Aye for nubs

I’m actually really satisfied with the nubby washcloth. I did screw up the weaving in on the CO corner – I wanted to make a loop, but it looked ridiculous and by the time I realized that, there was no way I could undo my meticulous weaving in :D But, oh well, it’s a washcloth for god’s sake.

I was kind of worried how much it stretched in the water – the nubby mesh part in the middle (YO, SKP, next row k) is really elastic to the point where I thought I’d ruined it. But now that it’s dried, it’s pretty much just… blocked. It looks good, I’ll post pictures as soon as I have batteries for my camera charged. And what’s even more important is that I think it works. It feels nice and … scrubby, I guess, even if you have to ball it up. My skin certainly feels smoother now, but that might be an illusion. But I did like showering with it, and I might knit another one. Maybe on even smaller needles for more support.

The only problem with it is that it’s too structured for the face. I tried it, and it was just too harsh, so I guess I’ll just have to… knit another washcloth :D it’s not like I have a million queued at ravelry :D My hand still hurts, but knitting is actually possible (even though my mother says it might be from too much knitting, sigh) and I started my Itty bitta batty Watty Bat washcloth in purple today. It is the silliest name I could come up with, I like Sammy’s ‘Batcloth’ (the name, that is) much better but that would be just copying, right?

The neverending washcloth

Damn. Damn, damn, damn.

I’m almost done with my nubby orange washcloth that I’ve been working on for three days. On a washcloth! Granted, I didn’t really have time, but also my wrist is acting up again. Nothing for a week, and now I have to brush my teeth with my right hand. Not even talking of knitting here. Jesus, I was so, so close. I finished the nubby mesh part yesterday in the theater (in the break), and now it’s only 19 very short rows. Which I can’t do, I don’t think. I had a salve bandage all night and it doesn’t feel like it helped at all. I really need to get to go get it looked at, I suppose. But I don’t want them to keep me from knitting, either. :/

Whooo!

I just finished my Sooper Sekkrit project!

Despite what the pattern said I only used one ball of each color – teal and khaki – instead of 4 balls total. Although it was really close on the khaki, I only had about 30 cm left in the end and was afraid I’d have to start the second ball, since I intended to return it if it wasn’t started. But now Sammy wants a khaki baby alpaca nautie toy, so I’ll keep the khaki, and I was going to keep the teal anyway. I really fell in love with that color. Mmmmmh.

Ah, I’m so glad they’re done though. I usually have this fear of not getting things done on time, just like with these, but I still got weeks till they’re due. So I can relax now. I wish I could post pictures… :P

The second part isn’t quite like the first one due to me miscounting, but it’s not really noticeable even when they’re atop each other. I knit about a quarter of the second part at the Stricktreff the day before yesterday (having to rip out several rows because I started to increase every row instead of every third row, just great.), but the majority of the second part I did today, listening to Enid Blyton’s ‘St. Clare’s’ series on audiobook while knitting. Well, 4 hours of it, and then I was done. Yay!

I’m going to experiment with the stash function on Ravelry now. Yay, I’m done!

Also, concerning Teh Pink

Yay, I weaved in the last ends! Linda’s Fetching Mitts are done, done, done!

The second mitt looks a little smaller than the first one, but I think (hope) that this is mainly from me trying out the first one so much. It’s not really noticeable though, only when you put them onto each other. (I wonder if mitts could get pregnant how long it would take for the little mitts to be born. and grow up) But yeah, they’re finishhhhed. And I think I’m gonna make myself a pair or two as soon as I get the yarn. Which ideally is tomorrow :D

The good thing about using the Merino 2000 and 4mm needles is that they’re pretty light spring gloves, and you have a ton of leftover yarn. The pattern said there was barely anything left over, but apparently not with this yarn! Go yarn.

The mods I ended up making due to the yarn:

instead of 18 rows of 4×1, do 6cm measured w/o needle (22)

5 instead of 4 between thumb and cable round

Thumb: 8 on upper needle, 7 on lower (I just ended up with this many, I don’t really know why :D But like this, the thumb is nice and loose even for my sausage fingers)

I’m too sekkrit for my yarn

Of all my current WIPS, my Sooper Sekkrit project is my favorite. I took a break after I got to halftime, doing Linda’s gloves first, cause I only have one set of 4mm dpns, but now I’m back with full force.

