Cable Fee-vah

I've given two of my recent "secret projects", so, details:

The first secret project was pretty much a carbon copy of the Chickadee Cowl I made for myself with the Yarn Bee Mosaic Twist-- same color, even.  (That's the two of them together in the photo above.)

That pattern is such a joy to knit.  So simple!  So fast!  So much fun to watch the colors interact!  I recommend it highly for even a new knitter.  Once you get over any fear you may have of knitting in the round, you're ready to go.

I'm calling this the Froot Loop Cowl because of the name of the yarn’s colorway-- “Fruity”-- and the fact that a cowl is basically a big loop of fabric.  (Froot Loops... I wish I were a skinny little kid again and could eat sugary cereals with no repercussions.)

Even the "wrong" side of the linen stitch is pretty, so it's reversible, if you like:

I've seen some very covet-able linen stitch scarves knit from odds and ends of yarn-- a good potential use for all these shorter "leftover" lengths of bulky yarn I'm accumulating.

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The second secret project was another cowl/neckwarmer, but I was out of appropriate yarn for Chickadee Cowls, so I decided to try my hand at cables.

The Quick Cabled Cowl uses bulky/super bulky yarn, so it's another project that works up very quickly-- perfect for gift-making.  I think the pattern has a sophisticated, modern look.

I made the buttons from polymer clay (and a little mica powder and liquid polymer clay), since I didn't have any of the right size/color on hand.  

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The cowls/neckwarmers were part of a thank-you gift for Mom and Kimberly (I made two different neckwarmers and left it for them to choose) for checking in our dogs while we went to Atlanta a couple of times to take care of Donald’s citizenship test/ceremony.  (He is officially an American citizen now!  It still hasn't really sunken in for me, though.)

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On the drive to/from Atlanta, I spent a little time knitting.  Still not much time, but some.  I'd lined up a special super-easy project just for the occasion-- the "Wham Bam Thank You Lamb" neckwarmer.  However, since I used an acrylic/alpaca mix yarn, it's more like "Wham Bam, Thank You Alpaca... and Whoever Invented Acrylic Yarn".  ;o)

The yarn is Yarn Bee's Andes Alpaca.  I'll admit, it was an impulse (and coupon-inspired) purchase.  The yarn was so pretty and soft that I gave in to temptation, even though I wasn't sure what I'd make with it.  I figured the right pattern would present itself.  Even though it's thinner than the yarn recommended for the Wham Bam neckwarmer, I think it works-- assuming you don't require a large, heavy-duty neckwarmer. (Down here, I'll probably get more use out of a slightly lighter neckwarmer, anyway.)

I'm not sure how I feel about my seam, which is anything but invisible.  I might possibly crochet some flowers in finer gauge yarn to cover the seam.  The again, maybe not.

Andes Alpaca has mixed reviews on Ravelry.  I didn't have any problems with it-- no big knots... still silky soft even after knitted.  It did shed a little during knitting, and it may shed more when worn, but you know what?  I share my home with an American Eskimo Dog; I'm used to long, white hairs on ev.er.y.thing.   So a few loose alpaca hairs aren't a big deal, as far as I'm concerned.  If you do freak out over a stray white hair or two on your clothes, this might not be a good yarn for you, though.

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The "big" secret projects (two of them) are growing at an acceptable pace.  I think of them as being 33% done, but really, the last "third" (in my mental division of the project) is smaller than the first two-thirds... so it's probably more like 40% done.  Anyway, I've started Phase Two, which is exciting.  (I was getting a little burned out on Phase One.)

Sorry, no photos.  I don't want to risk ruining the surprise.  Unfortunately, Christmas is such a loooong time away, these will have to remain incognito for months to come. 

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After enjoying working the chunky cables in that neckwarmer, I decided to tackle another cable project-- also an excellent excuse to use some of the hand-dyed wool I've been blogging about. 

The pattern is the Celtic Cable Neckwarmer, and because the color of the yarn reminded me of Spanish moss, I put that in the name of my project. 

