Damn, Knit & Blast It

My elbow downwards is still playing up and aggravated by gripping normal straight needles. So, I thought, lets try some socks.

The latest issue of Knitty had some fantastic geeky Space Invader socks.

Ben - being a retro gaming, console collecting Geek - just has to have a pair of these! He even checked that the invader characters were faithful recreations and was impressed that the bottom row was authentic green!

The pattern is given for one size only on 2mm needles - mens medium- so I knew I’d have to scale it up a bit for Ben’s flippers I mean, size 10 feet.

I diligently knit a tension square and decided that the Regia Silk, normally knit on 2.5mm should be on 3mm needles.

Tension squares lie. They are evil.

I got as far as the second row of invaders before I thought - hmmm….Ben’s legs aren’t this big! The leg was measuring 24cm (10″) circumference - WAAAAY too big!

Here’s where I got to…

I wasn’t too upset to start again as this was a good practice to get me back into Fair Isle. I use the two handed method - main colour in left hand English style and contrast colour in right hand continental style. I’m not terribly experienced - I’ll post my first Fair Isle socks next!!

I love the corrugated rib at the top. I’d never seen this before but according to my Alice Starmore book, it’s a traditional Fair Isle technique. It’s a 2×2 rib but the knits are one colour and the purls another with the floats carried at the back. (Purl yarn in right hand, knits in left) Not as stretchy as normal 2×2 rib but I like it.

I wasn’t happy this attempt anyway - I was pulling too tight when weaving in the left hand yarn and some of my floats at the back were “dodgy” and too loose.

I’ve started again on 2.5mm needles, a bonus because I have a 30cm (12″) Addi I’ve been dying to try with socks. The really good thing is that the Addi doesn’t seem to to aggravating my hand/arm problem so I can knit! I think it must be to do with bracing the needle with my ring finger with normal knitting…

Here’s attempt No.2 on the Addi..

And for those of you cruel, heartless and nosey enough to want to see the wrong side…

It has come out a LOT neater than 3mm version.

Look at the difference 0.5mm makes!

Watch out for my next post - my original, preblogging days attempt at Fair Isle socks…

I think I may have knitting related repetitive strain injury.

No, I’m not joking - this hurts.
All of a sudden, my wrist and elbow hurt, my fingers are getting pains and going “pins and needlesy” and I’m getting odd pains in my thumb and fingers. All on my right side.

I think I may have got over enthusiastic with the glade edging - it’s on smaller needles than I’m used to. It’s going to take me longer to finish than I hoped I’ve been spending a lot of time on my PC too - I need to look at my desk setup.
It would be stupid to ignore it so here’s my my treatment plan…

1. Stop actual knitting for several days Spend Time making curtains, tidying and cataloguing stash, sewing up, researching patterns etc (anything not holding the needles)….maybe even housework!
2. Take glucosamine and cod liver oil every day
3. Limit time on PC (no 4 hours at a time surfing knitting forums and blogs)
4. Choose another project on different needles so I can change over to vary my grip.i already use bamboo - maybe circs??
5. Buy a new chair for my computer (the one I have has arms - I hate arms cos I can’t get close enough to the desk)
6. Get rid of the hard plastic wrist support on my keyboard tray and replace with a squidy one.
7. Buy a wrist support and wear when knitting ( a crepe bandage definitely helped)
8. Go to the gym and get everything loosened up again (I’ve been bad and lazy )

Any other ideas out there???

Just a quick post to show you Glade’s progress….

I’ve done the hem edging for the sleeves, sewn it on and finished the top half (all except the front edging which goes on last).

I was especially pleased with the way it fitted together - stitch to stitch perfect with no need to jiggle, easy or otherwise fudge it!

Here it is…

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...and a dangly, floppy "Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen" sleeve...

Just 7 pattern repeats to go for the hem edging round the bottom….

Like most knitters - my Mum taught me the basics of how to knit. I grew up watching her fingers flying so fast they blurred, producing beautiful knitted garments. Usually even faster at a “good bit” on the TV

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Mum knits small items mainly for a particular local charity and occasionally for very close family and herself. She hates the idea of oddments of yarn laying around and has become a demon for getting out the kitchen scales and working out the precise stripe pattern needed to use up colours in jumpers, mittens and booties. She says it keeps her brain active working it out!!

