Monday, August 06, 2012

At rather long last

Well — I haven't posted because I haven't accomplished much. Near-constant house guests and social activities don't combine well with projects that have all reached the "need to do math" phase. I have about 16 projects going, and they were all at that stage. That's what happens when you start a new project every time you hit that point. It's possible I have too much social life.

One option when you need an easy project that won't add to your 16 is to knit a washcloth. Or Tunisian honeycomb stitch one, as I did in this case. I've been using these washcloths for years to wash my face, they have just a little bit of nice friction without being too scrubby. I normally knit them from dishcloth cotton, which gets boardy and smelly over the years (I think it dries too slowly, so mildew occurs). Now I'm trying a cotton-nylon blend which I'm liking quite a bit.

On the plus side, I had a little bit of down time and I finally did the math to sew the border on this puppy!
It's a baby blanket, originally intended for a child born four years ago, now intended for one that was born in May. I need to sew in the ends and block it, but chances are good it'll be done and actually shipped to the recipient in the next two weeks. WHEW. A pretty, pretty pattern but a pain in the neck for me — I had to reknit the first third of it several times. Though, oddly, the border went like clockwork.

This was another project that needed ripping back:
Fingerless gloves for my friend Josie. She has narrow fingers, so I started knitting it with two sizes down of needle instead of the usual one. But it was awful going. The yarn was splitting, the fabric was uneven, I couldn't keep my tension right. I finally gave up, ripped and reknit in the larger needle. I didn't change the pattern. She has big palms, just slim fingers, so I'm hoping that by knitting the wrist and fingers in the two-size-down needle it'll come out all right. One glove finally done except the thumb!

How are you all? Is anyone still out there?

Happy summer!

1 comment:

Earin Marybird said...

Nice to see you back at your blog you social creature you!

What is the name of the yarn you're using for the wash cloths? I too like to knit them (great for jury duty waiting) but have not been that thrilled with the cotton.

I tend to start another project whenever I'm too busy to work out my math but I'm getting better at staying the course and have even got my UFO basket down to an almost reasonable size. For now.