Snagged a Button!!!

Finally got the Vintage KAL button into my blog! It's rather big, but it is there! The site isn't as busy as it used to be, but there are some cool patterns there if you like the 1940s. It was a different time period then, not just the knitting, but everything. Imagine how rationing would fly now? Makes me have a little patience with a slow loading computer...

UFOs and other things

There are enough unfinished objects around to make me want to sit down and organize them. The oldest are the Morale Builders stockings. I'm down to the first ankle and uninterested in progressing further at this point. I've started another sample swatch with an eye to the Miz Marple Jacket and the Sir Walter gauntlets. I've finished one sock for The Shuj, just need to graft the toe and start on the other one. He made some comment about being able to wear them in the spring. Funny man.

Figured out how to capture a button from another blog, but not how to insert it into this one. The new Blogger is coded differently from the old one. So I can drag the tables around, big deal. I want to know how to put stuff in them! Then I see other bloggers with all kinds of neat stuff...in Blogger, mind you, and wonder how they did it. Maybe I should look for a blog that talks about computer geeky stuff as these questions seem out of place in a knitting blog.

Schematics

After looking at my drawing of Sir Walter, I realize that I need to hold my nose and draw. I don't draw easily or well, especially on the fly. I need to sit with my tongue between my teeth and consider every line. Pencil works, not ink.

Which leads me to schematics. That I think I can do. One square for every inch of knitting. The foot of a sock is 10 squares, the cuff 7.5. Do I do a side view that looks like Christmas is coming? Or lay the sock on its face with the heel sticking up like this ________ ?

Then there are the charts for lace and cables. Arrgh! Let me out of here! Stop me before I OCD again!

Sleeted in

First bad weather we have had this winter. Got enough sleet to glaze everything with ice and keep me home from work today. Love it! Spent the day working on The Shuj's socks. Got past the heel of the first one hooray hooray! First successful traditional heel I've done in 20 years! Slowly the fingers are remembering their skill.

Spent yesterday doing a long swatch of samples, looking for the patterns that will go into the Sir Walter gauntlets. So many patterns, so little time... Brioche stitch is so cool. With the ends of the sample held in with the other patterns, it puffed out like a Renaissance sleeve. Don't know if I can use it in the gauntlets, but I have it captured for another day.

So for two days I have been knitting my brains out and feel great! After so many years maybe, just maybe I have found the work that I'm supposed to be doing. The world has yet to beat a path to my door...or even my blog, but a learning curve has to start somewhere.

The Knitting Universe

Finished the red gauntlets except for half a seam. They are too short and tight for my taste, but maybe someone with smaller hands will like them. Now I can take the concept and do my own thing with them like knit them in the round, change the cuff and maybe even do a gusset for the thumb. Though, if I start from the finger end I'll have to retain the hole-in-the-wall thumb.

Perused the Knitting Universe site to see if they might enjoy the Michelin Man socks. Their designs seem tradition-based, but there is usually a twist, either with yarn or technique. No miles of K1P1 ribbing for them. On second thought, maybe Michelin Man is too simple except maybe for beach knitting. I'm too late for the summer issue, alas.

One interesting thing, all they require is a swatch and a drawing of the idea. I guess if they like the idea, the designer has 3-4 weeks to come up with the finished object. That sounds like some hard core production knitting. Imagine cranking out an afghan in 3-4 weeks! But it would save knitting the item only to hear no, no, NO!

I think this is the way real designers do it, and I must give it a try...but what if the design improves in the knitting? That would make me nuts, though I could add the variations at the end of the pattern...

Let's get one accepted first, then worry about it :)

Piggin' out

On knitting magazines, that is. Vogue Knitting has a couple of derivatives out there, and there is Knitters and Interweave Knits. Saw a pattern for wrist warmers in Knitters and almost passed it by until I realized that this would be the perfect use for the Silk Dreams wool/silk blend I bought last summer. It is a two needle pattern featuring bobbles, lace, and fun fur. I omitted the fun fur trim and am slipping the first stitch rather than keeping it in garter stitch, but mostly I am following the instructions.

