Every knitter has stuff in her closet that she hates. Lots of people rip those garments out and start over or move on to something else, but I just leave the loathed garment in my closet and wish a magic fairy would come make it all better for me. So far no luck.

Inspired by a Knitty Gritty episode, I have decided to fix some problem knits. The highest priority was the first cable sweater I ever did. I blindly followed the pattern and completed the entire sweater, only to find that the torso was about 5 inches too long for my liking. If it were the 80s, I could've thrown on a belt and made a mini-dress out of it. Sigh. I wore the sweater a couple of times out of obligation, but I never liked it.

So this past week I did the scariest knitting thing I've ever done: I cut the bottom off with scissors and knitted new ribbing on, eliminating several unwanted inches. Which meant picking up stitches out of cables. Yikes.

I don't know if you can really tell from this before and after photo how much length I lost, but it was quite a bit. I lost a little blood, sweat, and tears in the process too. But now I have a sweater that I will actually wear, instead of one that looks nice from a distance but never leaves the closet.

I told myself that I don't want to move on to new projects until I am happy with the ones I have. That means I've got about four or five sweaters to either rip out completely and salvage the yarn for something else, or to fix somehow. Probably rip out, in all honesty, for they're such a waste of yarn.

Off to tackle another monstrous garment...

Posted by: Sarah at 10:50 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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OK, I think I'm a little burnt out on teddies for the moment. I suppose that's what happens when you make six of them in two weeks. As you can see, I got more creative as time went on, and I certainly got better at embroidering their faces! The green one is my favorite; it was my first attempt at a fair isle pattern, so I learned a lot about pulling too tight, and also about what happens when you accidentally read the chart backwards for a row. I'll send off my teddies to Mother Bear Project soon. And maybe I'll make another den of bears when the urge strikes again!

(P.S. The maroon one has a really cool cable pattern that doesn't show up at all in the photo.)

Posted by: Sarah at 03:39 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Love the bears!

Posted by: Jill at July 27, 2006 04:55 PM (VZQjF)

2 gotta love the bears!!!BUT....did you use up all the scrap yarn????

Posted by: debey at July 27, 2006 06:32 PM (Hyowy)

3 Sarah, Those are adorable! You did a great job on them, and I know they'll get lots of TLC when they arrive at their destination. Love, Mama

Posted by: Nancy at July 27, 2006 07:24 PM (SHVUj)

4 Sarah... OH MY GOSH!!! My dad taped some Knitty Gritty shows after you were talking about them - and I was so excited that he got the "Knitting for Peace" one. I am amazed at the fair isle pattern The green one is definitely my favorite, too. Your own "Knitsters" miss you a lot.

Posted by: The Girl at July 27, 2006 08:04 PM (qBefm)

5 Adorable. Kalroy

Posted by: Kalroy at July 27, 2006 09:56 PM (9RG5y)

6 How much would you charge to make one of these cuties for my one year old niece? I'm serious, e-mail me and let me know!

Posted by: Oda Mae at July 28, 2006 02:51 AM (FmIVz)

7 Love the blue and white one on the far right. He's clearly a referee of some sort of Bear Football League. TOUCHDOWN! Charlie isn't trying to eat these,is he?

Posted by: MaryIndiana at July 28, 2006 03:40 AM (YwdKL)

8 Dang. I stay away for a few days, and I'm totally behind on your blog! The bears are awesome though! I can't wait to start some of my own!

Posted by: Erin at July 29, 2006 11:20 AM (idTPW)

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The other night I couldn't sleep, so my usual remedy is browsing knit blogs. I happened to find a wonderfully pertinent article on knitting backwards; this will certainly come in handy while I'm addicted to making these bears. Now I don't have to flip my work over to purl anymore, which is definitely a timesaver on these tiny rows of ten. Hooray.

But I hit a small knitting snag last night. For dinner we made a fabulous pork tenderloin stuffed with mushrooms, bacon, and onion. For some reason our smoke detector goes off at the drop of a hat, so it started going off as I took the tenderloin out of the oven. I got flustered and, for no good reason whatsoever, decided to grab the meat thermometer and just pull it out with my hand. I was looking right at it, so I was well aware that it said 165 F but, whatever, pulling it out barehanded seemed like a good move. As I instinctively jerked my hand back and started hopping around the kitchen, I looked at my husband and said, "I really have no idea why I just did that." Luckily I didn't burn myself too bad, but the burn is perfectly located where I hold my yarn. I was doing this funky modified knitting move all evening long. It's not as sensitive today, so I can't wait to finish up Teddy #3. Actually, this should be Teddy #4, but #3 only has 3/4 of a head because I ran out of the ball of brown I was using. I've been debating for days whether I should go buy another matching skein of it, since the whole point of these bears is to whittle down these balls that have been sitting here for years, not to buy more!

