Saturday, April 05, 2008

G is for .......



Good knits gone bad... but I'll get to that...

I hope you all enjoyed the movie quotes...that last one was a stumper but
Melanie finally got it! If you haven't already, visit my last post for all the answers - thanks for playing!

Now back to the good knits gone bad...

Remember this?

That's Mom and Dad in their His n Hers Ribby Cardis taken in 2005, just about a year before my Dad passed away.

They both wore their sweaters very often and my Mom still wore hers a lot.

Despite having donated all my Dad's clothes to Goodwill she saved his sweater and it was the only thing left in his "side" of the armoire.

Prior to this, my Mom brought the sweaters over here for me to wash when they needed it. They are not superwash but I washed them in cold water in the gentle cycle and blocked them on my blocking board with no problem.


This time around my Mom decided that she could wash it just as easily ::::cue scary impending doom music:::: so she put it in her washer on the delicate cycle and this is what she pulled out....(smallish 7 pound kitty for scale)

as always, click to embiggen if you can stand it :)


Yep, it's an unwearable felted dickie! Even if she could get it on, it is barely long enough to cover Mom's bust now.

Turns out her machine agitates a lot more than mine plus we figured out now (d'oh!) that her "cold cycle" groundwater is probably a lot warmer then mine since mine has to come up to the fifth floor and she lives in a one story home.


Mom was just devastated and upset that all my hard work had been ruined but....there is some good news even when good knits go bad....

As bittersweet as it is, my Mom is glad to have a reason to wear my Dad's sweater. She's glad that it won't just be sitting in the closet looking lonely anymore and it gives her some comfort to "feel" my Dad's sweater giving her a hug.

Plus a certain someone seems to have found a new object of his affection......


From the minute I put it down to take a picture, Pumpkin's interest was most definitely piqued!



He kneads it constantly while purring like a motorboat and he bunny kicks it when he wants to play and he's even made it his new bed...


And even when he's not sleeping on it, he's defending his turf!

So in the end, good knits gone bad aint so bad afterall -- Mom's happy, the P-Man is happy and I have great blog fodder even tho it cost me a sweater! :)


On to the knits that survived the carnage, heh.

Annetrelac Socks!


The Sock Knitters Anonymous Challenge for March was entrelac and despite having knit entrelac a few times before I couldn't think of a pattern to show of this gorgeous Bearfoot yarn any better!

Specs:

Annetrelac socks by Sandy Beadle, Interweave Knits, Holiday 2007

1 skein Mountain Colors Bearfoot, Goldrush colorway

Mods: Bearfoot is a "beefy" fingering weight yarn with little memory because of the mohair content. I cast on 64 stitches (instead of 72) with a 2.5 mm 32” circ. Because entrelac is knit on the bias it often swatches out with a much higher gauge than regular circular knitting. To compensate for that I switched to a 2.0 mm when I started the entrelac and decreased to 36 stitches so I had six “squares” in each round rather than the 8 the pattern had.

After 9 rounds of the entrelac I returned to the 2.5mm needle and increased back 64 stitches.

I added a mini flap of 8 garter rows and then worked a garter stitch short row heel over 32 stitches.

I then decreased the gusset down to 60 total stitches for the foot. (32 for the instep/28 for the sole)

I also added a 6x2 rib to the instep for a snug fit.

I knit for a size 10.5 mens shoe and I had a tiny bit of yarn left over.

Here's a close up of the wonderful heel


As an aside, this was my second garter stitch short row heel and I totally ♥ it!! It's a great fit, looks sharp and despite having to double wrap the short rows, you don't have to pick up the wraps because of the texture of the garter stitch hides them and best of all - NO HOLES!! :)

All in all, an easy knit with a jazzy end product - I give the yarn and pattern two thumbs up!

Speaking of thumbs....and the rest of my knails, yuk yuk yuk...

Here's my latest sock with my latest knails...


