Happy Birthday, Gene

Has it even been this temperate on your birthday before? 68ºF; 20ºC outdoors.

Learning Curve

All was going well, I thought, on the sleeve for this cables and lace sweater I dream of making. I had knitted through five pattern repeats without losing track of any stitches. I made myself a note card of each pattern row. This helped keep my eyes from reading the wrong row on the original pattern. Then, when I stopped to assess my progress so far, I noticed that the increases in the sleeve edges were throwing off the cable pattern's position. The cable rows had started to skew. In the area between the pins it is on track, and above the pins (as more stitches have been added to the rows) it veers off course. The instructions tell me to add the increases at the ends of the rows, but there must be some implied adjustments I am not tuned into.

At this point I'm completely frustrated with the project. I will unravel this sleeve back to the earliest lifeline, and see what happens next. What may happen next? I found a pattern I like for the new worsted weight yarn I bought last week. I could start on that. Or I may give this sleeve another go. Or I may return to the sweater I was making with the Lion Brand microspun. I put this one aside because I miscalculated the numbers of rows I would need in each strip and the strips were coming out too long. I may search for another pattern to use with this green yarn, but I have looked extensively already. Finally, I may check out those pattern converters to see if they can change any of my nice worsted wt. patterns into finger weight stitch counts.

Living on the Edge

Or as we often say around here, "Dumb cat!" I couldn't believe I found her on the dishwasher door. I only stepped away from loading up the dishes for a minute. Recently, my daughter discovered she likes to lie in the utility tub in the basement too (where the washing machine empties). Imagine the distressed-cat sounds we would hear if she were surprised by a shower of warm sudsy water from the washer.

More cardigan work, and nothing to show for it. Last night I used two hours to cast on those 326 stitches again and knit the first row. Again I was one stitch off somewhere. Before I bury my needles in the back yard in frustration, I will undo these stitches and cast on again. But I think I will start with a sleeve this time so there are fewer opportunities for errors. And I'm starting to think I'll need to put a thread through the stitches of each purl row.

Book Quiz and Knitting Fits

Thank you Echo From the Green Hills for this fun quiz.

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.
Dedicated Reader
Book Snob
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

I'm also sad to inform everyone I unraveled half my cardigan last night. I re-knitted two rows and discovered the error (errors?) was earlier in the work than I thought and the rest is waiting for me to get up the courage to unravel and start over. (Yes, Gina, I am having fits over it. I'm glad no little ones were awake to hear my frustration last night!)

Interesting Article

Being a book lover and revering old books as I do, I was attracted by a photo in a past issue of my Smithsonian subscription that I had finally gotten around to reading. There was a photo of a Smithsonian scientist examining pages of an ancient Coptic Bible.

The name of the exhibit being publicized was the final hook to reel me into the story: "While the Bible's content has obviously had a major impact on the world, what's less well known is how its format would alter publishing forever. A new exhibition, In the Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000...
It was fascinating to read about why the codex format of recording words was used by early Christians and how writing text in columns on cut and bound folios overtook the use of scrolls.

The entire story as printed in Smithsonian can be found at the bottom of this page.

The Washington Post also had a story about the opening of the exhibit.

A Long Term Project

Here is the swatch I made for the green cardigan I am attempting. It took me several tries to get the pattern correct on this small swatch. I think I will be putting in a lifeline after each good repeat of the eight-row pattern on the actual sweater! (So this is what "Intermediate" patterns are like!) I could not get this second photo to save correctly in my camera, so please make do with a sideways view. My dear husband, under some protest, helped stretch the fabric for me to approximate what it would look like once blocked so the lace would show. This swatch will not be blocked, in case I need this last ball of yarn (still attached) at the end of my project. Aside, I notice the lighting is very different on the two photos of the same swatch. The top photo is much more true to life.

For this sweater I needed to cast on 326 stitches. It took me a good half hour to do just the cast on (with all the counting and re-counting) and another half hour for the first two rows of the pattern. Odd rows are all purl stitches, I think that took between 5 and 10 minutes. The rest of the time I stumbled over row two of the pattern. After a couple of hours more work on it last night, I have about one inch completed.
After I had put away my knitting in favor of a game of pinochle with my brother and my in-laws on Thanksgiving day, my father-in-law asked me how long it would take me to complete this sweater. I predicted at least six months. It seems it requires a high level of concentration, and that is something rare around here. I will need to look for many smaller projects to do in the mean time.

