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| Nummies 06/16/2013 09:40 PM |
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For the first time in ages, I've finally made some bread! Previously, I just hadn't been able to get up the motivation to do it, but tonight, I felt all energized. And I really wanted some bread. So I made some.
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| Another One Bites The Dust 06/15/2013 02:53 PM |
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Finally! I've had this project in process since March and it's just been sitting there doing nothing since April. But at long last, I get to mark it as done!
Oh well! At least it is no longer languishing. And with this one being marked as complete, my works-in-progress are at zero! Zero! I'm sure that won't be the case for long though; I have a cardigan up next but I'm not sure when I'm going to start that. The whole house buying thing has me rather distracted - it's tough to settle down and knit! |
| Chiaogoo Interchangeable Review 06/14/2013 04:12 PM |
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It's taken me a while, but I've finally gotten the chance to give the ChiaoGoo interchangeables some attention.
First off, the Spin. These bamboo needles come with clear nylon cables that swivels.
Naturally, since they are bamboo they are a bit grippy, but no more than my KAs. Bamboo typically has rather dull points, but I've been impressed with the pointiness of the Spins. Mind you, I picked up the ChiaoGoo Twist in a US4, but the point is finer than the KA Switch's point in the same size. I can't really compare them to the sharpness of the HiyaHiya bamboo as I have destashed the ones I got back when and even then I had a US10.5 which will have a larger point no matter what. Personally, I'm not in love with these just because of the feel of the bamboo, but I don't hate them. They are less grippy than the Clover needles I have used and seem only slightly grabbier than, say, a Knit Picks or Knitter's Pride needle. The ChiaoGoo metal needles are the Twist. These stainless steel needles have the well-known ChiaoGood red nylon-coated steel cables.
The other mark against these needles is the smell. I'm fairly sensitive to smells and I hate that dirty-metal smell (like the smell your hand gets when you handle a lot of coins). These cables smell like dirty change. Fortunately, the smell never transferred to my hands (a fact to which I credit the nylon coating) and it did fade after a few hours of knitting, but it was still a really distracting (and disconcerting) issue. Yuck.
Bottom line: Both HiyaHiya and ChiaoGoo are good options. HiyaHiya is still my winner but ChiaoGoo are solid-runners up. If the lifeline or nylon-coated steel cable were requirements for me in my what-needle-set-makes-me-happiest search, then ChiaoGoo. But since they are not, they don't. Previous posts in my needle hunt saga: Part I A and Part I B Part II Part III And some gushing about the winner My KA Switch short set review This post is my ChiaoGoo Spin and Twist review! |
| Step One: Complete! 06/13/2013 05:44 PM |
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It has taken me a shameful amount of time, but as of today, I have officially introduce myself to my sewing machine. I even made a mini-project to practice!
Now that I have defeated the sewing machine nerves, it is time to work on the lining of my poor knit bag project that has been languishing since April. Wish me luck! |
| In Other News... 06/12/2013 03:16 PM |
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Completely finished socks!
But they fit perfectly and I luf them. At this rate, by fall I'll have enough hand knit socks to finally get rid of some of my older, falling apart fun socks but still have a full sock wardrobe! (Because really, fall is the next time I truly expect to actually wear any socks for longer than a few photographs.) |
| Holy Veal 06/12/2013 01:37 PM |
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An offer Dan & I put in on a house was just accepted. I'm at a bit of a loss for words. OMG, we are going to buy a new house. Crazy! Also, autocorrect is a funny, funny thing. |
| Kitty News 06/11/2013 02:24 PM |
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Nothing resolved with Bitty yet. Her stitches are out and ear canal is no longer gunky but the bloody ball is still there and her eardrum is bowing a little. Could be a polyp, could be an infection, could be another tumor. More tests are needed to find out so we'll be doing that as soon as we find a place that has the right equipment (some sort of biopsy-taking ear scope). In other news (though still kitty related), it was Gidget's turn to get her annual exam and shots from the vet.
ETA: Gidget is back home - official test results should be back tomorrow! |
| Do I Love My KA Switch Interchangeables? 06/10/2013 10:54 PM |
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Last month, I bought a set of the KA Switch 2â interchangeables. I've knit two pair of socks with them now, so I think I'm ready to give my official opinion: two thumbs up... with a caveat.
