ObsessKnit

I've MOVED!

2007-01-15T10:07:00.000-05:00

I have moved to new digs--check the wild knitting adventures at KNITZANITY!

http://www.knitzanity.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!

Life begins anew!

2006-12-08T07:55:00.000-05:00

DONE! Last paper turned in a day early (Metadata will torture me no more! until next semester....) extra credit submitted (I may not be the sharpest tack, but I work hard) and a good night's sleep behind me. Life begins!

We have a chunk of the weekend with no kids (Xmas party, mum is taking them for a sleepover) but I have work and groceries to occupy me Saturday day.....today though, I will try to have a bit of fun. I have the three-under-five today, so the fun thing may be Chicken Ballet (chick-fil-a), they play while I knit, but that is plenty fun after the papers I have had.

Sunday morning I want to start seaming the Rebecca sweater....finally!

(Above picture from BoyWonder's birthday party--we hung donuts from a string and everyone was supposed to eat with no hands. It was really fun! Then Boywonder ate 3 more donuts. )

THE HORROR!

2006-12-03T12:46:00.000-05:00

It has been a tough few months. Since September I have had

The car accident
The foot problems (woke up one AM and could not put any weight on foot! better now. Morton's Neuromas in both feet, in case you are interested. Thrilling!)
The three major appliances dying in one week (had to buy a new oven, stove top and washing machine in one swoop!)
My regular workload which includes library school, my two kids and my neighbor's two kids, plus my wonderful job in a local library (the one peaceful oasis in my day. )

THEN as I was sorting my woolens I discovered HOLES!
Turns out I had MOTHS! My chest is clenching with fear even as I type this. The bugs--I think they are carpet beetles actually, I am such a research-head--had snacked mightily on the unworn woolen stash I have under the bed in a zippered duvet bag. The casualties included some lovely vintage woolens I inherited from Ireland, plus the cabled sweater I knit for my beloved grandmother (she wore it nearly every day for the last 18 months of her life). SOB! None of this stuff was destined to be worn again, but it is still heartbreaking. AND disturbing. What if they invaded the stash!!!!!

I did find a hole in an item in the closet, so a big clean was in order.

I put EVERYTHING WOOLEN in my drawers and closet into the freezer. That would kill everything. I then took everything out for a week and put it back in. My socks are fine and the one scarf is darn-able. Many of the older items may need a wash, or even to be TRASHED. To be decided.
I blitzed the closet, removing everything and vacuuming throughout. I then wiped most of it down. Yuck.
I took the bed apart and cleaned under the bed, wiped it down and vacuuming. I also washed the dust ruffle and vacuumed the mattress, looking for larvae. Yuck.

I will have to continue to monitor; I killed a flying something last night. From what I have read, this may be an ongoing problem.

Then, onward to the stash. FORTUNATELY the stash is stored in the attic; my reading sugested that high and low temperatures discourages bugs. Its an unheated/uncooled space. The stash is in Rubbermaid tubs, but that is not enough when you have had an infestation (IMHO).

I found NO BUGS! Relief. Still, Protection was needed. Stash was sorted into cotton/blends, and wool. Then, I used 3 space bags to package the wool--one for the Cascade 220, one for the Koigu and the Morehouse Merino, and one for the other leftovers and sock yarn. My research said that the bugs would eat anything, but that wool was most vulnerable. I may go back and put the cotton in spacebags.

Here is the sorting process; room space donated by the BoyWonder (his room has great natural light).

And the cotton stash, maybe 3/4 of the tub.

I have WANTED to purchase more yarn, but afraid to bring anything into this house of PAIN! Plus, the semester is ending and I am up to my oxthers in final papers. I turned in one yesterday and the other is due Friday. After that one is turned in I am DEFINITELY going to need a yarn reward.

QUESTIONS: Aside from mothballs, which are toxic and STINKY, what do I do to keep bugs from my stash? Are simple lavender sachets going to help? Where do I get them? Any ideas what yarn stores do????

Surprise!

2006-10-22T21:38:00.000-04:00

Its a baby!

In my little neighborhood the moms from the bustop all help each other out. Kids run from house to house, we do grocery runs for each other, and overall we try to help each other out when things get crazy. One of The Mommy Mafia is expecting another--number four!

Since they do not know what flavor they are having, I had to make something simple and gender neutral. It had to be machine washable and go with everything.

DENIM! Every baby needs a jean jacket.

If you have ever worked with Denim you know that it has a few quirks. It can be washed and dried in the machine, and it gets better every time, fading just like jeans do. It tightens in the first wash the most, losing 10-15% of its LENGTH and some of its dye in that first wash. So in Denim, you must knit everything longer than you need it. Finally, you must use washed and dried yarn to sew it up, for unsewn will pucker in the first wash and ruin your piece.

So....I have been on an EZ kick lately, and wanted to try the Baby Surprise Jacket. It was just as magical as described, and just as much fun. BUT the length shrank! and the two cardigan fronts did not meet, and the buttonholes were far away and USELESS.

Gotta boss that knitting around! So I sewed the buttons OVER the buttonholes and then crocheted loops for the buttons. My crochet is....basic, at best. But I kinda got away with it. The baby is unlikely to hate it.

I had bought this cone of denim--two pounds!--in 2005 to make a sweater for Mr. Funny. Instead it has become a blanket, two kid sweaters, and now the surprise jacket. Not much left now.

(Salt shaker included for scale.)

Now this expected child is the fourth, and will have three older brothers. My knitting could be its only chance for new clothes! What is cuter than baby feet?

Baby feet in Koigu!

Joy of knits

2006-10-07T06:55:00.000-04:00

I have to confess: I have never made a sweater for myself that I really liked. I know, its awful. Criminal.

Socks, no problem. Love every pair of socks that I have made, love every pair of socks other people have made for me.

Scarves, shawls, almost as good. Wear them all the time.

Stuff for the kids--sweaters, vests, ponchos, much of it is worn.

Dishcloths, no problem. Use them all the time.

But an actual sweater? Not yet.

First sweater--the ribby. Liked it, hate the yarn! I used Lamb's Pride Superwash, and I find the fibers POKEY--and I love the gentle scratchiness of wool. But not this one. Plus, its too short.

Second--wrap sweater. Tried it on and frogged immediately. Hairy gorilla.

Third--Summer Tweed green one. Its ok, but I just do not like wearing it. Worn once.

Here is the next one--The Ballet Camisole. I used a Cotton/silk blend (from a now frogged camisole). I am not sure. Its too big! Not a lot, but enough to be loose. It should be tight for this style of clothing. Maybe if I had a shirt to go under it--I only have one woven collared shirt though, and its not a good color with this.

Maybe another loser. Am I really so picky?

The floor is open for suggestions on what to do with this.

But, I continue to be an optimist....

THE FAIR!

2006-10-04T14:42:00.000-04:00

We had a great time at the fair. The kids remember the rides from last year (the slides! the dragon roller coaster!) and they wanted to ride them again......over and over and over and over.....

I won 3rd for my pink Koigu shawl(mine is the solid on the right)--

And I was happy to get it; the shawls and lace that I saw were stunning. Mine was no competition for them! This one got first. I wish they would display them another way-these are all in cases and folded. You cannot see the lace at all.

The sweaters were really great! First place was won by this Sunrise Circle Jacket from IK Spring '06--its a Kate Gilbert design (CLAPOTIS!) and is free online.

This gorgeous piece was knitted by one of the Tuesday Night Knitters named Amy! Jane and Mary both belong to this group. Love it! Must make this pattern!

I would love to know what criteria the judges use so I can be more competitive next year. Are finishing techniques really important? Beauty? Entire package?

I am not a quilter, but so much quilting work is inspiring. I absolutely love this one--its funny, original and unbelievably cute! This quilter won a few blue ribbons this year.

Each of these little people in their costumes are appliqued on--most of them are 3-dimensional, with wings and other parts rising from the surface of the quilt. The border fabric is black bats!Really really fun.

I am playing hooky from class tonight and going to KnitNite. Hopefully I will finish the sleeves on this item

...the Mr. Funny sweater. I'll be rowing off Sleeve Island!

Secret Knitting Progress

2006-10-01T10:43:00.000-04:00

I have been knitting--though for a week I did not, when we came back from vacation and I had work and school catch-up and kids school and jet lag and.........even I could not knit. Too wiped out! And this is from a knitter who knits EVERY DAY (I think I had missed maybe 2 days in the last 2 years.)

AND THEN on my way home from work two weeks ago I was rear-ended at a stoplight. I think I hit my face on the steering wheel--I was leaning forward to look at the traffic. I have a very sore neck and back, and my face and eye are really bashed up. No broken bones, but my eye was swollen shut for a few days, and I have a big lump over my eye that still hurts. I slept for two days between the medicine and the pain, so I lost a bit more study and knitting time (another 3 days! bad times). I had to take some time off work--I really could not drive. But the swelling went down and my eye was able to open again, and things are better. This is what it looked like last Sunday, about 7 days after the accident:

People keep asking me if Mr. Funny is treating me ok....I know they think I am a battered wife. I certainly look like one! The car survived--the entire back of the car is pushed in and will be in the shop for about a month. Not totaled though, thank goodness.

I have a cool rental (I try to look on the bright side) I call it the MorticiaMommyMobile. It looks a bit like what the Munsters drove, but I love Morticia (she knits! she has pets!) I am not an SUV girl, but for a month this is ok.

On to knitting content! This is the Modular Tomten Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. It is for Girlpants, though it may not fit her for long (she is a very tall child! but then, handknits stretch.) The original has a hood, and I had knitted a LOVELY hood for it, grafted the middle of it.....and realized I would not have enough yarn to finish the sleeves and i-cord edging. So out came the good (heartbreaking! GirlPants wanted the "hook" too, she likes the hooks.) It needs a zipper; I'll purchase that next week.

