Happy Halloween! Here's my feeble attempt at carving a rabbit and a cat.
Peaches doesn't go trick or treating but apparently some rabbits do enjoy putting on a disguise. This scoundrel is available for adoption through Four Corners Bunnies.
I finished a pair of thick socks for DH using three different color strands of Cormo wool from Elsa Sheep & Wool.
Happy Halloween! Here's my feeble attempt at carving a rabbit and a cat.
Peaches doesn't go trick or treating but apparently some rabbits do enjoy putting on a disguise. This scoundrel is available for adoption through Four Corners Bunnies.
Happy Halloween! Here's my feeble attempt at carving a rabbit and a cat.
Peaches doesn't go trick or treating but apparently some rabbits do enjoy putting on a disguise. This scoundrel is available for adoption through Four Corners Bunnies.
Here are the Halloween-inspired Caledonia socks using four colors (medium orange, black, taupe, and a yellowish green) of worsted weight yarn. I prefer thicker socks as I have perpetually cold feet. (The free pattern for the Caledonia socks is HERE.)
I will have photos of the Halloween version of the Caledonia socks for you tomorrow. I was originally thinking of adding some duplicate stitch spiders or dangling jack-o-lanterns but alas my mind has already moved on to the next project(s).
I've decided my next knitting booklet for sale will feature 3-4 patterns for multi-color knitted gloves for men and women. I don't expect to have this done before the holidays and really there is no rush. I want to use several different thumb gussets and perhaps even a faster version of Sanquhar gloves using a thicker yarn than the traditional laceweight. I do love to knit gloves most of all so this will be fun.
I've decided I want to knit Latvian mittens, some Fair Isle mittens, and some Dale of Norway socks. I only have a really good selection of colors in worsted weight though so I figure I'll try to knit a child's pattern using worsted weight yarn to get an adult size.
I also want to do some playing around with color. I want to do a tone-on-tone project, probably in various shades of blue, and I want to do a project in the ugliest colors I can imagine (just to see if I can make it work) and I want to design a bona fide Fair Isle project. For that one I will indeed use Shetland yarn although I find it pretty scratchy.
On the home front, Peaches is apparently responding to the change in seasons and is now eating almost constantly. We are trying to ignore her constant begging but she refuses to be ignored and positions herself in front of us and gives us the bunny evil eye. Ms. Plump-o does this even if we have just fed her 2 minutes ago.
She's not exactly wasting away from lack of food, eh? Meanwhile Jack the cat disapproves of all this rabbit begging.
I've decided my next knitting booklet for sale will feature 3-4 patterns for multi-color knitted gloves for men and women. I don't expect to have this done before the holidays and really there is no rush. I want to use several different thumb gussets and perhaps even a faster version of Sanquhar gloves using a thicker yarn than the traditional laceweight. I do love to knit gloves most of all so this will be fun.
I've decided I want to knit Latvian mittens, some Fair Isle mittens, and some Dale of Norway socks. I only have a really good selection of colors in worsted weight though so I figure I'll try to knit a child's pattern using worsted weight yarn to get an adult size.
I also want to do some playing around with color. I want to do a tone-on-tone project, probably in various shades of blue, and I want to do a project in the ugliest colors I can imagine (just to see if I can make it work) and I want to design a bona fide Fair Isle project. For that one I will indeed use Shetland yarn although I find it pretty scratchy.
On the home front, Peaches is apparently responding to the change in seasons and is now eating almost constantly. We are trying to ignore her constant begging but she refuses to be ignored and positions herself in front of us and gives us the bunny evil eye. Ms. Plump-o does this even if we have just fed her 2 minutes ago.
She's not exactly wasting away from lack of food, eh? Meanwhile Jack the cat disapproves of all this rabbit begging.
