I MADE A SWATCH, HEAR ME ROAR.

Today I Made A List.

1. Buy Lion Brand: Organic Cotton and 16" US size 9 (an size 8) circulars at Joanns.
2. Cast on 66 sts.
3. Work stockinette for a couple inches until I realize the hat looks a bit small.
4. Keep knitting.
5. Notice the bottom edge is developing an unflattering curl.
6. Keep knitting.
7. Realize that this hat is so not going to fit onto my big head.
8. Pull it off the needles and try it on to realize that it will fit my head.
9. Measure that it's 4 sts to the inches, and realize that The Math says it's way too small for my head.
10. Rationalize frogging it by saying how much I hated the curl.
11. After seeing The math, CO 80 sts. to better accommodate my giant head.
12. Knit garter stitch border because garter stitch won't curl.
13. finish border, start with stockinette.
14. Start noticing that this hat is a wee bit big.
15. Keep knitting.
16. Start noticing this hat is actually going to be HUGE.
17. Keep knitting.
18. Start thinking of who has a big enough head to fit in the hat. (Andrew!)
19. Keep knitting a bit more.
20. Notice that the garter stitch border is way bigger than the rest of the hat.
21. Ignore it and continue knitting.
22. Start thinking that this hat is even to big for Andrew's head.
23. Scoff the idea that anything would be too big for Andrew's head.
24. Knit a bit more.
25. Come to term with the fact that this will definitely be too big for Andrew.
26. Decide I can sew elastic into the border, then it will fit! I'm a genius.
27. Keep knitting until I'm almost ready to start decreasing.
28. Start noticing that the border is really ugly.
29. Ignore negative thoughts and keep knitting.
30. Try it on for kicks, and decide that is it completely hideous.
31. Frogged the damn hat for the 2nd time in two days.
32. Decide not to even consider crying, and cast on 80 sts. again.
33. Make sure (multiple times) it isn't twisted before I join the two ends.
34. Start the trusty 2x2 ribbing that is perfect for hats.
35. Remember that I hate doing ribbing.
36. Continue knitting anyways.
37. Start thinking how my ribbing always looks icky and sloppy and bad.
38. Keep knitting anyways.
39. Notice that it looks a bit twisted, but straighten it out.
40. Keep knitting.
41. Notice that it is indeed twisted.
42. Spend 10 minutes trying to untwist it, doesn't work.
43. Violently curse under my breath in the middle of a church service.
44. Take it off the needles and frog it with all my might.
45. Fight the desire to start crying because it should not be this freaking hard.
46. Decide to keep the 80 sts. and cast on tomorrow on size 8 needles for the border.
47. Spends too much time on facebook and blogging about how knitting makes me crazy and come to the conclusion that today just sucks.

Secrets Revealed

I'll be honest as to why I don't like ribbing. I'm telling my secret to the world, I'm outing myself, and no one can stop me. -gulps in fear-

I kind of.. er.. zone out and lose track of how many stitches I've done.

And I loathe having to count a million stitches just to figure out where I am (I'm more than willing to do that once or twice, but not once every 7 sts when every round has 80.)


I discovered something great. It's a universal tool in knitting that I had for a while but never though of using them.

*cough*cough* stitch markers *cough*

Not like that completely obvious or anything. I mean, that's their purpose! To keep track of your stitches so you have to involve the minimum of brain function. I love them!

I have then every 10 sts. And I know to start the knitting ribbing on the blue, and purl ribbing on the yellow. It's so irrationally simple I don't know why I didn't do this sooner, it would've saved me so much time and effort. Now it's to the point that as soon as I realize I've forgotten what stitch I'm on, I only have to count a couple sts. to know where I am. Genius! (I can whiz through any math class like a pro and pass with a more-than-decent grade, but yet I can't grasp paying attention to stitch-count? Yeah, I'm not sure how exactly that works. Weird.)

~~~

I'll do ribbing for about an inch or two, and then transition into stockinette. There is nothing I love more than knitting something with only knitting. No purling, no yarn-overs, now knit-2-together or slip-slip-knit. Just knitting. Mind numbing, simple, requires-no-brain-function-what-so-ever knitting. Mmmmmm, it puts me into a trance.

And you know what I love more than mind numbing plain knitting? Music that goes with mind-numbing knitting. Like My Heart With You by the Rescues. that's my current favorite song. It's sad, but sweet, and calming. It's a song you can close your eyes and just sway to(while in a candle-lit room taking a bubble bath).

Lesson Learned

Garter Stitch border of a hat: BAAAAAD.

Stockinette Stitch border: ehh, not as bad, but I don't like the curl.

2x2 or 1x1 Ribbing border: always the best option.


There's only one problem in that.. I hate ribbing. A lot. I hate it a lot. Sure, it's pretty, it looks nice, it's easy, and it functional. So where's the downfall? It's mind numbing. You have to pay enough attention to count the knits and the purls, but it's boring. And you could zone out(like I usually do) but then I'd probably screw up the ribbing. UGH. It's obnoxious.

I either like patterns that keep my mind working, or all knitting so that I can zone out. Anything in between infuriates me.

