Tiny sweater

I just saw this video about the making of this tiny little sweater and it left me awe-struck! For starters, I love that movie!

Then I got to thinking... 

What if I made a giant sweater to match? My knitting needles could be as big as telephone poles and whole herds of sheep would be shorn to make my wool. It would take me hours to do even a single stitch and I would require heavy equipment operators to cast on and bind off. 

I don't think my sweater would be nearly as cute, but my sense of accomplishment would be fantastic!

Thrumming!

There's something about the chill in the air here in Atlantic Canada that has me thinking a lot about mittens. I guess it's thrumming time once again! 

Need help with thrums?

I've put together a short instructional video. Happy thrumming!

Falling Behind

It's November!! Fall is my favourite season (a close second to summer). I just love that crisp smell in the air that comes along with the season's sweater weather.


So what's the problem? I'm way behind on my Christmas knitting!!! I had high hopes this year of giving a lot of "hand knit with love" gifts to cherished friends and family, and with all the busyness of buying and fixing up a house and starting a new job and the subsequent training and studying that goes along with it, I just fell behind. So now I have to prioritize because there's just no way to get it all done in time since at this point, I'm knitting at a rate of about one sock a week, and I'm fortunate enough to have more than three loved ones :)


So cross your fingers and toes for me! I'll be knitting mitts and socks and baby toys like mad for the next month and a half!!

My favourite time of the year!

Here it is... My first apple pie of the season!

Thank you to the boyfriend's family who gave me this beautiful old cast iron pan. Thank you internet, for teaching me how to restore and season it, and thank you (in advance) mouth and belly for allowing me to enjoy this deep dish apple pie. I expect it's going to be delicious :)

Happy autumn! 

Pattern sharing time!!

Well, I’m moved in to my new house, and between boxes being unpacked I managed to finish the first pair of socks knit with my own personal pattern. I made some changes along the way, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

So, as promised, here is my own (very plain) sock pattern:

Sizes: average woman’s (average men’s)

Materials:
Colour A - Approx. 280 yards/100 grams of sport weight yarn.
Colour B - Approx. 70 yards/25 grams of same yarn, different colour.
Size 4, 5, or 6 (depending on gauge) long circular needle (long enough for magic loop ~ 36+ inches)
Stitch markers
Yarn needle for weaving in ends

Gauge:
Something like 21 sts and 28 rows per 4 inches in stockinette

Pattern

Loosely cast on 48 (50) stitches. To keep it loose at the top of the cuff, I sometimes like to cast on and knit the first few rows with needles one size larger than I knit the rest of the sock with.
Divide in half and join in the round using magic loop (ensure stitches are not twisted to avoid a big headache later).
Place a marker or leave your yarn tail long to remind you where you started.

CUFF
Round 1: With colour A, *K2P2; Repeat from * around.
Repeat round 1 until cuff measures approx. 7” or desired length.
**Make stripes with colour B as desired by joining new colour at beginning of round.**

DIVIDE FOR HEEL
Knit 12 stitches
Slip next  24 (26) onto stitch holder (this is the instep & will remain unworked until after the heel is worked)
Straighten out the circular needle so that all 24 stitches to be knit are in a row - ready to start a wrong-side row.

HEEL FLAP
Join colour B
Row 1: (wrong side)
Slip first stitch purlwise; Purl to end
Row 2: Slip first stitch knitwise; Knit to end
Repeat rows 1 & 2 until heel flap measures 2 ¼ to 2 ¾ inched, ending with row 2.

TURNING HEEL
Row 1: Slip first stitch purlwise; purl next 13 stitches; p2tog; p1, turn work.
Row 2: Slip first stitch knitwise; k5; ssk; k1; turn work.
Row 3: Slip first stitch purlwise; p6; p2tog; p1; turn work.
Row 4: Slip first stitch knitwise; k7; ssk; k1; turn work.
Row 5: Slip first stitch purwise; p8; p2tog; p1; turn work.
Row 6: Slip first stitch knitwise; k9; ssk; k1; turn work.
Row 7: Slip first stitch purlwise; p10; p2tog; p1; turn work.
Row 8: Slip first stitch knitwise; k11; ssk; k1; turn work.
Row 9: Slip first stitch purlwise; p12; p2tog; turn work.
Row 10: Slip first stitch knitwise; k12; ssk.
*Note: There should now be 14 heel stitches

SETTING UP INSTEP
Change back to colour A
*Note: Create small loops with your circular needle wherever necessary to knit around the instep. I usually create 3 loops at this point (simulating 3 double pointed needles).
Part 1: With the right side facing, pick up 16 (18) stitches along the side of the heel flap. Place marker
Part 2: Knit across the 24 (26) stitches on the holder. Place marker.
Part 3: Pick up 16 (18) stitches along this side of the heel flap.
Part 4: Knit across the next 7 stitches of the heel flap. This is now the beginning of the round. Part 5: Create your magic loop so that there are 35 (38) stitches on either side of the loop.