I started out using a cable needle, but soon tired of constantly juggling the cable needle (since it had to be inserted and removed multiple times in some rows).  Holding the cable needle between my lips when it wasn't in use was the best solution I could come up with (better than setting it down and picking it up each and every time), but that didn't solve the problem of how the yarn didn't want to get out of the cable needle's "yarn-holding groove" quickly and easily.  

The whole process was just way too messy, so I gave in and looked at a video about knitting cables without a cable needle.  I won't say it's always a speedy, easy-breezy technique (for me, at this point), but for this pattern, it's preferable to the frequent manipulating of a cable needle.  (I'll save cable needles for patterns with larger cables and/or less twisting of the cables.)

Here; enjoy a couple of not-so-great photos of my progress as of a few days ago:

I have to say-- even if it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn ;o)-- I'm amazed to be knitting "fancy" cables like this when I only really started knitting five months ago.  Admittedly, I'm knitting them at a snail's pace, and they're not absolutely perfect in every way, but what I'm knitting is recognizable as the Celtic Cable Neckwarmer!  It looks pretty complicated (imho), and when I knitted that first dishcloth back in October, I never would have believed I could handle something like this by February.  Not that I'm a knitting pro-- not at all-- or anything like that... Just, it's not as difficult as I'd expected to pick up the basics and gradually build on them.  

If you've been put off the idea of knitting because you're afraid it's too hard for you to learn--  I promise you, it's really not.  If you can crochet, you can knit (and vice versa).  Just give it a little time.  Find the learning method that suits you best.  (Books with diagrams?  Video tutorials?  A live, in-person instructor?)  Have patience with yourself, stick with it, and it will gradually get easier and better-looking.  

Also-- it doesn't seem to matter how long you've been knitting or crocheting-- the first little bit of a project is often the hardest part.  Getting started can be daunting; frequently those first rows or rounds don't look as expected, and you start to wonder if you're doing it right or even if this project is beyond your abilities.  Work the pattern a little longer before giving up and ripping out your work.  So many times, it will seem to magically snap into shape after a few more rows.

Well, enough rambling.  (This has been one of those "write a little now, write a little later" entries.)

Balls of Yarn, My First Knitted Hat, & Magic Loop

I don't have much time to spare for the blog at the moment, but a short post is better than none at all. :o)

When the yarn was finally dry (which I tried to speed along by pointing a fan at it for a while), I wrapped it into balls.  Here are a couple of photos:

The blue/purple/green in the bottom photo is in four small balls because I ran into a few knots when I originally wrapped it into hanks.  I decided to leave them until after the dyeing, but I didn't want to be surprised by them in the middle of knitting.  This will be a good time to learn about felted joins (which I find a nicer name than "spit splice" (g)).

I have yet to use any of it.  Still really looking forward to that, though!

In the meantime, I'm making good progress on Big Secret (Crochet) Project #1.   I think I'm about 33% done with that one, but I'm putting it on pause while I start Big Secret (Crochet) Project #2. (I'll go back and forth between the two of them until they're done.)

Then there's my current knitting project. I'm knitting the Hurricane Hat:

It's my first time knitting a hat, but not my last, if I have my way.

I thought about naming it after one of the big hurricanes that have come through this area-- Frederick or Ivan, for instance-- but then I decided that might be kind of a depressing name. (g) So I'm going to call it "Hurricane Party".

It's a simple enough pattern, but I always take a long time working on even simple things.  Partly because I only knit a little at a time-- and not very quickly, then-- and partly because I'm so new to it and still trying to figure out what size needles to use, whether or not to do a folded brim, etc.  Next up is "How long I should knit before I start to decrease?"  Can't just follow the pattern as written-- not with a hat that needs to fit a particular head.  ;o)

Oh, and this project also took a little extra effort to start because I was learning the magic loop method.   I watched a few different video tutorials for learning magic loop, but liked this one the most. It didn't take too long to pick it up, but it did require a few restarts.  I wonder if it wastes a little time with the frequent flipping back and forth, compared to working with a short circular.  However, it's really not much different from flipping your work when knitting flat... and I've never used 16" needles, but I imagine they may feel a little "tight" and restrictive to knit with.  What I like most about the magic loop is that I won't have to (purchase and) switch to double-pointed needles when I begin to decrease-- and I can use this method to knit even smaller tubes, like socks or mitts. 

