Inquisitive Knitter

October update

2008-10-20T12:13:00.003-04:00

Wow - I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. I have been knitting some but mostly my time has been absorbed by work, travel, and minor health issues.

I did knit a cute little baby kimono for a work friend who is having her first baby. The pattern was from the Mason-Dixon book. I forgot to take a picture before I gifted it. You'll have to take my word for it that it was adorable.

I didn't finish the matching hat before the baby shower so I managed to get a picture.

The cabbage rose is from Nicky Epstein's Embellishments book. I can't wait to see it on the new baby!

Square Knitting

2008-09-07T15:58:00.005-04:00

I found this fun book the other day that appealed to my love of geometric shapes. The book has great ideas for combining square patterns and colors for making different items. The pictures are very good, the combination formulas are helpful, and the pattern instructions clear.

I made a dishcloth square (can't have too many dishcloths). The square was a bit small for a dishcloth so I added a half double crochet edging. I like the way it turned out.

The Constant Companion is ready for action

2008-08-30T14:37:00.005-04:00

I completed the Constant Companion felted bag from the Knitters Stash book. I learned some clever new techniques from this pattern. I am always amazed that people create this stuff.

The slots for the handle straps were made during the first bind-off I-cord. I bound off 3 stitches by slipping and passing over then continued the I-cord without binding off to make a length of I-cord that is the top of the slot. I then continued the I-cord with binding off. Here’s a picture of the slot before felting. Pretty cool, isn’t it? The loop and button closure was made in-line in the same manner. Here’s a picture before felting. The “button” is a length of I-cord tied in a knot.
And here are the after pictures. I felted the pieces in my kitchen sink last Sunday while Tropical Storm Fay dumped 20.1 inches of rain on my house in 2 ½ days.
The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Cobblestone Heather. The contrast color is Wine. I think I’ll get a lot of use out of this bag.

Add a binding to your books

2008-08-23T08:42:00.005-04:00

Tropical storm Fay has us socked in. We have had 8" of rain since yesterday morning. And there's still a lot of storm to go. We lost power 3 times so far - just for short periods. We did have to light the hurricane candles. We are storm veterans so we know the drill.

On the knitting front, I did something I think is really cool. My friend K. told me about a tip Knit Picks' Kelley gave on one of her podcasts. The tip is to have a spiral binding put on a knitting book.

If you are knitting from the book, you can fold it in half and stand it up. Here's my Knitters Stash book after the spiral binding was put on. Kinkos charges about $4 per book. It really works well and I had several books bound.

Check the inside margins of the book to make sure there is enough white space to add a spiral binding. You can also ask the copy shop staff if the book is suitable for binding.

Well, I'm going back to knitting on the couch while the storm rages.

More stash

2008-08-18T18:54:00.003-04:00

One of the local yarn shops in Tallahassee had a big sale last week and one of the yarns I snagged is Margarita by Plymouth Yarn. It's a 78% nylon 22% micro tactel blend (whatever that is). I was really attracked to the colors. The picture is a bit fuzzy but the colors are true.I knit a swatch to see how it would look with those little knubby things sticking out. As you can see, the nubs disappear when it's knitted up. The first few rows of the swatch are garter stitch. I switched to stockinette to see which I liked better. Stockinette won out. I'm going to make a sleeveless top - I think a very plain pattern will work best. The yarn will do all the work.

Felting a companion

2008-08-05T19:12:00.005-04:00

I have started another project from the Knitters Stash book. I love this book. It is full of patterns from the owners of yarn shops around the country. The layout is lush, with great pictures and delightful narratives about the shops. Everytime I crack open this book I want to yell "ROAD TRIP", hop in the car, and visit every shop.
I am making the "My Constant Companion" from the My Yarn Shop in Coos Bay, OR. I can't wait to felt this bag and put a knitting project in it. I haven't felted in a while so I am itching to shrink some wool.
I am using my very favorite felting yarn, Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, in Cobblestone Heather. I will use Wine for the contrasting color on the pocket. I will also make an extra pocket to attach on the inside for extra organization.
The Rambling Rows afghan and Henry scarf (both Christmas gift knitting I am working on) will have to go in the back seat for now while I knit something for myself.

Roomba don't knit

2008-07-31T12:37:00.006-04:00

I have a robot! My robot cleans for me while I am at work and if I want it to, it will go on another cleaning mission when I get home.

I bought a iRobot Roomba model 580. It is awesome and I love it (I have no affiliation to iRobot).

Here is Roomba vacuuming around my knit bag.

This is a technology gadget that provides real value to me. The last gadget I bought was a Garmin and I can't say enough good things about it. I was in Orlando at a conference recently and I just happened to leave at the beginning of a fierce thunderstorm. Visibility was just a few yards and I was driving in unfamiliar territory. The Garmin guided me flawlessly through many turns to get to the turnpike. I love my Garmin. It found a brew pub in suburban Chicago when we only knew that the pub had the word Rock in the name.

Back to Roomba. It really works just like the web site says. You can guide it around your house, deny it entry to areas, or just turn it on and let it go. It goes under couches, tables, beds, chairs. Who knew there was so much cat fur under my couch? Ewh! But Roomba doesn't care. It doesn't judge me for not vacuuming under my couch for a year. It just does its job and then goes home to its little pod to recharge. Thank you, Roomba.

Ridged Rib Washcloth

2008-07-25T20:32:00.005-04:00

I completed the Ridged Rib Washcloth while I was on my vacation to Michigan and Ohio. I was in the Detroit area to visit my mom and siblings and then I was in Ohio to visit old friends. The friends aren't old - but our friendship is.