Specs:
Pattern: Modular Tomten Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I used The Opinionated Knitter for this one, but it also appears in Knitting Without Tears.
Yarn:Nashua Handknits Wooly Stripes, 6 balls 88 yards/ball. I had part of a ball left.
Size: Kid sized! Girlpants is 3, but she is tall. I'd say this is a 3-4 year old size.

I love how this turned out! As we all know Pink and Purple are the official team colors of girls under 8 and my girl is no exeption. She likes it! The pattern is so classic and really works with this self-striping yarn. In some places I tried to make the stripe pattern match--you can see that the fronts are similar, and in places I spit-spliced yarn within color blocks to make the transitions move more smoothly. A success!

More to post soon--some WIPs and a trip to the State Fair to visit my entries. Good times!

The LONGEST vacation!

2006-09-29T07:44:00.000-04:00

Hooray! I'm posting!

Its been a crazy few months, and it has taken some adjustments.

We made our annual trip to see the ManFam in Ireland.

We swung through the air:

Met lots of new friends:

Played with Baby David--not a baby anymore!

Yes, I did knit--here is my one picture of the koigu shawl.

Library/grad school started when I was away--my instructors gave me a pass the first week--but it was hit the books HARD when I returned.

This summer I found a library job! I now work in the library at a local community college, a job found for me BY ANOTHER KNITTER (thanks Mira, you KNOW you rock!) Its part time and a lot of fun. And after years of being Mommy, its very exciting to be a person again--not to mention having a real paycheck.

The massive drawback is that I am committed every night. Two nights of work, two nights of school takes all of my KnitNite options. I really miss my knitbuds. Not to mention having piles of schoolwork to do, plus the small children to care for, and a spouse to.....hey, we are all busy. You know how it is. Blogging got the shaft until I could catch up.

But I am still knitting!

BIG NEWS--My Koigu Scrum Kiri shawl won 3rd prize at the state fair! I placed! We are going this weekend; I'll evaluate the competition. It was my first lace shawl, and really fun to knit (simple pattern too). I finished it while in Ireland.

I want to make time for blogging--I have loads to show. A finished tank, a pair of socks, a completed baby tomten jacket, a old WIP restarted.....so much knitting! Stay tuned!

Another month gone

2006-08-21T06:46:00.000-04:00

My blogging gets worse and worse! So many developments at ChezObsess, none bad.

My time has been suddenly very crowded! Must concentrate and feel the force!

1. I got a job! At a library! I owe Mira big for this one; she told me about it. The position part time (I do go to school as well) and has been really fun so far. Its such a happy thing to COMPLETE something during the day. With little kids, or even knitting, you don't often complete things each day. At work, I do loads of stuff.

2. The semester ended--meaning, I had a final project--I had a friend visit from outta town, and I had to go away for a working weekend for my mom, and it was my second week on the job. After working 60+ on the project, visiting, working at the library then slaving at the mom thing, I was WIPED OUT.

3. Babysitting. I've been sitting for my sis who has been working on her old house (now rented) to sell. I hear its looking good. But with my two and her 4--plus some assorted individuals from the neighborhood--its been busy around here. I did find that three boxes of mac-n-cheese and a medium watermelon are just enough to feed eight kids. Just enough.

4. Ireland! We are leaving for our annual trip to Ireland today to visit Mr. Funny's lovely family. We will be traveling all over, since his clan is becoming more and more spread out. The southeast, the west, the north, Dublin too. AND Mr. Funny and I are visiting friends in Liverpool for a weekend, no kids. The kids are excited about I-land toast (they ate an entire loaf in one sitting last visit) and I am thrilled to see everyone again. We will be well taken care of!

Ireland in August is going to feel very cold--or a welcome relief. Highs in the low 60s during the day, 50s at night. I am taking my Clap. In VA, its 90s most days. A 30 degree drop is very significant.

I am taking my Kiri shawl to work on, two pairs of sox, and the pullover for Mr. Funny. I should stay very busy. Kiri and one pair of sox are going on the plane with me. I live in fear of the needles being confiscated by security....all that knitting time, GONE!

Knit and life and stuff

2006-07-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

Knitting is clicking along as it should, in spite of the WildThings and all of their screaming at each other. I've been dragging the yarn to the pool and knitting a few while the crew splash. And dragging it to swimming lessons, and all the other exciting places I get to go.

Brace yourself now, recitation of mental WIP list coming up....

1. The Noni bag is felted and drying, as is one of the flowers. I am still thinking about making a contrasting color flower (not pink) for it. The pattern had two pink ones but I think it needs a different color. I want to enter this one in the fair--its simple and good.

2. The short row sock is stalled; waiting at the heel. I knitted on it at Busch Gardens while waiting in line and Mr. Funny (aka Favespouse) watched everyone look LONGINGLY at the sock, all of them wishing they had something interesting to do while waiting. Many people asked about it and even admired it (kids especially, since its pink with sparkles). Mr. Funny was very surprised--he had no idea the feedback would be so positive.

I knew--and told him so!

3. I made 3 lemon/fruit hats for the breastfeeding program that The Harlot mentioned on her blog. Those go out tomorrow. Fun hats for a good cause!

4. I sent a big box of yarn to a woman who makes things for a women's shelter that Mary had mentioned on her blog. What a relief to pass on some love!

5. I have a package ready to go to The Heathen Housewife--she is making a mitered square blanket from sock yarn ends and bits--she wants your leftover yarn! I am just waiting on her physical address.

6. New project! Ballet Camisole from MagKnits, our yarn group's FAVORITE online knitting magazine! I am doing it in Frog Tree Pima/Silk that I had originally used for Annie Modesitt's Silk Corset, but had ripped b/c the size/gauge was all wrong, after I was more than 2/3 of the way through it. Bad times. I just do not feel like I will ever complete the project now, so I picked a new pattern for the yarn. Up to the waist shaping now; good mindless in-the-round stockinette so that I can.....

7. Watch Dr. Who!!!! over and over and over (in that wonderfully obsessive I mean analytical way that I have). I wept during the last show of season one (yes, wept, it was so perfectly beautiful and really summed up the entire season.) And now through the power of TIVO I have been rewatching the season. AND I have been brainwashing the children--the kids now are watching with me. I need the next generation to go with me to see all the good SF/Fantasy stuff' Mr. Funny is not a fan. Even Girlpants asks "Can we watch Dr. Who? PLEASE?" When your three year old knows about the Doctor something is either very right....or very wrong.

I know I have not seen the next series, but I cannot imagine any actor coming close to the multilayered performance of Christopher Eccleston. His Doctor shows tenderness, anger, loneliness, love and great pain in nearly every episode. They say that the first Doctor you see is your Doctor for life (I researched it. I try to conceal my obsessive nature but its always there.) The ninth doctor is definitely my Doctor. I've been watching Mr. Eccleston for years--since he blew my mind in Cracker in the early 90s. Hopefully for us, he will continue to pick amazing roles, and that we can get them here (and not have to ALWAYS rely on amazon.co.uk).

Now that you have suffered through that, vacation pictures.

Boys crazy in the pool (yes, mine is the crazier one)
Girlpants with her fave companion and cousin.
Finger crocheting with bathing suit! what could be better?Off to jump in my Tardis!

Horrors!

2006-07-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Is that really the time? where did June go?
Is is possible to go more than a month without a post and still call yourself a blogger?
Where is the dividing line between knowing how to knit and being a knitter? somewhere close to knowing you have a blog and actually updating it?
Though I have not been chronicling it here, there has been some real knitting going on (as if I would forsake the needles! Sheesh....) For BoyWonder's fabulous teacher--who just published a book about Monarch Butterflies--I made this Milkweed Flower Corsage. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed, which makes them taste bad to all birds who want to scarf them down. They completely depend on this plant for food and reproduction. This is my version of the leaves and flowers, which I kinda made up with the help of Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers book. This is a really fun book! I can see more improvised flowers in my future--I made one in less than 15 minutes to wear to a party. Good times!

I also finished my sock savior socks for my second sockpal. The yarn had come from the UK and knitted up soft and strong--its a lovely dusty blue. I had bought it to make socks for FaveSpouse but discovered that there was not enough in the skein. I did let the sockpal pick out her colors and patterns--I did not foist unloved sock yarn on her! and this was the style she chose. Inside the package I added another sock-pairs worth of yarn (in navy, the same yarn) and some locally made soap from Grubby Girl. I also made some more flowers, and tied them to some flip flops. You should always have something knitted on! this way even in summer she can have a bit of yarn with her. I am going to have to make these fabby flip flops for myself too. The sock pattern came from the fantastic book by Charlene Schurch--Sensational Kntitted Socks. The lace is called Bluebell Rib, but I call it Tulip Lace (much fancier!) My pal requested no pattern around the foot, so here they are. I finished them in less than two weeks.

I hope my sockpal liked them. I know that she got them (Alison, the sock mamma, told me) but she never emailed me or left me a comment. No news is bad news? Hope not.

I have also finished the Noni bag and one of its flowers, one flower to go. When they are all done I'll felt them. I am on the i-cord edging of the kids jacket--and I hope to take that project with my to KnitNite tonight. I have not even been to KnitNite for more than a MONTH!

Vacation knitting news and other fun bits to come.....

Hello again!

2006-06-14T12:17:00.000-04:00

FIRST! I went to the book signing at Holly Spring on June 6 and it was GREAT! As usual, I stayed too long (it was too interesting and I don;t get out much). Kathy and Ginni were wonderful hostesses (no surprise there, I always feel welcome at Holly Spring.) There was quite a spread, cake and wine and cheese, and lots and lots of fiber talk. Here is Wendy modeling her FlowerBasket Shawl (I think.) (A picture of me with Wendy and crew is on the Holly Spring blog--my own picture was too blurry to use.) L-B talked about how she went to Ireland in the summer and worked and sang for her beers in the pub. Fantastic! What a talent! People would buy me beers to get me to shut up.

