Tubular, dude! AKA techniques that have changed my life

There was a week last month where I learned two new knitting techniques within days. I was so excited that I wanted to blog about them instantly, but equally excited to continue using the techniques and keep working on my projects, so I just kept on knitting.

1. Tubular Cast On: I used the explanation here.  My pattern didn’t explain the technique at all, which sort of bothered me at the time. I understand pattern writers can’t break down every single little thing, but I’d never heard of the tubular cast on before, so I needed a bit of help. In a moment of genius (inspired by knowing that I learned technique #2 the same way), I searched Knitty.com’s archive.The tutorial there isn’t perfect (it took me two minutes to figure out the “backwards loop cast on”), but it’s pretty good. The end result is a beautifully finished edge that isn’t as thick as you may think. I’m going to look for reasons to use this again in the future. It took a little extra time, but was TOTALLY worth it.

 2. Russian Join:  Knitty linked me to this tutorial. It’s really genius. I’ve used it for every project since! I’m sort of kicking myself, because I’d heard it described almost a year ago on my favorite podcast, Stash and Burn. The beauty of the Russian Join is that it eliminates the need to weave in ends when you add a new ball of yarn into a project! That is my least favorite task, so this has really improved the quality of my knitting life. I’ve been suspicious of the spit splice, and frankly unable to make it work. The Russian Join is even better, though, because it works on any fiber content! Caveat: I have been knitting with Noro Kureyon almost exclusively since going on this kick, and it’s a thick-and-thin yarn that hides all manner of sins. I may change my mind about the Russian Join the next time I’m using a more uniform yarn. I did use it first, however, on Kid Silk Night and Dream in Color Classy, which are as uniform as they come!

Winter Knitwear Finally Used

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Originally uploaded by knitandwit

It’s snowing in Houston! As I type there is over an inch in my yard! I’ve lived up North, so I’ve had my run ins with snow, but it’s been a few years. Some friends came over and we ran around like kids throwing snowballs at each other. We also put up the Christmas tree and drank hot chocolate for adults.

It officially feels like the holiday season over here! And then it will be 70 degrees this weekend. C’est la vie!

Nothing to see here

I finished my Christmas knitting last week! I didn’t do much this year, so it wasn’t as stressful as, say, trying to finish a Dr. Who scarf and ensemble. Pictures to come after the holidays since some recipients may be looking.

I’ve started the Sunrise Circle Jacket in Noro Kureyon. I’ve finished the back and started a sleeve. Not much happening in my knitting life these days.

On the workfront, however, I got called in the day after Thanksgiving to help deal with a burst pipe in my supervisor’s office! The quick estimate we got was that 2,000 gallons of water dumped through the hole above her bookshelf. Not many library items were damaged, so that was a blessing. It’s been quite the week, though, helping her cull through and dump the debris. There was so much water that it soaked the office next to hers, seeped into our general area, covered the floor of our stacks and soaked through into the ceiling below us where ceiling tiles fell. It was amazing to see so much water in one relatively small spot.