I found out what I was doing wrong!!!!
I had the wrong yarn.
I finished the "Toad Suck Tie" better known now as the "T0ad Suck Belt." It has a uniform dimension of 3" across from square end to pointy end. Hm... This just isn't right. Pat did try it on and tied it. He said the cotton yarn wasn't working. It wasn't slippery enough for the knot to slide into position against his neck.
So we went looking for slippery yarn at Yarn Heaven, in Arlington, Texas. I thought silk, but the women at the store found us a beautiful, stretchy shiny SOCK yarn called Opal. Pat chose Barney purple. He knows it will compete wonderfully with Spongebob Squarepants.
I always thought sock yarn was the same as fingering yarn. No way. This yarn is tiny, tiny. And lo, and behold. When I went back to the Toad Rock Tie pattern, what does she ask for? Opal Sock Yarn.
14 stitches in fingering yarn on size 1 needles came out about 3" wide.
13 stitches in Opal sock yarn on size 1 needles is about 1" wide. Hm... there's a clue here.
I'm back to the Toad Rock Tie pattern. Bet it works now.

Toad Suck Tie -- make that Belt

The tie did not get made for Father's Day. It has had about 3 different incarnations. After Pat and I got to talking about how thick the Toad Rock Tie would be when finished and tied into a knot, I gave up on that pattern and frogged back to the beginning -- on the Friday before Father's Day.

The Toad Rock Tie is still my inspiration, but it is knitted in the round, giving the entire tie a double thickness of fabric. I'm knitting with sport-weight yarn. That means the bottom of the tie is two thicknesses of sport-weight and so is the top. Who knows how many layers of fabric will be wound around in the knot. I'm afraid Pat would never be able to lower his head because of the size of the knot.

SO... as I said, the Toad Rock Tie is my inspiration, but I'm designing the Toad Suck Tie, named for one of Pat's favorite places, Toad Suck, Arkansas. This tie is a single thickness of garter stitch 14 stitches wide. After I reach 90 cm. I'll go back to the Toad Rock pattern and see how Celeste created the swell for the pointed end of the tie. I'll borrow from her and adjust a bit here, change a a bit there, and finish the Toad Suck Tie. Hopefully, by July 4.

Toad Rock Tie

Where Pat works, supervisors must wear a tie. He and another man are vying for most outrageous ties. Fabian may be ahead on points. He wears Spongebob Squarepants, Homer Simpson and other cartoon characters, but Pat will have the ONLY hand knit tie.

Celeste from Knitting Beyond the Hebrides was kind enough to share her pattern with me. http://www.knittingbeyondthehebrides.org/color.html I'm making it of Omega's Sinfonia yarn (100% cotton, made in Mexico). It is a varigated blue in color. The yarn is sport weight and resembles thick embroidery thread. I have a bit of trouble with the yarn splitting as I knit with size 1 needles. If the needles were larger, it probably wouldn't have the problem. Two weeks to go -- wow! Did you know neckties are about five feet long???? That's a lot of little tiny stitches!

I Love KansasKnits!

I was trying to find a chat group that links Kansas knitters, but nothing exists. The only all state group never got off the ground. So, why not? I've started a knitting group. Here's hoping someone joins!!

Oregon Vest

I'm starting the Oregon Vest from Oat Couture for Pat. He chose a tan Lion Brand Homespun yarn for it. The picture above is from Oat Couture's catalog.

Since I knit like I read books (book for the bathroom, book for the bedside, book for the purse, and then there's the one I'm REALLY reading...) , I have other projects in progress as well. I finished the double knit hat I was making Joe. That one was fun!

I'm finally making a scarf for myself of The Cat's Meow Paradiso. It looks like fleece cut thin and given a serged edge. The yarn is shades of violet to purple and I'll wear it with the fleece hooded cape I made.

There is always a dishcloth lurking in the background. It's my favorite no-brain knitting project.

And then there are those Barbie clothes... I may never get all those little pieces completed and sewn together. Size 2 needles are so slow... (Couldn't be the knitter's motivation, could it?)

More About Knitting Sweaters with Cotton Yarn

I keep learning more on this subject. Cotton and flax are vegetable fibers. They don't have the spring that animal fibers have. If you don't knit tightly, there is a chance these yarns will drag down with the weight of the sweater and pull out of shape. Washing restores the shape, but there you are -- with a sagging sweater while you are wearing it. (Remember white cotton socks that always ran down at the heel because there was no elastic in the cuffs? That's the idea.)

