knitting smorgasborg
I have been very bad about updating this. So many posts to make, never feel like doing it.
Today I am at home sick. I will be going to the doctor in a little bit for what I am predicting is strep throat. I've had this sore throat and cough since last Thursday and it will not go away. I shall take this time to at least catch up on the knitting part of my blog.
Some time ago (a year and a half) I started the Under the Hoodie from the first SnB book. School kept me busy so I did not have much time to work on it. Then it got warm last summer and I did not feel like working on it. Then I actually worked on it some more but my gauge had changed during the time I had taken off from knitting, so I had to rip out a lot and reknit after discovering this. Then, the hoodie was complete but I was busy with kitchen remodel stuff and never got around to blocking it. What I am getting at here, is that this hoodie is finally finished**!
Pattern: Under the Hoodie from Stitch 'n' Bitch by Debbie Stoller
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in Laurel, Aqua, and Night Sky
I have also started working on my sockapal2za socks for my sock pal. I have the yarn and began working on these little anklets last night. Unfortunately, these are the first socks I have ever tried to knit and I am having a bit of a problem with picking up the stitches after the turn in the heel.
If you look closer....
The picked up stitches look very stretched out. I've tried picking them up in four different ways now and I always get the same result (though some worse than others). I don't know what I'm doing wrong! How can I get them to be nice, neat, LITTLE stitches like the rest of them? If I don't get any advice here that works, I guess I will have to make a trip down to the LYS to see what they suggest. I just wanted to get more done on these while I am sick and not going anywhere anyway.
Lastly, I have not really been working on Bad Penny much lately. Hopefully that will change soon, but I did make more progress since the last update before becoming too busy to work on it more.
Bad Penny is looking kind of big right now, so I am hoping it fits me without being too overly baggy when finished.
And that's all there is right now on the knitting front. Perhaps I will update regarding other areas of my life soon. I know Tim has been taking lots of pictures of the kitchen updates.
** I say finished, but really I am not satisfied with how the hood seam came out. I'm planning on ripping that out eventually and seaming it up a different way than the pattern suggests. However, since the seam does not show during regular wearing, this is not going to happen soon.
genevieve said:
Alison that hoodie is GORGEOUS!
I can't wait to see Bad Penny finished either :) Is it possible that it will shrink after a washing? (IF it ends up being too big)
Posted on July 25, 2005 02:57 PMAbigail said:
Love the hoodie!
Posted on July 25, 2005 10:00 PMjody said:
Hi Alison! I stopped by your blog thru the blue blog. Your hoodie is gorgeous!
As for those picked up stitches, have you considered knitting them twisted in the next row? Also, I know this may sound obvious, but try pulling them tightly as you're picking them up.
Hope this helps!
Posted on July 26, 2005 02:12 AMChristine said:
Wow, Great Hoodie! Nice colors on the socks. Have a great day!
Posted on July 26, 2005 03:19 AMRachel said:
When I pick up stitches for the gussets, I usually knit them through the back loops, which tightens the stitches and makes sure there are no holes. I've found that sock knitting takes some experimentation to get it right, and it looks as though you're doing a good job. The hoodie looks fabulous, too!
Posted on July 26, 2005 03:58 AMRebekkah said:
The hoodie looks great!
The way I pick up gusset stitches: I use a crochet hook. I was never able to get the hang of picking them up with a needle, but a crochet hook works great for me. Find a really thing crochet hook - ideally one that is the same millimeter measurerment as your sock needles. I usually pick up about half of the gusset stitches at a time, slide them to the far end of the crochet hook, and pick them up with a free sock needle. Then I pick up the other half, and repeat. (I find it easier to pick up half or a third at a time, just because it becomes unwieldy to have that many stitches sitting on the shaft of the crochet hook. But that's just me.)
Some patterns suggest twisting the gusset stitches on the first round after picking them up, before decreasing for the gusset. I'm working on a pattern now that didn't say to do it, so I just tried that, too. The funny thing is, I've found that the untwisted stitches look tighter. I think I may stick with that method. I think that when I twist them, it just adds more yarn to the stitches, which make them stretch and look bigger when I wear them.
Posted on July 26, 2005 05:23 AMNannette said:
LOVE the hoodie!!!
Have you tried picking up the stitches onto a smaller needle? That and knitting them thru the back loop work well for me.
Posted on July 27, 2005 04:44 PMYuvi said:
That Hoodie is so gorgeous! I personally think that it looks better than the one in the book!
Posted on July 28, 2005 04:52 AMKat with a K said:
You know, "Under the Hoodie" in the book hadn't really grabbed me, but I LOVE yours! Hmmm.
Posted on August 4, 2005 08:02 AM