Category Archive for ‘sweaters’ at adam knits!

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The Secret Lives of Dog Models 04 Nov 07

Dallas and Emma? It has come to my attention that you’re not quite the svelte dogs that you used to be. I know that shaggy is the look for dog models these days, but that’s a bit more than a winter coat you’re both growing. Dog modeling is a human eat human business, and you can’t keep up if you’re rolling around like little lard balls. It’s either lose the weight, or get replaced by some newer, hotter dog models, like that vixen of a Chihuahua down the street. It might seem rough, but it’s business baby. There are plenty of dogs who would kill for a spot on this blog, and just because you were on Cute Overload doesn’t mean you can sit around all day stuffing your faces. I can’t have my lovely knits being shown off by anything but the hottest dogs.

And hey, don’t you stick that tongue out at me! I will break you, you hear? You’ll never work on this blog again! Sheesh.

Yeah, so the dogs are a bit chunky these days. And stupid me, I didn’t even notice; it took my Mom (who hadn’t seem them in a few weeks) to point out that they had grown a bit in the lateral direction. So I guess it’s more walks and no more wet food. I’ll have to be strong, especially when Emma gives me that pitiful look when I serve her dry food only. Sorry sweet cheeks, it’s dog model fat camp for you.

In less superficial news, I recently gave my shelf in my home office a yarn upgrade, and it makes me quite happy. Up to this point, all my yarn was stored in bins on the ground, and well it was about high time the stash had a more central place in the office. So I reorganized my shelf and banished a bunch of engineering books to the bottom, since yarn is way more fun than reading engineering books.

Two shelves of yarn might seem a bit pitiful, but it’s a beta lambda* for me, the man who used to only buy exact yardages for a project, without ever buying “unnecessary yarn”.

*(_a beta lambda is the official nerd unit of measure for a “butt load” of anything. it’s metric, so you can have a kilo beta lambda, which would be an obscene amount of yarn_)

You may also have noticed that there are 2 big cones of the much coveted Valley Yarns English Tweed on the bottom shelf. I sat on that page for days, watching the available pounds go down, until it was too dangerous to not buy, so I picked up a cone of Light Sage and a cone of Lichen. At least one will be a Cobblestone, and I’m not sure about the other one.

In addition to giving my stash a central location for fondling, I also finished a sock this week, right after the Socktoberfest cutoff. I’m still counting it though, since technically it was done on the 31st, I just didn’t like the toe, so I replaced it with a different one a day later. That brings my grand total of Socktoberfest socks to 2, and non-matching even. Not the most prolific sock knitting month, but then again, it was a prolific yarn dyeing month.

This one is a single sock for a swap, wherein I’ll send the sock and remaining yarn to my pal, who will knit the second sock for herself. It’s a fun idea, and a great way to knit a complicated sock and ensure that you will end up with a pair.

The yarn is Yarn Nerd 900 MHz Merino, in the lovely Pumpkin shade I’ve been posting all over the blog these days. (I love me some Pumpkin), and the pattern is Cookie A’s Thelonious. It’s a nice combination of lace and ribbing that isn’t too hard to knit and looks really nice with a semi-solid yarn.

Oh, and I almost forgot, it was my 2 year knitting anniversary a few days ago! It seems like it’s been way longer, but the calendar doesn’t lie. Maybe someday I’ll be celebrating my 60 year knitting anniversary :)

So, leave some encouraging comments for my fattycake models, and I’ll pick 3 winners to be the recipient of some hand-dyed Yarn Nerd goodness. I have some tasty BFL coming in soon, and I’ll be happy to dye it up any color you like.

That’s it for me peeps, have a great Sunday!

