Category: A little about knitting

Yeah, so apparently, I was supposed to disconnect the hose from the spigot at the end of the summer in order to avoid a pipe burst.  Who knew?  The sunny side of a flooded basement is that I now have a clear idea of how spring cleaning is going to look like at the Messa household.  One thing can be said about water:  it doesn’t discriminate.

Razzle turns 8 years old today.  He rescued us when he was 4.  I don’t know how I ever got by without him.  Tonight we are tailgating with him at Holy Cow Ice Cream.

Happy Birthday, Razzle!!

Oh if only that were true!  But it is not.  I make plenty of mistakes and many of them involve yarn and needles.  Nonetheless, I am grateful for the experience and nothing keeps me humble like unraveling 50 rows of color work.  I have shared photos of the socks I am making for my son; no need to revisit the scene of the crime.  I am now entering version 3.0.  I really don’t mind because I went into the project knowing that there would be a HUGE learning curve.  I love patterns.  I love well written patterns.  I love following well written patterns.  I am not a modifier by nature. I have never modified a pattern to this degree.  Fortunately, it is springtime in New York, and I have time to tinker with this endeavor before they will be worn.

The cuff was ok.  It was downhill from there.

I don’t necessarily consider this next experience a mistake rather, a lesson in common sense knitting.  I am making the Spindrift Shawl by Helen Stewart.  This is a great pattern!  (thank you, Helen!)  I had the presence of mind to utilize life lines in this pattern (for the first time in my life)  What I failed to do was track what rows contained a life line.  Fortunately, Helen uses a chart which makes it easy to count stitches on the needles to determine the row you are knitting.  Now I place a line every 25 rows.

Have you used life lines before?  I would love to hear how you apply them in your work.

It is funny.  If I wear a knitted sweater, people always ask me if I made it.  Chances are, I did not.  Actually, 100% of the time, I did not.  I knit myself one (1) sweater (which I inadvertently felted!).  I can tell you that I enjoy knitting mittens, cowls, or socks for myself more out of necessity.  Anyone I work with will tell you that I walk at least one mile during my lunch hour under any and all weather conditions, so dressing warmly in wool is a must!  When it comes to knitting nice but not utilitarian projects for myself, it is damn near impossible for me to do.  That being said, the one thing I get immeasurable delight from is knitting for others.  I don’t know.  People of all ages love receiving something hand-made and infused with love!  Knitters just love knitting; it is a win-win situation.  That brings me to this recent project.  I work in a middle school.  Every year, our art teacher (jfam on Ravelry) initiates an outreach project for students and adults alike to participate in.  The Knitting Art Club begins meeting in November with a brief explanation of 1. the art of knitting, and 2. the value of giving to people in need.  The Knitting Art Club has made hats, mittens and scarves in the past, but this year, our focus is blankets to be donated to the NICU of our local hospital.  So many people experience the unfathomable joy of childbirth, but at the same time, that euphoria comes with the experience of knowing the fragility of life first hand due to giving birth to a child whose life is in the balance.  How profound.  Given that personal experience, knitting a blanket for a newborn brings the love, faith and support of so many people…known and unknown.  No matter what your faith, the power of having the unconditional and anonymous support of others can be life changing.  Since this project began, I have been humbled by comments from people who have had a traumatic delivery.  So many people live their lives in quiet gratitude for the people who brought their heartache a glimmer of peaceful closure or joy.  This is what life and living is all about.  Sharing experiences.  Reaching out.  Bringing hope to the hopeless and love to those who feel all is lost.  While I would love to knit some of the amazing sweaters I see online, nothing will compare to the joy of knitting a blanket for one of these infants!  Knitters, keep one of these projects in your bag at all times!  Knitters, keep your thoughts and prayers focused on each and every stitch that will make the blanket whose purpose is meant to wrap a child in crisis or adorn their tiny bodies at baptism.  As knitters, we can give no greater gift than a part of our lives…prayers, time, and love.

As I mentioned on Ravelry, these socks were made for a sweet little 12 yr old girl who loves to bake and cook.  She is a bonafide FOODIE!  Since my projects are all named after some type of video game reference, Cooking Mama was a no-brainer.

I decided to use the pattern “Coquette” found in the book 2-at-a-time Socks.  While I did not knit the socks by the book’s method, I stayed true to the pattern itself.  

Here are a few thoughts on this project in general:

I followed the pattern for the smallest size: 5.  I had the correct gauge after dropping down to smaller needles than stated in the pattern.  I knit one sock at a time, on a set of 5 dpns.  I began the first sock in the spring, and the second one in mid to late summer. (got married and did NOT do much knitting on the honeymoon.  Sorry yarnies!).  Upon completing the cuff for sock #1, I did not think it resembled the picture in the book.  I reworked it two more times with the same result.  When I completed the cuff for sock #2, it came out exactly as the first, but still did not resemble the photo.  At that point I did not care; I liked the outcome.

I knit the socks according to a template I made on cardboard of Jule’s foot.  Sock #1 was huge.  I mean, loose on me and I am an 8.5!  When I completed the second sock, it was equally huge.  I could not bear to rework these, so I hoped that the blocking process would resolve some of the problem.  It did not.  So, here is what I did to produce the adorable socks you see in the photos…
I hand washed them both, then tossed them into the dryer (gasp!) for about 5 minutes.  I checked them in 5 minute intervals until I obtained what I thought was the perfect size, based on her template.  The socks felted slightly, but not enough to lose any of the stitch definition and ease.  Then I laid them flat to finish drying.

I am pleased to say that they are now a sock I feel proud of giving as a gift.  I know they will fit her snugly and perfectly and not slip down inside her boots.  The yarn is Knit Picks Palette in Caribbean, a color she picked out over lunch one day.

I just want to add that the photo here: (Coquette) that accompanies this pattern on Ravelry look enormous on the wearer as well.   Knitters, be aware of this.  If I were to make these again, I would work with fewer stitches if making the small size, or knit one size down.  

Oh, there is one more thing.  After losing progress on these socks twice after leaving them within reach of my plucky 92 yr. old mother-in-law, I switched over to the ‘magic loop’ method.  Not bad…not bad at all.  I had fewer gaps, and never dropped a stitch!  While I am not giving up on dpns, I do recommend learning this technique for projects that travel with you.  I cannot guarantee that the magic loop is mother-in-law proof…you are on your own there!