I cast on for the Woodland Shawl. I read the directions too literally, as the first few rows are kind of vague. She says "begin pattern" so I took that to mean "row 1 of pattern" instead of the pattern set-up row. Confusion! I almost threw it out the window and started crying because I couldn't figure out why everyone kept saying "omg this is so easy!" and I was having such a hard time. Duh.
After I realized my mistake, I frogged back a few rows to the edging. Now it's coming along very well. It's pretty fluid since the repeats aren't insane and the stitches are easy. Hopefully I can speed through this!
I am using 2 skeins of discontinued KnitPicks Memories to do this. My yarn is only about 440 yards, while the pattern uses 460. Hopefully this won't make a substantially shorter wrap. I have messaged someone on ravelry who has some extra skeins up for sale, so hopefully I'll hear back about that... just in case. I plan on wet blocking it too, so maybe I can get some stretch out of it when it's all done.
19 January 2009
18 January 2009
Kool-aided yarn
I went with 5 packs of Cherry, 1 pack of Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade, and 3 packs of Grape. I added them to a nearly-full 4-quart pot on my stove in room temperature water. Meanwhile, I soaked the wool (4 oz hank) in the bathroom sink for about 20 minutes. Then I added it to the fruit-stravaganza mixture. I squished the yarn to help get it integrated into the dye. (My hands smell like candy, and they're a bit stained... should have worn gloves. Oops.)
I put the heat on low for about 20-25 minutes. I could see that the dye was being exhausted before the water even hit 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The water went from very dark and nearly opaque to a translucent/slightly cloudy color at the bottom of the pot. Once it looked almost completely exhausted, I turned up the heat for a few minutes, put the lid on, then turned off the gas. I let it cool on the stove until it was lukewarm, then I rinsed the dye out in the bathroom sink.
The color is similar to a burgundy-blue colorway I bought on ebay. I wasn't 100% of what to expected from the colors I chose. I think I added too much grape which made it a bit dark & muddy. But overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Now that I know how easy this is to do, I have a few skeins of undyed sock and lace yarn I've been thinking of dyeing. But I think I'll need to hit up the grocery store for more Kool-aid (or possibly food coloring) first.
Here's the dried yarn. The color lightened a bit once it wasn't sopping wet. It has a nice burgundy-brown-blue thing with a few purple & mauve sections. I actually like the results much more than I thought I would!
Meanwhile, I'm casting on for the Woodland Shawl. I am making these for a friend's birthday present (I offered her to make something, but she didn't seem to mind if it was knit, jewerly, or whatever else, so I decided to knit). I keep having frustration with lace, but this one seems to be a little less daunting than the others. Fingers crossed!
 |   |  |
I put the heat on low for about 20-25 minutes. I could see that the dye was being exhausted before the water even hit 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The water went from very dark and nearly opaque to a translucent/slightly cloudy color at the bottom of the pot. Once it looked almost completely exhausted, I turned up the heat for a few minutes, put the lid on, then turned off the gas. I let it cool on the stove until it was lukewarm, then I rinsed the dye out in the bathroom sink.
The color is similar to a burgundy-blue colorway I bought on ebay. I wasn't 100% of what to expected from the colors I chose. I think I added too much grape which made it a bit dark & muddy. But overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Now that I know how easy this is to do, I have a few skeins of undyed sock and lace yarn I've been thinking of dyeing. But I think I'll need to hit up the grocery store for more Kool-aid (or possibly food coloring) first.Here's the dried yarn. The color lightened a bit once it wasn't sopping wet. It has a nice burgundy-brown-blue thing with a few purple & mauve sections. I actually like the results much more than I thought I would!
Meanwhile, I'm casting on for the Woodland Shawl. I am making these for a friend's birthday present (I offered her to make something, but she didn't seem to mind if it was knit, jewerly, or whatever else, so I decided to knit). I keep having frustration with lace, but this one seems to be a little less daunting than the others. Fingers crossed!
Experiments with kool-aid
I just received my January yarn from Elliebelly. It is the first time I have gotten a colorway that I don't really like. It's blue-white-yellow-pink-brown. Not very me. Rather than trade it, I am going to try to overdye it using Kool-aid. (There's a good tutorial here, and a good site with color swatches here).The yarn is a merino wool/seacell blend, so I am not sure how well the color will take (I've never dyed seacell before...), but it should change the color enough for my purposes.
