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January 31, 2006
Paisley Shades
Thank you all so much for the wonderful response to Sew? I Knit!. We were worried that no one would want to participate and we've gotten such a great response. I think this will be a lot of fun. You can still join - the sew-along doesn't start until February 15th and you can sew your skirt any time between February 15th and March 20th, which should still work for all of you Olympic Knitters out there. And remember, if you can't join right now, you'll have other opportunities later. We hope to continue to sew-along with other projects. So check back when your schedule opens up.
In other crafty news, I finished my shades this weekend. These were roller shade kits I bought and didn't require any sewing. Despite that, they took about 6 hours (for both, but still). Were they worth it?
Here's another picture that might be a bit closer to an accurate representation of the wall color.
Overall, I'm happy with them. They are a really nice change from the lovely miniblinds that were there from the previous owners and they add a bit of color to the room. I have enough fabric left over to make a new cushion for the chair, so I might try to do that one of these days. This room still needs things hung on the wall and a new bookcase, but it's slowly starting to take shape.
In knitting news, those of you who have been following the Ombre saga will be happy to know that I'm on the 10th color (there are 11 total)! I worked on it over the weekend and made decent progress. I hope I can have it finished by the middle of February and then I can start on Butterfly.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:28 AM | Comments (19)January 30, 2006
Sew? I Knit!
Good Morning. Dear knitting friends, I have a deal for you! Don't ya just hate it when someone says something like that? But really, you're going to like this. YaiAnn, Mari, and I have been chatting. We decided that we'd like to become a bit more proficient at sewing, but it's a little scary. Knitting is something we're all (and all of you) are completely comfortable with, but give us some fabric and a pattern and expect us to use scissors and a sewing machine and things get a litle dicey. To be quite honest, there's a cold sweat and a tension headache involved in some instances. So, we've decided that the only thing to do is set up a support group for knitters who want to try their hand at this sewing business. To that end, we've created Sew? I Knit, a sew-along for knitters. Cool, huh? And to make things really fun, we have a plan (you know I just love a good plan). We're going to take a project and sew it as a group - support and technical assistance at its finest. The first project is a skirt. That seemed like a simple and fun project that we could all get on board with, even us rookies. You get to pick any skirt pattern you want (and we have some links for you to check out). We'll start sewing on February 15th and end by March 20th. Interested? Get over to Sew? I Knit! for more information and to sign up.
January 26, 2006
Red Scarf
The red scarf is done. And I have to tell you, I really like it. This is a pattern I picked out for the sole reason of using some red yarn stash, and as it turned out, it's a great pattern and a fun scarf.
Project Details:
Pattern: Antique Stitch Scarf from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005
Yarn: Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton in #221 - Carmen, 2 balls with this much left over.
Needles: Size 10 Brittany Straight Needles
Modifications: I used a different weight yarn than called for in the pattern and went up a needle size to compensate. The finished scarf ended up measuring 6 inches wide and 70 inches long (I knit another pattern repeat to use up the ball of yarn).
I'm mailing it off today and I am quite pleased with my first charity knitting project. It was a lot of fun and I hope the recipient really likes it.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:31 AM | Comments (31)January 25, 2006
Call Me A Joiner
I have officially joined my first Sockapaloooza. I missed out on the last one and didn't know a thing about it when the first one was going on. I'm pretty excited to knit a pair of socks for someone. I think it will be fun to go outside my comfort zone a bit and knit something fun and challenging for someone who will hopefully appreciate the end result. The deadline isn't until May, so I should have plenty of time to fit a pair of socks into the lineup.
And, just to keep with a general theme of joining, I also joined Lolly's Project Spectrum. She's so creative and I look forward to not only knitting, but baking and maybe sewing in color.
Thank you all so very much for your wonderful comments on the frist mitten. I really couldn't have done it without all of your input and support. You guys are the best. I cast on for the second mitten this morning and hope to make decent progress at lunch. Ombre is still in the works and will see some serious knitting time this weekend. And tomorrow I'll have the finished red scarf to show you before I mail it off.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:23 AM | Comments (14)January 24, 2006
One Mitten
Mitten number 1 has been blocked and dried and is ready for inspection. She is far from perfect, but this ain't no stinkin' store bought mitten, people. For my very first ever stranded knitting attempt, I'm pleased. There is much improvement to be made on mitten number 2, but someone had to volunteer to go first, and it just happened to be this little mitten.
