Half a Berry. Almost.

Setting a goal to finish the first half of Berry before going to bed tomorrow night has worked. Well, so far. 10 rows to go and that goal will be met. This change in circumstance is thanks to an extended wait in the doctor’s office yesterday afternoon. That and somehow, a repeat managed to be completed without notice. Unless something totally unexpected gets in the way it is going to happen. I’ve got Friday off, and Monday’s a holiday. There are no plans to step out of the yard except for the marketing on Saturday morning and, walking the dog. It would be great to get 8 more repeats on Berry finished. That’s only 2 repeats a day and the second half’s bottom edging. Not an unreasonable goal at all for 4 days. Achieving this would push the project well over the halfway mark. With some concerted effort, it could be possible to eek out a bit more. It’s certainly dull being a one-trick pony though, and there’s not much more that can be said for this project. Working briefly on Mehndi did give Berry a bit of a boost. I do wonder why my feelings about this project are all over the map. Delight one moment and utter boredom the next.

Last Sunday morning, at about the 11 repeat mark, there was a bit of a panic attack about the length of the work to date. It just didn’t seem long enough. Having bothered to make a tension swatch, since there are projects out there that ran out of yarn, this was a surprise. It was Ravelry to the rescue, with help from a fellow Berry knitter, and advice from the designer herself. At this point, it also looks like there’s enough yarn to add 4 -6 repeats to the total length of the stole. That’s good because Marci’s tall (180 cm, or 5' 11") and the stole must be long so it does not look stupidly short on her. The second half is going to be worked first though. If there’s yarn enough, I’ll struggle through the extra repeats at that time. For now, it’s considered to be at the halfway mark.

Shiny and New

Yes I started a shiny, new project. So what? Conscious! Yes, you. Stop nagging me. I promise to put it down and work some more on Berry. Yeah, yeah. I’ll put it in the cedar chest so I can’t see it.

The beginning of Mehndi (Ravelry link), Camelspin in Bronze. 1 repeat.

Fallen out of Love

While the seemingly non-stop torrential rains this past weekend made for perfect knitting conditions, very little knitting happened. Nothing else got done either, because all of that great knitting time was spent staring at Berry. Staring. Like that was going to get the job done. We’ve got a love/hate thing going on right now. Sometimes I love it, but this weekend? Well, the love wasn’t there. If Marci hadn’t fallen head over heels for this design, it would probably have become something else. For all of its beautiful details, it is just too, too girly for me. But it’s not for me, it’s for Marci. And Marci really does love a girly accessory. So, me? I stare at it on a regular basis. It’s sort of like going back and forth to the fridge and opening the door, hoping that something magical has happened since the last time you looked at all of that healthy crap you put in there. Looking for an ice-cream bar or something that doesn’t exist. I keep staring at Berry, hoping for that transformation where it’s really the second half of the stole that’s been knitted to 11 repeats, and that it is almost over. All things considered, this was only picked up again less than a week ago. 8 pattern repeats did manage to get knitted in a few days, and the three berry charts became easier to work. For most of that time, I did enjoy it. It’s most likely the promise to monogamy that’s done it.

The Fickle Knitter. Or Hypocrite.

Since finishing Silver Birches, an interest in 2-sided lace knitting has been developing. Overall, that knit was a fairly simple one, since the lace was as easily read on the back as on the front. The one thing that was a chore throughout the project was the p2togtbl thing with blunt needles. Ok, we could talk Addi lace needles here, but circular needles aren’t for me unless they are absolutely necessary. Necessary as in the project will not squish onto a pair of straights. Too bad that lace tip is not offered on Addi straights. I’ve tried a number of different materials, searching for that perfect needle tip for lace. Truly, no manufacturer in my experience has met that need until Signature Needle Arts. Despite the negative review of the DPN’s back in January, the tips have me. Lace experimentation with those DPN’s has shown them to be superior to anything else for the purposes of lace knitting. A few sets of straights (2.50, 3.0 and 4 mm) have arrived. And the barrels of the needles? Slick, but not Addi slick. There’s a bit of a texture, it feels like just enough to lightly hold on to your stitches. I’ll let you know how it goes, since there’s another 2-sided lace project coming up soon (Mehndi - Ravelry link). It’s OK. You can call me a hypocrite.

Last night the reorganization and documentation of the stash was begun. There were a number undocumented treasures buried within the cedar chest. The motivation for this activity was the hankering for yarn for Kowloon. Enough long-forgotten Rowan Cotton Glace in navy was found to fill that purpose quite nicely. It’s been there since 1998, or before. There were a number of other goodies found during this portion of the stash toss that have caught my eye as well. Like several balls of leftover cotton that will come in handy for making some much needed dishcloths, and some chenille that would be great for a colourful scarf for the charity box.

