Time to Catch up

Ok, it's time to catch up. I haven't written all weekend, and have a lot of pictures to share. I hate to post without pictures, and I've realized that my posts seem to be very picture driven. This is ok with me, because even if you can't stand my writing, there's always something to look at. I think I need to spend a bit more time taking quality pictures, though. I seem to end up with a lot of misc. crap in my house in the picture that I would really prefer the world not see.

Let's see, I suppose I'll start with Rogue:
As planned I finished the hood on Saturday evening. I made sure that I found the one and only darker ball left in my bag and used that for the hood. I didn't want any striping going on up there. I had no problems with the graft on the cable, but when I sewed the back of the head to the cable band it kept turning out bunchy. I tried 3 or 4 different methods, but they all looked like crap to me. Eventually I resorted to making darts to get it to lay flat. I think that I may have not decreased enough stitches on the sides of the hood or something. Now there are little bumps on the inside of the hood where I made the tucks, but no one will ever see it, so "THEY'RE NOT THERE! YOU JUST IMAGINED ME SAYING THEY WERE THERE!"

Yes, you can see the graft faintly in the picture, but I don't care. I am VERY proud of the cable work and the kirtchner graft on this project. I'm actually more proud of this than any other project that I've ever made, including the half finished crochet lace table cloth sitting in the corner. I started out using a cookie cutter walk through of the graft on the hood, but soon lost my place. I didn't really need it after the first little bit anyway. I understand the concept now. It's actually very simple. Let's see if I can explain.

You will pass the needle and yarn through each loop twice. The first time it will be the opposite of what the stitch is, the second time, it will be the same. For example, the first time you pass your needle through a knit stitch, it will be as if to pearl (from right to left). The second time it will be as if to knit (from left to right), and then drop it off the needle. For a pearl stitch you would pass it through the first time as if to knit, the second time as if to pearl and then off the needle. REMEMBER: When looking at the stitches on the BACK needle you need to look at what the stitch looks like on the inside of the work (in regular stockingette this is the pearl side) and work your stitches accordingly. Yes, I know that that stitch really is a knit, not a pearl, but for the kirtchner purposes, we are working with what the stitch looks like on the side facing us (inside). I hope that by the time you are attempting a kirtchner graft you are able to "read" your knitting, or that you can tell by looking at a stitch whether it is a pearl stitch or a knit stitch.

1. To begin, look at your work. What type of stitch is the first loop on your needle: knit or pearl? On the Rogue it is a knit stitch on the front needle and a pearl stitch on the back needle. The principle is to work the first pass through the loop THE OPPOSITE direction as the type of stitch, and then the second pass the same as the type of stitch and then off the needle. IE: for a knit stitch the opposite would be right to left (as if to pearl) and the same would be left to right (as if to knit). Think the mantra "opposite on, same off". The opposite pass through stays on the needle, the same pass through comes off. Difficult to explain, simple to do.
   
2. On your Rogue work your needle through the first stitch on the front needle as if to pearl (right to left) then work the first stitch on the back needle as if to knit (left to right). This is the first pass through each of these stitches. Remember that you will do 2 passes through each loop.
3. Next, work through the first loop on the front needle as if to knit and drop it off the needle. Now look at your next stitch on the front loop. What kind of stitch is it? You want to work your needle through it in the opposite of that stitch (pearl on a knit, knit on a pearl). On the Rogue it is a knit stitch, so we will pass the needle through right to left as if to pearl. Now go to the back needle and pass the needle through that loop as if to pearl as well and let it drop off the needle.
4. Examine the second (now first) loop on the back needle. Is it a pearl stitch or a knit stitch? On the Rogue it is still a pearl stitch, so we will pass the needle through it as if to knit (left to right).
5. Continue in this manner working one pass through of the first stitch on the needle, dropping it off, and then through the second loop on the needle. Move to the opposite needle and do the same. Remember that the first pass through each loop should always be the opposite of the that stitch, and that the second should be the same and let it drop off the needle.
6. Check back at how your work is looking frequently. It is much easier to pick up a few stitches and unweave your thread than to redo the whole thing. Keep practicing and once the pattern clicks in your brain it will become second nature

Note, however, that I can not talk to anyone, or pay attention to ANYTHING else while I am grafting. It requires a lot of focus, so plan ahead.

Double knit Hot Pad:
Pattern: Double knit based on free internet cross stitch maple leaf chart
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in variegated purple and green, and Carron Perfect Match in off white
Needles: Size 8 needles. Half done with aluminum Boyle needles, finished with brand new bamboo needles. (I know! Bad me! You shouldn't switch needle brands mid project, but it's a pot holder for heaven's sake!)
I had company over all day on Sunday, and didn't want to be rude and knit on my Rogue. I needed a break from it, but knew that it would be complicated enough with the cable patterns at the cuffs that I would either royally screw it up, or would be so focused on it that I wouldn't pay attention to my friends. Instead, I decided to finish the double knit hot pad that I had started a week or so ago when I thought I had to wait until late at night to start my Rogue. As an added bonus, I got to use my brand new single point bamboo needles that I got in the mail from eBay last Thursday. $20 for a full set of 15 needles. Go me! The hot pad used the same cross stitch maple leaf pattern that I used as the base for my shadow knit wash cloth. When I completed it, I was at a loss for what to do, so I grabbed a pair of my sexy new bamboo needles in a 4.0mm size and made a small diagonal garter stitch dish scrubby. I like them small.

Family News:
My husband came home from work Saturday with groceries that he had picked up at our local Albertsons, as well as a large box containing 2 nylon tents and a tunnel. Apparently, he had also bought this at Albertsons. Albertsons is a typical grocery store, that has a small section devoted to seasonal items. This is usually where you find the Halloween candy, a small selection of gardening and entertaining stuff in the summer, etc. The 2 tents and the tunnel all together cost $20. I was very excited (as was Alex) when I saw this. I have wanted to get our kids some play tents like this for quite a while, but they are always so expensive. I immediately started to set them up, with Alex hovering almost in my lap waiting for them to be done. The wonderful thing I love about them is they fold up just like tents and came with their own little storage bags, so when having a tepee, a tent, and a tunnel get to be too much in my living room, I can just fold them up and store them under the couch or something. They didn't take that long to set up either.

I now realize that this post has gone on WAY too long, and really should have been several posts, but I'll leave you for the morning and go back to knitting the sleeves for Rogue. I have no goal, other than to finish them both by Saturday. I don't anticipate there being any problem with that.