I Love This Yarn!

It is Plymouth Yarn Galway Paint Color 809. There is no adorably clever name for the colorway, but it is gorgeous and I love working with it. Here it is close up:


This is a simple 3 X 3 rib and I will block it to open up the pattern a little so the colors can be properly enjoyed.

I have enough yarn and have cast on for a matching hat too!

I bought this yarn in October on a whim and am so glad I did, it is a delight to work with and I think I will love the colorful set to go with my dreadfully boring black winter coat!

Christmas!

So Christmas was a lovely peaceful time for all, despite a frantic start to the week that did not bode well.

We had a family dinner early in the week with my brother and his family to exchange gifts before the hustle of a houseful of guests on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was just my parents and I and it was the loveliest day I can remember in a long time.

Ryan loved his socks! And, after receiving them on Monday, wore them on Christmas Eve:


They fit perfectly and he really loves them. They were such a delight to make I will certainly make him another pair next year :)

Mom loved her purple socks and the gorgeously-soft scarf I made for her:

This was my first attempt at fringe and, as you can see, it was very uneven. In an attempt to even it out it wound up shorter than I would have liked, but it still looked pretty.

I am excited to cast on for 2 new projects for myself this week (a scarf and a pair of socks using the gorgeous Madelinetosh yarn I got for my birthday in July), after finishing up one more gift to be gifted on NYE.

Hope everyone had a magical Christmas!

Knowing My Limits

The holidays should be fun and when I embarked on a sweater for my niece I really thought it would be. Despite all the documented math issues, I did enjoy knitting all the cute little pieces.

It is the pieces that are the problem. I should have done a top-down raglan, what was I thinking! There is no way I can seam this sucker together in time for Christmas without going totally insane.

It is also unfair to ask other knitters for help with 2 weeks to go before Christmas.

So I decided this weekend that the sweater is going to be a Valentine's Day gift (it is very red and light weight enough to wear into March) and I will spend January learning how to assemble it. Problem solved.

Mom's scarf is blocking, photos soon!

Another Gift Done!

So I finished my mother's socks, yay!



Here they are blocking on my awesome sock forms. It seems like a million years ago I started these, but it was the beginning of November. Since I am working multiple projects that doesn't seem too terrible.

I made them out of this gorgeous purple variegated Malabrigo sock yarn that was a delight to work with and is much prettier than the picture does justice.

I am almost done with Mom's scarf too, which I just love and will have to tear away from myself to give her. It is made out of a gorgeous red soft alpaca yarn that is glorious.

Also, all the pieces of Madison's sweater are knit, now I have to tackle seaming... stay tuned!

I Can't Knit and Blog...

... Obviously. It has been nearly a month since I blogged because in every spare moment of time (and there are nary few this time of year) I am knitting.

I still only have 1 item completed for Christmas, but I am close to finishing my mom's socks (pictures soon). Last night I did the gusset decrease on sock #2 and now it is just the foot and toe (it is simple stockinette) so I should be able to finish them this week.

I have enough of Mom's scarf done to see the light at the end of the tunnel there as well.

And last night I cast on for another scarf, very simple 5X5 rib for my friend Karin.

With so many festive plans coming up though the holiday knitting season is dwindling. I did decide that in future years, socks are birthday gifts that can be focused on during non-holiday times, that should make it less stressful come Christmas.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Why Did I Pick a Hobby With So Much Math Involved?

So Sunday I tore out sleeve #1 of Madison's sweater for the 2nd time and last night I cast on for the 3rd time vowing to do the increases right finally.

While reading the pattern properly is my sole responsibility, it really could be written more clearly with the math done out a little more thoroughly so I have an idea of how many stitches should be on the needle at various points and not just the starting # and the ending #, because if after 54 rows the ending # isn't right I just wasted a lot of time.

Now I could multiply and divide out the # of stitches increased over the # of rows divided again by how often I need to increase (every 3rd row until 56 stitches and then every 4th row until 64 stitches), but math is hard.

Also this pattern is written for 6 different sizes and halfway through the sizes split and where my # was the 3rd one listed for most of the pattern it suddenly becomes the first one listed when the sizes break off and I totally missed that the first time...

Thank god I started early on the holiday stuff.

My New Sock Blockers

So I finished my brother's Christmas socks, yay! One of the toes was way pointier than the other, but I figured with good blocking it would be fine.

I had heard talk of "sock forms" for blocking socks, but failed to locate them in any stores, but KnitPicks had them!


This is the large size for my brother's giant feet. I also got the medium size which looks perfect for women's socks.

I will take better photos of the socks themselves when they are dry and blocked, but I was so excited about the forms, they made the whole blocking process a snap!

