Purls from Trainlady

Why I need stockinette projects...

2008-06-20T08:43:00.001-04:00

Laura's Scarf
Originally uploaded by trainlady1114

This is simple lace. A four row repeat that I have memorized. And, I can read it. So why if I can look at a row and know what I need to do next, do I just do whatever comes into my head instead of actually looking and thinking?

There have been far too many occasions where I've picked it up to find that the last time I worked on it, I knit instead of purled or vice versa. I might be done by now if not for the regular ripping out. I'm hoping this is a practice makes perfect thing and not a hopeless statement of my abilities.

Late Spring Socks

2008-05-23T16:41:00.001-04:00

Spring Socks in Shadow
Originally uploaded by trainlady1114

I finished my Atlantic City Socks last night. I went to the stash to get the Regia Kaffe Fassett that I bought in Rhinebeck and intended to be my next socks. This yarn jumped into my hand, and I couldn't put it down.
I won it in Claudia's MS raffle last year. It seemed the time to get it out. And it is only proper that they are picot-hemmed.

Spring is late this year. Violets are usually Mother's Day flowers, but here they are in their prime on May 23rd. The yarn seems to go with the flowers.

Bagels!

2008-02-20T08:36:00.002-05:00

Bagel
Originally uploaded by trainlady1114

Following the lead of Wild Yeast, I tried to make bagels with my sourdough starter. They were amazing.

They look like bagels. They taste better than what I can buy locally. The picture is too washed out, but they have a perfect network of small air bubbles. I'm amazed that I can make something like this.

Bread and the Beauty of Ripping

2008-01-27T11:21:00.002-05:00

I made a whole-wheat sandwich loaf today. Yesterday got away from me, and I didn't get dough made so it's not sourdough-based because I don't have the time for a rise.

The dough recipe is based on this one. I didn't have potato flakes or flour so substituted oats. I used about two tablespoons of honey in place of the sugar. Since I did that on a whim after the liquid was added, I needed about a tablespoon of bread flour to get a soft, but substantial dough. It's a little too soft, I think, but it tastes good.

I am back to work on this:

I took it with me to a nightclub and was working on it in the dark while listening to loud music. My wallet fell out of my knitting bag that night and I was pretty disturbed about that so the whole bag was in time-out for a while. When I did look, I realized that I had misplaced a yarnover (which I couldn't live with) and dropped a stitch which I split in my attempt to pick it up on the dark (I might have lived with that). So the poor neglected sock hung out waiting for me to repair it. Yesterday, when I was going shopping, I packed it up and brought it along.

When I stopped for gas, I pulled it out to start the dreaded repair process. And then boldly (for me, anyway) pulled out the needles and ripped. I picked the stitches back up in the parking lot of the Tar-jay and knit my way through the store. I've reknit the inch of knitting I was trying to save already. And it was much more enjoyable. I like to knit. I don't really like to repair mistakes. This should be a lesson.

I think the problem is that when I was six or so and first learned to knit, my mother explained to me that you really couldn't rip knitting out. It would ruin the yarn. The yarn would be all kinked and wouldn't reknit the same. I now know that this is largely not true: kinks are correctable and wool is forgiving. But somewhere in the back of brain, that still stands true.

May I always have the courage to rip and reknit.

No-Knead Round Two

2008-01-24T12:29:00.001-05:00

IMG_0658
Originally uploaded by trainlady1114

This one was much wetter than the first one and consequently didn't rise as high. I used one pound of flour (5 ounces KA whole wheat, the remainder KA bread, 4 ounces of sourdough starter dissolved and enough water to make up 12 1/4 ounces total liquid weight and salt.

The bread has a nice sour flavor, but is a bit too squat. The next round, I'm going to cut back to about 10 ounces of liquid and see how that works.

A is for ...

2008-01-19T16:30:00.001-05:00

Meta-Lizzie
Originally uploaded by trainlady1114

African Grey.

Bird in Hand (Actually two!)

2008-01-02T13:35:00.001-05:00

IMG_0622
Originally uploaded by trainlady1114

I'm so proud of these. They are warm and beautiful, and I'm amazed that I knit them. There was a little bit of gauge denial so they're tight, but once it gets above freezing, I'll block them out a bit. For the time being, I just want to wear them.

The thing about them that I'm most proud of is that I stuck it out. When I made a mistake, I ripped and fixed it. I didn't think good enough was good enough or toss them in the corner to think about later. Thanks to Margene's thoughtful post about UFO's, they didn't become one.