Oops. Rob pointed out to me that I only put the Checkerboard Mesa Hat for sale in print for $9.99. I've changed that so now you can also get it via a download for $4.71. The amount for the print patterns is higher because of the higher cost of color printing - the print costs are around $5.30 for a 5 page pattern then Lulu takes over a dollar each pattern for their profit. Fortunately with .PDF files it doesn't matter.
Checkerboard Mesa Hat
Here is the child's version of the Checkerboard Mesa Hat. The pattern includes a checkerboard ribbing and uses 8 colors of worsted weight yarn.
The pattern is available at the Lulu store .
I'm currently working on a version of the Caledonia socks using Halloween colors and need to get to work to have them finished in time.
Yesterday we attended the harvest festival offered by our wonderful year-round CSA. (Sorry about the photo quality but I can never manage to take good photos when it is extremely sunny.) This is actually only one of the locations for our CSA - they have greenhouses in several other parts of the city and they get in organic produce from the region to distribute to many locations all over the city.
Los Poblanos is located on some prime and historic Los Ranchos de Albuquerque real estate near the Rio Grande river. The area includes a lavender farm, an inn, and a cultural center along with the land for our CSA. The inn and cultural center were designed by renowned New Mexico architect John Gaw Meem.
Here is a statue of San Ysidro, the patron saint of farming, in front of a lily-covered pond.
DH met some new friends.
After the harvest festival, DH took me to what he calls my "happy place."
Los Poblanos is located on some prime and historic Los Ranchos de Albuquerque real estate near the Rio Grande river. The area includes a lavender farm, an inn, and a cultural center along with the land for our CSA. The inn and cultural center were designed by renowned New Mexico architect John Gaw Meem.
Here is a statue of San Ysidro, the patron saint of farming, in front of a lily-covered pond.
DH met some new friends.
After the harvest festival, DH took me to what he calls my "happy place."
German twisted cast on. German twisted cast on. German twisted cast on. That is the name I keep forgetting. This magical cast on alleviates the curling in two-color ribbing and is also used for looseness on socks for wider legs. The talented Sarah sent me these two great links that show how to do it and I think it is in one of Nancy Bush's books as well.
http://www.knottygirls.com/jenlablog/freepatterns/twisted%20german%20cast%20on%20tutorial.pdf
http://hipknitism.com/library/techniques/twisted_german.shtml
I've been collecting some of my technical knitting posts from the blog archives. (I deleted many relating to the Master Knitter program in a fit of pique after my Level III debacle but there are still a few left.) I plan to put them in the sidebar along with links to my free patterns but I'm waiting until after Blogger institutes some major changes at the end of the month.
Norwegian Knitting Resources Part I
Norwegian Knitting Resources Part II
Spinning/Knitting with Cat Fur
Steeking
Koolaid Microwave Dyeing
Two-Color Knitting
Twined Knitting/Tvaandstickning Part I
Twined Knitting/Tvaandstickning Part II
Weaving in Ends
Color Jogs
Tension Problems
Duplicate Stitch
Darning Socks
New Mexico Fiber Resources
Online Color Knitting Links
Cabling without a Cable Needle
Fair Isle vs. Stranded Color Knitting Part I
Fair Isle vs. Stranded Color Knitting Part II
Reverse Duplicate Stitch
Purling with Two Colors
MY FREE KNITTING PATTERNS
Garter Lace Scarf
Super Stars
ROY G. BiV Socks
Knitted Curlicues
Rabbit Finger Puppets
Caledonia Socks
http://www.knottygirls.com/jenlablog/freepatterns/twisted%20german%20cast%20on%20tutorial.pdf
http://hipknitism.com/library/techniques/twisted_german.shtml
I've been collecting some of my technical knitting posts from the blog archives. (I deleted many relating to the Master Knitter program in a fit of pique after my Level III debacle but there are still a few left.) I plan to put them in the sidebar along with links to my free patterns but I'm waiting until after Blogger institutes some major changes at the end of the month.
