knit 'til it hurts

WHooooo's There?

2010-03-17T06:38:00.005-04:00

My very first mitten! Adorable - but sooooo far from perfect. The best part was finding those vintage buttons in my stash for his eyes! Now that's perfect; the rest of the mitten....not so much.

Thanks for the pattern Manda!

Sock Happy

2010-02-24T05:38:00.000-05:00

The sock addiction still has a stranglehold on my knitting. I've made 9 pairs so far and still want more more more.

These are a gorgeous pair from The Big Book of Socks by Kathleen Taylor. Which in my opinion, is the best sock pattern book I've come across. So many patterns that I just have to try.

(Sorry for the sideview - I don't know why it's doing this - it's right side up on my computer, but turns when I upload)

I've gifted these beauties to my mom and she loves them! I've recently convinced her to put down the dishcloths and try her hand at socks. So far so good - she's up (down?) to the heel turn and they look great.

Watching her learn the pattern and work with those itty bitty needles and fine yarn for the first time brings back memories of my first pair. Not good memories, but memories all the same.

Yummy!

2009-10-23T20:54:00.000-04:00

After trying this pattern using some sort-of bulkier yarn and failing, I was really anxious to try it again with a finer weight. Much easier and fun too!

Unfortunately, I didn't pay close enough attention and on my right hand glove, I am short one repeat of the pattern. URGH!! I feel very uneven. Well, I never expected to win any knitting awards that's for sure!

Fingerless Gloves

2009-09-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

My first fingerless gloves! Definitely won't be the last; my daughter Meghan has already requested these:

in this yarn:

Fun!

This past weekend I headed out to a fiber festival and only bought one skein!

The wool is from Francis - a resident sheep at Knox Farm in East Aurora, NY (where the festival was held). The temptation to buy buy buy was huge, but I just kept reminding myself of all the yarns I have patiently waiting for me at home and I was able to resist going overboard.

I find that it stresses me out to have all this 'stuff' and not the time to do work with it. I almost feel wasteful. And then on top of that, I ran into my old friends from the Amherst Museum Lace Guild, and started feeling horrible thinking about all my lace bobbins and threads and lace UFOs that are hibernating in my studio-yikes. Anyway....

Aren't these knitted fish hysterical?
Enjoy your day and knit as much and as often as you dare!

MoNKeY mAdNeSs

2009-09-10T06:09:00.001-04:00

Love this pattern!

It's the Monkey Socks from Cookie A. I really wasn't too sure I would be able to do it, since the pattern is a chart and I (in my limited knitting knowledge) had no clue on charts. Luckily the dears over at the knittingdaily.com KAL were of immense help as I stalked their KAL postings.

One suggestion was to write out the instructions and ignore the chart completely; another color-coded the different stitches so the chart resembled a tile mosaic. I did type up the pattern in the standard p4-k3-yo type of morse code of knitting, but found I was able to decipher the chart without any problem at all. What a thrill it was to get to the end of each row and have the right amount of stitches! Yippee!

I was afraid the solid color yarn would be a yawn and I would get bored. Nope. Quite the opposite. The pattern keeps urging me on - 'come on, one more row....' All was good, until.....

You have GOT to be kidding me! So Annoying!! When I told my mom about it, she immediately said "well, don't you re-wind your skein before you begin?" Um, no. Never even thought about that. I will now.

But I was happy that I know enough about knitting now to be able to un-do a row and fix this weak link. I'm down to the shaping of the gusset on the second sock and I find myself looking ahead to the next pattern I want to try and deciding which yarn in my stash would be best with which pattern. Oh, the possibilities are endless!

I'm just itching to get back to it, but to do so I need to disturb my new little one who has taken a liking to my knitting bag.

Oh, I guess I can wait a little bit ........

Stocking Up

2009-07-29T06:02:00.000-04:00

Even though I am still working away on my latest pair of socks and still have one skein of sock yarn left, I couldn't pass up a 20% off coupon from my LYS.

I've only used patterning yarns before in my socks, so I thought I would force myself to but some solid colors. I came across this KAL from knittingdaily.com that I really want to try, and I'm thinking the solid yarn will show the pattern off much better. It will be a bit of time before I get to them though ~sigh~ I'm just to the heel flap of my second sock on this pair.

