Frogging Mr. Mittens

I made enough headway on the first Mr. Mitten for him to try it on.  Too tight. The gauge was about 1/5 of a stitch to the inch over the recommended. (Too many siiches per inch = tighter, too few = looser than the listed finished size.) No, I didn't do a gauge swatch.  Yes, I'm an idiot.  I ripped it back and started over. Frog! (I use "frog" as a knitting curse word. Doesn't everyone?) This is only relevant because this is the fourth mitten pattern I've tried to make for the hubby.

Normally I make mittens just fine the first time.  I've made over two dozen pairs. No problem.  Except when I'm knitting for the Mr..

Every time, the gauge and chosen yarn either work out a little too tight or too loose.  I rip back and start again.  Usually twice.  I give up.

Apparently it is a karmic ask for me to learn to get an exact mitten gauge in colorwork.  This time I'm changing needle finish, too.  I was knitting on aluminum, which for me tends to knit the loosest of needle materials.  (Bamboo knits tightest.) I've switched to two sizes up, plastic, which on flat knitting gives me the right gauge. But flat and circular gauge are a little different sometimes. We shall see.

To cleanse my mind of the failure a little, I did reverse the colors.  Now the multi is the cuff.  Otherwise the pattern will look about the same.  Oh, and I'm teaching a variation of this pattern next week.  One found in Marcia Lewandwoski's Folk Mittens.  (I have a finished pair I made for myself a couple of years ago.) It would be nice if I had a WiP to show the class, complete with thumb work. Wish me luck!

Works in Progress, Free Patterns

This is a good week; a little headway on the Mr. Mittens (using the recently posted Manly Mitts pattern in a heavy worsted), a little work on the Reversible Brioche Rib scarf, and a little work on My Socks.  On top of that I've completed writing two patterns, and posted lots of charts (this week's free patterns) on the Cloths/Squares page and on Ravelry. Still not on Ravelry?  Once you open an account you can roam tens of thousands of free patterns, see what other knitters are up to, and so much more!  Climb aboard.  If you'd like, ask a current Raveller for help. (Like me!)

The My Socks represent my ongoing infatuation with Nichole Sock Yarn by Schaeffer.  This stuff is a pleasure to knit up, wear, and even to wash!  It dries pretty quickly, too.  I know I'll have to branch out beyond this stuff some day, but Buffalo winters beg for cozy, cheerful socks, and this yarn is the magical weight between dress socks and too heavy.  (I know for a fact that this yarn is seeing other people, and I see them in public from time to time.  As long as I get to keep these socks as souvenirs of our relationship, I'll tolerate it.)

The Reversible Brioche Rib is a lovely, meditative process.  Since you work each row twice, once in each color, it's slower going than it appears.  It isn't like trudging through quicksand, though; more like choosing to meander on a walk.  I knit on this project less than I'd like, and it ends up feeling like the midnight ice cream snack a dieter sneaks! (I've owed the Mr. a pair of mittens for a long time.) There need to be more knitting hours in the day!  With a big final on the horizon for school, it'll probably be another week or so until I get back to 2-3 hours of knitting per evening.  I really feel like a kid waiting for summer vacation.  COME ON!

Adding Charts, Mr. Mittens

I've spent quite a bit of my time in the last few days typing dozens of my designs into my computer.  Then I started posting the charts to Ravelry.  (I'm LizMarino) So many!  Yeesh!  I will do my level best never to be this far behind again!

The first priority are the little ones: the dishcloth/babyblanket square size ones.  I had no idea there were so darn many of 'em.  The whole Lodge Collection is in, and I'm adding in Baby. After that, some more little squares. Next will be bigger blanket squares, then small garments, then larger garments. And that doesn't count whatever I end up designing in the meantime. Check the pages above from time to time, as I will be updating for the next couple days.

The Mr. mittens are going very well, but slowly as I have been dividing my knitting time between my needles and my keyboard.  I'll post a pick in a day or two.  The Reversible Brioche Scarf is sulking in the knitting bag for now, only about 6 inches long.  A girl has to make these tough choices sometimes...  I really owe the Mr some mittens, so they're still winning.  More time would be nice.  And more coffee...

Zen, Karma and Knitting

In Zen philosophy, one guiding principle is living each moment with intention.  That is, you live only with the effects on the others, environment, and world at large that you intend to have.  Masters of this principle are adept at saying only what they mean to, leaving no ambiguity, and acting without recklessness or disregard.

