Lucky #100 and Knit Picks Options

Last post I wrote about getting my trial needles. I did some testing of the needles, and I decided I wanted to stick with metal needles for now, and I went with the nickel plated needles. The wood worked fine on a ball of Cascade 220 I bought, but I tried it on my Simply Soft (which makes up like 90% of my stash) and there was too much friction happening for my liking. I knit pretty tight and the stitches just weren't sliding well. Placed my order for the kit today:

Knit Picks Options - Comes with 9 tips US sizes 4-11, 24" and 32" cables, plus the other stuff you see :)

I spent some time organizing the tips and cables into the cases. I also ordered some extra nickel plated needles, because the whole point is I want to have all sizes on hand. I order tips in US sizes 13, 15, and 17. I also ordered a set of 40" cables.

I've seen people on the internet warn that knitting with needles of different materials can cause different gauges, even in when the needles are the same size, but I'm throwing caution to the wind and transferring my baby blanket to my new needles. I double checked with my needle sizer and the size 10s are in fact the same in Boye and Knit Picks. I'm hoping a transfer of aluminum to nickel won't make a huge difference in my knitting.

Speaking of my baby blanket...I've been ignoring it awhile, but I picked it back up with the new needles and finally completed my 100th row! Yippee! Still got a loooooooong way to go, but it's all good.

While I was ignoring the baby blanket, and I was working on something else...ENTRELAC! I've been seeing this and I was intrigued. I watched a video tutorial (click here and scroll down). Here's what I practiced:

Not bad for a first try. I think this would make awesome afghan material, but I need to finish my baby blanket before moving on to anything else.

I think that's all for now. Happy knitting!

My Needles Are Here!

After a painstakingly long wait...(okay, okay, it was only week), my Knit Picks TRY IT Needle Set arrived! My first impressions are good! I pulled out the needles so I could inspect and feel them. I'm not a needle expert, but they were a lot lighter weight than I expected, which is a good thing in my book, as long as they don't snap. The needles came with some charts of stitch patterns to try, so I will take a rest from my baby blanket knitting for a little while to play around with the needles and form an opinion. I am making a swatch with the Harmony Wood ones first, and I like them so far.

Knit Picks TRY IT Needle Set: 2 - 24" cables, 1 cable key, 4 cable caps,  Harmony Wood tips (size 6),  Zephyr Acrylic tips (size 8) and Nickel Plated tips (size 7)

I decided new needles deserve new yarn, haha. I've been wanting to expand my yarn horizons, so I looked up some local yarn shops. I've been knitting almost exclusively with Caron's Simply Soft which is easily obtainable from Hobby Lobby and Michaels, and I really like it, but the self-proclaimed yarn snobs say there is yarn out there that is so much better. Well, time to see if they're right. The most popularly used yarn on Ravelry right now is Cascade 220, so I thought I'd start with that. I like it so far, I guess, but I'm not convinced yet that it's better than my cheap and soft Simply Soft. I'll keep going for awhile, but I'll definitely go back to my Simply Soft if it doesn't get better. I love the Simply Soft color choices, and people claim there is a big variety in the Cascade 220, but the store I went to must not have been carrying the whole line (which I can't blame them for), because I didn't see a "huge" variety. I've been looking at Ravelry reviews for Knit Picks yarn, because hey, if they make good needles, why not good yarn? But, they reviews are less than impressive thus far. So I might stick with exploring my LYS a little more.

New Project, New Needles

I found a new project I think I would absolutely love to try: Lullaby Blanket. It uses some techniques I have never tried before, but that's part of the appeal. The family I am working for is expecting a baby in January. I have no idea if I could get it done before then, but I'd really love to try. It's sooo pretty.

(c) Phyll from ravelry.com

I have also been interested in getting interchangeable needles for awhile. Every time I start a new project, it feels like I have to buy a new pair of needles (different sizes, different lengths, circular/straight, etc.), and it's getting old. Plus, after working with the Boye circular needles on my current baby blanket, I'm not impressed.

