Gliss Knits

Making progress

The mittens are done and oh so cute! When I get home tonight, I will take a picture and upload them. Now, I just need to find an equally adorable hat pattern (or make one up) and we will be finished.

Dad's sweater vest: The neckline has been picked up and I am about halfway done with the rows it requires. Then, it's off to the armholes and then to weave in the ends before blocking. It all seems to be coming together and it looks quite good (if I do say so myself). It will, however, be nice to be knitting Mom's sweater since the guage is 5 sts or maybe 4.5/inch and Dad's is about 7 or 7.5 ugh. Looks great though, just takes forever.

Enjoy your Thanksgivings! (if I don't post again before tomorrow)

I'm still knitting...

Oh my poor neglected blog! I have been knitting, I promise. I am just trying to get projects to the camera ready stage and it has been slow going.

I finally decided on what to make my niece for Christmas - some mittens, a hat, and a scarf if I have leftover yarn. The mittens are from Cast On, the Accessories 2002 booklet. They are made by Theresa Vinson, the same woman that designed the fuzzy feet, and they are adorable. She also has a blog called Bagatell - Knitting in Norway. I had to adjust the size somewhat since Kate is only 2 1/2 and the smallest mitten size was for Children 4-6, but they turned out great. I am just finishing up the second mitten, so soon I will have a matching set to show you.

Dad's vneck is waiting for me to pick up the stitches for the neck, then do the armholes, and then weave in the ends. It must be done before December 1, because I have a sweater to make for my Mom by Christmas and I need to get moving on it. I made the same sweater for myself last year and it took 2 weeks... while I am making it in a slightly larger size, I still think it will be done in time for Christmas Day.

Due to budget constraits I am trying to make many of the gifts we are giving this year - mostly out of stash. However, do I make scarves or other easy things? No, I pick mittens, sweaters, gloves, etc. Eeeks. I bought some yarn by Brown Sheep company that is very similar to Lamb's Pride Worsted for the fuzzy feet that I am making for my SIL and sister, the mittens and hat I am making for my niece, and another secret project. Everything else comes out of the stash - Dad's Vneck Sweatervest, Mom's sweater, Mom's mittens (alpaca), etc. Another Knitting Blog had a mini raglan on the website that is so cute, I'm thinking I might have time to whip some out as little bow/decorations on the presents...

Oh my, look at the time!

Oh my! I hadn't realized that it's been a week since my last post! Where does the time go??

My parents ventured up to Minnesota last weekend for some fun in the sun - and the very cold. I believe that the temps were hovering in the teens overnight when they were here. I know that doesn't seem so bad, but they were coming from NJ where on Monday it was 80 degrees and on Tuesday and Wednesday they suffered a "cold" spell of 50. I had such a great time with them and I was so sad to see them go - I wish they could have stayed longer. However, their visit did bolster us up and prepare us for the next 6 weeks until we go home for Christmas. Besides, with all the stuff that we have to get done -knitwise, schoolwise, babywise - before Christmas break, I feel that the time will fly.

So, needless to say, with their visit and my work recovery scant knitting was done this week. I did manage to finish the right front of Dad's Sweater Vest and now I only have to do the left. Since the right was completed during CSI and Without a Trace, I have no fear that the left will be just as easy. Then it's off to 3 needle bind off the shoulders, do the neckbank, and then the armholes and I will call it a day. Yeah! We have both decided that for a project this big, it will be Dad's Xmas present. So, if you're counting that's 2 Christmas sweaters... I feel so proud... even if one is for an 18 month old!

I have cast on for a secret project - to be revealed post Christmas - and I am planning on making a couple of other things, but small things, like Fuzzy Feet, and some mittens. Do you ever see designs on people in places like the bus and just want to ask them to take a picture of what they are wearing!?? I sometimes wish I kept a camera on me all the time, like those spy cameras so that I could snap fabulous accessories (there are 2 pairs of mittens and one hat that I am in love with) and sweaters - especially those with really interesting or intricate designs. Oh well, I just have to use my memory and terrible sketching skills.

