Moving Along...

I have an actual thing to show you

Ta-da! A whole completed project. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with it, if I'll give it away or sell it or keep it.

To be frank, I complete a bunch of things I never share here or on ravelry because they aren't impressive. Plain jane socks, a set of oven cloths, and more socks. It's been a little slow lately cause I've been working a lot. Tuition's due in a few weeks and I have to buy books and pay bills so I've been trying to save up money for those things.

I scheduled classes and this year I've got the best set up I've ever had. 3 face-to-face classes Tuesdays and Thursdays for about 4 hours midmorning to midafternoon, and 2 online classes. Well, one online class. The other is a face-to-face class that's taped and put online so you can watch it whenever.

As previously mentioned, I am struggling with money and I've often thought about starting an etsy account and selling my knitting. Of course, all the usual worries with this plan apply- would I start to hate it if I'm forced to do it on a schedule, how will I get my christmas knitting done on time, etc. Add to that the still as yet undiagnosed wrist and hand problems and we've got enough apprehension about the idea to almost shut it down completely. But I think I'm gonna try it anyway. Starting small, with coasters and oven mitts.

Ok well I've got some responsible adult stuff I gotta do right now, but it's been a nice update.

Yay a post!

I finished a thing and I thought I'd share it with you.

This is a baby blanket for an expecting friend. The pattern is Cozy Luxe Baby Throw by Lion Brand done in Hoetown USA bulky yarn also by Lion Brand. It was a great pattern, easy and quick. I messed up a few times here or there, but that's more from me watching Firefly than from a difficult pattern.

I also finished a pair of socks but they're plain with self-striping yarn and pretty boring in terms of knitterly interest so I haven't taken any pictures. I still haven't done the second red string of fate sock, but I started another pair with the same pattern in a whale blue/gray for my mom's upcoming birthday so maybe I'll post pictures of those once they're done. I haven't touched my improvised sweater for a while because the next part involves seaming and joining and sleeves and I just don't wanna. I've finished both fronts and the back though.

*what follows is a sob story so if you don't want to read skip down to the bolded statement*

I haven't been knitting a whole lot lately because  my hands and wrists constantly hurt. They have for a couple of months now. I went to a walk-in clinic and they tested me for arthritis, which thankfully I don't have, but they don't do any follow ups so I've got to go to my primary care physician, about a 3 hour drive away since I didn't switch when I moved. I don't think it's anything serious but for now I've been trying to take it easy. Of course I can't quit knitting altogether because I'll go insane and start stabbing people with my knitting needles but I really only get about an hour in a day in little ten minute intervals.

Sob story over

Anyway, I'm gonna try to update as I finish things, rather than on a set schedule, so if I don't post for a while it's because I don't have anything finished.

Winging It (Seriously, No Planning)

 I have now completed a whole left front panel. Yay! Do the happy dance!

Check out this awesomeness!

Mine is a bit more angular than the storebought one but I'm not trying to recreate it perfectly or I would go mad

 Now this may not seem like that big of an accomplishment but I had the most anxiety about the decreases around the sleeves so now that it's done I'm not freaking out as much. Also, because the pattern is entirely reversible I can just make the second panel exactly like the first without worrying about trying to flip it to a mirror image. I think picking up the stitches for the sleeves is probably gonna be the worst part but I'm working on not flipping the fragle rock out about it before I even get there so...

Size 3 needles are probably too small for such projects, and I was having some wrist issues so I was trying to avoid marathon knitting but I have spent over 4 hours in various DMVs in the last week (with more time to come on Monday) and it's been prime knitting time. Sidenote: People looked at me really weirdly for pulling out of my normal-sized handbag: a plethora of pens/markers to doodle with, my sweater project plus a sock knitting project, and a rather thick Percy Jackson book but I'm not dead bored like they are so the joke's on them. Maybe part of the problem was that I stripped my sweater off at the DMV and put it out flat on the floor to measure my knitting against. Is that normal behavior? I'm thinking no, but what would I know about that?

Aside from the panels, the sleeves and of course the back, I have to pick up and knit an edging around the front, neckline and hem. I'm thinking for that I'll do an i-cord, because you add the stitches as you go rather than picking then all up at once, but again, I'll figure it out when I get there.


I've worked exactly one cable crossing on those red socks since I last talked about them so there is progress being made. It's just at a glacial pace. For posterity, here's a picture with my hand modeling because it's easier to photograph:

 Sorry about the weird lighting on all of the photographs. One day I'll get myself a nice camera, but for now you get truly craptastic cell phone photos.

