BAddi Turbos

I know the hype, I even caved that one time. But tonight was the eve of judgement for my Addi Turbos. I know it's bad to pass judgement so quickly, that I should give them more time... Sorry St. Brenda, sorry to all you Addi fans, but they don't work for me. I knit FUNNY. I usually have one end of my working needle braced againts my belt, chest or stomach, depending on if it's straight or a DPN, and on the weight of my clothing. It's HORRIBLE form, and I really would like for someone to re-train me with a less back/neck damaging method. As a result, I'm used to that braced, lopsided, left needles waving around in the air technique. I don't think I can use circular needles. At all. Which is fine for now, I like DPNs, but it limits me from sweaters, large lace projects, etc... Also, Addi Turbos are small, so very very small. I present photographic evidence of the needle to hand ratio below. I can barely get a grip, let alone try to knit at any reasonable gauge with these things. I feel a right fool.

Whoops

I finished Ms O's fingerless mitts and handed them off to her last night. But being the good blogger I am, I forgot to take photos. Whoops. I will work on getting some though, as soon as I can, but no promises as it's been overcast. Scrap that, it's snowing! I mean Victoria snow, so... it's actually sleet. Whatever.

I have also discovered the joy of block printing (my art education class is awesome), and now I really need input! What would be a fitting slogan for this image? (sorry about the poor quality, I'm working from a very small original) I don't want to say excatly what I am up to, but it is in the 5"x7" size range. Slogans can be in any language (ideally one I know, or at least can make some sense of, English, French, Latin, Hebrew, Russian, because some of those would look very cool). So please give me ideas, and help suppor the Knitolution.

The Good and The Bad

Good: Ms. O's mittens are nearly done, I tore through about 75% on the second one during my break on campus. Will try to finish tomorrow I guess. Then onto mine

Bad: This meme (swiped from Lolly). I am just now realising how negative it sounds. Oddly enough, if I had filled it out at about 4:30, it would have been way different (Art Ed. was WICKED, and I am really bad in the evenings, I just can't handle them). Ah well, here goes anyway, I think clicking will make the image larger.

[EDIT] Proudest moment is now receiving a creative writing award from my high school tonight. It's not a big one, but it means more to me than any of the financially large academic ones, as it's a memorial award. My friend and I were joint winners.

Actually

So you know how I was stressing about my week? I forgot that one of the papers and two of the tests would be done today, soooo I have more time than I estimated. Picked up some 4.00 and 5.00mm needles (bamboo) today. Met Ms O. yesterday evening, and I have a go (green gloves for go!) on glove number two. It's not that I have Second Mitten Syndrome, but rather that I'm kind of apathetic and exhausted all round... Also, looking for a neat colourwork design for my gloves next.

Quickie

Just a quick note to assure y'all that I'm not dead. I'm seeing my friend tomorrow, and hoping that her fingerless glove fits! If not... well, at least I'm only halfway into the pair. I'm moving into an insane week of school, so I'll be lucky to eat enough, let alone knit or blog. Oh, and a new friend made me go shopping, and I am now the owner of my first pair of jeans! Haven't worn them enough to be entirely sold, but this girl does indeed know her clothing stuff....

...I tried to be good. I said no. They would have none of it.



















I tried to leave, but they followed me home! Ah well, I need a pair of (fingerless?) gloves anyway. And fair isle WILL be twice as warm. And the yarn is so very nice... But I have to finish Ms. O's project first!




















I think I can safely mention that I'm making fingerless gloves at my friends request. They *were* in two-tone cabling which I scrapped because I couldn't figure it out. I then switched to some fair isle which is just zipping along! And of course, when I got accosted by the Mission Falls in my LYS today, I found information in the Vogue Stitchionary (book 3 - colourwork) allll about two-tone cabling. Oh sweet yarn, I want those books so very very badly, they are a real source of ideas for me. Anyway, I REALLY have to go write that paper now...

Ow, my jaw

See that? Everyone knows what curly yarn means, right? Yep. No, no, not completely, just the bit that wasn't working. I'll figure out textured colourwork when I have the time. For now, I'll just do the colourwork. Assuming all goes well, these should whip along. (And with that statement, I'm sure I have called down the wrath of the knitting gods. And it's raining, so I can't even properly burn any any virgin wool to satisfy them)

Buggery...

