Just a bit Knitty: First pattern I've ever designed

Just a bit Knitty: First pattern I've ever designed: "Cabled Baby or Toddler Scarf. Materials: 1 X 50 gram ball Aran weight wool/yarn, 1 pair 5 mm straight needles, 1 cable needle. You star..."

Another Compensation

Brain tumors leave a lasting signature of not only scar tissue on electrocephalograms but in my case a weakness on the right side.   I learned to knit because I could not crochet for long periods after surgery than I could before.    There is no way I can knit the usual English or throwing style because why do that when crochet would hurt a lot less.  So I knit Continental or picking style using my left hand to hold the yarn just as if I were crocheting.  No way can I do the usual bind off because it involves small muscle use in the right hand...so I crochet bind off.

Lately, I have caught the lace bug and it is fun!  I want to branch out but many patterns have a central double decrease which involves not "slip one, knit 1, pass slip stitch over" but "slip 1, knit 2, pass slip stitch over" or ""slip 2, knit 1, pass 2 slip stitches over".  I can compensate for the slip 1, knit 1 or purl 1, pass slip stitch over by SSK( slip,slip,knit).  Not the same but it will do for me.

Now after perusing a magazine, I see there is very little difference between the others and the knit 3 together.  So I have my doable/painfree substitute.  Now if only I could loosen up those stitches to get my needle in 3 stitches at a time.... 

Summer Doldrums

Summer brought about a laxity regarding working with wool.  At the beginning of the year, I said I would try to make a pair of socks per month.  However, that makes me horribly overextended.   I have a baby grandson that I would like to make more things for but his parents are very fortunate and prefer to buy him things.   I made him a blanket which was well accepted for which I am very grateful.  So I suppose I should plan more afghans/blankets as they are not dependent upon size.

The one who really needs help is my grand nephew (great nephew?  my brother's daughter's son).  The parents are having a hard time and I think hats, socks etc would be appreciated. 

I am itching to cast on a Toddler T-Shirt Vest by Sam Lamb
http://samlamb.blogspot.com/2010/07/toddler-t-shirt-vest.html
as it looks fast and very utilitarian.

So That's What Happened

I just found out that silk fabric drops after it's knitted or crocheted via notes on a pattern on Knitty.   A couple of years ago, I crocheted a Swing Jacket which I love...it was fun to do etc.  However, it has grown via the droppage and needed some stitching to keep it around my shoulders.  That's what I get for using a silk yarn around the yoke.  Won't happen again when I do that pattern. 

It is nice to know that there ARE patterns out there specifically designed for silk.

Organizing

Today I managed to organize my Ravelry queue by matching some old yarn with potential projects.  I have some SW Melody ribbon yarn which I plan to make a Trellis shawl sometime soon.  Looks like an easy project.

A couple of years ago, I tried in vain to crochet  Moda Dea Dream mohair yarn and got frustrated.  That has been matched up with a knit Dream Shrug.  Nice that that name matches too. 

A Crocheting Record Set!

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/06/06/2010-06-06_record_stitched_at_citi_field.html

And two nationally famous people involved....Deborille Norville and Lily Chin except maybe Lily is only known to crocheters and knitters.

Color in Photos Online and Macs

I just read a post where a woman was surprised that since she purchased an iMac, her project photos showed in true color. Really astonished that she didn't know that. It shows the superiority of the mac in photo reproduction. Some of my projects show too dark on Windows monitors.

Finally Doing This!

Politics is getting me down..so this is my fiber therapy blogging. It's about time I did this. It will provide a place for me to blog about my adventures and misadventures in the land of fiber. Right now I do a bit of it on my pieces of Ravelry but not enough to vent my fascination and frustration with crocheting and knitting although right now more of the former. Just unraveled a second sock for the first time! OOH, it's frustrating. At least the start looks better than before. I should not have set such time constraints for myself. Rushed and messed up.

Also on the back burner, there is a crochet project from last year that I REALLY wanted to finish. However after showing it to a local person I consider an expert, she advised me to frog the shoulder and turn it around as I had the right and wrong sides mixed up.

So you see, fiber wishing ..much?