Easier the Second Time Around

Many, many years ago, I saw a mini-shawl in a yarn store that I just loved. The store was happy to sell me the yarn and tell me which pattern was used. That's why the sample is in the store, after all.

What they didn't tell me, was how the pattern was actually constructed.

Basically, and ignoring the increases, you work in stockinette until the color of the yarn starts to change, work a three-row eyelet transition pattern, then work in reverse stockinette until the next color change. This is not the sort of thing I am comfortable with. I enjoy following a pattern. I enjoy completely winging it. I had a terrible time trying to combine the two, and secod-guessing myself about where the color change actually began.

Recently I came across the unfinished object - although I have yet to locate the second skein of yarn - and decided to try again. What's working for me this time is to work entirely through the color transition, in either stockinette or the reverse, pick the spot for the three-row transition, and tink back to there. This gets more annoying as the number of stitches increases, of course, but I am also getting better at reading the color changes, and have not had to reposition the last two change at all.

Order Out of Chaos

Chaos:

 

Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso in Dia de los Muertos 

Order:

Grumperina's Jaywalker

In Praise of (Occasional) Intricacy

I will nearly always pick a pattern that is simple in terms of finishing. No seams. No fastenings. One piece rules. Two is nearly as good.

But sometimes,  a beautiful pattern  enchants me, and before I know it, I am setting in sleeves, and making my own buttons, and generally obsessing over each tiny finishing detail. Which may explain why this little sweater has taken me two years to finish.

  

Yarn: Berocco Vintage DK in Beige
Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) and US 6 (4.00 mm)
Pattern: Jessica X. Wright-Lichte's Princess Child's Smocked Cardigan
Mods: I made Tulip Buttonholes, and made my own buttons!

The yarn is one of my all time favorites to work with. Berocco Vintage is soft and drapey and comes in gorgeous colors. It was a joy to work with, and paired wonderfully with this pattern.

Baby Steps

A shattering headache days ago has brought most knitting to a screeching halt. Today I felt well enough to turn some leftover sock yarn into more hexipuffs for my eventual Beekeeper's Quilt:

But that's all I feel like doing.

Just in Time for Winter

I knit a new set of felted clogs for DH, and finally made a pair for myself as well. Because mine run smaller, that meant I had enough yarn leftover to make myself a pair of felted mittens!

It always feels like I've made clown shoes (and clown mittens!).

My HE machine did its best, but everything was still about an inch bigger than I wanted.

A visit last month to the washing machine of Truly Efficient Felting finished everything nicely. And THIS TIME, I've sent for soles in the hope that DH won't go through them quite so fast.

Yarn: Patons North America Classic Wool Worsted in  Plum Heather, 0.86 of a skein
Needles: US 10 (6.00 mm)
Pattern: Linda Burt's Stockbridge Felted Mittens

 

Yarn: Patons North America Classic Wool Worsted in Plum Heather (2.52 skeins) and Mercury (4 skeins)

Needles: US 13 (9 mm)

Pattern: Bev Galeskas Felted Clogs

Circle Socks

The first sock went so fast I thought I'd have these done in no time, but I kept making dumb mistakes on the second sock. I would be heartily sick of them by now if I wasn't so pleased at getting the stripes to match.
 

 
Yarn: Knit One, Crochet Too's Ty-Dy Socks (a gift from Kansas-sister some time ago!)
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm)
Pattern: Anne Campbell's Circle Socks
Mods: I continued the circle pattern on the top of the foot until I had "finished" the gusset decreases, getting down to the original 64 sts, then continued the gusset decreases until I had a 56 sts foot, which fits me better. They look a little odd by themselves, but fit perfectly!

All right, Wise Crowds

A simple baby sweater made from the leftovers of this guy. What color buttons?

I'm leaning towards the purple, but willing to listen to the opposition.

Custom made

My latest household purchase resulted in washcloths that are a nice size for showering, but ridiculous for washing my face. They are just too big. But I have a skein of cotton dishcloth yarn (thanks, J!) and some tv to watch, so...

I started with this pattern, but cut down on the stitches after the first try resulted in a washcloth that was going to be as big as the purchased ones; 32 stitches turned out to be exactly right. But the thing I love best - aside from the fact that I'm going to get 3 face cloths out of this partial skein of cotton - is the edge construction. Starting with the Chinese Waitress cast on, ending with the matching Double-Chain cast off, and slipping the first stitch of every row, has made the prettiest edges I could ever hope for. See?

I am completely baffled by color photography. My usual trick of taking photos in direct sunlight did not work at all. But by angling the camera so that it caught some of the outside light, I was able to capture the correct color. I should take a class or something.