New Projects.

I have a couple of things on the go. You saw the swatches for Bea and "green" Cherry....progress to come.
I started a sock for my Dad around the time I started that Basalt Tank Disaster.

Poor dad, waiting so long for some handknit socks...mom has got so many pairs.

Well, I have been avoiding those socks...you see...his foot is a size 15. Yeah, and about 11" circumference. Those are some giant socks to make!

I got some knitpicks essential sock yarn to give it a go.
Here we are...I worked on it while we visited this weekend. A little sun, and little beach...a HUGE SOCK!


More to come...I need to get out of this heat and go swimming...the air conditioner is not working! I can't stand the smell of sweating wool!

Waiting for a reply.

OH my, I seemed to have hit a sore spot in the knit blogging world...rightfully so.
As it turns out, I deleted all of the previous emails from Melanie once they were dealt with. So I had to go back to the publishers website www.stcbooks.com and try to get in touch with her again. I must say that she did respond quickly with the problems in Handknit Holidays and after consulting her knitter, she gave me the corrections. The corrections thus far for Handknit Holidays are found in the KAL sidebar. I think someone also found a mistake in a chart, look in the archives on the KAL site.

So I am just waiting for her reply. Some have asked of what I wrote...and I didn't save a copy, as I should have. It was along the lines of "pure disappointment....the need for test knitting before publishing and we knitters spending $42 on a book of mistakes...wanting the corrections...then expecting nothing less than a corrected edition of the book once all the errata has been corrected."

For those of you who want to knit the Basalt Tank, here are the corrections that I have come up with:

Inside Section.Rows 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 PURL.

After picking up 33 stitches from side E of hexagon 3, you are suppose to cast on 67 stitches, not 34.

Look, I can understand "typos"...heck if you read my blog, you may come across many. It's the errata that is troublesome to me. I just believe that it is totally unacceptable...I am sorry, I will not beat a dead horse here...you know my feelings.
What about cookbooks? Are the recipe's tested before publishing?
I am now thinking that there is a conspiracy going on with these knitting books...so they wait for all the knit bloggers to go crazy over the book, buy it, knit the projects and find all of the errors themselves? Why test knit the published pattern when the bloggers will do it for you?! I think every knitting book I own has significant mistakes in it. This is very sad.

There are some interesting thoughts in the comments of the previous post...read them and see what you think. I will dwell on it no more. When a response comes, I will inform you.

Let's move on for now. The Basalt Tank has been ripped. I decided to do so when I saw this.
The wonderful talents of other knit bloggers...let's support each other!

Here are the current swatches...
Bea and Cherry.



Shall we talk a bit about Kim Hargreaves Kits?
Here are my thoughts.

Beautiful presentation. The yarn is wonderful, but you can usually find it in your LYS or discounted some where on the web. The buttons are gorgeous...also something you would be able to find on your own. The pattern, classic Kim Hargreaves, love it.

Here is the problem.
Cost. The kits are not cheap...and on top of that, the delivery man wanted duty and taxes totally $27 canadian. Hmmmmm. I could have bought a whole other knitting pattern book...errors and all!

I have emailed Kim in regards to just purchasing the patterns and she is not doing that now...Oh how I wish she would...one can hope.

As a gift, the kits are wonderful...thank you. But will I be ordering another one to pay for that. Not likely.

Abandon Ship!!

You know when you are so mad that your blood boils. You really feel it just rising to the surface. Yeah, I am there. I have been there since 11 p.m. last night...it is not going away.

Let me paint you a picture.

My kids are nuts. So, trying to knit while they are awake is almost impossible.
They are boys, and part italian, so I try to cut them some slack.

It was a crazy day yesterday...planting flowers...getting them to put down the dead baby bird they found in the sand box...scrubbing them down...get to the gym for an hour...make dinner...mess everywhere all the time...constantly repeating myself....all day....DH will be late...get them ready for bed...Whining...constantly whining from a tired two year old...I just want to sit and knit for one minute. I just want to cast on and do a couple rows of the hexagon 5.
They jump from couch to couch as I try to do this...I keep sending down to the playroom...I finally cast on and do a couple rows then give up and decide to just get them to bed.
DH finally comes home and helps with that...and I get to sit. I knit and knit....and start to relax from the hectic day.
DH falls asleep on the couch...yet again...as I knit and watch CSI...and knit...and finish hexagon 5. I decide that I could last till 11 p.m., so I cast on for hexagon 6 to join the whole garment in the round.

Now comes the good part. The climax, shall we say....

What...what is wrong here? I am picking up side b of 2 and side b of 4...hey this doesn't look right.

NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!



Let's just have a moment of silence for me, please.
Take a deep breath.

OMG! NO! Was it my mistake? Or the pattern?
Oh please...how can this happen? I thought I made it through a hexagon with a problem. What is the problem you ask?

