words into one. The title of this book should be Knit Speak not Knitspeak!

This book is a complete waste of time & money. Everything in this book is very basic, and most of the content can be found in any basic knitting magazine, book, or Knitty.

The other serious problem with this book is the format:
small size
should be spiral bound, so you could leave it open to refer to it
booooooring, black, white and blue colors inside

Don't even bother looking at this one.

Vogue Knitting - The Ultimate Sock Book - review

Ok, I know it is sort of hilarious for me to be reviewing a sock book, when I have never a) knit a sock b)even tried c)learned to use DPNs. This book has the feel of many other Vogue knitting books--beautiful illustrations--high price tag--lots of ideas, but it's a little bit weird. I like lists, so here goes:
1. The techniques illustrations are useless. The attempt to make small, artistic little drawings fails.
2. Gorgeous photography makes you want to try everything.
3. Brief history of knitting socks is interesting. I am not generally a big fan of history, so that's saying something.
4. Uses a variety of yarns--always a plus in my book.
5. There is a fairly nice sock yarn chart by weight, but of course it covers the high-end brands only.
6. Many techniques are covered: toe up, cabled top, ribbed, lace, argyles, etc.

Recommended for the advanced knitter, or sock lover. Check it out at the library first--$29.95 is a lot for a book unless you really love it!

Works in progress, sort of

Here are some of the things I have been working on lately. The green bag was an experiment that failed. I like the shape of it (Cascade Luna yarn-fast!) but the handle doesn't work at all. The original pattern had 2 handles but I thought this would look better. It looks nice but is totally non-functional.

Home Ec Workshop sells the plastic daisy Crystal Palace needles. They are cheap, light, and fabulous. I almost like them as much as addi turbos. I bought 6 more pairs yesterday.

The orange sweater is an unfelted dog sweater. The yarn is kettle dyed--my favorite. It's too big unfelted, but I am afraid it will shrink a lot in the washer. I tend to NEVER want to make swatches.

The pink and brown sweater is for Sissy--also to be felted. It is made from Paton's Soy--which is a horrible yarn I can't recommend. The colors are beautiful, but the entire time I worked on this, my hands felt greasy. I talked to someone else who used this yarn, and she was of the same opinion--beautiful colors but feels terrible when you work with it. It also feels a little bit itchy to me.

I LOVE Claire Crompton's books. This is the 3rd one I have purchased. While I don't think I will make all of the bags, there are some very nice ones. It's the little things that I like about her books: the back edge has a ruler and and an abbreviations guide, and and even though they are hardcover, there is a flap to hold your page. Best part for me: her directions are line-by-line, no "repeat row 2" stuff, and large.

The first bag I will make is from the cover. It's a stash busting bag that is simply woven strips of stockinette stitch--looks like patchwork, but easier!

Creative Knitting Magazine

I usually purchase 2-3 knitting books per month. The goal is 1, but if there is something good at the UIHC bookstore, I have to get it. Fortunately, they don't sell this magazine. I purchased 2 issues of it, and then for some reason I got a $10/year subscription offer. Well, that's the magic price for Sari--subscription ordered. I like this magazine, because it has a variety of patterns--many of which are sized to at least 2x. I'm not sure I'll ever knit a sweater, but it's nice to know that I could.

Last week, I took a lace knitting class. It was pretty much a waste of time for me--I didn't get much out of it. I don't know why I think that I can take creative arts classes when I need to pay attention--I always get overstimulated and can't think straight. I do however, think that maybe I can do some easy lace knitting like this now.

Felted Bag for Sandy

This bag was sort of an experiment, but I like the way it turned out. I will be sending it to Sandy for her birthday (which was yesterday). It is made from Malabrigo yarn (the bright blue) and Noro kureyon. It felted beautifully in about 1 cycle. The pattern was adapted from an online pattern for a Celtic bag, but with different handles. The handles are knitted diamonds that go into a small strap with an i-cord middle. Initially, I wanted to make the handles from Noro, but I ran out of yarn 2/3 of the way through handle #2! To dry the bag, I stuffed it with plastic bags, and then sewed the top shut and handles together. I have never done that before, but it did make the top edge even. The Kureyon felts a little bit fuzzy, but it looks good.
This was knit on #9 circular needle with 1 strand. It took way to long to make!

My next project is a satchel made from Knit Picks yarn. The yarn is a nice color, but feels terrible. It is going fast though.

I like working with Malabrigo. I ordered 4 skeins from Ebay last month--everyone else was sold out of the colors I wanted.

Preemie Cupcake Hat

I have made 3 hats for the preemie project so far. I haven't been following the guidelines very well--they mostly want pastels, which I find boooooring!

This is my favorite so far, and it is mostly complete. Even better--I wrote the pattern myself, which will be posted eventually.

I think this will look better with a small flower on top, but I don't have the right colors of scraps. It is made with cheap acrylic washable baby yarns, and I can probably make about 5-10 with 2 skeins of yarn.
--------------------------
Preemie Baby Cupcake Hat Pattern
1 skein Caron Simply Soft, color bone for base
1 skein Bernat Baby Bouchle white for frosting (makes multiple preemie hats)
Size 5 needles

This pattern can be worked in the round with DPNS or on regular needles and seamed up the back.

Cast on 48 stitches
Rows 1-10 K2, P2 ribbing
Rows 11, 12, 13 Purl all stitches
Row 14 Knit all
Row 15 Purl all
Row 16 K2, k2 Together until end of row
Row 17 Purl all
Row 18 K2, k2 together until end of row
Row 19 Purl all
Row 20 K2 together until end of row
Row 21 Purl all
Row 22 Bind off the remaining stitches or pull the yarn through them all at once.

