beautiful things

Photographing your knitting (and beyond!)

I'm not a stranger to photography - my dad is an avid photographer so I grew up helping him in the darkroom, plus I took photography 101 in college which also included working in the darkroom (I wonder if it still does).  My dad gave me one of his SLRs for the class and I've used it on and off since then, although not very much recently because, well really, who needs to deal with film?!

But when I heard that Jared Flood aka brooklyntweed was giving a workshop on knitting photography, I really didn't have to think twice before signing up.  I mean, it's brooklyntweed, master knitter, designer and photographer!  I have seen a few other opportunities to take classes with him but I really wanted to go to the photography one because I have been rather frustrated with my knitting photography.  However, I haven't bothered to figure out how to make improvements.  Plus I feel like I've been hitting the limits of my point and shoot and have been thinking about getting a DSLR and wanted to find out more first. (What better excuse than a new baby to get a new camera?! However, I would consider it in addition to, not instead of my point and shoot.)

Anyway, the session was fantastic!  Jared was great - very friendly and accessible, and he packed a lot of really good information into what was a relatively short period of time (less than two hours).  I have now been inspired to:

1. learn more about the features of my point and shoot - I don't really have any excuse for not doing this earlier, but I think playing around with some of the focus and white balance features will already do wonders for my knitting photography
2. make myself a "soft box" - similar to a light box (which I've been talking about for a while) but it will make use of natural light 
3. somehow incorporate into the new baby's room (which will be in the room with the most natural light) an area where I could use this soft box - or figure out somewhere else near windows that will work.  I've always preferred natural light but most of my knitting stuff is close to the kitchen where I have nice counters for laying things out... just very little natural light.
4. I'll try all this out before getting a DSLR but I'm also more convinced than ever that it's worth getting a DSLR. 

Not only was the session great, but the venue was great too - we were in a conference room at Scandinavia House, Volvo Hall I believe.  I hate your typical hotel conference room that generally has no windows, but this room had two full walls of windows and was adjacent to a roof garden - perfect!

Intarsia inschmarsia

So, I knit a for-now-secret gift for a friend, and it came out so cute that I wanted to knit one for myself and it happened that I ordered more than enough yarn to make another and I figured, may as well do it right away while I still remember all the things I did.

Well, it wasn't right away as first I had to finish the wedding stole, and ha, there is an intarsia section and by the time I got to it, I couldn't really remember what I did.  

I've figured it out though - the first time I used the "festive knitting" method of intarsia in the round as described here. However, I didn't do my stranding very well, although I'm not quite sure how this is supposed to be done - it said to keep them loose, which I did, but it meant that the intarsia blocks were all loose around the edges and it was a complete mess. I ended up cutting and tying all the strands so it ended up looking ok (on the outside) but it did not seem like the best way to do this.  Maybe I was supposed to catch the strand in a knitted stitch every 2-3 stitches as I would with Fair Isle?

Anyway, this time around, I tried the second method of knitting back and forth and doing a join, only I didn't read the instructions from this page linked above, but from here which did not so clearly explain about making sure the YO is the back stitch when knitting or purling it together with the last stitch of the next round... although I notice it does say k2tog TBL, which I didn't. Bottom line is I was tired and kind of in a rush to finish it and my seam at the join came out horribly! I also made a few mistakes with forgetting to k2tog and also decreasing per the pattern on the front but not on the back. I tried to persevere and not be a perfectionist or get too stressed out (my mantra for knitting)... but in the end I couldn't stand it and ended up ripping it all out and starting over.  

Now I'm knitting the front and back separately and will seam them up by hand. Much better! Also, I didn't bother cutting separate lengths of yarn before - I used two ends from each ball of wool and cut one extra length, thinking yeah, it will get tangled but there aren't that many rows.  It wasn't a major problem in itself but yes it tangled immensely, and the tangles were so annoying!  I think they made me rush even more and make even more mistakes.  This time, I cut all my lengths (it helped that I had ripped out so I knew what lengths were needed) and it's going so much better and is also more enjoyable. 

