JJ just done

Hoorah. Bernice and I both finished our JJ jackets.The pattern is written and this is the interim photo, taken in my front yard. Both the red and blue versions are going to our photographer for the official photo but if you can't wait there are patterns printed with this photo, ready to go.
The button placement is set up so that you could button it all the way up and the collar would flip over in a turtleneck with the buttons showing. It's a terrific jacket, designed by Bernice Vollick (http://mommabearknits2.blogspot.com/) . See more of her patterns by looking for her name in the designer list of http://www.patternfish.com/. She loves doing baby knits in many directions. Cool stuff.


So startitis can begin. I've cast on for a testknit and slight redo of the Double Cross sock (brown). I'm making some minor adjustments to it and then that one will be ready.
I cast on a gray sock. I love this colour. We've been playing with dyeing techniques so this is one I need to knit up to see how it looks. Just a plain sock I can take around with me everywhere. All the other projects I have to pay attention to, good to have one plain knit available.

The scarf by Ann Hanson (http://www.knitspot.com/knitting_pattern/butternut-scarf-p-124.html) is not a beginning but a rebeginning. I decided it was too short for me so I took out the cast off edge and I'm going to keep going until I run out of wool. I did have quite a time figuring out which end was the cast off. It took many, many turnings of the scarf while I was trying to eat my eggroll at dinner before our knitting guild meeting. This is totally accepted behaviour at a guild dinner. I finally figured it out for sure, which took some time because I really didn't want to make a mistake, and have been happily knitting away for a week. I have not got the starting bug out of my system yet so there will be more coming. Especially since I have a backlog of patterns to write up. All small things but maybe just the gift for your Christmas knitting and mine too.
-Deb

P.S. Maybe next year Samm. It would be great to meet you.

JJ

The JJ Jacket is done. At least Bernice's is. We both knit this jacket at the same time but Bernice was always ahead of me. Not that it was a race or anything, especially since I lost.
I'm almost there. Mine has a few, I think that's 10, buttons to sew on. I have to polish up the pattern and then it's ready for the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters Fair in Kitchener on Saturday. A really big show.

I need to have the buttons on tomorrow, pressure, pressure.And then I can give in to all the startitis I want and you know I want to.

-Deb

It's Official

I'm announcing here and now that the J, officially, looks like a sweater. What a wonderful moment that is. Yay!

Even a non-knitter can tell that this is a garment now. You know how that goes ... what are you knitting? It's a jacket, see this is the collar and the front and this is the sides and ... OK, you might just have to believe me when I say it's going to be a jacket because I can tell it's not coming together for you, but it is, really.

And now I can't wait to get done. There's still another sleeve to go.We worked the decreases on either side of a centre 30 st panel, just to see how that would be. I like it. You'll have to imagine it with your arms down. It makes the knitting fun to do.

I'm working on this project until it's done, still faithful. I'm not sure why this is seen as a knitting virtue because it's not natural! I went to the library and got another movie for tonight, second sleeve here I come.

-Deb

monogamy

Monogamy in general is good but monogamous knitting does not give me much to blog about. I am knitting and I am progressing. I can see it but I don't think you can. I think to you it must look like a slightly larger blob, which it is, but it is taking on some coat-like form now, except for several needles stuck in it.I have both sides done on my jacket. We weren't entirely sure about the sleeve when I started my first side section so when I got to the beginning of the sleeve I left it on the needle and started on the other side. Now I am going to start my second sleeve first. I'm really looking forward to getting one side done. It's coming together now. (I'm sure you can't tell from the very fuzzy photos. It's actually later in the evening and not as light as I had hoped.) Soon, soon you will be able to see the jacket emerging.
-Deb

knitting surgery

I had been asked by a workmate of my husband's to see if there was anything I could do to resurrect this little guy.

He was knit by a grandmother and has passed through her 3 children. Doesn't he look well loved? I put the needles in as soon as I got him because there were open stitches in several places.
I unravelled him at the pink waist band and knit new pants for him. I stuffed him with the original parts I had removed. He's back in action but a little lumpier than he was. P took him to work today and I hope there was a happy reunion.