The sock is called "Pink Blossom" and I'm test knitting it so no links (but it's WAY cute!) the yarn is Panda Cotton in the Ember Glow colorway, and the knails are OPI Brights Collection in "Color Me Blue"....I've been noticing a lack of blue in my color palate of late so I thought I'd rectify that in a big way :)

Also please note what the sock is leaning on....yep, it's baaaaaack!!!

Keep your fingers crossed that she keeps working and the P-Man and I will be back soon. Have a great weekend and knit lots!

35 comments:

Sharlene said...

The entrelac socks are awesome! And I really like the look of the garter stitch heel. I just realized I've never done a garter heel and now I want to try it out!

KSee said...

Oh, no about your Mom's sweater. I know P-man is loving it but you could make your Mom a handbag from it. The sleeves could be made into fingerless gloves.
Your socks at stunning. Fantastic knitting.

YarnThrower said...

Wow -- I love your socks! I've never tried entrelac before, and it looks particularly challenging on a sock!

So sorry about your mom's sweater... I'm glad she still has your dad's sweater! Make sure she lets you wash it! :-)

Lorette said...

Oh, that's scary about the felted sweater, but at least she had a backup, and P-man gets a bed out of the deal.
Those socks are spectacular. I just would not have the patience to knit entrelac socks, but they are a work of art!

Kate/Massachusetts said...

Debi, If the sweater really doesn't fit your Mom, could you perhaps cut it apart and sew it into a pillow to cuddle? Mom and P-man would certainly enjoy it!

Anonymous said...

You didn't lose a sweater. P-man gained a bed.

Do you do your own nails? I can't polish straight if my life depended on it. I'd have nail polish ALL over the edges. :-( Just not one of the talents I posess.

Also --- why 'k'nails? Is there a story behind the k?

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad your Mom had your Dad's sweater for comfort. The socks and nails are dazzeling!!

La Cabeza Grande said...

You knock my "socks" off! The entrelac is just so beautiful. Well done!

Anonymous said...

Oh, my heart sinks about your mom's sweater, but at least she has your dad's to cuddle in.

The entrelac socks are da bomb!!! as are your nails!!! I am a no-manicure girl (can't have nails because of my keyboards -- they slow me down too much) and I always envy the pretty nails.

Batty said...

Oh dear... from sweater to cat bed... eek. Lovely socks, though. And I love the blue manicure! I just had to cut off my nails and take off the interesting polish because it didn't work with our corporate dress code. I miss my long nails!

Anonymous said...

Lovely knitting! Do you have a link to the garter heel directions? Or are the directions in the magazine? I'm too lazy to go dig it out. :-) The socks look great.

Sorry about your dad. My dad passed away almost a year ago and it's still a very strange hole in my life. I never knit him a single thing and I sure wish I had.

Bullwinkle said...

Those socks are gorgeous! ... runs off to dig out IK's Holiday edition...

Ouch about the sweater. (Yay for P-man!) I've cut several (felted) sweaters up for pillows or cat beds. (I keep saying I'm going to make a purse, but it hasn't happened yet.) The felt is wonderful for pet beds (because it is now washable and it contains the dirt/fur from "falling" through less dense "weaves".)

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about the felting "incident", but now your mom can wear your dad's cardigan and Pumpkin has a nice bed.
Fingers crossed for the motherboard!

Carole Knits said...

It's nice that Pumpkin has adopted the sweater, a happy ending for everyone. Your entrelac socks are terrific. I knit a short row garter stitch heel for one of the Sock Madness test knits and I liked that way it came out a lot. No holes is the best part!

wollfrauke said...

jikes......a knitters nightmare... but P- Man is happy..most important ;)

And those socks look great... already added to my todo list.

Debi said...

Dee - Yes they are my unenhanced, natural knails and I do all my own manicures. And Knails go with Knitting of course! :)

Alex - Adding the garter stitch heel was my mod but it's quite easy...it's just any ordinary wrapped short row heel except you knit every row and don't have to pick up the wraps! If you google I'm sure you can find more info if you need it!

Becky said...

I think it's great how your sweaters are cycling around. They are much-loved.

Leslie said...