A Bear Story

2007-10-25T23:03:00.000-04:00

My DH was enjoying a rare evening out with the guys so I was home alone with the animals. Patches was outside patrolling for DH.

I was feeling a bit cool and built a fire. Once I got it good and hot with the dry wood inside the house, I was going to use some damp wood from outside. I stepped over to the sliding glass door to go outside and found a large bear sitting on the deck. Standing less than two feet from the bear was our very excited dog. She was not barking, yet. Both animals were a couple of feet from the door. In that first instant, what went through my mind was that this was going to come out badly.

In the next instant, I shrieked. I would like to say it is because loud noises are supposed to scare bears, but I think it's because I was terrified and startled, and that's how it came out. Surprisingly, the bear looked annoyed, stood up, and started walking away. So in this case, a loud noise did scare the bear. Patches started to *chase* the bear.

I opened the door and called the dog. She stopped, looked at me, looked at the bear ambling away, and continued chasing (it was a low speed chase). I called her again, maybe a little frantically this time, and she came running into the house.

I was relieved. We stayed inside until DH came home. Generally, I'm on the fence about the bear hunt, but tonight I want a bearskin rug.

Almost too sick to knit...

2007-09-22T00:39:00.000-04:00

I caught a late summer cold which was miserable. I sneezed and coughed and ached. I abandoned the computer. It was really a challenge to focus enough to knit. The only thing I could manage was my Seaman's Scarf because it was only 3x3 rib. And I really couldn't even do that right. I found purls where there should be knits. The worst was this far down:

I'm so grateful for the lessons I've learned about laddering stitches back up. I wasn't sure that I could manage that many stitches, but I managed. I can't even tell where the corrected stitch is.

So the scarf which is softer than I could possibly imagine marches on.

Car Show Knitting

2007-09-17T01:00:00.000-04:00

The knitting isn't particular exciting. It's a Seaman's Scarf in Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere. It's deliciously soft. The needles are KnitPicks Harmony fixed circulars in which are very pointy and not at all flexible; I'm pleased with them. I did a provisional cast-on so that I can make the cabled sections as long as possible. None of that is exciting or even interesting. Look where I was:

Maybe this helps:

Rhinebeck! It's a great venue for the hot rods and we had a nice day. But it looks strange with the barns so empty:

A peek at the pineapple:

I do have a spinning wheel, but

2007-09-16T00:32:00.000-04:00

it can't be used for spinning any more. It is a perfectly functional and comfortable rocking chair. It is very old. I remember my dad sitting in it at his aunt's house when I was a child. It wasn't a new chair then. The wood is showing its age so we don't let people sit in it any more. It usually sits in the corner of our living room with a throw over it and a resident stuffed animal.

This weekend, we were hanging some artwork and needed to move it out of the way. Once it was in the middle of the floor, I was really struck by how nice it was. I oiled it and tried to photograph there, but I couldn't do it justice. So I carried it outside. I know that the sun is bad for it, but it was there for a grand total of five minutes so I'm just not going to worry.

And for knitting content, there's this:

I was knitting along this evening and realized that the last row of cat's paw on the left side of the stole is messed up. It's really obvious so I have to fix it. I think the yarnovers are on the wrong side of the decreases. If that's all it is, I think I can straighten it out without ripping. But that's a project for another day.

Lifelines work for me

2007-09-12T23:07:00.000-04:00

I've heard that lifelines are for sissies. And I have believed that and failed to use them. The problem with that is not that I make mistakes and need the lifeline to rip back to. The problem is that I leave my knitting on the arm of the chair. I'm not always careful to pull my knitting onto the cords so more often than seems reasonable, I come back to find that the needle has slithered out. If I put lifelines in, the escaped stitches have a place to stop which means I don't have to rip back to correct for my stupidity. I can just ladder them back up.

My MS3 would have been a pile of yarn several times over. And I probably would have quit. Fortunately, I've been reliable about the lifelines at least so I'm almost through Chart E.

I do wish I could remember to take pictures of things.

Pineapple Progess

2007-09-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, I planted the top of a pineapple. Last year, I transplanted the ever growing plant into a much larger pot. When we came home vacation on July 28th, this is what we found:

A week later it looked like this:

I've been taking one picture a week, on Sundays, consistently:

Yesterday, I took this one:

We haven't harvested it yet. I wonder how large it will get.

This Yarn Makes me Happy!

2007-09-08T13:34:00.000-04:00

I was sitting in the car Thursday evening, working on my traveling sock and made that comment to my husband.

He responded by asking, "Why?"

