Holiday Knitting Roll Call

Okay guys, it's all done. I tried and succeeded to knit all the Christmas gifts for this year. It is 1:32pm on 12/24/08, and the last item is now blocking. Here's a run down of what I did for Christmas knitting.

1)Doctor Who Season 18 scarf, for my Brother



The yarn was Red Heart Soft Yarn, and Lion Brand WoolEase worsted. Details here All the following links are Ravelry links...just a warning.

2)Mayumi's Thistle Lace Scarf, for my sister in law, whom I love bunches



details here

3)Mom's Baudelaire Socks, for mom, naturally.



details

4) Dad's Cable Scarf



Details

5)Marylou's Ripple Washcloth, for LB's mom



Details

6)Jenny's Bath Puffy, for LB's sister, made with organic cotton for her Vegan sensibilities



Details

7)Dan's Control Panel Scarf, for LB's dad



Details

I finished 7 knitted gifts, for BOTH sides of the family. The best part was that I finished the Control Panel scarf at 1:30pm today, and it is now blocking.

I am quite proud

Pattern Changes

So, I was working on the Ripple Hand Towel for LB's mom, and decided I needed to post the changes that I have made so far.

Being that this is rushed holiday knitting at its finest, I decided to only use the ripple pattern for a little trim. The rest would be in stockinette. After two repeats of the pattern, I decided that it was good enough. Now, please note that my gauge with Euroflax is entirely too loose, so it was looking, a little floppy. I changed needle sizes down to a 2.25mm, and after 4 inches, decided it was still looking icky.

So, at about 50% completion, I decided that this was not a hand towel, it would instead be a washcloth. After a three needle bind off at the upper edge, and sewing around the edges, it ended up being about 6 inches by 6 inches. This was not enough. I decided to add a pocket (to hold the hoity-toity face soap, naturally).

Did I save any time by making these adjustments? No, not even remotely. But at least now I can say it is a semi-original handmade holiday gift, right?

Pictures will be posted upon completion.

Louet Euroflax Sport

In working with Euroflax for LB's mom's handtowels, I have noticed a few things:

First, this yarn is a lot softer than I expected. Now, keep in mind that part of that could be due to the fact that I washed the skein once before I wound it into a center pull ball. But I do think that because the linen is wetspun makes a difference. It doesn't tear up my hands as much as one would think.

Second, I have gone down 4, count 'em 4 needle sizes, and the fabric STILL looks too loose. Is this an issue with the yarn? Possibly. I also think that I may be a little weird when it comes to knitting with anything other than wool. Does anyone have this issue? It's such a pity, because I really wanted to make a skirt out of another color of Euroflax in the stash, but somehow I think that having to go down to 0000 size needles is just not in the cards.

Third, I have read that linen softens and stretches a little bit with wear and washing. Do you think I accounted for this when I cast on? Nope. Not even remotely. This means that chances are, this hand towel will end up being bath sized after a few washings. Oi.

Other than my knitterly weirdness, I do like working with this yarn. It's really nice, and I like that I am making something utilitarian. I think it makes a better present when it is useable. :D

Has anyone else worked with this? Did they have the same issues?

Ravelry rocks, and is also kinda...annoying

So. I went and bought several magazines today, and then tried adding them to my library on Ravelry. These particular issues do not exist in the Raverly database. Only slightly annoying.

The cool thing? You can now search the patterns based on what is actually in your library! This is going to be incredibly helpful for those days when you don't know what to knit, but wanna knit something that you already have the pattern for. Casey rocks!

So, I must wait to add these to my library:
-Yarn Forward December Issue 7
-Knitting (Knitting Institute.co.uk) Issue 57 December 2008


Ah well. It's all good. :)

By the way, after much deliberation, I have decided that LB's dad is going to get knit soap on a rope from me. The ultimate manly gift. All I need to do is knit 4 feet of I-Cord, and I am set! Now what the hell do I do for his sister? A 50 pound block of tofu?

Future Job Prospect? I think not...

You Should Be a Doctor

You are practical, sharp, and very intuitive. Optimistic and energetic, you are a problem solver who doesn't get discouraged easily. You are also quite compassionate and caring. You make people feel hopeful. You're highly adaptable and capable. You do well with almost any curve ball life throws at you. You do best when you: - Are always learning new subjects - Use your knowledge to solve problems You would also be a good therapist or detective.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

Coffee Quiz

You Are a Double Espresso

Hey Energizer Bunny Girl! Do you ever slow down? You're a mix of high energy and ambition, perfectly matched with strong espresso When you want something you get it - by any means possible You're driven, determined, and no nonsense. Which is just how you like your java.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Ah....tasty tasty espresso

FO: Mom's Baudelaires

Specs:

Pattern: Baudelaire by Cookie A
Yarn: Koigu KPM
Color: 2100 Yellow
Needle: US 2/ 2.5 mm
Yardage 1.25 skeins = 350.0 yards (320.0m)
Size Made: Small

You can look up the tag "Baudelaires" to read the posts about my trials and tribulations. These took a lot of work, but hey, I was doing my first set of two at a time toe up socks!