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Adam

in contests, dallas, emma, finished objects, gifts, knitting, nerdy, schnauzers, socks, sweaters and yarn nerd

Subtle Hints 10 Sep 07

28 Comments

It seems like so many knit bloggers these days are turning their thoughts to Fall, with visions of pumpkins, sweaters and delicious ales, and I was starting to feel a tad bit jealous. It’s still been pretty darn warm here in New Mexico, but I think that tide is beginning to change. Although it’s not fully here, there are small signs of Fall here and there, if you know what to look for. Subtle hints such as the return of the comforter to the bed, a nippy morning ride to work, and the beginning of the State Fair are making me dizzy with anticipation. So Fall? Hurry up, cause I’m ready. Case in point:

Progress is now cruising along on my Seamles Hybrid, as I’m about halfway to working the yoke. Even though it’s a forest of stockinette, I’ve added a bit of spice with some green stripes (I was so struck by the hem that I just had to include the green in the body). Also, in a fit of bravado, I decided that this was the project that I was going to use to hunker down and learn continental knitting. (That’s holding the yarn in your left hand for my non-knitting friends.) It was a bit of a gutsy move, especially considering the problems I’ve already had with gauge on this sweater, but it seems to have paid off. It was a lot easier to learn than I thought (although I did have some practice with the We Call Them Pirates Hat a month or so ago), and my gauge is the same. And the main reason for this move? Well, let’s just say I’m a crazy speed demon now. Sometimes I come close to doubling my English Knitting speed, which makes for a quick sweater.

Here’s another sign of Fall that I received today. Although soap is a good thing to use year round, this stuff makes me long for the days of cold tile floors and hot showers. I acquired it through the witty and talented Megan, in a soap and yarn swap. It’s pretty much a win-win: Megan gets some cool Yarn Nerd yarn (which she made into an amazing sock), and I get to smell amazing and be squeaky clean. Pretty good deal if you ask me. So thanks Megan, you’ve made this Nerd very happy!

Now you’ll have to excuse me, I’m going to go take a hot shower before bedtime. ;)

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Adam

in continental, friends, knitting, knitting techniques and sweaters

Yarn Overdose 07 Sep 07

25 Comments

You know, one of these days I’m going to actually blog more than once a week…but that’s not the case today. I think Maryse hit my mood about blogging right on the head, so I’m going to copy her and oust the transitional sentences. Lists rule.

The order for The Loopy Ewe is done. Phew! I took Labor Day weekend to finish it up, and shipped it out last Monday. Sheri has already received it, and says that it should be up sometime soon, so keep an eye on her store. And in case you wanted to know, this is what 100 skeins of Yarn Nerd yarn looks like.

Holy Sheep Batman, it barely fits on my little table! It was a lot of work, but wasn’t nearly as hard as I anticipated. It’s easy to get into a rhythm and dye up around 15 skeins in an evening and 40 or so on a Saturday. So after a weekend here and a few spare evenings there, it was all dyed. Reskeining is a different beast though. This is about how I felt after reskeining all 100 skeins.

But it was still a blast, and I’m excited to do another order in the future! Oh, and 1500 MHz Sport Merino is now on order, so look for that soon. Since I know a lot of you want it (including me!).
The bike is fantastic. Not only are my hot legs getting even hotter (gotta love the efficiency of clipless pedals), I’m also quite speedy these days. I guess that’s what happens when you shave 10-15 pounds off your commuting machine. Also, my adventure with the ABQ bus system continues, as I’m finding more and more ways to incorporate biking and the bus into my errands and daily routine. If I were in an RPG, my character would have the following stats: Gas Usage = -20, Knitting Time = +50, Pounds Lost = -15 and Smile Factor = +10. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, perhaps you should unsubscribe and save yourself before it’s too late.)
I’m all caught up on the sweater front, and am cruising away on the body. I do need to start a sock though, since this project will soon become to large to squeeze into my bike saddlebags and wield on the bus. I do need a bit of room for a change of clothes and a sack lunch… ;)

Oh, and Mom? I’ll work on your shawl tonight, ok? Promise!
If I seem to be lacking my usual nerdy exuberance today, it’s probably only because I’m all alone in cubicle land, and I haven’t had human contact in around 4 hours. And after 4 hours of computer programming, you kinda start to feel like a computer yourself.
Finally, here’s another little project that I’ve been hiding up my sleeves for a few weeks now. If you are in Scout’s Swag Club, and haven’t received your latest yarn fix, you may want to stop reading, since this will spoil it. Inserting requisite paragraph breaks…

Not yet.

Nope, still no dice.

Are we there yet?

Maybe.

Oops, false alarm.

Keep going…

Almost there.

You’ll get a cookie if you keep going!

Ok, not really, but a fake gold star at least.

Scrolling all the live long day!

. . . .

