Noro Stripey Knee Socks

Tweed Bowl

Yarn used: Alafoss Lopi in Cypress Green

Cast on 63 stitches and divide between three size US11 dp needles. Knit 4 rows in the round. Increase by 3 stitches next round (1 stitch per needle). Knit 3 rounds. Increase another 3 stitches. Knit another 3 rounds. Continue like this until there are 78 stitches on needles. Transfer stitches to one circular needle size US11. Knit 7 rows. Then 1st round K1 K1 K2tog & repeat till end of round, 2nd round knit all the way around, 3rd round K1 K2tog repeat till end of round, 4th round knit all the way around. From here on I did K1 K2tog and then plain knit till I got to about 6 stitches total. Take a darning needle and thread a tail of yard through the last 6 stitches a couple of times then weave rest into the work.

This self made-up pattern has been blogged so that I can remember what I did. The Alafoss yarn fuzzed up so much after felting I actually had to take a razor to it and shave it down.

Progress a.k.a my first sock

Never in a thousand years when I first took a knitting class did I ever think I would make The Sock. I had plans for lots and lots of scarves. Maybe some dishcloths or small blanket even. Basically anything that would not require more than knit & purl with the possibility of an increase or decrease here or there. Then I learned to knit on 4 needles and secretly wondered whether I'd ever be able to wrap my noggin around the sock structure. So much beautiful sock yarn out there I thought, it would be a shame not to give it a try at some point. A casual remark in the yarn shop led to a suggestion that I take a one night Sock Boot Camp class. I really really doubted that I could learn these skills in one night but after some consideration decided I didn't have that much to lose and signed on. In 3 hours we completed one tiny little practice sock. I rushed out days later to purchase some sock yarn as I did not want this training to leave my head. I started my adult sized sock immediately and completed it 10 days later. It is very much a beginner sock but, architecturally speaking, it IS a sock. There are errors but they are not glaring. And it fits. I've just finished the second sock. For some reason despite using the same number of stitches and rows and the same needles it is noticeably smaller. Could my tension have been that drastically different? Who knows, I'll ask the experts when I get a chance. I can hardly believe how many knitting hours are involved in sock work. These would be the most expensive pair I own. Still, I'm looking forward to starting my next pair. It must be a Zen thing.

Preparing for Autumn

My first attempt at following a pattern. Pretty easy to follow as all you really need to know is rib knit, using double pointed needles, a few decreases and a buttonhole. I don't have a row counter yet so have had to use pen and paper to keep track of what I was doing. The pattern I used was http://www.whatifknits.com/?cat=3. However I used a plain Worsted weight yarn.

Still not following a pattern

I now know how to cast on, cast off and knit on a circular needle. Therefore I decided I was ready to knit and felt my own bag out of a design created from my head. Felting is great for beginners as it virtually eliminates any mistakes or sloppy stitches. I'd recently taught myself basic fair isle colour changes and thought I may be able to design my own pattern. I decided on a two colour flame design and spent a long time charting it out on knitters graph paper (I've added the link at the left) till I thought it looked reasonable. Knitting up the design required that I was not too distracted as I had to count and recount every stitch on every row. This too took rather a long time. The colours are dark brown, dark red and sort of a bluish teal for the centre of the flame. I tried to knit as loosely as possible but found the yarn still pulled a bit around my design. After two feltings it is not as noticeable and I think the bag turned out allright although I wish I'd made the strap a little shorter as it did not shrink nearly as much as the rest of the bag for some reason. I've tied a knot in the top of the bag which does not appear in the photo. I only wish I'd taken a "before felting" photo.

Coffee Canisters

I was determined to knit some little sweaters for my coffee canisters. We keep our coffee in Illy canisters on the kitchen counter. The first one I made with plain sage coloured Cascade wool. The second one I added a little brown heart just because I could. The yarn has pulled a little where I've changed the colour. Not sure how to avoid this. Is it the tension or is it just because the wools have had a different degree of shrinkage during the felting process.

Knitting with Pearl

Allright, I have been knitting since May 2nd, almost 2 full months under my belt. At first I loved it , learning new skills and making things, then I hated it. Suddenly it seemed so complicated for my little brain. I came to realize that knitting was all about counting and pattern recognition. Two things I'm not very good at. Another knitter told me that one must "get over the hump", the learning curve I suppose, and then it would all start to make sense. I think she may have been right as I've been practicing (with the help of a book and the internet of course - thanks YouTube) and can do simple buttonholes, increases and decreases now. Heck, I even did a double decrease the other day. It wasn't long before I was changing colours and doing little coloured designs in my practice projects. Knitting. I have never really known the first thing about knitting except that my grandmother tried to teach me when I was young but I never really had the patience. I recently took a class at a shop called Birkeland Brothers on Main and 21st in Vancouver. The project was to make a bag and then felt it. Eventually after a few classes it started to make a little more sense but I still think our first project was a little advanced for me. I could never recreate this thing if I didn't have someone watching over me every step of the way. I'd come home and tell my partner I thought I was "too stupid to knit". They called me the "special needs" knitter in class. He found this rather amusing. But I just can't let it go. I even bought a little book for beginners that shows me basic techniques and now I find I'm practicing on my own at home in front of the TV. The other night I taught myself to knit a tube using 4 needles at once. I didn't learn this from class or the book. I had just seen someone do it and worked it out in my head. Now I'm feeling chuffed and confident I can learn more. I've been buying yarn I have no business buying and wake in the middle of the night with knitting on the brain. I'm developing an unhealthy obsession. The final straw is the Monday night knitting group which I've just joined. I find comfort in sitting there amongst women of all ages, beginners and advanced alike, knowing that I can get help from the master-knitter, when, not if, I need it. Perhaps one day I'll be able to actually read a pattern. I plan to post photos of my beginners work when I have completed something. It may not be often but hopefully there will be a progression in the quality of work. Special Needs. Pshaw!!