Constructobot

2008-07-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

Wow. Talk about a pause. But much has been done, or at least begun, in constructobotland.

socks for next winter for the Zephyr. Can we talk about the satisfaction of turning tiny heels?

oh- and I don't think I posted this. Here is a finished Jaywalker...that I'm going to frog. Sorry, ubercool pattern that looks so neat in stripy sock yarn! It is so evil to get it over my heel, and I am someone with almost a flat foot, so there's no arch in the way. I can't bear wincing when I put on something I knit, so I'm ripping it out and knitting something else. I still like the chevron though, so I'll probably try another pattern with the "v", but more stretch.

gratuitous happy baby picture, wearing knit soaker, of course. The Zephyr.

2008-04-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

Just to warn you, I'v e been trying to post this for a week, but every time I try to load photos, they never make it. Sigh. There's nothing more boring than an almost pictureless blog, but I'm here!

Work proceeds apace on what I like to think of as the last pair of wool soakers I shall knit for the Titan. Warm weather and toilet training lurk round the corner. So here is the final pair, approaching completion. There's not enough teal for the legs, so I'll have to crib it from somewhere else. Will the final one have a drawstring or elastic? I think the latter, just to amuse myself, and have less for her to pull loose.

that's even though I have an I-cord MAKER!! Ha ha! Never (almost) again will I have to trudge through another cord- now I can make millions, millions at the turn of a crank! Amazingly, sock yarn leftovers make quite nice, spongy cords. I also tried my hand at using cotton to make a desperado plant-hanger. Not too bad.

And, though it is endlessly visually boring, work proceeds on my simple sweater- whenever I finish a piece, it all curls up on itself and looks like nothing. But just wait till I get it blocking- then you will all be impressed. I have moved on to the front now, and have done one half, and started the other half. Two sleeves, a whole lot of seams, and I'll be done!

And lastly, I give you pictures of the craft room. I rescued myself from drudgedom, and took over the best of the 3 basement rooms (and importantly, one that doesn't freeze liquids in the winter), and am feeling quite cozy there. Oh, there's stuff all over, and I've yet to build some simple counters out of some stuff we have lying around, but come on! A whole room, rather than things crammed into closets! I don't have to keep putting my sewing machine back up on a closet shelf- that alone is worth it. Oh, and I"m finally learning how to use the thing, since it was an incredibly nice hand-me-down sent by my sister right before we moved. Being very pregnant and packing with a toddler was sadly not the best time to learn about new machines. But finally I have threaded it and sewn a test line- that to me is progress. I do miss the iron heaviness of my great aunt Ruth's machine (and it's not gone), but sewing with a flashlight taped on gets old fast. And you have to pay much to even have someone look at your machine to see if it can be fixed! aargh

2008-04-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Quick, the babies are asleep!

It really happens. Sometimes- and here, a moment in which the girls are not only asleep, I am by myself and able to post! Unicorns are about to fly out of my nostrils as well, keep posted.

So- first, a first for me- felted balls. I bought some roving, in celebration (somehow), of my (somewhat) imminent niece or nephew. Why? to felt little balls, of course!

I also bought yarn for a secret project for this forthcoming relative, one with duly complicated pattern and thoughtful construction, or so I hope. When I've actually got something going, I'll post a little preview. I don't know if I'll ever catch up to my sister in the amazingly awesome clothing for children department, but I've got to give it a shot. I'm hoping to wow the little one with my crazed knitterly prowess, or at least a facsimile thereof. Luckily, until they are at least two, they can't actually say "no". Not much anyway.

Completed- an experimental tray that is to be felted in my washing machine. Hopefully soon, and hopefully to wonderful effect. I feel like I need to buy a lot more dishsoap for this, but am going to give it a go with my laundry detergent first. for now- the tray! Duly basted with cotton according to one book's recommendations:

Work on the sweater for Constructobot herself continues apace, and I have just finished one half of the front. It is particularly gratifying to work on when given guff by the Titan or the Zephyr- something for me, mwa hah! Will post pictures soon- it will probably continue to look woeful until I block something of it.

Oh! and much work was done on the crypt craft room- shelves half-installed. Can I express with what a-flutter I say the words "craft room"? These syllables no longer exist only in my heart and mind, but in my own non-creepy basement! pictures to follow...

2008-03-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Linen stitch, I love thee!

So, in the search to protect more of the Zephyr's sweaters from mad yoke felting due to excessive drooling, I devised an itsty bib. In deciding on a stitch for this wee thing, I decided on linen stitch, since I'm pretty sure I messed it up on another project, and I wanted to practice. In making these smaller-than-gauge-swatch-bibs, I got a little example of the beauty of this dense little stitch. How cool it looks! How wildly sturdy, and attractive from both sides, I might add. It amuses me even more that I thought the back was the front, and only now see that the front does, in fact, resemble woven fabric. Ahem.

