Good Intentions

I was just browsing through Ravelry and found yet more patterns to add to my queue- and in looking at the queue and all … is it 27 patterns so far (not including those which I just browsed in the new Vogue and Interweave Knits!) I think i have enough projects to knit for the next year or so…

My problem is not the good intentions of creativity and fashion, it’s my stash- the immensity and limits of my stash. I made a promise to myself… all I would knit would be from my stash as it is- no buying new yarn, and if the yarn has no project then it will be gone… this is because it’s moving time again. We’re due in Seattle in a few months… maybe not even a few months but a couple of months. Knowing that I have a house full of furniture in storage in Houston, TX, a suitcase full of yarn in Mexico, and about 2 bags full of yarn in San Diego (apart from books, clothes, and all those other important things) the last think I need is to be moving lots of yarn I’ll never use. Anyway, that’s the idea… the intention. With at least 27 projects in mind though… I might find a project for all of my stash! I better get knitting.

The 6s and the CHP

Only a 24″ US6 addi turbo is standing in between me and finishing the knitting part of the CHP. I must have left them in Mexico because they’re not here in San Diego… I hope they’re there or else I won’t be finishing it any time soon!

I knit the hood yesterday and shortened it by two rows since I was running out of yarn and didn’t see the point of starting a new ball and leaving a little knot right at the front of the hood for the sake of two more rows. It shouldn’t make too much of a difference!

I hate sleeves!!!

I’ve been trying to concentrate on the CHP this week, and last night, after a big push I finally finished the sleeves.. after having to unravel about 1/3 of the cap and doing it over again.  Maybe there’s a mistake in the pattern, or maybe I just really hate sleeves so much that they hate me back.   They’re done- the sleeves are finished.  For some reason it took me longer to do the sleeves (done together by the way) than the front, and sides.  I wonder if there’s a mistake in the pattern when it comes to the sleeve cap because after the K2tog 5 times every 4th row… i was left with nearly 30 stiches instead of the 22… so I kept going until I had 22 stitches and that’s when the sleeve cap was long enough.

I cast on the hood and now I’m busy with that.  I really want to finish this and wear it if only once before Summer is here (in San Diego summer is already here, thought here they call it Spring.  It’s already warmer than any warm summer day in Manchester!).

Already I’m considering my next cast-on.  I recently go the Norah Gaughan Collection No.2 from Berroco and I’m very tempted by at least 3 patterns… the one that temps me the most is Loop a clever cardi/dress.  I’m digging into my stash for my next project so what I choose will be directly related to what yarn I have.

Why I knit

Two years ago today my knitting inspiration was born.  Around the time I am writing this blog (very late) I was in recovery after giving birth through emergency surgery at 34 weeks (it was very unexpected).  My daughter was so tiny that even the preemie clothes seemed to float on her.  For a month I sat by her incubator in the hospital with nothing to do but knit, and I braved my inexperience in knitting to knit tiny hats and minuscule mittens that were the size of my thumb.  I started knitting in earnest then, and I’m still knitting things for her (and me!!) today.  She’s growing and thriving and getting smarter by the day.  Happy Birthday, Natasha!

Green sleeves

Just cast on the sleeves for the CHP- meaning I’ve knitted the front and back (YAHHH!!! HuRRAY for me!).  I have to make note of a few mistakes I made though.

1. I made the CHP about 1″ longer than the instructions for a 40″ size stated.  I’m not sure how it happened since I was convinced I was going to do it about 1″ shorter since I’m pretty short myself.  At least I realised this mistake and made the fronts a bit longer too.
2. One the left side I started the neck opening at 6″ instead of 6 1/2″ per instructions… I imagine this will make the neck smaller, but that’s not a problem for me.  Hopefully it won’t mess up the patter for the hood too much.  I might go ahead and follow the instructions for a smaller size when it comes to the hood.
3. On the right side I started the first full cable about 2 rows earlier  (after 8 rows instead of 9 from the last cable).  This means that this side cables might look slightly lower.  I don’t think that will be too much of a problem, but we’ll see.

I dread the sleeves… almost as much as I dread sewing in the sleeves.  For some reason, this is when patterns start to go wrong for me.

