A New Adventure

I’ve done Camp Loopy every year they’ve run it so far.  If you complete all three projects, at the end of camp, you get a skein of yarn.  The first year it was Wollmeise Pure, the second year it was Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, and last year it was Lorna’s Laces Solemate.  I loved the yarn from the first two years, but I’ve learned to steer clear of Lorna’s Laces because of pooling issues.  It’s a personal preference, I’m sure there are those out there who don’t like some of the brands that I love too, and that’s fine.  I’ve kind of ignored the yarn because I knew that whatever I did, I’d have to watch for the pooling.

When I knit my first Hitchhiker earlier this year, I realized that a pattern like that might just work out with this past year’s camp yarn.  I decided to give it a try, but instead of working another Hitchhiker, I’d work a sister design:  Trillian.  The construction is very similar, but where the Hitchhiker has “teeth” along the lower edge, Trillian has a simple mesh lace pattern.  The knitting is just as easy and the pattern is quick to memorize.  I’ve gotten one area of pooling so far, but I kind of like it in this.  My project has kind of an ikat woven look to it (I think it does, don’t burst my bubble here).  I think I have some more Lorna’s Laces in my stash (I do love their colors, I just have less than successful projects with the way they’re dyed), and I’m thinking that the Hitchhiker style shawls/scarves might be just the right pattern for these pool-prone yarns.  Here’s a Rav link to my new Blue Trillian.

Spaghetti Tuesday, On Wednesday

This morning I ran in the rain for the first time!  It wasn’t really on purpose, it started raining after I was out there, so I just went with it.  Also, I saw a rainbow!  (I don’t usually run in the rain because rain is cold and wet and also there are a couple of steep parts of my run and rain makes them slippery.)

On a completely different topic, I finally figured out quinoa.  A few years ago, Mickael asked me to cook it for him because it’s such a nutritious grain and it’s a complete protein, and blah, blah, healthy, blah.  I did, but I wasn’t really fond of the flavor (I hated it).  I tried different seasonings, and mixing in different things and that helped, but I really never liked it.  I’d read recipes using quinoa and they all mentioned how it was a lot like rice, but with a nutty flavor.  I had never thought it was like rice (except the texture), and I’ve never really thought of something as bitter and foul as quinoa as “nutty.”  I figured the people who were writing these things were probably vegan hippies who couldn’t remember what real food (cheeseburgers) tastes like.

A couple of weeks ago, I made quinoa again and Mickael finally asked why I kept making it.  I was making it for him because it’s healthy and he likes healthy food (he also likes eating all the ice cream out of the container in one sitting, but that’s a topic for another day).  I thought it tasted terrible, Caleb thought it tasted terrible, but I kept making it periodically because Mickael hadn’t told me he thought it was terrible.  As it turned out, he hated it too!

So I decided then and there that I wouldn’t buy or cook any more quinoa.  Then last week, I ran across something on the internet and it mentioned rinsing the quinoa.  I had been rinsing it, but this article said to REALLY rinse it!  Like take several minutes rinsing it.  Rinse it like you mean it.  Then it explained why: the quinoa has a bitter coating and the rinsing gets rid of it!  It was like a lightbulb went off in my head - maybe I hadn’t been rinsing the quinoa enough!

I got some more quinoa at the store and last night I rinsed it.  And rinsed it and rinsed it.  Then I kept rinsing it (rinse/rinsed/rinsing starts to look funny if you type it too much).  Just to be sure, I rinsed it some more.  It actually smelled better and less bitter when I finished rinsing it.  Then I cooked it and yes, it definitely tasted more like rice and way better than it ever had before!  Caleb even liked it!

The reason I’m telling you this is that I can’t be the only person on the planet who thinks/thought quinoa was pretty disgusting.  I don’t know why they don’t tell you to do more rinsing.  The quinoa I cooked last night actually said pre-rinsed.  It wasn’t.  I gave it much more rinsing.  So, if you’ve tried quinoa and find it tastes pretty bad, try it again, but rinse it really, really good - take your time.  If you work for a quinoa marketing firm, you’ve really dropped the ball.  The rinsing thing shouldn’t be a secret I have to go to the internet to find.  It should be on your package.  Think how much more of this stuff our family would have eaten if it tasted good!