Christmas Meme

I saw this at some friends' blogs (Indiana Jane, Favorite Apron, and Rebellious Pastor's Wife) and I decided to join the fun.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Bailey's Irish Cream (in coffee, in hot chocolate, over ice, over ice cream, or plain).

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Gift Givers wrap the gifts under the tree. Santa wraps the gifts in the stockings.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I like white lights, the family likes colored. We are having colored for a change this year. We skip the outdoor decorations.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put up your decorations? Advent decor comes out for the first Sunday in Advent. Christmas decorations come out gradually between the 15th and 25th.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? bacon-wrapped chessnuts.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Singing Christmas carols around the piano.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Gifts from each other in our household are opened Christmas Eve. Gifts from Santa (in the stockings) are opened Christmas morning as are the gifts the extended family brings when they come for dinner.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Lights and ornaments. My favorite are old fashioned Victorian-looking ornaments.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I welcome it for Christmas and tire of it soon afterward.

12. Can you ice skate? I tried once when I was five. I remember not having fun.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My Kitchen Aid counter top mixer from my mom. She gave it to me the last Christmas she was with us.

14. What i’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The incarnation of Christ -- The reason for celebrating, and passing the hope and faith connected with that reason along to my children.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Marzipan, closely followed by Dobosh Torte. I don't take the time to form my marzipan into these lovely fruit shapes.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Celebrating Christmas Eve with just my husband and kids. We eat only appetizers and desserts-- no meal. We take down that envelope of goals from the refrigerator and we see how each of us fared. Then we write up new goals. Next we attend our church's lovely Christmas Eve service. Last we open presents.

17. What tops your tree? An angel or a star. I have both, and this is a nice reminder to see if I can fix the uncooperative star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving!!!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? In church (withmagnificentt organ accompaniment) Joy to the World. At home around the piano, What Child is This and Good King Wenceslas.

20. Candy Canes - yuck or yummy? No peppermint for me, thank you.

21. Christmas Trees - real or fake? Real! We prefer blue spruce and we like to go cut our own tree. Some years, on account of dare-devil toddlers and the like, we make exceptions.

The Birds

Most Americans are thinking about turkeys today, as a turkey dinner is the traditional American fare for the Thanksgiving meal. Today I'll take the opportunity to write about our recent experience with a much smaller fowl.A couple of weeks ago our home school group had a fantastic field trip. We went to see Rev. Robert Tauscher give a presentation about racing pigeons. He showed us many varieties of show pigeons also in his collection. It was interesting to learn about where so many of the breeds originated. We also learned about how they are trained to race and how the flocks are cared for and kept healthy.
After the presentation, the kids all had lunch and play time together. This means the moms also got to have some very enjoyable time together. A grand way to spend the day!

Some ring neck pigeons, also called doves. These look like one of the smaller varieties. I don't remember the name of this variety, but they have picturesque crests on their heads. I think they look like they are wearing bonnets.
This bird has a genetic "lace feather" condition that renders it flightless. These ice pigeons look to me like they have snow shoes on! Those who wished to get to pet some pigeons. The Artist's favorite variety was the German Owl, but somehow I did not get a photo of it!

New Mittens

Early in the autumn I had to wash my son's hand-me-down mittens. In the process the lining got all distorted and came partly detached from its anchor threads. I found it impossible to get the lining back into the tiny little thumbs of the mittens.

So, my son needed new mittens, and the need was growing greater with each passing day bringing the snowy weather closer.

I had lots of wool superwash leftover from the stockings I made. It is a nice blue color that would do very well for the job. They are made from two strands of the yarn held together. The pattern called for sport weight yarns (held together), but luckily, I matched the gauge with the yarn I had.

Here they are:I used the same yarn to link the two mittens together by a tether that will pass through the Engineer's coat sleeves and across his back. I've found this is the best way to avoid Lost Mitten Syndrome. I made the cuffs about an inch longer than the pattern called for because my favorite pair of gloves have nice long cuffs that cover my wrists inside my coat sleeves.

The Engineer likes them and they are a good fit.

