KarenJoSeattle

Friday Photo and FO

Today started and ended cool and gray on the island where I started and ended it. In between while I ran around Seattle for errands and Pilates lessons it turned that not-quite-bright, not-quite-warm, a little breezy Spring weather we sometimes get.

And as is often true here in these transitional seasons, someone ten or twenty miles away probably had a different day.

While riding ferries and buses and then during taped episodes of Jane Austin and Numb3rs, I started and finished a washcloth. Except for blocking and despite ripping out the first third to go down three needle sizes from the manufacturer's suggestion rather than only one, I finished it in one day. No wonder people get hooked on these.

Though I was having second thoughts about the wonders of a one day project as the end of my skein got too close for comfort during my last few rows. I almost had to decide between ripping it all and reknitting with a few fewer stitches from somewhere or tomorrow buying another skein for a couple rows.

Or the next time I saw Ryan saying "Washcloth? You didn't get my washcloth?"

I think I'll do another one tomorrow. I did buy two skeins of yarn and mailing off one seems a bit of a waste.

Priorities

So, I'm sorting out stuff in our in-escrow island place to get put into storage or get moved to our place in Seattle or to the place we bought in California for my mom once this place closes.

Besides yarn, I have other things I own much more of than I need - exercise videos for example.

I started working out to videos in 1999, a couple of years before I started knitting again. That's another world that non-practitioners often don't get. Exercise videos get discussed and traded on specialty forums. Over 1,000 different titles can be bought new right now and many more out of print ones show up in the second-hand markets. Some are real quite good.

I don't own 1,000 videos - quite. I do have enough in this house that when I went to sort out the ones I wanted to hang on to, I made a large pile of ones I couldn't remember well enough to make the decision. The plan was to watch them while I knit so I could remember if they rated keeping.

As I sat there that evening with my knitting and a pretty good ballet tape running, I glanced at some baskets of things on the floor I still needed to sort. On the top of a stack of magazines sat the two Lucy Neatby DVDs I'd bought but not yet watched.

The ballet tape finished playing and I set it on the keep shelf. Then I went back through the pile of undecided videos, pulled out a half dozen I likely would want, and filled a grocery bag for the local library's sale with the rest.

I still have dozens of exercise videos I use and will keep. Right now my knitting time is limited as I sort through thirteen years of accumulation in between trips to California to finish settling my mother. Much as I like my workouts, if I have a choice, I'd rather spend that time with Lucy.

I have my priorities.

@!#*@ Guage

I haven't posted for a few days, but I have been knitting and happily making progress on my project. The body of my center-cable EZ EPS sweater was close to the needed length to join to the sleeves.

Note that 'was' is the operative word here.

I knit a decent-sized swatch - in the round, with the same needles, in a ball of yarn from the same dye lot. I'm a good swatcher, usually going overboard, if anything. I figured my stitches needed for the various dimensions. Then I started with the sleeves so I could double-check that everything was going OK on smaller pieces.

I actually ended up speeding up my increases on the forearm of the sleeves so they wouldn't feel tight around the elbow. The gauge came out spot on in the first sleeve. The second sleeve fit just the same. Everything looked good.

Yesterday, after a couple of days of some good knitting commute time, I'd reached a point on my sweater body where enough hung off my 32" needle to stop looking like a steroidal ruffle and start looking like the sweater it would be. Last night it occurred to me that it seemed a bit larger than I'd expect.

I measured my gauge. Can you see a difference in the stitches between the sleeve on the left and the body on the right? Neither can I.

But, rather than my original 21 stitches in four inches, I had knit the body at 19. Over the 212 stitches that became 4.3 inches. Added to that, I'd forgotten to do the few stitches of shaping I'd allowed for when figuring out how much ease I wanted - a hazard of doing a design-your-own project without specific written instruction, but who actually writes themselves instructions for one of these? I should have at least left myself a sticky-note reminder.

This is merino yarn, so cutting and steeking the sides is not really a good option. Plus I'd expected a visible difference in gauge, though I will admit I don't seem to have that issue. So, maaaaybe I could steek? But, then there's the ribbing that really needs to be a bit tighter in gauge.

Personally, I know I won't be happy unless I redo it. But I haven't actually ripped yet. I will, I will. Give me a a day or two to mourn first.

And to think about whether I need to wash all of the yarn if I rinse the kinks out of the frogged stuff, given that the swatch didn't change gauge when washed except over the cable pattern. And think about what to do about the gauge difference. The sleeves and the swatch are smaller tubes than the body and knit on two circulars rather than one. Do I try the body on two circulars? Go down a needle size? Just refigure based on the new gauge and go with it since I can't see a g*!!#-@&* difference between the two?

To console myself I bought some new yarn for a scarf I had decided I needed. I've worn my neutral ivory and beiges Silken scarf so much that the silk is starting to show wear along the edges. I need another in similar colors. Plus, I had a full Yarn Card so spent only $4 + tax for a new Silk Garden scarf I 'need' and for a good diversion.

I may utilize some stash for another diversionary scarf, too. I actually have a tendon in the base of my right thumb that would appreciate a few days or more break from cables. Tomorrow I'll try to get up a post on last weekend's workshops and the origin of the tendinitis - right after I rip 18,656 stitches.

This and That

I'm packing up my third house in as many months. The house is full of piles, boxes, and bags. Clutter induces anxiety in me. Wednesday I went to circle just to make myself sit down and knit the swatches for the workshops I'm taking today (plus to see the people there and arrange yesterday). Three of the seven of us there came to knit swatches for one of the workshops.

I bought new shoes. I chose a half a size large just so I can wear heavier hand-knit socks with them. They go with all those nice skeins of variegated browns and grays I have in my sock yarn drawer. Now I need to knit the socks.

Yesterday three friends from knitting circle and I drove up to Port Townsend to take our friend and knitting teacher, Karen Alfke, to lunch and shopping. We had a great time. I bought yarn at both of the small yarn stores. Both are silk and wool blends, both in grays and browns - all about the neutrals lately.

Today I have two workshops from Melissa Leapman and another tomorrow. That's another post.