I hate school.

OK...that's a lie. I actually love everything to do with school. However, I haven't had much knitting time at all because of this little thing called a senior honors thesis. It's due Monday. Which is why I am writing this instead of my thesis!

Things I've been doing instead of knitting:

1. Working on my senior thesis.
2. Eating French Fries.
3. Writing a stupid paper about how a stupid poem about a stupid forest represents the German soul. Sometimes, a forest is just a forest.
4. Playing Sporcle quizzes.
5. Nursing my aching wrists back to health.
6. Finding out what kind of cheese I am on BuzzFeed. (Easy Cheese, thank you very much.)
7. Reading all of the Yarn Harlot's books...she's coming to STL in March!!
8. Looking at my mostly finished sock in my purse...
9. Discovering bent DPNs in the pit that is my purse.
10. Discovering that said bent DPNs fell out of my sock :(
11. Sleeping. 

A bent needle found in the abyss of my purse.

Now, about that doggie sweater for Baylee. I hit a roadblock when I realized I was supposed to make a leash hole as I was decreasing on the back. The instructions say to make the leash hole near the top of the back. Now, if you are a good small dog owner, like Baylee's mom is, you use a harness to make it more comfortable for your dog to be on a leash. And you don't attach the leash to the collar. Therefore, I knew I had to put the leash hole more in the center of the back. Sadly, I do not get to see Baylee every day, so I had to wait until I could measure where the leash hole needs to be in relation to where her harness falls on her back.

I finally got see the little princess and measured her for the leash hole. And I found out I had to rip back 2.5 inches to make the leash hole :( Oh well. I did that this afternoon instead of writing about my linear regression results in my thesis...I was hesitant to put the leash hole in the middle of a cable, but I just couldn't stand to not have the leash hole perfectly centered. Sometimes all you can do is hope...

Here's something that makes me feel dumb. So each end of the back I am knitting is in stockinette stitch. As in, one row starts with a knit stitch, the next starts with a purl, and so on. I've been doing the first purl stitch wrong every. single. time. I thought that it was curling at the edges more than it should,. Turns out it's because I'm twisting every purl stitch at the beginning of a row. Wrapping the yarn around the needle the wrong way. I've been able to do a simple purl stitch since I was roughly 8 years old. That's 13 years! And I'm still doing it wrong! Thing is, I'm too lazy to rip it out and fix all those stupid purls. So I'm not going to. Muahahahahaha. Such a rebel. 

That, and since I'll be adding a ribbed edging and the underpiece to it, I think the curling will disappear...

I hope. 

I'll be a hermit for the next 48 hours finishing my thesis.

Happy knitting!

Ruth(ie)

Bonus photo of Baylee giving me her best bitch face side eye.

7 Countries!

Hey Y'all!

My blog is now being read in 7 different countries and 3 continents. I never imagined that I would have so many readers so quickly. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for each and every visit :)

I had been hoping to post sooner, but on Valentine's Day, I was so excited to check the mail that I tripped and fell down a flight of stairs. My left wrist and hip took most of the hit, and I have the bruises to prove it. I decided to give myself a couple of days off from knitting and writing to make sure I didn't hurt myself even more.

Anyway, here is my progress on Baylee's sweater! So far, it has been a joy to knit. It's knit flat in 3 pieces. I can't remember the last time I knit something flat! It's a nice change, but almost a little awkward to get used to long straight needles again! The cable pattern is very simple. 3 cables with a double seed stitch between them. The longer it gets, the longer the more I like the pattern! I think the color really makes it pop. :)

Ravelry Pattern

Techniques used so far:

1. Long-tailed cast on
2. Knit
3. Purl
4. Basic cable (C6F)

Although I decided to go with the large pattern, the pattern calls for you to knit the cable pattern until it's a certain length, so I just didn't knit it for the full length of the large. This is the back, I'm about to start decreasing for the neck :)

Baylee's sweater!

Now it's time to have a Titanic movie night with the housemates :) Although I really like the movie, I pretty much have to stop watching it when the captain realizes the ship is going to sink. I bawl an embarrassing amount...

Happy Knitting!!

Ruth(ie)

P.S. Please don't ask me about that sock.

Doggie Sweater!