Oh, now what’s this?

Why it’s lovely yarn! 40 skeins of it in fact, for Scout’s Swag Club for August. Scout asked me if I would like to be a guest dyer for the club a few months back, and I graciously accepted. The colorway is called Chuck T’s, and I think it’s quite smashing. Thanks again Scout, I appreciate the shout out!
Alright that’s it. Move along, nothing left to see. And have a lovely weekend. :)

Published

Adam

in biking, dallas, dyeing, knitting, nerdy, shop, sweaters, work and yarn nerd

Oooohhh, Shiny! 01 Sep 07

28 Comments

Hey everyone, thanks for all your great comments on my yarn being at The Loopy Ewe! I’m finishing up the dyeing and reskeining this weekend, so it should be off to Sheri and up at the store soon. Keep an eye out! Also, I’ll be placing an order for some 1500 MHz Sport Merino as soon as I ship off the wholesale order, so keep an eye out for that yarn at www.yarnnerd.com.

In other news, I got a new toy!

That’s right, I finally had enough money saved up to go pay off my bike and get it out of layaway. I picked it up last night, and my Dad helped me put on some clipless pedals and showed me a few things, and off I went! I was a bit worried about using the clipless pedals, but commuting these last few months has made me a lot more confident on the bike, and my fears turned out to be unfounded. The pedals are super easy to use and it’s definitely a lot more efficient than straight push pedals. My Dad was kind enough to take a picture of me riding (wow, I look like a 5 year old boy in that picture) around the neighborhood.

It feels really great to have a bike that actually fits me, and I’m really looking forward to next week’s commute now. I’m interested to see how much time I can shave off, since this bike is super fast. Oh, and it’s super light too, so it should be a bit easier to load it onto the bus to school (and hopefully it will get me less grouchy bus driver stares, since the mountain bike was a bit hard to load onto that rack).

All in all, it’s only been a few months since I started bike commuting, but it’s already drastically changed the way I look at transportation. I absolutely love my commute now, and I’m always looking for opportunities to ride instead of driving. Plus, I’m so happy to have finally found a form of exercise that I really enjoy. In the past I never found something I really loved, so it was always hard to stick to a routine. I just wish I had given cycling a serious try sooner!

I also have another pair of socks under my belt to show off. (__Two pairs in consecutive posts! What is this blog coming to?__)

Remember these?

“Jolly Good Chap” Socks

Pattern: Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, by Nancy Bush.
Yarn: Hand-Spun by Anne, received in a swap.
Needles / Gauge: 7.5 spi on US #1’s. Knitted with Magic Loop.
Construction: I stuck to the pattern on this one, except I used a slip stitch heel instead of a stockinette one. I also modified the lozenge pattern to be over 60 stitches, since my gauge was less than the book’s.
Completion Time: 4 months (May - August)

I really love these socks. This was the first time (at the time of cast-on) that I had used hand-spun, and it was a very different and wonderful experience. The wool that Anne used is a bit more coarse than I was used to, but it makes a really sturdy and warm fabric. Anne’s spinning job was superb, and I know that these socks will be around for many years to come. They’re a bit slouchy around the leg, because the pattern gauge is a bit bigger than stockinette gauge, but the ribbed cuff holds them up, and I think that slouchy socks are wonderful. They’ll be perfect for cold winter evenings, to keep my feet warm while I drink coffee and knit. And the pattern gives them a very sophisticated look; so much so, that I fancy myself a Brit while wearing them. ;)

So thanks Anne, the yarn is wonderful, and the socks are even better!

Lastly, I want to leave you with a bit of a somber warning. If you are ever knitting a sweater, be sure to count the number of stitches in your gauge swatch instead of assuming. Or, if you always knit your swatches over 32 stitches, don’t make a 36 stitch swatch, and then measure your gauge thinking your swatch is 32 stitches. Cause that means all your impeccable math and perfect sizing doesn’t mean anything…, and it leads to this inevitable outcome:

Oh, and listen to that nagging voice in your head that says, “hey, maybe before you get too much farther, you should take it off the needles and try it on!” Cause it will be right. At least I was only 1 inch past the hem, so no harm no foul this time. I forge ahead, because I am determined to have a cosy sweater to go with my Englishman socks this winter.