Look upon these itsy bibs! Plus, I get to use buttons, which is fun. In order to keep up with the drooling, I need to make probably 4 or even 5. The Zephyr is beatific, and currently, prolific.

Another note- I'm not one of those insta-cool peole who immediately come up with perfect nicknames. I now realize what my elder child's blog name is. It is not Constructobit, nor Parrot, but the inevitable (and what I really call her sometimes) : Titan! So the Titan and the Zephyr, my children are thus properly named. They are apt.

Another project- doesn't look like much, but it will be the first of a number of felted trays to hold my flatware. Longer explanation forthcoming, but it's mostly an experiment in machine felting. It's garter stitch on 11s.

And last, something of an inspiration for future projects. This is a recently acquired t-shirt of the Titan's , and the colors are super! Colorwork is starting to burble in my imagination, as I complete what seems an endless morass of plain projects. Nice, stranded, complex colorwork, please! This is in mind for some projects for my sister, but they are murky as of yet...

2008-03-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

I bet you thought I wouldn't post, didn't you? Wrong! Both girls are asleep for this microsecond, so I type.

In progress: wool soaker and sweater.

Soaker for Parrot, one of a zillion, but hopefully getting the fit a bit better. I'm trying going from 4s to 5s to 8s, rather than 6s in the middle. I may also try varying the rate of decrease on the flaps, since they seem to flap a bit at the bottom of her butt. Can I do this without it becoming weird? Who knows.

And for me, a sweater! My first sweater for me me me! Started in a furor after Parrot refused her birthday socks (sigh), it goes apace. It is a modified version of a knitty sweater, Vanilla Spice. I'm making the cardigan into a pullover, and I want it to look sort of inside out- I'm going to put all seams poking out, and I'm doing the back in two sections too, to increase the seamage. The arms are shortrowed at the top, but I'm planning on some false seam stitch down the arm.

It is super curly, but the long piece is half of the back. The fabric itself is quite nubbly. I found it, still in skeins, at Savers or all places. I usually recycle sweaters there, but there was this one great haul of yarn, and I pounced.

2008-02-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

Leggings done, vest almost

These have been done for a while- the Zimmerman baby leggings, with some lost rows on the top and sideways placed decreases on the ankle (don't ask me). All in all, they look a bit weird, though the ones I made for Parrot have made it through 2 winters and only now look normal. That's what you get for knitting things waaaay ahead in the fit department. Still, for a 2 month old who likes to be warm, it works fine.

ANd the birthday vest- done and redone, now having pockets put on, since the Parrot put on the vest and sadly shoved her hands into the armpits. Pockets! And, there was icord edging around the whole thing, but I did it at the wrong rate and it pulled in so as to be uncomfortable on the neck. I redid the armpits , but kind of couldn't bear to go round the whole outside again. I'm thinking of making some kind of stand up collar- in garter stitch? I've made the whole dang thing up as I went anyway, so it is only fitting

2008-02-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

Green Vest!

Here, I post a less than flattering photo of yours truly, all in the spirit of commemoration. The green vest was indeed finished, and has indeed been worn. Wildly shortened from the original pattern, I think I like it, but have to admit that the style is a bit... matronly. If only I had inherited my mother's gamine figure, and slender chest! Ah well- I am still pleased with it.

The pattern is from Folk Vests, by Cheryl Oberle. It is the Bookworm Vest, and I am still envious of the buttons in the book. Now I'm thinking the long length in the pattern maybe wasn't so dumb, but I had to go against the idea of knitting a long tube down past my butt- how could that look good? I give you an example of what it looks like short. I think there were some gauge changes as well. The yarn was Berroco, 50% wool 50 % alpaca

2008-02-17T20:24:00.001-08:00

Embarassing caesura since my last post. But a good excuse- a new daughter has entered Constructoland. She is most willing to model my latest dye job on an old baby sweater that was knit for her older sister. The original pale color was most unforgiving to the copious amounts of drool that inevitably come with babies. Purple is much better.

Here she is!

more posts to come of finished objects. to inspire myself and tantalize you, my patient public : a list of things to photograph and record:
new baby leggings
purple socks
birthday vest
muff
Constructobot vest
Constructobot bonnet
progress on latvian mittens
toddler boot socks
schopenhauer sweater

2007-09-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Made from yarn I made! Winter bonnet for Parrot, a bit roomy but fits well enough. Yarn feels uber spongy

Also from handspun, and you can see where I ran out. Who cares? I'm going to finish the toe with something else and sew on some soles for house slippers, since I finally own an awl.