I have a bunch of packets to choose from. I am thinking of just overdying it with a bright red (Cherry), a bright orangey-red (Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade), or a combination of a red & purple to get a red-violet color (Cherry + Grape). I'm leaning toward the latter because I think it'll add a nice tone to the existing colors in the yarn.
Updates to come!
12 January 2009
IDIOT
I am almost done with the Stulpen gloves. Except that I just realized I did the increases incorrectly for the thumb gussets, so I'm going to have to rip out the last 2-3 inches of work and start that all over again. HAHAHAHA. I've already redone the cable once already, and now I have to start it all over again!
Well, at least I learned how to read the cable chart without having to refer to the key. And I found out how to do the cable so that they are mirror images. But, I think I will put these on the back burner for a while and knit something else for a while. I will also make sure that I read the directions carefully! Maybe I'll even finish them before winter ends. But then again, my hands are always freezing, so whatever.
I subscribed to a few sock clubs. I did the Blue Moon sock club. I love their raven series, so that was enough to sway me to try a subscription. Some of the designers this year look amazing too. It was expensive, but I used some of my Christmas money for it.
I also (re)joined the Elliebelly sock club. Her colorways are nice, and she's one of the more affordable clubs. This one is only 3 months, though, so that's also a plus for saving money and not ending up with 34098 skeins of unused yarn. I'm also doing the Neighborhood Fiber Co. sock club (a 6-month subscription over one year), but the yarn is now a month delayed—I still haven't gotten December's yarn (woe is me).
Maybe I should be knitting socks...
Well, at least I learned how to read the cable chart without having to refer to the key. And I found out how to do the cable so that they are mirror images. But, I think I will put these on the back burner for a while and knit something else for a while. I will also make sure that I read the directions carefully! Maybe I'll even finish them before winter ends. But then again, my hands are always freezing, so whatever.
I subscribed to a few sock clubs. I did the Blue Moon sock club. I love their raven series, so that was enough to sway me to try a subscription. Some of the designers this year look amazing too. It was expensive, but I used some of my Christmas money for it.
I also (re)joined the Elliebelly sock club. Her colorways are nice, and she's one of the more affordable clubs. This one is only 3 months, though, so that's also a plus for saving money and not ending up with 34098 skeins of unused yarn. I'm also doing the Neighborhood Fiber Co. sock club (a 6-month subscription over one year), but the yarn is now a month delayed—I still haven't gotten December's yarn (woe is me).
Maybe I should be knitting socks...
29 December 2008
big hole
I haven't posted in ages. I haven't really done much to warrant posting, I suppose. My hand-knit goods last Christmas did not go over so well I guess--I never saw anyone wearing any of the things I made, so I think that put me off knitting for a while. Looking at my finished projects, I noticed the only things I've made for myself in 2 years included an acrylic-wool blend sweater, and a mop head. Gee, thanks to me!
In addition to that, it has been a really bad year. I won't go into detail, but let's just leave it at "one of the worst years of my life." I tried to keep myself busy: this year I took two figure drawing classes, a painting class, a metalsmithing class, and a bellydancing class. I didn't really do much artistically or creatively outside the classroom, though. I was too down to do much at all.
I am now back to knitting, finally, and I am knitting for myself. Well, mostly. I decided to use up a bunch of yarn someone gave me. Almost all of it was mismatched half-skeins, consisting of scratchy old acrylic. There wasn't a substantial amount of any one color to make anything significant--and it isn't suitable for clothing. I had been promising my cats a project, so I used about 3 of those half-skeins and made this catbed for my two cats. The pattern was super easy, but I do think it was a bit on the small side. If I do it again, I'd either use bigger needles or heavier yarn, and add a few stitches to the diameter.
I suppose if I use anymore of that yarn, it'll end up being transformed in to another cat bed and/or a bunch of cat toys.
Back to me, I'd enrolled into a few sock yarn clubs over the last year, along with purchasing a few skeins of inexpensive wool fingering yarn on ebay last winter, but I never got around to making anything with it. I don't want to be one of those people who stockpile yarn for no purpose. I have enough clutter as it is!
I have started a pair of fingerless gloves. My hands are always cold-to-the-point-of-numbness, since my cublicle at work is always freezing, and my computer at home is next to a drafty window. Figures that once I start knitting these, the temperature skyrockets to 70 degrees F in DECEMBER! Well, no doubt it will get freezing cold again, so these will definitely come in handy.
