Tag Archives: Knitting

Knit-Chat Alphabet Knits 2012

Aran Twist Socks

The lovely ladies of the G+ Knit Chat and I have begun a year-long project whereby we are going to start/work on/complete a project based on a corresponding letter of the English-language alphabet, every two weeks. Started on New Year’s day, which was conveniently on a Sunday, and I’m now working on “D”. The rules are somewhat up to interpretation, such that we can alter project names to suit.

The socks above are my “A” project. The Aran Twist Socks were a heck of a project, mostly because I kept messing up and having to restart. Annoying as heck but user error for sure. Nice simple pattern that I would likely do again. I did a different heel than what’s listed in the pattern but the main thing is the top and leg of the foot right? :)

Next up is my “B”. I had originally thought of the Buttercup Tunic (Ravelry link) sweater but that pattern is a disaster, IMO. I read through it to familiarize myself with the construction and couldn’t make heads or tails of why it’s constructed the way it is, so I changed my mind and went for a Tappan Zee Sweater, renamed ‘Bridge Sweater’ to fit the project. So far, not bad. I’m already done with the knitting. I opted to make it into a pullover instead of the cardigan it’s designed as. Not sure if that was a good idea, or if I just used a not-very-good choice of yarn because it bloomed like CRAZY with blocking. Instead of buttons I will be adding in some ribbon to cinch the neckline and button band. Whoops.

Then there’s “C”: the Caroline Hat. Caroline Hat

This needs a ribbon and I already bought it, but you know me, procrastination galore here in Chez Bean. I bought it the same day I got the ribbon for the Bridge sweater, so at least I’m on something of a roll in terms of acquiring the embellishments. I’m sure I’ll get it done before Fall. ;)

Finally, I’m on “D”. First, understand that projects are NOT required to be finished within the two weeks, just that it should be the main thing I’m working on.

'Da Age of Brass and Steam shawl

I’m knitting The (‘Da) Age of Brass and Steam next. It’s all in my own handspun. Some of the fiber is pre-dyed Grafton Fibers Merino that I picked up in a buying frenzy when I first learned to spin back in ’06. The rest is some undyed Merino that I dyed myself, with Koolaid the following year. I’m just now getting around to using it. I’m sort of on a stash-burning quest in the process of completing these projects. Kill two birds with one stone, or something like that.

Eileen is next on the horizon, though, guess what? She’s done! Except for the zipper, which makes things easier, but I’ll likely throw in a secondary “E” project for $hits and giggles. We’ll see..

TTFN!

Proof of Knitting….

Not quite proof of life but it’ll do. ;)

52/365--Back to Basics

With winter coming I had to get on the move with some new handknit accessories. You need something around your neck in these cold Northeast winters but I got tired of arranging and rearranging scarves. Cowl time! I just wanted something simple to start with, something I could use up some leftover KP yarns. I got 4 wildly different colors of Palette together and just ran them one behind the other.

I hit a roadblock with the way the top droops and I’m going to fix that before I show a FO picture.

I’ve also been putting some inches on the sleeves of Eileen, after pinning together the body to get a better sense of how I’m going to work the sleeves. Thanx to a very kind and smart knitter I learned the sleeves would have turned out WAY too big so I ripped and restarted. They’re almost to the arm caps as I type this.

55/365--Eileen WIP

I’ve also got a scarf and hat set going for Littlest Beanlet. They’re being done in undyed wool, so I’m going to dye them all at once when they’re done. I’ll see what color is her favorite this month. ;)

TTFN!

FOs and WIPs!

Lots going on the past week or so at Chez BeanKnit. There’s been a flurry of finished projects and well as completed sections of WIPs. And of course more canning. ;)

Applesauce!

I would have loved to make some fruit jellies but I can’t seem to get my hands on any pectin(the stuff that causes jelly and jam to thicken) without ordering online. Budget-conscious and all that. So, the next best thing? Applesauce. I hit up the farmer’s market the other day and picked up 6lbs of Empire and Red Delicious apples. Prepped, cooked down and ready to process:

It was just a matter of time...

Just two jars for now. Maybe next month I’ll try some different apples and get enough for several pints or a few quart jars. This stuff goes fast with the Beanlets around. The fridge pickles I mentioned in the last post were yummy, so I know the stored jars have the real goodies in them. Sigh. Patience is a virtue? Are you sure?

Anyway on to the knitting.

Socks galore!
Plain toe up socks
Almost Java Socks Hat Heel sock number 1

Top to bottom: Plain toe-up socks in a wool yarn gifted to me, 2×1 ribbed “Almost Java” socks in Misty Mountain Farms Prime Alpaca, and one of the Hat Heel socks I started eons ago, and have just recently found while trying to locate a missing ball of sock yarn. Turns out, the sock WAS the yarn. I about tore up the house looking for what I thought would be an unused ball of Lorna’s Lace Shepherd Sock, and found some missing needles in the process. ;)

I should point out that I put off finishing the Hat Heels because there seemed to be some issues/errors with the construction of the heel. As it turns out, this has to be the BEST-fitting sock I’ve ever knit. And of course, since I was so disgusted with the pattern I deleted any and all info about the project and don’t know what size needle I used. I’m gonna bank on it having been a US1.

