Adventures in Knitting: Hedgehog Mitts

I love knitting.  
I love knitting for others.

Earlier this Fall, I knitted a mermaid tail.  Feeling pretty confident in my knitting accomplishment of the gills, I decided it was time to learn something new.  By accomplishment, I mean my ability to email the pattern's creater, wait for her response which contained a tutorial, to watch said YouTube tutorial and follow along.


Columbus Day weekend JoAnn Fabrics had a 60% off one item coupon.  Since I had learned several months ago that JoAnn's removed the book purchasing with a coupon restriction, I decided to use my coupon on a knitted animal hats, scarves, and mittens project book.  

I chose Fiona Goble's book titled, Knitted Animal Scarves, Mitts, and Socks because of the cover photo of hedgehog mittens.  I know someone who LOVES (L-O-V-E-S) hedgehogs.  

The pattern called for wool-blend yarn and size 8 straight knitting needles.  I purchased two skeins of wool-blended yarn that looked hedgehog-ish.  The size 8's were already in my needle collection.  At this point I was super excited about the straight needles...not that circulars or double-pointed needles (DPN) scare me anymore.  I was just nervous about using DPN needles to shape the thumb.  That part seemed tricky but not so much with straight needles.

My first attempt to knit the mittens was so-so at best.  Something went amok when I lost track of what row I was knitting.  Upon noticing my mistake, I happily removed the yarn from the needles and undid the stitches.  No worries.  There's a first time for everything.

My second attempt made it all the way to the thumb-forming which made no sense to my brain.

My third and fourth attempts were noble at best with a dash of frustration.  After the fourth attempt, I put the pattern book and yarn and needles in a project time-out.  I hid my knitting bag in my craftroom.  I did not think about the hedgehogs.  I did not talk about the hedgehogs.  The hedgehogs (for a period of 2 weeks) remained dead to me.

After 2 weeks, I pulled out my bag and began again.  

My fifth attempt - my new co-worker was kind of worried about my sanity.  I asked him to read aloud the row that confused me.  He, being a non-knitter, offered words of encouragement but not words of how to help a knitter.  I was on the verge of swearing off knitting...but something inside me kept telling me to finish what I started.  Also the little voice began suggesting an email / mail correspondence to the author. 

My 6th attempted mitten got me all the way to the hedgehog nose before I realized the thumb was knitted on the wrong side.  Since there was a bit of a knot in the yarn during this unraveling, I cut the yarn and threw the messed-up hedgehog mitten in the trash.  So long $2 worth of yarn and so long to my sanity.  What would I do if I quit knitting?  What about all those fun patterns that I still want to make?  What about the loss of dishcloths for my family and friends?  What about knitting circles worldwide?  I cannot quit.  I must persevere.

At this point, I informed my non-knitting co-worker that it was time to pull out the big guns.  I searched through the book and found the publisher's email.  I, then, went through the book to the author's note where she gave thanks to so-and-so for knitting and trying out the patterns.  Once I had obtained the pattern-checker's name, I opened Gmail and sent an email with a subject line "Please forward this to the knitter _______."  

Less than 24 hours later, I had an email from the publisher saying she forwarded my email to the actual author.  THE AUTHOR!!!!!  I love it when I can correspond with the author.  I should note that I had asked the publisher - now author - to explain the thumb-shaping to me like I was a third grader.  

Less than 12 hours later, I had a response from the fabulous Fiona.  Due to my lengthy email explaining what was happening (or atleast what I thought was happening) to my hedgehog, the author was able to figure out where I was confused.   With straight needles, at the end of each row, your needles switch hands.  At my bad spot, the pattern said to knit x-number of stitches & turn to cast-on 1.  Next row do this ____.  Because the pattern said, "NEXT ROW" after the turn & cast-on 1, I turned it where it should NOT have been turned. 

Fiona even offered to knit the pattern herself to see if that would help me.  I cannot believe that she would take the time to help me.  the very confused hedgehog mitten can't-knit-a-mitten knitter across the Pond.  (Did I mention Fiona lives in England?)

