Readjusting

   I am readjusting to life this week. It seems like I do a lot of that between the average life events and the crazy roller-coaster of arthritis symptoms and drug side-effects. This week is special, though, because I am readjusting to the idea that I won't have a niece arriving next month. I was able to finish the Rose Leaf Blanket to wrap her in, though. We were able to wrap her in it while we said our goodbyes. Somehow that makes it a little easier knowing that she was wrapped in all that love I had been pouring into the blanket.

   Because of the emotional turmoil, I have needed my knitting even more than usual this week. So...of course I have been battling the costochondritis that prevents me from knitting. I've been knitting in spite of it, though, and just dealing with resulting pain. Of course, that means that my knitting has been a little sloppy, and I have taken out as much as I have knit. That is OK, though. The point is to knit, not to produce.

   What am I knitting? I'm glad you asked! I'm working on some lace knee-highs for myself! I'm using Wendy Johnson's "Vintage Kneehighs" pattern from Wendy Knits Lace. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vintage-kneesock The yarn I am using is SweetGeorgia Silk Crush in boysenberry. I am crossing my fingers that I have enough since I have very small feet and short legs. I might end up frogging and making crew socks once i get them 3/4 of the way done. I am just accepting that risk because I really want these purple knee-highs.

Nothing new!

Yesterday's knitting was counter-productive. Literally. I removed 10 inches of the lace edging on my current project! The farther I knitted past the corner that I had just completed, the worse it looked. Mostly, the issue was a counting problem. I had skipped attaching the edging on rows where it should have been attached, and attached it on rows that should have been skipped. That's what I get for multi-tasking. I almost always knit with either the TV or an audiobook playing. I am currently re-doing the corner and 8 inches of straight edging that I frogged. I guess I shouldn't have started my own Stargate marathon while trying to turn a corner.

Today was one of those days. No, my knitting wasn't counter-productive. My arthritis just decided that I shouldn't be productive in anything. Last night, my husband and I went with my sister and brother-in-law to see Underworld Awakening in 3D. Loved it! However, the minimal effort of eating dinner and sitting in the theater was apparently more than my knees (and hips and back and...you get the idea) could stand. I spent the night (until about 5:45 am) with so much joint pain that I couldn't sleep. That meant I slept until noon, and then spent a lot of time trying to get rid of the morning stiffness. It is rare that I bother to use my cane around the house because of the short distances that I am moving, but it was a cane-around-the-house kind of day. I did get some knitting done after I was able to take my weekly shot to get rid of some of the inflammation. I did 20 rows, which sounds fantastic except that each row is only about 20 stitches.

I downloaded a library audiobook: Hungry for You by Lyndsay Sands. That should keep me laughing for a day or two while I re-knit 6 more inches of edging.

New Name?

For some time I've been wanting to post to the blog, but what I want to say is not always specifically on topic. I decided that I need to change the name, but I can't decide on a new name. In fact, naming things seems to be one of my big weaknesses. When I do have ideas for names, they don't seem to be the catchy, creative things that draw people in to a site. They don't even tend to be quirky and pleasantly nerdy. My ideas for names just stink.

Therefore, I will continue to work on thinking of a new name while broadening some of my blog posts. After all, knitting is a large part of my life, but so is my daily struggle to deal with my psoriatic arthritis. If I can come up with a new name that describes the blog better, I'll change it. If not will continue to pay homage to the character of Nicely Nicely from Guys and Dolls while describing what I hope people will say about items that I knit.

Today

My current project is, of course, centered around the upcoming arrival of another niece. I'm knitting a blanket using the pattern Rose Leaf Blanket by Kristin Spurkland. Here is the Ravelry link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rose-leaf-blanket

I am using a DK weight yarn rather than the worsted weight called for in the pattern. It will be smaller, but it is a large blanket with the worsted weight. I don't think it will be too small even with the DK weight. The yarn is Ultra Pima by Cascade. The color is close to champagne. I have finished the stockinette blanket part and now I am simply knitting on the lace edging. I say simply because I've done this border on several bonnets, so it should be old hat. (Forgive the pun.) However, I'm running into that old problem that anything done in repetition tends to eventually reach a point where your brain manages to mess it up. In fact, two days ago I managed to knit a negative number of rows in one day. It was the kind of day where I knitted one row and then frogged two rows. By the time I had taken out more rows than I put in the day before, I decided to give it a rest. Thankfully the last two days have not been like that, and I have rounded the first corner!

Add to that the fact that it is cotton, and you have a recipe for seriously slow knitting. The amount of strength it takes to maintain the same tension on the yarn at all times is enough to set off a flare of both the arthritis in my hands and the costochondritis in my chest. So, this isn't a project that I can stay up late and knit for hours. It will definitely be worth it though.

Wool in Houston?

