I got home from England exactly a week ago. It took me a few days to be able to knit again, but I’m back in the swing and brimming with ideas and projects-to-be.

Firstly, I mentioned in my last post that I was unhappy with my Leaf Kimono Top. Let’s just detail WHY I’m unhappy with this diaster:

Yeah. Matches the finished dimensions perfectly. How retarded does this look? Why? - is the only question I have here. Firstly, I *knew* that this was going to come out dodgy but I followed the directions anyway. Secondly, why were the directions written to this end? Honestly, the top comes down at the right length for a short top. But it looks so STUPID on me and pretty stupid as a finished piece. I am not a tall person…I am short-legged, short-waisted, and short-torsoed (a word which I just made up, but it’s true). This, in its current state, does me NO favours. None. I look terrible in it. Now, if it were longer, we’d get balance. But since this was worked in separate pieces from the bottom up, there’s no easy way to do this without altering the look of the whole garment. I do like to take pride in my work, and I can swallow such pride when necessary, BUT (and if you’ll allow me to be very frank) - THERE IS NO WAY ON THIS FREAKING PLANET THAT I AM GOING TO UNSEAM THOSE DAMN SLEEVES AND RIP THIS OUT AN START OVER I’D RATHER GOUGE OUT MY EYEBALLS WITH SPORKS!!!! *ahem*

So, the current plan is to knit a front and back piece for a few inches, and attach it in any way possible. Since this is a kimono style top, I can get away with something slightly belty looking with a few rows of stockinette, but I haven’t decided yet. I’m sorry that this isn’t going to come out as planned because I quite liked the look of the top as it was, but it doesn’t seem like it’s meant to be that way for me. I can still hardly stand to look at it, so it’s staying in the naughty basket until further notice. Moving on…

A few weeks back, I simultaneously dabbled in Kool-Aid dyeing and the idea of dyeing sock blanks. It was a lot of fun, and I didn’t go into it with any sort of plan. This is what I have:

I used Pink Lemonade, Black Cherry, and Berry Blue. I made one mistake with the colour progression, but I think it’s ok. The socks are coming out nice too - not too bold and blinding. There is a fair bit of white where the dye didn’t penetrate 100% (which was sort of intentional) that gives it an easier look. This is one of the Knitpicks sock blanks, in case anyone was interested. I like the idea of being able to knit two at a time, but I’m becoming of the firm opinion that the magic loop is the devil’s work. I simply don’t enjoy it the way I do DPNs.

Then I have this cardigan that is having a tough time being “born”, in a sense:

I’m not going to have enough yarn. I haven’t finished the shaping at the top on either the sleeves or the back piece because I’m not going to have enough yarn on the current balls to do it. I have two whole balls left for the front pieces alone. So, this kind of sucks. I found one English company that has one ball left in my dyelot, which I purchased, but I’d love another ball or two insurance. I emailed another company, which hasn’t got back to me yet, and I rather desperately PM’ed someone on Ravelry who had a lot of this dyelot to see if she could give up one or two. I feel really bad about doing that but I don’t know what else to do. So many people have it in my dyelot, but none are offering it for trade or sale. The worst she can say is no, though, so it doesn’t hurt to ask. What I’m thinking here is, I might have to rip out the sleeves and start working on the front pieces. This is not going to be a cardigan that buttons up all the way - it was never intended to. But I figure I should work on the fronts with the 4 balls of yarn I would have if I ripped out the sleeves. If each front piece takes less than two balls (which it should) I’ll just have to sacrifice my vision of the sleeves and make it cap-sleeved or something. Well, I do have 5 balls, if you count the one that’s coming. I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to start on the sleeves before I knew if I had enough yarn to make the fronts, but it’s a lesson learned.

Spinning is still sort of an issue, even after all that rest. I think I need to give myself more time to come out of “holiday mode” and get focused on projects and other positive things to come. I did a little bit of spinning this weekend and it went ok, but I found the same problem I had before, in that it’s not distracting enough for my brain. I’ll get back into it. I’m just in a rut.

This is what has been going on with me.

