Oh gosh the increases...

Yep, I took it off to try on.  And by try on, I mean "prove the pattern isn't wrong".  It feels like so many stitches when it's on the needles and looks like it ought to be big enough.  Ah well, at least I can now rest assured the neck hole is the right size.  The pattern says to "measure snugly around your neck", and I'm sorry but I just don't do tight neck holes.  So I measured where I wanted the neck line to be, and I'm glad to see it's working out.

Did I ever mention the pattern I'm using?  It's the Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan, (rav link here) which has been done successfully loads of times, so I really shouldn't be doubting it.  But I'm impatient and every round just keeps getting bigger!

I will say that I'm very happy with my increase lines.  I'm doing mirrored "lifted increases", though to be fair I don't bother with the lift part and just shove my needle into the middle of the stitch, and I love how when you look at it the other way it looks like decreases.  Actually, it kinda looks like a triple decrease, which is awesome because I almost never have use for those.

Of course, after taking all the stitches off onto waste yarn I now have to feed them all back onto the needle...

And the games begin!

We are now officially (about) 2 days into the event (and by two days I mean this is the second time I'm contemplating going to bed since starting this project) and I am officially 3 stripes done with my sweater.

I can't wait to get past the raglan increases...

The 2012 Ravellenic Games

So, after a bit of hubbub all over the internet for a while there, Ravelry's Olympics-timed event is now rechristened and about to start.  Honestly, if it wasn't for the crazy I wouldn't even care about the event.  As it is, USOC and their ill-worded letter have made me actually want to participate this year.  Not sure if that counts as a fail on their part...lol

Anyway, my head first leap into the crazy is a sweater.  Ok ok, don't send the mental health police 'round this way just yet.  Are you really crazy if you are aware you are crazy?  Besides, I've been wanting to knit another sweater for a while.

Totally crap-tastic photo of the stripes I'm doing!  That's brick red, a color called "melon" which is an orangey-pink, and yellow.  It'll be a top down raglan.

The event starts July 27 at 4pm EST.  That's not even two days from now.  Oh crap.

1846 Driving Mitts - Final Update and Pattern Notes

I have finally finished the second mitt!  The first one took four days, the second took two weeks.  Darn second mitt syndrome...lol



So on to the Pattern Notes:

 Needles and Yarn: Fingering weight yarn and 2.25mm (US size 1) DPNs
The patterns calls for "4 pins No. 15 and 4-thread fleecy".  It didn't occur to me until later, but "4-thread" obviously means "4 ply" which is still a term for "fingering weight" in many places.  I mean, it was obvious anyway, but I'm surprised I didn't put that together.

Thumb Gusset: The shaping is very straightforward.  I would say the only potentially confusing part is were it says to "work the pattern on the thumb".  I say potentially confusing only because the stitch count on the thumb changes and you have to pay attention to where you're putting your purl bumps.  I ended up charting it out to where you put the thumb stitches on a holder.

Changes I Made (and assorted "could go either way" decisions):
- After placing thumb stitches on holder, I cast on 8 instead of 7.  This was to keep the stitch count a multiple of 4.
- I counted the cast on stitches as the start of the next round instead of the end of the previous
- After picking up the 8 stitches and 14 held stitches for the thumb, I needed to either add or lose 2 stitches to keep a multiple of 4.  I chose to decrease where the held stitches met the picked up stitches, thereby decreasing 2 and preventing gaps in one shot.

First mitt - complete!

Well, ok...I still have to weave in ends.  But the knitting is done!

I opted to do less stitches on the thumb rather than more.  I figured the decreases would do well to hide and wonkiness from where the knitting met the picked up stitches, and it seems to have worked

I followed the instructions for the ribbing length exactly, even though I was a little worried about the length of the thumb - I've had to shorten thumbs in the past.  But my fears were ungrounded and it's just about perfect.

I still have to knit a second one, but here's my thoughts about this pattern at the moment:
- What are the odds that I'd find an ancient pattern, sub in yarn and needles I happened to have handy, and end up with something that fits perfectly?
- This is the sort of thing that if I'd seen a picture I probably would have passed on as uninteresting.  I'm actually glad this pattern had no picture.
- The stitch pattern seems so bland on paper, but when knit up like this is actually really nice.  I'm adding it to my "simple but so awesome" mental file, along with ribbing, seed stitch, and garter stitch.  Sometimes simple can also be perfect.
- I confirmed my dislike of singles yarn while knitting this, but I love the result.  It's warm and soft...and will probably pill like crazy.  Oh well, I knew that going in. :P

Making Progress on the 1846 Driving Mitts

Can I just say, I love the texture of these!  It's almost a diamond patterns, but at the same time it's still mostly stockinette.  It's absolutely gorgeous.