I believe I may have a tentative understanding of this whole business of knitting with the yarn in your right hand, but darn, it's hard! I find that as I knit on the mitten, the two-handed stuff gets a lot easier, but I'm still hopeful that someday I won't feel like the most uncoordinated person on the planet with my right hand (I am right handed after all). However, there's this one spot that is still wonky (I just love that word) and I wondered if any of you might be able to tell me what that's all about.
See that black diamond in the middle? There's supposed to be a single line of red stitches between those black areas (it'd be a whole lot easier if I knew how to draw an arrow on a picture). The stitches are there, but they don't show up. I'm assuming it has something to do with my tension, but I think it's odd that that (and the same design again) is the only place the tension problem is really noticable after blocking (thank god for blocking - you were right, it worked miracles). Any thoughts on why that might be?
And, after much angst and worry over gauge and fit, I'm happy to report that the mitten is a perfect fit - not too tight and not too loose.
Now I just hope the second mitten is close to the same size.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:39 AM | Comments (28)January 23, 2006
Around 'N Round We Go
I had a lovely weekend. How was your's? I didn't really do a darned thing, which in my mind is what made it so wonderful. I finished the first mitten - it's blocking and will be making an appearance tomorrow (by the way, it fits!). Other than that, I just sorta hung out. I found some wonderful fabric for the shades in my newly minted craft room - I'll take pictures as soon as they're done and hung up (that way if you all hate them, I won't be able to do anything except cry in my tea). Fabric is a funny thing. I had in my mind just what I wanted and left the fabric store with something completely different, but I absolutely love the funkiness of it (which knowing me and my definite lack of funkiness, could be very scary). Want a hint? It's paisley. Close your mouth - I know, it's shocking, but you're gonna just have to wait and see if I'm brilliant or just plain crazy. I also brought all my fabric up from the basement and organized it and my sewing machine on a bookshelf. I love having everything accessible - it's such a treat.
Oh, and I tried out the spindle again. And I have to say that it went a lot better than the first try.
I didn't move past the park and draft method, but think I might be ready next time. It's really terrible, but I couldn't be happier with it. It's think and thin and overspun and in some places barely spun at all, but by golly, it's my very first yarn and I'm tickled with it. So there.
Thank you all so much for the blog birthday/anniversary wishes. I wouldn't still be here without all of you who stop by to read what I have to say - good or bad - and leave a comment. You are all so wonderful and I'm so very grateful that I've gotten to know each and every one of you. Have a wonderful Monday.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:07 AM | Comments (16)January 20, 2006
Happy Birthday
Today is Unwind's first birthday. Well, those of you who've been around from the beginning know that Unwind hasn't always been called Unwind, but the point is that my blog is a whole year old today. Where the heck does the time go? It seems like not very long ago I didn't even know what a blog was, and now I've had one for a whole year. Amazing. I've been pondering this post for a couple of days, trying to figure out what to write, and honestly, I still don't have a clue.
One thing I know is that blogging has allowed me to connect with so many wonderful knitters from around the world. Around the world. Wow. That in itself so amazes me. As I mentioned the other day, I'm really not a super-social person. I like to think I'm friendly and personable, but if I can stay at home, I'm there. So, that results in me not really having any close knitting friends, except for you guys. And there are no better knitting friends than those in the blogging community. You all have helped me so much. I've learned about patterns and yarn and techniques that I just wouldn't have known about or been willing try without your support. Some might call you all enablers, but I call you teachers and friends. And I'm so grateful for all of you and all that you've taught me in the past year.
Thank you all so much for all your kind words and validation the other day - you guys are great. I was in the dumps and you all made me feel so much better, and normal. Normal isn't always easy to come by and I really appreciate all of your comments.
Have a wonderful Friday and an even better weekend. I am going to spend a chunk of time working on the red scarf - I just started the second ball, and I'm almost finished with the first mitten. So, ideally I'd like to finish that this weekend too, but we'll see what time allows.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:50 AM | Comments (29)January 18, 2006
Lack of Inspiration
I've decided I'm just not witty or funny. Travis likes to say that I'm not even fun, "No offense dear, but you just aren't that fun" (yes, that's a direct quote - isn't he sweet). I don't think that's exactly true, but my idea of fun isn't really mainstream. As I'm sure you can guess, fun for me is sitting at home knitting and watching a movie or reading a good book - something kind of, well, boring. I read so many really great blogs and wish that I could write like that. I often wonder if it's that my life isn't as interesting as other people's or if I just don't have the ability to be creative and put things in an entertaining light. Maybe a little of both. Or maybe it's that the only writing I really do it boring legal interpretation - no creativity around here. Creativity gets you in trouble in my profession (at least the kind of creativity I'm talking about here). Maybe I'm just in a slump. Who knows.
