Seetaa no Monogatari Part 7

Soon after I finished my sleeves, I started working on the body.  Here's where I am after a six (6) rows from my original life line:

Front

Back

And for prosperity's sake, here's how the seams under the arms look like:

 Right side

Left side

Not too shabby, huh?  And you can hardly see any holes! :)  I'm not sure if I really like the lines which are from the cable cast on I used to join the sleeves.  Perhaps I'll use a different cast on with my next sweater ...

Now that I (finally) have some body, I can really see how my sleeves fit. :)  My right side is ok but, I needed to tweak my left side a bit. :(  I ripped back two (2) inches (5 cm or 21 rows), decreased two more times then went back in the round to the 3/4 mark.  Not bad ... at least I didn't have to rip out the whole sleeve! :P

After my mini flurry of picture taking, I counted how many stitches I have for the body: 203 total stitches.  Strange ... I started with 181 stitches for the body and now I somehow have 22 extra stitches! :(  So ... it looks like I need to decrease two (2) stitches on each side every three (3) rows from this point on for 23 rows; then decrease two (2) stitches on each side every two (2) rows to get to my waist measurement, right?  Hmmm ... how would that go? ...  Let's see.  If I do like this, it looks like it'll work ... I think:
Row 1: decrease 2 stitches on each side (203 - 4 = 199 total stitches)
Row 2 - 4: knit in the round
Row 5: decrease 2 stitches on each side (199 - 4 = 195 total stitches)
Row 6 - 8: knit in the round
Row 9: decrease 2 stitches on each side (195 - 4 = 191 total stitches)
Row 10 - 12: knit in the round
Row 13: decrease 2 stitches on each side (191 - 4 = 187 total stitches)
Row 14 - 16: knit in the round
Row 17: decrease 2 stitches on each side (187 - 4 = 183 total stitches)
Row 18 -20: knit in the round
Row 21: decrease 2 stitches on each side (183 - 4 = 179 total stitches)
Row 22-23: knit in the round
Row 24: decrease 2 stitches on each side (179 - 4 = 175 total stitches)
Row: 25-26: knit in the round
Row 27: decrease 2 stitches on each side (175 - 4 = 171 total stitches)
Row 28-29: knit in the round
Row 30: decrease 2 stitches on each side (171 - 4 = 167 total stitches)
Row 31-32: knit in the round
Row 33: decrease 2 stitches on each side (167 - 4 = 163 total stitches)
Row 34-35: knit in the round*
Row 36: decrease 2 stitches on each side (163 - 4 = 159 total stitches)
Row 37-38: knit in the round
Row 39: decrease 2 stitches on each side (159 - 4 = 155 total stitches) - this is my waist circumference and about the 6" mark

Yeah ... I finally hit about my natural waist and here's how it looks:

Front

Back

And, here's what the side seams look like:

 Left side

Right side

OMG, sweater math worked!  I didn't even do a single rip back and the seam looks nice and neat!  Amazing! :P

Next, I mindlessly went in the round for 16 rows (that's two inches (2") or 5 cm) to get to my hips (I know - it doesn't look like it's the top of my hips but, it curled up while I was taking the picture).  Here's what it looks like now:

 Front

Back

I did another four (4) inches (10 cm or 32 rows) to finish off the body.  Then I opted to do a 2 x 2 ribbed edging for another inch and a half (1.5" / 4 cm or 9 rows) and finished off with Jenny's amazingly stretchy bind-off for the bottom and sleeves.  I also wanted to "mark" which was the front from the back (since I couldn't very well leave the front and back markers on! :P) so, I tagged my sweater:

Do you see my "tag"? ;)

Voila!  With just three (3) skeins, I now have a completed sweater! :) 

Front

Back

Amazing. :)  And, it didn't take me nearly as long as I thought it would. :P  I think my next sweater project will involve cables!  Whoo hoo, I can't wait! :)

