Finished scarf

Maybe I should lead with the sort of good stuff. I finished something! First, before I get into the picture, or how I feel about it--let me just say that this is HEAVY and WARM and the weather is unseasonably warm for late October and so my plan for wearing this to show school pride on the big crosstown rivalry game is also in question. I'm sure no one sweats to death in the stands at late October football games and I don't want to be the first.

Scarf! Finished but way too heavy

A post shared by Jodie (@ja_gardner) on Oct 19, 2017 at 5:33am PDT

This is a scarf that I started as football knitting. I wanted a scarf on school colors but As I said in the last entry, this isn't quite the finished product I was envisioning. Yarn choice was really the downfall. And here's the kicker--I really don't have any desire to make the scarf I was envisioning. I mean I COULD go back to the big box craft store (or another one--we have two) and find more appropriate yarn for the project and crank out another scarf. But I'm feeling very eh about it.

Which brings me to kind of the bad news on the blog front. I haven't started knitting anything since I finished this over the weekend.

Seriously.

I'd like to say that it's because I'm so busy with other things, but the reality is--I don't have anything I want to knit. I mean I do have other things too--halloween costumes, which are going to be a major crunch this year as the costumes were decided upon late and I'm making an extra one for a friend so they can all go as a group. But by in large, I am just feeling very uninspired.

I poked around on ravelry for a bit the other day, but it felt like everything was a shawl or wrap and I just wasn't feeling it. I have a small metric ton of sock yarn I could dive into, but after knitting socks all summer, I'm wanting something different. I have yarn for a sweater that would be perfect to knit if I could focus on it (the infamous dollar and a half cardigan that's been on the to be knit list for nearly a decade). Maybe I need to stash dive. Or maybe I need to go the craft store and get the yarn to make the scarf I want (for next year? for playoffs? For basketball season?)

Or maybe I just need inspiration from you--Tell me about what you are knitting!

scarf

I know, I said in my last entry that I had another knitting conundrum and I was going to write about it the very next day. HAH! That is like the funniest thing ever that I would think that I would have time.

First, I do want to mention for future me that I did manage to buy the peaches from the orchard I prefer and I did get them all canned in early September. I've also been worried about tomatoes since I didn't join my usual CSA this year. I've been doing ok with vegetables at farmer's market, but I really miss their tomatoes. I did find a tomato vendor the day after my last entry who had bushels reasonably priced that looked a) ripe and b) delicious. They were good but small and somewhat watery. I canned them as regular crushed tomatoes. I didn't pressure can as the drop in liquid of those wigs me out. I still have a few pints from last year to use up so I think I'm going to be happy with having canned less this year.

Ok, so the conundrum. You see it got cold here (and then hot but that's a whole other story) and I got this brilliant idea in my head: What if I knit a scarf (or two) in gang school colors for the big cross town rivalry game, which is the last game of the season?

I had in mind a scarf in stripes, done in the round. Basically you knit a really long tube and then make it flat by putting fringe on the ends to hold it shut. So off to Joann's to find the right yarn.

I don't know about you, but when I go yarn shopping be it at a LYS, or a craft store, I get a little overwhelmed with all the choices. Craft stores are generally easier for me though because I don't get so distracted thinking about other projects, but when your project calls for something that is in abundance.... well usually that does me in. Joann's had SO MANY different choices. There was already striped yarn, there was novelty yarn, there was just plain red heart in the right colors, and there was Hometown USA which is a bulky but very soft acrylic.

Yes, I did basically choose it because of how squishy it is.

The more astute of you may actually see my problem coming before I even tell you.

Yes, a double thickness in this yarn was WAY too thick.

Yes, I did knit about 8 inches before deciding that

Yes, I did set it aside for nearly a week

Yes, I did rip it out and start over.

So here was my problem. I really really really wanted this yarn. I really really wanted a scarf that looked like stockinette stitch without the curling. I really really wanted stripes that looked effortless.

I could not decide what to do. My choices seemed to boil down to a) continue on and be unhappy b) return unused yarn to the store, get different yarn and be unhappy or c) start over with a garter stitch one layer scarf and be less unhappy. So I chose C. I ripped, and I started over with a garter stitch scarf that isn't perfect. The back shows the color changes, my stripes are so wide, I can't carry up the yarn and am having to do a lot of end weaving. But, I am going to have a scarf that I can knit at the next two football games and wear at the "big game" and it's going to be soft and squishy.

