The Annex at Neatly Tangled

this & that

January 4, 2024 / Deb / 0 Comments

Just now made another mistake on Grain. I dropped a yo instead of knitting it I think? In any case, everything’s secure, just odd looking in a spot. Won’t even notice in the fo.

Got some stitch markers from ChiaoGoo that are making things much easier where I’m using them. Proper tool for the proper job. You wouldn’t think a stitch marker would make much of a difference but it really eliminates a friction point.

I got my latest purchase from Knitivity today. It’s gorgeous as always. Pictures to come.

I got some Scarfie this week as well and thought I’d picked a pattern for it but changed my mind when I actually started working it up. So that can be stash for a bit while I work on other things.

I’ve been doing a lot of gaming this week. I think my hands appreciate being asked to do something else.

And there’s even more going on but that seems like a good list!

experiments in throwing

January 1, 2024 / Deb / 0 Comments

So having returned to knitting with issues in my left hand I’m finding it super awkward to purl continental. I figured I could try knitting English and see if it was any smoother. The jury’s still out at this point, but it’s a possibility.

I did some random swatching to see if I could at least improve my purls when working them continental and that met with some success.

The biggest reason behind this is ribbing (which I haven’t practiced yet). I’m about to attempt socks again and I’m worried about getting them off to a good start (yes, I’ve settled on going cuff-down again). Tomorrow when I’m fresh I’m going to 2×2 my little heart out, assuming I can pull myself away from the day for a little while. It’s going to be a busy one.

Kool-Ade!

December 31, 2023 / Deb / 0 Comments

We dyed again!

The base yarn is KnitPicks Stroll Bare.

I didn’t get a picture of the third skein, which was done as a sock blank. It was a purple gradient that turned out just lovely. She painted it instead of dipping/soaking/immersing it and it turned out that there were places the dye couldn’t reach. It also turned out that the white enhanced the whole thing. Happy accidents, right?

The orange was dyed by my oldest the sock knitter, and the tomato-y red was me. It’s going to be socks, because that’s what feels right. Talk about a long term project though.

a job for the mandala thick&quick

December 30, 2023 / Deb / 0 Comments

I’ve been noodling around with this yarn for a day and I found what I want to do with it. It wants to be a bag. It needs to be a bag.

I’m working it up like this: with a 10 mm hook I chained until it was the right size for what I want to do with it. Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch across, in last st 3 sc then sc in the other side of the chain back to the start. 2 sc in last ch. (3rd sc is what you started with). Work in a spiral with a sc in each sc around.

I haven’t decided on the strap construction yet.

Working with this yarn and hook combination is challenging my hands, but the yarn’s so bulky that it’s working up really fast. I’ve needed a smaller bag for a while so I’m excited to finish it.

mandala thick&quick

December 29, 2023 / Deb / 0 Comments

I don’t know what to make of–or out of–this yarn! I got an order today and have been noodling around with it ever since. My 10 mm hook seems smaller than I might want, the inelastic nature tells me that something structural might be a good use, but it’s so pretty I just want to make something warm.

It’s a nice problem to have, really.

processes and products

December 28, 2023 / Deb / 0 Comments

I’ve always though of myself as a product knitter, which makes a ton of sense given that I used to work in the design space where the final product was the entire point. I suspect this bled into everything I did, and I can’t remember ever slowing down and just enjoying the making of a thing.

Since I returned, though, I find myself as interested in the process as the product. Sometimes I get impatient for sure, but just as often I find myself more patient, not minding the time it takes to finish a row or the complexity of a stitch, enjoying the colors as they slide along the needle or admiring the fabric as it flies off the hook. It’s a whole different world working for the experience as well as the result, and for me it’s a fantastic change. Does this make me a newly minted process knitter? I don’t know. But I’m having fun with my yarn, and isn’t that the point?

hooks and tools

December 27, 2023 / Deb / 0 Comments

Look what else I got for Christmas!

I’m so excited! I really like working with bigger yarns. I can’t wait to get my hands on some and make lovely chunky things.

In other news, I finished the second sock of the worsted lavender pair and though I’m super stoked to have done it I’m feeling like I don’t want to be near another sock anytime soon. Maybe if I get over it I’ll try toe-up and see if they drive me any less crazy.

Grain is coming along but I’m starting to feel like I overestimated my love of endless garter stitch. It’s beautiful but I’m more and more reluctant to work on it. I’m not sure I can keep it up for another few thousand stitches.

And last but not at all least, after some swatching and playing around I decided to keep the same hook on my big brown throw. Mostly it’s nice to be working on it again.

a speedy Christmas

December 26, 2023 / Deb / 0 Comments

My oldest bought me a swift! Needless to say all of the hanks in the house are rapidly becoming cakes.

I hope you had a lovely holiday if you celebrate and a great one if you don’t.

a “big brown” dilemma

December 24, 2023 / Deb / 0 Comments

So I have this granny square throw underway that I refer to as Big Brown. It’s made of RHSS stripes in the colorway Latte and it looks fantastic in 1′ squares with the way it makes the colors pool. It was the first project of any size I took on after I started crocheting again.

I pulled it out last night to work on it and discovered that I have a problem. The hook I’ve been working it with is really too small for my tension and the yarn. I was having trouble hooking the yarn and my wrists were complaining that it was just too tight. The kids are encouraging me to just continue but I don’t think I’m up for the discomfort.

The problem is that I already have a substantial portion of the thing done. Not half, but enough to make me pause rather than just diving in with a bigger hook. And since I only have so much yarn to work with, there are potential problems with reworking squares if needed.

I think the best thing to do is probably to work a full square with the bigger hook and see how it looks and feels before I stress too much about how to handle this. It’s another bump in the crochet road but how boring would it be if it went smoothly?

Little Skinny Scarf

December 23, 2023 / Deb / 0 Comments

(Yarn by Ray from Knitivity.)

Following the sock fail I decided to do something fun with the yarn and set up a cute little scarf. I used my own Rectangle Granny Bookmark base row with a multiple of 4+2 then just played. It turned out to be a great length to just toss around your neck and is very light and warmer than it looks.

I have half the skein left and an idea what to do with it. We’ll see how that goes.

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