Stitch Markers

Stitch markers are "an essential accessory for knitters."  And, I now have a slight obsession with them. :'( (or is it really :D? :P)

When I first started amassing my accessories, I bought these super cheap plastic locking stitch markers from Amazon (I saw the Clover brand version at my local craft shop).  They were a little over 100 pieces for something around $3.00.  And, I discovered why they're so cheap (and that I got a little more than 100 pieces) ... they break easily.  Here's what I have left of that order:

There's about 40 or so left and they break every time I use 'em.  I can expect to have anywhere from 2 to 10+ broken ones when I use them. :(

Because  I was unsure about the cheap one, I also bought some Clover brand ones from Amazon too:

 Small size

 Jumbo size

I was so happy that I also bought the Clover brand ones after I found out that I was breaking the cheap ones like there was no tomorrow! :P  The Clover brand ones (while still plastic) are much sturdier than those cheap ones.  For some reason or another, the plastic seems to be more flexible.  Perhaps because I'm paying more, I'm getting better plastic? 8S

Then, I started working on projects that meant I needed to keep track of how many stitches I had on the needle and/or where I started and/or at what row I needed to increase or decrease at and ... I realized that I needed A LOT of stitch markers (and preferably with lots of markers in the same colors to help me keep track of it all)!  

So, when I went on my Big Island yarn crawl, I picked up other brands of stitch markers to try:

 Hiya Hiya locking stitch markers

 KA split ring stitch markers

 Leisure Arts stitch markers

And, when we came back, I also bought these stitch markers from my favorite yarn shop, Yarn Story:

 Pony locking stitch markers

 Pony split ring stitch markers

Chiagoo ring stitch markers

What I realized from all these stitch markers (I used them all (yes, almost literally) on my sweater project is that:

1. The split ring stitch markers don't work for me. :(  While they slip in easily onto my project, they also slip off just as easily (well, the Pony and the Leisure Arts ones at least; amazingly, I was very skeptical about the KA ones and those are the only ones that don't slip off!  I'd get more of those if I could now. :D). :(  Now, I understand what many knitters mean about losing stitch markers as if someone (or your cat) is constantly stealing them or if your couch is inhaling it when you're not looking!  If you're not cognizant about how many stitch markers your using (and it can be hard to keep track of it all if you're using a lot), if one slips out, it could be gone for life. :'(  Luckily for me, when I started realizing that the split rings were coming out by themselves, I was at home (and I sit on the floor - no couch to suck things up) so, I found 'em all (but now, on the flip side, perhaps if I lost 'em all, it wouldn't be so bad either ... :P).
2. The ring stitch markers are ok but, they can flip out (and far away from you) when you're moving them from one needle to another if they're "just right" size (if they just fit your needle and there's no much space, when you're moving it from one needle to the other, it can flip off like a coin; and if you're in a tight airplane seat, you may never see it again).  Now, I use these on my locking stitch markers.  Overall, I don't think I'd buy this type of stitch marker again either.

Overall, my favorite type of stitch marker (so far) is the better plastic locking stitch markers.  It allows for a lot of flexibility on how you can use it (you can use it like a split ring type of marker of a fixed ring type of marker and most importantly, you don't have to worry about knitting it into your knitting because you can simply unlock it).  Now, I just need to amass more of 'em. :P

Then, for Christmas, my friend sent me this: 

Yes, this is a teeny tiny clothes pin. I heard that this also make great stitch markers.  I'm going to give this one (yes, I only have one of these) a try to see how I like it.  If it works out, then I'll figure out how to get more. :)

I also caught a super bad cold this December and was out of commission with knitting (I couldn't concentrate very much between the coughing and sneezing for several weeks so, no knitting).  Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I trolled the web to see what other types of stitch markers there were.  Many can be found on Etsy but ... they also looked like items I could make myself.  Thus, I decided to give it a whirl.  I bought a some beads and a pack of crimping beads and here's what I made:

First, I bought some letter beads.  I saw a lot of letter beads with knitting terms on it (either in the abbreviated format or actually spelled out) and thought that it might be useful.  So, what I bought was a F (for Front) & a B (for Back) for my sweater project.  I thought I'd give these a whirl before I bought other letter beads (particularly since these were $0.95 a bead!). :)  I know, I know ... this isn't my greatest beading endeavor but I wasn't sure how I wanted to use these beads.   I'm going to try this method for now until I get a better feel of how I want it.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to put it on a pin head (then needed to decide how big to make the loop) or have it loose like this.  This was the easiest and quickest (albeit ugly) way to start using it (plus, this didn't require a crimping bead).

I found I already had these small white/iridescent beads and decided that I would make a double marker (to see how I'd like that).  So, I cut some flexible beading wire (7.3 cm long), used a seed bead for decoration and two (2) crimping beads to make the marker:

Side view of bead                       Top view of bead

I slipped the bead onto the wire; then the seed bead and a crimping bead to the bottom of the bead and pushed the bottom end through the crimping bead and the seed bead to create the bottom loop.  Next, I placed the other crimping bead through the other "open" end of the wire (at the top of the bead) and slipped the end of the wire through the crimping bead into the bead itself.  Before I crimped the crimping beads, I made sure that the top loop would fit over the largest of my needles (a US 13) and the bottom loop would fit over most of my "average" size needles (a US 8).  Once I was sure that the loops were fine, I crimped them closed.  Here's what it looks like:

Here's the other beads that I had bought.  I decided that I would make a couple of "regular" stitch markers with these.  I cut some flexible beading wire (6 cm long), used a seed bead to lock in the wire underneath and a crimping bead to make the marker:

Top view of bead                             Side view of bead

I slipped the bead onto the wire; then the seed bead and pushed the bottom end of the wire through the seed bead to the a little over the top of bead to lock in the wire.  Next, I placed the crimping bead through the other "open" end of the wire (at the top of the bead) and slipped the end of the wire through the crimping bead into the bead itself until it hit the seed bead.  Before I crimped the crimping bead, I made sure that the top loop would fit over the largest of my needles (a US 13).  Once I was sure that the loop was fine and that there was enough wire from the top and the bottom sufficiently in the crimping bead, I crimped it closed.  Here's what it looks like:

I can't wait to start using my newly made stitch markers (well, I'm already at least using the F & B ones :D)! :)  

I know ... I said that I liked my locking stitch markers, so, why am I making stitch markers that simply go over the needles?  Well, these types of stitch markers are useful and I just need to be cognizant not to knit them into my project (not that I've done this yet). :P  I also figure that I can also use them on my locking stitch markers to mark something special I need to do (like an increase or something) if need be.

I'm also eying out these stitch markers but haven't bit the bullet on buying 'em yet (they're really expensive as stitch markers go; plus, I generally like to see/touch feel it before I buy it - what can I say, I'm old fashioned. :P):

Floops Stitch Markers

Perhaps I can live without them ... for now. :P

I'll post an up-date to let you know how my new stitch markers are (or aren't) working out (or if I've found some other ones to give a whirl too). ;)

Seetaa no Monogatari Part 6

I talked to Kim and she said that my sweater looks ready to split off.  After a lot of hemming and hawing and measuring myself, I bit the bullet and tried to do some sweater math to make sure I'm on track.

I really struggled with my sweater math (somehow, to my brain, sweater math like this is not so simple as accounting math where it's mostly adding and subtracting; sweater math is a lot of conversion between metric and imperial (aka cm & in) and then calculating that with my body measurements.  Perhaps it's because I'm not very familiar with metric or I'm simply over thinking this, I don't know ... all I know is that when I calculate it and then see all those numbers in metric (which is actually more accurate and what I'd like to learn to use), my brain starts to flip out and question if that's (aka those numbers) are really right. :P  Then I do it in imperial (in) and then wonder why my metric numbers aren't the same as my imperial numbers when I convert it ... I dunno; I think it's my brain struggling with the whole metric thing. :(  I just can't seem to get it. :'() ... Anyways ... the bottom line is that I'm not entirely confident of my results.  (I'm not even going to explain exactly how I tried to figure out my measurements and what I need to do to make my sweater (as most people aren't in the whole math thing anyways and find it boring).)  