I probably won't make two though. If I decide a second one is needed, I'm getting thinner (scratchier) yarn and making the tube.

School color scarf (no not u of m thankyouverymuch)

A post shared by Jodie (@ja_gardner) on Sep 25, 2017 at 6:18am PDT

christmas knitting

I've been sitting on this for a while. Back in the summer, June or July maybe, I started a scarf for my mother in law. She likes red, and hates scratchy things. So a while ago, (April maybe) I picked up this misti alpaca pima cotton/silk, in red. (yes, she is a good mother in law!). Anyway, I made this from a one skein wonders book:

I had forgotten the pattern name, thankfully I recorded it in ravelry! It is called: Ruffled Merino-Seacell Bias Scarf, and is from 101 Luxury one skein wonders. It is super soft and nice (I left off the ruffles), and I think she likes it. here is the pattern closeup:

The other project I finished, wasn't a gift, but more a finally finished. I started these socks for my daughter a long time ago, but kept putting them aside to work on more urgent things. Finally Christmas Eve, I finished them.

Given that I've washed them twice (and I think they are dirty again), I think she likes them.

I started a pair of socks for me (in purple) and her comment was--oh socks for you?! The implication being that I should knit more purple socks for her!

More on my socks after everyone goes back to school.

Entrelac

For a long time I have thought about trying Entrelac.  At least ever since I saw Danica.  I think I even decided to make it and bought some light blue yarn for the accent squares.  I never quite believed it was as easy as they said it was. But then I started seeing what people were doing with noro yarns and entrelac and Stubled across the most beautiful scarfs.  I don't have that much silk garden in my stash, but learning the technique would be a good first step.  So I dug through my stash for leftovers.

At the same time, I had decided that it might be time to conquer my fear of the dollar and a half cardigan (it isn't) and dug out the Interweave knits with that pattern in it.  Coincidently that issue (Spring 2007) has an entrelac tutorial in it. Then came a rainy day when the girls wanted to watch a  tv show we'd taped (and I wanted to see it too or ahem, I needed to ff through the commercials for them) It seemed like the fates were saying--do this.

And so I did:

It was pretty easy too.  Now to figure out how to justify the pruchase of 4 skeins of noro silk garden.

Updates

I don't have many pictures to show today because, while it has been sunny enough to catch my purples at their truest, it has also been so windy as to blow every thing away while I compose a shot.

I did though want to say that I blocked my purple scarf and it looks fabulous. I even wore it. I even took a picture of myself wearing it. But then after I wore it I realized that probably after two wearings it is going to need to be re-blocked.
 

 I also have been knitting fast and furious on the purple sweater. So much so that on Saturday April 14th I realized I had given myself a blister from poking my finger on the knitting needle pushing the stitches along. I'm on the second sleeve now--the sleeves tend to go faster for me. Also, contrary to my usual sweater MO, I am not feeling the "yarn pinch" as I still have 2 skeins of yarn. It made me realize I could add a hood!

 My other daughter wants a central park hoodie. And while she's too small for the smallest size, it is close enough that I'm thinking I could probably shrink it down. So, I'll be swatching that soon. So many things to knit, and hopefully many more lovely days in which to bring my knitting with me to the park.

finished

At the last possible moment, I finished the second teacher gift. This one for the teacher's aide.



Both gift have been given, and very much appreciated.

This year I used gift tags from Jill AKA Kniterella. Kniterella makes great gift tags, and has a whole line of funny ones, but I chose to go with the more traditional. If you ever saw her funny tags and thought, it wasn't quite right for your occasion, then you should know that she also has these (and lots of others too!) and they look really elegant.



The pattern is Fishtail lace scarf this one in Knit picks Shimmer. I used a size 4 needle.

Teacher gift the first

I am a really indecisive person. I am. This has carried over a lot to my knitting. There are many times that I can't decide on the patterns, the colors the yarn and times I can't decide if I like the gauge I have.
Probably the think I worry the most about is gift knitting.
I like to make a Christmas (holiday) gift for the teacher that my daughters have. And I also make a gift for the classroom aide if there is one. Even if she's assigned to help a particular student, because I know her presence makes the class run smoother.