Loads of knitting going on here, but few real pictures YET. The linen string bag is done (being modeled here by the kids' rocking chair. I really liked working with the linen, and will put the robe in my mental queue for the future. I have been using the bag constantly and may make another for myself (I have maybe half of the hank left.) I have a LOT of MDS&W yarn to get through first. FluffyKnitterDeb, my first Sockpal, has a display of some linen on her site today, and a source for Euroflax that she has used that she likes (Handkitting.com). The prices are good too. So when I am ready....

The Noni HUGE Carpet Bag is going well. I am finished with the bottom and have completed about 10 of the 80 rows up the side. The real challenge with this project will be in the finishing (handles, lining, clasp) and less in the knitting. I am hoping to use this as a briefcase when I start job shopping. How cool--a felted, flowered briefcase? Librarians are CREATIVE!

I am a socksavior for Sockpaloooza! I emailed my new pal about her preferences and she picked the yarn and style of pattern. The socks are going well; I am nearly to to the heel on the second sock. Pictures soon. They should be in the mail later this week.

And now, some wildlife. Do you have monkeys in your tree?

Soul killer vanquished! Details at 11.

2006-05-23T13:31:00.000-04:00

FINISHED!

I nearly cropped my head off in this one (do I really look like that? maybe everyone asks that question) but it just seemed too silly, the headless shot. This pose makes me look a bit thicker around the middle....hopefully....when I look in the mirror it seems more flattering.

This is my oldest UFO, now finished, left from last summer. Dad had brought back a 10-pack of Rowan Summer Tweed in this lovely color, and I had been searching for something to do with it. I finally decided on a 3/4 length bottom-up raglan from Ann Budd's fantastic book. Once I got most of the way into it I realized that the yarn or gauge was REALLY off (one of my most common mistakes) or REALLY stretching out (maybe I am in denial) and that the sweater was HUGE! I put it away to marinate for awhile (say, 4 months). I then came up with the wrap idea and knew if would work (I tried it with a DPN) so it was back on.

I had wanted to do an attached i-cord, so I had provisionally cast on for the bottom and the sleeves. I went to The Yarn Lounge and picked out a color for the edging......that was awful. Totally wrong (yes, I did it myself; no bad advice was given.) Even Monica, my source of last honest resort in these things said....it was an awful choice.

Back to the marinade for a few more months.

Then I decided I had to give it one more go. April was finishing month! Back to The Yarn Lounge and this time I chose wisely, a neutral, nubby brown. At Holly Spring I grabbed a lovely Shawl Pin, and the finishing was ready to go. The i-cord turned out to be a good choice, though the picked up stitches are very visible (DESIGN FEATURE!) But how TEDIOUS to knit i-cord......all over the sleeves, all over the back, the sides, the fronts........ugh! I took it to multiple knit nites. Everyone entertained me while I slogged. BUT it is done, blocked and worn. I'll be wearing it to Panera tonight. I did it!

The sweater was pinned too tight in the picture--thus the wrinkle. I have worked out that small kink by (genius!) not pulling the edges so tight.

Specs:
Rowan Summer Tweed, 7 balls (I have 3 left if anyone needs them) plus 1 ball for the i-cord.
Pattern: Bottom up raglan with attached i-cord. Provisional cast on for all edges, then bound off later with contrasting yarn. Ann Budd, total genius.
Duration of knit: Summer '05 to Nearly Summer '06

That's it! April that is finishing month is now finished!

Anyone for a summer tank? I have some lovely purple cotton/silk that needs a pattern...

I lunch with Mary last week where she took the above picture--and this one! a girl sandwich! This is Girlpants with her favorite partner in crime, PurplePrincessNoelle. I babysit for Noelle on Monday and Friday afternoons, but she actually sits for me since she entertains Girlpants the whole time. The two play together peacefully and are very happy together. Girlpants LOVES her PurplePrincess Cousin! This day the two ate all of their food and then played quietly at a nearby table while Mary and I talked about important yarn stuff. It was GREAT! I can take my children out in public! Well, one of them.

Pirates of Panera

2006-05-16T12:22:00.000-04:00

Doesn't everyone need a skull and crossbones hat for their baby?

Pirates are perfect newborn wear--babies storm into your life and hijack your ship and take all your gold and then (in 18 years if you are lucky) they leave you penniless.......

Not really. But kinda.

I made the We Call Them Pirates hat for Mira's Horatio (he is due in August and his name will actually be Drake after another famous sailing person.) Mira loves boats and sea history, and loves Skull motifs (when I first met her she was finishing Skully from Stitch and Bitch.) So now baby Horatio will have a skull hat to match mom's sweater. Tasty!

The pattern is ingeniously written and includes a lining that you knit after the hat is done (covers up some of the more awkward stranding in my case.) I put a custom label in the hat: Knitzanity is much more fun than "Knitted By That Crazy Knitting Person You Try to Ignore at Parties and Family Gatherings." You know, like shorthand. I made a sheet of them on the computer and plan to sew them into most of the stuff I make now.

I modified the pattern for size by doing only 3 pattern repeats around the hat and up the hat. This also helped to compensate for the larger gauge yarn. This was the first time I tried two-handed stranding and it worked wonderfully! I knitted one color picking with the left hand and one color throwing with the right. Fun! In fact, it was so much fun I stayed up late and knitted the entire hat in less than 48 hours. Good times!

Pattern: We Call Them Pirates (free pattern)
Yarn: Dale Svale (cotton, polymide and silk, good for a summer baby) in Black and White, purchased at Holly Spring. Sirdar Cotton from stash for the lining

Socked!

2006-05-11T11:15:00.000-04:00

I swear I had the best sock pal ever! She even decorated the box--check out the lining in the mailer!

Kim of Knitterama is from Minnesota and loaded me up with non-frozen goodies. Check it! (clockwise)

1. Box with cool foil lining
2. Chocolates from MN (we have already finished them)
3. Wild Rice (love it! I cook all the time and this will be a very welcome addition to pilafs. Wild Rice is VERY expensive)
4. Mrs. Meyers Lavender Soap (I LOVE LAVENDER!)
5. Fabulous bright notepad
6. THREE SOCKS! Kim made Koigu/Lucy Neatby socks; two are black with koigu, one is koigu with black--the mirror image in color! How cool is that? I love off-rhyme, asymmetry and fraternal socks; these are perfect!
7. Leftover yarn for repairs on socks
8. SKYLER! Kim sent me a sock project bag for my current sock. I took it (and the socks) to the festival and everyone asked me about it. Its just right for a pattern and the sock/yarn, and keeps all the bits in one place. PLUS it is shaped like a BUG! How cool is that? The card inside said that it came from an etsy shop called Sockdiva. I saw a few other bugs on there....

Thanks so much to my overachieving sock pal! So thoughtful! I will love wearing my socks and playing with my bug bag!

Chapter 2: More Magic

2006-05-11T10:47:00.000-04:00

Name Dropping!
Here is the Richmond contingent posing with Wendy! (l to r: Me, Mary, Melanie, Mira and Drake, Wendy and Maggi.) Most of us knit with L-B on Wednesdays (I rarely make Wednesday b/c of school, but since the semester ended I have been able to show) so Wendy welcomed us like near-friends. She is going to be doing some book signings in Richmond next month at two lovely shops (Holly Spring Homespun and The Yarn Lounge) so we will all get to see her again soon.

Sheep to Shawl Competition
We caught the last minutes of the Sheep to Shawl--the fastest team was tying off the fringe as we watched. In less than two hours the fleece was carded, spun and woven into a shawl....unbelievable. Then the shawls were washed and auctioned off to the highest bidder.

One team made a GORGEOUS green one; another had a lovely pink and purple one. The teams were judged on quality, design, speed and beauty. They all looked lovely to me. The two winners were both undyed and went to the same bidder for about $500 each. Fabulous!

State Fair Preview
We also went to the exhibition hall to look at some of the handwork. This shawl/blanket was overwhelmingly stunning--it deservedly won everything, including best in show. Many of the other items were beautifully done, but this one was so unpatterned and unexpected. Very few things were on display; I wondered if they had had many entries. I resolved to enter our fairs this year; my work (on a good day) is as good as some of the other work I saw. Melanie will be entering too. What will I make?

Of course, L-B will win anyway. But hey, its an exhibition, not really a competition.

That magic weekend in Maryland....

2006-05-10T10:10:00.000-04:00

Melanie, Mary and I arrived Friday night so that we could be up and at-'em. Good thing we did.

9:00 am: The Koigu Scrum

(everyone was very nice, we had a good time overindulging in Canadian fiber. Nobody got a black eye).

While I scrummed Melanie scored TWO HUGE BAGS of wool and cotton super-cheap. Her plan is to make 2 sweaters from the cotton and the Moderne Blanket from Mason Dixon. Right on!

After the scrum we ran to building 3, only to find that ALL of the STR was gone. At 10:30! last year we had bought it in the late afternoon....many others were dissapointed as well (sorry, Anne Margaret...)

1:30

A herd of Knitbloggers spotted in the wild!

A few of the crowd:
Eunny and Stephanie who is modeling Eunny's newly designed Texture Shell. Remember the lace tutorial? I met the creator in the flesh!

Stephanie had been wearing the Butterfly Tank in Cracksilk Haze (remember that one from the cover of Rowan?) but took it off to model this tank. Lovely!

And after a bit of stalking I also got to meet Sauniell from Saunshine (check out her designs, they are excellent, body conscious without being overly revealing. And they look REALLY fun to knit....I have my eye on 3 of them....) I felt totally famous after that--she even said that she had read my blog! I recognized the tank from the blog; she had finished it only recently.
We all knit for awhile and showed off our shwag.....my Sockpaloooza gift was knitting with us! My sockpal had given me a sock project bag for my current sock that I had tucked in my bag--it is gorgeous and everyone wanted to hold it. Her name is Skyler. She has eyes and wings, a little pocket for markers, and plenty of space for my sock, needles, and the yarn. I LOVE THIS!

