Monday, March 26, 2007

Add, subtract, and shawls

I've mentioned the local coffee shop before and today I found out that the kitchen is being enlarged. But I also found out that one of a neighbor's cherry trees was chopped down. The same one I have picked cherries from 2 or 3 summers.

Speaking of math, you ought to know you need a break when you start reading "4" instead of "r" as I was doing today in math class.

I have long admired Grumperina's progress photos on her Mountain Ash shawl, (Well, maybe not long-long, but it sounds good!) which I hear was recently completed. (Such as this one:)
So, I think I'll borrow one of the Yarn Harlot's pattern photos and show you where I am in the Snowdrop shawl.(BTW, my image is marked differently than Grumperina's because I used Paint rather than fancy Photoshop)

Yes, indeedy (Where did I pick that up?) I have only five rows of snowdrops in the main section to go (40 rows)








(I'm getting a little fed up with the Blogger image alignment thing, but oh well...)
I also have something to show you that I did this weekend. I used a piece of 1/2" 100% nylon organdy ribbon, nail polish, a seam ripper, the smallest between needle in my multi-size pack, reddish/pink yarn and the book I learned to tat from (Reader's Digest Complete Guide to needlework). Keep in mind, however, that these pictures wear taken with a scanner, so you can't see too well. The two with white background had the scanner closed and the one with the black background had the scanner open.


















Only attempt such feats if you have good eyesight, good lighting, and a fair amount of patience.

Be on the lookout for a few changes in the appearance of the blog!
Have a nice day!
Arachnera

(P.S. That was a non-meaningful reference to a song, yes.)

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

A few more things

You may notice that a tiny bit of blog maintenance has taken place, as I have tidied up the sidebar and placed my newly finished sweater in "FO's".

I guess I've taken up tatting again, and I thought I'd share the link to a site I hope to visit next Monday (you'll see why on the site) www.georgiaseitz.com

Guess What's Finished?

Oh yes! I've finished my first sweater! I may get a picture up later, but right now, I'll just give you a few specifics:

Pullover Sweater:
Yarn: 3 skeins Lion Brand Homespun in Spring Green(?)
Needles: U.S. size 10 & 8's single points
Pattern: Hooded Sweater Free Pattern from Lion Brand (Note: You may get taken to a "register for free pattern" page if you have not done this yet. I don't know of any way to bypass this.)
Length of work: Almost 2 yrs!
Size: Adult S.
Any modifications?
Okay. This is my first sweater, and you may laugh when you read this. I had absolutely no idea about sweater sizes or gauge when I chose what size to make. Also, I have grown in bust size by an inch or two since I choose the size. But anyway, I choose the size that exactly coordinated with my size at the time. I didn't check gauge at all. And so, after almost two years of working off and on on this sweater, I was afraid it wouldn't fit. Therefore I added a zigzag crochet chain insertion at the side seam to add more width. Apparently I was not knitting to gauge. However, this worked for me, rather than against me. Except for the fact that I ran short of yarn to knit the hood, which I left off, opting for no neck finishing at all, this looser gauge was a good thing because the sweater fits! It's a little shorter than I usually like, but I got compliments on it when I showed it to people. There is also one little thing about the front: right under the front neckline there is a purl ridge in the stockinette fabric. It isn't a bad little detail, but I didn't intend it. Unfortunately, my mom took me a little too literally when I asked her to knit a row in my first sweater.
Anything I would have changed?
Not that I know of, actually.

I am wearing the long-running gray cabled socks today. I discovered something the other day. You know about all the issues with the errata in Sensational Knitted Socks, right? Well, there was an error that had already been discovered that I didn't notice. As I knitted, I thought, "It doesn't look quite like the picture but it's probably just me." Well, there is an error in the chart for the Braid Cable with Garter Bead. Someone stuck too many rows in the instructions. There should be eight, but there are twelve!

Friday, March 16, 2007

I wish I were knitting

Or crocheting, or tatting, or spinning, or almost anything. But I'm not. And I haven't been. I seem to have come down with some sort of cold-like virusy illness. I haven't knitted in several days. I am finding the Basketweave Socks frustrating because the pattern should not be so difficult as to need the book, but I have trouble remembering the number of rows or whatever. The Harebell socks are at a standstill.

