Desperatus: The Desperate Knitter

Check out my Examiner article

2013-08-27T08:49:00.004-07:00

Check out my most recent Examiner article on blocking wool projects. Some friends provided amazing photos to go along with it.

Recent Articles

2012-06-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

This put the "Awwwwww!!" in the MD Sheep & Wool Festival!

Recently, on my Examiner.com page, I've written about the MD Sheep & Wool Festival (always an amazing time). I wrote a humorous story about Knitting for weight loss. We all wish that would really work! And, summer is here, it's time to think about those summer knitting projects.

Knitting dishcloths!

2011-05-25T11:29:00.001-07:00

I've been knitting dishcloths for many years. They make a wonderful, quick and useful gift that just about anyone can use. The following dishcloths were knit for my niece.
The old standard dishcloth is the one knit on the diagonal.

You need to use cotton yarn, Sugar 'n Cream, is one of the most commonly used yarns for dishcloths. As you can see in the photo, they have just come out with self-striping yarn. I love it! It makes your work seem more complicated -- and hopefully it is more appreciated by the person who receives the dishcloth.
I like some of the other patterns for dishcloths as well. This one was called Alex's Dishcloth and I found it as a free pattern.

It took a lot more yarn than I expected, but looks nice.
This last one, which I actually made first, was my favorite and was also a free pattern. There are patterns for all kinds of dishcloths out there.

Any of these dishcloths can be made in a couple hours if you are a fast knitter! If you are slow, maybe three hours. But, they can still be made in relatively little time.

Two balls of Sugar 'N Cream yarn make three dishcloths. Make sure you find the same dye lot when you buy it. I had a hard time doing that. I spent a lot of time comparing the various balls of yarn. In the end, I did find two that matched.
While the plain yarn is nice, especially if you can match it to someone's kitchen decor, I like the variegated yarn or the self-striping. It's just a little more exciting.

Ginko Shoulderette Shawl Knit-along

2011-05-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

People from the Wegman's Wednesday knitters, including me, are knitting this pretty shawl.

I just started it last night and will try to post photos as I go along.
I haven't gotten to the pretty party yet, which is along the edge. I still have about 30 rows to go before getting to that part. I'm using Cascade Ultrapima 100% cotton. I hope it doesn't weigh a ton the way cotton sometimes does. I don't think it will because it is sport or DK weight (can't remember which)...

I stalled out on the other project I was working on, a secret project... But I needed to get a little more yarn to complete it so I figured I could work on the shawl while I wait for the other yarn to come in the mail.

I finished a baby blanket. I've got to say it's one of the prettiest blankets I've ever made. I made it with cascade 220 superwash wool. It's gorgeous, soft and washable! You can't beat that.

Update on the shawl... It's finished!

Snake thrown out with the trash - Baltimore exotic animals | Examiner.com

2011-05-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Snake thrown out with the trash - Baltimore exotic animals | Examiner.com

It's scarf time...

2010-11-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

It's getting really cold, and me without any heat. But, thankfully, I'm getting a new furnace installed on Monday!

Fall is scarf weather and everyone can use a nice scarf. There are free patterns all over the internet. Sites like Knitty.com, knittingpatterncentral.com and purplekittyyarn.com are just a few of the sites with nice free patterns. Knitty has some very inventive and challenging patterns.

Also Ravelry, which is kind of like Facebook for needlecrafters, is a place to find a treasure trove of patterns. You have to join Ravelry, but once you discover how much there is available on that site, you'll be happy you did.

You can make a plain knit scarf (garter stitch), but by using either novelty yarn, thick yarn or two strands of yarn and gigantic needles (size 15-17), you can come up with something really beautiful. And a scarf like that only takes hours to create.

Here's a scarf knit with two strands of different colored yarns.

Or you can create something a little more extravagant.

A mobius scarf (continuous loop with a twist) made from merino wool/silk blend.

It doesn't really matter what you create, as long as you just try to making something. Knitting isn't an exact science. There are no wrong answers. You just need some yarn, needles and time.

Greyhound sweater is progressing

2010-10-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have a commission project I'm working on, a greyhound dog sweater. I made one for my own dog, Andy Warhol.

I'm making this one in camo as I did with Andy's sweater. I have not knit with acrylic yarn in a long time, but I couldn't find the camo yarn in any other form. I've been spoiled! Working with acrylic, which was the only thing I worked in for many years, now feels like knitting steel wool.

I would like to add that I hope we don't have snow like in the photo this winter! It was miserable, especially for a dog with very little fur. Andy and I don't mind a few inches of snow, but last winter was ridiculous! We couldn't even walk a lot of the winter because some neighbors never shoveled their sidewalks and even though we live in a little neighborhood people insist on driving like maniacs. To walk in the street is to take you life in your hands.

