I'd Rather Be Knitting At the Beach

Back to Reality

2012-01-19T23:19:00.007-05:00

Well, my school fundraising event at which my friend sold my hats/headbands has come and gone--and not one item sold. I am somewhat disappointed in this, although the items were priced a little high for students. Unfortunately, the prices barely reflected the cost of materials and my time (priced extremely low). Now I guess I'll try a few more aggressive marketing techniques on my Etsy shop, but honestly, after my marathon of hat/headband knitting, it has been nice to get back to knitting for myself for pleasure.
My first project after the hat project was the GAP-tastic cowl. I had bought some luscious Malabrigo Chunky almost a year ago for this project, and I have been getting frustrated seeing every other person in Manhattan wearing an infinity scarf that I knew I could make! I only used two of the three balls of Malabrigo I had purchased--the cowl is still 10" wide and about 60" in circumference after blocking (which gave it a beautiful, drapy feel), which is way big enough for my 5'2" frame. I ADORE the Velvet Grapes colorway and would love to use it again. It also looks absolutely fabulous in the seed stitch of the pattern.
With the leftover skein of Malabrigo, I immediately cast on for the Axel Mitts to match. I like them because the cuff at the fingers is knit long, so you can cover your fingers completely or roll it back if the day isn't as freezing as it was today! So far, I've made mitt #1 in two nights and expect to be finished with mitt #2 by the weekend. Then, it's back to the sweater and shawl I started last summer (!) and I may also cast on some socks to take with me on a business trip next week.
Despite my failed attempts at knitting for dollars, I am happy to be back to exploring my wonderful stash and knitting nice things for ME!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T14:47:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I thought I'd do a little recap of 2011 and make a few knitting resolutions for the coming year.
In 2011, I completed several projects of varying types, including 3 pair of socks (one long pair of boot socks for my daughter), one large afghan, my first argyle project--a vest for my son, several scarves and cowls, and many, many hats and headbands for my fledgling Etsy shop/school fundraising business. I am currently in the midst of knitting as many hats and headbands in my son's school colors as I possibly can before a January 14th fundraising event. I'm not sure that I like putting my own projects aside to do so many hats and headbands exclusively, but I don't think I will have to do that once I get this stockpile done. The only chance that I would have to keep up at this pace would be if lots of people want these items on the 14th, I sell everything I've got at the event and I end up taking orders to make after the event. After that, though, I should be free for my own pursuits and then whatever I sell on Etsy.

I have really enjoyed beginning to learn about knitting as a business. I would still love to find a way to make it work, but so far I can't see this being a realistic only source of income. I do love seeing my daughter's friends in their earflap hats and getting their wonderful notes and hugs of thanks for these ear-warming goodies!

Along with my current hat on the needles, I'm enjoing the Gap-tastic Cowl made of Malabrigo Chunky in the spectacular Velvet Grapes colorway. Hope to get back to some of my languishing projects (started in the summer) soon.

Wishing everyone a joyous, healthy New Year filled with happiness, peace, love and all that you wish for.

Boot Socks, Just in Time for Winter!

2011-12-16T17:05:00.002-05:00

I finished my daughter' Hunter Boot Socks, aka kilt hose, yesterday. She will be coming home from college for winter break next week, and I will give these to her on one of the eight nights of Hanukkah! They came out great, if I do say so myself--I have never knit knee socks, and these are even longer (16 inches, with a fold-over lace panel too!). I really enjoyed knitting these socks, which decrease from the calf down to the ankle and fit me perfectly (we're similar in size). I think I'd like to do a pair of knee socks for me! Any pattern recommendations?
I also liked knitting socks with Cascade 220 Superwash. I used size 4 needles and, despite the length, they went quickly. I started them in September, but really haven't worked on them much as I've been making hats for all of my daughter's friends, and have even sold a few in my Etsy shop! I am probably going to be doing a fundraiser for my son's high school in January and I will try to sell hats and headbands in the school colors there.
Next up--I may reward myself by making the Laura Nelkin Butin Collar, for which I ordered a kit as well as the e-book that contains this and other jewelry and accessory patterns. Then I'll get back to the Transverse Cardigan that I started in July!
Happy Holidays, everyone--stay warm!

Winter Wear

2011-11-28T08:00:00.004-05:00

Happy Post-Thanksgiving! Had a wonderful long weekend with my beautiful daughter home from collehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifge. I loved spending time with her as well as seeing all of her friends--such a great group of girls. I gave two of them their earflap hats--three more to go in the "core" group of friends and one additional friend has requested a hat. At this rate, colleges all over the country will have samples of mhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gify hats, and hopefully this will lead to sales!
I have now made two official sales in my Etsy shop and look forward to growing my business.
As I said goodbye to my daughter until she returns again in three weeks, I promised that her Hunter Boot Liners , a variation of kilt hose, would be finished by Winter Break. Last night I powered through the first one while watching a too-close-for-comfort Steelers victory, and am about halfway through the decorative cuff of boot liner #2. I'm confident that I'll reach my goal. At 16 inches for the leg, these boot liners are a very significant project!
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is doing lots of cold-weather knitting!

Hat Mania!

2011-11-06T00:51:00.003-04:00

After surviving four days and three nights without power after a freak October snowstorm, I am back to knitting as usual, and my chunky hats seem more needed than ever! I have been continuing to make gift hats and headbands for my teenagers' friends and hope that they will serve as good marketers for the hats and headbands in my Etsy shop.
I also made my daughter a nice, warm chunky ribbed scarf in her school colors and my favorite bulky yarn, Cascade 128 Superwash.
Now I am on to experimenting with some boys' hats from a fabulous book, Hip Knit Hats. So far, I've made the Skip and am in the midst of making the Pat designs from this book.
We gain an hour when we set the clocks back tonight--another hour to knit! Yay! Stay warm, everyone.

Sweet Feet!

2011-10-11T23:29:00.004-04:00

My poor husband has been patiently waiting for his Cauchy Socks to be finished. I have been so busy on my earflap hat kick that hishttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifsocks--begun on 4th of July weekend--have taken a definite back seat. Finally, this morning, I finished the socks. I really like the way they look--very masculine and a simple pattern with some interest both for the knitter and the wearer.

In other foot-related news, I'm now going back to the just-started Hunter Boot liners for my daughter, the college girl. I am using the Toirneach Kilt Hose pattern, from Knitty.com back in 2007. Because they are supposed to be worn with kilts, they are knee-high and have a fold-over cuff that my daughter can cuff over the outside of each boot. They are going to be very cute!

I'm also continuing to make earflap hats like crazy. Here is one of my daughter's friends modeling hers:

OK, friends, time to get back to my knitting and Podcasts! Will try to be back before too much time has gone by.

GO BLUE!!

2011-09-11T00:51:00.009-04:00

I've been busy knitting up a storm for my new ETSY SHOP! I am going to be making hats and headbands to start, all in collehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifge or high school colors. My crack marketing team consists of my daughter, now a college freshman, and all of her friends at colleges throughout the country; and my son, a high school junior who has been proudly talking up my goods to his friends!
Still learning the ins and outs of being an online seller, but I have my supplies and I'm ready to roll.
A few examples of what I can make in any school color combo:

It is AWESOME to be making up my own patterns for these items too!

While watching U of M's AMAZING win against Notre Dame tonight, I worked on a pair of liners for my daughter's Hunter boots, an apparent college staple! A Ravelry contact gave me the idea to use a kilt hose pattern so that I'd have the wide cuff to turn down over the boots. Great idea! I am making the Toirneach Kilt Hose out of Cascade 220 Superwash in the Daffodil colorway that I've now used for about five different projects! We'll see how it goes!

Waiting for the Storm

2011-08-27T09:10:00.003-04:00

As we in New Jersey and elsewhere on the East Coast await Hurricane Irene, I finished the first of my Cauchy socks for my http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhusbahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnd. It was a bit challenging figuring out how to modify the pattern as the yarn is very skinny--about 9 stitches/inch, which is smaller than I'm used to for socks and different from the pattern's gauge. I finished sock #1 this morning and it fits its intended wearer, but does need to be stretched slightly for a perfect fit on the foot.
I'll start Sock #2 right away to prevent second sock syndrome, but will then cast on another earflap hat for one of my daughter's friends--the first of many as "my girls" head off to colleges around the country. I've become an expert at determining college colors from the Web--many actually have a page with their official Pantone colors. This first hat will probably be finished on our 8+ hour drive to take our daughter to school in a few days. I hope the rhythm of the stitches will keep me calm as I prepare to separate from my wonderful daughter!

Coming Up for Air

2011-08-12T22:55:00.004-04:00

Wow, it's been almost a month since I last blogged and I feel like it's been a year. I haven't even knit for several days this week, which is unlike me. We returned from a vacation on August 1--after enjoying scenic locales like Prague, pictured above--to find my mom had been in the hospital and was now in rehab (at 90, she is fine now, but there has been a lot to do related to her care--thank goodness I am one of three sisters!); my daughter needing to prep for college and also needing a lot of TLC to get her in the right frame of mind for her big move; and work at its most intense in about a year. If something had to give, unfortunately, it was knitting.

I did successfully get my knitting needles through security in Vienna and Frankfurt and happily knit both going to Europe and coming home. My plane knitting of choice was the Transverse Cardigan, which is mostly stockinette at this point. Since it is a uniqhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifue, sideways construction, it will be a gamble as to whether it will fit or not, but I am measuring as best I can compared to finished sweaters and also favoriting a bunch of examples of this sweater on Ravelry.

I have also been enjoying the Cauchy socks for my husband; I would like to make sure they are done in time for winter and I am not even down the leg of Sock #1 (but almost)--so I think this will become my priority project for now.
Last weekend, after our trip, we went on a 6-hour car trip to visit my husband's parents, so I used the time to make the Gull Hat for my daughter's boyfriend in his soon-to-be-college colors of purple and gold. I loved this pattern and would consider making the sweater in the same pattern in the Norah Gaughan Men book, which I like very much.
So now I guess it's back to the socks, and hopefully more time to knit!

The Big Project is Finished--Go Blue!

2011-07-17T14:07:00.008-04:00

Finished my daughter's University of Michigan Afghan with over a month to go before she leaves for college! I am very pleased with it and hope that it brings her good luck and lots of love in college. I used almost 2,000 yards of yarn in this afghan and enjoyed the pattern very much. Making it in strips of two squares (as recommended on Ravelry) was great, and I liked the mitered garter border I added.
So now it's on to some new projects, particularly in advance of a vacation where I'll need some big and small projects to occupy me. I'm going to try my luck at getting knitting needles on a transatlantic flight too!
I'm working on the Cauchy Socks from Cookie A's Sock Innovation for my husband;
The Uisce scarf/shawl from Carol Feller's Stolen Stitches booklet-- a good way to use up my lovely Brooks Farm Mas Acero;
and the Transverse Cardigan from Interweave Knits, which I've always wanted to make and will be a nice use for my Autumn House Farm's Finnean's Rainbow yarn, purchased at Rhinebeck last fall.
Lots to do before I leave, but at least all of these projects are on the needles and ready to go!

Socks IMO A Dear Friend

2011-07-04T22:50:00.003-04:00

First, Happy 4th of July to all--watching the fireworks displays in Washington, DC and New York City tonight makes me feel very patriotic. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
But on to knitting. Sorry it's been so long since I've posted--we've had a lot of big occasions in our household, most notably my DD's graduation from high school. So while the knitting (particularly her college afghan) has gone on, the blogging has taken a back seat. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Prior to the holiday weekend I finished the socks I have been knitting for quite some time--in between projects--from the “Egg-Stra” Special Sock Kit by Skacel; all proceeds went to Ovarian Cancer research, and I wanted to support this cause in memory of my dear friend who passed away from a form of this disease. However, the pattern looked a bit too complicated. I decided “On http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifHold”, from Wendy Johnson's "Socks from the Toe Up," was also a fitting pattern to honor Mimi’s memory, as she did hold on for so long, fighting as hard as she could.
I learned a lot while making these socks, including more experience at toe-up socks (although I just couldn’t get Wendy’s short-row heel, and ended up going back to my old stand-by, Sensational Knitted Socks, and used an Eye of Partridge heel). The kit had come with beads, and I worked them into this pattern in a pretty design. I also tried the dental-floss-threader method of adding the beads, and I think I like it much better than the crochet hook method. Good to know both ways.
Finally, I used the sewn bind-off to ensure stretchiness at the cuff. Very pleased with these socks.
Immediately cast on Cauchy, from Cookie A's Sock Innovation, for my DH, using the very pretty, but very thin, Swanky Sock BFL Yarn in Navy Blue from Evermore Studios. We'll see how I do with an 80-stitch sock (at a gauge of 9 stitches/inch)!

Roxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxanne!

2011-05-30T21:36:00.002-04:00

I know a lot of people have been talking about the fact that whenever they mention the name of the Roxanne Mystery Shawl, the Police song of the late 1970's-early 1980's comes into their head and won't leave! I've been having the same thoughts as I've sprinted toward the finish line of this cute shawl.
I really enjoyed making it, but now that it's done and blocked, I'm not sure if I will wear it all that much. It is a little short, but since it is somewhat rounded in the back versus triangular, it is not appropriate to wear with the point in the front and the ends draped forward. I think I would prefer that type of shawl as my next attempt. If anyone can recommend a good pattern that fits these requirements, please leave a comment!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The pattern was a lot of fun, and was my first experience with a true lace shawl. I loved the tab cast-on and I love the cables surrounded by lace. In addition, this was the first shawl that I really blocked out from the "blob" stage to a beautiful, opened-up lace garment, and it WAS magical to see how the shawl changed as many others have described.
Now I return to the University of Michigan afghan for my daughter. I am slightly ahead of schedule, and plan to finish the third of the four panels tonight and hopefully block it tonight--I have a lot of evening activities this week and tonight is probably my only chance to take the time I need with the blocking wires to get a nice, straight panel.
Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend!

We Interrupt This Afghan

2011-04-24T20:55:00.000-04:00

The University of Michigan Afghan for my daughter has been going along well. The Cascade 128 Superwash is just wonderful, and the big needles and easy pattern go quickly. I've finished one whole strip and blocked it, to ensure that the afghan will be as long as my daughter would like it. It is over 60 inches long blocked, so with the addition of a border, this should definitely be long enough. My goal is to finish strip 2 by the end of May, strip #3 by the end of June, strip #4 by the end of July, and do the border/finishing in August.
In the meantime, though, now that the weather is FINALLY getting a little warmer, I decided I needed an alternative project to break up the afghan a little. I heard about the Roxanne Mystery Shawl KAL on a the Work in Progress Podcast and decided to cast on with some of my leftove KnitPicks Palette in Pool. I have always wanted to knit one of Liz Abinante's shawls, so this is my chance! I don't know that I'll keep up with the weekly clues, as this will get to be a pretty large project, but I am really enjoying it so far. I'm almost halfway through Clue 2. There's something very nice about a rhythmic lace pattern...I see more shawls in my future.

Happy Endings

2011-04-02T19:07:00.004-04:00

Just back from a lovely, relaxing vacation in San Juan where there was ample beach, condo and airplane knitting time! I started and finished my very first commission project, the Royal Llama Silk Slouchy Hat, which I will mail away tomorrow. I liked doing a project on commission, but don't know how much time I will have for this when I'm not on vacation! Now that my family is ever-more enthusiastic about my projects, I'd probably rather knit for them--but it's nice to know these opportunities exist when I am able to partake of them. The hat is very cute and the yarn was nice--warm, but not wooly. A little splitty, but nothing that my Denise circulhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifars couldn't handle. I used the Denises for the first time in awhile, because the pattern called for a 16" circ. Why doesn't KnitPicks make 16" cables for their interchangeables, I wonder?http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I also pretty much finished the Microfiber Ribbon Tank. I had traveled armed with my fusing supplies--FrayChek, Liquid Thread, regular thread. It turned out I didn't get to too many knotted ends until the very end, when I was already home. After all of the issues I had with this project, the final product is just beautiful and I think I have been enchanted with this ribbon again so that next time I'm at a fiber event where Tess Yarns is present, I'll probably buy more! I don't think I would forget how to wind it after my most recent debacle.
So now it's back to the University of Michigan afghan tonight. I ordered a yarn thimble from KnitPicks to see if that makes the Fair Isle easier--I'm determined to master it, and the stranding on these squares is so elementary (alternating one stitch in each of two colors--basically either vertical stripes or a checkerboard--that's it!), that I figure by the time I finish the entire afghan, I should be a master and ready to tackle more complicated Fair Isle (or I'll know that I don't like it!).
Also feeling a bit overloaded with all of the great new Videocasts out there...but I'm working through them. They're great company while I knit.