Yarn porn tomorrow. I still have the Sheep to Shawl and the serious knitting awards to cover!

Finishing month is ALMOST finished

2006-05-02T12:34:00.000-04:00

Time to review: April was finishing month.

Things completed:

1. Dulann Sweater: Frogging complete. Check.

2. Denim Jacket: finished, gifted and recieved. Check.

3. Bolero: finished, gifted and received. MIL loves it! Check.

4. Sockpaloooza sock: finished, gifted, mailed. Check

That is 4 out of the 5.

STILL in progress:

1. Green summer tweed cardigan: Part of i-cord edging is finished. Closure bought. Maybe 2 hours of work to do.

2. Green vest for nephew: BLOCKING. Needs tag.

3. Bamboo Shoulder scarf: Blocked, needs fringe. I grabbed this on impulse at Holly Spring for a simple project. It was fun and fast.

Unexpected finishes:

1. Sheet of garment tags for my work. I liked the Baby David tag so much I decided to make my own tags for everything. Its the fun small things that can make your knitting so special. I decided on the name KNITZANITY for myself, since it expresses the intensity of my fascination with knitting. And it echoes the spelling of my name.

2. Secret project to be gifted soon. Stay tuned!

Sock Finisher!

2006-04-23T08:32:00.000-04:00

Ponies love to model socks! My Sockpaloooza socks are done and blocking, ready to ship out....May 2. They are going across the big water!

They are the color and pattern-style that my sockpal requested--she loves cables and green, and these have plenty of both. I really love them and would consider knitting some for myself....but not tomorrow. Need to let my fingers get a rest from this pattern, since I have knitted it twice now. After turning the heel I really had to make myself knit on this--like a job. I dragged it to Panera for KnitNite, to the park, everywhere. Knitted waiting in line at Walmart.

Specs:
KnitPicks Pallette in Green (its a true Kelly Green in real life)
Braided Cable pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks
Size 0 needles.

I broke about 4 bamboo needles while knitting this. I'm usually a loose knitter but the yarn is strong and I downsized to make a firm sock. I think that 0s are so small and thin that they just snap; it was not a defect. I tried Barbara's Addis at KnitNite and I am thinking about trying Addis and the Magic Loop method on my next sock. I know that they would not snap while I knitted with them.

The Accidental Shopper

2006-04-20T08:22:00.000-04:00

Saturday we had to pick up a car at the Car Doctor's House after it had a week at the SPA--all the preventive maintenance is done for the next....hopefully long time. Every belt, every fluid, every plug is now replaced, re-timed, re-balanced. Good to have that done.

Well, the Car Doctor lives in Powhatan, and my favorite LYS is in Powhatan....I was more than halfway there so I had to make a visit. Holly Spring Homespun was LOVELY as usual. I got to talk with Kathy and Ginni and GirlPants just played and played with the dollies there and let me be an adult. How many years have I waited for this?!

Kathy had a podcast for the shop, and turns out she is the only one in the world! She has been interviewed by some journalists about it since it is so cutting edge. She talked to me about how she did the whole thing on her Mac (music and sound effects too!) I have really been enjoying the podcasts, and use them like yarn tv (she has pictures too) while I knit. Check them out!

Stash enhancement above: hand-dyed sock yarn for socks (I do stash sock yarn, since I am always making them, and I love pink and purple and black together, this one is called Poodle Skirt), some Svale for a secret project, a shawl pin for a sweater that I am trying to finish (I-cord edging in progress), AND a pattern for a Bamboo shawl. I wear my Clap all the time but it gets too hot after March. This shawl is simple and will be very cool for summer, so I can have it finished by the end of May. Maybe later I will try some lace, but for now I need PRODUCT! Who knows, I may snag some Koigu at MDS&W and make a Charlotte too. I've been threatening this for awhile though...

Firey Bolero

2006-04-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

I know, this post is nearly obscene. Gratuitous chest shot. But the hair and face were just not working that day.

This is the Debbie Bliss Firery Bolero from IK Summer '05 for my MIL. I am still not sure about the pattern and the fit. See the bags under the arms? See the very short length? See all the dangling ends (I have not sewn it up; it still may be ripped).

So please, fair knitters, vote now! Leave me a comment if you have any feelings either way. I am still torn.

Yarn!

2006-04-07T13:12:00.000-04:00

I went today to The Knitting Basket because I read that the shop had new owners--Ute and Kristen. Ute taught the learn to knit class that I took that started all this obsession. And Kristen was in my class as well, though she was already a knitter. Small world!

I also went today because they are having a Hanne Falkenberg trunk show--fabulous! I have long admired her designs, and would love to knit a Mermaid (like Wendy did this winter.) I got to talk to Kristen who was working (she remembers the first sweater I ever knit, I did it in class, a kimono pink thing...it was for Girlpants and she was so cute in it) and try on all the designs. Mermaid was as flattering as I thought it would be! One day I will knit it.

Did not buy any yarn. I don't need any!

Checking them off--

2006-04-05T18:38:00.000-04:00

Girlpants does her best CrazyAunt Purl-"I yike diz shweader mom!"

Now that my two weeks of four school projects is over, I took a day PARTIALLY off to work on knitting. After turning in a small paper in the AM and doing some reading, I set to work on the baby sweater I have been putting off. So much finishing! All of the bits are knitted separately and sewn on...the pocket flaps, the collar. And it being denim it all had to be washed and dried, and the yarn washed and dried and then untangled as well, and then the whole thing sewn up, buttons......it seemed insurmountable.

Props to myself though, I bit the bullet and did it ALL today, including MAKING THE TAG.

The little things like the embroidery and the tags and the finishing make the difference in a nice handmade thing and a lovely one-of-a-kind-crafting-adventure-gift. But so often they are the toughest part, and prone to fail when you have so little overall craft knowledge like myself. I never took Home Ec, I was taking calculus. Tell me, which one would be more helpful to my life now--knowing how to calculate the volume of a sphere or knowing how to sew on a button? I'm just saying.

BUT this time my tag try was victorious. I made the text on the computer, flipped it, and printed it out on transfer paper (I had done this before with Grandmother's Do Not Wash tag). Then I ironed it onto a small piece of muslin from an old sheet we used as a drop cloth. I then stitched it over and over with jeans thread (from a jeans hemming experience) until I thought no child could ever tear it off. Viola! A custom tag.

This is for my Irish nephew's first birthday. His mom, my SIL is a Gap girl, and I thought that this was BabyGap-like enough to be perfect for him. Plus, in Ireland its always cool enough for a jacket, so he should get good use out of it this summer and the next.

Specs: Solo from Rowan Babies, size 1-2 years
Knit in unknown amount of Elann Denim yarn (Den-im-nit) from the cone. This is the third project I have knitted from this cone and I still have maybe 300-400 yards left.
Metal star buttons from Ben Franklin

Princess Pink Pegasus Ponies love dishcloths!

2006-04-04T09:19:00.000-04:00

Since April is finishing month, I finished something (but not on the list.) I wanted to try THE BOOK (Mason-Dixon Knitting) and square stuff would be good for me right now (no fit issues) here ya go.

This was REALLY FUN, just two short evenings, and is fluffy and soft. The colors I used were determined by current stash conditions; I have loads of lime green and only bits of other things. I added a crochet loop for hanging. I love it!

Now...do I use it for dishes or as a washcloth?

Step one: the frogging

2006-04-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

Here are my winding assistants with the pile they helped me create.

The checklist--

ONE dulann sweater wound.

ONE skein of Summer Tweed wound, ready for i-cording.

Maybe tomorrow I can finish the denim sweater. Its a LOT of sewing and buttons, especially for a baby sweater.

April is Finishing Month

2006-04-01T08:10:00.000-05:00

I have declared April MY finishing month. I am going to frog what needs to be frogged and finish what needs to be finished. I am hoping that clearing out the things that I am stuck on, or the failures, will help me move on into the light of happier projects. And the yarn shopping/inspiration of MDS&W!

Maybe.

The list:
1. Firery Bolero. Post pictures for MIL to confirm what I know--its wrong. Sent to frogpond and pick a new bolero for her. Probably new yarn as well.

2. Dulaan sweater. I have been working on a bulky kids sweater with the failed wrap sweater yarn. I just dread working on it. And since knitting should not ALWAYS be a forced march, get it outta here. Kids will love using the winder on it.

3. FINISH the Summer Tweed sweater. I bought a skein of brown Summer Tweed to finish up the I-cord edging on this one, and I have not done the finishing. That is all it will take to get this sweater to the wearable stage (that, and a sweater-closing pin.) I may even be able to wear it to MDS&W, weather permitting.

4. FINISH BabyDavid's denim sweater. Its more than 1/2way sewn! I just have to attach one half of it and do the collar and buttons. AND make a babydavid tag for it.

The past month has been packed with big projects; this month should be smoother, even though it is the end of the semester. Of course, I have the Sockpaloooza socks to finish too, on size 0 needles--but I am nearly to the tow shaping on #1. No problem. I can do it!

I do so knit!

2006-03-15T12:08:00.000-05:00

So much of my knitting goes uncatalogued, which is a real shame for a person who is studying to be a librarian. I try to blog about some things, and I have a folder/archive for my work that I try to maintain, but not EVERY sock or EVERY scarf gets a picture or a load of pattern notes in the binder. Some of the projects are too basic; others I gift before I remember to take pictures.

So often I will show up at Panera with a WIP that no one has ever seen--and it will be finished and gifted by the next week (or more truthfully, in a non-social period of finishing, so I decide to not bring it since I cannot talk and sew.) I am the opposite of Monica in this; she sticks to a few projects and brings them over and over, and can chat while she sews--I leave my soul killer projects at home to marinate!