Then, there’s Eileen!

Eileen back

The back is done! I’m about halfway done with a front section. So far, so good. I’m wondering now if it’ll be a little big on me. I wouldn’t mind so much, since I like to wear t-shirts all year long and this would allow me to be comfortable when indoors without freezing while I’m outside. I do think my next sweater will be a pullover of some sort.

So that’s pretty much what’s been going on here with the crafts. I have been wanting to sew more lately so perhaps that’s in store for me this weekend..

TTFN!

Random Goings-On

There’s been bunch of activity here in the Bean household concerning crafts and food. Well, there’s always food but recently I made a conscious decision to get more vegetables into my diet, come hell or high water. I finally hit up the Greenmarket at Union Square yesterday and I had a ball! There were many vendors selling all manner of edible goodness, some pricy(like heirloom tomatoes at $4.75/lb), and some just right(various squash at $1.00/lb). It was dizzying to say the least, but I can’t wait to go back! ;)

Farmer's Market Goodies

Clockwise: Yellow Summer Squash, Zucchini, Sweet Basil and Yellow Onions.

These ingredients made up part of the Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake I made for dinner tonight.

Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake
I’d left out the other cheeses called for in this recipe because I forget to purchase them. Next time, they will be added. It’s really yummy, though the Beanlets weren’t too thrilled. Too bad, they’re not the ones cooking. ;) There’s still one yellow and one green squash left. Not sure what to do with them. Refrigerator pickles may be in order.

As for yarn craft, the Eileen sweater got picked back up again during a fun evening of chatting with some knit buddies on G+. I forced myself to get over my fear of knitting the shoulders(I’ve had this fear since I first started knitting sweaters in pieces), and just did it. I’m not actually at the shoulder decreases yet, but I’m no longer scared of them.. There was a brief moment of “Noooooo” when I couldn’t figure out what was happening last, even though the chart is marked. I solved that and it was party time!

Eileen progress

Now, I’m looking forward to starting the next sweater.

There’s been some other crafty FO’s too, but that’s the next post.

TTFN!

Tour de Flop

Yeah, I said it. Flop. I didn’t come close to doing the spinning I thought I would do for the TdF. I can’t even use the heat as an excuse because I could have just put the wheel in my cool room and kept on going. What happened was, I just got sidetracked by the sock knitting.

TdF Gestures awaiting bath

This is the only completed skein of handspun I can show from my TdF efforts. And, it’s not truly complete because I haven’t set the twist. Lay-Z.

The sock knitting, though, isn’t without its efforts. I’ve been knitting socks on the Magic Loop since I started knitting back in 2004. It had been a while, actually before I’d even knit anything on DPNs because I didn’t like the fiddly-ness of getting the needles set up. (I’ve long since gotten over than and can use DPNs now, with no problem.) Most of my socks were knit on the loop.

A few times, though, I’ve knit both socks of the pair on the loop and every time, I’ve had to stop knitting on one of the socks in order to complete the heel. When doing the short rows, or turning a heel flap, you’re leaving live stitches on both needles, which means the tips are not free to work on the other sock until you’ve finished working the rows/turns. So, for that portion of the project I have to slow down to one at a time. Bummer. Overall, though, I think it’s still faster than knitting the socks start to finish one by one, and it helps to combat the one-sock-syndrome I’ve dealt with in the past.

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon here in the pressure-cooker that the US has been this past week, so I’ve been reluctant to work on any sewing. There’s NO way I can get the tables and machines in the cool room so that’s out. Hopefully in the next week or so it’ll cool down to near normal again..

Well, my Roasted Herb Chicken and Potatoes is smelling good, so I’m off to check on it and get back to the socks.

TTFN!

Whoops! or, Crash and Burn

That’s basically how things have been going with the spinning lately. I’ve missed a few days in the TdF. But apparently I missed more than that. I somehow mislaid a bit of the fiber I was spinning and thought I was done with it. And I also seem to have forgotten how to Navajo ply.

I think that’s why I put off finishing that little bit that remained. Because I knew I couldn’t remember how to chain ply. And I also had forgotten that singles which are going to be chain plied need to be tightly spun. Every attempt I made at getting into a groove failed because the singles would unravel and drift apart. Sigh. Add to that the fact my lazy kate is untensioned and it’s a recipe for disaster. I have decided I will have to add the extra step of winding that singles off into a center-pull ball so I can Andean(2-ply) it instead. :(

Do I make up the gaps by spinning through the second rest day? Or do I continue with the socks I’ve been working on. There are some changes with them too.

