Alison's Knitting Journal

A Very Long Rhinebeck Post

2010-10-18T10:19:00.001-07:00

I planned to do a blog post with all or at least most of the pictures I took, but it's going to take way too long, so I'll just recap, then post a link to the pictures.

Friday consisted of a lot of driving. We left Jessica's around 8 AM and arrived at the hotel around 5 or 5:30. We settled in, then went in search of wine. We were successful. That evening involved hanging out in the hotel, drinking wine and knitting. I should mention that I was working on my Mara shawl. When we left, I just had a few inches of ribbing to finish up. I worked on it for almost all of the car ride and in the hotel and finally finished it up around 10:00 that night. It turned out really nicely, but I really need to learn how to properly weave in ends because I have a few poking out.

Saturday morning. We get up bright and early and head off for the festival. We get there right around 9:00 AM (when the doors open). We stood in line for a while to get our wristbands and the line happened to be in a spot that had terrible winds blowing at us like crazy. We were all cold, but I was stupid and neglected to pack a sufficient sweater or jacket, so I was especially freezing.

We get in. We know we want to get to Sanguine Gryphon first thing and we have a heck of a time finding it. Finally, we find it and push our way through the crowds. Dawn, Andrea, and myself were pretty restrained at the SG booth. Dawn and I got 2 skeins a piece and Andrea got 1 skein. When Andrea goes to pay for her skein, she asks the SG ladies what the colorway name of her skein is, since it isn't marked. They see her Ravelry button with her user name and write "Andi Bug" on her label. So, Andrea has her own SG colorway now! Very cool.

After that, we head down to The Fold where they're selling STR. None of us decide to purchase anything there, so we walk around for a while. There's much browsing and buying and eating. (Most of us got Gyros and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. They weren't very good.) Most of the day is a blur to me. There were really nice people and really pretty fibers. Late afternoon, we all sat down and knitted for a little bit before heading out.

We chose the wrong time to leave (right around the time the festival ended at 5). We sat in the parking lot for an hour and a half before getting out onto the road. It was kind of ridiculous. Certainly they could do something about that? I was freezing (all day) so I wrapped myself up in some fiber and yarn in the car. There are pictures somewhere.

After we got out, we stopped at CVS and then headed to the Ravelry party. We were to park at the school down the street from the Elks Lodge and take a shuttle bus to the party. We ended up waiting there for over an hour to get on a shuttle, which wouldn't have been such a huge deal if we weren't freezing and in desperate need of a bathroom. We met some fun people in the line, though, so that's something. When we finally got to the actual party, we emptied out from the bus directly into the bathroom line. There were a lot of lines Saturday.

Okay, so we've peed and we're at the party. We went directly to the bar in hopes of warming up. There were two bartenders. One of them poured the drinks quite a bit stronger than the other. This is the bartender I went to for every drink. I think he put 1 1/2 to 2 shots in every drink he poured me. I liked him a lot at the time. Now, not so much.

The Ravelry party was really fun up until around 9:30, when they did the gift basket raffle. After that... who knows. I think it was still fun, but I can't honestly tell you. I remember little snippets, but most of my information has come from Dawn, Andrea, and Tina. (Jessica was in the same boat as me.) At some point, Jessica and I went back into the photo booth and took pictures and I'm pretty sure this is where we ran into Jess (of Ravelry). Jessica talked to her and I guess I did, too. I have no clue what I may have said, but I'm very hopeful that it wasn't anything too horrifying.

We'll leave out the rest of that evening.

Sunday morning. Ouch. Waking up was beyond terrible. I felt like death. But, I got up, showered, took a couple of Excedrin, and ate a bagel, and I felt like a real person again. I didn't feel good, but I felt alive, so that's something. We got back to the festival a little later Sunday due to our late-night partying.

We shopped, but I didn't buy anything else since I went over budget on Saturday. We had some chicken pot pie, which I'm sure would have been better if I hadn't still felt like crap. After eating, the others went off to do more shopping and I slept in the car for a little while. Best nap ever, by the way.

I did witness something awesome while laying in the car, though. A couple in their 40s or 50s came out to their car, which was parked next to ours, to drop stuff off and change. The man was in a button down shirt with a hand-knitted fair isle sweater over his shoulders (tied in front, like in a J. Crew ad). The woman said "When I was walking behind you, I saw a great shot. Come over here." And he did. And she took a picture of the sweater wrapped around his neck. The amazing thing was that he didn't groan or grumble. He just followed her instructions and allowed her to take the picture. Then he changed into a hand-knitted cable-y sweater vest. I wanted to hug him. Clearly the best husband ever.

