By design

University of Central Arkansas Dishcloth

Yarn: Lily The Original Sugar'n Cream (100% cotton; worsted weight)
Colorway: Grape
Needles: US 7s
Stitches: 40

I did not attend or work at the University of Central Arkansas, but I am friends with some who are connected to the school in those ways. Among the items in the Christmas packages I sent south to Donna and Jenn--or will be sending, in the latter's case--is this dishcloth, which I designed based on the UCA logo.

The slimness of the letters and their close proximity can make them a little difficult to make out, but some blocking--my version: stretching out the dishcloth and setting DVDs atop it overnight--improved the legibility.

Since time was running out to get this knit and mailed before Christmas, this is the first version of the design. I plan on tweaking it a little. The slender left column of the A might as well be equal in size to the right one. It may not be true to the logo, but it should look better and have symmetry. I might consider making the letters wider, but there's the chance that I won't want to fuss with it and will just leave it be.

My initial intention was to design something with the whole logo, including that paddle wheel-looking thing, but I was having enough problems with the A (and patience) that I decided that the letters would be good enough.

For those interested, I will be posting the pattern eventually. I need to make some minor alterations before it goes to publication. E-mail me if you want it now and don't mind getting version 1.0.

Agenda

Knitting-related things to do this weekend if all goes according to plan:

-Finish designing the secret project and begin knitting a sample.

-Watch Wool 100%. I stumbled upon this DVD at the library and decided to check it out. The pull quote on the cover calls it "one of the strangest Japanese movies of the year". It remains to be seen if it truly is that odd because that's setting the bar pretty high.

-Continue knitting the current WIP.

-Start a sock?

Nobody knows

Although I'm methodically working on my Red Scarf Project scarf, I am feeling the itch to knit something else, even if it's just to alternate between WIPs. I've thought about having another go at a long ago frogged sock, but instead I'm opting for...another secret project.

I took stab at a rough initial design and was fairly pleased with what I was coming up with, but then I hit a sticky spot and decided to set it aside. There will probably be more trial and error in this phase, but once I have it sketched out properly, I think I can lock the pattern.

What is the secret project? I can't tell, obviously.

Rough drafts

How did I make the secret project? Begin with knitPro. Use a pen to trace where three distinct circles should be and a colored pencil to indicate which blocks should be used for letters. Label row and stitch axes. Find an old envelope to scribble the pattern on. Count stitches, write down, knit the row, repeat. End up with this.

Notice that the ends want to curl up like a scroll and that the stockinette border wants to behave likewise. Since I incorrectly used the Knit Portrait option to generate the image, I ended up with a squashed image that's more octagonal than circular. (This photo is kind of deceptive as its boxier than it appears.) This also meant that the dishcloth is larger than intended, although it's still a nice size for one. My first iteration is 54 stitches wide and 68 rows tall. Compare to the final version, which is 40 stitches wide and 60 rows tall.

I knit the background, separating inner circle, and letters in stockinette and the outer circle and inner circle in reverse stockinette. I like the raised logo. The dishcloth looks like it is embossed. It might have more dish-scrubbing power. Unfortunately the stockinette separating circle gets lost amid the purls, and the letters don't have quite the graceful curves that they could have.

For the second version I corrected for the stitch size and used the Knit Landscape option on the knitPro web app. That fixed the dimensions, but I still had to determine what kind of stitches to do where, especially for the letters. I felt like I could do better with the A and V in A.V. Club. I tried out different combinations on traditional graph paper until I came up with symmetrical letters that came closest to those in the logo design.

To make things easier, I also chose to plot out the points on the graph paper, which was just wide enough to accommodate the design. I had to add a second piece behind the first, taped together with the sticky part of a UPS delivery notice, to make a sheet tall enough. Then it was time for more coloring. You'll see that I made some mistakes and had to incorporate other colors to cover them up. It's a good thing I have the pattern typed out because I'm not entirely sure what all of those "fixes" mean.

Since I knew the pattern well enough by now, I wrote it all and then knit the project. Imagine how pleased I was when it turned out how I envisioned. I switched to a purled background, separating circle, and letters with a reverse stockinette outer and inner circle. The change was a big improvement. I also added a garter stitch border on the sides to spruce it up.

Was this process easy? Well, I wouldn't call it simple, but it went more smoothly than I anticipated, particularly after I did the first failed draft. I spent far more time coloring in all those squares for the second draft than was probably necessary, but it paid off when it was time to convert those blocks into stitches. The knitting was pretty easy, surprisingly quick, and worth the effort I put into designing it.

Tomorrow: the pattern.