I’m using Lana Grossa’s Baby Alpaca in khaki and teal for this, and the colors look amazing together. The khaki makes the teal pop so much it’s ridiculous. I hope there’s plenty teal left over afterwards – the pattern calls for 4 skeins total and I’ve used about half of a skein of each color, so I’m very very hopeful. And it’s so soft! (honestly, it’s ridiculously soft. I just wanna touch it all day) And the fabric it produces is so firm and cuddly and warm!

Ah man, I wish I could show pictures already *wibbles* but then it wouldn’t be completely secret, wouldn’t it? I even vowed not to blog about this except I gotta get my excitement off my chest somehow :D But yeah, mmmmmh, teal. I suppose I could show just the skeins I haven’t started yet.

See how purty it is? Even though the photos really don’t do the teal justice, it’s so much richer in real life. Ah, teal. *wibbles*

I modified the original pattern a little, substituting 2×2 rib for 1×1, since I really, really can’t stand 1×1 outside of sock legs, and even there I can barely tolerate it. 2×2 just looks so much more like rib, and 1×1 always looks like someone botched it to me. /rant

If this goes as well as the first half, I should be done with this in a day or two. The weekend, at most. I’ll need to copy some of the pattern out so I can take it with me to the knitting cafe in Dortmund tomorrow.

Ah man, I can’t wait for the person to see this. Whoo!

OMG YES

I just finished my first Q sock!!!

Omg I’m so proud, and it fits perfectly. Even though the tip looks kinda funky, cause I didn’t graft it (I abhor grafting) but slipped the stitches onto one needle and bo.

Aaaaah. *leans back and sighs*

Now I just gotta start and finish the other one. Meh.

Hand trouble, sigh

I’m done with the cuff now, and should be studying for my history test tomorrow. I’m not sure if I should knit any more tonight, my hand kind of hurts and I need it for 6 periods tomorrow after all. :/ I should put some salve or something on it, it might be the start of a tendonitis or carpal tunnel or something else I don’t even want to think about. If my left hand doesn’t work I’m screwed, not only for my exams tomorrow and Wednesday but also my portfolio for Uni. And I won’t be able to knit, which is almost worse.

But then, I can’t get it looked at till after the exams, cause there’s no way I’ll do them on a Saturday morning.  I can still press my thumb to all my other fingers, I just can’t lift anything heavy (>1kg) with it. It just needs to hold out three more days. I’ve even restricted my knitting, come on!

Fetching Pink Mitts

I just finished the first Fetching mitt for Linda. It’s pink, and brilliant. The color, eh, I’m not much of a pink fan, but the mitt itself is just awesome. I’m using Lana Grossa Merino 2000 in col. 537 on 4mm needles. It’s a little too thin to make these really warm mitts, but they’ll be awesome for semi-warm spring/early summer nights, and they’re just so small and handsome and pretty! I’m probably gonna make mine in a nice yellow or spring green (or striped? or a pair of each? with matching hairbands! I’m sure I’ll have plenty left after the second one)

And the cables! I’m kinda sick of cables after 1 3/4 of Irish Hiking Scarf (3 cables every 8 rows for freaking 6ft per scarf. ungggh) and those are C4Bs for the left hand, which kinda suck, but the result is still worth it.

The changes I had to make to accommodate the slightly off gauge were as follows:

instead of 18 rows of 4×1, do 6cm measured w/o needle (22)

5 instead of 4 between thumb and cable round

Thumb: 8 on upper needle, 7 on lower (that’s just what I ended up with, for some reason)

oh, and I accidentally did the third cable row after 4 rows instead of 5, which is actually prettier than even-sized cables, it looks more delicate now.

But, yeah. Fetching ahoy!

Mmmmh knitting

Seriously I knit too much. But not enough, obviously, since I have 4 1/2 WIPs at the moment: the kneesocks, two pairs of gloves, a scarf, and a hat I forgot I started about 4 months ago because it disappeared in my stash box, haha. And I want to do so much more… yes, practically all my money these days disappears in the hungry maws of my yarn store. Good thing I have my grandma’s box full of needles that I only had to add to with DPNs in several sizes, or I’d spend even more money I don’t really have. But knitting is addictive, and I already have thirty projects queued in my Ravelry notebook.