I wish I would have taken a few pictures of the Ohio ladies knitting to show you. This is a very strong and wonderful group of women who gather almost weekly to knit and socialize. I am most envious of their camaraderie. I soak in the friendship while I am visiting. I so much enjoy and appreciate Joanie, Kit, Shirley, Vickie, Toni, and my 2 best buds Dianna and Kay.

These are very special ladies who contribute to the collective in their own wonderful ways.

And not to slight my 85-year-old mom - she learned to knit after a slight stroke a few years ago. She could no longer crochet so she decided to learn to knit. My mom is an exceptional woman who is independent, strong, determined, and full of the spirit of life and God. I aspire to be as nice a person as my mom is. I'll probably not make it cause I'm kind of cantankerous.

Anyway, the washcloth pattern is the Ridged Rib from the Harmony Guide: Knit and Purl. The yarn is Euroflax linen. I made up the washcloth pattern by casting on 77 stitches, knitting the first 5 rows in garter, knitting the 4 row repeat for the ridged rib until I thought it was big enough, and ending with another 5 rows of knit stitch.

It turned out great.

Progress report

2008-07-09T22:03:00.009-04:00

I have 3 projects going now.
The Rambling Rows afghan is a little over half done. It's my go-to project when I'm tired or just have a few minutes. It doesn't take much thinking and is soothingly repetitive.

The Ridged Rib Washcloth is about 1/4 complete. I'm using Euroflax and a pattern from the Harmony Guide: Knit and Purl. I love the Harmony Guides. The pictures are great and they provide inspiration when I want to try something different.

And finally, I am knitting the Henry scarf from Knitty.com. This is a very unusual (for me) pattern that makes a woven kind of knit. It is knit along the length instead of top to bottom so I really have more done than it looks. The stitch pattern seems complicated but it really isn't. And I got to try a new cast on with waste yarn.

Practical knitting

2008-07-02T20:02:00.003-04:00

How can knitting something that you will use for work make you feel better? That's what happened to me when I was in a knitting slump a couple of weeks ago.

I knitted 2 dishcloths - one just a big mitered square, the second 4 small mitered squares hooked together.

I feel kind of silly telling you that I enjoyed making the dishcloths. But it was very relaxing. No pressure to make anything that fit. No pressure to make anything big or fancy. Just practical, satifying knitting.

A knitter in the wild

2008-06-27T12:17:00.003-04:00

I attended a computing technology conference in Orlando this week. Among the 800 or so geeks running around with smartphones and laptops I found knitting in public! Carol from Seattle impressed me with her courage to knit while listening to the session on how server virtualization is impacting root cause analysis.

My apologies to Carol for the picture quality - I had to use my geeky smartphone. I had fun talking to Carol. She is an interesting and delightful woman... and her sock was beautiful too.

So fellow knitters, the end of the story is that Carol knitted for 3 days in the conference and no one vilified her, spit on her, or asked her to pack up her knitting and beat it. If Carol can knit unharmed surrounded by geeks, so can you!

What was I thinking?

2008-06-16T07:42:00.002-04:00

I’m sure this has never happened to you.

I knit the entire pink square without a hint of disaster while watching the US Open.

Lost My Knitting Mo

2008-06-10T11:41:00.000-04:00

I think it was inevitable. I have lost knitting and blogging momentum. I am in a slump.

When I started this blog last December I was flush with ideas, projects, and thoughts to write about. Because I am seldom without opinions and ideas at work (I am a manager, after all) I just assumed I’d have knitting brilliance flowing freely for a long time.

Part of the problem is that knitting and blogging about knitting have begun to feel like a job that I have to do. I already have a job – in fact, several jobs. Y’all know what I mean.

Knitting for me is a hobby. A pursuit of leisure, a diversion, a sideline relaxation. Not a job. And because knitting is starting to feel like a job I am starting to feel belligerent. I like to think of myself as determined and gritty but my husband says that sometimes I’m just plain obstinate. I think I feel a wee bit obstinate right now.

So it is time to step back and make knitting a hobby again. And knit just for pure enjoyment when I want to. And if I want to blog I will - not because I have to.

How do you like your yarn shop?

2008-05-21T12:27:00.000-04:00

I recently read a post on the Knit Like a Man blog about shopping for yarn. It got me thinking about how yarn shops are a lot like restaurants. Each shop has its unique menu of yarn, ambiance, service quality, and price. And just like restaurants, yarn shops appeal to different kinds of knitters. In my city there are three locally owned yarn shops with wildly different personalities.

Yarn Shop A has been around for many years. The owner is older and has an established clientele. The shop’s yarn menu has a lot of big name variety with yarns ranging from basic to fancy. To me, the ambiance seems cluttered, disorganized, and gloomy. The owner is always friendly and helpful but in a rushed sort of way. The knitters that hang out there come across as cliquish. I shop there occasionally but it’s not a shop I go to just to browse or to see what’s new.

Yarn Shop B is relatively new and is owned by a young woman starting out in the business world. Her yarn menu is a bit limited and is focused on natural fiber yarns and fairly traded goods. The shop is in a sunny and bright store front next to a used book store. The clientele is typically young and tattooed. The shop owner is sweet and knowledgeable but like Shop A, it doesn’t draw me back.

Yarn Shop C has been in business for a couple of years and I just recently discovered it. The shop is a bit small but the yarn menu is surprisingly well rounded. The ambiance is bright, artistic, casual and welcoming. The owner has many items on display that demonstrate ways to use the yarns she carries. She is very helpful and will spend time discussing a project or yarn selection. I think I like this shop best because the owner makes me feel welcome and I like the yarn she sells.

Which brings us back to the restaurant analogy. I frequent restaurants that serve food I like at a reasonable price in a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere.

Making progress

2008-05-12T18:03:00.004-04:00

I turned this...

into this...

My first Christmas present completed.