It is revealed

I know that I've been tantalizing you all with talk of a secret project. Now that it has reached its destination, I can reveal what it is.

The dishcloths you see are my best attempt at reproducing The A.V. Club logo. My friend Donna, also a knitter, and her husband write for the site. In a stroke of inspiration, I decided to try to figure out how to convert the logo into knits and purls to send as part of a Christmas gift package. For obvious reasons, I needed to keep this project strictly hush-hush. I didn't want to spoil the surprise.

I'll admit that it was hard to keep quiet about this. That's why it's been a favorite blogging topic of late. I was giddy with anticipation of the reaction the secret project would produce. It was very satisfying to crack the problem of writing the pattern and exhilarating to know that those receiving the FO evidence would have no way of seeing it coming. I inadvertently titled one blog post with two words that have meaning for one of their site's features, but it still would have taken keen powers of observation and prediction to put it together.

I'm going to squeeze a couple more entries out of this designing process. Still to come are pictures of the failed, oversized first knit and the rough draft on graph paper. And of course I'll publish the pattern. Like I said when first writing about this secret project, it is going to have limited appeal and was pretty much unguessable, but I'm happy to know that it was the right thing for the right people. Honestly, that's all that matters.

Two in one

In a moment of bravery I elected to look at Knitting Help's video for Fair Aisle knitting. (Apparently Fair Aisle is a specific type of stranding method, so the video is listed under the latter.) Carrying two pieces of differently colored yarn together on the same row is one of those things that scares me a lot as a knitter. It looks incredibly complicated and difficult and, most importantly, Not Worth The Inevitable Headaches. Still, I would like to know how to do it as there are some projects--my secret project, for instance--for which I'd like to be able to apply it.

The video demystifies the technique, although it's not entirely clear to me. That can only come with actually trying to do it. For a second I thought that I'd give it a go for the secret project, but if I'm not mistaken, Fair Aisle (or whatever it's called) looks as though it can only be done in stockinette. Am I right? The dictum that one should carry the yarn past more than a five stitch gap creates problems too.

The project in question could be done in stockinette, although I think it would probably lose some utility in that stitch. Of course, in this instance it would also mean rewriting the pattern (or doing a mistake-free version on graph paper) as the whole point of my process has been to determine which stitches should be knits and which should be purls. I may be up for that eventually but not any time soon.

I skimmed some of the intarsia video, but once she starts talking about the various ways one needs to overlap the strands depending on how things are leaning, I tuned out and quietly swore off color work. (All the ends to weave in doesn't make it appealing either.)

I've tried double knitting and found it also more suited to stockinette, not to mention that it becomes confusing after awhile with having to knit two strands for everything.

It seems like there ought to be an easier way than these methods, but from what I've found, it looks like I'm best sticking to one color at a time or variegated yarn. Those other techniques just might make me lose it.

Secret success

Version 2.0 of the secret project as pattern and FO is finished, and it looks mighty fine. The sound you hear is me patting myself on the back for a job well done.

Seriously, though, I am impressed with what I learned through the process. knitPro certainly deserves some of the credit as it provided the basis from which I determined how many stitches to use for the different parts within the design, but I did a fair amount of heavy lifting in figuring out how to divvy up the stitches and what should be knits and purls.

This process is yet another tip-off to me that I have a fundamental understanding of knitting. The mathematical element in writing the pattern is fun for me because I do like working with numbers (just not as much as I like working with words). Finding the symmetry and converting it into rows of knits and purls not only speeds up the process but also pleases my inner aesthete.

For what seemed like the longest time I had difficulty reading the knitting, or seeing the difference between knits and purls. To be able to envision a pattern before knitting a stitch of it definitely gives me a sense of pride, even if in this case my first attempt was a nice mental cheat sheet for picturing it the second time around.

I've said before not to get too excited over something that it seems like I'm hyping up. (Hopefully all can be revealed in a week or so.) This project isn't the be all and end all. Still, it has given me a great deal of satisfaction.

Stitch by stitch

My second pass at designing the secret project is finished. Now comes the knitting.

While I'm glad to be done with coloring in graph paper boxes, counting them, and trying to keep track in my head which stitches should be purls and which should be knits, it was fun to plot the points and convert them into directions. The practice I got on the first attempt made this redesign go faster. I wouldn't call it quick, though.

I may have to learn how to do Fair Isle after all as I believe this would look really nice in two colors rather than the one, but let's take this one step at a time. This month is already speeding by. If I want to finish the secret project in a reasonable period of time, I better stick to what I know how to do.