I answered that I loved the colors and it felt nice in my fingers. It's Fleece Artist; of course I do. I also added that it reminded me of our recent vacation where I purchased the yarn and started on the socks.

I suspect there is a generalization here. Yarn makes me happy.

Catching Up and a view of Lead East

2007-09-03T11:02:00.001-04:00

So I've been slogging along on Mystery Stole 3, aka Swan Lake. I still love it. I'm working on Clue 4 which I enjoy, but I don't need to as pay close attention so I make mistakes.

I got into to Ravelry, id: trainlady. I really see the point there. The database aspects are useful. I'm looking forward to archiving everything there. I sometimes feel like I knit and knit with no results. The problem is I finish things and move on. They don't remain in my consciousness particularly when I give them away.

And it's a great help to look at other people's projects. When I'm thinking about something I want to work on, I would google it. Sometimes, I would find other examples. In Ravelry, it's not a measure of my google-fu. If they are there, I can see them essentially immediately.

We made our annual visit to Lead East, and I worked on my vacation Monkey almost the whole time. I finished several repeats. The sock is looking at the Rocket Ship ride. It's part of an amusement park ride which was mounted on an Olds Toronado chassis.

That sort of thing is what makes Lead East unique. Many car shows are about perfect and historically accurate cars. Lead East sometimes pokes fun at this. We've all heard the "mooring that boat" joke too many times. This guy makes it real:

Blogger ate my photos.

Swatching? Check!

2007-06-28T23:54:00.000-04:00

I've worked on three swatches for Mystery Stole 3. I'm pretty sure I know the smallest and largest needle sizes. Unfortunately, I don't know which swatch I love.Maybe tomorrow I'll take a picture and post it.

The first swatch was on US4 and was so loose that it was hard to even tell it was knitting. I didn't even finish one pattern repeat of that.

My next attempt was US3 (3.25mm). it's ok. I stopped paying attention to the chart sooner than I was ready to so the swatch isn't really right. I didn't want to tink it back. It seemed like there was nothing to be gained.

Finally I swatched with US2 (2.75mm). When I was knitting it, it felt right. But when I look at it next to the larger one, I have doubts. I'm wondering if I shouldn't try a US2 (3.00mm). I have one coming.

I'm going to wet them down, pin them out, then go to bed. Maybe in the morning light, the right choice will be obvious.

At this moment, I'm planning to cast on with the 2.75mm needles. I intend to reverse my normal routine and get ready for work as soon as I get up so once the clue is posted I can cast on before I leave for work.

Do I sound impatient? Aren't you?

Cotton Candy, Anyone?

2007-06-24T23:14:00.000-04:00

While I was winding my yarn and despairing of ever getting to the end, my husband observed that it looked like cotton candy. He was so right.

I did get to the end. Now to the swatching.

Winding Laceweight

2007-06-23T02:24:00.001-04:00

I started winding my yarn for the mystery stole tonight. I am so grateful that I sprang for a proper swift last month. This yarn would be even more scary without such a tool. I can just imagine the tangled mess I would create with the warping loom I had been using.

It is beautiful and soft, but it seems so fine and delicate. I have been experimenting with using an electric mixer as a ball winder, but I think I want to practice that on something more durable like bulky weight or rope, maybe.

Instead, I'm winding it by hand onto a drift pin. It seems to be working, but it is taking a very long time. My goal is not speed but a consistent job without cutting the yarn. I'm hoping that slow and steady will win the race.

Third Time is the Charm?

2007-06-20T23:10:00.001-04:00

Knitalongs and I have not done well together. My first attempt was the Sweaters from Camp knitalong. I really never got through the cast-on. My life was too busy for a sweater that I wasn't going to be able to knit a single row in a night. I did manage to teach myself the i-cord cast-on for it. I really liked the way that looked, but I didn't connect that if knit stitches aren't square, there wasn't going to be a one-to-one relationship between the i-cord and the number of stitches to cast on. I should have caught on when it looked big enough, but well... I went ahead and cast on exactly the number of stitches I needed. My husband and I could have both fit in the resulting sweater and rattled around. That was pretty much the end of that. It's packed away. I still want to knit it, but the KAL is over and I think I need more practice.

So, I moved on to the Beadwork KAL. It is a beautiful sweater with no color work. The group was really nice and supportive. Even though I was feeling guilty about my poor vertical stripes pullover, I really did want to knit Beadwork. All I needed was a pattern and yarn. I made some efforts to find a pattern, but I wasn't going to bid an outlandish amount for it on ebay. I went to Rhinebeck with the intention of buying yarn if I found the right thing, but I'm not sure I knew what I was looking for so I left without it. I still haven't scored a pattern by reasonable search methods. I'm sure that I will someday and then I will knit the cardigan. But I won't be knitting it for the KAL because that is winding down.