This is a scarf for my daughter-in-law. She lives in Michigan and needs warm and soft for winter. The cornflower blue, raspberry red, and black yarn is Misti Alpaca worsted 100% baby alpaca. Very nice to work with.

I knit the scarf along the length and alternated between the feather yarn and the alpaca. I like the way the stripes go lengthwise. I made the sections different widths so the scarf has some visual interest.

One present down, many more to go.

Going nowhere

2008-05-03T08:46:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I caught another cold. Two in two months - so unfair. I usually don't get one per year. I have been down for the count for 2 1/2 days. No working, no reading, no movies, no knitting. Just sleeping. Work on the Rambling Rows afghan has stalled here.
I'm feeling better today, sort of. It's Saturday and I'm not golfing. How can that be better? Sigh...

Christmas knitting plan

2008-04-28T12:38:00.004-04:00

I was inspired by Beverlyann when she wrote in her blog about gift knitting. I decided to plan my knitting projects for Christmas gifts.

First, I made a list of things I’d like to knit. Then I made a list of people that I wanted to give a gift to. And I tried to match them. I made some adjustments and created my project list. Here’s an example.
From my chart I know what and how many things I want to make, but can I do it all by Christmas? I calculated times on how many total weeks I thought it would take me to complete a project. These are not necessarily concurrent weeks - just total effort. When I saw the total weeks I realized my gift giving plan was overly ambitious. I do have one afghan 30% completed but there are only 33 weeks till package shipping day.

I’ll have to ponder a bit and whittle down my list.

Cardinal bird baby pictures

2008-04-23T20:04:00.008-04:00

I took a few pictures of the cardinal babies after work today. Sorry for the poor quality - my camera doesn't zoom enough to get close without climbing into the camelia bush. The momma was mad at me. I've learned that cardinals can CHEEP CHEEP loud and long. So loud and so long that hosting a cardinal nest is losing some of its charm.

Look closely in the middle of the picture and you will see a baby's head.

Cardinal babies hatched

2008-04-23T16:32:00.002-04:00

The cardinal babies hatched out last Wednesday. I have been trying to take pictures of them when the parents are on the hunt, but the babies hunker down and just look like brown blobs in a brown nest.

I peeked at them last night and they have tiny feathers now. They normally leave the nest after 10 days so I should be able to get decent pictures to share soon.

It's been fun watching the parents feed the babies from my bedroom window.

Womanly knitting – a celebration of liberation

2008-04-17T18:30:00.001-04:00

If you are a woman knitter, do you celebrate your womanly knitting? A work friend recently told me about a conversation with a group of mothers she knows. They talked about how they don’t hide their public knitting for fear of seeming too girly, matronly, or grandmotherly. I know what they mean.

I was born in 1950 and came of age as a women during the era of Women’s Lib. Does anyone use that term anymore? Do we still need liberating? Perhaps from ourselves…

I was a very liberated young woman and learned how to exist and thrive in the heavy-duty man’s world of manufacturing. I learned how to be damn tough and hide my femaleness. I learned how to like and talk sports, how to cuss (my pals will tell you I excel at cussing), how to put up with crap and dish it out, and generally, how to act male.

I make no judgment on if it is “better” to be male or female. I love hanging with men because I love to tease, debate, and challenge. I wasn’t so good in my 20s and 30s on hanging with women. I wasn’t good at the social protocol needed to get along in female packs. I was uncomfortable with the rules and I just plain didn’t want to learn them.

As I got older I discovered the sheer pleasure in the company of women. I learned not to compare women’s way to men’s ways but to simply accept the value of womanly camaraderie. I also learned how to get along. I largely have my Ohio pals to thank for this. They accepted me as is and slowly drew me into their band. They taught me their ways.

All but knitting, that is. I drew the line at knitting. They all knitted like fanatics but I resisted because it was too girly for me. When I finally tried knitting (and became infatuated) I hid my knitting from people in my daily life. No kntterly talk on the golf course. No K2tog at work. No yarn chitchat in social groups.

It wasn’t until I was solidly captivated by the calming, creative experience of knitting that I accepted with great pride that I AM A KNITTER AND I DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS IT. Hmmmm, seems kind of manly to shout about it.

Knitting complete on Big Green

2008-04-15T19:29:00.006-04:00

The Garden Gate afghan is done and it has a new name - Big Green. Adding another 2 skeins of yarn made it big enough to merit the "Big" and because it's so big now the "Green" is prominent.

Here's the specs.
Pattern: Garden Gate from the Little Box of Knitted Throws by Martingale.

Yarn: Jarbo Garn Raggi - a machine washable blend of 70% wool 30%nylon, worsted weight. I used 2 strands because the pattern called for super bulky.

Needles: #15 US Knit Picks Options circulars. The afghan got pretty heavy after a foot, so I turned the circulars into straight needles by adding a cable to one needle tip and capping both ends. That's the first time I've done that and it worked great.

Stitch: a 12 row repeat Basket Stitch

I washed it in the washing machine and dried it on low heat Sunday afternoon. By Sunday evening it was keeping me warm on a chilly Florida night.

Babies on the way

2008-04-08T18:47:00.006-04:00

We discovered a cardinal nest in the camelia bushes just outside the lanai. I took this picture from inside the screen so it's a bit fuzzy.
I went outside to take this picture.
I spooked the mom and she flew to the dogwood tree and scolded me loudly. I quickly took this picture and went inside. She came back in a few minutes and settled right back in. No worries.

Knitting more on the Gate

2008-04-07T12:28:00.001-04:00

The Garden Gate afghan is back in action. I received the yarn from my LYS on Thursday and I am knitting away, adding length to a pretty short afghan. I really want to finish it before the weather gets too hot.

My original plan was to buy some more yarn in a contrasting color that I could add to both ends and perhaps a border down the sides. Since Paula had to order the yarn anyway, I decided to stay with the dark green and just add on to the bound off edge.