In addition to changing to ratio so that I had fewer stitches but more rows, I'm doing an inverse image so that the main design elements are raised on the surface. In essence the design is on what would ordinarily be thought of as the wrong side. Yeah, I realize this will mean more when I'm not speaking in unknown generalities. All in good time.

Edits

I considered declaring my first FO of this week's new secret project good enough, but I think I've figured out how to use knitPro to get the final result I desire. Although one page of standard graph paper isn't big enough for plotting the pattern, I've pulled it and the colored pencils out to give me something more flexible than the monochrome knit landscape pattern printout that the free program produced.

I think that I've corrected what I didn't account for on the first go-round. Plus, I may be able to translate the pattern into stitches without having to knit a row and then write the next one. This will go much faster if I'm able to write the entire thing and then follow my directions. Doing the pattern in two colors on the graph paper will be a lot easier to decipher than the black, white, and multiple gray shades I worked from the first time.

Speaking of edits, I might as well point out that I've scrubbed this blog of the single link to my other site and, for the time being, removed the primer in the sidebar that provided links to entries about significant moments in my knitting progress. In the case of the former, there's something that has me a little creeped out that made me want to cut the most direct (and readily accessible) evidence of my identity. The primer has been removed for a similar reason, although I think it's more likely to reappear eventually. I hadn't updated it in forever anyway.

On a completely unrelated note, I found out that this blog appeared in a Penn State University newspaper opinion piece about Obama being in touch with popular culture. In my coverage of The Arcade Fire's free show in support of Obama during the March primary, I relayed that the lead singer mentioned that the candidate had called him. It's nice to receive credit, as this blog was named as the source of the information. How strange and amusing for what I wrote to end up where it did.

On and off the needles

The secret project, an item of my own design, is finished. Overall I'm happy with it despite the knitPro pattern image looking squashed a bit when translated into actual stitches. I'm wondering if I should have used the landscape size instead of portrait. Now that I've looked at that option, I probably should have. Maybe a second attempt at the secret project will be made. I sort of know what I'm doing now. If I knew how to do do Fair Isle, it would make the finished result snazzier, that's for sure.

After mostly not knitting the Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks scarf for my sister-in-law these past two weeks, I made some good progress at knit night tonight. I'm probably halfway done. I lost track of rows the last two times I sat down with the scarf, so I pulled out the row counter to avoid having to frog this thing. I'm pleasantly surprised that I've been able to undo p3tog, but I'd rather not do it again if I can help it.

I can't believe that Thanksgiving was a week ago. The past few days, filled with awards screenings and the arrival of several screeners, means I have plenty to do work-wise and enough knitting-wise in the three weeks leading to Christmas. Time flies, doesn't it?

In the laboratory

Last night I had an idea for a knitting design that really energized me. I think part of my trouble getting to sleep was because I wanted to start working on it right away; however, I had to wait until today to begin. I got cracking on it after getting home from work and have been designing and knitting all evening. Not to be coy but I'm going to keep the project secret for the time being.

I feel pretty safe in saying that probably no one has ever designed or knit what I'm making. Don't get too excited, though. While this item may be unique, I doubt interest in the design will be high. That's reality, not modesty. Still, I'm pretty excited to see how or if it turns out.

If you remember, I fried my brain trying to come up with directions for knitting the Cincinnati Reds logo. I never did carry over my work on the experimental piece into what I intended to make, but the experience was a helpful step in what I'm designing now.

Fortunately, I was able to put the graph paper and pen aside and give knitPro a spin. The free program converts images into a pattern with rows and number of stitches, although there's still a fair amount of calculation you have to do yourself, not to mention vagueness in how the image is displayed. It saved me from freehand tracing and supplied me with a general idea of size. It's a convenient way to undertake this project, but it's not a magic solution.

I've been writing a row of the design, knitting it, and moving on to the next row. It's a tedious process, so my initial enthusiasm helped carry me quite a ways. Although I'm finding it hard to figure out what to do next, mostly due to dulled mental faculties, I'm about three-quarters of the way through the trickiest part. I'm blogging in hopes of letting me look at it again with fresh eyes.

The design I envisioned is being realized, more or less. That said, I remain uncertain whether it will fully meet my expectations. I thought I'd botched it initially, realized it was indeed correct, considered whether I should have left a part out, decided it was working satisfactorily, and cycled through those opinions again. It's a project of folly, so if it isn't as perfect as I'd hoped, well, I think it will be good enough.

I figure I'll have it finished one way or another by tomorrow night, although I won't be revealing the result for awhile yet. This tease will just have to suffice.

As far as finishing goes, is there an equivalent bind off to the cable cast on?