DECREASING INSTEP
Round 1: Knit around.
Round 2: Knit to last 3 stitches before first marker; k2tog; k1; slip marker
Knit to next marker; slip marker; k1; ssk; knit to end of round.
Repeat rounds 1 & 2 until 48 (52) sts remain.
Re-arrange round so that the top 24 (26) sts are on one needle and the bottom 24 (26) are on the other.

FOOT
Knit every round until foot measures ~8” (or 2 ½” short of desired length).

SHAPING TOE & FINISHING
Change to colour B
Round 1: knit first stitch; ssk; knit to last 3 stitches on first needle; k2tog; k1. Repeat on second needle.
Round 2: Knit around.
Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 until 24 or 20 stitches remain (your preference).
Finish by grafting the toe using the Kitchener Stitch.
Weave in ends and start your next sock!

Thank You, Sock

Dear Sock,

I really can’t thank you enough. Even if you had the capacity for human thought and emotion, I don’t think you could fully appreciate how much you’ve given me (today, especially). I still have hair because of you. I would have pulled it all out, had you not been in my backpack waiting for me.

As you are unaware (because you’re a sock - really only half a sock), today is the closing date for my first house purchase, and things are not going entirely smoothly. The first thing I did when I got off the phone with the lawyer’s office? I took you out and knit two of the most satisfying rounds of my life. Then I cried. Now I have a headache, but the next several rows that I knit were utter bliss.

What would I do without you, sock? I suppose I would knit something else, but I don’t think there’s anything more therapeutic than setting up an instep and starting to decrease. I only hope that someday I’ll repay the favour by giving you a happy home on a grateful pair of feet.

xox

Love Always,
Alicat

Knitting as Escapism

I, like one or two other people in the world, have stress in my life. Sometimes I cope better than others, but for most of my life I’ve been aware that I’m a procrastinator. Lately, to temporarily free myself from the stress created by this procrastination (and also to fuel it), I’ve been knitting.

The stress - buying my first house and having to pack-up and move out of my apartment in the coming days.

The method of escape - a pair of grey wool socks (the second sock, specifically).

Every time I start to feel the looming deadline of yet another task that needs to be completed, I find myself reaching for my project and thinking “just a few more rounds and I’ll be ready”. Ha! I’ve been powering through the cuff of this sock, but my cats still haven’t been taken to my parents’ house for the week, and my refrigerator remains uncleaned. I’m so glad I’ve found knitting in my life. This is the most productively I’ve ever procrastinated!

As an aside, the first sock I knit using my own pattern went quite well. I’ve made a few adjustments to the pattern, but I’m pleased with the result. I think I’ll post my pattern once this pair of socks is finished, blocked, and passes my final approval :)

Silver lining

I'm so ill that I can't breathe through my nose at all, and breathing through my mouth is painful to my sore throat. But I just had the fantastic realization that being home sick from work tomorrow will mean I can work on the pair of socks I'm knitting for the boyfriend's dad. Oh joy! I wonder if he would take issue with wearing socks that I knit while stopping for sneeze/nose-blowing breaks every 2-5 minutes...

I have a problem

As I sit here, unable to get out of my pyjamas because I would rather not put down the sock I'm knitting, I think it's time to start some therapeutic blogging.
I have a knitting problem. Several, in fact.
Problem #1. I get so wrapped up in projects sometimes that I forget the world is still turning. It's almost 3pm. Why am I still in pyjamas?
Problem #2. My full-time job impedes my ability to knit whenever I feel like it, but I couldn't support my yarn habit without my pay check.
Problem #3. I make a lot of mistakes. The fact that I have yet to produce a completely flawless project fuels my need to keep knitting beyond what is socially acceptable.
Basically, I knit too much.
I would write more, but I have to get back to my sock.