Good morning folks.  This odd, Tuesday post is to announce the winners of the Dulaan 2006 Kick-off Contest.  There weren’t a lot of entries, but if you’ll take a look in the Gallery, you’ll see that what is there is choice :)

Thank you good folks for taking the time to create these wonderful pieces of clothing and for translating the warmth in your hearts into something tangible and real that will help provide that warmth to people who desperately need it.

As I mentioned in the original post, the prizes are these two hand-dyed yarns:

Black Watch


...and

Crimson and Clover

Details on both yarns can be found on the original post; dyeing methods and materials can be found at The Dye Pot.

Kathleen is the winner of the quantity prize with 5 beautiful hats :) Kathleen, you get to pick which of the above yarns you prefer.

Mimi is the winner of the pick-a-name-out-of-the-hat prize.  Mimi, I will send you whichever yarn remains.

I need both you ladies to drop me an e-mail and let me know where you would like me to send your yarns which I will do when I return from my trip.  Please put the word “Dulaan” in the subject field so the note doesn’t get unceremoniously dumped in the junk mail folder :)

I wish one and all a very happy and fun-filled Halloween :)

Well, I was going great guns with the sweater…

...when I discovered two problems.  The first was a matter of stitch count but it was weird.  I did have exactly the right number of stitches for that point in the increases - but the arrangement was off.  Somewhere I had goofed when placing the markers (or implementing the increases) and the result was somewhat lop-sided.  Chalk it up entirely to operator error :) It took me some of Saturday night and most of Sunday morning to figure out how I had managed to foul up basic counting so badly, but I did, eventually, realize what mistake I had made and can watch out for it next time.

The other issue is a little more grave.  The pattern (Licorice Whip) calls for a size 8 US (5mm) needle to get a gauge of 3.5 stitches/inch!  You’d think I’d have noticed that, wouldn’t you?  And did I swatch beforehand?  Erm....

Anyway, it occurred to me to check the gauge Sunday morning and lo and behold, 4 sts/inch.  Well, I guess I wasn’t as annoyed as I might have been because by then I already knew something was seriously wrong and it was all going to have to come out anyway but man!  I’m going to have to go up seriously in needle size and hope I don’t wind up with lace after all!  And for those of you following along in the Robbyn starts and dumps yet another sweater game, this one is still in the running :)

To give the sweater a rest and to give myself something to do so I wouldn’t feel like a perfect idiot (don’t be silly girl, nobody’s perfect!), I started a hat and, if I do say so myself, it came out pretty well :)

I did use a size 10 needle for this one as the yarn was chunky weight.  Start off by casting on 64 stitches and working in 4x4 rib for 8” (I wanted a generous fold-over allowance).  Then work 5 rounds of stockinette and at the end of the last round, place a marker one stitch before the end of the round, K2 and place another marker.  Begin decreases now like this:

Round 1: (beginning immediately after second marker) K2tog, knit until two stitches before second marker, SSK, slip marker, K2, slip marker.

Round 2:  Knit

Repeat this pair of rounds just until the hat is about level with the crown of your head.  This doesn’t have to be pinpoint accurate - you’ve got a lot of leeway because of the generous brim - just somewhere in the ball park. 

When the body of the hat is as long as you want it, commence decreasing on every round.  This line of decreases will be the back of the hat. When you’re down to 6 stitches, cut yarn (give yourself about 12” of length) and thread through a tapestry needle.  Run the needle through the remaining stitches and pull tightly to close.

If you prefer to leave the hat plain, weave in the ends and you’re done.  If you want a pom-pom or a tassel or a decoration of some sort, make it now and use your yarn tail to attach it to the tip of the hat.  I wanted something to keep the point of the hat from sticking up and making me look like a demented elf, so I added a short, fat tassel to it which both keeps the point hanging down where I want it and also looks pretty cute (IMHO - hehe...) Then weave it in (the yarn tail, that is, not the tip of the hat!).

This made a very comfortable hat for my head but my head is larger than average.  However, downsizing shouldn’t be a problem and there are many ways you could handle that:

* Use lighter weight yarn and smaller needles, i.e., Bulky yarn and size 9 US (5.5mm) needles, worsted weight yarn and size 8 US (5mm) needles, etc.

*Vary the stitch count - the only consideration here is the ribbing and you can basically do anything you want.  I did a 4x4 because I wanted the ribbing to lend some holding power, but not be constrictive.  However, 4x3 or 3x3 or whatever strikes your fancy is perfectly fine.  Hmmm, the thought just occurred to me - we use it for stripe patterns - how about a mirrored Fibonacci sequence for ribbing?  Heheh… Yes, I am a geek :)

It’s easier (for me anyway) if the stitch count is even (2, 4, 6, 8) but again, that’s entirely up to you :)

And that’s what I did with my weekend :) I hope yours was as much fun!

Note:  All the entries are in for the Dulaan Kick-off Contest and the winners will be announced tomorrow :) Go look in the Gallery (click the word, right underneath the contest button on the side-bar) to see what beautiful things people have made - wonderful, wonderful stuff!