Radiation vibe

The lion's share of running around was done on Thursday and Friday. Saturday was more like a typical weekend day except for doing pretty much whatever was possible to avoid the summer sun. Donna and Noel took the kids to the library for morning story time. I tagged along, toting my knitting with me, and worked on my sock while the librarian led the children in songs and told a few tales. One even mentioned knitting. There you have it.

After lunch at Cancun Mexican Restaurant, the place I first met up with the whole gang in 2005, it was time to visit Bella Lana Knitting, Conway's yarn shop. I'll reiterate that currently I don't have anything particular I'm looking for, so I emerged without making a purchase. Donna and I sat and knit with the proprietor and two other women. They were surprised to see both of us knitting socks on dpns, which earned a demonstration of magic loop knitting.

We left to do more knitting and meet Amanda at a coffee shop. Unknown to us, the anticipated spot closed early on Saturday afternoon, so we switched locations to Something Brewing but missed Amanda in the mix-up. Donna and I knitted and chatted. Really, it couldn't have been better. She's such a smart, interesting, and generous woman, and I'm blessed to have her as a friend. With good company and knitting, what else did I need?

Donna practiced her dishcloth for Dish Rag Tag while I continued to forget if I was on a toe shaping decrease round on my sock. I was amused to observe that she too wraps yarn with her left hand. (Just the other day my continental knitting preference took another knitter by surprise.) As was par for the course on the day, she continued to run into people she knew, reinforcing the impression that everyone, including Donna, knows everyone in this small city.

For dinner she took me to Mike's Place, her pick for Conway's best restaurant and one of the few "wet" establishments in this dry county. I should explain since I don't think I've encountered a similar situation elsewhere. The county could more correctly be identified as "damp", meaning that alcohol sales are not allowed except in approved restaurants that function as private clubs. One must be a member or be with a member to eat at these places. A nominal fee is required for membership, so unconnected out-of-towners can dine there, assuming that the visitors aren't put off by needing to spend a little extra to be permitted to be served. We had to sign in, likely to provide a legal record that no one will ever check. Dinner was delicious--I went for the French cut pork chops with side salad and baked potato--and the conversation was equally wonderful.

Back at her home it was more knitting and watching TV. I finished my sock--picture forthcoming--and had her give me a refresher on single crochet. I can come clean now and say that the secret projects are knitted needle covers from Hollywood Knits Style. As a way of expressing my thanks for their hospitality and friendship I've made one each for Jenn and Donna, my gracious hosts on this trip. They've seen the projects. I hoped to give these items to them while in Arkansas, but the single crochet seaming and edging has slowed my progress. And I still have to figure out back stitch.

At the risk of embarrassing Donna--I think I've probably already done that for Jenn--let me sing her praises here. She and her family embraced me with so much warmth that I felt like a treasured guest. I admire and respect Donna and Noel, not only for what they do but who they are. To spend time with and be spoiled by friends with whom I feel simpatico is wonderful in ways that words come up short.

Knitter in the sun

Another day, more punishing heat. It's been good for my complexion. I also have a more than respectable farmer's tan. So there's that.

Breakfast meant a visit to La Maison des Tartes, which is a patisserie, not a house of ill repute. I had a blackberry brioche and coffee and then ventured to the library for some blogging. Perhaps you're wondering why I bother keeping up the daily writing while I'm away from home and on vacation. The trip is rooted in the internet, so it makes sense to write about it. Plus, I'm in the habit of doing this every day. Occasionally I'll have days when the words pour like thick molasses, but using the ol' writing mechanism regularly keeps it functioning. Trust me, if I didn't want to write, I'd ditch it. I feel a little obligated to keep up the pace, but motivation never hurt anyone.

Summertime in the south means barbecue--at least it does to me--so the Ozark Mountain Smokehouse was the place to get a heaping helping of pulled pork and cole slaw for lunch. Then it was back to roaming the streets.

If I were being sensible, I would have checked out Nightbird Books after breakfast. It's practically right beside La Maison des Tartes. There isn't much to say about Nightbird. It's a small independent bookstore with a nice selection and cozy space. Hold on, there is one thing to say. Their distinguishing feature is the aviary in the middle of the store.

The combination of heat and hills had me in need of something cold. I was near the library, and Arsaga's, located in the library's entrance, possessed the item to hit the spot: a frozen lemonade. I sipped it while setting out for another familiar location during my brief stay in Fayetteville: Hand Held-A Knitting Gallery. My projects may be secret, but there's no secret that I want to get them finished. I tried to remember how to do single crochet, but the knowledge was wiped clean from my brain. I knitted secret project #2 for awhile but didn't feel like I was being very productive with it.