This Firery Bolero from IK has been a real soul killer for me. I knitted it no problem in Shine from KnitPicks. Nice yarn! But the FINISHING.......I had to pick up 270 stitches for the ribbed neckline, which was too many for my sweater (row gauge problems) so I winged it. Got it all ribbed out, looking purty and realized that I MISSED TWO WHOLE SECTIONS.

That was 2+ hours of finishing--and the math needed to make it work--gone down the tubes. BAD TIMES. Send that to the knit bucket to marinate until I am no longer mad at it.

So I ripped the neck and started again, re-calcing the math parts. Looks ok now, though its not exactly what Debbie Bliss wrote. I am now finished with the ribbing of the back and sleeves and ready to sew it up soon.

Of course, I think it will probably be too small and have to be ripped completely. I'll try it on after sewing--its for my MIL and we are about the same size.

IF it is totally the wrong size, I am going to try another pattern. There are loads of bolero jackets out there, and since MIL and I are similarly shaped I can knit to fit me and know it will work for her too. But I will be PISSED if I have to rip.

Keeping Tiny Hawk and the Bolero company is my sock, originally for my Sockpaloooza pal. I was making it for her, but after I bothered her over and over she admitted that her foot is not as big as she thought. So this sock will be for FaveSpouse--the color is so him anyway. I am at least 1/2way through the foot and should be Kitchenering this week.

Coming soon--Stash Enhancement Confessions!

V for Victory-

2006-03-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

DONE! You all must have been ringing those cowbells hard, because I raced through the v-neck version very quickly. Usually I get stuck on a project somewhere, whether it is at the finishing stage or at the gague stage....but not this time.

So for my version of the v-neck there are shaped decreases around the neck, all done 2-stiches in so you can seen them. The V is at a non-pornographic spot, meaning it comes close to the bra line without needing a cami underneath. Perfect length for some openess without risking overexposure of TheGirls. To echo the other edges of the sweater I worked the neckline with a folded hem--this way if you use a picot or a garter stich turning row on the bottom of the sweater, you can use the same at the top. The hem has a fixed center stitch at the bottom of the v (you increase and decrease around that point, its simple and decorative).

I also whipstiched the live edge of the hem to the inside of the neckline, something I have done before with other sweaters. It is very easy (the stiches match one-to-one with the hem stitches) and it makes a very un-bulky seam. Plus, you save the step of binding off.

I am so ready to make my own personal version--this one is the 32 size, which is too snug for me (no laughing please, I am trying to be nice to myself). Fantastic pattern! Thanks Ann and Kay!

More cowbell

2006-03-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

Um....I did not know that this small bit of volunteering was going to get me exposed publicly!

When I left a comment saying that I am into V-necks so long ago I really did not know I was going to be asked to design one. (Well, design is a strong word. Knit one with the help of Ann Budd is the better description.) Now the collaborative mavens Ann & Kay have outed me with a public display of knitting and I am going to be making a v-neck version of the perfect handknit all by myself.

I am woefully underqualified, but I hope that the queen of all proofreaders (aka technical editor) will catch my errors and that it will turn out ok. I have been wanting to knit this for ages, so I'm excited to be in at the beginning.

Knitters, I need more cowbell!

The sock is for my Sockpaloooza pal, though it is BIG. She said that her foot circumference is 10 inches, which is big (fave spouse wears a 10.5 shoe and his foot is 9.5). I emailed her to make sure she measured right and have not yet heard back.

FSpouse tried the sock for me and its loose on him. I may have to rip. I'm using #3s on Gems Opal sportweight yarn, which is FABULOUS and says you can machine wash and dry it on the label. The pattern is from Sensational Knitted Socks and it is really fun. This is only my second cable project and it is going very quickly. The last socks I did on Os and it seemed to never end.

I'll let the sock marinate for awhile until I know what I want to do--rip or continue. I've got a v-neck to start!

Unofficial Olympics

2006-02-24T10:09:00.000-05:00

The Jaywalkers for me are done and I LOVE them. This is Socks That Rock in Hardrock that I have been saving for the right pattern since MDS&W. This is some truly lovely yarn. I thought I was going to have some trouble with pooling, but once the socks got big enough the randomness showed through. With variegation, I like random.

I have only taken them off to sleep since I made them. They skipped the blocking board completely! Has anyone seen the Socks That Rock Club yet? You can get a years subscription of STR now. Its very very tempting.....

I had a good bit left of the yarn (and these are standard length sox, 7 inch leg) and my watchband broke, so Boogie Time it was. I did most of the knitting in the Drs office (we are all cranked up on Tamiflu now, since Boywonder was struck down with the flu this weekend.) Superfast knit and very very comfortable. I made the 6 year old size--I figured it was stretchy enough to run small. And I wear my watches on my arm, not my wrist.

Almost done! says the princess. I have been working on this supercute denim jacket for my nephew's 1st birthday since a few days before the Olympics. I am past the armhole on the right front and may finish tonight. I have not been knitting so much since we have been sick; too tired to stay up. Baby knits are so fast!

I am taking a color class this weekend at The Yarn Lounge. Its just a few-hour seminar about color theory and who looks good in what colors. That is one of those intangible things I have a very hard time grasping, so I hope that this will help. AND the BoyWonder and I are going to see the kids' version of The Magic Flute, my favorite opera. I hope there is lots of music in it--its an opera, so the music is the best part!

I LOVE IT!

2006-02-16T17:03:00.000-05:00

Who could not love this GORGEOUS sock yarn?

I think that she is kidding me....Kim from The Woolen Rabbit sent me this skank of sock yarn for the Unloved Sock Yarn Swap. AND she sent me this block of soap love that she makes herself. Fantastic! Check the blog out--two of her dogs just had puppies.

Thank you Kim so much! Your unloved yarn is unloved no more--and no, it is NOT too bright!

Get Yer V On

2006-02-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Snuggles and I met on Valentines Day due to a crafty combination of anonymous tips, valentine cards, mistaken identity, Sinead O'Connor and chocolate cookies. That was 15 years ago--we've been together ever since.

Here we are posing together in Vegas--like my hat?

Thanks Snuggles for putting up with my moody self, even though "I'm not mad at you, I'm just mad!" I try to do the same to you.

Happy Valentine's Day--he's definitely my favorite saint. Mwah Snuggles!

The slump continues....

2006-02-12T11:17:00.000-05:00

So I have been ripping the Rainbow Gorilla sweater over the last week--the yarn is a bit hairy, so it tends to stick together. It has not been a straightforward process. I finished that this morning. Phew.

BUT....I have been working on MILs Fiery Bolero from Summer 2005 IK.....and it WAS going beautifully. When I was nearly done with the ribbed edging for the sides, had picked up the 200+ stitches, modified the ribbing, worked the 10 rows of short rows and 5 of the last ribs--nearly done--I realized I had picked up the stitches completely wrong. I had not covered the entire front, just a portion. F! I'm letting that marinate until I can face ripping it as well. AND I had to reknit my FILs hat b/c that was way too small.

How have I angered the yarn gods?

I am only doing unofficial Olympic knitting--I started a little jean jacket from Rowan Babies for my irish nephew's first birthday in April. I finished the sleeves last night and am on the back now. Its very cute! I have tried to knit this before and got lost in the pattern and ripped it. This time I am much more confident!

Snow day picture has knitting history in it! Girlpants is wearing mittens that my SIL knitted when she was a kid. In Ireland kids learn knitting in school--its good for math, spatial relations, etc. These were the mittens she made then. Cute! The kids love them.

Send good thoughts that the yarn curse is lifting.....!

A Pause Before Ripping

2006-01-30T16:49:00.000-05:00

We gather here today to mourn the end of a sweater, nearly before it had begun, before its ends were woven, before it was truly formed. The sweater that we mourn held within it the new year's dreams of a knitter, the resolution to dress not only her friends family and acquaintances in wool, but finally, to dress herself. Her resolution to knit beautiful garments for herself, garments she can truly appreciate and love, has died an early and ugly death with this sweater. So now, before it is ripped and returned to the balls from whence it came, we pause to remember all of the misguided, misknitted, and mistaken projects that have been knitted before.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, wool to the winder.

What was I thinking? I like the pattern (Winter IK 05) and I like the yarn. But the wool is too bulky, the bulk of the wraps right over my stomach (not flat!) It makes me look huge, and though I am not a size two, I am not a size 32W either. As my very diplomatic spouse said, "It does you no favors." I look like the result of a one-night-stand between a hairy gorilla and a Rainbow Flag. NOT what nature intended.

Any idea what to do with the wool? Its a lot of yarn. Some current suggestions are:

1. Scarf for mom. She loves the wool. That's a few yards gone.
2. Another run on the slippers for FaveSpouse--I could give it a try with this held with Cascade or Patons Wool. Or two strands of this. Something.
3. No more ideas.

Anyone in the audience?

My one MEME

2006-01-25T18:04:00.000-05:00

This may be the ONLY meme in the history of my blogging--and only because I feel tagged by Eileen at Dust Bunnies Can Wait. Here goes.

*Four jobs you have had in your life:

Petsitter (three years! Loved it but the hours were crap.)
Rifle Match Target Runner
Traffic Counter
Clerical Slave

* Four movies you could watch over and over:

Raising Arizona
Wings of Desire
Columbo (most are technically movies! Just made for TV)
The Commitments

* Four places you have lived:

Maynooth, Ireland
Richmond, VA
St. Paul, MN
Waukesha, WI

* Four TV shows you love to watch:

Shameless
Father Ted
The Life Laundry
What Not To Wear (love Trinny and Susannah!)

* Four places you have been on vacation

Aberdeen
Puerto Rico
Seattle
Montreal

* Four websites you visit daily:

My Bloglines account (currently 101 feeds)
Chesterfield County Library
Yahoomail
Florida State University (for school)

* Four places you'd rather be right now:

In the pub with any of my friends and NONE of us driving home
Knitting with some of my knitbuds
Knitting while watching GOOD tv or sports
Reading in bed

* Four bloggers you are tagging:

If you feel like it, go for it. But don't say I made you!

