Pink Socks and a new hat

The pink sock is coming along.  I hope to finish both socks by the 14th, Valentine's Day.

Donald wants me to re-knit the hat I made for him so that is fits. I thought I was through with him. He likes the beanie but does not want it to stretch so much. Maybe a K4P2 rib will be better.

Pink socks and grief

I am still grieving over the death of the guard.  The pink sock is coming along.  I have only three more inches to knit. Here is a picture of the progress of the sock.

I am still waiting to hear form NYCVoices.org to learn the outcome of the essay I sent to them to publish.The day was cold and uneventful so I caught up on some of my book reading and selected some e-books to download and napped. I read some pieces from Etsy.com.

A Sad Death

I just learned that a security guard at the building where I live died.  He died early this week and I didn't learn about it until this afternoon. I am very sad.  He was very kind to me and very supportive.  I shall miss him greatly.

Knitting for a Baby

My doctor is having a baby.  I asked if I could knit something for her as she watched meknit on the pick sock and she excitedly agreed.  "What can I knit?", I thought.  I thought of a sweater, thinking at the same time of the woman at the time management seminar who liked knitting baby clothes.  She knitted a little jacket. I asked if I could knit a blanket.  The doctor said that I could knit anything I wanted and that s he would be grateful.

The pink socks are coming along.  I am about 4 inches away from putting in the toe. At the library I shared the sock with a lady who sat at the table whre I was sitting. While at the library I missed a call inviting me to the Sleeping Beauty ballet put on by the New York City Ballet. Argh!

I didn't read much of the encylcopedia, though.  The 2008 volume 3 had some pages missing.  The 2009 edition had the pages included.  They were on Jean Cretien, the former prime minister of Canada. I didn't finish reading until I got home and read through a section of the Christmas entry. I am almost finished reading Volume 3.

I found a book at the library entitled The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee. It is about non-pattern knitting or knitting without a pattern. 

Pink Socks

The pink socks are progressing.  I have shaped/ turned the heel and am now working on the instep and the gusset. Turning the heel always leaves me with too irregular decreases.  Picking up stitches always leaves me with too many stitches picked up.  I pickup extra stitches to reduce the holes that appear as the junctures of the instep and the ribbed looking parts before the heel is turned.

Here is a picture of the front of the sock...

...and here is the back of the sock.  The heel is at the bottom...

Pink Socks and a busy night last ngiht

Last night was busy. I went to a talk on time management and I attended a meeting about getting ready for the bishop's visit on Friday.

I am working on the rows before the heel of the pink socks.   I am still weaving in the loose ends of the colorful yoke sweater.

Today I have a session of the prescription assistance program and have to pick up a document and appear to be excused from jury duty.

Pink Socks and the Magenta Beanie

The pink sock is coming along.  I have just begun the tube after having completed the ribbing.  I'll knit the tube until the piece measures six inches.  A nice inch piece will come up the calf too far.

I am still weaving in loose strands on Bobby's DB's ( DB=dear brother) sweater.

This is the magenta beanie in progress.  It is the ribbed beanie in magenta. It will be made up and sold on Etsy.com. At the LYS I visited this weekend, some girls became interested in the ribbed beanie in blue and green and began asking how it was constructed. I explained to them, forgetting to realize that I was giving out proprietary information.  The pattern is on the drawing board ready to be sent to the copyright office for registration. 

Bob's Sweater and Pink Socks

I feel much better from my cold last week. I sent Bobby a picture of the colorful yoke sweater and he loves it. I showed the sweater to my knitting pals at the LYS and they loved it.  I am now weaving the loose ends in, a few daily. Now, I must tweek the stitches along the beginning of each circular row so that they lay properly.

This is a picture of the ribbing of the pink sock I am working on for myself. I tried working a heart motif with the variegated yarn, but it was too "cutesey".  I want something a bit more adult, so I am knitting the sock without motifs.

While I was at the LYS I ordered yarn to complete the charcoal socks I planned to knit for a friend so that I can complete them. I also purchased the pink variegated sock yarn, a blue/purple variegated sock yarn and a set of #1 7-inch bamboo double pointed needles.

As I began to knit on the pink socks I had trouble joining the stitches and keeping the stitches untwisted. I took a break and then recasted on with the the long tail cast on and connected the stitches by slipping one stitch onto the right hand needle and passing another stitch over it. My previous efforts had yielded a twisted ribbing.  Now, the ribbing is progressing nicely. 

I am working with two patterns.  One says to knit the ribbing 3 1/2 inches and one pattern says to knit the ribbing 1 inch. It is 2 3/4 inches now.  I am wondering how to proceed. The 3 1/2 inch ribbing would ensure a loose leg portion. It would make for an odd looking sock, but  no odder that my athletic socks. Let me think about it.

