Soliciting Advice

Hello Readers! Last night I could not hold back any longer from the luxurious Cadena yarn Rick and the kids gave me for Christmas. I have the pattern choices narrowed down to one, a fitted, button front cardigan. (To see it click "look inside this book". Direct it to search for Audrey.) I need to buy more yellow yarn before I can move forward on the sweater I wrote about last week. So there was no better time to get out some needles and begin making gauge swatches with the new yarn.

The fabric of the swatch looks and feels wonderful. This will be such a nice garment when it is done! But alas, I am at a loss as to what to do about my swatches. The gauge required is 13 stitches and 20 rows per 4-inch (10 cm) square.

I achieved exactly 13 stitches using a size 11 needle. But that only gave me 16 rows. A size 10 needle yields exactly 20 rows for me, but has me over shooting the stitches per inch, at 14. Going down to a size 9 needle gave me 19.5 rows and 14 stitches. How in the world do I get the same stitch-per-inch count on 9s and 10s? I have given up on solving that mystery, because it happens to me so frequently. In the past, I have always been able to find some needle that gives me the gauge I’m looking for.

I suppose I have conflicting desires of wanting this sweater to be perfect and to be easy; a great fit without having to do the math. Go ahead and laugh, you are laughing with me!

The part where I need advice is here. As it seems I’ll have to do some calculating, which way should I calculate? Should I work with the needles that give the number of stitches per inch needed and leave me guessing on the rows? Or is it easier, better, more convenient, (I’m not even sure what to ask) to go with the needle size that gives me the rows per inch required and make adjustments for the number of stitches per inch?

What have your experiences been with this dilemma?

Making Six

Saturday was the Engineer's birthday party. We began the celebration of his sixth birthday with homemade waffles for breakfast.

The it was off to the bowling alley. The children shared a bumper lane and had a blast. Sometimes Dad guided the Engineer's ball a little, but mostly he did it himself. The Artist practiced controlling the ball as she brought it back before rolling it forward.

After a pizza lunch, grandparents and an uncle came over to spend the afternoon with the birthday boy. He received several new games to enjoy. I'm sure we will be playing them during upcoming family game nights.

New Chopper

Over the weekend when everyone was ill, Rick helped the Engineer with a diversion. The Engineer had been given a helicopter model in his stocking. And this was a great time to build it.

The craft begins with checking to be sure all the pieces are there. Then his Dad helped the Engineer see if any pieces needed to be sanded. I really don't remember if they had to do any spot sanding this time or not.

The longest part of the craft is probably the most fun for the Engineer, painting the pieces. Some are easier to hold and paint than others. Once the first surfaces were dry, the pieces could be handled so the remaining surfaces could be painted. And I must say he did a great job and got relatively little paint on his fingers!

Once the paint is dry assembly can begin. Then we let the glue dry a good long time before we handle the chopper. Finally, I was able to attach some string and a wire to suspend it from some overhead cupboards built into the Engineer's room. Now it hangs above his bed.

Revisiting a Project from the Past

Back in September of 2006 I thought I'd use an old favorite sweater as a pattern to fashion a new sweater. I have some pictures here.

After carefully measuring and calculating how many stitches and rows I'd need in each of the strips joined to make this sweater, I started knitting away, a happy fool!

After completing three strips of the same counts I realized they were giving me three different measurements and I resolved to come back to the sweater when I had more experience and more gumption.

Last week I began ripping back and rewinding those separate strips. I began again, starting back and the measuring and calculating stage.

This time I decided it would be less risky to make the four front strips and the four back strips
together in two panels. It is less convenient to knit with four colors, but it makes me happier than I'd be if I had to abandon this project. So far I have the back panel completed and I have just begun work on the front. I have tried something else new, and so far I am quite happy with it. I have added a hem to the sweater. In the past, all my work has had either a lace edging or ribbing at the hem. This is another finished look that I like. I need to thank the writers at Pickin' and Throwin' for their wonderfully clear instructions and great photos. I first saw this technique there, and now I've finally had a chance to use it. Along the way (about 13 inches along the way) I figured out that the way I wrap the yarn to change colors was not exactly right, as this photo also shows. At that time I was too invested to rip out the 13 inches. After the front is complete I'll see how I like the back again. If I cannot live with it I will have had the distance needed to rip it and begin again.

