I really hate frogging.
There’s a reason my last post was more than a week ago.
I’ve been in a knitting funk.
Two weeks ago I began a slouchy hat for one of my favorite authors. Halfway through, I realized that I forgot the increase round. You know, that round that’s going to make the slouchy hat slouchy? Yea. Totally did not see that line in the pattern. Of course, I noticed this 17 rows after I was supposed to knit that round.
Because it was late, I decided I would tink back the next day and just reknit. Only, the next day came and I was still upset at having to frog half the project, so I left it alone for another day. Then another. Then another.
Die devil frog.
Suddenly, it’s a week later, and I still have not touched that damn hat. I really hate frogging. I’m already a slow knitter to begin with, so even though it’s just 17 rows (which really, is not a lot and I did this in an evening while watching a movie on Netflix), all I can seem to focus on is that it’s two hours of wasted knitted.
I can’t possibly be the only knitter who gets put into a funk when faced with frogging.
The good news is that I’m on Spring Break, so I have lots of free time to reknit the hat. I’ve also started rewatching Doctor Who on Netflix, and knitting + Netflix = awesome times.
How do you deal with frogging? Do you get put in a funk like I do and stop knitting for a day or two (or week) or do you just shrug it off and knit on?
Coffee & Cables
Been super busy lately, but still managed to finish a few projects this month.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to participate in the Tumblr KAL this month, but the pattern is in my queue (among many others) to be knitted at a later date (or, you know, to make my queue look pretty).
One of the projects I managed to finished this month was a pair of cabled fingerless gloves for a friend’s daughter. Her daughter works for Starbucks, so we bartered: some fingerless gloves for a pound of coffee (I really do miss those weekly markouts from Sbux). It was my first time doing fingerless gloves with a thumb gusset and despite a pattern that was a little confusing to read, they came out pretty damn good.
Project: Coffee & Cables
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sport in Fedora
Ravelry Project Info
I adapted the pattern just a wee bit; my friend told me her daughter had large hands. Now, my hands are tiny, so while I was knitting these, I’d try them on and think, “Oh no! These are way too big!!” So I was very happy when my friend told me that the size was perfect for her daughter.
The pattern is really easy; it’s a good introduction to both cables and thumb gussets. However, I’d caution one to keep a notebook handy. Even though the pattern is easy, midway through the pattern stops including the cable pattern, which is something you want to keep in mind so that the cables go all the way up the glove. It helped me to keep track of rows on a pad of paper.
Other than that, though, great pattern. Definitely going to have to make more of these in the future.
Frustrations in Knitting or, F@#$ing Frogging!!
Last week, I was armed with bulky purple yarn, large needles (US11 and US 15) and a pattern scrawled out on a post-it note.
Last week, I yelled at a youtube tutorial, dropped out of a KAL, reentered said KAL, completed a project and cast on for another…which I then frogged, only to start over again.
On Tumblr, there is a KAL group that has two different KALs going on each month. This month was the Shroom Hat and the Darkside Cowl. Living in Texas, I really have no use for a cowl, and I confess, I don’t see the point of them — then again, this could be a direct result of living in Texas.
So, naturally, having no use and seeing no purpose for the Darkside Cowl, I decided to join the Shroom KAL.
The Shroom, as many are aware, made it’s debut in the 2009 Winter Knitty. It’s a pattern that has been in my Ravelry queue for a while now, probably since its Knitty debut. The Tumblr KAL offered me the perfect kick in the pants to finally knit one. It also offered me a chance to meet two of my knitting resolutions: To stash bust and to knit something weekly.
Needless to say, I was excited for my first KAL of the year.
The beginning of the Shroom pattern, which only calls for 1×1 ribbing, was easy enough. In a mere 30-45 minutes, I had my four inches of ribbing and was ready to start the puff rib pattern.
Here is where things got tricky and my brain shut down.
For the life of me, I could not figure out how to yarn over between knit and purl stitches. A few sts in, and I decided it was time to find help. I found some on Twitter and then moved to youtube for a tutorial. The tutorial made perfect sense, but when I put it into action, I realized this person was daft and their yarn overs where a total mess.
I realized this when I was on my third pass of the puff rib pattern.
I threw the project across my desk. Rewatched video. Looked at finished Shrooms. Looked at mine. Realized mine looked like yarn threw up. Frogged all the way back to the ribbing. Too far. Knit up another inch and a half of the 1×1 ribbing and started the puff rib again.
Messed up. Again. Yelled at youtube for steering me in the wrong direction. Decided I was done with this project and dropped out of the KAL.
The next day, I was calmer and not quite so petulant and easily irritated. With new found determination, I decided that this pattern — a pattern that everyone was touting for it’s simplicity and quickness to knit up — would not get the best of me. I found a different youtube tutorial, one that made SO MUCH MORE SENSE than the original.
Two FarScape episodes later, I had a completed Shroom hat.
But I wasn’t sure if I liked it.
Then I tried it on.
Bliss.
I wore it all day Saturday and Sunday.
Sunday afternoon, I cast on for another one. This time in green.
Got cocky in my ability, and when I came to the decreases, realized I had royally messed up.
Cursed and frogged — all the way back to the 1×1 ribbing.
Today, I’ll finish that green Shroom hat. Even if it kills me.
I had plans to do a third in dark blue…but I think it’s time I moved on from this. I don’t think I could handle having to tink back and frog a third hat.
What KALs are you participating in? Hopefully, you’re not having near as tough a time as I am…
Bonus points if you can tell me the purpose of a cowl and why one may need one in Texas. 😛
Knitting Resolutions
I’ve always loved the beginning of a new year.
I love the “blank slate” feel of them. That “I’m going to make changes!” feeling.
Unlike Calvin, however, I am far from perfect. I enjoy making new year resolutions and this year, I have a lot. One of them is this blog. Last year it began as my knitting blog and then, somehow, evolved into my writing blog. I’m currently in the process of moving my “professional” (writing) blog to another domain, allowing me to revert this blog to the crafty blog it was intended to be.
Last year gave me many lessons in blogging, and I’m feeling pretty confident about being able to keep this one (and others) up throughout 2011 and beyond. To begin with, I’ll be updating this blog every Monday. As the year progresses I may begin blogging twice a week, but for now, once a week it is.
So, to start the new year off with a typical bang, I’m posting my crafting resolutions!
Knitting
Attempt to knit something every week (small knits, like hats and fingerless gloves)
Attempt to knit bigger projects monthly (like afghans and sweaters)
Organize Ravelry queue by what projects I want to knit each month
Make more of an attempt to stash bust
Learn to knit socks, two at a time/toe up
Start Christmas knitting in the summer
Dye two skeins of yarn each month
Learn to spin
Sewing
Practice sewing
Make a kitchen apron
Make a skirt
Make a knitting bag
Hem up my dressy black pants
Soap Making
Make three soap sets a month
Candle Making
Learn and make candles by the summer
General Crafting
Make a digital scrapbook
Take more photos – print, frame and hang them up around the house
Like I said, I have a lot of resolutions this year. These are just my crafting resolutions — I have others for my writing, reading and personal life.
What are some of your resolutions for 2011? If you don’t make resolutions, why not?
adorably alice 