Monkey socks in Oops

I finished my first pair of Monkey socks. They are done in Claudia Co. hand painted yarn in the color way of Oops, which is blue, purple and turquoise and brown/maroon. I made them for a lady in my mother’s club who won a charity auction. She wanted blue and earthy colors, not bright colors. I hope this is a color that she will be happy with. I love them. This was a pretty easy knit.

Tomorrow you will get to see a picture of Sierra’s “pretty” black eye. She was making a village up on her bookshelf while standing on a plastic table and slipped and hit her cheekbone on the toy box. She is okay, just bruised. Nothing like going to school the second week with a black eye. I went and got her some arnica for it. They sell it at Longs, the dissolving tablets and gel.

Askew – Finished

And, I like it.

I did a little bit of manipulations to get this pattern to work for me.

The first thing I did was I unseamed the side seams. I then resewed it to from the bottom up. I stopped the side seam at the garter stitches before the last 10 stockinette stitches on the front. This is actually what it looks like in the original picture. I think that the finishing details might have been off, because the pattern says to seam up to the garter stitch on the strap.

So, when I seamed to the garter stitches before the 10 st, I got a larger armhole, which was perfect. I tried it on and I still wasn’t happy with the straps, but they were better than before.

So, I ripped the straps down. I bound off 9 stitches on the outside edge and picked up 9 stitches on the middle section (the stitches I had previously bound off.) I then knit the straps back up and attached them in the back.

I did attach them towards the center, which I think I might move, because I don’t think they are as comfortable.

I love how it turned out and glad that I gave it some time to fiddle with it. I am wearing this directly against my skin and it isn’t too bad. This is definitely a top I can wear while at the ocean.

Pattern: Knitty Askew

Needles: Size 9

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden color 230 approx 6 balls (I had a little bit leftover.)

Blocked Askew

I blocked Askew.

I use to quilt and there was a couple parts in quilting that I didn’t like. The basting and the binding. Blocking reminds me of basting. If you don’t do it, more then likely your project will look like crap. If you do it right it makes a world of difference.

I guess seaming is similar to binding, both have to be done by hand with a sewing needle. If you machine sew a binding, you have to hand sew the back part or again, it will look like crap. I try to get away with doing it by machine, but I know that the better looking quilts are binded by hand.

So…back to Askew.

If you make this, I HIGHLY (hope you got the emphasis, there) recommend binding off with a needle one or two sizes larger. I guess my bindoff was sort of tight (or probably just normal.)

In the notes of the pattern, it makes a comment that when you block you will be stretching the material out horizontally, rather than vertically. Well, if you have a tight, or even semi-tight bind off…it won’t stretch. I wish I would have thought about this, because everything else wanted to stretch to dimension but the bind off.

Also, I wished that there were better schematics. The schematics that are shown have measurements of a square. When the top is not a square, but a parallelogram. (Yes, I know a square is a parallelogram…I just don’t know what else to call this shape.) My point is that I needed a few more measurements to help with blocking.

For example, I could have used the measurement from the bottom of the “side seam” of the front to the bottom of the “center seam” of the front. There is also that “center seam” of the front that doesn’t have a measurement. While you could assume it is the same as the “seam side”, I am not sure, especially since the shoulder straps are part of that parallelogram side.

Well, it is all math and since I would rather not try to figure it out (all of my high school math teachers would just gasp at the fact that I would rather not apply all of the learning in my adult life,) I will just guess and better yet, make the other side the same so that I have equal guesses.

Did I confuse you?

So, in case you are the type that skip to the end of a post and skim the middle…

Bind of with a Larger (maybe two sizes) needle.

I hope to be wearing my finished Askew sometime tomorrow. Cross your fingers that it fits. My sister is waiting (hoping/praying it doesn’t) so I will have to gift it to her, ha ha. I will make her one, what about for Christmas?

Askew back

I am almost finished with the back of Askew. I have an inch or so left to knit. I will finish it today and block it. I really would like to seam it tonight or tomorrow.

Madeleine swallowed sea glass. I called my doctor and was told to wait for it to come out the other end. My motherly instinct told me that she probably shouldn’t play with it. Sierra was playing with them and Madeleine really wants to do what Sierra does. I told Madeleine not to eat it, which she later did. I think it tasted like salt… Atleast I didn’t have to take her to the ER.