That brings me to another subject:  My husband helped me make a nice, long, flexible cable for my Boye interchangeable knitting needles.  I used this tutorial and a helpful thread on a Ravelry forum to learn the basics of how it works.  In the end, we used 2-56 screws we found at RadioShack, some .065"-diameter weed-eater line (that we happened to already have on hand), and a couple of pieces of the tube in an ink pen (because we couldn't find the nylon tubing in the right size, locally, and if you buy on Amazon, you have to buy a lot of it... and then hope that they'll have it in stock).  I may tweak the cable-- or make another one in a slightly different manner-- but so far, it seems to be working pretty well.  

Well, back to the things I ought to be doing...  (And this turned out to not be so short, after all!)

(There are a few more photos of the yarn and hat on my Flickr photostream.)

Prepare to Dye!

I spoke too soon regarding the three completed gifts in January.  I still haven't finished that last one-- haven't even touched it since before the last entry.  (Oops.)

I did start my first Big Secret Project of the year, though.  It's going well, so far.  There's still tons to do, of course-- and I think I'm in denial about how long it will really take, because the first bits have gone so quickly.

Sneak peek:

That's all I can show for now. I don't want to risk giving the whole thing away.  (I don't think the intended recipient reads this blog, but just in case...)

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Yesterday, I gave in to a long temptation and decided to try dyeing some yarn. 

You don't need much, and I just happened to already have everything I'd need.  The only "ingredients" are animal-based yarn (in my case, I used wool) and either Kool-Aid (which comes with its own acid mixed into the powder) or food dye (Wilton's gels, liquid food color, Easter egg dye tablets) and vinegar (or lemon juice?  I think) for acid.

You'll also need water, a pot, a spoon, and a stove.  If you'd rather, you can use a microwave oven or crock pot instead of the stove.  (There seem to be a hundred different ways to dye yarn.  I chose an easy, mess-free way, this time-- stove, pot, wooden spoon, and a plastic dishpan for pre-soaking the yarn in water and vinegar.)

I had a skein of Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool and a small amount of (hand-me-down) vintage yarn that I think is Bear Brand "Wool and Shetland Wool". 

I found a chair with a "wrap" of close to a yard (35" is the closest we have) and wrapped all the yarn into hanks, dividing the Fishermen's wool into thirds, which seems like a decent amount for a hat or neck-warmer.  I wanted to play around with different colors, so the more hanks, the better.  In the future, I may try to dye a larger amount in the same color-- enough to make a generously sized scarf or shawl, for instance.  (I doubt I'll ever make a sweater... I tend to wear sweaters out quickly, so I'd rather just buy them.)

You may have noticed that the Fishermen's Wool was beige. It's the "Oatmeal" colorway. Most of the time, people seem to buy the "Natural" (a creamy white) for dyeing, but since I was using what I had on hand, Oatmeal it was! Next time, I'll probably try something in white or cream, but the Oatmeal worked fine. In fact, depending on the look you're going for, Oatmeal might be the better choice.  I imagine it tones down bright dyes into more neutral, muted shades. 

So, I ended up with five skeins (three of which are in the photo above)-- nearly 100 yards of the bright yellow, approximately 75 yards of the cream, and three 155-ish-yard skeins of the oatmeal.

I set about soaking and dying.  I spent a while fiddling around with it,  adding a little more color here and there to each pot, generally having fun, but I was surprised at how quickly it went.  It really needn't take long at all to dye a few hanks of yarn.  

I didn't take any photos of the dying process, but you can find plenty of information elsewhere.  (I'll provide a few links I found useful, at the bottom of this post.)

Basically (for my own Swiss cheese memory's sake), I soaked the yarn in a solution of water and vinegar-- nothing precise, roughly 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water.  I didn't soak for any prescribed length of time-- just 5 or 10 minutes, in some cases, maybe 20 or more for others. 

