knittin' & grinnin'

Really, start knitting again...I mean it!

2011-11-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

I have recently picked up my needles again. I had put them down for almost 2.5 years while Henry was a baby/young toddler. Now that he's finally able to play independently for an extended period of time AND now that I have finished my dissertation, I have time in my life for something just for me and just for fun.

It's funny how hard it's been to get started though. I bought some lovely Noro Silk Garden to make a cowl and matching fingerless mitts. I started the cowl but the lace pattern was more complicated than I wanted, so I ripped it out and started over. I made up my own simple lace cowl and finished the piece in about two days...but I hated it, so I ripped it out and started over. This time with a mobius technique cowl. Finished in about three days. Very fun to knit. loved the striping but hated the final product. It was too long to be a snug new warmer cowl, too short to let hang long and double when desired, and too squished up to be a loose hanging neck warmer. I think I'll be ripping back again.

Not being ready to face ripping back for a third (or possible forth time), I switched to the mitts. So far, not loving these either. I'm using my favorite mitten technique (k1, p1 twisted rib) to start but it looks loose and sloppy. Not sure if it's a needle size issue or an incompatibility with the yarn. I think I'll be ripping these out too.

Good thing I've picked up my knitting again because I enjoy the process and finding the act of knitting to be relaxing and enjoyable. Perhaps, I'll reflect a bit on the meaning of all of this reworking I'm doing and how this relates to larger issues in my life I've experienced recently.

Time to start knitting again!

2010-10-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

It is high time I start knitting and crafting again. The explosion of new blogs amongst my friends has gotten me motivated to start blogging again. Of course this being a knitting blog, means that I need to start knitting again. Fortunately, I have already picked up the sticks on two projects 1) a fuzzy alpaca hooded poncho, and 2) finger puppets. (Photos pending on both projects)

Yay for the return to knitting!

Back to Baby Knitting

2009-05-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

I'm finally able to get back to baby knitting. I've been so busy with school and work (and total exhaustion) that I haven't done much knitting for Pip.

The main knitting project that I've been focusing on for the past month (or so) was a circular blanket for my friend Michelle. She had her baby a few weeks ago just as I was finishing it up. I had also made a matching little cap. Very cute!

For Pip I've made another pull on diaper soaker in a size small (the previous two were newborn). And (almost) 2 soakers in a wrap style. The smaller one only needs the velcro stitched on and it will be done. I ran out of yarn on the larger one...hopefully I can track done some more yarn in the same color or else I'll be ripping back to add some contrasting stripes.

But here is my favorite knitted item...this pointy rainbow hat. I made it this past weekend. I love the colors and the yarn. It's a cotton/wool blend. I'm hoping that it's not too warm for summer here.

Diaper soakers

2009-03-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have started knitting baby things for Pip. Here are my first two projects: diaper soakers. There are few skeptics out there (you know who you are!)

Some of you have heard our plans to use cloth diapers (CD). If you are not familiar with the CD, there are a variety of options: folded diapers with covers, pocket diapers, and all-in-ones. We are going to start out using a diaper service which provides a weekly installment of a set of cloth "pre-folds" which they pick up weekly and replace with a fleshly washed set. Pre-folds are the type of cloth diapers that people are most familiar with (these are the diapers that Joel and I both wore as babies).

Pre-folds require some type of diaper cover. We wore rubber pants as babies. Some of the newer covers wrap on and velcro in the front (similar to how disposable diapers work) and they are made of polyester fabric with a waterproof layer in the cover. We'll be buying a variety of these covers as the due date approaches.

Another type of cover is called a soaker. Soakers work by wicking up excess moisture into the fabric and keep off the clothes until the diaper is changed. (Diaper changes have to happen in a timely fashion. More often than with disposables because of the lack of super absorbant chemicals that make disposabled "feel" dry.) If you're interested in reading more about soakers and CD in general Green Mountain Diapers has tons of great information.

Wool makes an excellent soaker. It is highly absorbant, breathable, and naturally antibacterial. And apparently, wool soakers are really great for night time when parents and baby may want to go longer between changes.