Wheeeee!  Did we have a good time at Chatters last night!  Lots of friends, new and old, and a great tip on increases for my new project - thanks Joan, that was just the ticket!

I have managed to get the permission of Carnac the Magnificent to use the hermetically sealed jar on Funk and Wagnall’s porch until noon Sunday to store the entries for the Dulaan Kick-off contest :) Yes, the submission deadline has been extended 48 hours to accommodate a few people for whom a little more time was critical.  A gallery of the wonderful items knitted over the last month has been created; click on the word Gallery beneath the button on the sidebar.  Winners will be announced on Halloween.  Good luck everyone!

I finished the second seed stitch scarf:

This is such a visually stimulating project, that I can hardly wait for more odd lengths and scraps so I can start another one :)

I have also started another sweater.  I figured since the Ruffled Jacket went so well, maybe I had broken through my sweater block and I should try another one.  The pattern is Licorice Whip and is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for - top down, all-in-one-piece construction with a wide range of sizes.  I owe this to dear Bron who just completed this sweater in a rich purple.  Thanks Bron - you’re an inspiration to us sweater-phobes :)

I have been trying to shop the stash but I just didn’t have enough of any one color to do this with, so I headed out yesterday and bought this:

The color is given as Barn Red, but it’s more like a deep terra cotta to my eye.  It’s a little unusual, but I loved it in the store, loved it when I got it out into the sunshine and love it still this morning :)

I am (of course!) making some changes to accommodate my taste and shape.  This isn’t going to be a lacy sweater so the front and sleeve panels are going to be seed stitch instead of lace and the increases will be done as M1s rather than YOs.  This seems to be working out pretty well and, after ripping back to the beginning once last night, I seem to be on my way :)

I will also probably skip the waist shaping as it wouldn’t flatter me and am thinking about doing some kind of ribbing at the bottom of both the body and the sleeves.  The jury’s still out on that :)





I have worked two more sets of increases and been able (finally!) to move everything to a longer needle since the above picture was taken early this morning.  I’m glad to have the 16” circular - it surely does come in handy - but I find it awkward as all get out to work with.  Stay tuned for further developments :)

Guild Wars Nightfall went live last night so Myria has her weekend’s entertainment all lined up.  I’ll be looking over her shoulder but I won’t get the game myself for a while yet - got a trip to get ready for!  I’ll be leaving a week from tomorrow but will only be gone for eight days - more on that next week.

Have a great weekend folks!

The entries are arriving for the Dulaan 2007 kick-off contest (see sidebar button for information) and things are looking good!  What talented hands, as well as kind hearts, all you good folks have :)

And Chatters is on, of course - bring your knitting (or whatever) and jump right in.  It’s a blast :)

We have mice.

This isn’t a new, or a particularly upsetting matter.  Until recently, we rarely saw one - only the evidence of their occasional passage.  Our apartment is one of four that were sectioned out of an old Victorian house, probably, sometime around the second world war.  In all the time of its existence, this building probably has had a more consistent mouse residency than human.  Anyway, we know to package things carefully, not leave bread crumbs on the counter or to leave things out.

However, something - the weather, the presence of the landlord and his family (and dog!) in the first floor apartment, something has changed.  It’s not that I’m opening the cupboard and seeing a mouse picnic every time I do, but the cats are in hunting mode.  Goldie is especially eager in this game and he is very, very good at it.  Jade does more of the heavy looking on.  She’s interested and she seems to realize that there’s something concerning this tiny creature that she should be acting on but she doesn’t quite get it.

In the last several weeks, the cats have presented us with two little bodies.  This is fine.  While I don’t really have any problems with the occasional mouse, I don’t really want them running around the apartment either.  However, I also don’t want traps, snap, sticky or otherwise, nor do I want poison or any of that stuff.  Myria and I have discussed the matter and while neither one of us is happy with the notion of something dying in our place of residence, we agreed it’s better to let the cats go after the mice and catch what they can.  We reasoned that either they would catch enough so that there would no longer be a mouse issue, or the mice would smarten up and start avoiding the place where there were two avid carnivores running around.

Right.  This was all fine until yesterday when Goldie came running into the hallway with a tail hanging out of his mouth.  However, unlike past incidents, this mouse was still alive.  Initially, we decided to turn a blind eye on the proceedings and let him finish what he’d started.  We don’t want mice in the apartment and Goldie was just doing his job.  You’ve heard the phrase cat and mouse game?  So have I and understood, generally, what that meant.  But I had never seen it in action before.  Goldie brought the mouse into the front hall (his standard “play” area) and let it go.  And caught it again.  And let it go again.  And caught it again.  And we finally understood this would be repeated many more times before he finally killed it.

I’m not a squeamish sort.  I like a good steak, but I don’t want to watch the butcher do his job.  Finally, because we couldn’t stand it any longer, Myria caught the little thing, brought him outside and let him go.  He sat there, disheveled and stunned for a few minutes and then seemed to gather himself and scurried off, seeming not much the worse for wear.