I didn't knit a single stitch yesterday. I feel like I should whisper that statement - like a confession or something. Not knitting could explain my depression. Knitting really perks me up and makes me feel like I've accomplished something - even if it's only 5 rows of something. Last night was the grocery store (yuck) and random crap around the house. What is it with all the random stuff lately? Post-holiday blahs? Beats me.
Ok, enough of the whiny crap around here. I'm boring myself to tears. Rebekah tagged with a fun meme, and in an effort to end this post on a high note, here goes:
4 jobs you've had in your life:
1. Ranch hand
2. Waitress
3. Department Store Department Manager
4. Attorney
4 movies you could watch over and over:
1. Pretty Woman
2. Sleepless in Seattle
3. Thirteen Going on Thirty
4. Sweet Home Alabama
Do you see the theme here?
4 places you've lived:
1. The ranch (growing up)
2. A small apartment in Grapevine, TX
3. A lovely trailer
4. Our current house in Laramie - I love it
4 tv shows you love to watch:
1. Alias
2. Lost
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. E-Ring
4 places you've been on vacation:
Um, vacation? I'll try, but I'm going to have to go back to when I was a kid.
1. Yellowstone National Park/Jackson Hole, WY
2. The Black Hills, SD
3. Phoenix, AZ
4. Cancun, Mexico
4 websites you visit daily:
1. blogs - lots of blogs
2. Movable Type (well, almost every day)
3. wyoming.com
4. amazon (or at least I visit it entirely too often)
4 of your favorite foods:
1. steak
2. crab
3. bread of all kinds, including pastries
4. desserts of all varieties
4 places you'd rather be right now:
1. home on the couch
2. on vacation anywhere
3. having lunch with Travis
4. at my in-law's
4 bloggers you are tagging:
This is always a bit tricky, so if I tag you and you aren't interested, just pretend like you don't know anything about this here meme. I won't mind a bit. So, how about I tag: Caitlyn, Cyndi, Jenn, and Blossom
January 17, 2006
Red Scarf Project
One of my knitting goals for 2006 is knitting for charity. So, when Leanne posted about the Red Scarf Project I decided to participate. I have a lot of stuff going on, but no deadlines. It's easy for me to use Ombre and the Mittens as an excuse to not knit for charity, but really, I don't have anything that can't wait a week or two. And it just so happens I have 3 balls of Jo Sharp Soho Summer left over from Stacy's sweater. It's just meant to be. I talked to Leanne and looked at my pattern books and decided on the Antique Stitch Scarf (the one on the left) from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005. I cast-on Friday night and am almost through the first ball. Here's how it looks:
It's a lacey scarf made of cotton - not practical for my cold ass climate, but maybe someone in the warm south will get it. I don't have an Einstein Bagel around, so I'll have to have it done by the 28th so I can mail it by the deadline. If any of you are interested, the press release has some good information, and as added incentive, Leanne is holding a contest.
Otherwise, my long weekend was spent painting my office/soon-to-be-craftroom. I'm off to Target today to buy some new organizational stuff. I'll take pictures when it's done. Oh, and I made a new purse - my own design. It needs some tweaking - stronger interfacing and a stiffer bottom, maybe a thicker strap, but all in all I like it.
Have a great day - it's a short week!
Posted by Stephanie at 9:32 AM | Comments (20)January 12, 2006
One Track Mind
I've been knitting, and knitting, and knitting. I've seriously neglected Ombre because I cannot stop knitting on these mittens. I'm beginning to think it's an obsession. I just can't help myself. I tell myself I'll just knit on them for a few minutes because I need the practice on the 2-handed technique, and before I know it it's ten o'clock and I've knit on the mitten for 3 hours without even glancing at poor Ombre, neglected in his basket. This is how the mitten looks so far:
The two-handed technique continues to get easier, but my tension is still uneven and a bit spotty.
But I figure that I'll just keep practicing and maybe things will be better by the time I'm ready to start Butterfly. Which at this rate won't be too long - I'm almost half way through the first mitten!