On the stove, I heated water and vinegar (in the same 3:1 ratio, usually with a total of four cups of liquid) in pots (two at a time, at most) and added my food dye.  I started out using just the Wilton's gels (the kind that come in tiny plastic pots with screw-on lids).  I've had a set of four colors for years:  Willow Green, Creamy Peach, Rose Petal, and Cornflower Blue.  However, I ended up adding plain old liquid food coloring (the kind that come in tiny plastic droppers and that usually come in a set of red, yellow, green, and blue) to each batch.

Some of my Wilton gels tend to stay in clumps, so I used a wire whisk to help break up the color as the water heated.  In some cases, I simply couldn't get all the globs to dissolve.  The globs may leave spots of dark/vibrant color where they hit the yarn, but it wasn't a big issue for me.  (I kind of like the look, actually.)  When the color was dissolved and the water warmed (but not boiling), I lifted the hank of yarn with a wooden spoon, let as much water drain off as possible, and put it into the pot of dye.  (This is where it's very handy to have the yarn soaking in another pot or a dishpan, so you can scoot it close to the dye bath to avoid dribbles.)

The smell of vinegar and wet wool is... interesting.  It wasn't as bad as I'd feared, and I think I have a fairly sensitive nose, but then again, I have dogs in the house, so maybe my nose isn't that sensitive, after all.  ;o)

You're supposed to let the yarn "cook" (but not boil) until the dye bath is clear, which means that the yarn has absorbed all the color.  I was kind of winging it, but when I wasn't happy with how a color looked in the yarn, I'd mix up more color in a coffee cup (with a little water) and either spoon it over portions of the yarn or pour it straight in.  I mixed dyes to get the colors I liked and just generally played around until I was happy, then took the pot off the heat to let it cool.  (It's hard waiting for the yarn to cool enough to handle!)

Pointers:  Try not to stir or otherwise agitate wool (or other feltable) yarn too much while it's hot.  This can cause felting, which can ruin your yarn.  Also, apparently you're not supposed to put wool into water that's colder than it is, because that also can cause felting.  I didn't know that, and I know that I put warm yarn into cold water a time or two, last night, but I don't think I did too much damage (if any).  Another thing to avoid:  Don't pour or run water right over the wool.  Doing so can cause-- yep, you guessed it, felting.

When the yarn is cool enough to handle, you rinse it (thoroughly) in water that's roughly the same temperature as the wool itself.  My hanks all rinsed clear-- no color bleeding into the rinse water-- so I washed them (briefly and gently) and rinsed them some more.  Then I held each hank above the sink, squeezed as much water as possible out of it (without wringing it, which is a no-no), and hung it in the utility room over a plastic clothes basket (in case it dripped).  I made sure none of the hanks were touching, to give them as much air as possible.  A few times before going to bed, I went and squeezed the bottom few inches of each hank over a small bucket.  (You'd be surprised how much water those things hold onto!)

By morning, the smaller skeins were almost dry, but the larger three are still damp.  I think I'll try a blow dryer and see if I can speed up the drying process.

I moved them into the hall bathroom for easy access, and it's hard to get an accurate photo of colors in that windowless room. I'll try again in daylight, when it's dry.  For now, here's the best I could do:



From left to right:

1)  Small amount of cream wool dyed primarily with Wilton's Cornflower Blue, but also with some liquid dye.

2)  Oatmeal dyed primarily with Wilton's Cornflower Blue, but also with some liquid dye.

3)  Oatmeal dyed with Wilton's Rose Petal and Creamy Peach, also with quite a bit of yellow and some red liquid dye.  (Had to work to get a more yellow-orange cast.  At first, the yarn was mostly beige with red on top.  It wasn't what I wanted.  I like this much better.)

4)  Oatmeal dyed primarily with Wilton's Willow Green, but also with green and blue liquid dye to give it a little more variation and a slightly bluer cast).

5)  Yellow wool  dyed almost entirely with Wilton's Rose Petal and Creamy Peach, but with a dash or two of red liquid dye near the end to punch up the contrast. 