And then, after my nap, the others came back and we headed home. We didn't get home until around midnight and we were so ready to be home. It was a really long drive home. It felt way longer than the drive there. But, we made it home in one piece.

It was an amazing trip with lots of fun stories to tell. I am so very grateful to my Rhinebeck companions for the good times. A special shout out to Dawn, Andrea, and Tina, for all they did during that part of the trip that I left out from the post. They were very understanding and helpful. And, unlike what I'm told I said in line for the bus back to the school, they didn't judge.

What I got:

Starting from top left, going clockwise:
-1/2 pound undyed merino roving
-1/2 pound undyed Alpaca/Merino/Silk blend
-2.1 oz llama bermuda handspun
-4 hanks of Merino/Angora
-SG Bugga! in Blue Dasher
-SG Eidos in Milesian
-Fiber Optic Kashmir in Catamaran
-Oak Grove Gemini in Paprika
-2 skeins Oak Grove Gemini in Hair
-1/2 pound dyed Merino/Tussah silk roving

Link to my other pictures: RHINEBECK PICTURES

Back to Blogging

2010-03-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to get back into blogging, but I keep forgetting. I have a lot to talk about right now, so it's perfect timing!

1. I recently finished my Summer Lovin Socks:

Made out of Dream In Color Smooshy in colorway Cocoa Kiss. I wore them for 3 days after I finished them - so comfy and cute!

2. I recently cast on for Kernel. This is for my mom, who claimed the skein of Destination Yarn Sock Yarn Postcard in colorway Mulled Wine when she and my sister picked it up at the trunk show for me. No picture to show yet, but I have a feeling it's going to be gorgeous.

3. I re-wrote my Cabled Wristwarmers pattern that I threw together over a year ago. I found out how to make a chart without buying fancy (expensive) design software and how to make a .pdf and all that jazz. So now, with the new version of the pattern and all that, I had to re-knit it, right?

I finished the first one already, as you can see. The yarn is amazing. It's Squoosh Merino Cashmere: Sock. Super soft and yummy. And the color is really deep and rich. (I should also note that I actually modified the pattern on this project. I'm adding in an extra repeat above the thumb gusset for more length in the finger area and I'm adding a few rows on the thumb. Just so you know.)

Future plans: I really have to finish Sophie and Niles before the baby shower on April 3rd. While the baby's gift is done (Otto), I want to have a stuffed animal for the older sister and brother so they don't feel totally left out. I really don't do well knitting under pressure.

Knitting Update

2009-08-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my blue Koigu striped sock! Just the first one, but you know, still an accomplishment.

I lovelovelove the colors in this sock. Very vibrant.

I also finished the bridesmaid shrug. I'll get some pictures of me modeling it later. For now, a sneak peek.

I really wanted to work on Dawn's Summer Lovin socks, but I decided that the yarn I was using wasn't working, so I switched to Smooshy in Cocoa Kiss. As I knit the cuff, Jenny wound the yarn into a perfect cake. It was a beautiful thing. Then, we went to dinner and I forgot to lock the yarn away. Now, this is what it looks like...

So, I'm taking a break from that. And also, Vera is a whore.

A Knitting Tragedy

2009-06-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

Remember a couple of posts ago, when I talked about learning with knitting? Remember how I said that I was going to be more careful and crap? Well, I forgot to be careful.

I wish I had a picture to insert here, but I think Jenny has the camera. I'm knitting the Cable Vest. It is a child-size sweater vest with a cable down each side - on mine, just on the front. It has a V-neck.

That's the part I forgot. I did the body in the round, split it and knit the back. All good. I knit the front. I bound off. I admired my work. The next day, I picked it up and it didn't look right to me. I was trying to figure out how to join the front and back sides at the shoulders and I figured out what was wrong. I had a lovely boatneck cabled sweater vest. No V-neck. No neck shaping at all.

Today, I had to CUT my knitting and rip back a few inches. I can rip a project like there's no tomorrow - I've never had a real problem with frogging a half-knit sock. I've done it on several occasions. But CUTTING a project? Oh, it's like murder!

I will never again let it get that far. I will check and re-check and check thrice that I have not made any critical errors before I bind off.

Fiber Festival Swag

2009-05-25T11:52:00.001-07:00

This is everything Jenny and I got:

From Marlene's Felting Madness:
-2 2oz. balls of white merino roving for me to dye!
-2 2oz. balls of a green stripey merino roving for Jenny to spin.

From River's Edge Weaving Studio:
-2 braids of BFL roving

From Creatively Dyed Yarn:
-1 skein Calypso sock yarn in colorway Lord

From Carriage House Woolens:
-2 skeins of Cool Wool - this stuff is so soft and yummy!

That's what we scored! Not a bad haul, I'd say!

