It's WIPing Time

 Yes, once again it is time to assess the WIP situation and join in with the other Ravelers who wish to complete or otherwise get rid of their works in progress.

Although this started in the middle of September I am only now writing about it as I was away and separated from some of my projects.

For someone who has been keeping her WIPs low I am rather abashed to have to state that I have nine(!) projects in progress especially when I confess that three of those are crochet scrappy projects. Although that does fulfill one of my goals for this year to use scraps. I also have another project that I did not intend to be a long term project but turned into one as it is not very comfortable to work on. It is a Tunisian crochet garment but it is not the simple stitch and I found it is not comfortable to work on for long periods so I try to work on it for a small amount of time each day. 

One of my projects I really wanted to finish before we went away. Which I did manage but not the blocking, which is happening as I write this.  So magically my WIPs have dropped to four. One is a top that just needs binding off. I tried a few different ways but didn't like any of them. Now we are home and I have tried it on the bind off just needs to be at the same gauge as the knitting and just needs to be done!

Another project that will be quick to finish are some fingerless mitts. The hands are finished and I just need to work the thumbs; I just couldn't face working them magic loop. Now I am home I can put the stitches on DPNs and quickly finish them.

This leaves two projects that are actual works in progress. One is knitting and one crochet, both of which I should finish before year end.

And as I like to photograph my WIPs with their project bags/containers, here is the evidence.

 

 

Strong Heel and Vanilla is the New Black Heel

 In my What I Knit on Vacation post, I said I wanted to compare the heel from Vanilla is the New Black with the Strong heel. I first came across this style of heel in the socks knitted here - I know not a good photo. In that pattern the heel isn't given a name but I now know it as a Strong heel, named after the designer. (Note: I do not know if the heel in the Gansey pattern was developed independently of Ms. Stong's heel.)

The obvious difference between the two heels is that one is in stocking stitch and one is in rib. This texture does make it harder to compare the two socks but I felt that the ribbed heel was wider. It was easy to compare the two patterns. The Gansey Sock pattern has the increases on every third row and increases the stitches by 20; which is about 3/4 of the back stitches. The ribbed heel increases are worked every other row and 32 stitches are added; which is equal to the number of back stitches. I also incorporated this style of heel into a sock I knitted in 2021. That heel was definitely wide and was executed by increasing every other row until 2 stitches less than double.

Looking at these patterns and finished socks, I like the slower increasing as it makes for a longer heel flap which I prefer but I also do not need to add the full amount of stitches. 

I had planned to work this style of heel on all my holiday socks so that I did not have to be picking up stitches at not the best time. In the end I only did it on the first pair. I have been knitting socks for so long that working a heel flap and picking up stitches is not a problem unless the light is poor. But I think I will have to remember to replace a short row heel with this style as I don't like working short row heels and although they fit, I don't think it is the correct fit as that style is a shallow heel.

Did I Buy Yarn

 I have said that I want to work through my stash and I am not desperate to add to it. Also, when travelling there are so many things we want to do or see that adding in a visit to a yarn shop would take away from that. Add in packing light and the delight of visiting a yarn store soon turns into a sight seeing trip.

But I am likely to check out where the yarn stores are located in case they are convenient or they have something completely different. I will probably look into the window of a store as we pass but I am not buying for the sake of buying, unless I know there is something unique to a local yarn store.

This was the case in Lisbon, Portugal. I had done a quick search of yarn stores, and the recommended store was Retrosaria. We had spare time in Lisbon and set out one afternoon as it was about a 30 minute walk from where we were staying. The interesting part of this was walking through a different part of the city that we would not have go to see if we weren't on a shopping trip. 

The shop was busy but not crowded and there were a few North Americans in there. I was immediately drawn to a lovely pink yarn - no surprise that it was Malabrigo. I did not buy it as I can get that in the US and I was interested in the shop's own sock yarn. Shopping for something different. This local store specializes in Portuguese wool and it's line is that softness is overrated. The yarn I purchased is definitely not soft but will be sturdy for socks; it would also be great for outer garments. It was also reasonably priced which was a surprise as they are sourcing locally and ensuring fair pay. An unusual colour for me.

 

 

 

Should We Learn New Things?

 

I started this post writing about provisional cast ons and why they could be better than picking up from a cast on edge. As part of my thoughts on this I started to write about learning new things in your hobby and I decided that was actually a better idea for the blog.

What I was wondering if knitting is a hobby and a hobby is something we do for fun should we keep learning new things to do in this hobby? - at what point do we stop trying to learn new things in our hobby? And does it matter? If this is something we are doing for fun is it OK to get to a certain point and say I'm good I don't need to learn/practice anything else. And I would say, it is something you do for fun and, therefore, it should be whatever you want it to be.

But where I would say there is a problem with this, is when the hobbyist (knitter in this case) doesn’t want to try anything new, but expects everything catered to their level of expertise. By choosing this route everything is dumbed down and there is nothing new for those who do want to learn.

What started this thought process today (although it has been on my mind for a while) was an influencer claiming they hated every provisional cast on in the world and in their latest pattern they just had you cast on and pick up from the cast on edge. This is fine but they are a relatively new knitter so after how many cast ons did they decide they hate them all? Also as a knitting influencer, they have monetized their hobby, so, yes, they should still enjoy it but what about learning new things and becoming more proficient? I fear in this case it is a good example of human nature, s/he who sounds most confident is the one listened to, even if they are wrong.

