Category Archives: FYI

Inter-generational Knitting

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Over Christmas, I got to visit my grandparents in The Great White North (aka, Wisconsin).  In between blizzards, I chatted with my grandfather, and we started talking about his mother (my grandmother).  She was an amazing woman and an extremely accomplished knitter.  She was actually buried with her blue ribbon that she won at the Wisconsin State Fair. Pretty impressive, right?

In the process of our conversation, my grandfather mentioned that his mother made him a sweater when he was younger.  He had loved it, but it had somehow gotten lost over the last 50+ years.  She had designed it especially for him, in brown and blue, and had put deer on the front and back, since he is an avid deer hunter.

The conversation stuck with me (since I am apparently very sentimental), and the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was sad that the sweater had been lost.  It kept bugging me until I decided that I had to try and recreate the lost sweater.

I don’t have a photograph of the original sweater, but I knew that it was a sweater made for my grandpa in the fifties (or so).  I imagined it would have been a sort of traditional Norwegian ski sweater, the kind that you see on vintage postcards from Colorado.   And, I knew that it was blue and brown.

So I just guessed the rest of the way and came up with this:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I’m sure it’s not an exact replica, but I think it turned out pretty well.   My grandpa loves it, and that’s what matters.  I hope I did my great-grandmother proud.

Knitting as Therapy

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This weekend I realized something that I have known for a really long time in the back of my mind, but crystallized on Saturday.

My roller derby league had a bout this weekend (Tilted Thunder Rail Birds, if you’re in the Seattle area… you should come watch us play.  It’s pretty rad).  I was doing my usual pre-game running around with my team (running stairs, beating up a punching bag, listening to gangsta rap… you know, the usual).  But, when we finished our usual pre-bout ritual, we had an extra fifteen minutes before we had to go out and start playing.

We were all antsy and hyped up on adrenaline.  I was so anxious I could hardly sit still, much less think about the strategy we were about to execute.  So, I did what every good knitter would do.  I pulled out a half-finished sock and worked a few rows.

WP_20140301_001(My teammates-as usual- teased me about it.  But if it makes me a better skater, I think they should just shut their mouths.  So there.)

I do this before every game.  It helps me calm down, focus and take a deep breath before having to do something difficult or scary.  I even bring my knitting along when I go on job interviews.  I (obviously) don’t knit during a game or an interview, but knowing that it’s there is somehow comforting.

It’s like therapy, or mood stabilizing drugs, but fuzzier.  And you get a sock at the end.  I know I’m not the first (or the last) to discover the therapeutic uses of knitting, but still.  It’s definitely something that needs to be put in the list of “Reasons You Should Knit.”

When do you use knitting as therapy?

Accross the Finish Line

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Phew!  The Olympics are over, and the Ravellenic Games are finished!  I don’t know if you took part, but I had a really great time.  And I knit like a Norwegian cross-country skier (in other words- really, really quickly).

My sweater came together without too much trouble.  I did have a little issue during the first weekend of the games, when I had a little math issue (compounded by the fact that I – overachiever that I am – was trying to finish an entire sweater in a week) that forced me to re-knit my sleeves a couple times.  (Apparently my arms are not 12 inches long and pointy.  Who knew?)  But, other than that, I skated through this project at a nice little clip.

Anyway, here’s my final product in all it’s glory!  (Please ignore the slightly awkward poses.  I can make a sweater in two weeks, but I’m damned if I can take a decent photograph.  It’s a curse.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI blocked the sleeves slightly too much, so they’re a smidge long, but that’s OK.  I have long monkey arms, so it’s sometimes a treat to have too-long sleeves.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI love how the slip-stitch color-work panels turned out.  (And they were crazy easy to do!  I’ll post instructions soon.  Maybe Wednesday, if I have time.)

The sweater was worked in KnitPicks’ Wool of the Andes, and the colors were:

  • Sapphire Heather (body)
  • Bluebird (darker contrast blue)
  • Clarity (pale contrast blue)
  • Papaya Heather (orange)
  • Fairy Tale (fuchsia)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADespite the dorky pictures, I’m quite pleased how this project turned out.

Did you participate in the Ravellenics?  What did you make?

In-Between

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I finished my Ravellenic Sweater!  And, with days yet to go in the Olympics!  It’s cool to see how fast you can knit when you are working up against a deadline.  It’s blocking now, but when it’s dry, I’ll post some pictures.