Learning

2009-05-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

My knitting break is over. I started a vest for my ex's son's birthday at the end of June. It's the Cable Vest from Lion Brand. It's looking pretty good so far. I'm learning from my mistakes... If I notice that something isn't quite right or doesn't look good, I rip back and re-knit. Otherwise, when I make a mistake halfway through the project, I'll just frog the whole thing, telling myself it sucks anyway. So, fixing mistakes as I go and actually trying to pay attention as I go... I'm learning.

The Great Lakes Fiber Festival rocked today. I got a gorgeous skein of Creatively Dyed sock yarn and some roving. Plus, I got some Pigeonroof Studios sock yarn from a swap in the mail today. I will post pictures of my new goodies within the next couple of days!

The Knitting Blues

2009-05-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Knitting is starting to bum me out. I had to rip out my blue Snake River socks tonight. I was frustrated about not being able to find my spot when I went back a few rows, so I decided to rip back to before the heel to make it easier on me. I figured I would then do a short row heel to simplify things. But when I ripped back, I noticed a couple of mistakes when I went to restart and my perfectionism kicked in.

It seems like all I've been doing lately is knitting and ripping, knitting and ripping. I know I shouldn't be so picky and just keep knitting through the mistakes, but I just can't help it. On top of all that, the projects that I currently (still) have on the needles aren't exciting me. They're all so boring.

I'm in a slump. I just have to wait for my next knitting surge. Until then... the card making bug bit me again, so I've been keeping myself busy with that.

Spinning

2009-05-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing much knitting lately. Ever since I messed up my Snake River sock at knitting last week, then spent a couple days trying to figure out where I was in the pattern, then throwing the darned thing aside... Well, I'm slightly perturbed with the knitting, so I'm taking a break.

But! I did spin my first yarn. Other than the couple of times I tried spinning when Jenny got her wheel, it was my first attempt. It is by no means a great finished product, but I'm proud of it. And the good news? I got the hand of it a little more toward the end, so next time I try, it'll probably be way better! Hooray! Anyway, here is my very first handspun...

See those huge lumps of poorly drafted fiber on the left there? That was totally toward the beginning of the process. Improvement, I tell you! :)

Double Crap

2009-04-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Two of the fancy online yarn stores that have the hard-to-get yarn updated today. AND I found out that I had a positive balance on my Paypal account. (How'd that happen?) Everything just lined up so well and... Oh goodness. I'm so weak. So very weak. But, since I had that positive balance, I only really spent like $15.

I know. There's no excuse. And I really hope Jenny doesn't read this blog...

Too Many WIPs!

2009-04-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

After I finish my current WIPs, I seriously need to look into going one at a time. No. Two. I will be able to have two projects on the needles at any given time. One pair of socks and one other project. It's so frustrating when you knit and knit and knit and rarely finish anything. I keep switching between projects, so of course it's going to take longer.

I really just need to stop looking through patterns on Ravelry so I don't tempt myself into starting new projects all the time. I wish I had some will power. Is there some sort of herb or vitamin I can take for that?

Kitchener Stitch

2009-04-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

This whole kitchener stitch thing is bullshit, pardon my language. I've followed different tutorials, all with the same result. Their picture looks all nice and neat. Mine looks like a heaping pile of crap. According to the pictures, the grafting should result in a row of stitches. Like the knitting just goes around the toe, not like there's a big old line there. So, what's my problem? It's clearly my problem, since I've tried different tutorials, all with a poor result. Surely they can't all be wrong.

Last time I grafted a toe, I had the hardest time with it and Jenny assured me that it's supposed to look like that. She totally lied. She was just trying to get me to shut up. I know it.

Anyway... I've finished one Spring Cable sock. Unless I rip it apart and try to re-graft. :(

(I would show pictures so maybe someone could tell me what I've done wrong, but the camera isn't home right now.)

EDIT: I've tried on the sock and studied it properly. It turns out that those 4 stitches I decreased too much on the gusset were imperative to the fit of the sock. It stretches out a bunch there and isn't pretty. I am seriously bummed.

Also, in case you might be thinking I am overreacting, you should know that it's not just the sock. My cat went to the vet yesterday and we found out he has an abdominal tumor. It's starting to sink in now that he might not be around long and I'm getting downright sad about it.

Smooshy

2009-04-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Oh crap. I fell off the not-giving-in-to-yarn-buying wagon a little bit and...

I'm afraid it's love.

2 skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy in Cocoa Kiss

Knitting Lists

2009-04-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

I've decided to make a list to organize my knitting projects, future knitting projects and figure out how to get the most out of my knitting time. I believe a list can help in any situation.