I unbound and continued the pattern. I am about half way through the first 2 skeins (I’m using 2 strands together). My only problem - my cat, JennyAnyDots, wants to lay on it while I am knitting.

Row, row, row

2008-04-01T21:40:00.007-04:00

I’ve started my first Rambling Rows afghan. I’ll be making two – one for each granddaughter. I’m optimistic that I’ll want to make a second one. If not, I’ll come up with another plan. There’s always plenty of yarn and patterns to inspire me.
I think the colors look great together. They are not my personal style but will just the ticket for a little girly-girl.

The yarn is Knit Picks Swish Superwash and the colors here are Bubblegum, Ballerina, and Baby Blue. The stitch definition is great and the yarn is very nice to work with.

I’m really enjoying the pattern. There is plenty of explanation, good illustrations, and lots of helpful hints. And lots of garter stitch.

Not quite closing the Garden Gate

2008-03-27T19:28:00.003-04:00

I sort of finished the Garden Gate afghan. I ran out of yarn so I stopped knitting (obviously) but the afghan is a bit too short. I took it over to Really Knit Stuff (where I bought the yarn) for a consultation with Paula.

What could I do to make it bigger? I vaguely remembered that I bought all of the green yarn that Paula had. Could I add on end pieces in a contrasting color? Paula and I decided that I could add to both ends of the afghan with a dark blue. Unfortunately, she has to order the yarn for me so the Garden Gate will go into hiatus until the yarn arrives. I’ll post a picture when I’m done. I’m really liking the texture and color. And it feels so nice too.

The big furry critter in the background is my Maine Coon cat, RumpleTeaser. She likes to have her picture taken. It's all about the cat.

Knitting sick – or is it sick knitting?

2008-03-15T16:24:00.003-04:00

I’m not a very good knitter when I’m sick. For the last week and a half I have had the super cold that is going around. I pushed myself to finish the Easter egg nests for the granddaughters (free pattern on the right sidebar) so I could ship them north. I made a small mistake on one but I said “good enough was better than none at all”.

I knit some rows on the Garden Gate throw. It was slow going and I know I dozed off in mid-row a few times.

The pattern is from the Little Box of Knitted Throws by Martingale knit with Jarbo Garn Raggi.

I did order yarn from Knit Picks (Swish worsted) for a Rambling Rows afgan. My intent is to make one for each granddaughter for Christmas. Most of the colors I wanted were on sale so that was a bright spot in my day. Such little comforts..

Both granddaughters are girly-girls - and I am so not - so the afgan colors will be pinks and purples with some blue for contrast. Hope I don’t get a tummy ache knitting with colors like bubblegum and ballerina!

A better nest

2008-03-07T14:33:00.003-05:00

I wanted to improve the egg nest I wrote about in my last post and make it a bit sturdier. I used 2 stands of yarn and larger needles for the sides of the nest and that did the trick. The nest is no longer floppy and squishy and holds the eggs just fine. And the shape is better too.

The pattern is posted in the right side bar. The nest is a quick knit – about 2 1/2 hours start to finish.

The eggs are falling out of the nest

2008-03-05T20:51:00.005-05:00

Easter is looming and there are granddaughters to send treasures to. And what better Easter treasure than a hand knit egg nest.

Last Friday I was at my LYS buying Euroflax linen to send to my mom in Detroit. Mom was interested in my washcloth projects

and wanted to knit one. While picking out the linen I noticed that wonderful Paula, LYS owner, had several Easter egg nests scattered around her shop. Paula had crocheted them without a pattern and I thought I could recreate a nest as a knitted item. The Prodigious Knitter happened to be there and we conspired - yarn, technique, color - it was great.

First attempt, not so good. I had this weird cone thing going on – not very nest like. I started over with bigger needles and this version came out better. I like how it looks but it was a bit too floppy and squishy.
So I am going try again, but when I knit the sides I will use 2 strands of yarn to make it more substantial. After all, can’t have the eggs falling out of the nest.

I’ll post pictures and pattern in a day or so when I get the next version done. Right now, there’s a Jameson Irish whiskey and a piece of dark chocolate waiting for me. After the work day I had today, I deserve them both.

2008-03-01T21:18:00.005-05:00

Today was a baking day. The temp reached 74 this afternoon so it was wonderful to open the windows and let the fresh air mingle with the aroma of fresh bread and cookies.
The bread is 100% whole wheat sandwich bread from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook. This bread never fails and the organic white wheat flour is sweet with no bitter flavor. I like to make the dough in my bread machine and bake the loaf in the oven. The bread machine does all the work and I get a traditional shaped loaf.

The cookies are oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip. The cookie recipe is also from the King Arthur book but with a twist. A co-worker gave me a jar of peanut butter powder and I added 2/3 cup to the dough. The cookies turned out great. All whole grain – oat flour and oatmeal - with a peanut buttery taste.
The peanut butter powder is from Bell Plantation in Tifton, GA. It's pretty cool stuff. I added 1/4 cup to a box of instant chocolate pudding and it was like eating a peanut butter cup. Yummy...

A couple of finished objects

2008-02-26T19:00:00.006-05:00

I finished the seed stitch stripe washcloth - don't you just love a FO? Here it is in a sweet grass rice fanner basket made by one of the wonderful artisans in Charleston, SC. I finished the vase below a while back and thought I'd add it to this post. The pattern is from Knit Picks - Felted Petal Bowls by M'lyn Walther and knit in Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand Dye Spumoni. I really like the finished product but the pattern was a bit challenging. I had to try and keep the color way in the same place as I went around. I would make this pattern again but in a solid color so I wouldn't have to fuss with the color matching.

