Knitting a rainbow

First of all, I've been a busy, busy lady. I may not have documented my hobbies here for posterity, but I have done many things. I've completed a dozen more knitting projects, invented and tried out new recipes, and our queue of home projects are slowly getting completed. Right now I'm drooling over the yarn I have sitting in my stash, I can't wait to make more lovely things.

My current WIP is a shawl I'm making for myself (and another three or so things I'll write about later). I used to think that shawls were something only old ladies wore, just like knitting is supposed to be a pastime for the female members of the retirement community. Since I joined Ravelry over a year ago, well, all that changed. Now I think they are artistic and refined, a means of self expression and a manner of warming oneself in a stylish way.

The first shawl I tried to make was a lovely lacy purple one, but my gauge was too large for the amount of yarn I had in that color. Since I love my Plum Pudding  colored yarn, I bought a little more in the same dye lot, and now I can make more purple things. Anyway, I have this soft fingering weight rainbow yarn, called Serenity Garden by Deborah Norville. The colorway is Gems.

I fell in love with the color but had no idea what I was going to make of it. I've seen other Ravelers make lovely lacy shawls with this, but the sad part is that in the pictures at least, the intricate lace is not as aesthetically appreciated because the Gems outshines the actual pattern. My eye is drawn toward the color changes, not the pattern itself. So, I found a simple shawl that would be the vessel for this beautiful, bright yarn.

I chose a pattern that is worked from side to side so that the stripes are vertical (rather than the typical top-down shawl that has horizontal stripes). I chose this for two reasons. The first reason is that toward the beginning of a top-down pattern, the stripes are visible, but as the stitch count grows, the stripes start melting together in a weird variegated pattern. I guess that the colors are pretty regardless, but I prefer the neat transitions.

Second, I just like the stripes better vertical. I added two pattern repeats because the pattern calls for worsted and a larger needle, but it seems to be plenty large with the way it's coming out. I can't wait to wear it, and be shameless about fashion faux pas in public. I will update again when I'm done!

Ribbed Shrug

Whenever I see a skein of yarn, it gives me the warm fuzzies and I get excited about the potential that it has. The more I knit, the more addicting it becomes. There is something so tremendously satisfying about turning yarn into something beautiful, giving it shape and purpose, watching it transform in your hands. December 2010, I started knitting again and there was no stopping me. Without considering what my skill level was, I started saving patterns and buying yarn to plan new projects. You saw my mom's scarf, now I was going to go one step further and make something fashionable for my sister.

I was confident that I'd figure it out. I finished college. I learned how to juggle. I can drive a car. I can use a computer. Therefore, I can learn to knit harder patterns. The old adage "if there's a will, there's a way" rings so true when you see how much power there is in human will. The human brain has amazing abilities to learn new tasks, so next time you think something is too hard, trust in your brain and give it a try! We're so good at learning things, sometimes we don't give ourselves credit. I'm not giving myself credit for anything more than being a moderately intelligent human being. So, like so many other tasks, I became determined to do it and saw it through. I'm no master knitter, but this was easier than it looks to the non-knitter. There were very few steps to follow in this pattern that I found on Ravelry. This was a milestone in my knitting abilities. I bought a set of circulars just to make this! It was a success, and made me want to try more difficult projects (and believe me, I already have as you will see soon).

I started one end with the cuffs in a 1x1 rib.

The bulk of it was the 2x3 rib for the sleeves and back (one long piece). I just had to measure for length when I was getting close, that's it. The transition between the cuffs and the sleeves were the only part here that really had any increase/decrease for shape. The last step was to sew the sleeves, but leave the hole in the middle, and pick up stitches with the circulars to knit in the round. If you crochet, it's just like going around and around in spirals but with needles. Same concept, different method. I would argue that this was the hardest part. When working with circulars, always use a smaller length than the circumference (unless you're doing Magic Loop, but that's another story). You need slack or you'll stretch the end product trying to make it.

