K3tog: ILx Knitting 3

Also getting a set is a wicked fast/cheap way to have like almost all the needle lengths + sizes in the entire world. If you don't mind doing your str8 knitting on circulars this is an extra bonus, too.

No, you're smart, J. Addi Clicks are okay, but the cord has come undone (?) once and, honestly, I don't need circs so much. I've been going back to my reg metal needles (Prym and such).

A; the yarn is Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica.

Julia, I think my teacher is a bit "off". She had never heard of afterthought heels. I mean, I understand she's not interested in English/American knit related stuff, but COME ON if you have knitted for a few decades, you should know about afterthought heels! I asked her about the very tiny holes in my short row (socks) and she advised to do SKPO instead of p2tog. Hmm, but then it slants the other way or am I wrong? I can never "envision" these de/increases and how the frigging slant. I thought a SSP would be the thing to do?

They are having a big sale in a LYS. SEVENTY PERCENT OFF. But damn it I promised my friend to come to Antwerp. Damn. Maybe next week I'll go. So far this "no yarn in 2010" seems to be undoable: I might visit a shop in Antwerp. They have some great stuff, like Habu. Tempted to check that out.

I think she doesn't fuss with gauge because most socks are done in rib. She didn't even mention a fancy patt! Then it matters less. also, if you are more or less a "regular" knitter, you don't need to care so much about gauge. Fior me it is relevant as I'm a tight knitter. But weirdly I think my tension is changing. Well, not weirdly, I know it does but it is strange when your gauge matches the one in the patt more or less. lol

The LYS here is closing (*sniff*). I don't have any $$$ so I haven't gone but apparently people are getting all vultured out at only 30% off. Like my friend went & said another lady snatched stuff out of her shopping basket right in front of her face. wtf? I'm gonna wait 'til stuff is at least 50% off to look.

SKPO would slant to the left, i think, nath, same as p2tog. tho i can't tell you jack about sock heels.

snatching stuff out of someone else's shopping basket? duuuuude. fistfight at the LYS.

I think I"m gonna cry myself to sleep: 70 procent off. Some skeins are less than a euro. Then again do I need more yarn (yes). lol
Stealing out of a bag? WTF. That's just crazy.

Yeah, as I was doing it in my head, I realized that SKPO does slant the same way.

Will 2010 be the year I feel a bit more secure about my knitting skills? Doubt it.

you see how you can do that in your head? you *should* be more secure about your knitting skills. it took me a long time to be able to visualize like that.

People have done nothing but bitch & moan about the LYS here but I will miss it. The only other place to get yarn is Hobby Lobby, which I don't like shopping at bcz I generally don't care for their politics, and also 95% of their yarn is gross.

There will be no place in town to just get a skein of honest, attractive 100% wool anymore.

j, yeah in my head. in reality my knitting looks shit. lol

a, order online!

i have seen pics of your knitting, nath, and i say you are RONG. it looks fine!

i order everything online, and then i sell stuff on rav if the colors/whatev aren't what i expected. i buy just about everything on sale in the first place, and mostly break even that way.

or i shop ppl's rav stashes. that can be dangerous.

Awww Abbott I have endless sympathy for you. Hobby Lobby is the pits! If there's anything you ever want, I will happily go to a LYS here (we have like five of them... it is an embarrassment of riches) and send you things.

Sarah A. was so OTM about the yarn shopping part of our class being awesome.

The lady who taught me knitting said "the best thing you can learn in a knitting class is how to fix your mistakes

truth bomb

I finished the Owls sweater yesterday. I hadn't tried it on along the way (which made LeeAnn, the lady who taught me knitting, literally punch me on the arm when I told her), but I put it on before finishing the collar & it fit great. Didn't even make me look like a chubby chub, which I worried about w/the bulky yarn. THEN I blocked it & the thing got freaking giant in the water, which gave me some panic. It got about 4" longer and is now a little too big in the yoke, but it looks ok.

btw my grandma saw some stuff I made for my family as xmas gifts (a monkey toy & a pair of mittens) and is actually *impressed* by a skill I have. This is incredible. My grandma gives out like four compliments a decade. Nothing impresses her. She especially hasn't said a good thing about me or anything I've done since I quit being Mormon so this is...this is just epic.

That is cool about your grandma!

My grandma doesn't want to wear one of the pairs of socks I made her because the pattern is "so fancy"!

Do you find that more endearing or frustrating?

It's cute, mostly. I guess she will wear them as regular socks rather than bed socks.

I frogged a ton of shit. Should frog more. It's like throwing stuff in the bin; it makes me feel better somehow. lol

I am pretty sure my gauge/tension has changed, loosened. Which is natural I guess, but weird nonetheless.

OMG I bought some yarn the other day. A pair of knitting needles. A book. 125 euros! WTF! Okay, it was all fancy yarn (combo of say silk and merino). My friend was utterly shocked. lol.
On tuesday I'll be going to the big sale at a LYS. I think I'll probably spend about 50 euros. Not more.

I LOVE the Kaffe Fasset Regia sock yarn. I can't recommend it enough

finished my hat! it seemed so tiny but stretched out a lot with washing.

http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/juliaa/20282777/IMG_5344_medium.JPG

It turned out really cool!

Julia, that looks great!

i like that, are those real cables or fake cables?

thanks!

those are real cables--that small, they can be done without a cable needle easily. i think there's a way of doing fake tiny cables in the round but it seems just as easy to do real ones, if not easier.

Who's going to knit camp in Scotland? I am so tempted to go. Well, I think it's expensive for my hobby but Thom's saying I should go.