We're getting a chance to break out the woolies! In fact, as I type newscasters all over the city are using words like frigid and icy. While that might not be cause for celebration during December in a lot of the U.S., it is darned unusual in Houston.
Thankfully, one of my friends is a brilliant mother of a six-month-old who foresaw - or at least hoped for - a cold one. She commissioned a warm winter hat in wool and cashmere that she saw on the internet. It was very exciting for me because I just don't get to work in those fibers very often.
Sooo, here it is!

Isn't she adorable?!

I knitted this little bear hat exactly from a pattern, too! Since I tend to experiment with everything, using the pattern just the way it was written is another small miracle. It is a Debbie Bliss pattern that I found in the out of print book Kids' Knits for Heads, Hands, and Toes. There are a lot of used copies on the internet, so it was quite easy to locate.
Not having children, I'm not at all "into" children's hats. However, the book has several hats that I plan to knit and give to friends with babies because the patterns are so cute! It makes me actually hope for more cold weather!...Well, maybe not. But I can enjoy what we are having right now.

Narrow Shoulders, Big Bust, Hard to Fit!

It would be nice if I could consider myself big boned and blame my fitting problems on that. However, I have concrete proof that I am NOT big boned: namely, my shoulders. When I was the "proper" weight for my height, they were a little narrow for my size 6 blouses, but now that I am...well, larger...They are just plain tiny in comparison with my bust size.
I learned to compensate for this in my sewing, and it is a real pain! Thankfully, knitting is a lot easier to fit than tailored bust darts. There is some math involved, but it is only addition and subtraction! It certainly doesn't involve the rulers, tracing paper, and hours of flat pattern making that sewing involves for a proper fit.
To begin adjusting my knitting pattern (assuming it is a bottom up sweater), I start by knitting the entire bottom part of the sweater. OK, I should actually do the calculations before I start, but I usually don't really want to do the adjustments until I actually have to use them.
Once I reach the bind-off for the arm-holes, I am ready to make my adjustments. First, I calculate the number of stitches difference between the size I am knitting and the size I need for my shoulders (usually I just go with two sizes smaller). If the lower part of the sweater is not shaped (meaning there are no decreases from the bottom to the bind-off for the sleeve), the calculation is the number of stitches I cast-on minus the number of cast-on stitches for the smaller size (big size cast on - small size cast-on) .
Now I divide that number in half. That's it. That gives me how many extra stitches to bind off at each arm-hole (sleeve). I bind off the number of stitches that I calculated plus the number that the pattern says for new smaller size. In other words, I bind off enough to make the sweater into the smaller size and then continue knitting that smaller size.
Because of the nature of knits and my 5'4" stature, this works beautifully. It puts all of the extra room through the bust and stomach area and keeps the upper bust area narrow enough to fit my shoulders. If the sweater is shaped through the body, it is more work, but essentially the same calculation. I have to add the calculated number (big size cast on - small size cast-on) to the difference in each decrease.
Of couse, if the sweater is knit in separate pieces, I have to do the same to the back pieces. Other than that, my calculations work as well for in-the-round knits as they do for standard construction!

Babies, Babies, Babies

For a person with no babies of my own, I have been knitting a lot of baby items! I have two different baby showers that are quickly approaching, so I have been trying to make several items for each. This is the project for my best friend's baby, Isabella. Lena, my friend, is not a knitter, but she understands and appreciates the time and love that pours into knitting and crochet as they are created.



The pattern that I am using is called Soft Ripples Layette. It is found in the Leisure Arts book "Now You're Knitting". The pattern is credited to Designs by Jeannine. It is the first time I have done a feather and fans design, and I find that the number of yarn-overs make it slower to knit. It is like the amount of "give" in the stitch makes me have to re-learn the task of maintaining tension. I've done enough lace that I wouldn't have thought that this would be a problem, but it seems very different from any other pattern. Maybe it is the yarn...? I'm using Panda Silk DK. I really like the feel of it. I'll be using it again sometime. It does separate easily because it doesn't have much of a twist, but I think it is worth working with it.

Long time...Lots of knits

I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth! Maybe the edge of sanity... Actually, I have been VERY busy. Not all of it has been terribly successful knitting, but it has certainly been plentiful. The last two days, I have been knitting, frogging, knitting, frogging....

I bought some Ultramerino 4 wool by Artyarns because it is beautiful!

I am determined to make some knee socks that look as beautiful as the skein of yarn looks, but it has taken a lot of playing. First, I thought I could find a lace pattern that did it justice. Apparently not. It ended up looking like mud when all of the colors combined. Then I made an attempt at a plain stockinette stitch.


It still didn't show off the colors. Now I am doing the same stockinette trial with two skeins. I'm switching skeins every two rows so that I get wider stripes. I think it is working well. I will know better by tonight's prime-time work session. (That's when I sit for two or three hours, usually the TV or a DVD playing, and just knit calmly.)