Maybe there was a reason I had a hard time finding information on the technique I had in mind.
I can admit that. But I'm not giving up yet.



















Can anyone guess what I'm trying to do? (technique, not item, but that's not hard either)

Ms. O., and New Skills

Mystery project Green And More Green. Is working. Although I think the cuff is going to be way too big. but it's working so far. I really, really like the look of two colour ribbing. There is a gentleman I went to school with for a few years who is a phenomenal (phenomenal!) drummer, and is in a local band which is swiftly gaining popularity. I hadn't seen him in about 18 months, but while I was with another friend (whom he knows as well) for coffee, he came over and started chatting. I was knitting. He watched me cast on out of the corner of his eye (two-colour long-tail cast-on). He said "wow, that looks complicated" I just grinned and said "oh, I'm just getting started". So we chatted for another while, and I finally got around to joining the four needles, at which point both of my companions turned. And gawped. "Holy [knit] that is [freaking] crazy". The rest of the cafe turned now as well. Then the guy said "as a drummer, I seriously respect the dexterity and intense focus that has got to take. And it looks hell of cool." Then he looked over at my charts and notes. "What do those say?" "Cable 4 back, slip 1 back, knit 2, purl 1...." "Stop, just... stop. I'm going to liken it to some drum rhythms I know. Very cool." "Thanks." We all keep chatting and I keep on knitting. By the end of the evening I'm 6 rows in (conversation slows me down, and in my defense, it's about 50 stitches in texture AND colourwork). Guess it doesn't take all the concentration in my body after all. But I think I cast on too many stitches (I cast on too few last time). We shall see.

Beowulf: For Your KNitting Pleasure

So as I said, I'd write up my Beowulf pattern. I'd just like to say that this IS my first written pattern, and I misplaced a few of my notes (for the Tapered End Caps), so I'm sure there are a number of errors. I fear there are also mistakes in the Cable Repeats B and C, but I THINK I did it right... Oh whatever, if you can udnerstand my pattern at all, you're smart enough to figure out any mistake I may have made. That being said, if you find any errors, from typing to gross pattern, do let me know? I wish I had photos to illustrate some things, but it's been raining nearly non-stop for the last three days, I have no idea when it will stop, and I don't want to wait to put this up. Please only use this for personal use, yadda yadda and... Happy knitting! As an(other) aside, if anything needs clarification, further explanation or anything, leave a comment either here or e-mail me, and I'll try to help. Lemme know what you think!

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PATTERN
Beowulf

SIZE
Just the one, assuming you follow all directions. It is very easy to make longer or shorter. Width is tricky to change.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length: Looks like somewhere in the 6’6” range.
Width: ~6” (but it stretches out really wide, I am a highly inexperienced blocker)

MATERIALS
2+ balls of Van Dyck in red. There wasn’t much used of the 3rd ball. (Gosh, I hope it wasn’t one more than I remember…)
I think… 6mm needles?

GAUGE
About 4sts/1.25” But honestly, it’s a scarf, the dimension are large enough that even it shrinks by a foot, or maybe even 2, it’s not a disaster.

PATTERN NOTES
-The whole project was fairly made up as I went, so the directions I’ll give with result is (hopefully) a nicer looking scarf.
-This might not be the best pattern to learn how to cable on, but I did, so who knows.
-You will need to use a provisional cast-on of some sort, be it knit or crochet. Well, I’m sure some clever person out there can figure out how to do it without, but I tacked on my tapered end caps as an afterthought, so this is how I did it.
- On my scarf, I was a moron. I worked those 3 outside stitches in stockinette. I realized my error too late, so continued with the “design element”, and at the end “flattened” the sides by flipping the stockinette over onto itself and seaming it down. In the end, I really like the extra weight added by the “rolled edge”. In this pattern, I’ve written them do knitted in garter stitch, which will give you a wider scarf (by about an inch I imagine), though you can be like me and choose to alter it after.
- The cable is really meant to be repeated. The result of this is that the ass-end of the cable will be left uncabled unless you adjust the design (which I have included). Again, I noticed this too late and it became a “design element”, as such I will include 2 different designs: my scarf, and what I actually had in mind. Although I sort of prefer mine.
-The alternate (correct) version only differs in the End sections (1 and 5), and is marked by the “correct” repeat bolded and in parenthesis.
-Cable Repeats are written out at end of pattern.

