Thursday, June 21, 2007
Haven't posted in a while
So much has happened! I finished the blanket, but not the sweater. Still have to knit the neckband, and I have to send it off to my friends, who had a gorgeous baby girl! We visited them last weekend, and got to spend a lot of time with the baby and our friends. Seeing her made me realize how much I wanted a baby of our own. So on our way home, we talked about having a baby, and how we would like to start. How exciting!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Started on blanket again
So, I frogged 7 rows from my blanket, and started over again. If I work hard I should be able to finish another 2 balls worth of yarn. June baby has not come yet, so I think I have until at least next weekend to finish. Piece of cake right? :)
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Sweater.From.Hell.
At the end of 2006, I found out that two friends of mine were expecting a baby! One is due in the first week of June, and the second, first week of August.
For August baby, I wanted to make a blanket and sweater for the winter. The blanket took like 3 weeks - it was perfect. But the sweater...not so much. Luckily, I started two sweaters at one time (cause I have Knitting ADD): a Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino pattern and a Yarn Girls Guide to Kid's Knits (YGGTKK)pattern. The Debblie Bliss sweater came out great, but the YGGTKK sweater....well, to put it nicely, didn't. Truth be told, this is the sweater pattern from hell! It's a simple pattern, really.
The first time I made it, the sleeves were not big enough.
I will insert pic here when I get it.
The sleeve consists of 3 stripes. I should have increased after the first stripe was complete, but the directions only say to start increasing after they write about the color change for the second stripe. Meanwhile, I didn't realize it until I had finished (my fault, I should have read the directions beforehand). When I went to a new LYS for help, the owner said it would be ok, and I didn't have to frog it. Then I put it together, and now I hate it. It's now in it's almost finished state (just have to finish the crew neck ribbing), so I suppose someday I will frog it and try again.
Despite the sleeve mishap, I wasn't all that happy with the sweater. It looks really cute, but the yarn I used was pretty thin, even though it's a fleecy-type yarn. Since I had to make a sweater for the June baby, I figured I would make the same pattern, keeping that sleeve issue in mind, since everything else went well.
So I decided to use the same yarn for June baby's sweater, except I would double-strand the second sweater. Yeah, I know what you are saying....I should have thought that through...cause...
This second sweater is too wide :( It has the width measurement for a one year old, but the length & sleeve measurement for the 6 month old. In my defense, though, the gague was ok when I checked it early on - like 4 inches into the sweater. So then, I thought, cool! I could give it to June baby's 1 year old sister! But, sister will be 1 1/2 years old by wintertime, so that doesn't help much. I guess I will keep it in my stash until a new baby girl comes around and will be a year old in the wintertime :)
Since I had enough yarn to make a THIRD sweater, I started on it and knit up the back piece in one night!!! I thought I was cruzin' along so I started on the front. Dropped stitches, twisted stitches, stripes were wrong length, and I knit all the way up the neck when I was supposed to bind off. I fixed all of these issues, and yet, still had problems! I put the sweater together, and the sleeves pucker when they meet the shoulders. So I stopped knitting for like 4 days, in protest. I really have to finish this because baby is due any day now! No pressure....
But this is not the end of the story, hoo - noo!!! Not only did I screw up the sweater FOR THE THIRD TIME I screwed up the easy baby blanket I was making for June baby - the same blanket I made for August baby.
Yes, the blanket that I made in 3 weeks for August baby, the one that was so easy and rewarding, I screwed that one up. The first time was when I cast on 90 stitches instead of 80. And I kept wondering why the pattern was off. So I ripped that out, and started over again. Now, I am halfway through, and somehow, I screwed up again. I knit when I should have purled, and purled when I should have knit. So now I have to frog about an inch, and start over.
I have to pick myself up by the knit socks and keep chugging along!
For August baby, I wanted to make a blanket and sweater for the winter. The blanket took like 3 weeks - it was perfect. But the sweater...not so much. Luckily, I started two sweaters at one time (cause I have Knitting ADD): a Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino pattern and a Yarn Girls Guide to Kid's Knits (YGGTKK)pattern. The Debblie Bliss sweater came out great, but the YGGTKK sweater....well, to put it nicely, didn't. Truth be told, this is the sweater pattern from hell! It's a simple pattern, really.
The first time I made it, the sleeves were not big enough.
I will insert pic here when I get it.
The sleeve consists of 3 stripes. I should have increased after the first stripe was complete, but the directions only say to start increasing after they write about the color change for the second stripe. Meanwhile, I didn't realize it until I had finished (my fault, I should have read the directions beforehand). When I went to a new LYS for help, the owner said it would be ok, and I didn't have to frog it. Then I put it together, and now I hate it. It's now in it's almost finished state (just have to finish the crew neck ribbing), so I suppose someday I will frog it and try again.
Despite the sleeve mishap, I wasn't all that happy with the sweater. It looks really cute, but the yarn I used was pretty thin, even though it's a fleecy-type yarn. Since I had to make a sweater for the June baby, I figured I would make the same pattern, keeping that sleeve issue in mind, since everything else went well.
So I decided to use the same yarn for June baby's sweater, except I would double-strand the second sweater. Yeah, I know what you are saying....I should have thought that through...cause...
This second sweater is too wide :( It has the width measurement for a one year old, but the length & sleeve measurement for the 6 month old. In my defense, though, the gague was ok when I checked it early on - like 4 inches into the sweater. So then, I thought, cool! I could give it to June baby's 1 year old sister! But, sister will be 1 1/2 years old by wintertime, so that doesn't help much. I guess I will keep it in my stash until a new baby girl comes around and will be a year old in the wintertime :)
Since I had enough yarn to make a THIRD sweater, I started on it and knit up the back piece in one night!!! I thought I was cruzin' along so I started on the front. Dropped stitches, twisted stitches, stripes were wrong length, and I knit all the way up the neck when I was supposed to bind off. I fixed all of these issues, and yet, still had problems! I put the sweater together, and the sleeves pucker when they meet the shoulders. So I stopped knitting for like 4 days, in protest. I really have to finish this because baby is due any day now! No pressure....
But this is not the end of the story, hoo - noo!!! Not only did I screw up the sweater FOR THE THIRD TIME I screwed up the easy baby blanket I was making for June baby - the same blanket I made for August baby.
Yes, the blanket that I made in 3 weeks for August baby, the one that was so easy and rewarding, I screwed that one up. The first time was when I cast on 90 stitches instead of 80. And I kept wondering why the pattern was off. So I ripped that out, and started over again. Now, I am halfway through, and somehow, I screwed up again. I knit when I should have purled, and purled when I should have knit. So now I have to frog about an inch, and start over.
I have to pick myself up by the knit socks and keep chugging along!
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