Better Than Expected

I am beaming with pride this morning. Last night, I sat down and finished my first baby bib, and it came out better than I ever expected. I still need to wash and block the bib, but I wanted to get a picture of it just in case disaster strikes.

[modified Easy Peasy Baby Bib by Michelle Acuavera; yarn is Rose Pink made by Peaches and Creme Solid; needle size 8]

I'm not sure who is getting this bib. My DH looked at the bib, asked who it was for, and then suggested I send it to someone else who would appreciate the effort. So this bib will probably head to Scotland this week to adorn the neck of my 5 mo niece, who I hope to meet this summer.

My knitting goals for today include: nursing my sore fingers. Pushing a needle through two layers of fleece is no small matter. My husband and I watched "The Sopranos" as I finished the bib, and I'm not sure who cursed more - me or the characters on the show. The characters probably get points for using a stronger vocabulary, but I suspect I won points for spontaneity. This morning, two fingers on my right hand have limited feeling, and most of my left hand is recovering from needle pricks. My DH asked if I needed a thimble to protect my fingers, but I'm pretty sure I would have needed an iron glove.

If I have time today, I hope to work on a second baby bib for the original intended recipient of this bib. It's a modern bib with a cable running down one side. It's very cute and does not require any embellishment other than a flower button. My poor fingers should have a day to rest.

I Can Knit More than Scarves!

I have mixed feelings about my last post. On one hand, I finally got pictures on my page. On the other hand, I only had scarves to show. (Okay, there was one hat.) One poster commented that the pictures were cute, but I think I got a pity post. Certainly, I have knit more than just scarves (and one hat) since the summer.

I devised a plan. I would finish a bunch of UFOs this week and post them. That would certainly prove (mostly to myself) that I can knit more than just scarves.

MONDAY. The first project I attempted was the pair of comfy socks I made for my father. Two months ago, my father had a kidney removed. The week of his surgery, I decided I would knit him some warm socks to enjoy during his recovery. I figured that he would be in the hospital for at least 5 days, and that would give me plenty of knitting time.

That man had the world record recovery from kidney surgery. He had the surgery on a Wednesday, I arrived Thursday with a half-knitted sock on a loom in my bag, and my father went home on Friday. You got it; he spent 48 hours in the hospital after having a major organ removed. He wasn't discharged too early either. He was fine. He wasn't going to run any marathons, but he was walking up and down stairs and able to take care of himself. Needless to say, I did not have the knitting time I anticipated.

Despite my father's early discharge, I did finish the first sock. It was a solid first attempt at a sock. It was about two inches short on the leg and two inches long at the toe. I briefly considered closing the leg and cutting open the toe, and then I decided that the sock would make a great puppet for the kids. So I started a new sock for my father.

That was January. This week, I pulled out my second attempt at the sock and finished it. It looked great, until I asked my husband to model it. While he couldn't get over how soft the sock is, he also couldn't get over how airy the sock is in the heel and the toe. Literally airy, as in, the sock has holes. Apparently, I dropped a stitch or two at the wrap and turn, and my Kitchener's stitch needs a little more practice. I thought that maybe I could felt the sock and cover these imperfections, but the wool does not appear to be feltable. Wool sock 2; Diane 0.

TUESDAY. Tuesday night, I crocheted my first yarmulke. It was an easy enough project. Crochet 21 rounds of single chain with regular increases every other round. I bought a beautiful mercerized multi-shade blue cotton yarn for this project. I was able to finish it in just a few hours despite numerous interruptions from a baby who decided push his bedtime back by 3 hours and a preschooler with a fever. When I finished, it was a perfectly round little coaster.

The last task was to wet the project, squeeze dry, and shape over a bowl. So I did. As I lay the yarmulke over the back of a small silver mixing bowl, I noticed the yarmulke had grown. The sides ran down the entire bowl and even ruffled a bit at the edges. My husband suggested that I sell it at a "Big and Tall" yarmulke shop. I thought that maybe I could tink it a few rows to make the cap smaller, (can you "tink" a crochet project?), but I realized that the rows within the project were uneven. In short, the yarmulke was a bust.

WEDNESDAY. By Wednesday morning when I faced my oversized yarmulke, I had an epiphany. The reason I only have pictures of scarves is because I have only been able to successfully knit scarves. I have attempted other knitted items, but those projects were "learning experiences," not items to be posted on a website. In fact, they may qualify as "items to hide in the back corner of the closet behind the pair of skinny jeans you hope to wear again someday."