The pattern is easy, but tiny knitting takes a lot more time than doing it with big, fat needles. I am knitting them both at the same time on two circulars. That is probably why it seems to be taking longer than it should, but it guarantees me that I make them the same length and start everything in the exact same row on each glove. The cables are slowing me down a bit too, but they are not crazy-difficult. I will have to frog back a few rows, unfortunately. I tried to mirror the cable pattern on the left glove, but I don't know enough about cable construction, and messed it up royally. Good thing it's only a few rows. I'd cry if it were more.
For these, I am using some sock-weight yarn that I got on ebay for cheap (800 yards for $9 or so). It's probably not machine-washable, but I don't think gloves would a) get washed all that often, or b) be a pain to hand-wash.
My next project will most likely to be socks--to use up the vast amounts of sock yarn I've accumulated in the last year. But first, I finish these. No more UFOs.
In addition to that, it has been a really bad year. I won't go into detail, but let's just leave it at "one of the worst years of my life." I tried to keep myself busy: this year I took two figure drawing classes, a painting class, a metalsmithing class, and a bellydancing class. I didn't really do much artistically or creatively outside the classroom, though. I was too down to do much at all.
I am now back to knitting, finally, and I am knitting for myself. Well, mostly. I decided to use up a bunch of yarn someone gave me. Almost all of it was mismatched half-skeins, consisting of scratchy old acrylic. There wasn't a substantial amount of any one color to make anything significant--and it isn't suitable for clothing. I had been promising my cats a project, so I used about 3 of those half-skeins and made this catbed for my two cats. The pattern was super easy, but I do think it was a bit on the small side. If I do it again, I'd either use bigger needles or heavier yarn, and add a few stitches to the diameter.I suppose if I use anymore of that yarn, it'll end up being transformed in to another cat bed and/or a bunch of cat toys.
Back to me, I'd enrolled into a few sock yarn clubs over the last year, along with purchasing a few skeins of inexpensive wool fingering yarn on ebay last winter, but I never got around to making anything with it. I don't want to be one of those people who stockpile yarn for no purpose. I have enough clutter as it is!
I have started a pair of fingerless gloves. My hands are always cold-to-the-point-of-numbness, since my cublicle at work is always freezing, and my computer at home is next to a drafty window. Figures that once I start knitting these, the temperature skyrockets to 70 degrees F in DECEMBER! Well, no doubt it will get freezing cold again, so these will definitely come in handy.The pattern is easy, but tiny knitting takes a lot more time than doing it with big, fat needles. I am knitting them both at the same time on two circulars. That is probably why it seems to be taking longer than it should, but it guarantees me that I make them the same length and start everything in the exact same row on each glove. The cables are slowing me down a bit too, but they are not crazy-difficult. I will have to frog back a few rows, unfortunately. I tried to mirror the cable pattern on the left glove, but I don't know enough about cable construction, and messed it up royally. Good thing it's only a few rows. I'd cry if it were more.
For these, I am using some sock-weight yarn that I got on ebay for cheap (800 yards for $9 or so). It's probably not machine-washable, but I don't think gloves would a) get washed all that often, or b) be a pain to hand-wash.
My next project will most likely to be socks--to use up the vast amounts of sock yarn I've accumulated in the last year. But first, I finish these. No more UFOs.
03 February 2008
@#%@ing lace
I am working on the Luna Moth shawl right now. It's not a difficult pattern, but not something you can sit & do mindlessly. I have only gotten about 40 rows in. I sit and do about 5 rows, and end up having to frog about 3 back. Somehow there ends up being an extra stitch or one too few every few rows.This is a great way to make me feel like an idiot. I really want to finish this one, and I really do like the pattern, I'm just not really in the frame of mind to work on something so intricate. Not to mention this isn't exactly commuter-friendly. Having to refer to a chart every few stitches on a crowded subway train is an exercise in frustration.
Grah. F'ing lace. I think I'll save this one for weeknights, and switch to something more stockinette-heavy for to/from work. Now to narrow down the choices... Most of the other projects in my queue involve either a lot of charts and/or cables. I think I might just try out the 1930's sweater. It seems pretty uncomplicated enough for me to get through without crying. ;) I think I even have some stash yarn, so I won't have to order anything special to get it started.
On the less grumbly side, I blocked the entrelac scarf, and was really happy with the finished product. I ended up using pretty much all three skeins of the Silk Garden. If I do this one again, I'll probably skip one of the middle blocks to create a longer & more narrow scarf.I finally inviested in a swift. I had something like 10 hanks of sock yarn. I tried to wind them into center-pull balls to knit from, but the two I tried to do by hand ended up in horrific tangles that took me three days to undo. I did the other 8-10 balls with the swift in less than a half hour. LOVE. I foresee a few sock patterns in my very near future.