Norwegian Knitting Resources Part I
Norwegian Knitting Resources Part II
Spinning/Knitting with Cat Fur
Steeking
Koolaid Microwave Dyeing
Two-Color Knitting
Twined Knitting/Tvaandstickning Part I
Twined Knitting/Tvaandstickning Part II
Weaving in Ends
Color Jogs
Tension Problems
Duplicate Stitch
Darning Socks
New Mexico Fiber Resources
Online Color Knitting Links
Cabling without a Cable Needle
Fair Isle vs. Stranded Color Knitting Part I
Fair Isle vs. Stranded Color Knitting Part II
Reverse Duplicate Stitch
Purling with Two Colors
MY FREE KNITTING PATTERNS
Garter Lace Scarf
Super Stars
ROY G. BiV Socks
Knitted Curlicues
Rabbit Finger Puppets
Caledonia Socks
Corrugated or Two-Color Ribbing
I love two-color ribbing (also called corrugated ribbing) and I think it can really enhance a knitting project. The knitted stitches are one color and the purled stitches are another color. Because of all the floats it is slightly less elastic than regular ribbing.
If you are a two-handed color knitter, doing this type of ribbing really isn't much slower. I am right-handed and I hold the yarn that is to be purled in my right hand and purl those stitches American/English style and the yarn that is to be knitted in my left hand and knit continental.
I'm not sure why so many knitting patterns change colors in two-color ribbing in the purl stitches. That requires that you knit across the first row every time you change a color (to avoid bi-color purl bumps) and it can really affect the elasticity of the ribbing. I always change colors in the knit stitches instead.
One oddity about two-color ribbing is that if you cast on in one color using the long-tail cast on and then immediately start the ribbing the color you didn't cast on with will tend to peak out under the cast on edge. I don't think the problem even has to do with your tension on the first row - the problem seems to be that two-color ribbing makes the bottom edge curl up slightly. It isn't a huge problem but it annoys me. I pulled on the pink yarn a bit to further demonstrate this problem at the bottom of the knitting in this checkerboard two-color ribbing.
I've heard there may be a special cast on you can use to avoid this but I'm not aware what it is. I've even had this happen even when I cast on with two colors. Let me know if you know of a cast on that eliminates this. One easy way to avoid it is to rib the first row in the cast on color and start the two color ribbing on the second row.
I am not always fond of how this looks though so I use another solution.
If it is really bugging me I go back after I'm done knitting the item with the cast on yarn threaded in a tapestry needle and LOOSELY tack up the bottom float. Here you'll see the diagonal white yarns on the bottom of the Checkerboard Mesa hat from yesterday's post that have been tacked up.
Here is another photo that shows what the interior of corrugated ribbing looks like.
If you are a two-handed color knitter, doing this type of ribbing really isn't much slower. I am right-handed and I hold the yarn that is to be purled in my right hand and purl those stitches American/English style and the yarn that is to be knitted in my left hand and knit continental.
I'm not sure why so many knitting patterns change colors in two-color ribbing in the purl stitches. That requires that you knit across the first row every time you change a color (to avoid bi-color purl bumps) and it can really affect the elasticity of the ribbing. I always change colors in the knit stitches instead.
One oddity about two-color ribbing is that if you cast on in one color using the long-tail cast on and then immediately start the ribbing the color you didn't cast on with will tend to peak out under the cast on edge. I don't think the problem even has to do with your tension on the first row - the problem seems to be that two-color ribbing makes the bottom edge curl up slightly. It isn't a huge problem but it annoys me. I pulled on the pink yarn a bit to further demonstrate this problem at the bottom of the knitting in this checkerboard two-color ribbing.
I've heard there may be a special cast on you can use to avoid this but I'm not aware what it is. I've even had this happen even when I cast on with two colors. Let me know if you know of a cast on that eliminates this. One easy way to avoid it is to rib the first row in the cast on color and start the two color ribbing on the second row.
I am not always fond of how this looks though so I use another solution.