Wish I could walk and knit

2008-02-25T12:37:00.002-05:00

It is late winter here in north Florida and I am taking advantage of the balmy, mid-70s and sunny weather. I have been walking during my lunch hour - 30 minutes of power walking, up and down the hills of Tallahassee. You may be surprised that it is very hilly here - not at all like central or south Florida. The terrain in this part of the state is more like south Georgia. We have huge hardwood forests as well as palm trees.

So I am walking for my bone health (to ward off osteporosis) - I'm already short and I'd like to keep my height as best I can. I love the walking but I'm sad it's at the expense of knitting. I'm just not graceful enough to do both. With my luck I'd fall down and break a knitting hand.

Cinnamon, linen and moonbows

2008-02-21T19:29:00.004-05:00

I was in the cold, rainy, icy, snowy, Chicago suburb of Naperville last weekend to attend a family wedding. While I didn’t get to a knit shop (the one listed in the directory was no longer there), I did get to shop at the Naperville Penzeys spice shop. Yeah!!!

I have been a loyal Penzeys customer for about 12 years - mostly catalog and Internet shopping - and I’m always excited to go into one of their stores. It’s spice heaven. You can buy little amounts of every spice imaginable at very good prices. Their spice blends are the best. I bought an Italian mix that is supposed to make Italian beef similar to Portillos, Buono Beef, or Karms. I LOVE Italian beef sandwiches and I have to have one (or more) when I go to Chicago.

I did a lot of travel knitting since the plane broke in Atlanta and they kicked us off to fend for ourselves. This is the Seed Stitch Stripe washcloth pattern in The Knitter's Stash book. Theresa Gaffey has 8 patterns using Euoflax linen.
If you haven’t made and used a linen washcloth, I highly recommend it. The more you use it, the softer it gets. The washcloths knit up fast, the patterns are fun, and they make great gifts.

Did you get to see the lunar eclipse Wednesday night? We had very good conditions in Tallahassee and it was amazing. My picture does not do it justice. And my husband and I saw a moonbow!!!!! A moonbow (also known as a lunar rainbow, lunar bow or white rainbow) is a rainbow produced by the moon rather than the sun. First time I saw one and it was incredible.

Learning to blog about knitting

2008-02-14T11:55:00.003-05:00

Writing a knitting blog is more than writing about knitting. I have learned some pretty cool things about blogging technology and the Internet. It's sort of easy for me to blog - after all, I am a computing technology professional in my day job.

But I struggled with how to post patterns and recipes as separate things outside of a post page (what you are reading is considered a post page). Beverlyanne came to my rescue. She gave me a tip on how to set up separate documents and voila - I have a section for free stuff. Thanks, Beverlyanne, for sharing your knowledge stash. Hope I can return the favor.

Noticing change – an opportunity to knit better

2008-02-13T09:54:00.001-05:00

In my job I encounter some challenging management situations. To stay ahead of the mob I try to continually improve my management skills.

One of my favorite sources is a newsletter, Crucial Skills, from VitalSmarts that is based on their book Crucial Conversations. A story I read in the latest newsletter struck me as being related to knitting. Stay with me – I’ll bring it all together at the end.

Steve Willis wrote in the Crucial Skills newsletter:
Last year, I had the opportunity to work for a company in Trinidad and Tobago. The company had secured the local town hall (a two story building with a tin roof) as the training site. Everything was set up properly, and the training was going along smoothly—that is until 1:45 P.M.

At exactly 1:45, rain started to fall. At first, the whole class moved to the rhythm of the falling rain—big drops hitting the tin roof at a perky tempo (somewhere in the range of 86 to 92 beats per minute; the perfect tempo to deliver a course). And then it really started to rain.

I found myself having to talk louder, then louder, and then louder still to be heard over the increasing din. Pretty soon I was yelling as loud as I could while holding my mouth in just the right way to approximate the Steve version of surround sound.

And right in the middle of yelling and projecting, I was drowned completely out by the thundering storm. I couldn't even hear my own voice. I looked around to see how the audience was reacting, only to be met with craning necks and straining ears. Needless to say, we took a break, relocated to a different area not so close to the tin roof, and repeated the lost portion of the training material.

Upon reflection, I realized that when faced with changing and often challenging conditions, many people believe they have only three choices: 1) keep doing the same thing, 2) increase the volume, or 3) better yet, keep doing the same thing while increasing the volume.
I've found over the years, that merely developing a skill set like crucial conversations isn't always enough. In order to apply the skills, we need to notice if and when conditions change. Then we can act.

So, as you consider what to do in order to improve your crucial conversations or confrontations skills, build cues and signs that will alert you to changing conditions and, in turn, help you notice opportunities to act. As you get better at noticing change, you won't have to spend the ten or fifteen minutes it took me to adjust my course.

I know you’re saying, what is wrong with this woman - how exactly does she think this relates to knitting?

This may be old hat to you experienced knitters, but I have really just grasped the concept that knitting requires noticing changes. Did I make a mistake? Is my gauge correct? Do I like the way it looks? Is it going to fit? You have to pay attention, really pay attention. No one told me about that part of knitting – that I needed to be alert to changing conditions and react.

And the part about choice number one – keep on doing the same thing - haven’t we all just continued to knit on something that we knew in our heart was not going to work?

To put a knitting spin on Steve Willis’s last sentence, as you get better at noticing change in your knitting you will be better at adjusting your pattern in mid-stream. That should reduce the chance that you wasted your precious knitting hours on something that doesn’t work.

A bit of Sweden in Florida

2008-02-08T09:35:00.001-05:00

Last week I found out about a great new (a year old) knit shop in Tallahassee called Really Knit Stuff. The owner, Paula Zenick, is a delightful woman and while her shop is small, it is very well stocked.