Published

Adam

in biking, dyeing, finished objects, frogged, hand spun, knitting, socks, sweaters and yarn nerd

Obsession is Normal. 24 May 07

37 Comments

My neighbors must think I’m a loon. Actually, they might not be too far off. If you were in my neighborhood yesterday, you might have been taken aback as well. So what on earth was I doing?

Well let’s just say that I had a little dog photo shoot involving baby knits…

No Schnauzers were physically harmed during this photoshoot, although emotional damage may have occurred.

"did you say treat? you better deliver!"

I better get a freaking treat out of this.

"Arrrr! shiver me timbers, I’ll get you for this! Arrrr, dArrrrr, dΘ"

I would explain, but there’s really nothing to explain. Some good friends of mine just had their second baby, and seeing as I have had lots of time, I cranked out a few hats for their adorable new son. I wanted to get some pictures of the hats before I gifted them, but wanted something more than an ordinary lightbox shot. I thought about using a comforter (like brooklyntweed does for baby knits) to model the hats, but then I realized that I had something even better. Live models with furry little heads. Next thing I knew, I was laying in the grass, saying “Treat!” over and over, trying to get my poor humiliated dogs to look at the camera. The things I do for the blog…

You have to admit though, these pictures are darn cute.

Dallas is wearing a very lovely Top Down Bonnet in some red Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky. I loved this pattern, but I wasn’t paying attention and increased too much, so I ended up making the child size instead of the baby size. It’s all good though, because I promised my friends a hat for their daughter over a year ago, and now I can finally deliver on that promise! Sorry it’s taken so long guys!

Emma is wearing a Children’s Cotton Hat, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, knitted up with less than 1/2 of a skein of Patagonia Nature Cotton. It was leftovers from another baby hat, and I didn’t have too much, so this hat turned out to be more of a baby skull cap. I also knitted another one with some Manos Cotton Stria, but it wouldn’t stay on Emma’s head. I really like that hat pattern, it’s quick and simple, and makes a very cool looking baby knit.

So congrats on the new baby Sam and Rosemary, he’s absolutely adorable! Hopefully there’s not dog hair on the hats, but Schnauzers don’t shed, so they should be hair free! ;)

In other news, the yarn for my Seamless Hybrid came yesterday. It came in a USPS shoe box, which prompted me to wonder why I was receiving shoes that I hadn’t ordered, until I opened it and was greeted with the sweet smell of wool. Ahhh, Cascade 220, how I love thee. This color is so great too, it looks like a mixture of coffee and red wine, with a bit of chocolate thrown in. I’m planning to use the olive green to do the sleeve hems, and possibly the neckband too. I can’t wait to get started on this!

one of these things is not like the others

I also wound up my Tree Scum Handspun, to begin the project planning phase. I’m such a planner when I knit, and I want to be especially conscientious with this yarn since it’s so nice. The project planning phase (or PPP) usually involves making a swatch or two with different needle sizes, washing and blocking those swatches, then measuring them to get accurate gauge. Of course, this all gets written down in my yarn notebook, so that if I ever use a particular yarn again, I can just "check my notes". Then I pick a pattern, and usually adapt it in some form to suit what I’m looking for. Then I can finally cast-on! There’s also obsessive amounts of trying on and measuring during the knitting phase, to ensure that the item comes out perfectly.

tree scum handspun - waiting for the cast on

I know my process is a bit obsessive, but _what else would you expect from an engineer?_ And one benefit is that I can almost always guarantee that my knitted objects will fit well. The few times I have strayed from this process are the few times where things have gone horribly wrong. So I take comfort in perfecting my art through the use of my calculator, ruler and notebook. Someday I hope to pass the knitting bug onto my kids, and leave them all of my notebooks so they can know what a weirdo their Dad was. As if the dogs in hats pictures aren’t proof enough ;)

So what’s your process? Are you like me, or do you prefer to be a bit more free form? No judgment here, I’m just interested to know if there’s other obsessive knitters out there! Besides Grumperina of course, because she totally rocks the math skills too.

Oh, and if you have any pattern ideas for my handspun, please toss them into the hat! I’m thinking something Nancy Bush, or Anne’s Smokin’ Socks, but I’m open to suggestions!

Published

Adam