And more news...

My oh my, a day spent sewing and posting...I am so good today!

I did the gauge swatches on two future projects (see list) and noticed something dreadful.

On the pink pullover, my gauge was so very much off, that I decided to move up ine and a half needle sizes. This did not work out, my gauge was still too tight! (Never mind row gauge now, this was right the first time I did the swatch...*grooomph*)
So another half a needle size up...and I never thought of finishing the swatch, since the stitches grew impossibly big. This is supposed to be a turtle neck sweater, not a lacey hole of a dishcloth! Oh my...

Then I thought that maybe giving it a rest would help and so I cast on the swatch of the stripey green pullover. Baaaad idea!
Somehow my gauge has a problem.
The same darned problem...I moved up one needle size and then another. And noticed the growing success in producing fine green lace completely off gauge (and still too few stitches to the inch!!!)

Can anybody (ANYBODY) help me???

Completely clueless me...saying good bye and off to work...

And there are news...

on the first cardie!

*three cheers for me*

I blocked it yesterday and upon trying the body on, I realized I really did not like the regular basic bind off, since it creates to firm an edge on the peplum. After consulting my Knitting Answer book, I decided to do it the hard way...I unraveled the whole edge (327 stitches), caught them on the needle, threaded my darning needle and then I spent hours after hours (well, there was a quick bbq in between, my boyfriend decided it was warm enough) doing the sewn bind off. Much nicer!

I will rip out the hoodie sleeve binding and do the same, since I never liked that bind off! There you have it...progress...

Oh my Gooood...!!!

I could scream!!!

For joy, to be sure!!!

Today, mail was early and brought me two things: Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush (was a sale, I think I saved €10!!!) and *tatatataaaa* a complete austermann needle set in a lovely black case!

A long story cut short: I know someone who knows someone...and am now a proud owner of a needle set (the equivalent of the Knit Picks set)!!!

Me proud!!!
Me happy!!!

(Pictures would be embarassing...just imagine me dancing around wildly, swinging the case around...my boyfriend already took cover after unsuccessfully trying to stop my singing...)

To those who have ready access to such things as Knit Picks, let me tell you *smugly* that this was not available in Germany up till now and will take a little longer...*ahem, very smug*

A tale of perfectionism

today I tried myself at being a perfectionist...

I got myself the first part of the Desperate Housewives - Second season, some lovely Regia jacquard sock wool (red, pink, purple multicolour) and some nice hot coffee. The plan: Two perfectly matched socks.

I started the first one...everything went swell, well, the first sock always is, since there is no match...and when I had finished that one, I started on the second one. I unpeeled the ball of yarn, found the right spot, even measured the bit where I would start the cast on, an so I did...I cast on and started knitting. It matched the first one, it truly did...until I reached the heel. I realized that somehow, the dying differed. And since I had already spent some hours on the second sock, I succumbed...I did not frog the works!
After I picked up the heel stitches and had finished the gusset (which also did not match), the colourway suddenly reverted to my plan! Everything went my way until I started decreasing the toe stitches...and now I have a pair of socks which is almost perfect.

I blame Regia!

And I don't care, since the socks are really, really lovely!

Well, almost...*lesigh*

Lesson to be learned: Don't only match the beginning, but the whole lot of yarn, even if it takes HOURS! Or just don't care enough for perfectionism to mind...(and I am clearly resorting to the latter one...)

Ode to 6 inch dpns

O ye wondrous little things,
Ye make me knit like I had wings,
Ye happy bamboo light and soft!
Ye must be loved!

What a difference!

I never thought that shorter needles would be such a delight, but knitting in the round with these dpns is truly like discovering the ability to turn a heel...KAL, I'm ready!

(Please excuse the little outburst of poetry...makes me think of a little quib by Alexander Pope -> Poets and Fools...;o))

More Socks...

My first KAL!!!

Totally weird and wonderful!

The goal: Starting April 2007, the goal is to knit 52 pairs of socks by April 2008...I love it!

Socks and more...

I have been knitting...nope, no hoodie, no cardie but socks! Finished one pair, started the second one (first sock finished) and bought more sock yarn -> definitely hooked!

As for the toe-up sock: I bought self-patterning wild stripey stuff for that and shorter dpns (my hands are small). And since my feet are small too, making these yummy sockey thingies lovey duvey takes me less than five hours! (Once I did work out the flap heel...which took me three hours...ore more...and frogfrogfrogging at least four times...)

Wehell, I will cast on the first sleeve of the cardie and am thinking about blocking the hoodie...when and if I have the nerve for that (I don't like sewing seams).

First cardie...

coming along very well indeed!

Today I bound off the peplum...and tried it on for the first time. I feel like a miracle worker, since it fits perfectly. Length is perfect as are the armholes!

So, off to the sleeves it is...and I am feeling a bit discouraged, since my stash is talking to me...I have a wonderful kid mohair and a plan...which is not good, since I still have the unblocked hoodie lying around, looking at me quite mournfully...mhmpf!

And books...

I was in town yesterday and bought myself two books by Katharina Buss:

"Das große Strickbuch" and "Warme Socken selbst gestrickt".

And sock yarn...red and pink and lovely Regia Jacquard (4 balls)...oh, yeah, 2 sets of dpns (size 2 and 3).

I love knitting stuff...

SP10:

I was wandering around in town today and already have discovered so many things which might please my spoilee...can't wait for it to start!!!

A most delicios package...

was waiting for me when I got home from work:

Clover products!!!

I had ordered 13 pieces of Clover knitting articles, useful little items which hopefully will make knitting a lot less...mhm...well, they will make my knitting more relaxed. The juiciest item is the so-called mini Kacha-Kacha, a row counter which can be suspended like a pendant from the neck and has a tip to move the numbers, wheels to retract them and a lock to close the whole thing! Compared to the one I used to employ (the one with screws at the sides), it is heaven! No ackward screwing in the future, no!
Then a Chibi darning needle set (the green one), three packages of large pins with large flat heads, stitch savers (all three sizes), one circular bamboo needle (size 10) and the yarn cutter (sooo pretty...I also treated myself to the smaller one, because it is even prettier). And stitch markers (small, big and jumbo).

I love Clover products!!!

(P.S. My camera somehow decided to leave me...so no pics...)

Still no...

progress on the hoodie...I'm nervous what the blocking will bring...

First Cardie:

Left front is finished! *yay*

Now off to the right front!

I'm tired, cross and bored...but there's no escape, I will have to go to work...

Manageable??

I bet not!

Didn't do anything on the almost finished hoodie (tomorrow I will make a pic and proove the unfinishedness of that thing), no, instead, I picked up my sweet burgundy red cardie again (4 mm needles...what a change) and started to knit away, teeny, tiny stockinette (in comparison to the enormous stockinette of the hoodie). There will be millions of more lovely itsy-bitsy knit stitches before the miles and miles of yarn will turn into a cardie, but I am very much positive about the subject.

And a wondrous thing happened while I was toiling away: The pattern, parts of which seemed like Chinese to me at first (and second and third...) reading, now, after having spent weeks in a big dark blue plastic bag from a local bookstore, turned out quite...easy???
Strange things do happen, so I am hopeful of the future of my cardie and me.

As for the hoodie...I have made myself swear a solemn oath not to have it become an UFO...I really have...