The Second Half

Knitting: Figheadh Yarnworks' Fundamental Junior Vest

Finally!  I have a Finished Object!  I recently finished knitting up Figheadh Yarnworks' Fundamental Junior Vest in Plymouth Yarn's Encore Tweed in (I think) Color #T212.  It's for our niece Kristen, who turned 3 years old in January.

Front...

 

...and back:

 

I thought it came out well.  Not perfect, by any means.  There are a couple of spots where, while there isn't a dropped stitch, there is something fishy going on.  I tried to sort of fill in a hole-like spot by weaving in one of the ends in such a way that I used the end to fake some some stitch-like yarnage in the hole-like spot.  As you can tell, I'm strugging with terminology here!

I also wasn't sure how exactly to do the V-neck shaping.  Of course, the pattern calls for decreases there, but, since the V-neck is done in rib knit, I wasn't sure how to do the decreases and stay in pattern for the rib knit.  The rib knit is a 3-stitch repeat of 2P, k1b.  I stayed in pattern for the most part, but not in the deep part of the V-neck where the decreases are.  I looked to see what the prior rows had in terms of the rib pattern and just did that on the current row.  So the ribbing might be off pattern at the bottom of the V, but in a way it's also in pattern by stitch.  Still struggling to explain this!

Anyway, V-neck shaping occurred and it looks good so, who knows?  Maybe I actually did it correctly.  I will have a chance to clarify the directions and figure it out again because I'll knit this vest for another niece, Sofia, who turns 3 years old in May.

One thing that came out very well in this sweater is the side seaming.  I've already shared this with several people, but I'll say it again: I was so pleased when someone looking at the vest remarked that I knit it in the round because I didn't knit it in the round.  It's just that my side seams are so good here that it looks like there aren't any seams and, therefore, was knit in the round.  Go me.

That's something I'm enjoying very much about knitting: I like to see the progress I make from one project to the next, from one point in time to another.  E.g., here's the Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Surprise Jacket (scroll down a bit for the pattern) I made last year when we learned Kristen was going to be a big sister (her brother, Patrick, was born just last week!):

 

 

Firstly, try to ignore the multi-colored buttons I chose for an already multicolored jacket.  What was I thinking?  It looks like a clown threw up.  Anyway, I made that probably just under a year ago and already my seaming now is way better than what I did in the jacket.  Also, stitch gauge has regulated.  Edges are cleaner.  I'm very, very pleased with my progress.

So niece Sofia tells me that her favorite color (as least as of a few days ago) is red so I'll knit her vest in Cascade Yarns 128 Superwash Color #893.  Kristen's vest is a darker red and Sofia's yarn is actually a bit brighter than how it appears online.

I think I will knit Sofia's version of the vest in the round.  I'm kind of torn.  The pattern is written to knit flat.   Although it mentions that you can do it in the round, it doesn't give explicit instructions for that.  OTOH, I can certainly use more practice seaming.  OTOH, it would be interesting to adapt the pattern to knit it in the round, i.e., good problem-solving practice (although, in a way, it's a problem of my own making!).

I think I will also:

• add a few rows to the vest; I don't know; I'll see how it fits Kristen (although she's a tall kid so I'll have to take that into account); it seems a little stubby
• delete a few stitches; it's probably my gauge, but Kristen's vest is a little wide; also, if I knit it in the round I won't need as many stitches for seams; and I think Sofia's a smallish kid

Before I move on to Sofia's vest, I'll finish the Multnomah Shawl I'm making for Stephanie (not the chicken, but the friend after whom the chicken is named).  I'm making it in Jojoland's Melody Superwash Variegated Fingering Wool in Color #MS20.  I recently frogged it and started again.  It starts with a lot of garter stitch; I did that and then got messed up with the feather and fan part.  I put it down for long enough that I decided to start again. 

I don't really mind at all doing that because the item always ends up looking much better in the end, even the parts that weren't problematic; e.g., the garter stitch part looks better and more even.  So, it might take a little longer, but it will look a lot better.

 

Knitting: Blocking & the Humble Dishcloth

Blocking is a technique by which you can shape your finished knitted work to certain dimensions.  The humble dishcloth is any one of many small knitted pieces, approximating a face washcloth in size.  They're mostly square, although they can certainly be round, triangular or any shape the knitter wishes.  They are, essentially, handmade dishrags.  Lovely, made-from-the-heart dishrags.

Why knit a dishcloth when inexpensive, factory manufactured ones can easily be had at discount stores?  For starters, they're excellent projects for beginner and relatively new knitters.  Also, they're great quick projects for more experienced knitters who want to whip up a quick gift or simply want a project they can complete, start to finish, within a day, unlike more involved projects that take days, weeks or -- gasp! -- months.  I've even heard tell of projects taking more than a year to complete.  I knit three dishcloths for my MIL for Christmas this year.  They were my first dishcloths ever and I can vouch for the overly swollen feeling of accomplishment from being able to finish a project so quickly.

Rumor has it that handknit dishcloths are actually quite good at, well, cleaning dishes.  I have met people who vow never to return to store-bought dishcloths or wash their dishes with sponges/scrubbers once they've had the chance to use handknit cloths.  I have yet to actually use a handknit dishcloth on my own dishes, but I could perhaps more easily see myself using them as counter wipes or even as facecloths.

This first picture is of the three dishcloths after I finished knitting them, but before blocking them.

 
All three patterns are free; I found them via Ravelry, the online community for knitters and crocheters (registration is free and super easy).  The top pattern is called Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth (perhaps the classic dishcloth pattern) by Ruth from Big Springs, TX; the bottom left is the Feather & Fan Dishcloth by Tera Johnson; and the bottom right is eLoomanator's Diagonal Knit Dishcloth by Jana Trent.  I used Lily's Sugar'n Cream cotton in three different colorways.

Different people prefer different sized dishcloths.  I believe my MIL said she preferred larger rather than smaller dishcloths, so I made them all between  50-55 stitches width and height.

As you can see in the above picture, the dishcloths look a little on the disheveled side.  If these were my dishcloths, I wouldn't bother blocking them; I would just machine wash and dry them.  I'm sure my MIL will do the same once she starts using them, however, I did want them to at least look nice when she received them.

I machine washed them as I would do if I were going to then machine dry them.  I could have just sprayed them with water or I could have steam blocked them, but machine washing served two purposes for me:

1. It got the dishcloths wet for blocking and
2. they survived the washing machine, thereby proving that there were no loose ends lurking about to unravel in the wash of their unsuspecting recipient.

After washing, I put them on my trusty blocking board, spread them to pleasing  dimensions and pinned them to the board with rustproof pins:

 
I let them dry overnight.  Here they are the next day, after removing the pins and moving them on the board a bit:

 
As you can see, they look a little sharper and more presentable after blocking.

So there you have it: the humble dishcloth elevated to gift status.

Friday Cat Blogging: Wool + Kittehs = Happy

I recently knit up a very simple cat bed for the kittehs.  I bought some wool on sale rather inexpensively ($2/skein) and made a stockinette cover for an old pillow.  I knit two strands together to give it a kind of a tweed look.  It's a huge hit with the feline residents.

Lizzie and Miles:

 

Dolly:

 

and Edison:

 

 

Pinchi is separated from the others so she doesn't have access to this pillow.  Based on her fondness for wool blankets used in her room, I think she might enjoy having her own knitted pillow.  I have a few works in progress that I want very much to finish, including a lap blanket made for Kevin's Man Room (aka Pinchi's room), so her own pillow will have to wait.  But I'm sure she'll enjoy the lap blanket once it's finished.