Knitting Fiend

linking on over...

2006-10-30T05:19:00.000-05:00

Maintaining separate blogs for everything I like to do is turning out to be more than I can handle. So, I'm going to direct you over to lisafischler.com where you can enjoy posts about a variety of topics, including knitting!

ready to go

2006-06-01T18:50:00.000-05:00

I'm ready to start my sweater! Last stumbling block - finding the needles in the flipping sizes I needed - is now taken care of, thanks to AC Moore. I didn't realize what a great store AC Moore is. When I'm in NJ, I'll do my shopping there!

clearing the decks...

2006-05-30T18:49:00.000-05:00

I decided to go ahead and make the Somewhat Cowl, after typing in the name on Google and seeing dozens of references pop up, including some people who said it was their first sweater. So I went ahead and got the yarn, and I am going to pick up the needles tomorrow (couldn't find the size DPNs I needed at the yarn store today) In the meantime, I am clearing the decks, working on other projects that were stalled that I really don't want hanging over my head anymore. I guess it's a general "getting ready for summer" and especially summer knitting.

new project

2006-05-28T20:37:00.000-05:00

I've decided I'm going to make the Somewhat Cowl.

Haven't decided if I should try to make an easier sweater first, or just go for it. Opinions?

to finish or not to finish?

2006-05-17T04:46:00.000-05:00

So... I haven't posted because I am stuck on the same old project. Namely, a thin tiny hat made from silk/mohair. (I posted pictures of it a while back) It takes forever to get through a single row, which means I'm reluctant to work on it, and I honestly don't know whether it is worth finishing. Not that my attention to knitting has been so great lately - have a lot else going on.

How do you decide when to put something down? And what are the odds of ever picking it back up again?

from dear abby...

2006-04-22T17:57:00.000-05:00

DEAR ABBY: My mother loves to knit, and she's superb at it. When our children were born, Mama was delighted to have new family members to knit for -- and she has done so throughout their lives.

Last summer, Mama announced that she will no longer knit for our oldest, "Heather," who is 12, because Heather loses everything. Mama said she will no longer pour so much effort into a sweater, hat or scarf only to see it disappear because it was left on a playground.

Last Christmas, all the children received scarves, but only those of the younger two were hand-knit. Heather's came from a store. It was nice -- but it was store-bought.

Now Heather is very hurt, and I don't know what to do. We love our daughter, but she hasn't learned to care for her things, and Mama is adamant about her knitting. What should we do? -- LOST IN OREGON

DEAR LOST: Explain to your daughter that, as hurt as she may feel about the scarf, it's a drop in the bucket compared to how her grandmother felt having spent hours creating a one-of-a-kind item only to have it left somewhere. Heather is not the offended party -- Grandma is. A step in the right direction would be a handwritten letter from Heather to her grandmother apologizing for her carelessness.

As a knitter myself, I indeed would be very reluctant to pour all that effort and expense into a big item like a scarf only to have it treated carelessly. My solution: knit the girl a token something, like a cell phone or iPod case, and buy her the "real gift" from the store.

bad blogger, bad blogger

2006-04-19T20:28:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I have not posted in a long time. I have been knitting, though. I worked on blanket squares for Sit n' Knit's Project Linus blanket, and now I'm using some of that leftover Cotton Fleece to make myself a headband to wear when running. I also started another hat out of that wonderful Alchemy silk/mohair blend - which doesn't always cooperate, particularly when it's slipping off my metal needles or clinging to my bamboo ones, but it turns out nice.

Also did some swatches of new acquisitions, trying to decide what to use for -- dun dun DUN!!! - the first sweater. Verdict: will probably go out and buy something else, and use the funky stuff for weird bags or scarves or something.

Photos soon, promise.

sit n' knit!

2006-04-10T18:36:00.000-05:00

We recently did a Sit n' Knit event... here we are hard at work! I am busy on my very last blanket square for Project Linus.

about the Sit N' Knit Manhattan group

wow. just... wow.

2006-04-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

How awesome would it be to knit this??

I mean, knitted fossils? That is the essence of awesomeness.

Sit 'N Knit Block Party!

2006-03-24T13:21:00.000-05:00

Was able to knit last night for the first time in over a week (aching neck & shoulder were the culprits) and finally got back to making blocks for the Sit N'Knit Meetup blanket. Here is one of my blocks, in progress. Hopefully I'll have all of them done before Anne Marie is ready to stitch them together!

I've been tagged!

2006-03-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Annie Knits!

