Mermaid Gloves

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Pattern: My own, inspired by Steph's Mermaid Gloves which were inspiried by Cookie's Pomatomus stitch pattern. For one of the gloves I flipped Chart A in order to get mirror-imaged scallops.
Yarn: Koigu KPM, 2 skein, and Sundara Yarn in Plum over Slate for the cuff.
Needles: US1 dpns

Couldn't be more pleased with these gloves. Well, maybe if they were in a different color, like the lovely bluish variety that Steph used. Those Koigu semi-solids are hard to come by. But no matter, I'm so glad I attempted them because they are just divine. And so easy to make! Really!

Comments [24]
Filed Under:  |  | 

I want these

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

1) 2 skeins of Five Spice from HelloYarn

2) One skein sock yarn from HelloYarn
AH! This colorway just sold out?!

3) "MiamiInk" Razr. I'm not a huge fan of the Razr and I hate the user interface on Motorolas, but these are SEXY.

4) Dye kit from HelloYarn

5) Socks that Rock in Amber

6) Yarntini self-striping in Pure Fall

7) A chateau in France (optional)

8) A bunny rabbit

Comments [13]
Filed Under:

I have fingers!

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Two half-fingers that is.



There is a lot of faith involved knitting these gloves. I have faith that casting on stitches between fingers will work out even though its purpose is a mystery to me at the moment. I have faith that I will somehow be able to neatly close the huge gaps in between. Just as I had faith that the thumb gusset would work out. I have never been this religious in my life.

I miscalculated the numbers of stitches to use for the index finger - the fit is off on the left hand but luckily is fine on the right. Go figure. I think I know what I need to for the second glove, but at the end of the day I'm not sure if I can write a pattern for these. That would imply that my knitting world operates in an orderly fashion and it totally does not. It's all ad hoc baby, ad hoc all the way. But we'll see.



It's been awhile since I've posted a Dottie photo. So here she is on a warm Boston afternoon, posing on the Longfellow Bridge.

Off to a dinner date. After two weeks of being a total hermit, I'm ready to rejoin Boston society again.

Comments [18]
Filed Under:  |  | 

Probably shouldn't write any more patterns

Monday, November 13, 2006

Geez louise. Writing patterns is hard dude. You can fine-tooth comb what you write until the cows come home and then you'll hit PUBLISH! and then 6 comments too late you'll spot the glaring error that you missed over and over. Never again will I bitch and complain when I see errors in a pattern, even ones that I've paid for. Well no, maybe I will complain, because I mean money was invovled. But I just won't complain AS MUCH because damn. Writing patterns is hard.

Comments [7]
Filed Under:  | 

Zephyr Socks

Monday, November 13, 2006


ZEPHYR SOCKS

These socks are knit top-down with your standard slipped stitch heel flap and heel turn, standard gusset, and standard wedge toe.

The pattern is a 9-stitch, 16-row repeat.

MATERIALS
> Cherry Tree Hill Supersock yarn [420 yds], 1 skein.
> 1 set of 4 US2/2.75 mm dpn
> Tapestry needle

APPROXIMATE GAUGE
9 stitches in pattern = 1.125 inches (that's 1 inch plus half of a quarter inch), slightly stretched.
31.5 stitches = 4 inches in pattern stitch, slightly stretched.
Leg circumference is about 7 inches.

DIRECTIONS
I. CUFF

CO 54 stitches. Divide sts evenly onto 3 needles (18 sts on each needle). Join round.
Round 1: *k2, p1*
Repeat ribbing until cuff is about 1.5 inches

II. LEG
Pattern Chart
Note: The charts are mirror images, which actually isn't so obvious in the knitted sock. But just knowing I'm wearing symmetrical socks is enough for me! So you can knit mirror imaged socks, or just use one chart for both.

     

Work the 16 rounds of the Pattern Chart. Knit the Pattern Chart a total of 4 times, or to desired length. After last row is completed on Needle 3, turn work. Wrong side should be facing.

III. HEEL FLAP
Set up heel flap stitches as follows (WS): sl1, p17 from Needle 3, then p9 from Needle 2. Turn. (27 sts total on heel)
Move the remaining 27 instep stitches onto one needle.

Work heel stitches back and forth:
Row 1 (RS): *sl1, k1* to end
Row 2 (WS): sl1, p to end. Repeat these two rows for a TOTAL of 26 times. End with RS row and turn.

IV. HEEL TURN
Row 1 (WS): sl1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn
Row 2 (RS): sl1, k4, k2tog, k1, turn
Row 3: sl1, p to one st before the gap, p2tog, p1, turn
Row 4: sl1, k to one st before the gap, k2tog, k1, turn

Repeat Rows 3 & 4 until all stitches are worked. 16 sts remain.
Divide these stitches onto two needles, 8 sts on each. They are now designated as Needle 1 and Needle 3.