I've been following this pattern as faithfully as I can.  Some parts are vague of course.  I like that this pattern was written assuming that the knitter knows what they are doing.  I mean, I know that's pretty much standard for patterns of the era, but still.

That's not to say there haven't been parts that I've had to fudge/figure out because it was vague.  The instructions for the thumb say to work the stitch pattern on the thumb, but since the thumb's stitch count is changing every couple rows you actually have to think about where you're placing your purl bumps.  I ended up charting it out, which would probably be a good idea even if it was row by row instructions.

I have tweaked just a couple things though:
- The instructions for an increase that are written in the beginning of the book amount to a yarn over.  I didn't want any holes, so I substituted a backwards loop.
- It instructs you to cast on 7 over the thumb hole.  Doing so results in an odd stitch count, so I cast on 8 instead.  I figure a one stitch difference won't make a lot of width difference, and it has the advantage of keeping the stitch count a multiple of 4.  I plan on doing a similar thing with the thumb - as it is written the thumb will be 21 stitches around - 22 with the extra cast on.  I'll have to see when I get there if I go for increasing or decreasing.

An Undertaking of Historic Proportions

Ok, not so much.  But I wanted to fit the word "historic" in there.

I've mentioned Nerd Wars before, right?  One of the challenges this month is to craft something related to the history of our craft.  At first, I wasn't so sure about this.  Sometimes a challenge will grab me immediately, sometimes I never come up with something, and usually it's somewhere in the middle.  I was originally thinking this one fell into that second category.

But then I remembered something.  Something absolutely perfect.  Years ago I went looking through google books for free knitting/crochet books, focused mostly on the really really old stuff because, well, it was more likely to be free.  Also it was really cool seeing the way people described these crafts way back when.

I never really tackled any of the patterns seriously.  Even though I was a pretty decent knitter back then, most things would require quite a bit interpreting and guessing about appropriate yarn and needles, and I just didn't have the patience.  But now...now I have a reason!

This time around I went looking for something that A) Wouldn't take tons and tons of interpreting, B) Something I had a purpose for, and C) Something that looked fun to make.

The answer?  A pattern for "Driving Mitts", which is just an old fashioned way of saying Fingerless Mitts.  What's old is new again, right?  And perfect because I've so been thinking about them a lot lately.

For those curious, the book is Knitting, crochet, and netting by Eléonore Riego de la Branchardière (totally copy pasted that name, lol).  The pattern is simply called "Driving Mitts" and is on page 31.  This book was published in 1846 in London.  So cool.

So, to knitting.  The pattern itself seems pretty straightforward.  The yarn and needles I of course had to guess at.  The pattern called for "4 Pins No. 15, 4-thread Fleecy", and while I know that back then the bigger the needle size the smaller the needle, that's all I know.  I haven't the slightest idea what "4-thread fleecy" is, perhaps a brand?  But the stitch count and small needle says "sock yarn or similar" to me.  The pattern calls for 56 stitches to be cast on, which is right within range of sock yarn weight patterns I've been looking at recently.  Apparently no one thought gauge was an important addition to patterns back then.

I happen to own one set of sock size needles - maybe two but if I have a second set I have no idea where it's at.  This pair is, apparently, US size 1 - which is 2.25 mm.  Looking at how "size 1" is just as arbitrary as "No. 15", I have a sudden desire to start using mm sizes exclusively.

Someone in the NW challenge thread posted a link to a conversion chart of old needle sizes for those who might be tackling old patterns, and said chart says a 15 is a lot smaller than what I've got.  But I've just got the one set.  And as I've been looking at newer fingerless glove patterns off and on for days, this size plus fingering/sock weight yarn seems right on track to make something that will fit me.

Digging through my meager thin yarn stash, I finally settled on some Knit Picks Chroma that's a wonderful orange colorway.  Since I'm guessing with yarn and needles anyway, I figured I'd just knit the cuff and see if it fits.

I actually finished the cuff this morning, but got impatient before then and tried the cuff on at about 10 rows in.  It fits, so yay, good sign!  I'm just now starting the actually patterning part, so we'll see how that goes.