I know people have strong feelings about dressing up pets. You either think it's animal torture, or have 128763598723 tiny Yoda costumes and Santa suits for your teacup Yorkie. Well, I grew up with the two greatest dogs ever (Don't even try to fight me on whether they were the best. You'll lose.) Rudy and Fritz, two adorably chubby Boston Terriers. Of course, they were boys and you don't dress boy dogs in cute clothes, so we never did. By the time mom and I realized we should knit them some very masculine sweaters, they were too old and curmudgeon-y to put up with that crap. 

My opinion is that dressed up dogs are ADORABLE. But if your dog doesn't like it, be kind and don't do it. It's better if you start dressing them up while they're young. Or they'll be like my Rudy and Fritz and just eat through anything you put on them. 

But I now have another adorable small dog in my life! Baylee is a 12 pound Beagle-Chihuahua mix. As much as I would love to knit a sweater for her older brother Hunter, he is a 90 pound black lab. I also don't think he would stand for that. Regardless of if you think dressing up your dogs is torture, she's tiny and she gets really cold, especially in this freak winter weather we are having! So, naturally, my next project is a sweater for her. 

I want to get into knitting sweaters for people, but I decided that knitting a sweater for Baylee would be a nice stepping stone to doing bigger sweaters.

The cutest pup in the land.

Here is the pattern that I will be using. I chose to use Cascade 220 Superwash in Lake Chelan Heather. It was one of the recommended yarns for the project on its Ravelry page, but I failed to do my research, and apparently Cascade just changed the gauge on the yarn, and it's quite a thin worsted weight.

Before I started the project, I knit my first ever gauge swatch! And I'm glad I did! Because the yarn is thinner than called for in the pattern, the sweater would have been too small had I blindly followed the pattern. I ripped out the first gauge and made a second one with a larger needle, but the swatch wasn't as dense as a sweater should be. Therefore, I decided to keep the needle size called for in the pattern and just knit a size Large instead of a Medium (can you believe that she can be considered a large!?). I am hoping this works out. 

Lesson: Knitting a gauge swatch is extremely important when embarking on a project that is supposed to fit someone's body for two reasons.

1. Even yarns that are called "worsted" can be lighter than what you normally think of as worsted. 
2. Every knitter knits differently. Not better, not worse, just different. There are probably knitter out there who don't pull their stitches as tightly as I do. If a tight knitter and a loose knitter knit the same thing with the same yarn and the same needles, the size of the end project will be larger for the loose knitter than it will be for the tight knitter.

Here is my project so far: 

10 rows in!

Cable Close-Up

I'm not sure I like that the cables aren't very defined. They actually look better in the pictures than in real life! I'm going to keep going with the pattern for now, but if I still don't like it I think I am going to substitute a different cable pattern onto the sweater, keeping the same general size and construction.

Happy Knitting!

Ruth(ie)

I worked so hard yesterday...what do I have to show for it?

The heel of a sock. And wrist and shoulder pain.

my hard work. 

I worked and I toiled for hours while I cheered on Team USA. On a sock. Granted, this is the first time I've ever knit a sock, so I'm sure it took a few more minutes to figure out what I need to do than it will next time. Learning how to turn the heel, make the heel flap and such was another one of those things that was easier than I expected.  Most of knitting is simply reading directions. Even if you're not sure of something, my advice is to dive right in and go with your instincts.

Heel flap

Things I Could Have Done Yesterday Instead of Knitting the Heel of One Sock:

1. My homework....but really, who are we kidding? I'm a second semester senior. I don't do that.
2. Other knitting. My mother knit most of a lovely bandana cowl in less time than I knit the heel of a sock.
3. Applied for a job in Boston.
4. Attained Michelle Obama arms. Which is really my life goal. So busy knitting yesterday that I forgot to lift my weights! 
5. Driven to Chicago and bought high quality socks.
6. Driven to the mall and bought high quality socks.
7. Earned ~$60 at a minimum wage job to pay for high quality socks.
8. Built a snowman family.

Instead I did this: 

Heel...again.

I don't think I like sock knitting.

Ruthie

P.S. I think I've made it easier to comment on my blog, so please comment and let me know your frustrations (or joys!) of sock knitting. I'd love to hear about your experiences!! :)

Sock Knitting Should Be An Olympic Sport

Well, today I'm spending the day knitting in front of the TV and watching the Olympics. Which will be my life for the next two weeks. With intermittent German homework and Thesis writing....

Knitting socks is like running a marathon. I should know. Once in a while, I run 3 miles on the elliptical. Kind of the same thing.

I read in the Yarn Harlot's book, Knitting Rules, that each sock is roughly 17,000 stitches. SEVENTEEN THOUSAND. I mean, I don't actually know how that compares to other projects, but that's a big number for something so tiny.