I felt somewhat guilty for loitering in the shop two days in a row and not buying anything. I don't have any projects in mind, so yarn was out of the question. Sorry to disappoint you or violate the unwritten knitter code, but my style has been to buy it when I know what I'll be using it for. I had my eye on a tape measure, which I ended up getting, but I also found just the thing for when items need to be pinned for seaming. Knit Klips are sturdy plastic clips that should stay in place and hold together a large amount of knitting better than some piddly little pins.

It was back to the library and then back to the library once more when I got down the hill and remembered that I'd left the bag with my newly purchased knitting supplies behind. I met up with Jenn briefly. She had a prior engagement for the evening but had arranged for a friend to keep me entertained in the meantime. He brought some sandwiches he purchased out of a sense of obligation for occupying a seat at Arby's while listening to what turned out to be a pitch for a pyramid scheme.

Eventually I turned my attention to secret project #2. The knitting is done. Weaving in ends and finishing work await. Jenn gave me another abbreviated course in single crochet. Hopefully I'll be able to recall it when I sit down to do it. If not, I hope Donna knows a thing or two about crochet.

For yes, my time in Fayetteville is essentially over. I depart this morning for Conway and the blistering heat of central Arkansas. Time does strange things on vacation. I've been here three and a half days, but it seems like it has been longer than that. I mean that in a good way. It's been a relaxing time.

Again, my thanks to Jenn, who was generous with her time and made me feel welcome in a city of strangers. Thanks as well to her boyfriend Lance, who permitted me to stay at his place and made some fine dinners. Looking at it from this side of things (and quite possibly from your perspective this whole time), it is pretty incredible that I've been visiting someone I didn't know except through online communications. She knows Donna, who I have met before, so surely that minimized any fear of potential risk. All the same, trying to explain it to her friends made it sound as preposterous as it might be. It's been nice to be able to talk face-to-face with a new friend, and I hope she agrees.

Conway, here I come.

Southern comfort

When it comes to the South, it is rather easy to envision it as a backward land of barefoot, gap-toothed yokels or an idyllic spot untouched by modernity. The former is patently offensive, but the latter isn't an altogether fair assessment either. The romanticized image of the bucolic southern town, a place for northern city slickers to rediscover the simple life, may hold some truth, but it can be just a kinder way of dismissing the region. I don't know what people thought when I told them I was headed to Arkansas for vacation, but I'm guessing they fashioned an image, "good" or "bad", that had chickens running around in the front yard.

What I've seen of Fayetteville isn't like that at all. For instance, the potluck dinner Sunday night was far more Woody Allen than Hee Haw; however, I suspect that claiming this city represents Arkansas would be like believing Austin exemplifies Texas. I've been in something akin to grad school fantasy camp than The Real South.

Nevertheless, the way I'm approaching this vacation is in tune with the lazy southern summer. The heat will do that--a triple layer of deodorant probably isn't sufficient for the sweltering temperatures--but the people I've met have been friendly and fostered a laid back atmosphere. Except when it comes to mistakes on menus. Jenn, an aspiring grammar vandal, produced a pen to eliminate an errant apostrophe on a menu Monday night.

Since Jenn had to work, I was on my own Tuesday morning. I woke up later than I intended, but I'm on vacation. I can do what I want when I want! Jenn drew me a map with some of her favorite places, so I was ready to set out on foot and see where the day took me. I went east on Dickson Street and turned south to get to the Little Bread Company for breakfast. I ordered a pecan sticky bun and coffee. Bun is not an accurate descriptor; it's more like a loaf. The pastry was enormous...and delicious.

I didn't have a lot of time before I needed to meet Jenn for lunch, so the library seemed like the place to go. I could check e-mail, maybe work on a blog entry, and hope to get a chill from the air conditioning. Jenn loves this library and encouraged me to take a look around. I must say that it's an impressive facility. On the way there I came upon the farmer's market in the square. The vendors displayed a beautiful array of locally grown produce and flowers.

Jenn and I lunched at Petra Cafe, a Mediterranean eatery whose potato soup she gushed about. I had the falafel special, which included a bowl of said soup. It was good stuff, even if there were leftovers on my plate. I was too full.

Jenn went back to work while I sauntered to another of her picks of the city, the Dickson Street Bookshop. No wonder she loves it. There are books stacked at your feet and towering over your head in every nook and cranny. Overwhelming doesn't begin to describe how many books are in this shop. Just when you think you've seen everything you find another long corridor with cubbyholes branching off of it. It's a bookworm's paradise.