Here are my first two soakers. These were made with Cascade 220 (reminant skeins that I had in my stash). These are the newborn size. I'll be making a few more in a different style (wraps rather than pull-ons). If these work out well, I'll be making more in bigger sizes. Don't worry if you think they look tight at the top - that section is ribbing and it is very stretchy, plus a snug fits helps prevent leaks.

Joel helped me pick out the color schemes for these first two. What do you think? I think they are incredible cute. The next step is for me to waterproof the soakers by lanolinizing them. Hand washing the soaker with emulisfied lanolin allows the wool to soak up moisture and hold it in without transferring it to the clothes.

When the soaker is moist or wet (after a few diaper changes) or obviously soiled it is time to change to a different cover. If it is wet but not smelly, the soaker can be just let to dry and then reused. If it is soiled or smelly, washing is simply done in the sink with warm water and a little mild soap.

I have a variety of other baby knitting projects in the queue, including blankets, sweaters, blocks, and stuffed animals. I'll keep you posted on these projects as they come off the needles.

Fell off the radar

2009-03-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

WOW...I can't believe it's been so long since I posted something on this blog. I've completely ripped out the Orange Boobholder Shrug. It was not fitting well. I ended up using the yarn to make a Clapotis wrap which is about 4 inches from being finished...but I'm out of yarn! I need to get one more skein. I'm not too concerned about the dye lot as the variegation will compensate for any differences in the color (I hope).

I've made two really cute diaper soakers (pictures coming soon). They were pretty easy and fun. They are incredibly cute as well. I'm on the hunt for lanolin to make them water resistant.

What else? I made a several little projects for Christmas gifts. I should get those pictures up as well. I really liked making the striped Noro scarf. I gave it to my mom. I'm not sure if she has worn it yet but it really turned out beautifully.

Finally, my favorite yarn is available locally!

2008-11-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

Since moving to California, I've had trouble finding a store that carries Brown Sheep Lambs' Pride. Last weekend when I went out for buttons for my sweeties cardigan, I was absolutely tickled to find that my LYS now carried BSLP.

I've found it really surprising that this yarn is so hard to find. One shop owner told me there's a waiting list for stores wanting to carry it. Good for Brown Sheep. I'm pleased that they limit there production in order to maintain a quality product. I can see why there's a wait. This yarn is so versatile. It is soft and pleasant to work with. It knits up beautifully. Comes in a million colors. It is a great basic wool (wool mixture actually) and it is really cheep compared to most of the luxury yarn out specialty shops.

I can't tell you how much it bugs me when people refer to BSLP as felting yarn. Are people really lacking that much in imagination? I've made sweaters, hats, mittens, leg warmers, toys to name just a few things. I guess store clerks are used to so many people felting they forget that there are people who actually like to make other projects. Anyway...

I couldn't restrain myself from buying some. I fell in love with the color Orange Creamsicle. I bought all they had in stock in the worsted weight. Of course when I got home I had to comb through my patterns to find a project for 4 skeins (760 yards). I settled on a variation of the Boob-holder Minisweater. I'm planning on making the sleeves 3/4 length and lengthening the body below the bust until I run out of yarn. (not the best photo but you get the idea).

Gigantic is finished

2008-11-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

I finished the Gigantic sweater last weekend. Actually I finished it about 10 days ago and it was drying/blocking. Last weekend I found the perfect buttons to complete the whole project. We took a mini-trip to Reno for a friend's ordination into ministry. My sweetie wanted to wear his new sweater, especially since we were going to be somewhere cold! I found the buttons Sat. morning and sewed them on in the car.

I am really happy with how the sweater turned out. Sweetie is still figuring out "how" to wear it, which cracks me up. I think he's trying to be careful and not tug on it when it slips around. It fits really well and looks great on him. He's worn it several times already and has gotten many compliments.

In general, I found the Retropolitan Cardigan pattern to be very easy to follow. The major changes I made include adjusting the pattern slightly to fit the gauge of the yarn I selected and deepening the V-neck. Changing the neck took some calculating but it wasn't too bad.

I really like how the Fibonacci striping turned out. The colors work well together. And I can't say enough about how wonderful the yarn was to work with. I've never used Tahki Donegal Tweed before and I really loved it. It had a great feel while I was knitting and the finished product is lovely. When I took the sweater off the needles I was struck by how squishy, soft and flexible the fabric was without being heavy or droopy. I'm thrilled to have a ton left over. I've been cogitating on what I can make with the rest. I'm thinking about a patch work lab blanket.