So, I just took the plunge and split off the arms and body just as Kim recommended.  I took out my spare cables and Chiaogoo US 5 bamboo needles and began the process of splitting off the right and left sleeves.  For each sleeve, I casted on 21 stitches for a total of 76 stitches for the sleeves and happily stitched away in the round.  I finished off my first skein on the left side and used a new skein for the right side.  Here's what it looks like:

Left side

Right side

I did 16 regular rows on the right side before I realized that I needed to start decreasing:

So, at row 26, my sleeve was still rather loose so, I started decreasing every row for the next 3 rows:

Now, that looks better, right?  I kept going in the round (no decreasing) for the next 5 rows before my next fitting.  I tried it on again and realized that my sleeve was still a bit puffy and now there was a strange crease where it should be smooth when my arm is next to my body.  It appears that I might've casted on too many stitches. :'(

So .... I ripped out my right sleeve all the way back to my life line (thank goodness for that life line! :)) and re-casted on 15 stitches for a total of 70 stitches for the sleeve and did 8 rows to see how that fit:

The sleeve on my right side feels so much better and the fit seems to be better too.  I did 10 rows before I started decreasing every other row for the next 17 rows:

There's now 50 stitches for the sleeve and it's fitting much better.  The sleeve feels snug but not too tight or as loose as it previously was.  I measured my arm and it decreases about half an inch every inch so, by the time I reach my 3/4 sleeve mark, I'll need to have a total of 45 stitches.  So, (scarily enough,) I did some sweater math (again) and .... discovered that I either should've decreased every 6th row to begin with or I need to decrease every 12th row now.  So ... what did I do?  You guessed it! :P

I ripped out the sleeve back to the 10th row, decreased on the 11th row, did 5 regular rounds, decreased again on the 17th row, did another 5 regular rounds .... you get the idea. :P  After the 3rd decrease (row 28), I started decreasing every 3rd row.  Here's what it looks like at row 46 (with 52 stitches still left for my sleeve):

Now, I can see that my left side is way too big and skewing the way the sweater falls on me.  That side will also need to be taken out but, since I only have 1 pair of metal needles, it'll have to wait until the right side is done.  

I finally hit my elbow!  I've been decreasing every 3 rows (on the 4th row).  I stopped decreasing at row 63 and have been simply knitting in the round at this point (row 72).  I now have 45 stitches for my sleeve:

And, look! :)  This is what the inside of my sleeve looks like:

I think it looks pretty good.  I'm so much happier with this sleeve (finally)! ;) I'm slowly getting to my 3/4 sleeve! :P 

So ... After 86 rows, here's what my completed sleeve looks like:

Voila!  One completed sleeve! :)  And, here's the other side  (done almost the exact same way as the left side; here's the difference: I started to just knit in the round at row 59 with a total of 48 stitches, ending with a total of 81 rows):

And, here's what my sweater looks like with two (2) sleeves:

So lesson learned: Sweater math will make my life easier (aka less ripping out) if I can only figure out how to do it and do it right - the first time. :P  Also, this whole top-down sweater thing?  Loving it!! :)  I think I would've gone bonkers if I couldn't try on my sweater as I go. :P  Or be majorly irritated (to put it mildly) with myself for not doing the calculations and merrily went on my way to making a sweater that's either awkward fitting or doesn't fit at all. :P

Btw, my goal to meet NaNoSweMo?  Well, I didn't meet it ... as of the end of November, (despite all my ripping out), I only stitched 13,390 stitches (I think).  Well, as you can see from the pictures, I don't have much of a sweater at this point so, it's kinda hard to make the 50,000 stitch mark without a good bulk of the sweater! :P  We'll see how long it'll take me to get there! :P  At least I got a bit of the top and the sleeves done! :D

Now, with just about a little less than a fourth of the second ball left,  I can start on the body portion! :D  More to come on my sweater adventure! :P

Christmas Gift!