Yesterday ( 12/16/16 ) I pulled out my size 8 needles and I once again cast on 34 stitches and began the 8th hedgehog.  When I got to the thumb-shaping row, I re-read her email response and it totally made sense.  An hour-ish later, I had a completed sans-eyes and nose hedgehog.  I played 2 more episodes of Gilmore Girls while I finished the left mitten.  

Sometime around midnight, I had both mittens done.  

Looking at them - you can tell I was more relaxed when I knitted the left one.  It's a little "bigger" due to a looser stitch.  

I'd like to knit another pair now that I kinda-sorta know what I'm doing.

Third time is a charm?

That's a real thing, right?  Third time is a charm?

I sure hope soooooo.....

This is row #13.

...also known as "the part where I realize I totally screwed-up the gills of the mermaid blanket."

Something was odd about the knitting instructions.  They read "placing a loop" and "lifting a loop."

Sadly, it wasn't until I put down the project, slept 8 hours, had a cup of coffee and re-read the pattern while trying to figure out how the gills would be formed.

Thankfully, my brain has wrapped itself around the instructions.  I get it!!!!!!  I have to grab the previously placed loop and knit it into the next lift-a-loop row.

Ripping out abd restarting -- how I spent my morning break.

#knittingepiphany

A Blogging Epiphany!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy First Day of February!!!!!!  Happy Groundhog's Day Eve!!!!  Happy we're-under-a-winter-weather-advisory day!!!!  Happy birthday month to my friends - Ruthie, Kathy, and Michelle!!!!  


Today on my morning break, I sat in the downstairs spa-like bathroom locked away from everyone so I could work on a baby blanket for my friend's new fellow.  The pattern for said blanket is not really complicated.  It's 4 rows to begin and then you do a 4-row-pattern-repeat until it's 36" wide...then you knit 1 row one time before picking up another 4-row-pattern-repeat.  What does yours truly do?  She knits the 1 row that is supposed to be knit all by itself twice...thus making her pattern off.  

What's a girl to do?  I cannot just keep knitting the wrong way...and to rip out this gazillion stitch row was just too much for my I-can't-believe-I-messed-this-pattern-up-again moment. 

I did what any sensible knitter would do...I removed all the stitches from the circular needles and I began to unravel the blanket.  

The first time I unraveled it - there may have been tears.

The second time I unraveled it - I had a blogging epiphany.  And noooo, my blogging epiphany is not to fill my blog with posts from a delusional knitter desires to finish a baby blanket while the baby is still a BABY!

Sooo what was my grand epiphany?

I'm going to blog through the month of February about 29 things that I am thankful for during this season of singleness.  Why?  Because I need to be reminded...and good heavens, I cannot be the only single gal out there who needs reminders of all the blessings and graces that we have on our being single journey.  And I'm hoping that my little posts will help others who are walking down the same uncertain path.

I'm kinda thankful for the 2nd unraveling because I don't think I would have had my blogging epiphany.

A Very Hungry Caterpillar for a very special little one...

About a month or so, I got word that my friend's baby shower theme was the children's book, A Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle.  I immediately went to www.ravelry.com and found a darling knitted cocoon & caterpillar hat combo.  

I contacted the author of the pattern in regards to doubling or singling the yarn...as I was kind of under the gun to get this fabulous gift completed.  

I'm more of a leisure knitter.  I like to think and plan ahead so that my knitting is not tense - thus making my stitches tight and myself unraveling...  I prefer to knit at my leisure so there's no tenseness and no unraveling of my project and myself.  

The author was immediate in her response.

The yarn was purchased.

Shortly thereafter, the cocoon was made.

The hat was a bit tricky...