Lucy Neatby has garter stitch heels - I found directions on her site a couple of years back.

I think it's wonderful your Mom has your Dad's sweater to hug her now. He is still there for her in more ways than one with that sweater. (big teary smile on my face)

Good Gateway Luck and scritches to Pman please if you are allowed to get near enough when he's on his new bed :)

Monika said...

Oh, that's too bad about your dad's sweater! I'm glad everybody seems to be O.K. about it. I LOVE your Anntrelac socks! I have to make them some day. Thank god I got a copy of this magazine. The shade of blue on your nails looks pretty, I like it.

Agnes said...

You can knit mom a new sweater some time ... and it's true, though with one beautiful sweater ruined, it seems everybody is now happy and every sweater is put into good use. Not a bad situation after all.
The Blue knail is so funky! The Annetrelac socks are so beautiful ... maybe it's the only pattern I regret not buying the Interweave Holiday! :D

Opal said...

I love the blue knails! The P-Man looks so adorable on his new bed. :)

Dorothy said...

So glad that at least there was semi-happy ending for good knits gone bad. Just spent the morning with Kris and A.G. Enjoying the visit, but man this Florida weather is HOT! Do you ever wear your wool socks?? The entrelac socks are lovely and I really like that colorway - socks and knails!

Kris said...

Sorry about the accidental felting but I am glad your mom is wearing your dad's sweater. And I loved the story.

Annetrelac socks look beautiful.

Oh... are you sending me secret "go gator" messages by putting that nail polish up against that color of sock. You're gonna mess up my mojo with that and I'll be forced to fight back with some garnet and gold!!!!

Madge said...

(I'm woefully behind in blog reading, but better late than never....)

What a poignant, sweet post. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Your entrelac socks are oh so spiffy. So are your blue nails. (I used to wear a very similar cobalt blue Mary Quant color. I loved it.)

So, is the computer holding up? It better be, or I'm gonna come over and break its knee caps.

*scritches* to the P-Man

Carol said...

OOOuch! The P-Man looks exactly like he's saying "A bed for meeee?" The socks are simply gorgeous!

bookwoman said...

What a great sweater story (even if it had it's scary moments). And the Anntrelac socks are great.

Knittinreed said...

What a sweet finish to a sad sweater story. My mom wears a lot of Dad's shirts now that he is also gone. It is very comforting.
Beautiful socks.

Anonymous said...

I love your knitting! It is a shame that your mom's sweater was shrunk, but it is lovely that she is now wearing your dad's. ♥

I came here through the "Blogoversary" button! I am celebrating my upcoming blogoversary with a giveaway!!! :) I would love to have you come and enter it!

:)

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the comment!!! I am having two more giveaways in the next week or so, too! Maybe you'll want something from them! (I am still working them out...) :) But thanks so much for wishing me joy!! (Joy is my middle name! haha)

Robin said...

How sad about felting but how cool that she gets to wear Dad's now and P-Man has a new snuggle. Those socks are amazing. I am a little intimadated (sp) by entrelac.

Diane said...

Your mom gets to wear your dad's sweater, the P-man get a new place to relax, and you get some great socks (along with a kick ass nail color). Sounds like everyone came out a winner.

Kimberly said...

Oh I remember that picture! I made a ribby cardi last year and I was impressed with yours. I think it's a win/win situation there though-p-man is one happy guy.
Pretty nails!

Ketutar said...

Your parents remind me very much of my own :-) My dad is also about a feet taller than my mom :-D
And I'm really happy she can use his sweater :-)

Monique said...

Ooooohhhh love the nails.

Stephanie said...

Glad to hear your mom is wearing your dad's sweater. My suggestion, if you need one, is to convert that felted sweater into something else, even a toy. My Mom 'helped' me by doing the wash for me while I was sick and felted my second knitted sweater. After I got over the agony (a couple of years), I cut it up and made it into a sweater for my cousin's son and knitted new (washable) ribbing for the neck, wrists and bottom. Three different kids have worn this and it has just been handed down to another cousin's daughter.

Those socks are fabulous!! Great job!