I was very tempted to set these aside and get started on the Monkey sock pattern, but I resisted. Last thing I need is another UFO !

A set for Ellie

2009-07-02T08:52:00.000-04:00

My mother-in-law has always like the color blue, so I made this set up for her. The square cloth is from the yahoo! mid-month dishcloth group and the other is the same bobble pattern that my mom gave me. The bobbles were much easier this time around and I actually like making them.

We are off for vacation - camping at Allegany State Park in New York. A most-beautiful place! I'm bringing along sock supplies and a dishcloth pattern, just in case I suffer withdrawl......

Silly Socks

2009-06-10T23:02:00.000-04:00

Well, I was just loving this sock yarn because it was making this fun spiral down the tube. Very nifty. Well, then I got to the heel and that was the end of the spiral. Bummer. But I still love them, spiral or no spiral.

My Apron

2009-05-25T08:29:00.000-04:00

Yippee!! It's done! And I love it!

and no, I'm not 8 feet tall - I'm standing on a chair in my kitchen, so I could take the picture in the mirror :)

Its a Good Thing

2009-05-22T17:44:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not quoting Martha Stewart .... far from it.

I'm just thinking that it's a good thing this is 'just a dishcloth' because the blatant mistake I made in the pattern would render anything else useless. But what's a little extra stripe among friends, right?

This pattern was the Yahoo Group's mid-month mystery dishcloth pattern and there is no picture provided. So when I originally saw how different this one area was, I thought maybe it was just the way the pattern was going to be. Like a stripe on the top and bottom. Nope. Just a mistake on my part. But other than that, I really like this pattern. I'm thinking of working it up as my next pair of socks. Of course, not until after that apron gets finished :)

Bobble Bobble

2009-05-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

Although really far from being perfect - I have learned to bobble. My mom had this pattern and didn't have any desire to learn how to do it, and I was intrigued by the instructions, because I had no idea what a bobble even was. I guess 'bobble' sounds better than 'wart', though I think wart is more representative of what the silly things turn out looking like! (sorry to all you bobble lovers)
I'm giving this to my mom - she wants it to put under her african violet plant as a coaster kind of thing.

I am happy to say my apron is 12" long (only 3" more to go before the sash). I really thought I would be bored stiff with the pattern, but it's a great mindless project when I'm too tired to keep track of a pattern, but still feel like knitting. And the longer it gets, the more I see how awesome of an apron it's going to be!

Look What's On My Feet!

2009-05-09T17:17:00.001-04:00

And look what will be on my waist--my apron! Only another 10" to go.....

Promises Promises

2009-05-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

I promised myself I would NOT do another dishcloth until I had finished my second cable sock. In fact I did work on the sock, but I just kept hearing all that cotton yarn I bought whispering, 'knit me knit me'.

Since I had done the mid-month cloths from Yahoo for February, March, and April, I really wanted to do January too, just so I can have a full set at the end of the year. And since this only took me one evening and a little bit of time this a.m., my sock will never know, right???

Before I started the pattern, I just glanced through it quickly, thinking this will be easy. Until I got to "psso" what?? Even when I looked it up in my knitting book, I still wasn't sure what "passed slip stitch over" really meant. I think I did it right though, because the cloth looks like the finished picture on the pattern.

Now back to the sock--until my size 8 needles arrive from KnitPicks - and then my apron pattern will be shouting 'knit me knit me'........

Dishcloth Mania!

2009-04-22T15:54:00.000-04:00

Thanks to AC Moore for putting their cotton yarn on sale for just 98 cents a skein. Whoo Hoo! I've stocked up and am ready to go. I already made a cloth for my friend Heather using the twist yarn. I really like the twist! It's much softer and bit finer than the regular cotton.

I also got 4 skeins of the same color in preparation for making an apron. I was already to go....until I realized I need size 8 needles, which I don't have yet. Oh well, just an excuse to go back to AC Moore!