There was a mis-reading of the instructions and Hat #1 was created for a conehead child.  Not even kidding.  I didn't realize that when the pattern said, "If knitting the newborn size, start here..."  I thought it was "repeat here."  It wasn't.  Unfortunately - as with a majority of my knitting conundrums - I did not realize my mistake until I had binded-off which means the the hat could not be taken apart and redone.  This meant the conehead hat was garbage.  {Sad day.}  I do not like throwing away gone-bad veggies and fruit...so imagine my sadness when I had to throw away a beautifully begun (note: not finished) soft red hat.  

I made Hat #2 and it turned out fabulous.

The eyes were a bit tricky - which no worries - the author said the eyes would be tricky.  I appreciate her honesty.  

The first 2 eyes were made per pattern specifics...which turned out too big for the newborn hat.  Seriously - this caterpillar looked like it had creepy eyes which would probably cause the wearer of the hat to require therapy well into her adult years.  And let's face it - if you are going to have to go through therapy, you do not want it because of a baby picture of yourself.

My second eye issue was that I had followed the instructions and glued the lime green yarn and the yellow yarn...and THEN realized that I could not stitch the eyes to the hat.  The instructions said to glue them - but I thought they would be more secure if they were stitched to the hat.  Naturally I thought of this after-the-fact.


The first two eyes joined Hat #1.  I did keep them around for a week or so because they made me laugh.          

Two new eyes were made...which is a huge feat for yours truly because I don't crochet.  The eyes are 2 chains each - one lime green (the inner eye) and a yellow chain (the outline of the eye).  Four chains total.  I used my b-day present from several years ago - a book titled:  I Taught Myself to Crochet.  During the first attempt to crochet, I did not infact teach myself to crochet.  I ended up with knots.  This time - my second attempt - I said a quick prayer for help and chained away.  

I carefully glued the lime green yarn going around-and-around the felt oval.  More prayer.  Stitched the eye to the hat.  Another quick prayer.  Hot glued the yellow border.  

The antenae were knitted flat which was a piece of cake.  They, then, got stuffed with some fiber fill and sewn to the top of the hat.  They are a bit floppy which I do not think can be helped as they are antenae made out of yarn.  

So there you have it...the tale of my Hungry Caterpillar.  I hope the recipient loves it as much as I do.

A knitting tale...

Once upon a time, there was a damsel who lived in a faraway land called Rockford, Illinois.  The fair damsel loved knitting.  She found great enjoyment in taking skeins of yarn and transforming them in to objects for her loved ones.

Around Christmastime, the damsel's friend requested two bear-eared hats for her beloved daughters.

Our knitting damsel searched high and low for the perfect yarn.  After weeks of searching, she procured peacock and orchids alpaca-blended fibers. 

The damsel chose the peacock yarn and began knitting single-strandedly....  Half an hour later it was determined that single stranded would not suffice.  The just begun project was pulled off the needles and re-started with two strand of yarn and a tall decaf mocha.

Several hours (HOURS) later, our fair damsel inspected her work only to find a mistake.  A skipped row or a duplicated row. 

Near tears, the damsel removed the yarn from her circular knitting needles and began unraveling the project.

Tonight we find the damsel contemplating - too pick up the needles or not too pick up the needles.  {Sigh.}

The cowls...an update

Remember last week - in my last post about the adorable cowls that weren't going so well...  Well, I have an update for you. 


Today I had a one hour lesson with a crochet expert.  She helped me figure out how to complete the cowls. 


Kudos for her ability to explain the blanket stitch - which helped me sew up the seam on the head.  GOOD NEWS:  NO SHARK FIN!!!!  the blanket stitch is amazing and the seam magically disappears.  True story.


After we sewed up the head, she showed me how to crochet around the face opening.  I must admit that crocheting is not my cup of tea.  It's funny...most people either like knitting or crocheting.  Today I spent the afternoon knitting with a delightful friend who loves both.  I suppose it's like algebra and geometry.  In middle school, I remember my math teacher saying that you love one or the other.  Well - guess what?  I kinda like both. 


Soooo us girls knitted the afternoon away.  It was fabulous!  We drank coffee, chit-chatted, knitted, and we were together "the day the music died."  :)


After the afternoon knitting shenanigans, I managed to procure 3 wooden buttons for the cowls and tonight, will hopefully finish them.  I still have to knit the ears and attach them.  They don't seem too complicated...I mean, FOR REAL, they are ears.  Small bear ears.