Stitch count before gusset:
Needle 1: 8 sts
Needle 2: 27 sts
Needle 3: 8 sts

V. GUSSET
Needle 1: Pick up and knit 15 stitches along side of heel = 23 sts
Needle 2: Knit in pattern* = 27 stitches
Needle 3: With empty needle pick and knit 15 stitches along other side of heel, then knit the 8 heel stitches = 23 stitches

Round 1: Knit even
Round 2: Needle 1 - knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k.
Needle 2 - knit in pattern**
Needle 3 - k1, ssk, k to end of needle

Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 until there are 12 stitches on both Needle 1 and 3 = 24 sole stitches.

** When knitting the instep, omit a starting YO or an ending YO in the row, and do not do its corresponding decrease. In other words, if you are at a row that begins with a YO, just knit the first 9 stitches straight. If you are at a row that ends with a YO, knit the last 9 stitches straight.

Continue in est. pattern until you reach base of toes. End with Row 8 or Row 16 of chart. On final row before toe, OMIT all YOs = 3 sts decreased = 24 stitches.

Stitch count before toe:
Needle 1: 12 sts
Needle 2: 24 sts
Needle 3: 12 sts

VI. TOE
Round 1: knit even
Round 2: Needle 1 - k, k2tog, k to end  k to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k
Needle 2 - k, ssk, k to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k
Needle 3 - k, ssk, k to to end

Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 until 16 stitches remain - 8 on sole and 8 on instep needles.

Slip sts from Needle 3 onto Needle 1. Graft to stitches on Needle 2. Weave in ends. Wear!

Pattern & Images © 2006 Li W.

Comments [17]
Filed Under:  |  | 

Knitting on the Road

Monday, November 06, 2006

Pattern: "Zephyr" socks, my own pattern HEE HEE!
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Emerald City, one skein. Love love LOVE this yarn.
Needles: US2 dpns

I started these right before we hit the road, wound the yarn myself into an apple-shaped center-pull ball. The colors in this yarn are so gorgeous I could bite into it.

And then I had 2,500 miles to knit and complete a pair of socks.

I love the stitch pattern, it swirls and sways, churns one way and then the other like a wave, a breeze. I found the stitch pattern in one of my Japanese stitch dictionaries, but modified it a little bit. It's fast, fun and easy to remember, a great and productive way to pass the endless hours in a car.

There are some modifications to be made I think, one to the toe (don't decrease down so much), and one to the length, and maybe gauge. This stitch pulls both in horizontally and vertically, which annoys me a little because I don't want to be pulling up my socks so much. I can either go down a needle size, but I think increasing the length of the leg will do the trick, so it will hug the calf. Or maybe an elastic band would help.

The pattern fits perfectly around the feet though.

Pattern to come when I have enough time to write up something properly. If anyone's interested that is. I'm just so pleased to have constructed my very own pair of socks, hee.

Update: Thank you for all of your A++ comments! shuffle shuffle blush blush. I'm super swamped with work at the moment, so hopefully I'll have a pattern written up by next week. Or as soon as I can find my notes.

Comments [34]
Filed Under:  |  | 

The Looooong Drive Home, as seen by Dottie

Monday, November 06, 2006

Dry terrain of northern New Mexico, headed to Colorado.


Corn fields of Nebraska. Or was that Iowa?


Country cookin' at the Cracker Barrel somewhere in Indiana. It's everyone's first time at the CB, ow! We have chicken 'n dumplings, mac 'n cheese, collard greens, corn muffins and a Reuben sammich.


Snow in Ohio. Boooooo. Hate you snow, hisssssss.


Sunset in upstate New York. Not quite as IMPRESSIVE as sunsets that have been seen in other STATES, but. It will do. It will have to do.


And finally at home, making new friends, sharing a snack.

Aaaaah yes. It's nice to be home, cooking in your own kitchen, eating from your own bowls, watching your own tv while lounging on your own couch, and especially sleeping in your own bed, snuggly pinned down on either side by two purring cats who may or may not have noticed you were gone but seem happy to be near you anyway.

So why the tears? Why? The tears?

I feel like we've been in a time warp and Santa Fe has just been a lovely, warm, adobe-colored dream. When we left, summer was still in full swing. Now suddenly the green things outside are dead and this house is doing that thing where it can't retain any heat and I have to wear my parka indoors. Is it that time of year already?

Yes, we're back home, and our adventure has officially ended! *Sob*

Comments [14]
Filed Under:  |  |