The first sleeve for Rogue is done. Go me! After starting the cable three times (and finishing it twice) it was fairly easy! Actually, the cable itself was much easier than I was expecting. My problem, as you may recall, was with doing the increases at 4am. After I got over that little issue, it was fairly smooth sailing.

I have blocked it already, but I have decided not to take pictures until she is fully assembled.

Let’s see. Issues and notes I have made so far:

1) Whatever you do, spend the extra few dollars and buy some plastic sleeves and overhead markers so that you can cross out the cable row you have completed. I think this helped me do so well with the cables.

2) Remember to do the freakin increases properly. It also looks better if you do decreases properly as well.

3) This yarn is lovely to work with, but I noticed that it did bleed a teeny tiny bit when I wet the sleeve to block it.

4) This yarn stinks to high heaven when wet.

5) Remember that blocking fixes stuff!

I believe it was around five hours to do the sleeve. This includes breaks. It was really much faster than I expected. The cables went fast. The stockinette and decreases took longer than the cables.

If you plan to do the pattern, I would recommend practicing the cable first if you are unfamiliar with these types. Do also remember to check your gauge.

I started on the sleeve of Rogue the day before yesterday. I got more than halfway through the chart and realized I had been increasing wrong and therefore had little holes where I had increased. That’s what I get for doing it at 4am. There I was, feeling all productive and everything. So, I forced myself to practice increasing properly last night. I am hoping I do it correctly this time.

Also, a few times in the past few weeks, I have found myself twisting my stitches every few rows. WTF? When did I start doing that? It was very weird and irritating.

I have to say, the Rogue pattern is very well written. So far I have yet to feel intimidated by the cables. Actually I have gotten to where I know what to do without looking at the pattern, just by knowing how the cables move. To be honest, I started planning on how to change the cable to something else, but I decided against it for designs sake.

That’s about it in regards to knitting. Oh. Wait.. I should comment on the yarn.

I’m using KnitPicks Wool of the Andes and so far it has been pleasant. I am a little worried about pilling, but I will make sure to use some glycerin before I wear it. The Denise needles have been a little more of a pain. This go around, the yarn has been getting caught in the little join lock area of the needle and so I can’t keep my rhythm going.

Oh Kepler! It is a simple celtic braid sweater. If I can ever get to it, this will be my big project after my other big project, Rogue. Can you tell I have a slight thing for cables? There is a Kepler knitalong as well.

I have notepad open and I am slowly writing up a linkfest of a post. I’m sorting through my “unsorted favorites” folder and am finding the links I want to post. Lots of patterns, tutorials, and other nifty little things.

I didn’t do any knitting last night. Everything is fine, but I decided to get some work done on my parents’ site. I’ve been putting it off because of the amount of graphics work I have to do.

Let’s hope that my knitting won’t be hampered by another sudden burst of productivity tonight.

Due to Brittany’s disrespectful attitude today, I have decided that for the time being, I will stop working on the clapotis I was doing for her. I can’t make something for someone who can’t be respectful to me.

So, this means I think I may start on Rogue. I will try to work on gauge swatching tonight and possibly cast on tomorrow. I have read about a lot of people starting with the sleeves to get used to the cables. I may give that a try. I think this might be something I actually show progress pictures of. Imagine that.

I have been trying to reduce my yarn stash before buying any random yarn. I’ve also been trying to knit practical items. I figured a good pillow would be nice.

Squishy Pillow + Angel Hair Yarn = Cuddly Pillow

Yum. It is loved by all and has been cuddled so much that it is already getting mishaped. Yay for something practical and wonderful!

Materials used:
US11 straight needles
Jo-Ann Sensations’ Angel Hair color 242
Generic squishy pillow

I guessed on a needle size for the silk yarn and happened to be right on. Using US4s seems to knit a nice fabric. I had to stop after about six rows because I found myself petting it after every row. I am going to give the mini clapotis a try with it.

The chlapotis I am making for Brittany is coming along nicely. I’ve only been working on it a few rows at a time. So far I have made it into my fifth set of straight rows. I should be dropping the stitches in a couple of rows. I am tired, but I am thinking I should try to just finish this set. At the rate I am going, I should finish it in a few weeks.

Pamela, Olivia needs to get bigger so I can knit her a cupcake hat! Is that not the cutest darn thing ever? I am half tempted to make one for myself. I may try it out while I work at my mom’s shop Monday.

I’ve been knitting along on the chlapotis (cheap yarn clapotis) and have just finished the increases. I started feeling bad (fever finally showed up) and decided it was best to stop. I ended up messing up about four rows away from the end of the increases and had to redo it. I figured it was a good sign to stop.

I still have to take pictures of my pillow cover and post it. Maybe tomorrow. Who knows.

the importance of swatching – OK, you have to admit, it is funny.

And for future reference:

Folded book instructions – I think Brittany would enjoy this.

I couldn’t help myself. The yarn arrived yesterday (in a fairly small package, so I was a little concerned) and I lasted only about two hours before I had to try to dye it. Once again Kool-Aid was my tool of choice. I had been researching it and had found that while it will work, it doesn’t result in vivid colors on silk. That was fine by me.

I wanted a varigated look, so I used less than I would have needed had I wanted full color. I really like the way it came out. I was a little worried at first because I had gotten the water too hot and it freaked the yarn out. It seems to be bouncing back though. /phew

Now to the yarn. It’s not the best yarn, but I honestly don’t have too many patterns that call for silk yarns, so I am not going to fret over it. The hank that I dyed had a single knot in it. It was either spun by hand or with a crude machine. There are some inconsistent spots, but like I said, I am not going to fret. It is from India, and well, if you’ve ever been to India or the region for that matter, you’ll recognize the scent if you sniffed the yarn.

If I do ever decide to spin, I may buy some of their spinning fibers. Anyhow, if you want inexpensive silk yarn, here you go. Just remember that it isn’t the greatest quality, but it is by far NOT the worst I have seen.