The Colorful Yoke Sweater, other projects and opera

This is the colorful yoke sweater that took me very long to make.  It came out well. Now, I must weave in the ends in the underside and stitch the holes near the underarm seams closed. As soon as I do that, I will send the sweater to my brother in Arizona. I hope he likes it. 

Next is the navy blue sweater I made for a friend of my mentor.  My mentor's friend died.  He'd wanted me to make a hat and scarf for him.  It was my bright idea to knit him a sweater that I would wear. I suppose I should still knit a hat and a scarf for him. The navy blue sweataer has cable throughout.  I have made the back and the sleeves. The front of the navy blue sweater still needs to be completed.

The sock is a problem.  I can purchase the dpns size #1 to complete the socks.  I will need more yarn.  Will the store have the yarn I need or should I find a brighter yarn with which to remake the first sock and then knit the second?

Then there is the Kaffe Fassett designed sweater for my cousin. I suppose I should work on it before the navy sweater, which I cannot find right now.

Decisions, decisions.

Ah, the mellowess and expressiveness of the human voice. I am listening to the aria largo performed by Kathleen Battle on on the Baroque Duet album on iTunes. I enjoy the human voice and, by extension, opera.  I am reading Crescendo, the magazine put out by the Santa Fe Opera. What a wonderful way to while away the hours.

Colorful Yoke Sweater

The colorful yoke sweater is almost finished.  I must only weave in the loose ends. I tried it on and it looks great. I modeled it for the cook, Denise.  She loves it and wants to learn to knit. I was a bit worried about the sleeve length.  Now, I think the sleeves will be fine.

This sweater has been a long time coming-3 or 4 years.  I found that someone on Ravelry had knitted one just like it. Both sweaters look good.  The pattern was excellent.  The colors and the design make the garment.  Since I made the sweater for a man I made this sweater with brown substituted for the blush. I finished the underarm seams with the kitchener stitch.

Solid ribbed beanie

Today, I have a stuffy nose.  I did not sleep well last night. I am staying home from the library and the church where I run my prescription assistance program.

I am knitting on a ribbed beanie is a deep magenta color. I will post it on Etsy.com.

A Republican is now replacing Senator Kennedy from Massachusetts.  This may spell bad news for Obama. 

Etsy.com and the hat for a Haitian, my volunteer effort for the MLK birthday holiday

Ribbed beanie

Today, I worked on the crown of the hat I will give to a Haitian who comes to New York from the earthquake ravaged Haiti.  I finished the hat.  It is teal with a broad turquoise band. It is the volunteer effort I am making in response to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday holiday. I am delighted with this pattern of mine.  The hat came out well; the crown is neat.

The Crown of the ribbed beanie

A similar hat will be on sale on Etsy.com. The hat can be made up in solid colors or in two tones.

My nose is running and I am sniffling.  I am coming down with something. Ugh!

As I wait for the photos to upload I am reading Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail and the "I Have A Dream" speech. I am struck by its power, its heartfelt expression and message. I wonder if (when) I will be able to write with such clarity, power and earnestness.

I have less than an inch to go on the neckline ribbing on the sweater with the colorful yoke. Then I can take it to the post office and mail it.  I must buy a box and insurance for at least $220, the cost of  the yarn. I was so excited about the sweater that I called my dear brother, Bobby, yesterday to tell him of my progress.  He will have waited 6-7 years for this sweater. Now, I wonder what has taken me so long. I am worried about the length of the arms and suspect that I may have to block the sweater after he tries it on and lets me know how much longer the sleeves are than they should be or than he likes them to be.

  

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Holiday and knitting for Haiti

This is Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday holiday.  I am knitting the ribbed hat for a Haitian who comes to New York with one of the temporary visas that the U. S. will be offering. It will be cold.  The hat reminds meof Seattle with its greenery, sky and water vistas. This is my volunteer effort for the Haitians. I plan to make others and sell them on Etsy.com.  The design is mine.

I talked to some chatters on Etsy.com about the pattern use issue and got clarity.

Knitting the gussett

The disaster in Haiti has me sad and grieving. I pray for the diabetics, hypertensives, and people with mental illness and those with chronic conditions.  Where and when will they get their medications if the pharamcies are closed and destroyed and they have no money?  Surely, many will die.  Many people with mental illness will be unstable without their medications that they may not be able to tell rescue workers what they need. See: http://www.medicalmusingsandhealthhappenings.blogspot.com/.