Posted by: Sarah at 08:23 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Teddy #2

I'm on a roll: I'm already up to the shirtline of Teddy #3!

Posted by: Sarah at 02:33 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I had give-away knitting on the brain the other day when I saw an episode of Knitty Gritty on knitting for charity. They made a cute teddy bear to send to kids in Africa. I have so many apple-sized balls of yarn in this house that I thought this might be a good way to whittle some of that stash down. So I grabbed some yarn and went to work; 36 hours later, I've got a bear to send.

He's not perfect, but hopefully some child will like him. I plan to perfect the technique by making a few more. I'm digging in to the two big baskets of yarn from my living room (Girls, you know what I mean!)

If you're interested in doing this super easy project, the pattern can be found here. (Seriously, I started him yesterday afternoon.) And check out the official Mother Bear Project website, especially the photos of the kids receiving their bears. And then get knitting!

Posted by: Sarah at 05:22 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Is this something a beginner can do? I have a ton of extra yarn too if anyone who knows how to knit needs yarn. I wonder if you can crochet these bears? P.S. I'm STILL working on baby blankets! Just 3 more to go

Posted by: Angie at July 16, 2006 05:07 AM (ec43W)

2 If I were a kid, I'd love that little doll. Very sweet.

Posted by: Tom Bux at July 19, 2006 03:00 AM (V8zMF)

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Last night I started working on my first double knitting project. That's where you knit a double-sided piece, working the front and back at the same time so it's reversible. It's a bit of a challenge to get started, but it's a whole lot of fun once you get going. I just grabbed two shades of green to make a scarf for the practice, so here's the front and back; you can see how the colors are reversed but there's no right/wrong side. Cool, huh?

If you're interested in watching this process, a video is available at the awesome site KnittingHelp.com!

Posted by: Sarah at 05:06 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 I can't WAIT to try this

Posted by: The Girl at June 28, 2006 07:16 PM (PIzUp)

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My friend Vonn alerted me to a knitting show many months ago, so when I got to the US, I looked it up. I've been happily watching Knitty Gritty since, and even though a lot of the shows are pretty basic for me, I find I've learned a lot. In fact, yesterday I learned that I yarn over incorrectly, and today I learned a much better way to pick up stitches from the heel gusset of a sock. The show is great because I can actually see someone knitting, a bonus for me since I learned to knit via the telephone! I only ever had two knitting lessons with my teacher, so everything else I've learned from a book or made up as I went along. I think Knitty Gritty is a great tool for beginner knitters...too bad that all my students are still stuck in Germany!

I also think it's hilarious that my mother-in-law watches the show. We found it last month at her house and she watched all the episodes with me, but she keeps watching it! And she doesn't knit! If she keeps watching the show, she's gonna learn how to knit whether she likes it or not.

By the way, my mom wanted to see my latest scarf:

The details don't show up very well online, but it's dainty and pretty.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:14 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Erin, Kelly, and The Girl: prepare to be jealous.

My mother's friend came over today for brunch. Her mother passed away last year, and so she brought me the following stash that no one else wanted...

She also brought a gorgeous antique knitting bag. There's all sorts of stuff there, including double pointeds. Don't I wish I could get those for 65 cents like the packaging says! I just bought some for $3.44!

I was in knitter's heaven today.

Posted by: Sarah at 09:03 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Eww. I'm super jealous.

Posted by: Erin at May 24, 2006 11:55 AM (CiS44)

2 Whoa! That's a serious stash.

Posted by: Vonn at May 24, 2006 05:26 PM (o8BsR)

3 What a chunk of happiness for you!!! That's amazing

Posted by: The Girl at May 24, 2006 06:00 PM (ApUao)

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Look at this bunny's feet! Happy Easter indeed!

And Kelly found the most wonderful project: The Binary Hat

I really enjoyed reading this blog post about teaching other people to knit. I have taught many people, and most of them have continued knitting. I love that. Erin and Kelly were the funniest though. They came to me and said, "We want to learn to knit. Teach us to make socks." Seriously. That was their very first project. No scarves for them. They didn't learn to purl or cast off for ages! Nothing like starting with the hardest project.

I've been thinking a lot lately about branching out. I've knitted English for nine years, and I really want to learn continental. But every time I try, it's so awkward that I just switch back. But all knitting is awkward in the beginning; I just need to push through the pain and learn it.

Then I could knit standing up!