When they were in Kindergarten, I made scarves for both the teacher and the classroom aide. I made the same pattern from different yarns, and I ended up liking the aide's scarf better. And I think she liked it too because I saw her wear it many many times. In first grade I made the teacher a scarf that was a bit more dressy. I don't think I ever saw her wear it, but that's ok because she has a teenage daughter who may have worn it or she may not have been a scarf person. In second grade, I got on the necklace kick and made a ton of necklaces including one for the teacher and the aide in the class who was by coincidence the same aide who had been the kindergarten aide.

This year the teacher is very young/hip and so for once I didn't really worry too much about her gift. My daughters assured me she "wears lots of scarves and not all of them look warm." So I bought some Shadow Tonal from knit picks (with color help from my girls who really do have an eye for color) . OOh I see that Blue yonder, the color I used, is being discontinued.
Anyway, I had a pattern picked out to use with it, but when I was searching ravelry for um something anyway, I came across this free knit picks pattern called Fishtail lace scarf.
It is a quick pattern that knit up really fast:





Have I mentioned how much I want to keep this for me?

Next up: the girls have the same instructional aide as LAST year and kindergarten so this is her third handmade item from me.

gifts

Usually about this time of year I start to get all excited about Christmas knitting. The last few years I have knit scarves for my girls' teachers. ANd then last year I made a pair of socks for my MIL. At the end of the Christmas season I wished I had whipped up a few scarves for my co-workers. This year I was determined to start earlier and do that very thing. Um yeah. Let's just say this year, I don't really feel the need to knit everyone I work with a scarf. It isn't that I don't like them, I just don't want to spend the money. Ok and I've been feeling tired lately at the end of the day and the thought of such pressurized knitting fills me with dread.

But that's not to say I won't be knitting some gifts! In fact I've already started (and finished) a few. LAst year my girls got American girl dolls for Christmas, and while they don't "play" with them exactly, they do like dressing them up. So this year after browsing the catalog--and realizing that the scarf trend that is so popular with adults is trickling down to the dolls, I decided the dolls needed scarves. And hats:



All this is cascade fixation done one size 4 or 5 needles. Fours I think.
I did measure the heads and worked up enough stitches to go around based on gauge, which was about 52.



The one doll is sporting a complicated updo (as seen in a doll magazine--it had directions so of course we had to do it...) and the hat doesn't fit over her head. It will fit when her hair is down though.

I have no idea this year if the girls' teacher is a scarf appreciator. Last year I figured if the teacher wasn't, she had a teenage daughter who might be. This year, there are no teenage daughters. Also complicating this year is that the aide in their classroom (who is there to help one boy but she really does more) was also the aide in their kindergarten classroom. So I already made her a scarf. And even though she has a new coat this year, I know she knits--AND I gave her the pattern for her scarf (she asked). So I figured a scarf wouldn't quite do.

Enter a quick look around ravelry and Lo and behold, I discovered you can crochet beaded necklaces. I'm following the directions here. I'm really happy so far:



I think I need more and bigger beads though. Who knows, maybe I'll end up making necklaces for my co-workers too.

holiday decompress

Time to decompress from the holidays! And time to show off the socks I made for my MIL. She's been hinting for a while that she'd like some handmade socks, but has been hesitant because most of the sock yarn I buy is wool. I understand that she probably has this wool=itchy thing going, but in my opinion superwash wool is a whole different thing. Plus all you have to do is feel some lopi and some super soft merino and you'll be wondering how two different things can both be called wool. Anyway, I found some cascade fixation in some nice bright colors and viola!


Also nice that she didn't balk at my photographing her feet.

I showed you all the scarf I made for the first grade teacher. I made it from silky wool on US size 4 needles. I was mighty sick of it by the time I finished. I ended up using 2.5 skeins, but could have used more and made it longer, if I hadn't run out of time. I was going to knit until Friday of that week and block Saturday and give on Monday. However, I ended up with so much other stuff to do that I quit knitting earlier in the week and blocking Friday. I blocked it at MIL's house since she was away and didn't need her kitchen floor. The pictures I took were all while it was blocking. My blocking board that several people liked is actually a set of Sesame Street foam puzzle blocks that my girls got for Christmas when they were two. They were headed for Goodwill when I spotted something similar in the knit picks catalog. Now they live in my knitting corner and every once in a while the ladies will get all bent out of shape that I'm using THEIR toy.