It's interesting to note how different the same dye can look, depending on the base yarn.  The yellow yarn is much more vibrant than the oatmeal. Meanwhile, the oatmeal with the Cornflower Blue (which is known, by the way, for being unstable and "splitting" into purple and blue and sometimes pink) has a grey-green undercast... I really like it (it reminds me of storm clouds, but I'm sure it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.



I can't wait until the yarn is dry enough to wind into balls (by hand, no ball winders here) and then be knit into something!  How exciting!

(This is how people get addicted.  The first step is knitting.  Then you dabble with dying your own yarn.  After a while, you realize you want to try spinning your own yarn from fleece, and before you know it, you have a flock of sheep in your back yard.  (g))

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Links I found useful (though some of them are more about Kool-Aid dyeing):

Handpaint Your Own Yarn (on Knitty)
http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/FEATdyeyourown.html

Wilton Dyes Tests (on InsanKnitty)
http://insanknitty.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/i-said-it-was-an-addiction-didnt-i/

Wilton Dye Ratios (on Craftster)
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=102434.0

Kool-Aid Dyeing  (on Knitty)
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html

Tie-Dye with Kool-Aid  (by Paula Burch)
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/drinkmix.shtml

I also find it very interesting and inspiring to browse the hand-dyed stash of Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool on Ravelry.  There are so many different looks you can achieve with just a handful of food dyes and Kool-Aid mixes!  I warn you, though, if you go there and look, you most likely will feel an irresistible urge to try dying some of your own. 

No-Photo Update

No photos this time, I'm afraid.  Just jabber. 

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I've finished "Secret Project".  It was quick, easy, and fun to knit.  (Hurray for those projects.) 

When that was done, I promptly began "Another Secret Project"-- also knitting, but not quite so quick and easy.  Still fun, though, as it has been my introduction to knitting cables.  It's worked in chunky yarn, which always makes for satisfyingly speedy progress.  (Well, speedy by my standards.  Some of those speed demons out there claim they whipped up this project in two hours.  I'm simply not that fast at knitting or crochet.) I'm currently stalled on that one, though.  Shouldn't take much more to finish it, but I have to kick myself back into gear on it...

So, together with a thread crochet project I've already finished, that makes three gifts (that will be) completed in January.   I'm impressed!  ;o)  Unfortunately, that also means fewer in-progress and finished-object photos for the blog...  (I may have to resort to more "sneak peek" photos-- the kind that don't reveal the precise nature/size/intended recipient of the project.)  On the other hand, two of the the three will be given relatively soon... and none of them are Christmas gifts, so I'm not really making progress on that front. 

On that subject, I'm not sure how many handmade gifts I'll be making for next Christmas, anyway.  I have two big crochet projects in mind (just about to start one of them, actually).  Then there's a sewing and small-scale crochet project that will go together.  But apart from those, I just don't know... I enjoy making and giving handmade gifts-- and I feel that urge to make gifts very strongly, closer to Christmas-- but it takes a lot of time, and sometimes you have to wonder if it's worth it-- especially when you can't be sure whether the recipient is genuinely pleased with whatever you've made. 

We'll see.  One thing in favor of making gifts-- it give me an excuse to make things.  I mean, I can only use so many of XYZ, myself, but if I have a few people I can make them for, I get to knit/crochet/sew so much more!  ;o)  I think the key is to do a little throughout the year, and to intersperse my gift-making among my "for me/Donald/our home"-making, so that I don't start to feel that I'm only ever "making" for someone else, who may or may not even want the darn thing. 

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I'm thisclose to finishing the V-Stich-ghan.  I think I'm ready to crochet over the selvedge edge, and then I'll be DONE. 

I already have my next crochet project (a gift (g)) lined up. 

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I think I'm going to make myself a scarf, for my next knitting project.  Not sure, yet, what yarn I'll use (I want to use stash yarn, and I'm iffy on the yardage I'll need to get decent length), but I'm leaning toward this project:  Reversible Cabled Brioche Stitch Scarf (here on Ravelry).   I also found (what looks to be) a very similarly-styled scarf, elsewhere:  Reversely Cabled.  I think I'll go with the former, though.  For one thing, it's been on Ravelry longer than the other (which I added myself, yesterday), and there are lots of projects for inspiration/guidance. 

