Knit Along: Galaxy Scarf from Sophie's Fine Yarn Shoppe - Day 5

Hitting my stride, making new friends

You know, I’m finally getting the rhythm of this piece.  I’ve been able to do the last three repeats without error, and I smiled as I finished off the end.  This scarf is knit in two halves from a joined middle, giving it a lovely rounded end to match its flowing scalloped edges.  It’s going to be really pretty when blocked.  I’m totally jazzed to pick up these middle stitches and start my way down the other half.

And then there’s the yarn.  It’s a fiber sigh, a silver cloud, the kind of yarn you could bury your face in and die of tactile happiness.  Warm yet wondrously light--this is an ideal scarf for this yarn.

Okay, I confess I may be a bit biased today.  I spent today getting up close and personal with a herd of alpaca (more on that in a future episode), so I’m enjoying my Alpaca With A Twist yarn.  Sure, the double strand makes things a bit more complicated, but I gotta tell you, this stuff is sooooo soft I bet all the sheep are a wee bit jealous.  Feeling my fleecy new friend’s neck, I can see where these beasts get their reputation for lush fiber.  If they were about half the size of what they are, I’d totally buy one (well, I’d wish I could buy one...I’m really not a livestock kind of gal but if anything could sway me....).

Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win!

Knit Along: Galaxy Scarf from Sophie's Fine Yarn Shoppe - Day 4

Just deal with it...

Before I go any further, my teacher at my knitting class today had a useful tip for those Post-it notes I talked about earlier.  She said you should always put them ABOVE the line on the chart you’re marking, not BELOW it (as I did in the photo).  That way you can see how your stitches are supposed to line up with the ones below it.  Which means you will actually know you’ve made a mistake before you get to the end of your row and discover you have three more (or less) stitches when the chart says you should.  Good advice.

Have you noticed how humbling knitting can be?  How it takes your cocky attitude and slams it up against the wall so that you want to crawl away and never admit you’ve been bested by two pointy sticks and a piece of string?  I’ve got a theory as to why, and it’s the same reason Doodlejump is so ridiculously addictive on my son’s iPod: it looks simple.  It looks simple enough to fool you into thinking you can master it.  

Master?  Ha.  The plain truth is that while I’ve done more complicated patterns, this one seems to be kicking my butt.  Mostly because I can’t seem to read what I’ve got on my needles--maybe it’s the gray color or the double strand or I’m just...dumb, but I get lost waaaay too easily.

And so, for the first time in my knitting career, I’ve employed what I always considered to be the training wheels, dare I say the kiddie-water-wings of knitting: the safety line.

See that strand of purple yarn?  That marks the place my needle was at the end of each twelve row repeat.  It sets a baseline, so that if...ahem when...I have to rip out the whole blasted repeat I know where to stop.  Where to start over.  

It’s so practical, so simple, yet I can’t stand that I have to resort to it.  Really, it takes a whole--what? two minutes?--to whip out my tapestry needle and feed it through next to my knitting needle.  It’s not a huge time commitment like a gauge swatch or anything (and don’t get me started on those!).  It’s a good idea, but it’s one that sticks in my egotistical craw.

You know, I can hear you out there.  Hear the groans of “suck it up, Allie, and use the safety line if you have to.”  And I will, but I won’t be happy about it.

Knit Along: Galaxy Scarf from Sophie's Fine Yarn Shoppe - Day 3

Stitching Post...it


Back in Illinois, DestiKNITers, and oh, do I have yarns to tell about my adventures in New York City.  Wait until you hear about one of my knitting bags being "confiscated" by a major network television show!  Ah, but you'll have to stay tuned for that one.  We need to pay our Galaxy Scarf some long overdue attention.


If you were as big a fan of puns as I am, you might say today's episode is all about "homeland security."  Yes, I heard your groan, but stay with me.  As I see it, a huge percentage of knitting mistakes come from one source: we overestimate our abilities to keep stuff straight.  Knitting comes so naturally to those of us who’ve been at the craft a long time that we are reluctant to think we can’t keep things in order.  After all, we're "veterans."  Trouble is, it's dangerous to rely too much on our already-taxed brains.  Much like the to-do lists and homework planning workbooks I beg my children to keep--trying to help them understand that they simply can’t hold all that stuf in their heads, no matter how smart they think they are. And boy, do they think they're smart.

Yeah, well, maybe we should chat about how smart I think I am.  We won’t discuss the number of times I’ve botched a pattern...ahem...this pattern because I’ve lost my place.  

Until I wised up and used one of the most basic (and perhaps unlikely) tools:  the post-it note.  Waltz the aisles of any knitting show, and you’ll see several nifty gadgets designed to do what the post-it note does simply and elegantly:  keep your place on the pattern page.  Line the thing up with the row in your chart you need to be following, and you’re all set.  Realign it when you advance to another row, jot a note down such as “watch the marker after that k2tog” should you need to, and you’re all set.  I own a bunch of magnetic strip thingies that are lovely to look at, but I must say they don’t do the job nearly as well as the humble post-it note.

That sticky savior deserves our respect, don't you think?

Yikes! Not really the Galaxy Scarf, but sort of

Did you hear that long, agonizing wail over Chicago this afternoon?  It was me.  While I had brought my “doesn’t require too much attention” knitting project...a lovely pair of SpillyJane mittens, just as we were taking off I realized the ugly truth.