Well, let me tell you. (my blood is starting to boil just writing about it...I may have a heart attack)

This hexagon is suppose to be 5/6 NOT 4/6. I know this...but I just count the stitches inbetween the markers...that is what you need to keep track of...please...don't think I am that stupid.

I don't know if I am so mad at myself or just clearly infuriated with this pattern.
IT IS THE PATTERN!!!!!!

After picking up 33 stitches from side E of hexagon 3, you are suppose to cast on 67 stitches, not 34.

The joy and interest of knitting this pattern is gone. I know I should have noticed, but I am constantly distracted...

For those of you who have bought this book, please get yourself a big red marker and write the following across the cover...

WARNING: THE PATTERNS IN THIS BOOK HAVE NOT BEEN TEST KNIT.

I have put it down. So long, farewell, we have to bid goodbye...

But wait...the doorbell...hello delivery man with my mothers day gift...



Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
WAIT...What is this?



Knitting is sometimes very disappointing.

Excuse me, I now am going to draft my letter to Melanie Falick...don't worry, I have her email address from the mistakes I found in her other book...Handknit Holidays.

Finally making some progress.

I am finally getting somewhere with this tank. I have 3 full hexagons and a partial one for the underarm.



I seem to be knitting this tank taking two steps forward and three steps back. Seriously, I just don't know what my problem is. I keep making stupid mistakes...when I have 200 stitches and then have to rip back a couple rows.

If you are knitting this tank, make sure you count inbetween your markers after the eyelet rows. You will know what I am talking about because it doesn't work out evenly...atleast in this size....and you sometimes have to k2tog when the stitches are on either side of a marker. You will see.

Also...the mistake in the pattern is this

Inside Section.
Rows 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 PURL.

I know...another stupid mistake that I should have caught right away.

I am hoping to get the other partial hexagon done tonight, and maybe start on another full one...a couple more days and I will be finished!
The size is working out for a 36". I was tempted to make the XS but it is 33" I think...a little too small. I tightened up my gauge...yet it still measures 36"!?! Whatever.

Are you just smiling and nodding at me and my knitting!?

Hey...how come no one said anything.

It's like I have this big green piece of vegetable stuck in my teeth and I am walking around smiling at everyone.

Look closely at the two pictures....what is wrong?



Good think I notice it on this attempt at the Basalt Tank. It is actually an error in the pattern. I hate mistakes in published knitting patterns.

There is no excuse. Seriously.

If you publish a pattern, you MUST have it test knitted...in every size, if you ask me.
This is just unacceptable.
I don't have the time to sit and think about the pattern...chase two kids around...plant flowers...clean the house...do laundry...shop for groceries...cook...bath the kids...have very limited sleep over the past four years...
If you ask me the date...or better yet...the day...I can't tell you that.
I have two small children! There is no thinking about patterns. I knit them, that's it.
I HATE MISTAKES IN PUBLISHED PATTERNS!
Good thing I found this one in time...

What about this fit?

I really had concerns about the fit of this tank. How will it hang? Can you use negative ease with the construction as it is?
Well, here we are...third section started. (I know, I am in my pj's but with thinking about it all night, I decided to get right to it this morning)



I am actually pulling it a little here.
The yarn is online seasons (50% wool, 50% cotton), the pattern calls for Rowan wool cotton. I am knitting the medium which has an oversized 40" measurement on it. My gauge is right on and this is going to be too big.

Crap. I knew it when I started...I should have listened to my inner knitter .

I have a 37" bust (freshly measured) and I was worried about knitting the 36" bust because it may stretch the pattern horizontally...yet the yarn pulls down with the weight of it.
So, I definitely need to rip it. I actually think I will just start another ball fresh, and rip this when needed. (that way I can compare).

Do I knit the 36" bust...will that be enough negative ease?

I did do the second section in the round. I still don't love the jog, but it is better than the seam.



The second section in at the bottom of the photo and the seam is at the top of that section. It's ok. Hopefully I will get better at the jog this next attempt at the tank.

In other news, my nephew got his hat!
Here it the happy recipient....


My little nephew. Isn't he cute! 16 now....6'4"...ready to start driving! Man, do I feel old.

Basalt tank.

After oogling and drooling over the projects, purchasing and swatching yarn...I've finally started a project from Knitting Nature.

The Basalt tank.



I am really loving it.

As I cast on, I kept thinking...why is this not knit in the round.
I guess for pattern writing reasons, you knit it back and forth. The underarm sections must be knit back and forth...so why not just write it all that way.

Well, after finishing the first section, and sewing up the seam...I just don't know. Maybe I should have done it in the round. I started the second section and keep thinking about that big seam on the inside of the garment...not liking it.

