I have so many WIPs right now, I don't even know if I'm coming or going. The issue is, most of them I've shared and they don't look too different at this point, so I won't bore you with many pictures of the same stuff.The blanket from last week was frogged, do to realizing it needed to be wider. Lisa, a lady who is a regular at the crochet meetup I co-run, suggesting adding a third color once I made it wider. I have a fear of running out of the blue color, and since it's a discontinued color and I got it on clearance for $2 a skein, there is no way to buy more in the same colorway unless I want to fish around on Ravelry in hopes that someone has it. I went to Joann's this weekend, armed with a coupon and found another colorway in a darker brown than the tan I'm using that seems like it will work well. If you're reading this, thanks Lisa!
I'm working on the scarf, but well, it just looks a little longer. I figured I wouldn't bore you with pics of it until it is a decent length. :)
I've been taking my editing on the road, a la Panera Bread and Starbucks. My manuscript is 241 printed pages long, so as you can imagine, it's hard to wrangle. Currently, I hold it together in a gallon sized zip lock bag that includes the pages, a red pen (yes, the dreaded red pen!), my idea/notes journal and those little flag things to flag pages. Yesterday, I realized how ghetto the plastic bag is, so I started on crocheting a re-usable crocheted bag/envelope type deal that can hold everything and be cute. I plan to line it when I'm done, and also add a pocket. I've made it a little bigger than needed, wanting to have room to expand for more pages, etc. We'll see how it turns out. I'm just using acrylic I had sitting in my stash that I bought on a whim last 4th of July during the massive sales at Joann's. I love diving into my stash and picking yarn from it!
Alea and I decided since we both had The Big Book of Knitted Monsters, we should do a KAL and both make them. Sunday night I sat down to start, picking what should be the easiest pattern from the book, Petunia. Wanting to challenge myself, I learned the long tail cast on, which I will say, IS SO EASY! I'm not sure why I'd been avoiding it, but I love it. Stupidly, I didn't stop there. I decided because that went so great, that I would also learn the magic loop. Rebecca Danger, the author of the book/patterns, suggests using the magic look, so I thought, why not? Seven times later, I still had a twisted mess and much frustration. I have no clue what I'm doing wrong, but once I get around to the second side of stitches they seemed twisted. Honestly, I wanted to scream. Before I start knitting, I make sure that both cast on seams face down, with no twisting. Then, after I start knitting, they look twisted. I think when I knit, I twist my hands, which then twists the stitches. Sunday night, I wanted to scream. But GOOD NEWS! I figured it out yesterday and am now slowly on my way to making my own monster! :)If you're interested in joining Alea and I in our KAL, feel free. You can do any monster you'd like from the book, or you can purchase a pattern from Ravelry. (I am not associated with the designer in any way. I just like her designs.)
For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!
I am a recent convert to the long tail cast on too, love it. Twisted stitches can be a nuisance but I'm glad you have beaten them!
ReplyDeleteTami, I was on vacation when I cast on my first magic loop project. The directions in the book for the long-tail cast-on made no sense to me, etc. When we reached our motel room after I'd spent two or three hours in the passenger seat trying to work this out, I made my husband pull out his laptop and connect to the net. He went to a search engine and typed in "Long tail cast on" and the very first website we found got me over the hump. What a relief. I did find the magic loop method hard at first, but I'll never again knit another pair of socks one sock at a time.
ReplyDeleteMagic loop is quite tricky at first. When I first learned to do it, I was using really cheap circulars and the cords were quite thick and dense so I'd hold them over the steam of a boiling kettle to loosen them up a bit. Once I'd switched to circulars with really flexible cords, it became much easier.
ReplyDeleteAfter not being Wordless for many a Wednesday, I thought I would put my efforts in to working on my WIPS so...I am joining in on WIP Wednesday. I know the pain of taking photo after photo of WIPS that just don't seem to make progress. My goal is to cut down on the amount of WIP I have at a time. Yeah, good luck on that one, right?
ReplyDeleteThose knitted monsters are so cute! Can't wait to see yours :)
ReplyDeleteThis is my first ever WIP Wednesday, but I've wanted to join for ages (I always look forward to the WIP Wednesday posts from folks like Stacey). Thanks for organizing this, it's fun to see everyone elses work!! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck wrangling magic loop. It is definitely fiddly at first, but I find it so useful for lots of things, and it means I'm no longer stuck when I can't find the right size dpns :)
ReplyDeleteLong tail cast on is the only one I know : ) I'm jealous of your bag and can't wait to see your little monster appear.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you managed to get going with magic loop, sometimes it's easier if you knit flat for the first couple of rows then join in the round. There's a little seam to sew but it's not much and can save the frustration of twisting your cast on and having to rip the whole thing out and start again :) I look forward to seeing your monster progress.