Go Blue! (Despite Today's NCAA Loss)

2011-03-20T22:39:00.003-04:00

Finished my daughter's Earflap Hat--this is a fantastic pattern, and the Cascade 128 is a dream to work with. The hat is absolutely adorable, easy to make (completed in 2-3 nights with about an hour's knitting time each night), and looks great on my girl. I am very pleased with it.
After finishing the hat, I immediately cast on for the coordinating blanket, for which I'm altering a baby blanket pattern I saw on Ravelry. About half of the blocks are one by one vertical stripes--which I realized means they are Fair Isle! Well, I hemmed and hawed and ripped this thing about five times, thinking I wasn't ready for Fair Isle and that doing a slip-stitch pattern would be easier. But I just didn't like how the slip-stitch stripes looked versus the Fair Isle ones. I read as many tutorials as I could get my hands on, and took the plunge with the Fair Isle. Since I don't know how to knit Continental, I can't really do the two-handed hold for the Fair Isle, so I'm using the right-handed hold and hoping for the best. I know I'm not doing it perfectly as far as technique goes, but the fabric is coming out very nicely and I am sure I will be more proficient by the time I finish this project.
I am also plugging away on the ribbon tank. After knitting more than 9 inches, I have only gotten to one knot from where I had to cut the tangled yarn. So I think the tangling wasn't as bad as I remember. I think I will just about have enough ribbon for this tank, but that's fine. The bottom is curling also; I may have to hem it if it doesn't steam flat.
Finally, I have been searching for a large knitting back, and finally settled on the Vera Bradley "Vera" bag. I have ordered it in the Purple Punch (now being discontinued) colorway and can't wait to receive it!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

2011-03-13T22:57:00.002-04:00

The Tess Microfiber Ribbon that gave me a lot of trouble in the winding (partly, of course, because I didn't read the very clear winding instructions on the back of the label because I thought I knew better from last time I used this yarn), has also given me a bit of trouble as I started a project with it.
I decided to make the Essential Tank from Custom Knits, but make some mods based on the new Nicky Epstein Knitting on the Edge book I bought. The first edging I tried had you rotating the needle 360 degrees to make a twisted bit every 11 stitches. That's fine if you're working flat, but kind of a scary disaster if you're working in the round! Fortunately I was able to rip back and re-cast on without much trouble, and chose a different edging pattern...a very simple scallop that I think will look nice. Then, I decided to replace the ribbing in the center with a leaf motif from the Nicky book. I must have done something wrong on one of the first few rows, so I ripped that back and started yet again. Now things are moving along; I have about 2 inches done. It looks like it will be very close-fitting, which is what I am aiming for, as this ribbon stretches like crazy. We'll see. There's just something that hasn't been perfect with this batch of Microfiber Ribbon; I'm hoping the end results will be pleasing.
Tonight I will also cast on for my daughter's U of Michigan Earflap Hat, in honor of her committing to attend the University of Michigan next year! Lots of maize and blue yarn in my future! After the hat, I have an afghan queued up!
Did finish one of my On Hold Socks--looks very pretty! Will finish the second one after the tank is done.

Churning Out the FO's!

2011-02-24T18:17:00.004-05:00

As part of my break after completing the Argyle Vest, I finished the Vanessa Headband. I really love how it looks on and off my head! This particular color (Swan Lake) of the Misti Alpaca Handpaint Chunky is cool, soothing and gorgeous, but it sheds quite a bit, and I ended up knitting this project with a pillowcase on my lap. But the shedding may ease with time. Now that the weather is warming up a bit, I hope I still have a chance to wear this at least once this season!
The headband was easy and fun to make, and I think I really have the cabling without a cable needle down. I started out using Grumperina's method, but ended up using the method detailed in Stitch 'N Bitch Superstar Knitting, a book I am really enjoying. I am also working on a Cables Dishcloth now, so I can continue to practice this method. Cable needles, be gone!
Now it's back to my On Hold socks, and my usual process of knitting one sock monogamously, then doing a bigger project (probably a tank with my latest Tess Microfiber Ribbon), then sock #2. These will incorporate beads, and I've been playing around with where to place them. More fun ahead!

My Masterpiece!

2011-02-20T20:58:00.006-05:00

I finished my son's argyle vest! This was definitely one of the most challenging projects I've completed, and one through which I've learned a great deal. I learned intarsia, duplicate stitch, and how to modify a pattern that includes a chart. I feel like my seaming/finishing skills also continue to improve with each project I make. I actually thought about paying a yarn shop to do the finishing on the vest, but it turned out to be very easy and enjoyable--the short-rows and three-needle bind-off for the shoulders worked beautifully, the picking up stitches for the V-neck was great (I used my terrific new book, Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book for that), and the mattress stitch seams look very good. I loved the KnitPicks Palette (which is a good thing, as I have almost 3 skeins of each color left!!), and I'm looking forward to making something with that, perhaps more colorwork.
Now I'm moving on to finish up a bunch of small WIP's and work on my On-Hold Socks before starting my next "major" project. I've already finished my Linoleum Dishcloth and will start another as "purse/train knitting." Also cleaned up my notions bag within my larger knitting bag; am thinking of getting another Della Q tote and two small Della zip bags for easier organization of tools. We'll see.
I went to our Borders, which is one of the casualties of the chain's bankruptcy, over the weekend, looking for knitting book bargains. All books were 20% off, which isn't as big of a discount as can be had online, so I didn't buy anything. Considering that I am in the midst of reading the 5-6 knitting books I bought around the holidays, it's probably a blessing in disguise. I did, however, have a 55% off coupon for A.C. Moore, which is in the same shopping center, so I rewarded myself with Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge, now in paperback, instead. I've wanted that book for a long time and look forward to getting creative with my edgings.

I'm a Cowl Girl!

2011-02-05T15:39:00.003-05:00

With the cold, snowy, blustery weather we've been having for the past month and a half, I've wanted nothing more than warm, toasty and cuddly knitwear. Having bought the Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky yarn at Vogue Knitting LIVE, I promptly knit the Loop of Luxury from CowlGirls. I finished it last night and wore it to the Super Bowl Sale at Down Cellar, my new favorite LYS. I've been there before, but never to their new location and I must say, the women that run the shop are warm, personable, fun, and eager to help--qualities that are not always found at Local Yarn Shops. I got lots of compliments on my cowl as I browsed the shop, and since I have a half skein of the luxe Misti Alpaca left over, I decided to buy another skein to make coordinating mitts. The cowl's colors look perfect with my winter ski jacket and the yarn feels so luscious that I want it on my hands as well as around my neck! They were out of the Falstaff colorway, so I bought a beautiful coordinating icy blue called Swan Lake. Combining this with the Falstaff, I'll be able to make the mitts and most likely at least a headband too.
I also bought 3 skeins of Malabrigo Chunky at Down Cellar, in the beautiful Velvet Grapes colorway, to make the Gap-tastic Cowl that is going viral! I was in NYC last weekend and noticed that these loopy cowls, or infinity scarves, are everywhere. I hope they are still everywhere next winter, as my queue is so full of cowls now that I will certainly be making them--and hopefully wearing them--for years to come.
Still making good progress on my son's argyle vest too--the front is done, other than a few duplicate stitch lines, and the solid back is moving along at great speed. It will be good mindless knitting for tomorrow's big event--THE SUPER BOWL--GO, STEELERS!!!

Vogue Knitting LIVE!

2011-01-25T18:15:00.003-05:00

I attended Vogue Knitting live this past weekend and had a wonderful time. Took the train into NYC bright and early on a frigid Saturday morning. I attended a so-so lecture (in her defense, the lecturer was a sub for someone who couldn't show up), reveled in the marketplace, and took a great lace class with the diva herself, Anne Hanson.
The marketplace was smaller than at other events I've attended, such as Stitches or Rhinebeck, but there were some top-notch vendors including one of my favorites, Tess Yarns. Got my fix of the Microfiber Ribbon in a pretty tonal brown. Unfortunately, I only remembered part of the specific winding instructions--I correctly turned my swift on its side, but I incorrectly used a ballwinder, which is a no-no. I had to rewind both balls and needless to say, this was quite a mess. I have since researched and learned that ends can be joined by a little sewing with thread, and ends can also be secured with Fray-Check, which I now own! I think I will be fine and I will make the Ribbon Cable Tank, a pattern I had from the last Microfiber Ribbon I bought! I also bought some yummy Cultivated Silk and Wool in a beautiful teal color; I will use it for the Tuesday Night Cowl, which was on display in several different Tess fibers.
My other purchase was from the booth of one of my LYS's, Down Cellar in Basking Ridge, NJ. I bought 2 skeins of Misti Alpaca Chunky Handpaint in a lovely brown/blue mix (colorway Falstaff), and last night at Book Group I cast on the Loop of Luxury from Cowlgirls, a book I recently won! This yarn is unbelievably soft and beautiful. Can't wait to finish it...this is making it hard for me to go back to my argyle vest, but I am making good progress (almost done with the front!), so I will persevere.
Finally, I met some new friends who are from the next town to me. We exchanged Ravelry names and hopefully we will get together to knit!

Sunrise Circle Jacket

2011-01-04T18:29:00.007-05:00

As mentioned in my New Year's Day post, I finished my Sunrise Circle Jacket. Yesterday, the buttons I had ordered from Etsy Shop Muddy Muse arrived and they are a fantastic match. It was quite a challenging positioning the oblong buttons on the curved edge of the sweater (the pattern calls for toggles, which might have worked better, but I like the look of these buttons). After several attempts, I got it right and I'm very pleased wiht the result. I also did a YouTube Tutorial posted by Melissa Monday on how to crochet button loops--I would have totally done this wrong if I hadn't watched that video, and the only reason I thought of searching for a video is that a video clip of Cirilia Rose demonstrating button loops came up in my blog posts yesterday. I guess it was fate.
Anyway, after communicating with the designer of this ingenious pattern, Kate Gilbert, I decided to stick with the medium size rather than the small, and I'm glad I did. It was very difficult to determine whether this would fit because of the unusual construction (each front is knit in conjunction with a sleeve, and there is an ample hem all around the garment that really makes a difference once its sewed down). I did end up having to shorten the sleeves from the bottom a bit after knitting, and I may have removed a touch too much, but being a short person with short arms, one of my favorite things about knitting for myself is being able to custom-fit my sleeves, so I prefer them this length.
All in all, I'm very pleased with this pattern and it was a lot of fun to knit, even if the uncertainty of the size was a bit unsettling.
I wore it to work and was immediately complimented by my knitting co-worker. Priceless!

Review of 2010-A Productive Year

2011-01-01T22:53:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I am proud of the knitting year I've had. I just tallied up my finished objects and found that there were 27 items, including my Noro Cable Comfort Throw, my just-completed Sunrise Circle Jacket, made with yarn that was three years old! (pictures and wrap-up to come as soon as buttons arrive and are sewn on), my first piece of knitted jewelry, and 9 pairs of knitted mitts for my daughter and all of her friends.
Along with my first attempts at beaded knitting (both in the bracelet and in the Citron shawl), I also started my first intarsia project--my son's argyle vest, which is in progress now. I have FINALLY gotten the hang of figuring out how much yarn to cut for each argyle diamond so that I don't have to splice mid-diamond. The earlier diamonds have some uneven stitches that were knit before I perfected this technique, but I'm hoping that blocking will even them out. I am about 5 inches below the armhole of the V-neck front, and then I will knit the back solid. This will be a very fine looking vest for my dapper 15-year-old.
For 2011, I'd like to try Entrelac (I've got the Lady Eleanor stole in my queue and the new Rosemary Drysdale Entrelac book on my nightstand to read first); I'd like to knit down my stash a bit, and I plan to knit another afghan for my daughter to take to college with her in September (I have a pattern picked out; just awaiting her final decision as to where she will be going so I can order appropriate yarn colors!)
If anyone is reading, I do have a favor to ask. I have one skein + of the Tahki Donegal Tweed left from the Sunrise Circle Jacket. I'd like to make either a hat or fingerless mitts. Any suggestions?
've been spending New Year's Day alternating between watching Bowl Games with my husband and catching up on knitting Podcasts, all while working on the argyle vest. Can't ask for a much more wonderful way to start the New Year! Hoping it's a Happy, Healthy one for all of you.
Back soon with the Sunrise Circle recap.

Blankets!!

2010-12-13T18:13:00.006-05:00

I am so excited and thrilled to announce that I finished my Noro Cable Comfort Throw...almost two years in the making. I am really excited about the way this turned out. I used 13 balls of the Noro Transitions (so this is a very valuable blanket!), soaked the finished product in Eucalan and then laid out to dry. The Eucalan bath softened up the yarn considerably, and also relaxed the stitches so that the final dimensions were almost 60 x 60 inches. The throw drapes beautifully and is super-warm due to the content of the yarn, which includes a mix of fibers such as wool, silk, cashmere, mohair, camel, angora and alpaca. My family seems to love it, which is a great relief. I think I am going to stick to my plan to make the Lady Eleanor stole out of the remaining 7 skeins of Transitions. I think it will be luscious.
My family did put up quite the protest when I was ready to use the throw to replace a big old Lion Brand Chevron-style afghan I had made several years ago (pre-Ravelry, I think, so I didn't have any pictures). I had used a variety of Lion Brand yarns in this blanket, including chenille--which turned out to be disastrous. The chenille started worming a few years ago and there were huge loops hanging out everywhere on this throw. My husband and kids didn't care--they love this blanket (much more than the fancy Colinette AbFab Throw that I made around the same time). So...once the Noro blanket was finished and in place on our couch, I spent about 4 hours yesterday cutting the chenille loops and weaving the ends in to blanket with a crochet hook. Once done, I washed the blanket and put it in the dryer with the hope that the chenille would tighten up. It looks much better--here's the "after" shot (forgot to take a "before") but I still see some ends (see below) and I have a feeling that with time, the worming will happen again. But at least I can live with this blanket now without feeling disgusted, and my family can enjoy ALL of the blankets we have available. The weather is turning pretty cold, so it's nice for us all to have homemade throws to cuddle with in the family room.
I have beautiful shades of Manos for the Four Seasons Throw--I think I'll work on that over the holidays!
I'm making good progress with the Sunrise Circle Jacket--almost done the second front/sleeve combination, then just the back, which is the smallest piece, remains. The sleeves may be too long--it is very hard to estimate size on this unusually constructed garment--so I may get to practice ripping up from the cast-on edge if I want to make them the perfect, shorter length. I want to finish all the pieces, pin them together and try the whole sweater on before making this decision.
The argyle vest is also coming along. Not enough done to know if it fits, but the intarsia is looking pretty good so far! More to come on that.

Making Progress

2010-11-21T15:09:00.002-05:00

Since my last post, I've made quite a bit of progress on a number of projects!