If it is really bugging me I go back after I'm done knitting the item with the cast on yarn threaded in a tapestry needle and LOOSELY tack up the bottom float. Here you'll see the diagonal white yarns on the bottom of the Checkerboard Mesa hat from yesterday's post that have been tacked up.
Here is another photo that shows what the interior of corrugated ribbing looks like.
Here it is - DH the Utah backpacking fanatic has named it the Checkerboard Mesa Hat. I haven't actually attached the curlicues because I want to get some shots of the top decreases. In a fit of productivity never before seen around here the pattern is already typed up. I just want to knit a child's version to include with the pattern - I'm doing it in purples, pinks, and blues. I am also working on a
I've been spending a lot of time food shopping. I got the idea to try to do a Thanksgiving vegetarian feast with only local foods from the 100 Mile Diet web site. They say that most of the food you eat travels an average of 1500 miles. We can get most fruits, veggies, fresh eggs, and weekly organic bread with locally grown wheat from our wonderful year-round CSA but the other stuff is proving more difficult. Apparently NM is 6th in the country in milk production and 7th in cheese but Whole Foods with all their "local foods" signs had neither in a local version. I'm doing tamales with a red chile sauce and a pumpkin flan for dessert.
Yoppie asked in the comments about a few of the socks in the Photobucket gallery of most of my knitting for the last 5 years. The Turkish socks are from Anna Zilboorg's book Fancy Feet. The Bazaar socks are from a free Interweave knits pattern by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. I didn't actually use her pattern for mine - just her color charts.
I am currently doing a load of laundry. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.
I've started a fun hat. I saw a magazine photo where a couch was covered in an interesting print. It was one stripe of black and white print and one stripe of black and bright colors. That will be my project this weekend during the baseball playoffs.
Besides trying to destroy the world through my washing machine and dryer, I also goofed up on my latest man's hiking sock pattern. I accidentally only put it up for sale via print at Lulu so now it is also for sale as a download so you can save some money. Sorry about that! I'm also going to reformat it and put it up for sale on the Knitting Vault to see how well it sells there.
Finally, DH asked for more photos of Peaches and Jack. He works with severely abused kids in treatment foster care and they just love seeing what Peaches and Jack are up to. I got out Paint Shop Pro and used the copyright free images at Backgroundsarchive.com. I don't quite have the hang of this yet but at least my pets are getting to see the world.
I've started a fun hat. I saw a magazine photo where a couch was covered in an interesting print. It was one stripe of black and white print and one stripe of black and bright colors. That will be my project this weekend during the baseball playoffs.
Besides trying to destroy the world through my washing machine and dryer, I also goofed up on my latest man's hiking sock pattern. I accidentally only put it up for sale via print at Lulu so now it is also for sale as a download so you can save some money. Sorry about that! I'm also going to reformat it and put it up for sale on the Knitting Vault to see how well it sells there.
Finally, DH asked for more photos of Peaches and Jack. He works with severely abused kids in treatment foster care and they just love seeing what Peaches and Jack are up to. I got out Paint Shop Pro and used the copyright free images at Backgroundsarchive.com. I don't quite have the hang of this yet but at least my pets are getting to see the world.
Lake Ontario Socks
This week I've been a danger to myself and others.
First I did a load of DH's clothes. The clothes made it through the washer fine but apparently in the dryer a pen lurking in one of his pockets exploded and I killed a few of his dress shirts. It took me an hour to clean the ink from the inside of the dryer.
Then I washed a small decorative pillow with some blankets. It also exploded and I'm still picked fiberfill out of the clothes in the washer.
Here is my third laundry fatality.
These were the Lake Ontario Socks before they accidentally jumped into the dryer. I received the kit in a sock of the month kit and the lovely design is by Joanne Conklin.
But for every pair of socks that dies, another pair is born.
