Yarn over (YO) and Slipped Stitch (SS)

I can't believe I forgot AGAIN. *facepalm*

Anyway, without further ado: 5 million years ago, sunbrae asked in the comment trail...

1) What is a yarn over? How do you do that? 2) How does one slip a stitch? I see these in patterns all the time, but I don't know how to do it.

I answered her there, but I'm re-posting it here with pictures to illustrate what I'm talking about. Please pay no attention to my pitiful lack of a manicure.

Those are both very simple things that you probably did a lot of by accident when you were first learning to knit.

A YO is exactly what it says--just wrap your yarn over your needle between stitches. Do so in the same direction as when you're knitting (or purling, as the case may be), without first inserting your needle into a stitch. See below (I had to do this one Continental style so I could hold the camera):


Once that's done, continue knitting as normal. This (the YO) is a type of increase that comes in especially handy when knitting lace patterns or button-holes, as it tends to create a hole in your work.

To slip a stitch, you just insert your needle into the stitch as if you're going to knit it (Fig. 1, below), but then slip it off of the other needle without knitting it (Fig. 2).





These really are as simple as they sound, so don't overthink them.

~~~

In other news, I knitted this weekend! I finally got my wrist brace on Friday afternoon, and it made a tremendous difference. I took a break from any kind of repetitive activity on Saturday and let it rest, and then Sunday I worked in short intervals on a tank top I started weeks ago (the project pictured above). By Sunday night my wrist was starting to turn a bit sore, but for the most part, there was no pain. I think I'm about ready to return to my regularly scheduled knitting. Huzzah!

I haven't updated in forever because I haven't knitted anything in just as long. I haven't knitted in forever because my hand is still jacked up. I'm pretty sure that typing is the cause, and knitting only exacerbates the problem, so I've ordered a wrist brace through my company's office supplier to wear at work. Now if it will only show up so I can start wearing it, then maybe my hand and wrist will have a chance to heal and I'll be able to get back to my favorite way to pass the time.

I did mean to do a picture post last week demonstrating a yarnover and a slipped stitch for sunbrae. I'm so sorry, sunny. I could have sworn I made that post, but I must have just thought about it so hard that I just assumed it would show up here psychicly or something. I'm out of time today, but if I get time tomorrow, picture demonstrations will ensue.

What I've been up to

As I mentioned earlier, I finished the sweater I was making my husband for Christmas. Sadly ('cept not really, 'cause, winter: yech), winter decided to skip town the day before it was done, so it'll probably be NEXT Christmas before he gets a chance to wear it. It looks great, though, and I'm pretty proud of myself, it being my first sweater and all.

I still need to take pics of the finished project, but I do have some that demonstrate how badly I was screwing up the intarsia on the sleeves before it finally clicked for me.



Here you can see the puffy, puckery, WRONG flame on the right. The lovely, smooth and correct redo is on the left.



And here you can see the complete mess that was the back of the wrong version, while the correct version is still lovely.

I also mentioned previously that I made some wooden knitting needles and stitch markers that aren't quite fit to sell. They're still pretty cute, though, as seen below.




I don't mind at all keeping these for myself.

I finished the needle case I was working on, but after felting it turned out to be too small, so no pictures. I'll try again after I get around to buying more wool. The sleep mask still needs all of its ends woven in, so no pics of that yet, either.

Right now I'm between projects, and taking a break to give my hands a rest. My wrist has been pretty hurty lately. I think that has more to do with needing an ergonomic mouse here at work, but I'm sure the knitting isn't helping, so: break. After that, I'll probably work on whittling down the stash and try to be thrifty and avoid buying any new yarn for a while. Soon, though, I need to start on the kitchenette set (place mats, pot holders, a felted centerpiece bowl and possibly a table runner) I'm planning for my nephew's wedding gift. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to get them.

I'm not ignoring you.

Really, I'm not. If you read my daily blog then you know I've been slammed at work lately, which makes finding time to update quite the challenge. It hasn't kept me from getting crafty, though. Among other things, I finished the husband sweater, and there was much rejoicing. It turned out beautifully and I'm very proud of myself for completing it and I don't see myself devoting that much time to a single project again any time soon. Later this week there will be pictures, both of the sweater and of other projects. For now, dear readers, kindly direct your attention to the sidebar to see what I've been up to this weekend. Stitch markers! I have a crappy, crappy camera when it comes to picking up detail on small objects, and that combined with my equally crappy photography skills means that the pictures don't really do justice to how well these turned out. They are seriously cute. Anyway, I am now officially an Etsy.com seller, so go me.

I promise not to neglect you for so long. There will be pictures soon. Promise.

Entrepreneurial endeavors

I spent the better part of the weekend making knitting needles and stitch markers. The plan was to put them up for sale on Etsy, but I'm not all that pleased with how the needles turned out. I used oak dowels and Sculpey for the ends, and I think they're too heavy to be very comfortable. I also used Gorilla Glue to secure the ends and it bubbled out of the sides and dried that way, which is not at all pretty. I'm also not so thrilled with my complete lack of sculpting skills as applied to the ends. They're cute, bu they could be a lot cuter. I think I was happier with the Crayola Model Magic that I used the first time I ever made my own needles. It feels weightless, and the ends came out resembling the rooftops of Smurf houses, which is maybe a look I need to stick with. So I guess I'll add this batch of needles to my private collection and chalk them up as practice.

I'm happier with the stitch markers, but I think those, too, will get better with practice. I bought the supplies for two sets, but when I started the first I realized I needed different connectors than the ones I bought, although they worked okay for the second, which turned out pretty cute. I can't decide whether to put them up for sale or keep them for myself. Either way, I'll post pics eventually. I was too tired and lazy to take any yesterday.

I'm also working on a pattern for sleep masks. I've made a couple of functional ones for myself that get the job done, but I think they could look better. I have this super-soft, green Debbie Bliss cashmarino yarn that I thought would be really cute if I made a mask that looked like two leaves sewn together, but I haven't gotten it quite right yet. I frogged it and started over at least three times last night before I gave it up and went to bed. I think I'm close to getting it right, though.

These are the things distracting me from finishing my husband's sweater.

Overhaulin'

New look, new location, new direction. How ya like me now?

If you're here at the blogspot address, that's going away as soon as I figure out how to make it so. Please point your bookmarks and links to the new URL, which is http://jeanjeanie.addr.com/knitting. If you read this via RSS or Atom, those will need to be updated as well.

For why, you ask? Because, dear yarn lovers, I've decided it's high time I got serious about putting this knitting hobby to work for me, and one of the first steps to making that happen is to present a more professional appearance. I think this fits the bill. This is still just a blog for the time being, but soon, oh so soon, it will also be a storefront for my own line of knitting tools and accessories. Isn't that exciting? Well, it is to me, so there.

You might also notice, upon further inspection, a link to a yet-to-exist lessons page. This is where I'll detail private classes I'm offering to hold for the locals. And where I'll point my Craigslist ad when I'm ready for that to happen.

Even more astute readers might notice a link to something called "Vanilla Fizz." I think I'm going to let that one remain a mystery for just a bit longer.

So that's what's the what. Naturally, I'd appreciate any publicity you can send this way.

