This morning I was exhausted. Going to bed at midnight, sometimes later, and waking up at 6:00 in the morning to take the puppy out finally took its toll on me. My husband woke up soon after I did, thank goodness and after 10 minutes on the couch, I told him that I was going to take a nap. Two and a half hours later, I awoke in the nice warm bed, contemplating what I had to do that morning before I had to get ready to go to our friends' house for Easter brunch. Laundry...that's all I had to do...and even that seemed like a lot. Throwing dirty laundry in the washer, no problem. Throwing the finished wash in the dryer, no problem. Folding...problem. Where would I find the time and space unless I became invisible and made it a secret that I was awake, doing housework?
Momma Ninja to the rescue. I silently sneaked past my daughter watching TV, hid from my son eating his precious cereal, and quickly and quietly evaded the puppy while I slid into the garage to toss the laundry in the washer and place last night's clothes in the dryer. After carefully opening the door to the kitchen, I went back the way I came and quietly went into my bedroom where the clean clothes were waiting for me to be folded. I closed the door behind me and started to fold. I finished the first basket and started the second basket. I gasped as the door opened...phew! It was just my husband.
I finished the two loads that I didn't have a chance to fold during the week. I tried my best to finish the two loads in the washer and dryer, but to no avail. Sigh...I guess Ninja Momma can only do so much...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Top 10 reasons not to use a lifeline
1) It gets in your way while knitting. I cut off really long pieces of cord for my lifelines. Really long. Probably too long. So I tie the ends together so they don't work themselves out of my rows. Maybe this is the problem. Every time I knit the row after the row that has the lifeline, the lifeline tends to worm up into my working row...so I focus on not knitting the lifeline instead of focusing on knitting my pattern. It drives me crazy. Plus, the lifeline (because of the length) gets tangled in my knitting, especially if I use floss or thread.
2) You enjoy frogging back. I don't mind frogging back...perfection takes time. Lots of really great things have been torn down only to be restarted again. The Model T, the lightbulb, Mrs. Fields cookies, really good cheesecake...
3) It's not a big deal if you are knitting a RS pattern row on a WS purl row. As long as you tink back carefully, you are okay...and you don't have that darn lifeline distracting you. Just watch out for your double yarn overs.
4) No matter what you do, you keep knitting the lifeline. You also keep putting the lifeline into your stitchmarkers. Gah! You are not an idiot, you are just more focused on knitting the pattern and are good at ignoring distractions.
5) Stitchmarkers are working for you. They do for me. I don't mind that my needles jingle as I knit. It's like sitting outside in the summer, listening to windchimes, without the breeze giving me goosebumps.
6) The lifeline slips out. Does this really need explanation?
7) You don't like needing a crutch when you are knitting. You are confident that you know the pattern well enough that a lifeline isn't worth the hassle. Besides, the pattern is supposed to be for beginners; why would a designer be so cruel so say that their pattern is super easy if it needs a lifeline? There is special place in knitter's hell for people like that.
8) You forgot to put the lifeline cord in your Harmony Knitpicks circular needles before you started knitting the purl row. What's the point of tinking back to reknit a row just for the lifeline if you are going to mess up the row?? Now that doesn't make sense.
9) It's too much trouble to put in the lifeline after the perfect row is knit. It's tricky but doable. I actually found a site that shows you how...but only in a stockinette row. In lace, fuhget abowt it!
10) You don't like Regis Philbin and what does he know about knitting anyway??? Wait, are you sure which lifeline I am talking about?
2) You enjoy frogging back. I don't mind frogging back...perfection takes time. Lots of really great things have been torn down only to be restarted again. The Model T, the lightbulb, Mrs. Fields cookies, really good cheesecake...
3) It's not a big deal if you are knitting a RS pattern row on a WS purl row. As long as you tink back carefully, you are okay...and you don't have that darn lifeline distracting you. Just watch out for your double yarn overs.
4) No matter what you do, you keep knitting the lifeline. You also keep putting the lifeline into your stitchmarkers. Gah! You are not an idiot, you are just more focused on knitting the pattern and are good at ignoring distractions.
5) Stitchmarkers are working for you. They do for me. I don't mind that my needles jingle as I knit. It's like sitting outside in the summer, listening to windchimes, without the breeze giving me goosebumps.
6) The lifeline slips out. Does this really need explanation?
