Heartbreak

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I’m completely heartbroken.  My hopes have been dashed.  My best plans of a simple, fun, and easy sweater are completely falling apart.

My yarn came in the mail.  (Actually it came in the mail a few weeks ago, but I was so disappointed, I threw it into the closet and pretended it hadn’t showed up yet.)  Usually new yarn is a source of joy, but ugh…

Look:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOK, it’s kind of hard to see in a photo, but take a closer look:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe ball of yarn on the left is the new yarn- it’s significantly more blue-gray.  And the half-finished sweater is on the right- it’s a lovely pink-y lavender.

I know they look pretty similar in these photos (it’s been established my photography skills are lacking), but in real life, they’re significantly different.  Even my husband commented.  I’ve got the whole sweater finished with the old yarn, except for the left sleeve.  I can’t have a sweater with one different color arm!

This, boys and girls, is why you buy all your yarn at once.

Now I’m going to go drink a lot of coffee and come up with a plan.

Inspiration: Happy Picnic Day!

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Happy 4th of July, folks!  What’s more American than the 4th of July?  Not much.  (Maybe apple pie?)  And do you know what my favorite part of the 4th is?  Eating a picnic with friends.

We’re having our friends over this afternoon (along with their sleepy dog and their adorable twins), so my husband and I have spent the morning working on cook-out food and collecting every single blanket we’ve got so that we can hang out on the lawn with babies, dogs and yummy barbecue.  (We’ll probably have to fight off the dogs for the barbecue.  We might have to fight off the babies, too… they’re surprisingly grabby.)

It turns out, we have lots of different blankets- quilts, fleece blankets, flannel sheets, even a serape I got when I lived in Texas, but it turns out our blanket collection is sorely lacking a traditional gingham picnic blanket!  Crazy!

il_570xN.454792274_1m53[1]I don’t think I have time to whip one up before our friends come over (after all, I still have to make lemonade), but maybe I can make a gingham blanket for next year’s cookout.

This blanket is simple- made from three colors of granny squares, and I do love a good granny square.

Gingham Checks by Carole Priorcom.leisurearts.804670_1_original__75379.1402454055.1280.1280_small_best_fit[1]This is a pretty cool crochet pattern.  I can’t quite tell how it was worked, but I love the finished project.  You could make a whole set- pillows and a blanket.

Gingham Pillows by Lily Sugar’n Cream570827-rugpillows-blues_medium[1]Or, if you’re not a crocheter, this super classy oversized gingham blanket would be perfect. (And how cute is that dog?!)

Gingham Knit Blanket by Martha Stewart Design TeamMarthaGinghamBlanket1_medium[1]Happy 4th!  And happy picnicking!

Summertime, and the living is… muggy

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It’s officially been summer for about a week, and it is officially summer.  It’s hot and muggy and there isn’t even a breeze.

(OK, fair enough, it’s “Seattle Hot”, so it’s in the mid-to-upper 70s.  But I’m officially a hot-weather weenie, so it’s hot to me.)

Ollie agrees- he needs a haircut, and is impatient for us to fill up his kiddie pool.13495497_10106435157559480_5717683599402702824_o (1)I’m currently working on a big cabled sweater (a Christmas gift for someone, so I can’t tell you about it) which is just too much to be knitting right now.  All that wool!

What I’d like to be working on is something light and breezy.  Something at a tiny lace gauge.  A lovely, summery tank top.

This tank is simple, drapey and lovely.  If I worked in an office, it would be super cute to wear with a blazer or a light cardigan.

Bonny by tincanknitsIMG_4731-ed-sm_medium2[1]I love the little details on this top- the tiny cap sleeves, the delicate lace at the hem, the split sides.  So cute!

22.2 Top with lace edges by Karen Noe22.1-Top-m_medium2[1]I love the all-over lace and the flattering, swing-y shape.  I would totally wear the heck out of this tank.

Just a Wisp by Pamela SchwabDSC_6755_medium2[1]I can’t wait to finish the big sweater so that I can make myself a new tank top or two.

What summery projects do you like to make?

Warning!

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Warning! Warning! Alert! Alert!