ReplyDeleteHalfpint, you know, when I first started knitting I watched the video for long tail cast on and it just seemed hard, so I didn't do it. Now I have no clue why I didn't give it a chance! LOL
ReplyDeleteLiz, thank you so much for sharing your story! It makes me feel better. I felt pretty stupid when the long tail cast on and the magic loop took me forever!
Countess Ablaze, I got lucky this time and just bought long cables from Knit Picks for my interchangeable needles, so have good cables which helps.
WonderWhyGal, welcome to WIPW! Like you, I have WAY too many projects going on. I just talked about the ones I'm actively working on. We won't mention the ones that are in hibernation for now. ;)
Stacey, thanks! I hope I can do it justice. This is my first knitted amigurumi type thing.
Unforth, welcome to WIPW! You're welcome. :)
Leah, thank you! I think I have it down for this project at least. It seems perfect for socks, too! The one thing I love is that my stitches never feel stretched over the cable like they sometimes do with small circulars.
nursenikkiknits, thanks! I knew a simple other cast on that I learned from a Knit Picks video. It is a lot looser than long tail cast on.
ReplyDeleteNorthern Monkey, what a great idea, though I'm glad you told me AFTER I figured it out. I would have taken that way out of my frustration, but in the end, glad I was able to get it right. I'll have to remember that little trick if things get too frustrating on a future magic loop project.
Love the idea for the manuscript bag! I have had luck having mine ring-bound at Staples--I use it for my edit copy so I can mark the heck out of it and flip from page to page...love the idea of a "real" bag for it though, mine lived in a laptop bag, your idea is much better!
ReplyDeleteSam, I thought of ring binding it actually. I'm doing the same thing right now, edits. Bleh! Right now, the red pen in my friend. LOL I'll post pics of the bag when I'm finished with it! I think it might take a few different versions to become EXACTLY what I want, but we'll see.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how the techniques we avoid often end up being so simple? Once I figured out the long tail cast on, I started using it for everything (unless there's a clear reason something else would be better). I am not good at Magic Loop but use the two circular method instead -- it just feels less fiddly to me.
ReplyDeleteYour writing project bag is a great way to bring your multiple forms of creativity together. I can't wait to see your monsters -- those patterns are very cute.
Marushka, it does seem like the ones we avoid end up the best, doesn't it? So true. You know, I did my hat on 2 circulars. Both methods have their pros and cons. I found the second circular bobbing up and down distracting and annoying. But, for magic loop, I find having to move the cable back and forth a little annoying as well. LOL
ReplyDeleteI love Rebecca Danger's monster patterns too! I haven't bought the book yet, but I've made several of her other patterns. I'm not adventurous enough to tackle magic loop yet, though.
ReplyDeleteI don't care so much for magic loop, though I do use it when I don't have the perfect size cable.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the knitted on/cable cast on to the long tail cast on. It's hard to figure out how much of a tail to have and not waste.
Looking forward to seeing both your projects progress. Love the blue/brown yarn.
wrchili, which did you make from her patterns? You know, magic loop is easy once you start your first round of knitting and it's not twisted! LOL You should give it a try.
ReplyDeleteDenise, yeah, I can't see where it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. I think all have their advantages/disadvantages of knitting in the round. I'm not sure I know the knitted on/cable cast on! Thanks on the yarn! It's just cheap acrylic but so pretty.
Ooh! I can't WAIT to see your monster! And your manuscript! And when you're done with all that, maybe you can teach me how to do magic loop. ;)
ReplyDeletePaula, you haven't tried the magic loop yet???? You should! It's not as scary as it sounds/looks. Oh, and I'm sending you an email SOON! Possibly by this weekend. EEEKKK!
ReplyDeleteSo proud of you! Alot of knitting techniques are really easy! But so many people think they are harder than they really are. I'm glad you decided to learn these methods and you are proof that they are easy!
ReplyDelete1st time linking here, although I've participated in WIPW a time or two....
ReplyDeleteThe long tail cast on was the first I ever learned, and I use it much more than any other. In fact, I don't think I learned any other cast on until I'd been knitting for about two years. New techniques are fun!
suddenexpression, thank you! I'm pretty proud of myself, too. :D
ReplyDeleteavantaknits, welcome to WIPW, or at least linking! :) Wow, it's awesome to hear that the long tail cast on can be used for so many different things!
I tried to link to the WIP Wednesday. I am a new, not quite sure what I am doing blogger! I am determined to get better!
ReplyDeletethanks, my first time linking, hope it went ok!
ReplyDeletesockknitter1215, thanks for linking up to WIPW! You linked up properly. :)
ReplyDeleteNaomi, thanks for joining us! The link worked, so you're in good shape.