Progress on Berry continues at the rate of glaciation. It really feels like more than 8 repeats should be finished for all of the time spent on this piece. Perhaps it feels that way since it is being worked on the heels of New Empire, a project that jumped off of the needles. After Halfskak was frogged, Berry's been the only thing to receive attention this week. It has sped up since the 3 berry charts are finally sinking in. Now that those charts don’t have to be scrutinised for every stitch, it has become a much more enjoyable companion. But it shouldn’t be put down until it gets to the finishing line. Monogamy it is.

The Demise of Halfskak

Halfskak V2.0 said goodbye yesterday afternoon and drowned in the frog pond. The colour was oh-so-not-flattering. At all. Like the silvery green of Silver Birches, it made me look, well, green. What’s the point in knitting it if it will not be worn? It could probably be dyed, but the colour is really beautiful already, and dyeing it might damage the fibres. So the yarn is headed out to a new home where it will be loved. Or at least petted. Now its back to working on Berry. 5 repeats down, 25 more to go.

A few notes on the Kami Bison recovered from the frog pond. It. is. nice. Very, very nice. It took the frogging well and seems to be very strong. Loved the glow and the halo. Loved the colour, the texture. There was nothing not to love, and I’ll be ordering more in a different colour soon. I thought this was probably not going to work out for me colour-wise, but wanted to give it a shot anyway.

New Empire Debut

The flash-in-the-pan urge that produced New Empire was a satisfying one. What wasn’t to like about worsted weight yarn on large needles married to a simple pattern? That the cottony-goodness of Malabrigo Yarn’s Merino Worsted worked so well with the design was a plus. It used only 6 skeins of yarn. Miraculous really, since ribbing is so yarn hungry. Sorry for not being able to capture the colour variations in the yarn. They trace the surface of the knitting, giving a watery glow to the fabric, and in daylight there are definite flashes of green on a medium-hued teal base. While the label states the colour to be Emerald, it is more like blue-green tourmaline.

Second pic shows colour more accurately.

The cardigan is very, very comfortable. The squish-factor of the yarn and the 1x1 ribbing ensure that. Installing 5 buttons instead of 1 makes it more wearable (for me) too. The position of one of those buttons may have to be adjusted, and something might have to be done with the front collar to prevent the seam from showing on one side. Now there’s something fresh to look forward to wearing in the fall. Or sooner, given the state of our weather lately. Love it.

Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted
6 skeins in Emerald
Size 41
5.5 mm straights
Gilet #480-T7-268
Phildar No. 480 Tendances, Hiver/Winter 2007/2008

Tweaks: Button holes in button band (snaps were recommended for sewing on behind the single big button – don’t like that). 5 buttons instead of 1. Longer skirt by about 2 cm. Shorter arms by about 5 cm to allow for stretch factor. Shift in pattern placement for fronts by 1 stitch. Added garter stitch bottom to sleeves since everything else had a garter stitch border. Can’t really call these modifications.

Finishing for Victoria is moving slowly. After Saturday’s finishing marathon with New Empire and Silver Birches, most of the motivation to work on more finishing flew out the window. However, it is out of hibernation and on the go. Maybe it’ll be done by next weekend. That’s not a definite maybe.

As for Halfskak V2.0 – it is on the needles. The yarn is delectable. Not as delectable as cashmere, but certainly worth buying again. The silky glow of the bamboo is amusing me, as is the colour, shown very well in the picture below. Knitting Halfskak again is a reminder of how skills develop with practice. The last time, the start and end of each of the right side rows was a struggle. This time? No problem. Too bad Berry isn’t as easy. With 7 charts across each row on that project, it’s proving to be too much to memorise and interest in working on it has faded.

Silver Birches Waves Goodbye

Silver Birches was a great introduction to double-sided lace knitting. The geometric pattern was easy to read from the back, making these rows easier to execute than initially thought. The colour of the yarn, while not a favourite, is quite nice. Efforts to capture it though have fallen flat. It’s the colour of sage leaves - silvery green, a beautiful and unusual-to-me shade. The rustic simplicity of the patterning paired with the sophisticated colour and fibre have come together in a luxurious shawl. There was probably enough yarn left over for another repeat, but I didn’t really feel like carrying on. Hopefully my sister-in-law will like it, since it will be put in the mail to her this afternoon.