Current WIPs:
1. Wicked sweater - it's still progressing slowly.
2. Spring Cable socks - not so much progress.
3. Claudia Hand Painted Boot Camp socks - no progress, which is stupid since I'm halfway through the second sock. I'll get to it.
4. Baby Blanket squares - I don't work on those if I can help it. I'll kick it into gear if someone gets pregnant. Until then, there are too many other projects for me to care.
5. Popped socks - These aren't really a "current WIP" because I frogged my first attempt, but I'll be casting on with bigger needles very shortly.

Future Projects:
1. Toe-up socks - Jenny brought home Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson from the library and there are lots of cute patterns in there. I have to learn to do toe-up.
2. Dream In Color shrug - I don't know yet what we're doing for bridesmaid dresses for Jenny's wedding, but if we do blue skirts with black tops, I want to knit this shrug for the wedding. And, of course, for every day wear.
3. Some sort of fair isle with all my new Knitpicks Essential Kettle Dyed yarn.
4. I want to design some socks. I feel like being creative.
5. I need to find a pattern for my seriously blue yarn that I dyed. It will have to be just the right pattern, though.

Yarns I Want (BAD):
1. I still want yarnlust's Glitter Sock Yarn so bad, but it'll be a long while before I have that kind of money to piss away.
2. DIC Smooshy - I still haven't worked with it and I think we've decided that it seriously works with every sock pattern out there. And the colors are gorgeous.
3. Numma Numma Toasty - I hear it's good. I'm intrigued.
4. sKnitches Syncopation Self-Striping - I'm not a huge fan of self-striping yarn usually, but this stuff is so pretty!
5. Goth socks - Same with the Syncopation. And I love the deep "gothic" colors. Want!

So, those are my lists. I will move forward into my knitting with a clearer head and a more organized idea of what I want. And I will accomplish my goals and finish my projects.

... Maybe.

No Pictures!

2009-04-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have much to comment on, but Jenny left our camera at her fiance's family's house yesterday, so I have no pictures. It's a shame because Jenny got my freshly dyed blue yarn untangled and wound into a cake, so I'd like to get a picture of it sometime soon. It is a very bright royal blue color. There is definitely some very slight variegation of color. It will probably be just enough to give the knitting a bit of depth. I may knit a test swatch in the coming days.

I also cast on for Popped (which I keep accidentally typing as 'pooped'). I'm so excited about these socks, but there are a couple of problems there. First, all the knitting through the back loop hurts my hands so bad. I'm so tense and tight that my hands cramp up after 10 minutes of knitting. Second, because I'm so tense and tight, my gauge is very tight and I'll have to restart on larger needles - my foot won't fit into them as is. I've only gotten a few rows into the pattern, so it's not a big deal to restart.

My sweater is progressing slowly, but there's progress, so I'm happy. I know the pattern is extremely easy (Wicked), but I'm so excited I haven't messed it up yet. Like, at all! My sleeves are symmetrical (so far) and everything!

My Spring Cable socks are sleepy, so I'm giving them a rest. I'll wake them up in a little while. I have the knitting ADD.

Lazy Me

2009-03-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

I have not done any knitting for days. I'm a slacker. :(

Spring KAL Sock

2009-03-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have been sick since Saturday. I'm starting to feel a little better today and I'm extremely thankful that this doesn't appear to be the 3-week cold I had at Christmas. That was a serious bitch. Anyway, I figured that since I was sick, I would have a lot of knitting time. But, as it were, I didn't have the energy or desire to knit for most of the sick time. Kind of crappy.

Something else cutting into my knitting time? Reading. I've been rereading the Harry Potter series, I read Julie & Julia, and I'm trying to finish The Rules (Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right). By "trying to finish", I of course mean that I've glanced at it next to the bed a few times before picking up Harry Potter.

But, today, I got in a little quality knitting time and picked up the gusset stitches on my Spring Cable sock for the Cleveland Knits West Spring KAL. I hate picking up stitches. I really do. Like, on this sock... I was supposed to pick up 15 on each side. I just started picking up stitches as looked normal to me and got 19. I don't think this really matters as long as I decrease down to the correct amount of stitches for the foot, but I'd love to see someone show me WHICH 15 stitches I was supposed to pick up. I am confident that there would have been gaps.

Also regarding my Spring Cable sock... I put the heel in the wrong spot. I didn't read carefully and just started the heel where I thought it should have been and apparently I was wrong. So, my cable will not be quite as far to the side of the sock as the design would have had it. I think it will look lovely this way, thank you very much.

New Blog

2009-03-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a new blog, just for knitting-related stuff. I will continue to post at the blog I share with my sister (jenandali.blogspot.com) but I will try to keep the knitting posts here. Should be fun...