Whatever, Whatever, I Do What I Want

So just disregard everything I said about what I'm working on. I'm just gonna shove everything aside to do this next project, which is an attempt to recreate a storebought O'Neill cardigan (what is O'Neill, is that a brand or a company or what?) I got this particular sweater at Plato's Closet and I have fallen in love with it. I only have 2 problems with it. One, it's a light purple that matches almost nothing I own, and two, it stretches after a few hours of wear, especially the sleeves. I don't think my recreation will really solve either of those problems because I'm using light green yarn that probably doesn't match anything I own, and because it's acrylic yarn, so it will probably stretch too. Mostly, I was looking for a sweater project and I really liked this design. 

Pictures:

The original and my just started left front

A close up of the stitches. My gauge is tighter cause I'm using thicker yarn

 More skilled knitters would cringe at the way I'm attempting this endeavor, which is basically the 'knit and hope' method. I'm going to knit all of the pieces in the shapes that I see and hope that I can sew them together effectively. Basically, I'm winging it. Good luck to me! 

I probably will work a little on those red socks though, because they're a more portable project so they might show up in a post soon?

Also, I borrowed the new Percy Jackson book from my library and I just started it. I got a picture text from someone who saw it in the store and thought it was neat that it had my name on it. They were a bit surprised when my response was, "No! Don't ruin it, I haven't read it yet! Spoilers!" 

Mistakes

I actually have an FO to show off today. Check it:

This is a lovely headband I made for NS for her (now very late) birthday. I like it so much, I think I'll make one for myself with the leftover yarn. It's in Yarn Bee Soft Secret, which is a pretty good Caron Simply Soft approximation, aside from needing to be doubled up because it's like a DK weight. 

I'm also about 55% done with my Red String of Fate socks, and I'll have lots of time to work on them at game night tonight (my friends and I meet up and play board games for a few hours every Friday, or whenever we can make it- I usually can't because it's an hour and a half away). Check out how great the first sock turned out:

It's not a written pattern, but I wouldn't say I designed it myself. I just did some 8 row, 4 stitch cables on the cuff and top of the foot. Super simple, but really beautiful. The color's a lot brighter than that, but what can you do about camera phone pictures?

I've also been sort of working on a Tardis Blue afghan in the same pattern as DM's lace afghan, but I've run into a few problems. First, the yarn isn't as soft, which won't be a problem once washed but it hurts my hands. Second, I messed up and did the first cable crossing too early all along the row and apparently decided it wouldn't really be a problem:

The third crossing is right but I can't figure out what I did wrong for the first and second ones to be so close together.

And, nestled in one of those cables, is a glaring mistake which makes me insanely mad. A purl bump in my cable! See:

Above the bottom crossing

I'm only 1 and 1/2 pattern repeats in. I might pick up the stitches at the moss stitch border and frog til that point. Start over and pay more attention next time, I guess. I can't seem to settle on a project though. I really want to knit myself a lacy cardigan but I can't find the right pattern and I need to come up with an afghan to knit DM for her birthday in June because if I don't start soon, it might not be done in time. She doesn't like anything I knit except for the afghans and she refuses to wear the socks because she thinks they'll end up in the wash and be destroyed, despite the countless times I've told her they're machine washable. 

I also finally decided to weave in the ends of my Paprika Lace Socks:

Anyway, look out for a post soon about those red socks! And maybe something else, I really don't know.

Red String of Fate...

That's what I'm calling this little project:

I've also got a headband I'm working on for a NS's birthday (that I missed cause I'm a horrible friend), and an afghan just like DM's but in Tardis blue for me. I've got a few other projects started and abandoned. I can't settle.

Things in my personal life have been seriously crappy lately, especially today, but I've set aside this day to be self-indulgent and drink tea and watch Avengers so everything should be good.

Finals

It's finals week here, and I've been working on a few different school projects. Sorry about the long time between posts.

I have two FO's to talk about since I last posted.
First, Platypus socks:

These were completed the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, which was fortunate since my family took vacation in Virginia with friends and it was COLD.

While I was there I meant to work on some lace socks and a scrap afghan, but I also started a hat for myself using one of the balls of acrylic for the afghan. I think it turned out great:

I did actually work on the lace socks:

and the ripple afghan:

But neither are finished. The afghan probably won't be finished for some time. I think I might have to buy yarn to finish it, which is the exact opposite of my goal. And it wasn't meant to have a pattern at all, because that causes problems when I start to run out of yarn, but I accidentally started one. I really don't know with this one. And there are so many ends to deal with...

As for NaKnitMo, I finished my goal about halfway through the month, which made me eligible for a prize drawing. And I won! That never happens to me. I won two mini-skeins of 100% silk yarn in yellow and a multi of orange, yellow and pink. It should come in the mail soon and I can take photos then.

I still have two Christmas projects to complete as well. A toy for baby Benji, and something for my friend Jodi, but I haven't come up with anything yet.