Airport Eyre

I am flying back to Washington today for the holidays. (Actually...I am bouncing all over for the holidays...Canada, Oregon, etc.) This means I need airport knitting. And, I actually need more airport knitting than normal.

I plan on arriving at the airport at least an hour before my flight, then there is the nearly 2 hour flight to Vegas, then the 3 hour layover in Vegas, then the additional 2 hour flight to SeaTac, then the nearly 2 hour drive from the airport to my parents' house...which comes to roughly 10 hours of knitting...and that is just on the way there!

After much thought and deliberation, I decided my best bet was the Eyre Wrap. It requires no pattern looking, and there is no way on earth that I will finish it and need to start another project.

The Eyre Wrap is my own adaptation of the Bridesmaid Wrap in Suss Cousins' book Wedding Knits. The pattern called for a very thin yarn to be knit on very large needles. I tried it. I tried it 4 times over the past 3 years or so with different yarns. I really did not enjoy trying to knit lace on size 11 needles. What should have been a fairly brain-free knitting project (1x1 rib for forever and a day) was horrid...also, the pattern called for the sleeves to be knit flat and seamed in. As anyone who knows me may remember, I hate seaming things up! The pattern kept going back in the queue and the yarns were repurposed.

Sister gave me a craft store gift for my birthday (thank you), and I found some Caron Simply Soft in Pagoda. It was the exact color I was looking for to make a drapey wrappy cardigany thing. Since I was gonna make it up as I went, I didn't want to spend a ton on yarn...so was willing to go with an acrylic. (I have used this yarn before for experiment projects...reasonably priced and nice to work with.) When I was drawing up the design, I kept coming back to a version of the Bridesmaid Wrap. The yarn's gauge was the same as the patterns, only the yarn was thicker so it wouldn't be a pain like the lace. This wrap should look similar to the original pattern, just less airy and lacy. (And I was actually wanting a cozier wrap anyway.)

But what about the piecing? Well, thanks to Wendy Barnard and her book/blog/patterns, I am confident in my ability to pick up the sleeves from the armscye and knit them down in the round...so we will see how that goes.

Open Letter To Wendy Bernard

Dear Wendy Bernard (Exalted author of Custom Knits)-

I purchased your book.

This is unusual...I usually check books out at the library, and only purchase if there are at least 3 projects in the book that I definitely want to make. Your book had a record breaking 9...and several others that I might alter...which I guess is sort of the point of the book.

Because I am not used to knitting top-down-in-the-round sweaters (my previous projects all being misadventures in bulky yarns and horrible seaming), I decided to practice the technique on the project that I was the least in love with. (Please note, still in love with it...just not in that desperate, must make, will die with out it, sort of way.) I chose your "Ingenue" sweater. I loved the classic old-movie feel. I call mine the MDM (using my initials to honor of MGM, old movies, and ingenue actresses from ages past.)

Again, because I was not sure how it would work, I was nervous about investing large amounts of money in materials. So, I cheaped out. I bought acrylic yarn from the craft store. Total cost: $7.45.

Well...I am done with it now...after overcoming a minor case of second sleeve syndrome.



AND YOUR PATTERN WAS AWESOME!!!! Very well written, very straight forward, and a joy to follow. I feel confident about making and customizing the other sweaters in your book...and the skirt. I love the skirt.

I don't know if you did this on purpose, but the way the book is actually put together and bound, the pages stay open to where I need them...without me having weigh them down...and without me having to "break" the spine. And it wasn't just a fluke with the Ingenue pattern. Every pattern stays open. Which is wonderful!

What's more...the sweater looks amazing. It is a little roomier than I would have liked (I forgot about negative ease...), but that is my fault, not yours. The fact that it only cost $7.45 is just icing on the cake...imagine how much better the next one will be out of quality yarn! I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it!

(Actually, I have already found the yarn to make "Skinny Empire." I am going to use a silk/alpaca blend. I can't wait!)

In closing: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for writing a quality pattern for a quality sweater with a quality fit.

This was the first project I have made in a LONG time that was free of headache, frogging, and despair!

Thank You Again,
Your Devoted Fan and Admirer.

Forgotten Projects

I am at Brother's house this weekend. Sis-In-Law is out of town.

I was getting ready to get in the shower this morning and realized I didn't have a towel. I went out to their hall closet to grab one, and saw this:



It is the red afghan that I made Brother for Christmas one year, before he had even met Sis-In-Law.

I had forgotten that I had made it until I saw it there this morning.

Frankly, I was surprised that he still had it. It isn't that great of an afghan, comparatively speaking. I was still a starving undergrad when I made it, so it was lovingly crocheted out of cheap acrylic yarn from Wal-Mart (which was my only option at the time due to geography and budget). I shudder to recall the many hours of Law and Order reruns I watched on TNN while making it.