7) You don't like needing a crutch when you are knitting. You are confident that you know the pattern well enough that a lifeline isn't worth the hassle. Besides, the pattern is supposed to be for beginners; why would a designer be so cruel so say that their pattern is super easy if it needs a lifeline? There is special place in knitter's hell for people like that.
8) You forgot to put the lifeline cord in your Harmony Knitpicks circular needles before you started knitting the purl row. What's the point of tinking back to reknit a row just for the lifeline if you are going to mess up the row?? Now that doesn't make sense.
9) It's too much trouble to put in the lifeline after the perfect row is knit. It's tricky but doable. I actually found a site that shows you how...but only in a stockinette row. In lace, fuhget abowt it!
10) You don't like Regis Philbin and what does he know about knitting anyway??? Wait, are you sure which lifeline I am talking about?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
I really have to stop looking at yarn
I like to read blogs. Especially blogs of independent yarn dyers and spinners. I visited the Sanguine Gryphon's blog today because she had a new post....Now I am wanting to buy more yarn....and I promised myself that I would knit down my stash first....what to do...
Alright, I thought I would share my dilemma. Thanks for reading and empathizing...carry on.
Alright, I thought I would share my dilemma. Thanks for reading and empathizing...carry on.
Knitting Lace Tips
Knitting lace is one of those things that beginning knitters ooh and aaah at, something that seems so out of reach. At least I felt that way before I knit my first lace pattern. There are so many new symbols and techniques to learn with lace that it seems too much at one time. My first lace project was Convertible, started in Oregon during vacation last summer with Matsuri yarn from Noro. It was such a fun knit and gave me such confidence that I splurged on a locally spun wool and silk blend to make Sweet Alyssum. 
That pattern was more challenging and I had to restart a couple of times and relied on lifelines to keep from having to frog back a million times. But the end result was worth it. I had something really beautiful that I made with my own two hands, something that I previously thought was impossible for me to do.
It was then that my love affair with lace started. More often than not, I found myself looking for lace patterns to incorporate into the sweaters and blankets and hats that I knitted for people. I looked for every knitting lace book I could find and even purchased an out of print book that cost as much as a week's worth of groceries. I bought a play mat set from Home Depot to block my lace projects, T-pins from Walmart, scoured the internet for inexpensive tips to block my lace, studied patterns to figure out why a ssk was better than a k2tog to use in some patterns. Obsessed, that what I was.
This month, I am hosting our knitting group's first Lace KAL and I thought that I would write some tips to help our first time lace knitters.
Lifelines are my first suggestion. I am using a very thin clear plastic jewelry cord as a lifeline for my Gail. I've used dental floss before and no matter how hard I try, I somehow knit into it, so when I try to pull it out, it gets stuck and ruins what I have done. The jewelry cord is nice and slick, so there is no chance of it being knit into. However, one word of caution with it is that because it is slick, you have to have enough of it to tie at the ends so it doesn't slip out while you are knitting.
There are 2 types of lifelines. The first is one that you insert after knitting a row. There are instructions on how to do this from Heartstrings Fiberarts here. You will need a tapestry needle and floss, the cord that I mentioned above, or whatever you want to hold your row. This lifeline is easiest on projects that have full rows of stockinette stitch.
The second type is the one that you attach to your needle and you pull through the row that you are knitting currently. This one you need to plan out; you should do it on a row that you know has the best chance of not having any mistakes (usually a WS purl row). I like to place the second type of lifeline before and after a difficult row. Also, the second type of lifeline is easiest with needles like the Knitpicks Harmony interchangeable circular needles because these needles are designed with a hole through which you can insert the cord; you don't have to tape it or anything like that.
My second suggestion is Stitchmarkers....lots and lots and lots of stitchmarkers. Okay...maybe you don't need that much. But I am using my Gail as the reference. This particular pattern has something like a 14 row repeat, so it is easy to forget how many YOs and SSKs and K2TOGs you are supposed to have on each row. Plus there are some rows where you have double YOs...yes, nightmarish if you are not fully focused on what the heck you are doing. Using stitchmarkers at every section of pattern is making the changes in the pattern doable.