If you already knew that quinoa needed copious amounts of rinsing, carry on.  I have nothing new to tell you today.  Also, you may have just figured out why this isn’t a cooking blog.

Around the Heel

 

I’ve made it past the heel on the first Rainbow Stripe Sock!  The majority of my socks are worked with a heel flap and gusset, but these heels are short row heels.  Heel Flaps and gussets won’t work with the short row “wedges” that make up the leg and foot of this sock.  I’m all ready to start the short row sections of the foot now.  The wedge shaped short row sections feel like they go pretty quickly, but maybe that’s all in my head.

This is such a fun sock construction!  It’s not something that I would use regularly because you really need some type of self striping yarn, and it’s not portable as you work the short row sections (I don’t think it is anyway).  Also, I personally don’t like to stop in the middle of a short row wedge.  But the way it shifts the colors of the sock yarn and makes the patterns is really interesting.

Here’s my Rav project page!

Stormy Weather

 

It’s all finished!  This is my Song of the Sea, knit in one of Space Cadet’s ombre mini skein sets.  I cast on for 12 repeats, hoping for a cowl somewhere between snug and loose.  I knit until I ran out of yarn and then blocked it hard lengthwise.  It came out about 11 inches wide by 40 inches long.  This was a fun project and I loved using the mini skeins in it.  I have another set of mini skeins that is the emerald green of the ocean on the gulf coast (micro algae gives the water its green color), and I might just make another one!  (Here’s a Rav link to this one.)

Here’s a closer shot of the waves and the colors.  I’m really having fun with this mini skein club.  Usually with a club, I like about half of the colors, but I try to use the ones I don’t like as much, to move me out of my comfort zone.  With this club, I’m really liking all the colors so far and finding the right project for each set is what’s pushing me to try new things.

I have no idea if that makes any sense.  In my head it makes sense, but I’m not caffeinated yet, so for all I know today’s post not even be in English.  The point is, I’m really, really liking this particular club.

It’s Been A Crazy Week!

It’s crazier than usual around here right now!  Next week promises to be the same as Caleb and I are tying up some loose ends with school, but then we’re going to take a break!  We decided to try a different schedule for homeschooling than what the school district does around here and so far it’s working pretty well and we like it.

I’ve only gotten a little bit of knitting done this week that I can show you, but I will tell you, I’m working on a new pattern!  It’s going to be a little longer before I’m finished, but in the meantime, here is my Song of the Sea!

I’m almost through the fourth blue and then I begin the fifth and lightest.  You can see that I’ve already begun the tiny waves.  These seem to go pretty quickly, but that’s probably because the repeat is so short.  I’m hoping to get this finished and blocked over the weekend, and hopefully I’ll get some work done on my other projects this weekend!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Stormy Weather

I named my Song of the Sea cowl Stormy Weather.  That’s also what we had around here over the weekend - lots of rain and some thunder and lightening.  It was a good weekend to stay in and knit!

I’ve started the fourth (of five) shade of blue on my cowl and I’m about to start the tiny waves.  I will work the tiny waves until I have 8 grams of the fifth shade.  It took 7 grams to cast on and work the beginning edging, so I’m giving myself one extra gram for the ending edging and and bind off, just in case.  I do plan on using as much of this yarn as possible in this project.  Also, I’ll just mention, the colors were true in the previous post (scroll down), they look more gray than they really are in this photo.  Rav project page link.

On another topic, have any of you gone through the TKGA Masters Program for Hand Knitting?  I’ve  thought about it before, but haven’t done anything about it because I know I’m too busy, and honestly, I can’t start it now anyway.  My next big project will be figuring out an overall plan for homeschooling Caleb through high school so he’s ready for college.  I’m not going to try to get the whole thing carved in stone, but I need to make sure we’ve got definite plans so he has what he needs both before the entrance exams and when he graduates so he can get into the college of his choice.  He’s in seventh grade now, but I want to at least have a road map before we start eighth grade.  Once I have that sorted though, I think I could begin working through the Master Knitter program.  I was just wondering if there’s anyone out there that’s done it and what they thought.

