No Sewing, Please.

I hate and despise sewing. I pay to have buttons sewn on. I've been known to duct tape up a hem rather than sew.

So, with my knitting, I try to work on projects that don't require sewing.

Yes, I've knit socks cuff down. And I've unsuccessfully attempted to kitchener the toes.

Then Nancy Bush got me using the drawstring French toe. No sewing!

So it's only natural that I love and adore the three-needle bind-off. And I intended to use it to graft the two ends of the headband.

But there was a problem.

I didn't do a provisional cast-on. I had no live stitches on the beginning end.

But did that stop me? NOOOOOO!

Do you see what I see?



Yep, there's three needles! And I'm binding-off.

I ripped out the cast-on -- not a pretty sight, but it worked. Knit another row in pattern and got to work.



Now that's a pretty sight!

Yes, I know there's a loose end or two that needs weaving in. Not crazy about that either. But, I'll make sure to do it ASAP--or maybe I'll duct tape the ends into the headband.

Speaking of loose ends, here's a (blurry) photo of when I ran out of yarn:



Cici got it on the nose at 17 1/2 inches. Congratulations! Your prize (a skein of yarn--enough for a headband) will be on its way.

Also, it turned out the the headband was very stretchy and I only needed to knit less than an inch of the new yarn.
New yarn, old yarn-- my favorite!

Enough?

The above headband is 13 inches long. I want it to be 20 inches.
See the yarn? That's all I have in that color. Do I have enough?

Sounds like a contest to me!

In your comment, please:
Yes or No -- do I have enough?
If no, at what inch will I need to switch to another color?
(Yes, you can use tenths of inches.)

Winner will be randomly selected if two or more guess the correct answer.

And the prize?

Hmmmm. . . to be determined. But it'll be a skein of yarn that would make a nice headband--and there'll be enough of it!

A better photo of how much yarn is left:



I'm taking my sweet time knitting this, so contest will be closing on Thursday, January 22.

Leftovers and Updates

Looking over previous entries, I notice that I could have added more photos to some and done updates on others.

On March 14 I talk about snow coming our way. And then on February 26, I pictured the ripped out headband and never updated.

Here's my favorite furry model wearing the sewed-up headband and watching the snow:



In the Lottsa Lace entry of March 10, I mention that my Mom, grandmother and a great-aunt were all talented needlecrafters. In addition to a crocheted bedspread and tablecloth, I have bags and bags of their beautiful crocheted doilies. By framing a few of the doilies, I'm able admire their handwork everyday:





Here's a photo of patterns they used. Notice how well-used they are:



Snowy day here. Getting ready for St. Paddy's Day, I'll be cooking up corned beef today and will be working on the Wearing O'the Green socks. Updates on snow and socks tomorrow. And leftovers of corned beef for all!

Cashmere Thursday

Presenting for the first time on this blog--Finished Objects!



Specifications: clapotis scarf / Jade Sapphire cashmere 6 ply/ black and gray colorway (noir) / size 6 needles
I used 3 increase repeats to make the scarf less wide than the pattern for the shawl. the length is the same.

With the leftover yarn, I made a headband:



This still needs some working since it's not as snug as it should be. I'll be ripping out the extra inch of plain gray worsted--or maybe I won't. Today will be the test since it's feeling like eleventy million below zero out there.

Anti-snit

From time-to-time, there'll be an anti-snit to chase away any negatives that my written snits are stirring up. It's icy out there today and I have a history of falling and breaking my foot--so, karma, please don't bitch-slap me today. Some positives:
I'm very thankful to my friend and former colleague, MJ--a man who certainly has his way with words, for giving me the name of this blog three years ago.
I'm grateful I woke up today to another glorious day and I just love puppies and kittens and sunsets and I think the glass is half-full and that NYC cab drivers are the finest people alive and when Lennys puts unasked for peppers on my sandwiches, they are merely trying to expand my taste-buds and . . . oh, wait. Now I'm crossing the line into delusion.

Will this ever end?

Finished the headband last night--sort of. It's gonna have to be revisited. I ran out of yarn and added an inch in a gray worsted. Couldn't figure out how to pick up cast on stitches for the 3-needle bind off. Sewed the ends together. Did I say, "sewed?" The seam looks as if I shut my eyes, plunged the needle into the fabric and the voices in my head directed me what to do. Last night, the headband seemed to fit fine. This morning, it really isn't snug enough. Did my head lose weight during the night?
New game plan:
*Somehow undo the sewing
*Frog the gray worsted
*Keep live stitches on a needle or holder
*THEN, go to cast on edge and undo the cast-on. I have no idea if this is even possible, but those voices in my head are telling me to go ahead and do this.
*Put those stitches on a needle
*THEN attempt the 3-needle shuffle
*Thank the voices in my head for all their help, guidance and encouragement.

Snit Fit:
Worked today--so many things to choose from. Picking just one would be impossible and unfair to all the contenders.

Headband saga--part two

After many more trips to the frog pond, I finally found a pattern that I love! It's a 1 by 1 rib. I've always thought that I'd prefer to jam size 0000 dpns into my eyes rather than knit a 1 by 1 rib for 20 inches--but, this rib makes for an attractive, neat and tidy looking headband. And eventhough though I look very ham-handed doing the rib, I'm finding that knitting the 1 by 1 is almost relaxing and meditative. I'm not quite ready to knit a sock or scarf in it, but for 20 inches I can do it.

I'm in a rush to finish this headband because it's gonna get cold again and "significant" snow is on the way. YAY!

Daily snit:
Gum chewing--noisy gum chewing--smacking gum chewing--hearing the spit form in your mouth gum chewing

All the frogs don't live in ponds

Well, welcome to me to the 21st century!

Obligatory knitting content:
All I wanna knit up is a simple headband. Using up the last bit of the Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere that I made a mini-clapotis from. The way I'm carrying on about this, you'd think I'm doing the most complicated project ever invented. So far, I've:
*cast on 20 and worked it in garter stitch on size 7 needles
*decided the needles were too big and garter would stretch too much
*frogged it
*cast on 26 and started a 2 by 2 rib using size 4 needles
*don't like remembering to start a row with purl
*frogged it
*cast on 28 for a 2 by 2 rib
*decided to knit combination style
*had to find Annie Modesitt's book to remember combination style
*knit an inch
*decided that it wasn't tight enough and it was too wide
*frogged it
*put yarn and needles back into ziploc bag.

Obligatory snit content:
Why did Lenny's put peppers on my Jimmy T. sandwich when I asked for NO PEPPERS?! Even when I scrape the peppers off, I still taste 'em. BLECHHHHHH!