Liberknits's Blog

Reevaluation of my priorities

liberknits — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:21:17 +0000

I finished both Temperance and the knitting on the firebird socks- the embroidery will be done today. I really am enjoying working from my stash however I think as it is halfway through the year it is time to reevaluate my goals. I’m finding that I’m not starting projects I want to because it is not fingering weight. This is not what I meant to be doing when I decided to decrease the amount of fingering weight yarn in my stash by 20 skeins. I’m also finding that I’m not going out because I feel I have to achieve my knitting goals. To me this seems to be heading down the path of knitting burn out. So I’m actually going to try and release myself from my knitting goals and let it be more flexible of overall more yarn out of the stash then into it. Whether this relives enough stress so I do other things I don’t know. I’ll just have to see as I go along. Still working on getting the camera to talk to the computer so I can post pictures.

Arrogance and/or rampant stupidity

liberknits — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:40:19 +0000

The title refers to me. I decided to start my second lace weight project. It’s a two row lace weight scarf. Well I brilliantly decided that I didn’t need lifelines. Four inches in I somehow dropped one or more of the stitches in a K3tog. No lifeline, I found the drop stitch(es) and couldn’t pick them up, so I tinked back. Guess what? I dropped another K3tog while tinking back. It’s been frogged.

This adds to my bad knitting mojo. When I went to my parents this weekend I pulled out my two wips (firebird socks and a cable and lace sweater on size 3s) and in both cases the markers I used to count my rows had fallen off. In addition, I actually forgot my knitting bags when leaving my parents house Monday morning. Not a good start, good thing I had the lace scarf and two other projects lined up but I so wanted to finish my firebird sock as it is going well for me now. So tonight I cast on a new pair of socks, Temperance- I’ve already made this pattern once and enjoyed it. However I’m on my fourth start already, 1st start, bad spot in yarn right as I started, 2nd start yarn broke, 3rd start I apparently couldn’t count. So far so good on the fourth start but I’m only 2 rows in. Hope your knitting is going better than mine.

holding steady

liberknits — Wed, 25 May 2011 22:15:27 +0000

I haven’t reduced or increased the stash of sock yarn at all (hopefully soon it will be two skeins down). The reason for this is that Maryland Sheep and wool festival happened. I figure still being one skein down after that is a great accomplishment. The one skein became the Clover honey shawlette with 2.5 extra pattern repeats. I am so on a shawl kick- I’m getting lots of inspiration from cottontail and her lovely shawls

I finished one handspun project – a cowl in green so now I have two green handspun cowls, the other one is because cottontail knit up a pretty thing cowl for me out of some handspun I gave here. I also finished by first lace weight project and wound the skein for the next one. For some reason a lot of lace weight yarn followed me home from Maryland sheep and wool so I better keep knitting lace.

I am about 4 inches into my sweater- as it is cable and lace on size 3 needles I expect this to be a long term project.

In other news- still no job for DH, he had an interview 3 weeks ago but hasn’t hear anything since. I moved- unfortunately not home but to a new place in Rockville, MD, it’s slightly bigger, a true first floor and so far much nicer (this is week 2). I spent the weekend with my folks, my dad had to have surgery (it went well, he’s home now) so I figured it would be good to be there for that.

Catch you later.

OOPS

liberknits — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 19:18:24 +0000

I went the wrong way on my stash reduction plan. I added three more skeins of fingering weight yarn. However as I finished an Ericka scarf and a pair of socks I’ve still decreased my stash by one skein. At least I haven’t increased the stash, just not decreased it as much as I hoped. Probably today or tomorrow I will finish a second Ericka scarf and will be down 2 skeins of fingering weight. Thanks to cottontail (http://knocturnalknitter.blogspot.com/) I’m debating starting a shawlette. I have other projects I should work on but it looks so nice and it is fingering weight.