I've never done the brioche stitch before, but apparently it's very squishy.  (It also sounds very fancy, doesn't it?)  From what I gather, lifelines are a must in this scarf, and the cables may be a little tight to knit.  I blanched a little when I read that... but the cables I've been knitting have been a little tight, and I've still managed with them, so why not these, as well?

Anyway, it's a lovely scarf, and I think it will be worth a little extra effort to make one. 

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While checking out Ravelry projects for that scarf pattern, I came across a yarn named "Supreme Possum Merino".  It's 40% possum fur, 50% merino wool, and 10% silk. 

Well, that's certainly interesting... (What a conversation-starter.  "I love your scarf.  Is that wool?"  "Oh, thank you!  Actually, it's a blend of wool, silk, and possum fur." *other person makes a polite "ah!" sound and takes the first opportunity to slip away*) 

It's probably a very nice, soft yarn.  I just... I can't think of possum fur as a luxury fiber.  Honestly, that strikes me as much more icky than the thought of people using dog fur in yarn.  Probably because one of our dogs is an Eskie, with long, silky-soft fur.  It hardly smells "doggy" at all, either, unless she gets wet.  A possum, on the other hand, seems like vermin.  Imagine a rat-fur yarn!  Ick.

Random This & That

Progress Reports:
I'm getting close to the end of the Very Vintage V-Stitch-Ghan.  Maybe a handful more rows until I'm happy with the length, then taking care of tidying up the sides, which are a mess, since I haven't woven in any of the tails.  I plan to crochet over them when I crochet along the selvedge... and then weave the last bits in the opposite direction.  (Maybe... Or possibly just crochet over them and say "good enough".)

I had trouble when I picked up the Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, so I ended up having to frog it. :o(  Then I had an awful time getting it restarted, but I'm finally back about where I was when I stopped, last time.  (Progress?  Yeah, right. (g))

Otherwise... I'm mostly working on a Secret Project gift item, so no details on that one... Just that it's an easy-breezy project that's loads of fun to knit. 

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What I Found at Wal-Mart:
I know it's not fashionable to shop at Wal-Mart, but whatever.  I do, and I'm not ashamed to say so.  Anyway, on a recent shopping trip, I took a look down the yarn-craft aisle and was surprised to find size 20 crochet thread there.  True, it was only available in white, but I think that's the first time I've seen size 20 thread at Wal-Mart.  I bought a ball to signal my approval. ;o)  Now I need to choose a pattern and give it a try.  So far, I haven't crocheted with anything finer than size 10 thread.

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Interchangeable Knitting Needles:
By my standards, sets of interchangeable knitting needles can be a bit pricy.  However, all it took to convince me that it was worth the investment was accidentally buying the wrong size/length of fixed circular needles.  Even buying individual fixed/length needles with 40-50%-off coupons adds up-- especially since you can't always know what size needle you'll need to get gauge.  So I took one of those good coupons and put it toward one of the cheaper sets of interchangeable needles. 

I got the Boye set of needles.  I chose them because it was the most affordable set (if bought locally with the 50%-off coupon)-- and also because in my limited experience, I find metal needles nicer to work with than plastic.  (I haven't tried bamboo, but since I like the slickness of metal needles, I doubt that bamboo's my style.) 

Like most things, you find widely varying opinions of this set, online. There are two most commonly cited negatives of this set:  1) The cables are stiff, and 2) The needles come unscrewed from the cables during knitting.

My responses:

1)  I haven't had a problem with the cables being too stiff, so far, but if I ever do, I plan to soften them by dunking them in hot water and straightening them-- or using one of the other remedies I've read for stiff cables.  Or if I'm really desperate, I've seen an interesting tutorial for making your own cables.