This is the first pair of socks I've ever made, and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. So for, it has been mostly mindless knitting. I love knitting stockinette in the round--who wouldn't? Right now, I feel like a speed skater in the middle of the race. I've put a lot of work behind me, but I just have to keep my head down and chug along. I can't let myself look up or process how I feel until it's over. Hopefully that will avoid the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome. I have a feeling that will change when the yarn for my next project arrives...Hint: It's for the cutest little girl I know.

This is how my sock started:

Baby Sock

I cast on using size 2 needles so that the ribbed section was more stretchy. I probably should have made the ribbed section a little longer, but I got bored. Ribbing is a pain in the butt!

Finally, my sock reached 7 inches while I was watching Team Figure skating this morning. (I've decided my future children will be figure skaters..what a beautiful sport!!). I would have had the socks a little shorter, but I decided that since I'm not a huge fan of how the colors are turning out, the will be given to my mother. 

Finally 7"!!!

And here's my sock now! I finished the heel flap!!

heel flap

Almost looking like a sock. 

On a side note: Those USA knit Olympic sweaters...dear Lord are they ostentatious. I mean...it's cool that they're knit and everything. That was a nice contrast to the other countries' jackets (I LOVED Germany's!!), but I will never be knitting one of those.


Go Team USA!!!!

Ruthie

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Knit

This post was supposed to be finished last night when I got home from classes, but then my enthusiastic friends convinced me it would be more fun to trek to Art Hill in Forest park to go sledding. They were right. One of my friends, who is from California, had never been sledding before. She loved it. How could you not!? On the way there she asked "Oooh what's that big truck!?" The other two of us laughed and said "That's a snow plow." 

Anyway, I read in my Blogging for Dummies book that people like reading lists. So I have decided to give it a whirl.

10 Reasons to Knit

10.  It's practical. In the end, you get a beautiful, high-quality hand knit item to keep you 
       warm. Whether it be a scarf, sweater, or afghan, you can actually use your end results!!

9.    Gifts. Handmade items make fantastic gifts. Even if you make your significant other            the same scarf you made your dog, they're sure to say "Oh, that's so thoughtful of you!

8.   Charity. Similar to gifts, knitting is a fun way to give to charity. The possibilities are            endless. From baby hats to prayer shawls, from lap-ghans to animal bedding for dogs 
       or even birds! With knitting, you can have fun and give back to your community. Or              just be selfish, like me, and knit mostly for yourself.

7.   Cheap entertainment. Assuming you already have the equipment like needles and 
      stitch markers, and depending on which yarn you choose, you might spend roughly $10-
      $15 on yarn for a scarf. That scarf might take you about 10 hours to knit (guesstimating 
      here).  That's only $1/hour of entertainment! Try going to a movie for that cheap.                   Here's the best part: You don't even have to put real pants on or leave the house.

6.   Fun. Have I mentioned yet that knitting is a lot of fun? Watching a ball of yarn turn 
      into something that (sometimes only slightly) resembles a scarf is endlessly satisfying.         Sometime's you'll try a new technique and get so excited about it that you'll just 
      awkwardly stand up and jump around the room while your roommates uncomfortably 
      watch.  All this fun stems from creating something useful and (hopefully) beautiful. 

5.   Knitting is good for your brain and soul. I don't know what those science people
      say, but I firmly believe knitting makes you smarter and will prevent an aging brain. 
      It also involves concentration, persistence, and creativity. You definitely learn problem         solving and patience. And at the end you get adorable mittens.  Oh...that row looks 
      funny...what should I do with it? Well..I'll just kind of take this stitch and take it off the 
     needle... maybe no one will notice....OH CRAP. 

4.  You never waste time. Feel guilty binge watching the latest season of Pretty Little 
     Liars? First of all, don't. That's some quality TV right there. But if you do, knit! Torn 
     between doing the laundry and watching The Big Bang Theory? Well, I could get a few 
     rows done on that sock...so maybe I won't have to do the laundry...  Other places you            can knit: before class (professors think it's cool), in the waiting room, in the movie                theater, while you're listening to your friend on the phone drone on about that sensitive,      nerdy guy she's stalking at Barnes and Noble.  