The project that will be finished before the Traveler arrives! It is a modified "bookworm vest" from Folk Vests. I basically shortened it and have a different gauge. We'll see if my bad math works out. Am planning on knitting madly on it during my knitting mothers weekend this sat/sun- all knitting, no babies. THis is good, very good :-)

2007-09-02T13:54:00.001-07:00

Handspun! Plied! Done!

Now it just has to dry. Here is drop-spun yarn made from roving bought at the Sheep and Wool festival in... somewhere to the southeast of the twin cities. Yummy colors, and I apologize that I have no photos of the chunky braid.

But here is the result!

first, some leftover single ply that I kept for the heck of it:

Pretty yummy, ja? I envision mittens and winter bonnet for Parrot. Yum yum!

2007-08-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Post From Beyond Zardoz!

Yes, knitting has been done. But much more babychasing. Still- at last some finished objects to show

First, wildly belated slipper socks for my mother-in-law

Second, a sweater for Parrot (formerly Constructobit, but now more aptly named), meant for use this coming fall, when she would be a bit larger, but it was finished just in time for a trip to Alaska, where it was needed and used- satisfying! The quote around the bottom is a shortening of "Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung", the name of Schopenhauer's life's work. Mr. Constructobot is a philosopher, and studied Schopenhauer, among others. He thought the spirit of the title apt, as it means "The world as will and imagination". If you've ever heard the phrase "will to power", that's Schopenhauer. Glum, kind of a woman-hater, but had cool ideas about the arts and the manifestation of the will. Anyway, time spent with Parrot affirms a manifestation of the will to power, and imagination. The truncated quote on the sweater reads "wille und vorstellung"

Made up mostly, with guesses about raglan depth and whatnot. Buttonholes and buttons added after sweater sewn together on all parts but front raglan seam, then stitches picked up for a few rounds of garter with buttonholes added in, and a collar.

2007-02-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

Soaker Madness

At Chez Constructobot, there is a lot of hidden knitting going on. I mean, when you're basically knitting someone's underpants, how often does it come up as knitterly chit-chat - "Oh, I just finished another pair of wool underpants for my daughter". It kind of sounds like a medieval geas or something- unthanked knitting of wool underwear until my child can speak and say "Stop!"

But I am stretching the truth. The truth is, knitting wool soakers is very satisfying, since they are the most USED knitting I've ever seen in my life, and as I've said to friends, "you never knit faster than when you're covering you're baby's butt". That said, there is the endless interest of finding the best, most satisfying soaker pattern- I've tried many, and had many laughable and usable results. I'd make a big photo op of all the soakers at once, but some have been transferred down to the increasingly inaccessible storage room with other things of Bitbots that are too small, to await other occupants.

Hey- that's a joke- occu-pants! Um, I've been alone too long painting today. Fumes. Here are two recent iterations of the endless needful, the Wooly Soaker. Need I say that these function wonderfully well with cloth diapers, and we've never bought a cloth/plastic cover? No lie!

Here is one with an experimental waistband- ok, but the tendency to flip and roll in there is maddening. Plus I accidentally did two patterns at once and added unnecessary short rows so the backside is... generous. But everything's cute on a baby!

Another made of cool wool/soy yarn given by my friend- very pretty! Colors are very pretty, and after a lanolizing bath, it is in business!

2007-02-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

Bitbot Vest Rescued!

So a birthday vest was knit for Bitbot, for her first birthday, last week. She had happily worn it many times since its completion, but the very REASON it was designed and knit was being foiled by bad design/lazy knitter. It kept flipping up over her lower back, the body part it had been knit to cover! WHy? garter stitch/different yarn weights/needle sizes etc.

But why did it really not work? I didn't wet-block it.

Um, I considered reknitting the whole back flap part, but first blocked it, and it magically works! Yarn relaxed, pinned into place over a baby butt form, courtesy of two small rubber bowls and a towel. Yay!

Also, I learned why the mystery shetland yarn was so oily feeling- it was some kind of spinning grease, I think. I had my hands almost moisturized whenever I knit with it, and just thought- "oh, lots of lanolin". But then I dunked it in a bit of woolwash, and I'm embarrassed to say the water instantly turned brown! It didn't look dirty before, I swear. But after nice washing and pinning, it's ever so much better. A picture of Bitbot in it to follow...

2007-02-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

at last! it's done

A bit late for christmas, but all I'm going to say is voila!

Adapted from Starsky , knitty.com I changed the cables for my own preferred ones, and modified the arms to make them tighter on the upper arm, and looser at the cuff, per the recipient's wishes. I sent it off to L.A. a few days ago- hope she likes it!

2006-12-05T10:46:00.000-08:00

Long trip, much knit!