I finished the mid-month pattern for April from the Yahoo Monthly Dishcloth challenge. The pattern is a bit wacky - the holes aren't evenly spaced. I suppose there is a really good chance I messed up the pattern, but after all -- "it's just a dishcloth!"

Easter Surprises

2009-04-13T15:18:00.001-04:00

Lisa, Laurel, and My Mom, Joleen

Now that I have gifted my sisters and my mom with their dishcloths, I can show them to everyone

I gave them each a set of 2; one a pattern in varigated yarn and the other a picture cloth in a nice spring-y green.

This one here is a diamond pattern, that is kind of hard to see. It would probably look better in a solid color.

And a cute flower. These 2 were for Lisa.

I gave Laurel the puffalump limbo pattern and a watering can:

(pretend you don't notice the mistake in the top handle)

And I gave my mom a Mad Dash pattern and a martini glass:

My mom has been knitting some too, and her skein of yarn had a pattern for an apron! How cool would that be? I need to get out and get a bunch of skeins so I can make one. I use a full apron now that is made of cotton cloth, but I'm thinking a knitting waist one would be perfect. I always find I want to dry my hands on my apron, but the cotton cloth isn't very absorbent. Ah yes, so much too knit, so little time......

Tribble Trouble

2009-04-10T06:58:00.001-04:00

I finished the dishcloth sets for my sisters and my mom (shh, don't tell them). With the leftover yarn I thought a tribble for each would be a cute addition to the set. Well, Maybe NOT! Yikes!!

I pulled the one side so hard I broke the yarn. And I didn't have enough from my cast on edge (the pattern called for 6 inches and I had at least 8) to sew up the other side, so I added a piece and well, needless to say this scrubbie is history.

Luckily the dishcloth sets are adorable and they will never know of the tribble that wasn't.

Adventures in Intarsia

2009-03-30T15:27:00.000-04:00

My friend Pat invited me as a guest to the Knitting Guild of Buffalo's meeting. They were doing a demonstration on intarsia knitting. I had to idea what that meant and was afraid I would stick out like a sore thumb at the meeting. Well, I didn't need to worry about that - there were so many knitters there, I felt like I had walked into a bingo hall! So I blended into the crowd and learned how to "intarsia". I'd love to know why it's called that.

I have little bits of cotton yarn left from some dishcloths, so I want to use this method to use up those leftovers. I better do it quick, or I'm likely to forget how!

Good news Bad news

2009-03-26T07:45:00.001-04:00

First the good news--I finished the mid-month dishcloth through the yahoo group. It was really fascinating to make this without knowing what it was.

The Bad News :( I was cranking along on my cable sock, and got to the part where I start the heel flap, looked back and saw a hole! Rats, I must have dropped a stitch like 10 rows back!! Bummer. And I knew something was wrong because my count was one stitch off, but I just added a stitch and kept going (dumb). Lesson learned.

Cable Sock

2009-03-23T17:20:00.000-04:00

After learning how to knit socks, I wish I could knit 24/7 just to make socks. I've only made 3 pairs so far, and I am half way to my 4th. This time I tried a cable stitch design, rather than just the ribbing pattern I've done before.

I finished the one and thought I would show it off here. I made it an ankle sock, just for something different. The yarn is a hand dyed wool that can be washed (according to the label). I just hope I remember to pull them out of the wash before I toss the load into the dryer. I can just see me doing that. I'm sure one trip through the dryer and they'll be fit for a toddler!

I'm almost done with my mid-month mystery dishcloth. I checked out the pictures some other knitters have posted and I've realized I must not know how to yarn over right. I brought the yarn over the top of the needle, and I'm thinking I should have brought it around the bottom of the needle. I'll have to experiment with that. The pattern still looks alright....as long as you don't compare it with what it's supposed to look like!

??Fish?? ??Flower??

2009-03-19T07:32:00.000-04:00

This is my first month of the mystery KAL for the Yahoo Monthly Dishcloth group and it's a very interesting pattern. I've never done a project where I didn't have the picture to refer to, so I'm knitting blind.

I'm not sure what it's going to be. After the first 2 days of patterns, it sort of looks like a fish, but then I see maybe a flower. Not sure.