Today I got to looking again at spinning wheels and looms on the web. I've read comments on Knitter's Review on many types. I love the look of the Saxonys, but I can stand castle wheels, also. It has nothing to do with how they spin, but I don't care for the look of Louet wheels. It seemed that several people or at least one recommended that if you get one wheel and only one wheel, you should get a Lendrum. Frankly, I find them only slightly better in looks than the Louet wheels.
It does seem odd that you would base your decision on what a spinning wheel looks like, but I think I would consider that right under Is this wheel well suited to me? Does it have the capabilities I want? I mean, if you are going to be looking at something every day, you might want something you like the looks of.
I love the looks of the Kromski wheels. I'm not sure which one I'd get though. I'd need to try them out. Which I haven't done, and I haven't spun on a wheel for a long enough period of time to be able evaluate a wheel properly. I like the Schacht wolf looms ("Schacht" is one of those words, like "borchst" [spelling] that I either never know how to pronounce it or never think I pronounce it correctly.), but their spinning wheels are sort of out of my price range.

DISREGARD ANYTHING IN THIS POST THAT SEEMS DUMB OR WEIRD. Due to my cold/virus, I am suffering from "dumb brain"

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Just Call it Putting the Cart Before the Horse....

Er, is that even the way the saying's supposed to go? Make that yarn before needles. Wait! That doesn't work either. I started EZ's Moccasin socks. And finished the first top half. But... I don't have a circular needle for the bottom. Oopsies....

You haven't heard much about the snowdrop shawl recently, but I am at the first point where snowdrops are removed. I knitted a couple rows recently. It seems like I haven't accomplished much and I guess I haven't been doing much. I tried to start the cuff of the button top socks, but I(at the time sleepy) was perplexed when I seemed to have the wrong number of stitches. I still have all these assignments to do....

Anyway, I'll distract you with a reading idea:

Like fiber?
Like Little House?
You might try reading Little House in the Highlands, On the Far Side of the Loch, Down to the Bonny Glen, and possibly others. The subject of these is Laura Ingalls Wilder's great grandmother as a young girl. The setting is Scotland right after the American Revolution. There is not too much knitting, but Martha (Laura's great grandmother) learns to spin on a... I won't spoil it for you. Especially if you like Little House, you should try these.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Moccasin Socks!

Okay, Arachnera finally read in detail the November chapter of Knitter's Almanac. So she thinks "I want to make those!" She go to Micheal's to pick up crochet thread for Irene, the next "Doily with a twist" in my seven in '07 saga. She looks at the woolly yarns she never buys there. She goes to JoAnns over the weekend to pick up buttons for the "Button Top Socks" she has started. And she leaves the store with....
1 skein Patons Classic Wool in taupe
1 skein Patons Classic Wool in paprika
1 90 cent card of white 1/2" buttons.

And then...

Oops! My needles are all in projects! What shall I do?
I will just have to wait until I finish a few things, I guess.
What things am I working on?

Pair of gloves, a UFO that was supposed to be a Christmas present not last Christmas, but the Christmas before that.

Button top socks from Donna Kooler's (Did I spell that right?) Encyclopedia of Crochet (These are a recent development.)


Snowdrop shawl, which is rather neglected.

Pansy socks, which are in an indeterminate state because of the errror in the pattern which I notified Martingale about and they have posted!

Socks in gumball color Parade which are just moving slowly.

I'm also mad at Blogger because I now have Gmail, but I don't know how to merge this @yahoo account with the @gmail account and I can't move any of the blogs.

I'm also swamped with schoolwork and really should not be posting... Oh well...

And, for your info, I have started a Seven in '07 CAL (Craft Along). Leave a comment if you're interested in it. The URL is www.seveninoh7.blogspot.com .

Plus, my neglected Yahoo email has 165 unread messages that I probably want to read.

Plus, my knitting group meets tonight.

Darn it.