As I mentioned above, I’m going to England next week until the middle of the following week. After that, I plan to be refreshed and ready to work more actively on my blog again. The past month or two have been a bit hellish on the personal front, so I’ve really let it slide. Sorry about that. When I get back there will be lots of knitting pictures. Promise.

Yes. That’s what this yarn is. Utterly doomed - or it least has a very big problem with me as its knitter. For this problem, I don’t wholly blame the yarn. It’s just indicative of the luck, or lack thereof, that I’ve had knitting with it. Sorry for the duplicate picture (used the same one a while back), but the sock didn’t deserve to be photographed in its current state, as many of the mistakes I speak of are ALREADY THERE.

The Anastasia sock pattern is easy. Very easy…provided you don’t have a mental block against remembering to put yarnovers where they belong. Well, forget one or two of them, and you have a sock that is a little out of whack. I have discovered three instances where I should have remembered to put them and my stitch count is a bit off. I tried to compensate for this by surreptitiously adding them back where no one would notice them since I’d have to rip back the whole leg of the sock to fix all of them. Feeling rather clever, I pushed on a few more rows and decided to try it on. It’s always a bit tricky to try on a sock when you have four pointy needles to contend with, but I got it on anyway and I stopped to admire my lovely sock. Except it’s not lovely at all. Instead of the elegant spiral across the foot that I saw in many pictures on Ravelry, it looked crunched and strained. There is a row of stitches that looked a lot more tense than the rest. I could feel a very slight pressure across the bend in my foot. With dread in the pit of my stomach, I twigged that my heel must not be quite deep enough. Not only does this mean ripping out the whole leg, but the whole heel as well! Not even half! The whole heel! I completely forgot that I was working at a different gauge than normal, therefore 50% of the stitches simply isn’t enough for an adequate heel for my gargantuan foot.

I am fed up, I really really am. I don’t know if it’s best to put the yarn out of my sight for an indeterminate amount of time, or give up altogether. I suspect hiding it from sight is probably the most sensible thing to do at first - perhaps already having ripped back the necessary bits, so when I pick it up again, I just go forward as normal, without having to endure such anguish with a fresh face. Or not. I don’t know. I need a mindless project for when I’m burned out from the perpetual lace on the Leaf Kimono top, so I guess I should focus my attention on the Koigu sock.

I finished the front panel and one sleeve of the Leaf Kimono top. I cast on for the second sleeve and immediately screwed in the first few rows, which was why I needed a night or two’s break. I have this niggling feeling that the back piece isn’t quite right, but I’m telling myself I’m just paranoid at this stage. Something to do with decreases and yarnovers, but I dare not speak it aloud at this stage.

Gratuitous spinning photo so there’s some positivity in this post:

8oz of 70% Merino/30% Seawool from Creatively Dyed. It’s pretty and it drafts so smoothely. I have a feeling that the colours will be very muddy if plied in the normal fashion, so I’m going to stick to my guns this time and Navajo ply it. There’s so much of it, I think I can live with the yardage being 1/3 of the length. I may change my mind, but I think that would be ill advised.

I don’t seriously ask the grocery store for my 3 cents back per bag when I bring my bags, but if they happen to notice, it’s nice. It’s been bothering me to keep using the plastic bags, which, in turn have become dirt-cheap knockoffs of previously sturdy plastic bags. Seriously, they’re so thin that they split if you look at them funny. Which means the store clerks double up the bags - sort of defeats the purpose, no?

So, I trawled Ravelry for string market bags - there are many very nice ones. The Everlasting Bagstopper caught my eye though, for its flat bottom and ultimate stretchability. Months ago, I had bought a bag of dishcloth cotton millends, which clearly was Lily Sugar’n Cream in some undisclosed colourway with the idea of making some bags “someday”. So here is my version:

I honestly couldn’t be bothered to find coordinating ribbon, so I picked up 5 stitches from the inside of the bag about 3″ in from the edge, did a few rows of garter stitch, and then started the i-cord. After I finished I did a few more rows of garter stitch on the other side and attached it to the inside of the bag. I did a LOT of sewing to secure the handle. Similarly, I reinforced my stitches on the other side where I picked up the stitches to begin with. The handles do stretch a bit, but they’re very strong. I brought it to my friend’s house when I offered to visit and do the cooking (she just had a baby, so I thought that would be nice) - she called it a magic bag from the sheer amount of food I fit in there. This thing holds a LOT. Seriously. I need more of these.