Proof of knits

2006-01-24T13:43:00.000-05:00

I was going through the pictures in the camera, looking at all the Vegas Pix, and came across two nuggets of Christmas knitting. Girlpants here is modeling one of the three Very Harlot Ponchos I made for the nieces--I made one for each kids birthday. This is leftover Lamb's Pride Superwash--two colors held together. One tiny one was made out of some GORGEOUS hand-dyed bulky from Holly Spring, and the original was made out of deep-sale yarn from MDS&W. They have gotten a lot of wear--they were each either pink or purple, a must for girl stuff.

WeeMan is modeling handwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I made 4 of these from bits of stash and some Cascade 220. They were a big hit with the kids--I even put some of them on strings for the little boys. Good times.

I am finishing up the ties on the wraparound pullover I am making from the Winter IK--the knitting of the rest is complete. I should be forcing myself to have a finishing party soon--sewing up is not always my fave thing. I'll drag the ties with me to Panera tonight; 50 inches of irregular ribbing is not engaging knitting, I'll need some good stories to get me through it.

Walk this way!

2006-01-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

It is VERY clear that photos are not my specialty. Its a pictureless blog, which makes it much less interesting. Not that it was interesting before.

So a few views of Jaywalkers so you know I am NOT lying when I say I have made them--and am now making my second pair for me.

I made these over Xmas and during our trip to LasVegas. They are here modeled by FavoriteSpouse and the PartyAnimals. FS wears the socks a lot--can you see the odor rising gently from the wool? The kids are getting a good whiff.

Specs: Jaywalker by Grumperina
#1 needles
Spirit Trail Fibers superwash--2.5 skeins--they had a short skein and sold me that instead of 3 skeins at a reduced rate. Good times!
Began and finished December 2005
FS loves them though they are somewhat loose. I am a very loose knitter and maybe should have gone down one more needle size. No matter, he will wear them until they fall to pieces.

I love the way this pattern shows off the best of a varigated yarn. It is destined to be a classic, or at least the Clap of 2006. My two skeins of SocksThat Rock which I purchased at MDS&W are currently becoming Jaywalkers too. Fabby fabby!

More more more!

2006-01-06T14:47:00.000-05:00

I remembered a few more projects:

Moebius scarf for mum in AlpacaSilk (tasty)

Market bag for MIL--she is ahead of her times and takes her OWN bags with her when she shops

Grumperina's Tivoli--did not fit, gauge issues again. Not a fault of the pattern though.

Stuffed elephant animal from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

That pulls my 2005 total to 67. I am a bit shocked myself. This year, more for ME!

Virtual Hangover

2006-01-04T13:04:00.000-05:00

You know how it is this time of year, the exhaustion of Xmas, the morning-after of the new year, and then the big NOW WHAT?

I too am feeling at loose ends a bit, trying to plan some bigger for-me projects after all the small Xmas knitting I did. And I am going to try to recap my year and pat myself on the back for the work I've done.

So here it is (as complete as my terrible memory will allow) the project recap for 2005:

1. The Clap. Still my fave project and favorite garment. Love it love it love it!

2. Grandmother's cabled sweater. My first cables! Now that she is gone, I am going to unravel it and make something special out of it--probably the cabled tree skirt from Handknit Holidays. I like the idea that her favorite sweater would still be used every year, a real tradition.

3. Eyelet cardi for mom. First use of Knitpics alpaca silk, one of my all time favorite yarns.

4. Nothing but a T for sis. Looks great on her!

5. Ribby for me. The only sweater I have knitted for myself--that will change this year.

6. Cotton cardi for Girlpants.

7. Bolero for Girlpants with recycled yarn from the Fibercrack test knit.

8. Three baby blankets, cotton ease, chenille and rowan denim.

9. Two sets of baby booties and four sets of baby socks. Great use of scraps.

10. Socks! 8 pairs knitted, but only 1 for me. Need more socks.

11. Shawl for mum. The ribbon was not convincing.

12. 3 fuzzy scarves and one fuzzy hat, all as gifts. Not a fan of novelty yarn.

13. Kitty PI. My mom's cat loves it!

14. Capelet for me. I only use it in the house, it may get ripped for the yarn.

15. Two scarves for me.

16. 28 items for Xmas, including 5 buttonhole bags, 7 scarves, 4 flower washcloths and some gauntlets.

17. And the denim jumper for Girlpants. VERY cute.

18. And a toddler sweater for my bud in Savannah.

That puts my tenative total at 63 items finished. Whoa!

I have 2 UFOs left from the year:

1. Summer Tweed wrap sweater. Still needs right color for I-cord borders. First color was not a match. I'll finish it in time to wear it this summer.

2. Silk corset. I ripped it because it was WAY too small. But I will reknit. I loved working on the pattern and I am a big fan of Annie Modesitt.

Let's hear it for another year of passionate knitting! I cannot believe how much my skill has grown, I'd call myself an intermediate knitter now. ME!

Lets hope with all that off my chest I can post more than once every two months now.

Jumper, finally

2005-11-21T17:41:00.000-05:00

I have had a real problem with photos loading onto Blogger, but I resolved the problem by getting a Flickr account, which is working very well. This is GirlPants wearing her new denim jumper at her brother's birthday party this weekend.

We had BoyWonder's birthday party last weekend, and the weather was fantastic, so all 20 kids played outside. I made a multitude of paper airplanes (well, maybe 35) and they got a big frisbee from the cousins and just tore it up in the backyard.

I made a snake birthday cake with chartruse icing and loads of M&Ms on it.....sounds very fancy but it had a face only a kid could love. Tasted good though--I hate supermaket cakes, they are so fake tasting, so dry and flat. Plus, it was bright green--what kid would not like a green cake!

Holiday knitting is going ok, I have maybe ten (GASP!) items to complete. I had gotten some bigger items done in the summer--like the buttonhole bags--and now have to finish filling the bags. I have 3 more scarf/hats to go for that. Then I am going to make some tiny Harry Potter sweaters for my sister's family to hang on their Xmas tree, each with their own initial embroidered on it. A scarf is in progress for my uncle, his hat finished and blocking now, and maybe some fingerless gloves for a nephew, that should be tough enough for a teenager, right?

I've joined Alison's Knitalong for gifts, hoping it will help keep me focused. Wish me luck!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2005-11-14T09:59:00.000-05:00

I got to see a free preview of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this weekend! 10 am on Saturday; my sister and I went and favorite spouse babysat all six kids for us! Six under seven is a lot of action for any house....

The movie was absolutely impresive. For me, this movie had much greater scope and emotional power than the other three. Those times I loved watching all the books come to life, but this one had a heart of its own. It focused on the whole world and not just on Harry, so there was more "cast" and everyone really got to show their stuff, the characters were fully realized. Brendan Gleeson (The General!) was really great as Mad-Eye Moody, and played the scary but warm character very very well. The twins had a chance to be funny this time--love it!

In Goblet of Fire there was more knitwear than ever before--another letter sweater with a cut-out-and-sewn R, more vintage looking stuff that the Weasleys wear. Everyone had their school scarves on--they look the same as the first movie's scarves to me, maybe wider and longer. The costumers must have the cult of knitbloggers in mind.......

My secret pal is reading my mind!

2005-11-13T17:22:00.000-05:00

My secret pal is really spoiling me!

My package arrived the day that I had some nieces and nephews over and they were VERY VERY VERY impressed that I had a secret pal, and they wanted to know when they could know the secret, and they wanted to open the package and then open all the packages inside and then pet all the yarn and read all the books and they boys wanted to play ball with the yarn and thew it around the room and the girls wanted to pretend that the yarn balls were their babies.....it was a lot of excitement! My genius secret pal sent two balls of superfuzzy Paton's (destined to become scarves for some of the nieces this Xmas) and a ball of Bamboo (which I have been dying to try) in a great green/blue colorway and then KnitLit (already on the nightstand) and a VERY special origami paper doll set which is so cool! The boys wanted to make paper airplanes right away....NO WAY!

The next day I got New Knits on the Block by Vicki Howell from SP too--a really fabulous book, with loads of totally cool designs. BoyWonder has already picked out the Superhero cape for himself....maybe after Xmas. There is a lot of holiday knitting here at ChezObsess.

Thank you secret pal!

I broke the internets

2005-10-31T10:25:00.000-05:00

I cannot get my pictures to load onto blogger. 24 hours now! I have used different ones, played with the formats, titles, nothing. Asspain.

What am I doing wrong?

Oh, and my hillarious secret pal! She leaves me comments regularly, but FORGETS to be annonnymous. D'oh! I erase them, I like to be surprised.

Bad, bad blogger

2005-10-30T11:49:00.000-05:00

I know I've been a bad blogger, reading and commenting everywhere else but never updating here at ObsessKnit. Things have been a bit insane here at the Chez; my grandmother who I was very close to (I even made her two sweaters!) died last week. She just sat in her recliner for the normal mid-morning nap and never woke up. It was a peaceful end but its been hard for all of us.

But, as EZ says, Knit on! And I have.

I just finished a denim jumper for GirlPants but I am having problems uploading the image. Its very cute! Picture day is this week for her so she will get to wear it with a pair of stripey tights. Fabulous! This is the first pattern I have done with full fashioning--the increases and decreases are a great design feature.

Pics tommorrow--

How do you get an electronic autograph?

2005-10-18T09:49:00.000-04:00

I just had an email from Kay of Mason-Dixon Knitting, one of my favorite blogs of all time (and I read in the 3-digit range, but some of those are for school) and they want to post my picture of the girls holding the Buttonhole Bags I made for Xmas. On the sidebar! To dress up the blog! My kid! My work! I weep with joy. I am starstruck.

No, I'm not kidding. Weeping. Its been a tough week and its only Tuesday morning.