Posted by: Sarah at 01:03 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Eww! Why would you want to knit standing up? Erin

Posted by: Erin at April 19, 2006 01:25 AM (EKdUA)

2 The binary hat is the coolest!

Posted by: Vonn at April 19, 2006 09:06 AM (dEgRi)

3 Here's one from a Jersey Knitter. http://knitalongwithme.blogspot.com

Posted by: Jim - PRS at April 21, 2006 01:57 AM (njBz/)

4 Just wanted to let you know that I FINALLY picked my knitting back up this week. We are making a long car trip across the U.S. and I am so happy to have something to keep my hands busy! I been feeling so guilty every time you talk about your knitting students - I haven't touched my blanket since Gabi was born - but you'll be happy to know, that I'm back on track. Too bad I didn't work on this more while you were still around to teach me some new stuff! Oh well... guess I'll have to resort to learning on-line like Vonn! Miss you! Good luck with your move!

Posted by: Jen D at May 01, 2006 08:41 PM (RABF3)

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Reader Jim sent me a link to a hilarious knitting project. I first thought the link was going to be something more like this. So I had a good laugh when I saw what the Tree Sweater really was.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:22 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The Girl finished her first major knitting project. It looks so nice. And she made up the cable on the sleeves herself! Her brother's baby will be so cute in it.

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I'm working on a basic sweater right now. I've made this pattern as a pullover, but now I think I'm going to try to convert it into a cardigan. Anyway, here's the beginning of one of the sleeves.

And The Girl wants to learn to do entrelac. I had never done it before, but I remembered seeing this pattern on Knitty. So I made myself a little swatch. Entrelac is actually pretty fun; it's like a knitting puzzle. I couldn't imagine it by just reading, so I grabbed some junk yarn and saw it come together before my own eyes.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:43 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 18 days, 21hours...and you haven't had to pack your knitting?

Posted by: debey at April 13, 2006 09:18 AM (o52PP)

2 That is one pattern that I have printed out to knit this year. Do you comment on knitty?

Posted by: dkswife at April 13, 2006 09:26 AM (/l6sd)

3 Debey -- We decided to "tough it out" in the US instead of here, so we're not having our household goods picked up until a week before we leave. But don't worry, there will be plenty of knitting in my suitcase DKS -- I have never commented on Knitty, but I check in with them all the time. I'm too big of a wuss to make my own patterns; adapting a pullover to a cardigan is a Big Deal for an anal person like me who follows patterns to the letter.

Posted by: Sarah at April 13, 2006 10:01 AM (ZP5Sl)

4 I love that gray--and to think that I pay $50-$60 for a great chunky knit sweater and you can make your own. Nice

Posted by: Nicole at April 13, 2006 11:48 AM (Sa9Kb)

5 Entrelac is pretty cool. However, I think I need to master cable-knit first. I'll get there one day.

Posted by: Vonn at April 13, 2006 12:46 PM (dEgRi)

6 ooh I dig the entrelac, one of those things I love how it looks but just haven't gotten 'round to trying it yet!

Posted by: zib at April 13, 2006 08:40 PM (VRrH1)

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A woman in Riverrim's knitting club just lost her son to the War on Terror. This woman was making an afghan for her son, one square for every month he was away, and now the afghan will join him in his coffin. This story rips my heart out and the knitter inside me is weeping.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:50 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I haven't had any knitting content on the blog lately because everything I was making was a secret. But now the baby knitting is over and I'm just trying to pass the time until we move. I can't start anything big, so I've just been working to keep my hands busy. In the past two weeks, I've made two pairs of socks, a scarf, and a cozy for our portable DVD player.

The scarf sprung from a challenge from The Girl. The husband and I went to see King Kong over the weekend, and I knew that I didn't want to sit for three hours without knitting. So I told The Girl I was going to try out my Blind Knitting in the darkness of a movie theater for the first time. I realized that knitting in the dark is a bit different from knitting in the light. Even though I normally watch TV while knitting -- and I can even watch subtitled flicks -- I can still sneak peeks at my work. But there were no peeks in the movie theater. I found it takes more touch to knit in the dark; I had to put my finger on every stitch in order to knit it. And I was only brave enough for garter stitch! The process was much slower, but I think in time I'll get better. Now I just have to decide if I want to take knitting to see Superman Returns or X-Men: The Last Stand. I had trouble concentrating on that scarf when King Kong was fighting three t-rexes, so I'm not sure I'll be able to concentrate at all during two movies that will be the highlight of our summer! But maybe I can perfect my Blind Knitting before Spiderman 3...

Posted by: Sarah at 05:56 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Sarah - have you tried knitting with fun fur? It's all the rage here in the states right now. The scarves look adorable and they're quite warm. Not sure if you can get the fun fur there, but, when you get here - go to Michael's or the Rag Shop and you'll know what I mean.

Posted by: Kathleen A at March 14, 2006 08:06 AM (7qm8p)

2 Sarah, My mom is so excited to learn. She wants to know what knitting needles to bring and yarn...SHE CAN't WAIT...if you are still up for a lesson let me know, you can email me at home and let me know

Posted by: Stephanie at March 14, 2006 08:17 AM (Y1m/K)

3 My husband probably wouldn't let me sit next to him if I brought knitting to Spiderman 3 haha So glad you took me up on the dare!! I think that's just priceless.