For now, the front panel is coming along, and I am doing the wraps correctly this time. So far I have the pattern worked out up to the point where I need to shape the shoulders and neck front. I enjoy the knitting much more than the pencil and paper part, but it is good for me to learn how all the pieces need to fit together.

If it all works, I'd like to make another one going back to the original colors from the pattern sweater.

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

This morning Rick is missing his third day of work and he was down all weekend with this bad bug. The children have followed the same path. A week plus of a constant light cough, followed by a thick throat in the mornings, followed by fevers and all over aches, soon joined by nausea.
The thermometer is being used so often by so many people that it is pointless to put it, the alcohol, or the cotton pads away for the time being.

Rats -- we got back to school so nicely last week and now we will lose momentum again. Until a few minutes ago I was the only one up and about and its already mid-morning.

So instead of having school I'm spending my morning washing my hands (again) and washing the hand towels and the blankets I keep on the couch.

And my antibacterial, antiviral disinfectant spray is my friend. I was able to use it liberally this morning as it is nearly sixty degrees F and all the windows are open.

My periodic prayers, while I wash my hands, have been a mix of thanks to God for sparing me thus far and a humble albeit pleading petition that he will continue to spare me this time.

For the last week the Engineer has been reminding me how many more days we have until the Ohio State game. Today is the big day, and he is feeling so miserable. But I'm willing to bet he will be watching at least the first quarter anyway. , The Super Dome looks like a giant king cake, doesn't it? Go Bucks! (Sorry Dad, I like LSU too, almost as much).

Presents

I can just see King Neptune's sweeping sea-weedy tresses filtered through blue ocean light when I look at the beautiful new yarn Rick and the kids gave me for Christmas. It is KnitPicks's Neptune Cadena. The color is more true on this close up.Rick had logged on to one of my yarn store accounts and purchased the yarn from their My Stash feature, which works like a wish list. He placed the skeins of yarn side by side in a sweater box and wrapped them up and put them under the tree. I was so tickled to open that box!

It is exactly what I wanted. I'm looking forward to using this yarn for several reasons. First, it is a bulky weight yarn. I have never worked with any yarns heavier than worsted weight before. I have passed up some attractive sweater patterns that I can now re-visit when I select a pattern.
Second, the yarn is a 70% wool 30 % alpaca blend. Whatever garment I make, it will be warm!!!

Finally, I surprised myself at being more excited to receive yarn than a completed garment in this case. I will thoroughly enjoy the process of creating the garment. And when it is completed, it will represent victory over all the design complications I've conquered thus far in my knitting career.

My brother also gave me a treasured gift. Lots of dreaming and scheming will go into using my gift card to Soft n Sassy, the closest LYS to my house. The prospects are endless as I do not have a project in mind. I will take my time exploring the store and come home with the yarn that inspires me most. I feel even luckier than the kid in the candy store.

Santa got into the knit gift act too. He put a U-shaped cable needle in my stocking. It is so much easier to use than that large uncoiled paper clip I happily tossed in the trash.

More Walking & Some Drinking

Last year I was successful in adding walking on the treadmill to my routine. In November I added 20.10 miles to my log, and in December, 18.95 miles. It did result in lowering, albeit slightly, my LDL and increasing my HDL cholesterol levels. So this year I'll keep the new routine and make a go of adding more drinking to my daily life.

We have, for the most part, changed our mealtime habits so that we have water with our meals instead of juice, milk, or other beverages. Now I'd like to add more glasses of water to my day outside of meal time.Rick and I were able to start the new year off with some less welcome exercise -- we cleared the drive way of snow when the storm was only about half over, so there are now another four inches of the stuff in the driveway.

But I think the kids will enjoy their last day of Christmas vacation. When Rick cleared the back of the driveway he built up a snow mountain for them to play with.