What is the deal with me and getting the correct gauge. I realize I knit tightly. Typically this means that I need to go up a needle size on most patterns to get the correct tension, but then there are the other times, like today. I was swatching for the first of 2 mittens made out of Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky, which is exactly what the pattern is written for (not a common occurence in my knitting life). The recommended size is a 6, due to the fact that the mitten should be dense for warmth. I tried the 7, so not happening. I was a good inch off, so I go up to a 9. That gave me all of an additional 1/2 an inch. In the end I am working on 10 1/2s to reach the required gage of 4 stitches to the inch, which they wanted you to get with 6s! Damn am I glad I swatch.

I am also having huge issues with hats. I have made succesful, well fitting hats in the past, but lately they are all either too big or too small. I am trying to be a good girl and swatching in the round, but oddly enough that didn't answer any questions. Having swatched knitting straight I got 5 stitches to the inch. So I cast on using the Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. It seemed way too big so I continued in stockinette for a few more rounds and measured my gauge, it seemed to be somewhere between 5 1/2 and 6 stitches per inch. Except of course that would mean I cast on too few, not too many. It gave me a headache. In the end I took 10 stitches off and it seems to be fine.

I have such issues with the diagonal Scarf pattern. As you'll remember from the last one I made I couldn't get the end piece quite right. This time I ran out of yarn before I got to the end piece! So I frogged back the entire last section on the train this morning and I will knit the end piece on the way home and see how it goes.

I really want to be done by the time I get home so I can work on one of the fun fur projects. Of course I will need to find a different project to take with me to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow as the intended recipient will be there. I am just so damn thrilled I don't have to cook this year!!! My mother in law will be cooking in her house so there is no cleaning up required either.

Happy turkey day everyone!

I had a fairly productive weekend for a change. I finished the last square for the 1st baby blanket due here at work. Now I just have to wait for everyone else's squares so we can put them together. Of course the yarn just came in for the second blanket which is made up of smaller squares, Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. Can't wait to start those but that is a post Christmas project. I finished the LB Homespun scarf to go with the mittens so that is one gift off my list, yay me!

I started the diagonal scarf this time in LB Homespun (yes, I really like that stuff). I really love how it is going so much faster than the cashmere one, though not as beautiful of course. It's in sort of a bizarre colorway called Prairie. When I bought it I thought it was a beige with red, blue and purple stranded through but in the florescents it actually looks more like a green. It works really well with the pattern though because the colors pool nicely in each shortrow section.

I am hoping to finish by Thursday and then start working on mittens for the long weekend. I have 2 more pairs to make, each mitt usually takes me a day so I think I can really get somewhere if I work at it. That will leave the fun fur experimental projects as well as 2 DNA scarves, a toddlet helmet, 2 chenille hats and 3 sweaters. Thankfully the sweaters do not have to be done exactly by christmas as the recipients all know they are in the works.

I was on a business trip to Chicago at the beginning of the week so I faced the always hot issue of if I would be allowed to knit on the plane. I decided to leave the homespun scarf (that matches the already completed mittens) home as it was on metal needles. So I dug out a plastic circular needle and decided cast on the DNA scarf. All went well, they didn't even blink in the security line. Unfortunately I didn't get much done, not even a full pattern repeat.

Since I've been home the only thing I've done is finish the homespun scarf. Now I'm trying to finish the last square for the baby blanket. I just got the yarn for the sweaters I am making for christmas so I need to get my ass in gear. I have about 4 gifts done so far with many more to go...

In case you haven't noticed up in the left hand corner there I now have a cool new button courtesy of Missa, who will make a button for you if you ask her nicely.

My experiment went well. Basically I did a swatch using fun fur and Jiffy, double knitted. I want to make some accessories to go with the scarf I made but I am afraid fun fur won't be warm enough. So I want the fur to go on the outside with the regular yarn on the inside for warmth.

I'm hoping to actually write a real pattern for the pieces I make, so stay tuned...

So tomorrow is a relative term.

I am interrupting my knitting commentary to say Matrix Revolutions WOW! Kick ass! It's all the action that was missing from the second one and then some. Plot wise- well who really sees these things for the story. I mean it had all the good religious underpinnings, issues of faith and the importance of free will but I'm sure many people will think it quite full of itself for all of that. But I loved it. Jada Pinckett-Smith is my new hero, she is awesome! And Keanu still looks good to me after all these years.

My final word is go see if you go to the movies looking for fun but don't use to much brain power on it. Just let it wash over you.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled knitting.

I finished both mittens and hope to sew them up tonight so I can begin on my secret project. I hope to be able to post about it on Monday.

Ok I am finally far less frustrated. I have finished 2 squares for the baby blanket that finally came out at the right gauge (I switched to 10s). Tisha's scarf was still a problem in the end because the decreases for the final piece didn't work out right for me it just kept going after the edge of the scarf, so I frogged back a bit and did double decreases to compensate and it is better. I may go back and do it one more time starting the double decreases earlier or I may try to block the irregularity out. I haven't decided yet. The London Beanie was coming out too small so I need to rework but I considered the first 20 rounds or so my gauge swatch so I wasn't devestated by this discovery.

I recently finished a scarf made of Lion Brand Fun Fur in Lilac for my goddaughter. I plan on making a couple of accessories to go along with it but as I am actually attempting to design something fun and different I am not going to say much about it until I have found them to be successful!

I currently am chugging away on the second of a pair of Homespun mittens for my friend Leslie ( I have 2 Leslies in my life this is the East coast version). It 's in a pretty blue and gold colorway and I was quite pleased with the first one. I am also going to make her a matching scarf in a simple rib.

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about Matrix Revolutions! No spoilers don't worry