Project Halted and Project Started

I've finally thrown in the towel. I knitted and knitted and worked and worked, and kept ignoring the ginormous size of my Daily Sweater. I kept trying to convince myself that it would be OK -- that maybe I would wear it at home on a chilly night, and it would be comfy. Yesterday, as I knit in the car on the way to dinner, working on first sleeve, I gave in to my frustration and held the sweater up for Steve to see. We laughed. It's huge. I measured, and the body of the sweater is 10 inches wider than I planned. I checked my gauge, and it's something like 17 stitches to inch, when it should be 21.

Don't tell me that I should have knit a gauge swatch. I did. I knit it in the round, since the sweater is knit in the round. I knit it with the yarn I'm using and the needles I'm using. I even washed it and remeasured. I actually even knit THREE gauge swatches. I had gauge. Now I don't.

I'm frustrated, but I'm not continuing this frustration. I'm stopping. The sweater is going to the stash box to either wait until I'm willing to rip it out and start again (egh) or just get rid of it. I knit for the joy of it. I am not finding the joy in this huge sweater.

So last night, we wound my Socks that Rock yarn -- Fire on the Mountain colorway. It's pretty! I'm knitting Jaywalker socks. I've gone up a size, and will consider the first few inches to be my gauge swatch. If it works, I'll keep knitting. If not, I'll start again. So far though, it's pretty.

I never knew my sandpiper had such sad eyes. He's thinking about that Daily Sweater!

Daily Sweater update

This is the Daily Sweater -- almost through the increasing rows -- five more left. I don't know; will it turn out to be a sweater? One that I might wear?

A Sweater Begins

First, I should mention that I finished the Missouri River Scarf. It's really pretty, and I'll post finished object images and details soon.

I've taken the plunge and started a sweater. It's the top-down Daily Sweater from the 2nd Mason Dixon book. I finished the swatching, actually washed them! and discovered that I needed to go down a needle size to get gauge. I'm using a US size 6 (size 4 for the neck) with Knitpicks Comfy (cotton and microfiber) yarn in pomegranate.

I'm almost on row 30 of the increase section. I like the charts. Once I figured out when to increase left and right and when to twist left and right (I'm directionally challenged), the knitting is moving right along. I'm worried that the neck is too large, but in the image (in the book) it looks larger than a crew neck. I'm just trusting and moving along. I may regret it.

Unfinished and Almost Started Projects

Remember this yarn? I posted about it before (just that I had purchased it).

My intention was to knit a striped scarf, like my last one, using this yarn.

I cast on, using Brooklyn Tweed's pattern for a Noro scarf, which I did. I knit about 8 inches. The pattern is fine, and it produces a thick 1x1 ribbed scarf. The edges are particularly well done by slipped both end stitches on the second stripe in the pattern.

But the colors. Ick. Look at that skein. It looks bright a pleasant. I liked it. I still like it. Knitting that pattern with it? With the particular way the yarn is would? Mud. The scarf looked like mud. I disliked it so much that I ripped it apart and rewound the yarn. Unusual for me. I usually just loose interest in something ugly and put it away while I start something else. Not this time. It's gone, and the yarn is back in the stash.

On another front, the swatching for the Daily Sweater is coming along nicely. I did three swatches (can you believe it?) -- one in each color. I started with pomegranate Comfy on a size US7 needles (which is recommended in the pattern. The stitch per inch count was too large. This makes sense, since I think this yarn is thicker than the recommended Calmer. So, down a needle size, to a US6 and swatching with the blackberry. Hit the stitch gauge right on target. Amazing. I've washed the swatches and will remeasure the US6 one again today. And order the yarn. I also knitted a smaller swatch (for color purposes) with the planetarium. In this one I practiced the twisted stitches requires in the pattern.

I like all three colors, but for this project, it will be the pomegranate.

Done but not Finished

Have you ever been done with a project before you were finished? Of course, you have! I'm ready for the pair of socks to be finished. I've got about three inches of foot left and then the two on the second sock. It won't take long.

My problem is that yarn arrived yesterday in the mail for swatching. I want to try my hand (hands) at a sweater. I've never done one before (although I have done a vest). I want to try the Daily Sweater (Ravelry link) from Outside the Lines (Mason Dixon's second book). I ordered three skeins of Comfy from KnitPicks (one each in blackberry, pomegranate and planetarium) so that I could choose a color and do some swatching to see if I like the yarn. THEN, if I do, and if it works for this project, I'll order enough to make the sweater.

Isn't that sensible?

I'll try to photograph the yarn this evening -- it's darker than the swatches online (which I think is a good thing)

But, I've got these socks to finish first -- I'm determined to finish them before swatching with for the next project. I've enjoyed having finished projects, and I know if I stop knitting the socks now, I won't finish them (until much later). One day or two is all it will take, THEN onto the next thing.

GOLD and 4000 Hits

How about that gold medal? Isn't that great?

As of this moment, Sandpiper Knits has had 4000 hits from the time I began using StatCounter to count hits. Wow. Welcome.