Four jobs in your life:
1. Camp counselor
2. Library circulation/reserve desk
3. College/grad school teaching assistant
4. Special educatioon teacher

Four movies you could watch over and over:
1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. Spinal Tap
3. Spaceballs
4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. The Daily Show (Jon Stewart = brilliant)
2. I Love the 80s
3. Airline (A&E reality show about Southwest Airlines)
4. Animal Cops

Four places you have lived:
1. New Jersey (past and current)
2. Providence, RI (college)
3. Starlight, PA (sleepaway camp)
4.

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. AUSTRALIA!!!!
2. Scandinavia
3. Italy
4. Paris
(this summer: Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador - looking forward to buying yarn in Peru!)

Four websites you visit daily:
1. Annie Knits
2. Letters from Lisa (my main web page)
3. You Knit What??
4. knitty.com

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Coffee (is a food!)
2. Pizza
3. Fried shrimp
4. Chicken noodle soup

Four places you'd rather be right now:
1. Australia!!
2. Here, except on vacation
3. In the bathtub
4. In bed napping

Four favorite types of yarn:
1. Manos del Uruguay (variegated wool)
2. Alchemy (silk/mohair)
3. Noro, Noro, Noro
4. the recycled silk I picked up, forget the brand name

Four bloggers I'm tagging: ???
Who'd like to answer this?

new work in progress

2006-03-11T09:28:00.000-05:00

I picked up some gorgeous silk/mohair yarn and decided to make a hat with it. (Even though it's on circulars I'm knitting it flat.)

finished!

2006-03-11T09:23:00.000-05:00

Here are the long awaited (hehe) photos of the finished shawl. I think it turned out OK, don't you?

BY the way, that is my mother modeling the finished product!

finished!

2006-03-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

Here it is... the shawl, completed!
More photos ASAP!

coming soon

2006-03-02T06:01:00.000-05:00

Coming soon... new pictures of my fabulous projects.
Also coming soon... fabulous projects.

I've been working on things. Really. I won't even whine about how there aren't enough hours in the day. Or how it's impossible to do a lace pattern on the subway. Or how the rows on The Shawl That Ate Manhattan are so incredibly long that it feels like marathon running just to go across once.

Next up: something short. Like a hat. Afghans for Afghans is collecting newborn hats. Those would be fast, right?

funniest. website. ever!

2006-02-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

http://youknitwhat.blogspot.com/ - You Knit What?

Warning - if you have a weak stomach or are prone to nightmares, you may wish to avoid. Also, if you're at work or someplace where you shouldn't be laughing hysterically, be very careful.

shawl still in progress

2006-02-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

I'm still plugging away at the Shawl That Ate Manhattan. I just went to Michael's and bought three more skeins of the silly gold yarn I decided to use! I ran out while traveling and couldn't find it anywhere else.

My goal - to finish it in time to wear it while the weather is still warm!

knitting updates

2006-02-22T15:29:00.000-05:00

I've been away for a few days, but I have had the chance to do a bit of knitting. Just a bit. This project I've been working on for what seems like ages... it's a scarf called Liesel with an "elm leaf" pattern. (Some of my students used to call me Liesel, which I think is pretty funny!) Unfortunately it requires a lot of concentration and it's really hard to pause in the middle of a row, so I can't work on it while commuting or doing anything else. One of these days I will get around to finishing, though! And then I'll block it, so you can really see the leaves.

bad knitting pick up lines

2006-02-16T17:39:00.000-05:00

An unintended side effect of knitting on the subway is that I occasionally get guys making comments like today's winner: "Hey baby, would you knit me a sweater?"

lost needle

2006-02-12T16:48:00.000-05:00

I finished the hat I've been knitting for my friend Chris - and lost my tapestry needle, so I can't sew it up! There's feet of snow on the ground, so I'm not going anywhere today. I guess the hat will have to wait until I can replace the needle. Grr.

new circular needles!

2006-02-12T11:16:00.000-05:00

I acquired some circular needles recently - Addi Turbos, really fast, really nice - and so all that's between me and my first sweater is about 300 other little projects and choosing the right yarn.

I'm snowed in (there's about 20 inches on the ground today) so maybe it's a good time to finish up some of those 300 other projects I've been working on. Such as - a hat for my best friend, the shawl for myself, the lace scarf I've been not working on for a while, and the warmer weather hat that I want to make for myself to match the scarf I've been not working on. I had finished a hat for myself, but I've decided I don't like the way it fits. I may frog the entire thing and use the yarn for something else! (Yeah, I'm insane!)

gorgeous Chinese pattern sweater

2006-02-02T18:38:00.000-05:00

Check out http://pennyknits.blogspot.com/ and see the sweater she knitted for her new grandchild coming from China.