1)I have indeed gone back to the Cable Comfort Throw, which is now about 75% of the way done! Since it is getting colder outside, it's actually nice to knit with a warm & growning afghan on my lap. And what could be better than Noro?! I had bought 20 balls of the Transitions when I started this project, not being sure how much I would need. I think I'm going to have several left, so I'm already thinking about what to do with the rest. I am not a huge fan of bulky-weight sweaters, but I do have a Noro book that has some pretty ones. My other choice, after seeing lots of projects on Ravelry, is the Lady Eleanor stole, from Scarf Style. On the spur of the moment the other night, I watched some YouTube tutorials about knitting backwards and taught myself in about five minutes. It's a lot easier than I thought! I will have to wait and see how many balls of Transitions I have left to determine what will become of them. Meanwhile, I'm really enjoying the afghan. My goal is at least 2 rows per day (as it is not at all portable); I should be done before spring!

2)Instead of the hooded vest that I thought I was going to cast on when I last posted (the gauge didn't work for my Tahki Donegal Tweed--one of the oldest yarns in my stash--and I couldn't figure out how to adjust it so that it wouldn't be huge on me), I opted to cast on the Sunrise Circle Jacket. This is a really fun pattern and lots of people have used the Donegal Tweed. I had to use size 6 needles to get gauge, but I think it will be fine--nice and firm, which is good for a jacket that is really outerwear. I am done the first piece (left sleeve + left front), and partway up the right sleeve. I THINK this will fit perfectly--it is kind of hard to tell with this intriguing construction, but I'm taking the leap of faith and going on!

3)My darling 15-year-old son has requested an argyle vest! I have never done argyle and have done very little intarsia, but I'm going for it. We pored over patterns on Ravelry and the one he liked (Argyll V-Neck) is from a book called Rowan Knitting for Him, which has gorgeous men's patterns. This vest has overall argyle patterning on the front and the back, but several Ravelers have suggested doing the front first and doing the argyle on the front only. I think that's what I'll do. I have to decide whether I duplicate stitch the zigzag lines as some people have recommended, or knit them in. The thought of doing all the duplicate stitch is not very appealing, so I may try to knit them in. We'll see. Ordered KnitPicks Palette--how fun is it to choose from among their 100 colors!--swatched, and I'm on my way!

Hope to have some good progress on all of these wonderful projects soon.

Bauble!

2010-10-23T20:09:00.003-04:00

I finished my Bauble bracelet, which was a lot of fun. I learned a lot about stringing beads for knitting (as opposed to knitting beads into yarn, as I did recently with Citron), and I think I'd like to try this again. I wasn't 100% happy with the way this looked when it was done, so I wove some of the elastic cord through the looser parts and I think it looks pretty nice now.
So now that this is done in record time, the question is, what do I cast on next. I COULD work more diligently on my Cable Comfort Throw, which has been languishing on my needles for some time, and which is nice to knit on in the cooler weather. But since it is so big and not right for traveling, I think I will swatch and cast on for the hooded vest that has been in my queue for a VERY long time. I can have both of these things, plus my current socks, going at once.
I wore my Citron to a Bar Mitzvah today. It felt great and I thought it looked great, although no one mentioned it. I think there needed to be other knitters there to appreciate it!

FInish-Itis!

2010-10-19T23:40:00.004-04:00

I guess a good trip to Rhinebeck is among the best motivators to finish things so that new ones can be started. Tonight I finished my Serendipity Socks, which came out really nice--the colors are so cheerful, and as I pointed out on Ravelry, I never would have chosen this colorway but got it as part of the Rockin' Sock Club a couple of years ago, and I am very pleased with it now that it's been knit into a beautiful pair of socks. Great pattern too. I have never been a big fan of short-row heels, and the directions in this pattern just didn't do it for me, so I used the directions (that I thought to be much clearer) from Socks a la Carte. Same result, but just easier for me to do with yarn overs vs. wrap and turns.
Next up, before I start one of my Rhinebeck purchases, is the Bauble bracelet from Knitty--one of the treats I bought myself after I did the beaded Citron. I bought a kit of all the beads from Earthfaire and I think this will be a good learning experience--the bead-stringing is pretty tedious. I will cast on something else to alternate so my eyes don't pop out of my head!
I think I'll start another pair of socks and then either a Rhinebeck project or the poor hooded vest that's been waiting patiently in my queue for two years. I bought the Skacel sock kit for which all of the proceeds go to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research--may make those as a Christmas gift for the daughter of my friend who just passed away from this horrible disease. Kind of like a prayer shawl...The pattern looks very intricate, so I think I will use the yarn and the spirit of the project (the teal blue, etc.), but use a different pattern. Especially if I'm doing this as a relief from the teeny beads!

FINALLY Made it to Rhinebeck!!

2010-10-17T00:31:00.009-04:00

After many years of wishing I could go to Rhinebeck, I got to go today! It was a bittersweet drive up the NY Thruway, as I lost my dear friend yesterday. Rhinebeck became my therapy, and it was wonderful to have the whole day there alone to revel in all of the gorgeous hand-knit items everyone wore, to feel, smell and buy yarn, and to enjoy the gorgeous fall day with foliage at its peak.
I wore my Einstein Coat for warmth, and debuted my February Lady Sweater, newly finished and for which I got many compliments (and saw MANY others, in all shapes, sizes, yarn, and colors!). Seeing everyones amazing knitted finery at this show is truly inspirational. You just don't see all of these knitted masterpieces, casually worn with jeans and T's, in your daily life.
I left NJ at 7 am and couldn't believe the gorgeous sky as I entered the Hudson Valley--dramatic clouds and flaming trees! I got right to work with the vendors and visited some of my old favorites (like Brooks Farm) and some new friends--like Autumn House Farm. I even went to the Ravelry meet-up and met Jess! Very exciting.
Here's what I bought (pictures in collage form at right):
--One beautiful shawl pin from Annie's Sweet Products
--5 skeins of Autumn House Farm Finnean's Rainbow, which I may use to make their "Finnean's Favorite Getaway Pullover" pattern, or maybe a shawl, or maybe a different sweater. This is really cool yarn!
--1 skein of Creatively Dyed Steele, in colorway Sharon. I really love this unique, handpainted yarn. Amazing colors! I'm thinking I'll try one of the shawls in Romi's "7 Small Shawls" e-book, which I purchased just before Rhinebeck. Right now, Celaeno is in the lead!
--2 skeins of Brooks Farm Solo Silk, right now queued to make the Hypotenuse Shawl (by Ann Hanson, whom I also spotted yesterday!!)
--4 skeins of Brooks Farm Solo, to make the Triple S Shawl pattern by Knitting Fairy that I fell in love with when I saw two samples at the Brooks Farm booth
OK, now I have to finish the pair of socks I'm currently knitting and then decide if I can keep my willpower and continue working through my queue, or cast on one of the Rhinebeck projects ASAP!

Keeping it Going

2010-10-02T16:22:00.003-04:00

So it's now less than two weeks since my last post--good for me! My dear friend continues to decline and I am trying to appreciate all the good things and wonderful people in my life to offset the sadness I feel. I am also trying to knit more...and I appear to be a bit more successful in that. Fortunately, this is a quiet weekend so I think I will get my wish to knit, blog, and prepare for my (fingers crossed) trip to Rhinebeck in two weeks!
I finished the first of my Serendipity Socks. I didn't use the short-row heel directions given in the pattern; instead, I followed the short-row directions in Socks a la Carte, as they just seemed easier to follow. I think the whole wrap and turn process and I don't get along, while the book's version uses yarn overs that are then knitted together. It's just a different way of achieving the same result. I'm happy with this sock, and LOVING my new Eat Smart Kitchen Scale, which I bought after reading a review on Knitter's Review. Clara Parkes gave wonderful directions about how to determine how many yards of yarn are left in a ball by weighing it on the scale. I used it for my Citron, but it is particularly helpful in an instance like this, where I made the Serendipity leg a bit longer than the pattern stated, and wasn't sure if I'd have enough for the pair. After Sock #1, I have 200 yards left according to the scale, and the ball started with 360 yards--so I should be fine. At a time when I am stressed out, it's nice to have a tool that helps take some of the stress out of knitting.
I ordered and received from Earthfaire a kit for the Bauble bracelet from Knitty.com. This will be my next beaded project, and I am excited! The question is, do I start and make this next, or finish my long-neglected February Lady Sweater--I just have the sleeves to do, and if I can do one sleeve per week, I can wear this to Rhinebeck! I'll decide by tonight--have some movies taped and ready to knit the night away!

I Love Beads!

2010-09-21T22:53:00.007-04:00

Again, it's been far too long since my last post. I guess I am really writing this blog as a record for myself now, as I can't imagine anyone would be reading something that is updated so infrequently. Alas, life has gotten the way of both knitting and blogging. We have had some ill relatives and I now have a very ill, dear friend whom I've known for four decades. Suffice it to say that I've been preoccupied and sad.

I am also in a very stressful time at work, and I wish I could release that stress through knitting, but I am too busy working to have time to knit! Not a good situation. As a result, my Citron took me much longer than anticipated. The fact that I decided to go for seven pattern repeats--yielding a total of 732 stitches for the ruffle rows AND the beaded bind-off--also made this a slow process. I loved every second of it. I am hooked on knitting with beads! See my Ravelry page for more details. The favorites that come up on that project page will lead you to some of the tutorials I used for adding the beads and doing the beaded bind-off. I also got a lot of assistance in terms of what kinds and how many beads to buy, from Earthfaire. Excellent quality and customer service. I will DEFINITELY do more beaded knitting!

Now it's back to my Serendipity Sock and my February Lady Sweater. Hope there's more time for knitting and blogging SOON!

Big Time Catch-Up!

2010-08-09T12:46:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's been exactly TWO MONTHS since I've last posted. I'm sorry (if there's anyone out there reading!).
Life has been hectic even though it's summer, which usually gives me a bit more time since my kids are away at camp. We completed our kitchen renovation in early July and that was very time-consuming and ate into both knitting and blogging time. We also went on a glorious vacation to France in late July...so here we are.
First, some notes on the trip. I brought three knitting projects with me: a dishcloth (which I never picked up); my Salish Sea Socks (which I almost finished and did finish last night);
and my newly cast on Citron, which I am making in the gorgeous Dream in Color Starry in Black Parade, and which I am going to attempt to bead on the bind-off.
I worked on the Citron on the plane over and during some car and train trips, and worked on the socks at various intervals. I was all set to finish the socks on the plane trip home and make significant progress on the Citron--after all, the trip home was an 8-hour flight, all daytime hours--when BOOM! the dreaded confiscation of the needles that I've read so much about happened to me. We've gone on about 5-6 trips out of the country the past several years, and I've been lucky each time until now. I begged to keep my needles, but the French equivalent of the TSA was very unsympathetic. So I read and watched movies and pouted the whole way home.
Needles have been replaced now, socks finished, shawl on the fifth repeat (almost done, although the rows are getting Loooong!), and I guess all is well. But it still bothers me that needles aren't allowed on flights from Europe to the U.S.
On a brighter knitting note from our trip, I visited the outpost of La Droguerie in Le Bon Marche department store in Paris, and bought absolutely perfect buttons for my February Lady Sweater, which will wait until my Citron is done to be finished. The fantastic yarn, button and notion outpost in this luxe department store was absolutely fabulous!
So now I'm home, really enjoying the Citron, and about to cast on for my next socks--Serendipity, which according to my notes was the first sock of the 2008 Rockin' Sock Club year. This was the last year I participated, so I guess I'm down to five STR skeins once I finish this pair. I do have other sock yarn in my bin, but once I finish the Socks that Rock, I might think about joining another sock club. I do so love knitting socks! The Salish Seas were a lot of fun. My first Cat Bordhi pattern AND my first successful toe-up pair. Judy's Magic Cast-on finally clicked with me, and the arch shaping in this pattern was neat too. The socks fit very well and I see why people are in awe of Cat. I don't know how she thinks of all of these variations!
Kids are still away for a few more days and DH off on a business trip tomorrow--this is my last chance for a summer knitting marathon, and when I'm not at work, this is how I plan to spend my time!!

Lotus Blossom-Challenging, but Lovely!

2010-06-09T23:04:00.005-04:00

I finished the Lotus Blossom Tank a couple of nights ago. Just like the Two-Toned Shell that preceded it, this was knit from the bottom up in one piece up to the armhole. This one had a lovely lace pattern (which made me want to knit more lace!) up to the empire waist, so it was even harder to determine fit--how much would this stretch? Would my gauge change much after blocking in the somewhat fiddly KnitPicks CotLin?
Well, I'm hear to tell you that after a neurotic amount of measuring, consulting Ravelry (particularly LicketyKnit, who seems to be the go-to Raveler in terms of having made the most favored changes to this garment), and crossing my fingers, this top fits perfectly!!! It is really beautiful. I'm looking forward to wearing my two new shells as the summer gets under way. For once, my timing is right!
Next up--I think I'll finish my Salish Sea sock #1 and start #2, swatch and cast on for the February Lady Sweater, and wind yarn for the Citron shawl, which I plan on taking on vacation in July. I will also try to get back to my Cable Comfort Throw, which I started over a year ago and abandoned for a long while.

Two-Toned Shell

2010-05-21T16:42:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd add the latest shots of the Two-Toned Shell as it fits me. And fit perfectly it does! Can't wait to wear it.

Now that I'm into the Lotus Blossom Tank, also knit from the bottom up, I am once again stressing about how it will fit. I think I will relax and enjoy it and if it doesn't fit, I'll rip!

Lots of Progress!

2010-05-16T22:48:00.005-04:00

Finished two projects this weekend while hubby was out of town!
First, my LAST pair of fingerless mitts for one of my daughter's friends. I have now made 10 pair of fingerless mitts for this lovely bunch of new drivers. I hope they all think of me and my wishes for their safety when they continue to wear them next winter.

These last two pairs (for a set of twins) were the Maine Morning Mitts from The Knitter's Book of Yarn, knit from leftover Malabrigo Worsted. I love this stuff! I now have bits left in three colors of Mal worsted, but I know EXACTLY how many yards of each thanks to my nifty new Eat Smart Precision Pro Kitchen Scale! I had been wanting one of these for some time, but when Clara Parkes wrote about hers in Knitter's Review a few weeks ago, I just clicked on the link and ordered it from amazon.com. It is really helpful to know how many yards of yarn I have left for planning stash projects. I know it will also come in handy in dividing sock yarn as I make more toe-up socks. And, I used it today to weigh a letter to determine whether it needed a second stamp (it did).

I also finished the Two-Toned Shell from Vogue Knitting. After much angst about how it would fit, I think (it is blocking as we speak) it will fit perfectly. And, as with most of the cotton projects I've made, it really smoothed out from a nice blocking. Here it is on the blocking board; I hope to be able to try it on later this week.

Next up--I will cast on for the Lotus Blossom Tank from an older issue of Interweave. I'll be using some KnitPicks CotLIn leftover from the sweater my mom knit and I put together for her about a month ago. I swatched tonight and figured out that some of my KnitPicks Options needles were in the wrong sleeves and I had swatched with needles that were too big! I think I have them all straightened out now and will cast on with #5's by tomorrow.

A Great New Pattern

2010-05-09T15:53:00.005-04:00

As I work diligently on my Two-Toned Shell (about halfway done and so far looking good); my LAST pair of driving mitts for my daughter's friend, and my first pair of toe-up socks (more on those later), I had the opportunity to take a look at a great new pattern from SweaterBabe.com!

The Dramatic Lace Wrap Cardigan will be available for purchase shortly from Sweaterbabe, but she kindly allowed me to take an advance look.
I have made SweaterBabe patterns before (my favorite is the Talia Vest, which appeared on Knitty.com--I liked it so much that I made it twice, onceT for me and once for my daughter) and I can't recommend her careful directions and unique designs enough.

The Dramatic Lace Wrap Cardigan is a top-down design with, as SweaterBabe describes it, "a kimono-like air," featuring 3/4 sleeves, and lacy, drapy front panels that can be wrapped around your waist, "pinned creatively," or left hanging in an elegant drape.
The back also features the big, lacy leafy design.