Hey Paul, Hey Paul, Hey Paul...

2008-08-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well the Gigantic Sweater is off to a great start. Last night I did all the calculations to begin shaping the v-neck. I also have a pretty good idea of what I'll need to do for the sleeves as well (still need to finalize the calculations).

I had one false start with the sweater and miscalculated the gauge. Well actually the gauge on the swatch was tighter then what I ended up doing once in the rhythm of the sweater. I had knit a good 5 0r 6 inches of the body and took it off the needle to measure it and "try it on". It was at least 58 inches around!!! Sweetie wants a big sweater but that was ridiculous. He kept saying it would fine...maybe he'll gain weight some day. I couldn't deal though so I ripped it all out and started over with the new gauge.

I also decided to add two more colors than I originally purchased. This pleases me very much for two reasons: 1) I am assured that I will have enough yarn to finish Gigantic (and possibly make a matching one for myself) and, 2) I think the striping looks better with more colors.

I don't think I have described the sweater much, have I? It will be a raglan v-neck cardigan with stripes of various widths in a Fibonacci sequence. It is a five stripe repeat pattern with eight different colors. The body is knit in one piece to the underarms. Then I'll stop make both sleeves and add them to the body, continue knitting all pieces together while I finish shaping the v-neck and shaping the raglan shoulders. Last, will be adding the button band (which will be olive like the bottom ribbing.)

My sweetie seems to really like what he sees as it is coming together. It's funny how touched he is by me being particular in my calculations. I have
tried to help him understand that doing the calculations is much easier than making a huge sweater that doesn't fit right and doesn't get worn. Fortunately, he has a sweater that he really loves that is functioning as the template. This has made the calculations much easier. It also has made me more confident that the finished garment will fit the way he wants it to.

Now, I just need to get some good TV to veg it with while I knit. I hope to be finished by his birthday (Nov. 1). That's totally do-able. I can even put it down a few times for smaller projects or something for myself, right?

Where to blog?

2008-07-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

I am struggling with where to focus my blogging energies. I was shocked today when I realized my last blog post was over 4 months ago! I have been spending so much time updating my Ravelry account, I sort of lost track on my personal blog.

Perhaps a system would help me determine what type of content, updates, photos, etc to put where.

I think the blog will be used to track projects in progress on an ongoing basis. And the Ravelry will be used for organization and posting FOs.

So...with that in mind. My next big (literally) project in the Gigantic cardigan for my sweetie. I found a nice pattern in Son of a Stitch and Bitch. Essentially, it will be a striped, v-neck, cardigan, out of Tahki Donegal Tweed (6 colors). I think I will use a Fibonacci sequence for the stripes.

My mobile project is the white lace Juliet scarf. I am actually making pretty good progress on this project (alas no pictures to share).

Wrap Cardigan

2008-07-19T21:56:00.001-07:00

I started this project over two years ago. I love the look and feel of the fiber. I started out making a plane rectangular wrap.

I found a stitch I really liked in a pattern called Shoulder Cozy in Wrap Style from Interweave Press.

After I got started, I decided what I really wanted is one of those cardigans that has really long front pieces that can be flipped over my shoulders like a wrap.

I finished my wrap-cardie today! It is sooooo awesome. I love it and haven't taken it off for the past three days. When I picked it up after blocking it had grown about 18 inches on each side of the front!!! I tempted fate and popped it in the dryer for 10 minutes...which was the perfect amount of time to remove the excess moisture, shrink it back to pre-blocking size, and fluff up the fabric.

I spent the past couple of days playing around with different ways to wear it. I have come up with five different styles.
1. Open with a flat collar
2. Open with a folded collar (achieved by flipping it up side down, the arm whole are closer to one edge than the other)
3. One shoulder wrap
4. Both shoulders wrap - i.e. poncho (buttoning up the back keeps everything in place)
5. Asymetrical wrap (over one shoulder with one side and around the waste with the other side, button in the back).

I have posted a full description and pictures on Ravelry.

Scarf Limbo Ending

2008-03-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have completed a few projects lately. And wanted to provide some updated pics. I've finished the Magic Ball Scarf and a second neck gator.