~~~

In knitting news, lately I've been concentrating on finishing my husband sweater, which I still keep neglecting to photograph. There aren't going to be any in progress photos to show at this rate. I'm close to finishing my redo of the first sleeve, and it looks a zillion times better now. I've been working on sleeves for so long that I can't remember whether I already knitted the backside, although I'm pretty sure that I did, which means the sweater is getting close to done. Winter doesn't seem inclined to move on any time soon, so maybe my husband will actually get some wear out of it this season.

Leftover Yarn Project: Pretty 'N' Pink Purse Accessories

Over the weekend I took the wool left over from my Lucy Bag and whipped up a few coordinating accessories: a cell phone cozy, a business card holder, and a key fob, all felted:



I love how the first two turned out. I'm less in love with the key fob. I think I'd like it better if it were rounder, and the intarsia heart didn't turn out so well. Back to the drawing board on that one. The others, though, turned out great.



I created an actual button hole for the business card wallet. Heh, I really need to update my cards.




For the phone cozy I used Velcro, with a button on the flap merely for added cuteness. I didn't want to have to futz with trying to unbutton the thing when I'm trying to answer the phone.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with myself. Each project took me less than two hours, minus the sewing. My phone really needed a cozy, too. I drop it all the time and the poor thing is all banged up. Now at least it'll have some cushioning whenever it falls.