Sigh…

I’ve been thinking of this as a seeded, watercolor scarf - because of the way the stitch blends the colors and I started another one yesterday.  I’m certain this technique isn’t original with me, but I pass along my thoughts on the process for whatever they may be worth.

This is a super way to use up small lengths of leftover yarn.  Pull out the colors you think you might want to use, colors that go well with each other.  But don’t be shy about throwing something into the mix that you might not ordinarily use with your predominant combination - you never know what will generate sparks!  I have, so far, worked to bulky gauge - a hair over three stitches/inch on a size 9 US (5.5mm) needle using light worsteds, DK and sport weights in combination and the occasional actual bulky weight yarn :)





I like mirror symmetry designs so that’s the way I tend to think of setting up the pattern.  To that end, I arrange the yarns by quantity from most to least and then decide how I’m going to arrange the colors depending on how much I have of what.  Once I’ve figured that out, I cast on an odd number of stitches (201 in this case) and begin.  It’s all seed stitch, every row the same.  *K1, P1* and repeat to the end, ending with a K1.  Varying dye lots aren’t a problem here.  In fact, varying yarns aren’t a problem either - even if you change in the middle of a row, so long as the colors are reasonably close.





I generally knit until the width (your knitting along the length of the scarf) is somewhere between 4 and 5 inches or until the color pattern is complete and then bind off.  You could, of course, leave tails when changing yarns that would provide a fringe when the scarf is finished and I may try that at some point :) Then just bind off, weave in any ends that aren’t going to be used as trim and that’s it.  You can do one in two or three days.

Oh, and that sort of pea-soup green border in the above picture?  Believe it or not, that’s Buttered Toast.  I had no idea it had such a strong green component until I put it in with the creams and the brights.  Suddenly, it seemed as though I had a whole different color on my hands!  Very cool :)

That was the only real knitting I got done this weekend.  I did try to start the Rambling Rows afghan, but could muster less than no enthusiasm for the project.  I got as far as going through colors and making a swatch with a few seed stitch rows in the center of the mitered square, deciding it looked pretty lame, and summarily abandoning the idea.  Just not the thing right now, I guess.

I’ll be watching for your Dulaan Kick-off contest photos (see clickable button on the sidebar for details) - we’re getting down to the wire now - noon EST on Friday :)

There will be no post on Wednesday, but Chatters will definitely be on for Thursday night. 

Have a wonderful week, all!

Oh man - we had such a good time at Chatters last night!  New friends and old from as nearby as the next state to as far away as the other side of the globe and tomorrow morning.  What a blast!  Thanks everybody - next week I’ll bring the beer :)

Ahem…

I got the cable sock finished - and it fits beautifully :)

I started with 72 stitches around hoping that would compensate for the compression factor of the 2-cross, 9 stitch cables.  It did and while the leg is by no means snug, the next possible number down - 60 stitches - would have been too tight.  Even though the leg is a bit loose, the solidity of the cables keep the sock up :) Convenient, eh?  I may experiment with the second sock a bit to see if I can achieve a happier medium.  I won’t re-do the first sock - it will be just fine, but a little closer fit would be better and is definitely a goal worth working towards.  There will still need to be extra stitches to compensate for the cables; on this sock, I decreased 12 stitches evenly around before starting the heel flap.  With this weight yarn and size 3US (3.25mm) needles, 60 stitches is perfect for my foot.

I also finished the seed stitch scarf…

It’s about 4 inches wide and about 68 inches long.  Very fun project for seeing the possibilities and potentials for color shading and mixing.  I’m going to be doing more of this, I think!

Interestingly, the sideways scarf must have been the focus for some kind of universal, harmonious, knitting convergence.  Take a look at this beautiful example, (scroll down a bit) created by Ryan over at Mossy Cottage.  Not only that, but Colleen over at Musings of a Silver Rose has started a lengthwise scarf too.  I promise we haven’t been consulting each other - apparently the universe just decided to hit all of us with the length-wise scarf stick :)

And, I believe I finally know what my next big project is going to be.  Last night, Mary in PA reminded me of this:

I have had this pattern sitting in the cabinet for...well...for a long time.  It was one of the first things I bought when I really started knitting (as opposed to just farting around) because it was garter stitch and not too threatening.  But it got shuffled aside and I never really did get down to it.  Well, those two cabinets full of Red Heart aren’t going to get any smaller by themselves and it seems to me now’s the time.  You know me though, the likelihood of my sticking exclusively to garter stitch is remote in the extreme :) I will be playing with texture and color combinations just to see what will work and what won’t.  This is going to be fun :)

We’re supposed to have a very cold, windy night tonight so I hope all your weekends are cozy and warm.  Stay safe, stay happy everyone and I’ll see you on Monday!

Chatters is on tonight - same time, same channel :)
Come and join us - and bring your knitting!

To enter, click on the button on the sidebar.

Fun, and non-fattening - what more could you ask for?  Heheh....