I think my recent obsession with my Ravelry profile has spurred me into finishing some projects (and procrastinating on my school work).

Exciting news...I am leaving my job! Well not totally leaving. I am switching to a per diem status. The benefits will include more personal time to work on school stuff...and consequently more free time to knit!

I love Ravelry!

2008-03-15T01:54:00.000-07:00

I just got my Ravelry account yesterday and have been madly adding projects and stash pictures. I spent the better part of this evening taking pictures of all my yarn and uploading them to my account. This is the most amazing website.

I love that I can finally categorize and catalog all my yarn and projects. The fact that you can search patterns and other people's projects is super fun as well. If only everything else in my life could be so organized!

Stuck in scarf limbo

2008-03-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have two projects - both scarves - in which I am kind of stuck. I need to finish these projects so I can move on too something more fun.

You know how it is with scarves...they seem fun, easy, and fast when you start them...but then a billion stitches later you have only about 8 inches of scarf and are bored out of your mind.

The scarf that was started second is the Magic Ball scarf from Be Sweet in Moody Blues. I can't even remember now if this is one ball or two. I bought the yarn a while ago and it has been in my stash. I've started various projects with it something several times but have never really liked the results once it got going.

Eventually, it became clear that a plain garter stitch in a loose gauge will show off the yarn best. I enjoy working with the yarn (it feels great). But I am just getting bored with simply knitting back and forth.

Here I am in my pajamas modeling the (almost) finished product. Another hour or so of knitting and weaving in ends and it will be done! (Just is time for Spring - the temperature here today is 65 - not exactly scarf weather.) Isn't this the worst picture? My photographer had no idea what I wanted (a picture of the scarf on a "mannequin" rather a picture of me). To make matters worse the picture was taken from the perspective of some on the couch looking up, rather than straight on. Since this was just an in progress picture, I didn't think I would waste too much time micro-managing the photographer.

My other scarf project is much more interesting to knit and much, much slower going. It is the Juliet Scarf from Knitting Little Luxuries. The pattern is fun to knit, but it does require concentration and regular counting. This is only my second lace project and I would say I have gotten the hang of it. Once the scarf is finished the design calls for a cute, little rosette pin to hold the scarf together in order to keep the front sides facing out.

The yarn is tilli tomas Flurries in natural. It was very out of character for me to select white yarn. I was trying to stretch my self a bit. Everything I make tends to be bright and variegated. I thought it might be nice to make something that is sort of neutral and would match more than one outfit ... Or (shock!) would go with something else I have knit!

Finallly finished!

2008-03-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

I started this sweater at least a year ago. I think I finished knitting it in about a weekend. I just didn't get around to putting all the buttons on until yesterday.

The yarn is Colinette Point 5. The color way is called fire. The buttons obviously don't match. They are vintage from a huge collection I inherited from my grandmother. She used to buy buttons at rummage sales.

The basic design is Ubernatural, by Stefanie Japel. I made several alterations to the pattern however. I extended the sleeves to 3/4 length and eliminated the ribbing. I wanted the sleeves to be fitted through the forearms, so I added some decreases for shaping. (I'll try to remember to take a close up picture of the shaping).

The same is true for the body...I extended the length, eliminated the ribbing and added waist shaping. Here is closer shot of the sweater in which you can actually see what it looks like.

As I explained, I finished this sweater a year ago and sewed on three buttons and have been wearing it even though it wasn't "finished". When I wore it most recently I became aware that the unfortunate sweater drag phenomenon was occurring. Where the weight of the sweater was pulling it out of shape. It had reached the point that it seemed like it was supposed to be an off-the-shoulder garment.

So, the other great "modification" was to add a hidden row of crochet on the inside of the neck. This trick worked wonderfully to tighten up what had become a very shapeless and unattractive blob.

Fug?

2008-01-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

A few years ago (on New Year's Eve as a matter of fact) I made a poncho out of this chunky green wool. I thought it was going to be soooooo cute.

It was soooooo ugly! ... and weird. It was too warm to be a light layer in cool weather and too short to be a warm cover in cold weather. Also it was bulky and unflattering. Fast forward, it has been collecting dust in my closet because I can't bear to get rid of something I knit.

