New Yarns, Alternative Fibers

I got some hemp yarn, Allhemp 6, in Aubergine and Charcoal, in order to make Maze. The yarn is actually a lot denser than I thought it would be. I was thinking it would be lighter and shinier, but it's more dense and ropey than I thought it would be. It's hard to knit with and at first my hands got really sore. It really does feel like knitting with twine, but it seems extremely durable. Some yarns I've used feel like they'll tear apart in my hands or get ruined, just by handling them. I've finished the Maze hat, but haven't washed it yet. I guess hemp is supposed to get a lot softer after washing. I've been wanting to try out some of the nonwool yarns out there. Next up would be Tofutsies sock yarn, which is wool, nylon, and soysilk. I also got this handpainted sock yarn from Etsy, and I'm thinking about making Anastasia with it. It has a short row toe, which I haven't done before, so I'll have to sit down and really concentrate on it.

One Lone Baudelaire

I finished one Baudelaire sock, after making it too big. It is the first sock I ever made, so I'm really happy with it. I used Filatura di Crosa Zarina and size 2.75mm needles. I made the size large at first, but then went down to a size medium. I think I could have even made the small or gone down a needle size, because it feels like it could be tighter. The hardest parts were the beginning figure 8 cast on and the beginning of the cable. The figure 8 cast on felt really awkward and seemed too loose. I had to do it a few times to get it to look right. The beginning of the cable is where you have to increase I think 4 stitches for every stitch. It started to get so tight, I could hardly get my needle into the stitches. I think I could have made the four stitch cable instead of the eight stitch cable, but I don't want to redo the sock over again. If I make this pattern again, I'll know. Overall, I like this pattern a lot, and it was fairly straightforward. Now I just have to make sure I cast on for the second sock immediately.

Mesilla Sans Embroidery

I finished Mesilla, after redoing the neck twice. The first time I didn't pick up enough stitches, so it was way too small. It came out smaller than the sleeves, actually. The second time, I increased stitches in the blue foldover part, so it would lie flat. Otherwise the folded over neck area seemed to curl over and wouldn't stay folded over. I may or may not still put on the embroidery.
I used Mission Falls cotton in Sea for the main color, and Jade, Wintergreen, and Dark Blue for the rest. I really liked using the Mission Falls, since it's really soft. I also got most of the yarn really cheaply on Ebay, otherwise I probably wouldn't have used this brand. The main thing I think I would change is too make it a little longer. Otherwise, it's a really comfortable sweater, and was pretty easy to knit.

Kool Aid is Delicious

I tried Kool Aid dyeing the other day, with a skein of Knit Picks sock yarn. I actually wanted to use blues and greens, but it's impossible to find any other colors but red and purple. I think Kool Aid isn't that popular anymore. I never really liked it as a kid, because it tasted kind of weird to me. It's a little bit alarming that it dyes so brightly, since you'd be drinking these colors. Anyway, I used grape, tropical punch, and pink lemonade. The tropical punch was definitely the brightest, and the grape is more of a faded purple. I ran out of Kool Aid, since I was underestimating how much I'd need, but hopefully the white parts will blend in and look intentional. I used the tutorial on Knitty, which was really helpful. I hope the colors stay as bright, and the skein still smells like fruit. I'm still looking for a pattern to use, but I'm thinking about Roza's Socks from the Spring IK. Although I think that uses size 0 needles, so who knows.

New Pet Attacks Yarn

I haven't been knitting as much lately, mostly because I got a new kitten about three weeks ago. He's extremely playful, so that's it's hard to even get a picture of him standing still. I also haven't felt much like writing, for whatever reason. It was hard getting the two cats to get along, because the orange one is very territorial. He still seems annoyed with the kitten sometimes, but they seem to be getting along now. I'm still working on all the same projects, Bonita, from last year's Interweave; Baudelaire, and Eunny's Deep V Argyle vest. They all seem to be taking forever, especially Bonita, which has been in the WIP pile since last year. I'm using size three needles with Knit Picks Shine, so two rows seems to take about an hour. I'm thinking I should have left off some of the side lace and only done the diamonds in the center. Oh well, hopefully it'll fit.

Stranded Colorwork is Awkward

I've been working on the Deep V Argyle Vest and so far, the main problem is that my gauge is off. I know that the gauge might change after I wash it, but I just figured I would start it, and see if my gauge was working out. I'm not sure if I should count on that or not. I really don't want to make a swatch and wash it, even thought that's what I should do. Making swatches feels so tedious, like I'm doing homework or something. The other problem is that my left hand feels so strange holding the yarn, but after finishing this, it should be much less awkward.

I pulled out two more projects that I had quit working on last fall, which I thought were coming out kind of small. But I decided to keep working on them and try to block them if I could. One is the Lotus Lace Tank with SWTC Bamboo in turquoise, and the other is Bonita with Knit Picks Shine sport
in hydrangea. After seeing all the progress I had made, I didn't want to just rip it out and either start over or abandon it completely. I would rather wear a too small sweater, than completely start over.

First Amigurumi

I got these patterns from Etsy. They were both pretty easy, since I needed a quick project. The elephant was the first time I did amigarumi. I started the Deep V Argyle Vest from Eunny Jang, and already my gauge was off, so I had to restart it. I'm using Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport, which I like a lot. The instructions are really detailed, so I haven't had any problems so far. Another thing I realized was that the dpns I was using for socks are actually smaller than other size 2 needles, like Addi turbo. I don't know why they would be different sizes, but my according to my needles sizer, the Addi turbo are bigger than size 2. That's kind of weird.