The moral of the story is, it's not worth rushing! Isn't there some sort of a proverb that says that?  Sort of like "a stitch in time saves nine" but in my case reversed to be more of a warning: "save a stitch and end up doing nine..."

Also, sometimes being a perfectionist is actually less stressful!

Learn as you go

Final reminder: the blogiversary contest ends tonight at 9pm EST. Of course, when I set the time I forgot about daylight savings so make that 10pm EDT!

Note to self: place stitch markers for lace repeat the round before you start the lace!

In other words, I have started the lace section of the artichoke ripples skirt and I have screwed it up twice through miscounting! The pattern repeats every 14 stitches so I have been placing a marker every 14 stitches... except where I placed it after 11 stitches. That was before I figured out I should actually count the stitches out rather than only following the pattern. Luckily, I stopped half way round and went back to check and fixed it. Except that I didn't fix it correctly and didn't discover that until I was done and had one stitch too many remaining. At that point, I decided it was time to go to bed!

It would be much easier to count while I wasn't also trying to follow the lace pattern ie during the last knit row before starting the lace. Therefore I am going to rip back and do just that!

It's settled

(Don't forget to enter the blogiversary contest!)

Before:

Eeek!

After:

Yes my friends, it is settled - that was a complete waste of time!!!

Ok, it wasn't a complete waste of time as at least it is settled and I can now move on instead of constantly wondering and second guessing myself as to whether I should have ripped out the ladder. Thanks especially to Knitsane for the moral support via flickr, and to all the people on ravelry who gave me advice (even if I ripped out anyway!)

In the end, when the other ladder I steam blocked completely dried, it did look better, enough so that, along with everyone's advice, I think it will come out in a few washes. Also, the ladder I ripped out is now a loose ladder rather than a tight ladder (loose from the last stitch of the runner, if that makes any sense) which I'm thinking can only help once it's washed also.

I'm going to get back to knitting rather than fussing now!

Artichoke

(Don't forget to enter the blogiversary contest!)

I hereby declare that my green ripples skirt shall henceforth be known as the artichoke ripples skirt, after the colorway of the yarn I am using. A little more evocative, don't you think?!

Anyway, it's been going pretty well. I'm heavy into stockinette land, having completed the waist and hip shaping, and duh, I am realizing that yes, Addi Turbos really do rule the land!

Let me back track a little. The pattern calls for US #6 needles, but I had to swatch and swatch and swatch with ever decreasing needle sizes in order to get close to gauge, and I finally ended up with US #3, which I have in regular Addi 40" circular and lace Addi 47" circulars (Knitpicks Options doesn't go below US #4). In order to better magic loop I went with the lace Addis and it was fine but... not what the lace Addis were really intended for I think, especially with cotton.

I didn't really realize how much the "stickiness" was slowing me down though until I switched to my regular 40" Addis. I made the switch because I was starting to get rather concerned about the laddering I was getting from magic looping with needles that weren't really long enough for the circumference I was at, especially as of course I was now at the point where it was larger than where I started at the waist. I was going to knit back and forth between the 47" and 40" but the 40"s are actually big enough to just knit in the round, no magic looping and no more ladders. And now I am just zipping along! I'm hoping the ladders will even out with some pulling and tugging and machine washing (I test washed my swatches and barely got any shrinkage) but even if not, I generally wear tops that would cover that part of the skirt anyway. But I'm really hoping they wash out.

Ok the more I look at it, the more it is bothering me and worrying me. I did some research on ravelry which confirmed that I could let down a runner five or six stitches wide and rework the stitches back up to even them out. I also posted on ravelry to see what suggestions people had - everyone pretty much said it will come out in blocking and pointed out that I could try that now and see. So I've pretty heavily steam blocked and it looks a bit better but it's still there!!!! How aggravating. I try not to be too much of a perfectionist in my knitting, and probably it will come out after a few washes (my machine-washed swatches look nice and even) but I don't really want to worry about it so I may do the runner thing. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Anyway, back to the regular Addis, the yarn is a lot less splitty on them than on lace Addis too! I know this is also pretty obvious, and even on the lace Addis, mostly it's splitty because I read or watch tv while knitting so I'm not always looking at what I'm doing. It's not a big deal, I can tell by feel when I've split the yarn, or else I can fix it on the next round.

