Don't blame me, I didn't start the song-lyrics-as-post-title trend. I'm knitting again! Really. FrankenHand's ten stitches be damned! I just couldn't sit around all weekend without touching yarn. So I started out winding the Cascade 220 I bought for Jason's slippers into balls. I hate winding yarn balls but a little birdie we shall call FletchersMama told me that Knitting Help has a video(scroll down near the bottom of the page) on how to wind a center pull ball. So I had to try it. I wound three balls (pictured below) and they work great. They're even easier to wind that regular balls, in my opinion. Less strenuous, if ball winding can be considered strenuous. And they work for double strand patterns, pulling from the outside and the inside at the same time. And, they're cute. They kind of look like a boob (nipple and all) before you start using them.
So, my first knitting task upon my return was finishing my poncho. If you remember, I had to finish the garter stitch collar and sew up the left side seam. I am actually getting better with this seaming stuff. Oh, don't get me wrong--they're still noticeably bumpy, but a definite improvement for me. Plus I'm using these cool Clover Jumbo Tapestry Needles I picked up at Beverly's:
The bent, blunt tip works really well. So, I finished the poncho and had Jason take this picture (check out Ted, what a cutie):
But, as I mentioned in a previous post, this poncho was COVERED with junk--dog hair, cat hair, little feathers, pill-balls from other yarn, some of my own hair knitted right in. So I used a masking tape roller thingy and tried to get as much of the crap off as possible before tossing it in the washing machine on the "Handwash-Extra Slow" cycle. When I pulled it out I noticed a few things:
1 - washing made the acrylic yarn shinier and less soft than it was while I was working with it.
2 - I had dropped a stitch in the front of the collar without noticing it:
I left it spread out on the table overnight to dry and tackled the problem this morning. Having no idea what one is supposed to do in such a situation (and a perusal of the knitting books I had on hand didn't help) I used a crochet hook to pick the stitch up just as I would if I hadn't already bound off. When I got the hole filled in, I pulled the remaining stitch to the underside of the collar, and using FrankenHand as inspiration, literally stitched (with needle and thread) the extra stitch to the underside of the fabric. It worked, but we'll see how it holds up:
As the poncho was still a little damp, and the yarn can be dried, I tumble dried it on low for about ten minutes. To make an already long, boring story longer, I then discovered another dropped stitch, this time in the garter stitch hem. I fixed it as before and wha-la! I've got a poncho:
(trust me, this picture is A LOT better with my head cut off!)
What you can't see in the picture is the fact that the poncho is too big and the collar doesn't lay flat. Also, when the seams are falling down my shoulders (as they're supposed to) their bumpy nature is prominently displayed for the world to see. And the fabric has that kind of fuzzy, worn look that probably comes from being in the dryer. Jason said his mother would love it, we should send it to her for Valentine's Day. I told him that if he really wanted to give her a poncho I would make her one. Then he admitted that no, he just doesn't want me to have this one. Thanks! It's warm though, I'm wearing it now (have to get some use out of the damn thing, since I've been working on it (off and on) since SEPTEMBER!) (Gosh, using all those parentheses really made me feel better!).
Anyway, last night after Fuzzy Poncho was set out to dry, I started work on Jason's Fiber Trends Slipper Clogs. I had read the pattern through prior to starting and was thoroughly confused. But, never one to let a little confusion get in the way of yarn between my fingers, I jumped right in. And everything I read about this pattern on the internet has, so far, turned out to be true. They really are easy and quick. Check it out, even with FrankenHand making me go slowly, and having to rip back a few rows a few times because I wasn't paying attention, I got this far on one clog during on Law & Order SVU episode and the Bad News Bears movie.
Yes, that is Jason's foot, and yes that is one HUGE slipper, but never fear! Felting is near! (Uh-oh, I'm rhyming, I should have stopped while I was ahead. (Wait, was I ever ahead?))
