I no longer post here. Please visit my current blog, which is on Listening to Grief, the website for my work as a grief educator.

Tallies

I had been thinking about a post about perseverance when I read a beautiful post by Knitting Linguist that said everything I wanted to say about knitting and linked it to politics in a way I never could have. Thank you, Jocelyn, for your words.

So this post will just be my annual, albeit overdue, tally of last year's knits.

7 Hats
5 Pairs fingerless mitts
5 Cowls
4 Gifts hard to categorize
2 Baby sweaters
2 Adult sweaters (for me!)
2 Toys
1 Pair socks
1 Pair legwarmers
1 Pair slippers
2 Frogged

30 Total projects

It's a bit light, but that's probably because I knit two adult-sized sweaters, which I haven't done in a while. I've got yarn and a pattern in the queue for another sweater. I am also planning on knitting a Find Your Fade, which will probably take me a long time to knit, since I'm not a shawl knitter and it's a big project. I've already knit 6 projects this year, and I'm sure I'll finish another two hats before the month is over. I've had some requests, which hasn't happened in a while. The two hats are for a friend who didn't find a hat she liked in my periodic giveaway, and my four-year-old friend asked me just last night to knit him a Slo Mo. He had watched me knitting one back in September and remembered that it was for someone else, so he wants one of his own. I can't deny a four-year-old who wants knitted things, now can I?

Another goal is to refine my writing style by using this blog as practice. Let's see if I can reach that goal!

Sweater Woes and Triumphs

One of my personal knitting goals this year was to knit a full-size sweater, so I recently knit a sweater for myself. I needed a success after so many failed sweaters and not-quite-right sweaters. Most of the sweaters that don't work are those I intend to keep for myself--at least I think the sweaters I've sent to other people are successful and fit well.

I tried knitting two sweaters from Knit One Crochet Two's Cozette, which creates a tissue-tee type fabric. That fabric was completely and utterly wrong for Element, which I couldn't admit to myself until I had knit the whole thing. The first sweater was a plain Custom Fit sweater that I frogged after knitting the back because I had measured myself incorrectly. It would have been okay if I'd wanted a crop top. The yarn isn't delicate, but I hesitate to rip and try again. If I do, I want to knit a pattern intended for the yarn. I think it will be a really nice sweater.

I tried to make Tiny Rocky Coast again and again. It wasn't an adult-sized sweater, but I just couldn't get it right. I messed up the increases on the yoke, then I screwed up the cable pattern. When I couldn't get the cables right a third time, I just gave up. The recipient wouldn't have fit into that size anymore anyway.

Since 2008 I have knit 48 sweaters and tops. Of those, I've frogged 9 adult sweaters, one kid's sweater, one baby sweater, and one baby dress (turned into cowl). I also gave a sweater to a 7 year old that I had made following the adult small size. Plus I've donated three sweaters and have given away two sweaters meant for me. The last sweater I made for myself that fit was finished in 2011.

So you see why I needed a success. And success it was. I love this sweater! I was nervous because I'm not very skilled at substituting yarns, and I was coming off the major fail that was Element. Using the Cestari Old Dominion Cotton for the Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond was perfect. I wasn't getting gauge, so I did the "knit a size bigger" trick, and it worked! I probably should have used a smaller needle on the ribbing, but I'm so happy with this that I don't care if the collar looks stretched out. The pattern was well-written and worked well with the cotton. I've even gotten compliments from strangers!


I like knitting this so much I considered making another one, but I didn't have enough of the yarn. I may break down and purchase some more of that cotton. It didn't hurt my hands, and the knitting moves along quickly, even though it's listed as a DK.

So now I want more sweaters of my own. I am working on Woodstove Season by Alicia Plummer. The yarn I'm using is from a frogged sweater, so it has some weak points. It has a little bit more drape than a wool would, and the collar is somewhat floppier than I'd like, but I think it's working out. Believe me, I've learned my lesson about knitting through the end when I know it's wrong.

I have some other cotton and non-wool yarns in sweater amounts, so don't be surprised if you see more sweaters for me on my projects page. Maybe I'll even try using the Cozette again. And don't expect many knitting presents either, because I'm quickly turning into a selfish knitter!

Repurposed

A couple of weekends ago it rained, which this sun averse girl loved, but it meant we didn't spend the days walking around the city, as is our weekend habit. I had been thinking about a couple of sweaters that I had intended to adjust or reknit and decided to pull them out. I ended up discovering five sweaters and a bunch of yarn that I had never entered into my Ravelry database. So I spent the better part of a Sunday taking photos and entering specs into Ravelry. The best part of that project, however, was unraveling three of those sweaters. One sweater is still slated for alterations, since it's just tightening the (short) sleeves. The other sweater was knit in Rowan Felted Tweed, and I had terrible allergic reactions when winding it up. I think it had been sitting in a bin for too long and was full of dust and dander. I'm also allergic to wool, so having all that flying about in the air wasn't so good for my lungs and eyes.

Ready for reclamation (except the brown sweater--that was banished)

In the end, I unraveled three full sweaters, three partial sweaters, a sock, a pair of fingerless gloves, and a toy. I gained more than 5,000 yards from ripping out all those unfinished projects. I also added 1,500 yards or so from balls of yarn I found in the same box. Most of that yarn was leftover from projects I'd made before Ravelry, but not all of it. I found some lovely Blue Sky Alpacas Melange that will probably be used very soon. I also discovered a giant (approximately 2,496 yards) cone of weaving cotton that I bought way before I knew anything about yarn. We won't talk about that. All in all, it was quite the cathartic way to spend a couple of rainy days. You didn't think I could unravel all that in one sitting did you? There was so much picking! Undoing seams is a pain. The actual unraveling though? Pleasant and even a little exciting. It was like getting new yarn!

A portion of the reclaimed yarn. All that gray is from one sweater.

Here's some unraveling to mesmerize you. Just don't notice the stain on the carpet!

Fun House Mirror of Life

I am typically a one-project-at-a-time kind of knitter (and reader--I have a theory about knitting and reading, for another time), but I currently have three WIPs. How did this happen? I blame it on blocking.

I made a five-pointed star stuffed toy out of Mission Falls 1824 cotton. I would have sewn up the two halves immediately, but the bumpy texture of the cotton made it hard to see the bars between stitches. So I blocked it.

In the meanwhile I started a Zig with some Berroco Boboli Lace that Brian's mom gave me for Christmas. The instructions said to block the brim. So I blocked it.

So I started a Cuppa Tea Cowl with some leftover Wool Dispensary yarn (I miss your yarn, Sam!). Of course now I just want to work on that. Forget seaming or picking up stitches: I've got cables and lace to knit.

In reference to my last post, this multiple-project phenomenon seems to be mirroring my working life. I've been doing contract work through TaskRabbit and had a short task last night; I've been doing some contract admin for a friend's cousin's company; and I have a 4-hour temp job on Friday. Just like the knitting, I'm enjoying all these projects and can't wait for more. Maybe once I get a full-time job I'll feel like knitting a sweater.