These are skills that are seriously useful in knitting, and yet not always fun (or achievable!)  As I carefully and thoughtfully grafted together the toes on my "Girlfriend Socks", I could not have been more focused.  I was not in a hurry, or stressed. I was not drinking my evening glass of wine.  (It was skipped on this evening to make sure I was clearheaded when working the Kitchener.)  And yet, two-thirds of the way across the graft of the toe, on a sock that was until now knitted entirely in one piece with one continuous strand of yarn, the unthinkable happened:  the yarn broke.  During the graft.  Almost done.  But not quite.

I uttered several very un-Zen words.  How far back do I go to join a new piece of yarn?  How do I ensure that the new yarn join won't cause a blister?  Is this a big enough flaw to make the gift un-givable?

I tipped the box of wine and watched the Merlot swirl into the glass. And then it hit me.  Another Zen principle is that nothing is perfect, and nothing is permanent.  I sat and drank my wine with intention for a few minutes, and then decided to go with the flow.  I only ripped back a smidge, joined the yarn, and moved on with my grafting.  It went flawlessly this time.

Karma is the circumstance of bringing about inevitable results onto yourself in this life or the next by the quality of your actions.  Whose Karma broke the yarn?  The yarn manufacturer's? Did I do this? Did the recipient Karma herself into blister-causing socks?  Accepting imperfection as part of reality is much easier to do than achieving perfection.  I will focus, and intend good work, but I will learn to accept the inevitable intervention of Karma, too.  At least some of the time it has to make me look good, right?

History, Free Patterns

I've been reading about knitting's American history, and learned a few things that surprised me.  The biggest surprise by far is that sweaters weren't knit in the US in any significant number until WWI.  Until then, knitting was usually about socks, hats, and shawls.  Another stunner: knitting for babies didn't take off until rationing in WWII made it difficult to buy baby clothes for newborns and infants, leaving mothers to get creative on their own.  Since knitting was considered a "patriotic duty" most women could easily whip up baby things out of yarn scraps.  The third surprising thing I learned is that wool was in such short supply due to the military demands for uniforms, bedding, and bandages, that re-using wool from all sources was commonplace.  Wool used for clothing, upholstery and carpeting was re-carded and re-spun into wool in factories and sold as "reclaimed", or sometimes "rag" wool.  New or "virgin" wool was largely allocated to the needs of our "boys over there".  When it was available, it was a pricey luxury.

All the history reading has made me think about my own knitting history, and that of my family.  The grandmothers both knit.  My mother knitted for her children. And at around 7 she and my grandmother taught me to knit.  I knit a sweater for my teddy bear, and a big raglan-sleeved mock turtleneck with graduated stripes.  I only knit occassionally for years.  Then I had a hysterectomy 8 years ago, and decided to spend my convalesence knitting.  I grabbed up two sweater patterns, a chemo cap pattern, and a ton of yarn, and I was back.  The yarns are amazing, and the patterns are so much more fun than I can every remember them being!

I've been looking for patterns to share with you that represent my knitting history, and here's what I've found:

Teddy Sweaters, click here.

HalfDome Chemo Caps, click here.

Manly Mittens, click here.

Thanks to the original designers who published these patterns in a free format.  Knitters are so cool that way! These were fun patterns for me, and I'll make them again, I'm sure.  Enjoy! 



Manly Mittens



Teddy Sweaters



Half Dome Chemo Cap



Notes for Wednesday

Some random Wednesday notes: 

I've added a "Cloths and Squares" page. I'll be adding charts for dishcloths/blanket squares fairly frequently as I translate my drawings to computer files.  If you have a particular square you'd like to see, let me know.  I'll try to get the favorites up first.

This blog is now available through for Kindle through Amazon.  It's been available for a week and the feedback is great.  Now you can take Karma with you!

I was just updated that Nancy Marchant, the brioche knitting maven I've praised in the last couple of posts has an article in the current Vogue Knitting.  Take a look! It's a good one!

People keep re-reading two old posts, Mean People Suck, and Where You Buy Your Yarn.  (Available in Archives to the right.)  Many people have mentioned how glad they are that as knitters, we're generally a mellow, happy group.  The Angry Shopper is rare, and seeing one reminds readers of how very rarely it happens.  The Where You Buy Your Yarn post brings comments like: "You wouldn't bring your own food to go eat in a restaurant," and "Based on how much yarn I buy, my LYS will never close.  I keep them in business all by myself!"

Thanks for the emails.  You're welcome to post your comments right to the blog, too.  I'd love to be able to share all your remarks with everybody!