Enjoy your weekends everyone!

We are experiencing technical difficulties...

So, dreamhost did something funky yesterday and changed the directory where all the files are stored. Sorry if some of you tried to send comments, but couldn't. We seem to have it figured out - which is good. Sometimes (almost always) it is nice to have a computer guy for a husband. (although I imagine that some of you would argue that it would be nicer to be able to do it myself... that may never happen. So, in lieu of that, I much prefer my knight in shining armor)

First Sweater

The Bog Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman, found in Knitting Around was my first sweater. I knit it in Tahki Ambrosia Slim bought from someone on Ebay for a much better price than I could find anywhere else. It was originally purchased for my husband in order to make the Varigated Simplicity by Lily Chin in the Fall 2000 Knitter's and so I had quite a few skeins, but it is very scratchy wool and my husband was not thrilled with the color contrast, which although it is not as striking as it is on this webpage, it is still not quite what he wanted. So, the yarn sat around unknit for a couple of months until I decided that it was ridiculous that I had been knitting for almost 2 years off and on and had not yet completed a single sweater, let alone a sweater for me. And I set off to work- finding a pattern and suitable yarn.

Being a math minor in college, I was interested in the mathematical concepts that the bog jacket seemed to introduce. I was also comforted by Elizabeth Zimmerman's easy style of writing and attitude that you can do anything you want. Noting that I had yarn in my hands and that I didn't even need to go out and get any, I began to work on the sweater shortly after Christmas in late 2001. The sweater was finished by the end of January (although I don't know the exact dates, and if memory serves, I did finish it within 2 or 3 weeks, working on and off).

Unfortunately, I had heard of blocking but was a little nervous about applying it to my own work. (I laugh now as I have boldly blocked things into shape, bossing them, but then it was a serious concern.) So, the all garter stitch sweater didn't fit quite right, it rode up in the back and didn't come down very far in the front. However, I left it in the closet as a reminder that I could indeed finish a sweater if I put my mind to it. This past summer (almost 1.5 years after I completed the sweater) I decided that it was ridiculous to have this completed sweater hogging so much yarn if I wasn't going to wear it. I decided to block it and give it a try, and what do you know! after blocking the sweater now fits perfectly. It comes down in the back and is long in the front. Now, I just need to get clasps to make it the perfect Minnesota fall/early winter jacket.

Overall, I am impressed with my first attempt at a sweater in completed form. The weaving of the front ends (think kitchner for the entire front panels of the cardigan) was nervewracking, but all in all I think it looks pretty good. I have made other things that I think look better or wear better, but this sweater will have a special place in my heart and my closet as my first completed baby.

Cruising...

I finished the back of Dad's Vneck this morning. I have to say that this sweater kind of brings me full circle to what I was working on around this time last year. Besides a series of scarves that I cranked out to use up some stash that I had no idea what to do with, I had also started a Vest for Dad on October 24th, that I thought might be done in time for his birthday (11/15), but wasn't completed until December 23rd and wasn't dry from blocking until late Christmas Eve. (I snuck the sweater into their house while he was working and left it to dry under the bed during the 2 days we were there pre Christmas) I had thought that the vest would take FOREVER this time again, but the back flew by (I guess that's what happens when you go from 270something stitches in the round to 99 back and forth). I imagine that the front will also cruise by, but I'm thinking that I will probably give it to him for Christmas this year.

Besides Dad's sweater vest which I have been working exclusively for about a week, I also have to get another Fuzzy Foot done for my SIL's birthday present and I need to crank some H2O Cozies out so that my sister can sell them at her school for me. I promise some pictures of them this time, if I get them done in time to take pictures!

In order to inspire me to get cranking some sweaters that I have waiting in the wings, I thought I would start (tomorrow) with a look at some of my past projects. I also need to do this in order to get them into the gallery and I think it would be a nice way to remind myself of all I've done. Check back tomorrow for some nostalgic memories (not too nostalgic!, my first sweater was completed in January of 2002 and I haven't made too many!).