One Less UFO

Another project from last summer, that I finished up recently, was the Granny's Not so Square Bag from The Happy Hooker. It was basically all finished for months, but I was trying to find O-rings, which are impossible to find. I also wanted to line it, so it would be more sturdy. I ended up lining it with fabric and somewhat stiff interfacing, and putting in an inside zipper. That was difficult for me, and I had to do it a bunch of different times, because the pocket kept becoming inside out. Anyway, I really like how this turned out and it seems really sturdy. I used all the recommended yarns, Berroco Suede in Tobacco and Wild Bill Hickock, and Berroco Twist in Sprout, Sweet Violet, Soul, and I think Satin Beige. The inside lining is actually the more green color, and the blue areas on the bag are actually purple. Sometimes it bugs me that it's hard to get accurate colors in photos. The crochet part was easy, except the last part when you switch from the Cotton Twist to Suede, you are supposed to crochet around the surface of the granny square to outline it. I couldn't figure that out. But it's not noticeable. My next crochet project from that book is either Short and Sweet or Unseamly Sweater.

Demi is Done

I finished Demi, from Rowan Vintage Knits in January, after about 7 weeks of knitting. I used about 7 skeins of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed in Plum, with hardly anything left over. I used size 8 needles, although I think the yarn might work better with size 7. I didn't want to redo the pattern for a smaller needle size. Then I worked almost exclusively on this project, since I liked it so much. The sweater fits well, although my gauge must have been off, because it came out smaller than the size I knit (medium). It is a little more close fitting than I expected, but seems to work anyway. The main thing I modified was the size of the bobbles. Instead in row 1:I knit into the front, back, and front, of the stitch row 2: turn and purl across the three stitches, row 3: turn and slip 2 stitches together as if to k2tog knit the 3rd stitch and pass the first two stitches over the third. It worked a lot better. In the book I think the bobbles are five stitches and that was too big for me. The hardest part was the construction of the button area at the top shoulder, because I wasn't sure how it was supposed to connect. The button area is knit separately and sewn onto the top shoulder and the back later. This was a good project, because there was a lot of interest during the whole thing. There were a lot of ends to weave because of the button area, but the sweater turned out good, and the yarn gets softer after washing.

Mission Falls Wool is the Best

I finished Calorimetry recently. It was really quick and took probably an hour. I used Mission Falls merino wool. I got some mill ends of it from Ebay, and so far it is my favorite wool. It is really soft, and the stitch definition is good. I wish I could afford to use this for a sweater, but it's pretty expensive. For Calorimetry, I cast on 86 stitches, since I've heard that using the original pattern makes it turn out huge. I also did only about 13 of the short row sections. I have only done short row a few times, and in those patterns, they used a wrap and turn, before turning a and working the short row. I didn't see why, but now, I see that otherwise it creates holes. This pattern didn't have you wrap the stitch, so holes are created. I also finished half of Backyard Leaves, and I wish I had done both halves at the same time. I like the pattern, I just couldn't get myself to work on it for some reason. The pattern is difficult to see, but after it's blocked, it should be better. I also started the We Call Them Pirates hat, using Knit picks Telemark. I'm using a size 5 needle, and am actually going to use the hat as a swatch for Knit Picks Norwegian Ski Sweater. I had to add stitches to the pirate pattern (I have no idea why, since I should have fewer stitches), and am probably going to do one more repeat of the pattern. I think my colorwork is getting better, though. Another pattern I've had my eye on recently is Eunny Jang's Argyle Vest, since it also uses steeking, like the Knit picks sweater.

Early Spring Cleaning

I've been going through my yarn recently, and decided I will try to only knit from my stash for a while. I have enough for about four to five sweaters, six pairs of socks, and other random projects. The problem is that I will be really excited about a project, and I'll start it, then it will seem boring, or I decide I don't like it. I have a lot of skeins of different colors, so I'm forced into doing stripes a lot of the time. If I do decide to get more yarn, it will be for a solid colored sweater. I have to finish a lot of projects, though. It gets stressful when there is a huge backlog of unfinished projects piling up. It feels unorganized, and more like work instead of a hobby. I've also decided to work more on techniques.
The first thing I've started is just practicing stranded knitting. The main thing about that is, my left hand holding the yarn feels awkward, since I'm used to knitting with my right hand. I want to just practice knitting with my left hand in basic stockinette, and I think fair isle will be a lot easier. After that I want to try knitting without a cable needle. I've seen instructions, but I've never spent the time to sit down and actually learn it.
I can't post any pictures, because my camera is in the process of dying. It can turn on for several seconds, then the batteries die, even if they are new. It's annoying, because I haven't had it that long. But hopefully, I can get a new camera soon. I have three finished sweaters and a hat that I haven't posted, and several projects in process.

So Many Projects

I've been going through a lot of started projects, and there are a lot that need finishing. It's overwhelming sometimes, because I keep starting new ones, so they keep piling up. There are some things that I decided aren't working. One is the Lotus Blossom Tank. I really like it, but it won't fit me. If I redo it, I need more bamboo yarn. But I have to decide whether it's worth it to spend so much on something I might not wear. I get caught up in how good a pattern is to knit, and how interesting it looks, without making sure that it's something I'll actually use.
I want to just finish what I already started and only use yarn from my stash, with the exception of socks. I really want to make socks, and have started a couple of times, but they didn't fit. I decided to start with Widdershins, because I already have the yarn for that. The next thing would be to redo the Baudelaires, which are too big. I have to make gauge swatches for the yarn, since I don't know which size needles to use. I hate making swatches, but I think it necessary. I also got some Fearless Fibers yarn, but I haven't decided which socks to make with it. I'm also making progress with my entrelac scarf. I might put the Lady Eleanor (from Scarf Style) -style fringe on it, but I haven't decided yet.