When I do it for real, I think I will start from the fingers and work back. It will give me a chance to try a banded ribbing pattern I found, and a lace bind-off for the cuff. If that one works out, I may pound on Knitty's door again.

So far the pattern goes quickly. Finished the first yesterday and started the second, but had to frog the cuff when I noticed I had left out two rows of the pattern. Beer, knitting, Sinbad movies and a late night really do not make for clear thinking. Should finish today if I behave myself.

The Cat

Cat Bordhi's technique with two circular needles left me cold at first, leaving me with molehills in my socks and a tangle of clanking needles. But other than that the technique was easy and fast and I decided to try it again with the Shuj socks. So I sprung for a couple of #2 Addi-Turbos and set off. Maybe because both needles were the same length, maybe because moles can't root under k2p2 ribbing or maybe because I'm so fed up with dpns...anyhow things seem to be going well. The blue alpaca I'm using shows well against the silver needles and so far the circs show no tendancy to drop out of the fabric. This is a good thing.

I've also learned that Cat self-published her book. Another good thing or this technique might be lost to us. Many people can design patterns; how many ever come up with a new and better way of knitting?

...and back to the drawing board

Checked out Chiagu yesterday only to find that they aren't currently accepting submissions. Bummer. And Knitting Vault might be accepting submissions, but apparently they aren't looking for newbies. Questions like: How many patterns do you have for sale? How many do you want to sell here?

Well...one and one...

Then they want 60% of whatever I think the pattern is worth. So designers are charging $6.00 for a pattern that might be worth $2.00. Are there people out there that will do that? For six bucks you can get a copy of Vogue Knitting and get dozens of patterns.

Guess I'm in the mindset that if I can design, then anyone can design. And it's true. Thank you Elizabeth Zimmerman!

Chiagu might not be accepting designs right now, but they have a lovely blog and an opportunity to join a Web Ring of other knitting blogs. The main catch is that I'd have to post at least once a week...which is what a blog is all about after all.

Meanwhile I've got a personal project on the needles, a pair of socks for The Shuj. It's time to knit from the top down and re-master the old-fashioned heel. Might even show pictures of this one :)

First rejection

Last weekend I learned that Knitty didn't want the Michelin Man sock. They said it was a lot of fun, but not for them. Seems I remember doing this when I was trying to get a novel published...a pleasant little note that gives as little feedback as possible. They liked it, I think. Was the whole idea too simple? Was it something technical, like the guage being too loose? Was the pattern badly written? Were the photographs boring? I may never know.

Fortunately I have a couple more patterns in the works...the Viking Formal stocking and the Miz Marple jacket. That Simply Soft acrylic looks shinier all the time, but it will be good for making a prototype. Then I'll knit it up in alpaca or something that fits the modern trend for luxury yarns.

As for the Michelin Man... Chiagu? Will the public actually pay for such a simple pattern? I think I'll just mosey on over there and check them out.

Weird Yarn

Lately yarns seem comprised of a bit of this and a bit of that and doled out in 100 yard (or fewer) skeins. Then you pay $10.00 or more per skein. I am amazed that so many people are willing to pay $50.00 for a pair of socks...in self-striping yarn, no less. The technology is amazing, but please! We did ugly back in the '60s, why is it fashionable again?

I was crawling through the latest issue of Vogue Knitting when I spied an ad for a yarn called Tofutsies. SWTC makes the yarn which explains where the tofu comes from. They are the makers of Soy Silk...which is made from the stuff left over from making tofu. They put it through a chemical process and out comes the 21st century version of rayon!

Back to Tofutsies, it is a sock yarn made of 50% Superwash wool, 25% Soy Silk, 22.5% cotton, and 2.5% chitin. Chitin??? Isn't that what bugs are made of? You know, the stuff that goes crunch when you step on one? eeeYuck! Then they explain that the chitin comes from shrimp and crab shells. Oh, that's better. Does this mean your feet are guaranteed to smell like a fish market at high noon?

After all this I should probably try the stuff, if only for the reaction at the yarn shop when I ask for some of that crab shell yarn. But my first reaction was to visit A.C. Moore for a couple skeins of honest 100% acrylic. It is soft, it is shiney, and sells for $2.19 per 315 yard skein. I can swatch till I drop for a Miz Marple jacket I have in mind. If it works, there is always the option to do it in a nice wool...but no crab shells, please!

