Brought to you by the number Three

I have returned to the basic sock project that was suspended. I am tentatively naming them “In the Pink Fat Tuesday” socks. I think the blue spruce overdye makes it look like Mardi Gras. The original fiber→yarn was shades of pink. Also taking advantage of the other usage of “in the pink” meaning “healthy” to knit myself good wishes. 

I think the needles I am using for that are the needles I want for the lace beret project from the April fiber club fiber. 

I have an entire rant about the pattern that came with the fiber club shipment which I will sum up:  I think the pattern is obscenly tool intensive since it requires five SETS of knitting needles. Not a set of 5 DPNs. 4 different sizes in a variety of DPN and 16″ circ options. Then when I talked about having enough yarn for the project in the Rav group, I was told the pattern runs small.  This was a pay-for pattern, I expect sizing options to be given if it does not fit “normal” heads as written.

So I spent a bunch of time looking for other projects. I found a bunch of lace beret patterns but most of them said they wanted 400+ yards of fingering yarn… I finally caught on to the skein size. Sock yarn comes in really large skeins of 400+ yards, but making a hat from it will require much less yarn. I think I have settled on Reverie from the Spring 2009 Knitty. 

Sometimes I see patterns for sale and I think I might want to knit those. But every time I have dealt with patterns, they have all sucked in some major way. Printed books are riddled with errata. (Sometimes even the errata have errata.) I have not bought any stand-alone patterns aside from fiber club inclusions, and I have not knit any of them. Free patterns often have errors or sizing issues requiring me to do my own math, of that there is no doubt. Otherwise what am I paying for? If I buy a pattern, I want it to be ready to go and I want it to be carefully vetted. Without increased quality and decreased effort, I might as well do my own thing entirely and save the money. Not surprisingly, fewer people knit patterns one must purchase, so there are fewer eyes reviewing the pattern and leaving comments and caveats to those who come after. In a strange way, that means that popular free patterns are frequently better tested than any pay-for pattern is. I rarely buy knitting books. I own maybe 12 after 6 years. I have been disappointed in almost all of them. 

I would love it if someone could explain why I should be paying for patterns instead of waiting and looking for a similar free variant.

Playing it close to the vest.

I uploaded a picture of the “rose rot” yarn.

There is a picture of the hat I am making from the first skein of “Fireworks”; the hat is probably 80% complete.

And I actually looked at my Ravelry queue and moved stuff just into favorites. I am never going to make a plain jane vest and give some designer credit for it when it does not come in my size. I suspect I will make myself a pair of Cat Bordhi-designed socks before I do one of the other ones I found. I am not really going to knit a lace shawl. That is some flight of fancy.

There has been a decision. I have 20% of a hat, and one mitten (the first one is done) to do for other people, then I am next on the knitted projects. I am getting a vest or three.

I have some Swish superwash I intended as a quick knit, but the EZ pattern was not easy. (The more I think about Elizabeth Zimmermann’s “patterns”, the more cursing I have to remove before posting.) I have some lovely black Aran-weight yarn that cries to become a cabled vest, like the recent Knitty’s “Abrazo”. And I have several pounds of BFL that wants to become a sweater for me, but I really do not like sweaters with sleeves. I faved Cheryl Oberle’s “Many Buttons” vest from Folk Vests, but I have no idea where my copy of the book is. 

If someone has a really awesome vest pattern (waistcoat style or pullover) that is at least worsted weight yarn and comes in larger sizes (remember that a “medium” is a size 14 woman now, so no fair using those Vogue sizes where a large fits a size 8 woman.) I would most assuredly be interested.