After wiling away an hour or so in the bookshop I was ready to knit. I embarked for the the yarn store and took a seat in the knitting lounge. Before long a sock knitting class was underway. As you know, I'm no expert on the subject, but I was amused that the older ladies--grandmothers in a couple cases, I'm sure--were as befuddled, if not more, than I have been with socks. Incredibly, I think I knew more than they did about socks. These were women who have knit off and on for years. It felt good to realize that I have gained a lot of knowledge and been willing to take on new challenges for as short a time as I've been a knitter. Sometimes it's easier to stretch yourself when you are unaware of what you're "supposed" to be able to do.

I got a kick out of hearing them talk and make the same mistakes I've made (and will probably continue to make once I go back to sock knitting). One woman was fascinated that I wrap with my left hand. All of them were knitting with circular needles. Dpns can be a lot of trouble. Are circs better?

I was probably at Hand Held for two hours knitting secret project #2 before heading back to the library for a much needed cold drink and some internet time. Then it was time to meet up with Jenn and be introduced to something very, very dangerous: the Nintendo Wii. Newer gaming systems can be ridiculously complicated. Compare the latest version of John Madden's NFL football game to what was on the old Sega Genesis cartridge. There are more buttons than I can handle. The Wii, though, is exceedingly simple to pick up, which isn't to say that you can master it immediately. Jenn whipped me at most of the games, although I held my own in tennis and pool. Still, it was a lot of fun, and I could be tempted to purchase a Wii eventually.

Jenn got a stir fry started for dinner. Her boyfriend took over and whipped up another excellent meal. I'm eating well on this trip. There was a brief bit of alarm when the carbon monoxide detector started chirping, but a cleaning of it seemed to do the trick. Everyone is still alive.

She showed me how to single crochet so I can get close to finishing secret project #1. It is pretty simple now that I see how it's done, but she's going to have to show me again. When I tried to single crochet today, I found that I couldn't remember what to do.

Wednesday will be my last full day in Fayetteville. I'm really grateful for Jenn's friendship and how generous she's been while I'm visiting. Although we had never met in person until Sunday, I felt I had a solid idea of what she's like. Still, you never know if it might be weird off the internet. Happily, I've felt very comfortable with her and her circle. She talks faster than I expected. I'm taller than she thought I would be. Other than that, picking up in person hasn't been any different from our online communications. How wonderful it's been to get to know and hang out with such an effervescent person.

Success and stuckness

And now, the continuation of Knitting Confidential...

When last we left, I was fretting about the crochet work for the secret project. Before calling it a night I looked at the instructions for chain stitch in Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet and decided it didn't look so hard. I may have done the first stitch in the chain by accident, but I understood the concept and finished what I needed to do in the chain. That wasn't so bad.

Emboldened by this small success, I hoped to learn how to do the single crochet edging and be ready to call the secret project finished. In addition to providing edging, the single crochet will seam the sides. The book wasn't as helpful in this instance. Jenn gave me a good explanation, but for the life of me I can't figure out how you get two loops on the hook so I can pull the yarn through both of them. I'm stuck and not sure how to progress from here. With the finishing on hold, it's time to begin secret project #2.

Soon I'll be headed out of town for vacation. (Yes, there will be knitting.) I'd like to have a project in mind for knitting on the road but am short on ideas. I thought about making a satchel for my notebook computer, but the dimensions after felting are too small. I expect it will be hot, so working with wool might not be the brightest idea either. I'm open to suggestions. Bring 'em on.

I've added another knitting book to my small collection and have another on the way. I've been making my way through the first Stitch 'n Bitch book from the library. It's time for the loaned copy to be returned since I found it for the right price at a bookstore. Borders also had Knitting Rules! in a "great reads" display, alongside Michael Chabon's first book and other novels. That was unexpected. The Knit Picks summer book sale--40% off!--enticed me to get Mason-Dixon Knitting, so it should arrive this week along with another skein of yarn for the socks it seems like I've been knitting forever.

Stitch and pitch

It is almost time to cross the Rubicon on the secret project. I've knit a lot this weekend and am ready to take care of the finishing on the edges. The pattern calls for single crochet as well as chain stitch for something else. I know how to do neither.

I might be able to improvise and pick up stitches instead of doing single crochet. If I try that technique and don't like how it looks, I can always undo it, but the fact remains that I'm eager to have the project done. Karen has directed me to some crochet pointers, and I have Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet from the library. With enough time and patience, especially the latter, I can probably figure it out.