Flying through the CHP

I decided to rip back the 4 or more inches and finished up the back and the left front!  Now I’ve cast on the right side and hoping to finish it by tomorrow- how exciting!

RIP

The Central Park Hoodie, because of other commitments and necesseties it’s taken me nearly two weeks to finish the back, and finished I am… until I spotted a mistake I made in the cabling… means ripping up about 4 ” or more.   I hate ripping up.  there’s nothing as disenchanting than having to rip up work that was hard to come by (to find the time to do it!!). I seriously considered just frogging the whole thing and doing something else!  I feel like I’ve lost momentum… part of that is due to the disheartening result of the Frock Cami…  I’m contemplating redoing the top of that one as well- though I could give it to my younger sister who would probably look fabulous in it!

Frock cami finished

I finished the Frock Cami, and though it looks gorgeous, on me it doesn’t look that nice… oh dear… I suppose the front and back plackets are to narrow and make my bust look like I’m just ready to start breast-feeding twins. I ought to rip it up and do the back and front parts over again, this time not doing all of the decreases asked for. It’s late and I’ll think about it later… maybe I’ll find a way to wear it.  I hate ripping back finished projects… grrr….

What I knit this weekend

In the packing up for the trip I realised that my better half’s wooly hat was in San Diego. Since we didn’t know what to expect when we got to Guerrero Negro, I thought it better I knit him a new one before we went. I cast on the night before we went and was finished in a day almost- I knit it in the car on the way to Guerrero Negro, Baja California. I used Peace Fleece since I’m pretty sure I won’t use up all of the yarn I bought for the Central Park Hoodie. The Pattern was Kim Hamlin’s Kim’s Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I’ve used this pattern before to make several hats, and all of them for gifts. Nick (my better half) also has another hat pretty much the same but different wool and a bit shorter. This time I wanted to make sure that it fit him snuggly and also that it was long enough to cover his ears (he gets colder there than anywhere else apparently).

**Changes to the pattern**- I knit it for the 22 1/2″ size but on size 6 needles (for the brim) and size 8 for the main part of the hat. It’s a bit tight but it stayed on through a high speed boat ride and lots of messing around with whales! Also I only knit it to about 6 inches from the brim and began to decrease so it wouldn’t fit too long like the first time I tried this pattern. It fit perfect- pics to come soon!

I also finished the back of the Blanket Cardi and started on the front left side.

A few notes on Guerrero Negro:

It is about 550 KM from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico- about an 8-10 hr drive on a two lane road. It sounds grim, but it’s not. It’s a well maintained road, and the only one connecting North and South Baja. It’s got gorgeous scenery particularly of late since we’ve had some rain here and the desert is green, yellow, and lavender with wild flowers and grasses. It’s beautiful. I’ll post some pictures when we have them!

We stayed in the Desert Inn in Guerrero Negro- a bit out of the town but nice in general, and took the tour of Los Caracoles, which had been recommended to us as the best tour for the whales. We were not dissapointed! There are plenty of other tours done by various hotels and co-operatives in the town as well. Apparently March to mid-April are the best times to see the whales since the newborn whales are more mature and more playful. After mid-April the grey whales begin their long treck to Alaska.

Frock Cami front and plans for the weekend

I am nearly done with the front- all I have left to do is 11″ of strips.

My concern is that the front part is looking quite small. I hope it stretches! I’ve got more pictures of the Frock Camisole in the Knit Gallery

Unfortunately for this project (but fortunately for me) - we’re going away this weekend to Guerrero Negro in Baja California to look at the whales and baby whales in a lagoon the grey whales use for birthing. It’s a 10 hr car trip, and since I get car sick if I read even for a short while, I’m going to leave this one here and take with me either the Central Park Hoodie, or maybe even better - the Blanket Cardigan. At the moment though, I just realised my better half’s wooly hat is nowhere to be found- seeing as how we have a lagoon tour for 8 am- I’m making another one out of the beloved Peace Fleece using the pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (very useful book!). I’m pretty sure I have more than enough for the CHP and the wooly hat (and hopefully some left over for some colour work in another project I’ve got in mind!).