As frustrated as I was Wednesday morning, Wednesday also was the night of my biggest knitting success all week - I knitted my initials into the hem of the Sweater Sampler. I dropped a stitch in the "D," and the "B" is a little hard to read, but the "W" looks amazing. So, here you have it, my accomplishment for the week: a hemmed W.

And you thought I could only knit scarves.

ADDENDUM: At a friend's insistence, I took the oversized yarmulke to a knitting meeting on Wednesday evening. The experienced knitters assured me that the yarn caused this tragedy; I did nothing wrong. All was not lost, however. More than one knitter suggested that I add lace to the edging and turn it into a table decoration. A former art teacher even thought that I could reshape the circle into a bowl and spray it with starch to hold the shape. How creative! Even with these wonderful suggestions, I still suspect that in a few years I will find this project somewhere behind the skinny jeans in the corner of the closet.

Ready, Set,, zzzzzzz

That pretty much describes my week. I wanted to knit. I wanted to blog. Both require that I stay awake past 8:30 pm, however. I'm normally a night owl, but, with my DH being sick this week, I have been up before 7 am and crashing at, well, 8:30.

My DH did take a few minutes last night to show me how to upload pictures. I'm going to try to put them in the blog. Wish me luck.

Yes! It worked!

These are my first few "loom" projects. The yellow scarf is the first scarf I EVER knitted, and it is also the scarf that my 4 yo DS promptly threw across the room as a "boring" holiday present. I knitted the blue scarf for his brother.

Pumpkin the bear is modeling my hat, the Garter Stitch Hat from Loom Knitting Primer by Isela Phelps. The picture doesn't do the hat justice. It has a bulky weave and a rolled brim. In this pattern, I had to knit the top in four parts and mattress stitch them together, which I had never done before. I'm very proud of this hat and wore it all winter with many compliments. I need to make matching gloves and a scarf. Oh, and the yarn. I used Patons Shetland Chunky Tweeds "Deep Red." [My apologies to Knit Picks. I did not know your company existed when I purchased this yarn. Obviously, I'll be making fewer of these yarn-selection errors in the future.]

Next, modeling the green scarf I mentioned in my first blog (can you hear the runway music), is Pumpkin the bear.

Finally, I knitted a scarf for my BFF "T." I'm very impressed with myself. T's birthday is in April, and I've finished her present already. That never happens.

What the picture doesn't show clearly is that the scarf has a hole at the bottom third that allows you to pull the scarf through. The pattern is the "Purple Trendy Scarf" from Isela Phelp's Loom Knitting Primer, and I used Yarn Bee Soft Illusion yarn that I found on sale. Several months ago, I finshed another scarf with this this pattern in a very fuzzy pink yarn, which was a wonderful gift for a little girl we know. Of course, the little girl was immediately offended that I did not have a yellow scarf for her brother. I guess I need to add that to my project list.

This week, my goal is to finish a couple of UFOs. I started a loom sock in January, and I want to complete it and the match. I have knitted the Easy Peasy Baby bib by Michelle Acuavera, but I feel like the bib needs some embellishment. The bib has a garter stitch frame around a stockinette center. It reminds me of an empty picture frame. I have an idea, but I'm afraid to reveal it just yet. Look for pictures next week. If you don't see one, assume things turned out very badly.

I probably should shower and dress before the baby wakes up. I hope the weather by you is as beautiful as it is here and that you are able to enjoy it.

When Ignorance = Accomplishment

My mother likes to tell a story from my high school years. I had broken my leg at summer camp and was in a cast from my toes to my mid-thigh. That fall, I had been asked to lead a prayer at synagogue. The day of the service, I limped my way down the aisle on my crutches, climbed the stairs at the front of the sanctuary, and read the prayer. When I was done, I made my way back to my seat. To me, this was not a big deal. Yet, when my mother tells this story, she always remarks how the cast on my leg did not seem to phase me at all. I'm not sure why my mother considers walking (well, limping) to the front of the sanctuary an accomplishment. Maybe she thought I'd be too self-conscious to get up in front of a crowd. Anyway, I had no idea the cast was supposed to somehow hinder me, so it didn't.

So what does this little story have to do with knitting. EZ's baby surprise jacket (BSJ). I heard on a couple of Kelley's podcasts that there are some tricks to knitting this jacket, and I did a little research to prepare myself. I was amazed at what I found.

