Category Archive for ‘sweaters’ at adam knits!

Archive for the 'sweaters' Category

What’s Up Kemo Sabe? 12 Oct 08

Hi-yo Silver! It’s just me the Lone Ranger, riding in from a long month of rounding up equations and graphs out here in the wild west. It’s tiresome work to corral all this math, but someone has to do it!

Unfortunately, when my head is buried in the books, I don’t have much blogging time. I’m working to remedy that, starting with a fresh new theme. My rationale is that I may be more inclined to post with a fresh new theme, but we’ll see how that goes. Not to mention the old theme was looking a bit like a red light district if you ask me ;)

It seems that while I was busy studying, Fall managed to sneak up behind me. Not to worry though, I simply called in some wooly reinforcements. Nothing like a clean batch of wooly socks and a sweater to make you long for changing leaves and chilly mornings.

Another sure sign of Fall here in Albuquerque is the arrival of the Balloon Fiesta (not to mention the slow driving tourists!). There’s really nothing like a balloon glow at night, especially when there’s an awesome sunset in the background.

It also seems that I’ve picked up a new yarn related habit, which is about the last thing I need these days! For some reason, I got a very strong urge to learn crochet so I could make a retro table runner for my coffee table. The biggest shock, and don’t faint on this one, is that I’m using acrylic…gasp! You all know that I’m a bit wool addiction, but I just couldn’t resist the petroleum based yarn for a retro 50’s knit. Or maybe I’m just an 80 year old grandma on the inside ;)

It did take quite a few tries to figure out the ripple stitch pattern, but I think I have the hang of the basics now. It also may be that for the first 5 tries, I was completely ignoring the directions. Once past my basic inability to read English, I was sailing along. I will admit, there’s something satisfying about a crochet hook that I really like. I’m already planning a gigantic retro blanket to go with my runner.

Maybe I should just give up sleep altogether?

Anyway, it’s back to the books for me, so forgive me if it ends up being another month until the next post. I will be defending my thesis in November though, so it won’t be too much longer before I can banish the books to the shelves permanently. I can’t wait.

Published

Adam

in albuquerque, crocheting, ee, school, socks, sweaters and works in progress

Making a List 01 Sep 08

26 Comments

Anyone still out there? I sure hope so! If I keep going at this rate, I’ll be slipping to monthly updates before long. Sigh. Thanks for sticking in there, hopefully I’ll be more talkative soon!

I do have a few finished objects to share, both knitting related, and otherwise. First up are some single socks, knit up in some of my hand-dyed yarn. Whenever I offer a new base yarn, I always save a skein for myself to use for swatching and test knitting. I swatched both of these yarns ages ago, but am finally getting around to actually knitting them.

This sock is knit with a merino/bamboo/nylon base yarn, which is pretty awesome in my opinion. I just love how soft it is! The pattern is the Gentleman’s Half Hose in Ringwood Pattern, from Vintage Knitted Socks (the official compendium of man approved socks), which really shows off the colorway well.

The next lonely sock is knit in my sport weight merino base, and is just a simple Waffle Stitch pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks.

Both socks are knit toe-up, with short row heels and cuff ribbing until I could no longer stand it. The original plan was to exhaust each 1/2 skein, but for both socks I got a bit tired of the ribbing after a while. Now I just have to get around to knitting their mates ;)

As summer wanes, I’ve also turned my attention to winter knitting projects. I have 2 cones of Valley Yarns English Tweed (bought in a WEBS closeout) which have been calling to me lately. So I skeined them up and gave them a good warm soapy bath to clean out the spinning oil.

I’ve finished swatching and am thinking that the light color will look quite nice as a Cobblestone. I may be the last person on earth to knit one, but I’m ok with being late to the party.

The other finished object is a house project, and I’m quite proud of this one. I’ve been wanting a chalkboard for the kitchen, but decent ones are quite pricey, so I figured I could come up with a DIY solution. So after a bit of Google searching, and a trip to Lowe’s and Hobby Lobby, I came up with this.

Pretty sweet huh? Want to know the best part? It’s magnetic!

I simply painted a piece of sheet metal with chalkboard paint (best. invention. ever.) and had it mounted in a cheap-o premade frame. The chalkboard paint is very cool, and it works way better than I expected. The board just requires a wipe down with a damp paper towel, and it’s ready to go. I had thought about using magnetic primer, but read that it was a bit hard to work with. Then I realized, that a piece of sheet metal would be just the trick.