~~~

So, this hat that I'm making, it's not working out. The edge it nice and stretchy, so it definitely won't be too tight, but there's a bit of a problem: it's not tight at all. Sure, it'll fit Andrew's huge head, but there will be nothing keeping it from falling off.

So I figured.. Elastic string! I could sew an elastic thread through the border, and then it'll fit! But then it'll be baggy(not cute slouchy, but baggy). Baggy is lame. So, I could finish it and sew elastic into it and SHAZAAM, it'll be done, but I can't. It's a bad hat. It needs ribbing. I hate ribbing, but a proper hat needs a proper border and therefore: ribbing. I know I should frog it and start over, it's a quick knit, it's not that big of a deal. But it's already 5.5". It's almost, so close I can practically taste it, ready to get decreasing and then be done. It would take maybe half an hour to finish, it's like being on the last stretch of a marathon, I can almost see the finish line.. But it's a big hat, a bad hat, and a hat that Andrew will never wear because it won't ever fit right.

I know I should frog it, I know I should just take it off the needles and frog it, but I can't. I hate frogging, it makes me sad, it makes me oh so very sad.

-fast forward 15 minutes-

I frogged it. It broke my heart, and it made me sad, but I frogged it. I measured the border, and it had a 26" circumference. So yeah, it was huge. That yarn held up well considering it's been frogged twice now, I'm a bit impressed. I took it off the needles and tried it on before I frogged it, and the stockinette portion fit fine, but the border was the only bad part. So I think I'll keep the 80 sts, suck it up, and do a 2x2 ribbed border. It'll be a nice, snug fit and it'll be fine.


Frogging my knitting always ruins my day :|

I love Elann

My shipment finally came in! I got 5 skeins of yarn, 16" US 6 needles, 2 cable needles (one for backup), and a copy of the holy Knitting Without Tears.


The caramel colored yarn is Elann Superwash Bamboo, and the blueish-purple is Elann Peruvian Highland Wool.

The bamboo (blend) is ridiculously soft, and the wool is a bit scratchy, but the color is stunning. My camera isn't doing it any justice, but believe me, it's beautiful(It's periwinkle, btw).

-

I picked up some organic cotton from Joann('s) in a pretty blue and I'm knitting it up into a roll-brim hat. I've still made no progress on Serpentina, I'm in slacker mode. And the EOSOD is in it's perpetual state of being slightly less than half-done and obnoxiously colored.

My skeins of Berroco still haven't told me what they want to be, and my Malabrigo is sitting there looking a bit unloved. I am slowly coming to terms with just how picky yarn can be. I may want to make a slouchy beret with the Malabrigo, but no one said the Malabrigo would cooperate. It didn't cooperate, by the way. And now it's looking like it would make such a pretty neck warmer, and the slouchy beret is just so much more suited for the Peruvia. I'm pretty much determined that wool that is too itchy to touch the skin but too pretty not to be worn shall be made into a hat! It's a fantastic plan since now I have 3 sets of 16' circulars (the perfect size for hats).

.....

Hello. My name is Alexandra, and I am a yarnaholic.

Hello Alexandra.

I'm a bad knit-blogger.

I know, I know, I haven't posted in a while. This weeks seems to be packed with stuff.

My mama came home from her vacation with Jim(her boyfriend). My sister, Erin, sent me my birthday presents early: the entire series series of Harry Potter books. (Now all my friends adore her because they're all dorks who worship HP. Me? I like it. I'm about halfway through the second book.)

I got a kitten! Finally! He's a black and white tabby, and I named him Mushu. He's adorable.


ON THE TOPIC OF KNITTERLY THINGS:

I haven't been knitting much. Just not in the mood I suppose. I keep looking at it and decide to read HP instead. I haven't given up on knitting, I promise, I'm just taking a break.

Despite that, I meandered over to elann.com and spent about $50 on goods. It always makes me incredibly happy that they sell pretty decent quality yarn for so cheap. I got a few skeins of yarn, 16" circular knitting needles, 2 cable needles, and a copy of Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann (who I'm told is a genius when it comes to writing knitting books)



Anyways. I don't have any WIPs to show off because they haven't changed, and no FOs. I'm going to work a bit on Serpentina today and get in a couple of rows of the Orange Scarf of D00m.