The pattern features sizing from XS (28-30" Bust) through 3x (52-54"), so your perfect fit should be achievable. As usual, there are also detailed explanations of all stitches featured in the pattern and large, clear charts. The yarn is knit in worsted merino (the sample used KnitPicks Swish Worsted, but the possibilities seem endless here) and can really serve as an all-season piece to layer over anything from a tank to a base layer sweater.

I can't wait to make the Dramatic Lace Leaf Wrap! For more information about this pattern, go to www.SweaterBabe.com. Photos here courtesy of SweaterBabe.

Just Made It!!!

2010-04-19T22:34:00.004-04:00

I had talked about the Harris Tweed Socks I was making for my husband in my last post. Today I was down to the wire...and actually had to break into the "Emergency Skein" that the Rockin' Sock Club sends (or at least used to send when I was a member) with each installment. I have a teeny, tiny bit left. I am SO relieved! I just didn't want to have to order another skein for a few rows, but I wanted the socks to fit him and be symmetrical too.

Now that these are done, I'm going to keep on with my latest driving mitts--the wonderful Bodhi Mitts pattern that I found on Ravelry. Here's a pic of the first one; these are really fun to make but will definitely need a nice blocking.

I just placed a big KnitPicks order with several sizes of 40" circulars--I will now make socks Magic Loop as I've been doing my driving mitts. I've been reading a couple of toe-up books and I'm READY!

More to come.

Finishing!

2010-04-04T16:07:00.005-04:00

I was feeling that it had been about a month since my last post, so this is a good time to catch up. The winter weather is finally behind us and we've had a stretch of glorious spring days. I've also been energized to finish a bunch of projects and am going to finish even more before starting my next "big" project. We leave tomorrow for a college tour with our high schoolers; there will be several hours in the car for knitting while others drive. Since I finished the first of my husband's Harris Tweed Socks, I immediately cast on for the second and hope that will be a good car project (assuming I don't have any lost DPN disasters in between the seats of the car!) This is a great pattern and looks fantastic in the Socks that Rock Lenore Colorway.
I will also work on my current pair of driving mitts for my daughter's friends--this one in Deep Blue Malabrigo Worsted, leftover from my daughter's cardigan. Three of these left after this pair, then this year-long labor of love for "my girls" will be complete--10 pairs in all.
I also finished the Baby Cardi that I made for the woman who does my daughter's hair. I did the "Ready, Set, Knit" Podcast Knitalong, using the book "Seven Things that Can Make or Break a Sweater." I did learn some good techniques from this book and the sweater came out cute. By far the best technique I learned was the one-row buttonhole--they come out perfect every time; I will use this technique from now on.
I used the buttonhole technique as part of yet another finishing project, putting together a drop-shoulder sweater that my mom made out of KnitPicks CotLin. It was kind of a mess when she gave it to me, but I am proud of the work I put into it to make it look lovely. This includes finding the perfect buttons! I will give it to her when I visit her next week--I hope it fits. The good news is there were 6 skeins of CotLIn left, so I'm planning on making the Lotus Blossom Tank from the Spring 2006 Interweave Knits with that, for me! It will probably be the next project for which I swatch and cast on when we get back home later this week.
Happy Spring!

Two Nice Finished Objects

2010-03-06T13:55:00.003-05:00

Since I last posted, I've been pretty busy finishing a bunch of small projects. I made Just Enough Ruffles as part of the Ravelympics, and I won a medal in the Scarf Super-G event by finishing this lovely project within the time frame of the Olympics. I couldn't be happier with the soft, ruffly Malabrigo scarf I've completed. I would definitely make this pattern again!

I went on to make the Taos Chunky Vest--a project for which I bought yarn (Tahki Taos) a year and a half ago at Stitches East! I thought I might run out of yarn, but I made it. The vest is blocking now, and I am attempting to make it a bit longer and a bit wider, which I think will be no problem since the yarn is almost all wool. It knit up very quickly, the yarn is beautiful, and I am hoping to get in a few wearings before the warmer spring weather arrives.

I will now go back to my series of fingerless mitts (just delivered my fourth pair to one of my daughter's friends yesterday), and the first of my husband's socks, before moving on to the other Stitches 2008 yarn in my stash: Brooks Farm Mas-Acero. Had slated this for a shawl, but now I'm thinking a cardigan--either February Lady Sweater or Amelia...to be continued.

A Day for Organizing!

2010-02-06T16:57:00.003-05:00

After a snowstorm that delivered much less snow to our area than those South of us, but which nevertheless caused numerous cancellations of our weekend plans, I found myself finishing my latest sock and doing tons of preparation for new projects (winding, logging projects into Ravelry and into my binders, where I keep copious project notes, etc.). This way, when I sit down to watch the Superbowl tomorrow, I'll be ready!
My next set of projects include a baby sweater for the soon-to-be-born little boy of the woman who cuts my daughter's hair (which I'm making in a black Berroco Blackstone Tweed--I love doing baby projects in unconventional colors!); the next in my series of fingerless mitts for my daughter's friends as they get their driver's licenses; and a pair of socks for my husband, as my next-in-queue skein of sock yarn (from two years ago's Rockin Sock Club!) was a colorway that he liked.
Ironically, all of these are really meant to be "secondary" projects, and I hope to cast on my next "main" project--a cute cardigan vest in Tahki Taos--once these are all under way.
Keeping my knitting organized is hard work and time-consuming, but it's well worth it to be able to go back and reference past projects.

Favorite Cardigan-Finished!

2010-01-24T18:58:00.003-05:00

After about two months--including knitting of a bunch of projects in between, I finished the "Favorite Cardigan" for my daughter. I was so worried that it wouldn't fit her, but it seems to fit both of us perfectly! I made numerous modifications to the pattern, some of which are detailed on my Ravelry page.
Now I'm going to give it a good block, but will probably just shape it to its original dimensions and it should be good to go. I've also ordered a Sweater Stone that will help with the pilling that Malabrigo has a tendency to have.
Here's a picture of the sweater by itself--once my girl finishes her midterms and the rain stops, I'll get a nice shot of her modeling this beautiful garment.
Now, on to finish a few smaller things, including the next set of fingerless mitts for one of my daughter's posse of new drivers, and I'll be ready for something for me!

Record FO Day!

2010-01-02T23:52:00.003-05:00

I know I said I'd post just once a month, but I had to share with you that as January 2 comes to a close, I've finished two projects so far this year! Both are from my leftover Sirdar Escape Chunky: my mittens and my headband. It has been freezing here in the Northeast, so now I have a neckwarmer, an earwarmer and hand warmers to brave the elements!

I still have a tiny bit of this lovely variegated yarn left, so I'm going to use it as a small accent to a Lamb's Pride Bulky vest (also from leftovers) that I'm going to start for the next Afghans for Afghans campaign.

Then it's back to the Favorite Cardigan! My goal is to finish that by February so my daughter can wear it while it's still cold out. I may even make the end of January if I stop casting on new things!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T16:39:00.002-05:00

It has been almost two months since I've posted. I'm sorry (if there is anyone out there reading this!)...I have been knitting, but I definitely think 2009 marked the year that I got seriously into Ravelry--the forums, categorizing my FO's and my stash, etc. I'm afraid Ravelry has really taken the place of my Blog, but I do want to keep it going so I will try to post at least once a month.
I've had the week off for the holidays, and I've gotten lots of knitting done, particularly since we had a 6-hour car trip (each way) to visit my in-laws last week. I am making good progress on my daughter's Favorite Cardigan from Custom Knits--I have been back and forth with the Malabrigo Junkies Group on Ravelry who have convinced me that the sweater will grow with blocking (even though my washed swatch didn't), so the fact that the sweater is a bit snug across the bust isn't concerning me too much. I am now about halfway down sleeve #1--I love my first knit-from-the-top-down-in-one-piece sweater! I think more will follow, particularly since this wonderful book is full of them.
I am enjoying my first Malabrigo experience and have ordered more to make a scarf to match store-bought gloves in a challenging-to-match bluish teal. Hopefully it will match when it arrives!
I have also started a series of fingerless mitts for my daughter and each of her friends as they get their drivers' licenses! This way, their hands will stay warm in these freezing temperatures we've been experience (especially when they leave for school in the morning), and they'll be able to control the wheel. Here's the latest pair, made with the lovely first yarn I ordered to match the gloves. It wasn't a perfect match as I tried a scarf, but it works wonderfully for these mitts.
Now that two pair of mitts are done and the next driver's test isn't for a month, I'll focus on the cardigan and a bunch of other small projects in the works.
As a year-end wrap-up, in 2009 I made just one cardigan for myself and one baby sweater, two tanks, three hats, two scarves, two pair of fingerless mitts, two vests, four pair of socks, and one shawl. Looking forward to more productivity in 2010 and lots of knitting from my huge stash!!!
Happy New Year, Knitters!

The Big Chunky Cowl

2009-11-05T22:26:00.002-05:00

I really enjoyed knitting this thick, chunky cowl--mindless knitting that was much needed during a busy, stressful week at work with lots of late nights. I was able to do my knit 2, purl 2 ribbbing for a few rounds before crashing each night, and I finished this cushy project in about 3 nights of knitting.

Looking forward to wearing it at a cool Midwest Big 10 Football game this weekend!

Oh, Baby!

2009-11-04T19:07:00.004-05:00

I struggled with the baby sweater I just finished for my cousin; it is from one of the books I've used the most in my library--OneSkein, by Leigh Radford. The pattern, calling for five different colors of bulky weight yarn, was so adorable and I took care in picking out some great, gender-neutral colors as I don't know the gender of the yet-to-be-born baby.

However--and this is something that I don't think I've ever done--I didn't pay attention to the yardage on the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky versus the yarn called for (Louet Gems Sapphire Chunky, evidently discontinued now according to Ravelry). My yarn arrived and was gorgeous--I just adore the Cashmerino in all of its weights--but when I got near the end of the sweater back, I ran out of the gold that I was using! I figured I'd have enough of most of the other colors, and I didn't want to order another ball of the gold, so I ripped back and got creative, using some of my Twisted Sisters leftovers to make stripes on the back and each front. I think the finished sweater is ADORABLE and I am really pleased at how I improvised. I can't wait until the baby is born so I can see the reaction of my cousin, the mom.

When I went to a LYS, Down Cellar in Basking Ridge, NJ, to pick out buttons, I ALMOST made it out of the store without buying yarn--but I didn't. There was a chunky, simple ribbed cowl on display, and it was a cold day, and I wanted to buy yarn since I hadn't been able to go to Rhinebeck ) OR Stitches East...so I bought the Sirdar Escape Chunky that the shop sample was knit in, and I'm almost done with this warm ribbed cowl after 3 brief knitting sessions over a few nights. We are going to a COLD football game in Michigan this weekend, so my goal is to finish the cowl tonight to have it to wear at the game.

The other project I started is a beret for one of my daughter's friends. I'm using the Valley Yarns Northampton that has become one of my workhorse yarns, in "Bright Blue Heather." I'm probably almost halfway done--I'm looking forward to giving it to her and seeing how many of the other 16-year-old girls asks for one!

Mittens!

2009-10-15T22:42:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, the timing of the finishing of my Clapotis (which has come in very handy in my cold office during this unseasonably cold snap!) coincided with my receiving a notice about the Youth Campaign for Afghans for Afghans.

So, these mittens, straight out of Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns, became my next project, and I finished them in 3 nights. The Noro will be nice and warm and they fit pretty well on my 14-year-old son. The colors are vibrant and interesting. I will now continue to knit for Afghans for Afghans--on this, the coldest night of the year so far on the East Coast, it feels good to be contributing something warm for a child who has so little.

Next up: back to work on my Spring Forward Socks, and a baby sweater for my cousin's soon-to-be-born baby!

Clapotis Complete!

2009-10-12T11:25:00.004-04:00

I had been wanting to make the Clapotis for the longest time; I started this one with the intent of giving it to my friend who is going through chemo. However, the Noro Silk Garden that I had added to after making my Lizzy cardigan is both a little rough and a little too dark in coloring for the effect I want my prayer shawl to have. So....I bought some cheerfully colored Homespun and will probably make a cuddly shawl for my friend out of that.

Meanwhile, I LOVE the finished Clapotis as something I will keep in my office for those chilly days (of which there are many, all year round!) The colors are deep and neutral so it will look good thrown over almost anything I'll be wearing at work. The Clapotis blocked out bigger than I had been anticipating--I just laid it down gently on the blocking board after softening it in a bath of Eucalan and hair conditioner--so it is about 23 inches wide by about 70 inches long. I think it will actually be fine--I'd rather have it be a bit big than a bit small.

I really think I'd like to make another of these in a different yarn. There are so many wonderful examples on Ravelry and in the Clapotis groups, with so much information about amount of yarn needed, needle size, etc. The spreadsheet form soulknitting.com was also invaluable in helping me keep my place in this pattern--it was great "mindless" knitting as the pattern was easily memorized.

I couldn't recommend the Clapotis enough--don't wait years to make it like I did!

Now, with my 1.5 leftover skeins of Noro, I've decided to make some children's mittens for the current Afghans for Afghans Youth Campaign. I always want to contribute to this very worthy organization and have only done so once before. Having this small amount of good wool left just as the Youth Campaign is in full swing is a sign that this is meant to be. I'm using the basic mitten pattern from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. The first mitten looks a bit big (I'm making the 8-year-old size), but I think it will be OK--they are looking for things for ages 7-14,, and my own 14-year old is pretty much adult size. We'll see.

Socks Finished, Socks Started

2009-09-04T23:01:00.004-04:00

In keeping with my recent tradition of completing socks in between my bigger projects in order to be somewhat monogamous for bigger projects, I finished my Solstice Slip socks after finishing my Ribbon Tank earlier this week. The Solstice Slips look great, and I had fun learning to cable without a cable needle. I do wish I had made the leg a bit longer, as I have plenty of yarn left...but I'm sure, like many of my hand-knit socks, they will stretch.

I immediately went back to my two-year-old un-knit Rockin' Sock Club pile! Next up was the Flower Power colorway, which was supposed to be made into the "Summer of Love Lace" pattern, an anklet with a lace cuff. I'm not wild about hand-knit anklets, so I searched around and selected the Spring Forward socks from Knitty.com which had been in my queue and are one of the most popular sock patterns on Ravelry. It's a nice, easy pattern, so it can be good travel knitting as well as hopefully yielding a pretty result.

This and the Clapotis will mean my current knitting projects are all pretty mellow. I'll be all set as the school year and football season begins, and multitasking knitting takes hold!

End of Summer, New Projects

2009-09-02T17:06:00.003-04:00

As summer winds down--I guess it has already wound down, as it is September--I finished a summer tank. So now I'll need to wear it quickly before it's too cold outside! The Tess Microfiber Ribbon is one of my favorite fibers, and this tank fits perfectly--I know it will stretch, so I'm not even going to block it. It can be worn with the scoop in the front or the back--I may try it both ways. I love the colorway--light greens, light blues and purples--but I don't really have a lot to go with it, so that will be a challenge, especially once summer is over and my light blue pants are out of the rotation. Things could be worse!

For my next project, I think I'll continue on with the Clapotis that I started before going on vacation at the end of July. I took so many projects on the trip, and of course, I didn't need to. I finished the Chemo Cap for my friend before we even left, and started and finished the LouLou Comfort Socks on the trip. I'm happy to say my dear friend loved both of these comfort items--I hope the prayers that went with them will work wonders for her.

I worked on the tank during the trip too, but didn't touch the Clapotis. So now I will work on that along with finishing the Solstice Slip socks that I also worked on during the trip.

In between, I got an iPhone (which I ADORE!) and made a little sock for it.

So I guess that's why the tank took me over two months...a little knitting ADD going on!

More to come as the leaves fall.