Do you realize that on this website and on Ravelry, there are discussion groups devoted to this jacket? Ravelry linked me to a Wikipedia entry devoted to the intricacies of the EZ BSJ. In fact, the Wikipedia article actually has a map to show you which portion of the jacket you are currently knitting. It also discussion variations to the jacket, including creating an adult-size-jacket and collar and hood-add-ons. If you need additional help, you can search the web for knitter's personal notes, watch YouTube tutorials, or you can purchase a DVD to show you how to knit this jacket step-by-step. While I am admittedly a novice knitter, I wonder whether any pattern has been associated with so much intrigue. Clearly, this jacket has taken on a life of its own.

Having done my research, I can now state without hesitation that (1) I am totally intimidated by the BSJ, and (2) I'm almost sorry I did any research. Had I not done any research, I probably would be half-way through the pattern, enjoying the experience and feeling connected to all of the knitters who had completed this pattern before me.

Instead, I've been spinning my wheels (pardon the pun) about the type of yarn I need to use. I have a bunch of textured baby yarn at home, but I'm concerned that the texture will be too difficult to handle with this pattern. So I've purchased several different multi-color baby yarns on the theory that I will be able to focus on the pattern and not on whether it was time to change the stripe color. And a day or so after I've purchased the yarns, I return them since it's silly to buy new yarn when I have many skeins of perfectly good yarn at home. I've been to at least three different yarn stores in the last week to purchase and return yarn. I've probably spent more in gas going to and from these stores than the cost of the yarns I've purchased (and returned).

Despite my wheel-spinning, I don't regret all of the research I've done. I did learn one important feature of the pattern - you have to figure out where each button hole goes before you begin to knit. Apparently, EZ makes her first comment about the button holes somewhere near the end of the pattern. A novice knitter, like myself, appreciates comments about button holes much earlier in the pattern, like at some point before you are supposed to make the first hole. Kelley speculates in her podcast that there is method to EZ's madness; by waiting to mention the button hole, EZ is trying to make the knitter think about what she is doing and not blindly following a pattern. I'm not convinced. My speculation is the buttonhole is not mentioned until late in the pattern because editing on typewriters is far more time consuming than editing on computers. Whatever the reason, I know that, because of this feature, I am going to have to plan out the pattern before I begin.

I guess that means I should decide on a yarn soon. After all, the baby is due in July.

Maybe I should work on a toddler-size Surprise Jacket . . . .

So Many Options, So Litte Time

I have way too many options - too many projects that I want to do and no idea how to prioritize them.

I've had this idea about doing washcloths for the holidays next year. My initial plan was to knit a bunch of washcloths and hand them out with homemade soaps to my children's teachers. I got this idea when my mother gave me a bunch of old cotton yarn that she had intended to use for a sweater but then abandoned the idea. While the yarn pre-dates the organic trend, its color is natural, and it is textured, almost like a yarn spun by a new spinner who is still working on technique. I knitted a swatch to see if the cotton absorbs water. The good news is that it does. The bad news is that it looks a little burlap-ish. I'm going to run the swatch through a wash of towels tonight to see how it does. If it survives, then I'm going to knit a sample washcloth. If not, does anyone want three skeins of textured cotton yarn?

I'm also dying to do EZ's surprise baby jacket. My brother and SIL are expecting their first child this summer, and I'd love to knit something other than a baby blanket. When I first looked at the pattern, it looked very manageable. Then I heard Kelley mention in her podcast something about a trick with the jacket, and I was instantly intimidated. If you have any tips on the surprise jacket, I would love to hear them.

If I was smart, I'd sit down and begin knitting baby bibs immediately. My nanny is becoming a grandmother to her first granddaughter next month, and my DH's cousins are expecting their first daughter as well. Knitting the bib for the cousins should be a lot of fun. They are very outdoorsy people - they live at the top of a mountain (not a tall hill - a mountain), wear snow boots most of the year and run run 5 miles every morning. They are having a girl and believe that they can keep her from being a "girly-girl." Naturally, I see this declaration as a challenge. I plan to give that child nothing but pink frilly clothes and dolls for her first five years. So maybe I will try my hand at two bibs - one that is tasteful and one that is over-the-top girly.

As if the washcloths, baby jacket, and bibs are not enough, Sunday morning I saw a fabulous project on the PurlBee blog - crocheted yarmulkes. She posted them today as Passover yarmulkes, because Passover begins April 10. In fairness, these are not really Passover items. One month is not nearly enough time to knit yarmulkes for Passover. Before I can even find the right yarn, I have to begin cleaning out my pantry, refrigerators and freezers for Passover. I need to begin Passover shopping as well. Passover food has been in the stores for several weeks already (!), and I know if I don't go shopping soon, the good sweets will be gone before April. And now I'm supposed to knit yarmulkes for 30 dinner guests? I'm thinking . . .no. However, they will make awesome Chanukkah and b'nai mitzvah gifts. Some people carry socks with them for public knitting; I will carry yarmulkes and washcloths (assuming the yarn works out).