I started swatching for the green lace sweater I will be making next. I do not own the correct size circular needle (US 3) to begin this work yet. I discovered with my straight needles that this is the size I would need. As it happens, this time my stockinette stitches matched the recommended needle gauge on the pattern! I will use my straight needles to practice the cable and lace pattern in the mean time. I could not get it right last night.

Finished! and Next!

I knit like crazy over the weekend and I got the stockings finished. I was pleased to find as I wore them last night that they did stay up without my having to pull them up.
Also over the weekend I discovered the Engineer's mittens will not last through the winter. The lining got quite misshapen during the last washing and I can't get it to fit correctly again. The leftover yarn from the stockings, when held two strands together, will make a nice pair of mittens for him.

I printed off a pattern after a brief web search. The only change I plan to make to it is to increase the length of the cuffs.
They are so little -- they should knit up fairly quickly. I just got started on the ribbing of the first one when the clock struck midnight and it was time for me to get to bed.

p.s. Way to go Buckeyes! Nice try Browns.

In The Bag

What is in my knitting bag?

The usual, I imagine! This is the question Little Jenny Wren asked a few days ago. She showed inspirational photos of her abundant stash, a complete supply of needles and a nice selection of books.

My bag itself is made of wool from KnitPicks. I looked at this page of their site and found some colors I liked. This bag was my second felting project (after a pair of slippers). I followed a pattern, but altered it so the handle is formed perpendicular to the way it was meant to be. I hoped this would not make it hard to tote, but would let the bag flop open when it was resting on the floor at my feet. It flops open beautifully, but it is harder to carry than I would like.
I had some extra yarn left over and I played around with making a little scissor and needle holder. The pouch looks a lot like an eyeglass protector case. Inside there is a rectangle of densely felted fabric that I use to keep my yarn needles and cable needle secured. I have found it also convenient to keep a crochet hook, some stitch holders and a pen in this little no-longer -just-for-scissors case. I got very tired of having all the little knitting accessories eluding my grasp at the bottom of the bag, so I scooped a bunch of things into a sandwich baggie. The contents are small and medium size needle caps, a random smattering of safety pins, a box of place markers and a box of stitch markers and some cough drops (a secret stash!). Then there is the evidence that organization eventually breaks down! I have a gallon-size plastic freezer bag with one lonely highlighter in it. The green-ink pen, pencil, gauge indicator, tape measure, and large stitch holder were, at one time, in the bag too. Now, thanks to this exercise, they are restored to their rightful home. Also in this photo are the other things I scraped from the bottom of the knit bag: leftover purple yarn from a previous project (finger weight, so it is good for lifelines); cream colored wool used to practice unfamiliar patterns and stitches; and a set of dpns to use with that practice wool. I keep all the different writing tools handy to track my progress through patterns. If I need to make two of something each gets its own color. My pattern papers are crowded with tick marks, highlights and notes for what to do differently next time by the time I am finished with them. Next I have two items that are not always in my knitting bag, but were caught there today. A magazine and a pair of slippers (they were a gift, I don't know how to crochet!) I like to take my knitting along to the Artist's tae kwon do classes when I have the time to stay and watch. The slippers are supposed to live in a little cubby in my van so I always have them when I get to tae kwon do. The instructor asks that everyone remove their shoes upon entering the building and my feet are eternally cold. So carrying slippers is my quick fix. Sometimes there are not many people watching and I can spread out my pattern and work freely. Other times it is more crowded and I don't have the elbow room to knit. For those times it is handy to have something to read at hand.
My current pattern would not make for a nice photo, but it is in the bag too.

