What is on the Needles

Where did the month go??

I have been knitting away on class projects and socks. Here is what is on my needles.

Toe-up socks: This pair has been giving me some trouble. The yarn is a light weight fingering and I am knitting on a size 1.5 needle. That means that my row gauge is smaller then normal. I usally knit the foot to 3" before the heel. But doing this with this yarn I ended up with a sock that was too short.

Hmmmmm. Now what?

I took out the heal and knitted for another inch and then tried the heel again. Better, but the heel was still to small.

I took it out again and made the largest size on the pattern, I had been making the small for the other socks I have done off this heel pattern. So I have my fingers crossed that this will be the final tweak.

There has to be a mathematical way of figuring this out. I will have to start researching that.

Oh No!! The "M" word!

I have done a little research and found this pattern with lots of "math" and also found this book which has several heals and the "M" to go with them.

Kauni Yarn changes it's color.

I found this great Rainbow Scarf (blogged here) that used the double knitting technique. Decided it would be a great class last winter. It was a good class but a little difficult because of the colors changes happening. After knitting on it and teaching the class I decided that it was way too heavy to ever wear here in So Cal.

I casted off the 6" square as a souvenir of this project.

So now what does my Kauni Rainbow Yarn want to be?

A Felted Bag of course. I have been eyeing this bag for a long time and decided that is what I really wanted to do with it. It falls right into my "Year of Color" theme.

So I have it on my needles. I have several people signed up to make it as a class. This is so much fun to knit and it is soooo pretty. I may change the actual bag some but the fair-isle pattern is wonderful.

That is what I have been knitting in the heat that was this past week. I sure hope it cools back down or my knitting my have to switch to crocheting cotton somethings. I know I said I was going to try and crochet something fun this summer so that wouldn't be the worst thing that ever happened.

How are you staying cool in 100+ degree weather?

Waxing Needles

I love love love knitpixs needles.

I have the interchangeable set and use them almost exclusively.

They have several finishes to choose from. My default choice is the Harmony wood ones. They feel so nice in my hands, smooth, they are really beautiful, they have wonderful pointy tips and you cannot beat the price!

The smaller sizes, size 3 and under, don't come in the interchangeables so you have to buy them separately. The needles are too small to fit into the screw join on the interchangeables.

Most of my fellow students have these needles and we all love them.

The smaller wood ones are prone to splitting and breaking. I find that any wooden needles in the thin sizes have this tendency. They are like knitting with toothpicks!

But all you have to do is call knitpicks and they will send you new ones. No questions asked and you don't have to mail your back!! What a deal.

We were talking about this issue some and Christine (Unraveled) commented that waxing them before you use them could help them not break. The wax will fill the in pores and that should make them stronger.

So I have a beeswax candle that I am going to use. I suppose you can use any kind of wood wax or candle wax. I will report back in a few months and let you know how it is working.

Family Fun

The Last few weeks have been great for both Wes and Josh.

Those Two Babies have all Grown Up into

Two Wonderful Men

Wesley Graduated from the Academy of Arts University in San Francisco.

He has a BFA in New Media.

In other words, he is a mean artist on the computer. He knows how to use all those really hard and very very very time consuming programs and creates magic with them.

Some of his portfolio is up on his website.

He has one more class this summer to finish putting all the rest of his work on the website and in all the other forms it needs to be in for prospected employers to view.

Great Job Wes.

We are so proud of you!

And then My Baby turned 23 this week.

That little one is now Tall and Muscular

Very Athletic and Brilliant

Talented in oh so many things

With one of the kindest Hearts around

We wish you a Fabulous and Prosperous year.

What's on My Needles

I have started knitting up the class samples for the classes I am teaching this summer. There are some great projects in my future.

First up is the beautiful Shawl that was on the cover of the spring Vogue Knitting Magazine. Chris M. had to make this and drummed a class full of people so I would offer it as a class. She is really good ay rallying people.

Yup, that "Egg Create" looking thing is lace. It is funny how lace knits up all crumpled like.

The orange edge is a crocheted provisional cast on. I did it like this instead of the way the pattern calls for. It is much easier to take out and your don't have to pick up stitches in the back of 100 or so crochet bumps. That is really tedious. It is there for adding on the boarder that goes around the shawl. I am going to that different then the pattern says too. Hey, that is way my students pay the big bucks to take a class. To see how many times I am going to do it different then the pattern does. Hopefully my changes makes things easier.

How does one make the green crumples look like beautiful lace you ask? Buy blocking the "heck" out of it. You soak it and then when you pin it down you stretch within an inch of its life. I love blocking lace. It is almost magic to see the pattern actually appear.

Next on my needles? A Lace Bag made with chunky yarn! That should be a lot of fun and fast.

Happy Mother's Day

My Grandmother, My Mother, Me and Wesley 1986

Before I was myself you made me, me

With love and patience, discipline and tears,

Then bit by bit stepped back to set me free,

Allowing me to sail upon my sea,

Though well within the headlands of your fears.

Before I was myself you made me, me

With dreams enough of what I was to be

And hopes that would be sculpted by the years,

Then bit by bit stepped back to set me free,

Relinquishing your powers gradually

To let me shape myself among my peers.

Before I was myself you made me, me,

And being good and wise, you gracefully

As dancers when the last sweet cadence nears

Bit by bit stepped back to set me free.

For love inspires learning naturally:

The mind assents to what the heart reveres.

And so it was through love you made me, me

By slowly stepping back to set me free.

~ Nicholas Gordon

Josh and Me 1987

Spring Retreat

My oh My what a weekend!!

Perfect Weather

Perfect companionship

Perfect, delicious and abundant food

Perfect knitting and Crocheting (well there was some pulling out)

Perfect Conversations and Food

Perfect View from our Window

Perfect Relaxation

Perfect Concentration (this is actually a rare moment of concentration)

Perfect Walks

Yes it was the Perfect Weekend!!!


Click here to see all our pics

Toe-Up Socks I Love You

I have not been a real sock knitter. I have about 4 pairs and I love wearing them. I get tired of knitting them so I just don't do it that often.

Enter Toe-up socks. I learned how to knit these for a class I was teaching and they have changed everything. I love knitting socks from the toe up. They fit perfectly. All the "hard" parts of knitting a sock is gone. I used up all of my yarn, no left overs. They seem to go faster. That is probably in my own head but what ever works.

I have knitted 3 pairs of socks in the last month!!

Berry Toe-Up Socks - "Lifestyle Toe-Up Socks"

The stranding pattern was easy to figure out and fun to do. With stranding you have to be careful that the sock doesn't end up to tight to go over your heel. There isn't much stretch. I went from a 1 1/2 size needle to 2 1/2. It is still a little tight getting it on but I love them.

Baudelaire Socks - Cookie A.

This was a very easy lace pattern to memorize and they are so beautiful.

Crocus Socks - Wendy Johnson

These are the ones that came off my needles last night. The pattern was a lot of fun but I had to keep the chart in front of me the whole time. It was a simple chart to read, only k2tog, ssk and yo's. Again very fun and really pretty.

I fear I am going to have to get some more sock yarn. I love the lace socks and they really need to be knit in solid or mostly solid sock yarns. I don't have a lot of that kind. My stash is mostly variegated sock yarns. What to do?

This weekend is our 2nd knitting retreat for "Marvels of Knitting" in Oceanside!! I know you are crying you feel so bad for us.

Knitting, beach, friends, several really nice yarn stores in the area, great food, too much fun. I will have to get my hands on some great sock yarn while we are there!