Olympians Gold

There is it -- finished. I sewed the buttons on Friday evening, and wore it Saturday morning. If I could change it, I might alter the fit of the shoulders a little -- they are a tad large, but overall, it is wearable.

That's my Knitting Olympics project completed ON TIME (with around 48 hours to spare). It is also the answer to my knitting New Year's Resolution, which was to knit a garment that required gauge calculations.

YIPPEE. Happy dance.

Summary of Project

This project was done in response to the Yarn Harlot's knitting Olympics. Citius, Altius, Fortius. I chose this project as a challenge because my Knitting New Year's resolution was to knit a project with GAUGE.

Pattern source: Mountain Colors Simply Seamless VestNeedles: US size 7; turbo circular needles.

Yarn: Cascase 220, color 4006 -- a purple/burgandy/not really brown color. I bought six skiens. I have one left untouched and I knit a large swatch prior to starting.

Notes: I did not use the yarn stated in the pattern -- Mountain colors wool quarters, doubled. That yarn gave a gauge of 4 stitches / inch on size US 8 needles. My yarn and my knitting produced a gauge of 4.5 stitches per inch on US 7. I could have gone up a needle size, but I liked the fabric at this size. So I altered the pattern to match my gauge. It was supposed to be a challenge, right?

Knitting Dates: February 10 - February 22 (knitting). Finished on February 24 (buttons sewn on).

Vest Knitting is Done!

Hey! Take a look at the sidebar. Percentage of vest knitted = 100%!!!! Yippee!!!!!!

I don't have a picture, but the knitting is done, the ends are woven into place, the vest has been washed and is currently blocking in our bedroom, pinned to the floor.

I don't have photos because I blocked it at 1:00 in the morning. Who needs sleep?

DONE. Done. Done. Done.

Now I just have to go buy buttons, and sew them on.

And then the moment of truth. The point of all these gauge calculations. Will it fit?

Vest Update

I'm coming into the final lap on this challenge called the knitting Olympics. The vest is close to a reality. Last night I "seamed" the first shoulder seam as per directions, using a "double bind-off." Have I mentioned how slippery the turbo needles are? They are fine in normal circumstances -- fast when doing regular knit stitch. In this case, though, I was fussing at them. DH is trying to watch the Olympics (or sleep -- can't remember which one), and I'm doing the double bind off -- circular turbos and a third, aluminum needle. When I was close to the end, I stopped and warned the stitches -- in my best "MOM" voice -- to stay on the needle. They promptly, and without regard to my demands, slipped off the needles. Argh.

Anyway, bind off done, and I'm working on the right front of the vest. I've finished almost 30 rows, which is almost 5 inches. The right front is nine inches from the "arm hole" division, so four more inches, and then the final four finished inches, another double bind off, and its done -- except for weaving in a few ends, washing, blocking, sewing on yet to be purchased buttons, and picking off the occasional dog hair.

DH asked what kind of buttons I was going to use. Answer -- I'll put any kind of buttons on this baby as long as they are on by the time the torch is extinguished. Really nice, special, order off the internet buttons can be considered at a later date -- as an alteration to a finished article of clothing. This week she gets what Jo Ann Fabrics has in stock.

The color is so DIFFICULT to photograph. It's multilayered -- not brown, not burgandy, more purple than anything else. I've included this up-close and personal view of the knitting, not because the color is right, but so that you can see the variation in color this yarn has.

And hopefully all uneveness of stitches will be eliminated by blocking (she says, optimistically)

Go...

So, I'm off and knitting. So far, three days down and almost three inches of knitting. I'll have to pick up speed if I have any hopes of finishing by the closing ceremonies. Lots of work this weekend, though, and not much time to knit.

I have a rate of 1 row per 10 minutes, a row gauge of 6 rows/inch, so that's one inch/hour (of course, I calculated -- this is the Olympics). I'm going to figure out how much I have to get down in order to finish, becuase right now I'm thinking, "Was I even in my right mind to think I could knit a vest in 16 days?"

Here's a picture of the progress so far, although the color is WAY off.

On Your Marks...Get Set...

Are we ready? Let's see...

• Needles? Check -- Turbos (of course), size US7, 24 inch circular.
• Yarn? Check -- Cascade wool, six skiens, wound by my support team (S, G and J) and me. The younger members of the team love the ball winder -- fun machine. For some reason, G (older son), really has the nack for holding the yarn exactly in the right position. J (younger son) just likes to play with the machine, and S (dh) is the expert swift. Six skeins wound and ready to go.
• Pattern? Check -- Mountain Colors Simple Vest
• Gauge? Check -- recommended gauge is 4 stitches/inch on size 8 needles. My gauge after swatching? 4.5 stitches per inch on size 7 needles. I thought about going up to size 8 needles, but I like the look of the fabric on the size 7. So, I have recalcuated all of the stitch counts based on my gauge. I measured the size of a vest I own and like, and have calculated stitches to yield a vest this size. Only problem? I've never done anything like this before. It's supposed to be a challenge, right? Well, it will be.