I get the feeling that I had one more project to discuss, but I can't remember what it is. It's probably better that way. I get the feeling I have enough to keep me busy for a while.

Thanks for listening!

The Obsession Continues

It's amazing how knitting can take over your life. I've noticed that I have knitting projects scattered throughout my house, a project in my purse, and one in my car. I spend my evenings looking at knitting websites. Knitting books now populate my book shelf upstairs and the end table in the family room downstairs, and I continue to order more knitting books on-line. Housework - who needs housework? It merely takes time away from knitting.

Knitting is taking over my social life as well. I went to my first Atlanta Knitting Guild meeting last week, and I plan to join a weekly knitting group as well. On Friday, I invited a friend over to watch the BritCom "As Time Goes By" and knit. I'm pretty sure that there is some sort of government funding available to study the anthropological impact of knitting, but I'm too busy planning my next projects to draft a proposal.

The last few days have seen many knitting-related events. I finished the scarf. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture yet. My DH crashed his computer the night I cast off the scarf, and he's been recovering data ever since. Anything computer-related sends him through the roof right now, so I'm waiting to learn how to download pictures onto my computer.

DH did suggest I make a matching hat and send both to my nephew in Scotland for his birthday next week. After spending a day running to various local craft stores, I concluded that one of the green yarns has been discontinued, and I do not have enough left to make a hat for a boy. I also decided that the scarf is a little old for a 2-year-old. So the finished scarf is sitting in my dresser waiting for the appropriate recipient.

My sweater sampler is nearing completion! I only have the hem cast off (with initials) and the afterthought pocket left. I'm trying to decide if I show the sampler at the "show and tell" portion of the Atlanta Guild meeting when I finish it. On one hand, I've been working on it for months and am very proud of it. On the other hand, it really is a mess. Anyone who has knitted for any length of time will see all of the . . . .challenges that I've had. For example, I faked the first half of the lace cast off. The second half worked beautifully, but the two halves really don't match.

Speaking of mess, the dinner dishes await, and I'm pretty sure my cats would like to be fed. Thanks for listening!

Wow! I have a blog!

Wow! I have a blog. I've wondered for a while about doing a blog. Would anyone actually read what I wrote? Could I entertain and inspire? Well, here goes.

I need to upload a picture of my Sweater Sampler from Jacqueline Fee's Sweater Workshop. I'm so impressed with myself that I've gotten this far. For those who have done the sampler, I'm up to the lace edging. (And thank you Kelley for inspiring me to start this project with your podcast.) I must admit that I'm a little embarrassed about the Sampler. It's about 3 feet long. I guess that I had a problem with gauge. My mother looked at the sampler and wanted to know when I was knitting the matching pants leg. Hmmm. But I am proud of every stitch and every mistake I made along the way.

I am starting to get a little board with the Sampler, however, so I'm back to my loom. I started looming at some point this summer, I think, and it was a great introduction to knitting. My mother has been trying to get me to knit for years, but I never seemed to have the coordination. With a loom, you don't need coordination. Suddenly, I was making hats and scarves for my small children who totally did not appreciate them. In fact, my 4-year old looked at the scarf and threw it across the room. Heartwarming, isn't it.

Anyway, I started this very cool scarf last October as part of an ambitious holiday gift. My husband's cousin has five children, yet his wife sends us Chanukkah gifts every year. Actually, she sends us several gifts throughout the year; I don't know how she does it. This year, I decided to knit scarves for her family. After all, knitting a scarf on a loom only takes a few hours, and I have quite a stash from my crocheting days.

This scarf consist of two colors - sea green and emerald green. I started the scarf with a patch of emerald green (about 10 rows or so), then knitted a patch of emerald green and sea green together, and moved into a patch of sea green. This flow between greens continues throughout the scarf. I am finishing the scarf with sea green. Then, I am going to put sea green fringes on the emerald green patch and vice-versa. It really is a simple and pretty scarf.

You will be happy to know that I hope to finish this scarf tonight. Okay, I hope to bind off tonight; doing the fringe may be too much to ask. So, five months after the knitting project began, I have completed one scarf. At this rate, the family should have their scarves in about 4 years. I'm not confident that I will make that deadline.

That's probably enough blogging for one evening. Thanks for listening.