Socks on the loop

I started out with the Java socks pattern but that wasn’t working out. With this alpaca yarn, you can’t really see the stitch pattern all that well, so I’ll just keep on with the 2×1 ribbing. I’m going to run out of this yarn before I get to the toes, so I’ll be using some other yarn to finish. They’ll probably spend all their time not being seen(except in an FO photo) so I’m not really worried about them being perfect. But the effort involved in making them according to the pattern would be totally wasted if you can’t even see it.

Due to my epic failure in spinning this evening, there are no fiber photos. So I’ll leave you with the Lower Manhattan Skyline, as seen today from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

Lower Manhattan Skyline

TTFN!

30-day Photography Challenge–First Day: Self-portrait

Yes, the blog is sort of turning into a photo blog. Trust me, I’m still knitting. See?

Day 1-- Self-portrait

Still working on the Multnomah Shawl I started I-don’t-remember-how-long ago. I figure it’ll be done by Thanksgiving 2012 at this rate. :)

Now, back to the challenge. I’ve taken on a 30-day Photography Challenge based on this page I found through Pinterest.

I’ve been sputtering along trying to understand and learn photography and so far it’s been fun. But something was missing. I don’t have the time-freedom to take classes and all my photography-loving friends are on a different schedule than I am so it’s very hard to hang out with them when they’re in the mood for photowalks. So I’ve been winging it on my own, Bean-style. (Every craft I do now was learned by books or photos/video online. I’m a visual learner, more than anything else.)

Enter the photo challenges. Back when I first got my dSLR I made up my own version of a “Project 365″ which didn’t last a month. Oops. Maybe I needed a daily topic/theme to get me on track and keep me there. So here we are.

Great (Craft) Adventures

Here’s the post I promised the other day(oops!):

Gone are the days when the only way you could meet someone for the first time, was in person. The internet has allowed us to ‘meet’ people from afar, by way of video, blogs, chatrooms, virtual worlds, etc. Often times we so easily develop friendships with people who might otherwise stay complete strangers. I met Mr. BeanKnit this way, as well as all my crafty netfriends. But just as I got the jitters when meeting him face-to-face after months of internet and phone chatting, I still get a little nervous when going to hang out with fiber crafters..

Nashé and Me @ Lion Brand Studio

Meet Nashé, yarn crafter and make-up artist from right here in the (quad?)-state area. She found me by way of my podcast last year and we’ve been chatting ever since. We finally got a chance to sit and knit together the other day. I had a ball! In fact, I had 3 of them:

Lion Brand Baby Alpaca yarn

I picked up this LB Collection Baby Alpaca( and a package of cute little stitchmarkers) when were leaving the Lion Brand Studio, where we sat to click sticks and talk about everything. I also got to put a few rows on the KP Fall/Winter shawl, which I took with me that day. I must admit the biggest reason I stopped working on it was my unwillingness to wind more yarn. Winding laceweight takes ages, it seems. But I’m enjoying the knitting of this project just like before and have been putting in a little work with it each day.

In a few rows, it’s on to the next color change!

Back again..

We also stopped off at B&N at Union Square to check out some crafting novels by Maggie Sefton, as well as a pattern book by the Doublestitch Twins, Erika and Monika Simmons. Unfortunately that location didn’t have it, but I’m sure I’ll find it somewhere!

It rained off and on that day but for once it didn’t bother me because I was having so much fun! Over lunch Nashé and I talked about crafting, motherhood, and makeup! She’s a sweetheart and it felt like old friends seeing each other after years apart. Thank you, Nashé for spending the day with me! :) Looking forward to another meet-up!

Next up, Mother’s Day, Tea, Shawl WIP pics and more potholder madness!

Experimenting

That’s what I’ve been doing with my crafting lately. I wanted to get more practice with double knitting, especially in terms of remembering what color to work with at a given time. So I figured I’d try to do stripes. At first I did single row stripes but it started to make me dizzy so I switched up to double row. A few triple rows slipped in there but I was having too much fun to stop.

Hotpads in action

Double knitting allows me to spend more time using both my hands without it being traditional colorwork. What’s funny is, when I first started knitting, I couldn’t purl with my left hand like I can now; I had to switch the yarn to my right hand to purl. Now, I can’t purl with my right hand to save my life! If I do, the stitch is facing the ‘wrong’ way and I have to work into the back of it to get it to lay right on the next go-round. I find that a bit too fiddly for my taste. I did a few more hot pads and got to use them today.

I decided to experiment some more with my baking too. I wanted to know if I could incorporate ham and cheese into the sweet rolls. So far, it worked!

YAY
I simply divided the dough in half and layered ham and cheese on the dough, then rolled it right up. I think next time though, I’ll roll the dough a tad thinner. I have a feeling the middle didn’t bake well on one of them, but reheating for breakfast should solve that.

The weekend is not over yet, and I’m hoping I get to experiment with some fabric too. Lil Beanlet needs belts like no tomorrow. I think it’s time I got my sewing machine in gear and get ‘er done! ;)

That’s all for now. See ya soon! Happy Crafting!