Vacation Decisions and a Chemo Cap for a Dear Friend

2009-07-28T17:04:00.003-04:00

I am leaving for about 10 days' vacation in Italy later this week. As always, the selection of knitting projects to take along is uppermost in my mind as I start to formulate my packing list.

I have successfully completed the back of my Tess Microfiber Ribbon Top, and I know (I had been unsure) that I will have enough yarn to complete the front as well. This will be my "main" project for the trip.

I have been making lots of things for a dear friend who is going through chemo once again. I thought a chemo cap would be the perfect trip knitting, and found a lovely pattern and lusciuous, soft Alchemy Temple yarn. But...the hat knit up so quickly on a couple of recent, short train rides for work that I am finished!
I'll wait and send it to my friend until after we get back, and I will have had a chance to also complete the soft and fuzzy Lou Lou Comfort Socks out of the unbelivably luxe Lorna's Laces Angel. With the unintentional leftover skein of the Alchemy Temple, I may make another pair of the Lou Lou's--the Temple is too good to go to waste. I will either keep them for me or send them to my friend too.

Finally, in case all of these things get used up on the trip, I will start a shawl for my friend--I just joined the Ravelry Prayer Shawl Group so I will say a prayer and pour all of my wishes into this Ruffled Shawl, which I'll probably make with Noro Silk Garden that had been stashed for a Clapotis.

With all of these options, I hope there is time for sightseeing (and maybe a bit of yarn shopping)! Arrivaderci!

In Time

2009-06-13T12:31:00.003-04:00

I finished the Mitered Tank Top with over a week to spare before my son's Middle School Graduation. After much ripping--I became obsessed with having even stitches, and working in a yarn that is not wool really challenges me on achieving that even texture--I am very happy with the finished product. Light spritz blocking also evened out the stitches beautifully, so I'll have to keep that in mind for future projects. The top fits like a glove, and I think it will stretch, so I did very minimal blocking.
The Panda Silk DK ended up being so soft and was very nice for seaming. Just a bit challenging for a nice, even tension, and it was a bit splitty.

Before I start my next "main" project, I am going to finish one Solstice Slip sock. I figure if I do at least one sock in between bigger projects, since I'm not so good at the simultaneous sock knitting anymore, I will eventually get through my large sock stash.

Next up for "main" project: another tank, this time with my yummy Tess Microfiber Ribbon, purchased at Stitches East last fall. I'll probably do the pattern that they gave me with the ribbon, a scoop neck tank that can be worn with the scoop in front or back. More to come!

Socks DO Rock!

2009-05-09T16:39:00.002-04:00

In order to finally finish my Sweet Pea Socks, which had been languishing for 9 months, I made them my #1 project rather than a secondary, "Pick up when you have a chance" project. It worked--I finished them in 2 weeks. Breaking my toe and having to stay off my feet a bit (ironically, while I knit SOCKS) helped a lot the first weekend. The socks are beautiful and the Silkie Socks that Rock is luscious.
I'm very pleased with the result, although now that it's May I won't be able to wear these for awhile. Something to look forward to.

I will immediately cast on for my next two-year-old Socks that Rock pattern and yarn, Solstice Slip in Socks that Rock Lightweight Firebird. This pattern can be knit either top down or toe up, and since I'm a novice at toe-up, I first thought I'd try that. But since I plan to cast on for Norah Gaughan's Mitered Top from Spring/Summer 2009 Vogue Knitting, which I want to finish in time for my son's 8th grade graduation in about 6 weeks, I think I better make these something I can handle easily--hence, I'll do them top down. I'll make toe-up one of my learning goals for the future. More on the tank once I get started!

A Calamity Becomes a Knitting Opportunity

2009-04-26T13:01:00.002-04:00

Well, once again it's been awhile since I've blogged. Online life is a bit overwhelming, what with Twitter (I'm JerseyShoreDeb), Facebook and, of course, Ravelry. I have been working furiously on my husband's vest so that I could get it done--I started out not liking the intarsia work, but got into a rhythm and enjoyed it very much at the end. The finished result is really nice.
Too bad it's now too warm for him to wear the vest until next winter. Oh, well.

I decided to finish my Sweet Pea Socks before starting another larger project--the sock has been languishing since last summer and I thought it might help to work on it as my main project rather than a secondary afterthought. I am really enjoying it, I think I forgot how gratifying sock knitting can be, as it moves very quickly if you actually do it more than sporadically! I'm about halfway through the foot on Sock #1--I may be able to finish the pair in a week or so. The Silkie Socks That Rock seems to have a bit less give than an all wool sock yarn, which makes sense, but boy does it feel nice, and the colorway I'm using is beautiful. One day I'll be caught up to my two years' worth of unknit Rockin' Sock Club kits!

I've actually had a lot of time to knit this weekend as I broke my big toe Friday night. Just walked into a cement barrier in a restaurant parking lot. As someone who runs almost every day, the fact that I won't be able to exercise for six weeks is sort of freaking me out, but I guess it could be a lot worse. Spent yesterday with my foot propped on a pillow, knitting away on my sock. Yes, life could definitely be worse.

I'd Rather Be Knitting, But...

2009-03-16T22:55:00.003-04:00

I thought I would take a few minutes from my very little knitting time tonight to post pictures of my daughter's Talia.

Yesterday was the first chance we had to take photos outside.
I am also quite into the Windowpane Vest that I'm making for my husband. I am almost through with the back--not bad, since it is a large piece on small yarn and needles. I am being pretty monogamous with it, other than a dishcloth here and there for train knitting, or a row or two on the Cable Comfort Throw when I feel like a change of pace.
At this rate, I hope to have the vest done in a month or so...then I will have a big decision about what to knit next--a shawl, a sweater--but most definitely something from my now significant stash.
Happy Knitting, everyone!

Some Long-Term Projects

2009-02-20T15:35:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted...some family things going on, but now I am back in the groove. I finished the Talia vest for my daughter and it is beautiful...however, the buttons that I ordered online seem to be lost in the ether, so we will wait a few days and figure something else out if they don't arrive. I'll post pictures once it is complete, on my beautiful daughter!

I next started the Men's Windowpane Vest for my husband, from the Winter 2008/2009 Knit Simple.
It involves some intarsia, in little groups of a single stitch every 18 stitches. It is slow going (on #5 needles, DK weight yarn) but I think it is going to be lovely when it is done.

My other big project is the Cable Comfort Throw, which I'm doing in Noro Transitions.
I am loving this project and I'm so happy I splurged for the Addi #11 circular needles--it makes such a difference to have this yarn, which has about 5 different textures in it, go flying over those needles.

More to come!

A Fabulous FO!

2009-01-16T17:11:00.005-05:00

I finished my Tai Chi Cardigan! This sweater features mitred squares, stockinette squares and seed stitch squares, is knit in strips and then put together with 3-needle bind off. I fell in love with it at Stitches East in November and purchased the kit from Great Yarns! booth.

I absolutely adore how this sweater turned out! I made it a bit longer than the stated measurements and narrowed and shortened the sleeves to fit my short arms. It required some math, but I did it! I am really gratified in how I have learned to alter sweater patterns to FIT, a skill I really believe I've mastered in the past year. After all, isn't this what knitting your own garments is all about? I am really going to enjoy this sweater, I think.

Another skill I'm still working on mastering--and doing better--is finishing. My mom had made the Easy Basket-weave Cardigan from the January issue of Creative Knitting in a soft acrylic, and she asked me to put it together for her. Although I'm not fond of acrylic, it was somewhat easy to manage for sewing together. I had a bit of struggle with the set-in sleeves, but otherwise, I did a pretty good finishing job, if I do say so myself. I think I am getting to that next level, which feels terrific.

Next up in terms of my "main" projects: another Talia vest, this one for my daughter, in black Cascade 220. Progress and details to follow!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T17:25:00.004-05:00

As 2009 begins, I am thankful for good health, a steady job and a wonderful family, even though the health of some of our older family members is failing. We'll hope for the best on all fronts as we turn the calendar page for a fresh, new 12 months.

On the knitting front, I counted 17 finished objects on my blog sidebar for 2008, although I know there were others that I just didn't document on the blog. I have to say that if there was one trend in my knitting last year, it was knitting ADD--the inability to focus on one project. I attribute this most likely to the fact that I am reading more blogs, listening to more Podcasts, bought more books and certainly because of my fondness for Ravelry--I just can't seem to refrain from starting new projects.

I have also built up the biggest stash I've ever had, and hope to keep it at its present state and start to whittle it down this year. So what did I do to ring out 2008? Yesterday morning I bought 3 skeins of Lion Wool Prints to make a scarf for ISE7 Scarf Pal! Nothing in my stash seemed to match my Pal's preferences, so I bought something new and hope to use all 3 skeins for the scarf.
I tried two different patterns and settled on the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf and have already knit over a foot. I should have no problem finishing this easy and enjoyable scarf on time.

Yesterday I also couldn't resist a great new book, Knitting Noro, which I got at Borders with a 30% off coupon. I am in love with Noro yarns, but I fear that this book is going to cause me to buy more of them....we'll see. For now I'm just enjoying looking at the pictures and reading about this amazing yarn company.

While on vacation last week, I made great progress on the Tai Chi Cardigan while on vacation and I am now in the home stretch of that lovely project. This sweater, with its collection of bright and unusual colors and patterns, will always remind me fondly of our trip to Mexico--it almost has a feel of the Mexican textiles we saw throughout the week.

So now for a few knitting resolutions:
1. Try to contain my stash and work through my Ravelry queue
2. On a related note, knit more socks--I have so much stashed sock yarn and I usually have a pair of socks going as a secondary project at all times. The problem is, I'm now working on so many things at once that the socks continue to fall to the end of the line (the socks on my needles now were the only project I didn't work on out of 4 things I took on vacation, for example).
3. Learn some new techniques--last year I learned entrelac and mitred squares; maybe this year I'll work on colorwork.

That's probably enough for now--back to knitting while I have the day off!

Holiday Knitting

2008-12-15T18:42:00.002-05:00

Today I completed my last holiday knitted gift: the Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. This is a fantastic book and I'm thrilled with how these came out--so much so that I think I am going to make a pair for myself. First, I will use the leftover yarn--Araucania Nature Wool, which is really pretty--to make myself a warm winter hat. My first choice: Knitty's Foliage.
Meanwhile, I am gathering up projects to take on our upcoming vacation to a warm and sunny climate. When I return, I'll talk about the big new afghan project I'm about to embark on!
One more thing before the holidays set in--I have been using my Denise Interchangeable Needles more often as I am juggling several projects on my needles. I've had a few incidents where the larger size tips have not locked into the cords properly. I have to say publicly that the Denise company provides among the best customer service I have ever had--they will guarantee and replace any needle tip with patience and grace. I have now replaced several sizes of tips, and I genuinely find that the company cares a great deal about my having a very positive experience using their needles. These needles may not be new or fancy, but they work well, are very flexible in terms of the number of lengths available (I've needed shorter lengths for hats, etc., and now a long length for an afghan) and are not metal, so are very suitable for flying. Kudos to Denise!

Doing the Math

2008-11-15T12:10:00.006-05:00

A few days ago, I started my Tai Chi cardigan, purchased as a kit last week at Stitches East. Here is a pic from Twisted Sisters' Website:

It's a series of strips of blocks that form a sort of patchwork cardigan; the strips are joined with a 3-needle bind-off and the collar and sleeves are picked up and knitted on. There are three types of blocks: Seed Stich, Mitred Square, and Stockinette. Pretty simple, right?
Well, after reading through the pattern, I discovered that the cardigan is very cropped--only 16 inches in length. Even though I am petite and often have to shorten sweater patterns to fit, this is a bit too short for my liking. No problem, just lengthen the blocks, right? Well, first of all, when I emailed Twisted Sisters, the pattern creator/designer, to ask about this, they suggested that the kit for the smaller size would probably just about have enough yarn to complete the pattern as written. Second, doing the math to alter the blocks and still be able to evenly join the strips was keeping me up at night! Specifically, the mitred square's math depends upon a specific number of rows, and changing that is beyond my comprehension.
After completing the first two blocks (including my first-ever mitred square--which I LOVED and now want to do much more of--Ravelry, here I come!), I realized that the mitred square ends with 4 rows of seed stitch--so this part can be adjusted if I want a bigger square. Probably not too much, or it will look weird, and besides, there's the problem of running out of yarn. I've decided to lengthen one block in each strip and see how things measure out when I finish the first strip. I can then adjust the pattern accordingly; I will be winging it in terms of the yarn, but with all the work this sweater will be, I'd rather try to get it to be the size I want. I can always block it too; Twisted Sisters have advised me to do the 3-needle bind off loosely to aid in stretchability during blocking.

On a much simpler note, I made a fingerless mitt for my son in two days. I think this will turn out to be my holiday gift of choice for the officemates; either that or some cowls. Something simple...too many projects competing for my attention, and so little time!

Doing My Part for Our Economy

2008-11-11T08:34:00.004-05:00

My sister and I went to Stitches East last week--it is the last time this event is going to be held in Baltimore, which is near where she lives and a modest train ride for me. We had skipped last year, and decided we both needed a fun sister day. Even though my stash was in no need of replenishing, I wanted to make sure I bought from some of my favorite vendors whose wares can only be found at fiber shows. These include Brooks Farm, where I bought 3 luscious skeins of Mas Acero, a light worsted that I will use for one of the many shawls I'm planning. The other vendor I wanted to make sure to visit was Tess Yarns, where I got 2 more balls of the microfiber ribbon that has gotten such raves in the tank I made a few years ago. This is a pretty blue/green/purple variegated that I will use for another tank. I stayed up late winding it the other night--that's the one drawback of this slippery ribbon, it is a BEAR to wind!! But now it's in two neat little balls, waiting for me to get through a few of the other projects I got.
The first item I cast on from my purchases is the Tai Chi cardigan from Twisted Sisters, purchased at the boot of Great Yarns of Everett, WA--this booth has the most exquisite collection of sweaters and other garments that I've seen. I could have made just about everything they had on display. I'd love to visit their store in person one day!
Among a few other projects, I also got some gorgeous fused glass buttons from Bonnie Maresh Glass Buttons, a vendor from whom I've bought before. My Talia vest is now complete and the buttons really make the finished object look fantastic.
I also had some time over the weekend to organize and catalogue my stash on Ravelry. Now I will enter yarn purchases into my Ravelry stash as I buy them. The closet is a bit daunting, but I did my part to prime the pump of our ailing economy and got some gorgeous yarns that make me very happy. Now if only I had more time to knit!

Milestone

2008-10-20T13:30:00.004-04:00

Since I seem to be finding less time to blog, I will keep up my recent tradition of posting when I have a finished object to brag about. I finished my Muse Wrap last night! Yay! I immediately pinned it out to block, and today it was ready to wear. I'm very pleased with it. My knitting group saw it last week as I was furiously working to finish it--I, like many knitters, become almost obsessed when I'm so close to finishing something that I've been working on for MONTHS--I was ready to stop and have some yarn left over, but they encouraged me to use up all the yarn I had so that I could throw the shawl over my shoulder. I'm glad I listened to them. The Sublime Kid Mohair Blend is so airy and pretty, that I think I will love wearing this shawl over a coat now that the weather is turning colder, and then wearing inside over a top once I take my coat off. Because of the lightness of the yarn--it almost floats--having a shawl that is over 80 inches long won't seem odd for a 5'2" person.
I had originally planned this shawl as a piece to keep in my office for those chilly winter or summer (air-conditioned) days, but I think it's a little too dressy. I've queued a bunch of worsted weight shawls in Ravelry that I think would serve the office purpose better. But it may be awhile before I get to those--for now, I will continue work on Talia, as well as the Diagonal Baby Blanket I am working on as part of my knitting group's Charity Project for a local hospital. I'm using Lion Brand Homespun in a pretty colorway called Quartz, which has some pastels on a beige background. It is coming out soft and nice even though the yarn has a sort of weird feeling to it.
Eventually, I will also get back to my socks, but I'm finding it easier to be somewhat project monogamous these days.
By the way...I also learned how to edit my photos using the Picnik service on Flickr. Hopefully now they will fit better in the little squares on Ravelry, and look better here too!