After watching many videos on dpns and the Magic Loop method, I would much rather try the Magic Loop method. Yesterday I did a lot of online research about interchangeable needles. I looked at the Boye Needlemaster, which I could get for about $25 with a coupon I have to Michaels. But the reviews overall from people who have used it and other systems don't seem to be positive, so I'm glad I decided to research first. When looking at reviews, many compared the Boye Needlemaster to Denise Needles. I looked for more reviews and they seemed a lot more positive. I don't love the idea of plastic needles, but I went ahead and placed an order on Amazon.

I decided to keep reading after I placed my order just to see what else was out there, maybe on the higher end, just for kicks. I had seen mention of Addi Turbos and their Addi Click Interchangeable Needles. They are very pricey, but people seem to love them. I thought maybe in the future I could save up for those if I really like the Denises.

Finally, I read about several people comparing the Addis to the the Knit Pick's line of interchangeables: Options. My first impression of these was great. They look beautiful, they have "options" on material for the tips, and if I want, I can just buy the sizes I use most often. They also are a much more feasible price than the Addis. I immediately hunted down several reviews, and they seemed to have great reviews. I decided after some looking that I preferred them to the Denises, so I cancelled my order on Amazon.

Now for the next big decision, do I want to go for the Harmony Wood, the Nickel Plated, or the Zephyr Acrylic? People seem to love their wood needles, and the Harmony Wood ones are gorgeous. I have been knitting on Boye Aluminum Needles for many years, so the Nickel Plated has the appeal of the metal I am used to, even though I know they won't be the same. The Zephyr Acrylic is intriguing to, and it is the cheapest set of tips. I finally decided to order the "Try It" set which comes with one of each for $20. It's adding extra expense to the purchase, but I think it will be worth it to see which material I prefer and what works best with my yarn. I made the order yesterday. I don't know how long it will take to arrive because of the holiday weekend, but I'm looking forward to getting them and trying them out!

Making Progress

Slow, but steady, wins the race, eh?

Progress as of September 2, 2011

It's taking forever....

I had a goal of 100 rows in 1 month on my Plum Yummy baby blanket. That month is up in like 2 days, and I think I have 36 rows. This thing is going to take forever! I really hope I don't give up on it. I'd like to have it as a christening gift for my godson. He probably won't be baptized until after Easter so I have awhile, but I'd like to get it done so I can try some of the other patterns. The family I nanny for has a baby on the way in January, and it would be cool to have something for them for Christmas. Better get knitting!

Mental Note: Knit this when I'm better...

b r o o k l y n t w e e d: The Hemlock Ring Blanket

© Jared Flood

This thing is so stinkin' amazing. I want to knit it right now, but I've read the pattern, and I know I'm not ready. I've watched videos about DPNs, but I haven't actually purchased or attempted to use them yet. I also watched some videos about the Emily Ocker cast-on. I think I could manage this thing in the near future, just not right now. I've queued it on Ravelry so I won't forget it.

Lindsay Update

Lindsay had a rough start...I kept goofing up and having to restart the body, but she's off and running now! Got the front half of the body done tonight. Didn't have as much knitting time today, because today I got to celebrate my wonderful mother's **th birthday!

One of the things I love the most about these amigurumi dolls is how fast they knit up. I have a short attention span (which is why the baby blanket is so risky), and it's so nice to get a finished object so fast. And then I get to keep buying new yarn. The people at Michael's and Hobby Lobby are going to know me by name soon! Bonus: Simply Soft was on sale for $2.50 on my last trip. Sweet!

Plum Yummy

I have a project that I've attempted twice before and eventually given up on and frogged. It is a baby blanket from a book called Terrific Textures for Baby. I started the first one for "Knit. Pray. Love." (which I discussed in my first post. I got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and had to give up. Then I discovered something. Not all yarn is as scratchy and unpleasant as Red Heart Super Saver yarn! So I got rid of the whole thing, vowing someday to restart with a nicer yarn.

Then I got into Bernat's Baby Jacquards yarn. Started the blanket and it was very pretty, but I could not quit making mistakes, it seemed like I was undoing and fixing every fifth row, and it I got very irritated and quit.

Well, the day has come for me to attempt again. This time I am using up these skeins of yarn I bought with no specific intention...Bernat Baby Coordinates. I set myself a goal in my project notes: 100 rows by August 16 (1 month from start date). I have 10 rows so far...it's a start! I'm going to continue my amigurumi dolls, but this will be something I can do in between for a change. Wish me luck!