Anyway, there are already projects on the horizon. I got a ton of yarn for Christmas and the panda and bee sweaters are the next order of business.

done

I finished the scarf. It did not turn out the be 80 inches. I got busy so it turned out to be 76 inches. She seemed to like it. Details later:






I had to block it at my MIL's because it turns out that I don't have 70+ inches of long space that won't get run over 20 times a day.

72 inches

72 inches. That's how long "the scarf" is. The pattern says, repeat pattern until scarf is 80 inches long or you get very very tired of it has reached desired length. I did end up needing that third skein of silky wool, so I was glad I worried enough about that to buy it. I have decided that I am going to 80 inches or Friday night whichever comes first. I'm binding that puppy off on Friday, and blocking it Saturday so I can gift it Monday afternoon.

After that, I guess it is back to socks.

I don't consider myself a sock knitter, but I do happen to have a LOT of socks in my journal at Ravelry and just generally. I like wearing handknit wool socks in the winter, and now that I have 6 or 7 pairs I'm pretty happy. I also like having a sock going just for traveling and for fun. In fact I have one now that I started and got the heel turned before I started in on the Scarf. It may be just the intermediate project between the scarf and the next big project.

For Christmas, I asked for yarn to make both of my girls' sweaters, and I'd like to start those as soon after as I can (how can I be sure I'm getting the yarn? Oh come on, I put yarn on my Christmas list and I get it because my family KNOWs that I love yarn. They don't understand it exactly, but they do know it. Plus if I don't, well I'll buy it.)
I've had this idea in my head for one of my daughters, she loves pandas. I thought wouldn't it be fabulous to knit a colorwork panda into her sweater! I mentioned to my husband a panda sweater and his idea was different, he thought make the arms and top black and the main body white and actually that sounded easier and cuter. I have in mind a top down raglan, but I don't have a pattern. I'm pretty sure such a thing exists though.

It did present a problem, about what to do with her sister, who doesn't really care for pandas. So I asked her, since it wasn't going to be a surprise or anything and she immediately said she wanted a bee sweater. I'm not sure what style that will be, but right now I'm thinking just a plain set in sleeve would work great. They both want hats to match. I suppose if I left it up to them, they'd both want socks to match too, but we won't go there.

That's where things stand, 72 inches, very tired of the lace pattern, finishing on Friday regardless, and working on socks until I open my Christmas yarn.

Christmas knitting DONE

I have finished all my Christmas knitting! That sounds so impressive, that we might just forget that I only knit two things this year and they were both scarves. I still need to block the colinette scarf, so no pictures yet.

While I was knitting, I had a crisis of confidence. What if the teachers didn't appreciate my knitting? What if I should have gotten them something else? What if they preferred gift cards? In the end I decided that even if you don't wear handknits or scarves or something, you could at least appreciate the work and love that goes into something handmade. I don't knit for many people, so if I knit for you it is truly a gift to be appreciated.

Also while I was knitting, I started to get ansty about knitting things for me. I wanted more socks, I need to learn to darn my current socks (I have 3 with holes or thinning spots), I want a sweater, I want a lacey mohair scarf, and every time I turned around I saw some new project that I couldn't wait to knit. And now that I'm done, I have no idea what to do first. I should probably start both the sweater and something smaller and portable so that when the Christmas travel comes, I'll have something I can knit in the car. Not that I can't do a sweater in the round in the car, but usually we are pretty packed in and socks just work better. Of course at the rate things are going on the dishwasher front (it is on order...), I'd probably be just as well off buying some kitchen cotton and cranking out the dishcloths in the car.
So there's my conundrum, what to start first? Or you know, I could start the socks AND the sweater, then when the girls are in school next week, I could follow the tutorial on darning socks. or I could wrap presents and clean my house.

Pictures!

I have pictures!
here is the noro scarf all done and blocked

And here is the closeup view of the colinette scarf--not blocked.


There was a knot in my colinette and I was a little irritated because it is superwash wool, so no spit felting. Still I have close to three feet done on it, and I'm thinking ending size will be close to six feet--I'll have to discreetly measure the teacher's aide tomorrow at school. (don't worry I'll just stand next to her so something).