I'm debating knitting the Norwegian Stockings from Folk Socks for additional practice before Butterfly. What do you think?
Posted by Stephanie at 1:57 PM | Comments (18)January 11, 2006
There Was This Thing
...this litle tthing about gauge. After I posted my dismal progress pictures yesterday I thought I'd see if the mitten fit. It didn't. Not by a long shot. Why? The pattern says my gauge should be 6 stitches per inch. Do you think 12 might be a bit tight? Yeah, I thought so too. So, while this project is strictly for practice and I'm cutting myself a lot of slack, I'm not going quite that far. I ripped the mitten. And then I started over. For awhile I thought it was going much better. I went up a needle size and thought my stitches looked smoother and more uniform. Now I've decided that I was just kidding myself.
Wonky stitches abound. However, I've used floats and I think it's going better. I'll have to try weaving again after I get the hang of this two handed stuff. But not on this project.
My gauge is better, but it's still a bit tight. More like 7 stitches per inch than 6. I'm debating on whether to rip and start over or just hope that my knitting loosens up a bit more. And since I didn't knit a swatch and block it I'm not sure how that will affect my gauge. I'm wondering if I can block it out a bit. What's your opinion?
I am finding that knitting with my right hand isn't as torturous as I originally thought. It's getting easier all the time. Not good, but easier. At least I don't still feel like I've never held a knitting needle before. So, I will continue to plug away on my mitten and will have to make some time to work on Ombre - like maybe this evening. Have a great day.
January 10, 2006
Practicing
Thank you all for your advice on this fair isle stuff. I tried a variety of things yesterday and decided that I actually like one color in each hand the best. I'm still not sure on the weaving or floats, but I started using floats and it seems to be ok. I'm a little concerned about the floats around the corners of the dpns, but I'm trying to keep them loose. We'll see if it's enough.
Basically, the floats start at about the black line of stitches. Do the stitches look better above that point or is there no real difference? I find that I have to really concentrate on not knitting too tight with my right hand. I can't remember if it was the same when I learned to knit or if this is just a right hand thing. I did have better control of the tension with my right hand by the end of last night, but as you can see, I still have a long way to go.
January 9, 2006
Hands and Feet
This weekend was lovely - the weather was crap, but I got a lot done. I got caught up around the house after two weekends of being gone. It still amazes me how much laundry two people can generate in such a short amount of time. I think it has something to do with the multiple layers Travis has to wear to keep warm in this lovely climate, but whatever it is - all our laundry was done at one point this weekend (but in the true nature of laundry, there was more before I had the last load folded). Christmas decorations are put away and the tree is out of the living room. Taking down the tree made me really sad because it was still in really good shape - not dry at all - and it just seems wasteful, but I guess it was time to get everything back to normal.
I finished the second Sock after three tries at grafting the toe. I don't know what my problem was but I couldn't seem to concentrate and kept losing track of where I was.
Disregard the lovely rolled pants look - I was too lazy to change my clothes for the photo shoot.
Project Specs:
Pattern - Ellen's Birthday Socks
Yarn - Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool Quarter in Sierra
Needles - Size 2 Addi Natura dpns (can I just tell you that I love these needles)
Modifications - I made the legs shorter than the pattern (7" rather than 9") because I was worried I would run out of yarn - as it turned out I could have added at least an inch to each leg, but I don't think they're too short as they are. I didn't worry about my gauge and I'm glad I used a size 2 rather than a size 3 needles. As they are, the socks are snug and comfortable.
Next up: Ombre (of course) and the Nordic Mittens.
Yesterday morning I sat down with some scap yarn and my Philosopher's Wool dvd and tried to figure out how the heck to do this two-handed fair isle business. Let me digress for just one moment and ask how the heck you knit with your right hand? I am completely uncoordinated and can not keep anything resembling control of the yarn - the tension is mostly really loose, but it seems that the stitches are tight - explain that one to me. It is not pretty. Trust me. However, the weaving seems to be working ok. I do notice that even on the rows where I knit with just the yarn in my left hand, the stitches where the other yarn is woven in look funny. What do ya think?
Please tell me this tension/wonky stitch thing will get better. Please (but if it won't just tell me now - let's just rip that band aid off right now). Despite the struggles with this two-handed stuff, I'm enjoying two color knitting. It's so fun to see the pattern emerge. I had a hard time putting it down yesterday so I could take down my Christmas stuff. All I wanted to do was just knit one more row. I believe I may be in trouble.