When I knit Andy's sweater, it was the first time I ever knit short rows. I had to search the internet and find written and video on how to do it. Sometimes that is difficult. I have found that www.knittinghelp.com has some excellent videos. I learned the kitchener stitch from that site as well (also called grafting).

The greyhound sweater calls for a 16" round needle. I had a hard time finding one of those in the correct size. I also learned how to knit with two round needles on Knitting Help. It was a challenge at first, but seems easy to me now. Eventually, I did get a 16" needle much later, so when I started this sweater I had one. It was too wide to use double pointed needles, they kept falling off because there were so many stitches. I also have learned the magic loop (I think Knitting Help has a video for that too) since then, so there are many ways to start the neck of this dog sweater!

I used a clover 16" #6 bamboo needle. The pattern calls for a #7, but I always knit loosely and usually have to go one size down to get the gauge, sometimes two sizes down.

The neck is a turtle neck that can be unfolded and used as a snood to cover the ears when it is really cold. There is a hole in the neck of the sweater where you can attach a leash to the dog's collar. That is good for when you walk the dog so you don't have to put the leash down the turtle neck. That would be uncomfortable!

I have almost reached the part of the sweater when you knit back and forth, but I'm still knitting in the round. The K2, P2 ribbing changes as you add stitches so it has become K3, P2, K4, P2, still keeping the ribbing pattern.

It's hard to see the ribbing in the photo, but it's there. I have switched to a larger round needle because there are about 124 stitches on the needle now, too many for the 16". That is really just for the turtleneck part. I'm in the process of doing the increase for the chest and soon will be doing those short rows. I had to watch the videos again to remember how to do them!

I'm also working on Chanukah gifts for my family. I can't say what they are here! Only the people in my Stitch 'N Bitch group know what I'm doing. I'll just say that it's been very challenging and knitting on teeny needles is like knitting with toothpicks! Going back and forth from those projects to the dog sweater is an adjustment. The #6 needle seems so big.

Since there are 7 people in my brother's family who need gifts, it takes months to knit them all. This year has been quite a challenge. I will post photos here once I send the gifts, but you never know who might read this...

Just starting...

2010-10-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start a knitting blog. I'd like to post about what I'm working on, what I'm learning and what I want to do and learn!
I've been knitting for a LONG time, about 35 years. I was stalled out, not learning anything new, for many years and then I discovered Ravelry and my Stitch 'N Bitch group. In the past year, I've learned all kinds of new things from knitting with two round needles, knitting with the magic loop, frogging sweaters and so much more.
Being an avid recycler, I accidentally discovered frogging. That's when you take something apart that is already knit. I started buying sweaters at local thrift shops and yard sales, frogged them and made new things from them.

That's a 100% cashmere sweater I frogged. by the way, it's called frogging because you "rrrrrrrrip it, rrrrrrip it!" The yarn was very thin, lace weight. But if it's wound up on a ball winder and doubled, it is an easier weight to use. I paid $2.25 for this sweater on half price day at Goodwill. Baltimore area Goodwill stores are half price the last Saturday of the month. So a sweater that is normally $4.50 (still not a bad price for cashmere wool!) is only $2.25. If you get a really good deal, you can find a men's or an XXL ladies sweater. Unfortunately, this cashmere sweater was an extra small! It still gave me enough yarn for a couple nice scarves. Try buying cashmere in a yarn store and see how much it is.
You have to be really careful when you frog cashmere. It is very easy to break the yarn when you are unraveling it if you do it vigorously.

I also learned about recycling another way. You can cut up old t-shirts and knit with giant-sized needles and make rugs. You can cut the yarn smaller and use maybe a 13 or a 15 needle, but I cut the shirts about 1" wide. Cutting plastic bags can yield "plarn" or plastic yarn that can be knit too. I found the instruction on cutting plastic bags and applied the same idea to the T-shirts. Here's an article I wrote about it. I had a great time knitting with the plastic bags. The only bad things are that it makes a crinkling noise that kind of sounds like a baby walking in a diaper. It also turns your hands black from the ink on the bags. The T-shirts shed a million little "pills" all over everything. Once you wash the rug, it doesn't make a mess any more. But when you cut the shirts and when you knit with it, it's a little messy.

This is a nice rug made from tie-dyed shirts. It has a big cable running down the center of it. It was fun to make and only took about 4 hours to knit. It also took about 4 hours to cut up the T-shirts (and vacuum the pills).