Here's what Claire Crompton says about cotton in The Knitter's Bible (David & Charles, c2006): "Cotton is a heavy yarn, so the weight of a finished garment can cause it to drop and the garment to get longer. It also lacks elasticity and so ribs become baggy, though this is restored after washing. Cotton blended with a synthetic fibre will have more stability. However cotton is a great yarn to use for crisp stitch textures and looks beautiful in lace knitting. Mercerized cotton has been treated to add lustre and take brighter dyes; it is stronger than untreated cotton and harder wearing."

There are some ways to get around this problem.

1. Choose light, open patterns that won't add to the weight of the sweater. (My Aran sweater is probably a poor pattern choice.)

2. You can knit cuffs with much smaller needles than suggested by the pattern. If the pattern says 8, use 6, for example.

3. You can also knit a thread of elastic into cuffs and wastebands. There are some small ones that can be in-obtrusive.

4. The best answer is to look for a yarn that is blended with a fiber that does have spring in it. 80% cotton, 20% wool; Cotton--synthetic; Cotton-silk.

As I plan this sweater for my friend, I thought I'd found the perfect yarn for Texas -- cotton/flax. Now that I've ordered it, I realize flax is going to have the same trouble as cotton. It's a plant product. I may be looking for that in-obtrusive elastic yet. Of course, the yarn is on back-order until the middle of May. I may never get it. The issue may resolve itself.

Projects For When You Are Out of Knitting Projects

Sweetie Luvv on Knitlist wrote asking for suggestions for something to knit now that she was caught up. I sent her this answer :

I have it in the back of my mind that I'd like to make slippers or dishcloths or some other small, practical item and stash them for gift giving (if I ever get to the point where I'm caught up on projects).

We had a woman who worked with us years ago who crocheted slippers. When Christmas came she loaded the table in the breakroom with slippers of all colors and types. We had such fun chosing our own special pairs! That lady is now dead, but I still have my last pair of "Mary slippers" and I cherish them.

I received this note in response to my post:

Baby car seat blankets. You would think, being nearly 44, that I'd be running out of friends having babies, but I swear, I've had to knit about 5 of these things this year and got to the point (they're quick and easy) that I started making extras. You never know when you'll need a shower gift!! Dishcloths are another project I like to do when I don't have a project.

Karel Lea, TN

The link I used to have posted here no longer works. Try using your favorite search engine for "knitted baby car seat blanket pattern" or some variation of these words to see if you can find another. --iij

Hm... regular baby blankets, especially simple ones like basketweave or the dishcloth pattern, would be just as useful to have in a gift stash as the car seat blankets. Scarves and neckwarmers would be other 'quickie" gift projects. I like getting suggestions! I'm noticing that a lot of these "non-projects" are portable and use up the yarn stash. More plusses for this project!

I'll post to this blog any other suggestions I get. Readers, please send your favorites to me at tilla2@yahoo.com.

Some ideas that I have seen mentioned on knitlist include:

1. Knitting for charity. The list seems endless : mittens, chemo caps, baby blankets, children's vests... Contact the charity of your choice and see what they need. Here's one mentioned on knitlist :

You could join us on the Mittens_For_Akkol Yahoo Groups list and knit for
the kids in the orphanage in Akkol, Kazakhstan where temps this winter dipped to
40 below zero and the kids have inadequate clothing. There is more info
here: _http://www.knit-on.com Choose the "Help Others" option to get to the page.

Charity items can also include:
Blanket pieces (Warm Up! America)
Hats (shelters, Afghans 4 Afghans, Caps for Kids)
Mittens (shelters, local schools and tutoring programs)
Slippers (Toasty Toes)
Baby items (local charity hospital maternity ward)
Chemo caps
Scarves (Christmas at Sea - also hats and mittens)
Over on KnitTalk we have a folder with info about charity groups and activities to which members can contribute. --- Margo Lynn
2. Bedding for animal shelters.

3. Socks.

4. Hats

5. Knit squares (in all different stitches of course), for a future “sampler” afghan. This one uses up those bits of yarn, and is nice and portable. -- Lois

6. Cat toys. =^..^= They only take an hour or two (mostly) and they use up odd scraps of yarn. ---Eileen
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e111/lindydiva/CatToys_1.jpg

7. Make a dog sweater. Here's a great pattern. http://www.redlipstick.net/knit/chihswe.html

8. Garter stitch coin purse, from Mari.

Cast on enough stitches to make a piece about 3" wide, then knit for about 6 inches and make a yarn over buttonhole and knit a few more rows then cast off. Fold so that the buttonhole overlaps and sew up the sides to make a pouch. It could also be made longer for a cell phone cozy or an eyeglass case. A few people I taught to knit have done this. They would learn to cast on, knit, yarn over, cast off and sew a simple seam.

9. Baby blankets or sweaters are good, because you never know when you will need something in a hurry! -- Margo Lynn