January 6, 2006
Not Much Progress
I haven't made as much progress on my sock as I had hoped. Last night was karate. (Remind me never to take 2 weeks off again. I'm so freakin' sore I can barely lift my arms and my hand is swollen from punching. Not good). Karate night means that I didn't get much knitting time. I did get the heel stitches picked up and started the gusset, but I really wanted to finish the sock today so I could start on the Nordic mittens this weekend.
Even with a large chunk of time tonight I seriously doubt I can get the whole foot knit. Maybe tomorrow. I should have some good knitting time. The satelite tv installer is coming tomorrow (yes, we're finally entering the 21st century - we'll have more than 5 channels) somewhere between 8 and noon - I should be able to knit while I'm waiting for him. I know I should be working on Ombre, but I need a commuting project for next week and I won't have time during the week to figure out the whole 2-handed knitting thing. So, that's my justification.
It's finally Friday. Have a good weekend.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:10 AM | Comments (11)January 5, 2006
I Do Love A Good Plan
I'm a planner. I think it goes with being anal, but there you have it. So, Caitlyn and I have come up with a plan to further our fiber obsession. We both want to learn to spin and we both want to purchase spinning wheels. In recognition of this goal we've decided that since we both have plenty of yarn and projects designated for the stash yarn, we aren't going to buy any more yarn until we've each saved enough money to buy our spinning wheels of choice. I know. It's a bit shocking and I had to sit down when I first hatched this scheme, but the queasiness gets better after a few minutes.
I think I can save enough money by not buying yarn (and saving a little extra too) to have a spinning wheel by late spring (late spring for you all, actual spring for me - like April). I have no crazy thoughts in my little head that this saving plan will be easy, but with some moral support from my co-conspirator I think it can be done. It's good to have a plan and a goal (a cohort doesn't hurt things either) and if you hear me talking about a new project that requires a yarn purchase, I'd really appreciate it if you could remind me of this plan because I have no doubt such occasion will arise. Because let us not forget the fundamental fact that I am weak when it comes to yarn.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:07 AM | Comments (15)January 3, 2006
Oops, I Did It Again
Happy New Year! I hope you all have a truly wonderful and prosperous 2006.
On Friday I asked if any of you had Loop-d-Loop. It turned out the LYS had a copy, so I went over at lunch and took a look. I found a couple of cute sweater and hat patterns, so of course I bought it. No self-control! But, what's a girl to do? The LYS didn't have any yarn that was wool or alpaca that didn't have a large percentage of acrylic. So, I left with no yarn for my hat. I briefly considered my stash, but didn't have anything in the proper weight for the particular hat I wanted. I stopped by the yarn store in Laramie before I went home and walked in the door right before they closed. Fate, I tell ya. They had something I thought would work, so home I went. After a couple of hours (I had to start again to get gauge), I had this:
Project Specs:
Pattern - Corrugated Asymmetrical Hat by Teva Durham from Loop-d-Loop
Yarn - Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in color 500 (black) - less than 1 ball
Gauge - 12 stitches and 18 rows per 4 inches
Needles - US #11 Addi Turbos
Thoughts - The hat is very soft and comfortable. I'm not sure how well the alpaca will hold up, but it's such a quick knit it wouldn't be difficult to knit another one. The pattern has you knit the hat flat, but I'm sure it could be knit in the round to avoid the seaming. That's what I'll do on the next one. It's a looser hat, which I think is beneficial for wearing to work - you avoid the whole hat hair problem, but the alpaca is warm enough that it doesn't matter if it's a bit loose. I was a little nervous about the horizontal "pattern", but I think it counteracts my little head quite nicely. As Claudia so nicely put it, I have a pin head and this hat is a good solution.
Just so you all don't think that I've been taken over by the desire to knit hats (which is kind of true), I made significant progress on Ombre and the Sock over the weekend. However, some of my knitting time was taken up with this:
Travis' cousin's daughter thought knitting looked fun, so we spent about 30 minutes playing with knititng. Supplies were limited to what my Mother-in-law had on had, but we eventually found some cotton and had fun for a little while. Then the fun wore off and we played Go Fish. Man, kids are a lot of work. I don't know how you moms do it. I was so tired by the time she went home I had to have a drink and fell asleep on the couch.
