Fog Shawl from The Fiber Universe--Day 2

Stress through the back loop...

Generally speaking, knitting through the back loop and I don’t get along.  Knit two together through the back loop, and we get along even less.  Add a one-ply yarn like this Jilly, and the relationship strains to genuine crankiness.  I love the color, but getting my needle through the two back loop strands without splitting some of the yarn over and over on such a long row—well, you can imagine how that sets my teeth on edge.  

I love the effect, but I have to say, latticework =  lottawork.  A knitting friend tried to loan me a set of what she hoped were sharper needles (I’m currently working with KnitPicks Harmonies, which I normally love) in the hopes that will help ease the task, but they turned out to be no sharper than the KnitPicks.   I'm grateful that she tried to help, but I’m not sure there is any help to be had. 

The only other solution I could fathom was plunking down the serious cash required to order a Signature Stiletto point circ—which, I admit, is rather tempting at the moment. I own three pairs of Signature single point needles, and I think of them like fine jewelry—expensive but totally worth it.  If I ever bought more, I’m sure I’d pay the extra fee to have mine monogrammed.

Back to the project at hand.  I’m still wrestling with the lax directions this “recipe” provides.  I simply don’t trust my instincts in things like this.  I know it will nearly double in size once blocked, but I’m having trouble visualizing what that will look like and, hence, where to stop.  

I’m a tall woman, so “wingspan” has always been my rule-of-thumb for shawls.  Do I stop at half-wingspan?  How can you really tell that while it’s still on needles?  It’s not like I can just slide the thing onto a six foot circular—wait, I’ve got connectors and a lot of KnitPicks cables…maybe I can).  After all this stitching, the “do what feels right and it will work out” tactic is making me nervous.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

Speaking of waiting and seeing—I’ve got a novel with lots of knitting in it coming out next week.  Stay tuned for details in the next post!

Spiral Pouch from A Knitted Peace - Day 3

Hey, look at that body...

Well, I survived the construction of the body.  I’m still stumped as to how these two large “stripes” of waste yarn figure in, but I’ve been assured it will all work out.  There comes a time in every knitter’s life where you have to decide if you trust the designer or not.  I’m choosing optimism here, and trusting the designer. I’ve no intention of carrying around a darling purple bag mutilated by turquoise stripes, and I see no evidence of such mutilation on my sample.  As to just how we get there from here?  Well, you’ll just have to stick around and see.

Like socks, this is a quick and portable pattern.  They include instructions for sizing it up, but this small size seems to be perfect for a gift card or other such present in need of a little panache.  It fits snugly into my handbag for knitting on the go.  I have an adorable short little set of plastic #8 needles--I think they were originally made for children--that are the perfect size for this project and don’t take up much room.  Here’s a shot of them next to a quarter, so you get a sense of their size.  The old trick of using double-points with a rubber band wrapped around one end would work just as nicely, too.

I’ve opted to swap them out for my long, trusty Signature needles for the finishing steps however, which I’ve chosen to do flat rather than in-the-round.  A decision influenced primarily by the practicalities of not owning a set of #8 double-pointed needles at the moment.  

Good thing Christmas is coming.  I think I’ll make a list of all the dpn’s I’m currently lacking and tell Santa.  What’s on your holiday knitting wish list this year?

Knit Along: Angora Lace Scarf from Lion Brand Studio - Day 2

Pretty, shiny, fuzzy, soft

So...would you ever knit wire?

I can’t ever envision myself knitting wire to make jewelry.  I know it’s done, I can appreciate the craft of it, but knitting is all about the tactile sensation for me.  I love the finished objects, but how I get there is as much of the satisfaction as anything else.  The fiber and the needles must give me pleasure in holding them, manipulating them, twisting, touching.  Wire wouldn’t do that.  I suspect if I talked to a passionate baker, she’d tell me the same thing about kneading bread and call me a lunatic for out-sourceing to a bread-making machine.  It’s personal.

Are tools or outcomes more important?

The combination of a mildly intricate pattern, sumptuous angora merino yarn, and high-quality Signature needles is perfection in this project.  I’ll love this scarf not because it’s especially stunning--although the color and texture are quite nice--but because it was such a pleasure to make.  Swap out for plastic needles and rough hemp, and I’d drop this so fast it would make your head spin.  Same pattern, same basic outcome, completely different experience.  The best part about it is that YOU can combine YOUR favorite elements to create an experience most lovable for you.  

Does it always work this way?

Not always.  The dynamic changes for me when the project is a gift.  I’m about to knit some hats and scarves for my nieces.  The needles and fibers are secondary, and I won’t pay much attention to how much I love the process because the payoff for me is those two girls in warm goodies from Aunt Allie.  So you’ve probably already figured out that no one is getting their hands on this charming little scarf but me.  True!

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: Elemental Changes Scarf from Aylin’s Woolgatherer - Day 6

There will be no impulsive daisy ditching, people...

I’ve enjoyed this project, although I’ll openly admit if I go to my grave without encountering the double daisy motif ever again, it’ll be okay. I botched that thing every single time, and hopefully it won’t show when I block this scarf.

I’ve finished the next-to-final section, but I’m going to set this aside for a bit before I do the bind-off pattern. I have more than enough yarn to go farther, and I want to take some time away from aforementioned dasterdly double daisy before I decide if I want to keep the scarf short or add some more sections to make it longer. I don’t want to opt for short just to ditch the double daisy, which I am in danger of doing if I make that choice now.

I figure I can be more objective after I’ve had the diversion of the entrelac scarf from A Tangled Skein that is our next project. And after some new adventures in the Denver stores I’ll be visiting in a few days to research the next DestiKNITions episode--that’s right folks, we’ll be spending November in Denver! And, yes, there will be cupcakes. You knew there would be. And coffee, because you knew there would be that, too.

Speaking of delectable goodies, here’s my haul from the fabulous Stitches Midwest. I decided ahead of my visit that I would splurge on three pairs of Signature needles, indulging my love of luxe knitting tools. I’m a big fan of Lantern Moon wooden needles, but the passing over of slipped stitches required on my Aylin’s scarf was making me cranky on the blunter points of the Lantern Moons. So, looked at my next three projects and bought Signature “stiletto” point needles for each of them. They are, indeed, like jewelry. They feel lovely. I put them to immediate use within hours of coming home, as well as my cool chart markers. Splendid. Absolutely splendid. Now I feel like a true aficionado. Or is that an aficionknitto?