Maybe such a gorgeous item will be in my knitting future someday?

triangular shawl, in progress

2006-02-01T22:16:00.000-05:00

This is the triangular shawl I am doing for the Knitting Novices Knit-Along. It started off pretty fast, and now that I'm doing the longer rows, it's taking forever! Next time I'm using needles about 6 sizes bigger! But I must say, I pretty much like the way it's coming out, save one or two minor snags that occurred when I dropped a stitch after a yarn-over and couldn't figure out what it was supposed to look like on the needle. So I fudged it and kept going. I'll be starting the second ball of shiny gold yarn tomorrow - and it continues!

After I'm done with this I'll make another one in black shiny yarn - maybe one that I'll actually wear. Although if anyone can suggest an occasion flashy enough for me to sport this one out of the house, I'll take suggestions!

interesting company

2006-01-31T19:14:00.000-05:00

Peace Fleece - Knitting for Social Change

What an interesting idea - putting your money where your ideals are.

Finished! Moving on...

2006-01-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

Finished the second hat... now moving on to a lacy scarf. I had to learn some new techniques -- increases and decreases, mainly. It's also my first time doing a pattern that has a visual chart to go with it (not that I've really used the chart - I mostly stick to the written instructions).

Looking at this pattern with all the abbreviations and repeats would have freaked me out before. So I really think I'm making progress!

Photos soon.

finished my chemo cap

2006-01-16T20:02:00.000-05:00

Finally! I'm very proud of my first attempt. I am making another one (for myself, since I love this pattern) in a plum color. I may try other patterns, but I'm sure I'll come back to this one eventually when I want to donate more. Stay tuned!

knitting meetup!

2006-01-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

Photos on the Meetup site from today's knitting meetup

Had a few lovely cups of tea (bourbon vanilla.... mmmm) and chatted with lovely folks while working on my latest hat project. Also got to wind two skeins of yarn - thanks Anne Marie!

excited!

2006-01-14T22:07:00.000-05:00

I'm going to participate in the Triangular Shawl Knit-Along starting Jan. 23rd.

You know what this means... time to splurge on yarn!

more charity knitting

2006-01-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

Another hat in progress… this one is a chemo cap design that I found at http://headhuggers.org/. It’s also with Manos del Uruguay. I just love the diagonal stitch design and, even better, I can knit it with the straight needles I bought for learning how to knit. No fancy equipment needed!

Will post more pics when I’m done! I plan on making another one for myself (slightly larger) after I’ve finished the one for charity.

knitting for charity

2006-01-14T13:53:00.000-05:00

I’ve been a busy knitter lately… this is the hat I made for Afghans for Afghans. I used leftover Manos del Uruguay, a yarn I love for its beautiful variegated colors and texture.

The pattern was very simple… cast on 72 stitches, knit in stockinette, then decrease at the top and sew the seams. I probably made the height a little higher than necessary, but… as long as it keeps some little kid warm! They are going to be sending out a shipment of wool hats in a few days so I’d better hurry up and mail this to them soon!

I don’t own any circular needles yet, so I’m limited as to what I can do with hats. I’m pretty happy with this result.

ridiculously easy slippers... or, just ridiculous

2006-01-02T21:51:00.000-05:00

I got it into my head that I wanted to knit slippers. Given that I have not done much in the way of shaping or using double pointed needles, I knew that I could not pick any complicated patterns. So, instead I looked for an "easy" slipper pattern. I found one here:

Ridiculously Easy Mary Janes (with pattern)

Well... not quite so ridiculously easy, as it turned out. My first attempt, I didn't quite figure out the conversion between normal yarn and the big ribbon I was using. So it came out HUGE!

It actually doesn't look too bad, in the photos, until you realize that there is a nasty pointy thing coming out of my heel (excess fabric). I should also point out that these were supposed to be Mary Janes, not booties!

What to do? I frogged the whole thing, of course. I didn't want to waste the ribbon on something I'd never use.

To be fair to my developing knitting skills, the original poster of the pattern didn't specify the gauge - so I had no basis of calculating how many stitches I should cast on. I tried asking, but didn't get an answer. So I figured I would try again, and just make the whole thing smaller. To be on the safe side, I decided to use a ribbing pattern so that if I cast on too few stitches, at least the fabric would be stretchy and have a chance of fitting my fairly large foot.

I used Moda Dea Ticker Tape and Size 13 needles. I like working big. I can see the results instantly, and the whole thing goes faster. Not exactly instant gratification... well... instant enough!

The results:

Much better! At least it looks like a Mary Jane!

As you can see it's STILL too big! After I took this picture, I readjusted the strap so that it would fit more snugly.

I took some of the leftover strands that were too small to use in the next slipper and made a headband with them:

The adventure continues...