I was just telling my mom how I needed to go out and get another set of Size 7 needles, since I still wanted to work on a dishcloth, but my needles were being used for the mystery KAL. My girlfriend Marie is cleaning out her house to make way for her Yoga Room (how cool is that?) and she came across some knitting needles from her husband's mother that she wasn't using, so she gifted them to me. And guess what? there was a pair of size 7!!

They are all nylon circular needles and I got a kick out of the prices on some of them. (98 cents and $1.15) I had only ever knitted with bamboo, but the nylon is nice to work with. My only trouble is that I am finding the needles themselves to be very short, and it's awkward because I don't feel like I'm holding on to them properly. The tops of my hands were quite achy after knitting awhile. I figured I would see how things progress, maybe its just a case of getting used to them.

whew!

2009-03-17T18:35:00.000-04:00

Glad this little number is done. Truthfully, it got a lot easier as I went along, but was quite the challenge for me.

I learned I must be a 'tight' knitter, because the one row you need to p3tog, and I struggled to get those 3 stitches on my needle. I eventually loosened up and the last few pattern repeats went along pretty well.

The pattern can be found here. It's called Puffalump Limbo Line.

Timing is Everything

2009-03-14T09:10:00.000-04:00

I was so happy to be able to get one of Firefly Farms adorable drawstring pouches. The day after I ordered it, I went back to order another one only to find out they were sold out! Whew-I'm so glad I at least got one. It is the cutest bag ever and so well made.

A purr-fect place to keep my sock project :) Meow!!

This is the BEST dishcloth pattern!

2009-03-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

Ok, I've only knitted 2 dishcloths, so I'm far from an expert on the subject, but I really really like this pattern. I haven't used it yet, as it's hot off the needles so to speak, but I can tell it's going to be a perfect dishcloth. Thanks Deb for sharing your pattern!

New Addiction!

2009-03-12T18:31:00.000-04:00

Oh boy, I thought the socks were addicting, and now I'm hooked on dishcloths!

I joined up the Monthly Dishcloth group through Yahoo, and made my first one. The knit-along is supposed to act as a learning experience, and I can tell you it was. Not only did I learn the coolest pattern, I also learned that if I try to watch TV and think I can keep track of what row I'm on without a row counter, I'm sure to lose my place.

So although it is far from perfect, my Mid-February Challenge is complete!

knit 'til it hurts

2009-02-12T09:50:00.000-05:00

As if beading isn't enough to keep me busy, I've now have become addicted to knitting. I knew it was serious when I continued to knit even though my elbow is aching and my wrists are cracking. Hence the name of my blog "knit 'til it hurts"

I learned to knit a few years ago for the sole purpose of learning how to make a felted bag so I could put this beaded flower I was making at the time on it. Here's my very first knitted object:

I continued to make bags to feed the beaded flower frenzy that I was consumed with and never learned anything else. Fast forward to about November of 2008 when I just had the itch to learn how to knit socks. So I took a class (to learn more of that adventure click here and go to the end of that post) and have been pretty much knitting every day since then. I love knitting!

My friend Elrene was making a cable scarf for her granddaughter and because she is such a sweetheart, took the time to show me how to do a cable and then gave me the pattern she used. And then another sweetheart, Paula, gifted me a ton of yarn that she was 'clearing out' out of her stash. So I was ready to cable!

More treats from Paula:

This is a hat kit from New Zealand!

Here is a gorgeous purse kit

- the 'yarn' is so incredibly soft, I can't wait to tackle this project -

YooHoo! Self-striping yarn ! Can you say 'happy feet'?

I am blessed with a whole group of friends who also like to knit and/or crochet and so I am hosting my first knit night at my house. I know how hard it is to plan a night when everyone can get together, but I am hoping that at least one person can make it that night! I would love to see what everyone is working on and drool over projects and fibers!

In that same thought of sharing, I thought I should start a knitting blog and connect with all the other knitters that don't live close enough to visit in person. I love my beading blog friends and am just amazed at what a wonderful community of people I have come to know through that blog. I can't wait to start finding knitting blogs and take in as much knitted eye candy that I can while making new friends along the way!