Posted by: The Girl at March 14, 2006 03:42 PM (Od6M1)

4 That picture doesn't do my new scarf any justice! And I love that I can say, "Yeah, my friend knitted this in the movie theater while she watched King Kong." The color and everything is perfect. I wore it at home (by myself, on the couch) tonight because I love it so much! Thank you...

Posted by: Erin at March 14, 2006 06:30 PM (HjVHY)

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Heh. Apparently concentrating on knitting can be deadly...

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It's been a while since I put up knitting content, mostly because I've been 1) making stuff that I can't talk about until it's given as gifts and 2) knitting an all black reverse-stockinette cardigan that makes me want to fall asleep or scratch out my eyeballs every time I pick it up, it's that boring. So I don't have anything good of my own to share, but I do have a photo that makes me feel giddy:

My husband has always been curious about how knitting works, but he's never had any interest in learning. But once I read At Knit's End and laughed that her husband had been knitting the same sock for years, I wanted my husband to try his hand at my favorite hobby.

Since he has no interest in making knitting his own hobby, I cast on for him and showed him a row of garter. He knit three rows on his own and then handed me the needles and said, "Yep, that's enough."

He was a really good knitter, one of my best students so far. He chugged along at a good pace, despite his surprising innate desire to purl (I've never seen anyone's hands instinctually prefer purl over knit). And I'm sure he'll never pick up another ball of yarn, but I appreciated his effort to learn my hobby.

And doesn't he look cute the way he's concentrating so hard?

Posted by: Sarah at 06:13 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The mystery knitting project is complete. Two years ago I made a wonderful DNA scarf for a friend of mine who got her degree in genetics. I was struggling to come up with an idea of a baby gift to make for her first child, born the day after Thanksgiving. I followed a link on Lola's blog to the most fitting gift I could ever imagine. Mine didn't turn out quite as nice as Kimberly Chapman's (I think my gauge was a little off), but I still think my friend's new daughter will like it. And that solves the mystery of the "black weiner-looking thing": it was the side strand of a DNA helix.

(P.S. The DNA scarf pattern is no longer available online, so I had to link to another knitter who made the same scarf. I poked around on his blog and found a delightful article about manly knitting during WWII. The Girl, I'm thinking of making another DNA scarf for myself -- wanna join me?)

Posted by: Sarah at 09:10 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 "Black weiner-looking thing." LMAO! I nearly spit my coffee out when I read that! Anyway, the DNA scarf is pretty cool.

Posted by: Cin at December 10, 2005 12:24 PM (2cgON)

2 ABSOLUTELY!!!!

Posted by: The Girl at December 10, 2005 01:56 PM (fnnpr)

3 My father-in-law was a WWII vet who crocheted from a childhood during the depression. He taught me to crochet in 1990 and I was privileged to to be able to crochet the baby blankets that my children came home from the hospital in. No one can ever tell me that being able to create something from scratch with just a hook and a skein of yarn is unmanly.

Posted by: Jim at December 11, 2005 11:46 AM (JCNLJ)

4 My husband's best friend from high school -- an Air Force captain -- crochets blankets and hats all the time. There's nothing unmanly about him.

Posted by: Sarah at December 11, 2005 04:18 PM (PSp3S)

5 Love the scarf!!! When I was stationed in Grand Forks, North Dakota, I learned to crochet to have something to do during those long cold winters.

Posted by: Ted at December 12, 2005 12:45 PM (blNMI)

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I don't normally show knitting works in progress, but I'll give you ten bucks if you can guess what this is going to be...

Give up? You'll have to wait a few days to find out...

Posted by: Sarah at 06:01 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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I joined an elite new webring that I'm really excited about:

I guess that means I need more knitting content on my blog. So for the "knits" end of the deal, here's the sweater I finished yesterday:

And for the "anti-idiotaria" side, read Cold Fury's post on lies (via Hud).

Posted by: Sarah at 04:37 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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I'm working on a very time-consuming sweater these days. Size 4 needles, sportweight yarn, lots of little stitches. About 42,000 of them so far, and that's only the back and half of the front. At five minutes per row, 312 rows so far, that's about 26 hours of knitting put into the sweater. That's two and a half seasons of Dallas. And I'm only halfway done.

With that said, if you walked into the living room and found the dog munching away at your sweater, wouldn't you try to hit him with a loaf of mozzarella bread too?

(I don't think he did anything I can't fix. Luckily he was chewing at the armhole, so I'm sure I can hide that bit. Oooh, was I mad though. And now I have teeth marks all over my needles.)

Posted by: Sarah at 03:20 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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