Silver Birches. Installment 3 from the Year of Lace 2008
2 skeins Handmaiden 2-ply Cashmere
2.75 mm needles (I think)

On the Foot

Peter has finally deigned to model his recently knit socks. The shaped toe fits wonderfully, and he says it's the most comfortable pair made for him so far. I'm glad I kept some notes on this.

Finishing Days

It’s been raining on and off and is relatively cool outside. Perfect weather for the activities planned for the weekend. Silver Birches has been blocked this morning and awaits its unpinning. While not the best of drying days, this morning presented the opportunity to get it done. The shawl has been wadded up on the desk for something like 3 weeks now. It’s hard to believe that much time has passed since it came off of the needles.

The knitting for New Empire is almost done and the finishing begun. The hardest part of this effort will be getting the collar in place correctly. There are some buttons in the tiny button stash upstairs that work, and some thread that’s not the right colour, but so what! It should be finished sometime today if nothing interesting comes up. Like drinking wine with Peter later this afternoon and eating cheese puffs. We’ll see.

Victoria is up for tomorrow morning’s Coronation Street Omnibus (something bad is going to happen to that brat Rosie Webster). Considering Victoria’s been in her current state for more than 6 months now, and fall approaches, it’s time to get a move on. The buttons might not make it on just yet (don't really like them), but the button bands and some hemming can definitely get done. A business trip to Cardiff (Wales) in late September is in the offing, so a fancy new jacket would be great for the occasion. Ribbon still needs to be purchased to line the collar and maybe the inside of the button bands and sleeve cuffs to reduce the itch factor. While Hamilton has some decent fabric stores, the trimmings leave a lot to be desired. A trip to Queen St, and the Mokuba ribbon store, in Toronto is surely possible before mid-September. Please, please let me get to Toronto for a day. It’s been so long since there’s been a day on my own there. All by myself. It’s just so I can get my stuff done, the alone part. Pretty, pretty please?

And this week’s knitting? Well, those Garden Socks need to get going as does Halfskak V2.0. Yeah, yeah. It’s not on the list, but it’s going on now. It’s getting the Kami Bison treatment, and maybe a minor change to the ruffled border. I want it to wear in Northampton the weekend before Cardiff – there’s an old friend there it will be fun to catch up with. That old-on-the-needles cashmere pully is starting to look important too. Sticking to this plan will mean 4 fresh new knits to wear this fall.

Public Service Announcement

The most amazing lace-weight arrived in the mail yesterday. It’s Kami Bison. A splendid mix of 60% bamboo, 30% superfine merino and 10% bison. It is available in 3 weights: Single Ply-800m/50g, Cobweb 2 ply-600m/50g, Lace 2 ply-400m/50g. This is seriously the single-most gorgeous lace-weight ever to be mine. It is oh so oh-my-god soft. The colour is complex – a mixture of tweedy blue/brown with the bison providing a light halo. I would assume the other colours are similar. The spinning for the Lace 2 ply looks similar to Zephyr lace-weight.

The website does not allow the purchase of anything but the ecru colour, but email or call for speedy service. Sylvie had it all packed up and ready to go almost before it was paid for. Superior customer service and a very superior yarn. This is probably going to be another Halfskak when it grows up. It will NOT be gifted or auctioned off for charity. It’s going to be something for me. Me, me, me. Soon. Because this kind of luxury cannot wait. Now go and get you some.


It's both browner and more blue than in the photos.

Dreaming

Recently I had a dream in which I flew under my own steam. Running, spreading my arms wide and arching my back launched me into the air to soar around the treetops. This dream was so vivid and real that upon waking, it felt true. That performing these simple motions would actually allow flight. A few seconds into waking, with Tikka's nose nudging my hand, reality overwhelmed this fantasy with a hard crash back to earth. This is a recurring dream, one that’s been around since childhood. It does not occur very often anymore, but I love when it does.

While he was visiting last month, my father reminded me of how much more intrepid I was when I was younger. Transportation was a motorcycle, which came out as soon as the roads were clear and was put away when it became dangerous to ride in the late fall. I’d go just about anywhere on a whim (preferably by myself), and I was more than happy to design a sweater on the fly. Dad never saw me use a pattern, and was surprised to see me use one for his gloves. A stitch dictionary was my closest friend. What happened to those days and that old confidence? I’d forgotten about that.

