01.24.08
Calorimetry! Finished!
Calorimetry, on my daughter
I added some ties (might bead them later) and sent my older daughter to school in it. She thinks it’s pretty and was happy to wear it.
But when I offered to make one for my youngest too, and she said to make it yellow, the older one decided she wanted a turquoise one. So I’ll get to keep this one. =)
I just hope she can take care of it at school. I’d hate for it to get damaged or lost already! Or at all… I’d prefer to keep it in my collection, as one of my first major knitted pieces. 
But I’m fairly confident she’ll bring it home safe. She’s a pretty responsible fourth-grader. =)
So… here is a quick list of what I have learned from knitting this piece, Calorimetry:
- slip stitch
- short rows using stitch markers
- loose bind-off
- reading a pattern
- adjusting a pattern
- diving in even if you don’t understand yet, ’cause that’s the best way to learn
- knitting is far easier than I ever imagined
01.21.08
Calorimetry WIP, Finishing Up
It worked! Here is my piece a little past the half-way point. It *IS* easy! And fast! I started mid-afternoon and could have finished before bedtime if I hadn’t had to do other things (like travel, eat dinner, and make a character for gaming), and if I hadn’t been sick and needed to go to bed early.
And I think I’ll throw in the shot of it laying out all pretty, waiting for a button. I finished it this morning, but I’m still deciding if I want to find a button or make a beaded tie closure.
I think I’ll give it to my daughters, because it actually did come out petite. Next time I can do the 120 stitches, if I stay with the size 5 needles. Everyone’s blog said to adjust it smaller, but, at least with these size 5 needles, I didn’t really need to. Well, it’s about the right length for closure, so maybe just adjust the math to make it symmetrical.
I think I’m going to be making a lot of these. 
I already have plans to try adding a stripe with a second skein, on the next one. And when I get the size and math right (by following the pattern next time), I can perhaps stock a few of these fast-easies for my shop!
Once I finish this first one with a closure, I’ll have Kati model it and report what I’ve learned from this piece.
01.20.08
Calorimetry WIP
Calorimetry was intimidating me (the pattern didn’t make much sense to me… my first time reading a pattern, actually) but I wanted to do it so bad… so I just dove in, hoping to figure it out as I go along… since everyone says it’s sooo easy.
So after looking up the pattern abbreviations and some terms, like slip stitch, in a glossary, I think I might have it! I have cast on and done the first row. We’ll see if I can get much further!
I’m taking this project with me to a friend’s house this afternoon, and to dinner with the in-laws after that. Maybe someone there is a knitter and can help me if I get stumped. =)
P.S. I didn’t use stretchy yarn, like it says to do, so I hope that doesn’t hurt me too much! I also only cast on 100 sitches, and used smaller needles, like everyone on Ravelry says they had to do to get it to come out right. I hope I can do the math for the reduced stitch-count!
01.17.08
Fluffy Ear Warmer Headbands
My first ever real give-away project (well, besides the bookmark)! I knitted these ear warmer headbands for a couple of my best friends, for holiday gifts.
My daughter Sera is modeling the one I made for Selena, in the picture. Michelle’s was green, blue, and light pink.
On Selena’s, I used my old wrong-way-to-knit stitch (which works fine, but isn’t knitting or purling) with size 5 needles. Then I learned the proper knit and purl stitches, and made Michelle’s with size 8 needles, exclusively with the purl stitch… because I love to purl! Size difference didn’t matter.
Just a simple scarf-like project, where I bound the ends together as I did the bind-off. It only took one skein of the fun fuzzy muppet yarn, which I don’t know the brand of, but I will when I go buy more at the dollar store. =) It’s very easy to use!! You’d think it would be hard to see what you’re doing, in all that fluff, but it wasn’t really a problem.
I might try to figure out how to not bind the ends together, but make a button closure, instead, before trying to sell this product. Then one wouldn’t have to muss one’s hair to put it on.
I’ll have to see if I can get Michelle to pose in hers, to post a pic here. =)