Finished a Vacation Project

 I started this project while still on our trip and have just finished. In my last post I said that I took five skeins of sock yarn away with me. One problem I had was that I kept second guessing if I wanted to make socks with any of the yarns. With the last two skeins, one of them I could envisage as a particular pattern, a colourwork pattern, so not only did I need another ball of yarn it was also not a pattern that I was likely to knit on a trip. The other skein was a self-striping yarn that I had been given that I could not picture as socks. In the end I decided to make the mitten pattern that I had made on last year's trip. This is a relatively easy pattern and this year I had remembered to bring scrap yarn so I was able to work a provisional cast on. And fortuitously I had packed extra needles.

Once again, I made changes to the pattern. I decided not to make them as long as my first pair, and to make the turnover flap longer to really cover the thumb and to make the thumb opening closer to the edge  - although I managed to mess that up. 

The overall length is about 1 1/4 inches shorter than my first pair and I really need to wear both pairs (one of each?) with a jacket to get an idea of my preferred length. The turnover goes fully over my thumb and I could possibly make it a bit shorter - with the shorter total length of the mitt and the longer turnover the mitten is mostly turnover and I'm not sure if that is strange but is definitely preferable to the first pair with the shorter turnover. The pattern as written has the thumb hole centred. This does put the thumb in a strange position when the turnover is, well, turned over. The designer does say you can move the thumb hole without giving suggestions so I moved it one stitch in from the edge. The first mitt turned out well. The second mitt I remembered to move the opening to the other side of the palm but did not take into account that I had worked a different provisional cast on, resulting in working the mitten from the other end. So by moving the opening to the other side as you would normally, I had put it on the same side. I didn't notice until the mitten was finished. Usually I would undo and reknit but I couldn't face the thought of making sure I didn't lose all the provisional stitches. When I wear it, it feels like when I wear the one with the centre opening so not the end of the world, just don't look closely at them.

 

 

What I Knit on Vacation

 In my yarn planning post, I said I was just going to take 4-ply (sock) yarn with me. I packed circular needles for sock knitting as well as a couple of crochet hooks and a couple of larger size needles - just in case which I did end up using and five skeins of yarn. 

I cast on the first pair of socks using yarn I had purchased on a previous trip to the UK. To make life easier, i.e. not having to pick up heel stitches or graft toes, I decided that regardless of the pattern I would work a Strong Heel and a star toe. Although I have a pattern featuring that type of heel, I opted for the heel in the pattern Vanilla is the New Black. Now having worked that heel I want to compare the two patterns to see how the application differs as I felt that I ended up with a slight gap with the new pattern. Although my intention was to use this heel on all socks for the next two pairs of socks, I used the heel in the pattern as they looked interesting.

To make life a little easier for me - not sure that it worked - in choosing patterns I went with the suggestions from Sock Knitters Anonymous. We were leaving on 1 April and the first of the month is the start of a new challenge, but I did not want to start something new on leaving day so I cast on a few days before we left to have something already established. This did mean that I only had a month to complete the challenge instead of two. For March the theme was Nature and I chose Waterspout socks. I chose this pattern as it looked easy, so easy that I was worried that they wouldn't be allowed for the challenge but they were approved by a moderator. I made a small but significant change in the pattern to make it even easier. As written the pattern is a repeat of four knit stitches and four purl stitches offset by one stitch on subsequent rows. This is an eight stitch repeat which fits in with standard sock cast ons of 64 or 72 stitches but does mean that you have an extra pattern stitch at the start of each row in order to move the pattern over. To overcome this I decreased one stitch and then worked the same pattern row for every row minus the last stitch. This meant I could just knit round and round and not have to think how to start each row. It also means that I have no line to indicate start of round. 

 

I managed to complete these before the end of April so I was able to start a new pair for April's challenge which was Returning Designer. I used the Life in the Long Grass yarn which I purchased in Cork, Ireland last year - my just in case purchase that I wound by hand at our next stop and then didn't use. The pattern is Trillusions and I am really pleased with how they turned out; in fact I am thinking of making some fingerless mittens with the left overs. I kept the heel as written in the pattern as I do like the garter stitch edge on a heel flap.

 

These were finished before the end of May and for May I chose Literature & Mythology as my challenge with the pattern Katniss, using some old yarn that I had purchased in a sale in 2021. I did not change the heel on this pattern as I liked the way the rib continued into the gusset. This is the eighth pattern I have made by this designer.

I did not finish these until July and by then I needed a change from socks so my next cast on was fingerless mitts (glad I packed bigger needles which gave me this choice); an easy garter stitch pattern just right for travel knitting.

I will work on these at home and not wait for more travels to finish them. 

 

 

Try Not to Look Like a Tourist

Because we are planning our travels, all sorts of travel related posts come up on my social media feeds. One that appeared recently was asking about pickpockets, I think in Italy and if it had got worse since their last visit three years previously. 

A couple of things struck me in the responses. Firstly, how lackadaisical people are about their personal belongings in their home town. There are opportunist thieves everywhere so you should be careful wherever you are. Although it is easier to replace your lost items in your own country especially where there is no language issue.

Secondly, although most of the responses were helpful there were a few that said “don't look like a tourist”. And that misses out on the whole point of visiting other places. You want to look up, around, stop and take in all you see. Look at a map, nowadays on your phone, but many people still carry the paper maps issued by tourist information. In other words by not looking like a tourist you miss out on the whole point of being somewhere else. There was one response that said they totally look like a tourist, they take photos ask others to take photos. It was a change for a realistic response.

While I was composing this post, I received a message from a friend about what shoes to wear in Rome because she didn't want to look totally like an American tourist. An interesting question because she's going to be touristing and as soon as she speaks it will be obvious she is not local. I refrained from advising her to not be an obnoxious American and not to expect everything to be the same as home.