At first Sierra told me she was choking. I ran into the room and heimliched Madeleine about 3 times, before I realized that it wasn’t coming up. I had to do the Heimlich on Sierra when she was 3 with a mint candy, so I am very familiar with this procedure (as well as the fact that I have been a certified EMT, twice.) Instead, it went down, into her stomach.

As I was talking to the doctor he told me my CT results came back and the pain isn’t from the urinary system. So, what I thought was a very easy, “I can’t believe you missed this” type diagnosis, wasn’t it at all. Instead, I am told I might have adhesions in my small bowel.

I don’t know what is going on, but I had another sleepless night, sigh. I googled adhesions and have learned that a lot of people with adhesions live a life of pain that has made them crazy, ruined their relationships, job functioning, and basically taken the happy out of life. This is how I have felt the past few months and I really hope this isn’t my road.

To change the mood of my blog back to happy, my garden is doing nice things:

This is a picture out my back window at my sunflower.  Notice how tall it is compared to the neighbors house/satellite dish.

Today is the first day for it to open.  The one on the right hasn’t opened yet.

Welcome Sunflower!  (ps…it is so cool to watch the sunflowers follow the sun.)

I Spy…a red tomato.   Actually, I have two red ones.

No Z’s for Me

As I read a few blogs this morning I noticed I am not the only one with insomnia last night. I have been sleeping every other night and sometimes I will get a 4 hour nap mid-afternoon. For me it is my side that is bothering me that keeps me from sleeping. I am waiting on the test results, I should know something by Monday.

Since I couldn’t sleep, I knit Askew.   This is the left front.  The pattern suggests size 7 needles.  I had to use size 9 needles to get gauge.  This is such an easy and fast pattern.

The challenge is going to try to get the stripes to match up in the front.  I will do my best, but honestly I don’t care as much, it will only bother everyone else.

The kids went to bed late last night and were crabby and woke up at 6am this morning, again sort of crabby.  Tony has to work today, which makes me want to be crabby, but I am not.  I can already tell he is going to be crabby.

We were invited to a lot of things this weekend, a jewelry part, a friend’s wedding shower in Santa Cruz, my nephew’s birthday party at the lake…and well, we probably will just stay home.

Askew

I casted on Askew tonight…

I think it is going to be a fast knit. You know how I like lots of WIP’s!

ps…Lyndy, you should know I like asymmetrical.  Since the yarn is self-striping, I don’t know how easy/hard it will be to line up the stripes.

My Garden & Shedir

Here are the pics!

***Edited to Add…Do you see the first sunflower in the row?  The one on the very far left?  This morning when I went out to the garden, it had fallen over and all of the leaves were limp and sad.  I lightly lifted it out of the soil, only to find half of its roots were eaten.  The culprit?  A Gopher.   Sierra warned me there was a hole in the yard and after a few minutes it was buried.  I suspected it was a gopher, but I didn’t think he could get into my garden.

Sunflowers and corn (and weeds…just ignore those, I do.)

Zucchini (what you can’t see the carrots and bell peppers? They are under the canopy of the zucchini. The bell pepper will be moved soon. Today if I feel up to it.)

Do you see the baby zucchini? Here is a closeup.

My tomatoes are doing great! The one that was wilting has bounced back and has overcome whatever problems it was having. My remedy? Water and sunshine. I even have a baby tomato. I put the cage around them too late, so I couldn’t get it over the large one. I got it over half of it.

Finally, Shedir. I made this hat for a friend. I love the yarn. Like I said before, it was one of the most difficult knits for me, but that is because of my concentration issues. I enjoyed knitting it.

I am considering making a baby Shedir for my cousin’s baby. I was crocheting a blanket, but thanks to Madeleine it is now a ball of mess. (I love that Madeleine loves yarn, but am thinking she just needs to get her own.)

Also, Shedir has given me an idea for a new hat design. It will make me crazy doing it, but I have this inner desire…so I guess I will be going to the crazy house soon and will have a hat to show for it.

The tank I am making myself is going great! I should take an in-progress picture. I am almost up to the bust on the front side. I will give it a proper post tonight or tomorrow.

Finally finishing things…

The first one is Knitty’s Anouk. It is done in Cotton-ease. You have seen the pics before, just finally found the perfect buttons for it, at Walmart of all places. I have realized there are not a lot of places in my area that sales buttons.