I'm thrilled with my work on the project to this point, which is why I'm trying to be cautious in how I approach this last step. I've put in a lot of time to get this far and don't want to ruin it at the end. Plus, I'm going to have to do it again because the near completion of this secret project means I can undertake secret project #2. Since this is Knitting Confidential, I ought to come up with code names.

This afternoon I went back to Starbucks for some knitting in public. Aside from slipping out for an hour of church in the morning, I'd been home all day and wanted a new environment for knitting. I'm virtually ignored when I knit in public, by which I mean no one says anything to me or closely passes by. That's why I was surprised to have two women ask me what I was doing.

One customer was a knitter who was thoroughly impressed to see a man knitting in the open. I'm thinking that she may be the only knitter who has come by when I've been knitting in public. There seems to be an impulse for knitters to zero in on someone they see knitting and ask what they're doing. I've felt that desire to speak up, although I've smothered it on those few occasions. She asked if I was making x, and I said no, it's actually y but I understand why you thought it was x. A little later one of the baristas wiping off tables and sweeping up also asked if I was making x. She'd seen me knitting for awhile and was curious what I was doing. This was a much nicer experience than discovering that another customer had selected me to be the basis for a creative writing assignment.

It hasn't been all knitting this weekend while I've failed to read Tolkein. (Jenn's powers of persuasion finally wore me down to pick up The Hobbit before tackling the subject of her undergraduate Honors thesis, but I've only read a few pages so far.) I finally got to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game this year.

The team's play has improved in recent weeks, so Saturday I headed south to see a not particularly good contest. What should have been a great spot in right field to watch Ken Griffey Jr. was a great spot to keep tabs on Norris Hopper. (Junior had the night off.) Reds ace
Aaron Harang left after an inning with lower back soreness, leaving Cincy's miserable bullpen to step in and give up two enormous blasts to Chicago slugger Alfonso Soriano en route to an 8-1 Cubs win.

Nevertheless, it was fun to spend the night at the ballpark. It's cool to sit in the moon deck for batting practice, and a lot of fly balls in the game meant there was plenty to see up close from the outfield seats. Its was also 70s Night. Barry Williams, a.k.a. TV's Greg Brady, was there to sing (not very well) "We are the Champions" with what may have been a Queen cover band. (Their lead singer did an admirable job on vocals considering Freddie Mercury's range, and the guitarist respectably duplicated Brian May's sound.) Williams redeemed himself vocally in leading the crowd through "Happy Birthday" for the Reds radio play-by-play announcer and "Take Me Out To the Ballgame". The old TV commercials, including an Aqua Velva spot with a singing Pete Rose and (I'm fairly certain) Vic Tayback, were amusing to watch between innings. It was kind of cool to get the promotional giveaway--a metallic Slinky with the Reds C--but if I never hear "Convoy" again, it'll be too soon.

Friday night knits

Ah, some quality knitting time...

I've been somewhat on edge the past few days, which corresponds with a lack of knitting and exercise. Coincidence? Probably not. The weather was unpredictable early this evening--one fierce storm blew in briefly--so going for a run was out of the question. Knitting, on the other hand, was a safe option that could quickly be shifted indoors in the event of a downpour.

I knit on one of my balconies for about an hour. (Before you get the idea I have a pad with huge balconies capable of bashes you might see in rap videos, I should clarify that they're only wide enough to fit an ice cream parlor table.) The humidity slowed me down some and moved me inside eventually, but I was happy to knit, knit, knit on my secret project. I finished the first ball, measured the piece, and determined that the second ball would not be enough.

Since I was in the mood to get out of the apartment, I left to buy more yarn and then settled onto the couch at Starbucks to knit some more. I even knit "naked", meaning I wasn't in my own bubble listening to my iPod. I felt really comfortable and thought it might be fun to listen for any comments that might be made.

If there were, I couldn't understand them. It must have been Unofficial International Night, beginning with the piped in tunes. Peppy Latin music transitioned into opera, something Italian if I were to guess. I couldn't tell you the difference between Verdi and Puccini, so the best I can do is peg country of origin. It sounded faintly familiar. Of those customers who weren't reading books, one couple was speaking (most likely) Chinese while five teenage girls were conversing in German. I studied enough German in high school that I can pick out some words--I plucked "twenty" and "maybe" during my eavesdropping--but not enough to follow. This ambient symphony of foreign language was probably helpful in attuning my focus on the secret project.

Wouldn't you know it? I felt better after all that knitting time, and I'm ready to return to it when I'm done with this post. It may not be the most exciting way to spend a Friday night, but the prescription gets the job done.

Continuing ed

The secret project is in full swing. Already it has been an educational experience.