I needed yarn for a throw – Garden Gate from the Little Box of Knitted Throws by Martingale. Paula was super helpful and I selected a Swedish yarn, Jarbo Garn Raggi. Haven’t a clue what the label says but Paula told me it is a machine washable blend - 70% wool 30%nylon.The pattern calls for super bulky #6 yarn but I am using 2 strands of the Raggi instead. The yarn is very soft and lush with great stitch definition. And the pattern is fun! This is one of those patterns that I find just plain enjoyable to knit. The real color is greener than it looks here - forest green.It’s a little late in the season (in north Florida) to be knitting a wool throw, but I just wanted to. I’ll knit fast and then I can use it sitting by the pool on a March evening. Don’t shed a tear for me, all you bloggers with the snow pictures.

Another way

2008-02-05T18:26:00.000-05:00

When I was in Ohio this past July, my Buckeye pals took me to a knit shop in Columbus where I was introduced to a new (to me) style of knitting. It is way of holding the yarn around the neck or through a hook pinned near the shoulder and using your thumb to throw the yarn around the needle.

According to Andrea Wong, who teaches the “Wong Way” technique at the knit shop, this style is popular in Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Egypt and Peru.

The shop owner demonstrated the technique to me since Andrea wasn’t there. I tried it and was immediately hooked. What a great way to knit. I had been knitting in the English style (slowly) and had tried Continental in the hopes of knitting faster. I just couldn’t master the left hand, finger-sticking-out Continental thing. I felt jerky and out of control.

Andrea calls this style “Portuguese knitting” because a Portuguese woman taught her mother. I have really taken to the technique – my speed has increased and my tension is even and smooth. It took me only a day to get used to it. It seems so natural to me.

There is very little hand movement because you use your thumb to move the yarn without taking your hand off the needle. The movement is very efficient.

Andrea sells an instructional DVD and a knitting pin on her website. It certainly is worth checking out. Both items are high quality and Andrea is very charming.

My only problem is remembering to take the knitting pin off my PJs before I go to bed. And just in case you are wondering, the pin goes through the washer and dryer just fine!

Sock-ittude (noun - meaning sock attitude)

2008-02-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

I’m ready to admit it. I’m not crazy about knitting socks. I can hear the gasp from my pal K - she who has enough sock yarn to open her own shop and has knitted 328 pairs.

K taught me to knit socks, for which I am truly grateful. I can say socks with an “s” because I did make a pair. I learned some really cool techniques making those socks. But I didn’t yearn to make another pair. I wanted to yearn, but nope, the yearn was missing.

I thought maybe the experience didn’t grab me because I was a fairly new knitter then. So I bought some pretty terrific yarn to try again. Unfortunately, I have had one sock on the needles since August and I haven’t made it past the ribbing yet.
But socks are so cool, so trendy. Sock yarn is taking over knit shops everywhere. The Harlot’s socks are famous. Cat Bordhi has new pathways to entice me. Kelly Petkun is knitting socks for soldiers. How can I not want to knit socks????

So I fretted and pondered and came to accept that socks are not for everyone. I rationalized that I don’t wear socks that often, living in Florida. But that’s not the real reason.

I just plain don’t enjoy knitting socks. So please forgive me for having sock-ittude, cause I’m over it.

Mission possible – replicate Mom’s Half Circle Hot Pad

2008-01-29T11:31:00.000-05:00

I was cooking the other day and reached for my most favorite hot pads (or “pot holders” to some). My mom made them for me a long time ago and they are the best hot pads ever. What makes them so special? Shape and flexibility, and of course, my mom.

Anyway, the hot pads are crocheted semicircles, 8 inches at the widest and 4 inches top to bottom. They are in bad shape, having been washed a kabillion times, set on fire a few times, dropped in the chili pot, and generally abused. I decided to knit replicas – how hard could it be?

I first did a pretty extensive search on the web and found no knit patterns that were like these hot pad gems. I can make up a pattern, I thought. No problem. After all, I am The Inquisitive Knitter!

I can hear some of you say, why not ask your mom to crotchet some more. Or crochet them yourself? Good questions – I wanted to knit replicas as a tribute to my mom and I don’t like to crochet. And I’m a bit stubborn, umm, I mean persistent.

I rummaged in the stash and came up with some Peaches and Cream worsted cotton. I tried two strands together on size 7 needles but the stitches were so tight I could hardly knit. Made my hands hurt.

Back to one strand, the size 7 needles made it too loose. I moved down to size 5s. The density was better so I knit away. I cast on 8 stitches, put 4 each on a circular needle and joined ala Cat Bordhi’s instructions in Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles. I LOVE this knitting-in-the-round technique and use it often. I HATE dpns.

So I knit away, adding stitches every other row until I get a circle big enough to fold in half to test the thickness. I give my mom’s hot pad and my folded over, in-the-rough hot pad to my engineer husband for the thickness test. Was mine the same as mom’s? If it’s too thick, it’s hard to use. Too thin and I get burned. The verdict? Mine was too thin. Just by a bit, but still too thin. I trust the man’s abilities so I ripped out.

How could I make it thicker? I got out the new Harmony Knit and Purl stitch guide and trolled for a stitch pattern that would be thicker but still flexible. Maybe plain old garter? Using a moss stitch or something similar just seemed too complicated with the increasing.

So I started again using garter stitch. This time I started with a big circle and decreased instead of increasing. It seemed smoother. Here’s prototype #1. Pretty sad looking. Too small, too misshapen.
By this time I was in Ft Myers visiting the Ohio pals (same trip as in this post ) and we discussed and deliberated my next attempt. Ohio D generously gave me her extra ball of Sugar and Cream to use. Prototype #2 was better in size but I miscalculated and had an odd number of sections. The whole folding-in-half thing didn’t work, as you can see. But great colors!!!
Back home, I dug out a ball of Peaches and Cream and tried again. I think I’m satisfied with the pattern but I’m not so crazy about the color.

