Monday 29 August 2016

Amazing

I've been working towards four goals this month, all knitting things, all things that seemed to be way more complicated than I thought when I'd set out.  The sort of thing where you work really hard and you think you're done and then you realize there's some problem and you're back to square one, or have to redo a good section.

Yesterday all four of those things crossed the line from almost done to done and man does it feel good.  Not just sort of happy-good but I-feel-too-amazing-for-words good.  I was sitting there during the kids' nap time knitting a sweater (not troubleshooting or doing math or figuring something out, just knitting, gloriously working on my sweater.)

The sweater is going well, I'm almost at the underarms (it's a top-down raglan) and I'm pleased with how it's going.  Such a good place to be.

Thursday 25 August 2016

Oak


My most recent pattern is out and I'm really thrilled with it (also thrilled with the photos, they turned out really well).  It's knit flat with a single intarsia leaf motif and a contrasting button band.  I had a ton of fun knitting it, it's a really good first intarsia project since there's only one bit out of the contrasting colour and no shaping.  It's available on Ravelry here and if you get now you'll save 25% (the sale's on until the end of August).



Monday 22 August 2016

Buffering

I'm working on this spreadsheet to make sizing patterns easier, because currently it's the part of the process that makes me feel like poking my eyes out.  I have a theory that if I do it all at the start I'll enjoy the entire process more because I won't have to deal with the sizing after the fun of knitting is over and I won't have to stop knitting to figure out the next step.

My husband asked why that part mattered, why it would be frustrating to need to stop and work out the next part.  I couldn't put my finger on it at first but I've been thinking about it and I think I know what it is.  It's like sitting down to watch a video on the internet but it keeps buffering and you can't just sit an enjoy it, and with little kids that mean I can't just sit down and do some math those interruptions until I can knit again can seem really long.  I think it's just the stage they're at, and they're delightful, but I think this will make me enjoy my next few projects more.

I finally got all the raglan increases dealt with in the chart, there's was a silly math mistake that took me forever to catch.  That's the hardest part done, which is really exciting because I really, really want to knit the sweater I'm planning.

Thursday 18 August 2016

Lying swatches that lie

I have a magazine commission.  I swatched, blocked the swatch, did math, knit.  I tried on the item, I was getting the same gauge as the unblocked swatch, it was small but I knew from blocking that the swatch would grow.  It grew.  It grew significantly more than the stupid swatch did.  Instead of fitting a four year old the hat fits me.  I have a photoshoot in two days and need it in the mail in four days.  It's superwash so I can't felt it, I don't have more yarn and unpicking the woven in ends is maddening and I'm not convinced I have time to reknit the thing.  My son is sleeping so I'll try it on him when he wakes up but.... gah.  So utterly frustrating.




Monday 15 August 2016

Figuring Things Out

I finished the knitting for my magazine commission, the pieces are blocked and drying now.  I'm making matching mittens out of the leftover yarn, by reversing the MC and CC I have enough for a pair.  It's working out well since this means I won't be adding a random amount of wool to my stash that's not enough to make anything but a pair of mittens (maybe a hat, but that's doubtful).  I can't get more of the yarn without special ordering it from England and while it is really nice yarn there's no reason to order more of this yarn compared to buying something from my LYS.  Plus, having another item in the set means it should (I hope) sell more when the rights revert to me and I get to sell the pattern myself.

I'm realizing what comes naturally to me a a designer is knitting through the pattern as I write it, whereas what works best for me as a mom with little kids is knitting a pattern that's already written.  I usually am knitting in between other things and don't usually have the time to stop and figure out things on the go, and I'm trying to figure out how to balance those things so I'm less frustrated.  It drives me crazy when I come to a point where I have to work something out to keep going and I can't because that would require 5 minutes of quiet which is just not going to happen with a three year old who is convinced he is a space ship engineer who needs to do something to the toaster and a one year old who's obsessed with sticking balls in her big brother's fire truck.  They are pretty entertaining, though.

Thursday 11 August 2016

Bump

My grandfather, Bumpa, died this past weekend and today we are driving to Toronto so we can go to his funeral.  He was a wonderful man, kind and compassionate.  He had a computer when I was little, and we would play Tetris and Pipe dream on it, as well as a game called Chip's Challenge.  He would sit me on his lap and we'd play, probably starting when I was about the age Caleb is now.  He thought the long bars in Tetris should be placed horizontally because that makes up a lot of a row but I always seemed to need them to fill in some vertical gap I'd created.  He was an engineer, and proud of his profession.  He did suggest that I should stay away from the engineers while in university, I didn't follow his advice but he adored my husband.  Caleb and Ada were his only great-grandchildren and their visits went well even despite of his dementia.  I'm hoping the children will be relatively quite for the funeral (I have stickers, books, and more snacks than they normally eat in a week so I should be okay).

Monday 8 August 2016

I have trouble planning knitting for trips, usually because it seems like trips line up with a bunch of short projects that haven't been swatched yet.  We found out yesterday we need to unexpectedly go on a road trip this weekend, it will be two five hour drives.  I have a pair of boot cuffs that I'm planning and I have yarn for but the sweater I'd been working on the details for is just not working out, I have to rework the charts and I doubt that will happen before Thursday, which is unfortunate because it really would be the perfect thing to bring.  I'll bring the cowl and hat I'm working on, but that point it will just be finishing but that's a good thing to do in the car.  Maybe I'll be able to find some time this evening to figure out the chars for the sweater.  Wish me luck.

Friday 5 August 2016

Indian Nights



I have finished the squares, they're part of the Indian Nights blanket Jenise Hope is making.  If you like colourwork and you're not familiar with her I would strongly suggest you check her out on Ravelry, her designs are breathtaking.

I've been knitting some of the squares for the final blanket and I've really enjoyed the process, it's also been a nice break as I concentrate on some of the non-knitting aspects of knitting design (editing patterns, working out charts, etc), it's been lovely to have something I can just knit and not fuss about the design itself.



I never did hear about the four magazine submissions I had sent out, apparently other designers have received offers so, despite the magazine saying they contact everyone I'm going to assume they don't want these and move on.  It's nice to know what I have on my plate and I think I'll actually make some of the things I submitted and release them in a bit, I have quite a bit I want to do right now and it's nice to know what I'm working with.

Tuesday 2 August 2016

Old Faithful

My yarn is not here yet.  I'm done the squares, I meant to have pictures to show you but haven't managed to do that (I feel like I spend a lot of time saying I haven't managed to do something yet, but I think that's par for the course of having little kids.)  The squares are very pretty and I'll show them to you later this week.

Caleb just woke up Ada because he was singing.  He wasn't being bad but I am starting to think she won't go back to sleep, I'll give her another minute.  It's so frustrating because it's one of those things where childish irresponsibility is the reason I don't get time to do something I wanted to.  It just seems like a really dumb reason, you know?  Not a need, not even something they wanted, just being oblivious.  He is sweet though, I love him.

I'm back to working on the never ending blanket.