I ripped what was the second section. Do I redo the first section? What if I start it and don't like the jog...well, I will try to make the garter stitch jogless.
What to do. I am going to try to live with the first section as is and attempt the other full sections in the round.
I guess.
Or maybe I will rip it all and tell you about it in the next post....

It's mine...it's all mine!

Enough shawls for everyone else...this one if for ME!



I love it, love it, LOVE IT!

Started: May 9, 2006 I think...
Finished: May 16, 2006
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Silk 3 hanks with a handful of beads pre-strung
Pattern: Diamond Fantasy Shawl. Beaded version inspired by January One.
Adjustments: None really. I swatched on US#5, but didn't like it. I went with US#8 perfect.
I just kept knitting until I thought it was large enough. Thankfully I stopped when I did because after casting off the icord edging...I had 8" to spare!

I definitely don't want the grandma look while wearing a shawl...



(I know CK, fake smile...give me a break, I am trying...I'm not a model...I'm a KNITTER!)

The drape of this yarn is just wonderful...it feels so luxurious, perfect for the wedding I am attending this summer.



Look, there, right there...you see the beads?! Yeah, next time, I will not bead on a yarn with such luster!

I am all shawled out...onto something different now.

Guess what...

I finished my shawl! It is dreamy...hopefully I can get some great photos tomorrow with the expected partially sunny forecast.
I was really going to slowly work on this over the summer...but I have other things to knit!



With this dreary weather that we have been having, I was forced to use the flash...boy does it bounce off this yarn! Atleast now you can see the beads.

I did buy yarn for the tank in Knitting Nature...I was unsure of the colour I chose, but felt that I should do something different. Ah, no. I will return it tomorrow for a more subdued colour....they had a nice green that I should have got in the first place. I have issues with colour.

I hope everyone had a wonderful mothers day! My hubby (well the boys) did come through for me. Bea is on her way, hopefully as we speak! I have so much to knit over the summer!

I am still working on the blog, slowly. Please help with pictures again. I know my pictures are way too big. Is is the pixels...bytes...what is it I want to change? And what is a reasonable size without loosing detail?

This book I love.

Ok, I finally got my copy of Knitting Nature.

I love it. Seriously. I am bored with the typical knits...the "you could have just bought that at the store instead of knitting it" sweaters. I want to knit something interesting.

For the love of knitting!

I don't know, some of the patterns are way out there. WAY. But oh what fun they would be to knit. Let's face it, I rarely wear the things I knit...for various reasons...so why not atleast have fun and be interested while knitting it.

There are few patterns in the book with real woman shaping involved. The models are "flat" and skinny. Great for modeling I guess, but what looks good on them, will certainly look not so good on me. So there will be a little adjusting to do...and maybe knitting in smaller sizes (most of the patterns look oversized to me)...hopefully nothing I really need to wrap my brain around.

Here are a few that caught my eye...


Love the cardigan. It is a chunky knit...so I don't know. I haven't had luck with chunky knits.
The tank...oh yes. Love it. The pattern calls for Rowan's wool cotton I believe, wool cotton may be really nice. The point of this book was to use up yarn from my stash...but I just don't think that will be happening.
The roundabout leaf tank I love as well. It looks great on her lying down...but how will that look on me?!

I found the KAL that you all have been hiding. I will commit to a pattern before I join!

Oh the new colour...I am just not sure about. I am playing around with the blog template...it's not over.

Luxurious Silk.

Let's talk fiber for a moment. I don't know if you have seen it, or better yet have got your hands on it...but Debbie Bliss has a new yarn out called Pure Silk.

It is absolutely gorgeous. It comes in these mini hanks of pure heaven. I can't describe how it feels. I sat for a while, trying to think of how to describe it, I just can't. It is not crisp like most silk feels when blended with other yarns...it is soft, slippery, like a silky nightie. I just couldn't resist.
I want a Diamond Lace Fantasy Shawl beaded, like the gorgeous one that January One knit. I too have a wedding to attent, and this would be perfect. Immediately I thought of Pure Silk. Gorgeous.

Well, I have started knitting it.
Here are my thoughts.

The beads are really useless on this yarn. I finally figured out why...the luster from the yarn is so great, you can't see the shimmer of the bead. I know, it is obvious, but I just never thought about it. I doesn't matter...they are staying.



Can you see them? Try and find the beads.

Now, my real concern (since I never washed or blocked the swatch)...will it block properly? The drape is so gorgeous...but will I be able to stretch the lace pattern and will it stay? Hmmmm, I really don't know...I am having my doubts. This may not work out as I have hoped that it will.

"Silk yarns used in knitting are not resilient and tend to stretch as they are worn."
Vogue knitting, the Ultimate knitting book

Hmmmm. This could be a problem. I am loving it so far, if truth be told. I just have my doubts. This doesn't mean I will stop knitting it...I need to see the results. (Unless of course, one of you sends me an immediate email to stop a knitter that is about to crash....)