There are some imperfections, but overall I am happy with it. As much as I love cotton-ease (and am excited about its come-back,) I have realized it isn’t very forgiving. It splits easily and when you mess with it it doesn’t spring back.
This next finished project is one you didn’t even know I started, because I am shameful and pretty much broke my September challenge rule. Yes, I lied to you all, but not intentionally. I was crocheting this scarf thinking it would make for a fun beginner’s project for my classes. The first row wasn’t too bad, but the second row took me a couple of nights of crocheting…so it isn’t a 2 hour project to say the least. It was fun, though and makes for a very pretty scarf. It is Patons Curly Q Scarf. It took almost 4 balls of Patons SWS with a size K hook. The pattern calls for an L hook, which I don’t have, so I figured K is next best and would use less yarn.

This next project is one that will be in my beginner’s crochet class. It is a credit card/cash wallet. It is made with Patons Classic Merino with a size H hook. It is very easy. I still wonder if this is pushing it for a 2 hour class, but if I can get them past the button hole then I think it won’t be too bad.
Oh, and too my friend Amy, mentioned I am doing well. I am.! I have lost 10 pounds since I started my vegetarian diet. That isn’t a lot, but it is better than nothing. Tony has lost a lot more than me. My back has been killing me, but I noticed it goes in waves and is because I do things like carry Madeleine on my back and wrestle with the kids.

Dropping that class has made my stress go from a 10 to a 2. Seriously, I didn’t even realized I was that frazzled until in retrospect looking back. I think everyone around me knew it though.

Sierra is doing well, too. She has a “boyfriend” at school and kissed him on the cheek. I told her not to, but she told me she wasn’t in school, so it was okay (we were walking to the truck.) Sigh… He was nice and told me, “it is okay, I like it.” In school she is doing better. Her homework is coming back just fine. She isn’t crying after school and I think overall the teacher and her are communicating better. Either that or she is preoccupied with her “boyfriend” and so isn’t getting upset over the other stuff, I don’t know.

Madeleine has been “rough and tumble” lately. She is skinned up on her knees, on her chin, and has a bruise on her head. She is a little daredevil and is also sometimes clumsy. She is very much a comedian, always looking for a laugh.

She is talking more, full sentences. Though really only Sierra and I understand her. Tony doesn’t. She leaves the ends of words off, still and I am trying to work with her on it. Sometimes she says something to me and I don’t know what she is saying and it is frusterating to both of us. Also, I guess and she acts like I guessed right, but I wonder if she is just faking that and just being happy that I am giving her something.

Felted Ball

Here is the ball after felting. It is true that polyfill won’t felt. Michael’s doesn’t sell wool filling, that I know of so I am just going with what they have.

This isn’t a beginner’s crochet class.  It was suggested to me that I start off with beginner’s classes for the month of October.  Then in November to add a more advanced class so that people who took the beginning class would want to take another class of mine and learn more skills.  Maybe it will end up that people will only want to take beginning classes or maybe they will want to take more intermediate ones, I don’t know.  Teaching is so new to me and I am just treating it like a journey.

I would appreciate any advice out there about teaching knitting and crochet and if you have any short/small easy projects you can share with me, that would be great too!

Here is my Anouk, without buttons. I still didn’t buy any today.

Anouk and New Techniques

I finally was able to set some time aside to learn some new techniques. A few weeks ago I tried a provisional cast on like was demonstrated at http://knittinghelp.com. It just didn’t seem right and wasn’t very easy to do. My intarsia at that time failed miserably so I frogged the whole thing and vowed that I would try again.

My husband and I finally bought the DIY channel. He is getting into woodworking and we both decided there is just too many programs we want to watch on that channel to not have it. So, I have been watching episodes of the Knitty Gritty every day and am learning a lot!

I learned provisional cast on by crocheting a chain and then picking up stitches in the spiney nubs of the chain.

I did some reading on intarsia, went to knittinghelp.com and studied the videos on intarsia, and watched the Knitty Gritty episode on intarsia. However, it was this website http://vickidesigns.homestead.com/Intarsia.html that really helped me get it. She has videos and something about her videos really helped and I was able to knit up two pockets in intarsia (with a small bit of stranding.) There were a few areas where there were 4 stitches and I stranded the yarn in the back just because I was too lazy to add in another color. So, it is a mix, but you know what? I don’t care. I like it, there aren’t any holes, so I am happy.

I was suppose to make 2 pockets that were mirror images to each other, but…oops, didn’t read that part until the 2nd pocket was made.

If I get time to knit on Anouk tomorrow I will be finished with it.

edited to fix the links.