Getting Better….

Thank goodness for meds. It’s funny how depression can effect all the other parts of your body system. I’m feeling a bit better, though haven’t picked up the knitting just yet, but feel it coming soon. I was hoping to have my shapely done before heading off to MN, but since I leave a week from today I’m doubting that will actually happen especially with the hand/wrist problems prolonged knitting with the Bernat’s Cottontots gives me. But I will be knitting again before I leave.

Life Is Crazy…

Sorry, I’ve got some heavy things going on right now at home. I haven’t even touched my knitting since Thursday. I hope to have knitting news to share later in the week.

I Have a Sock!

I’ll save the bandwidth and you can imagine yesterday’s pic with a full instep and toe. Cause, well, I know we all know what socks look like and then I won’t feel so wierd sharing a pic of the pair when the second one is done, LOL! I’ll also save comment on the fit etc. until I’ve washed the pair of them…

About the end of last week or so I added a new button to the right under Knit Alongs. It isn’t exactly a KAL per se, but I thouht I’d tell you a bit more about it in case it is new to you…

Art by the Inch is a project to kick you in the rear and get you moving on creative endeavors. The idea is to create 10,000 square inches of art/craft in a month. Participating arts include everything from book arts to scrapbooking and include knitting, fiber arts and anything else that is creative. Now, 10,000 square inches may seem a like a lot depending upon your family and life schedule. If it is too much you can choose your own number of square inches. It begins May 15th and runs through June 15th. Click on the button here or on the right to sign-up and/or learn more.

I signed up for only 5,000 inches as I’ll be traveling for the second half of the challenge period and will have to accumulate any inches from June 3rd and on from knitting primarily and if I keep going on with the idea of only knitting socks on my trip, well, there are many, many stitches and rows to a square inch, LOL!

In other KALs, I’m really, really, really tempted by Iko’s Salt Peanuts KAL. I decided a couple weeks ago that pattern was definitely in my wish list of projects. I told DH about it last night and he said, “Wait, you haven’t finished the last KAL yet!” And, he doesn’t know about the Zoo Along that I haven’t done anything work on either, LOL! But, since Salt Peanuts is an ongoing KAL I may have to join once I wrap up the Shapely Tank!

Knitty Weekend…

I swatched on the 2.5 hour drive to the in-laws on Saturday morning, then I cast on that afternoon and started my first sock! Through the course of the weekend I even turned the heel! Whee!

Because I’m totally and completely anal, I’m making this first pair more as house socks, using worsted weight Reynolds Saucy 100% mercerized cotton. They feel kind of coarse right now, I’m hoping they soften once washed. I went down to a size 5 needle. I’m using the pattern in Ann Budd’s book.

I’m hoping to eek out two socks from this one skein so I made the cuff quite short, which is fine by me. But I’m still doubting that I’ll get a second sock from this skein. . . I guess that’ll be okay. It isn’t like the Reynolds is that expensive. I should have a better idea after SnB tonight and can pick up another skein tomorrow at the LYS knitting tea if it doesn’t seem to be enough.

I need to get back into the groove with the front of the Shapely Tank for me too. But I don’t like casting on when other people are around because I invariably have to count and re-count stitches over and over and over.

What this does mean is I can probably just take my Opal sock yarn I purchased a week or so ago on my trip to MN and have plenty of knitting to keep me occupied while traveling there. Then, if I run out of knitting I can pick up different sock yarn somewhere in MN and always have those socks to remind me of the visit! Sounds like a plan to me!

I’ve Conquered!

Finished Bust: 36 inches
Length: 20 inches
Yarn: 3 Skeins Lion Brand Cottonease, two in Candy Blue, one in Sugar Plum
Needles: Sz 9, 32 in circular
Hook: H
Pattern: Altered hybrid of Sigma from Knitty and Shapely Tank from White Lies Designs
Total Cost: $12 (not counting needles or rug needed for blocking etc.)

It is done! I thought it was going to be a close call!

I used Sigma as my base pattern, but didn’t like the boxiness and wanted a touch more length. So, using my math skills (LOL!) I applied a similar shaping as used in the same sized Shapely Tank. I also added the striping effect in the Fibonacci Sequence, hence the name Sequential Sigma.

I barely used any blue from the second skein and suspect if I had reused my yarn from swatching and had been a little more successful in carrying the yarns up the seam area I would have been okay with only one skein of each. There is barely any of the lavendar left. I suspect just going up the one size to a 38 would require dipping into a second skein of each color.

I did have to fudge the last blue stripe on the front because if I had placed it in the row it should have been I would have ended up using the blue to BO on one side of the neck. So instead, I did one extra row of lavendar. Most people would never know it broke the pattern. Next time I think I would pull the striping down a little so all striping is done before the neckline and to help aid in the tank appearing to be equal amounts of each color. With the lavendar on top where there is so much open space for the arms and head/neck it really comes off as a blue tank with lavendar accents. This one I had centered the striping pattern so I was half way through the sequence for both colors at the half-way mark for the total length of the tank. I think I would pull it down another inch or so.

We had a bit Cinco de Mayo bash at the house on Wednesday night, which is why I’ve been mostly absent from blogging this week. I had been in the kitchen all day Tuesday and Wednesday more or less. This weekend we’re off to CO Springs area for Mother’s Day and SIL2’s b-day celebration.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there!

Sequential Problems…

I’ve hit snags…

First I tried the Kitchner Stitch (using Nancie Wiseman’s finishing techniques book) about 7-8 times without sucess. It looked horribly, awfully messy. I did thank heavens the straps were only 6 sts wide! So, after that frustration I went to SnB last night and got all the ends from the stripes woven in - yeah! So, today I take the tank to the LYS knitting tea and hope someone can help me. Well, the concensus was to just do the 3-needle BO. So, that is what I did and it looks nice and it was quick so I started doing the crochet edging.

*sigh*

Not good!

*sigh*

The above book said one row of single crochet doesn’t keep stockinette stitch from curling and I liked the look of two rows. So, I did one row around the armholes and continued around again. It was *really* thick/bulky and didn’t look very nice. Firstly, I think I need to go up a hook size. I started with the size recommended on the label. But, I did have to go up a needle size for the body. Also, the book says to chain a stitch and reverse the work - what about when you’re working in the round like around an armhole or the neckline? Do you still chain and reverse? Is that perhaps why I didn’t think my edging looked like that in the book? I’m half temped to do some of it around the armholes in the contrasting blue and then tear it out again just so I can compare the look to that in the book.

Any words of wisdom(or URLS) out there for me???

****EDIT****
After looking in Stephanie’s Vogue Knitting book that she lent me for the week I believe I had done a slip stitch border instead of a single crochet. So, source of problem is figured out, I just have to figure out how to actually do the proper single crochet, LOL! Stephanie, if you’re out there reading this - thank you, thank you for lending me your book for the week!!!

Nearly done on Sigma!

Well, between knitting on Friday evening and yesterday I’m nearly done with Sequential Sigma. I just have the kitchner at the straps and then the single crochet edging to do around the armholes and neckline (I think I’ll skip the bottom since it has the garter edge). Yeah! I’m not sure if I’ll get that done today as it is a bit of busy. But I hope to get it done on Monday at the latest.

Yeah! It looks like it’ll be a perfect fit too. My MIL was up yesterday and it fit her so it should fit SIL2 nicely as well.