Trying Something New

I thought I’d begin with answering some of yesterday’s comments.  I do intend to crochet a little something for Max, but it won’t have eyes and I’ll have to make it bigger than the mini octopi he likes so much.  (It has to be bigger because if Logan eats it - and he has a history of stealing Max’s toys from him, not eating them, but stealing them - it could cause intestinal blockage and after Finn we don’t take those chances.)  I won’t be crocheting for Logan since his approach to soft toys is to rip and destroy.  Amy of the comments wanted to know what I was using the octopi for.  I’m not really using them for anything.  I have one on my key ring, but the rest of them are sitting in Max inaccessible places, including the two I made for Caleb.  I had no idea I was supposed to have a use or a plan for my octopi!  I will have to think about this further…

In the meantime,  I decided to go ahead and try knitting something a little bit bigger and little bit more complex than a bracelet, a washcloth or an octopus.  I’ve mentioned before that I’m in SpaceCadet Creations’ Mini Skein Club in the Ombre and Gradient Mix and I really like it.  A couple of months ago, I got a pack of mini skeins that went from pale, icy blue to a deep, dark gray blue.  I decided these would be perfect for a Song of the Sea cowl, using the darkest color on the largest waves, blending to the lightest color on the tiny waves.  The yardage on these isn’t enough to make a long cowl, and I really don’t need too many snug cowls here, so I split the difference and I’m working 12 repeats for a medium length cowl.  Hopefully.  I cast on last night after double checking my math (the fact that I was even willing to work out the math is a good sign that I’m ready for bigger projects), and I’ve just barely started the first big breakers.  Here’s the Rav project page link if you’re interested.

Is It Getting Weird Yet?

 

I’m afraid it might be getting weird around here at this point.  I’ve made three more octopi in the tiny, fingering weight size (with a 2.25mm hook).  Two of the newcomers have loops on their heads (anchored by buttons on the inside).  The center, blue one is Caleb’s and it matches his large one pretty closely, color wise.  He didn’t want a head loop.  We have to keep a close eye on these tiny octopi since those are Max’s favorites to smack around the house!

At this point, I’ve made a total of six octopi.  (Here’s the Rav page if you need a refresher.)  I realize it’s getting weird, but part of me thinks I should make two more octopi before I quit and move on to something else - giving me an even eight.  Shouldn’t octopi come in multiples of eight?  It kind of makes sense to me that they would.

In other news, bigger project news, I can tell that I’ll soon be moving past these small, quick projects and back to more regular sized projects around here.  I’ve found myself thinking about bigger projects and I think I’m just about ready to get back to things that involve actual thinking on my part!  It might not happen this week, but it will happen!

Five More Bracelets!

Over the weekend I made five more of the beaded bracelets!  Yesterday I unpinned them from blocking and finished off ends.  I’ve also been putting a tiny bit of Fray Check on the knots to keep things from loosening on me later.  I’ve pretty much used up my “leftover” beads in size 6 at this point.  Want to see them?

Here’s the dark charcoal yarn with dark purple, iridescent beads.

This one is a red violet yarn (that leans to the blue side) with copper lined, purple, iridescent beads.

This one is lime sherbet yarn with clear, silver lined beads.

This one is aqua yarn with the same clear, silver lined beads.

And the last one is sky blue yarn with matte, royal blue, cube shaped beads.  This one took some figuring because the beads are larger than the seed beads.

There was a request in the comments last time I blogged about these bracelets for a photo of the bracelet being worn, so here’s one of my earlier bracelets being worn.  They go around my wrist three times, although I could make them longer if I just kept stringing beads.  You could also wear more than one bracelet at once if you wanted more on your wrist.  They’re very lightweight and beads give them a drape so they sit nicely on your wrist.

Here’s what it looks like when the button twists to the top.  I put the button on the inside of my wrist, but since I talk with my hands (and I wear these on my right hand), the buttons rotate out to the outside and then back to the inside and so on, throughout the day.  It doesn’t really bother me, but I thought I’d show what it looks like.

In other news, this was the view from my lap last night - right up until Jaws started and then he turned around and watched the movie.  I don’t know exactly why he watched Jaws, but he likes ocean movies (his first movie was Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - he seems to have a thing for mermaids).