But while I love having this set, I'm not completely in love with the needles. Since they are bamboo, they are a little grippier than my oh so perfect HiyaHiyas. These needles also have the size cut into the shaft of the needle. Really convenient to easily see what size everything is, but the small edges created by the imprints create a little extra drag and, with more difficult yarns, can snag a bit. This wasn't an issue for the orange socks I made; in fact the needles felt a bit silkier after knitting a sock in that yarn. But the purple pair above was a different story. I don't know if it was because that yarn was 25% nylon with the superwash wool (instead of 10% buffalo, like the orange socks) but boy, the needles ended up grippy and snaggy. A bit more than half way through the socks, I waxed the needles with some beeswax with really helped but that didn't seem to last on one of the needles. So I need to figure out a better bamboo moisturizer to help with that issue. Even during the worst of the snagging, though, they never got to, say, Clover level of rough grippiness. The second issue, not as big of a deal, is the dullness of the needle points. Honestly, they aren't dull compared to other bamboo needles, but compared to my HiyaHiya Sharps... yeah. Knitting with bowling balls. But for those used to knitting with bamboo, it's not going to be an issue. Those more into wood or metal needles, though, will notice the difference. Finally, the last issue that I didn't have a problem with but I imagine some others might is the cable. I think it is because they are so small, but the cables are a bit stiff feeling and they do have a memory. Check out the needle in the above picture. Quite a nice curve to the cable, huh? And with how it feels, I'm pretty confident when I say that the curve won't come out. But! I can honestly say it never caused an issue. First off, since they are 9" circs, it's not like their shape or orientation changes during knitting a sock - the curve just keeps curving. And when doing a heel or using two needles at a time to make the toes, the smooth-as-butter swivel on these babies makes even the strong curve imperceptible. I am a tad concerned about the sharp bend I've managed to put in them right at the end of the needle, but I'm thinking that the denseness (which is likely what gives the cables their rigidity) will protect the cables. (I'll update if that opinion changes!) Grippiness(/snagging), dull points and inflexible cables are the only non-positives of this set. I don't think the last one is really a negative since other factors cancel it out and cable rigidity tends to be a personal preference. I also accept that dullness just comes with bamboo needles. Which leaves me with the only unhappy aspect of these needles being the grip/snag. So yeah, I'm going to work on finding just the right type of wax to smooth these puppies out but it's not going to stop me from using these. Even with the worst of the snagging, it was better knitting with these than it was magic looping or doing two circs at a time. DPNs would have been fine but I like being able to attach a longer cable to try socks on while knitting and I just can't get a DPN-filled sock on my foot. So even snaggy 9" circs win all day long. Bottom line: I am not in love with the needles but I am in love with having 9â interchangeables, if you get the distinction. I do really like the needles, though more so when knitting with things like the orange yarn, not the purple. Of course, if HiyaHiya came out with a set of US0 and up 2â interchangeables, Iâd drop these babies like a bad habit. But as I don't think that's going to happen any time soon, I'm going to keep knitting with these (and enjoying it). As a side note: As of May this year, KA is switching their smallest sized connector from an M1.6 to an M1.8. So if anyone decides to get any KAs that have needles for the smallest sized connector, make sure to clarify with the vendor what size they are. Last news I had, KA will be discontinuing the M1.6, making any broken or lost needles (or accessories) hard to replace and there are no current converters on the market (from M1.6 to M1.8). Also, when I was trying to buy this set, KA was in the middle of the conversion which caused several vendors problems in getting all the accessories I wanted (cable connectors, end caps, extra needles) in the M1.8 size. I ended up contacting The Mannings who went above and beyond and were completely awesome by getting me everything I wanted in the new M1.8 size and in time for my vacation. Kudos to them! I highly recommend emailing them if anyone is looking for a great place to get KA products. Seriously awesome folks. (Especially when three other vendors gave me some version of the brush off when they figured out what I was looking for!) Yay for the Mannings! And yay for 9" interchangeable needle sets! Previous posts in my needle hunt saga: Part I A and Part I B Part II Part III Some gushing about the big winner The KA Switch Short set review is right here! And my Chiaogoo Spin and Twist review is here |
| Yet Another Pair! 06/10/2013 09:18 PM |
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I just finished my most recent knitting project: more socks!
Needless to say, my project notes are fairly extensive for this one. Mostly because I had to rewrite the pattern to do it toe up. Ultimately, I did manage to get the lace pattern on the socks backwards but since it took me a bit comparing pictures to figure that out, I'm content. Technically, I have a cardigan next on my to-do list but I really, really need to learn to use my sewing machine so I can finish off one project that has been sitting, abandoned since mid-April for want of a zipper and lining. So my cardigan is going to have to wait for me to learn to sew (again). I really should have finished up that project before starting these latest socks. In my defense, I didn't mean to knit these socks at all. But the test knit popped up and I couldn't resist. I have no impulse control. But that's okay, because I have more socks! |
| Tumor News 06/04/2013 11:11 AM |
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Just heard from the vet. The test results are in from Bitty's tumor and it was confirmed that it was a mast cell tumor. Fortunately, those are usually benign in cats and they were able to remove it entirely. We'll still need to watch for further spots, but it's not likely to be anything that requires any more treatment beyond a simple removal.
Bitty goes back Tuesday to have her sutures out and she'll get her ear canal checked out then. We are washing her ear with medicine daily so hopefully that will clear everything up. Fingers crossed that next week we'll have a cone-free, fully healthy Bitty! |