Today the idea hit me to re-work it into something else. I fiddled around with the shape for awhile and decided to try making it into a purse. I closed the bottom edge in sort of a capital "I" shape and tied the corners. I added two short i-cords for handles. Then I semi-felted it. (Actually, I washed it on hot and dried it -- which mostly just shrunk it to a reasonable size).

It's fitting that it has been reborn on New Year's Eve, don't you think? Now I am trying to decide if it is ugly or not. It definitely qualifies as unique.

Neck Gator

2007-12-31T15:48:00.000-08:00

My sweetie asked me to make him a neck warmer to wear while riding his bike. He made it abundantly clear that he wanted it to NOT ITCH. I wanted it to be easy but stylish and fun to knit.

I came up with the idea of making a corrugated tube out of contrasting colors. The tube is knit with two skeins of Misti Alpaca Chunky in contrasting colors (navy twist and lime) on size 10 double points (16 inch circulars would have worked too, but I didn't have those handy). The yarn is super soft and doesn't itch at all.

The tube is knit inside out and turned in on itself after finishing. If care is taken with weaving in ends it can be reversible.

The pattern was really easy: MC cast on 60, *MC knit 6 rows, CC purl 6 rows*, repeat from * x 4, MC knit 6 rows, bind off knitwise, weave in ends and turn right side out.

Because it is chunky yarn on big needles it knit up really fast ... I bet it took a total of 6 hours. The worst part was weaving in the ends. If I had tried harder with the ends it could have been reversible.

Any way... it was a huge hit. Joel loves it, as do his sisters and brothers-in-law. They all were trying it on in various ways and fighting over who gets the second one (there is enough yarn for two gators -- however the MC/CC should be swapped between the two or else you'll run out of MC on the second gator).

I have since purchased more yarn to make several more. The next ones will be reds and khakis (yarn pics to come).

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T12:53:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post. We just got back from our annual trek to the great white north for Christmas.

I was so excited to see snow!!! For the past two years when we went home there was no snow. Just cold and brown. This year it was so snowy and beautiful. I loved it!

My goal to knit & blog rather than do my school work has been very successful. I have started a lace scarf for myself, a garter stitch scarf, repurposed an ugly poncho into a purse and completed a neck gator for my sweetie. Another post is coming re: the neck gator and the ensuing yarn splurge.

I wanted to take a minute to blog about this knitted Santa. I took this picture last week at my Dad and step-mom's. This is Christmas gift I made for my step-mom in 1990, when I was a junior in high school. Isn't he cute?

Looking at it now, I can't believe I made it when I was 17! (My mom showed me a picture of me holding the Santa right after I finished making it. I am wearing these hideous acid washed jeans, a striped turtle neck, and a gigantic sweat shirt. OMG!) What I mean is that I can't believe I had that much patience or attention to detail. I suppose my aunt helped me with the hard parts, but I don't remember thinking it was very hard to make.

He has held up pretty good over the years. Probably because he only comes out for Christmas. I think it is really sweet that Betty still puts him out every year as part of her Santa collection. I remember it was really fun making it. I should make another one...I think my aunt still has the pattern.

Koro Wrap Finished!

2007-12-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well I finally finished the Noro wrap for my mom. She was here for Thanksgiving and I was able to get it finished before she went back home. However, she packed it up & went home before I could take a good picture. I'll be able to snap a pic at Christmas.

I started to obsess about the striping of the yarn when I started a new skein. I wanted the new skein to pick up right where the previous one left off in the color changing. I got it to match up fairly well but I also didn't want to waste tons of yarn to make it work. I was really annoyed however with the very last skein. I had calculated exactly how far the last one would go and planned my decreases accordingly. Well, I am knitting along (have gone about 3 inches with the last skein) and I encounter a knot it the yarn - the kind that the manufacturer will make if the yarn breaks while it is being wound. I left two long ends to weave in and kept going come to find out in another few rows that they had just started the color striping over at the break. The resulting effect in the knitting is a repeat of the previous two stripes. This wouldn't have bothered me if the rest of the garment had similar effects, but since I worked so hard to get the stripe to match AND because this was the last skein of which I need every inch of the yarn, I was really bugged.

