Squat February 18, 2008
If you’ve read somewhere, like I have—though at the moment I have no idea where!—that Amanda’s Squatty Sidekick knits up quickly, well, you read correctly. I was amazed how quickly this little bag knit up. I got all the knitting done by Saturday evening, without spending all that much time working on it. I even managed a fair amount of knitting without concentrating very hard. 
We were watching a movie we hadn’t seen yet, The Patriot with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger (I’m still totally bumming about his death), and that took a good deal of attention away from my knitting. Great movie, by the way.
I hadn’t knit an I-cord in so many years I had to verify I was doing it right. It took three trips into my office grabbing various knitting reference books before I found one that mentioned I-cords at all. 
I finally found it in EZ’s Knitter’s Almanac. The question is: why didn’t I look there first? Probably because I assumed that the Big Book of Knitting or Montse Stanley’s Knitter’s Handbook (both huge volumes with tons of information and how-tos) would certainly have a recipe for a simple I-cord. That’s what I get for doing my own thinking.
In the end I did find it in EZ’s slim volume, knit up the wide I-cord at the handle’s center point, continued down, grafted the handle ends together, knit up the flap and it’s much smaller I-cord, wove in the ends, and before I knew it I was done. Wow.
Now all I need to do is find some sort of bag to felt the thing in so the washer doesn’t get filled with wool fuzz, and I’m set.
I wonder if you can find that sort of thing at Stitches. Hm.
Oh, yeah. Before I forget… Kristie, I had plenty of yarn. In fact, I have 60 grams of it left!
Yesterday I started knitting a pair of mitts. My hands get mighty cold typing here at my desk before the furnace heat kicks in enough to warm the room—not to mention when I’m up during the middle of the night when the furnace isn’t on at all. I decided to try Mim’s Serpentine Mitts pattern. The pattern is sized for three different sizes of hands. I had Dave measure my hand at the widest point. Based on that measurement I’m knitting the smallest size. We’ll see how I do. I’m skeptical. Forty-eight stitches just doesn’t seem like very many at all, and knit up into a 2×2 rib, it shrinks down into this tiny little circle.
I’m knitting the mitts with yarn left over from knitting my Illusions socks. I don’t have a photo yet. I mean, a picture of 1½ inches of 2×2 ribbing isn’t too exciting. If you really need a photograph, though, it looks rather like this, without all the yarn pulled out, with fewer stitches.
I’m off now to go look in on a friend’s dog, Snickers. I’m taking care of him the first few days they’re out of town, until their house-sitter comes in on Wednesday to take over. I got the camera out. Hopefully I’ll get a good photo of Snickers for you. He’s a sweet pooch. I’m sure he’ll cooperate.
These friends live quite close to my LYS. I might just have to stop in to get a set of size 10 circulars while I’m in the neighborhood. That bulky green yarn is glaring at me from across the room… It’s making all sorts of nasty noises at me now that it’s no longer stuffed into a corner of the closet, the failed knitting is ripped out, and a new pattern chosen.
Perhaps it’s getting back at me for the years of neglect.
Karen February 18
Isn’t the Squatty Sidekick a great pattern? I knit two for my cousin’s two daughters as Christmas presents. And I may just have to knit one for me some day too.
Although I agree, Mel on the TV would definitely slow down the knitting. *drool* When I felted mine, I threw each bag in an old pillow case and held it shut with an elastic band. Worked like a charm (and was FREE!!).
ami February 18
I’ve read somewhere about using one of those mesh lingerie bags for felting in the washing machine… would that work?
~Kristie February 18
I doubt Stitches will sell anything to felt Squatty in, although you never know. I use a zippered pillowcase from Walmart or Target. Works perfect.
I was going to cast-on for the bag (glad there’s plenty of yarn), but since we keep duplicating projects, I was trying to decide between 4 of the fingerless mitts in my queue. Since you’re doing Mim’s, I’m going to choose between the other three.
Lynne E. February 18
Don’t try to use a mesh lingerie bag for felting–the wool fuzz escapes easily, even if you use a bag with a fairly fine mesh. (I know from experience.)
What I use is a zippered pillowcase/pillow cover removed from a cheap foam-filled commercial bed pillow purchased at Macy’s. The fabric is like bedsheet fabric. (Possibly you can purchase the zippered pillowcase by itself at a bedding specialty store like Linens ‘n Things.)
Robin February 19
Laura, I felt everything in a pillowcase. Just throw the item in, tie the end and throw it in the washer. It’s kind of hard to get it untied to check it mid-way because my water is so hot but it works great and no felting fuzz in the washer.