I knitted this bag along with my mother who is a bit of a novice knitter but a master crocheter. She proposed that we crochet a bag next since I am more of a advanced beginner in crochet. I crocheted quite a lot before I learned to knit. I made a few blankets, a few scarves and hats, and random whimsies. I have not abandoned crochet, but it’s true I’ve neglected it since I’ve learned to knit. I wasn’t too daunted by this challenge, but I was surprised how out of practice I was.

This is the 1 Ender Bag (Ravelry link), also chosen for its flat bottom. I admit it’s a hideous photo - I should have laid it out flat. It looks a lot better than this picture would suggest. All in all, it’s not a bad bag. It’s a great deal stiffer than the knit bag, so I think going up a hook size or two would have been better. But it’s strong as a result and would be good for heavier, bigger things like jars and tins. It was crocheted in one piece - I never had to break the yarn to attach the handles or do an edging around the top of the bag. It was quite clever like that.

So now I need more cotton. I ordered some King Tut mercerized cotton on sale from Little Knits for some variety. I’d like more of the dishcloth cotton too - it’s got more of a rustic feel to it since it’s less processed, which I like. It’s a great deal softer and more attractive than it ever looks in the skein.

I’ve been busy! Last weekend I finally finished my first “real” handspun. This is before washing, so the plies are less balanced here than in the final product, but this shows off the marling nicely:

It would be an act of comedy to attempt to measure WPI on this - it is every and all weights simultaneously, from lace to bulky. It was excellent practice, and I can honsestly see knitting something out of this. My guess is that there is 180 yards, but I need to remeasure now that it’s all skeined up. Plying it seemed to take forever and a day.

I’ve also finished the back piece of my Leaf Kimono Top, very hastily pinned out:

Nice, no? I’m working on the front piece now. I’d love to do the sleeves two at a time, but since I’m working off a cone, it’d be advisable not to.

I also spun up enough yarn on my newest spindle to have to wind off:

This one is FAR more consistent than the yarn above. Yes, there are still slightly thicker and thinner bits, but variations of this kind should not be overly noticeable in a finished product. I just have a feeling that plying this is going to be sort of a nightmare. Plying the other yarn took a lot longer than I thought, and that was not nearly as much yardage as this one is going to be. It’ll be best to take it in stages, I think. It’s times like this that I wish I had a wheel for this sort of thing.

So I started on those little balls of Koigu in the absence of inspiration to work on the cursed mohair sweater.

What do we think?

I think it’s looking ok so far! The four yarns are blending fairly evenly, and the effect is quite subtle. The only complaint I have so far is the odd central “seam” I’m getting from tugging the yarn too tight at the joins. Since I’m picking up a new piece of yarn at every needle change, the one from the previous row loosens up. I have attempted to combat this by securing the yarn from the previous row while I’m knitting the current one, and it seems to be working ok. This is the 4th attempt at starting this sock and things are FINALLY working out, so I’m not going to rip it back for something that will probably be less evident once they’re washed and worn. The technique is kind of cool though, and I wouldn’t mind trying it for proper helical striped socks.

Of course, there is that interesting little tangle of yarn fettucini that haunts me, no matter how hard I try to keep things tame. I shall persevere.

I decided that since I will not be able to wear a wool/mohair sweater until the summer is over, it’s kind of pointless to knit it, especially since I’m finding it so objectionable at the moment. I would like to knit something summery that I have a hope of wearing soon. The object of my desire is the Leaf Kimono Top from the latest Interweave Knits. I placed an order with Halcyon Yarn for a cone of their 3/2 Pearl Cotton. I mean, for the price, how could I resist? I picked the Pacific Blue, number 178. As soon as that arrives I will be casting on. I’ve already tested out the lace pattern, but I’m hesitant to check my gauge on the yarn that is not intended for my project, even if it’s a suggested substitute.

On another note, I still intend to change this blog layout even if it kills me. Hopefully things will be calmer at work in a few weeks and I’ll have time to look at it again.