This Sock Just Keeps Getting Crazier!

 

I’ve worked two more wedges on my sock leg!  The wedges have to be worked in pairs in order to keep it sock shaped, so I’ve got to decide if I’m going to work another two or if I’ll start the heel now.  I’ve got plenty of yarn, I’m just not sure how long I want the legs on these.  I’ll probably try them on later today and make some decisions then.

I’m loving the way the short rows are working with the colors of this yarn.  They’re easy to work and each wedge seems to go pretty quickly, but it might just be that I’m easily amused by the wonky stripes.

We had an adventure last friday afternoon:  we went to Ikea for the first time!  Yes, I realize we’re a little bit slow, but we don’t live anywhere near the Ikea here and we knew it was a big enough place we’d need some time.  We had so much fun!  (Remember, I’m easily amused.)  We ate Swedish Meatballs just so we could say we did and we wandered through the whole store.  (Caleb was so bored by the end.)  We got a few little kitchen things and I got a Raskog cart (in Turquoise of course) which is now filled with project bags, crochet books and octopus yarn.  Speaking of, it’s probably time for me to figure out how to crochet something other than octopi or it’s going to get a little weird around here.

Amigurumi!

Yes, I’ve made my first amigurumis!  I decided to try crocheting this octopus.  (You don’t have to use him as a pincushion, you can just use him as an octopus.)  He looked pretty easy with my minimal crochet skills, although I did have to learn how to work the Single Crochet stitch and then I had to pay attention or I’d start working Double Crochet.

My first octopus (AKA Pink Octopus of Doom) was made with some Spud And Chloe Sweater in Jelly Bean (bright pink) on a 3.75mm hook (US F).  I only have 6mm safety eyes, and I think I got them a little close together on this one.  I had an issue with the “legs” as I was crocheting him - I was only getting six legs.  I counted out the stitch pattern and figured out how many stitches I’d need in the previous round and the pattern is correct, I just got bit by my recurring nemesis - Can’t Countitis.  Once I undid the attempted leg round and counted out the previous round (it was right), I put markers in to divide repeats and was able to get eight legs.  I knew if I made a six legged octopus, I’d never hear the end of it.  This is the only one on Ravelry so far - here’s the project page link.

Then Caleb wanted an octopus, so I crocheted him one from some Elann Peruvian Highland Wool (the worsted weight) in color 4414 on the same hook as above.  I got the eye position better on this one, but I still think it would look cuter with bigger eyes.  I got eight legs on the first try for this one!

Finally, I decided I needed an octopus for my keyring (why wouldn’t I?) so I grabbed some Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Cherry (leftover from another project) and a 2.25mm hook (US B) and made a teeny tiny octopus!  I like the eye size on this one and since I wanted to add it to my keyring, I made a loop on top of his head.  I anchored the loop on the inside with a button to reinforce it.  Max finds the loop helpful to steal this tiny octopus - it’s the one he likes best and it’s going on the keyring ASAP (which will then hang on the key hook, out of Max’s range).

Here’s what they all look like together.

And here’s an overhead shot with a quarter for scale.

I’m pretty happy with how they came out, considering my remedial crochet skills!  I think they’re cute (but obviously still ferocious too)!

Have a great weekend!

More Bracelets!

 

I’m loving these!  They’re so much fun to wear, they’re practically weightless, and I can make them with leftover stash.  I’ve figured out that if I do the pre-beading while Certain People With Tiny Gray Paws are asleep, I can make the bracelets themselves any time!

Yesterday I made two more!  I realized after stringing the first one (white yarn with clear, silver lined beads) that Max was still asleep so I grabbed some more yarn and beads for a second one (pale, blue green yarn and matte, iridescent blue green beads).  I used another pearl button for the blue green one, but for the white one I used an apple blossom button that was leftover from a cardigan.  Once I had the beads pre-strung, I tied a loose knot in the end so I wouldn’t lose them and last night while I watched TV I did the knitting.  I got them all finished and blocked them by the time Caleb went to bed and this morning they’re dry.