I don't know how to post the pattern as a separate download on this blog but I'd be more than happy to send it to you, free for the taking. Just send me an email at inquisitiveknitter@comcast.net

I’m going to try again with different yarn and if I make any changes, I’ll let you know.

Knitting or reading about knitting

2008-01-25T14:18:00.000-05:00

I’ve been splitting my spare time between knitting and fiction reading. It’s hard for me to do both because I love to read and I love to knit. And I have a day job, and laundry, and cooking, and cats, and golf, and - oh, yes, a husband (who heard about and bought me this book).

I’ve been reading a novel that has knitting as a central theme - The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. If you haven’t heard about or read this book, it’s worth the time away from the needles.
I think that any knitter can find a connection to the story or the characters in some way. It started out a little slow for me but the story picked up and I enjoyed it to the end.

The main character is a single mom who runs a knitting store and cares for her 12-year-old daughter. And of course, she has a Friday night knitting club.

They sell yarn in Key West

2008-01-21T10:38:00.001-05:00

Just returned from a trip to south Florida where I scored some great yarn. I stocked up on some felting yarn on sale at half price. Huge skeins of Paternayan at $8 each at Idle Hours in Ft. Myers. Nice shop – the owners are very helpful. I don’t have anything specific in mind for the yarn, but I’m sure some felting project will emerge.
I bought this aqua Euroflax to make a washcloth for myself at Knit Wits in Key West. We were just walking down Whitehead St. and I spotted the shop across the street. I gained major points with my 2 Ohio BFFs (the same ones that forced me into knitting, God bless them).
Speaking of my 2 Ohio BFFs, they very nicely let me take pictures of their projects to post here. Ohio K is working on a sweater for her daughter-in-law. The pattern, Trina, is from the Fall 2007 Adrienne Vittadini book. The yarn is Trina and you can see for yourself how fantastic (and complex) the pattern is. Ohio K is a master knitter.
Ohio D is making a baby sweater for a new grandson coming all the way from Russia. The pattern is Handsome Blue Cardigan from the Baby-Soft Sweaters book by Lois J. Long. The yarn is Plymouth Dreambaby DK. Lucky little boy, to be entering this family. They are the best. Ohio D is also a master knitter. I keep good company… I am working on creating my very first pattern. Prototypes 1 & 2 are complete and I think #3 will be the winner. More to come…

I felt fine, thank you very much

2008-01-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

I really like to felt. I may be out of control, but who’s to say? How many felted objects are too many? Fifteen, twenty? Some were gifts so I’m not sure they count.

Here is my latest FFO (felted finished object). This is the one JennyAnyDots was guarding. I started this little bowl over the New Year’s holiday weekend, and started, and started. I must have ripped out the stabilizing ridge and sides three times.
The first time I forgot to flip the base over before starting the ridge rows. Rip. I am using variegated yarn and wanted the stockinette side to be the inside of the base, not the underside of the base.

Then I changed my mind about the ridge color. Rip. Then I forgot to flip the base again – caught that mistake quickly, but still - Rip. There may have been another rip in there somewhere, but it was a holiday weekend and there was college football and wine involved.

This is a great pattern although it’s a slow process picking up a purl bump from the first ridge row and knitting it together with the last ridge row. Once that is done, knitting in the round moves quickly. The top is bound off in a 3 stitch I-cord. It takes about an inch and a half to see the I-cord emerge. It looks pretty messy and wierd at first. Try not to freak out for an inch and a half - it will work.

I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand Dye in Yukon, Wool of the Andes Bulky in Sky, and Wool of the Andes Worsted in Spruce. This yarn felts up so great. It’s not too fuzzy and the colors stay true. It’s my favorite felting yarn. And felt again, I will...

Cultural Harmony

2008-01-07T12:34:00.000-05:00

I was in Detroit for part of the Christmas holiday and my husband, mom, and I went to a Polish Art Center in Hamtramck.

Hamtramck is a city within the city of Detroit and during 1910-20 thousands of immigrants, mostly of Polish and other European descent, settled there. My mom’s family is Polish and we thought it would be fun to remember our heritage. And of course to buy stuff like Polish pottery.

I have seen Polish pottery in magazines and have admired the intricate details of the different patterns. The pottery is hand-formed and hand-decorated in Poland by local artisans. I found a small vase that said Buy Me and then my mom spied a matching bowl. So now, as you can see, I have two pieces of Polish pottery.
The pieces are sitting on placemats that I made out of King Tut yarn from Halcyon Yarn . King Tut is a soft, mercerized 100% cotton, worsted weight. The long-fibered, Egyptian cotton fiber is machine wash and dry and wears like iron. And because it is spun in Croatia, I have a Central/Southern European thing going on. A little cultural harmony on my kitchen table.

Smarter, but not wise

2008-01-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

2007 was a good year for expanding my knitting know-how. My third knitting year has passed and I have added a few more things to my knitting knowledge stash.

Yarn substitution is tricky. A cardigan sweater designed for merino doesn’t work up the same with cotton yarn. I’ll be ripping out the red sweater and using the yarn for a vest. Helpful books on understanding fiber characteristics: No Sheep for You by Amy R. Singer and The Knitter’s Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes.
Ripping out isn’t as scary as it used to be. Understanding the way stitch loops work gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to fix problems. And reading the awesome Techniques with Theresa on Knitty.

Thinking through the pattern is a very good skill to have. Taking the time to really analyze the pattern before knitting will save you time. Swatching is equally important.

Checking my knitting often while in progress is not wasted time. Even though I thought I was paying attention while knitting during the late night football game, the next morning’s check proved me wrong. How could I have done that? What was I thinking?

When knitting a garment it is crucial to understand size. Being brutally honest about my measurements, gauge, and finished size will help avoid banishing the garment to the back of the knitting cabinet. After all, no one is monitoring my size but me. I can be honest with myself, can’t I?