It’s finally done. It’s also about time. The blocking held me up a lot…just didn’t have the time or inclination to figure out how to do it. I’m quite impressed with the finished piece, but I also feel that it lacks merit for some reason. I am just oddly bemused by it for the moment.

Blocking:

Modeled:

Big, isn’t it?

Close up:

So, this was about a year’s effort. It actually feels like a lot longer. It hibernated for great lengths of time, and there were times I couldn’t put it down. I think the height of my euphoria was when it was cast off - it seemed like the never ending project, and now that it’s over I guess I’m a little bummed.

I did a lot of yarn winding. And weighing. I was anxious to get started with the Koigu mill ends I got at MDSW, but I really didn’t know what I was working with. I finally deciphered the tags to figure out that I had successfully in three out of four cases picked out matching colourways, but none of them are the same dyelots. So, this is what I have:

The blue yarns aren’t matching colourways - all the rest are the same, but different dyelots. But I figured that the only way to know what I can make is to weigh them! I have 70g of the pink, 55g of purple, 50g of blue, 70g of the peachy one. Well I like ankle socks, and you generally need 50g for ankle socks, so I’m good, right? Well, sort of. I’d like these socks to vaguely match.

The pink and the purple go really well together, and I have wanted to try Grumperina’s spiral technique pretty much since I saw it.

Since these four go together so well, they could be a whole pair of socks using the spiral technique. The effect won’t be quite the same, but it should evenly blend the shades of all four skeins for one damn fine looking pair of socks. Hopefully there will be no pooling! I expect to keep track of the length of the sock by weighing the balls.

I think the peach will be ok on its own, but I will blend them together anyway to balance them. The blue is so stunning on its own, so I think I’ll use the different colourway to do the toes (if there’s any left, they can go on the cuffs), and finish the rest of the sock as is. Of course, that one is cutting it really fine. They don’t have to be perfect - they may end up just being house socks anyway.

Then I wound up my other skein of Dream in Colour Smooshy, in Chinatown Apple:

First I wound the whole skein. Then I popped it on the scale and started winding it again from the middle until the scale went down to 50g. Then I wound the rest of the ball again. I would like to try doing the Nutkin Socks two at a time in this yarn.

The bit of fluff in front of those skeins is the evil mohair from the second skein of my Duet yarn for that raglan jumper I’ve lost all desire to work on. I adore Brooks Farm, but this yarn was a poor choice for me. The fluff that ends up over everything really drives me crazy. I don’t know if I want to finish the jumper or not at this point…I’m kind of torn. I don’t know what else to do with 1000yds of wool/mohair though.

Then I wound three skeins of some bulky Noro that I forgot the name of for my mom. At that point, I was very much done winding.

Off the needles:

Blocking:

Done!

Detail shot:

Pattern: Revontuli
Needles: Size 5.5mm/US9
Yarn: Kauni Effektgarn 8/2 in EQ, I’m guessing around 200g

I absolutely LOVE how this turned out. I added an extra repeat so I could get two full rainbows. I got gypped on the red the first time around, as there was a knot, and I’m just not convinced I got the full run. I like red, so it seemed important enough to add another 10 rows to it. The length across the top is 86″ and the longest point is 36″. It’s absolutely perfect. I would keep going, but then I’d just be openly gushing about how much I love it, so I will spare you! It took me three weeks on the calendar, but I was temporarily distracted by knitting some market bags, which I will share with you soon. I know I said I didn’t want to knit anything else (and I really didn’t), but my mother and I pursued the idea of knitting market bags out of need. More on this later.

I might as well post this while I’m at it. Look at the pretty colours!

It’s going so quickly. I don’t even WANT to knit anything else until this is done. My childish brain is endlessly entertained by watching the very slow changes in shade as I reach each new part of the spectrum. I am so excited that I will probably hit the red tonight. And then it’s right back to purple! The stripes are getting (predictably) thinner each time as I add more stitches. I will definitely work with this yarn and colourway again - I still have another whole ball anyway. There are some really nice colourways available, and this yarn is nice and durable so would make a good warm jacket or poncho for the cooler months.