meet Katy...

This is one of the Rowan International patterns that is available to subscribers. I will be attempting to knit Katy in the month of November as part of National Knit a Sweater Month, NaKniSweMo for short.

The pattern calls for Rowan Denim, but I will be making mine in Elann's Den-M-Nit Pure Indigo Cotton. I knitted two swatches over the weekend, one on Sz5 and one on Sz6 needles. Both times I got 11 st = 2", when I'm supposed to be getting 5 st per inch. I'm going to re-knit the swatch on Sz6 in a different needle just to make sure. I will be casting on on Thursday morning!

preparing for a challenge...

Details next week!

impromptu update...

I'm constantly surprised by how much I try to fit into any given day...sleep, eat, work, knit, practice, rinse, repeat. Unfortunately, I haven't been managing my time nearly as well as I would like. Maybe I have too much on my plate...maybe I'm just not putting enough effort into it.

I definitely haven't been putting as much effort into my knitting as I would like. I'm still procrastinating when it comes to finishing the Log Cabin Blanket. I got to the point where I had five strips, then things fell apart. That was nearly a month ago! I swear at this rate, this damn thing will be a Christmas present, not a wedding present. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have much time to work on it this weekend while I'm hiking with the happy couple the blanket is meant for...

I'm almost done with my Rozas! I just turned the heel of the second sock on Monday. I've been slogging away at these socks on the bus ride every day. Since I haven't finished an object in a really long time, I'll be glad to see them done. Here's a little preview.

As for Starsky...It was over before it started. I just couldn't get into this pattern. As much as I want to make this sweater, I don't have the attention span right now. I was finding the leaf pattern to hard to commit to memory, mainly because there are a few rows where you have to p2tog on the wrong side. I also wasn't happy with how densely it was knitting up. I'm going put this one back in the queue and start again later.

knit, frog, repeat...

There's a whole lot of ripping going on, chez needleGirl! I've been slowing piecing the Log Cabin blanket squares together, only to realize that I had two squares that just wouldn't work. Somehow, I had knit one too many of one pattern and completely botched another. I am ripping these two and knitting the correct patterns.

I have been using mattress stitch to join the squares because it is what I am most proficient with. I considered doing a crochet join, but found it really hard to get things to line up correctly where the bound off edges meet salvage edges. I have completed 3 out of the five rows (with five squares in each row). I'm going to block these three rows this weekend.

My second frog fest takes the form of Roza's sock. I hadn't been working on this project since I wanted to finish up the blanket. A couple of weeks ago, I got together with Maya for some knitting, so it seemed natural that I work on it. I had gotten about 5 inches of the leg done, and decided to carefully try it on...Can you see where this is going? The sock-to-be was very tight around my foot, and there is absolutely no way that I could work it around my heel and onto the leg. So, Roza got a one-way ticket to the pond. What really sucks is that I took time to swatch for this project, and things should have worked out. On the bright side, I can go back and add the garter stitch detail that the pattern has, but I neglected to include the first time around.

sleeves are boring...

At least they're quick. I completed the first sleeve for Starsky. I started it on Wednesday and finished this morning on the ride to work. I figure most people know what a knitting sleeve looks like, so I'll spare you of boredom.

Have a good weekend!

the part that I forgot...

Back in February, when I started the Log Cabin Blanket, I never expected that it would take long to knit. For some reason, I thought that I would be able to churn out square after square after square. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Seven months later, I have finished knitting square...albeit, ten fewer than originally planned.

Now, there's just one more thing...blocking and finishing! Yup, I have to join my 25 squares into one united project. I should be able to start this process over the weekend, but I really have no idea how much time it will take. I'm thinking about crocheting the squares together. It just seems like it would be the quickest way to get the job done. I'm also thinking of putting some kind of edging around the blanket once all of the pieces are together. You know, something to make it look really finished.

The only other dilemma I'm having is whether the blanket will need a backing. My big worry is that the knitting isn't firm enough to withstand years of use. For some reason, I think a simple backing might give it a little more sturdiness...Plus, it might help conceal all of the ends on the wrong side. I'll see how long the assembly process takes, first.

what's up next?

With only 3 more blocks to knit for the Log Cabin blanket, I'm already starting to get an itch to start another project. Plus, once I finish knitting the squares, I'll need a new project to take with me on the bus. Even though I'm tempted by things such as Oslo, Bridges, and Geneva, I think I should stick to my original line-up for the year. So, next up will be Starsky! I've wanted to make this sweater since it was first released, and it looks like it could be the perfect early-fall addition to my wardrobe.

In other news, my friend Maya is spending the fall in DC! She arrives tomorrow. I'll be cleaning up the apartment tonight, so that AF and I don't look like complete slobs...I hope she remembers to bring the socks we started in Cali.