DIRECTIONS
Cast on 32 stitches using any manner of provisional cast-on. (Optionally, just cast on flat if you do not want any sort of ends)

Section 1 (End)
Work Cable Repeat A (B)
Work 8 rows of ribbing (knit the knits and purl the purls as you see them)
Work Cable Repeat A (B)



Section 2 (Long boring ribbed section)
Work 80 rows of ribbing, cabling each 8th (RS) row. Here I flipped a coin for some “chaos theory”. I flipped for each of the 3 cables to decide whether to cable then, and if so, then again to decide which direction left or right). This gives a result of certain cables being snaked, some cabled, some going for long straight stretches, etc… Yes I fudged it now and then. It would look excellent with a more structured system as well, although I would not suggest cabling more often than every 8th row, as the design is structured around 8-row repeats. But then again, it might look amazing.

Section 3 (Neckband) (the same for both patterns)
Work Cable Repeat A
Work Cable Repeat B
Work 8 rows of ribbing
Work Cable Repeat B
Work 8 rows of ribbing
Work Cable Repeat A
Work Cable Repeat B

Section 4 (Long boring ribbed section #2)
Same as Section 2

Section 5 (End #2)
Work Cable Repeat C (B)
Work 8 rows of ribbing
Work Cable Repeat C (B)

Section 6a (Tapered End Cap)
*note* C4B every 4th (RS) row (3 times) on the knit portions (there are 3, they are the cables)
Work in ribbing as set, K2tog at the start of each row for 8 rows
Work in ribbing as set, K2tog at the start and end of each row for 6 rows
BO fairly loosely, as the scarf has a lot of stretch, might as well try to keep it uniform

Section 6b
Pick up 32 stitches from provisional CO
*note* C4B every 4th (RS) row (3 times) on the knit portions (there are 3, they are the cables)
Work in ribbing as set, K2tog at the start of each row for 8 rows
Work in ribbing as set, K2tog at the start and end of each row for 6 rows
BO fairly loosely, as the scarf has a lot of stretch, might as well try to keep it uniform


FINISHING
Weave in your ends.
Optional: Pull a me and seam the edges over. Not at all necessary.

Cable Repeats
Cable Repeat A
Row 1: k3, (p4, k4) 2 times, p4, k3
Row 2: p3, (c4b, p4) 2 times, c4b, p3
Row 3: Same as row 1
Row 4: p2, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, (sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 form cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn) 2 times, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p2
Row 5: k2, p2, k3, p4, k4, p4, k3, p2, k2
Row 6: p1, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p3, c4f, p4, c4b, p3, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p1
Row 7: k1, p2, (k4, p4) 2 times, k4, p2, k1
Row 8: p1, k2, p3, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 form cn, p3, k2, p1
Row 9: k1, (p2, k3) 2 times, p4, (k3, p2) 2 times, k1
Row 10: p1, (k2, p3) 2 times, c4b, (p3, k2) 2 times, p1
Row 11: Same as row 9
Row 12: p1, k2, p3, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from sn, p3, k2, p1
Row 13: Same as row 7
Row 14: p1, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p3, c4f, p4, c4b, p3, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p1
Row 15: Same as row 5
Row 16: p2, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, (sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn) 2 times, sl 1 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p2

Cable Repeat B (note, this is just Cable repeat A, with Rows 1&2 added onto the end)
Row 1: k3, (p4, k4) 2 times, p4, k3
Row 2: p3, (c4b, p4) 2 times, c4b, p3
Row 3: Same as row 1
Row 4: p2, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, (sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 form cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn) 2 times, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p2
Row 5: k2, p2, k3, p4, k4, p4, k3, p2, k2
Row 6: p1, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p3, c4f, p4, c4b, p3, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p1
Row 7: k1, p2, (k4, p4) 2 times, k4, p2, k1
Row 8: p1, k2, p3, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 form cn, p3, k2, p1
Row 9: k1, (p2, k3) 2 times, p4, (k3, p2) 2 times, k1
Row 10: p1, (k2, p3) 2 times, c4b, (p3, k2) 2 times, p1
Row 11: Same as row 9
Row 12: p1, k2, p3, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from sn, p3, k2, p1
Row 13: Same as row 7
Row 14: p1, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p3, c4f, p4, c4b, p3, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p1
Row 15: Same as row 5
Row 16: p2, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, (sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn) 2 times, sl 1 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p2
Row 17: k3, (p4, k4) 2 times, p4, k3
Row 18: p3, (c4b, p4) 2 times, c4b, p3