3.  You get exactly what you want. No more settling for the machine-knit crap at Wal-        Mart. (Not Target, though. Target is the best.) There are hundreds of thousands of free 
     patterns online for scarves, sweaters, dresses, blankets, socks, stuffed animals, and 
     more. If you for some reason can't find a pattern you like, you put that college degree to 
     work and customize it or make your own pattern!  You can customize the patterns 
     further by picking out your own type of yarn and color. You can even go really crazy, buy 
     a few alpacas, and move to Maine and make your own yarn. Exactly how you like it.

2.  Ryan Gosling will marry you. OK, so I can't exactly promise this, but Ryan Gosling
     is just one of many celebrity knitters. The list includes Dakota Fanning, David Arquette, 
     Julia Roberts, and even Amanda Seyfried.

1.  The Knitting Community. I've never met a knitter I didn't like. I don't know if great 
     people are attracted to knitting, or the experience of knitting makes you a better person.      My guess is a little of both. Everyone in the knitting community is extremely supportive     of all your failed scarf attempts. They will to cheer you on when you master a new                 technique, and to help you when you make a mess of things. Even bad knitters are                 knitters. Once you learn to cast on, you join a huge, creative, loving, accepting, eccentric       family.

Well, that's my list! Add your own in the comments!!

Ruthie

Here's a pic of my sock so far..

I remember...

My first time with two posts in a day!

This semester, I am in a writing class called Exposition. For our first assignment, we had to imitate a piece called "I Remember" by Joe Brainard. It's basically a string of thoughts, each of which begins with "I remember..." I finished my 4 page assignment last night and had some fun with it. It spanned many aspects of my life. For fun, I've decided to take out all the knitting related ones, as well as some other gems that really capture my super-cool-and-witty essence and put them here.***

I remember the TARDIS blanket I still haven't finished.

I remember tangled yarn and crying.

I remember knitting my first cable scarf for my brother, and the disappointment I felt when I never saw him wear it. I got over it.

I remember sitting on needles and bending them. And how damaging that was to my self-esteem.

I remember snobbily saying to a friend with a new scarf, "I could knit that."

I remember my mom's stash.

I remember tinking.

I remember a baby swaddled in a pastel blanket.

I remember endlessly assembling ruffle scarves for Christmas.

I remember posting nervously to my blog.

I remember Harry Potter and nightmares.

I remember bamboo needles, which do not make a very satisfying clink with each stitch.

I remember mitered squares.

I remember snapping a Backstreet Boys CD in half.

I remember feeling very young among the rest of the knitters.

I remember Friday nights at Wal Mart.

I remember the baby blanket that was supposed to be finished before I was born... cough cough mom.

I remember giving up.

I remember late nights and Dr. Pepper.


I remember my friends poking fun at my hobby.

I remember being afraid of DPNs.

I remember tinking.

I remember my First Communion blanket.

I remember my Lisa Frank backpack with the penguins on it. That was my first project bag.

I remember dishcloths with purled pictures in them.

I remember pizza, sour gummy worms, and Funyons--the perfect meal.

I remember how garter stitch makes the best, scrubbiest cloths.

I remember thinking knitting something would be cheaper than buying it in the store.

I remember tinking.

I remember binge watching Netflix.

I remember casting on. And messing up. And casting on. And messing up. And having my mom do it.

I remember my first headband design.

I remember trying to match the hundreds of loose socks in my dresser.

I remember the LYS in Boston.

I remember feeling intimidated by a new technique.

I remember tinking. Endless tinking.


***I am baring my soul here. Only supportive comments of my super-cool-and-witty essence will be tolerated.


And now I should probably read that 160 pages of German homework...


Happy Knitting!

Ruthie

The Superbowl Socks

Hey y'all!

I'm not much of a football fan, but it didn't seem like that was a very fun game. I laughed the hardest at the commercial with the couple who couldn't agree on a dog, so they mixed a chihuahua and doberman. It was a tiny dog with a giant head.

Anyway, all that football provided some good knitting time (and, unfortunately, homework time). I took the opportunity (Fun Fact: I just tried to spell that word very incorrectly) to start my very first pair of socks! I am using the Yarn Harlot's Sock Recipe from her book Knitting Rules. So far, I have about 1/3 of an inch of ribbing on one sock. Woo hoo.

On my first attempt, I just flat out messed up. Somehow got off by a stitch in the ribbing and decided to rip it out. My generous momma was sitting right there, and she graciously offered to cast on again for me, because I really hate it.

I've been thinking lately, and there are a lot of things that I feel like I should be able to do to be considered an accomplished knitter.