Oliver is Complete! I will start Lindsay tomorrow!

Hurray! I finished Oliver tonight! He's cute ain't he? Click here to see his project page on Ravelry. I'm very happy with how he turned out, but there are a few spots on him I wish looked a little neater. Not bad for my second amigurumi doll. Next up: Lindsay Ladybeetle!

Oliver Who

Meet Oliver Who! Oliver is a darling little owl from my Little Knitted Creatures book by Amy Gaines (see previous post for an Amazon link). I saw his picture and it was love at first sight. The body piece is knit flat, then folded, seamed, and stuffed. Then you add the eyes (knitting the eyes was the hardest part for me, for some reason) and beak. Right now I'm working on his legs. As you see they are both knitted. One is stuffed and attached, although I want to redo it. The other will be worked on in my free time today. The final step will be knitting and attaching two wings. He's almost there! I can't wait to finish him and pick my next amigurumi doll from the book!

Welcome to My Knitting Blog!

I have been a member of Ravelry.com for awhile now, and I have seen people's knitting blogs and have wanted to start one of my own. This is just a place for me to keep a record of different projects and items I have been working on. I have some past projects I may talk about too, but I haven't always remembered to photograph them.

Here's a bit of my history: I was with my family in Pennsylvania one summer. We visited the Amish Country. There was a shop that we went to that probably sold lots of things, but what I remember was the wooden toys. My brothers and I got to pick out something, and I got a pair of knitting needles. I'm not sure why I picked them, but home with me they went. After than, I started learning from both of my grandmothers, and a little from my mom too, about knitting. I basically learned the knit stitch, and therefore the garter stitch. I knitted a lot of garter stitch rectangles in my youth, but never tried really realized how much more there was to it.

Later on, maybe college, I had some friends from church who were really into knitting, and it rekindled my interest. I went online and watched videos to learn how to do the purl stitch, and oh-so-slightly expanded my knitting knowledge again. I knitted on and off for the next several years, but never really produced anything.

In the fall of 2009, I think, the host of the morning radio show I listened to (Mornings With Brant) made a call to his listeners for hand-knitted blankets, hats, and other baby items that he could take to Kabul, Afghanistan with him. He called the project "Knit. Pray. Love." Not only were mothers and babies going to receive items they so desperately needed, but the knitters were going to be praying for the mothers and babies who would receive their hand-knitted items. Amazing idea. So, I pulled out the needles and got to work.

I've been knitting pretty consistently since then. Unfortunately the Knit. Pray. Love. project left me with a nasty case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. After a few flare-ups, I conveniently saw something in the yarn aisle of Hobby Lobby. It was called "The Ultimate Sweater Machine". I was instantly intrigued by the claims of knitting afghans, sweaters, scarves, etc. in just a few evenings each. I went home and did some research over the next week or two and decided this would be worth a try. Knitting things faster would be great for:

• Getting several baby blankets done in just a few months, as I now had several pregnant friends.
• Still being able to knit and be creative without causing more CTS flare-ups (It's painful!)
• Learn a new craft! I love learning new things!

I have since made four USM Baby Blankets, and sampled some other techniques (no finished objects though).

I just moved and my USM has to temporarily stay in storage (sad face), but in the meantime, I figure it would be good to work on some new hand-knitting projects. There are some techniques I have wanted to try, such as cables and using DPNs. I went to good ol' Hobby Lobby (I could live there and be happy) in search of inspiration. In the section where the knitting books are I found a few interesting books with amigurumi dolls. I flipped through the patterns and found them very doable. I narrowed it down to two choices: The Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger, or Little Knitted Creatures by Amy Gaines. I went for the Amy Gaines book, and I love it! I'll probably ask for the monsters book for Christmas.

I have finished one project and am in progress on another. My finished project is Amy Angelfish. She's is so cute and was so easy to make. It took very little time too. I think I made it in 3 evenings. I like a fast turn around time. I've gotten used to it with the USM. I loved it so much that I hopped right into Oliver Who. Oliver is a bit tougher, but he's super cool and worth it. I've just got a little bit left to go before I'm done, and I will share him on here when he is completed.

That's enough of my history for now. I look forward to sharing my projects, pictures, struggles, and victories on here!