51G8hWAw6mL[1]This is your 6-month warning.  Christmas is in 6 months.  Begin your plans now.  (Or wait until mid-November, like I usually do.)Beautiful-Christmas-Tree-christmas-27617948-1024-768[1]That is all.  You have been warned.

And Then You Win Some

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I know you were all waiting with bated breath over the weekend-  Will Allison’s socks turn out?  Or will she be cursed to forever have lopsided footwear?

Well, I have an update for you.

But first, look at my artsy picture of my socks as they were blocking over the weekend.  I call this picture “Morning Sunlight with Wet Socks.”OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA(OK, maybe I’ve had too much coffee this morning… or not enough.  One or the other.)

Once they were dry I took them down, and they looked OK.  Maybe a little lopsided, but not too bad.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI know it’s silly, and something that I should have gotten over so long ago- after all I’ve been knitting since I was a little kid.  But, I can never get over how pretty blocked fabric looks.  Especially socks.  All those precise little stitches.  Aren’t they just beautiful?OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Anyway, enough stalling.  Long story short, the socks came out fine.  They’re almost the same size- one is still a smidge big, but no one other than me would notice (or care).  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIsn’t it funny how your gauge can change over time.  I used the same needles and the same yarn (I know because they were all packed away nicely waiting for me in a little project bag).  I did the same number of rows and stitches, and for whatever reason I was way more relaxed for the second sock.   Sigh.

I guess it’s just another reason to avoid Second Sock Syndrome, I suppose.

Has your gauge ever led you astray?

You Win Some, You Lose Some.

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And sometimes you end up with mismatched socks.

If my Ravelry page is correct, I started these socks in January, but I think I probably started them earlier- probably over Christmas.

I finished one right away, then did the toe of the second one…. then…. nothing.  I stashed these socks away  “just in case,” then promptly forgot about them.  So, when I was packing for my trip, I decided to bring them along.  After all, a sock-in-progress fits in my purse, so they’re great for traveling.   The pattern was super simple (just stockinette with a single row of purls around the toe and ribbed cuff), so they wouldn’t take away from looking out the window.  And they were almost done, so they’d go pretty fast!  Win-win-win.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThey turned out pretty cute!  Nothing fancy, but they’re a pretty color, and they look ok.

Except if you try to measure them against each other.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOne sock is fully a half-inch shorter than the other one.  I swear I measured- I even counted rows!  But, something must have happened to change my gauge between when I started these socks six months ago and when I finished them last week.  Blergh.

I don’t think I’ll try to re-knit them, or rip them out… they’re not fancy enough for me to really be bothered, and they aren’t going to be a gift.  I think I’ll try blocking them out, and hopefully that’ll fix the problem.  After all, blocking hides a multitude of sins.

Have you ever ended up with significantly different socks? What did you do?

Big Head

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I think I made the world’s longest hat.

No joke.  It’s really big.

It’s an Antler Hat from tincanknits.  I thought I followed the pattern, but something happened.

The hat on the right is a normal, long-ish beanie that I made for my husband.  The hat on the right is the one I just knit up. It’s like twice the size!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAEven if I fold up the brim, it’s so long!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI look like a silly gnome when I wear it.WP_20160612_15_18_04_ProI need to rip out the crown and take out a couple pattern repeats.  After all, the pattern is absolutely gorgeous, and looks great in my Tosh DK.  It’s just too long.  Look at that great cable!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI feel like I’ve been on a streak of not-quite-correctly finished knitting projects.  Oh well, it just means I have more knitting to do!

Coffee and Scraps

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Imagine this:  You’re in the back seat of a minivan, somewhere on the Ohio Turnpike.  You thought you brought enough knitting for the day, but your project has gone faster than expected (yay), leaving you with three more hours of driving, and nothing else to knit (boo).  You’ve got plenty more yarn, but it’s tucked away in your suitcase, which is buried in the trunk, under everyone else’s luggage.

What’s a girl to do?

Just keep knitting.

I finished my gloves earlier than I had expected, but I had a little extra yarn.  Not even enough to make a third glove, much less any other garment.  But, it was enough to make a coffee sleeve!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI already had the gauge (after all, I was using the same yarn and same needles as I had used on my gloves), and I could guess at the proper dimensions for a coffee sleeve.  And, since this stitch pattern is super stretchy (it was the same one I used for the gloves), I didn’t have to worry about being perfect.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt worked like a charm!  Now I’ve got a lovely matching coffee sleeve to go with my new gloves.  I think I just might start making coffee sleeves with all my leftover scraps!