I Have Completed...

... the back of my first sweater:


I am so excited! It seems a little big to me for a not-quite 2 year old, but I would rather it be big than too small.

It is the Perfectly Plain Sweater from Alison Dupernex's Beginner's Guide to Knitting, it is an easy to follow pattern and it is really just stockinette with 1X1 rib on the collar, cuffs and bottom.

I am using Sirdar Snuggly baby bamboo yarn and it is so nice and soft and a gorgeous cherry red color, sadly despite being awesome yarn, it has no cool colorway name, what a waste.

I am going to see the Christmas recipient of this sweater next weekend and will surreptitiously measure her. Oh, in case I haven't mentioned her before, here's Madison:


Doesn't she look cute in red?

A Revalation

So just now as I started working on my first sweater (a tiny little one for my niece), I realized why handmade gifts are so special... When you are working on a project for someone they are constantly on your mind. As I knit this adorable little red sweater I keep smiling as I picture my little niece Madison wearing it.

I had the same pleasant thoughts about my brother as I worked on his socks.

So, yes I could buy 2 sweaters for Maddie with the $$ I spent on fabulous bamboo/wool yarn, but I would be done with the transaction in 5 minutes. This project will keep me smiling over her sweet little face for hours and days.

Knitting in the Car

Expect many more posts like this as we delve into the holiday season. "Knitting in Line at the Store" "Knitting While Walking Down the Street" "Knitting in the Shower" things like that.

In an effort to maximize all possible knitting time I took my knitting on 2 road trips this weekend (I was not driving of course). On Saturday I knit for about an hour while chatting with a friend in the car and had absolutely no problem whatsoever.

Sunday I knit for awhile while chatting with a friend and got totally nauseated. I guarantee it was not the difference in friends :) I will admit to being slightly hung over Sunday, so perhaps that was it, but have people had knitting-related car sickness before?

Pros and Cons of Multiple Projects

So, I am currently working on 3 projects: an Irish Hiking Hat, the Stupid Lace Scarf that Hates Me and the Hunter Socks.

I like the variety of having multiple projects going, but I find I never get into a good groove with any of them and they all seem to be going very slowly.

I am resigned to not finishing that Lace Scarf in my lifetime, but the others are really plodding along.

I don't know if it is a result of not enough knitting time in general or because I don't really get on a roll with a project so that I can knit faster. It is as if I am starting over each time I pick up a different project. Perhaps that will change when I am a more experienced knitter, but in the mean time, I feel behind all the time.

Knitting for Boys

I don't mean "Boys Knitting" as I have absolutely no problem with that (unlike the woman who accosted my friend Jimmy on the train one day and told him knitting was a woman's craft) I mean taking the time and effort to make a handmade item for the oafish sex.

Some men truly appreciate handmade items and treat them with the love and respect they deserve, others leave them on the floor of the bathroom wrapped in a wet towel until they smell like last week's old cheese.

I am going out on a limb and making a pair of socks for my brother. This was met with awe and confusion by my mother who asked very politely if I remembered what my brother was like. Now distance does make the heart grow fonder, but I know my brother is a big boorish brute of a man, but here's the thing: he asked. Nicely. He asked nicely and with sincere interest in my craft that I knit him a pair of socks for Christmas.

So, I have cast on:
and started a very simple, very wearable, very washable pair of socks for my brother. The yarn is Lambs Pride Super Wash so it is both washable and sturdy and warm. The colorway (which I love) is called Rootbeer.

It is a very simple 2X2 rib that looks ridiculously tiny, but has a nice stretch that looks natural and meant for an adult male foot.

I don't know how long these socks will grace the planet before they end up left by the side of some fishing pond, but my brother asked. Nicely. And I can't say no.

Progress Thy Name is Patience

This is by far the furthest I have gotten on the Stupid Lace Scarf That Hates Me. How did I do it?

Very slowly.

Each day I do 4 or 5 pattern repeats (8 or 10 rows) and I count the stitches each time. At this rate I should have a full length scarf by Memorial Day, but it will be done and done correctly!

Knitting has taught me many things, not the least of which is the true meaning of "a stitch in time saves 9."

Irish Hiking Hat and Scarf

So I wanted to learn how to cable and a friend at knitting group showed me the basics and it really did seem as easy as everyone promised me it would be. I was going to do some practice cables, but decided to jump right in to the Irish Hiking Scarf (which is apparently a popular pattern for young cablers like myself).

Once I got rolling someone at knitting group mentioned there was an Irish Hiking Hat pattern as well and I got all over-excited (as I am prone to do) and started on that too (here is a solo shot of just the hat):



and loved working with cables!