All in all, the project cost me about $60, compared with about $150 - 200 for a decent board in a similar size from most places I looked. It’s the perfect project for my compulsive side, since now I can make meal plans with my weekly produce share and cross off my veggies as I use them up. It’s also a handy place to write down daily chores.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go cross “Write a Blog Post” off the chores list. ;)

Published

Adam

in finished objects, home improvement 101, knitting, single socks, socks and sweaters

Tiny Stripes = Cute 04 Apr 08

16 Comments

ETA (4/5): I upgraded my blog software and comments quit working! Oops! They’re all fixed now :)

I know some of you might still be waiting with baited breath, and yes, I did receive my mitten kit. It. is. glorious.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to cast on yet. In fact, I haven’t been able to knit very much these past 2 weeks at all. I’ve been a bit busy getting 100+ skeins of yarn dyed up for The Loopy Ewe.

So if you want to get your hands on some 900 MHz Merino, be sure to keep an eye on The Loopy Ewe, for one of Sheri’s infamous sneak ups. I’m also working on a shop update for the Yarn Nerd store, featuring my 3 new base yarns: 1200 MHz Merino (Sport), 1700 MHz Merino (Superwash DK) and 2400 MHz Merino (Worsted). That should be ready within a week or two, and I must warn you, these new bases are heavenly. The 1700 MHz Merino is especially squishy, and is the perfect weight for about any project.

Despite my inability to knit more than 5 rounds on my overdue Project Spectrum Fire socks these past few weeks, I do have a finished object to show off. One that I’m quite proud of.

Isn’t it adorable? I knit it as a gift for Georgia’s brand new addition, sweet little H. I actually bought the yarn when I was in Seattle over the summer, in a yarn shop that Georgia took me to. She didn’t know if it was a boy or girl at that point, so I picked some colors and crossed my fingers. Thankfully, I got lucky!

pattern: wonderful wallaby, by cottage creations
yarn: blue sky alpacas dyed cotton: azul light blue (1 skein) / caribbean (1 skein) / pickle (1 skein)
needles/gauge: US #8 / 4.5 stitches per inch
size: 2 Years
mods: I striped two of the colors (pickle & caribbean), and then used the remaining one for the yoke and hood. I also worked seed stitch for the cuffs, and did a stockinette hood with a garter stitch border.

I really loved the Wallaby pattern, it was so easy to knit, and there’s endless room for customization. Plus, being a small size, it actually knit up in just a few weeks! And at the rate H is growing, he’ll be ready to wear it around in no time, right Georgia? ;)

After all that instant knitting gratification, I feel like tackling some more baby knits. Are there anymore expecting Moms out there? ;)

Published

Adam

in baby, dyeing, finished objects, gifts, knitting, shop, sweaters and yarn nerd

Drink More Ovaltine 30 Nov 07

67 Comments

Ah, the moment is finally here. The unveiling of my first handknit sweater. A sweater that I love so much, it hurts a little bit when I take it off. So without further ado, I give you my Seamless Hybrid.

Pattern: Seamless Hybrid from Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Without Tears
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Cordovan (5 skeins) and Olive Heather (1 skein)
Needles: US #7 - 24″ Circular, 8″ Circular, DPNs
Price: $30 for 6 skeins at WEBS
Knitting Time: Sept. 1, 2007 - Nov. 21, 2007

Inspired by so many others before me, I used EZ’s recipe to create a comfortable sweater with a few personal touches.

I chose Cascade 220 because it was inexpensive, and because it’s a true workhorse. Perfect stitch definition, beautiful colors and a dream to knit with, it’s really a great sweater yarn. I shamelessly copied Fricknits color choices, originally planning to only use the olive color for hems on the sleeves and body. But once I worked the brown and olive yarns together, I fell in love with the combo and knew that I had to include some green in the body. So the idea of stripes was born. (More on this in a bit…)

Once the striping was decided upon, all that was left to do was knit, knit and knit. I actually switched between English and Continental a few times, since a few tests showed that my gauge was the same in both, even though I was fairly new at Continental. It was the first time I’ve ever really thrown caution to the wind with my knitting technique, and thankfully it worked out fine. Not to mention that I got some good speed with my left hand on the body, which helped out a lot. Then once all the pieces were done, I joined them up and worked the yoke, finishing in time to wear the sweater for Thanksgiving.