Also featured in my knitting corner of the den/TV room, since the bag was not enough to hold everything, are some file folders and the current book I have on loan from the library. The folders contain a wish list of things I'd like to make, instructions on specific stitches printed from web pages, and the patterns I have completed that I think I might want to make again some time. I keep my needles in the top drawer of an old dresser that came with the house. At only two inches high and maybe twelve inches deep, the drawer does not hold any of the homeschool supplies that the other drawers are stuffed with. Also in this top drawer, resting atop the needles, are both my knitting books (yes! both of them). Great Knits by Threads has many lovely things I'd like to make when I have more skill, confidence and yarn budget. Designing Knitwear is essential in helping me out when I deviate from a pattern. (Is it genetic? I can't leave a recipe unaltered either.) The library book does not usually associate with the books I have bought. If it makes friends with them it will not want to leave and I'll have a hefty fine to pay! Speaking of those who do not usually associate together, I coaxed my wool stash (right) and wool-ease stash (center) to pose with my acrylic (left) stash for this photo. The wools are pleased to be in the majority thanks to all those scarves I made several weeks ago. I'm looking into padded hanger patterns to see if I can make use of the rest of these acrylics. Next I have some future socks. My stash of sock yarn (blue wool/nylon) was recently doubled by a generous Bernat Denim-Style donation from Favorite Apron She also helped me out with a large gift of Microspun skeins. Thank you!!! Some of the yarn is knitted into stockinette strips, but they are doomed to be reworked as the measurements are not quite right. The gifted yarn will be a big help :-)I have a little cotton, and a little box of practice yarn of unknown fibers (a gift from Gabriele --- thank you!). Last, but not least, I have my next two sweaters. The green is 100% wool fingerweight that I want to make into a lace pullover. I love all the different greens in the yarn. And then the yarn I bought two days ago: tans, yellows, greens and browns around a black and silver core. The lighting in this photo seems truer than in my previous post. I like seeing how so many other knitters have organized their hobby.

Out of Touch!

Help! I am a clueless Mrs. Claus this year!

What might a 17-year old, high school senior, God daughter of mine want for Christmas?

There is typical teenage angst at home. And in her frustration, her mom was unable to give helpful suggestions to my question this year.

My God daughter may or may not be going off to college in the Fall.

New Yarn

Yesterday the search for a gift for a 10-year old's birthday party took me to my local JoAnne's store. I found a great gift for the birthday girl and I was about to walk out of the store when this caught my eye. And it was on sale! That is why this photo shows it in a shopping bag waiting for me to make room for it in my closet. (With the approach of Christmas said closet is getting a bit crowded).

This yarn is mostly wool (68%) with some nylon content (32%). I love the colors in it and I was pleased that with the sale I could get enough to make a sweater. I've spent a lot of time searching for a lace pattern for a finger weight pullover sweater. I have run across very few, and none that I liked enough to commit to. Instead I found two lovely cardigan patterns for that yarn and I need to decide between the two of them. Anyway, in that searching I ran across a number of fantastic patterns calling for worsted weight yarns. When my over-the-knee stockings are done, I'll swatch this to see which patterns this new supply may be best suited for.

Speaking of the over-the-knee-stockings, they are coming along. Monday and Tuesday nights I did work on them, but I was considerably slowed by a cut on my right index finger. The second sock is about half the size of the first one, but the rounds are getting shorter as the sock tapers towards the foot. I'm guessing I'm just over half done with this second stocking, and I still have hopes of finishing it this weekend.

Next Book

While reading one of my recent Smithsonian magazines I came across a title that looked like a light, interesting read. Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote North to the Orient about her trip with her husband to the Orient via the Great Circle Route.

I requested it from my local library and I just picked it up. Right now it must vie for my time with the stockings I am knitting! But it is such a little book (under 150 pages) that it will not take a lot of time to read.

My 9 year old is already interested in Amelia Earhart and her aviation career. So if this book is appropriate, the Artist may be the next to read it.

On Foot and Needles

I have not posted a photo of my efforts on my over the knee stockings in a while. One is completed, and the second is begun. When I look at the photo of the completed stocking, I see the camera lens must have a spot on it right by the right side of my ankle. All the lifelines are removed now, but I still have some stitch markers at certain points. Those will stay in until the second stocking catches up to those points.

I am very pleased with how comfortable the sock is, and I like the foot shape and toe shaping very much. I did use the star reduction pattern. This is definitely the best sock foot I've knitted to date. The second stocking has a little ways to go. Maybe this coming weekend I can finish it. This weekend I expect to have a lot of TV time as the Ohio State University

plays

That School Up North

on Saturday afternoon, and the Browns play their next game against the Stillers on Sunday.

With all that football on the TV, I can get a lot of knitting done, and this second sock may match its mate. Right now, it still has a good 9 inches to knit before I begin the lattice work at the back of the ankle.