First, My Christmas IOU

Before I embark on my stash year, I really do need to wrap up my Christmas IOU. It's a shrug for my sister Barbara and I was oh, so close to having it finished on time. However ... when it became clear that I wouldn't have it finished, wrapped and shipped in time, I wrote an IOU card, put my gauge swatch in the envelope and mailed it off.

I finished the knitting up a couple days ago, wove in the last couple ends today and now it's blocked and drying.

The pattern is from "Quick Knits from Classic Elite Yarns".

Jeanne, my stash year partner, gave me this pattern collection for Christmas a couple years ago. Very convenient for all my sister's to pass it around and write their name on the patterns they liked ... along with notes.

So, I made this for Barbara, extending the sleeves to 3/4 length. (Yarn: Classic Elite Chateau, 70% baby alpaca / 30% bamboo viscose, color: 1431 (periwinkle), 50 gm = 98 yds.)

Once it's dry, I'll ship it this and look forward to getting a photo back with her wearing it.

Then, it'll be time to get working on stash year project 1!

Year-End Trash

I was doing a little clean-up today and ran across a bag of "mending" items. After looking them over, I decided to take a few photos and ... throw them out!

This was my first attempt at sock knitting.

I used Mistake Rib - one of my favorite rib patterns. I like how it gives depth to the rib pattern.

But didn't use sock yarn ...

(I think this is the second set of holes in these socks.)

Here's another early sock-knitting effort.

I used a triangle rib pattern and a little cuff decoration

And the same yarn as the first pair ...

This sock was one of a pair I knit for my brother-in-law ...

I used Mistake Rib again and learned how to get a clean color-change in ribbing (knit all stitches in the first round with the new color).

These were sleep socks, so I knew I didn't have to worry about wear-and-tear. But their wool-loving puppy got hold of this one ...

Next were a pair of felted slippers ...

They were nice and think and were well worn. Eventually, all the way through the sole of one slipper.

My final trash items was these socks.

These were fun. I worked them toe-up and started by knitting and felting the toe sections ...

worked to the heel and inserted felted heels ...

I thought I was on to something - felted toes and heels would add durability to the 2 most common failure points. However, the failure point on these was the sole/heel join ...

All of these have been in my mending bag for more than a year and I figured the likelihood that I would ever mend them was pretty slim. So with that bit of honest assessment, I put them in the trash (before I could change my mind).

Linen Stitch Short-Row Heel, First Try

For Jim's Eagles socks, I thought I'd try working a linen stitch heel to match its linen stitch toe.

After mulling over the heel methods I know, I decided to try a short-row heel in linen stitch. I thought the first half went fairly well. I completed my arch expansion, switched to my black yarn and knit around to my end-of-round marker. (Due to the jogless joins at each color change, the marker had migrated around to almost the center of the sole.) Then, I started with the linen stitch - RS: k1, slip 1 with yarn in front; WS: p1, slip 1 with yarn in back; being sure to work the stitch that was slipped on the previous row and slip the stitch that was worked on the previous row.

The first half was:

Eagles Socks for Jim

Several years ago, I knit a pair of chilly-night socks for my brother-in-law, Jim. I had Bill try them on to check out the fit and he said that while the socks felt just fine, he wasn't sure about my color selections. "Cowboy colors for an Eagles fan???"

A while later, I got one sock back for repairs because, "the dog ate my sock."

Well, this sock is still in my mending bag. (Along with quite a few other items. Apparently, I'm not much for mending knits.) So, I decided to knit a fresh pair of chilly-night socks for Jim. This time in more appropriate colors.

I finished the first one in time to include it in the Christmas shipment. And it's mate is now finished too.

Summer tank

Back about, oh, 7 or 8 years ago, I was shopping with Cherie and she talked me into buying this simple, little tank. I have a tendency to be a bit ... um, shall we say "thrifty" (some might say, "cheap") and this was one of those things that cost a little more than I would normally spend.

Well, it turned out to be a big, huge value. Thank you, Cherie!!

I wore this tank to pieces. OK, not quite to pieces, literally, but all the way to stains and frays.

After multiple attempts to get rid of the stains (that'd be the "thrifty" side of me), I've finally decided that it is time to let go of this wonderful tank.

However ... perhaps, I could knit a simple, little tank that I like equally well. So, before putting it in the stack for Take It or Leave It at the Lopez Dump (aka "Neil's mall"), I took a bunch of measurements and - by posting them here - I'll have them at the ready when I sit down and start working on my knitted tank.

Girly Pink Cardigan

I was in Augusta, Georgia visiting Mom & Dad this Easter. Bill came out too and he took a family photo.

I happened to be wearing my very girly pink cardigan and I happened to notice that one photo shows a fair bit of it.

One of these days, I will get more photos. In the meantime, I can post this much.

I made this from yarn that was in my stash for years. I did lots and lots and lots of swatching before I finally struck upon a stitch pattern, yarn combination and design that I liked. I'm glad I stuck with it, 'cause I like this sweater.

I Still Need a Hat

Back in December, I was working on a hat - for myself - and wrote several posts about it (starting out and working the cross stitch without a cable needle version 1 and version 2). Also back in December - while I was putting the finishing touches on the hat - Bill & I traveled to Augusta, Georgia to visit my parents and my sister Jeanne.

Jeanne thought the hat was cute and I thought the hat looked good on her. Here she is sitting on my parent's front porch wearing the prototype Moss and Cross Hat.