Goal update

liberknits — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:23:26 +0000

2 lace weight projects – I have to finish finishing the one
Use at least 20 skeins of sock yarn from stash -2 skeins down
Finish the socks on the needles down to one pair (no change)
Finish the sweater on the needles – DONE with major difficulties but DONE
Make at least one sweater – working on gauge swatch
Knit at least 2 projects with handspun- not started

The sweater was a challenge, I almost ran out of yarn – this is surprising because I was on gauge (very close to the row gauge but exact on the stitch gauge) and I made it 4″ shorter than the pattern called for and I made the neck a log shorter. In addition the sleeve caps were wrong, I had to substitute another sleeve cap in for this one. When you start with 74 stitches and decrease 8( 66 stitches) and then bind of 2 stitches every two rows until you get to 32 stitches (68 rows) then 2 stitches for 8 more rows and the row gauge is 26 rows= 4″ the sleeve cap gets a little long. 6.5 rows per inch, a total of 78 rows = 12 inch sleeve cap. It seemed a little long to me – plus I would have run out of yarn. I think there is a typo in the pattern.

Based on my list it looks like all I’ve done in the sweater, not true. I’ve finished a pair of Anastasia socks. Like the sweater they didn’t want to cooperate but I made them work. This should mean I was three skeins down - except I added a skein of sock yarn so I’m still even at two skeins down. I was going to finish the lace project today but instead I fell into the rabbit hole of startitis. I’ve been a monogamous knitter for a while. Well this has change. I’ve got three projects going. An Ericka scarf, a pair of circle socks and gauge swatching for the bellflower vest (I’m calling it a sweater because it has cap sleeves if you want them (and I do)). All fingering weight projects so still on target for decreasing the fingering weight yarn in my stash.

I also need to cast on for a 6″ square I promised for a blanket. I should have done that today, but …

In addition I found a new apartment. I’ll be moving in the middle of May. The new place is slightly further out but I can walk to the bus and take that to the metro. It’s a true first floor so no steps for Balloo (a definite positive), it’s slightly bigger and the complex has two pools. I’m hoping I like the place once I get there. It was built in 2006 so to meet code it has to have more insulation than this place.

What’s on your needles?

It’s been a month

liberknits — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:41:14 +0000

It really has been close to a month since I posted, there goes doing better on blogging. Life hasn’t changed much here. I’m still plugging away at work, DH still looking for a job. On the knitting front I’ve finished two pairs of socks I promised to make for someone else – their yarn so it doesn’t count in my stash reduction. I did finish one pair for myself though. I’m half way through the sleeves on my sweater. I passed on some kits to a friend so you would think I’m doing good on my yarn diet but you’d be wrong. First fall down, 1 skein of wollemeise bought from another knitter on ravelry, 1 skein from sock club (oops adding yarn in a club form when trying to decrease the total amount is not helpful). I’m still two skeins down but club kits will still be coming so I better be knitting faster.

So out of these goals

2 lace weight projects – I have to finish finishing the one
Use at least 20 skeins of sock yarn from stash -2 skeins down (I’m counting giving it away as gone)
Finish the socks on the needles down to one pair (no change)
Finish the sweater on the needles – front and back done, 9″ into sleeves
Make at least one sweater – yarn wound
Knit at least 2 projects with handspun- not started

I have been spinning though – which is a problem as I don’t want to knit I just want to spin sometimes. I’m going to finish the sweater on the needles this month so spinning is only going to be allowed one day per week.

Life

liberknits — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 01:27:25 +0000

Well this is going to be a rambling post about everything and nothing at all. Life has been throwing me a lot of curve balls lately. I’m trying to cope but some days it has really kicked my butt. Due to this I’m not really doing good on any of my goals but I’m going to cut myself some slack. Walking longer and faster with Balloo is not happening and will not be happening, he can’t handle it. As he’s be diagnosed with cancer (tumor can not be removed, thank goodness it is slow-growing and doesn’t usually metastasize) I’m just going to be happy with everyday I get with him (usually – today I wasn’t so happy with the diarrhea he had in the apartment, it wouldn’t have been bad except he was ashamed of it so he dragged his dog bed over it. That’s the end of another dog bed).

