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Knitting Friday
Yesterday, I wound up at the Paramus Park Mall in Paramus NJ (which was very, very empty in spite of a crowded Route 17) looking at a large photo of Mario. Well, I didn't go to the mall to look at Mario - charmer that he is - but I was killing time while my husband was in Radio Shack. So there was Mario is full splendor and I got to compare my blanket to his happy, bouncy portrait.
I think I have two problems. 1- My yellow buttons are an anemic yellow. Mario is wearing vibrant yellow buttons. Unfortunately a vibrant yellow was not going to be available in wool from Knit Picks until this month and unless I wanted to wait and order the one skein I need and pay shipping (shipping is free after $50), I had to go with yellow, pale wool I had in my stash. 2- Mario's denims are a bright,
medium blue. Not really denim-looking as my wool is.
But on the bright side, as you can see from the picture; the gloves look good, the sky is a very light, clear blue and the boots pass muster.
Should the green grass be lighter? Probably, but it'll do.
I'm 1/3 through the rows, not counting the border. I find I get to sleep at 2 a.m. or awaken at 1 a.m. because knitting this baby is addictive. Today, my plan is knitting two full tiers (34 squares.) One tier per day was my goal when I started but I soon realized that was madness.
Right now, I'm thinking ahead to blocking. I'll have black, red, blue and white wool (plus various other colors) and at least three of them are going to bleed. I plan to do a "block and bleeding" Google search and send out an S.O.S. to Ravelry before I ever attempt it.
I'm toying with putting a plastic, cloth-backed tablecloth on the dining table, then some very thick bath towels and then pinning out the blanket. Then, I would steam press it. I just don't want a disaster for the blanket - or the table.
The second picture today is Maggie's Armwarmers:
http://subliminalrabbit.blogspot.com/2008/12/maggies-armwarmers.html
which comes from the same site as Bella's Mittens. If you remember, the girl had decided on the mittens but then she decided on the armwarmers.
The picture shows the left one which is finished except for the gusset. I decided to finish that for both mittens at the same time.
Ravelers, who had made the armwarmers, mentioned potential problems so I wasn't surprised when I finished increasing to 17 stitches for the thumb to find it was a thumb fit for a giant. I scaled back to 11 stitches and that works.
Plus, the M1P and M1K (make one stitch knit or purl) for the thumb area was just wicked. I kept getting a hole at the M1.
Here's how I worked around this (it was cumbersome but it produced no holes):
1 - The RS of the thumb area between your two markers is worked so the purl side of the stockinette stitch faces out.
2- On Row 35, work your stitches to where you should place your 1st marker (it varies for each armwarmer.) On the last stitch before the marker, work the stitch in pattern but also purl an increase into that stitch before you take it off the needle. Cumbersome part: You have made one increase and he pattern stitch and a purl stitch both came out of one stitch. Separate these two made stitches so it's: pattern stitch, marker, purl stitch increase, marker, then finish the row in pattern. So Row 35 has a one stitch purl increase between the markers.
2- On Row 36, you'll be making the increases in knit to get the purl look on the right side. Work in pattern to stitch before 1st marker. Work in pattern in this stitch and then knit an increase in the same stitch. Separate the stitches as above. Knit your increase stitch from Row 35. Remove your second marker and knit an the increase in the next stitch and then work a pattern stitch in the same stitch. Separate the stitches as before (you now have 3 stitches between your markers) and continue in pattern to the end of the row.
Continue to increase this way (on the wrong side, the increases will be in knit) so that every row you get two new stitches in the thumb area (1-3-5-7 etc.) until you have made all the increases you want. While these increases write up tediously, they are really pretty easy.
Now, having pointed out this problem I had with the pattern, let me say, it's a very easy pattern and can be modified for size. Once you start a few rows, you'll see the pattern and won't need the directions. Don't worry about ending on the right or wrong side for the cuff; this is a simple cable pattern with a ribbed cuff. so just use common sense. Oh, I used US 7 for the cuffs and US 8 for the body.
Happy knitting. Now, it's time for my day with Mario.
I think I have two problems. 1- My yellow buttons are an anemic yellow. Mario is wearing vibrant yellow buttons. Unfortunately a vibrant yellow was not going to be available in wool from Knit Picks until this month and unless I wanted to wait and order the one skein I need and pay shipping (shipping is free after $50), I had to go with yellow, pale wool I had in my stash. 2- Mario's denims are a bright,
medium blue. Not really denim-looking as my wool is. But on the bright side, as you can see from the picture; the gloves look good, the sky is a very light, clear blue and the boots pass muster.
Should the green grass be lighter? Probably, but it'll do.
I'm 1/3 through the rows, not counting the border. I find I get to sleep at 2 a.m. or awaken at 1 a.m. because knitting this baby is addictive. Today, my plan is knitting two full tiers (34 squares.) One tier per day was my goal when I started but I soon realized that was madness.
Right now, I'm thinking ahead to blocking. I'll have black, red, blue and white wool (plus various other colors) and at least three of them are going to bleed. I plan to do a "block and bleeding" Google search and send out an S.O.S. to Ravelry before I ever attempt it.
I'm toying with putting a plastic, cloth-backed tablecloth on the dining table, then some very thick bath towels and then pinning out the blanket. Then, I would steam press it. I just don't want a disaster for the blanket - or the table.
The second picture today is Maggie's Armwarmers:
http://subliminalrabbit.blogspot.com/2008/12/maggies-armwarmers.html
which comes from the same site as Bella's Mittens. If you remember, the girl had decided on the mittens but then she decided on the armwarmers.
The picture shows the left one which is finished except for the gusset. I decided to finish that for both mittens at the same time.
Ravelers, who had made the armwarmers, mentioned potential problems so I wasn't surprised when I finished increasing to 17 stitches for the thumb to find it was a thumb fit for a giant. I scaled back to 11 stitches and that works.
Plus, the M1P and M1K (make one stitch knit or purl) for the thumb area was just wicked. I kept getting a hole at the M1.
Here's how I worked around this (it was cumbersome but it produced no holes):
1 - The RS of the thumb area between your two markers is worked so the purl side of the stockinette stitch faces out.
2- On Row 35, work your stitches to where you should place your 1st marker (it varies for each armwarmer.) On the last stitch before the marker, work the stitch in pattern but also purl an increase into that stitch before you take it off the needle. Cumbersome part: You have made one increase and he pattern stitch and a purl stitch both came out of one stitch. Separate these two made stitches so it's: pattern stitch, marker, purl stitch increase, marker, then finish the row in pattern. So Row 35 has a one stitch purl increase between the markers.
2- On Row 36, you'll be making the increases in knit to get the purl look on the right side. Work in pattern to stitch before 1st marker. Work in pattern in this stitch and then knit an increase in the same stitch. Separate the stitches as above. Knit your increase stitch from Row 35. Remove your second marker and knit an the increase in the next stitch and then work a pattern stitch in the same stitch. Separate the stitches as before (you now have 3 stitches between your markers) and continue in pattern to the end of the row.
Continue to increase this way (on the wrong side, the increases will be in knit) so that every row you get two new stitches in the thumb area (1-3-5-7 etc.) until you have made all the increases you want. While these increases write up tediously, they are really pretty easy.
Now, having pointed out this problem I had with the pattern, let me say, it's a very easy pattern and can be modified for size. Once you start a few rows, you'll see the pattern and won't need the directions. Don't worry about ending on the right or wrong side for the cuff; this is a simple cable pattern with a ribbed cuff. so just use common sense. Oh, I used US 7 for the cuffs and US 8 for the body.
Happy knitting. Now, it's time for my day with Mario.
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