My third suggestion is Counting every section. Now if your pattern only has one or two sections, then this may be necessary to do every few rows, just to make sure that you have the right amount of stitches. Although now that I think about it, you will probably know while knitting a row whether or not you have the correct amount of stitches...For Gail, I count every section. This has been indispensable, as I have noted, the many YOs are easy to drop and/or forget to do. Although counting this much may seem like a waste of time, imagine the time you will lose if you finish the row and realize on your next RS row that you have the wrong number of stitches. Tinking is a pain in lace; imagine tinking back and dropping a stitch. Do you really think you can find (or do you really want to??) the dropped stitch and figuring out where it goes in the pattern?? YOs are easy to fix...after you tink back the purl row...The thought makes me shudder. I would just rather start over and be an anal row counter.
My fourth suggestion and one that I force myself to follow is not knitting lace while you are half asleep and or with friends. Focus is the important thing in knitting lace. While I agree that it is very possible to knit the easier lace patterns distracted, do you really want to risk this? Especially considering that if you are using gorgeous fingering or lace yarn spun from merino wool, silk, or cashmere, like Handmaiden, or Malabrigo, or Wollmeise, or something just as delicate, these yarns are prone to fuzzing from constant frogging (ask me how I know). However, if you are starting a lace project with worsted weight, then you are smarter than me, because frogging worsted weight isn't half as bad...I love sweaters with lace, or vests, like Talia, which my friend Liz is knitting for her first lace project.
These are some tips that have helped me in lace knitting. I hope they offer some assistance and hope that lace is something that you can do too!
That pattern was more challenging and I had to restart a couple of times and relied on lifelines to keep from having to frog back a million times. But the end result was worth it. I had something really beautiful that I made with my own two hands, something that I previously thought was impossible for me to do.It was then that my love affair with lace started. More often than not, I found myself looking for lace patterns to incorporate into the sweaters and blankets and hats that I knitted for people. I looked for every knitting lace book I could find and even purchased an out of print book that cost as much as a week's worth of groceries. I bought a play mat set from Home Depot to block my lace projects, T-pins from Walmart, scoured the internet for inexpensive tips to block my lace, studied patterns to figure out why a ssk was better than a k2tog to use in some patterns. Obsessed, that what I was.
This month, I am hosting our knitting group's first Lace KAL and I thought that I would write some tips to help our first time lace knitters.
Lifelines are my first suggestion. I am using a very thin clear plastic jewelry cord as a lifeline for my Gail. I've used dental floss before and no matter how hard I try, I somehow knit into it, so when I try to pull it out, it gets stuck and ruins what I have done. The jewelry cord is nice and slick, so there is no chance of it being knit into. However, one word of caution with it is that because it is slick, you have to have enough of it to tie at the ends so it doesn't slip out while you are knitting.
There are 2 types of lifelines. The first is one that you insert after knitting a row. There are instructions on how to do this from Heartstrings Fiberarts here. You will need a tapestry needle and floss, the cord that I mentioned above, or whatever you want to hold your row. This lifeline is easiest on projects that have full rows of stockinette stitch.
The second type is the one that you attach to your needle and you pull through the row that you are knitting currently. This one you need to plan out; you should do it on a row that you know has the best chance of not having any mistakes (usually a WS purl row). I like to place the second type of lifeline before and after a difficult row. Also, the second type of lifeline is easiest with needles like the Knitpicks Harmony interchangeable circular needles because these needles are designed with a hole through which you can insert the cord; you don't have to tape it or anything like that.
My second suggestion is Stitchmarkers....lots and lots and lots of stitchmarkers. Okay...maybe you don't need that much. But I am using my Gail as the reference. This particular pattern has something like a 14 row repeat, so it is easy to forget how many YOs and SSKs and K2TOGs you are supposed to have on each row. Plus there are some rows where you have double YOs...yes, nightmarish if you are not fully focused on what the heck you are doing. Using stitchmarkers at every section of pattern is making the changes in the pattern doable.
My third suggestion is Counting every section. Now if your pattern only has one or two sections, then this may be necessary to do every few rows, just to make sure that you have the right amount of stitches. Although now that I think about it, you will probably know while knitting a row whether or not you have the correct amount of stitches...For Gail, I count every section. This has been indispensable, as I have noted, the many YOs are easy to drop and/or forget to do. Although counting this much may seem like a waste of time, imagine the time you will lose if you finish the row and realize on your next RS row that you have the wrong number of stitches. Tinking is a pain in lace; imagine tinking back and dropping a stitch. Do you really think you can find (or do you really want to??) the dropped stitch and figuring out where it goes in the pattern?? YOs are easy to fix...after you tink back the purl row...The thought makes me shudder. I would just rather start over and be an anal row counter.
