Six Sleeves

"Experienced knitters don't make fewer mistakes than new knitters.  They make bigger ones faster."--Yarn Harlot

1. Cast-on.  Knit.  Get 20 rows from the end and wonder why it's not right.  Discover that you increased every 8th row 10 times and not every 10th row 8 times.  Frog.*
2. Cast-on.  Knit.  Make some inexplicable error in the math.  Curse.  Frog.
3. Cast on again, Knit.  Bind off.  Phew!
4. Cast on for second sleeve.  Knit.  Bind off.  Realize you cast on the wrong number of stitches.  Frog.
5. Cast on.  Knit.  Get to end and realize you forgot an increase.  Frog.
6. Cast-on.  Knit.  Bind off. 

It's a gift for someone.  It needs to be perfect. 

Also it's fat yarn which means I can finish this jacket in no time at all anything more than 3-4 stitches makes a real difference in the measurements.

*Frog, frogging: Pulling the needle out of your knitting and unraveling a large amount.  Derived from the sound/motion "rip-it, rip-it"

Flip Flop

The knitting machine, which really will need a name soon, is providing a pleasant distraction as I watch My Sewing Room being whittled away daily.  As much as I want to fight it, I realize I must put the bulk of my creative area in storage until we can purchase our next house.

Luckily, knitting is portable and my whole hobby can fit in a moving box.  Just in case I'm not the one doing the heavy lifting, I'll label that box "Raingear" which guarantees it will end up in our temporary Pacific Northwest residence and not a warehouse somewhere between here and there. 

Not that having an excuse to buy more yarn would be a bad thing...

...hmmm...

Anyway, while there are numerous advantages to my knitting machine--faster knitting, perfect tension, phenomenal stash reduction--there are some disadvantages, including not seeing the right side of my work until I'm finished with a piece.

While something might seem a gentle blending of harmonious autumnal colors on the machine:

It looks like an unfortunate choice in wallpaper on the "right" side:

Yuck!  I cancelled this project and used the yarn for other things.  Like this.

But, while something may look vaguely symmetrical and perhaps a bit too contrasty on the wrong side:

The right side proves stunning:

It's for Yummy, my 7yo.  He chose the colors.

I secretly added robots on the one sleeve.  I hope he's not too cool to wear them.  Even if he is, I can whip up a new sleeve in an afternoon. 

Basic raglan sweater with various modifications

Knit Picks Stroll (washable wool/nylon) Midnight, Pea Pod, Blue Topaz

Status Updates

What my FaceBook wall would say if I had the time:

TBM has worked from home for 143 minutes.  We decided to drop the price of the house to get things going.  This was about 142 minutes and 28 seconds longer than I expected.

I've knit five sleeves for a coat I'm making for my mom.  Like most people, she only has two arms.  Sixth time's a charm.

Because TBM is working from home, I don't have access to my computer except during insomnia o'clock and why-don't-you-play-with-the-kids thirty.

This brief moment of blogging is marred by my inability to upload pictures because of "scheduled maintenance"

I've knit three sweaters for my kids.  Too bad you can't see them because of "scheduled maintenance"

Bionic Knitter

I did it.  I made a sweater on the knitting machine.  It only took me a day and a half.

I love the fact that I can make a sweater for my kiddo in hardly any time at all.  And I used a decent supply of yarn.

So there you go.  I have figured out how to knit at supersonic speed.  It was only a matter of time.

Haute Couture

My mom and I went shopping a few weeks ago and popped into J.Jill.  We were enchanted by these sweaters:





I don't know why we liked them so much.  The sheerness?  The simplicity?  The idea you could wear a sweater without sweating?  Whatever it was we kept coming back to that part of the store.

But I just can't bring myself to spend $80.00 on a sweater, because I knit...

Wait a minute...I have a knitting machine...and a huge pile of lace yarn...

And now you know why I haven't been around the past couple weeks.  I don't have anything photo worthy yet--just a bunch of swatches, various partial sweaters strewn around the house, a couple pairs of socks and a knitting machine that's heard it's share of new words recently.

I'm not giving up yet.