2) The first time I used these needles, I wasn't knitting in the round, and I had no trouble with the needles coming apart.  The first time I did knit in the round was a different story... Sure enough, the needle in my right hand kept unscrewing itself.  I paused my work and scooted the stitches apart enough to use the (kit-included) tightening system (which I hadn't bothered with before).  Since tightening them, I haven't had a bit of trouble (and I've used the needles to complete one project and start another).  So it seems that some of the reviews I read were correct:  If you take the time to (carefully) tighten the connection (as per instructions), you are much less likely to have a problem with the needles coming loose from the cable. 

Here's the case that comes with the needles...

...And a rather blurry photo of (most of) the kit's contents:

Some of the cables aren't in the photo.  (I took them out the first time I checked out the kit.  I prefer not to have them in the pouch, unless I'm taking the whole kit with me somewhere.)

So far, I'm happy with this purchase.  The needles can be attached to any of the lengths of cable, and cables can be connected to make them longer.  If you want to use them as straight needles, those little red discs can be screwed onto the ends of the cables.  Also, you can purchase extra cable connectors, needles, and cables, separately.  (Or make a bunch of your own with that tutorial I linked above.)  Unless I start doing knitting that requires tiny or gigantic needles (unlikely), I should have everything I need in this kit.

One funny thing:
Where I bought my kit, there were two in stock with two different package designs.  They'd obviously just done a redesign.  Some of the information on one of the packages was a little misleading.  Whoever designed it apparently didn't pay close enough attention to what s/he was doing.  When (very prominently) listing the needle sizes available in the kit, they included two numbers that simply aren't there.  I'm sure this wasn't intentional-- and because the package was clear, you could see for yourself exactly which needles were included in the kit-- but it's still a pretty bad mistake.   For the record, this kit includes the following needle sizes:  2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11, 13, and 15.  It does not include sizes 12 or 14. (Actually, sizes 12 and 14 don't even exist in the US sizing system...)

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Cable Needles:
I have my eye on a simple knitting project that involves basic cables, so I picked up a small set of cable needles from the craft store.  There were only two sets to choose from, and the other was made up of plastic needles, which is completely unappealing.  This one has three different styles of needles (and at least two sizes).  Maybe they'll help me decide what style of cable needle I prefer.  That is, if I don't find cabling too difficult, period.  Cables seem so mysterious and difficult.  I'll be pretty impressed with myself if I manage to make them.  ;o)

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And to finish up the entry...
My mother won a giveaway for a very nice gift certificate for an online shop that sells fabric, yarn, trim, etc.-- and she generously asked my sisters and I to choose something to order along with her!  (Wasn't that sweet?)  Here's what I got:  It's a yard of some adorable lime green retro-style fabric with blue-polka-dotted kitties-- and two skeins of Cascade 220 wool yarn.  The blue skein is #2433 (Pacific Heather), and the one in the back is #8229 (Country Green). 

It was lots of fun shopping/choosing.  Next I'll have probably hours of fun thinking about what to make... and then the fun of the actual making.  Thank you again, Mom! 

Knitting & Crocheting on the Road

My husband is in the process of gaining American citizenship, and to make it to his interview/test, we had to drive up to Atlanta on Monday (and back again on Tuesday), which amounts to, I don't know, ten (or so) hours of driving and/or riding.  That's a lot of time, so I made sure to have plenty of knitting and crocheting projects with me-- the already-in-progress Chickadee Cowl, the barely-begun Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, and the pattern and ball of thread for my next doily. 

So, what did I get done?  Not much.  Apparently I don't knit or crochet much when I'm riding in a car.  Of course, it was dark for 2-3 hours of our drive home, but I think a bigger issue is that I feel guilty focusing too much on knitting/crocheting when poor Donald is driving for hours at a time.  (For the record, I always offer to do some of the driving, but he never takes me up on it.  What does that say about my driving ability? ;o)  Seriously, I think he prefers driving to riding, since he's prone to motion sickness.)

I often like to put in some earbuds and listen to music while I knit/crochet, but I hated to "shut him out" like that when he was doing all that driving.  Next time I'll put on a book-on-tape or something else that we can both listen to and enjoy... At least we made some progress in the book we're reading aloud together (Making Money, by Terry Pratchett). 