Anyone seen the knitty surprise yet? I have been DESPERATE for a thing to make my one older nephew (a pink and purple buttonhole bag is not going to do it) and the skull scarf is HOTT for a 12 year old. Perfect! And I may have to put the pumpkns in the Q; LOVE them. I wonder if BenFranklin has orange and brown Cascade 220? Last time I looked it was all purple and pink....

Tied to the sink?

2005-09-30T14:55:00.000-04:00

Well, at least I'm not barefoot!

My In-Laws are here from Ireland and my MIL is a sewing GENUIS! She would deny it but its true......so I have an ancient flour-sack apron that I inherited from somehwere that I use all the time. It does not tie around my neck like more current ones do--and I hate anything pulling on my neck. So I have worn my vintage apron for years but always wanted something with more style (and fewer holes.) So the always creative Brona showed me how to use the old apron as a pattern, and then modified it to make it EVEN BETTER and now I have this way cool apron/pinny/backless dress to keep me away from Mr. Washie and tied to the sink instead.

I watched very carefully and may be brave enough to make one of my own--IF this one ever gets destroyed. We got the fabric for $3 at the Jo-ann sale this past weekend. FABULOUS!

Thanks Brona! You are a genuis!

Secret Pal! Secret Pal! Party on! Excellent! WoooooHooooo!

2005-09-28T19:26:00.000-04:00

How does she do it? My secret pal read my mind and knew that I am a book addict of the worst kind (any knitting book, anywhere, anytime) and that I am too……self deny-ing? to buy them for myself.

Skippy loves the books and so do I! I am working on a cardigan based on one of the Ann Budd patterns from the book I got from the library—NOW I HAVE MY OWN COPY!

And EZ—KNIT ON! It makes such tasty bedtime reading.

Thank you secret pal, wherever you are!

Secret Pal 6

2005-09-17T18:43:00.000-04:00

SP6! I have been working on my quesionaire all week and have not yet posted.....I even got fussed at by my SP. Sorry! So here's more that you ever wanted to know......

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I like natural fibers best, no denying it, but I am open. I usually find fantasy/novelty yarns more difficult to knit with and they irritate me. BUT sometimes the finished product is worth it.

Red Heart is NOT a favorite. I did the Red Sweater Project and knitted 7 sweaters for it. I had wanted to do more but I just dreaded knitting with the RH. It feels like the petroleum product that it is.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

Nope. I have crocheted some sweaters together and made some crochet flowers. But I would have no idea how to follow a pattern.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

No allergies. I do not like the smell of Patchouli—I associate they smell with someone I did not like.

4. How long have you been knitting?

I’ve been knitting almost two years—well, kinda. I learned Fall of 2003, but did not make my first project until January 2004. After a month, I was OBSESSED.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Amazon. Its full of knitting books!

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

My ALL TIME favorite is Lavender—real woody versions, not the fake stuff I get here. When I go to Ireland I usually load up but its never enough. I love the smell of citrus-y things, like orange/tangerine/lemon as well.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Not really. I like white and very dark chocolate but do not eat it very often.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

Knitting for me is all-encompassing, rather than a gateway craft. That may change though. I have tried scrapbooking but I found it tedious.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like alternative stuff. Pixies are my all time fave, but I think I have all their gear. Radiohead, U2 and techno in general are real favorites too. And being a child of the 80s I have fond memories of New Order and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

I do not like country. I REALLY mean that. No offense meant.

I can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I like brights—like magenta and lime green—but not orange really. I wear a lot of purple/turquoise/pinks. I love black but I am trying to get away from it. Pastels wash me out and make me look tired; khaki makes me look like I died. So I avoid wearing those colors.

I am a SAHM and a grad student so my wardrobe needs are minimal and very casual. And I love bright socks! And to add to the cliché, I do wear the socks with clogs.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Two kids, two dogs, one spouse. It’s a full life.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

I’d love to write a book—I love to read and I am going to Library School right now. I read everything—except for scary stuff. I have enough imagination to scare myself every day.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

I love wool and cotton and all that fun stuff. I like novelty yarns a lot less. I made a sweater for my grandmother with undyed handspun from Holly Spring Homespun and it was LOVELY.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Red Heart, anything that looks worse and feels worse after you have knitted it up.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

For the last few months I have been on a self-imposed yarn diet and have been doing my Xmas knitting to use up some of my stash. My stash is not big and I do not buy yarn just because I like it, I have to have a project in mind to purchase the yarn. But I have loads of yet-unstarted projects, or leftovers from other projects.

For Xmas I am making knitted things for my kids and for all their cousins—I have made 5 buttonhole bags (love love love them) and now I am making things to go in the bags like scarves, hats and fingerless gloves. Great use of stash!

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I love making hats, though I never wear them! I make them as presents and for the kids and for new babies. I love working in the round.

Simple socks are another favorite. Love to wear my handmade socks.

And I make a lots of things for kids—mine and others. Kids look great in handknits!

17. What are you knitting right now?

I am making a cardigan for myself in Summer Tweed (stash, my dad brought it back from the UK) based on Ann Budd’s book. I use her other book for everything! I get her books out of the library so often, I really should own my own.

I just finished a novelty shawl for my mum out of ribbon.

I am working on the last of the two socks for Melanie’s test-knit pattern. It’s a great one!

I am nearly done with a baby cardigan for a two-year old out of Arcania Nature Cotton. Its green and beautiful.

The Silk Corset by Annie Modesitt, which sadly I frogged last week. I was making the 36 size and it was at least 2 inches too small—and I know my GIRLS are not that bodacious. My guage must be very off. So its in balls waiting to be remade. Very sad for me.

And next in the que—a denim jumper for the JumpingGirl. Alison’s was so beautiful….and isn’t imitation the sincerest form of flattery?

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I have two and that is enough. They are nice for small kids though. My nieces want them desperately.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Circular.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I love my Denise Interchangeables! They have saved me from awkward needle mistakes thousands of times. And they are a great value.

I love bamboo when Denise will not work—in only goes as small as a 5. I have DPNs for most of the small sizes and am starting to collect the bigger ones as needed. The circs are great too.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

Love to knit socks—they are my walk-around/playground/Drs Office knitting. I usually have one going all the time.

22. How did you learn to knit?

I taught myself in college from a book but did not really “get” it. I took and Adult Education class about 2 years ago and the bug bit me soon after that.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

The Annie Modesitt corset that I just frogged. I usually try to finish everything, but I always have multiple projects going.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

I like dogs.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas and Halloween are fun. My spouse and I met on Valentines Day.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Nope. My dad was a packrat and we stumbled over his “collections” of old magazines for years. Stuff I buy has to have a USE--I always have a use for yarn and pattern books.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

IK.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?

I have been waiting for the Vicki Howell book New Knits on the Block for awhile. I hope it does not disappoint! I get most of my knitting books at the library.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??

Eris looks good, and Cutaway. BUT in tune with my non-stashing rules, I will not buy the pattern OR yarn until I am ready to start the project.

ETA: 30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?

I wear a size 8.5. We have hardwood floors so I do not wear slipper socks. I love the feel of wool and cotton—I am not very picky about my socks. I am waiting for my Sockpal2za socks…..I love surprises!

Its in the mail...

2005-09-15T10:33:00.000-04:00

My SockPal2za package is going out today; we've all seen the socks before. BUT here is a pic of the card I made to go in the package. Just a tiny scrap of yarn, hot glue, toothpicks and cardstock scrap--TralaLA!

I got the idea from my SIL's MIL (does that make sense?) who makes beautiful cards, writes poetry and even KNITS. She's way cool.

So the package is on its way to Oregon, with a pair of stich markers I made from some fabby earrings (I never wear earrings). Hope my pal likes them.

I am way to proud of this card.

On the knitting front, I am nearly done with Melanie's secret sock pattern--turned the heel last night and I am working down the gussett now. And I am planning for my next sock. Wyvern? Broadripple? Stay tuned.

I'm being stalked

2005-09-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

A secret sneaky person left me a comment today.......my Sockpal2za sock pal is teasing me by leaving me little comments. My pal said "WOOT" which is a comment I associate with Bonne Marie, though its a common enough piece of blog jargon. Do I attempt to go through the list of sockers (I think its over 200 participants) and match up my Wooter or do I just let the surprise happen? Its one of those things.....I'd love to be surprised and I 'd love to know my pal's secret identity.

All will be revealed soon--the ship date is the 15th.

On more mundane news, BoyWonder's first day of K was today. When interviewed for the cameras, BW said he liked the school bus the best. Heavy machinery! Diesel engines! That's the key to success in school. He cried and cried and had to be dragged off me to go to preschool; if they had had a school bus there would have been no problem!

KIP tonight--! Panera, get ready for these rowdy knitters! My needles are feeling hot tonight!

Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss appearing here!

2005-09-01T16:47:00.000-04:00

Well, they are the supermodels of my backyard at least. We had friends over to play today (always a party) and the girls modeled some of the Xmas presents I hve been making. Five buttonhole bags now, which means I could be finished, but they are so addictive to make and so cute I may have to think of an excuse to make a few more.

All of them used a mix of new and stash yarn; the project was designed to use up stash and odd ends of wool that I have. Mixing up the bits and odds and ends was really fun!

For each girl who gets a buttonhole bag I am also making a small item to go inside. Some will have scarves, some hats, maybe some mittens or fingerless gloves.

Thing2 here modeling one of the scarves I have made (all contents and shape to be determined
by stash leftovers). This one is Soft Touch Wendy from a baby ha t held together with some now-legendary Cotton-Ease. Its slightly soft and super fuzzy, perfect for any girly-girl under 10. I crocheted the flower on the edge too (more Cotton Ease) and slapped an odd button on it. Viola!

Any ideas for the 12 year old brother? A really punk hat and fingerless gloves with a skull? Though even I might not appreciate that if it was given to my kid.......

Breaking news

2005-08-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

SnB is back on!