The neck was the only part that gave me a bit of grief, since there were a few holes after picking up all the stitches, but I was able to use a bit of darning needle magic to close them up at the end.

All in all, I’m pleased as punch with this sweater, and I’ve already worn it 4 times since its completion. It was quite effective at staving off the cold lake air in Chicago. I’m definitely going to have to get a new sweater on the needles, because I think I’ve spoiled myself for store bought sweaters. It’s just such an amazing feeling to wear something you made with your very own hands…I get a bit of a high everytime I put the sweater on :)

Now that the sweater is unveiled, we get to have a fun little contest. See, the stripes might look a bit random, but they actually spell out a hidden message. What could it be? That’s your job to figure out. So get out your Little Orphan Annie decoder rings and get ready, because here’s the rules:

The picture shown below is the exact stripe sequence on the body of the sweater, and the entire message is hidden in those stripes.
The message starts at row 1 and ends at row 80 as shown in the picture. I’ve split it up into two pictures to save space, but don’t assume that the location of the split tells you anything about the message.
Anyone is allowed to make a guess at what the message is, but you must back that guess up with reasoning; i.e. “I think that the message is X, because Y and Z.”
Guesses without proof will not be eligible, i.e. you can’t guess “Emma and Dallas!” on a gut feeling. This is like when your math teacher would mark you down for writing down the answer without showing supporting work ;)
You don’t have to make a guess to comment, so if you aren’t the puzzle type, and just want to say hi, please feel free to chime in with other comments!
The first person to make a correct guess will win a lovely Yarn Nerd prize package, guaranteed to have 3-4 skeins of yarn and maybe a few other goodies.

Got all that? Good. Now here’s your clue. Happy decoding everyone! (And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about my last contest…I’ll announce the winners of that one when I get a winner for this one, promise!)

Oh, and if you’re keeping track, I will be 23 tomorrow. Man I’m getting old! ;) I highly doubt I will post tomorrow, so I’m going to wish myself Happy Birthday a day early!

Published

Adam

in contests, continental, finished objects, knitting, nerdy, sweaters and techniques

Putting It All Together 10 Nov 07

24 Comments

Thank you all for the wonderful comments on my knitting anniversary, and the encouragement for my portly pooches! They’re doing quite well, and after a nice haircut, Emma is not as pudgy as initially suspected. I suspect Dallas is mostly a giant hairball too, he just hasn’t gotten his haircut yet. A few more weeks of regular evening walks and I’m sure they’ll be back to their skinny supermodel selves. And extra walking is something they certainly don’t mind. :)

I did just receive the BFL yarn yesterday, so I’ll pick the winners from the contest in the next blog post. I’m quite flattered that so many people think I’ve been knitting much longer than 2 years, but I assure you, any perceived skill is merely ridiculous amounts of practice. My friends and family deserve the credit, since they’ve put up with me knitting non stop for this long! (I think those warm hats and socks might have something to do with it…)

Also, if you haven’t picked up any Yarn Nerd from The Loopy Ewe, there’s still a few skeins left, so get on over before it’s all gone!

I’ve been hard at work this week, trying to get my Seamless Hybrid finished before the onslaught of winter, and I’m starting to make progress. I finished the 2nd sleeve this week, which means I’m now ready to start the yoke, and join the body and sleeves together.

I’m very close, but still, I haven’t been able to find time to sit down and start on the yoke. I want a nice block of uninterrupted time, since it’s the first time I’ve done anything like this, but I couldn’t seem to find that in my schedule this week. I think I might retreat to my favorite coffee shop tomorrow morning for a bit of solitude with my notes and the wool. It’s shaping up to be a good weekend. :)

I also got a bit of mail love this week, in the form of a stunning sock from Megan, as part of a single sock swap. She knit me the first sock, and sent me some yarn and the pattern so I can knit the second one. It’s an I Love Gansey sock (modified to have diamonds instead of hearts, you know, since hearts have cooties), knit up in a lovely chocolate shade of Rowan 4-Ply. It’s super squishy, and I can’t wait to knit the mate! Now if I can only find the time to cast on…

Megan also sent me this amazing sock cube from Schrodinger Originals, which has become my de-facto European Carryall for my knitting. There’s just something so awesome and so geometric about keeping your knitting in a sewn cube, it’s like storing structure inside structure, math inside math, etc…