You can never have enough knitting accessories. Isn’t that right, Karin?

Hail to the Victors

2008-01-01T18:50:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I’m starting off 2008 with lots of pictures.

The University of Michigan Lola Bowla (pattern by Vyvyan Knitting in a Happy Camper) has been felted and celebrates the Wolverine’s victory over the University of Florida. GO BLUE!

Before felting…

I felted the bowl in the kitchen sink in about 20 minutes.

I have been felting for about 2 years and like felting by hand. It is good exercise and it’s fun to feel the yarn bind together to make fabric. I prefer felting tightly – until all stitch definition is gone.

JennyAnyDots is guarding the beginnings of a Nantasket Basket (pattern by Susan Pierce Lawrence).

I’m going to modify the pattern to make it bigger and shorter and maybe with no handle – I haven’t decided yet. Its mission will be to hold toiletries in a guest bathroom.

I have made five baskets following the pattern – two of them were Easter baskets for my two granddaughters.

Spread the love in 2008 – teach someone to knit…

Tasty

2007-12-30T18:55:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago I put whole grains in my diet and took processed flour out. I tried baking with whole grains but the stuff I made was awful. I bought cookbooks and searched the web for recipes but I was still unhappy with the results. So I stopped baking… it made me sad.

Then King Arthur Flour came out with a whole grain cookbook that produced baked goods that I actually wanted to eat. I started baking again and now the great smells of baking bread and cookies fill the house. I am happy. The recipe for focaccia is worth the price of the cookbook.

My success led me to try and convert a recipe for English Muffin bread from white flour to whole grain. I had been making English Muffin bread for years from a 1970’s Fleishman Yeast recipe. After a few tries of turning out muffin bricks I think I have a good recipe. This is a mix it up, spoon it into a pan, proof it, and bake recipe. So easy even a knitter could do it.

This bread tastes like an English muffin. When sliced, it has nooks and crannies and is delicious toasted.

Stir together in a large bowl:
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour (6 oz)
2 cups oat flour (6 ½ oz)
1 TBS sugar or Splenda
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
4 ½ tsp dry yeast

Heat until very warm (120-130 degrees):
2 cups skim milk
3 TBS orange juice & water to make 2/3 cup (5 ¼ oz)

Add liquids to dry ingredients and beat well to make a smooth batter.

Stir in until well blended to make a stiff batter:
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour (10 oz)

Spoon evenly into two 5”x8” bread pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly sprinkle top of batter with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on a rack. Because this bread has no fat, it should be used in a day or two. It freezes very well and can be put in the toaster without thawing.

Optimism

2007-12-21T11:51:00.000-05:00

After my last sweater disappointment I avoided fitted sweater patterns. Until I saw the Wool Bam Boo Cabled Cardigan in the Classic Elite Yarns Luxe book. I imagined myself wearing it to work paired with a slim black skirt, oh so proud of my style and skill. So I decided to try again. I know I’m not the only knitter with sweater fitting shame. I’ve read enough blogs to feel comfortable in my misery.

The yarn is a 50% wool, 50% bamboo – so soft yet substantial.

The irregular cable pattern is easy but interesting so the reverse stockinette doesn’t get boring. There is a fair amount of decreasing and increasing which I hadn’t done much of. As they say in the Florida Panhandle, Boy Howdy! - more skills enhancement.

I am using the new Knit Picks Harmony wood needles. Do I ever like them – light weight, smooth, and very pretty. I’m not moving too fast on this project. But I have finished other projects – significantly, an Einstein coat from Sally Melville’s The Knit Stitch (no pictures to post yet).

It’s a good thing I finished the coat. Temperatures are hovering around the mid-sixties. Brrrrr…

Felting a Trellis

2007-12-19T15:50:00.000-05:00

I finished this felted

Trellis Tote a while back. It was fun to knit and the pattern introduced me to a couple of new techniques. The use of a triple wrap for the slipped stitches to create the trellis effect is very creative. The slipped stitches just float in front of stockinette rows but magically attach when felted.

It is knit in the round and the flap is the result of binding off half the stitches and decreasing.

And such cool decreasing it was – the stair-step pattern emerged so easily I amazed myself.

I used a Malabrigo worsted recommended at my LYS. Just like everyone else that has knit with the lusciously soft Malabrigo, I kept petting the yarn. It’s hard to see in the pictures but the background is a variegated blue. I like the subtle color change and the overall unified look.

I felted the tote by hand, which I prefer over machine felting. I like controlling the process and I like the exercise. My reward is a glass of cabernet.

Knitting with Pink

2007-12-18T18:58:00.000-05:00

Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?
- Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb

Welcome to my first blog post. My name is Marie and I live in North Florida. I’m a bit nervous about starting a blog – will anyone visit? Will they stay to read? Will I be boring? Only one way to find out, I guess. Hey, if it’s a bust, I can just stop. No harm, no foul.

A little about me – I started knitting three years ago because my two BFFs made me. They had a plan, a sneaky little plan. Under the innocent guise of visiting warm Florida in December, these two devious Ohio knitsters brought yarn, needles, and a pattern and forced me to knit a dishcloth. They had knit for eons and it just annoyed them that I resisted knitting’s charms.

I was captivated. I love the rhythm of knitting. I love that knitting is math – ones and zeros, on and off, knit and purl. Combinations make patterns and that is fascinating to my structured, logical psyche.

I’m working on several projects.

Cascade 220 waiting to become a University of Michigan Lola Bowla (pattern from Vyvyan Knitting in a Happy Camper). I love this pattern – it’s fun to make, works up real fast, and can be felted by hand in 30 minutes.

More project photos in my next post… Thanks for stopping by and reading all the way to the end!