Once these three are complete, I have one more to make...and then I got a couple of hat orders to fill.  Looks like I will be knitting and purling until Thanksgiving.

Once upon a time, I said I would knit three cowls...

A couple weeks ago, I was asked to knit 3 bear-eared hooded scarf and hat combos.  They were just darling in the picture.  I said, "Yes."  {Note to self:  In the future, before saying "yes" - read the pattern in its entirety first.}


If you don't have a mug of hot chocolate or a cup of coffee...go and pour yourself one before you read the remainder of my knitting tale.  It's good.   Trust me.


Sooo when you purchase a pattern from Ravelry (an amazing crocheting and knitting website that I recently discovered), you are not allowed to read the pattern before purchasing it.  Kinda rude.  I mean, even Barnes & Noble, let's you take a sneak peak inside their books. 


With more knitting confidence than necessary, I clicked "purchase" and was then the proud owner of the Burton Bear Cowl pattern. 


My first heart palpitation came when I read that the perimeter of the hood is to be crocheted.  I don't crochet...YET.  I'd love to learn to crochet, but I have not yet mastered this yarn art.  My dear grandma tried to teach me to chain.  Pretty sure that when she got to Heaven, the Lord gave her extra jewels in her crown for attempting to teach me the fine art of crocheting.  I didn't get it.  I cannot make a chain even though I recall her mentioning that it was really easy.  Ummmm...not for me.  In college, my roommate Tanya sent me a I Taught Myself to Crochet book complete with the necessary tools to begin my crocheting career.  I should tell you - even after reading the book, I did NOT, infact, teach myself to crochet.  A couple months ago, I met my friend Stephanie for a crocheting lesson.  Yeah - I didn't get it then either.  I did get to enjoy some girl time and coffee so it was totally win-win. 


After telling myself that I have a college degree and am perfectly capable of learning crocheting, my heart rhythm returned to normal...until further down the pattern when I read the ears are also crocheted.  What is this nonsense?  Mixing knitting AND crocheting? 


Again - I told myself, "These hats will be lovely and Kathy's girls will look darling.  You have a college degree and you knit.  Surely, you can learn to crochet 6 ears total and around the perimeter of the hood."


I purchased 6 skeins of yarn - 2 per cowl.  Which by the way - Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn is quite tricky to track down in the greater Rockford area.  I had to hit 3 separate stores to find matching dye lots. 


Attempt #1
I was so naïve with this first cowl.  I began the pattern with the three purled rows - these were delightful and made a softer edge.  Then came the 23 knitted rounds.  Round-and-round the needles I went...laughing and listening to "While You Were Sleeping" - I love that chick flick and it's the perfect one to listen too...as I have watched it fourteen gazillion times.  After all the rounds of knitting, you are supposed to turn the hood inside out and knit row 1 and then flip it right-side-to to knit row 2 and you repeat these flipping shenanigans (which does sound slightly naughty - however I really had to keep flipping the project...inside out and right-side-to) for several rows...which would've been lovely and worked well HAD I KNOWN THE FLIPPING BEGAN WITH ROW 1.  I didn't realize this until row 2 when I looked and saw a giant (all the way around the hood) ridge.  No worries.  I was just 28 rows...and BAM - a mistake.  So I pulled the yarn off the needles and promptly took a pen and marked up the pattern.  I put next to Row 1 "TURN INSIDE OUT!!!"  {Later I highlighted this note!}  No yarn was compromised during Attempt #1.


Attempt #2
The following day, I casted on the appropriate number of stitched.  I purled and then I knitted and then I flipped and knitted/purled...  During the flipping session, I thought (KEY WORD:  THOUGHT!) the pattern said that the entire piece was supposed to be 12.5 inches.  I continued the flipping-knitting-purling until the cowl measured 12.5 inches. Every couple of rows, I would look at the hole opening for the child's face and would think, Do those girls have that small of heads???  {Note to self:  If something seems wrong, stop what you are doing and consult another knitter and / or get professional knitting help!}   I, then, in my naivety did not bother to re-read the pattern.  Nope, I casted-off the needles and looked at my supposedly finished project.  I must digress...