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It was Mother’s day, here in the UK, last Sunday 18th March. Mum spent the day with me - talking knitting, eating a huge lunch, decadent dessert and watching the film “Memoires of a Geisha”. This is a two boxes of tissues movie if ever there was one - recommended!!

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Mum bought her latest completed garments with her to show me so I thought I’d show you her work!A garter stitch baby jumper in cream…

..of course with matching hat and booties!

…and in lilac…

A toddler’s tank top…

The same pattern with stash busting stripes and matching mitts..

Hope you liked them!

I finally did it.

I completed grafting Keats. For those of you who didn’t witness the full horror of my monumental blunder, see the dissection of Keats here Arrghh, I’ve Broken My Knitting And the more hopeful start Ode to a Merino Yarn.

It was gruelling but I think worth it. Lots of piccies for you…

Bit of a fuzzy one!

The evil, evil grafted back on rib - not perfect but as good as I’m going to get it…

The rather nice neckline and a glimpse of my first short rowed shoulders! There’s no turning back - short row shoulders and a three needle bind off (cast off??) is the future for me!

**TOP TIP** If you’re making this, you’re told to cast off the stitches at the back of the neck. you then pick up the same number to knit the edging - I put them on a stitch holder and it worked a treat. Why do patterns do this???

Super little point on the back of the hand - I love these!

The finished article flung on my desk!

Completed Knit Report
Name:	Keats
Pattern:	Jaeger JB38
Yarn:	Jaeger Extra fine Merino Aran in Cream
Pattern Problems:	None except me being a moron and missing out some rows of rib on the front
Pattern Modifications:	I short row shaped the shoulders and the decrease for the back of the neck. I also didn’t cast off the back of the neck stitches as you picked up the same number that you cast off - I just put them on a holder.
Washing and Wearing:	Not washed yet - hot off the needles. Warm and soft to wear and of all things I’ve knitted, I got a lot of compliments - even from non-knitting hubbies!
Knit It Again???:	Possibly in a different colour
Difficulty:	Easy if you don’t mind charts but it became a bit tedious as each diamond is different - I had to refer to the chart for every row…
Rating:	4/5

I’ve started the Hem edging for Glade and finished the first pattern repeat. I’m not finding the pattern too hard - it’s actually easier than it looks as there are distinct panels, each one quite easy.

See Blinkers on, I’m Knitting Glade for the start of Glade if you missed it.

A minor niggle is that the cute little points along the bottom edge at the end of the eyelets are curling under already…maybe it’s a “Feature”??

Here it is, one repeat down, 12 to go…

Bobbliciousness…

The pattern repeat is over 72 rows on 3mm needles - ouch that’s small!

I shouldn’t have worked it out but I did. I need 13(ish) repeats. 13 repeats x 72 Rows = 936 rows! that’s a lot to contemplate…

It’s taking a while to get used to such tiny needles - I’m using Bamboo which makes it feel smaller and flimsier somehow.

Flimsy needles were on my mind after witnessing Janie, at our knitting group in Starbucks, have a precious rosewood 3.25 snap in her hands mid row in a lace pattern! You’ve never seen a group of women move in so fast with stitch holders and spare needles.

We’d just been talking about ER (the TV program) and hospital emergency units.I swear, for a second there, it was life and death…

…I’m sure I heard, “give me a caffeine drip and 3.25mm, bamboo. STAT!”

There’s quite a buzz on the knitting forums about this blanket from Cath Kidston.

It’s in nasty acrylic and costs £160! I figured I could buy a lot of yarn for £160 and make one.

So, off I went to my yarn shop and bought 6 balls of Paton’s 100% Mercerised Cotton DK. I thought this would work because it machine washable, shiny, in pretty colours and at £3.25 for 100grams cheap enough to buy lots and lots to make a blanket

These are the balls….

And this is the result of my playing so far…

I’ve decided to keep the colour progression the same but make 6 different types of square, each starting with a different colour. I used a 3mm hook (Just in case you want a try)

I haven’t made Granny Squares since I was a little girl - I was doing these before I ever took up knitting needles. Ahh…Nostalgia I’m not a great crocheter, but I can get by with edgings and toys ok. No lace doilies for me!