I am packing my bag to go to the cottage for 2 whole weeks. Yay. So far I have

the J jacket in the bag. This is knit in Cabin Fever Cottage Colours (that's appropriate no?), in rich red. I picked up one stitch for each ridge along the side of the Front panel, over the shoulder and down the side of the Back panel. I'm knitting the side of the jacket and then I will work down the sleeve to the wrist. It's interesting to work. Next I put in the silver scarf in the bag.
This is in alpaca laceweight I bought at Gateway Fibrework in Gravenhurst http://www.gatewayfibreworks.com/ . It's so light and small it hardly takes up any room so I have some space for one more ball.
I have to knit this now because Bernice knit up a little bit and it's gorgeous. Check out http://mommabearknits2.blogspot.com/ for the beginning of a shawl in the black and white colourway. We both bought a ball of this fingering at Knitting Three Together shop http://www.knittingthreetogether.com/ in Huntsville a couple of weeks ago. There will still be room for a couple of balls of worsted weight to play with. I have a couple of ideas for changing up the raglan line of a top down which I want to try out. You might guess that this is a bit of a busman's holiday and you would be right. Here's hoping the weather is nice.

-Deb

TLC

We both needed some TLC so 'the J' and I watched a 'oo7' movie and things are progressing nicely. Has anyone ever counted how many things 007 blows up or people he kills in any 10 minutes of the movie? We also watched all of the footage taken when they were making the movie and all of that was amazing. That's more than 1/2 of that side of the Front and Back done. I am working on both the Front & Back at the same time so the rows are long but I am progressing faster than I think. Mostly because all I look at is the Front.I am knitting sideways now from the top of the shoulder and soon, down to the wrist.

This is the first project I'm packing to take to camp next week (2 weeks at the cottage, yay). It's perfect for knitting while chatting to friends and family. I also have a 5 hour car trip to get there, an opportunity to garter stitch my way up north.

-Deb

lounging

I just had a lovely chat on the phone with a customer from northern Virginia. She was telling me that she took classes at one time from Elizabeth Zimmermann. She still has the sweater she knit and is now replacing the buttons and passing it on to her daughter. How cool is that. The closest I've come to EZ is watching one of her videos. So does talking to this customer make it 2 or 3 degrees of separation between me and Elizabeth? Sometime I must tally up the number of garments I have made out of her books. The last time I counted I think I was up to 18 but that seems rather low and doesn't count the patterns I have knit multiple times. Do you find that there are some designers that just call to you? Elizabeth Zimmermann still calls to me.

I'm not getting much knitting done. The J Jacket is not pulling it's weight at all. It's just lounging around on the couch.

I keep telling it that I need to get some work done but . . .it just curls up in a ball and tucks it's needle ends in. I think it's sulking. J obviously needs some 'alone' time. I think I'll just leave a movie on and sneak out to do some errands. It might be in a better mood later.

-Deb

scarf x 3

This is a lot like scarf knitting. Lots and lots of garter stitch.

With a little attached I-Cord for the Front edges. I now have the collar, both front panels and the back panel finished.

It's a little blurry but it's so dark here these days that I can't get a clear photo. It rained all day long with two sets of lightening and thunder rolling past. Good to have a low tech project to do because the power went off several times. Now this piece of knitting, which looks like 3 scarfs, corresponds to the schematic sections #2, 3, 4 (last post). It's fun that way. Only one section to work at a time. I have picked up along the left side from the bottom of the Front all the way across to the bottom of the Back. Lots of stitches and of course it now looks like a big blob.

Nope, there is no way to make this look better at this point. But it gets better from here on in because it's going to look like half a sweater real soon. OK, I have to knit some more, quite a bit more but it's coming, soon.
-Deb

JJ's not looking impressive

I had some further comments about why we shop at the yarn stores we do (thanks E. - check out the last post comments). Location does dictate what a shop might stock. I also got an email from a store owner saying that it doesn't matter what the latest craze is, a store owner has to know her customers and whether the stock she's buying is going to appeal to her knitters. A suburban shop or the 'only store in town' has to cater to a much more varied customer base and this can be very tricky since such a wide range of products and price points are needed. You might imagine yourself in the shop owners place next time you are in your local yarn shop. It does look different from the other side of the counter. Thanks for your input everybody. Lots of very interesting comments.

Speaking of yarn shop products here is my latest being knit up. Is it just me or do you find that sometimes sweaters just don't do us any service by looking extremely goofy for so long. "Yes, it's a sweater, at least it's going to be, really, would I lie to you?"
This is the schematic for the red sweater above. I'm not too far along yet but #1 is the collar. On my 'girl' you can plainly see it is a garter stitch flipped over collar which is going to be quite lovely. I have finished panel #2 down the Left front.I just started on the Back panel #3. And I mean just started. I think I have worked 2 ridges there and obviously need a longer needle than that double pointed needle to get going. The clothes pin is pinning the first buttonholes together just to show you what's what. If you want to see it a little further along go to http://mommabearknits2.blogspot.com/ because Bernice is motoring on ahead. This is her design and based on her Baby J (www.cabinfever.ca/P420.html).

I think it's movie night at our house tonight and that means lots of garter stitch and popcorn.

-Deb