As noted in my initial "I Need a Hat" post, the hat is knit from the top down. (I hadn't figured out exactly what I wanted to do, so I started at the top and figured I'd try it on as I knit.)

I Need a Hat - The Cross Stitch, version 2

In my previous post, I showed the method I've been using for the 1-over-2 left cross from my first "I Need a Hat" post. (I think I'm going to call this hat "Moss & Cross".) It's a cabling-without-a-cable-needle method that is quick and easy, but does involve leaving a stitch "hanging out", completely unsecured while you work 2 other stitches.

The following is an alternate method for cabling-without-a-needle.

Here we are at round 5 again. (The first stitch on the left needle has been slipped in each of the previous 2 rounds.)

Begin by slipping the next 3 stitches from the left needle to the right needle. One ...

Two ...

Three ...

I Need a Hat - The Cross Stitch

In working the "cross" portion of the pattern stitch I'm using for this hat (described in my first "I Need a Hat" post), I've been doing the cross without a cable needle. So, I thought I'd take some photos of the technique I'm using.

Here we are in round 5 of the pattern. (Having worked slip 1, knit 2 in rounds 3 and 4.)

The first stitch on the left needle is the slip stitch - the stitch that will be crossed over the next 2 stitches on the left needle. What I do is drop the slip stitch off the needle, then knit the next 2 stitches, then pick up the dropped stitch and knit it.

Yep, I just leave that first stitch hanging out in front of the work, completely unsecured by a needle. Since it was slipped in the previous 2 rounds, it isn't directly connected to the other stitches in this round and therefore, it's much less likely to work it's way out while you're working the other stitches. It helps that in this pattern, the stitch only has to "hang out" while you work 2 stitches and then it's picked up and all secure again. Finally, the yarn itself is a little "sticky" and that helps as well.

So, here we go.

I usually just slip the stitch off the needle, but if you want to give yourself a bit of extra insurance you can use the right needle to give the stitch a little tug.

Must finish this - Update 4

Another 2 weeks have gone by and where am I? Well, I have made reasonable progress.

Nevertheless, I need to be realistic here. It's the holidays! There is no way I'm going to put time into this project during the coming weeks.

So, I'm going to set it aside and come back to it in January.

I Need a Hat

A couple weeks ago, I gave away the last of my hand-knit hats, which - of course - means it's time for me to get started knitting a new one.

First though, I should mention that I have a "thing" about itchy hats. In my quest to overcome itchiness, I've tried a variety of different fibers (merino wool, superwash wool, alpaca, angora) and techniques (standard knitting, fulling, etc.) and have finally come to the conclusion that I simply need to line any part of the hat that will come in close enough contact with my skin to cause itchiness. (Reference Bill's hat.)

Because (for anyone who isn't familiar with this) ... an itchy hat is just awful!! It's nice and soft and warm and then all of a sudden it's ITCHY ... and to alleviate the itchiness, it MUST be removed IMMEDIATELY ... at which point all its nice, soft, warm qualities are absolutely worthless!!

OK, back to this hat. I went to my stash and picked a yarn I've used before - Valley Yarns Deerfield (alpaca & silk).

This is a lovely, soft, fairly non-itchy yarn. However, from past experience, I know it will eventually get itchy at my forehead and around my face. So, I will plan to line that section at a minimum.

Because I hadn't figured out the exact details of this hat, I decided to start at the top. (After having knit and blocked a gauge swatch.)

(These photos are over exposed and don't show the color correctly.)

The pattern is a 9 stitch/6 row repeat of a 3-stitch cross stitch with moss/seed stitch between. The 3-stitch cross pattern is:

• R1 & 2: k3
• R3 & 4: slip 1, k2
• R5: 1/2Lcross (1 over 2 left cross)
• R6: k3

And here's where I am as of today.

If all goes well, I should have a new hat within the next couple days ... and hopefully, some better photos!!

Hat for Bill - part 2

Having knit the hat one time in it's entirety and then ripped it all out (see my previous post), I started up again. This time, I went with the 1-1½-inch negative ease, I knit the entire lining in stockinette stitch ... and I remembered to take a couple "in progress" photos.

I modified the process just a little by leaving the provisional yarn at the bottom of the lining and picking up the main yarn there. So the revised process was:

1. Provisional cast on using lining yarn and work about an inch. 
2. Pick up stitches at provisional cast on. Using main main yarn, work a couple rounds, then work a turning round and work back up to even with lining "fabric".
3. Join the main "fabric" and the lining "fabric" together.
4. Work the rest of the lining and the rest of the main hat separately.
5. Tack the pieces together at the top.

Hat for Bill - part 1

This is the hat to go with the "Gloves (and then a Hat) for Bill" that I posted almost 2 months ago now. It took a while to work this out (obviously) ... and the 2 (or was it 3) re-knits definitely slowed me down.

The first issue was the yarn. It is way too itchy to work on its own and Bill wanted a simple close fitting hat, so I knew I'd need to line the entire hat. As an old hand at sewing, I knew I could sew in a lining, but this is knitting and it seems to me that a knit hat should have a knit lining. So (he-he) I picked up some Ella Rae Bamboo Silk yarn (70% bamboo, 30% silk) in Pumpkin.

The color really is a pumpkin orange and not as bright as it appears in these photos. Nevertheless, it isn't a "match" for the Classic Elite Desert yarn ...

but the yarn and the color work great for Bill and after all that's what really matters!