Portable Knitting

Basket Weave Swatch on #7s

I need to measure to calculate gauge but I'm presently visiting family
and I haven't got a ruler.

Pattern chart for Basket Weave

Basket Weave Swatch

I finished knitting my swatch today and I think it is pretty close match, though with #8 needles; up one size from the pattern to match the Ulta Alpaca yarn. I might go so far as to wash and block it, to try to get more info about how this yarn will perform. This evening, prompted by seeing other knitters' notes on ravelry that the basket weave pattern was hard to memorize, I did a truck that has worked well for me before - chart out the pattern on graph paper. I did this several years ago when working on the Wavy scarf from Knitty. That pattern was written Up even more crazily, "row 9 as row 3" kinds stuff, there was no way to follow the pattern. Once on graph paper, just the start of each row for as many stitches across as the pattern repeat goes horizontally and I was set. The charted pattern can also make it easier to read your place on the knitting as it clearly matches the pattern. If you haven't tried this I highly recommend it.

Yardage requirements

The Knitting Fiend has a great post about how to calculate yardage requirements when you double up your yarn, as in two worsted strands equal one bulky strand. I never knew geometry could be so useful (well at least when I was studying in high school, I had to use it lots in art school). [edited to add: I'm trying to blog using my iPhone and if I email the link to Typepad there appears to be a character limit. I will post the link later from a real computer] http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/189

Berocco Ultra Alpaca

I saw other Basket Weave Pullovers done in Cascade 220 and didn't like
the look. I instead bought this Ultra Alpaca which I think has better
drape.

Basketweave Pullover

I pulled out my knitting magazines to try to figure out what my next big project should be. I came back across this sweater from Interweave Knits that my partner had said he liked.

Lovely Miss Wisp

I've been working on Wisp pretty steadily and I'm closing in on the finish. I'm on the 14th or 15th pattern repeat, of 17 total (if I'm recalling correctly). Here's a picture of her from a few weeks ago, out in the garden.

Striped Baby Beanie for Charity

There's a new Seattle group formed through the Ravelry site called HumanKnitty that is doing some charitable knitting. Since I'm relatively in-between projects I did a quick knit baby hat in Cascade 220. I just need to weave the ends in.

J liked the hat and when I told him it was to give away he said "Noooo." he wanted me to give it to his baby cousin Luka. Today he asked to try it on, of course it was way too small. I told him it was for a little baby and he agreed. I might make another for him since he liked it so much.

I finally finished the striped toddler sweater that I started almost two years ago. I planned it rather well -- I could see that my knitting time was going to be severely compromised by looking after baby and working 3/4 time so I knit a couple sizes up and added some additional length to the sleeves so he should get a good year's wear out of it.

Last night I was able to finish weaving the ends in and sewing the buttons on. Jonah wore the sweater most of the day even though it was quite warm in Seattle today. He loves it -- just what every knitter wants of their sweater recipients.

I also knit up a Wool Cotton hat for J in red that I finished while camping and a few days before that I finished another Wool Cotton hat for myself. The cable hat is also done.

I'm not on the 14th pattern repeat of Wisp (from Knitty) and I'm coming to the end of the first ball of Kidsilk haze. I could finish it with the one ball but I think a little more length would be nice. There are meant to be 17 lace panels in the finished scarf. I need to go button shopping - how fun.

And more importantly, I need to figure out what my next project/s are going to be. I have 3 sweaters worth of alpaca sport weight and one sweater's worth of aran weight charcoal heather. I'm thinking of going the sweater route so I don't feel so guilty about my stash. But I'll need something quick, easy and fun -- perhaps more dishcloths though I've been thinking of knitting up another mitered square rug.

Sweater fitting

Sweater fitting
Originally uploaded by donovann70

I finally finished the neck edge and tried it on J this morning. Even though I need to weave the ends in and sew the buttons on he liked it so much that he wouldn't take it off. It fits him perfectly with a little room to grow.