You can follow my progress here at my public Ravelry project page, though I'll try to remember to post updates here about it because this is just so cool.

First Real Yarn

So.  Spinning.  I suddenly love it again.  Fished out and finished a spinning project dating well back into last year.  Remember this old post?  I finally finished that yarn.

Yarn is chain plied - my first attempt at it.  This is the first yarn I've made that actually looks like yarn.  This is huge.  It's awesome!  It varies a lot in thickness still, but hey it's only the third finished yarn I've made.  It makes me want to spin more.

And some in progress pictures:

Homeless in the Big City - Epilogue (Sims 3)

No pictures, but I figured a quick and final update of the McGill family was in order.

Let's see, they got married in a private ceremony.  They had one daughter, named April.  Willow wrote three childrens' books about her.  Neither Willow or Jacob made their lifetime goal, but Willow did make it pretty high in the painting skill.

April spent pretty much all of her toddler- and childhood working on getting all the skills she could.  My goal for her is Tomb Explorer, so the traits I have been choosing for her reflect that: Loner (chosen by game after only ok pregnancy), Brave, Adventurous, Disciplined, and Handy.  Her only non-parent friend is her imaginary friend, Jelly, though at prom she did end up with a random love interest in a boy she'd never met before.  I think I'll just make Jelly real though.

April is now an adult.  Before moving her out, I had Willow and Jacob both redeem clone vouchers at the Science Center.  They are now each the proud parent of a child clone.  Then I moved April out and switched to her.  Torch passed.

Fingerless Mitts vs Fingerless Gloves

I've hit a sudden fingerless glove kick.  You know, the kind where you look at patterns and think about actually knitting them.  As nearly everything I'm interested in is done in fine weight yarns, I have doubts any of them will actually materialize.

One thing I've noticed whilst browsing through Rav's pattern database is that all the different types of fingerless hand covers get lumped into the same pile.  Not just on Rav, that's just limits on available search parameters, but with designers.  As a general rule, you can say that fingerless mitts are "chopped off mittens" with one big finger hole, and that fingerless gloves are, well, "chopped off gloves" with individual finger holes.  But it's not universal.  And that makes me wish I could mandate this for every designer now and into the future.  I want to be able to type "fingerless gloves" into google and get actual fingerless gloves.  Not fingerless gloves mixed in with fingerless mittens.  Ok, maybe that's too much to ask of google.  But it would be nice to be able to look at the pattern name and know instantly what kind of finger holes you're getting even when the picture is artsy and the fingers are hidden (what's with that?).

So can we all agree?
Fingerless mitts = one big finger hole
Fingerless gloves = individual finger holes

Thanks in advance. ;)

PS: There is a serious shortage of fingerless glove patterns out there, at least compared to fingerless mitts.  Yeah yeah, mitts are easier to design, blah blah.  I guess fixing that is up to me, huh?

Homeless in the Big City - A Sims 3 Saga (part 5, FINALE)

The time had come.  After some apartment searching, the couple decided on one downtown.

Woohoo, no longer homeless!

The End

Sorry, there's really not a lot to say about them moving into an apartment.  Needless to say, the story is over now that they are no longer homeless.  I do intend to continue playing this family, getting them married and probably having a kid or two.

About the apartment - this was actually the cheapest apartment available at the time, a bit over §4k, and even so it struck me as perfect for their needs.  Not too big, not too cluttered.  I might add that they had earned over §7k before moving in, so I think they'll be fine.  Willow in particular still has a decent amount of royalties coming in, and I do tend to continue having her write, though of course with more focus on the pair's lifetime goals.  I think I'll get Jacob an actual job even.

Homeless in the Big City - A Sims 3 Saga (part 4)

Darn jerk thieves, always taking your easels...

Willow spent a day hanging out in the park with her one and only friend who wasn't Jacob. It was nice spending time with one of the few people she'd ever met who was as childish as she was.

Jacob was now a full adult as well. Whoo?

Later that evening he dragged her out, insisting he had a surprise.

 Willow was so surprised, but there was no hesitation in saying "Yes!"

To Be Continued...

Homeless in the Big City - A Sims 3 Saga (part 3)

Having earned upwards of §4,000, the pair decided it was high time for a day of fun.  So...Date Night!  Not a lot of story here, just a lot of pictures from their date.