Christmas is coming and I saw this great scarf pattern (in addition to some other scarf patterns ;P) that I wanted to give a go at.  But, life took over and I only managed to make one (1) special gift for a special someone. :)

For my special someone:  Your pattern comes from Berroco Knits and is called the Navarra.  I used my super awesome Chiagoo Twist (Metal) US 8 needles and nine (9) skeins of Patons Diana yarn in pink to make your ~6 feet (or 186 cm) long scarf.  I used a cable cast-on and Jenny's Surprisingly Stretching Bing-Off to start and end your scarf:

I hope you find that it brightens up your wardrobe this winter as well as keep you warm! :)

Here's some ways you can wear your scarf:

I really wanted to make a few more things (including a few more scarves) but ... the year got away from me! :'(  Hopefully, next year I can get to the other gifts I wanted to give a go at. ;)

Since this blog is about Christmas, in the Christmas spirit, if anyone's interested in those water bottle sleeves I made (see pictures of it from my previous posts way back in February and April), here's the pattern.  I call it Ariana's Bottle Holder (in homage to my friend Ariana who help me make this) and the pattern below is for my very first bottle holder (with the Kleen Kanteen in it) as shown in post: Catching Up.

1. Make a swatch for gauge.  I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn, color Light Grey (ID# E300_341) = 7.5cm @ 5 cm => 7.5/5 = 1.5cm
2. Measure around the largest/widest section of the bottle.  The initial bottle I used was a 12 oz. Kleen Kanteen = 23cm
3. Multiply gauge by the number of cm around the bottle.  For me it was: 1.5 * 23 = 34.5 stitches
4. Cast on (using your favorite cast on method) 34 or 36 stitches around on 4 needles (you need to have an even number of stitches)
5. Knit & purl for about 1” (2.5 cm) or length of the bottle neck (or as long as you desire)
6. Continue to knit (and/or purl depending on what kind of design you want for the main body) until its as deep as the bottle is high
7. K2 together around
8. K1 round straight
9. K1 round straight
10. K2 together around
11. K2 together around
12. Continue until there are 6 stitches or less
13. Take off needles and draw the tail through the last stitches and pull tight
14.  If you would like to make a strap for the bottle holder, pick up 4 – 6 stitches near the top of the bottle holder (by the bottle neck area); you can pick up stitches anywhere in that area or between the transition of the bottle neck and bottle area.
15. Knit (and/or purl (again - depending on what design you want for your strap) as many rows as you want until the desired length of your strap is reached.
16. If you want a button on the other side, knit until you are 1” from where you would like your buttonhole to be.
17. Measure your button and knit the next few stitches until you are ready to start the hole; then bind off the length of your buttonhole then knit the remaining stitches.
18. On the next row, knit the same number of stitches you ended with; then cast on the same number of stitches you bound off; then knit the same number of stitches you started with in #17.  For example:  your strap is 8 stitches wide
19. R1: Knit the first 2 stitches then bind off 4 stitches then knit the last 2 stitches
20. R2: knit the first 2 stitches (same as the last 2 stitches in R1), cast on 4 stitches (same as the bound off stitches in R1), then knit the last 2 stitches (same as the first 2 stitches in R1)
21. Knit the next row the same number of stitches as the row prior to the buttonhole.
22. Continue to knit as many rows you want until you feel the strap is long enough.  Then bind off.  Sew in the end – you may want to make it long enough to reinforce the buttonhole.
23. You’re DONE!!! Enjoy your new bottle holder!!