My mom said she didn't even notice what I was talking about until I pointed it out ... and she loves it! --- Next to the blocking --- At first she thought she would like it to be rippled (i.e. straight off the needle look with no blocking). I convinced her that it would like better if it was blocked flat. And since I was looking for an excuse to buy the Knitter's Block Kit. The kit worked great and the blocked wrap came out beautifully. I can't wait to get back home for the holidays and get some pictures!

They're done!

2007-11-11T15:43:00.001-08:00

The Koigu Kirsti socks are FINALLY done! I love them & so does my sweetie! (Now back to the wrap for my mom.)

Koigu sock update

2007-10-07T20:02:00.002-07:00

The socks for my sweetie are coming along nicely. However, I hit a snag about 2 weeks ago. I realized that the 3 hanks of yarn weren't going to be enough. I was knitting along and got to the end of the yarn allotment for the first sock and it was too short. (My husband is tall with big feet...so a normal amount of yarn was not nearly enough).

I searched around town to find another hank of the same yarn. No luck. I found a yarn shop on the web that sold the same color but different dye-lot, so I ordered it. It was sooooooooooo different it wasn't even funny. I was stuck. This really bummed me out for a few days. I had put several hours into these socks and my sweetie was starting to get really excited about them.

Finally, it occurred to me to use a contrasting color at the top. So, I headed down to the local yarn shop and bought my self some orange Koigu to finish the socks. This exactly the reason I like to work toe up! I have moved on to the second sock and hope to be done by the end of the week.

I haven't been knitting as much as I would like lately because my school deadlines are pending. I usually get a bit of knitting on the train most days. Although, its tough if I have to stand-up the whole ride. And last week, I spent my train rides reading for class. This week should be different though.

I had a nice afternoon today. The local shop had a "Yarn Tasting". It was so fun. We got mini-balls of featured yarn and spent an hour (actually 2 hrs) with the maker discussing the yarn and seeing the new color-ways. Curious Creek Fibers were the featured yarns. You get a discount on purchases of the featured yarns ... and I of course spent way to much on yarn I really don't need. But it was fun and nice to visit with some local knitters!

Plus this gave me a kick in the pants to organize some of yarn. When I got home, I started digging around in the stash. I took more pictures that I will upload soon. I also organized my "current" projects. Now I have a plan! I will finish the Koigu socks. Next up are some mittens for my girlfriend's birthday. Then back to mom's wrap. After that plan out the sweater for my husband. While I am planning and swatching his sweater, I'll pick up the wrap I started for myself over a year ago. I think I'm going to try and make it into one of those wrap/cardigan things. (More on this to come).

Now, I just need to find more time for all these projects. If it weren't for those pesky things like work, school, family, friends that get in the way of knitting!

the small distraction project

2007-09-16T00:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I have been making great progress on the Noro wrap. But as it goes, it is always nice to have an alternate project going when you are in the mood for a change of pace.

Today, I was really itching to work on something new. (I think I was feeling a bit weary of the wrap because it is getting long enough now that it covers my lap while I work...which was making me very hot & cranky last night.)

I poked around the local yarn shop quite awhile this afternoon looking for inspiration. Almost made a couple of purchases...but in the end I decided to make a pair of socks for my sweetie. He was notably unenthusiastic about selecting the yarn, so I controlled myself and resolved to use something at home. I had two full hanks and two partially used balls of Koigu Kersti in black/olive.

I used the toe-up magic cast-on technique. I like this technique quite a lot. It makes a very neat toe and the toe-up approach to socks allows you to easily check the fit as you go. I started with 20 stitches (10 per needle with the magic cast-on) on size 2 needles which has made a firm, tight toe. I am a little worried it will be too hard. But my hope it that it will be sturdy yet flexible. For the foot bed I switched to size 3 needles and a simple knit 2, purl 2 stitch. Every other row the knits are twisted (i.e. knit in the back of the stitch). I really like this effect in ribbing. It keeps the knits columns nice and tight. I think I got pretty far for one evening considering I had to rip back about an inch once I decided the ribbing was too tight on the size 2 needles.

I really love this yarn. It is fairly easy to work with and comes in great colors. Last summer I had made these fingerless gloves for a friend's birthday gift. She lives over in the foggy hills of San Francisco, where you need gloves in the summer. I over-estimated the yardage I would need and ended up with 2 and 1/2 extra hanks.