Isn't he a sweetheart?

What do you do at knit camp?

On the one hand, knitting and Scotland sound awesome. On the other hand, "camp" sure brings back some bad childhood memories.

Oh, have I said that we learned to purl? This means we can do stockinette stitch, which makes me feel like a real knitter. Tonight is our last knitting class, which is kind of a bummer. We learn to bind off, and maybe something else.

Hold on, it's already the last class? This is confusing. Well, I guess it's not like my four (turned into a five) year course. Honestly there are some major disadvantages to my teacher. I showed her the sock I'm doing. It's a plain stockinette sock (from Nancy Bush book) with a dutch heel. My teacher basically refuses to accept anything that's not her thing. She has all these fixed ideas about decreasing, sock type,... Christ. The weirdest is her not recommending a swatch for a sock! WTF! So noone does it (except me lol).

Abbott, I will probably enroll in courses by Jared Flood (his Girasole project, Baby Surprise Jacket YAYAYAYA). Also NANCY BUSH. WOOOOOOOT. If there's still place available of course. First day will be an introduction to lace knitting. I don't know, honestly, I think I'm too crappy to enroll in this thing. But ah fuck it, why not! Some other Belgians are probably joining. Question is: do I take the deluxe room? The ensuite room is a STUDENT ROOM. Finally I can complete my education. lololol

Yeah camp sounds sucky

I can get not swatching if you have made lots of socks before & generally know the yarn/needles you're working with, but not for the first time you're trying out socks! Insanity!

You are not too crappy to enroll, Nath. I've seen the lace type stuff you've done on Rav. It's good! It sounds like loads of fun. I say do it!

It was just a three-session class for very beginning knitters. Basically taught us how to hold needles (not like a crochet hook!), how to make a slip knot, how to cast on, how to knit, how to fix our fuck-ups, how to purl, and how to bind off. They offer other classes that focus on specific projects - http://www.sisterartsstudio.com/adult.html - although some of those are a little out of date.

yeah you're not too crappy. there will be a lot of people there newer to it than you, too. my friend did girasole for a wedding present for someone, and his other circular blanket (name i forgot) for the same girl's sister's wedding present.

i wanna take a class to learn continental

Yeah it wld be cool to know Continental, so I cld do two-fisted Fair Isle.

Actually they have a class for switching to continental. There's also Knit Nation. Only a couple of days. I'm in DOUBT, what to DO? This seems silly, this is like my frigging hobby, why spend so much money on it? Truth be told, if I go, I rrrrreally wanna take the swanky room. But that's 660 pounds, double the amount of a regular one. hmmmmmmmmmmm

If I could feasible afford the swanky room, I would take it in a heartbeat. That would make it less like "camp" and more like "totally awesome knitting vacation."

I know... Urgh. The normal rooms are just student rooms. Ef. What to do. :-( I don't think my husband would mind if I took the swanky room. :-) I'll sleep over it. lol

Okay, I went and ordered my DELUXE ROOM. woha! And my courses (intro to lace knitting, baby surprise jacket, girasole, vintage sock). And also some day trip to a cotton mill.

Is that New Lanark, Nath? If so, it's great - beautiful scenery (in a valley right next to the river and a short walk up to the Falls of Clyde waterfall). Also it was owned by a social and educational reformer so the workers weren't treated like slaves and the village had - I think - the world's first nursery school.

yes it is actually. i wasn't that interested myself, more for my mom who has a much deeper knowledge of/interest in this (more in regard to traditional bobbin/needle lace)

I don't remember anything about lace - it was a cotton mill so they wove vast quantities of fabric. The museum itself is really more about social history, though. Oh, and they do really good ice-cream :)

oh i wasnt implying they made lace, just the connection to it (cotton)

i am knitting a clapotis. WORST BESTEST name ever for a pattern!

"Clapotis" definitely sounds like something you'd catch on shore leave.

lolol yeah. i am scared of the pattern though. i shall commence as soon as i finish the vintage baby dress.

also, i fucking hate baby blankets. especially with small needles. fuck that shit.

tonight we were taught how to do pompoms. i skipped. boring and i hate pompoms anyway. some fellow student put hers on her perfect hat and made it ghastly. BAH. pompoms.... NO.

it's not as bad as you'd think. not that i've knit it--i started it at one point and then changed my mind about the yarn. i still might try it sometime, but i'd want to do it garter so as to avoid curling so much. but that eats more yarn.

Meh, I'm postponing. Who wants the Clap. ;-) lololol

Apparently there aren't enough applicants/pupils this year to do a follow-up course next year. So they will organize a basic course (starter course) next year. I think I'll just stay. I can just sit and do my thing and only participate in the exercises that I want. (It's common, some students have been following the course for YONKS this way.) I have to say though that I have very little interest in sweaters. I prefer small portable things that are easily finished in a short amount of time. (lol yeah right).

I finally found some patt that I can use for my noro sock yarn: simple yet effective shawl. HURRAH. Probably fo rmy mom. Next century. lolol

The clapotis was the first thing I made that wasn't just garter stitch or ribbed scarf. I had a number of false starts when making it but once I got into it, I never looked back. I picked it as a first thing bcz SO MANY people had done it I figured I could get help at the drop of a hat...there was a freaking .xls file someone made of what the instructions were for each row and (best of all) how many stitches should be on that row (this is on the Clapotis KAL group iirc on Ravelry if you want a copy, it is pretty sweet).

Anyway, anyone have a fave cast-on for socks? I think socks are gonna be my new thing bcz they are so PORTABLE.