In the late 80’s I stopped knitting. At that time, Houston was home and there was only 1 yarn shop close to the Galleria. It was hugely expensive, with a selection of cottony yarns that were unappealing at the time. Some custom work was done for a friend met through a newspaper ad. She was looking for someone to knit summery tops for matching skirts. Together we came up with some frothy fantasies. 1-of-a-kind, puff-sleeved delights in lovely yarns made to measure for her clients. After she closed her shop, well, that stopped. It’s been a long, long time since. Almost 20 years.

During that time, a sweater was made for Marci, adorned with antique glass buttons from my friend’s shop. I remember measuring her, swatching and choosing a fabulous yarn for that cardi – a wool and silk singles in a tweedy lilac/blue combo. She found it the other day, and it almost fits. It’s probably my oldest surviving knit. In stockinette with a thin, crocheted button band, set in sleeves and the lot.

These days it never occurs to me to go without a pattern. Perhaps it’s time to be more free-spirited about the knitting.

Panic. Or Any Excuse Will Do.

Apparently having ONLY 14 things on the needles is too little and causes this knitterly heart to panic. Friday after work just didn’t seem to be the time for any of the WIPs. After fidgeting and fussing about for most of the evening, a new project was cast on. It’s been in the queue for a while, and the yarn has been patiently waiting for some time too. Over a year ago the attempt to make the Empire Waist V-neck from the Tilli Tomas catalog was a spectacular disaster. So much so that the pattern, yarn and knitted work were sent back to the store they came from for a refund. A replacement for Empire was in the cards, and Phildar had a very similar pattern, the Gilet #480-T7-268 (Ravelry link).

It’s been a pleasant, mindless knit so far, flying off of the needles with ease and little thought. Two sides and the back have used 3 skeins of yarn (Malabrigo Merino Worsted) so far, and one of the button bands has been sewn on. If more effort had been put into the project yesterday afternoon, one of the sleeves could have been taken care of as well, but hey, it was Sunday. No modifications have been made to the pattern other than to adjust the placement of the repeats on the sides for the sake of maintaining patterning symmetry around the sweater. A bit of length was added to the skirt, and 5 buttonholes were placed in the right button band. Since this is such easy knitting, next weekend should see the finish of this project and a return to the WIPs.

Toes to Order

Here are Peter’s Rick socks. An enjoyable knit overall, despite the brain fart last Sunday. The error present throughout Sunday’s knitting was located and corrected on Monday evening. The rest of the knitting on this sock was uneventful after that. Mods you ask? Yep. Stitch count increased by 12 requiring small pattern placement adjustments throughout the rest of the sock. The pattern called for some twisted knit stitches right at the yarn-overs, which didn’t look all that great, so all yarn-overs were knitted plain and put in pattern on the next round. Ankle socks were requested instead of the full leg deal, and the diagonal patterning was carried through the foot, since it had to be extended by a lot anyway. The toe was knitted in the k2tbk/p2 rib, and left and right toe shaping made for left and right socks to correspond with Peter’s long and shapely toes. Ta-dah!

Rick from Cookie A’s amazing book
Socks that Rock Lightweight in Downpour (this is a great colourway)
2.25 mm dpn’s

I'll try to get an action shot of those toes later on. Memory dependent task...

He loves them! It’s going to be the fall before his next knit gets started. Afterall, the socks did muscle in on the list. 14 more to go.

Toe shaping details: First, Peter’s toes were traced onto a piece of paper. Using that template, I guessed at the rate of decrease that would be necessary to more or less fit the toes. The big toe side of the sock was worked without decreasing. On the baby toe side, 2 stitches were decreased every round – leading to the same decrease rate as for the standard sort of toe shaping where 4 stitches are decreased every other round. These decreases were taken at the end of the needle. When it was about 4 cm (<1.75 in) into the shaping, I started to decrease 4 stitches every round (still on the baby toe side), until 16 stitches were left for the big toe (8 stitches top/8 stitches bottom), which were then grafted together. Poifect!

In other news, 45 cm (15 in) of hair was chopped off of my neck after work yesterday. It feel so good. I love the way it looks, but am a bit disappointed with the advice provided by the salon. Before getting this done, I had enquired whether my hair was suitable for charitable donation or not. Since it was not processed (no dye, no perm, no nothing), and strong and in great shape I was told that it was. Guess what? It ain’t. No one accepts grey hair. There’s a Pantene charity that does accept up to 5% grey in the donation, but my hair is well over 50% grey. Anyone want to spin some yarn for a hair shirt? It’s got a great staple length!

