Bonsai Tunic is on the needles!

I started it on July 25, 2007 at 11 pm after I put the boys down for bed. I decided to loosen up my left hand hold on the yarn and let it slip more and, ta-da!, gauge was spot-on with size 9's.

Lets see how many months it takes to finish!

Got Gauge?

Nope. In fact, I'm having a helluva time getting gauge. Not only can I knit only 1 or 2 rows at any given time, but the yarn is freaking slippery! I've modified my left-hand hold on the yarn by wrapping it twice around my pinkie then threading it through the 3 remaining fingers just to keep from dropping it. I'm using my Denise needles and started off with size 8, per recommendation of the pattern. Well.



On my size 8's I've gotten 22 stitches per 4 inches (pattern calls for 20) and 30-something rows per 4 inches (pattern calls for 26.5) SO... all this knitting is TOO TIGHT on size 8's and I'm starting over with a fresh ball on size 10's. However, I'm wondering since I've made it this far (one row at a time) if I shouldn't just finish the swatch then handwash and block it to see if it THEN makes it any closer to gauge. Something tells me even all that isn't going to help very much... any ideas, internet? Does washing and blocking help this yarn stretch out or shrink?

I chose 10's instead of 9's because I need quite a bit more height to my stitches. I don't know how going up 2 sizes will end up affecting my gauge, but I'm willing to take the time to find out. 10's are giving me 19 stitches per 4 inches so I'm going to try the 9's afterall. I can always frog it and start over, though I've discovered that the bonsai yarn is not the most durable of yarns as far as holding up well after a couple of frogged starts on the 8's gauge swatch.

Yes. Yes, I know. Yes, I am a tight knitter. I know this. Yes, I need to relax and loosen up. Yes, I agree. But in the meantime, give me another 2 weeks to finish my new gauge swatching.

My problem with loosening up my tension is that it's not consistent. I've only been knitting since October of 2006, so I don't have massive experience needed to be able to maintain the same looseness all the various 2-5 minute time-windows I get to work on this. Granted, I probably don't have the same tightness of tension, either. *le sigh* Anyhow, I am, and remain, a tight knitter. On to bigger needles I knit...

Makeshift Swift

Ok, so it ain't purty but it works.



After tangling the second hank to oblivion in trying to wind it into a neat little center-pull ball, I searched online for swifts. I found a great deal on Joann's website with a 50% off code (just google Joanns coupons) but after shipping and tax, it was still $40. I looked around and decided that I could probably come up with something out of what I already own to do the job without spending the money and having to wait for its arrival. I don't plan on needing a swift very frequently, but I wanted to get at least one or two hanks wound to start with.



We have a lazy susan (thank you, Walkers) on our kitchen table. That's the base and it provides the spin. On top of that, I placed an old lamp (thank you, Magees) since I'd read online somewhere of using an old lamp with lampshade as a swift. This lampshade is too small (they've got to be some huge lampshades that can act as a swift!) and resting on top of that is a laundry basket (thank you, neighbors who moved away and gave it to us). The laundry basket was too wobbly on the lamp with the lampshade on right, so I unscrewed the lightbulb and flipped it over for more stability. I need the lamp because the laundry basket is too big to sit upside down on the lazy susan and spin.



Yes, I wound another ball just to take these pictures. At least the little balls will stay dust-free in their little plastic baggy homes until I get around to using them.



Props to my man, Dave, for his patience in helping me untangle the mess of the first two hanks and for his assistance in getting the spinning laundry basket picture.

Jen vs. yarn

I decided yesterday to take a hank of the Berroco Bonsai and untwist it and wind it into a center-pull ball. It took me over 2 hours to do that because I accidentally dropped the unwound hank and it morphed into the biggest tangled mess you have ever seen. That is the tangliest, slipperiest, most infuriating yarn I have ever touched and I was so mad I didn't even stop to take a picture of the mess. It is now sitting in a center-pull ball in a plastic baggy with a twist-tie top on my kitchen table, though, so at least I won that battle. for now.

fluffy mail

I received the bonsai today. One hank short. I don't know whether to start working a swatch or not because of the missing hank. The seller is on vacation until July 15th. I'm just hoping I can get the last hank out of the same dye lot as the first nine.

The yarn is heavenly. It is soft, shimmery, and looks like ribbon. I can't wait to see what it knits up like.