Hooray!

Ripple Hand Towel false start

Started to do the Ripple Hand Towel. Cast on the prescribed 44 stitches on both a US2 and a US4 needle, and decided the US2 did not make the towel wide enough, and the US4 created a fabric that was entirely too loose.

I am starting over on the US2, but I am adding a total of 24 stitches, so that I can do three more repeats to make it wider. I have not gone back to cast this on, as I need a US2 wooden needle, and my stash has swallowed all of those. Gotta wait til I get to the store....*sigh*



Also, the yarn i am using, Louet Euroflax in Sage, is just a little too loosely spun. It's workable, but I was hoping for something a little more easily knit. Ah well, at least the first washing (before winding into a ball) helped soften it up a bit so it wouldn't destroy my hands. :)

On the job front, I did not get the Assistant Manager position. Not that I was expecting to, but...still kinda disappointed. I am still in the running for two lead positions at my current job, and that seems to be going well, considering that the supervisors have started asking my coworkers how they think I would do. (it's a good thing I am well liked and am effective at getting things done...)

hehe. Gotta go do another food handler's permit class today. It's time to renew come January, and this is the last class before I would be working without a permit. It's two hours of pure fun I tell you!

It's a Balmy Saturday Morning

And by that, I mean that it is 32 degrees right now, (a nice balmy 3 degress C for the metric of us)

I am cold. And grumpy that I am awake on a Saturday at 6:30am. I don't get to sleep in today. And trust me, I know this is my own doing. I am the one that scheduled my day like this. But I can still whine that I would rather stay home, knit, and be in bed. That's just the way it is.

I think perhaps I should invest in an espresso machine. Make myself mochas with 5 gazillion shots first thing in the morning. It'd be good. (loud, but good) And I might be happier about this whole getting out of bed thing.

The good news is: I have started the second ball of yarn on dad's scarf, so I am a lil over halfway done with it, and I am within two inches of finishing both of my mom's socks. I did the math, and figure that with one inch of ribbing, I should do just one more inch of patterning. Photos to follow once they are done and blocking.

No news on the new job front. I still haven't heard anything. Le sigh. But at least my current position has substantially improved, and hopefully that lead position will just drop into my lap come winter quarter (hey, it's the U, and hiring takes time)

In other news, I love love love my new phone. The G1 rocks, except for its battery life. I got down to 9% last night before I could plug it in. Even though I had wifi turned off, the 3G network still eats battery hardcore. So, I charge it every night, don't browse the internet, and am now trying to use the 2G network settings to see if that helps. Realistically, I don't need to be on 3G when I am not surfing the web, so I am gonna try this set up for a bit. Oh, and yes, I did download the comparison shopper program where you photograph the UPC and it searches for the best price. Hey, it was free off of the Android network. :D

New PHONE!!!!!

G1 showed up in the mail today. Hooray! Yes, yes, it is pretty and wonderful, and surprisingly easy to use. However, just as soon as I popped in my SIM card and started playing, it decided that MyFaves was not available. *cries* I really like my MyFaves stuff!

Two bonuses. The phone does come with a headphone adapter, since the phone uses a proprietary USB cable for its headphones. I am happy that I will be able to use my good earbuds with my phone if I want.

Also, I had a 253mB mini SD with my old phone. this one comes with a 1 GB card! It's so yay!!!

Everything was really easy to set up, and I really like the phone. My only issue (and it doesn't affect me at the moment, but...) is the issue with internet stuff. Go here to check out the issue. I am just annoyed because WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING A PHONE IF IT DOESN'T GO EVERYWHERE WITH YOU?!?!?! I was annoyed by T-Mobile's response, but also have faith that the Android network will come up with a solution right quick.

Gotta go play with my phone! Cheers!

Book reviews:

I was at the bookstore yesterday, and was able to get two knitting books at a discount. hooray!

The first is Knit One Below by Elise Duvekot


It is by XRX publishing. And I have to tell you. I love the information and all the great projects...but damn. I hate the layout! It's the same layout as with Knitter's Magazine which means, it has all the pertinent information on the left hand column, and then the pattern. This is really handy, I know...but it's still ugly.

Anyways, there is a skirt in there that I want to do, and a few sweaters that I will be heavily modifying, as they are not for the young crowd.

The second book I got was Classic Elite Knits


This is organized by the person it would be for: man, woman, kids, and then it has a section at the back for accessories. Now, I have to say that the choice of yarn that it used for these projects is often....something I would not choose for any of my handknits. However, the look of the piece can be preserved if we only substitute it for a more acceptable color. There are 100 designs in here. And I feel like this book will be more of an inspiration for me.

I do recommend buying both of these books, for reference if nothing else. There are plenty of patterns in them, and I like the theory behind them.