I realize the picture doesn’t really do them justice.  The white one is super sparkly!  Unfortunately, I had a little photography assistant “helping” me to arrange them for the shot.  He did not think I should do the swirl.  He thought a nice pile of them on the floor would be much nicer.  I finally distracted him and got the shot, although it’s not a great one.

Here’s the Rav project page link if you need it!

Scrub a Dub

 

Last night I made another washcloth.  This second one flew off the needles and I did a better job with my tension too.  I love linen stitch because it’s so different from most knit stitches.  It’s easy to work, but it’s interesting to look at.

I weighed the first washcloth the other day and it weighs 24 grams.  According to the ball band on the yarn (Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton in Aqua), I should be able to knit four of them per ball, (assuming they have at least the 100 grams the ball band claims).  I’ll have to test that out, for scientific purposes and all.

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, no sign of me getting bored with these silly, fast projects yet!

In other news, the patio is almost melted!  There’s a small bit of something between ice and slush left and it should be gone by noon.  The sidewalks in the neighborhood are already clear and dry so Logan and I were back out running this morning.  It’s amazing how just being able to get out and run makes me feel so much better about the day.

A Little Bit Crazy

I was in the Rockin' Sock Club for a couple of years, a while back, and while some of the yarn got knit up pretty quickly, some skeins were stashed until I figured out what I wanted to do with them.  One of these skeins was a Socks That Rock Lightweight in Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.  It’s like a neon rainbow.  There’s nothing subtle about it.  I had kind of figured on knitting a pair of plain vanilla socks out of it because no pattern is going to be visible in the colors going on in the yarn.  Then I saw a pair of socks knit in the Rainbow Sock pattern.  It uses short rows to make wedges.  When you knit it in a self striping yarn, the yarn does magical things in those wedges.  Socks That Rock isn’t a true self striping yarn, but I always get stripy spirals out of it when I knit socks in it.  I figured it was worth a try and would at least do interesting things with the colors.

I cast on last night, got the ribbing done and two wedges so far.  Once you get a feel for what you’re doing, it goes pretty quickly.  I don’t have to pay too much attention and since socks are small, this still fits in with the small, quick, and easy projects I’m interested in at the moment.  I definitely think it’s working with the yarn, maybe not the way it would if it were self striping, but I’m liking what the wedges are doing with the colors.  Also, the colors are so bright and happy, it makes me feel better about the fact that my back patio is still covered in ice.  Here’s a link to my Rav project page.

Monday

So, it’s a Monday morning in March and the wind chill is -1F and we had an ice storm yesterday.  Here, in north Texas (just in case you were thinking I was giving a weather report for Canada or something).  Max is loving the fat birds outside, but since he has an indoor litter box, he doesn’t really understand what they’re going through.  Logan did his business really fast this morning because I’ve been combing out his winter coat over the past few (warm) days, so he doesn’t have as much insulation out there.  He’s still got a nice, thick coat, it’s just not as thick as it was.

I think the cold weather that just won’t go away is affecting my knitting.  I just don’t want to work on my Redbud Vest right now.  It’s my only big project on the needles (big because it’s stranded color work, it’s still a vest, so not even as big as a sweater) and I have no motivation to work on it.  I’ve double checked it against the directions and for gauge and I’m doing it right on both counts, so it’s not like I’m ignoring it because the little voice is telling me something is off.  I think it’s just this cold that won’t leave.  My brain doesn’t want to deal with complex things right now.  I just want to make small, simple projects.  I realized last night that even my Ravellenic projects were simple (the blanket was 80% stockinette) and small (the bag).  All I want to do is cast on simple and quick things.

I’ve decided to just go with it and let the Redbud Vest hibernate for a bit.  I’ll be ready to work on more complex things soon, but until then, I’ll knit the small, fast things.

Last night I got most of another Peppercorn Bracelet made (Max was asleep).  This time I used a pale pink with some silver lined, clear beads.  I’m all done with the knitting part where I anchor the beads and I’ll attach the button with some more crochet (I started with a crochet button loop at the beginning).  I wanted to share a photo of it before I finished the bracelet and blocked it - it reminds me of a tentacle in its unblocked state!  Here’s the Rav project page link.  I just added this one to the previous project page.  I think I’m going to make a few of these and there’s no point in making a separate page for each one.