All in all, it was a great night.  Of course, after this it was back to the grind.  I have decided when they hit 5k I'll start looking to see what the costs of homes in this city are, but until then it's back to novel writing.

This is lousy lighting and makes her look old, but in reality Willow has reached full adulthood!  Jacob is not far behind of course.

To Be Continued...

Homeless in the Big City - A Sims 3 Saga (part 2)

The pair has been slowly gaining money.  Enough so, that they were reasonably confident in stopping by the store and picking up some produce to tide them over until the small garden was producing more regularly.  Twenty apples cost them §100... tough economy!

Novel writing was proving to be a decent source of income - not earth shattering earnings, but reasonably consistent if small.  Willow eventually registered as a writer down at city hall, which from a game play point of view had the benefit of stopping those "get a job" wants.

The pair made occasional efforts to get to know people, but folks rarely stuck around long.  They all had lives to get back to, families and jobs and most importantly, homes.  And that's not even counting all the stuck up, too good to talk to the slightly stinky homeless people, stars that seemed to infest this town.

Even though homeless, Jacob still cared to look as though he hadn't been camping outside for the last several weeks.  He spent the most time of the two taking trips down to the gym to shower and occasionally work out.

Eventually, they managed to save up enough money for Willow to buy her very own easel.  With novelling royalties still coming in from time to time, she felt free to spend a little time working towards her life goal.  Her lousy beginner paintings didn't bring in a lot of cash, but it was much more fulfilling.

To Be Continued...

Homeless in the Big City - A Sims 3 Saga (part 1)

Willow Weathers and Jacob McGill are very much in love.  They want nothing more than to live their lives together.  However, due to circumstances beyond their control, the two of them have found themselves homeless in the large city of Bridgeport.  Determined not to let this get in the way of continuing with their lives together, the two make the best of it.

Meet Jacob.  He is Neat, a Snob, and a Bookworm.  Despite having a Green Thumb, he Hates The Outdoors.  I may have been feeling a bit mean when I created him, because being homeless means a lot of time spent outdoors and a lot of time feeling stinky.  However, his affinity for plants will at least help with the food situation.  His lifetime goal is to be worth §100,000.  Good luck buddy.

And this is Willow.  She, on the other hand, Loves The Outdoors.  She is Clumsy, but Artistic.  She is also Childish, but is drawn to Jacob because she too is a Bookworm.  She doesn't have a talent that lends itself to the basics of survival, but, considering that it's hard to get a job when you do not have a permanent address, she does have one that might lead to some spending money.  Her lifetime goal is to master the painting and guitar skills.

The pair is just boyfriend and girlfriend at the start.  They "live" on a small empty lot I placed near the library, which is lucky because I honestly didn't pay much attention to the surroundings when I placed it.  Because this is Bridgeport, city of subways and way too many streets, I am allowing them to use public transportation.

First order of business was to find food.  My default strategy when playing homeless sims is to look around the parks and fishing areas for wild plants.  Bridgeport is now officially on the "hard" end of the neighborhood list because there are no wild plants in the parks and whatnot.  If you could eat fish raw that would be my strategy, but luckily I finally managed to find a small garden outside a dwelling.  No, I'm not telling you where it is.

While Jacob was harvesting plants in an effort to stave off starvation, as well as starting a small garden of his own, I sent Willow across the way to the library to begin the task of earning some money.  I set her to work at writing a novel - possibly not the most ideal method of earning money, but as I opted not to start them with even sleeping bags this time around, my typical method of camping by a fishing spot was a bit impractical.

 The first night, they snuck into the fire station to shower and sleep.  I decided this was a bit too easy, however, and this was a one night thing.

The next day it was back to the library.  As there was little that could be done with Jacob's garden, I set him to writing a novel as well.  One of the few advantages to multiple people is more people to earn money.  The other main advantage being that there is someone guaranteed to be easy to find for social needs.

 The library turned out to be a perfect place to camp.  They were both loved to read, Willow loved the kids toys, and no one cared if you made out in the computer lab.  But the most important reason of all was that it was simple enough to fill most needs there without it being "fire house easy".

 Here's Jacob at his garden.  Someday, it will provide them with enough food to not have to worry anymore.

A few novels later, they finally had the §200 needed to buy sleeping bags.  Now they can sleep - for real, not just repeated couch naps - anywhere they may be.  Here you see them sleeping in the gym after using the public showers.



To Be Continued!