Pat Robertson's comments were culturally insensitive and unconscionable. I suspect he would not have made such comments had the earthquake been in Europe or Asia.

I am working on the gussett of the sock.  I finished shaping the heel. I just figured out that I will have to sew the instep and the sole together.  Instead of describing knitting the gussett with the instep and sole together, I have an old pattern that describes knitting the sole as one piece and then sewing it to the instep flap.

I only have 1 3/4 ounces of sock yarn.  I must return to the yarn store to pick up a set of number 1 double pointed needles and more sock yarn, that is, if the LYS has the same yarn in stock.  If they don't have it in stock, I won't be able to complete the sock and the other of the pair.  I suspect that I will have to add the sock yarn to my stash and discontinue the project. Then move on to the next unfinished project. We will see.

Let's see what the yarn shop has in stock.  Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s holiday. I wonder if the yarn shop will be open.

Turning the heel and making the gussett

Well, I managed to get the heel turned/formed.  Now, I am making the gussett. I don't understand the directions. So I am stuck.  I am using circular needles and the pattern uses the term "free needle" and talks about picking up the stitches on one side of the heel, then across the heel and then on the other side of the heel.  Agh!

I'll check out You Tube for help.

Heart motif socks

I am knitting on one of a pair of socks, not anklets, I was making for a friend in D. C.  When I realized it had heart motifs on them I decided better of the idea to make them for the friend.  The project has been sitting around for a year or two. This was my first project with very small needles. The yarn is dark, so it is hard to see the stitches. My eyes get tired quickly.  I wish I had selected a brighter color of yarn. 

The digital camera needs charging up, so I can't post the photos tonight. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Today, I heard the New York Philharmonic perform Hadyn's Symphony in F minor, a piece by John Adams, featuring baritone voice, Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, and Berg's Three Orchestral Pieces. What a program! I headed to the library to pick up some books on the lives of Haydn, Schubert and Berg and some CD's of the pieces I had just heard.

Oliver's Cap 2

I have finally finished the Oliver's cap.  Here are some photos of the crown, the cap in profile and folded flat.  This hat is a birthday present for 2008. I presented it to my neighbor who says that he likes it and that it has character, even though the hat was a bit big in the ribbing. I am happy that he likes the hat.

The ribbing of the color of the colorful yoked sweater is progressing slowly.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I can only knit on it while there is sunlight.  The light in my room after dark is too little to knit without eye strain. This is the last, almost the last, of gifts for friends.  I have a sweater by
Kaffe Fassett that I am knitting for my cousin that I must work on. Then I can work on my old unfinished projects.

Oliver's Cap

Today was a busy day.  I gave the doctor the hat I made for him.  I could tell by the way he held it that he liked it. It was soft and it was cold outside.

The Oliver's cap is at the decreasing stage.  The pattern called for ssk, described as slipping each of two stitches as if to knit. I looked up ssk on YouTube and found a different description. It is correct. I put in only a few stitches. 

The neckline of the corlorful yoke sweater must wait until tomorrow when I have more sunlight. I am tired now.

More knitting tomorrow.

The collar of the sweater with the colorful yoke.

I am starting the K2P2 ribbing of the collar. I've mis-stitched and my ribbing is not lining up properly.  I must rip out the first two rows of the ribbing and start again. Ugh! But then, that's part of knitting isn't it?

I am too tired tonight.  I've had a busy day. Maybe I can rip it out better with sunlight, not the light in my room at night.

Colorful yoke sweater

After years of working on this sweater on and off I am almost at the collar ribbing.  A few more k1, K2tog and then I will be at the ribbing.  I knit the ribbing for 31/2 inches and then bind off. I am anticipating such relief upon completion and much pride.  I only hope, as I mentioned before, that the sleeves will not be too long.

Here is a picture of the yoke detail.

New digital camera

As you can see from the last two posts I've added photos.  I just purchased my Kodak digital camera and took pictures of my projects to post. I am very excited.  I can now knit a project, photgraph it and get started on Etsy.com.

I've progressed a bit on the Oliver's Cap since I completed the ribbing as you can see from yesterday's and today's photo.

Found needles and the Oliver's cap

I am not feeling very well today.  I woke up sneezing and went to church anyway.  Now, I have a chest tickle that makes me cough. I took the flu shot and the H1N1 shot. I'll take it easy today.

I finally found my bag of knitting needles and notions.  I really must organize my needles-maybe make a needle holder or knitting bag.  In the bag I found some double pointed bamboo needles #8-just perfect for the hat I am making for my neighbor.

I cast on and am making the ribbing. I am relieved not to have to purchase more needles. My neighbor likes the color of the yarn, a tweedy medium blue and he likes the pattern.