The patterns from the Pure Silk book are just gorgeous...but...it would cost a fortune to knit one of these garments (I did get my hanks 25% off at a sale...and the website I have linked to has it at a great price).
Secondly...if it stretches with wear...could you imagine knitting this gorgeous, expensive sweater/tank etc and it all stretches out and looks horrible after wearing it a couple times.
No thanks.

This yarn is so luxurious and delicate, yet the fiber itself is very strong (I could splice it...I had to cut it and fray the fibers, but it worked) Knitting a shawl that won't get a lot of wear is just fine for me....well, if it even works.


The one thing I do find annoying is the wound ball of Pure Silk. It is so silky...it just slides all out of shape. I should have hand wound it and pulled from the outside. Lesson learned.

Now, teach me something please. Why hanks? The hank needs to be wound into a ball in order to knit with it....so why is yarn sold in hanks. (although for pure silk I get it...the hank keeps it all together). Is it to cut the cost of winding?

The socks are here!

YEAH! Sockapalooza socks are in. All the way from Essen Germany!



They fit and are fantastic. Thank you sooooo much Silke! It is quite a relief to get these pomatomus socks...you see...my version was not working so well! I ran out of yarn and tried to used another colour for the toe.

No. Not working. The pattern is way to busy to use a different colour. Also, the socks from my sock pal fit so nicely...and my version is way too tight. So now, I will rip my version out and make a different pair of socks!!


In other knitting news....
Check out Heidi's hot hat! Someone knit one of my patterns. This is so exciting. Great work Heidi, it looks fabulous!


A little Spring cleaning brings me to this:
I am never going to finish "River" in this superkid mohair. It's just not going to happen. Who wants it? Two balls of super kid mohair in purple and I'll throw in some knitpicks alpaca. I have suddenly realized why my eyes are so itchy when knitting with alpaca...I am so allergic to it! It's up for grabs....if you have something in your stash you want to get rid of and you would like the superkid mohair, send me an email!

Just look at this....and there are a lot of pictures!

I have turned into crazy doll lady...seriously. I love it.



started: May 1, 2006
finished: May 8, 2006
yarn: The main doll is knit from Online Linie 160 Season (50% Wool 50% Cotton). The skirt, under garments and wrap shirt are leftover Regia Silk. The hat is knit from left over Rowan Calmer and the shoes are knit from leftover Koigu. Goodbye leftovers! (well, some of them)
pattern: Doll from "Toys to Knit" and the basic wardrobe.
Adjustments: A couple minor adjustments...I knit the head, and the skirt in the round. I also had to adjust the doll a little to account for the slightly larger gauge.

The body was fairly easy to put together.

I put on some pink lips, but my DH protested. He said that red would show up better...he was right!



Check out the details...the floppy hat...


Look at this little button! Come on!



The shoes! The doll has Koigu shoes!



Here she is standing. She is aroun 14" tall.




I really enjoyed knitting this doll...really.
Can you believe I have already started my Christmas knitting...in MAY!

I have two more to make, and many more outfits...

Don't worry, I will space it out with normal size knit projects!

We interrupt the regularly scheduled knitting for a simple cotton hat.

A simple hat was needed for a birthday gift. My nephew Kurtis loves his winter hat I knit for him...so I decided to knit him a cotton one for his birthday.
He has hair like me...well, my hair has settled down over the years...and this curly hair sometimes needs a hat.
I picked up some freedom cotton at the sale the other day (well, I picked up more than that, but that is for another post!) and came up with this...



David doesn't have a head as big as Kurtis, but you get the idea. Cool? I don't really know...but I hope he wears it!
Here is my attempt at jogless rounds...



This technique needs some work...but it's not too bad. Maybe blocking will help!

Happy Birthday Kurtis!

I knit a skirt, a hat...oh and some underwear last night.

I saw this great book on line yesterday, and it was at my local Chapters Book Store. You see, I have this huge basket of yarn ends...partial balls from projects. I keep saving them thinking I will make some funky belts, or an afghan of patterned squares...something. I can't just toss it all.

So here is my idea.

I know you don't want to think about Christmas knitting yet...but...what about the dolls in this book. Try to make them resemble my nieces...and knit a ton of clothing for them out of all my scraps! Great if I want to whip off an outfit in a night....get rid of some scrap yarn, or if I am bored of the major project I am working on.

So, I started with the underwear....then the skirt (a couple adjustments to knit it fair isle in the round) and the big floppy hat. I have started a wrap shirt to complete the outfit! Good bye left over regia and calmer!



Now all I need is to get one of those boxes...you know the one with the whimsical clothing on the outside...yeah. One to store the doll with all of the clothes. CK find me 3 could you please?!

Oh...the best news...the LYS has 25% off all instock yarn and selected yarn 50% off TODAY ONLY! Bye...gone yarn shopping!