So I'm signed up for my third one: The madness that has become Mystery Stole 3. Unlike the other two, a lace stole is something which I've successfully completed before. And I know that I really will use a white lace stole when cruising around in the Model T. I really just checked into the group to watch, but I was sucked in.

I had some white Skacel Merino Laceweight in my miniature stash. I ordered lovely, crystal, triangular beads from Earth Faire (a really great vendor). I'm ready to start. I have a set of Lantern Moon ebony needles in size 4 and Addi Turbo lace needles in sizes 3 and 4 so I have choices. I need to wind my yarn without tangling it (that's a scary thought) and swatch. And find a better place to take photos.

And maybe, just maybe, this one will be the charm. I really want a lace stole.

Casting On....

2006-03-14T07:31:00.000-05:00

I'm finally casting on my Pullover with Vertical Stripes for the SFCKAL. It probably wasn't a good decision to take this project on during tax season. I get about fifteen minutes a day to knit. I want to succeed so I will soldier on. Only 316 stitches to go.

It's a swatch!

2006-02-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's a very small swatch. But I'm knitting two-handed with this very fine yarn. I like it, but it goes so very slowly. My spit slicing is messy and ugly. I think I'm going to need to put a shot glass full of water on the end table because the spitting is just too gross.

I'm hoping to have a picture posted later this evening.

Okay, so here it is. It's a couple of rows bigger now.

Who would have thought . . .

2006-02-19T23:39:00.000-05:00

that this would be a good place to knit. I'm sometimes called upon to sit in a car while Ed works on the underside (often bleeding brakes). Happy to help, I climb in the car. Soon, I realize that I can't get out of the car, but I have nothing to do so I end up reading the owner's manual. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Last weekend, I thought before I climbed into the car. I ran upstairs for my sleeves. I made so much progress. It was such an enjoyable time, I was sorry when the car was lowered and I had to get out.

Stupid Technology

2006-02-14T21:33:00.000-05:00

I have had pictures to upload for a couple of days, but I can't get the camera to talk to the computer. Arrrrrgh!

I received a very nice e-mail from the people at J&S. The rest of my yarn is winging its way to me as we speak. I could swatch without the color I'm missing, but I'm a little bit scared. I recognize the irrationality of that statement.

I did start laying out the multiple charts as one chart in a spreadsheet. I thought it was my inexperience that was contributing to my confusion. Then I read that Rebekkah thought there was some challenge there. Once I get it done, I would be willing to share the fruits of my labor with anyone who already owns the book if that seems appropriate.

Finally, something to report

2006-02-10T08:03:00.000-05:00

I've been making slow steady progress on the cardigan sleeves. However do I have something report:

I have yarn for the SFCKAL. I took several pictures trying to get the color right. None of them are. I believe I'm missing a color, but I haven't resolved that issue yet.

I'm just admiring my little yarn pyramid. Swatching may begin soon.

Here comes the train...

2006-01-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

We had breakfast at a nearby IHOP to meet friends and check out the ceiling mounted train layout in the restaurant. Initially, we looked up every time the train appeared in our section of the restaurant. Fortunately, the company was too good to keep that up.

I want to hang my layout so part of my purpose in being there was to see how the trains were mounted. It was a great choice, because his solution looked homebuilt. Since that is what I plan to do, it was fun to reverse engineer. I have a design. Similar to the restaurant's, but simplified.

Yarn Ordered.

2006-01-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

On Friday morning, I spoke to a lovely sounding Englishwoman at J&S and ordered the yarn for the Fair Isle Pullover with Vertical Stripes.

Now, I'm really motivated to finish my sleeves. I completed the last cable twist so I just have the reverse stockinette pattern to go.

I'm very proud of this...

2006-01-23T22:50:00.000-05:00

Looks nice doesn't it.

How about this?

Did it almost fool you? I stripped the black paint off the tank on one of the models and used touch-up paint from my bike to make it unique.

On the knitting front, SFC arrived! I've been drooling. And I have had a total change of heart. All the sweaters are so much more vibrant when they are not on my monitor. And, I am sure that I must be feverish, but I really want to knit this:

Further research and contemplation is required.

Note: Ed mentioned when he looked at the manifold picture that the brackets are now on straight. I guess I need to take another picture. And the fenders are quite as finished as we thought. But this too shall pass.

