Shamrock Knits

If at first you don't succeed....

One of the cardinal rules of following a knitting pattern is probably to R E A D the pattern. On my Cozy V Pullover, I was about to the point of putting the sleeve stitches on hold. I wasn't following the pattern exactly because I had a different gauge. It's a basic top down sweater, which I did once before, so I thought I could handle that without any problems. All of the sizes start with the same number of stitches and increase to a certain point. You repeat rows 3 (increase knit row) and 4 (no increase purl row) until the desired point.

My problem was not reading row 3 correctly. The crucial row in this case. I was only increasing before and after each stitch marker and didn't read the part that said to do an increase in the first and last stitch as well. The result was that there was waaaaay more stitches in the back section than in the combined left/right front sections. This would be ok if I was a hunchback. So I ripped out the 2+ balls of yarn and started over. I've just reknit 1 ball so far. (Sorry for the dark picture.)

I was so mad at myself that I took a break before starting this over and knit some washcloths. The round washcloth pattern is here and the ribbed washcloth pattern was on the ballband.

They knit up pretty quickly, and gave me enough time to get over my frustration. What I learned is that I need to write down what I think the pattern says and see if it results in the correct number of stitches. I should be able to stand upright now when it's finished. :)

Christmas Gifts

When we had our knitting get together at Cathy's house, she had made a snowman beaded bracelet. I thought it was cute and asked her to get me some of the same beads so I could make some myself. I made a snowman bracelet for me and for my step-mother (gift) and the gingerbread bracelet for my mom (gift).

I gave the super bulky cable hat to my step-sister as a gift as well. I said I wasn't going to make gifts this year, but since they were all spontaneous ideas, it didn't have the same pressure, you know? I haven't knit anymore on my pullover sweater, so no news there. I'm just finishing up some small gifts for my knitting group and will post those later.

Here's what I got for Christmas this year. I got the wood needles for the Knit Picks Options, and a bunch of books. Happy me!

I also made a pair of these wrist warmers on the knitting machine. The pattern was perfect for them because it's a flat pattern that's mattress seamed. You don't knit this circular because while you're seaming, you skip a section for the thumb. I used leftover Simply Soft that I had in my stash. I knit these while watching (well, listening really) a Kevin Costner's Robin Hood. I only have a VCR in my craft room, so I have several movies that are "watched" over and over while I'm machine knitting. I don't have a radio or DVD player in my basement. I do have a travel DVD player, so maybe I'll figure out how to hook that up to the TV.

Quickie Hat

I had a training class last week for a couple of days downtown and took the train. I knit this puppy on the train using one skein of the Plymouth Encore Mega that I had leftover from the throw I did. I still have one more skein, so I'll probably make another one. This time, there weren't any holes after washing and drying. I think I must not have weaved in the ends very well in the throw.

I found the pattern on Ravelry searching bulky hat patterns. The original pattern was flat, but I knit it circular instead. The pattern can be found here.

Knit Out at Cathy's

Lisa had asked for a picture of the reversible cable throw after it was fixed. I just took a picture of the nasty cable area. Kathy was so nice in helping me that day. Thanks again Kathy!The problem cable is the middle one in the picture.

I've also worked a little more on the Cozy V Pullover. I've joined and started knitting in the round. I haven't tried it on yet, so I'll probably do that before I go any further.

Also in the picture are a snowman and tree stitch markers. I couldn't get a close up picture that was in focus. I need to get a new camera soon. Cathy made them for me on a recent knit-out we had at her house. Here she is giving Kathy a spinning demonstration.

The spinning wheel (and the handspun!) was so pretty, I took a closer picture. I have no intention of learning how to spin by wheel or drop spindel, but I can admire.

This picture is Doree and Lucia watching the demonstration. Betty was taking pictures herself at the time, so she's not in the picture. The crochet ripple afghan is a gift that Kathy made and brought in for show and tell.

I'm sure Lucia made the sweater she's wearing, which was lovely. We were all admiring her crochet hat that she bought. We were trying to figure out the pattern so we can do it ourselves. Kathy said it looked like mosiac crochet. I think that basically means that you carry the yarn and work it in througout the rows. There were three colors, so it makes for a thick and sturdy hat.

Back Again

It's been really hectic for me lately. I still have another month or so, but I feel like I've come up for air a little bit. I've taken a new position at work, but until there's a replacement for me, I'm still doing my old job. So basically I've been putting in a lot of hours at work and haven't been doing much else.

However, I did finally finish the crochet star afghan. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I haven't checked, but however many skeins I have left of this yarn will be donated. I think making 3 blankets is enough. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought all of this yarn. I do like how each of them turned out though, so it wasn't a waste.

I was also able to repair all of the holes in the reversible cable throw. I wasn't feeling the greatest, so Kathy was kind enough to help me with the largest hole which had dropped stitches in the cable portion. Thanks a bunch Kathy!

I've also started a new project. I'm working on the Cozy V-Neck Pullover from Fitted Knits. I'm using Suri Merino, which has more of a halo than I'm used to. The yarn is really soft though and I love the color.