I haven't had much to talk about since my last post as most of what I'm doing is a bunch of the same old stuff, but I thought I'd update you all about it anyway. Doesn't that sound like fun?
Before I get to my knitting, look what I did yesterday!
Yep, I finally graduated high school. Now, you may ask, "but Peter, you're a college senior, how is it that you didn't graduate high school?" The answer is more simple than you may think. There was this one class my senior year of high school that I just didn't complete. There were a couple of papers I never got around to writing (because I thought they were pointless) and instead of giving me a lower grade in the course, they gave me an incomplete and I wasn't allowed to graduate.
When applying to colleges, they ask for your most recent grades (which would have been my grades through December) and upon acceptance to my school, I just never got around to giving them my final transcript (because it was incomplete, you see.) I was allowed to walk on the day of my "graduation" (May 24, 2006), but I was handed an empty diploma holder instead of the real thing. I don't know where that folder is.
Anyway, I have now graduated. No, I didn't write those papers, but my high school principal didn't think it looked good to have a student who never graduated from his school going on to college, so he finally requested that I send him my transcript from college, and he applied credit from some of my college courses to fulfill the requirements of my high school classes and all is well again.
See? Everything works out in the end.
Procrastination and persistence: 1
Doing the right thing at the right time: 0
Ok, moving on to the knitting I've been doing. I finished up the front of my brother's sweater, knit up one sleeve, and am now about 14" into the second sleeve. I'm almost done!
I've also knit one of the socks I'm knitting for another brother. It went really quickly because I'm using Cascade 220 from a leftover project. I don't know how well it'll wear, so for the toe/heel I held it together with some green reinforcement thread I had sitting around. I still don't know where it came from though - I've never used reinforcement thread nor have I ever bought it, but there is was in my stash drawer.
I knit it toe up and really like the result. My only problem is the cuff. I knit it in 1x1 rib and used a tubular bind-off to maintain the stretchiness. It was so pretty when I finished, but in order to be functional, it had to stretch a bit and when the sock isn't worn, it looks like this.
Is it normal for the cuff of a toe-up sock to be so ugly?
ETA: I forgot to ask if anyone has used Jo Sharp Silk Road before and whether they think it would be acceptable to use for the seaming of my brother's sweater. Thoughts?
I have a friend that skipped graduation from high school but went on to college, I'll have to tell her about you.
ReplyDeleteStrange unpurchased things wander into stashes all the time.
Yes, the top of socks can look like that, even if you work top down.
Yes, it should work fine for seaming, just don't pull too tight.
Good work on all of the above!
Dude, you are such a bad example to all those impressionable young people out there! Also, a tubular binding often reduces the ugliness of sock tops. Did you do a few rounds of slipped stiches before kitchnering (Knit the knits, slip the purls, then vice versa?) this usually helps with the strechy thing. BTW kudos on thinking of the tubular bind off, it is the best thing for toe ups!
ReplyDeleteYou know, you are a very interesting character ;) I'm glad you finally got your diploma. Can't wait to see that ribby sweater FO.
ReplyDeleteYou are a hero, a true hero. Congratulations on your graduation! Now does that give you a good enough excuse to have a graduation party?
ReplyDeleteI used Kathmandu Aran to sew up the Durrow sweater and it was fine. I think the strand may have split a couple times when I was threading the side seams, but I just started a new strand then. If you want to be safe then I would just go with something a little more sturdy like cascade 220 or whatnot.
Peter,
ReplyDeleteThat is too funny! Just think...you almost graduated college before high school. Anyway, congratulations! Also, I am looking forward to seeing the finished sweater. It's a nice color. By the way, I think the yarn that you spun in your last posting yielded very nice results. One would never have imagined in the unspun form that they would compliment each other like they do. Be well!
Ray Flanary
Congratulations! Slacker. I can't say about sock tops - I usually do mine in 2x2 ribbing, it seems to stay pretty flat. I also do them toe-up with a sewn-bind off. Maybe that is different than the tubular bind off? I have heard that you should only use 20" of yarn for seaming at a time, to reduce problems like it getting messed up from pulling it through stitches over and over again. You could try that.
ReplyDeleteActually - yes. All of my toe-ups do anyway. It's one of the things I'm not really fond of in that method.
ReplyDeleteOddly.... I have a first cousin that went to your high school. What are the odds of that? He's 34 or 35 this year, so I'm sure you weren't there at the same time.)
I love it when being a slacker pays off. ;^)
ReplyDeleteSock tops can look like that. Cuff down or toe up. I think it's more about the amount of stretchiness and how the ribbing relaxes. I usually do 2x2 and don't have much trouble.
Love that sweater, btw.
Dude, I know James is a skinny guy, but is he THAT skinny? LOL
ReplyDeleteAlso, now I'm curious about who Anne's cousin is. He probably graduated a year or two before I got there, but there's a chance I've heard of him! Small world.
Congratulations, Mr. Graduate. At least, I think that's what you offer someone who has just taken the "system" and turned it on its ear. You sure you're actually studying music and not political science or law? :-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the graduation:) You have two lucky brothers, nice socks! I've been using a 1X1 ribbing for socks lately and it seems to stretch out a bit less than 2X2.
ReplyDeleteso you don't even call and wish me a happy birthday, but you're in the midst of knitting projects for OTHER siblings?! After I even congratulated you for graduating high school and made you a high school graduation present 3 years early?! lame!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the diploma! It would have been pretty funny if you'd made it all the way through college without graduating high school!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, I took my last two years of classes at the university in my town, and my high school decided that because of some weird way the credits transferred, I was actually .5 credits short in English. So they had me tutor in the writing center for .5 credits my last quarter...which was something they only allowed college juniors in English to do! I thought it was pretty funny that they didn't think I had enough English to graduate high school, but did have enough to work as a tutor.
Congratulations on graduating, I am somewhat confused about the nuances as my national education system says I either went to remand home or got a hospital job on 'finishing' whatever education was available at the local 'comprehanesive' school. Ah happy days.
ReplyDeleteWell done on the Knitting, I feel that jumper will look mighty fine, quite fancy one of those on a broad chest.
Congratulations, High School Grad. I like the lesson learned: doing the right thing at the right time just isn't what it's cracked up to be.
ReplyDeleteI think the Cascade 220 will wear fairly well. Seems to be holding up heartily enough for my projects of days gone by (although it's true I'm not walking on top of them...).
Congrats!!!! Thanks for working on the sweater with me.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on graduating! I'm a little jealous of your means, though. I didn't graduate with my class, was not allowed to walk to get an empty folder and had to take English summer classes to get my diploma - all because of a serious case of acute child-rearing and a jackass english teacher who didn't approve of me being an unwed mother and so took it out on me in my grades. ;op (I had my daughter my senior year of HS)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the graduation!! I'm so proud of you... I too find that procrastination typically works out in the end.
ReplyDelete