I plan to get the digital camera tomorrow.  Then I can photgraph the doctors hat and the white hat I made on needles larger than recommended for the yarn I used.  The effect is interesting.

Hat for the doctor and hat designs

I am beginning to shape the crown of the hat for the doctor and I have run out of yarn.  The skein of chunky yarn was 3.5 ounces. 3.5 ounces of worsted weight yarn would have been more than enough. I did not check the yardage against a skein of worsted weight yarn to see if I would require more yarn.  Well...live and learn. I want to complete the hat by Wednesday, so I will have to pick up more yarn at the LYS tomorrow or Monday.

By the same token, I should pick up another skein of the chunky yarn for the similar hat I am making for a neighbor for his birthday...last year's birthday.

I had hoped to be able to use the pattern for the hat I am making to make hats to sell on Etsy.com.  When I called to ask permission to use the pattern my request was denied.   It seems that designers donate the patterns to the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey to be used for the Christmas at Sea program and the patterns cannot be used to make hats to sell on Etsy.com.  So now I am approaching designers to obtain permission to use their patterns.

I may have to put my own designer hat on. Once I get the general idea of how to construct a hat I'll be designing to my heart's content.

I put in another row in the colorful yoked sweater. I have yet to master the technique of holding two colors in two hands, but the stitches come out ok. I have 16 or so more rows to go before I can bind off. I am counting down.

Colorful yoked sweater

A few years ago my brother selected two sweaters for me to make for his birthday. One was of a Norwegian design in off white and the other was a sweater with a colorful yoke. I have been working on this sweater knit in the round for several years. I am now 4 1/2 inches from completing the sweater.  After visiting the LYS to pick up a ball of Karabella in a color I had run out of, I returned home to work on a row and some.  I knit a round a day. Soon I will complete the last six rows of design and begin to knit on the collar ribbing. 

It has been three years and I am excited to be completing the sweater.  After I complete the collar, I then stitch the underarm seams.  Then I will send it to my brother to try on. I am particularly concerned about the sleeve lengths. I hope and pray they are not too long. 

I am still working on the hat for my doctor.  I may run out of yarn and require another ball. I will know soon enough by Saturday.

LYS/ digital camera

Today, I stopped by the local yarn shop and purchased two balls of yarn.  One to use to complete the sweater with the colorful yoke and another with which to make a watchman's hat. I worked on the charcoal watchman's hat. I wore the white watchman's hat to the LYS and to church and received several compliments on it.  One friend wants to help me sell some hats like the white hat.

I am still deciding what kind of digital camera to purchase.

Projects to finish this year-knitting and non-knitting

There are several projects that have been sitting around for years unfinished.

1. The poncho-I have finished the first panel.  I need  to complete the second panel.
2. The blue cabled sweater-The person for whom I was knitting the sweater died.  He had wanted me to knit a scarf and a hat for him.  The sweater was my idea.
3. A pair of socks with a heart motif-These socks were supposed to be for a friend. I think I will complete them for myself.
4. A needlepoint sunflower pillow-I found this kit in Santa Fe a few years ago.
5. The rector's garden, a cross stich project.
6. A sweater for my cousin-a sweater designed by Kaffe Fassett.

Christmas Knitting-almost completed

Two Christmases ago, I made two large stockings for the nephews. One was the one on the left with a snowflake motif and the other one, below, was made with an argyle pattern.

I recently completed two hats for my nephews for this Christmas. Both were watchman hats. One was in the stockingnette stitch with a wide 2x2 rib brim and one was in the garter stitch with a wide 2x2 rib brim. I sent the off before I took pictures of them. The nephews have not learned to call or acknowledge gifts.  Their father believes that I should not give gifts just to receive a "Thank you". I think this is very rude and uncivilized.

I completed a model for Etsy.com. It is a watchman's hat in the garter stitch with a wide 2x2 rib brim. As soon as I take a picture of it and make sure that I can use the design I will post it on Etsy.com. I used a pattern from the Seaman's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey Christmas at Sea program. It is one of four patterns that can be used to make garments for the seamen.

I received three gift cards from Target as Christmas gifts-enough to purchase a digital camera. I read, though, that digital cameras are out.

I am starting on a watchman's hat for a friendly neighbor of mine or for my doctor. Either way I will need additional yarn to make a second hat. I am using a dark Lion's Brand Woolease-Chunky with #10 needles. It is acrylic and wool and it is soft. I don't often use acrylic; this year is an exception.

For some reason, I am unable to find my bags of knitting needles and notions. I am sure they will turn up somewhere in my room.