The only trouble with the 40"ers is that I can no longer try the skirt on so easily but, aside from the ladders, I'm pretty happy with how it's been looking. I haven't decided when to start the lace section yet but like many others will probably start it lower than in the pattern so I end up with a longer skirt.

---

There are a few things on my knitting mind lately. Three friends and I are collaborating on a baby blanket for another friend who is expecting in April. I know, we don't have much time but we went to Purl together last week and in about an hour were able to pick out the yarn and figure out a plan - we were pretty impressed with ourselves! We are not doing anything too elaborate but we've already knit a few squares and it's going to be simple but very cute I think. Anyway, in the process of coming up with this, one of my friends brought a copy of 100 Afghan Squares to Knit by Debbie Abrahams and wow! I was mesmerized by some of the beautiful beautiful blankets and afghans shown in this book and I can't stop thinking about them! My friend offered to lend me the book and at first I thought, you know, I'm really not going to knit a blanket right now, but on further reflection I think I may have to buy the book myself! (We used the book as inspiration but we're doing something less structured - basically we're each picking three stitch patterns and knitting three squares in that pattern in three different colors.)

I also COMPLETELY fell in love with splityarn's Clapotis scarf knit in the most beautiful colorway of Noro Silk Garden. The funny thing was, as I started to shop for the same colorway in that "I must have it now" way that occasionally overtakes one, it started to look familiar and yes, sure enough, I have 2 skeins in my stash. Is it wrong to totally copy someone's project ie steal their yarn choice?!!!

Speaking of totally copying someone's project, reviewing all my FOs from last year reminded me of this version of the lala scarf in Rainy Day Goods that I fell in love with almost a year ago and have become re-obsessed with. I really liked the Lornas Laces I used for the wristwarmers and have half a skein left... I'm tempted to just cast-on, even though I will have to buy more yarn to complete it! It would be a nice counterpoint to the stockinette of the skirt.

Back to blankets, there's a great thread going over at ravelry on called the most beautiful FO you've seen on ravelry so that's what I passed some happy time doing this morning as I stockinetted around my skirt. I saw many many beautiful projects but this one really captivated me - the tessellating fish baby blanket from Octopus Knits. I love the colors, I love the design, it's so cute yet elegant and simple.

So much to knit and so little time!

Boo boo

So, I made a small boo boo in my tyrolean stockings, but fortunately Kelly Petkun, on a recent Knitpicks podcast, describes how you can fix mistakes, including those in cables, many many rows back by dropping the stitches down and reknitting them back again, thus saving you from ripping back those many many rows.

I was familiar with this technique, but for some reason hadn't previously thought it would work for cables. Besides which, I've only used cables once, in my very first project so I hadn't really thought about it.

What a lifesaver! Although honestly, without this technique, I doubt I would have knit back all those rows. I would have just left the mistake as it wasn't that visible, but it would probably have always annoyed me.

Here is the mistake:

This cable is supposed to be twisted right over left. It's a little strange because it's the only one - all the other 2 stitch cables twist left over right. And I was thinking last night, hmmm, I haven't twisted right over left for a while and so I actually stopped and looked at what I was doing and sure enough, I had reversed it about 24 rows back.

No problem!

I dropped those 2 columns of stitches all the way back down to the error (I think Kelly said something about dropping an extra stitch on either side but I didn't bother with that):

Then I knit those two stitches back up, using the next loose thread up like I was knitting with it in regular fashion - you knit the two stitches from left to right needle as normal, then pass the two stitches back to the left needle, twisting them to the right orientation, and then knit them again.

It was a little fiddly, but it worked like a charm!

There, all better!