Shrinking the List

All in contention for knitting attention: 4 Luv (blanket), Phoenix Rising (shawl), Kaleidoscope Scarf, Gytha (hooded pullover), Hexed (blanket), Raglan pully, Ribby cardi, Lismore (pullover), Berry Blue-tiful Summer Stole, Rick (socks), La Digitessa (socks), Stockinette No Sew Squares Blanket, Babette (blanket), Victoria (cardigan), Garden (socks).

This is the shortest the WIP list has been for quite some time - 15 items. It feels good, but it is getting more difficult to stick to the plan, even though it has been very gratifying to do just that. Having fewer than 20 projects on the go has generated a burning desire for shiny new knits, which is staunchly being resisted. For now. Real estate on the office table is slowly becoming available. Getting half of the remaining projects out of the way will mean that it could actually be used for its original purpose: telecommuting once or twice a week.

This week might see the end of Rick, Peter’s socks. After starting the gusset, that project just should have been put down yesterday. No amount of knitting/tinking/frogging seemed to get it right – a consistent out by 1 error. And it’s not a difficult pattern at all. Thankfully, Berry only came out of the knitting bag for a photo shoot. Otherwise there surely would have been blood. Lots and lots of blood.

Socks and a Stole. And Whining.

I was absolutely savage upon my return home on Friday evening. Spending two hours down in the basement cleaning up a mess left by a stray cat didn’t help with that one little bit either. It happened to break into the house through a broken screen (cat burglar anyone?). There's no need to describe what happened - you can all guess. In any event, I was so savage that exposing my friend and innocent wait staff to my toxic self didn’t seem to be such a great idea, and I begged off. Which of course, also added to the overall mood. It’s better now, thanks.

It’s been a busy yet strangely unproductive couple of days. Berry was put down for the weekend. While the project is a beautiful one, it continues to be slow going. Almost 3.5 repeats. Love those leaf panels.

After finishing that succession of tiny projects so quickly, the need for speed, if you can call it that, is high. Since forgetting the details for making Peter a matching pair of socks was starting to become an issue, they are the weekend’s focus and progress is certainly more evident than on Berry. The first sock is done to the toe, and the second has been started. Since they are short cuffed, the leg and heel turn are now finished and the gusset is going well. The first toe had been done, but my sock-beggar wanted a bit more length, so it was ripped back to accommodate that desire. I’ve since decided to make left and right footed toes, so will do them together once the second sock catches up to the first.

Yes. Before you ask, Peter's feet are enormous. Size 13. That's a lot of foot. According to the scale, there's enough yarn to finish. It's a good thing they're ankle socks.

A bit of time was spent yesterday afternoon with the dye pot. This yarn was purchased for a different purpose, but was really not suited to the intended project. And the colour? Well, while it looks aqua-ish here, it really was a minty hospital green that was not so great.

Gunmetal was the colour put in the pot, and out came this mostly navy yarn. It might get another dip in the pot with some black – there’s too much of this sort of colour already in the closet. Kowloon is in mind for this yarn. It's moodier than in this picture - darker and more grey.

Script for a Bad Start

2:10 am: A young couple walks down the street conducting a very loud argument, waking the whole household up. It seems like violence is eminent. Peter gets up to look out the window.
2:35 am: Argument returns to the front of the house. This has been the pattern, more or less on a weekly basis, for the past 2 months, mostly around this time, sometimes later. Basically, the young woman tells the young man saying he cannot possibly understand what she’s going through. On return, the young man is generally begging her to understand that he is trying to understand and wants it to work out. I can hear every word, just like we are all in the same room. He seems very sincere, she seems to genuinely have a problem. Me? I am totally pissed off, and only care at this point about my problem: work in the morning. A return to sleep is a distant hope. I ask them from the window to please take their fight elsewhere. Surprised by the request, they leave quietly.

2:40 am: Try to sleep.
2:55 am: Get up, let dog out.
3:00 am: Watch old BBC sitcom. Snuggle with the dog.
3:30 am: Watch some more the old BBC sitcom.
4:00 am: Sleep possible. Become horizontal.
5:30 am: Alarm rings. Time to get up. Reset alarm for 6:00.
6:00 am: Reset alarm for 6:30.
6:30 am: Drag self out of bed. Quick shower, catch bus. Snag top on something, tearing it enough to ruin it.
7:10 am: Coffee shop closed for annual summer holiday – this is expected, so route to work altered to stop at the Tim’s closest to the office for a bagel and coffee. Closed due to an electrical fire. No breakfast, no coffee. Really? Yeah. Really.
7:30 am: Client request from most demanding customer. Liquid lunch looking likely.