It has held up shockingly well, considering that it has crossed the country several times, been washed often, and used.

It also has gotten me to think about other "forgotten" projects. I think Sister still has her blue afghan that matches this one. I think I gave a creamy colored one to my aunt in TX, too. But there have been a lot of beanies, scarves, dishcloths, and coffee cup cozies handed out over the years. Many that I can't quite remember...and now I'm wondering how many are still in use/existence...

I am also wondering now how many of the things I cherish have been completely forgotten by those who gave them to me...

Interesting.

Get Knittin' @ the Library 4 Kids

Yesterday afternoon was the first of two kids knitting programs I am doing at the library this month. (It is a one session beginning class being offered on two different dates.)

I had 13 kids show up, ranging from 2nd-5th grade. Miss-A and 1 volunteen helped. (We wore some of my handknit socks and got to be shoeless in the library!)

It was a LOT of fun.

We provided the yarn (red heart worsted rainbow variegated acrylic), but the kids had to bring their own needles. I had had teen volunteers cut and ball the yarn during the summer. We made VERY easy garter stitch bookmarks. Still, its amazing(and endearing) how many bloopers you can make when you are 7 and have never knit before...even when it is an easy pattern!

We had one child show up with double points, so I stuck a few rubber erasers on the end. We also had one show up with size 13 or 15...so I loaned her some 7's and at the end of the program we moved her knitting onto a pencil to take home.

The kids were very patient, with themselves and with us. They waited their turn for help without whining (which I REALLY appreciated!). We quickly learned some things...kids learn better by doing, not watching. I ended up sitting behind most of them and doing hands on hands teaching. I also learned that the variegated yarn was hard to work with if you started with the blue/purple bit...the yellow made for a better beginning.

Pattern: Cast on 7 stitches. Knit every stitch in every row until you have a bookmark length. Cast off.

Next Tuesday...same thing all over again...

The Only Thing I Did Do

I house sat for an entire week...



...and this is the ONLY thing I actually did do!

It is the sample for the children's beginning knitting program that I am doing in September at the library. An 8" long garter stitch rectangle posing as a bookmark!

And lest you point out that at least I was somewhat productive, I feel it is only fair to admit that I actually knit the bookmark a couple of weeks ago...and that I only wove the two ends in on Thursday night.

Yes...one whole week, and all I did was use a tapestry needle to hide a couple of 3 inch long yarn tails.

Pathetic!

Speaking of Knicks...or Knickers

(A conversation typical of my life)

Cast: Super Knitter, Matador, Broseph

Setting: Preach and Psych's Living room. Super Knitter is sitting on the floor, knitting the acrylic rainbow bookmark for the kids' knitting program at the library. Matador is also on the floor leaning against the couch. Broseph is reclining on the couch.

Matador: What are you knitting?

Super Knitter: A bookmark for the kids' program I am doing at the library.

Matador: That's gnarly yarn. (pause) Hey, can you knit me a coat of many colors out of that?

Super Knitter: Yes, I can. But can and will are two very different things.

Matador: Why not?

Super Knitter: Because you are over 6 feet tall and it would take forever, for one thing.

Broseph: Can you knit me some boxers?

Super Knitter: Um...no.

(Seriously...eew. I would totally knit Matador a 3 piece suit of many colors before I ever knit a pair of boxers for anyone!)

No Dye Lot Yarn

JoNo requested that I make him a beanie as his graduation present. Since he has been so sweet lately, I went so far as to agree to make ear flaps.

He wanted it to be dark blue...which was perfect since I had a goodly amount of dark blue acrylic left over from an earlier project (I believe it was a scarf I made as an undergrad for one of the Oblivious Twins...the one who still actually keeps in contact, not the other one).

I merrily began knitting.
First one ear flap.
Then the other.
Then connected them and knit the 1x1 ribbed band.
Then knit the main body of the hat in a 3x1 rib.
Simple mostly brainless knitting that allowed me to enjoy both Funny Girl and Funny Lady.

But then when it came time to start the decreases, I looked down and realized that I did not have enough yarn left to finish the beanie.

No sweat! It was, according to the ball band that had miraculously survived sitting in the stash for at least 5 years: Caron Simply Soft NO DYE LOT YARN.

What a bogus bunch of hogwash. I had Blondie drive me to the store to get some more.
Under the craft store's cheap fluorescent lights, the yarns appeared to match.
Under my less than ideal lighting at home, while I knit it, it appeared to match.
But, now that the beanie is completed and I have examined it in the lovely natural sunlight streaming in through the living room window, it clearly DOES NOT MATCH!!!!

I have two options:

1. Give it to JoNo and hope he doesn't care, since it really is only a wee bit on the crown and not MILES off in color.

2. Knit a whole new beanie with the new yarn, and unwind the old beanie and reknit it as a child's size or without earflaps.

ARGH!