But, sorry folks, I'm not done! Yesterday Jason bought me an copy of the latest O magazine and inspiration struck, yet again. Every issue has
So here is the B List version of the O List:
Fuzz Buster: Looks like a must have for the felter!
(Piripicchio $36.00)
And, I just love these. They look like Fiestaware to me (but they aren't):
Finally, I've had this and it is good. They sell it at World Market:
So, my first knitting task upon my return was finishing my poncho. If you remember, I had to finish the garter stitch collar and sew up the left side seam. I am actually getting better with this seaming stuff. Oh, don't get me wrong--they're still noticeably bumpy, but a definite improvement for me. Plus I'm using these cool Clover Jumbo Tapestry Needles I picked up at Beverly's:
The bent, blunt tip works really well. So, I finished the poncho and had Jason take this picture (check out Ted, what a cutie):
But, as I mentioned in a previous post, this poncho was COVERED with junk--dog hair, cat hair, little feathers, pill-balls from other yarn, some of my own hair knitted right in. So I used a masking tape roller thingy and tried to get as much of the crap off as possible before tossing it in the washing machine on the "Handwash-Extra Slow" cycle. When I pulled it out I noticed a few things:
1 - washing made the acrylic yarn shinier and less soft than it was while I was working with it.
2 - I had dropped a stitch in the front of the collar without noticing it:
I left it spread out on the table overnight to dry and tackled the problem this morning. Having no idea what one is supposed to do in such a situation (and a perusal of the knitting books I had on hand didn't help) I used a crochet hook to pick the stitch up just as I would if I hadn't already bound off. When I got the hole filled in, I pulled the remaining stitch to the underside of the collar, and using FrankenHand as inspiration, literally stitched (with needle and thread) the extra stitch to the underside of the fabric. It worked, but we'll see how it holds up:
As the poncho was still a little damp, and the yarn can be dried, I tumble dried it on low for about ten minutes. To make an already long, boring story longer, I then discovered another dropped stitch, this time in the garter stitch hem. I fixed it as before and wha-la! I've got a poncho:
(trust me, this picture is A LOT better with my head cut off!)
What you can't see in the picture is the fact that the poncho is too big and the collar doesn't lay flat. Also, when the seams are falling down my shoulders (as they're supposed to) their bumpy nature is prominently displayed for the world to see. And the fabric has that kind of fuzzy, worn look that probably comes from being in the dryer. Jason said his mother would love it, we should send it to her for Valentine's Day. I told him that if he really wanted to give her a poncho I would make her one. Then he admitted that no, he just doesn't want me to have this one. Thanks! It's warm though, I'm wearing it now (have to get some use out of the damn thing, since I've been working on it (off and on) since SEPTEMBER!) (Gosh, using all those parentheses really made me feel better!).
Anyway, last night after Fuzzy Poncho was set out to dry, I started work on Jason's Fiber Trends Slipper Clogs. I had read the pattern through prior to starting and was thoroughly confused. But, never one to let a little confusion get in the way of yarn between my fingers, I jumped right in. And everything I read about this pattern on the internet has, so far, turned out to be true. They really are easy and quick. Check it out, even with FrankenHand making me go slowly, and having to rip back a few rows a few times because I wasn't paying attention, I got this far on one clog during on Law & Order SVU episode and the Bad News Bears movie.
Yes, that is Jason's foot, and yes that is one HUGE slipper, but never fear! Felting is near! (Uh-oh, I'm rhyming, I should have stopped while I was ahead. (Wait, was I ever ahead?))
But, sorry folks, I'm not done! Yesterday Jason bought me an copy of the latest O magazine and inspiration struck, yet again. Every issue has
So here is the B List version of the O List:
Fuzz Buster: Looks like a must have for the felter!
(Piripicchio $36.00)
And, I just love these. They look like Fiestaware to me (but they aren't):
Finally, I've had this and it is good. They sell it at World Market:
Various people in every country take the business loans from different banks, because it's comfortable and fast.
Posted by: TameraGarcia | September 13, 2011 at 12:16 AM