Knitting has not been relaxing for me right now either. I’ve been working on the same sock for about 3 weeks now. It’s not too complicated it’s just that as it is two colors I can not get it to be sized right to go on right. It’s toe up and fits fine right up until I join the gusset stitches back into the heel (hopefully this makes sense to you, I can’t think of a better way to express it). So once again I’m going to rip back and not decrease as much, hopefully it will work this time. In the mean time I’ve sort of finished the lace weight project- it’s done except picking out the provisional cast on and joining it. I decided to wait until I visited my folks so I can borrow the same size needle from my mom. I’ve also been working on the sweater that’s been languishing since last year. I’m just about done the front- about 1 inch before I have to put the neck stitches on a holder- which I need to go buy.

I’ve been spending a lot of time contemplating what I really want to do. It is a conundrum. I know what is best for my career and I know what I want to do and I can’t think of any way to get this two things to agree. I wish there was some way to combine the two but until I gain magical powers or win the lottery it is not going to happen.

I think I mentioned this was going to be a totally rambling post, I wasn’t joking.

2011 – 3 Liber -0

liberknits — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:43:30 +0000

Well I had some good goals last post. So far I haven’t added to my stash. That’s about the only thing I’ve accomplished.

I got sick – sick enough that after walking the dog I had to sit down. Well any exercise goals went right out the window. I was so sick and tired that I didn’t even contemplate knitting for about 5 days. Then I managed about 12 rows in the next 2 days. I didn’t even think about spinning. The spinning wheel would have required too much energy to get to (it’s about 5 feet from the chair). Thank goodness that I’m mostly better, still have a bit of a cough mainly when trying to sleep.

Hopefully 2011 will improve. Those of you that know me IRL know that 2011 knocked me down and then kicked me a few times. I was struggling with it, depressed and grumpy for about 1.5 weeks (at the same time I was sick). I’m still not happy with the situation but I know we’ll get through it and hopefully some good will come of it.

I’m still going to try to reach my goals, hopefully not being sick will help.

Done

liberknits — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:32:28 +0000

I finished 3 normal sized pairs of socks, 1 size 13 pair of socks, 2 hats, 1 shawl and 1 scarf for Christmas. The two other hats and the weaving of ends did not quite get done but as I haven’t seen them yet, no problem. I gave up on a sweater for DH, just not enough time to even cast on.

Currently I’m going to set myself some goals for 2011 (I can’t believe it’s 2011 already).

Knitting goals from stash:

2 lace weight projects, one is already half done – I started early,
Use at least 20 skeins of sock yarn from stash not necessarily just for socks,
Finish the socks on the needles down to one pair (not counting the pair I’m currently working on),
Finish the sweater on the needles,
Make at least one sweater,
Knit at least 2 projects with handspun

Carefully think about every purchase of yarn to not stash indiscriminately

Spinning goals:

Spin at least once per week,
Spin at least 1/2 the fiber that a friend asked me to spin for them,
Ply a three-ply (not Navajo plied),
Play with the drop spindles more,
Try to learn something new.

Life goals:

Convince Balloo to walk faster (and hopefully further) at least 1 walk per day – this is all dependent upon how he feels,
If Balloo won’t walk faster take a decent length walk without him,
Do the exercises for my shoulder at least 3 times per week,
Try to find a way that DH and I can actually live together (this maybe wishful thinking),
Try to blog more regularly (hard for me to do but feel free to nag me if I’m not).

I actually think all of these things are good goals and things I can work towards. I don’t think I could do a complete yarn diet so having some goals of stash reduction I think is doable. I have a sweater planed that uses 3 skeins of sock yarn so that combines two of my goals nicely.

Do you have any goals for the year? Can you think of anything else I should work on?

A month and a half really?

liberknits — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 01:31:29 +0000

I knew I hadn’t blogged recently but I can’t believe it’s been a month and a half. I guess it’s because for about a month (or slightly longer) I was working on one project only, a clapotis. It is done but I don’t have any pictures yet. I’ll try to remember to take some in the day light. Since then I’ve started working on my secret knitting that some friends convinced me I could get done. So here’s a list (sort of) of what I’m trying to get done and where things stand.

3 S – 1 complete, 2 knitted just need finishing

4 sks 2 complete, 1 half to 3/4 complete

2 hts not started (but as I finisked an sk tonight will probably start one today/tomorrow)

1 swt not started not ready yet

1 shw not started, have to wind yarn.

Can I make it? I’m not sure but I’m going to do my best. Keep your needles crossed for me.