I'm knitting from a pattern in a book. The secret project seemed like something I considered within my abilities even if it's calling for learning some crochet. The listed materials are the author's fancy-schmancy yarn, but I knew I could find the equivalent at a local store.

I questioned the number of rows that should be worked for ending on a wrong side row--the book listed an odd number--but I figured that knitting one more or one less wouldn't present a problem. Upon reaching that point, I learned two things.

First, the yarn I am using is not giving me the gauge called for in the pattern. The width is as it should be (or close enough), but I have to knit a couple extra rows to match gauge. (Moving down a needle size might have been enough to obtain it.) By the time I realized this I decided that I liked the way everything looked, so who cares if I have to knit more? I should have plenty of yarn to get the job done and would rather not start over.

Now it's time for me to confess my dirty secret. I have never knit a gauge swatch. Not one. I probably haven't made anything so far where it's mattered, but I am aware that this could get me in trouble down the line. I like knitting plenty. I'm not wild about pointless knitting, which is what most swatch knitting strikes me as being. I'm willing to listen if I'm way off target, though.

Second, I shouldn't automatically assume that a pattern in a book is error-free. Indeed, the number of rows to be knit was incorrect. It should have been an even number, as the corrections page on the author's website stated. Although it's probably a fluke that the last two book patterns I've attempted have had mistakes--and this latest one was fairly apparent, even to me--I have learned that it doesn't hurt to check the publisher's site before beginning.

I was knitting the secret project on straights, but as I went along, it seemed like circular needles would be more sensible. I got the proper circs and knit the secret project onto them. Sure enough, it will be easier to manage the secret project on circular needles and easier on my wrists when I've knit a significant amount.

After knitting socks almost exclusively for the past month or so, it's nice to use some bigger needles. The US 9s felt unusually large at first, but I like that the project is taking shape quickly.

I would be remiss in posting today if I didn't pass along my thanks for this dishcloth.

Jennifer made it for me as a housewarming gift. For as many dishcloths as I've made, I could use some for myself. This will be quite handy. She did a great job with the colors. Actually, it's a perfect match of my high school's colors. Thanks Jennifer!

Apropos of nothing, although maybe I can tie it to my personal reading history post, take a look at this pizza box.

You see the spelling error, right?

Harry Potter and the Release Night Frenzy

You could say that I underestimated how many people would show up at Borders to buy their copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. As I neared the center with the bookstore and other shops shortly after midnight, I saw that the entire parking lot was full. There were scattered single spaces, but it took some driving around to find them.

The line was out the door just to get wristbands that were needed for another line to buy the book. I've never seen anything like this. Inside it was semi-controlled chaos, with hundreds of people hanging around the store like it was a college dorm lounge. Many were dressed as characters--Gryffindor scarves were a popular adornment--and the excitement level was something like what you might feel standing in the pit at a rock concert before an anticipated show.

I had no idea what I needed to do and asked around until I was pointed in the direction of the table for obtaining a wristband. That's how crowded it was. I didn't see the table upon entering the store. I got number 727, so I wouldn't be surprised if they had nearly a thousand book buyers for the extra hours Borders was open.

By now I knew I was going to have a decent wait, so I headed toward the café hoping to get something to drink, preferably an eye-opener. Although a worker was behind the counter, a handwritten sign read, "Closed and your magic cannot open us." Oh well. I had my bag with me, so I set up shop in the seating area and knit my sock. I knit for an hour while wizards, witches, and their patient parents milled about.

The seating area was closed at 1:15. Luckily by then it was time for me to get in a line that snaked through the fiction stacks, past the children's books, through the music section, and by the film books near the restroom. I wasn't finished with my round when I had to vacate the seats--I was in the middle of the instep stitches--so I knit the rest of the round standing up with the little bit of the remaining skein stuffed into my pocket. After finishing the round I put the sock back in my bag and shortly thereafter was able to procure my copy of the last book in J.K. Rowling's series. I was out the door at 1:30, a much later night than I had expected, but I was curious to see what the experience would be like. Anyway, the knitting made the time fly.

In between two naps, a trip to the yarn store, and a combined lunch/dinner I've read 283 of the 759 pages. I doubt I'll get it finished this weekend, but it's been a very good read so far. No mentions of knitting, though.

I've been enjoying knitting socks, but I also feel like I need something else for a change of pace. I checked out a book from the library that provided an idea for a secret project I began tonight. It calls for some crocheting with the finishing. I'm not sure about that, but I checked out another book that I'm hoping can get me through the necessary crochet work.

Back to the needles or Deathly Hallows? Decisions, decisions...