Here's another pair of Fireside socks (from the Spin-Off sock book) using two worsted yarns and one sock yarn simultaneously. Fortunately the colors look better than they do in the photo. (Unfortunately DH does indeed wear socks with sandals on a regular basis.) I didn't make these long enough for his tastes and I will make him another longer pair ASAP.
First I did a load of DH's clothes. The clothes made it through the washer fine but apparently in the dryer a pen lurking in one of his pockets exploded and I killed a few of his dress shirts. It took me an hour to clean the ink from the inside of the dryer.
Then I washed a small decorative pillow with some blankets. It also exploded and I'm still picked fiberfill out of the clothes in the washer.
Here is my third laundry fatality.
These were the Lake Ontario Socks before they accidentally jumped into the dryer. I received the kit in a sock of the month kit and the lovely design is by Joanne Conklin.
But for every pair of socks that dies, another pair is born.
Here's another pair of Fireside socks (from the Spin-Off sock book) using two worsted yarns and one sock yarn simultaneously. Fortunately the colors look better than they do in the photo. (Unfortunately DH does indeed wear socks with sandals on a regular basis.) I didn't make these long enough for his tastes and I will make him another longer pair ASAP.
Chimayo
We drove up to Taos this weekend for the Wool Festival. I bought three skeins of Cormo yarn to make socks for DH but didn't spend much time there. I've showed zillions of pictures of the festival in the past so this year I thought you might like to see some different pictures of northern NM.
The high road to Taos from Santa Fe is absolutely gorgeous and a must if you visit. There are many weavers along the way but I didn't get to stop as we were running late. We did manage to see the star attraction of the route, El Santuario de Chimayo, also called "The Lourdes of America."
In 1810 a Penitente was performing his penances and saw a light coming from a hill. He went over and started digging and found the cross of Our Lord of Esquipulas. Reports of miraculous healings took place there and between 1814 and 1816 the Santuario was built featuring the cross Don Bernardo Abeyta found. There's a sandpit in the sacristy with healing dirt and many crutches and canes that were left behind. Every year at Lent many pilgrims walk to the Santuario (some from very far away) and the grounds outside are full of rock crosses, shrines, and handmade twig crosses everywhere.
The Santuario is quite small and primitive inside but well loved. There are a few grave sites in the front courtyard for previous caretakers of the little church over the last 200 years.
The high road to Taos from Santa Fe is absolutely gorgeous and a must if you visit. There are many weavers along the way but I didn't get to stop as we were running late. We did manage to see the star attraction of the route, El Santuario de Chimayo, also called "The Lourdes of America."
In 1810 a Penitente was performing his penances and saw a light coming from a hill. He went over and started digging and found the cross of Our Lord of Esquipulas. Reports of miraculous healings took place there and between 1814 and 1816 the Santuario was built featuring the cross Don Bernardo Abeyta found. There's a sandpit in the sacristy with healing dirt and many crutches and canes that were left behind. Every year at Lent many pilgrims walk to the Santuario (some from very far away) and the grounds outside are full of rock crosses, shrines, and handmade twig crosses everywhere.
The Santuario is quite small and primitive inside but well loved. There are a few grave sites in the front courtyard for previous caretakers of the little church over the last 200 years.
Men's Hiking Socks
There is an excellent explanation of stranded color knitting on the explaiKnit blog. I really hope more beginning knitters learn how to do this technique because working with many colors is so much fun.
Also, I managed to find the PGR sock book (hiding in a pile of cookbooks) so I am back at work on the Iranian/Afghani socks along with some stash Fireside socks for DH.
These are the men's hiking socks using four colors of worsted weight wool yarn. DH prefers thick socks for hiking to cushion his feet against blisters.
The colorwork is pretty much hidden inside his hiking boots but it keeps the knitting more interesting. I used both Wool of the Andes and Peruvian wool - I believe the colors were rust heather, charcoal heather, gray and a light khaki. The pattern for these socks is for sale HERE to benefit pet rabbit rescue. The pattern fits a size 10 1/2 men's foot but I've included instructions on how to make the socks longer or shorter. The Four Corners Bunnies web site has more photos of all the patterns HERE.