Sew seam if necessary. Add optional trim or appliques to the top of the cupcake.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Ravelry scares me

No, I am not on Ravelry. This is my current world:

• I have 2 year old pictures on my camera that I can't seem to get on Flickr.
• I desperately need to update my regular blog.
• I get updates on MySpace from people I knew in high school or college. I can barely keep up.
• Facebook is out of control--and I am supposed to be keeping up a Facebook page for my real job.
• My stash is now condensed to a huge ziplock bag, and my needles are all in one place (mostly) for the first time ever. I have discovered that I have 2 addi turbos exactly the same size, and lots of sets of bamboo the same size. I fear I am falling into my old pattern (like I did with cross stitch) of just buying whatever is necessary for the current project. Improvement on old pattern: I am not chucking the remainders when finished (mostly).

From what I can tell, Ravelry seems too much like cataloging to me. I don't feel the need to keep track of my former projects to quite that level. I obviously can't keep track of my needles and I just don't care about my stash that much--probably because I just buy new stuff when I see it!

Warning--whining coming.....
My new year's resolution was to have more balance and fun this year. I don't think I am making it. Summary of last week (first week of classes)
Monday, MLK holiday: worked 6 hours in office, 3 hours at home
Tuesday worked from 7:20am - 8:10pm
Wednesday worked from 7:10am-7ish pm
Thursday worked from 7:25am-5pm
Friday worked from 7:10-6:05pm
Saturday worked from 9:40-3:30 training new students
And, I am not counting the phone calls, or reading/responding to emails at night here.......or the fact that I had only one real lunch break, and I don't take other breaks during the day.
I really do LOVE my job most of the time--except when I am this tired.
And....the name of this blog is: don't talk about work!

Easy Dog Sweaters

This dog sweater pattern is so easy and fast I have made 3 sweaters since Saturday.

#1 knit on 15 addi turbo circular with Homespun for Sherman--followed pattern fairly closely and results were a sweater that was very short, even for my toy sized dog

#2 knit on 17 needles with fabulous, almost my new favorite Rowan big knit in color=storm (black and white, what else) pattern adapted in the following ways:
many more rows added after initial row of ribbing
decreased using k2 together instead of PSSO (which I suck at)
added many rows after the leg holes
results=fabulous sweater that looks good on Monkey (see above) but could be longer.

#3 knit on 15 needles with some Lion Brand chunky acrylic--similar adaptations in pattern with the addition of a neck ruffle
results=ok looking sweater that is a little tight and a little short for Sissy

I spend more time buying yarn than knitting

Well, I was HONESTLY looking for a new dog sweater book to ask for as a Christmas gift...one of my friends is temping at Waldenbooks and gets a 30% discount....and I discovered that there are tons of adorable, free dog sweater patterns online. This was not necessarily a good thing. The one I found that I am going to make first requires Rowan's Big Wool: $15/skein retail. Well, there's always Ebay. $7 a skein seems like a deal until you buy 3 skeins plus shipping = $31.

The dog better look good in the sweater.

It always comes back to pet sweaters

Well, I was browsing through Knitty trying to find a scarf pattern for the super fabulous alpaca birthday yarn, and I just happened to see a dog sweater. I have volunteered to make at least one sweater for a co-worker's dog (an adorable rescue named Monkey), but I had NO IDEA that custom sweaters could be so lucrative. Check out Lucky Penny: http://www.luckypennyhandmade.com/purchase.html . I really need to open an Etsy shop or something. I mean, how many outfits can one adorable Boston Terrier have?????

All I do is buy stuff, never finish

Last month, I bought 5 new knitting books. I also spent money on stockpiling the stash while Hobby Lobby had some good sales. I learned last year that they don't put the yarn on sale during the winter when you would actually use it. All I have made so far is one headband--but it really looked fabulous.

My plan earlier this summer was to make knitted Christmas gifts for my student employees. Since the number has expanded to 45 (and the number of finished projects=0), I have to move on to other ideas.

However, it's almost cold enough for the dogs to wear outfits again! Sissy has an adorable Halloween t-shirt, and I have approximately 7 (knit, not sewn or felted) other projects ready to go.

On another note, I just discovered JoJoLand yarns.
I am a HUGE fan of varigated yarns--less boring on repetitive patterns and they hide mistakes. I will be placing an order soon.......against my better judgement.

Easy baby bib pattern

Here is the baby bib pattern that is sort of like the Mason Dixon baby bib. I think you could adjust the sizes easily for a larger child.
http://www.knitlist.com/2003/babybib.htm

There are variations in the pattern if you want to use different sorts of yarn. I think this make a nice baby gift for the work acquiaintance.

Of course, if you like to knit baby stuff, there are many worthwhile projects like The Preemie Project too.

Dog knitting is THE BEST

I got this book yesterday, and it is #2 on my list of dog knitting books already. And it is #1 for cats. There is a purple and fun fur throne in this book. How many cats don't need that? Especially Siamese cats.

There are also some really easy patterns, and ways to use up novelty yarn. The cartoons are funny and the measuring instructions are pretty complete. I will make a few things from this book right away.

Learning, learning

After 2 years, I still am only at the scarf/hat/dog sweater level. I think it is because I knit to relax, and I am usually doing something else like watching trashy tv or riding in the car. Or maybe, it could be my fascination with new gadgets.....today I got a new cell phone, a Nokia 6265i.

It has EVERYTHING--camera, video,calendar, etc. If I can get it all to work, (and that is a big if), I can use it to take pictures of my knitting, right? Or, learning to use the damn thing will take all of my free time....too soon to tell if I like the phone or not, but it does seem sturdier than my Razr....replaced 3 x in a year.