There's a PIN on Pinterest that is an adorable cat wearing a hooded shark hat.  The cat is sitting atop one of those robotic vacuum cleaners.  It's hysterical.


Sooo I take the "finished" cowl and I attempt to sew up the top seam (that will close the top of the hat before you add the ears).  Apparently I do not know what "sew seams with a blanket stitch" mean because the cowl ended up with a ripple similar to a giant shark fin.  And then I noticed the head opening was REALLY SMALL....smallish, like maybe it would be great if I wanted to use Celia to re-create the shark-vacuum PIN.


This 2nd attempt was an epic fail...as once you cast-off, it binds the yarn and you cannot rip out what you did wrong.  Period.  And into the trash went 1.25 skeins of fabulous yarn...which it turns out that since I didn't knit the cowl completely, I'm left with 3/4 of a skein of fun yarn. 


Attempt #3
By this point, it's been about 5 days...in between Attempts 2 and 3, I have taken a break from knitting and read an entire fluff read and I managed to convince myself REPEATEDLY to not give up on my beloved hobby of knitting.  Oh and I may have consumed 4-too-many cups of coffee and laughed myself silly.


Once I was caffeinated and in a better place {read: talked to Jesus extensively about this troublesome project...begging for knitting wisdom}, I picked up just the pattern and read it thrice...and this would be when I realized the 2nd error of my way - the hood part should measure 12.5 inches.  Not the entire project.  Just the hood.  PRAISE JESUS -- it was like a light shown down from Heaven and my knitting eyes were opened.  I could almost hear the Hallelujah chorus.  Not the shortened one either - I mean the full 3 hours Mormon Tabernacle Choir...and they were wearing robes. 


Attempt #3 went without any hitch.  I purled and then knitted and then did the flipping thing and made sure that just the HOOD measured 12.5 inches.


Attempt #4 - same as #3.


After #4, I realized that I was out of yarn soooo I headed back to my favorite little fabric store on IL Route 173 - Hancock Fabrics only to find they did not have anymore Charcoal Wool-Ease.  No worries...I drove to their E. State Street store.  They had Charcoal - however the dye lots didn't match.  Due to my nervousness and Attempts 1-3, I did not want to take a chance.  I headed to ALL the other craft stores in the greater Rockford area only to discovered I apparently had rid the entire area of Charcoal Wool-Ease.  {Sigh.}


Thankfully this past Tuesday, I met my cousin in Chicago for lunch...and on my way home, I remembered my yarn situation.  A quick stop at JoAnn's on Randall Road and I had THE LAST 2 SKEINS IN THE STORE!!!!!!!!!!!  Seriously - this yarn is amazing, but why isn't there any left???  (Aside from my knitting shenanigans....are people just that smitten with Wool-Ease?  I am...but still...)


Attempt #5 went smashingly well and is done.


I'm not done-done with these cowls...I'm done as far as I can go without professional help.  Knitting professional help...lest you think I need for-real professional help...which maybe I will when it's all said and done.


Today I scheduled my one-hour lesson with the fab gals at Knit One Purl Two.  I told the owner my woes of crocheting around the perimeter and the blanket stitch at the top.  She said it wasn't any trouble at all and we set it up for next Saturday (November 8th).  WHICH MEANS....IN A LITTLE OVER A WEEK, I COULD BE BURTON BEAR COWL - FREE.  I will miss these cute hats.  I love the yarn.  The texture is soft and warm but not scratchy like wool.  The yarn wrapper says they can be machine washed and even machine dried but I don't think this should be chanced. 


I wanted to blog about this because re-telling it is therapeutic and if I ever knit these again, I want a post to remind me of what not to do.