The Good, the Bad, and the Sweater

The good news is that I have made progress on my socks.  I have finally reached the turn in the heel.  The bad news is that I have well and truly broken my New Years' Knitting Resolution to not cast on another project until I finish what is on my needles.  Not only have I cast-on, but I have also cast-off, a quick project.  That project was a sweater.  Before I go into detail about the sweater, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of my family.  Please welcome Udvar!

Udvar is a rescue puppy.  He and his brother were surrendered to the Lost Dog Rescue.  Isn't he adorable!?!  Our best guess is that he's a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix.  Did you know that's actually a designer dog mix?  There are people who pay exorbitant amounts of money for the type of puppy I rescued!  We always look in the local shelters or rescues for our new pets.  Especially this time of year, there are lost of puppies and kittens who need loving homes.  They come fixed and up to date on all their shots.  As you can tell, at least some of them are much cuter than any puppy-mill puppy. If you absolutely must have a specific kind of dog, find a reputable breeder where you can meet the parents and visit the location where the puppies are living. *end puppy rant*

As you may have guessed, the sweater I made was for Udvar.  I came up with a quick, ribbed design for a puppy sweater using some old acrylic yarn I had inherited and hidden in my stash.  By quick, I mean that I finished in within a 12-hour window.  I do not intend for this sweater to be used for long.  It is a prototype pressed into service when the mornings were still cold enough to make him shiver.  I need to change the neck section and want to give it a more interesting design on the back.

In addition to knitting up quick little puppy sweaters, Udvar has increased my use of a craft that I have fallen out of the practice of using: mending.  You see, puppy teeth are very small, but very sharp.  We got him two stuffed toys shortly after bringing him home.  One has a tear smaller than my pinky nail that I will probably sew up tonight while watching TV.  The other is a favorite for tug of war and required mending of multiple holes and tears large enough for stuffing removal.  My next quick project could be a felted puppy tug toy, hopefully reducing repairs required.  The next puppy sweater will have to wait.

Different crafts don't count, right?

Last post, I mentioned that I wanted to avoid casting on a second project until I finished the project I was working on.  Since this project was crochet, it wasn't cast on.  How about only working on one project per craft at a time?  Regardless, I think this hat was worth it.

My father is a die hard Vikings fan.  One day, while the family was driving around, we realized that my nephew did not have any Vikings paraphernalia.  I decided to correct this egregious oversight.  I decided to crochet it so that it had more structure to support the horns.  Unfortunately, since I made this ad hoc, I forgot to write down the instructions.  Apparently, the little horns are a hit with my sister and her husband, which is good because they are not Vikings fans.  I'm hoping the hat is cute enough that they let him wear it frequently anyway.  :)  Though truth be told, I think he's pretty darn cute with or without the hat.

He may not need to wear a hat much longer.  The weather is warming up and we are starting to get more rain than snow.  Yesterday was nice enough that we managed to tackle some gardening projects.  I planted pea seeds in a pair of containers.  My father and I managed to wrestle our rhubarb plants out of their pots and settle them in the ground.  We've had these plants for a few years now so I'm hoping we finally get some usable rhubarb out of them this year.

Yesterday also provided time for us to go to the Capital Home and Garden Show.  We came back with a garden stool and a neat little product called Rainbow Crystal Soil.  It works like this.  You start out with the packet full of little beads about the size of the head of a sewing pin.

You then soak them in water over night and they swell up to the size of marbles and feel a bit like the tofu balls in bubble drinks.

Then you can use them as soil replacement.  I'm unsure how they will work with plants that require more nutrients than they get from water so I'm starting with some philodendron cuttings.

This plant can actually grow in just water, so I am certain they will do well in this new medium.  The Rainbow Crystal packet also gives directions for use as an air freshener.  I may try that next.  All in all, I find them to be an interesting novelty and look forward to experimenting with them.

My socks are coming along nicely.  I like the cable pattern.  It's involved, but I was able to figure out the pattern enough that I no longer had to reference the chart about halfway through the first repeat.  I've reached the gusset section.  This is the first sock I've done with a gusset so I hope I started it at the right place.  I'm supposed to continue increasing until I have twice as many stitches on the sole as I have on the instep.  That's going to take a while.  I love this sock patten, especially how delicate it looks, but one of the drawbacks to knitting something this fine is that it is time consuming.  I try to work a few rows a night while I'm just sitting watching TV with the family, but it will still take a while before they are finished, especially if I tweak the design to make them knee highs.  But one hurtle at a time, I have to finish the foot and heel before I start worrying about final length.  I love that about toe-up socks!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  The first project I finished in 2011 is my Jester's scarf.  I love it!  It's worm, colorful, and unique.  A perfect pick-me-up on dreary winter days.  It ended up taking about a ball and a half of each color.  All in all, as my first entrelac project, it was fabulous!  I will probably end up doing more in the future.  I especially love lack of a wrong side that this pattern gives.  The ribbed entrelac is fun and easy.

My Knitting New Year's resolution is not to cast on a new project before I finish what I am currently working on.  I didn't quite follow that for the ribbed entrelac scarf, taking a brief hiatus to knit up a Weekend Scarf as a quick gift over the holiday season.

My first project of the New Year is a pair of toe up socks in a baby pink, cotton yarn.  I was going to use this for a baby project until my expected niece turned out to be a nephew!  So, now I am using it to cast on for a pair of Ballet socks from Melissa Morgan-Oakes 'Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks' book I am borrowing from my mother's library.  I am thinking of adding an alteration to the leg portion so they can be knee highs.

I am also considering designing a pattern for my sister.  This Christmas she decided she wants to make a set of stockings for her family.  She wants to be able to personalize the tops with each family member's name.  She has a specific look she wants for the toe and heel and since no one will be wearing them, sizing is not a big issue.  I'm excited.  I love a challenge!