Have you ever been in a similar situation?  What did you do to keep yourself occupied?

Inspiration: Father’s Day Monkeys

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Hey guys, Father’s Day is on Sunday.  (So go get your dad a card if you haven’t gotten one in the mail already!)

In my family, for some reason (I can’t remember when this started), we always get my dad Father’s Day cards with a monkeys on them.  Any monkey is OK, but you get bonus points if it is wearing clothes, smoking a pipe, or riding a tricycle (and bonus bonus points if it’s doing all three).

At this point, I don’t even know if my dad likes monkey cards (or even monkeys).  I suppose it doesn’t really matter, since we’ve been doing it so long that it’s become an ongoing gag.

So in honor of Father’s Day, let’s look at some monkey patterns.

(Hoo boy! There are some ugly monkey-themed patterns on Ravelry.  I’m not going to post them here, because that would be mean.  But, if you want a chuckle, head on over and look for yourself.)

There is the classic Cookie A pattern, Monkey Socks.  I love these socks, but, other than the name, I don’t think they have much to do with monkeys.  Also, they’re a little girly to be a proper Father’s Day-themed pattern.

Monkey Socks by Cookie Amonkey_2_medium2[1]There are a million monkey amigurumi patterns on Ravelry, but I think this one might be the cutest.  Look at that little face, those tiny hands, that adorable bendy tail.  I love looking at this little guy, but I think I might go crazy if I tried to make him-  all those ends… shudder!

Chinese New Year Monkey by Stephanie Jessica LauL1037384_logo_medium2[1]If that monkey was too cute, this monkey is not.  At all.  And, while that sounds terrible, I mean it in the best way possible.  I love this basket!  I love that the monkey’s eyes point in different directions, and that he looks like he’s trying really hard to remember where he left his house keys.  The big dumb ears are amazing, and the fact that the photographer put a big bunch of bananas in the basket couldn’t be more perfect.  I know it sounds like I’m being sarcastic, but I really do love this monkey basket.  And, if I thought my dad would like to have a monkey basket, I would totally be working on it right now.

monkey basket bag by Cheryl L. CambrasScreen_Shot_2016-02-14_at_3.30.20_PM_medium[1]Do you have any traditions around Father’s Day in your family?

Cheap Trick

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On my Epic Road Trip, I spent a day with my in-laws, visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.71ed32[1]I’ll be honest, I was kind of “meh” on the idea of stopping by, after all I’m not a huge fan of classic rock.  But, I really enjoyed myself!  I saw Michael Jackson’s rhinestone glove, the Supremes’ pink sequin-and-feather dresses, and the white guitar that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock.  There was a fantastic exhibit about the history of rock (starting with blues and jazz through modern day) and a cool display talking about the intersection of politics and music.  I’d definitely recommend stopping for a day (or at lest an afternoon), if you’re driving through Ohio.

“But Allison,” you ask.  “Why are you talking about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on a knitting blog?”

Well, reader.  I’ll tell you.

One of the newest inductees to the Hall of Fame is the band Cheap Trick.cheap-trick[1]And in the display about the new inductees, was one of the outfits that Rick Nielsen, the guitarist wore at a bunch of his shows.WP_20160607_10_32_04_ProIt’s hard to see in such a small picture, but that cardigan… it’s knit.  Black and white checkers at a tiny gauge (I think it’s double knit, but I couldn’t get close enough to really examine it).  And the two big black squares on the front are giant pockets with “Cheap Trick” worked over and over again in white.  Can you imagine knitting something like that… it’s such a small gauge, and would be such a pain to knit!.  (And can you imagine performing on stage under all those hot lights in a wool cardigan?  Ugh!)

According to the plaque, Rick Nielsen designed the sweater and someone named Sally Walton knit it up.    It might not be my style, but it’s a pretty impressive piece of knitting.  Imagine one of your finished objects ending up in a museum!

What’s the most surprising knitting you’ve come across?