One thing I did accomplish was nearly finishing the cowl.  I loved knitting that pattern in that (soft, pretty, twinkly, rainbowy) yarn.  Such a great, fast project!  I still have to bind off, which I've been avoiding thinking about.  I'll need to read and figure out what kind of bind-off to do.  So far, I think I've only tried two types of bind-offs, ever.  One was sewn, and the other, I guess, is just the traditional, plain-jane, knitted bind-off (whatever that's called).  I need more experience to be a good judge of which one is most suitable for a given pattern. 

I also started the doily.  I began it in the hotel room Monday night in an effort to unwind and get comfortable in the new surroundings (without much success, as I still had trouble falling and staying asleep) and continued on Tuesday while I waited during the interview/test.  It did a better job of distracting me, that time, though I still couldn't do many rows before I "had" to stop for a while.  I'm fidgety, apparently. This hasn't been a favorite doily pattern, so far.  It's not that difficult, but there has been a lot of chaining, which I don't love.  (The chains may have had something to do with the fidgeting.)

The Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, I haven't touched since my last entry (and well before it).  I want to get back into it, but maybe not until after I've finished this doily (PK's "Majestic" in dusty rose size 10 thread).

Speaking of the thread, it's some I bought in a very cheap bag of thread at a thrift store-- my stash of South Maid, and quite possibly the only South Maid thread I ever will buy.  The stuff has such a weird texture.  It's stiff, rough, and "crunchy", and it tends to split in this weird, crunchy way-- fortunately, not when I place the hook, but after I've made a stitch, sometimes.  ...Anyway, I want to use some of it up, and it's actually perfectly useable, once you get started, but it's definitely not my favorite thread.  At least the dusty rose should go well with the decor of the intended recipient.

...And... I hesitate to admit it, but I'm champing at the bit to start another large-scale project.  I have yet to finish the Very Vintage V-Stitchghan, my most recent large-scale project, so I probably ought to hold off, but I don't know if I can resist... In any case, I guess the particulars of this next large project really ought to be kept a secret.  (Oh, how I hate keeping crafty projects secret!!)  Worse yet, it will have to be a secret until Christmas.  So many months of keeping it secret!  The agony!

(Sorry for the lack of photos.  I'll try to come back with a snap or two, soon.)

Nostalgia, Strangling Vine, Majestic & Chickadee

I chose and sewed on some buttons for the Nostalgia Neck-Warmer, yesterday:

It's pretty cozy.  Could probably benefit from blocking, but for now it works as it is. 

I haven't made much progress on my Subterranean Strangling Vine Lace Scarf, but then again, I haven't worked on it much, either.  (g)

I did go ahead and copy out the 4-row chart so that I'll have it handy when I do sit down and put in some stitching time on it...

And because it just seemed like I needed a portable crochet project, in addition to the portable lace knitting project, I've chosen a doily pattern and am all ready to start hooking.  I'm planning to crochet the doily on the cover.  (It's "Majestic" by Patricia Kristoffersen, in the booklet titled Masterpiece Doilies.  I've already made "Gallant" from the same booklet and found it a very pretty doily design.)

But at the moment, I'm smitten with another project already in progress-- the Rainbowy Chickadee Cowl.  It's my first try at knitting in the round-- and my first time using bulky or super bulky yarn-- and I'm loving it.

Knitting in the round was a little intimidating at first, but so far, so good.  The pattern itself is very easy to memorize and work (again, so far), and it knits up so fast in this chunky yarn!

I'm using some Yarn Bee Mosaic Twist that I bought on clearance probably years ago at Hobby Lobby (or the Hooby Looby, as we sometimes call it).   Too bad it's been discontinued, as it seems like a pretty nice yarn.  Of course, I probably think of it more favorably because I got it for 99 cents a skein.  (The regular price was over $6 a skein, according to the price sticker.)  Another factor in its favor--  this stitch pattern (linen stitch?) is very good at breaking up pooling in variegated yarn.  It probably wouldn't look nice in a lot of patterns.  I'm very happy with how this is turning out, though.

Meanwhile, Trixie the Eskie snoozes, oblivious to pooling, button selections, etc.:

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!