Now the end result of my impulsive hat-making was that my scarf is much shorter than I would have liked (I only bought yarn for a scarf and then took some to make the hat), it is a suitable scarf length, but I tend to prefer longer scarves. Also, the hat doesn't actually fit my ginormous skull...

So, we are chalking this up to practice and I will donate this set to charity, it is perfectly functional and fashionable, but not quite perfect for me or a gift.

While working on this set I found a pattern that was adapted from the Irish Hiking pattern, but is reversible! It is called the Palindrome Scarf (and hat!) and I believe that will be the gift project I will be starting soon for various Christmas gift recipients.

Oh, and this came in the mail yesterday:

So much yarny goodness!

Stupid Lace Scarf that Hates Me

Pretty, yes? It is very pretty and it is very nice yarn and I bought said yarn and got the demonic pattern on a very nice rainy day in Portland, ME with knitting friends... BUT... I have frogged this scarf 4 times due to unexplained phenomena that would have Mulder and Scully scratching their heads.

I am a new knitter and I make lots of mistakes, but I have been proud to learn how to fix many of them. I can unknit and pick up dropped stitches pretty well, but this pattern has had me in a tizzy.

There are yarn overs and pssos and I have been comforted by more experienced knitters that agree that those two things make dropping and adding unwanted stitches very easy.

I am giving this one more try and when I finish it I am going to lobby to have it displayed at the Smithsonian.

Holiday Knitting Part 1

My family has a tendency to overdo the holidays, seriously overdo. Every year we say we are going to cut back and every year it is a maelstrom of gifts to both give and receive. I love presents as much as anyone, but it does become quite stressful.

The economy is forcing us, as a nation, to scale back and I am going to try to do the same with gifts this year. As you know, a handmade gift is not often less expensive, but I feel it is a greater value for the money spent and it comes with a whole lot of heart.

This doesn't mean I won't be frantically purchasing fine-smelling body lotions and books, DVDs and adorable clothes for my little nieces, it just means that nearly everyone will be getting a handmade gift this year.

I began considering what I was going to make (I have only been knitting for 8 months, so my repertoire is limited) back in early summer and kept promising myself a spreadsheet of details: who, what item, do I have the pattern, yarn in the stash, needles, etc. Well last night I sat down and got as far as writing a list of names of people getting handmade gifts and while it was a small step towards my grand color-coded spreadsheet, it did make me feel better.

September is an amazing time to stop and regroup, buy new pencils and notebooks and start fresh. I hate the fall, everything dies after all, but having a good list of projects to work on will get me through those increasingly dark days until the twinkle of holiday lights start to brighten up the place.

International Mat of Mystery

Life has gotten in the way of blogging again of late and I apologize, but I am going to try to use this blog to keep myself on task with the myriad knitting projects I have in various states of completion.

One such project, now completed, is my mat. Some of you know about this mat and have been awaiting it with enthusiasm and I appreciate that.


The only thing truly International about this mat is I discovered it in the Summer issue of Knit Simple while flying from St. Petersburg to London on my way home from Russia this spring.

The mystery came from who was going to receive the mat and what room it would look best in. It was designed as a bath mat and I considered making it as a gift, but wound up keeping it myself and putting it in the kitchen, so really not its intended result.

I made it out of Cotton Ease in Sand, Lime and Seaspray (the pretty oceany blue) and it is super simple. I knit it on Size 9 circulars, really long ones, 32" I believe. The neutral colored rows are 6 rows of double-strand garter stich and the colored stripes are single strand stockinette (4 rows). The result is a lovely texture under my toes.


The worst part of the project (really the only unpleasant part) came from weaving in the ends. Like any striped project the ends were endless. I tried to weave as I went to save myself some aggravation, but knitting was always more fun than weaving and I wound up with a ton left at the end.

I may make another of these as a Christmas gift. If I do that I will need to come up with a non-skid surface for the bottom as it is really not nice to kill your loved ones with Christmas gifts.

I finished my Irish Hiking Hat today and am nearly through the scarf (although I think I need more yarn...). I also ordered some yarn for Christmas gifts. I will be giving nearly everyone on my gift list a handmade item this year, dammit, I will!

Boston Musings is now The Cable Girl

Hello to my 3 or 4 readers...

After being the world's worst blogger for the past year I have decided to re-tool my blog to a topic that is center stage in my life these days, knitting. The same old URL with a new title!

I learned how to knit this past January and have been picking it up pretty well, but I thought I might share some observances, patterns and projects and maybe ask for some help along the way.

I am just about finished with a project that I will be putting up soon!