Can't Get Enough Northampton!

2008-10-04T13:23:00.002-04:00

Now that the Staghorn Cabled Tunic is finished, I wanted to make something with the 2+ skeins of Northampton that I had left. I loved this yarn so much, and I just wasn't in the mood for another scarf. Using the wonders of Ravelry, I found a few projects that I could probably do with the amount of yarn I have left, and I settled on the Talia tunic-style vest from the Spring 2008 Knitty. It is designed by Sweater Babe, and it's the first project I'm doing by her. So far, I'm loving it--it is a cardigan knit in one piece, so it should be fun to do and with pretty much no finishing!
I am determined to finish the Muse Wrap first, so Talia can be my take-along knitting. I did a few rows at my son's football game last week and will take it again. Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's great football-game knitting weather!

Pleasing a Tough Customer

2008-09-24T10:42:00.005-04:00

It's been awhile; blogging is getting harder to fit in to my life, but it is so nice to do it when I can. So here goes.
I have probably written before about knitting for my family versus for me. My husband, daughter and son all love hand-knit socks (doesn't everyone, once they experience what it feels like to wear a pair?) Other than socks, my husband has specific wants in terms of sweaters, and he did recently wear his Woodsy Ribs Vest for the first time post-summer, and it looked great! I could tell that he likes it too. My 13-year-old son doesn't wear sweaters, but does like a knitted hat every once in awhile. My 15-year-old daughter, who favors Abercrombie, Hollister and American Eagle, has not been a fan of hand-knit garments, although she does like knit bags and I have made her a couple of wraps to wear with dressy clothes. I knew she'd like the Staghorn Cabled Tunic when I saw it in the WEBS catalog, and she did. I am thrilled to say that she loves the completed garment, and it fits her PERFECTLY!

I agonized over the sizing, settling on the 32 as written. She even wants the same buttons as those in the picture, so the pattern designer, Kirsten Hipsky at WEBS, kindly steered me to them. It is so wonderful to make something that my style-conscious daughter will wear with pride!
Also, a word about the yarn, Valley Yarns Northampton--I LOVE it. I have 2+ skeins left and will probably make a scarf for charity. I am eager to use it again, and to try other Valley Yarns products. They are an excellent value and of course, who doesn't want to support the wonderful folks at WEBS?
So now I am intent on finishing--or at least getting much further along on--my Muse Wrap. I have 180 rows done; the pattern calls for 400 rows but given my height I think I will be fine with less, maybe 300-350.
Now that I am in the groove with it, I am enjoying it immensely, it just has to be a stay-at-home project because it's not the type of project that you can put down in the middle of a row. I'll go back to my Sweetpea Socks for take-along knitting, although I need a refresher to get me back in the groove on those!

The Right Project for the Right Time

2008-08-25T13:43:00.002-04:00

It's been almost a month since I've blogged...sorry to anyone who is awaiting new material!
Our vacation was fabulous and I actually got a fair amount of knitting done. No one confiscated my needles at an airport, and I was careful to knit mindless projects when I was somewhere that required concentration (such as listening to a tour guide or navigating those unfamiliar roads while my husband drove), while I worked on my Muse Wrap while in a quiet setting where I knew I'd be able to finish a row uninterrupted!
Now that I'm back, I've been busy going back and forth to doctors appointments with my mom, who is about to have surgery. The Staghorn Cabled Tunic, which I started for my daughter, is my project of choice for these occasions--it's an easy, fast-moving pattern and if I stop in the middle of a row, it's no big deal. She is excited about it too, which is awesome for a 15-year old!

In the world of socks, I finished my Saucy Socks on the trip and I'm really pleased with them. I'm now at the beginning of the Sweetpea Socks from Knitty, using the Silkie Socks that Rock Yarn all the way from the 2007 Sock Club! I read too many negative reviews of the openwork pattern that came with this yarn and was reluctant to knit it, even though I liked the look of it. Too much going on to do a frustrating pattern!
I'm also awaiting my box for Dishrag Tag...hope to receive the box this week before I head off on a long car ride for the holiday weekend.

Vacation Knitting

2008-08-01T16:30:00.003-04:00

I am about to head out on vacation, but got in under the wire to sign up for Dish Rag Tag, round 2, today! (see button link in sidebar) I have been addicted to dishcloths this week (here are some samples):

and am taking a couple with me for some mindless knitting.

I will be the navigator in a foreign country so I can't bring too much complex knitting in the car, so I've packed projects in a variety of complexities to satisfy any situation I may encounter! For the plane, I've packed a dishrag and another project on needles that I wouldn't mind having confiscated; we are flying on a foreign carrier and I've heard some horror stories of knitting needles being taken despite the fact that the TSA allows them.

I'll let you know what happens when I return in a couple of weeks!

One Sock Down, Too Many Projects in my Head!

2008-07-22T10:43:00.002-04:00

I have been spending more time working on my Saucy Socks, and finished sock #1 while watching "Into the Wild" with my husband last night (great movie and even better book). I broke my second DPN on these socks--the set was old and bending, and I think because these socks are made with 4 DPNS instead of 5, I had trouble trying the sock on with just 3 needles around. I ordered a set of KnitPicks Harmony DPNs to replace this set; it will be a good way for me to try out the Harmonies and also finish Sock #2 without a struggle.
The Muse Wrap is coming along now that I have ripped and reknit it--I can "read" the pattern MUCH better now and have caught a few mistakes before they become too serious (in other words, before finishing a row!). However, this project is long--I am on row 78 of 400 projected--and does require some concentration. So my mind has been wandering in a couple of other directions:
1)Ready,Set Knit Podcast is going to be doing the Staghorn Tunic as a knitalong. I showed my daughter the pattern while visiting her at summer camp, and she liked it! So I've ordered the yarn and thought it would be fun to knit along with Kathy and Pixie.
2)Dishcloths--this has never really been my thing, but I do like the Peaches & Creme cotton that I've used for various projects and I have decided I would actually like to start using dishcloths rather than sponges in my kitchen. So I joined the Yahoo and Ravelry Peaches & Creme Cloth of the Week groups and may buy a skein or two to take with me on vacation. This will, however, put my Four Seasons Throw even more on the back burner.
The dangers of the Web, and more time on my hands to surf while the kids are at camp! But good problems to have.

Lazy Days of Summer

2008-07-13T20:31:00.003-04:00

After making the Clementine Shawlette in less than a month, I am now adjusting to the fact that my next major project, the Muse Wrap from "The Very Gorgeous Sublime Kid Mohair Book," is going to take quite a bit of time! I cast on a week ago and after a few days and just 17 rows, I had to rip out the whole thing. Not an easy task with mohair, mind you. This is the type of project that is difficult to rip out a few stitches or part of a row, and I just hadn't had the feel for the pattern, so there were mistakes every few rows. After casting on again, I feel that I really know the pattern and can tell as I knit across if I am making a mistake or on the right track, so frogging shouldn't be necessary again (I HOPE!) I am now back to row 18, where I left off.

That's the good news. The bad news is that this pattern is supposed to be 400 ROWS long! Since I am short, I expect that I won't have to knit that many rows, but nevertheless, this will not be a quick project. It is also not the type of project that is easy to put down mid-row, so I think it will be strictly at-home knitting. The yarn does feel luscious, and the pattern is knitting up very pretty, so I know I'll enjoy the finished product, it's just far from an immediate gratification item!
This means my Saucy Socks are getting more attention--I'm about ready to turn the heel on the first one, and the Socks That Rock feels soooo nice as a contract to the fuzzy mohair--and I may even pick up my long-ago started Manos Four Seasons Afghan as another alterative, on-the-go project as well. The afghan isn't even in my Ravelry projects, it's that much of an afterthought at this point. I do hope to give it more attention, and the slow pace of the mohair may cause that to happen.

Shawl Time

2008-07-06T22:18:00.004-04:00

As summer moves more quickly than I'd like (as it always does), I have found more time for knitting. I zipped through the Clementine Shawlette in about 3 weeks. This was a fun, easy project and it looks really fantastic in my mix of Tilli Tomas Rock Star and Tilli's Pure & Simple. The rattan color coupled with the golden beads gives this a really dressy, pretty look. I was holding my breath that I'd have enough yarn, even though my Ravelry friends had assured me I would. And I did. just a tiny bit of Pure & Simple and NO Rock Star left, so it's perfect. You wouldn't want to have a lot of this pricey yarn left over. I am looking forward to wearing this Shawlette for a nice summer evening out
I finished the grafting of the shawlette during a very long drive back from a weekend at the Beach for 4th of July. I then worked on my Saucy Socks for awhile, and got back in the groove on those. I should be up to the heel on Sock #1 very soon. I will continue to use these as my "second of two" projects, but at least I have my sock mojo back.
Tonight when I got home I cast on for the Muse Wrap, from the Sublime Yarn "Very Gorgeous Sublime Kid Mohair Book." I bought this yarn a year ago at the Wooly Monmouth in Red Bank, NJ, also on a trip home from the beach. It is a yummy pale green and I fell in love with the wrap, which was featured in the store's window. I'm not sure how I'm going to like knitting with the Kid Mohair--it is a bit slippery, and this pattern has it knit on large needles, but I think the finished product will be lovely, and perfect for my chilly, air-conditioned office.
All of this productivity feels good--I had hoped to stop in a yarn shop on a trip to the Berkshires that we took at the beginning of the weekend. My goal there was to buy yarn to make the Printed Silk Cardigan from Interweave, but it will be nicer to stock up for that long-term project once I whittle down my stash a bit.
Happy Summer Knitting!

Just About FO!

2008-06-18T18:30:00.003-04:00

I have finished all of the knitting on the ChildHood baby sweater for my cousin's yet-to-be-born little one. I LOVE how this came out--I have also picked out a couple of different button choices which I will decide upon once I know the baby's gender in August. I continue to absolutely love working with Rowan All Seasons Cotton, and this pattern was a lot of fun to knit, even if the striping with two sleeves at once did get a bit tangly; this yarn untangles beautifully. I think this is the fourth garment I've made with this yarn and other than the fact that it's difficult to keep the ends tucked in, I would use it a million times more!

I am also getting much more comfortable with seaming, and though my seams still come out a bit thick, they are neat and straight and invisible on the outside, so I think--unless crocheting is involved--I can pretty much put my own projects together now no problem.

So now I'm down to just my Saucy Socks and a newly cast-on item, the Clementine Shawlette from Interweave's Spring 2007 issue. I am using the 2/3 skein of Tilli Tomas Rock Star that I have left from my ruffly purse, along with a coordinating skein of Tilli Tomas Pure & Simple. I wasn't sure about knitting the little tabs that are at the ends of this shawlette, but I decided it's part of the "look" of the pattern, so I'm going for it as written. I hope I end up liking and wearing this shawlette; I agonized over doing this versus a scarf, but I think the yarn is special enough that I needed to make something elegant...this should fit the bill. I'll keep you posted!

The Vest is DONE!

2008-05-31T22:13:00.003-04:00

After 4+ months, the Woodsy Ribs vest is done!!! I did end up enjoying this project, especially since it does fit my husband beautifully. All of that measuring along the way did pay off. The V-neck is a bit too shallow for his liking, but I am strenuously blocking that part of the vest while letting the rest of it smooth out gently, and we'll see what happens.

Now I will finish up the http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer03/PATTchildHood.htmland pick my next project from my stash.

Goodies from my Scarf Pal!

2008-05-27T21:47:00.004-04:00

Today I received my package from my ISE6 Scarf Swap Pal, Betsy. I received a beautiful scarf in Cascade's Lana D'Oro, a 50% wool, 50% alpaca yarn that is just yummy and will be very warm and cozy for winter. It's a pretty cabled pattern that I love. The color is called "Starry Night" and is a beautiful teal color.

Betsy also sewed me a patchwork sock project bag! I love it! And, since she knew I was a sock knitter, she also included the Sock Blocker keychain and pattern. Goodness knows I have enough leftover sock yarn to make a wardrobe for that keychain!

Thank you so much, Betsy--this has been a fun swap, as usual.

P.S. My Woodsy Ribs Vest is almost done! I'd say definitely by the end of the week--details to follow...

The Ruffled Evening Bag

2008-05-17T22:50:00.002-04:00

I have been working on the beautiful Ruffled Evening Bag, designed by Nicky Epstein in the Spring/Summer 2008 Vogue Knitting, for a month.
It was a lovely little project, even if it did mean I had to splurge for a second ball of Tilli Tomas Rock Star AND may now HAVE TO buy a skein of Tilli Tomas Pure & Simple to make something with the leftover Rock Star!

The bag, which will be used for a forthcoming special family event, came out just lovely. As I am not a sewer and the few other examples of this bag on Ravelry showed it with a fabric lining, I took it to my seamstress to line it with a pretty matching satiny fabric, and it made all the difference in the world, giving the bag body and making the remaining hand-seaming quite easy. I am going to love using this elegant bag!

In other knitting news, still plodding along on the Woodsy Ribs Vest, but I am almost up to the armhole on the front, which is a V-neck, so once I get there, it should be smooth sailing. Remind me that the best thing to make for a 6-foot tall man is socks!

Progress!

2008-04-23T22:20:00.003-04:00

After a 12 hour car ride (6 hours each way) plus a couple of relaxed nights at my in-laws, I actually FINISHED the back of the Woodsy Ribs Vest!
I got to measure hubby several times and I think it's going to fit; it may be a tiny bit too long from armhole to bottom and a tiny bit short from armhole to shoulder (which can be blocked, I'm sure), but overall, it looked right for him and, once we got home, it matched up about the same way with the sample sweater I used as a guide. Now I'm on to the front...6 rows out of 130 to the armhole done! I am now confident that I WILL finish this project before our August vacation!!

I also got my yarn for the Ruffled Evening Bag just in time for our trip, but because I was committed to making significant headway on the vest, didn't do too much on the bag. It is a quick knit, though, and I think it's going to be lovely.
Knitting with the pre-beaded Tilli Tomas Rock Star is a bit challenging, but I'm getting the hang of it. Knitting with 100 percent silk is lovely!

Knitting ADD

2008-04-16T10:45:00.002-04:00

I finished my ISE6 Scarf, Argosy. This has got to be one of my favorite scarf patterns ever, and as I've found more and more over the past few months, blocking completely changes one's knitting dramatically for the better! The points on this scarf came into their own with a good blocking, and the yarn smoothed out so that the scarf now drapes beautifully. I hope my scarf pal likes it, as this is going to be hard to give away!

I am also plodding along on the Woodsy Ribs Vest. I am just a few rows away from the armhole, and with a long car trip coming up this weekend, I think I can actually make good headway on finishing the back in the next few weeks. This is definitely a slow-moving project, and it doesn't help that I've found every excuse--including, dare I say it, ordering new yarn for additional projects--to knit other things in the midst of it.

Right now, for example, I'm awaiting yarn for the Ruffled Bag in the Spring/Summer Vogue Knitting, which I am going to be making out of Tilli Thomas Rockstar (a bit more economical than the Artyarns Beaded Silk and Sequins called for). And last night, I made another cell phone case for myself, as the last one I made was coming apart and the beads I had knitted into it are too bulky to fit in my purse comfortably. The case just took an hour, but it was an hour that I could have been making headway on the vest.

I now resolve to make the vest my major area of focus, now that the scarf is done well before deadline. The purse will be next priority, as I'd like to wear it to an event in early June. The baby sweater is third, but I have plenty of time for that as the baby is not due until August, and I am nearly done with the two fronts, having completed the back. Socks--on hold until the vest is closer to completion!