In other news, Dexter broke his dewclaw nail yesterday. Oh, the drama! The crying! The panic! And Dexter was upset, too. Actually, I handled it well. I knit him a bandage sock (kind of like a cast sock, but more like a leg warmer) that keeps him from pulling at the bandage. I'll have to take a picture of it for the next post.

So how is the knitting coming? Nicely, nicely. Thanks

Hooray for holidays!

Three day weekend! I am enjoying my leisurely breakfast this morning. You would think that I would have been really productive this weekend, but I have been plagued by that kind of "creative ADD" that hits me pretty often. I have worked on the Twinkleberry socks...(well, untangling the yarn that I managed to tangle), an afghan for my dad, and a new project with some Artyarns mohair/silk. The problem is that I spent more time looking for what pattern I want to use on the mohair than I have spent on actually making it.

...so...I don't have much progress on anything. I do have a baby bonnet that I finished last week. Take a look.



It is not my best photography by far, but you can see the basic work. I love the way the alternating yarn overs make the border look like a row of netting where it attaches to the back. This is for a co-worker of my DH. She found out that she is having a girl, and I immediately had to do something girly. Since most of my knitting is for me, my mom and my sister, I don't get to do girly stuff that much. I don't like to wear it, but it sure is fun to knit. This design came from the book Blanket, Hats, and Booties to Knit and Crochet by Kristin Spurklund. It was very easy to follow. My picture does not do the design justice.

Time for me to get back to my day off. It's a hard life, isn't it? I should be cleaning the house, so I'll at least do dishes and a load of laundry. Other than that? I'll be reading the Keri Arthur novel The Darkest Kiss and I'll be knitting! Woohoo!

Cocoa needed equal time, so he posed for a kitty shot.

I guess I played and knitted most of the day today. I made progress on the socks that I am knitting for my mom. The first one was a little too short. It fit me, so I know she needs another 1/2 inch. I have posted a picture for you to see. I found the pattern on-line, and I actually used the yarn that it suggests. That might be a first for me!

This is where I found the pattern: http://www.knitzi.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=80&products_id=234
I also thought I'd introduce you to another of my babies. He is our newest adoption. He wandered into our yard about a week after Hurricane Ike, and he looked like he hadn't eaten since then. We named him Dexter because he was being ditzy and a little confused one day. My husband called him "You little Poindexter." I thought it was the perfect name for a dog belonging to two nerds. Plus, the nick-name possibilities are endless...

A Little Project

Since I haven't been able to knit (much less DO) anything in the last day or so, I've included a cute picture of MG. Last year I taught the crochet club at our school. I made up this little purse as an example to show the students what we were going to make at one of the meetings. MG became so fascinated with the purse that I put it around his neck.

He seemed to LOVE it. He pranced around showing it off to the others fur kids, and he modeled it for us even though he hates the camera! (The flash is too bright for his little eyes.) It was the greatest success I've ever had with a 15 minute project. It just goes to show that everyone loves handmade items if it is the right project for the person (er, dog.) Unfortunately, the students were less than enthusiastic about it.

In the picture, you can catch a glimpse of Cocoa, our chocolate point Siamese cat. (His original mistress gave him the name, and I didn't have the heart to change it to something from TV or cars, like I usually pick.) Cocoa doesn't really like the dogs, so he likes to hide behind the baby gate that we used when he first came to stay with us. He is the only cat I know who can't (or at least won't) jump over a two foot fence. He likes having the guest suite all to himself.

I caught the most recent cold that is going around and it went straight to my chest, so I won't be posting much today. Pictures will have to wait until I am up and moving again. At least I can post from the laptop while reclining on the couch.

Today's knitting/sanity session involves socks for my mom. I found a great free pattern, and it even uses the same yarn that I am using. That almost never happens. I am always having to calculate a gauge change or change needle sizes because I can't manage to make a pattern as it is written. This one, though, is a simple but pretty lace pattern for a nice stretchy sock. I am using Regia yarn that is silk and wool! It is incredibly soft. I'll add a link to the pattern and a picture of the project when I finally move from the couch, which I'm not planning on doing today. Maybe it was a bad day to start the blog, but you have to start somewhere.

The dogs are enjoying the company. First the two little ones had a stand-off to see which one ranked highest. The winner (the minpin, of course) had the honor of sitting in the middle of my chest. Since I can't breathe well today, that didn't last long. Big dog (Maxey, the sheltie mix) is just happy to have a human in the house. She doesn't have to go berserk and climb onto every kitchen counter when someone is home. I wish she knew that she didn't need to do it even when we're NOT home.
Time to call the dr. and the pharmacy...Here's hoping that no one else has this (but knowing that many more probably do).