Manifolds & Fenders

2006-01-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

Done. When we quit working on the Model T in April, we left ourselves a bunch of headaches. Since we started back on the car this year, it's just been frustrating. But we perservered and the rear fenders look great!

Notice the knitting on the floor in front of the stool. The knitting serves as stress relief for both of us by keeping me happily occupied when there is nothing I can do to help.

I'm diligently working on the sleeves for my cardigan. I finally feel like I'm making forward progress. I have one more cable repeat before I start the reverse stockinette pattern. I know that goes fast.

And here are the manifolds. They now fit together the way they should.

And we got January in during the record warm temperatures. It was quite a banner day.

Impatiently waiting

2006-01-15T22:10:00.000-05:00

I'm waiting not very patiently now for my book to come. I've looked at the pictures that Rebekkah posted (great job) and it helped me to narrow my choices. However, I need the book in my hand to finally make up my mind.

I want to do a vest. I like vests. I also am afraid of feeling overwhelmed by a project that is really going to stretch my skills. Sleeves and the related construction might be too much. I love the colors in the Northwest Sunset Vest. I really like the lines of the Wisconsin Fall Foliage Vest. I'm thinking about lengthing the Sunset or changing the pattern on the Wisconsin, but I want to look at the pattern.

Soon, it has to arrive soon.

It's been almost forever...

2006-01-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

Christmas has come and gone. I did no knitting for anyone. On my trip to Portland, I knit a hat. It was my first attempt at stranded work, and I loved doing it. I so hated intarsia. It was a pleasant surprise to find that I didn't hate all colorwork. I even modified the pattern a little bit.

Sweaters from Camp should soon arrive. It will be a belated Christmas present from my mother-in-law. I hoped when I ordered it that I might actually want to knit something from it as opposed to just salivating over the pictures. Maybe the knitalong will inspire me to blog. Or not.

The Perfect Post?!!!

2005-11-16T00:37:00.000-05:00

NOT!!!

I make this so hard. Since I don't have time to craft the perfect post, I don't post at all. I'm going to post something even if it is stupid.

Here's my deal:

I'm new to this stuff. I don't yet know how to make the software do the tricks I want it to. That is a short-term problem. I will know.

I don't have the habit of creating posts. That's a harder one.

I'm tired and I want to go to bed. I should do that and I will.

Knitting Content?

2005-11-09T07:36:00.000-05:00

We did get November in.

I thought some knitting content might be a good thing. It's just that there is this problem with the knitting projects. My diamond fantasy shawl wandered off pattern and it's mid-frogpond. I have two 1/3 sleeves on my coup d'etat cardigan with unmatched twists in the cables.

I really want to cast something else on. I'm trying to be disciplined about knitting; one project at a time. That was working. Then we went on vacation, and I didn't think I had enough cardigan to make it through. So I started a Charlotte.

I did manage to finish that, but I lost my focus. Instead of finishing my cardigan when I got home, I felt free to cast on something else. I used Christmas knitting as an excuse. Now I need to make a choice. Fix what I have or invest a fortune in needles so I can have a plethora of unfinished projects.

I know from years of needlework experience that if I put something away with a problem, it's hard to pick it back up. So using that logic, I should fix the shawl and sleeves before I quit. I also know that if I fix them, I'll probably want to knit them.

My husband is wonderfully encouraging on this. "Don't do what I do. Do one thing at a time." I appreciate his support. Sometimes his obsession with one thing at a time is stressful in itelf. That's a subject for another day.

Following Up

2005-11-06T08:42:00.000-05:00

It's foggy. We want to get out for a motorcycle ride so we can get November in. We have this silly habit; we try to ride every month. It's only silly because we live in Northern NJ and it's going to get cold and snow and the driveway is going to freeze. February is always the tough one.

Yesterday was the day to ride, but I had to go to a tax seminar. Ed had a bad day with the flatbed so when I got home he wasn't in the mood. By bad day, I mean a disaster. The bed fell off and dropped stuff all over the back driveway. This blocked the driveway and trapped the backhoe which he needed to use to pick things back up. By the time I got there, he was almost finished cleaning up the mess. But that kind of stress is exhausting.

The flatbed is in a bad state of restoration. The new bed is built, but not properly attached, obviously. It's not the project of choice right now so Ed was moving it to long-term storage to get it out of the way.

I should finish this and do something about breakfast so I can get some things done.

A first post

2005-11-05T22:29:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to crawl out of lurkdom into the world of people who can speak publicly on the web. Maybe I can't. But maybe needing to have something to say will serve as motivation to get stuff done. I certainly won't be the first to use a blog for that. I guess we'll have to wait and see.