Slow Progress, But Progress Nevertheless

2008-04-01T08:49:00.003-04:00

Forgive me, as it's been several weeks since my last post. I have almost gotten back to where I was on the Woodsy Ribs vest before frogging, and it looks like it is going to be the right fit now. I'd rather have it be a bit on the narrow side, as I can always block the lovely Rowan Felted Tweed. I am enjoying this yarn, but as I've said before, a man's project, size 48 inch chest, is a BIG undertaking.

Something I've been enjoying very much is the Argosy scarf that I'm making for my ISE6 pal.
I had hesitated joining this swap this time around, but I'm so glad I did. I used some Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification Superwash Sock Yarn, which is their heavier weight and something I probably wouldn't want to use for socks. It is a beautiful russet shade with just a bit of gradation in it for interest. The Argosy pattern is easy, fun, and addicting! Just two more rows, OK, two more...I will definitely finish this scarf before its deadline, which is great because it will need ample time for a good blocking.

In between these two projects I've continued working slowly on the ChildHood Baby Sweater, which is adorable. I am on the fronts, but am taking my time with this and will finish it up after the scarf is done. My socks, however, are on hold--it is hard to juggle four projects, so they will have to wait. Meanwhile, my sock yarn stash grows, with Rockin Sock Club installments continuing to come, and my first Scout's Swag Sock Club package due this month....uh-oh!

WIP Fever

2008-03-17T18:06:00.005-04:00

Suddenly, I am awash in WIP's.
I am now on my third attempt at the Woodsy Ribs Vest. I had done a gauge swatch and gotten 5.5 stitches/inch, then after knitting about 3 inches on the project (remember, this is for my 6-foot husband and is being knit in DK weight yarn--130+ stitches!), it just didn't look wide enough. So, I ripped it out and started again, this time using a gauge of 6 stitches/inch as my guide and 148 stitches. After I had knit 10 inches, I measured the vest against the sweater hubby had said fit perfectly--and the vest was a good two inches wider (meaning it would be 4 inches wider all around). I now had a very good sample to measure gauge...and it was 5.5 stitches/inch! I should have stuck with my first instincts. So I ripped again, and am now back on track with about 3 inches done. I wouldn't have finished it before the end of winter weather anyway, so I figure I have until next fall to finish!
Since the pressure is off on the vest--and it is a bit tedious to knit--I have a few other things going on the needles. My cousin is having a baby this summer and I was dying to use up my Rowan All Seasons Cotton. I had thought about Knitty's Trellis, but it's just too complicated for a project that I'm going to be knitting off and on, even though everyone on Ravelry who has made it seems to love it. So, I searched and searched and came up with Knitty's ChildHood--it is an ADORABLE hooded sweater, and is just right for the All Seasons Cotton. I did have to order a contrasting color for the striping. My stash Cotton is charcoal grey, and since I don't know the gender of the baby, my daughter helped me choose a delicious pistachio green for the contrast.
I still think it might be a bit masculine, so if it's a girl I might embroider a little pink or green heart on the front. I do a bit each night and it is coming out just darling so far. I should have plenty of time to make it, but...
I just got my International Scarf Exchange 6 pal, and am about to cast on for her! I have a pattern in mind--Knitty's Argosy--but am deciding between two yarns. I'm going to swatch tonight and then cast on, as I have a May deadline for that. The good news is that many of the Ravelers who have made this scarf comment that it knits up quickly.
Other than the vest, I notice a pattern here...I've mentioned three Knitty patterns! I do find their patterns consistently well written, and I think partially because they're free, many of them seem to have huge followings on Ravelry, so there's a great cross-section of projects to look at.
I'll be keeping busy, triaging all of these projects...my Saucy Socks are on the back burner, but still a favorite!

Interlude

2008-03-04T22:22:00.008-05:00

I finished the Hedgerow Socks with a bit of yarn to spare!
I'm really pleased with the way they turned out, and I loved both the Sundara Sock yarn and the pattern. I was worried at the end that I'd made the foot too short for my husband, but I blocked them out to his foot length and now I think they'll be perfect. The picture doesn't do the beautiful purply color justice.

Before starting on my next pair of socks, I did a quickie project from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders.I'm now on my third set of iPod headphones; I am hard on the iPod as I carry it in my purse and listen when walking back and forth to my parking lot at work (mostly knitting Podcasts, of course, of which there seem to be a bunch more these days!) I took the His 'n' Hers Shower Soap Holders pattern and made it up in some pretty Muench String of Pearls yarn that I had left over from a tank top I made a couple of summers ago.
The seed stitch picks up the subtle shimmer in the yarn just beautifully, and the case is cute. I'd definitely make the pattern again for its real purpose--to hold soap--and it would make a great holiday or swap pal gift with a unique scented soap inside.

I love these fast (two nights!) projects, they help keep things interesting. I am having a bit of trouble getting my Mojo going for the Woodsy Ribs vest, but it is looking good so far and I just need a good chunk of time to work on it and see some progress (I have about 5 inches done so far, and garments for a 6-foot man DO take more time than those for 5 foot 2 me!)

Next up: I'll cast on for my next pair of socks, and will think about starting a sweater for my cousin who will be having a baby this summer.

Projects for the Man

2008-02-22T18:03:00.002-05:00

Now that Lizzy is done, I'm back to my Hedgerow Socks for my husband, as well as a vest for him. I've finished sock #1 but left it on needles as I'm HOPING that I have enough yarn (Sundara Sock) for the second sock. If not, I have a nice bit of Claudia Handpaint that would work for the toes, so I would rip back the toe of Sock #1 if that's the case.
As for the vest, he liked the Woodsy Ribs pattern from the Winter 2004 Knitter's Magazine, but wanted a lighter-weight yarn, so we settled on Rowan Felted Tweed, which I ordered from Webs, in a pretty midnight blue color flecked with light blue, red and yellow. I am also using the Ann Budd Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, which I recently scored on the KnitSwap list, to help me adjust the measurements since I'm knitting with a DK rather than worsted weight yarn.

I had to rip out the first attempt because the gauge I was getting while actually knitting the vest was different (6 stitches/inch) than the gauge I had gotten with my swatch (5.5 stitches/inch). Hopefully now it will be right on track.

Two projects for my hubby at once--isn't he lucky?

I listened to a new Podcast today that I liked very much: DivaKnitting. Podcaster/Blogger Cheryl Kemp does a nice Podcast in my opinion--a good length, useful reviews and information, and it's got good clarity. Go take a listen!

I Love Lizzy!

2008-02-17T00:02:00.002-05:00

Lizzy is finally finished! Yay!

This project was a real test of my knitting skills, and I loved every minute of the challenge.

With the help of some fellow Ravelry friends, I learned how to:

- add a hem to this garment to keep it from raveling at the bottom - add waist shaping and alter the sleeve width for a more customized fit
- I also sewed this sweater together myself–one of the only times I’ve done this with a sweater, and it came out pretty well!
- The one thing I would do differently is this: I picked up stitches and did a 3-needle bind-off for the side seams, as I’d read that this was an option rather than sewing. It came out fine, but the seams (such as the sleeves) that I sewed look smoother. I guess I CAN sew!

All in all, a wonderful learning experience, and I adored working with Noro. I may order some more of this color (I have 3 skeins left) to make a Clapotis.

The Finish Line

2008-02-09T13:36:00.000-05:00

In a week that has included few "wins", either at work or at home, I approached yesterday--having finished the two fronts and back of the Lizzy cardigan--determined to overcome my angst about finishing. The sweater pieces, which are my first example of really altering a pattern with shaping to fit me, seemed to be exactly the right size. I decided to start the finishing that I could do with the fronts and back before I knit the sleeves, so that the whole finishing job wouldn't be so daunting at the end.
I did the three-needle bind off for the shoulders (beautiful), the simple picking up of stitches and then binding off for the slim collar (perfect), and the ruffled bands down the fronts (fun and festive!) Anxious to see how my hems would come out, I even sewed some of them, and will finish joining them together after I sew the side seams, which will happen after I knit and set in the sleeves.
So far, this finishing experience has been nothing short of exhilarating. I am definitely at the stage where I should be finishing my own garments, and as long as they don't involve crocheting, there's really no reason I can't do this work. Yesterday's experience proved that I can. I am anxious to make the sleeves and finish my finishing. Hopefully this is the start of a new chapter in my knitting career.
And did I say how much I love Noro???

Immediate Gratification

2008-02-02T23:43:00.000-05:00

Tempted by several Super Bowl Sales in a number of local yarn shops (and I did go to one to buy yarn for my husband's requested vest), I decided that what I really needed to do was delve into my stash and use up some of the single skeins I've bought at previous Super Bowl Sales and never used.

Last year, I bought a skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky to pair with a single skein of Patons Glittallic that I had gotten from a swap pal. I had the intention then of making the Spiral Rib Bag from One Skein. Never even started, this project was forgotten as others took its place. Now I pondered doing baby hats for Afghans for Afghans (which I may still do), but I looked at the Spiral Rib Bag pattern again and decided to give it a try. I knit with these two skeins held together, and since both are bulky weight, this made for a tight, sturdy fabric. The bag is big enough to use as a sock project bag, it's really cute! The Glittallic is completely used up and the Lamb's Pride is now a little oddball.

Mission accomplished! It's great to finish a project in ONE DAY! Now, back to Lizzy and my socks. The sock weight yarn and size 1.5 needles feels sooooo thin and tiny after the double bulky weight bag!

Steady Progress

2008-01-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Lizzy is progressing nicely--I'm done with the back, and after all of my angst about how this would fit, I THINK it will fit just right. I have continued to read about making garments my own and adjusting patterns, and I've really enjoyed getting to this level.

My husband,for whom I just started the beautiful Hedgerow Socks with a skein of Sundara Lenten Rose Sock Yarn (from last year's Petals Collection; this yarn is no longer available, Sundara tells me), has asked for a V-neck vest! Now that I have received Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns, I was able to estimate yardage with DK-weight yarn (he wants something that is not too thick)and will adapt the Woodsy Ribs pattern from the Winter 2004 issue of Knitter's Magazine that called for worsted-weight yarn. With a couple of LYS's holding Super Bowl sales, I should be able to get him some yarn soon. When he shows enthusiasm for a knitted garment, I'm running with it!

Making a Pattern My Own

2008-01-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

I finished my son's University of Michigan Socks; they were a fun, quick knit and I loved the Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. I may use the rest of it, along with other remaining sock yarn, to cast on a Chevron Scarf that can just be an ongoing project as I feel like knitting a few rows. We'll see.

Now, on to Lizzy. I have learned so much in the past few weeks, communicating with Ravelry friends and learning about modifications they've made to this pattern. Something still tells me that I might not like a ruffle-edged jacket in this "rough" type of yarn, but people who've made this pattern love it in Silk Garden, and it is working up to be very pretty in my muted colorway of greys, wines, purples and some olive. The modifications I've added are a hem and waist shaping. So far, I THINK it will fit well, but I'm not even up to the armhole on the back so it's still hard to tell. I do feel that I'm at the experience level of being able to modify patterns, and now I think I'll think about that routinely with sweaters. I guess I'll see how this one comes out first. There is a nice section on pattern modifications in Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, which I recently took out of the library. I'll read that with interest and keep learning.

Swatching

2008-01-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

Before I discuss swatching, I wanted to show some pictures of my finished Retro Redux Shrug. I blocked this rather aggressively because I'm just not wild about a shrug hitting me in the middle of my back and I couldn't figure out how to best adjust the pattern to make it longer. This piece definitely benefited from blocking and I like how it looks--I just hope I wear it. Perhaps with warmer weather and a tank top or body suit; it does look cute in the pictures, right?

The good news is that my 15-year-old daughter likes it, and she is very fashion conscious and particular about hand-knit items, so if she wears it, I'll be thrilled.

Now, on to my next project, Lizzy, from Naturally Noro. I was a good knitter and made a formal 4-inch swatch, which I THOUGHT was giving me 4.5 stitches/inch (18 stitches to a 4-inch square). Once I started knitting, and upon further scrutiny of my swatch, it looks like I'm getting more like 19 stitches/4 inches. This may not sound like a lot, but the sweater has no ribbing--just straight stockinette--so I am concerned that with the difference, and comments I've read on Ravelry about having to add waist shaping to make this sweater fit properly, I am going to do a swatch with #7's and see if that's better. I've only knit 6 rows so far, so no harm done if I have to start over--it will be well worth it to have a properly fitting sweater.

So far, I'm loving the Noro Silk Garden(my first time working with this highly popular yarn!). I really like color changes and this even has some texture (thicker/thinner) changes, so even though it's straight stockinette, I think it will be fun to knit. More to come after my next swatch.

New Year Enthusiasm

2008-01-08T17:03:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's the fact that New Year's Day fell on a Tuesday, making last week a short week, but I've felt that I've had more knitting time lately, and it feels great.

I received my finished Gatsby Girl Pullover back from Rene at Knits Finished, and she did an amazing job sewing this together.
I still like to finish my own projects whenever I can, but all of the crocheting and hemming involved in this one scared me.
The sweater is very form-fitting and I love it, I just hope it looks flattering.
I have about three skeins of the Rowan Cashsoft DK left, so I'm trying to figure out what to do with that--maybe a scarf, or a pair of wrist-warmers, mittens or gloves. Any ideas?

With holiday gifts behind me, I got back to my Retro Redux Shrug and will probably finish it tonight. This was a really fun and quick knit, and the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran is so soft and a lovely yarn to knit up. I'd love to use it again. I will use almost all four skeins for this project, so probably won't have the opportunity to make anything with the remains, perhaps a headband from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders, one of my new favorite books!

Another book I bought before the holidays and have been loving is Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Yarn. I loved all of the up-front information about origins and uses of all the different types of yarn, and the patterns are wonderful. I've already tagged about 10 that I want to make, and I'm not even halfway through the patterns section!

Back to the shrug--hopefully FO pictures of that later this week! Then, the big decision is what to make next: a pullover or cardigan from the Naturally Noro Book using Noro Silk Garden I've had for over a year, or a shawl with my stashed Sublime Mohair...such decisions!

Another Productive Knitting Year Draws to a Close!

2007-12-31T16:01:00.000-05:00

Despite a busy year of juggling work, family and other commitments (or maybe because of the juggling--a needed stress reliever and escape!) I managed to complete 21 projects this year, and have two works in progress. I hope to be even more productive in 2008, perhaps learning some new techniques along the way and making a significant dent in my significant sock yarn stash! I have found that the members of my family are the most enthusiastic about the socks I've made them. Like many others, once they feel the hand-knit socks on their feet, they are as addicted as I am to making them, and they want more!

My current socks on the needles are the Priscilla's Dream Socks from Favorite Socks(with some modifications of the heel and toe from Sensational Knitted Socks), in University of Michigan colors for my son. The Cherry Tree Hill Supersock yarn is absolutely luscious--so soft and silky-feeling, with vibrant colors.

I have had Scarf Style for about a year and believe it or not, I FINALLY finished a scarf, Midwest Moonlight, from this lovely book. After I was about 40% of the way done, my husband expressed interest in this scarf so I accelerated its place in my queue--concentrating on it instead of making it third in line meant it got finished MUCH faster, although it still took quite awhile to finish. He wanted the scarf to be wide and long, so I blocked it as much as I could, gaining about 4 inches in width (it's now about 13 inches wide) and about 10 inches in length, to 70 inches. The blocking gave it a pretty, more open look too. I'm quite pleased with the result and hope he is too!

More details on my Ravelry page.
Happy New Year and a year of enjoyable, productive knitting to all!

Holiday Fever!

2007-12-14T18:11:00.000-05:00

Not content to make my slew of Everlasting Bagstoppers (I'm about halfway through the second one), and also admitting that I wouldn't finish enough of them for all the people I want to gift at work, I decided to use some of my stashed handmade washcloths to fill in the gaps. I had two washcloths and just cast on for a third. I'm using the Mason-Dixon Washcloth pattern that I made over the summer, and using up some of my assorted Peaches & Creme cotton. I think this will be it for me for washcloths--they really don't excite me. But I bought some cute wicker baskets at a local drugstore and will add some bath gel to each basket with the washcloth--I think it makes for a cute gift, don't you?