All I need do now is decide how to join them and how big to make the blanket. I’m quite interested to see how far 6 balls will go!

I have been bad the last few days….

I’ve had my “La, La, I’m not looking at Keats” blinkers firmly in place:oops:

My poor little Keats is sitting in a dissected mess on my living room table being studiously ignored.

There’s been a lot of work but not much action to show for it. I’ve reunpicked 2 inches and regrafted two inches. At least it looks right now and I’m getting the hang of grafting the pattern.

I’ll show you a piccie when it’s more interesting.

To keep me amused while I’ve been ignoring Keats and fighting off a bug, I’ve started my next project - unusual for me to have two on the go!

It’s from the new Rowan RYC Nature book.

… It’s called Glade.

Take note - It’s not on the cover!!

I loved the picture and bought the yarn before really looking closely at the pattern. I’ve chosen a soft green colour called Bamboo.

It’s quite an unusual construction (to me anyway). The main body is a plain stocking stitch cardi with a ribbon tying the waist. You start at the eyelets at the waist and work up.
The bobbly strip over the hips and pleated peplum is knitted separately sideways and sewn on afterwards. Then the front picot edging is knitted separately and sewn on.
So far, while I’ve been under the weather, living on the sofa and being waited on by the saintly Ben, I’ve knitted the back, both fronts and a sleeve!!

Here’s an unpressed sleeve - hot off the needles…

Not that impressive when the main body is tedious stocking stitch and are very short because all the fancy edging is done later

Here’s the obligatory close up of the stitches and the eyelets for the waist ribbon…

I think all the real work in this is going to be in the trim and how neat I can make the finishing….

And then there is Keats to Finish…

Watch this space…

I have been a very, very, stupid, stupid knitter

I finished knitting the parts of my Keats jumper in cream…

(That’s this one if you don’t remember)…..

….I short rowed and three needle bind offed my shoulders
(patting myself on the back for being so clever)…

……..I sewed on the sleeves
(”oh this is going to be great” *smug*smug*smug*) …

……….Then I tried to sew up the side seams….

DISASTER!

The sides didn’t match up!!

I have knitted 8 rows too few rib on the front!!!!!

It looked awful. The rib is a major feature of the design. It screamed “botch up” when I tried to ignore it and sew it up anyway.

I figured I had three choices:-

1. Undo the sewing up and precious first success at short row shoulders and frog the whole front.
2. Cut a stitch and carefully undo one row of knitting to detach the rib, knit the extra rows and graft it back on. *shudder with horror at the thought**
3. Have 2 bottles of wine, chop Keats into little pieces, build a large bonfire and dance hysterically around the burning “garment pyre” in a drunken hissy fit.

Option 3 was pretty attractive but I think my neighbours might have called the funny farm. And I’m not sure 2 bottles of wine, a depressed knitter and a large fire would produce anything more positive than third degree burns.

Option 1 is my fall back position if nothing else works I’ll have to re-knit the front. I really don’t want to have to do this - my mind has already started my next project - I want Keats finished.

That left scary option 2…..

The unpicking a row went well….so did the knitting the extra rows of rib….(signs of smugness creeping back in) then the grafting. I should add here - I have never grafted knitting - just seen it in books - gulp. If I was grafting onto stocking stitch I would have been fine.

Stupid, stupid me had undone the first row above the rib. The row that the pattern in knits and purls starts on.

This was serious. Ben was forbidden to speak, move or otherwise distract me (breathing was permitted but only if done quietly).

Montse Stanley’s Knitter’s Handbook came out - ALL HAIL MONTSE STANLEY! Three clearly illustrated pages on grafting knits, purls, and combinations of the two!
Stupid, stupid me is now trying to graft the first pattern row.

Stupid, stupid me got to the centre point and had managed to drift out by two stitches - which screamed because the rib and the body have a definite centre line.

**insert Tantrum here***

Once I’d calmed myself , stupid, stupid me has unpicked again.

This is where I am today…

…about to mark evey 10 stitches top and bottom to make sure I match stitch to stitch ALL the way along.

Some close up grafted stuff that’s almost right…

Wish me luck . I’m going to need it.