Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Wavy from Knitty


Wavy #1
Originally uploaded by
rallaronson
My major project at the moment is a top-down turtleneck sweater for DH using Berroco Ultra Alpaca. The yarn is soft and lovely to work with but the miles of stockinette stitch is really getting to me. I decided I needed an alternate project with a pattern to break up the monotony. I had some Reynolds Signature in my stash and decided to use it to make a scarf using Sarah Smith's Wavy from the Winter 2004 issue of Knitty. It's just knit and purl, but it's such an ingenious design. You can see how the pattern is developing after just 18 rows. It's really important to keep track of which row you are knitting and a row counter is recommended. I don't own one so I am making hatch marks on a 3 X 5 card. I can see it's going to be hard to go back to Dick's sweater!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Molly in Monica


molly in Monica
Originally uploaded by rallaronson
Here's a photo of my beautiful granddaughter, Molly, modeling Monica by knitty. This picture was taken earlier this month. It shows what a warm autumn we've been having in New Jersey that she can be outdoors this late in the year in this outfit. I'm very pleased with the way this project turned out. I made some modifications, knitting it in the round and using a heavier gauge yarn, Caron Simply Soft, from my stash. I'll probably make more of these next spring for my three younger granddaughters.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Scar Killer Socks with Goodies

Well, I'm finally dead. My killer socks arrived this afternoon. Courtney started them and Carolynn, aka cinnamonamon finished them. You can see they are really nice. My socks, for Cara, aka Woolslinger, are still not done. I am so stuck. I made a minor error turning the heel, couldn't find it and tried to fudge things. It just isn't working and I don't have the oomph (even with the chai tea that cinnamonamon sent me) to frog them again and redo the heal. I think they are better off in someone else's hands. I don't think I'll do this again. I really enjoyed the e-mails, but the knitting really didn't engage me. I'm pretty sure I'm not suited to knitting on needles any smaller than size 7.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Striped Baby Sweater

I finally finished the second striped baby sweater. The pink one was sent off to California long before the twins were born. Fortunately this is a nine months size and there will be time for them to grow into their matching sweaters. I have a number of other unfinished items in the Rubbermaid tubs that I use to store my stash. Cataloging every item for ravelry has been a real incentive to finish things up and take photos of them.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Struggles with SockWars


Scar Sock #3
Originally uploaded by rallaronson
I have been struggling now for about ten days about my scar socks. I found the first sock relatively easy to knit, especially for someone who hasn't ever finished a pair. The pattern is really nice and it's not hard to remember. The directions are clear. One thing I'm not happy about is the yarn, Dream in Color, Smooshy. I had trouble making guage and went up a needle size to 4. The socks feel thin. The yarn was labeled DK at the LYS, but on ravelry it's labeled fingering weight. It was rather pricey, so I didn't feel I could buy something else. This is the first project in a long time that I don't feel really good about.
I heard yesterday that my assassin, who is actually my original assassin's assassin (this gets pretty complicated, doesn't it), has finished my socks and is mailing them to me. That means I will need to send her my unfinished socks. I actually feel relieved and I'm not sure I will do something like this again. I feel guilty that I didn't just get them done and in the mail.
The most fun part of the whole enterprise was checking the e-mail entries on the yahoo group. I spent more time doing that, I think, than I did actually knitting the socks.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Pumpkin Hats


I finished two hats this past week. I thought it would be cute for the twins to have pumpkin hats to wear for Halloween. I found the pattern on the net and it was a very quick knit. I sent them off yesterday and I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of the two babes sporting the hats.

Sunday, October 14, 2007


Sonnet is Finished

I finished Sonnet on Thursday morning and wore it to work. The only problem is how stretchy the neck is. The shoulders keep slipping down. I will need to do something to tighten things up. Suggestions include grosgrain ribbon or crocheting the edge. Since I have never crocheted anything, I'm a bit anxious about that solution. The sweater looks good and I'm afraid of messing it up. I've decided to stew a bit about it and address it some time next week.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Finishing Sonnet


Here is the photo I promised of Sonnet; that is, Sonnet as a work in progress. Finishing is something I don't look forward to. My seams are often lumpy. I'm very happy with the way the various parts turned out and I have buttons I bought in France. Everytime I wear it I will remember working on it during our trip and the wonderful time we had.

Exciting News

My twin grandchildren were born on Friday, October 5. It was a vaginal delivery and both children, PJ and Ellie, are healthy. We, of course, are thrilled. My son and daughter-in-law waited many years for this moment and we are so happy for them. We are waiting for pictures to make their way to the east coast.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Back from France


We're home now and still recovering from jet lag. Waking up at 3:30 AM really doesn't do it for me especially when I have to work all day. It was a wonderful trip, walking from village to village. We have lots of photos, but they need to be sorted and labeled. That will take a while.

Re: knitting. All the pieces of Sonnet are done. I just need to sew them together. I'm not confident of my finishing skills so I have been procrastinating a bit. I'll post a photo when I've gotten it together. I did find really nice buttons in a small yarn shop in Amboise and it will feel good to have French buttons on my sweater.

Retirement is six more working days away. It's such a great feeling; a weight lifted off my shoulders. The VP offered me the opportunity to continue on an hourly basis doing those parts of the job I like best. I took her up on it.

We're still waiting for the twins to arrive. I was so surprised they weren't born while we were away, but it's a good thing my daughter-in-law is carrying them nearly to term. The risk will be lower the longer she can hold on to them.