Back to the squares.

Ashamedly, Babette has been in progress for over 3 years. How could that be? Well, I probably haven't worked on Babette for over a year. When I see pictures of other peoples completed projects, I get all excited and want to pull my squares out and work on them.

Before, the first problem was organization. Where were the finished squares? And my J hook? And my pattern? Was I really using a J hook? That looks huge. (I look it up on Ravelry). Now, how does one...crochet? Never mind that the squares are made entirely of chains and double crochet, how do you DO those things? No idea. Up come the YouTube videos, and I never get started.

I'm not using the recommended yarn or colors, so I haven't been following the elaborate square color chart to construct my color combinations. But then what happens is I worry. At this point my completed squares are a result of my haphazard color mixing. From now on I will supplement that style with squares created according to the pattern. How about that!?!

For my own reference I am circling the number of any squares I've done according to pattern on the massive grid.

I've laid out all my squares according to what's in grid 10 but it's just occurred to me that maybe I won't need to make grid 10. If it turns out that this blanket is gigantic, which it will be (I'm making the squares in worsted instead of fingering weight) maybe i only need to do grids 1-9 because 10 is tacked on to the end and could add an extra foot or more of length. I was aiming for a Babette that would cover a full/queen bed.  Grids 1-9 are fitted together to make a rectangle so removing #10 would be easy.

I organized my Babette squares and yarns month ago during a stash sort. So organization is no excuse for lack of progress. After much discussion with my friend C, I have a plan.

The pattern calls for 126 squares, broken down as follows:
Four-Rounds          49 (19 complete)
Two-Rounds          50 (10)
Six-Rounds            16 (2)
Eight-Rounds          7 (3)
Ten-Rounds            2 (0)
Twelve-Rounds      2 (0)

So, 34 finished squares, plus 2 1-round and 6 3-round squares that aren't really squares since they're not finished. 126 - 34 = 92.  If I crochet 2 squares a week it will take me 46 weeks, 6 weeks for finishing/edging/assemblage, and I can be done by Fall 2012. I think finishing will take a lot longer than 6 weeks. If I manage to finish more than 2 per week I can shift more time to the end for finishing. And who knows? Maybe I can start connecting the squares before I have them all done.

My plan now is to blog each completed square going forward. Here are the squares completed in the last two weeks. 2 per week, so I'm on target. Hooray!

 

Projects check in - late fall 2010

A few weeks ago I was sick and down for the count with the really bad cold that's been going around. My knitting friends tell me they are able to knit when sick, and I suppose I could probably manage some stockinette or garter stitch on a project, if I had one that was that simple.  I wish I spent more time working on knitting and other projects. When I'm sick I don't do much of anything, and when I feel fine I waste a lot of time on the internet or watching tv with knitting in my lap. Maybe I need to institute a rule that I can only watch tv if I'm actively knitting since I don't have any progress to show. I did try and knit while I was sick and realized later that I did have a stockinette hat in the round in progress, but instead had reached for my Lace Ribbon scarf - been in progress since, oh, May 16, 2009, according to my Ravelry notes.

Do I really knit that slowly? No. I have major startitis. It's disappointing that I can't seem to finish projects. Story of my life. REALLY. I think it might be time for a post about all of the 'in progress' projects and a run down of where they stand and why. Sound good?

I actually HAVE been working on some of these. Here's a quick list of what I've work on in the past month (fiberwise):

Babette - came out of hiding, looked at ALL the yarn. Started work on some in progress squares. Monday night 10/25 tried to start a new square and realized I can't remember how to start them. That's always been a stumbling block with this project, nothing new. Hate starting new squares.

Lace Ribbon scarf - this was next to the couch so I started working on it again 10/24. Have done 7 rows!

Citron - worked on at knitting group briefly 10/18. Realized I had a dropped stitch and panicked. Wasn't feeling good (impending monster cold) and set it aside with dropped stitch caught and marked. A big thanks to Jimmy who counted all 273 stitches and discovered that no, I didn't have any weird stitches going on and yes, just keep knitting. So, I've done another row, and put it down to work on

Black and White Pair, hat #2 - no excuse for this not being done other than monster cold. As I write this I am working on the i-cord stem of the hat, but stopped to post! I will definitely be able to follow up with another post on the finished product tomorrow!

Static Socks - probably 5 more rows knit because I was going through all my projects.

Emmaline - I stopped this because I reached the point in the armpit where I needed to continue on with the body, and the stitch count didn't add up. Now I've lost some weight and was thinking about ripping it out, but I think I will continue on and make the whole thing so at least I can say I've made myself a wearable garment. I was going to have to modify the belly area on the original pattern, but now I will knit it as written and see where I end up with the fit. Maybe I'll be finished by spring?

Wabenschal - I started this during my last flurry of startitis. I sort of like the pattern, but I am pretty sure I hate the yarn. Its scratchy and I can't think of anyone I could give it to who would be please to put this around their neck, so I'm going to move it to hibernation for now and probably frog it.
One project was in the current list, but...

Modified Twenny Dolla Sweater - officially frogged and put needles, yarn, etc back where they belong.


Posts coming up - an update on all my hibernating projects, sharing my new obsession craft, and reorganizing my craft bookshelf.

Slog along...

So, I was reading some posts by Mooncalf and trying to catch up so that I've read and seen all of her lovely knits, when I started reading a post called Slog Along 2010. In it she references a podcast by Stash and Burn as her inspiration, and it seems to have something to do with working on hibernating WIPS, so of course I want to know more. Didn't I just pull Babette out from the darkness and see what was what?

But what is this Stash and Burn? I typed it into Google and found a website with NINETY-SEVEN podcasts, ready for listening. How have I never heard of this before? I have only listened #97 so far, which prompted me to pull out ALL of the Babette mess that is on my yarn shelf...

Yes, that's 4 plastic shoebox-sized containers of yarn or squares and a bigger showbox, and a project bag of current squares and yarn. It looks like a lot but hey, if it's going to turn into a full/queen blanket then there had better be a lot of yarn! I bought the yarn in two stages. When I first committed to the project I waited until a sale at AC Moore and bought 20? skeins, in 17 colors. Then a long while later, the Vanna's Choice line was expanded to include brighter colors, and I went out and bought 5 of those. Doesn't it look nice with my blue couch?

On another note, the handle end of my Babette crochet hook is nicked and is bothering my hand something terrible. Any thoughts on how to fix? I wrapped the end in medical tape, but that's now a bit sticky and irritating. I know there's Plasti-Dip, cool handle dippy stuff, but it's probably cheaper to just get another hook right? Anyone has a spare round-tipped J hook that they can't stand the sight of and want to get rid of it?

Babette is back!

I decided to take a break from working on Babette sometime in February or March in order to work on baby gifts for a few people, and then I started on some lace projects which have sort of stalled. Now I have a crazily complicated wedding gift underway, bu now that I realize there is no way to finish before the wedding date, I am working on some other projects at the same time. I did start on my very first laceweight project, which is also my vey first adult sweater. I've run into a weird problem where I'm increasing more in the front than in the back, or vice versa, and I'm not sure what I did. I haven't decided whether to rip it all out and start over, or if I should find the last foundation row and thread a lifeline through, and rip down to there. Which choice will be easier?

I would post pictures of things, but I can't seem to find my camera. Time to do some cleaning!

My Babette ravelry link. My sweater link.