It WORKS! Brioche Rocks

It works!  It works!  I'm so excited!  It works!  I am now officially in love with Nancy Marchant and her cool website, Briochestitch.com.  After spending about half an hour working with her directions on her website, I had a little success.  I didn't really understand what she meant by indicating casting on over two needles, so I eventually abandoned that plan, and just followed all the rest of the directions.  And they work!  I made a little teeny swatch! Whoopee!  I am about as pleased as the day I earned my driver's license.  Now the next step will be to cast on the scarf and settle into a rhythm on this stitch, and get really excited about the vest that will come after.

For those of you who may be keeping track, yes, I'm also working on mittens for the Mr..  They will be the feature of a mitten class I'm knitting later in the month, so I need to get them done for 2 reasons.  The mittens take priority. The mittens are for home knitting, and the shop.  The brioche rib scarf will have to be on an "after I finish so many rows of the mittens" basis until the mittens are done; otherwise, I'd devote myself to the brioche nonstop.  I'm always a sucker for my newest project, but this way I'll have something to work towards!

There Really is Hope! 2 Color brioche 4.0

Hard to believe, I think I've got it.  I've done several rows, and they look like they're supposed to.  I'm quitting for the evening, and I'll photograph and post in the morning if they still look good to me then.  Cross your fingers!  Thanks!~

Two Color Brioche - The Continuing Saga

The holidays have come and gone, and things are settling back down to normal around here.  I've seen a few knitting friends in the last few days, and the long and short of it is this: I have not found a two-color brioche teacher yet.  I thought I had one, but she turned out to be thinking of something else.  When I mentioned my dilemma to my Mr., he suggested I just borrow a pastry cookbook.  Then he wondered where the colors come into it.  I explained that it was a knitting thing, and his face visibly fell as he realized I wasn't about to bake some brioche.

As always, I am not a loss for projects, but I haven't given up on the brioche thing, either.  As a knitting teacher, I always feel funny about not being able to perform a particular stitch.  (Does this mean I have nothing to offer as a teacher?) I don't know whom to ask for help. I've decided the next two steps in my journey will be to attentively work with the website briochestitch.com (run by Nancy Marchant), and to order the book Ms. Marchant wrote called Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch.  Ms. Marchant is Vogue Knitting's go-to expert on the brioche, and the work I've seen in photos from her book is stunning. (Why isn't two-color brioche covered in any of the Vogue books?) She has directions on her website which appear to be a little different from what I've been able to find so far, and I'm hopeful.  No video, though, so we'll see. The book also has several pages of directions with photos. So I will patiently knit socks as I wait for my book to arrive, and perform lessons while staring at the website.  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

New Year's Resolutions

Knitting in 2011 is going to be different for me.  Resolutions have never been a process I've done, but I've seen it work for other people, so this year I'm in.  In 2011 I resolve to:

1. Knit during classier TV shows.  No more Ginsu Knife infomercials for me, no!  I'm going to knit during Masterpiece Theatre and Inside the Actor's Studio.  This will add an air of class and sophistication to my work, not to mention a pretentious accent.

2. Knit with more color.  I knit with subtle, muted earthy colors now (brown and black), and nature has shown us that this is a losing strategy in evolution.  Adaptability and bright plumage are what have allowed the alligator to make it this far, and I need to liven up my palate at least as far as the beautiful colors of the all-enduring alligator. I will branch out into green.

3. Knit every day. Right now I knit almost exclusively at night, and the knitting is getting self conscious about it, like I'm embarrassed to be seen with it or something.  No more.  I will knit proudly in the daylight every day.  In my house.  Alone.  With the curtains closed. (Baby steps.)

4. Knit with white wine.  White wine doesn't stain.  Need I say more?

5. Knit with more recycled materials. Right now I knit with my grandmother's WWII era needles as much as I can, and seam up with her tapestry needles.  (God, I miss her!)  I have since learned from a girlfriend that if you go to yard sales, you can get a whole bunch of used needles and notions for the change under your car seat!  New addi turbos are $15 a pop.  That would buy all the needles in a whole town of yard sales!   No more new stuff for me - recycling is in.  Oh, and it keeps stuff out of the landfills.

6. Realize that size doesn't matter. What are we, men?  We should not be so preoccupied about measuring things.  Gauge swatches, palm circumferences, chest measurement, yardage... All that is nonsense.  What matters is that I finish stuff. Who cares what size it is?

7. Come up with new knitting sayings.  Everyone knows "close knit" and "spinning a yarn."  How about "it's a wrap" - well, bad example.  Or "balls to the wall" - crap.  Or "stick it", "pins and needles", "coming unraveled" - um - on second thought, there are plenty of good knitting sayings.  I resolve to use them more often.

That's it.  This changes everything!  It's going to be a wonderful year.