Here's a list of things I have done:

1.  Scarves, scarves, and more scarves.
2.  Hats for adults, hats for babies
3. Cowls
4. Baby Bib
5. Baby Loveys (I made this for a friend's daughter and she calls it "Yubby")
6. Baby Blanket
7. Dishcloths galore
8. Mittens (yay!!)

Here are some things I feel I should be able to do:

1. Socks (in progress!)
2. Pullover Sweater
3. Cardigan
4. Shawl
5. Adult sized afghan
6. Dog sweater (just for Baylee!)

These are techniques that I would like to learn or improve upon:

1. Continental knitting
2. Intarsia
3. Various CO methods
4. Various BO methods
5. Lace

Please let me know if there is anything you think should be added to these lists, or if you have any favorite patterns/resources for me to learn with!

Happy Knitting!

Ruthie

P.S. Here's a picture of my fiancé's family dog, Hunter. He is the biggest sweetie-pie I've ever met. This is the day he got a new little sister (Baylee!). He thought he could fit in her new bed.

Hunter

My First Mittens!!

The mittens are finished!

Last night, I got on  a roll. I started knitting around 8pm and told myself I would start my homework at 9. Then I was going to start it at 10. At 10 I decided I wasn't going to stop until I finished these mittens. It took me until 2:30 am.

I don't know about you, but I always watch TV while I knit. Or do I knit while I watch TV? Like many other college kids, I enjoy binge watching on Netflix. Right now, I am watching 30 Rock for the first time. I must say, it's FANTASTIC! Here is a picture of my work station last night:

My knitting workspace.

I really like this picture. On the right is the knit kit that my momma made me years and years ago with everything you need for a project (a plethora of stitch markers, small crochet hook, small scissors, yarn needle, some dpns, cable needles). On the left you can see the tape measure that is also in the knit kit. Funny story. I live with 4 other girls I go to school with, and I'm the only one whose parents live in St. Louis as well. My friend Madeleine asked me if the next time I went to my parents' house I could check to see if we have a measuring tape so she could take measurements for a bridesmaid dress. I said, "Wait a minute, my momma has prepared me for this moment!" So I reached in my knit kit and pulled out a tape measure. I was really glad I was able to help Mad out..but the others thought it was a little random that I had a tape measure on my person. Oh, the random things knitters have...

Lesson: My momma's knit kit is awesome. Keeping it in your project bag is a lifesaver. Literally. (But not really literally.)

Drumroll please for the finished product....

dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum....

Aren't they great!? I'm proud for my first mittens attempt.

Things I didn't make:
The pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/erins-mittens
The buttons: https://www.etsy.com/shop/buttonsbyrobin2?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Problems I ran into:

1. Knitting While Tired. dumb mistakes.
2. Made a mistake, didn't feel like tinking. On both gloves, actually, I ended up with 39 stitches instead of 40 on the stockinette section after the thumb gusset. I did a simple M1 on the palm side when I noticed and no one can tell.
3. Attaching Buttons: It was 2:00am and I was ready to put the buttons on. I was about to wing it, but then I remembered that the Internet exists and there are people smarter than me who have probably posted a how-to or two. I'm glad I didn't wing it like I usually do, because I would have completely forgotten that there needs to be a thread shank to space the button from the fabric. This is the tutorial I used: http://www.sewdaily.com/blogs/sewdaily/archive/2012/07/09/tips-for-sewing-buttons-on-handknits.aspx
4. Thumb gusset. There are tiny wholes where the thumb meets the body of the mitten. My mom said that happens on all her mittens and that she just uses leftover yarn to tighten it up. I used the ends and wove them around there (good description, right?). There are still little gaps. I might go back and fix that.
5. Cuff lying flat. It seems that my cast on edge is wider than the rest of the cuff... so it's not lining up correctly on the right mitt. On the left mitt, it is lined up, but it's just not laying flat. I might end up seaming it together to make it look nice (my hand fits in even with it buttoned). 

Beautiful handmade buttons I ordered from buttonsbyrobin2 on Etsy. 

Cuff isn't lying how I would like it. 

I am going to my Grandma Rose's house later with my parents to watch the Superbowl. I am assuming the 3 women will be knitting at the same time!! I will ask them for advice on my thumb gusset and cuff problems :)

Just for fun, here's a pic of my future mother in law's new dog, Baylee, whom I adore :) She's a 2 year old Beagle/Chihuaua (Cheagle!).

Baylee :)

Happy Knitting!!!

Ruthie