My fourth suggestion and one that I force myself to follow is not knitting lace while you are half asleep and or with friends. Focus is the important thing in knitting lace. While I agree that it is very possible to knit the easier lace patterns distracted, do you really want to risk this? Especially considering that if you are using gorgeous fingering or lace yarn spun from merino wool, silk, or cashmere, like Handmaiden, or Malabrigo, or Wollmeise, or something just as delicate, these yarns are prone to fuzzing from constant frogging (ask me how I know). However, if you are starting a lace project with worsted weight, then you are smarter than me, because frogging worsted weight isn't half as bad...I love sweaters with lace, or vests, like Talia, which my friend Liz is knitting for her first lace project.
These are some tips that have helped me in lace knitting. I hope they offer some assistance and hope that lace is something that you can do too!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Cereal Pictures
It's a known fact that my son doesn't like his picture taken. He figures out when I am going to take a shot and spins his head just as my slow-as-molasses digital camera takes the picture. Well today, I discovered something...He likes his picture taken when he is eating...I guess the messier the better:
Oh, are you taking a picture?
Here's a better shot mom. I'll put the spoon lower so you can see more of my face.
Oh, are you taking a picture?
Here's a better shot mom. I'll put the spoon lower so you can see more of my face.
(giggles) I like the funny noises you're making mom.
Cheese!!!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Oops I did it again
I started Gail again. Just ripped it all out, sacrificed a couple yards of my Mini Maiden and started the darn thing over again. This time, I am using all of the tricks in my knitting arsenal to defeat the pattern and have the finished product before the end of the summer.
Can you believe that I had a couple of false starts...again...Ugh, those double yarnovers are tricky. But I did it on the second restart.
I placed stitchmarkers after every group in the pattern. This is definitely making a difference, and it making it so easy to count after every few stitches. Yes, this anal counting is necessary to maintain the pattern. What makes this pattern so difficult is that each right side row is different from the one before. And you can't figure out what the pattern is doing until you have done the full pattern once...and even then....
So, my first helpful advice for those doing the April KAL Lace is to get some stitchmarkers and use them! Don't think that your friends will laugh at you for having so many dangling from your needles! Show them the chart and they will understand. If they don't, they obviously have never done lace and don't even know what a lifeline is...or they think it is something from that game show with Regis Philbin, and as far as I know, he doesn't knit.
Can you believe that I had a couple of false starts...again...Ugh, those double yarnovers are tricky. But I did it on the second restart.
I placed stitchmarkers after every group in the pattern. This is definitely making a difference, and it making it so easy to count after every few stitches. Yes, this anal counting is necessary to maintain the pattern. What makes this pattern so difficult is that each right side row is different from the one before. And you can't figure out what the pattern is doing until you have done the full pattern once...and even then....
So, my first helpful advice for those doing the April KAL Lace is to get some stitchmarkers and use them! Don't think that your friends will laugh at you for having so many dangling from your needles! Show them the chart and they will understand. If they don't, they obviously have never done lace and don't even know what a lifeline is...or they think it is something from that game show with Regis Philbin, and as far as I know, he doesn't knit.
Friday, April 3, 2009
I will not be defeated
I am working on Gail, having relegated Katje to the Almost Finished bag. I am using Handmaiden Mini Maiden and I thought the colorway is Vintage...I am unsure because I bought another skein from another retailer in the same colorway and they look completely different...
Anyway, Gail is HARD!!!! I finally frogged it because I got tired of ripping it back. I am going to start over and not work on it unless I am totally focused on knitting. No kids, No hubby, No TV, Nothing. Nada.
I am determined to make this beautiful pattern even if it prevents me from making a sweater for Pippin, finishing a sock for Sock Wars, making Flair. It will not defeat me!
Besides, I already told my group that I am making it...so I am committed. Now I look back and think, what the hell was I thinking??????
Anyway, Gail is HARD!!!! I finally frogged it because I got tired of ripping it back. I am going to start over and not work on it unless I am totally focused on knitting. No kids, No hubby, No TV, Nothing. Nada.
I am determined to make this beautiful pattern even if it prevents me from making a sweater for Pippin, finishing a sock for Sock Wars, making Flair. It will not defeat me!
Besides, I already told my group that I am making it...so I am committed. Now I look back and think, what the hell was I thinking??????
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