Knitty Submission

Today I uploaded my Michelin Man sock pattern to Knitty. And what do I worry about? Getting responses like "File too big" or "Missing X info". Nothing about "We don't want this pattern". Guess I've submitted enough fiction to magazines and publishers to understand "NO!"

The secret of success finally clicked with me the other day. Like the kid on the commercial trying to put a square peg in a round hole: "Just keep hittin' it!" If this pattern doesn't fly, then maybe Viking Formal (aka Frogger) will. Or St. Brendan's Fair Isle. Or something.

Meanwhile I walk the floor unable to settle down to anything specific. So...I blog.

Measured The Shuj's foot today 'cause my next project will be socks for him. I had decided from measuring my own foot that the length, ankle, instep, ball would all measure the same. Not so! His foot is 9.5" long, 8.25 at the instep, and 8.5 at the ankle. Will have to measure more feet before I make any ponderous statements in patterns...

Ain't life jest like...

...knitting a sock. There are times when you are focused and interested, like learning short rows, and times you are flat bored, like knitting those interminable 7.5 inches of stockinette before anything interesting happens again. Then there are the fun times, the dreaming times when you near the cuff and the whole world of colors and textures lies before one. And the bad times...let me count the ways! Evil yarn that won't behave. Color stranding that is too tight...again. Lovely, expensive yarn that hops into the shopping bag but then won't fit into a shoe.

In spite of it all, I can understand the addictive nature of sock knitting, especially for a designer. What better way of working out patterns? 4-5 inches of cuff that go wrong is nothing compared to being halfway up a sweater before realizing the beautiful Fair Isle pattern that looked so stunning in a swatch is going to make the wearer look broad as a barn. Oh, yes, all of the big girls out there will flock to buy that little number!

At least the Knitty sock is ready to go. Just waiting for PayPal to verify my account and then...this weekend...up it goes! First submission and I'm shaking like a first date! Hello, it's just a sock pattern...

Apology

Boy, did I ever get Cat Bordhi's name wrong! She's the author of "Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles". Although her technique didn't work for me since I need to knit on a couple of stitches at the end of each needle to keep bad things from happening, I admire her innovative spirit. Cat, if you ever read my blog, please accept my apology.

Back to Frogger

I've finished with Michelin Man! I've even got the instructions mostly done. At this point it was a great temptation to write "Make a toe. Knit until long enough. Make a heel. Do the top." Hopefully I can do a photo shoot today before it rains, but the Shuj is out on a job and won't be back until whenever.

He did call, however, to make the marinade for the Chinese bbq pork. Guess he's over the last Chinese meal he did when he told me to shoot him if he ever suggested such a thing again. Keeping a cook out of the kitchen is like keeping me out of a yarn store.

Oh! Frogger! Meant to talk about that. Now that I can make toes and heels, I think Frogger is going to be a knee sock if I have enough yarn. That will give me enough room for a foldover cuff that I can bind off with a lace edging. I've been dying to try that! Now do I put a Fair Isle stripe up the front...with bobbles...oh such fun!

Socks on Circulars

Maybe expereimenting on a sock meant for submission isn't a good idea, but why wait to learn a new technique? Knitting the second sock, glove or whatever begins to smell of production knitting as the second one needs to be like the first one. Some intrepid designers knit the second sock in the same colors as the first but put them in different places. Cool idea and I'll probably try it. But these socks are the same eggplant color throughout and messing with the spaces between the Michelin Man rings would just look weird.

Back to circular needles. After reading Cat Cordi's book I gave the technique a try. After a few rounds I noticed that there was no worm hole in the leap between the two needles. Hot dog! An excuse to add some Addis to my collection and whip up on that lace stocking I'm doing for the Vintage Knit-Along! But first things first. I had to finish Michelin Man.

A minor irritation of this technique is the part where you come to the end of the row. At that point you have to pull the working needle through so the work sits in the middle and the ends dangle, thereby becoming the resting needle. Then you flip the sock around with a tinkle and a rattle like Jacob Marley dragging his chains, push the new working needle through so you can get to the business end, and start knitting the other side.