But for now, though, I am a little bit at loose ends.  Do you feel the same way when you finish a big project?  I don’t really know what to do with myself.  I have a pair of half-finished socks, but all those little tiny stitches seem daunting right now.  I don’t want to go spend money on more yarn for another sweater.  And working on my afghan seems like too big a project.  Ugh.  I’m in a sorry state.

What I really want, is something that I can sit down, and in an hour or two have a completely finished project.  Something useful, and nice, and not too taxing on my brain.

I’ve got it!  The perfect in-between-projects project: washcloths!

Knit washcloths are great for in the kitchen, or for face washing (they’re super gentle on skin).  They also make really great gifts; wrap up one or two with a fancy bar of soap, and you’ve got a really nice little gift.  (Keep a few on hand, in case you forget someone’s birthday.)

If my brain is super-fried, I’ll just make a square of garter-stitch out of some pretty dishcloth cotton (like Sugar n’ Cream, or KnitPick’s Dishie).  Or, if I have a lace/cable/texture pattern bouncing around in my head, I’ll make a swatch of that pattern, sort of doodling with yarn.

Or, if you want a pattern, try one of these:

The Almost Lost Washcloth by Julie Tarsha

firsttakecloths11_small_best_fit[1]Leafy Washcloth by Megan Goodacre

leafycloth5_medium2[1]Grandmother’s Favorite by Traditional Design

976923313_4966a8fbc3_z[1]

Get Ready! It’s the Olympics!

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Apparently, I have a sports blog now.  (Go Seahawks, by the way!)

Are you excited about the Olympics?  I know I am.  So much knitwear (at least in the parade of nations), so many sequins (at least in the Ice Dancing), and so much Argyle (thank you Norwegian Curling Team).

norway-curling-team-olympics-red-checkered-pants-21351780812d806d_largeI am so excited about the Olympics, I’m going to be participating in the Ravellenic Games this year, in the Sweaterboard Cross event.

Ravellenics2014banner.3What the heck does that mean?

Basically, a whole bunch of ladies (and gents) over on Ravelry get together (virtually) every time the Olympics roll around.  They cast on a project during the opening ceremony, and try to have their projects off their needles by the end of the closing ceremony, two weeks later.   It’s all about pushing yourself, trying new things, and finish something awesome while watching people do awesome sports things that you totally could do to, if you really felt like it.

My Olympics project will be a nice cozy wool pullover with a slip stitch/color work yoke and cuffs.  My goal is to design, knit, and write up a pattern for the sweater by the end of the Olympics, which will definitely be a stretch.  But that’s the whole point of the Ravellenic Games!  To try something new, something that you didn’t think you could do.

Get ready to cast on on Friday!

Are you going to take part in the games?  What do you think your project will be?

Keeping Everyone Warm

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This photo showed up on the internet earlier this week, and it just made me so happy:

ottawa_scarf_1[1]Can you read the tag?  It says “I am not lost!  If you’re stuck out in the cold, take this scarf to keep warm.”

Apparently a bunch of these scarves showed up all over Ottawa on Monday, draped around sculptures in preparation for a cold snap that put their temperatures well below zero.

You know I love yarn bombing in general, and giving away knit projects to strangers, but this is just the best thing I’ve ever seen.  It’s such a sweet gesture, and a great way to send warm and fuzzy thoughts (literally) out into the world.

On Wednesday, the group behind the scarves came out and started talking to the newspaper.  It turns out that they were a group of University of Ottawa students who  decided on their own to do the random act of kindness.  Because they’re awesome.

9414011[1]So, here’s to you, ladies!  Thank you for being so sweet and thoughtful!

And the next time we have a cold snap around here (although that’s super rare), I just might follow their examples.

Don’t ever stop knitting: Joining part 2

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As with everything in knitting (and I suppose, in life), having options is always a good thing.  Don’t like knitting English style?  Try continental.  Think wool is itchy?  Try acrylic.  Don’t care for aluminum needles?  Try wooden ones.

Last week we did a join where we held the new yarn double with the old yarn.  I have since learned that this is called an Overlap Join.  (Learning new things every day…)

Today, we’ll do another kind of join, sometimes called a Back Join, and sometimes called a Russian Join.  Whatever you call it, it’s pretty neat.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAEssentially, you fold both the new and old yarns creating two 4-6 inch loops.  Then, hook the too loops around one another, like in the picture above.  And, holding the yarn carefully, you knit with the looped yarn.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASee how you get a couple stitches of doubled-up old yarn, and a couple stitches of doubled-up new yarn?  When you knit a couple more rows, you’ll see nothing but a clean transition from old yarn to new yarn.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPros: Easy (although slightly trickier than the Overlap Join).  If you are careful to knit at least three stitches on either side of the join with the yarn held double, there’s no weaving-in of ends.   If you’re trying to do some sort of cool avant-garde color-work where you want crisp color definition, but don’t care exactly where the color changes go, this would be the join to use.