30 January 2008
Musings on sewing
I'm trying to resolve to updating more often, and having reasons to update.
I try to do something creative every day, or at least a few times a week. I've really found that knitting works really well for me. I'm moderately good at it, it's a nice use of time at home while watching TV, or riding the subway to & from work. Plus, at the end there's something to wear or give to a friend. I've only been knitting for about a year, and I've seen my skill levels improve over time, probably due to the fact that I tend to knit a lot, or moderately often. Even if stuff ends up getting frogged, it's practice. I wouldn't say my knitting is totally perfect & beautiful, but I'm pretty happy with how it turns out in general.
And then there's sewing.
Since about the age of 9, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I loved flipping through the pages of Vogue and Elle. I watched Style with Elsa Klensch religiously. I loved clothing, and how it fit on people. I applied to Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, and was accepted. However, my parents were not willing to pay for college, nor allow me to move away. I went instead to one of my other college choices, the University of Maryland. I took the introductory textile classes and pattern-making classes. By my second year in the program, I was totally disillusioned. Not only was UM canceling my major & department, but the entire college that included about 10 different majors. To further antagonize the matter, my sewing & pattern classes really were not up to par with my expectations. The teachers didn't really care about fashion—they all seemed like they were straight out of local fabric store home-sewing classes than a college-level design class. I got snide remarks on designs, choices of notions, fabrics, and colors. To me, fashion is an art form—it's objective. You don't have to like everything, but to tell someone that they CAN'T use a sport zipper on evening wear? Who says so? Why not?!
With all these factors, I quit the program and changed my major to an utterly useless degree, but at least it made me appreciate being in college.
However, with the lack of sewing over the years, my skills devolved to about the level of a 6-year-old. Fast forward to now. I do a lot of tiny projects that don't take a lot of skill, but I'm just so frustrated. When I attempt larger projects with more than 3 seams, everything goes to crap. I know I can get better with time, but when I get so angry and upset at a project, it's not exactly encouraging.
To wit: I started working on a western shirt a few weeks ago. I cut the pieces out. No problem. I sewed the side seams, darks, button placket, and yokes together. Fine. The I took the collar band & collar, put interfacing on them, and assembled them. Ok so far. Then I had to sew the collar to the shirt. I attempted this three times, and every attempt was full of fail. The collar was a good inch too short for the neck. WHAT. I know I cut everything out correctly, and my seams were not really so far off that the collar couldn't fit. At this point, I just want to cry, and I feel like a total failure. My choices are to either take everything apart and re-sew all the seams, or burn it. I'm kind of leaning toward the latter.
I have a huge pile of vintage & modern sewing patterns I've been amassing from ebay and online vendor sales. I want to get around to making them without breaking down in tears. I want to make my own clothes, instead of buying cheap, manufactured-in-sweatshop clothing that falls apart after the third washing. I want to have things that are more tailored to my own personal style and tastes. But I just keep hitting this wall because I think I absolutely suck.
Another cause of frustration is my sewing machine. I just wanted a simple, inexpensive machine, since I know I don't sew very much. I got the Kenmore Mini, which I think cost me all of $67. It's cute and functional, but aside from straight stitches, it's kind of crap (especially after using a higher-end Bernina to take some sewing classes at the local fabric store). The presser foot is too heavy and stretches out any knit fabric or elastic I attempt to sew. I can't set the stitch length (it has about 5 pre-set stitches), so even the "basting" stitches are too tiny. And it jams at the drop of a hat. I would really love to get the same sewing machine I got for my mom's birthday last year (the Brother ES2000). The reviews for it are phenomenal, and it's under $200. For comparison, the Bernina I want is almost $1000.
Now the guilt-trip over deciding if I should get another machine. I know I sew better with a nicer machine—the clothing items I made in class came out fairly well, and I had a much easier time of things. The clothes I make at home make me cry. If I had a better machine, it would encourage me to sew more, which would allow me to get better skills. I just have a hard time making that leap. It's absolutely ridiculous the things on which I can drop $150 without batting an eye, but for something that might actually prove to be useful and beneficial to me, I get all wishy-washy. Dumb.