I am going to school to be an Information Professional (librarian, you know, with amazing SUSHING action) and the only time I could get a needed class was on Tuesday night--SnB night. It was the worst of times.

But through the miracle of drop/add I got the same class, same instructor on Wednesday night. The yarn is safe! It was the best of times!

So all of you SnBeeaches that had hoped that last week was the last you would see of me for awhile, good riddance and all....I'm baaaaack! The nightmare returns! The cat came back the very next day!

The test knit for Melanie is finished and it is beautiful. Roll on Knitty submission and yarn superstardom! We can all say we knew Melanie when.....

Cheese!

2005-08-26T11:14:00.000-04:00

Do you think it fits? This is the neckpiece from Loop-D-Loop in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky that I found ON SALE at Letttuce Knit. I made the scarf almost immediately (it took maybe 2 evenings at 3 st/inch!). I have wanted to make this for a long time, more than a year. And finally the time was right.

I did make a mistake: I picked up stitches on the wriong side for the second piece; one of the sides is stockinette and the other supposed to be reverse stockinette. I like it this way just fine--hey, now its a design feature!

And the green Patagonia Nature Cotton that I bought at the same sale? (Thanks Jenn for enabling--she bought another colorway of the same yarn and could not stop knitting with it either!) Its becoming a top-down cardigan for a friend's toddler. It will be a good jacket for him since they live in Savannah.

I was working on it at SnB this week and made a mistake--I thought you left a big hole for the sleeves, knitted around it, like you do in a sewn-together cardigan. But NO--you just leave a few on a holder and then cast on some ease on the next row. WHOA. So I ripped and reknitted that mistake last night and then started a sleeve. So fun and so fast--13st/4 inches for a 2 year old is a fast sweater! No tears on reknitting that one. Thing2 has tried it on and it is VERY cute. Hope its ok for a boy.

Thanks for all the input on the corset. In spite of the votes, I think am going to rip it all. BUT I'll let it marinate/compost for a week to give me some emotional space.

Next project--simple knitting. I think I'm going to make a top-down cardigan for me out of some Summer Tweed my dad brought me from the UK. I have the Ann Budd book home from the library; she has a bottom-up that would work for me. Plus there are some more buttonhole bags in my future.....funfunfun!

Ribbit ribbit?

2005-08-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

First, the yarn porn:

I have been working very hard the last month on small projects, trying to knit up some of the stash. But somehow (and we all know how this is......if I can admit it you can too) I found myself making excuses to run errands near Stony Point and OOPS here I am with no kids in the same shopping center as Lettuce Knit and WHO could have guessed it, they are having a big sale just like the sale postcard said they would and LOOK I have plenty of time to go in and browse.....

Sometimes I come out of sales empty handed but not this time. Above is the Patagonia Nature Cotton, hand dyed and very soft (one hank pictured, I got a whole bag at $5.00 a hank!) I had thought I would make the Leaf Pullover from Loop-D-Loop but I think the varigation will hide the pattern. I still love it and its knitting at 13/4 inches for me, so I have cast on for a top-down cardigan for a friend's 2 year old. I have never made a top down and I am doing this one according to a formula, not a full pattern, so I hope I will not get stuck somewhere in the knitting and not be able to fix it.

I also bought some Babajoes Woolpack in blaze orange for my niece's buttonhole bag and some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky (FIBER CRACK! Really nice to kit with). This has already become the braided neckpiece from Loop-D-Loop and is blocking. When it emerges from its spa experience I will have pictures.

Now the question.

I tried on the Corset Pullover last night. WAY TOO SMALL! I was making the XSmall size knowing that the yarn would stretch, I wanted it to be snug, it was closest to my bust size, only a tiny bit of negative ease, read that smaller is better on the KAL, etc etc etc and it is not even close to meeting in the middle! I need maybe 2 more inches.

So the question:

Rip and reknit bigger for me? When I am close to done? Heartbreaking.

Finish and give it to my sister, who has admired it? Yet does a non-knitter ever understand the work that goes into a sweater? And then make another in a different color? Ok knitters, hands on the buzzers, its time to vote.

Give it to the sister. She is smaller. Merry Christmas! or

Rip it and restart. Why finish something that is not going to be right?

Let the comments begin!

Are you ready to SOCK THIS WAY!

2005-08-15T14:33:00.000-04:00

My Sockapalooza socks are done!

Details:

1. Holly Spring Homespun Superwash Merino in Autumn Scape, which I knitted at 6 stitches/inch. This yarn is very soft and a very high quality. I made my Claptotis out of this in a different colorway. I was very worried that I would not have enough yarn but I have a small wad left.

2. The pattern is a combination of two patterns. I used the basic sock pattern always use from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. I mixed that with the Cable Rib Socks in IK 2005. They have 3/1 rib and a cable on either side, but the gauge was 8 st/inch which would never work with my yarn.

3. I love the colors (and I hope my sockpal does too) but the lovely varigation really obscures the cable work. Still, I wanted to give her something besides a basic ribbed sock. So at least I know the cables are there. Plus, cables are fun!

4. I have loved all the yarn/projects I have made with Holly Spring Homespun yarn. I will most likely make another pair of socks from this yarn--its fabulous. My BIL loved them and wanted a pair.

The ship-off date is September 15 and I have some stitch markers and a postcard to tuck into the package, maybe something else cute if I can think of it. I wonder what kind of socks I will get?I love surprises!

Tree of life

2005-08-11T18:32:00.000-04:00

Presenting Ydgrassil! At MdS&W Mira, Melanie and I stumbled upon a tiny stall at the very back of one of the buildings. The owner had some great "knitterly" yarn and patterns (by knitterly I mean high quality yarn without faddyfunfur and fun-to-knit, creative but still classic patterns. ) The wool was unbelieveable and I could not stop touching it. The strange thing was that the wool in the hanks was rough, but the owner assured me that once I washed the wool it would bloom. And it did!

The shop turned out to be Kimmet Croft Fibers and the pattern is by Lucy Neatby, officially called The Emperor's New Scarf. The yarn is called Fairy Hare and comes in a 400 yard hank; I used most of the hank. The owner told me she raises her own rabbits for the angora and the yarn was spun by the same mill that does the Green Mountain Spinnery yarn (love their patterns; I've made two sweaters from their book.)

I made the scarf much longer and did not crochet the insides of the holes with a contrasting color; I left them as they are. Its a nice light scarf and will be a good one to alternate with the Clap, which is quite big and dramatic. I could get away with this over just a shirt, as just a fashion scarf.

I LOVE IT!

Now I am stuggling for my next project. I have the corset going, I finished my Sockapalooza socks. I have some Xmas knitting to work on (scarves and hats for kids) and I would like to make a top-down cardigan for Thing2 (I have the yarn). I am waiting for Melanie's test-sock pattern, so I don't want to start the Wyvern socks. Maybe I'll just go up into the attic and meditate with the stash. Ommmmmmmm......

Baby bear

2005-08-10T09:51:00.000-04:00

My cousin had a baby girl (hooray for Victoria Grace! I am going to try to sell the parents on a nickname, maybe Tory.) So of course I had to make her something.

I had already made a baby blanket out of Vanilla and Fuschia Cotton-Ease and a pair of tiny stripey socks from leftover sock yarn. And an Eyeore hat in purple, based on the bunny hat from Stitch and Bitch Nation (the mom is very into Eyeore and Pooh.) But I love making hats and I had some stash leftover from another baby hat.

Here we have Thing 2 posing with the hat. Its made out of Peter Pan Wendy (very very soft) from the Ann Norling Fruit Hat pattern (I use the basic formula to make most of my baby hats. I love working in the round.) I crocheted a flower from stash Cascade 220 for the edge and then ran two lengths of yarn through the stitches to give it a bit of a border. I love the way it looks--scabbed the idea from Erika Knight who used it in the Knitting for Two book I just checked out of the library. Joelle Hoverson uses it too in her hat pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

Anyone entering the fair with their knitting? Ann and Kay over at Mason Dixon Knitting are having a fair-along. Loads of people have already won! If I did do it I would enter the sweater I knitted for my grandmother

The problem is prying it off her body. She has not taken it off since I gave it to her. That's the great part about being 91--you wear wool every day, summer and winter.

Any thoughts?

Mom? MOM? Are you talking to yourself about yarn again?

2005-08-08T22:47:00.000-04:00

Have you ever found the kids/dogs/partner/plants staring at you, expecting you to say something, but you have no idea what was going on since you were thinking about handpainted merino?

Do you often find yourself planning your next project while you are driving to the grocery and find yourself in the LYS parking lot instead of Wally World?

Are the other residents of your abode completely mysified by your interest (obsession) with yarn, blogs and knitting?

Ok, so I thought it was just me. I always knew I was an alien.

I pride myself on being an independent woman but a girl has to have some knitting company. One night a week at SnB is not enough. I need a blog too! Instead of talking to myself I'll be talking to myself and the computer and knitting blogland. That's better, right?

I know, I know, everyone is doing it. And I can hear all the mommies now, if everyone else was putting their hand in the fire would you put your hand in that fire too?

No mom, of course not. Except to save that last existing hank of Mongolian Cashmere I needed for this...oh wait, it would just be all burned up anyway.

And I need a blog! Who else is going to listen to my thriling tales of turning cables, clap for my Clapotis and cheer when I triumph over the dreaded kitchener?

So please come and harass me. Leave me knitlike comments and make me feel like I am not knitting alone.

Picture above is a real FO--Thing 1 posing with the Pinwheel Baby Blanket I made for a baby boy who is due in November. The yarn is Rowan Denim/Elann Den-im-nit. PERFECT for a boy (all kids really) because you machine wash and dry it, it fades with age and use, just like jeans. So it gets better with love. The Elann yarn I bought for another project; the denim was leftover from Thing 1's star sweater. After I shortened it I had 2 spare balls!

I am trying to use up the stash. All those unused balls of yarn are really bothering me.