Then came the heel. I've just learned short row heels/toes and the idea of doing one on a circular needle did not appeal. Back and forth on a circular for large projects is OK, but 24 stitches on a 29 inch needle? No way. Two dpns for me on that.

Another problem. Crossing the gap between the top of the heel and the instep. Next thing I knew there were a couple of evil eyes staring at me. Now how do you mess with gap stitches on two circular needles? Each needle has its own set of stitches and never the twain shall meet. Back to the dpns to fix this problem.

And what did I see then? MOLE TUNNELS! There was a funky ridge where I snugged up the yarn between the two needles. Yuck!

Is it Frog City for this one? Please, God, not that...

Self-concept

Knitted a sock in a weekend! It looks good, and I know I can get the other one done just as quickly. Yet, as the last stich went in, a cloud of creeping nasty came over me and for the first time I recognized it. The feeling that says "back off. What if you succeed?"

The sock is as good as anything I have seen in Knitty. The stitching is the best I have ever done. If it does not sell, it will be because the design is too simple. What if I succeed? I will be on my way to creating the life I want rather than living at everyone elses command.

That is the answer. I hope I have the grit to deal with it.

In the yarn shop

Finished the first Michelin Man sock the other day, and started the next. Fuzzy, discontinued Shetland is not what I need for a Knitty sock, though, so I headed for the local yarn shop. For the longest time the folks there looked at me as if I were shoplifting...as if I could stash a few 50 gram balls of yarn in my bra with no one the wiser! The place is tiny (a big yarn shop is called a department store...), with good variety and all of it expensive.

And what's the deal with 50 gram balls anyway? They measure out at about 100 yards...I guess you aren't supposed to ouch so loud when you see the $10.00 price tag. But that's what's out there and if the world knits with nice yarn, then so must I. One of the trials (perks?) of being a designer. "But honey, Knitty wouldn't be caught dead recommending Red Heart Wintuck to its readers..."

So I found some beautiful plum merino/bamboo (bamboo?) blend that I can't wait to get my sticks into. No fuzz, no itch, soft as a cloud. I wonder if the world is discovering plant fibers anew? There's bamboo, and soy silk...and I seem to recall that the Japanese make cloth out of kudzu. Kudzu yarn? I'd buy some just for the laugh factor :)

Like designing, there's more to blogging than meets the eye. I've been trying to get some of those cool buttons to link to other blogs, but all I got was a picture of said button. Bummer! Turns out you need a little HTML to do that. So I'm gonna be plowing through an HTML book this weekend to see if I can learn anything. Always something new.

Am reading "Blogging for Dummies". Some of it explains the obvious, like how to get to Blogger and read the instructions. Apparently I could have got myself in a real mess and decided to blog on WordPress. It looks nifty, but you have to download the software and publish the thing from scratch! How can you write great thoughts when you have to figure out geekspeak? HTML is going to be challenge enough.

Am nearly finished with a successful practice sock! Well, at least it will be wearable. I still get that itty bitty hole that shows up at the ankle when you finish with the short rows and start knitting in the round again. I think this time I simply forgot to pick up the wrapped stitches. Since I have to knit the mate to this one, there will be another opportunity to work with this problem.

This one I'm calling the Michelin Man sock for the horizontal ribbing at the cuff. Someone has probably done this before, so I'll have to check it out before offering this one for sale. It is a fun and easy sock, though. Knitty might like it, especially if I figure out the hole in the ankle thing.

Vintage KAL button

Here is a cool site if you are bored with instant knitting...

http://www.kitchenerbitch.com

Did it!

I've finally turned out a sock that looked pretty good. I used worsted weight yarn on #8 needles. Unfortunately my guage swatch was done on #6 needles that I thought were #8s...don't ask me how...so the sock was rather loose. But who would wear worsted weight socks anyway?

Finished up with a rather cool looking cuff of horizontal ribbing, rather like the Michelin Man, but the whole business stayed in place in spite of the large guage.

Sportweight is next, to see if I've really "got it". If it looks spiffy enough, it might turn out to be the Knitty sock. I'd have to get some current yarn for the final version, but hey! Simple and fun is a good thing.