I almost took a break from the drop stitch scarf this week, but to tell you why involves a story.
See, my dishwasher broke on Sunday. And on Monday when my best fixit guy ever came out and looked at it, he was sure he could fix it with a part. One I had to order it turns out. The estimated ship time was NEXT Monday, so I figured, we need to do dishes by hand for a while. I am so totally a spoiled dishwasher gal. And when I use the dishwasher, I also use a kitchen sponge. When the thing gets dirty or I've cleaned something gross, into the dishwasher it goes.
My mother swears by dishcloths, the kind you can make with kitchen cotton. She thinks they are more sanitary. And I'm sure if you change it every day, it probably is, since my sponge makes it in perhaps once a week. So anyway, after about a day of washing with the sponge, I decided well hey, I should go find my dishcloths. Because of course I have knit some.

When I learned to knit we made two. Because I was and overachiever obsessed, I made four for me and two for my mom. Now remember, I don't use them. So why would I need four? Well, I have two daughters and I thought I'd make a set for each of them for their hope chests. They were two at the time and I guess I figured I'd never ever knit for them again (Ha!). I don't really care for making dishcloths, so maybe this is all the dishcloths they'll ever get. Anyway, I dislike making dishcloths, although I could probably crank them out much quicker now.

So this, I figured was the perfect opportunity to actually use the ones I have! I can make more when they get married (for their husbands!), it isn't like kitchen cotton is suddenly going to become rare. Well, I went looking and I came up with two and a fairly large swatch I made in prep for a baby afghan square. I also came up with enough kitchen cotton to make another one. Well, I thought I'd need another one, so I could you know WASH them. So I actually considered, for more than 5 minutes, making a third one.
I KNOW! Not only am I washing dishes which I detest, I actually considered knitting something I detest to go with it!

I don't get it either, best to stick to the scarf.

scarf frenzy

I am sick again. So I haven't been up real late, but I have been doing some knitting during the day, while my children fend for themselves, which they've gotten very good at doing because I have been sick most of the month of November. I am looking forward to December so that maybe I can break out of this cycle of get sick, get slightly better, relapse.

I finished the first teacher scarf, although I have not blocked it yet. I made the Drop stitch scarf from Noro silk Garden colorway 203. I'll take a picture of it soon, I promise. Part of my problem with this scarf, was that I wasn't sure what size needled to use, or how many stitches to cast on, because the pattern is like a good pattern very fluid. So after starting and ripping back oh, say 5 times, I finally looked on ravelry, and discovered most people using silk garden had used size 8 needles and cast on what looked like the requisite 26 stitches. After trying that, I was satisfied and then took about 2 weeks to knit the entire thing. I ended up using a little over 2 skeins, and I probably could have made it longer. I was really impressed with myself because I spit-felt the ends together, making it look like one big skein of silk garden. I think I might make a tiny tippet out of the leftovers. But that will have to come after the second scarf.

The second scarf, I decided to make for the teacher's aide in colinette jitterbug. I decided to use the same pattern, although... again I tried out several needle/stitch combinations before settling on size 5 needles and 36 stitches. At one point I woke up at 3am convinced, I just needed to scrap the project altogether and use different yarn. I think it might be a slight problem that knitting wakes me up in the middle of the night and keeps me a wake worrying! The more I knit on it, the better I am liking it. Again, I'll have to get a picture.

I was thinking the other day, that I should get some of Jill's pretty gift tags (and you should too) to go with them. if for no other reason than then they will know that a) I made them and b) please please please don't throw the silk garden into the machine. The only reason I don't already have some around is that I rarely knit for non family people.

Finished socks!

I finished my purple striped socks!


I love love love having nice cozy wool socks in the winter. I usually think of myself as a fairly process knitter, but for me, sock knitting is all about the product. I want more socks! therefore, I should go cast on another pair of socks.

I bought some yarn, for one of the scarves.

(Collinette Jitterbug)

I decided to use the noro silk garden I have for the other (and bought another skein, so I don't worry about running out)

Have cast on this project at least 6 times. I think I finally have the combination tension/stitches that I want. I'm hoping that it moves along nicely, because it just hit me that I have to finish two of these puppies in the space of a month. It is a fairly easy pattern, and I have been able to watch most tv while doing it, which helps.

I should though stop writing about it and start knitting.