I will have a New Mexico travelogue with photos for you early next week. We're planning on taking the high road up through Chimayo and I hope to find some of the world-famous weavers around there.
Also, I managed to find the PGR sock book (hiding in a pile of cookbooks) so I am back at work on the Iranian/Afghani socks along with some stash Fireside socks for DH.
These are the men's hiking socks using four colors of worsted weight wool yarn. DH prefers thick socks for hiking to cushion his feet against blisters.
The colorwork is pretty much hidden inside his hiking boots but it keeps the knitting more interesting. I used both Wool of the Andes and Peruvian wool - I believe the colors were rust heather, charcoal heather, gray and a light khaki. The pattern for these socks is for sale HERE to benefit pet rabbit rescue. The pattern fits a size 10 1/2 men's foot but I've included instructions on how to make the socks longer or shorter. The Four Corners Bunnies web site has more photos of all the patterns HERE.
I will have a New Mexico travelogue with photos for you early next week. We're planning on taking the high road up through Chimayo and I hope to find some of the world-famous weavers around there.
Fireside Socks
I have the stupidest possible reason for not continuing on the PGR socks. I lost the book. I will contact the library to see if I accidentally returned it with a pile of books (been there, done that) before I take the ill-advised and drastic measure of actually cleaning the house.
I know knitting is supposed to be immensely spiritual and life-transforming according to all the books but I knit for very un-spiritual and boring reasons like cold feet. I'm embarking on a series of Fireside socks for myself and DH. The original pattern is in the Spin-Off sock book but essentially you grab a few different yarns and cast on in big dpns. I don't refer to the original pattern anymore and just eyeball it depending on the size needles and the yarns I choose.
The socks I'm working on now (in the photo above) are done with two worsted weight yarns and one sock yarn on 36 sts on size 7 dpns. I usually finish a pair in a day or so. They're perfect for padding around the house and I don't even bother with ribbing anymore - they're thick enough they just stay up on your leg. They're also a really good project for using up weird handspun tidbits of yarn.
Here are two previous versions of the Fireside socks using wool and handspun alpaca:
I also finished another sock pattern - a multi-colored men's hiking sock. I have to get photos but I'm going to add it as a single pattern for sale. My goal is to get $100 a month to donate to the HRS shelter in Denver for use in food and veterinary care for the abandoned rabbits . I'm not quite there currently but if I add a few extra patterns for sale I should be able to make it. I have decided I need a lot more photos of my patterns for the web site so that is my project for this weekend.
I know knitting is supposed to be immensely spiritual and life-transforming according to all the books but I knit for very un-spiritual and boring reasons like cold feet. I'm embarking on a series of Fireside socks for myself and DH. The original pattern is in the Spin-Off sock book but essentially you grab a few different yarns and cast on in big dpns. I don't refer to the original pattern anymore and just eyeball it depending on the size needles and the yarns I choose.
The socks I'm working on now (in the photo above) are done with two worsted weight yarns and one sock yarn on 36 sts on size 7 dpns. I usually finish a pair in a day or so. They're perfect for padding around the house and I don't even bother with ribbing anymore - they're thick enough they just stay up on your leg. They're also a really good project for using up weird handspun tidbits of yarn.
Here are two previous versions of the Fireside socks using wool and handspun alpaca:
I also finished another sock pattern - a multi-colored men's hiking sock. I have to get photos but I'm going to add it as a single pattern for sale. My goal is to get $100 a month to donate to the HRS shelter in Denver for use in food and veterinary care for the abandoned rabbits . I'm not quite there currently but if I add a few extra patterns for sale I should be able to make it. I have decided I need a lot more photos of my patterns for the web site so that is my project for this weekend.
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