There were parts were I had to really pay attention to what I was doing (and with other projects, where I had to re-read and research to make sure I was doing it right) and it all came together just fine. I'm teaching myself the harder stuff, I don't have a more experienced knitter to defer to for advice. Soon I will post about the first finished mermaid, and the second one I'm working on... soon...

Mom's scarf

I've been so productive lately! Last weekend we exhausted ourselves with yard work, and it seems to go back to chaos again in no time. Those weeds... My tomatoes are not doing well. I can't give up now, though. Must try again after the rainy season is up. The hurricane decided to veer east, so that's not a problem at the moment, but who knows what storms September will bring.
I also cooked a lot this past weekend. Coming up: a breakfast, an Americanized version of a Russian dish, an Americanized version of a Thai dish, and an ad-libbed (and Americanized) version of and Indian dish. They each turned out to be a huge success, and were pretty simple when all was said and done. More on that soon!

Back to the scarf: I made this for my mom back in January. It was a late Christmas gift, but in time for her trip in February. I will pretty much have to post gift items after the recipient gets it in case they might be tipped off by the blog :/
It was the second scarf I ever made, and it was the first time I made anything lacy (using YO, K2tog to create the holes).The pattern is very easy! I would recommend it for beginners who want to show off some skill. It took me all of 5 days to finish.  I could have planned it out better, as far as the colors were concerned. The yarn was so soft and beautiful but the beginning end of the scarf was all fuzzed by the time I finished the whole thing. I used Bernat Roving yarn (an acrylic/wool blend), and 8mm (size 11) needles. The finished size was 6' x 64". It is incredibly soft and comfy!

The pictures are pretty awful and don't do the color and texture justice.

That's my mom in her native MN in February wearing the scarf. I love the pattern and would probably try it again in a thinner yarn (it's hard to say because there are so many patterns calling my name, but only so many materials available). The pattern for this (as for most of the stuff I've made so far) is from Ravelry. Check it out!

Jorge's scarf

So, we may live in Miami, but apparently there are like 14 days of the year we need warm clothing! Not now, of course. I can't imagine wearing anything resembling a scarf now. However, I'm in knitting mode and want to go back to the first recent project that brought me to be the fanatic I've become. Last December (2010) I decided to pick up knitting again. Now that you've seen the mermaid I'm working on, this won't seem so special, but this was the project that rekindled my love for knitting. It was almost 2 years since I finished this blanket, and I wanted to do something planned this time. I asked him what he liked more or less, but I knew I was pretty much going to make it like this.

His grandmother lent him a scarf she made for his grandfather, and I wanted to imitate it. Here's a picture of me freezing in the March rain in NYC wearing that scarf:

Yes, that's right. She lent him the scarf and I ended up wearing it. That's love for you!

I cast on 39 stitches and used the basic moss/seed stitch on 5.5mm (size 9) needles. Here's a close-up of the stitch:

It feels very spongy and flexible. I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease, which is an acrylic/wool blend. Yeah, I know that there are people out there who swear against using any yarn you can buy at Joann Fabrics, etc. but let me just say this: I would indeed like to have my cake and eat it too. I cannot afford to spend $100 on yarn for each project, so I will fund my hobby with what I can afford. I don't want to give it up entirely rather than compromise on acrylic blends (or acrylic yarn). I know it won't last forever, but I'm gaining valuable experience!

If I were making the dimensions to wear myself, I’d cast on only 25-30 stitches and make it longer. I definitely don't mind a long scarf! I think it's better for two reasons: One, it's less heavy for when you don't want to be completely enveloped; and two, it's easier to wrap around.

Jorge loved it, though. He was so impressed that I made it for him that now he wants me to teach him to knit. Here he is enjoying the scarf I made for him:

By the way, my darling husband has created a Ravelry gadget where you can preview all of my projects!  Look to your right. Until next time folks, keep calm and knit on.

Crafty Accessory

Did you know there was a market for this? I didn't! I suddenly want an iphone.