On the needles

2007-09-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

It seems to have worked. Last night I picked up a project that I set down a few months back because I was stuck. Actually, I had realized that I made a mistake about three inches down. So couldn't go forward...but I couldn't bring my self to rip back either.

For what ever reason, last night the time was right. I ripped back to the mistake, fixed it, and knit another couple of inches.

The project is the Clapotis from Knitty. This is such a cool pattern. I love the cleverness of it...the way the dropped stitches make the ladder pattern in the fabric...and the use of twisted stitches to keep the dropped stitches from migrating. The wrap is a birthday gift for my mother. It is not a secret though. I showed her the beginning of the project, the pattern, and the yarn last Spring to get her approval.

The yarn is Noro Silk Garden Light in purple (#2018). This yarn is a dream to work with. It feels great, unlike some silk yarn, it doesn't leave your fingers feeling bruised. It must be due to the mohair and wool content. I can't wait to make something for myself with this. (But not until I finish some projects and use up some of the stash).

I know I am not the first to realize this but Noro has some amazing yarns. They are so fun to work with...watching the stripes take shape. I have quite a stash of Noro alone to use up. However, I promised my sweetie that I would make him a sweater next. Considering I already have the yarn and a pretty clear idea about the project, I should just get started. I tried to explain to him the sweater curse. He, being extremely clever and keen to get a sweater, immediately noted that we were in fact already married which should minimize the risk of the relationship ending before the I finish the sweater.

I consulted my aunt, a long time knitter (in fact she is the person who taught me to knit at age 11) and the first person to tell me about the sweater curse - having witnessed several friends experience it over the years. She did concede that there is speculation about a loophole in the curse. If the sweater is bought -- for say $1.00 -- the curse is not applicable because it was not a gift but actually a purchase. This however seems a bit dodgy to me because the curse stipulates break up before the project is finished. And who buys a sweater that isn't finished?

Isn't this the cutest ever???

2007-09-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a new born cap and booties that I made this weekend for a friend at work. The set is made out of Cascade 220 (I can't remember the colors any more because I bought the yarn ages ago. I made some Fair Isle shorty leg-warmers for my mom and this is some of the left over). Anyway...

The booties are from Saartje Knits. I am usually not a big fan of garter stitch but these are so cute and were super easy to make up, so I thought I would break from my anti-garter stitch position. In truth, garter stitch will probably be an asset to these booties...stretchy, durable, and what not. The buttons came from my gigantic box of buttons that I inherited from my grandmother.

The cap is Ann Norling's Fruit Cap that I adapted a bit. Actually, I wanted to add texture to make it look like a raspberry. I thought I was following the directions for adding texture but there wasn't enough detail so I just winged.

I ended up hand felting everything a little on the stove to give it a fuzziness and tighten up the fabric.

My mom and I both make this cap for baby gifts on a regular basis. And we both have this need to identify the fruit or vegetable the hat is supposed to be. This one, I made back in April, is a green apple.

Turning over a new leaf

2007-09-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of fall and going back to school, I am ready to actualize my blogging potential. While it is not "officially" autumn, it is time for me to turn over a new leaf and actually make this blog a reality!

I have several reasons to get this blog into shape:

1. There are several projects that I have started that have come to a standstill for one reason or another.

2. I have recently formed a knitting group with some friends (or soon to be new friends) and would like a forum for organizing my ideas.

3. There is a backlog of photos of completed projects that I would like to organize and write up in order to catalogue and record the project details.

4. Of course there is the yarn stash...I would like to be a bit more frugal with regard to yarn shopping (I know, I'm kidding my self) so I plan to electronically organize my stash...which of course will lead to tons of inspiration

5. And last but certainly not least...PROCRASTINATION! I should be writing my quals papers for school, but it is way more fun and interesting to spend my time thinking and writing about knitting.

I hope to start procrastinate soon and upload some recent pics.

(re-reading this, i sound like some sort of organization nut!)

FIRST POST!!!!

2006-11-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am starting this b/c I make fun of my partner and his obsession with his blog! The main reason I started this blog was b/c the URL was not taken! We'll see what comes of this...maybe I'll actually finish some of my knitting projects so that I can post photos of the finish products.