The bags will have to be for after holiday gifts..and maybe even for me.

Finally, I cast on for my son's University of Michigan color socks, using the Priscilla's Dream Socks pattern from Favorite Socks. I got them started through one color change and will now put them away for our holiday vacation--the washcloth and Bagstopper, as well as my husband's scarf (about 2/3 of the way done!!) all need to be done first.

Holiday Knitting

2007-12-06T09:22:00.001-05:00

I interrupted my Retro Redux Shrug knitting, much as I was enjoying it, to focus on a couple of quick holiday projects. I broke out my full cone of Peaches & Creme and made an Everlasting Bagstopper in a weekend. Now I'm just waiting for the ribbon and drawstring that I ordered to finish it. I started Bagstopper #2 and figure I'll make as many as I can before the holidays. It's a really cute pattern and easy as pie.

I am also making good progress on the Midwest Moonlight Scarf for my husband, with the hope that I will have it done before our ski trip later this month. The temperature is certainly cold enough for a nice warm scarf, and the KnitPicks Merino Style is wonderful to work with.

Back to the needles!

My Newest Project

2007-11-28T23:09:00.000-05:00

Now that I've finished my daughter's socks and Gatsby Girl (which is off to my finishing friend, Rene), I was anxious to cast on for my next project. I have four skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a fuschia colorway that I bought a couple of years ago, intending to make a scarf. Not so interested in making more scarves at the moment, I sought out an appropriate project on Ravelry. I found that several people had made the Retro Redux Shrug from Lace Style with this yarn. The many pictures of finished Retro Reduxes convinced me to try this project, which should also be a quick knit after the rather prolonged (4 months) Gatsby Girl.

I knit a couple of inches this morning and I think I'm going to like this project. Since it involves 4 needle size changes, I am happy to have my new KnitPicks Options Needle Set, which I am using for the first time and LOVING! If I have a skein left over, I will try a pair of Fetchings.
I'll keep you posted!

I've Been Gifted: International Scarf Exchange

2007-11-26T17:40:00.000-05:00

I returned from a lovely Thanksgiving holiday in San Francisco to find a wonderful treat--my GORGEOUS scarf from my International Scarf Exchange 5 pal, Erin, along with some awesome goodies.

The scarf is an adjusted version of Lady Eleanor, from Scarf Style. As I've always coveted this wrap, the scarf, in my favorite earthy tones of beautiful merino wool, is instantly a favorite. Along with it came a beautiful, vibrant ball of 100% silk (looks like sari silk?), some pretty little candles and cool magnets.

Thank you so much, Erin!

The long plane ride also gave me ample time to finish my daughter's socks, and I am in the very final stages of Gatsby Girl (perhaps I'll finish during Monday Night Football tonight?!) Pictures when they are complete...and then it's on to the next project!

Plugging Along

2007-11-17T23:58:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in some time. That's partially due to the fact that life has been hectic, but probably moreso because I don't have much to report. I finished the first of my plain stockinette socks for my daughter with the sunny Sundara Petals Collection Bird of Paradise colorway.

I now think I have her plain stockinette size down to a standard 56 stitches, and now that I'm on sock #2, I don't need to measure her every few rows to see how the sock fits! The yarn is striping nicely even with the plain stockinette--no real pooling, and it is very silky and smooth. Next up: a second pair of socks for my son, in University of Michigan colors!

Gatsby Girl is also progressing--my two sleeves at once method is very successful, although each row definitely takes longer! I am almost done with the increases and then I'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. I've corresponded with the pattern writer, Jodi Green, on Ravelry, as I'm thinking about making another one of her designs, Mariah from Knitty. Jodi sent me some modifications that she's made, which evidently make the neck fit much better. So we'll see. Gotta love Ravelry's ability to bring people together and inform our wonderful knitting community.

Scarf Pal Scarf Finished; Socks Begun

2007-10-27T17:20:00.000-04:00

My ISE5 scarf is finished! I just can't believe how beautiful this scarf (Branching Out from Knitty)turned out after blocking. I hope my pal likes it! I've ordered some goodies to put in her package, and once they arrive, I can send this away before I get too attached to it! I was going to make a shawl with the remaining skein of Misti Alpaca laceweight plus the new Cherry Tree Hill Possum yarn I bought, but I may just have to make one of these scarves for me!

Now that the scarf is done and I know I will make the December 1 deadline easily, I cast on for my daughter's socks. She chose the skein of Sundara sock yarn in the Bird of Paradise colorway that's been in my stash for awhile. She had liked the Rainbow Socks pattern from Magknits, but I tried and tried and just couldn't figure it out. There is even an online tutorial for these socks--which led me to believe that it's a pattern that would have frustrated me and for which I'd have to concentrate heavily while knitting--that's not what I like in socks.

Since she doesn't like lacy or textured socks, that brought us back to plain stockinette, so I used my Sock Wizard software for the first time and figured out the measurements that way. Now I have a nice, mindless project, and I'll let the vibrant colors of the yearn do the work!

I Won Yarn!!

2007-10-23T19:12:00.000-04:00

Just when I was feeling sorry for myself for having to miss both Stitches East and Rhinebeck (where every other blogger in the knitting universe seems to have gone...), I got an email (on my birthday, no less!) that I won the contest I had entered on Yarn4socks.com! Today my gorgeous skein of Schaefer Anne arrived. I have been wanting to knit with Anne for a long time, and now I'll have the chance. I will probably use it for socks, but I will check out other ideas on Ravelry. The skein is a beautiful mix of fall colors: oranges, golds, and a tawny brown. I LOVE IT!! Thank you so much, Valerie!!

In other news, my Branching Out for my ISE5 pal is just about finished--I should be able to cast off tonight, and then will probably block the scarf later this week. It will be my first time using the blocking wires I bought a year ago, but given my new infatuation with lace, I don't think it will be the last.

Two Sleeves at Once

2007-10-16T17:52:00.000-04:00

I have finished the front of my Gatsby Girl Pullover; with the back already done, now it's just down to the sleeves. Since I've been working on this sweater (in between lots of other smaller projects) since July, I am really ready to finish. So, I decided to think about knitting both sleeves at once, something I've never done.

I posed a question about this technique on the wonderful Yahoo KnitList Group, and got such an overwhelming response--probably about 40 people detailing the benefits of knitting two sleeves at once! Of course, I decided to give it a try and cast on. Many of the people who wrote me about knitting two sleeves at once did have some great tips to keep disasters from happening. Many of these are lessons learned from personal experience, I'm sure, and I'm happy to know about them and to share them here with you:

--Put a marker at the beginning (right side) of the first sleeve. That
way you'll always be in the right place if you have to stop knitting in the middle of a row.
--Never stop between the two pieces; at least start a row on the second sleeve if
you have to stop in the middle, otherwise you'll forget which sleeve you
just finished working on.
--Pin the two sleeves together in the middle so everything will stay straight. You can move the pin/marker up as you knit.
--Another suggestion was to put a big safety pin at the beginning of the second sleeve, as a reminder that this piece must be knit before turning!
--To prevent the two balls of yarn from tangling, put each ball in a Ziplock bag and snip a corner to run the yarn through. If you don't do this, at least stop and untangle the balls at the end of each row to keep tangles from getting too serious.
--Pay attention to things like increases, and make sure you do them on both sleeves. Use a row counter or other method of keeping track of increases--perhaps one on each sleeve--if that's easiest.

So I've done two rows and so far, so good. I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you to all my wonderful KnitList friends--you ALWAYS come through!

Persevering

2007-10-14T18:08:00.002-04:00

Not much to report this week.
I was supposed to have gone to Stitches East with a knitting group pal, but a work meeting got in the way. Considering I haven't used a lot of the stash I bought at last year's Stitches, I was actually OK about it. To appease myself, I went to Knit New York just before my meeting, sat and had a cool drink and knit on my Gatsby Girl for awhile. I also picked up the new Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts issue, because I've been reading and hearing that there are some great patterns in it. I also love the holiday gifts for knitters they describe--I want them ALL!

Next weekend might have been my opportunity to go to Rhinebeck, but alas, I don't think that will happen either. I have a couple of commitments at home that are going to prevent me from going. I may take a yarn shop detour near where I have to be on Saturday, I'll keep you posted! Mark my words, one of these years I'm going to get there!

In the meantime, I'm making good progress on Gatsby Girl and also on Branching Out, my ISE5 scarf project. I had one scary moment where I laid out the scarf to measure it, and saw that I had dropped a stitch about 4 INCHES BACK with no visible way to save it...yes, I had to rip back that intricate lace, but all seems to be well now. So being deprived of yarn events is at least allowing me to get my WIPs to the next stage...

Quickie!

2007-10-06T01:08:00.000-04:00

I seem to have lost the cute red and black cell phone case I knit right after we got our new phones at the end of August. How disappointing!

I immediately cast on for another one, this time a cute pattern that allows me to practice my skills at bead knitting. It is bulkier than the first one I'd made, but it's cheerful and unique and I love it!

Thanks to Karen, a new Ravelry friend, for the awesome pattern--check it out!

Lace Lessons

2007-10-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

I finished my hubby's Slipped-Stitch Rib socks--I think they look great, if I do say so myself! I hope they fit him perfectly, I may have to stretch the foot of one of them just a bit. Now we just need some cooler weather so he'll want to wear them (not that I am in a rush for cool weather--I'm LOVING the warm October we're having!)

But the real reason for today's blog entry is to discuss the lessons I've learned since starting Branching Out, which I'm knitting in doubled Misti Alpaca laceweight (which is stil pretty darn thin, even doubled!) in a mossy green colorway.

The project has been growing on me, and I'm actually looking forward to the "magic" that happens with blocking.
However, I made one mistake about 10 rows back. I thought I'd just keep going and no one would notice. But alas, I couldn't stop thinking about the error (the stitches weren't lined up right on either side of a center stitch that remains throughout the 10-row pattern). Last night, in a rush of bravery, I ripped back to the mistake. And here's what I learned:
1)I understand why people who knit lace use a lifeline. That would have helped me a great deal. As it was, I kind of held my breath and ripped, and I was very lucky that I didn't lose more stitches than I did.
2)It is much easier to "read" lace by using a chart than by reading written-out instructions. Although the pattern gives both, for some reason (I've read lots of charts before...), I chose to follow the written-out directions. That was fine until the mistake was made. Three rip-outs later, I decided to consult the chart to identify where that center stitch should be and what should come before and after it. Once I used the chart, I had the problem fixed in no time flat.
3)I'm still not sure if I like knitting lace, but I can see the addictive quality of it (just like socks, and other things that have cult-knit status). I have a feeling that by the time I'm finished with this scarf, I'll be hooked on lace.

We have a long car ride coming up this weekend--I've decided that rather than casting on for my next set of socks (possibly Monkeys...we'll see), I will just take Branching Out and Gatsby Girl and make much progress on both of those, before starting my next pair of socks. Let's see how that strategy works.

Branching Out

2007-09-24T16:46:00.000-04:00

I received my ISE5 pal's info, and it appears that she really likes lace and cables. She also specified that she likes single-color items rather than a mix of color, so the Chevron scarf is OUT (for her, anyway!) Since I know I will have limited time to work on the scarf, I opted for lace over cables. Also, I've been wanting to try lace --real lace, with laceweight yarn--for some time.

So, I got some gorgeous Misti Alpaca laceweight in one of her favorite colors, and cast on for Knitty's Branching Out. When I started with the laceweight, I just couldn't handle it...it is soooooo fine. Since I had enough to do so, I got the idea to double the yarn. The pattern has two options, one with DK weight, so I knew doubling would be OK. Now things are moving along well, and I can see that once this is finished and blocked, it will have a totally different look--that "magic" moment that lace knitters talk about. Here's where I am so far:

So far though, this project has brought me to the realization that I don't think I'll knit with laceweight yarn anymore. I like knitting lace patterns (like many of those in my recently acquired Lace Style), but with heavier yarn, thank you very much.

I hope my pal likes her finished scarf, and I'll have to thank her for providing me with a teachable knitting moment!

International Scarf Exchange

2007-09-15T14:06:00.000-04:00

I may have mentioned that I got a spot on International Scarf Exchange 5, which is still taking sign-ups for a short while, I believe. I might want to dive into my sock yarn stash and make the Chevron Scarf as part of this project, assuming it's something my "giftee" likes once I see her/his survey answers. Another thought I've had for this is that I make the person a small shawl, which I think is acceptable, as I have been dying to do shawls but just don't generally consider myself a shawl person. If any of you out there have made the Chevron Scarf, how have you liked it? It's gotten very positive reviews on Ravelry and other sources.

I've been catching up on lots of knitting Podcasts and blogs the past week, in between the now hectic fall parent-chauffering schedule that is well under way. Progress continues on the Gatsby Girl, my husband's Sock #2 (fingers crossed that I'll have enough yarn), and the Midwest Moonlight Scarf, which could also be a candidate for ISE5.

Reorganizing

2007-09-09T21:42:00.001-04:00

At the start of this weekend, I took a look in the closet where my stash is kept and got a little panicky. All of the shopping bags full of yarn were a bit disorganized, and my Vogue Knitting issues from 1992-93 seemed a bit dated--I never look at them and, having just read and enjoyed the 25th anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting and realized that most of the older styles that were shown had been rewritten and updated with new yarn, I felt it didn't make sense (and I didn't have the space) to keep all of those old issues.

I bought some plastic storage bins and some cardboard magazine storage units and now the closet is in some semblance of order. All of the sock yarn is in one bin (just barely fits), all of the yarn for specific projects in another, and miscellaneous yarn for projects TBD in the third. My Manos--enough to make the Four Seasons Throw that I have not yet begun--had to remain in its shopping bag as there was no room in the bins for it.

I feel better about my newly organized stash, and it happened not a moment too soon, as my first installment of the Hill Country Yarns Sock Club arrived the day after the reorganizing! It's a lovely Periwinkle Blue in their Sweet Feet yarn.

It looks somewhat thick for socks (it calls for a size 2 needle), but it is extremely soft and squishy and is a gorgeous color. The pattern that came with it, called Sweat Pea, is very nice too. Into the sock yarn bin it goes!

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Knitting...

2007-09-04T18:30:00.000-04:00

...for some charity projects.

I have been enjoying my beautiful STR socks, Gatsby Girl pullover and Midwest Moonlight scarf. But was that enough for me? No...I had to work on some charity projects. I had done some scarves for the 2008 Red Scarf Project, and now is the time to send them, so I hope to package them up and get them out this week.
This weekend I took a bunch of leftover wool of various kinds and cast on the Canadian-Winter Hat from Sally Melville's The Purl Stitch. It was a fun and easy hat to make--I'd even make it for myself or my kids for winter. It is made from some toasty warm wools in earthy colors, and I hope that it goes to a worthy home for someone in Afghanistan.

I'm following links to lots of worthy charity opportunities; I hope to fit in more of this knitting whenever I can.

Road Trip!

2007-08-28T00:08:00.000-04:00

We had a six hour car ride (each way) to visit my in-laws this past weekend. In addition, while we were there, most of the family went to watch our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers but there weren't quite enough tickets for all, so I got to knit while watching on TV as the Steelers dominated the Philadelphia Eagles.

As a result, I am almost done with the leg of my Slipped Stitch Rib Sock for my honey, and it seems to be fitting his leg perfectly. I was concerned that the Socks that Rock Medium Weight might make a sock that's too thick for someone used to wearing thin men's socks, but he seems to like how it feels so far. We'll see how it goes when I get to the foot!

I also got back into the Gatsby Girl pullover and am almost done with the waist shaping on the front. It will still be quite some time before this project is finished, but I continue to enjoy it, no matter how long it takes.