Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

 Tax the Rich

 

Knitting Friday

 

Like the walrus and carpenter, let's talk of many things today, though not of "cabbages and kings."

 

First, my diet life; well, that sort of is my whole life, food-wise. My only indulgence is kettle corn pop corn or "homemade" popcorn - just popping the kernels and adding Splenda. No candy, cakes, snacks - and still the weight does not melt off. It's a struggle. Though I have reached the weight where I can just reach into the closet and choose any pair of slacks/jeans, from size 4 to size 10 and everything fits. Now, that's real progress.

 

#1 wool dress, 20 years old

Also, I can fit in the dress on the left. It's an oldie, made during the days I must have been a whiz fast knitter since I made two of them. It's a straight knit (looks A-line but isn't) from the bottom with cables on the front neck and sleeves. I can't believe I had the patience to knit two of them back then. Now, I would work this from the top, debate about adding sleeves and end at just below the hips. This one goes to just below the knees.

 

I'm showing it because I wore it yesterday; which is another diet victory since this beauty hasn't been out of the house in years.

 

Which brings me to treadmills. Apparently, Sole F80 is the best for residential use but it's so long. And 325 pounds! It's not cheap nor small but it does come in two parts and, there's no doubt, that my 50 minutes of treadmilling (with increased speed but no incline) or walking each day has really helped me lose and maintain my weight.

 

You can lose weight by eating less but you do need so much protein, calcium, etc. each day and that stuff is contained in food and food does have calories. So, I've reached the conclusion that I can eat less and loss weight and my skin tone and my hair. Or, I can eat "normally" but exercise to maintain the weight. Since I do like my hair and skin tone, I really do have to start thinking about how do I walk in 20 degree or 100 degree weather. OK, I can walk to our clubhouse treadmill but I can treadmill in my pjs at home. More on this another day.

 

Moving on to knitting:

 

#2 Top w/cable part of NY Shrug

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/new-years-shrug

 

This link will take you to the summer shrug (called New Years Shrug) which was free until the new year; now it's $2.

 

As with so many new patterns, I'm compulsive about making them first in "expendable" yarn. At the right is the cable pattern from the NY shrug and the stockinette stitch in Red Heart with wool worked into a top. (Which I don't need, but it's coming out soooo well.)

With this top, (another top-downer), just past the neck, I worked K 5 rows, 8 rows of the pattern, then continued as: K 10 rows, 16 rows of pattern, K 15 rows, 24 rows of pattern. I think I'll end it with 20 rows of K and then a small seed or crocheted hem.

What I've learned? First, I do like the cable pattern from the NY shrug but when I make the shrug, I will be knitting in the round (starting from one sleeve across to the other) and not seaming up the sleeves at the end as the pattern calls for. Always a real bear to do. (Oh, which reminds me. I worked the shrug cable in the round so I read the chart from the right side for all rows.)

#3 All mill ends are not equal

This may be my "go-to" summer shrug for over camis. More on this later, also.

The knit project on the left is another A.C. Moore mill end which began life as a top until I realized that it looked so cheap and felt so coarse. So it returned to the frog pond and I decided to work it into a shawl. Which was obviously its goal in life because it looks good this way:

On US 8, cast on 1 stitch and K, P and K into it to increase it to 3 stitches. Next row: K across these 3 stitches. Then work the following row for the rest of the shawl:

K across but YO before the 2nd to the last and the last stitch. (2 increases at the end of every row and YO is a very easy increase)

I'm worried again that the needles will not support the increased weight (a US 17 circ broke with the last shawl done this way) so I may bind off at the length again and continue the width in crocheting. More on this later also.

And finally, last week I promised to say why I like Knit Picks needles so much. I understand that they are not perfect, I understand they are not made in the USA (though I doubt your LYS is selling everything/most things made there), and I understand there are "finer" needles out there.

But, the customer service is fantastic and for 1 year with the needles you can call to get a replacement and not have to ship back the needles (maybe after a year also).

 

The tips on all the interchangeable options (Harmony, etc.) are sharp enough for lace knitting. On the new light wood Sunstruck, I originally thought that they would be too blunt for all the P3tog, etc, in the Advent Scarf but I did the entire scarf, with no problems, on the Sunstruck US 6. (I don't knit socks so I can't comment on sizes below US 4.) Also, the price for  their interchangeables is very reasonable, even before a sale.

 

All these pluses add up for me to make KP my go-to needles. But I guess the biggest plus for me is their replacement policy. I can excuse mistakes in manufacturing but I don't want to beg the "offending" company to make it right. And I don't want to schlepp out to mail back defects and pay for return shipping.

Enough for this week. The internet is so slow today that typing is taking twice the normal time. Bad internet!

 

Next week: How to spruce up a well used winter cap.

 

See you then. Happy knitting.

And re