I think I am going to find a way to get an extra $150 in near future, and just get it. Part of my new plan of re-prioritizing expenditures. I'm going to get rid of stuff that is superfluous, and be a lot more frugal with money. I do think I'll wait until after Mercury retrograde to buy any kind of new machinery, though. ;)
I try to do something creative every day, or at least a few times a week. I've really found that knitting works really well for me. I'm moderately good at it, it's a nice use of time at home while watching TV, or riding the subway to & from work. Plus, at the end there's something to wear or give to a friend. I've only been knitting for about a year, and I've seen my skill levels improve over time, probably due to the fact that I tend to knit a lot, or moderately often. Even if stuff ends up getting frogged, it's practice. I wouldn't say my knitting is totally perfect & beautiful, but I'm pretty happy with how it turns out in general.
And then there's sewing.
Since about the age of 9, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I loved flipping through the pages of Vogue and Elle. I watched Style with Elsa Klensch religiously. I loved clothing, and how it fit on people. I applied to Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, and was accepted. However, my parents were not willing to pay for college, nor allow me to move away. I went instead to one of my other college choices, the University of Maryland. I took the introductory textile classes and pattern-making classes. By my second year in the program, I was totally disillusioned. Not only was UM canceling my major & department, but the entire college that included about 10 different majors. To further antagonize the matter, my sewing & pattern classes really were not up to par with my expectations. The teachers didn't really care about fashion—they all seemed like they were straight out of local fabric store home-sewing classes than a college-level design class. I got snide remarks on designs, choices of notions, fabrics, and colors. To me, fashion is an art form—it's objective. You don't have to like everything, but to tell someone that they CAN'T use a sport zipper on evening wear? Who says so? Why not?!
With all these factors, I quit the program and changed my major to an utterly useless degree, but at least it made me appreciate being in college.
However, with the lack of sewing over the years, my skills devolved to about the level of a 6-year-old. Fast forward to now. I do a lot of tiny projects that don't take a lot of skill, but I'm just so frustrated. When I attempt larger projects with more than 3 seams, everything goes to crap. I know I can get better with time, but when I get so angry and upset at a project, it's not exactly encouraging.
To wit: I started working on a western shirt a few weeks ago. I cut the pieces out. No problem. I sewed the side seams, darks, button placket, and yokes together. Fine. The I took the collar band & collar, put interfacing on them, and assembled them. Ok so far. Then I had to sew the collar to the shirt. I attempted this three times, and every attempt was full of fail. The collar was a good inch too short for the neck. WHAT. I know I cut everything out correctly, and my seams were not really so far off that the collar couldn't fit. At this point, I just want to cry, and I feel like a total failure. My choices are to either take everything apart and re-sew all the seams, or burn it. I'm kind of leaning toward the latter.
I have a huge pile of vintage & modern sewing patterns I've been amassing from ebay and online vendor sales. I want to get around to making them without breaking down in tears. I want to make my own clothes, instead of buying cheap, manufactured-in-sweatshop clothing that falls apart after the third washing. I want to have things that are more tailored to my own personal style and tastes. But I just keep hitting this wall because I think I absolutely suck.
Another cause of frustration is my sewing machine. I just wanted a simple, inexpensive machine, since I know I don't sew very much. I got the Kenmore Mini, which I think cost me all of $67. It's cute and functional, but aside from straight stitches, it's kind of crap (especially after using a higher-end Bernina to take some sewing classes at the local fabric store). The presser foot is too heavy and stretches out any knit fabric or elastic I attempt to sew. I can't set the stitch length (it has about 5 pre-set stitches), so even the "basting" stitches are too tiny. And it jams at the drop of a hat. I would really love to get the same sewing machine I got for my mom's birthday last year (the Brother ES2000). The reviews for it are phenomenal, and it's under $200. For comparison, the Bernina I want is almost $1000.
Now the guilt-trip over deciding if I should get another machine. I know I sew better with a nicer machine—the clothing items I made in class came out fairly well, and I had a much easier time of things. The clothes I make at home make me cry. If I had a better machine, it would encourage me to sew more, which would allow me to get better skills. I just have a hard time making that leap. It's absolutely ridiculous the things on which I can drop $150 without batting an eye, but for something that might actually prove to be useful and beneficial to me, I get all wishy-washy. Dumb.
I think I am going to find a way to get an extra $150 in near future, and just get it. Part of my new plan of re-prioritizing expenditures. I'm going to get rid of stuff that is superfluous, and be a lot more frugal with money. I do think I'll wait until after Mercury retrograde to buy any kind of new machinery, though. ;)
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