Hanami

For once (or at least, for the first time in a while) I'm going to try and post an FO within a reasonable amount of time since finishing it which, in this case, was this morning! I completed the knitting over the weekend and then blocked and photographed it this morning.

Hanami Stole

Date:
July 3rd - August 23rd, 2007
Yarn:
Hand Maiden Sea Silk in Rose Garden
Needles:
Addi Lace 47" circulars in US #3

Pattern:
Hanami Stole by Melanie Gibbons

The story:

I saw the pattern for the Hanami Stole when I was first coming up with ideas for a knitted item for my mother, but it wasn't until I started thinking about using Sea Silk for it that the project came together. I also wanted to try the new Addi Lace needles, so I ordered some in US #3 along with my yarn and excitedly awaited their arrival.

The yarn was as gorgeous as I expected (and I've really had a thing for pink and green lately) but I really didn't think I ordered the 47" circulars. I thought I ordered the 32" but it didn't appear that way. The lengthy cord was a little unwields. Plus I didn't really quite get guage on the #3s either but I wanted to try the new needles but didn't want to buy another size that I already have in Addi Turbos, so #3 it was. The stole is supposed to be 19" x 70". Mine ended up being 15"-20" wide and 67" long but it only really got wide at the very end, and I lengthened the stole as much as I could.

Well, did I actually lengthen it? Let's see. I chose to do the "all cherry blossom" version, and after knitting the first half, I realized the stole was going to be a little short, so I added an extra 16 rows of chart G (for those of you following along at home). The first skein ran out just before binding off, a small detail I didn't remember until I went back at the very end to weave in the ends.

Going back to the provisional cast on, I added another 8 rows to put a gap between the first cherry blossoms on either side, but as I neared the end of the stole, I realized that no way was I going to have enough yarn. By that time I had knit 8 extra rows of chart G, and I ripped out 12, after doing some measuring and calculating that ended up being way off, so I had to rip out again, and rip out another 8 rows so let's see, 16+8+8-12-8=12. I added a net of 12 rows in the end! Nor did the stole end up being exactly symmetrical, obviously, but when I started knitting, I decided to try not to be too much of a perfectionist as it's supposed to be relaxing, not stressful! I was rather frustrated by the second ripping due to miscalculation but I put the needles down for the day, had a good night's sleep, and soldiered on.

All in all, it was a good knit, easier than it looked, and the resulting fabric is beautiful and cool (as in literally cool to the touch). It was my first time doing a provisional cast on, following this tutorial over at Knitty. I did swatch it a few times to try it out, and still it came out a little loose. I think it's better to use a needle 2 sizes larger than 2 needles doubled up.

Also, the Sea Silk was the straw that broke the camel's back as far as buying a ball winder and swift went, because I got into such a tangle towards the end of handwinding the first skein that my sweetheart of a husband took pity on me and ended up helping me in an untangling that took almost an hour!!! I decided, that's it, I'm getting a ball winder and swift, and it was definitely a great decision.

In progress shots:

Pre-blocking

Did I mention that I bought a digital scale too?

Post-blocking

Couldn't resist trying it on myself...

By the way, the pattern does warn to get extra yarn if you do one of the alternate versions, and in the yarn specified, 2 skeins would have been 6 yards more. That doesn't seem like much until you are down to the last few rows and counting every inch!

Flickr set is here.

The very exciting grafting of lace!

So, Ruthless Knitting's explanation of Lucy Neatby's technique for grafting lace was fantastic. I don't know how I would have grafted the Clementine Shawlette otherwise.

Look look look!

Here you can see my one row of white guide yarn, knit in pattern, and the green waste yarn:

By the way, for those trying this themselves, I ended the pattern on the first knit row after a ridge, in other words, row 63. That way row 64 (mostly purling on the WS) was in the guide yarn and was the yarn I followed as I grafted. That way, the ridges on the two pieces ended up spaced roughly equal to the ridges in the pattern, as you will see in the very last photo below.

Here I start to graft, following the guide yarn on each piece:

(I put a cotton thread lifeline on one of the pieces but forgot to do it on the other.)