Cons: Doubled yarn is slightly thicker than single yarn (obviously), so if consistency is a priority, this might not be the join for you.  Yarn ends will poke out the back of the knitting, so if you need a perfect double-sided join, you’ll want to try something else.

 

An Apology

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Dear Acrylic Yarn,

I would like to offer you a heartfelt apology.  I know I have been less than charitable about you in the past, and would like to clear the air between us.

Please understand that I meant no personal insult by my comments.  I was blinded by my own prejudice.  I have scoffed at yarn lacking natural fibers.  I have laughed at Red Heart Super Saver and rolled my eyes at Caron Simply Soft.  I have never given you, Acrylic Yarn, the time of day.

This last week and a half that we’ve spent together has been wonderful.  I picked you up out of desperation- the Ice Storm was coming, and I didn’t have enough sock yarn to keep me entertained while I was stuck inside.  You were the only yarn I could find within walking distance, and I was desperate.  It was with trepidation that I purchased you, after all, could yarn that cost only $5.99 per pound really be worth it?  Could I really make a worthwhile sweater out of acrylic?

I should never have questioned you.  You are softer than wool, and are knitting up into a lovely dense fabric.  Because you come in such large quantities, I haven’t had to worry about joining in new skeins of yarn.  And, my sweater is going to be wonderfully cozy and warm, and totally washable.

Thank you, Acrylic Yarn, for giving me a second chance.  Thank you for showing me my mistakes, and please forgive my ignorance.  I now know better than to be so judgmental against you.

My sincerest apologies,

Allison

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA(The yarn I’m using is Loops & Threads Impeccable, from Michael’s, in Clear Blue and Chocolate.)

Always Be Prepared

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I was never a boy scout (because of rather obvious genetic reasons), but I would like to think that I would have been a good one.  After all, I am great with knots, I look damn good in a neckerchief, and I am always prepared.

I’m especially prepared when it comes to my knitting.  I always (always always) have a little stash of emergency knitting.  You never know when it will come in handy,  Maybe you’ve just finished that big sweater you’ve been working on, and you don’t know what to work on next.  Maybe you are halfway through that unending afghan for your cousin Sue’s wedding, and unless you put it down for a little while, you’re going to cut it in half with a pair of kitchen shears out of frustration.  Or maybe you’re stuck inside your parent’s condo, hiding from the stupid cold weather for a week straight after your plane ride home was canceled because of a Polar Vortex freezing the entire contiguous United States (except, for some reason, Seattle).

My emergency knitting project is always socks.  Socks are portable, and require minimal futzing.  No seams to sew, no buttons to mess with, nothing to measure (once you know your sock number).  At home, I have a whole box of sock yarn, ready to be knit up whenever I need a small, useful project.  And, when I travel, I always throw a skein or two of sock yarn into my bag, just in case.

WP_20140108_006(Sorry about the picture quality.  While I was prepared enough to bring extra knitting, I neglected to bring my good camera.  So, you get a photo taken by a potato.)

And lucky I did, too!  I finished the sweater I was working on more than a week before the end of my vacation.  The last few days, I’ve been busy, knitting away on my emergency socks and watching way too much Portlandia with my Mom.   Not a bad way to spend  the Great Snowpocalypse, if I say so myself.

What’s your emergency knitting project?

Blocking Blocks

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I love our new house, but it has one deficiency: no carpet.  Which, I suppose, really isn’t a deficiency (I hate hate vacuuming), but as a knitter, it causes me problems.  I have always blocked projects by laying towels out over the carpet, and then pinning my wet project on top.  You can’t really do that with wood floors.

So, I took a trip to Target the other day and I found a substitute in the baby section:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese foam puzzle pieces are meant to protect babies from dangerous floor bacteria (or something, I don’t really know).  They’re about about 16 inches square and about a half inch thick, and they interlock.  They are perfect for blocking.  I lay them out on the floor, throw a towel on top and block away to my heart’s content.  They run about 20 bucks for a set of 6, which gives you plenty of real estate for smaller projects like scarves, shawls, and probably even most sweaters.  You can also find similar foam blocks in sporting goods stores (for doing yoga or weight lifting on), but I am a sucker for bright colors (like babies, apparently), so I went with these.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese work super well, so if you don’t have a floor you can pin into, I highly recommend you invest in a set or two.