Another Class To Plan

Miss-A has asked me if I would be willing to do another knitting program, but this time for elementary school children (second grade and up).

I agreed, but with one caveat:

WE HAVE TO LIMIT THE PROGRAM SIZE!!!

There is just no way on earth that I could teach more than 10 elementary schoolers to knit at once. I told her that if the program was a success, then we could schedule subsequent dates as well.

There was also a little concern over the project. It would have to be simple garter stitch. That part was easy enough. But it would also have to be faster than a scarf, since the kids might not have enough patience for something that long. Dishcloths, the ultimate in fast, would not interest the kids either. I came up with several ideas (such as a pencil pouch), but they all required sewing skills. So, I went home and flipped through my pattern binder. I came across a pattern for a bookmark that I made Mom one year. Perfect. The program is in September, and bookmarks are school-ish. We are even providing the yarn (red heart acrylic rainbow variegated), so all the kids need to bring are needles.

I am working on a sample as we speak, or rather...as you read.

Forced Purchases

Confession: There are times when I have purchased yarn, not because I liked it, but because it was the least offensive yarn I could find in a store.

When I go into a new yarn shop for the first time, I often feel as though I am intruding on someone else's territory. All eyes turn to me, and I feel as though I am being judged. Part of this stems from my own personal insecurities and anxiety issues, but part of it is based on fact. I am younger than a lot of knitters, although that is changing as I age and knitting becomes more socially acceptable. Also, as B1 pointed out at Stitches West, I don't exactly look like your run-of-the-mill knitter either. I have been followed in shops because the owner thought I was going to shoplift, I have been questioned, I have been informed that the shop only sells yarn, etc. I have developed a wee bit of a complex.

As a result, now when I go into a new shop, I feel compelled to buy something...anything...to justify my presence there. This isn't easy to do since I am very picky. (Do not laugh...I admit I have a lot of yarn, but I love all of it...imagine how much I would have if I was less discerning!). In the end, I buy yarn that I don't really care for. And it's hard. If I am guilt buying, then I look for yarn that is fairly inexpensive, but not so inexpensive as to be obvious that I am only buying under compulsion. I also look for yarn that comes in skeins large enough to make a scarf, but small enough as to leave NO leftovers.

My most recent forced purchase occurred when I went into the yarn shop in Dublin. I had just moved here, and already had a delightful experience at the Pleasanton shop. Unfortunately, the Dublin shop was a dud. I got the judgemental stares, the following, the constant "can I help you find something?". (Advice to store owners: If I tell you I am just browsing, let me walk around and squish the skeins. I am more likely to impulse buy by touch than by your constant pestering. Asking once is good customer service, asking repeatedly is just annoying.)

On top of the behavior, the yarn just wasn't what I like. Also, it was organized by brand rather than type. Brand organization is even less accessible to me as a knitter than organization by color, which I also dislike! (Note: I don't intend on going back there. I love Knit This, Purl That! which is closer to my house anyway, so why make the effort?)

I had to buy something. I didn't like anything. They didn't even have a good needle selection...so I ended up purchasing this:

Its ok, but not really my thing. I ended up making a scarf out of it using a simple pattern from "Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair." The scarf turned out pretty well. The variation in the weight and texture of the different yarn elements made the stripes droop in places as heavier parts pulled it down. That is annoying. Also, the style of the scarf isn't really my thing. It is going into the gift stash, or perhaps to a consignment shop or something. We'll see. At least I finished it, and my stash now has more room for a wanted yarn.

Capping it off!

My friend, Sk8, wanted to learn how to knit. An admirable desire. He also wanted a beanie to wear to the skate park. (He has, I believe, a sponsorship from a local skate shop for competitions.)

I went to my stash to find circular needles and yarn. Now, here's the thing, usually when I donate yarn to people's first projects, it ends up being a skein of cotton dishcloth yarn. (Big deal, I am out $1.99...) Hats and scarves are another issue. I like using the good stuff for garments...so I usually have them buy their own. But Sk8 is a boy. And boys don't exactly rush to their nearest yarn shop or craft store. So, I was going to be providing the materials. Luckily, while I do have a lot of nice and expensive yarn, I also have a bin full of not as nice yarn. Sk8 picked out some steel grey acrylic yarn...I believe it was Caron Simply Soft...but I am not sure...the ball band was lost.

We measured his head...twice. I did a gauge swatch...which is unusual for me. I cast on for him, and then sent him on his way. But we had a problem. After he had knit several inches, and it had been several months, we realized that the hat was HUGE. It would be an ideal beanie for an elephant. So, he gave it to me to "fix." This meant I ended up ripping it ALL out. (Poor Sk8...all that work...unraveled!) I ended up re-casting on, adjusting the gauge again, and finishing the beanie.

He loved it! (And, he tells people he made it...which I won't argue...even though, technically, not a single stitch in the finished beanie was knit by him.)