I had not brought my Galaxy Scarf.  I had planned a few hours of quiet knitting time during my New York trip, soaking in the Manhattan vibe while knocking off a couple of inches of the lace repeat.  

It’s every knitter’s nightmare.  It’s why we pack an extra project in case we finish the first one we brought.  I cannot travel without knitting.  I spent the first ten minutes of the flight in a state of ridiculous panic.

The funniest part of all this?  I’ve got two stops at Manhattan yarn stores scheduled, so it’s not like I was going to some sort of yarn wasteland.  I’ll be near fiber, be amongst my kind, I’ll have access to yarn.

Isn’t it funny that we knitters are so prone to “startitis”--the incessant need to cast something else on no matter how many projects are currently in the works--but take a way a project unexpectedly and we’re sunk.  

So, here’s my pledge to you:  I’ll write a bit about some of the knitting I did bring with me while I’m here, and we’ll return to the Galaxy scarf next week.  

Today’s lesson: Don’t forget your knitting!

Knit Along: Galaxy Scarf from Sophie's Fine Yarn Shoppe - Day 2

Slippery stuff...

Call me Gollum...I love shiny objects.  Signature needles, with their jewelry-worthy ornamental ends and super-tidy stiletto tips, make me drool "my precious."  I love to use them on projects because it makes me feel like such a knitting veteran.  Why, yes ma’am, I do take my knitting seriously enough to drop some big-time cash on my tools.

But like any other tool, it pays to know which tool to use when.  And it became evident--rather quickly, I might add--that I was using the wrong tool.  The smooth, dare I say slick metal surface of the Signature needles made for high-anxiety lace knitting.  Things were just sliding around during pass-overs and other complicated knitting maneuvers.  Sometimes, you want the speed and ease a metal needle offers.  Other times you need everything you can get to help you keep those stitches in their place.

I switched to Lantern Moon wooden needles.  Sure, the points weren’t as sharp, but the texture of the wooden needles kept things where they ought to be.  And the contrast should never be underestimated.  Especially for lace, it’s best to knit light wools on dark needles (or vice versa).  You don’t want to be guessing if you’ve picked up one or both strands when you’re passing the yarn over multiple stitches.  And for goodness sake, suck it up and get out your reading glasses if you need them (and I do!).

In knitting, like in lots of life, the right tool can get you results.  

Feel free to print this out and show it to your spouse if you hear things like “you spent HOW MUCH on YET ANOTHER set of needles?”  I’m a professional, after all, you can trust my advice.

Knit Along: Galaxy Scarf from Sophie's Fine Yarn Shoppe - Day One

Weighing my options...

Lace knitting?  I can handle that.

Lace knitting with two strands of yarn held together?  Okay, now I’m a little nervous.  Still, I like the scarf, I feel like a twelve row repeat is safely within my skill range, and I’m very fond of the pale gray, near silvery color of this yarn.

First step?  Make two even balls of yarn.  Sure, you could “eyeball” it (pun intended), but  did you know there’s a better way?  Let me introduce you to my little friend, the food scale.  You need something a little more delicate than your bathroom scale here, so a food scale (or even a postage scale, I suppose) fills the role nicely.  All you need to do is look at the gram weight of your ball.  You could even weigh the ball, in case you’ve got trust issues with label claims.  Divide that by two, and wind a ball that weighs exactly one-half.  That’s a much more reliable method that just trying to wind two balls that look the same size.  But, I gotta say, mine look nicely even, don't they?

This little trick also works for figuring out of you’ve got enough yarn for a second sock or mitten once you’ve done the first one.  Weigh it, and if your remaining ball of yarn meets or exceeds your sock’s weight, you’re in the clear.  

There now, don’t you feel more secure?  I know I do.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY GREATEST HITS CLICK-THRU TOUR!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY DestiKNITions!

Just like last year, I've put together my favorite episodes from the year to celebrate.  Enjoy!

Why Knitting is NOT like Parenting

If You’re Happy and You Knit It

Is Cupcake an Adjective?

I Never Thought It Could Happen

Glen Ellyn, IL

Never Worry if I Can Make it Interesting

I Wanna Be...A Bag Lady?

I Didn’t See That Coming

Gourmet Fudge

Indianapolis, IN

Difficult, But Not Impossible

I Have the Blues...But Are They Yours or Mine?

Thanks, DestiKNITers, for another great year.  Don't worry, we've still got more St. Louis to come...up next, The Galaxy Scarf and still more chances to win our prize package!

Knit Along: Knit Nook Knick Knack Sack - DONE!

Bagged it!

Well, now, isn’t this just the cutest thing?  Points to Knit Nook for knowing the beaded felted doo-dads at the end of the i-cord would be just the perfect touch.  They really make the project, don’t they?  Since our next Knit Along is a complicated lace stitch, I’ve already started a second smaller bag to be my keep-in-the-handbag-for-spare-knitting-moments project.  In stripy sock yarn just like I was hoping to try.

I’ve decided it’s the ruffle top that makes this work.  Gives it a charming touch whereas it’d be just a pouch otherwise.  With the ruffle and the felt beads, it’s got just a little kick of style.  If you’re going to put a significant amount of effort into a container, you want it to pay off in style and charm.

I suppose you could say (if you were a punster like myself), with this project the payoff is...in the bag.

Yeah, I know, it was a cheap shot, but it’s the holidays so cut me a little slack.

Happy New Year, DestiKNITers!