Would have been more, but ran out of toted yarn for this project- a sweater for Bitbot

and now I am madly making socks. Yule socks for Mr. Constructobot were completed, and shall be posted. But seeing those deliciously pink swirly confections made Constructobot long for her own feet to be covered.... in stripes! Note clever addition of sewing thread for heel reinforcement. We'll see how well it works. These are also experiments in toe-up short row toe and heel construction. There has been considerable scheming on the merits of afterthought heels, but that will come later.

2006-11-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

I Made Yarn!

Thanks to the generosity of my spindly friend, I have now done everything except navajo ply- I've used a drop spindle, tried a spinning wheel- I am giddy! This is yarn spun then plied on my very own drop spindle, made for me by Mr. Constructobot. Having heretofore only tried plying thin recycled lambswool, I was surporsed by the springingess of just-spun yarn when it was plied- it sprung together enticingly.

2006-11-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

Trellis!

Time for more wool sweaters, as Constructobit's arms are more and more visible at the end of her wool sleeves. A mystery wool gift from Aunt Seattle has resulted in a very pretty beginning. Yes, the original yarn was two differnt yarns painstakenly wound together ot make a bulky yarn, but Constructobot has painstakingly taken them back apart so she gets TWO yarns. Yum.

And, at long last, a project comes together. A christmas present from last christmas for sister-in-law. A modified "Starsky" from knitty- different cables, basically. Here it is a-blocking this warm afternoon...

Whew- almost done- must knit belt and make belt loops, seam and present!

2006-11-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

At last- baby pants

2006-11-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Baby Leggings!

Of course I had to knit more. Here they are in progress- almost done now, as the child will wear them instantly upon completion:

and evidence of my friend's generosity- not only did she lend me her spindle to practice on- she gave me some fiber to practice with- whee! This is green merino and I spun it myself, myself! The shadowy precipice of a roving sea stretches before me...

2006-10-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Are you ready?

Constructobit is.

Now that she has her own Samsonite! Adventures commence with child-sized luggage. What will we cram in there? Who knows. Lucky for her, Constructobit is now too large to fit within the confines of her suitcase comfortably. Dang!

2006-10-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Detroit Lakes

Yes, Minnesotans are probably bored to tears by the subject of lakes, but to new transplants, their mystique holds strong. Particularly when inlaws have a timeshare on a big ol' lake. Off we went to the 'resort' town of Detroit Lakes, and we stayed on what was undeniably a large body of water. Pretty moon

Then, we walked around in the fall weather until my camera broke and the snows came (in that order).

2006-10-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Purple Pants!

My friend gave me some yummy purple yarn that I instantly transformed into purple pants for Bitbot. Can I tell you the wonder of 3 stitches per inch? What a perfectly ridiculous gauge! Love - it . I smile as I work on other 8 st/inch projects now, knowing how fast I COULD be knitting.
Anyway, here are the pants in progress:

And here they are completed! I loosely used Elizabeth Zimmerman's baby leggings from the Knitter's Almanac. I decided to do ribbing for the bottom of the leg, since wide flaring pant legs let in an interminable amount of sticks and sand. Happily, they do not make the child's legs look like sausages. This pleases Constructobot. I will later post a picture of Bitbot in her pants- they are so dark that the photos I took made her lower body disappear like she was wearing stealthpants.

What else, you say? What else has been constructed in this house? A bib has begun! No more shall Mr. Constructobot gnash his teeth at the inferiority of jersey knit bibs- so disgusting! So slow to dry after gup has been rinsed out! Perhaps others with washing machines in their domiciles simply close their eyes and toss the offending wads, but here in Luddland, it's a long way to laundromat day and you'd best be ready to squish in the sink. Plus we only have two.

Worries begone! One side a stylish oilcloth that will not absorb nasty goo! The other side, a more absorbent seersucker, due to Mr. Constructobot's taunts that food will simply slide off the bib onto Bitbot's pants. (her new knitted pants? horror!) I smugly assented, but am convinced that the latter will not occur, simply because the fabric is too pretty.

In progress:

And yes, in a rush of Luddite fervor, Constructobot did indeed sew on the bias tape by hand. It was much more satisfying.

2006-09-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

Craftobot Lives!

Short post to begin- a recently crafted sweater for Bitbot, from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac. Don't even ask me how many times I ripped back or made "clever modifications". In the end I learned this: you do use algebra in real life, lace stretches more horizontally than stockinette, and if the circumference of a baby sweater is too small, it will bunch up at the shoulders. Also, sewn bind off in garter stitch is really cool. Did I fix all my mistakes? Of course not- there's a cold baby around here! Best are buttons from my sister. If you were here, you would probably want to chew on them.