Cable Repeat C (note, this is just Cable Repeat A, with Rows 1&2 moved to the end)
Row 1: k3, (p4, k4) 2 times, p4, k3
Row 2: p2, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, (sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 form cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn) 2 times, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p2
Row 3: k2, p2, k3, p4, k4, p4, k3, p2, k2
Row 4: p1, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p3, c4f, p4, c4b, p3, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p1
Row 5: k1, p2, (k4, p4) 2 times, k4, p2, k1
Row 6: p1, k2, p3, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 form cn, p3, k2, p1
Row 7: k1, (p2, k3) 2 times, p4, (k3, p2) 2 times, k1
Row 8: p1, (k2, p3) 2 times, c4b, (p3, k2) 2 times, p1
Row 9: Same as row 7
Row 10: p1, k2, p3, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from sn, p3, k2, p1
Row 11: Same as row 5
Row 12: p1, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, p3, c4f, p4, c4b, p3, sl 1 st onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p1
Row 13: Same as row 3
Row 14: p2, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p1, k2 from cn, (sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p2 from cn, sl 2 sts onto cn and hold at front, p2, k2 from cn) 2 times, sl 1 sts onto cn and hold at back, k2, p1 from cn, p2
Row 15: k3, (p4, k4) 2 times, p4, k3
Row 16: p3, (c4b, p4) 2 times, c4b, p3

A Single Manly Tear

Fecthing: Done. No photos, save some on a friends computer, will try to acquire. They were immensely well received and are now in Vancouver before a 6:30 flight to Australia tomorrow, layover in Fiji (possibly Hawaii as well), etc... Man, those gloves will have travelled farther than I have come their touchdown on Sunday... Also, I lied, not a single manly tear but rather some near-blubbering. A very dear friend of mine (Ms. L.) of the last five years is moving back down under, and I'm taking it much harder than I initially anicipated.

Ok, enough sap. *sniffle*

Secret project Orange And Black: Er, now back on the needles following the Fetching-induced hiatus. Progress is being made. Colourwork skills are advancing (can now manipulate both colours with one hand simultaneously. Ace.), but I have a hunch I botched something a few rows back, might scrap the design, make them into gloves. Yes, this would be version 3.0 of this project.

Secret project Green and... More Green: In the design process. Yes, design. All I'm saying for now is two-toned green cables. Need to review/recheck colourwork gauge for textured knitting, as I am not knitting for a baby... Also, if anyone knows any excellent glove patterns (ladies sized) in the 26-32 stitches per 10cm/4" range, I would appreciate it greatly. Oh man, do I love cables.

Not so secret project Beowulf: Due to interest on the Lime & Violet messageboards (you are all a bunch of liars and flatterers I'm convinced) I will be writing up my Beowulf pattern for use! Ideally I will include directions for modification of any "simple" cable design into a themed scarf/other project maybe. I said I would do it today, but as mentioned in the fetching announcement, I am beat. And I have a Russian test tomorrow. And Hebrew lessons tonight. Ahh! Any info on legality pertaining to knitting designs (I'm slightly concerned about copywright as I pulled the main cable design from a sitch dictionary, although I have seen it in multiple ones, and various projects across the web and such. I just do not want to mess that up) would be so very much appreciated!

Photos: No, no and no. I'm tired, it's been raining for a few days, and I don't want to jinx the secret projects (though they seem to do that fine all on their own).

Podcast: Am toying with it. Not too seriously so far, but I like the idea, I'm very much into spoken word and such lately. We shall see.

A side note: I'm getting sick I think. Shoot.

As always: I love feedback, opinions and commentary, have at me!