Almost done:

Complete!

Here is the back of the shawlette before pulling out the waste and guide yarn:

And here are the finished grafted pieces!

I am really happy with how it came out, although it is a shame it can't be completely seamless. The only snag is... well, it's just a little bit too long, and although I don't really have any experience with such things, I'm imagining that blocking will only make it longer, and that the silk in the yarn will make the piece stretch over time.

It's a good thing the grafting was so painless because... I think I'm going to have to undo it to shorten the shawlette!

But not just yet... right now I'm going to bask in the glory of having completed this piece!

Knitting workshop

Ok, so the finishing workshop taught by Barbara Kerr was great. It wasn't the most relaxing four hours ever. It was like real work - you had to keep up with the class, and people (including myself) were a little anxious with lots of questions of "can you show me..." or "am I doing this right..." or "what do I do now...". But I learned a lot in a much quicker period of time and no doubt with less frustration than if I'd tried to learn it myself from a book or off tutorials online.

Let's see if (with the help of the handout and swatches) I can remember what we learned:

1) short rows: I think I get the concept but I need to see it applied in a pattern to be sure

2) 3-needle bind-off (to connect for example at the shoulder instead of binding off and sewing together: pretty easy technique and very cool!

3) mattress stitch (invisible seam to connect two stockinette pieces side by side, eg side seams in a sweater): I've heard this referred to all the time but have never tried it. It's also very cool. This would have been a good technique for the seaming on all the Aurora items.

4) grafting open stitches to rows (to connect sleeve to armhole for example): I got a little confused to begin with and then didn't bother ripping out on my swatches, but I got the hang of it and this was a very cool technique also.

5) garter stitch seam (invisible seam to to connect two garter stitch pieces side b side eg on a blanket of squares or a garter stitch sweater): sounds simple but this was a little confusing to me and my seam was not terribly "invisible". I'll have to try this again.

6) the handout includes kitchener stitch but I don't think we did this in class

7) picking up stitches (eg along a neckline to add a collar/finish it off): this technique I had used before for Molly's cardigan but I have a clearer understanding of it now.

8) sewn cast off (gives you a stretchy and very even cast off): this was a pretty easy and very cool technique

9) tubular cast on (to produce a rolled edge): also easy and cool oops, forgot to take a photo of this one

10) attach vertical rib for buttonhole band: this was done using needles 3 - 4 sizes smaller than the body was knit with, although I'm not sure why as the stitches are meant to be the same size. This was an interesting technique too, although I didn't get through all the buttonhole examples.

And that was it. Not bad eh? Not that I'd seamed much before, but now I'm not going to be so inclined to put seaming off as I'll be dying to try my newfound techniques!

It's official

I am officially a knitting nerd - I have created a yarn database! It probably would not even have occurred to me to do so were it not for hearing Nicole and Jenny talk about theirs on Episode 8 of Stash & Burn, but I must admit to being more comfortable with excel than your average person. I didn't do anything fancy, though. For now, I'm recording date of purchase, place of purchase, manufacturer, style, color, cost/skein, yards/skein, skeins unused/used, project, and who it's for. I suppose I might want to record the weight and fiber content but right now I can't really bothered.

Anyway, here are some interesting facts:
- skeins purchased: 28
- skeins knit: 15.9
- yards purchased: 3903
- yards knit: 2078
- $ spent on yarn (not including shipping): $320.40
- knitting since: 1/21/07

In other news, Molly's Cardigan is DONE! At the recommendation of someone from knitting group, I went to M&J Trimming. It was during lunch and I had to get back to the office for a meeting so I didn't have much time, which was probably good as it forced me to make a decision quickly. I could easily have spent hours in search of the perfect button, but as it is, I am very happy with my choice.

Two articles from Knitty were helpful in finishing the cardigan. This one talks about picking up stitches along a straight edge, and the follow-up article talks about picking up stitches along a curved edge.

I'm going to hold off on posting final photos until I have given the gift at the end of the month, but here is a teaser from before it was quite finished: