Gale and the Scale

Distraction from the Drab

2012-01-31T14:22:00.001-05:00

The Pine & Ivy shawl is almost at the finish line. A couple of more hours will see the end of the short bit of knitted on border at the top and the needles will be thrown down in triumph. There's still time for disaster - that blocking thing is always kind of scary. You never know if you're going to snap a thread or otherwise put a hole in the damned thing.

To distract myself from the pain and suffering of knitting with that yarn I don't like (see the drabness in the above photo), Pikku-Lilli was knitted, and what sweet little charmer she is. She didn't take much yarn or effort, and was a lovely distraction for a little while.

Things to like: Old fashioned femininity defines this bonnet for baby. Straightforward instructions and a relatively short knit. Love the texture of the hat.

Not so much: Not a thing.

Pikku-Lilli (Rav) by Lene Alve
Louet Gems in Cream and Pink Panther. Not much of each.
2.5 and 2 mm needles

Not so Charitable

2012-01-22T09:48:00.001-05:00

When is knitting for charity not so charitable? When you’re looking to get rid of a stash yarn you despise, that’s when. Since I don’t want to foist this ugly yarn off on family or friends, using it to make a shawl for a charity silent auction will work. Someone else is bound to love it, and the end result will most likely be pretty. To ease the pain over using this particular yarn, nothing will do but a beautiful pattern. Here’s the beginning of the Pine and Ivy shawl in the large size.

Getting through that first row of 503 stitches was a real bitch. What was even more of a bitch was having to tink half of that first row back to the centre panel because of a 2 stitch discrepancy when the end of row was reached. That was fixed, but getting the rhythm on the return row ended up being a pain too. It’s been a really slow start, but I’m not too worried. It will all be fine once a few more rows are worked.

In the mean time, patterns for baby blankets are being evaluated/tested. Last weekend an attempt was made to start Sierpinsky (Ravelry), for which 8 skeins of yarn were purchased. No go. No amount of experimentation/swatching was going to make that project work out for me. So Curve of Pursuit was tried, and it just looked too rough to me – no neat, crisp lines even after weaving in ends and a blast of steam. While I am happy to use the yarn to make 2 blankets, the soft yellow/gold of one of the yarns is not that attractive on its own, so a bit of a quandary still exists with respect to the knitting rules chez moi. And the rule is that particular lot of yarn must be knitted up soon. Curlique is next on the list.

Last weekend saw the start and finish of this cute headband by my friend Mary Lou Egan. I was fortunate enough to test knit this sweet thing for her, and it was a nice, instant gratification project that used up some leftovers from Sylvie. If you’re looking to use up about 55 yds or so of chunky weight yarn, consider this delight.Details when they are finalised.

Starting Out In Two Shades of Blue.

2012-01-16T12:29:00.001-05:00

Re-knitting Minni was like visiting an old friend you don’t see very often. There was a bit of awkwardness in getting going, but soon enough the familiar rhythms of the relationship won out and everyone had a great time. Minni was started on New Year’s Day and has once again been fun. Why this project is so enchanting in hand, defies explanation. It must be that little bump at the back that so sweetly accommodates a diaper. Or perhaps it’s the opportunity to go a bit crazy with colour selection. While the combination of midnight and sky blue is hardly fresh, it is given a little lift with the addition of citrus flavoured trim in the form of scraps from the first Minni.

ince there were leftovers from this Minni, a coordinating Pikku-Pete made it on the scene as well.

What to like: Well, knitting these two darling pieces is a lot of fun. The short rows used to construct the blue bands entertained me, and the corrugated texture is charming.

Not so much: This time, I left both sleeves to the end, and making them one after the other was tedious. So tedious, I started another project entirely. Fiddling with both balls of yarn at almost every needle change (DPN’s) was a pain, and knitting one sleeve took two evenings. That’s a lot of time spent on the smallest part of the cardigan. The yarn was constantly entangled with other bits of the project. It’s sad to say but, for now, future babies will not be receiving this little number to warm them. The stash of coordinating skeins of sock-weight yarn has been totally depleted. This means no more Minni’s or Lilleput’s for a while. Unless someone special is going to have a new little delight in the next year.

Minni and Pikku-Pete (both Ravelry links, Pete is first) by Lene Alve
2 skeins Shibui Sock in Midnight
3 skeins Shibui Sock in Sky (the sweater will require about 10 grams of the 3rd skein)
Scraps of yarn for the trim. Shibui Sock in Wasabi and Finch, Koigu KPPM in some forgotten colourway.
2.5 mm and 2mm needles, straight and DPN’s.

So how is it that after working with the fabulous Mrs. Natalie, mother-to-be, for more than 5 years, I run into her twice in the lobby? And both times, I am equipped with super-secret-baby-knitting for her. What? She’s got to be psychic, because I never see her there.

Minni arose completely from stash, which was a nice way to start the year’s knitting. Buoyed by last year’s mostly successful attempt to work from the stash, I am in a mood to carry on in that direction. Another San Francisco Giants sweater for Young Peter will be made, and my Aunt Marion has asked me to make a shawl for her granddaughter’s August wedding. Hopefully most of the year’s unexpected knitting can be fulfilled through stash diving. At the moment, I am in a mood to make a pullover or two for Peter – one from the yarn bought late last fall, and another from the bottom of the stash.

On a side note, I’ve enjoyed having an array of accessories to choose from this winter. It’s been great to have varying degrees of coverage. The Let it Snow hat and mittens are perfect for weather hovering around the 0C (32F) mark. Last year’s Edith hat works well in colder weather, as did the Fortnight hat with the coordinating Wayfarer scarf. I managed to wear the Fortnight hat and Wayfarer scarf just once. They were pinched from my desk the other day. At least the thief will be warm about the head.

Mood Blue

2012-01-08T15:00:00.000-05:00

A visit to Marci and her family was finally managed just before the new year. Spending time at her house is always a joy, and it was too short a visit. Wisteria is now settled into it's new home and the smokey blue of this pullover really suits Marci's colouring.

Wisteria by Kate Gilbert for Twist Collective
12 skeins Quince & Co Lark in Delft
4.5 mm needles

My head seems to be stuck in the blue family these past few weeks. This is the Bamboozled headband, a lovely free pattern. It was easy and quick to knit, and could be accomplished in an evening if you were so inclined. My version closes with an i-cord, where the pattern calls for a twisted cord. There are plenty of left-overs, for which a purpose has yet to be found.

Bamboozled (Ravelry) by Cyn
Cascade 220 Superwash in a bright turquoise
4 mm needles

New Year's Day seemed like a good day to start a new baby project, and it's a third Minni (Ravelry). I liked knitting the previous two so much it wasn't hard to put this at the top of the list for Natalie's expected baby. While she has no intention of determining the sex, turquoise is her favourite colour. This blue fits that requirement rather nicely. With one sleeve and some trim left, finishing this little darling will be soon.

Elements of a Great Day

2011-12-25T11:58:00.000-05:00

The ham is in the oven, and lunch will be ready in about 3 hours time. Our local butcher closed up shop earlier this month, leaving us with no idea about where to purchase a fresh, bone-in ham for our Christmas celebration. While a 4.5 kg (10 lb) chunk of meat is way over the top for just the 2 of us, well, it's hard to do the bone-in deal with something smaller. Casting about in the phone book lead us to Cumbrae's in Dundas. I'd thought the name was familiar, and after Peter arrived home with our ham, an internet search quickly revealed this butcher provisions many of Toronto's best restaurants. I am not surprised they do, since the smell coming out of the oven is beyond divine, Our expectations are running high.

Marci's sweater finally got blocked yesterday. It'll need a bit of a steam to remove a few wrinkles before seeing her later this week, but no big deal. There were 4 full skeins of yarn left over, and while my heart wanted to move on to another colour, Quant and Serifina were made to ensure nothing was added into the stash. Both were satisfying to knit, and Quant was my first foray into entrelac. It's a nice sized project to introduce the technique, and repeating the experiment is not in my future. Serifina has received a lot of compliments for her recipient, and I'd knit it again.

Quant from Knitty, and Serafina from Quince & Co.

both on 5 mm needles

Serafina - 3 skeins Lark in Delft

Quant - less than 1 skein Lark in Delft

Hope you're all having a great time, whatever your celebration might be. Peter's just passed me a glass of sparkling wine, and it's time to settle in with our video game. A pair of fair-isle mittens have had a good start and will do when it's my time to watch the action. At least until it's time to prep the veg.

Oh look! A castle.

2011-12-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

Quite some time ago I listened to a science radio broadcast about memory, and conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Someone was studying goldfish as a route to further the understanding of memory, and they claimed that goldfish’s is about 3 seconds long. That meant a goldfish could remember seeing a castle in his bowl, but not every time he made the circuit. So the next time around, after forgetting about the castle from the previous go around its “Oh look! A castle.” This was my 4th visit to Cardiff, and the first time I have been able to go inside the castle. It’s a great place to visit, complete with WWII bomb shelters, fancy rooms, a fortress and even a moat. It’s also small enough that a couple of hours is enough for a good look and you can hook up with your friends in town for a leisurely lunch afterwards. Fabulous.

Oh look! A moat.

The trip to Cardiff was great, but it is always good to be home again. This time, it’s been difficult to slip back into regular sleeping patterns. Waking up at 4 am is becoming too much of a habit, even after being home for 2 weeks now. It was fun to meet up with old friends and customers, and meet some new ones. I find these events to be somewhat stressful though. We all stay at the same hotel, and have all of our meals together. For 4 to 5 days. That’s 4 to 5 days of being on all of the time. And it’s 4 to 5 days where the only personal time I get is in my room. Sleeping. There are questions and concept discussions at breakfast, lunch and dinner, but that’s what I am there for. I was more than a little ready for being with my friend Mike and the relative quiet of being alone on a train with him and a crowd of strangers on Thursday afternoon. That private time was so sweet, we opted for domestic evening instead of the night on the town we had initially planned.

The Musica mittens were fine travelling companions and provided a good romp through a skein of sport weight leftover from Cottage Garden. My stitch tension seemed to be way off, and something like 15 stitches were removed from the circumference of the hand in order to produce a mitten that fit reasonably well. They fit long through the cuff, which will be great should they get pressed into service for shoveling snow. There’s enough room in the hand to slip a pair of gloves on underneath for those really cold days. In preparation for travelling, the cuffs were worked and stitches picked up for each mitten, making them easier to deal with while in transit. The first mitten managed to get made before leaving the house for the airport, and the second mitten was finished except for the thumb, before arriving at the hotel in Cardiff.

Things to love: Long cuff will help keep blowing snow away from skin even under the blusteriest of conditions. Lovely cable pattern to make for interesting knitting. A pretty stash buster project, suitable for a wool-loving friend.

Not so much: Not a thing.

Musica Mittens (Ravelry) by Lilia Mankki3.5 mm DPN’s
Halcyon Yarn Victorian 2-ply
3.5 mm needles

Modifications: removed about 15 stitches from the circumference, and adjusted the patterning accordingly. Palms of the mitten only have 1 cable down the centre.

Hosta was taken to Cardiff as well and oh, what a pain to get it going again. For the third time. Once the techniques had been re-affirmed, it became a good travelling companion. Not wanting to forsake the scarf for another project (and re-learn the techniques involved for yet a fourth time), the scarf was pushed to the finish line last weekend after returning from the trip. The scarf is beautiful, and a hat to match will be made in the near future. Peter likes this scarf, and only the feminine colour combination prevents him from claiming it as his own.

Things to like: Well written, interesting and challenging pattern (to start with) yielding brilliant results. Another will most likely be made in the future using a different yarn. After the techniques have been learned, and you can read the knitting, it is easy and fun to knit. It can even be worked while having a conversation accompanied by a glass or two of wine. Knitters and non-knitters alike will be fascinated with the reversible fabric.

Not so much: This yarn will not hold up to regular use, hence the scarf will be reserved for occasional outings. It’s been worn once and has already stretched in length. Practice establishing the techniques with scrap yarn before starting with the pattern’s recommended yarn to avoid wear and tear while learning the techniques. I had to break into the second skeins (intended for a hat to match) to finish. Just a few yards, but it is yarn that was thrown out because of the re-starts while learning the pattern.

Hosta by Nancy Marchant for Twist Collective
Madeline Tosh DK in Grove and Byzantine, 1 skein each

4.5 mm needles

In the I can’t believe it department, Wisteria is almost finished and will be done well in time for 3M’s birthday on the 28th. All that remains is one sleeve, a bath and pinning out. That’s on the schedule for the weekend. After the long, slow cable rounds at the bottom of the body, the diminishing stitch counts of the sleeves are a quick pleasure to work. I anticipate having almost 4 full skeins of yarn left over - enough for some sort of accessory.

Another Wisteria

2011-12-09T16:30:00.001-05:00

Oh what can be said about Wisteria? This is the second time around for this gorgeous pattern, and once again it’s for 3M – the Marvelous Miss Marci! She loved her old one to bits, and it’s looking somewhat forlorn. It looked so good on her, and she loved it so much it must be replaced with another. This time it’s in a smoky blue to match her eyes. It’s Delft in Quince & Co.’s Lark. It is becoming a fantastically cuddly pully.

There wasn’t a suitable quantity of yarn in stash to make Wisteria for Marci, so another illegal yarn purchase was made. That’s 3 significant yarn additions to stash in a row (Marci’s sweater, Peter’s next sweater and a baby blanket for Natalie), and that also renders a failing grade for the don’t-buy-new-yarn pledge. Oh well. I am still pleased with the overall effort and will carry on with knitting from stash supplemented by the occasional purchase for a special item.

Wisteria’s yoke is complete, and the seemingly endless rounds of the body have been started. It’s knitting up quickly and the weekend should see the beginning of the cabling at the bottom. The intention is to finish in the next two weeks, in time for MMM’s birthday. A post on Cardiff and 2 FO's next week.

Happy days, Gale

The Staying at Home Sweater

2011-11-26T08:43:00.000-05:00

The Staying at Home while Gale Goes Travelling Sweater is finished. It was entertaining until it got to the body join. The rest was good knitting but dull. You know - those seemingly endless rounds of k2xp2 rib. Working it alongside Sylvi’s finishing and some other things helped with that never-ending feeling, and dedicating the last week to just sucking it up and getting it done worked wonders for its progress. Amazing that.

The Staying at Home sweater was knitted with Joseph Galler’s Prime Alpaca. This yarn is nice. Unlike the yarn used for Grant Park (sort of) using Joseph Galler’s Peruvian Tweed Alpaca, it did not split much. It was really nice slipping through my fingers and the colour is spectacular. The yarn was originally purchased with me in mind, but Peter expressed an interest in it. The green is a bit brighter than most men might like, but it is a great colour for him. Now Peter has something new to keep him warm for the week I am away.

Things to love: Alpaca has become one of Peter’s favourite fibres, so he has fallen hard for this sweater. He’s in love with the shawl collar the way the ribbing feels while he’s wearing it. It’s a really handsome pullover. As for the knitting, the short-row collar and the yoke were entertaining enough to keep me interested in following through. That most of the yoke effort could be worked on straights was enough to get me started on it. That and the desire to move a sweater's worth of yarn out of stash.

Not so much: The pattern was well written, but I experienced a stitch count issue that no amount of time, reading or interpretation could resolve. In the end, I was 4 stitches short for the size being knitted. Since that really was not going to affect the outcome, and worked with the patterning, I just went with it. Even looking at the pattern now and doing the math again, I arrive at the same result. Don’t let that put you off knitting this though – it could still be me. It’s a great looking and fitting pullover. The recommended body and sleeve measurements were also very short, and considerable length was added to these measurements in order to fit Peter. Peter does not have freakishly long arms either, nor is he overly tall. I also don’t want to be making a sport weight sweater for him any time soon. This could have used a blocking to smooth out the shoulder area, but a bit of wear and a wash after returning from the trip will take care of that.

Travelling Man Sweater by Anne Berk for Blue Moon Fiber Arts
3 skeins Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca in Moss
3.25 and 3.5 mm needles

A pair of mittens has been started for the trip to Cardiff. Both of the cuffs were worked on straights, and the stitches picked up in preparation for the journey. Flinging a length of scarf around on planes and trains started to not make much sense, so a pair of stash-busting Musica mittens will hopefully keep the journey entertaining. There’s a whack of travel time from leaving the house to arriving at the hotel. Hopefully there’s enough to keep me busy. The scarf is still going to make the trip though. Now it's time to go pack that bag and dig out the passport. See 'ya later.

2 FO's and a WIP

2011-11-21T08:30:00.001-05:00

Sleeping has been a bit of an issue for the past couple of weeks, and I’ve not been feeling all that great on top of that. Peter’s 2x2 rib pullover is a good companion in these circumstances and progress has been way, way better than expected. The body and one sleeve are finished. The second sleeve will be finished tonight. What a surprise. It’s been a dull haul, but aren’t most sweaters for men? I resolved over the weekend to finish this before leaving for Cardiff (Wales, UK) on Saturday afternoon. I’ll be gone for a week, and am meeting a friend in Southampton for a day of catching up and other fun. The Hosta scarf is looking very much like it will be my travelling companion for that week. That project should provide enough knitting to get through airports and train rides on both ends of the journey.

The Kauni squares are on the docket for the rest of the week. Having made 5 squares of 9, it seems a shame to keep this project on hold for much longer. While the going is easy it is also a bit dull. That wild colour change thing does keep me engaged though, and the rest of this week is bound to be hectic.

Last week the yarn diet was totally and absolutely busted. My sweet friend Natalie is expecting her first child in May. A blanket and another Minni (love) are on the slate for the new year. In the mean time, here are a couple of FO’s to ogle.

There were some leftovers from Sylvie. In the spirit of using them up, a hat was made. This particular hat has long been on my list of to-knits, and there was finally a skein of bulky weight yarn in the house to do so.

Things to love: How it all comes together at the top. Fabulously thick hat should keep the wind out. Pretty cables make it fun to knit. Fabulous pattern, wonderful hat.

Not so much: Not a damned thing.

Knotted Cables Hat (Ravelry link) by Mary Lou Egan, longer version
1 skein Briggs & Little Heritage in Red
4.5 mm needles

The second FO is Hari. It’s been finished for a while and wanted only a button and a wash. It was loosely pinned out, stretching it a bit to tame the spiky bits a little. It will work as a cowl or a shoulder warmer. Hopefully Marci will like it.

Things to love: Interesting, sculptural garment. Simple to knit.

Not so much: While the cowl is really beautiful, the pattern was not all that well written. The designer separated out the instruction for a purl back row in the written instructions, and did not provide a key for wrong side row charted instructions. With only 3 rows requiring explicit instructions (sig one way, purl back, sag one way, rep row 2), this is really kind of lame.

Hari
Lisa Souza alpaca.Details forgotten.

WIP Avoidance Tactics

2011-11-08T17:40:00.002-05:00

Instead of getting on with an existing WIP while waiting formore yarn for Sylvi’s hood to arrive, a new pullover for Peter was started.It’s the Travelling Man sweater from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Perhaps it was a badidea. It’s knit from the top down, starting with a single rib shawl collar insport weight yarn. The stitch count was over 450 before breaking forsleeves. At least the body is a double rib, but with this thin yarn, progressis slow. Really, really slow.

The construction of the pullover is quite nice. The start allowsfor back and forth knitting, which was done on straights, and transferred tocirculars when the going became crowded. Short rows shape the collar and chestuntil the join at the neckline. There are also different rates of increase forthe sleeves and the back/front. It’s all very well thought out and I am in lovewith it for now. It had to return upstairs for a break since all of thatknitting using those circulars with a short needle shaft has tired my hands.Peter’s really going to like this when it's finished.

In keeping with the avoid-the-existing-WIP theme, a pair ofmatching hats for a set of twins due in early December was started andfinished. These were fun to make, and were fabricated using stash leftovers. I made atotally garter stitch top strip instead of the corrugated one indicated in thepattern. There’s almost enough yarn left over for another hat, but that's not going to happen right now.

Things to like: Fun to knit. Great shape looks like the hats will fit nicely. Gorgeous hand to the finished hat. I might even embroider the little lambs on.

Not so much: Can't think of a thing.

Pikku-Pete by Lene Alve

2.5, 2.25 and 2 mm needles

70 grams Quince & Co Tern, left over from the GermanStockings

Sylvie’s pieces have been blocked and the sewing up isgoing well. What an enormous pile of knitted goodness! Seeing it come together is very satisfying, The yarn for the hood arrived yesterday. That bit of finishing should occupy much of the weekend. That and we might just head to the Royal Winter Fair.

Ruffles. I Love Them.

2011-10-30T15:46:00.000-04:00

Ruffles was a very nicely written pattern and provided good contrast to the heavy wool and fat needles employed by Sylvi. The concentration levels at work were running kind of high the week it was knitted, so something that wasn’t demanding in any way was perfect. This thing was knitted at a surprisingly fast rate, except for the bottom ruffle of the cardigan. That took hours to cast off. For fun, the yarn was weighed before and after the cast off – it took 5 grams of yarn. Ruffles has been sitting around in a finished state for several weeks, simply waiting for the purchase and subsequent application of buttons. It's so good to be able to stick her in the cedar chest to await the right baby girl.

Things to love: Clear and easy instructions make for a pleasant knitting experience, while sweet ruffles notch the cuteness factor up for big impact. Great colour, and softly draping yarn made for a nice knitting experience. Knit this and every woman around you will swoon over the girly-girl factor.

Not so much: The mostly bamboo content in the yarn makes for tedious finishing since the stuff is extra slippery. In retrospect, it might not have been the best choice for this project, since the bottom ruffle is kind of weighty and the cardigan will probably stretch in length as a result. Good thing it’s a baby sweater.

Ruffles by Ann Budd for Quince & Co, 9-12 months
2 balls SMC On Your Toes bamboo/nylon in purple
3.5 mm needles

There’s been something wrong with my left arm and shoulder. At first, I thought it was the way I was sleeping on it, but it might be from knitting too much. In an effort to resolve the problem, knitting has been slowed quite a bit. There have been more knitting-free days than days when needles are in hand. When there has been knitting, it has been in small doses. This reduction in knitting effort totally makes me crazy and leaves me bored. Really, really bored. And it hasn’t seemed to help with the mobility and soreness issues in that shoulder. It’s probably time to mention it to the doctor.

When there has been knitting, it has been on Sylvi. She has been maturing slowly and bit by bit. After letting her rest for goodly length of time, three pieces have been blocked, and getting another pinned out today looks good. The hood and some flower petals remain, and running out of yarn is a certainty.

Squares

2011-10-10T12:49:00.000-04:00

We celebrated our 5the anniversary on Friday having sparkling wine in the backyard. The weather was glorious for the entire 4 days I had off. Warm enough for the windows to be opened, and to enjoy outdoor activities, and warm enough not to want Sylvi sitting in my lap for the whole thing. The idea was to finish Sylvi's knitting this weekend and prep her for blocking. Since Sylvi was eschewed for other things, the Kauni blanket made decent progress. 4 of 9 squares have been knitted, and another 5 remain. 2 have been blocked. It's seriously fun, and Peter likes it a lot. Which is nice. I think it will make a nice lap warmer for his father to keep in the car this winter.

Repurposing

2011-10-03T08:03:00.000-04:00

One of last summer’s goals was to use up some of the Kauni yarn acquired several years ago. In evaluating the Kauni double knit scarf, while the project was fun to work, I didn’t really know anyone that would love the clownish nature of the finished project. So it went to the frog pond. A quick evaluation of the stash on hand led to casting on for a slightly modified Mitered Crosses Blanket for Japan. This square is about 35cm across (13.5”). There’s should be enough yarn to make a colourful lap blanket.

Again with the Starting Something New

2011-09-28T08:11:00.000-04:00

The exaggerated motions required to manipulate 7mm needles through bulky yarn has been hard on these aging hands. The back is mostly finished, requiring only the application of petals to the assigned stems. That task is best left to the weekend and full daylight when selecting the stitches for each petal’s base and sewing them down can be achieved in better lighting conditions than exist in my living room after 3pm. Applying petals in the great light in the lunch room at work has proven to be a fatal mistake in that someone is now pestering me to make one for her. She can be put off. I’ll ask her to swap 60 hours of housework for 60 hours of knitting time. That’ll do the trick.

While waiting for the weekend and giving my hands a break from the large needle/yarn combo, a baby sweater was started to keep in reserve for the next little girlie to arrive in my sphere. In stockinette on 3.5 mm needles, progress has been astonishing. It’s the Ruffles baby sweater from Quince & Co, and it’s a sweet little thing. The body is mostly finished, and the bottom ruffle is about to be knitted. The design calls for a ruffle to be placed on the upper back, but I think most children under 1 still spend a lot of time on their backs and that might be uncomfortable. The same argument could be made about the bottom ruffle, but there’s a diaper between the baby and the ruffle to mitigate the problem. In any event, I’m trying not to blink in the event I miss this lovely thing pass me by.

Stash Smackdown Challenge

2011-09-26T08:31:00.000-04:00

Now that fall is firmly here, the summer stash smack down challenge I set for myself can be considered over. While projects and goals changed from time to time, a number of project left-over’s and long neglected yarns emerged from the depths of stash to become useful knitwear. For a change, a good share of the knitting was for me (two hats, a scarf and a pair of mittens). Some goals were not met and some were complete failures. Overall it was a great knitting season and the quick succession of projects was mostly fun.

Tackling those smallish projects has left me with a feeling of productivity, satisfaction and renewed enthusiasm. It’s also led to some thinking about stash and that fickle knitter’s heart of mine. The conclusion of that introspection is that there’s no point in purchasing new yarn unless it will begin an almost immediate relationship with the needles and me. Why it has taken all this time to realise this is the approach for me is beyond imagination. That fearsome yarn lust has been significantly calmed. While there are still some flare ups while drooling over new designs, it is at least more easily managed by telling myself that I can always purchase yarn when ready to begin the project in mind.

It was also nice to pick up a couple of new skills over the summer. Double-knitting and bi-colour brioche were late summer impulse projects. The double-knit scarf has a good start to it and will take several months to complete. It’s a great project to keep next to the sofa to work as a relief piece – picking it up in those moments when taking a break from the knit o’ the moment. It’s going to take a long time to finish since it can only be worked for short periods before discomfort sets in. As for the brioche knitting, it requires regular attention so the techniques employed in its construction aren’t forgotten while it rests.

In the mean time, Sylvi’s back is finished, aside from knitting the petals on to the piece. This piece was certainly a lot of fun to knit. While the chart is required from top to bottom, it requires only 156 rows of knitting to complete. It’s quite a contrast in knitting scale between this and the recently finished baby sweater. Later this week the back will get blocked to determine if the knitted sleeve meets spec. I’m thinking that sleeve needs to be re-worked.

Baby, it's Fall Outside

2011-09-21T08:48:00.000-04:00

The romp through Lilleput was very satisfying and surprising. A colour I was not looking forward to knitting became something special and a lot of fun to knit. It also received many compliments in the short time it spent on the needles. As usual, photos don’t do the colour combination any justice. There were enough leftovers for a hat and booties to match. The booties are on my desk at the office.

Things to love: Garter stitch squishiness, short row construction and sweet details all add up to an irresistible, drool-worthy cardigan for a newborn. Perfect for walks in the autumn air.

Not so much: The pattern can be a bit difficult to understand at times, but careful re-reading will get you there.

Lilleput (Ravelry) by Lene Alve
2, 2.25 and 2.5 mm needles
Shibui Sock, 2 skeins Rippongi, 2 skeins Lily, 1 skein Mullberry

After letting Hosta rest for so long, all of the techniques learned for its construction required serious review. It took about half of an hour to get back into its rhythm. Most of that time was spent in working out where it was left off and which side was which. As of right now, it will be my constant take-along companion until it’s done. Today I am expecting a visitor from Brazil, and on the weekend, my father will be here.

An Excuse to Start Something Else

2011-09-13T07:49:00.000-04:00

After much futzing around, tension has finally been met for Sylvi. A heavier yarn might have done the trick much easier, but the yarn in use has been forced into the role. Never mind it is the very yarn specified in the pattern. A switch to 7mm needles, a very light grip on the yarn and making very loose loops is the key. The washed swatch behaves very well, and the project feels good in the hands. Now to concentrate on maintaining that tension throughout the project. One sleeve has been worked to the halfway mark.

As a reward for achieving the tension goal for Sylvi, but mostly because there’s also a baby due late this month, Lilleput (Ravelry) was started late Saturday afternoon. While winding the yarn, I was waffling on the peachy orange fished from stash, especially since I was not crazy about the colour. Lilleput has changed my mind about that peachy orange, and the resulting knit absolutely screams fall baby. It’s almost at the halfway point now, and it is looking very much like it nothing will come between me and finishing this wee cardigan. Witness the crappy camera photo, which surprisingly represents the colours quite well.

Bad Knitting Luck

2011-09-09T08:21:00.000-04:00

Despite having 4 days off in a row to knit and otherwise do as I pleased last weekend, nothing really worked all that well in the knitting department. A standard plain sort of hat for niece Caroline was made out of leftovers from the fingerless mitts and ruffle scarf. Despite knowing this was not a suitable fibre for making a hat, it was done. With no stretch to the yarn what-so-ever, it just was not destined to work. While the proportions were nice, it just did not feel right on the head, and felt too loose at the bottom. So it was fulled by hand, which did nothing to the circumference, but managed to shrink the hat in length. My friend Christine recommended an attached i-cord trim, but the hat now also needs some more length. A ribbed border might do the trick, but the contrast in the way the yarn looks is too dramatic. Hat pitched.

Some of the leftovers from Let it Snow were pressed into service for a cabled hat. See how that top is? Yeah. Can’t get it to lie correctly for anything. Clever pictures in the book make it look like there are no pointy bits in the crown. No amount of steaming/blocking will make this work. This hat is also a bust. What you see there is how the damned thing sits on the head. Not pretty. Or at least not pretty enough for anyone I know.

The Hari scarf has become a Hari cowl. It’s a bit wide for such a thing, but will work well to keep shoulders warm when worn pulled down a bit. Narrowing the pattern by about 8 stitches per repeat would have yielded a suitably longer and narrower scarf without sacrificing the design. The knitting is over now, and that’s the way it’s going to stay. Buttons to form a cowl will render a pretty enough gift for someone this winter.

Sylvi has been giving me a hard time with the usual tension-swatches-lie thing. Paying attention to knitting loosely is part of the trick to getting it right, along with going from 6mm to 7mm needles. A full wet block of the pieces will also be in order before seaming. Since there are no possible options for circular knitting in needles that size chez moi, the sleeves will have seams, which really helps out on the blocking side of things.

Let it Snow. But not Just Yet

2011-09-04T13:46:00.000-04:00

The knitting for Let it Snow has long been over. The final finishing, however, well, let’s just say that only a direct threat to the health and welfare of the hat and mittens spurred me into sewing the trim on. Now safely out of Tikka’s reach, they are ready for wear, safely tucked into the arm of my fall jacket. She’s never really messed with yarn or knitted goods before, but she probably really likes the smell of this project. I do too.

I had trouble knitting the mittens. Big trouble. The first was too small. The second somehow had too many stitches and fit strangely at the finger tips. The third attempt was just fine. The fourth? Well, it was a duplicate of the third mitten. Unless my right thumb was going to migrate to the other side of my hand it would not work out as a wearable pair of mittens. Given all of that, I am glad the hat was made before the mittens were started. Otherwise there would not have been a matching hat. Nor would there have been mittens. Please note that it was not the fault of the pattern, but entirely the fault of the knitter involved. And, I did enjoy making the snowflakes, particularly the one at the top of the hat.

The pattern was very well written, and the designer used well thought out increase and decrease methods to keep the lines of the snowflakes crisp. While it can be fussy to flip through the pattern searching for the definition of these methods, it’s certainly the kind of detail that makes this design shine.

The hat and mittens were started off using i-cords, which were grafted together at the ends. It can be a bit tricky to keep the i-cord from twisting when joining, but it is important to keep it from doing so. I-cords are also sewn on to the mitten cuffs and the top of the hat, which was not much fun (and was really fussy), but this detail certainly really completes the look of the pieces.

The project was made with Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm Cormo from the spring 2009 clip. It was gorgeous to knit with, but a pain as well. Kitten soft, with an unfortunate tendency to split, the resulting hat and mittens will be perfect for wearing in the late fall when you need something for your head and hands, but not too much. The yarn choice was not the best for the hat. The design really calls for a yarn with a lot of body to add structure to the sides of the hat, and the Cormo was almost as limp as angora. Needless to say, the hat does not maintain that pillbox shape as shown in the pattern.

These were not vigourously blocked, only washed and made ready for wear. Subsequent washings and wearings will help even out the stitching in the long run. The mittens show lines along the sides where I failed to pay enough attention to technique.

Things to love: Snowflakes. Soft, next to the skin, no itch accessories from wool that is not superwash. Unusual design elements in the construction of the hat and mittens (i-cord beginnings, i-cord trims).

Not so much: My own ineptitude in having to start the mittens again and again. If there had not been a hat in existence, I would have given up in frustration. But that’s not got anything to do with the pattern.

Let it Snow
3mm needles
Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm Cormo (Ravelry) from the spring 2009 clip in its natural state. Sorry for you luck in that you can’t have any of this.

Since having a large pile of wool in my lap will not be an uncomfortable prospect for much longer, Sylvi has been started for my friend Natalie. This has long been on my ohhh-I-want-to-make-that list, and the time has come. The yarn awaits in a huge pile, swatches have been knitted and washed, and needles have been chosen. All systems are go. It initially looks like an enormous undertaking, but it’s not really. At about 1600 m of yarn, on 6mm needles it’s going to move relatively quickly for all of its size and seed stitch. I’d like to have it ready for the end of September.

Caroline's Package

2011-08-28T10:56:00.000-04:00

There are two FO's to report in this post, both intended for my niece Caroline. First, there's a shrug. There isn’t a lot to say about this shrug. It did spend longer on the needles than necessary, and could have easily been worked from start to finish in a week. Made from 2 skeins of sport weight yarn, it’s a sweet little confection that did not require much attention or time to make. If I were to do it again, I’d use a provisional cast on just to avoid sewing the lace border on. Aside from the bottom edge of the shrug, the little lace arm, neck and front edgings are knitted with the rest of the garment. In this cheery colour, it will hopefully be well loved by a pretty little niece.

Things to love: Big impact for little effort. Using only a couple of skeins of yarn, it’s a quick to knit up and a cuter than the picture indicates.

Not so much: Can’t think of a thing.

Aynia Shrug, Quince & Co, 30" circumference
2 skeins Quince & Co. Chickadee in Sorbet
4.5 mm needles

The fingerless mittens were a bit slow to knit. I never did get the rhythm for the garter cuff, and that really slowed things down a lot. The rest of it was smooth sailing. The mitts hung around without buttons until Saturday morning - there are 14 of them to sew on, which really is not a whole lot of fun. Caroline is small, and the mitts are bound to be too big for now, so blocking the mitts was not an option. Since they will eventually stretch over her hand, concern over their unblocked appearance is really over-thinking the situation.

What to like: A really pretty accessory.

Not so much: Could never get the hang of the garter stitch lace.

Katinka by Kirstin Kapur
2.75 mm needles
Wool Candy Souffle in Royal

Inspired by spying a steamed ruffle on Ravelry (Lise Anne's), Caroline's ruffle got the steam treatment on Saturday morning as well. It's really made a difference in appearance and both versions have merit. The steaming makes the project look a little more grown up, which I am sure Caroline will love.

Hosta is the stay-at-home project du jour, and I intend to spend a lot of time with it on this slow-for-us Sunday. There are some tricks to this pattern, the first one being a thorough read through the pattern notes. All of them. Without that, it's easy to miss key information on forming some of the stitches. A good understanding of the notes will transform your try-and-fail-it-doesn't-look-like-the-picture efforts into bi-colour-brioche-glory. It is seriously fun to knit this, and the fabric is much softer and more fluid than expected. While the fabric of the knitting is reversible, it does look different from one side to the other. One side, the spine of the leaf pattern is a gutter (purl) and on the other, it's knit. Too bad I can't capture the colours, because they are gorgeous. The green is mottled olive, and the reddish looks like rhubarb stalks. The combination is very much prettier than I can capture. Love. It.

Scarf Style

2011-08-26T08:19:00.000-04:00

I am totally crazy about three scarves, each of them freshly on the needles. First there’s Hari (Ravelry). Hari’s a take along project, and as such it’s growing quickly. It doesn’t require much attention and is strangely addictive. The sculptural nature of this scarf is absolutely wonderful, and using this pattern in varying weights of project leftovers is a possibility. A quick dip in the stash pool the other night rendered exactly that - about 550 metres of leftover Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca Silk that has annoyed me every time it rose to the top of the cedar chest (why is that?). This version’s going to have a little button band so it can also be worn as a cowl. Hopefully the person I have in mind to receive it will love it as much as I do.

The second is a double-knit Kauni scarf, which is going to take quite some time to complete. A freshly acquired skill, the double-knitting is very slow going. The new motions required to manipulate the yarn are a bit difficult to get used to, and tire me out quickly. There’s got to be some little trick to this double-knitting thing, so I am expecting an ah-ha moment. After bit of practice the knitted results are improving, so much so that starting the scarf over looks like a must.

The last of the three is Hosta from this fall’s Twist Collective, which has barely made it onto needles. It took a bit of effort to get the hang of the two colour brioche stitch, but it sure is entertaining. An attempt was made to make this from stash a couple of weeks ago, but that didn’t work out. The yarns available did not make for good knitting companions, so the effort was dropped. Emma, future wearer of Nightingale V2, kindly gave me a gift certificate to the Needle Emporium in Ancaster as a thank you for her shawl. Legally able to purchase some yarn by virtue of the gift certificate, those supplies made it home as soon as I could convince Peter (sent him to the pub to wait) to take me. In a somewhat illegal move, my coffee money was saved for a few weeks and enough yarn to make a coordinating hat also came home. I feel no remorse or guilt for this break in stash diet protocol. None.

Late

2011-08-23T08:13:00.000-04:00

I . Love. This. Shawl. Everything about it is glorious. The simple patterning of the body. The gentle ruffle. Gorgeous! A gift for a friend, it is late in being sent. Oh well.

Things to love: Everything about the pattern and the knitting experience was good. I’ve made this shawl once before and it will be knitted again.

Not so much: I should have bumped up to a 4.5 mm needle, and managed a slightly larger shawl. On washing, the yarn bled like crazy and stained my hands for 2 days. After sitting for a couple of days, the shawl has significantly contracted from the initial post-blocking measurements. This yarn will not enter my stash again. Despite the yarn, the shawl is beautiful.

Halfskak by Sigridur Halldorsdottir from Þríhyrnur og langsjöl / Three-cornered and long shawls
Sweet Georgia Merino Silk Lace in Riptide
4 mm needles

Still on the Accessory Kick

2011-08-22T20:23:00.000-04:00

It’s approaching the end of August and I can hardly believe it. This morning was significantly cooler and it feels good to have a new cardigan and other woolies ready for the approaching fall. That itch to cast on for a sweater is becoming more and more of a thing that must be dealt with. Tempering the urge by test knitting Tinks and Frogs pattern for her baby girl seemed like a good way to cope with the impulse. Rue used one skein of Dream in Color Smooshy for her lovely baby-warmer, so it looked like a safe bet to go with 3-50 gram skeins of Claudia Hand Painted fingering. After finishing one skein of yarn, a sleeve was knitted and the remains of the second skein weighed. A brief stint at a spreadsheet to calculate how much was left to knit, compared to and how much had been knitted revealed there would not be enough yarn to finish the yoke and both sleeves of the cardi. It’s really hard to estimate yarn requirements for a ribbed sweater, and this knitter seems to consistently use more than suggested every time. Frogged.

Two frogging sessions in a row found me turning to something less taxing to knit. With Niece Caroline in mind, a magnificent skein of alpaca/silk/cashmere was pulled out of the cedar chest and another Barb’s Koigu Ruffle worked. This time the scarf was knit from the centre outwards, using a provisional cast on. There were two reasons for choosing to start like that. In the first scarf, the cast on and cast off edges did not look the same. But the biggest reason is that I’d rather cast off over 600 stitches than cast them on.

Things to love: You really have to work hard in order to screw this one up. Even if you miss an increase or decrease, you’ll never notice it. Until the last increase section, the scarf was worked on straight needles.

Not so much: Finishing off on circular needles.

Barb's Koigu Ruffle
1 skein Wool Candy Souffle in Royal
4mm straights and circulars

I did promise myself to return Caroline’s shrug to the needles after the ruffle, but snubbed it to make Katinka mittens in the same gorgeous yarn as that ridiculously luxurious scarf. The mittens are not going to get blocked - they need to remain as small as possible since they will be too big for my niece as it stands. Buttons remain.

With only about a third of the shrug left to knit, it only took a couple of hours to get it ready for blocking. Why it was ignored at all is beyond me. Especially since it was pleasant enough to knit.

Waiting for the Bus

2011-08-17T11:08:00.000-04:00

Last night, while minding my own business sitting on a bench and waiting for the bus, a man bent down and spat in my face. Twice. It was over and done with in less than 2 seconds and was absolutely one of the most shocking moments ever. A young man, sitting with his girlfriend on the same bench, made a move to stop the man, who was already walking away. I stopped the young man from continuing and thanked him for his concern. You never know. That man could have been high on meth, mentally ill, equipped with a weapon, or even all of the above. Any encounter with him was just not going to be a good thing. Reporting the assault to the police seemed like a good idea. Maybe that was the start of a rampage. After an interview with two lovely officers, the police sent me off to the hospital where the evening was spent in emergency waiting for blood to be drawn and swabs to be taken.

It’s shocking that for at least the next 6 months, I’ll be buying condoms at the local pharmacy in order to have safe sex with my husband. I’ll be the one at the self-checkout who’s box of rubbers doesn’t scan. What size are those ma’am? Can we have a price check on XXX condoms please for the grey-haired lady in green?

While waiting in emergency, 6 or 7 men were wheeled into the waiting room. They were all bruised and bloodied, and they must have been involved in the same scrap. It was odd in that the men were all in their mid-to-late 60's. Strange. A geriatric gang fight.

It would have been easier if the spitting man had just walloped me instead of spitting in my face. At least that would be over. It is so not over. In a sense, I am still waiting for that bus.

Miralda. Ditched.

2011-08-10T18:06:00.000-04:00

After being hopeful about Miralda and her nupps, she was ditched due to an inability to construct good nupps. Perhaps it was holding a double thread, but I expect it's my own lack of knitting prowess that's to blame. Ta ta for now Miralda!

Miralda. A Problem Child

2011-08-10T08:11:00.000-04:00

This seems to be the year for repeating previous knits. Peacock Feathers, Nightingale Wing, the Fortnight hat, and a number of other items have made it to second-time-around status. One of the goals set for my summer knitting was to move some specific stash yarns into use. In particular, I wanted to use some of the yarn purchased from Land O’ Lace, since there were a number of them in stash. I knew the time had come on Phyllis’ birthday (my father’s girlfriend) last month. She was absolutely thrilled with Dad’s present (Peacock Feathers V2), and we had a great chat on the phone that evening. By the time the conversation was over, it was clear I’d be making a more casual shawl for her. Miralda's Triangular Shawl (Ravelry) immediately sprang to mind in Land O’ Lace EmmaLou. Last weekend a delicious peachy pink was fished from the bottom of the cedar chest and pressed into action. Dad will be here in September, so having him take it back to her would be great.

At first, everything seemed to go alright. A smooth and easy ride, just as before. Then some edge decreases were missed, leading to the first frog back after starting into the nupp pattern. A whack of stitches were inadvertently pushed off of the needles, leading to a serious run over a 10 stitch swath. Yes in the nupps. That was fixed, and a nupp loop was dropped and snagged. A mess of tinking and frogging ensued, resulting in an eventual return to the beginning of the nupp section. Again. The next time around, I noticed a LOT of yarn was being used up. Yeah. The nupps were being wrapped too many times, and running out of yarn was a serious probability. By rights the shawl should be almost through the nupps section. At the moment things seem to be going alright, but that isn’t expected to last.

Cayuga

2011-08-09T07:47:00.000-04:00

Cayuga was a fast romp through a skein of yarn dyed by yours truly a couple of years ago. The mittens are not expected to hold up that well, being made of a 50/50 wool/silk blend, but they will certainly work for a season for a growing child. Niece Caroline requested a small pile of beanies when we were in California last spring, so the Cayuga slouch became a Cayuga beanie. Given the silk/wook blend and since her head measured 51 cm (20”) around, the 20” size was made. Hopefully the hat won’t fuzz too much and she’ll get more than one winter out of it. If you’re going to make larger mittens or a slouchy hat, more than 228 m (250 yards) of yarn will be needed.

Things to love: A legitimate use of bobbles that won’t make the wearer look silly. The sideways band on the hat. Twining twig with berries around the thumbs of the mittens. Clear, unambiguous instructions. Large graph format allowed for an undisturbed lap-cat whilst knitting. Makes a great gift knitting pattern, since the set can be churned out rather quickly.

Not so much: Can’t think of a thing.

Cayuga Set (Ravelry link) by Connie Chang Chinchio
1 skein Henry’s Attic Andromeda
5mm dpn’s and straights

One skein of this yarn remains. I am thinking of making a keyhole scarf to match, carrying the twig and berry motif along one of the ends. It shouldn’t take much to get something like that going – just a little bit of planning and some motivation.

2011-08-04T07:49:00.000-04:00

I have been knitting a lot. In fact, I’ve been knitting too much. The ups and downs of everyday life have been getting to me. Knitting helps me stay in turtle mode, as my friend Marci puts it. But behaving like a turtle isn’t very constructive, nor was turning off the blog. So, here I am. Again.

Emma’s wedding shawl is done. Finally. Blocked and everything. It’s the second time around for Nightingale Wing. While the result is very pretty, the knitting was as tiresome this time as it was the last. In blocking this shawl, a thread snapped. That’s never happened to me before, but it was simple enough to repair. I am a bit concerned about the dye job on the yarn. It bled a lot on washing, and no amount of exposure to water seemed to help it along. Emma has been advised to see how it behaves on a white sheet or towel before approaching her wedding dress with it. Hopefully she’ll get a very sunshiney day in October for the wedding.

What to love: Beautiful result, gorgeous colour that does indeed look like its namesake, a good length and width for an elegant wrap.

Not so much: Concern about dye transfer to the wedding dress, boring knit, and snapping the yarn on blocking. Rotten pictures.

Nightingale Wing by Anne Hanson
Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace in Charcoal
3 mm needles

The effort to keep using stash has begun to pay off. There’s a bit of room in the cedar chest, which now successfully latches when the lid is down, and the tiny closet in my office is organised. Finally. There have been discoveries as well - undocumented stash that may or may not get documented. I do admit to craving a yarn fix for a queued project or two, but holding out on purchasing until ready to start is fine by me. It has been fun working with some of the treasures unearthed for this stash-reduction exercise.

Winter Woolies Ready

2011-07-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

Wow. June is gone. It was a tough one for Peter and I, and it is good to see the back of it. Despite the difficulties we saw along the way, the month seemed to disappear rather quickly, as is this one. We are anticipating the rest of the summer will be pretty quiet. With hectic days at work, it’s really nice to come home to evenings spent in the backyard, having a chat. Over the past two weeks a young cat has been hanging around the house. Tikka’s not very impressed, but I am totally charmed by the little lover. It seems to have nice manners and is absolutely social. We are seeking the owner, this cat is too sweet to have been abandoned. As for Tikka, well she is thriving. At times I think she really likes being the only pet. There are times like this morning though, when she clearly needs a buddy. That little tart deliberately woke me up. Twice.

There’s been a new potato chip on my needles in the form of the Fortnight hat. A 7th hat has been cast on in leftovers. That short-row ear flap has me as does the bumpy garter stitch and paired cable crown. I love the way the crown is decreased for this hat. Love. It. Other than how handsome Fortnight is, it can be knit in an evening if you’re motivated to do so. It feels good to be making these project remnants useful too.

The Wayfarer Scarf and the Fortnight hats from the leftover Shelter were washed and blocked last weekend. I discovered something about the Shelter. If you leave it in to soak for a long period of time, say overnight, your project will grow significantly. The finished scarf was not stretched in length during blocking, and the blocking was really only to straighten the edges of the scarf where the design takes a curve. The finished scarf measured 38 cm (~14”) longer than the knitted length. I am so glad the Belfast Hoodie didn’t have much of a soak in the sink, and the hats made it out of the water in short order as well.

Wayfarer Scarf
3 skeins Shelter in Long Johns
5 mm needles

5 Fortnights in various sizes
Almost 3 skeins Shelter in Long Johns,
2 skeins Quince in Nasturtium and Black
5 mm needles

Accessory Crusade

2011-06-29T16:06:00.000-04:00

A crusade has been started to get a bunch of winter things knitted up, well, before that time arrives. Last winter found me without a scarf, only 2 hats and a single pair of gloves. That’s not going to be the case this year. A Wayfarer scarf and 2 Fortnight hats have been knitted so far, and another is underway. That effort effectively removes the Shelter from the stash thrash-down list (yeah). The scarf really needs a good blocking to straighten it up. It’s going to be a cozy one that’s for sure, and it’s for me. And I am taking one of those hats too.

A Dean St hat (Rav) for Caroline-the-niece zoomed into existence last weekend, and in the interests of not returning the remains to stash, a garter scarf was begun. Measuring the little scarf and weighing the remains to ensure being able to finish are in order, since there’s only about 220 m left. If not the scarf, then another hat can be extracted from whatever’s left over. That ball of yarn is not going back into stash.

A Koigu Ruffle managed to get worked as well, but my cast off leaves something to be desired – it is not as charming as the cast on edge is, and looks quite different. Perhaps it needs to be worked tighter, but realistically that’s not going to happen. Regardless, it was an interesting romp through some Silk Garden Sock. The resulting scarf is short at 65 cm (22”), but it looks like it will stretch in length with wear.

A scarf in some bulky chenille was also worked up for Caroline, and is awaiting a fringe. 11 stitches in a 1x1 rib. Fast, and cute enough.

Things have been a bit trying around here lately. Peter’s been trying to stop smoking. He’s had great success so far, but let me tell you, it has not been fun for either one of us. Particularly Peter. His efforts are admirable and I am very thankful he’s decided to quit. Hopefully he’s over the worst of it, and it will become easier for him soon. In the mean time, I’m desperately trying to keep my mouth shut by frantically knitting hats, mittens and scarves. Does anyone have a sort of camp I can go to in the mean time? You, know. Till he's over it.

Getting that List in Order

2011-06-16T08:20:00.000-04:00

Clearing a number of items from the to-knit list residing in my head, and still trying to meet the stash throw-down goals set earlier this year has been the path taken thus far this spring. While knitting from stash continues, some of the items on the list will not make it to the finish line. Maplewing has been sent to the frog pond, because the large size is just, well, too large. Deciding what to do with the Rowan Wool Cotton has been problematic as well. All in all, as long as knitting from the stash continues, it will be considered a successful venture.

As for that to-knit list, a good start has been made on with Tiny Tea Leaves and Young Peter’s sweater both ready for mailing to California. We are going to Niagara Falls (Ontario) this weekend, so crossing the border to pop them in the mail is looking likely. Now it’s time to take care of some items for niece Caroline. She’s asked for hats in lighter colours please. Beanies to be specific. It’s a request I can accommodate, and it also enables me to legally purchase a couple of skeins of yarn to fulfill that request. Since I could not resist making a little sweater for her, Anyia was started on Monday evening.

It should be a little big for her right now, but she will certainly be able to wear it. It’s not likely to take much more time to knit, given that the back and one front is already done. The next while looks like it will be filled with Fortnights and other hats, socks, blanket blocks and Emma’s Nightingale Wing. It is also time to make a lacey shawl for myself. I’ve already got the yarn and pattern chosen.

Belfast via Cardigan

2011-06-15T07:48:00.000-04:00

The last end of the Belfast Hoodie was sewn in just as the weather got hot. Buttons made it on to cardi just last weekend in any event, and there have been time this month getting the buttons on earlier would have been useful.

Things to love: Simple and straightforward pattern with clean styling. Gracious customer service when the notes were sent in regarding pattern issues. Tweedy yarn lends a rustic look, and it’s a red my very pink complexion can wear. Blocking has really brought out the best in this yarn, which remains rustic in nature. Extremely lightweight cardigan, despite size, length and hood (thanks to the yarn). Pretty and practical cardigan awaiting use for the fall.

Not so much: Knitting a sweater on circular needles is still not my thing. And this is the best picture I could get.

Belfast Hoodie by Carrie Bostick Hoge for Quince & Co. no mods.10 skeins of SHELTER in Long Johns, with about 10 m left over.
4.5 and 5 mm circular needles and DPN’s

Given its size (45”) and length, it weighs in at less than 500 g (1.1 lb). That’s pretty light. There was a lot of vegetable matter in the yarn, some of which was quite difficult to pick out, and some of which remains knitted into the cardi. There was also a blending issue with one of the skeins, which left a number of oatmeal coloured flecks clustered on one sleeve. Odds are I’ll be the only one to notice that.

Take Me out to the Ball Game

2011-06-14T08:22:00.000-04:00

It’s been so long since I did my own thing with a knitting project that I forgot how much fun it could be and how frustrating. It was frustrating only in the sense that while knitting, I was filled with doubt about the size of the final garment. I remain in doubt and wish my live model lived close by instead of in California. My sister-in-law first approached me with a proposal to make my nephew a San Francisco Giants sweater out of recycled cashmere last winter. While visiting, it was clear that there wasn’t enough yarn. She anticipated getting about 600 yards of stuff from the sweater she had available, and while it made a lovely, loosely knit ladies garment, that sort of knitting would not be suitable for a rough and tumble boy of 9. Over the course of our visit to San Francisco last April, my nephew and I had a little design consultation and an encounter with a tape measure.

While working on the collar, Peter the Husband suggested one stripe around the neck to represent first base, since second and third bases were already in place on the bottom ribbing and cuffs. Pretty clever idea there Lovey! It’s a touch Peter the Nephew is sure to appreciate.

Things to like: It's fun to collaborate with someone. Peter the Nephew was very clear on what he wanted, and hopefully the reality meets his vision. It was fast knitting and the 2-tone raglan with stripey cuffs is cute. It's also very satisfying how closely the sweater orange matches the logo patch's colour.

Not so much: Size uncertainty. I think it will only work for him for a year. Oh well. I can make him another one next year.

Pattern of my own making. Wish me luck.
4 skeins Quince & Co Lark in Black
3 skeins Quince & Co Lark in Nasturtium
1 SF Giants Logo Patch, Velcro glue
4 and 4.5 mm needles, 4 mm dpn’s

Only the Belfast Hoodie remains to be blogged as far as finished items go. Another Fortnight has been knitted in the large size and it is really quite large. Too large for me or Peter, so it has to be frogged and worked in a smaller size. The medium ought to work nicely. The ear-flap bit at the back of the hat is immensely clever. I'll be making a lot of Fortnight's over the coming weeks. They are relatively quick to knit, very attractive and effectively consume leftover skeins of worsted weight yarn. They will also make great gifts and additions to the charity basket.

Finishing Frenzy

2011-06-13T10:26:00.000-04:00

Sunday was spent in finishing a bunch of things. Buttons were sewn onto the Belfast Hoodie and Tiny Tea Leaves. Steam was applied to the button bands of those two sweaters and the seams of Young Peter’s sweater. There were two options for the patch on the front of Peter’s pullover, so one was chosen and applied. And the Hamamelis was blocked.

What Hamamelis you ask? Well the one that managed to get knitted on Friday and Saturday. It’s much prettier than pictures seen on the web indicate. My friend Carolyn very kindly sent the yarn to me. Thank you Carolyn for the lovely knitting experience. Hamamelis just might become a go-to pattern for those times when you need something in a hurry as a gift. I am going to investigate other small shawl patterns later this summer for that very similar purpose.

Things to like: Quick knit, simple pattern that requires paying attention on both sides of the work. Prettier than expected. Fit easily onto straight needles (small size). Blocked out larger than expected – a nice size to decorate your shoulders or that winter coat.

Not so much: Can’t think of anything.

Hamamelis
Sweet Georgia Silk Crush Sock in Coastal
4mm needles

Instant Sweater

2011-06-12T06:53:00.003-04:00

This Tiny Tea Leaves only spent 6 days in progress. It knit up very quickly because of an inability to sleep (again), and due to the nature of the yarn employed for the purpose. It certainly was not expected to be done in what feels like record time, but there you have it.

Things to like: Pretty puckers and a simple pattern result in a gorgeous sweater for that fashionable 8-year-old girly-girl in your life. No tricky techniques are required for this cardigan, and once you’re past the yoke, it’s suitable auto-pilot knitting. As an added bonus, the girly-girl in question loves this sort of colour.

Not so much: Circular needles are necessary for making the yoke. At one point, for the largest size, almost 300 stitches of worsted weight yarn are on the needles. That’s too much for a pair of single-points. The yoke also requires swapping needle sizes for the duration of the ruching. That was a pain in the butt.

Tiny Tea Leaves
4, 4.5 mm circulars, 4.5 mm straights and dpn’s
5.2 skeins Quince & Co. Lark in Crocus

Now for a bit more on the yarn. It’s bouncy and much softer than the price would indicate. It’s almost certain more of this yarn will come into my household for projects in the future. It’s going to be hard to resist ordering more of it this year. There is one more niece sweater I can purchase yarn for this year, and it will almost certainly come from Quince. I might just ask Peter to buy some yarn from Quince for my birthday. We’ll see.

And since there was most of a skein left over, a Fortnight hat in the remainders. Knit in the small size on smaller needles than recommended, I hope it will fit the same girl.

Fortnight
.8 skein Quince & Co Lark in Crocus
4.5 mm dpn's

Nightingale Wing has come home from the office for the duration. It just seems to be lingering as a desk project. While that’s fine for some projects, getting on with this one feels like a better idea for me right now.

That horribly sharp pain over Angel-the-dog’s abrupt departure has begun to ease, but isn’t going to go away any time soon. She’s on our minds a lot and we are still ridiculously hopeful that this past week has been a nightmare from which we will wake up. Soon. It’s so good to have Peter to share this with. Aside from work, our little dog was involved in almost every single moment of our lives. Tikka, however, is blossoming and beginning to enjoy her new role as Queen of the Household. She is still looking for Angel, but she has taken over Angel’s place on the bathmat when I am in the shower. That she is spending more time downstairs with Peter during the day makes me happy, and she is far more willing to play than she has been in the past. I expect she was always somewhat afraid Angel would pounce on her if she ran around too much.

Just Add Water

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Young Peter's sweater was supposed to get blocked last weekend, and buttons applied to the Belfast Hoodie, but there was no heart available for those tasks. A sweater for one of my niece's was begun late last week. It's a Tiny Tea Leaves, and its the second time around with this pattern. The first sleeve is almost finished. It's been sort of an instant sweater, as in just add water.

We remain brokenhearted, missing the small joys that Angel-the-dog offered on a daily basis. That sweet little dog is about all we can think about. Tikka-the-cat keeps looking for her, sniffing under blankets and otherwise making noises that the dog cannot be found. I find myself looking for Angel too, missing the sound of her on my heels, expecting her company when going outside, or otherwise moving about the house. Turning in for the night is the hardest part of a day without her. She loved to head upstairs to bed for a little snuggle, a chat and some reading before finally settling in for sleep. I loved it too. I understand she's in the best possible place given her sudden change in condition, but I am not there emotionally. Really, I was not ready to let her go, but part of being a pet owner is accepting responsibility for her quality of life. And that quality of life disappeared overnight. It's left me filled with guilt and denial. Guilt for not realising she was ill, and denial in expecting her to be here with us now. I am more than a bit grateful that she did not appear to suffer, and was spunky, full of life and love, and had fun up until her very last day with us.

Raining

2011-06-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's appropriately stormy today. It started raining just after we had our beloved dog Angel put to sleep. She was showing signs of discomfort on Friday, and we took her to the vet as a precautionary measure. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer common to dogs. It is a mystery how she could have been filled with cancer and we did not know she was ill. How can it be that she felt mostly fine yesterday, and by this morning, was not fine at all?

Angel was Peter's dog, and I became Angel's pet. For the past 9 years I was enthusiastically greeted at the door every time I came through it, and lovingly followed around the house. She was my bedtime reading companion and full-time knitting coach. Funny, sweet, full of joy and filled with a happy spirit she is sorely missed by those who loved her. She was about 11 years old.

Yeah. It's Way too Early.

2011-05-28T04:44:00.000-04:00

It's 4:30 am. I've been up for an hour. The good thing about that is this.

That's Belfast in the kitchen sink looking all cherry in the water. Excuse the poor colour capabilities of this photographer. Now to switch gears in keeping with my sleep deprived and addled brain.

Being in possession of an exuberant sock yarn collection, a decision to finally make a blanket for our bed was made. Yes. It is going to be made on the machine and it does make short work of knitting a skein of sock yarn.The knitting machine was delivered with a cone winder. While it certainly sped the process of getting a skein into a ball-like shape, the resulting balls of yarn it produced did not really work all that well with the machine unless the yarn remained on the cone. It was also noisy enough to scare Chicken Tikka Masala (the cat) right out of the room and annoy everyone in its vicinity. Armed with the perfect excuse, a Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder has made it home. Now that it’s been used, it ranks right up there alongside the swift as one of my favourite knitting toys ever. Yarn wound with it feeds into the knitting machine much easier, and seems to cause fewer problems while working. It is such a thrilling development ladies, that last night, 3 FULL 2-sock-sized skeins of yarn were knitted into blocks. 3 skeins! Witness this small pile of rectangles.

There are more upstairs, but it is just after 4:30, and there's no reason to wake Peter up now. Maybe later.

As for the blanket, a large amount of Socks that Rock lightweight was purchased a number of years ago for the purpose. I flaked on it. Wanting to clear up some stash this year and having the machine allowed for a change in plan for blanket design, and spurred me into action. While there’s more yarn than necessary for a king-sized blanket, all of it is getting knit up into blocks so that some of them can be used for ready-to-assemble lap/baby blankets in the future. The blocks are somewhat brick-like in shape and are threaded onto waste yarn on the cast on and cast off sides with long tails. This allows for a number of options when it comes time for assembly – crochet edges, three needle bind off, whatever. It won’t make for exciting knitting at the machine, but it will allow for plenty of observation of it in action. Each experience at the machine has taught me a little something about it.

Young Peter’s sweater hasn’t seen much action this week, but I’ve got big plans for it as long as the weather's not nice. The front should get finished soon, and the sleeves shouldn’t take much effort to make at all. It will be fun to knit in that orange. Sewing the logo patch onto the front has me a little worried, but it will work out somehow.

2011-05-24T12:19:00.000-04:00

As mentioned in the last post, an attempt to make something real with the knitting machine was slated for the weekend. Leisl from CocoKnits was chosen as the test project because of its simple shaping and design. A bottom-up piece, to be knitted in the round, it was easy to split the design into 2 pieces, and do the math for the pattern based on the provided stitch and row counts. A spreadsheet was drawn up with pattern and formulae worked out for garment shaping, ready for the actual tension of the swatch to be dropped in. To finish off that evening, most of the yarn was wound up and readied for knitting.

The yarn, AllHemp3, did not cooperate with the machine at all. Diagnosis of the situation illuminated a very large problem. The yarn mast’s tension thingy would not work with the yarn. Without proper feeding of yarn to the knitting carriage, there’s no way to knit successfully. Yarn was coming off of the cone smoothly, but not getting past the tensioner. Experimentation also revealed that there would be no way to get a swatch to even come close to pattern tension. It’s unreasonable to expect to get a bang-on swatch, but I did expect to be able to achieve something in the vague sort of neighborhood. So much for that effort.

After giving up on the idea of machine-knitting Leisl, frustration with the project carried on when attempting to get a swatch by hand. Since the yarn was out of stash and all wound up, it seemed like a good time to just knit that baby up. In no way did this effort pan out. Tension problems again. No amount of needle changing seemed to make much of a difference with respect to swatch tension. A search for projects on Ravelry using AllHemp3 showed a wide range of successful projects, none of which looked to have tension issues. Clearly the problem with the yarn is me.

Since a fair portion of the weekend was spent without much knitting progress, Young Peter’s sweater was started. It’s being worked in Quince & Co. Lark which has a great hand and wonderful stitch definition. And bonus - it’s knitting up very quickly. The knitting was started on Sunday afternoon, and without much effort, it was time to start raglan shaping. The back is finished and the front is already at the halfway mark. Knitting in the logo has been ditched because intarsia failure is almost a sure thing. Here's a pic of the back. Yes. It's black and orange.

About a Hoodie, a Stole and Practice Knitting

2011-05-18T08:31:00.000-04:00

With 4 or 5 rows of ribbing to go on the button band and 2 pockets to make, the end of the Belfast Hoodie should occur sometime tomorrow evening. It’s been a very pleasant knit, but it’s a bit unwieldy right now with 388 worsted weight stitches crammed onto a 100cm (40") needle. It has been just the project to allow for near-mindless knitting after long days at work and sleepless nights. There have been a couple of errors in the pattern, but they were not the sort of errors that required getting out a calculator, or even taking your brain out of stockinette mode.

The cardigan's look in this yarn (SHELTER) really appeals to me, and blocking can’t come soon enough so the full effect can be experienced. It is surprisingly light, despite being long and having a hood. The lightness is most certainly due way the yarn was spun. The yarn spit-spliced together very easily, so the overall finishing effort will be minimal. Wearing it this weekend is a possibility. That is, if it remains cold like it is now.

The second Nightingale Wing continues to move along at a snail’s pace. It would be good to finish this before beginning Young Peter’s pullover, but with only a third of it done, that’s not going to happen. It’s been moved to my desk at the office to serve as lunch-time knitting, where it is expected to grow at half of a repeat per lunch hour. It does have the option of coming home for weekends, but with 17 repeats left (of 28 total), the knitting will be done soon enough.

Practice knitting on the machine has begun. After several frustrating hours at it, failing to cast on according to instructions, it became apparent that something was wrong. Closer inspection revealed a problem with needle height in the needle bed. An internet search determined a piece of the machine had not been installed – the needle retainer. That the piece was not mentioned in the manual was somewhat irritating, and once properly in place, knitting success with fingering weight yarn immediately followed. Time's been spent trying to create a swatch using a worsted weight, which my aunt says is possible, but there have been some technical difficulties requiring research and testing before agreeing with her. In the mean time, making something real with it this coming weekend in a fingering weight seems possible. Something simple, and mostly stockinette, requiring some knitting by hand to finish. Quality time with the pattern and a calculator will have to be spent after swatching, but that shouldn’t be a big deal.

Peacock Feathers V. Cream, Etc.

2011-05-09T17:47:00.000-04:00

Would that the San Anselmo hills could provide the backdrop for this shawl’s debut. Since we’re home, you’ll have to settle for my dingy Hamilton back yard, replete with the left-over detritus of winter and the recent winds. Sigh.

There’s not much to say about this particular shawl since it has been said before. The pattern’s wonderful to work with, the yarn is a dream, and the resulting shawl is quite pretty. Here’s to wishing Dad’s girlfriend a wonderful birthday. Which is apparently in July, and not May. It’s been packed up and will be sent off tomorrow to my father for his gift-giving pleasure.

I did screw this one up. A stitch was dropped in one of the eyes of a feather. See?

It did manage to get repaired, but what a disappointment to find that after it was blocked.

Peacock Feathers VCream
78 g The Gossamer Web Firebird in Natural

The moebius for my niece Caroline has been finished. It’s just a plain version, stockinette throughout. There’s enough to wrap around her 9-year-old neck twice. I thought the rolls were cute, so it did not get blocked out.

Handspun (my very own) Abstract Fiber Targhee in Bandon, 220 m
5 mm needles
160 stitches

Some handspun:

190 m 2 ply aplaca/merino/silk from Corgi Hill Farms in Hot Flash

450 m 3 ply merino/nylon from the Cupcake Fiber Company in Verbena

230 m 3 ply merino/nylon from Cupcake Fiber Company in Mixed Berry. The best yet spun.

The Belfast Hoodie progresses. The first sleeve is on the go. That's the body right there.

My Aunt Marion sold me her knitting machine and a whack of accessories. It looks to be quite a workhorse. My current office table has rolled edges and is a pedestal. As such it will not work with the machine. Peter says he’ll build me one. Lucky me! I plan on using this to make some plain pullovers of the pieced variety. Young Peter’s opus comes to mind.

Regularly Scheduled Blather

2011-04-28T19:36:00.000-04:00

There has not been much knitting since returning from San Francisco, but there has been spinning with decent results. From a 4 oz bundle of Abstract Fibers Targhee, a 220 metre skein of very usable yarn is currently on the needles. Thanks to Lisa at Knithound Brooklyn who provided the inspiration to tackle this fibre. The singles kept breaking lending to a rather frustrating experience, but persistence paid off in the end with a soft and bouncy yarn. It’s becoming a moebius, which is fun to knit and a bit puzzling at the same time.

From the Cupcake Fiber Company, two skeins of merino/nylon in Verbena came off of the bobbins this past week as well. There were drive band issues in plying the second skein, and it is full of knots, but the yarn is also usable. That’s two in a row. Another box of Cupcakes is currently being spun and we’ll see how that goes. Love them Cupcakes. Love them.
Nightingale Wing is making slow progress. If I could manage to keep the border patterns in my head, it would probably be fun, but I can’t. It’s not difficult – a 12 row reflected repeat over 14-15 stitches on each side with patterning only on the front. But nope. Can’t do it. Needless to say, it sits there, not growing very quickly. Good thing I’ve got until October to finish. The yarn, however, is absolutely wonderful (Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace).

My nephew, Young Peter, has asked for a sweater, and so my pledge to not buy yarn until January has been broken. Yarn was also purchased for Lilou (niece), and some is going to be purchased for Caroline (niece) as well. After outfitting the little ones, it will be back to the austerity measures and discipline. Caroline has expressed an interest in owning a variety of hats and scarves, so I hope to accommodate her request a skein at a time from stash.

Young Peter has asked for a very specific sweater. The sketch has been sent off for his approval. He loves the SF Giants. Can you tell?

Sometime this weekend: Peacock Feathers V.Cream blocking.

Homecoming

2011-04-24T11:56:00.000-04:00

There's always something bittersweet about coming home from a trip. It is even more so for Peter this time, since his father is not well. We visited family, slept a lot, and had a grand time.

Some of the fun included the California Academy of Sciences. We liked this so much, we went twice. They have an albino alligator, complete with pink eyes. So, is that algae on it's back?

And these cute little garden eels. At first glance, they looked like some sort of plant in the water. Until you notice them slipping up and down in the sand.

We went to Alcatraz, which was absolutely fabulous. I am glad that none of these cells is my bedroom. Did you know Al Capone was responsible for best-by dates on milk cartons? Fascinating!

We went to the beach and saw this very expensive boat, which had been stolen by some drunken 35-year-old on his birthday. Instead of being lost at sea, he managed to beach the boat and get arrested the next morning. Some hangover.

I made a pair of socks and can't find the finished shots. They live in California, so there's no chance for a retake.

BFF Socks from Knit.Sock.Love.
2.24 mm needles
Cherry Tree Hill Sock in Winter Berry

There were deer in the backyard in San Anselmo, where we stayed.

And the requisite fog. This is a view from the Legion of Honor.

There was feline company. Rocket survived an enormous tumor in his head behind his eye.

Wine-sipping overlooking the garden at Peter's father's house in town.

The knitting of Peacock Feathers VCream was finished.

And a new Nightingale Wing was started for a fall wedding.

The day before leaving San Francisco, there was a small earthquake. 3.4 or something like that in magnitude.

Finally, there has been a lot of snuggling with this one and her camera-shy feline companion, since arriving home early Wednesday morning. It's good to be back.

Toodles, Buh-bye and Tchin Tchin.

2011-04-04T07:42:00.000-04:00

Tchin tchin because there was bubbly for breakfast the other morning. Why bubbly? Well, you might be able to guess, but it’s been a long while. Milkweed. Is. Done. Bane of my existence for over 3 long months. What a pain you have been, but my, oh my, how I love you now. Now you are all folded up and ready to put in our suitcase for that flight to San Francisco, my heart just swells with adoration. But there are certainly aspects to your personality I won’t miss, so please be careful not to let anything happen to you on the way.

Things to love: an elegant design with a lot of knitterly interest.
Not so much: my own ineptitude and the slipped stitch edges.

The knitting of Milkweed did provide several lessons. First, my tension changes wildly at the ends of rows, and it makes a difference if it’s a knit or a purl stitch at that end. It also demonstrated a new-to-me method for starting cables off. For some of the cable-work in Milkweed, the full complement of stitches were not initially cast on – increases were strategically placed in the first few rows of knitting before the first cable crossing. This makes the transition flow neatly from flat knitting into the cable without much distortion. It’s ingenious, and I’d never seen it before. Grafting in seed stitch was also a new-to-me technique. Thank you for the lessons there Milkweed. Now. Get. Out.

Milkweed by Carol Sunday
10 skeins Berroco Ultra-alpaca, in Black
4mm needles

Modifications: Used a purled slipped stitch edge on both fronts, and got rid of the rounded edge at the bottom fronts, since making it look good seemed to be impossible. Unfortunately, this is one of those pieces where a good photograph just could not be taken. Maybe when it’s on Peter’s step-mother it will be easier to get a good shot.

Toodles and buh-bye since we are headed to San Francisco tomorrow. A live-in pet sitter has been retained for our holiday. That will be nice for both of our little stay-at-home beasts, particularly Angle-dog.

Another Nightingale Wing will take the journey specifically for those quiet moments in the early morning when I am awake and Peter still sleeps, as will Peacock Feathers V2, which has about 30% more knitting to go. For the plane and other less restful moments, a pair of BFF socks will do the trick. Perhaps a spare pair of socks for that just-in-case moment.

As for March, I am pleased nothing came into the house to augment stash, and a few things managed to get made completely without shopping. Minni, the Baby Garter Yoke Cardi, and the washcloths were stash projects. Success for month 1 of the Stash Overload Project.

Shelter For Me Me Me

2011-03-25T10:54:00.000-04:00

There’s been a small change in the Stash Overload plan for the year. The Shelter purchased for a sweater for Peter is going to become something else for someone else. Namely me. Peter does not like the colour, and while it could be exchanged for another, it will be fun to make something red. The red is not a bright or pure red, more like a rusty red, and is muddy enough so my overly red complexion will be able to wear it. It will also make an unusual colour addition to my wardrobe since red does not play a part in it at all unless it’s burgundy. The Belfast Hoodie was the winner in the pattern sweepstakes for the yarn, and the bottom ribbing has been worked for the body. The simple styling of this garment is appealing and I am already in love with it rustic charms. This is really working well for me at the moment since I’ve slipped back into routine where sleep deprivation is the norm.

German Stockings Walking Away

2011-03-21T08:01:00.000-04:00

Well that was a little bit of a frenzy. It sure did feel good to see those baby things go by, and see some of that stash get used up in the process. 5.5 skeins of sock yarn and 2 balls of other fingering left the house in the form of baby apparel. Not much in volume, but a start never-the-less. A hat for Minni was improvised to use up some of those remaining bits of yarn. There’s not enough yarn left over to warrant putting anything back in stash, and those little leftovers great for making bobbin leads and provisional cast-on’s.

The German Stockings are finished as well. This was a deeply satisfying project for me. While they had the focus of attention, they were really quite quick to knit. The knot of patterning at the top of each sock took a little more time to execute, but that is to be expected. The s2 x f2 size (foot circumference and calf circumference fit in there somehow) was made, and the pair used less than 2.5 skeins of yarn. This was Tern from Quince and Co. and it’s a lovely yarn to knit with. There were slubs of silk along the way that were picked out from time to time, but not enough to qualify as an annoyance. The yarn is soft and strong and I’d certainly purchase it again after the stash diving experiment is over. In any case, my friend Sandy should enjoy these very much.

Things to like: Sexy stockings. Surprisingly quick knit with interest on the sides.
Not so much: Pattern could have been a bit clearer on how to choose a size.

German Stockings by Cookie A from Knit.Sock.Love
less than 2.5 skeins Tern in Oyster, Quince & Co.
2.25 mm needles

That deep, burning love for Peacock Feathers has returned. That’s convenient since getting it done and sent off to my father in time for his girlfriend's birthday is a priority. The 6th of 7 charts before the border charts is in progress. That still leaves over 50% of the shawl left to knit, but I feel confident about getting it done.

Minni the Second

2011-03-11T12:37:00.000-05:00

I am not really sure why most people dislike finishing. It’s very satisfying to watch a project come together, working its way to completion. It becomes tidier and tidier along the way, turning into a wearable or useful item. Knitting that border around the fronts and neckline? A bitter-sweet time marking the eventual end of this delightful project.

Knitting Minni was as satisfying this time around as it was the first. There’s something about this corrugated little jacket that is immensely charming. The short rows used to create the diaper bump, the neck shaping and the hem are fun details to knit. As the piece grew, so did my love for it. Attaching the belt to it really spurred project momentum, and nicely accentuated the initial colour choice. By no means could this project be considered a quick knit. Approximately 850 yards of fingering weight yarn on small needles makes this jacket a commitment in both time and cash. But what a result!

Things to love: Listed above.

Not so much: Can’t think of anything.

Minni (Ravelry) by Lene Alve
2.5 and 2mm needles
Crochet hook
2 skeins Shibui Sock in Ivory (stash)
3 skeins of Shibui Sock in Periwinkle (stash)
.5 skein Shibui Sock in Finch (stash, used as the main colour for the previous Minni)

And because I could not sleep last night, some washcloths in Rowan DK Handknit Cotton. 2 balls, 1 each, also from stash. Soft and squishy, and also corrugated. 45 stitches, knit every row until the yarn runs out on 4.5 mm needles. They're not square, but they'll still work as expected.

A Little Quickie

2011-03-10T07:57:00.000-05:00

Since my cousin’s baby was born about 3 weeks ago, I’ve become obsessed with tiny little knits. Diving deep into the cedar chest rendered 2 balls of Rowan Fine Cotton Chenille from a project made last century. These 2 balls of yarn made a velvety little Garter Yoke Baby Cardi over the weekend. It awaits buttons, but is otherwise finished.

The yarn used for this project is both beautiful and terrible at the same time. Beautiful in the way it looks and feels, but it is just a nightmare to knit with. A nightmare because the bits that make the yarn so velvety also cause it to grab and stick whilst knitting, and the rather inflexible nature of cotton doesn’t help either. There are three more skeins of this stuff in stash, hopefully slated for a scarf sometime later this year.

Things to love: Quick and sweet project to oooh and aaahhh over when finished. Soft and floppy, the velvety texture is absolutely gorgeous, and sure to please Mum and Baby.

Not so much: The yarn. No wonder it was discontinued.

Garter Yoke Baby Cardi (Ravelry) by Jennifer Hoel 3.5 mm needles
2 balls Rowan Fine Cotton Chenille

After that quick break, it’s back to the German Stockings, since Minni has also come off of the needles. No word yet on Milkweed. She still needs buttons and a dog hair picking.

Stash Overload

2011-03-02T08:24:00.000-05:00

I am not so sure how useful it is to have a yarn stash. Take my lace-weight stash as an example. At the moment, Ravelry says I have 29 lace-weights available. 29! And that’s not even the stuff that was forgotten while taking inventory. There are at least 4 other lace-weights I can think of right away that were accidentally missed when the inventory was made. Guessing that a sizable lace project takes a month or more of dedicated knitting to complete, that’s a about 3 years of steady lace work. Most of the time when starting a new lace project, something new is purchased regardless of what resides in stash. So what purpose does this stash serve other than to take space in the cedar chest and generate guilt?

There are also at least 10 sweater quantities of yarn available. At least five can be made for Peter alone. There’s some alpaca, some Shelter, the Beaverslide merino/mohair, some Rowan Milk/Cotton, and a fair-isle vest kit from Sunday knits. That’s half of a year’s knitting right there.

A list of big and small projects for March through December of this year has been compiled. Each project will come from stash. Socks, hats and other one/two skeiners may make it onto the list later, or things may be swapped out for items of the same sort of size. Whatever is on the list, an effort to knit from stash until the end of December is going to be made. There’s no reason to purchase more yarn for the rest of this year. I want to challenge myself to stick to this plan for the next 10 months.

Within this Post: Two Addictions

2011-02-28T08:09:00.000-05:00

The German Stockings are almost done. Despite photographic evidence to the contrary, only the toes are left to knit. They remain in th state to ensure proper foot length. While the intended length was measured, given the opportunity I like to leave this open for a final fitting so they can be just right for the wearer. For me, knitting these socks was like eating potato chips. They just could not be put down until they were done as far as possible. Despite the fact they are knee-socks, it was simple and quick knitting after that knot of work at the top. They have only consumed about 2-1/2 skeins of sock yarn as well, which means that there’s going to be enough left over for a short pair of socks.

Since the end of the German Stockings is near, a second Minni (Ravelry) was cast on in a frenzy over not having anything ready for the family’s newest arrival. Normally I prefer to make baby things in less expected colours. This isn’t the case for my cousin’s new baby girl. While it’s not pink, it is lilac and ivory with yellow trim. It’s a candy-sweet combination that’s got me well and truly addicted to its charms. Unfortunately for Peacock Feathers V.Cream, Minni has captured my heart, and will most likely remain the primary focus of attention until it is finished. The first side has been completed aside from the sleeve, and the second front has had a good start. It should be on to the sleeves and finishing this weekend, since it's as much fun now as it was the first time.

This coming weekend will see the wrapping up of Milkweed. After finishing with the few ends that remain, and whip-stitching the button holes, the dog hair will get picked out. I promise. Maybe.

Not of Milkweed

2011-02-22T10:41:00.000-05:00

Last week was a bit tough. Not in the knitting department, but in the life is a roller-coaster ride sort of way. The first thing I did on Monday morning was to make coffee without putting the pot under the filter. Yeah. It was a full pot too. Nice way to start the day, huh? Stepping out of the shower, only to find your coffee all over the floor. Sigh. There was something like that every morning last week. I’m so glad it’s done with.

The German Stockings progress rather nicely after a little bit of problem in settling into their groove. It was only tension getting in the way, and normally it wouldn’t get in the way that much, but it’s important to the way these socks fit. The proper needles and stitch counts have been worked out and they now move along nicely. Why these are enchanting me is a mystery, but as long as the love is there, taking advantage of that feeling is the way to go. This will be the first pair of socks made with calf shaping chez moi and I love it. That’s not the only attraction though. Those little blossom-like structures on the side of the leg have totally captured my heart. Those and the travelling, twisted stitches. I love how they flow into the ankle. All things considered, once past the main motif at the top of the sock, it’s quick and easy going. Despite being robbed of almost all available knitting time on Sunday, the first sock is almost done and the second one has a good start on it. I’ll have to leave the first sock for a while since the recipient is unavailable for a final fitting until March.

One of my many cousins has had a little girl late last week. Her water was leaking for some reason or another, and the new one had to be delivered just over month early. Another Minni (Ravelry) seems like a good idea for the little miss since the first one entertained me so. Rather conveniently, suitable stash is available.

You might have noticed the lack of Milkweed content. Not that the title of this post didn't clue you in. As usual, she’s being avoided. I’m still afraid of touching those button holes.

Success and Failure

2011-02-16T17:47:00.000-05:00

The first run at the German Stockings was frogged. It was just that little bit too big. The second try is a bit too small, so it’s time to find a halfway mark. It has just been plain knitting, and it’s OK to have a frogging session or 2 so there’s not been any boo-hoo’ing from me.

Milkweed my friends, is almost all sewn up. The sleeves are both set in quite nicely, with no Romulan shoulders in sight. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again. The success with the sleeve caps can be attributed to hair clips. It seems that basting the sleeve cap in place is not a firm enough method to prevent slipping while sewing. The clips that were used are too small for this worsted weight stuff, but will certainly work on lighter weight pieces in the future. A few ends remain to weave in, the collar needs sewing down, and buttons must be chosen. Picking cat and dog hair out of this thing will be finished in the next year or two. While we are headed to San Francisco in about 6-7 weeks time, this sucker is getting mailed. She can’t stay with me once she’s done – her welcome has long since evaporated.

There is one last problem - the button holes. Waaaayyy too sloppy. Any recommendations for tightening those up?

There hasn’t been much movement on Peacock Feathers V.Cream. A few rows were squeezed out last weekend, and it will have to get more attention soon. February will soon be ending, and I’d like to see that project to the half way mark by then.

The Cupcake Fiber Co. batts were on my mind last weekend. To that end, the Sweet Georgia BFL that was on the bobbins was plied, and the Cupcake batts were started on. Half of the first set of batts was spun up into approximately 200 yards of more-or-less sport weight stuff. The singles were the most consistent yet spun, and the plied yarn is decent enough to knit with. It is the most gorgeous blue. Progress in spinning attributed to the delicious nature of these batts.

Indulgence. All about Indulgence.

2011-02-11T11:46:00.000-05:00

The first German Stocking made good headway on Sunday morning. Enough was there for the intended victim to try it on. The fit, however, is questionable, and I’ll be starting a smaller size to see which works better for my friend. The yarn (Tern from Quince & Co.) is gorgeous. It can be a bit splitty if you’re not careful, but it is lovely soft going through the fingers.

Peacock Feathers V.Cream was restarted on Sunday afternoon, having decided to drop a bit in needle size. The work is much more appealing on 2.75 mm needles, and not enough had been worked to make it something to moan about. With Peter out at a Superbowl party, it was an easy lope through the first chart, ending the evening with a nice start on the second. The love is still there, and it is so nice to still be enchanted with the project, especially since its stitching has not yet been forgotten.

Marci and I made it to Toronto last Saturday for an afternoon of guilty pleasure. Indulgence was the word of the day, with haircuts, a trip to Lush and a really gorgeous late afternoon lunch at Sassafraz. While waiting for Marci to locate that elusive thing known as a parking spot, I had a cocktail at the bar. A delicious Cosmopolitan, whose very fabulousity was sincerely enhanced by the gently flirting barman (aka excellent salesman). Lunch was spectacular. Simple, expertly prepared food, served by a waiter that warmed up to us nicely as the meal progressed. Afterwards we walked through Yorkville as the snow fell. Oh. My. Marci is the perfect companion for a jaunt to the Big Smoke. Making tentative plans on the drive up, and not really knowing what to expect for the full day has worked for us the past couple of times. We don’t do it nearly often enough. The charm really isn’t Toronto. It’s getting to spend several uninterrupted hours with Marci, discussing this and that, and often laughing way to loudly at everything.

For more indulgence, about 2 weeks ago some batts from The Cupcake Fiber Co were purchased. They arrived on Tuesday and they are gorgeous. Really and truly beautiful.

The batts occupy the whole box, and are kept neatly in place by a collar so they don’t smush each other up in transit (collar removed in above photo). The preparation is excellent, and I made the mistake of taking a batt out of the box to see what it was like. The fibre neatly exploded and now the box can’t be closed. Clearing the bobbins off has become a priority, and my first three-ply (Sweet Georgia BFL)

should be ready for a soak and thwack tomorrow. That blue stuff? Well, that's my next spinning project.

Grant Park V2

2011-02-06T10:04:00.000-05:00

As with the first Grant Park, some minor modifications to the pattern were made to suit the yarn in use. In this version, row tension specified in the pattern could not be met, resulting in pattern displacement, and yoke shaping changes to accommodate this difficulty. Overall it still retains the appeal of the original design, and the resulting garment is attractive enough. This pattern will most probably be knitted again since Peter really likes the fit (that’s probably got everything to do with the ribbing). Next time it will be in a solid DK weight yarn so it can be worked as directed. A tubular cast off was used for the neck, but I must have missed something in the instructions, since in no way does it look as advertised. I like it. But it's not right, and its too much of a pain to pick it out.

Grant Park by Selena Lee for Twist Collective
6 skeins Kona Bay Wool in Teal
3.75 mm, 3.25 mm circular needles

It’s time to face the music and get Milkweed put together. One piece still needs to be blocked, but the rest? Well, those pieces are ready for it. To say that I’ve been dreading the assembly of Milkweed is an understatement. Fear and loathing come to mind. It starts out simply enough with a 3-needle bind off for the shoulder seam. It looks like that Romulan sleeve cap look has been avoided, at least on the left side.

The German Stockings have been started and will hopefully not distract me from Milkweed finishing. There was a lot of waffling about the size to work for the socks. It’s not really crystal clear in the instructions how to choose the size. Selecting sizing from the chart based on calf and foot circumferences seemed the way to go, but it turns out that the chart does not account for the negative ease required to keep the from falling down.

My VP canceled one of his pet projects this week. Shut it down completely. No further development required. This is a sign of things to come. Tougher things. Layoffs were even mentioned. Since my project is a charitable one, I can see the axe coming and am somewhat nervous.

A Bit of Quirkiness

2011-01-27T18:52:00.000-05:00

Grant Park was taken home from the office last weekend because nothing much was going to happen with Milkweed beyond re-knitting the sleeve caps on Friday evening. Saturday was spent in sweet bliss, happily marathoning away on that simple knit. It was a big relief to knit on something practically guaranteed to work out after all of the drama engendered by Milkweed. The first of Grant Park’s sleeves is finished. After reducing the stitch count for the cast on to produce a snugger cuff, it progressed smoothly. It’s hard to believe the body is done as well and Peter should be sporting this relatively soon.

Since working on anything significant the other day was out of the question, Untangled was cast on. Yes, my earbuds now sport a beautiful Madeline Tosh DK sweater in Tart. While it’s a bit fiddly to work the I-cord around the cables, this really works to keep them tangle-free and the result is cutely quirky. My workmate laughed so hard at this project, started over lunch, I almost choked on a mouthful of apple.

After my father’s visit last fall, some Firebird au natural was ordered from The Gossamer Web for a second Peacock Feathers shawl. He wants it for his girlfriend, Phyllis. Since the calendar is filling up with a good portion of April away and a business trip expected in May, this project has become a priority. Especially since it did not make it as a Christmas gift last year. It needs to be finished by the end of March since Phyllis’ birthday is sometime in May. It feels good to have a delicate lace project in hand, and it’s quite a contrast after the recent parade of worsted weight stuff. So far, only the first pattern section has been knitted, and there’s nothing much to see.

There has also been spinning. Something seems to have clicked and singles are becoming more and more consistent. This is a fingering to DK weight 2-ply yarn, somewhat over-plied. It was so much fun to spin, and I did not have to spend as much effort pre-drafting as before. Not sure how long the resulting skein is, since counting the wraps around the niddy-noddy didn't seem like much fun at the time. It still needs a soak and a thwack, most probably tomorrow. Then we’ll see what the end result is like.

Corgi Hill Farms Alpaca/Merino/Silk in Kava (loved it)
4 oz, more or less.

Some BFL is on the bobbin now. It looks like it will be a heavy fingering to DK 3-ply. There’s still variation along the singles, but they are more or less the same weight throughout. Half of the fibre has been spun up so far, with another 100g to go. Overall, I’m pretty excited about it and am expecting the best yarn yet produced by me.

Anticipation

2011-01-26T10:40:00.000-05:00

Gee waiting for packages to come in the mail is a real drag. Three small parcels of goodies are on their way and the patience for it has evaporated. In fairness, one package was only ordered this week, so it’s not right to gripe about that one. But really. Waiting is tough.

The third installment of the 2010-2011 Knit-Purl Sock Club has yet to arrive. It’s already been 11 days in the mail. While I wasn’t in absolutely in love with the first two pairs of socks, Bizarre (Ravelry) has me through and through. It also marks the halfway point in the club, and a single sock has yet to be knit for it. And if the socks aren’t knitted in a timely fashion, joining again next year is not allowed.

It’s also time to make a pair of socks for a charity raffle winner at work. We negotiated the colour and pattern about a week ago – a pair of German Stockings from Cookie A’s book Knit. Sock. Love. They will be made in Tern from Quince & Co, colour Oyster, which should also arrive soon. I am really looking forward to seeing what the yarn is like and working on this particular project.

So let’s see here. Milkweed/Stinkweed, Grant Park, Peacock Feathers V2, Maplewing, Acorns, Bizarre, German Stockings, the other 2 club socks and spinning? Do I think I have 20 arms or what?

January 25, 1940

2011-01-25T08:20:00.000-05:00

My mother would have been 71 today. This is the day I usually miss her most, her birthday. This year it feels more bittersweet than usual since her eldest sister Dorothy passed away just 3 weeks ago. Dorothy and my mother looked very much alike, and shared many of the same traits. Visiting Dorothy was like spending time with a somewhat different version of my mother. They were both as bubbly as a freshly opened bottle of champagne, and as charming.

Mum died when she was 54, after living for 10 years without her right lung. Cancer was the reason for the loss of that lung, but emphysema resulted in her death. Smoking for close to 30 years initiated the whole process. God how I hate smoking. The sound of a cigarette package opening, the flick of a lighter? All of the sounds related to the process just grate on my every nerve. Peter smokes, and heavily. I wish so much he wouldn’t. It would be such a gift if he stopped.

We children used to beg Mum to stop smoking. She’d wag her finger at us and tell us she’d outlive us all. Even as an adult, there was a small part of me that believed that. The day before she died, she’d made reservations to come and see me for 2 weeks, and while we all expected it to happen, it still came as a surprise.

My mother grew a lot in the last 10 years of her life. She became more accepting, more adventurous, and more loving. She had a lot of friends and many people loved her. For the most part, it’s good to be so much like her.

Ritual Suicide Emminent. Well, not Really.

2011-01-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's time for a sanity check. Last night Milkweed's sleeves were blocked and they grew a full 10 cm (4") inches in length after a decent soak in the sink. Yeah. After this sweater gets presented to my mother-in-law in the spring, I will commit seppuku in Golden Gate Park. And to think someone (that would be me) actually had the nerve to wholeheartedly believe that Milkweed could be finished this weekend. Some growth upon blocking the sleeves was anticipated, but really, the other pieces did not grow as dramatically. Indeed, they increased in length by only 2.5 cm (1"). So, frogging back and re-knitting the sleeve caps is in order, followed by another blocking session. Hopefully the sleeves will be dry enough for that tonight.

After all the angst involved with knitting this beast, a new concern has arisen now that the time for assembly is near. Whenever setting in a sleeve with a cap, I tend to manufacture a point at the top of the cap such that the set in sleeve resembles the height of fashion for a Romulan warrior (check out the width of those shoulders). Yep. Almost every time. Anyone got any suggestions for avoiding this?

Peter’s second Grant Park moves along quite nicely for a desk project. Over half of the first pattern repeat has been worked. In taking a piece from Rue’s playbook, I’ve been reading whilst knitting this simple thing. It’s been making study time that much more pleasant.

Linda?

2011-01-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

My first name isn’t Gale. That’s my middle name. My first name is Linda. My parents wanted to call me Linda, but I already had a cousin with that name, so my parents named me Linda Gale. Until I was about 10 or 11, I thought my name was Gale Linda. When I started school, the teacher called everyone’s name, except mine. Or so I thought. She asked for Linda. Since my name was not Linda, I did not respond. To this day, when sitting in a doctor’s office, when my name is called, I think, Who is that idiot? Did she leave? Well, that idiot is me and it always takes a few seconds for me to recognise my own first name. It’s a problem. When asked what my name is, well, the answer is Gale. But that’s not so according to those that manufacture ID, take care of my money, and print plane tickets. That my middle name is spelled like the wind is also a problem. Despite telling those that make tickets and so on how to spell the name, it is often misspelled by the person taking the name. This despite clear enunciation of the letters used to form the name, prefaced by “Let me spell that for you, ‘cause it’s not what you are expecting.” At 50 years old, I now more readily recognise my own name. But I tell you, it is a real pain in the ass.

Peter’s new pullover was cast on and re-cast on at least 5 times before it was right. That Italian cast on, while lovely, can spin faster than a twirling figure skater, and is difficult to unwind for circular knitting when it’s a long one (242 stitches). In the end, the first row of ribbing was worked straight before joining to knit circularly. A last minute whim means the Seamless Hybrid has become Grant Park. Since there was no pattern around to refer to over the weekend, only the ribbing managed to get done on Friday evening. It has become an at work project for now, since Milkweed is still in play, yet it progresses quickly with the first of 8 skeins almost used up.

The second sleeve for Milkweed has been started. Not that I want to work on it, but it just has to get done. It has been over a week since the first piece was blocked, so the plan is to block the back this evening and get on with sleeve knitting. Please end soon Milkweed. Yes, at this point I beg for it to end.

Mostly Whining.

2011-01-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

Yeah. Milkweed/Stinkweed has the best of me again. Something should have been done about lapel shaping and the armhole size BEFORE blocking the fronts, but it wasn’t. It is now necessary to reduce the length of the armhole by 8 rows. My gut knew that while knitting the lapels, yet I sailed on with denial as a companion, doing nothing about the rate of stitch consumption/armhole depth. The collar has to be frogged on both sides, and the shoulders ripped back! Go ahead. Please call me an idiot. That’s what happens when that feeling is ignored. Will the drama never end with this knit? It’s worse than a country song involving a breakup, a dog, a gun, a pickup truck and a 2 4!

The past couple of evenings have seen experimentation with Peter’s Seamless Hybrid. A suitably stretchy bottom-to-body transition using garter rib could not be attained, so the plan for a garter ribbed version of this sweater has been abandoned. Garter rib has worked for me in the past in a finer yarn, so it’s probably got to do with the yarn/needle combo. Since struggling with this is not an option at the moment, it’s turned into a plain stockinette sweater with a bit of ribbing detail up the sides and along the arms. It won’t be a load of fun, but Milkweed has provided plenty of that and something simple is in order. The ribbing’s been barely started, using the Italian cast on. It was well worth learning that cast on for a ribbed edge, since it appears to be quite stretchy and gives an edge that looks like the tubular cast on.

The receiver of the Shale Baby Blanket asked why I chose wool for his child. He also asked why the fabric of the blanket was soft, and not, wait for it, wool-like. He was surprised to hear the following litany: comfortable (elastic and warm), resists dirt, static resistant (winter baby, static-filled environment), fire resistant, water repellant on those days when the snow is wet and baby is outside in the stroller, warm even when wet, can hold 30% of it’s weight in water before it even feels wet. As for the softness, that’s better quality wool than used for your work socks there buddy. After all, it IS for baby.

Rocks and Weeds

2011-01-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

The Shale Baby Blanket, although a dull knit, was just the thing to occupy a slow winter's weekend and the return to routine. By the end of last Monday, the last ball of yarn had been joined in, and was knitted to the halfway mark. As you can see, it is finished. Reworking the bind off is under consideration - it's a bit too loose. There's time to think about it, since baby's not coming until the first week of February. Baby's having a jungle-themed room, so this colour will be great for the new arrival, regardless of sex.

Shale Baby Blanket by Jared Flood
4 skeins Shelridge Farm W4 in Pumpkin Pie
5 mm needles
Finished size 100 x 100 cm (39.5 x 39.5")

Stinkweed's, unnhhh Milkweed's, second front is about half knitted. Lapel shaping is underway and daydreams about sewing her seams and purchasing buttons have begun. One sleeve remains after the left front is finished. Each piece will have to be blocked before sewing up, so finishing will be slow, in part due to drying space, and mostly due to motivation. There's still a great deal of pull up on the fronts, and that's due to the cabling at this point. At least it can be blocked out because of the looser slipped stitches along the edges. This thing sure holds on to the dog hair.

Oops

2011-01-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

The resolution to finish Milkweed before starting anything new lasted all of 6-1/2 hours. Yep. At 6:30 yesterday morning, after the coffee was made and basically fresh out of bed, the Shale Baby Blanket happened to get cast on. It's a really easy knit that doesn't require babysitting in the form of measuring and a lot of focus. Perfect for a lazy day where the morning's coffee was spiked with a bit of celebratory Bailey's, and a nap slated for the afternoon. Without much effort, a full ball of yarn was used up and the second started. The colour is very much like a ground cinnamon/clove mixture. It's going to make a gorgeous gift. Don't you love it when that happens?

Saying Hello and Bidding Goodbye

2010-12-31T09:09:00.000-05:00

I’ve got a hankering to make socks. It might just be because it’s cold outside, or you could call it like it is and say it’s just Milkweed avoidance. In a head-in-the-sand move, the Cookie A knit-along for Knit.Sock.Love on Ravelry seemed like a good idea, but it’s not. I’ve been evaluating the to-do list and there’s way, way, way too much on it. Mostly because I’ve scheduled the month of April off and have two large commitments to meet for May and a bunch of other stuff to do as well. To appease myself, one Pointelle from Cookie A’s book was started and finished. Except the cuff looked funky and did not stretch well enough for the intended leg. An attempt to cut it off and replace it was made to disasterous effect. The whole sock ended up being frogged as a result.

So what about Milkweed, you ask. That tart has been a burden and our on again/off again drama continues. Mostly because the assigned knitter, that would actually be me, cannot read. The right side was knitted to the underarm shaping before realising that no button holes or lapel shaping had been made. Alrighty then. Another frogging session ensued, buttonholes installed, and lapel shaping ignored. Yes, again. So much for being through with the fronts over the Christmas break. It’s good to report that the right front seems to have successfully made it past the armhole shaping, but now there’s doubt about finishing lapel shaping in the right spot. I may just speed that shaping up a bit by doing it every other row rather than every 4th as it gets closer to shoulder making time. I think we are back to getting along, which will be a good way bring in the New Year, but we’ll see. There’s still time for her to bite me yet again. At this point, it’s hard to imagine the pleasure that was expected from this knit. How is it possible that the back worked out so well, and the two smaller fronts are causing such hand-wringing?

Here's a distraction to keep you from noticing the lack of WIP photos. Tikka, taken a couple of summers ago in the morning light. She's not as chunky as she was then.

Several projects are lined up and are almost ready to say hello to the New Year. A colleague at work will be a proud Daddy in early February, so a Shale Baby Blanket will do just nicely for that. The yarn (Shelridge Farm Soft Touch W4) should really arrive for that today, since it comes from just outside Toronto and was mailed on Wednesday. 10 skeins of Kona Bay Knitting Wool remain in stash from a long-ago purchase. Peter has decided the colour (teal) is acceptable, so it will become a Seamless Hybrid (Ravelry) in garter rib. A bit of swatching for that is required before beginning. Since I’ve been on a mission for warm mittens, well, a new challenge has arisen in the form of Pinstripe Mittens - double knitting. Oh yeah. I’ve got to say goodbye to that Milkweed.

Peter and I will be spending New Year's Eve in, dancing and laughing our way through the evening. Cheese puffs are expected to be on the menu, and bellini's will make a return visit since some fixings remain from Christmas. We raise our glasses to you and wishing you the best New Year ever.

Sweet Holiday

2010-12-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

Except for the purchase of some onions, Peter and I are set for the holiday. We are expecting to have a lot of fun dancing the days away, supping on roasted ham, bellinis or mimosas in hand. Cozy as ever, the two of us, Angel the Jingle Dog, and the Tikka the lounging cat. We do hope to have a bit of company though. (Yes Tracy. We mean you.) Here’s to hoping your days will be just as sweet with your loved ones.

After that little sojourn with headgear and hand-wear, Milkweed has returned to active duty. Both of the fronts have been frogged, and the first of the pair is half way to the underarm. The hiatus was good for us, since we are once again in love with each other. The curved edge at the front openings has been eliminated, and each front will have a purled slipped stitch edge to avoid the tighter tension of the knit slipped stitch edge (a technique issue). Hopefully all will go well and the fronts can be finished by the end of the year. With 4-1/2 days in a row at home for Christmas, it could happen. But that's sort of dependent upon the level of bellini consumption and the dancing. Eh-hem.

Just because there was over half of a skein of Madeline Tosh DK left over from Lynn’s scarf, some wrist warmers for her seemed like a good idea. There’s still enough yarn left over for a pair half of this length. A short evening’s knit, and a sweet little stocking stuffer as a result. No blocking, since the curl on the edges disappears when worn. My pictures are rotten these days. Oh well.

Toast (30 stitches instead of 34), 23 cm (9"), for a snug fit
½ skein Madeline Tosh DK in Tart
4.5 mm needles

A December May Romance

2010-12-20T09:09:00.001-05:00

The End of May hat and mittens are finished and have been delivered to a smaller handed person than myself. It’s a bit of a disappointment for me, but making someone else warm instead is a good thing. That still leaves me without a pair of mittens, and without a plan to make a pair of mittens.

These were fun to make, and did not take a long time either. If you buy the patterns though, the designer calls a facing a lining. Just so you know, there are no instructions provided in the pattern for making a lining for these accessories.

Since there was a concern with having enough yarn to finish the hat and mittens, the shorter version of the hat was made. That was a huge mistake. While it measured out to the dimensions stated in the pattern, I don’t know a single adult this length would have worked for. The bottom was picked out, and the palm of the mitten motif was added to the bottom of the hat, reversing the background colours.

End of May hat and mittens

Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Lichen and Moss, 1 skein of each

3.5 mm DPN's

Beauty and the Beasts

2010-12-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

Beauty: My friend Ken knitted me a marvelous present. Look! I cannot believe it.

It is so, so, so, so beautiful. It is exquisitely knitted and blocked, and Ken is clearly very talented. After careful thought on placement and at Peter’s suggestion, this charmer is going in a frame where it will never have the opportunity to witness the claws of a dog or cat. This has the added benefit of rendering it suitable for public display where it can be shown off to all and sundry. Ken is the proud father of a one year old son. His family is expecting another child in the spring. That he took time from his busy life to make this confection for me makes the gift of the knit even more special. I am humbled to receive it. Thank you again Ken.

Beast the first: The mess of kinky singles shown below was a fibre club offering received shortly before my vacation. Yes, it’s yellow and turquoise. Please excuse the blur. Vision problems continue.

No, I don’t like it. An attempt was made to spin it, but the singles were even less attractive than the braid of roving. Into the borrowed carder it went, where it was transformed into a lovely, tweedy green. My carding skills leave a lot to be desired, and I believe it was impatience in the carding that led to a lot of neppiness on one side of the batt. There was a spot where a big wad of fibre got unexpectedly pulled onto the drum and I should have put the fibre through the machine one more time. The resulting yarn is pretty enough.

Beast the second: To help avoid feeling so negatively about Milkweed, a pair of gloves for Peter was started. In worsted weight, the knitting went quickly. It would have been quick enough to knit a whole glove and get a great start on the second in one evening. That is if Peter, the Princess of Pickiness, could be ignored. Yep. That’s what I said. Princess Peter: Wah. the cuff is too loose. On the next try: Wah, the cuff is too short. How about telling me that BEFORE two fingers are finished on the second try? Eh PPP? Well, they are on his hands now. Let’s hope this pair lasts longer than the pair from last year.

Cigar
1 skein Cascade 220 Heathers
3.75 mm needles

Beast the third: As for Milkweed, well, she’s in time out. In studying the right front’s hem, the way the stitches are pulled by the shaping of the diagonal edge and the shaping of the cable along the edge bugs me. (Stitches are added to the cable over two right side rows. What starts out as 3 stitches becomes 7 over these rows). It will be heading to the frog pond as well. Perhaps knitting the second sleeve will help diffuse the disappointment over the fronts.

Just for fun. Beast the fourth: The 5 year old next door, went away for the weekend to see her Daddy. Last Friday morning, her mother asked her to feed her gold fish. She put a Jos Louis in the fishbowl.
Mommy discovered that on Sunday evening when tucking the little girl in. The fish survived.

In the mean time, it’s an End of May hat and mittens session. These were to be mine, but the mitten is too small, and by the time that was figured out, the first one was knitted to the end of the thumb gusset and there was no point in stopping. Besides, they’re pretty and fun to knit. I want a pair of these mittens as my own in the near future. With a lining. Modifying the pattern to fit won’t be a big deal.

Mostly Milkweed

2010-12-08T13:43:00.001-05:00

Vacation time is over. It was a pleasantly slow couple of weeks with little to nothing to report. There were specific plans for only one day - lunch with my friend Susan. A spontaneous decision on another day led to an afternoon at the movies. Spinning, knitting, studying, napping and video game playing otherwise defined the days, with an occasional lie-in or very late night. It was really, really good to spend time rubbing Angel-dog’s belly, cuddled up with Tikka-the-cat and otherwise slothing around. It’s hard to believe it’s over and the regular routine is, well, once again routine.

Not a single picture taken of knitting or spinning progress during my vacation worked out. It would have helped if I hadn’t saved looking at the photos until the very end. Each and every one was fuzzy and out of focus. It’s an indication that a visit with the eye doc is in order because things have dramatically changed again in the vision department. Oh well.

Milkweed has a back, a sleeve, and one front that is soon to be frogged. On the left front, the edge stitch is knitted and then slipped on the following row. On the right front, that edge stitch is purled and then slipped on the next row. The purled right side edge is a lot looser and more closely matches the tension of the work. The edge of the left front is tighter and deforms the hem considerably. The little doubt I had about it while knitting the left side has become a concern. While a good blocking would most likely fix this little red wagon, I doubt my mother-in-law will be able to achieve the same results after washing. Too bad the right side did not come first in the instructions.

Based on the yarn consumed by Milkweed so far, another skein had to be purchased. It’s not a surprise, since the yarn recommended by the designer has really, really great yardage for the weight, and this is mentioned in the pattern itself. The cables are worked differently than cables I’ve worked before, sometimes over 2 or 3 rows and they include purled stitches. It’s enough to require attention at the beginning of the knit to ensure you’ve got the right idea. After reaching certain milestones along the way, the knitter is responsible for maintaining the pattern correctly through garment shaping. It’s not difficult or even a challenge, but certainly means you must keep track of ensuring increase/decrease pairs match up while shaping the shoulders and very last bit of the lapels. Since realising that frogging the left front is inevitable, interest in this project has been waning. Perhaps a small diversion after the right front is completed is in order. No tut-tutting. Something new is going to get started whatever you say.

Vacation Knitting

2010-11-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

Peter really enjoys the bespoke nature of the last couple of sweaters made for him. He’s feeling a bit naked these days because his go-to sweater has worn out. Despite the ragged cuffs, thinned elbows and holes in the body, he has been reluctant to let it go. Since he feels that way, and because he is my favourite knitting victim, it’s looking like there’s going to be a spate of knitting for Peter this winter.

There are a number of gorgeous yarns in stash slated for his eventual wearing, but these are not the sorts of yarns that I would consider to be workhorses. Joseph Galler Heather Alpaca, and some sportweight Sunday Knits yarns come to mind, and they certainly were intended for more formal use than in the garage. His favourite every-day winter sweater was made out of Kona Bay Worsted. This was worn almost every day from October to April for close to 4 years. A very basic and inexpensive yarn, knitted primarily in stockingette, it did not pill very much and took a lot of abuse. The Beaverslide, currently being worked into Portland, holds more promise for that sort of activity. Portland was the primary focus last week, and after a slight disaster where 2 repeats had to be frogged, the front is almost halfway to the raglan shaping. It will probably not be the go-to sweater the Kona Bay was, but Peter will appreciate having something practical to wear relatively soon.

A couple of weeks ago, Milkweed by Carol Sunday caught my fickle gaze and Lisa, Peter’s step-mother, immediately came to mind. Fortunately for me, she also liked the design and we chose a yarn and colour together. For the next two weeks, I am on vacation, and Milkweed will provide the entertainment alongside Portland and Acorns, studying and some work around the house. The Saddle Shoulder Aran and the Shelter? Well, Peter’s expressed a goodly amount of distaste for cardigans. And red. This despite purchasing a red winter parka for himself. What’s with that?

As for Milkweed, it’s a decent knit. The cables used throughout the pattern are a bit different than ones I’ve executed in the past. Most include the use of purl stitches, held both in front and back of the work. Once you understand the notation (and the instructions for making the cables), it’s a straightforward knit.

Scarf Style. Because there are Two.

2010-11-16T08:12:00.000-05:00

1. Garter Stitch Scarf

This was made for my friend Lynn to wear with a fabulous, figure skimming coat she found on deep discount last spring. The coat is grey/black and cream, trimmed with velvet ribbons in the same red as the yarn. It was intended to be a hood, and will be worn as one, but the seam was not sewn in the back after debating the lack of merit of a pointy hood.

Things to love:

A thick, squishy, plush scarf.
The colour is amazing.
A fast knit.

Not so much:

Dull to knit.

Garter Stitch Balaclavas (Ravelry), Mary Jane Mucklestone
Madeline Tosh Merino, 3.5 skeins in Tart
5 mm needles
65 stitches instead of 75.
No seam

2. Linen Stitch Scarf

There were 450 stitches to cast on for this sucker. It made the knitting seem very slow indeed, even though only half of the stitches are knitted in any given row. I had a problem in maintaining fringe length during the knitting, or even remotely in the ballpark of the recommended length. The finished fringe is a lot shorter than specified in the pattern. The scarf is 13 cm (5”) wide. Basically it was knit until one of the yarns ran out.

Placing markers along the length of the scarf was a good idea for keeping this more-or-less mindless knit in check. Even though the pattern is simple, it’s easy for the slip-stitch pattern to be off by one if your chosen colours are closely related. Surprisingly, there were long stretches of knitting where it was easy to confuse the semi-solid tan from the tan/gold/grey in the multi-coloured strand of yarn. The markers allowed for reaching a specific point along the row and knowing if the pattern was off or not, without having to inspect the work too closely. This was a great project for those evenings when having a few cocktails and conversation is the preferred way to spend time. Perhaps that explains the fringe length troubles.

The finished scarf is quite nice, with a fabric-like stiffness. It will go well with all of my friend Janine’s winter coats and jackets. This would be a great way to use up all those marvelous ends of yarn left over from other projects. There are 4 or 5 skeins of now discontinued Rowan Chenille DK in the cedar chest that would be great worked up into one of these. With a DK weight, you could probably get away with a 300 stitch cast on.

Things to love:

Not the usual sort of knitted scarf as an end result.
The knitted fabric is pretty to watch as it grows and yarns are swapped in and out.
Built-in fringe.
Certainly a cocktails and conversation project.

Not so much:

Despite knitting only 1 of every 2 stitches each row, and being very plain knitting, this project does not grow very fast.
450 stitch rows took 15 minutes of dedicated time each to work. It can be tough to find 15 minutes of straight time to sit down and accomplish something. I don’t know about your house, but at mine, there’s always someone wanting something.
Encourages over-consumption of cocktails. No need to ask how I know. You can guess.

Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf, Churchmouse Yarns and Teas
½ skeins of Blue Moon Socks that Rock Lightweight in Harlotty, Muddy Bottom Breakdown and Thraven
4 mm circular needles

Cable Fever

2010-11-12T07:50:00.000-05:00

Peter’s Portland is going to have raglan sleeves. It’s a shape he likes, and one I am comfortable in knitting. It’s fun to work cables with such thick yarn, and it’s fun to plan a change in the basic construction of this pullover. It has been many years since a cable sweater has sprung from the needles chez moi, and the experience to date has been so good as to want to do another right away. The shaping at the very top of the back needs to be redone. The raglan shaping did not manage to get carried on alongside the neck shaping.

The Shelter is here, waiting to become a Saddle Shouldered Aran. For Peter, a sweater usually needs to be lengthened 7 – 10 cm (3 – 4”) from the underarm to the hip and 2 – 5 cm (1 – 2”) in the chest length. Sleeves also require lengthening, and a 115 cm (46”) chest circumference will do the trick. 2240 yards of stuff are available, and that should be enough.

Admiring all of the gorgeous versions of this cardigan on Ravelry has been fun, and I’ve hauled out my well used, ancient copy of Aran Knitting to aid in the selection of a few cables. The neckline for this cardigan is a concern. Many of the necklines look great (Rue’s as an example), but there are some that do not. It’s probably due to the interesting construction. Peter will not wear either a square neckline or a large scoop, so there will certainly be some fiddling with that. A generous swatch is destined for the near future in order to determine how far the yarn will go before settling in with this plan.

Lace and Cables

2010-11-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

Maplewing. One relatively small word, having 40 achingly long starting rows of approximately 600 stitches each. That number varies from row to row as the edging changes. But still. That’s approximately 24000 stitches in the first border section alone. Sigh. The staring-at-it quotient remains high. The main pattern repeat for the bottom of the shawl is 39 stitches long. There are 2 yarn overs and 2 decreases in each repeat, predictably placed each and every row. After Peacock Feathers’ rows of continuous, not necessarily symmetrical fun, that’s a lot of plain knitting. If there wasn’t such a lust on for the end result, it would have been pitched into the frog pond. Maybe it’s a good thing there’s another Peacock Feathers on the schedule after all. Those 40 long starting rows are finally done and the stitch count for the next 32 rows is 499 stitches, with little change in the patterning (32 stitch version of the previous 39 stitch repeat). That’s approximately 16000 stitches for the section. Sigh.

Enough with the boredom. Rue over at Tinks and Frogs knitted a spectacular Staghorn (Rav link) from Lisa Lloyd’s book A Fine Fleece. I stared at her Ravelry photos for a long time, trying to figure out what she had done to improve the look of the sleeves. Turn’s out she reduced the underarm bulk by knitting a sleeve with a smaller circumference at the top. Smart move there Rue. I’d long ago fallen in love with Portland (Rav again) out of the same book, and started it largely because Rue’s Staghorn looks so good. Peter would not wear a sweater with all that fabric flapping around under his arm, and changing it up never crossed my tiny little mind. So thank you Rue, for the inspiration to change it up a bit. Portland’s being knit from the yarn returned to stash from the frogged Mr. Rogers (Rav). The cables are showing up just fine in this gorgeous, almost-black colour. Unfortunately, so is Angel’s white dog hair. So far, the yoke design is still up in the air and there are 2 options. 1. Follow Rue’s lead and just reduce the underarm bulk. 2. Change it up further with a raglan or set-in sleeve. What to do, what to do.

Look with Your Eyes.

2010-11-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

Is what Natalie said to everyone that walked by her cube to look at Peacock Feathers. To admire the shawl on the day of gifting, it was pinned to her cubicle wall like a piece of art. That she was excited to wear the shawl on her wedding day is an honour. The pleasure of giving it to her still warms my soul, and that stems from her continued enthusiasm for the piece. Before the wedding, she took it to show her dog walker neighbor, and proudly showed it off to her family and future husband. Of course, all of that really strokes my ego, but it also makes me happy to have made it for her. She’s just the sort of person a knitter loves to knit for – someone that really appreciates the end result. While I did not attend the wedding, she did forward some pictures after the fact. Here she is, getting ready. Isn’t she beautiful?

As for the weekend, well, very little knitting managed to be accomplished. And, if you can believe it, it all had to be ripped out. Can you imagine? It was garter stitch. Spinning on the other hand, well, there was a lot of it. That I enjoy it so much remains a surprise. I’ve got about 400 yards of bulky to fingering weight yarn that is suitable for knitting. There’s also a 2 oz bobbin of BFL spun up, waiting for the other half to be started. Don’t know how that’s going to go this week, since by the time I get home from studying, it will be close to 6:30. I’ve got to get Lynn’s scarf/hood finished so I’d better concentrate on that.

Wow Goodie Two Shoes!

2010-10-28T07:44:00.000-04:00

Your attitude really leaves something to be desired. My knitting practices, or lack thereof, are really of no concern to you. While poor Acorns could be in use at the moment, she does have a body, and at any time could pop to the top of the pile and grow a sleeve. As for the spinning, well, I like it now, so I am going to spin now. If you don’t like the mess on the knitting table, then buy me a knitting basket with a lid so it can be neatly contained. As you well know, I’ve kept a number of WIPs on the go for many a year. Even though I have been mostly monogamous to any particular project in the recent past, that does not mean that I have to be that way all of the time. Each and every project is a temporary relationship, and too bad if you don’t like me seeing more than one project at a time.

Now, I am aware that you are feeling a bit neglected these days. The change to my everyday schedule to allow for study, exercise and spinning has put a big cramp on your style. Please keep in mind, Miss Goodie, that without the study, I will fall behind at work. That could lead to a loss of income, which will have a direct effect on yarn money. You also know I work on a charitable project, and if the funding gets yanked, well, you can guess what will happen. Whether you like it or not, the nightly study period stays. As for the exercise, I need it. If you don’t like that, then feel free to go throw your attitude at someone else. As for our friendship, well, I think I want to let that go. You’re kind of bossy and mean.

Your former friend, Gale

Dear Gale

2010-10-27T16:39:00.000-04:00

Really now? What is it with this urge to cast on for everything in your Ravelry queue? You mean that? You know that’s not a question about your practicality. It’s rather a question about your sanity. Honestly Gale. Do you really think you can handle juggling 6 or 7 projects, work, studying for your professional development exams and everything else? No. You can’t. Look at what happened to Acorns when you only had 3 projects going on. Now you have Lynn’s scarf, Janine’s scarf, Peter’s sweater, a pair of socks, a pair of mittens, guilt over Acorns, Maplewing, and to top it all off, all you really want to do right now is spin. You know these projects are all suffering. So, no! No-no-no. No! You can’t cast on for Peacock Feathers this evening. The Madness. Has. Got. To. Stop. Goodness knows what’s going to happen when that box of Shelter you’ve been stalking in the mail finally arrives. Yes, I know it was for your birthday, but enough already. You’ve already got a cabled sweater for Peter on the go, and if you’d only decide how you’re going to handle the sleeves you could finish it already. Geesh Gale. Get a grip.

With love, Goodie Two Shoes.

Tuesday Variety Pack

2010-10-26T19:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you very much for the birthday wishes. Like most weekends, it was a quiet one filled with much love and, as you can probably tell, a lot of laughter. My Marvelous Marci (3Ehmmms) visited in the evening, bringing with her a drum carder, on loan from her sister Dee.

Peter went out in the late afternoon to spend time with his friend Brian, who has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was reluctant to leave me alone on my birthday, but I sent him out the door anyway. Brian doesn’t have much time left, so encouraging Peter to spend as much time as possible with his friend is the best thing I can do for my sweet husband right now. As for me, well, it was a day accompanied by a couple of sweetly thoughtful gifts, wonderful company, and some Bailey’s to brighten the morning’s coffee. That’s just the sort of celebration I like – a not-much-fuss acknowledgement that this one day is just a bit different than the rest.

The drum carder got a spin on Sunday. What a machine! This is an 8 ounce stack of merino batts - the second set run through the carder. They occupy the entire surface of the coffee table.

The first set of batts has been spun and plied. The spinning was a lot of fun and the resulting singles are a lot better than the first set. There’s still a lot of variation in the singles but there is great improvement, most likely due to the carder and not any real increase in ability.

The new skein of yarn feels like it can be knitted. I’ll be saving my allowance for my own drum carder that’s for sure. Check out the difference between these two skeins. They are both from the same roving. Half went through the carder, and half did not.

My friend Lynn has this figure skimming coat that is an absolute stunner. There’s no room for anything under that coat other than a light garment, and she wants something to use as a scarf/ hood for damp and wet fall days. Having long ago agreed to do this for her, we headed out to the Needle Emporium in Ancaster after work one day a couple of weeks ago to buy some yarn. We ended up with some Madeline Tosh Merino in Tart. What a gorgeous colour. So intense. And it’s soft. She doesn’t want a point on the hood part, so a little math needs to be done in the next few days. I’d like to finish it by Sunday. It’s possible.
A new cabled pullover for Peter has been started, and Maplewing progresses slowly. The first 40 rows have been completed and there are now approximately 500 stitches per row. My fractured attention span remains just that – fractured.

For me?

2010-10-23T08:17:00.000-04:00

Is this a portent of things to come? Recognise that?

Yeah. That’s my birthday present. A toilet. And it's not just any birthday present people. It’s my 50th birthday present.

My friend Sharon in Calgary turns 50 next month. She’s getting a lovely new custom ring, set with some top-of-the-line semi-precious stones in golden colours. Quite a contrast in gifting philosophies don’t ya’ think?

Actually, I am kidding. It was just an opportunity to have a little fun at Peter's expense. He was able to pick up a fancy commode from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore a great price, so he did. Despite the fact that it in no way coordinates with the old fashioned almond coloured pieces currently installed upstairs, the new beastie is in place. You’d get a full pic, but that bathroom is so embarrassingly ugly there’s no way anyone but family gets to see it.

This is how my birthday is going so far. Pretty good start to the day.

Fibre Festival

2010-10-20T19:50:00.000-04:00

While leaf green with envy of everyone that headed to Rhinebeck last weekend for a fall frolic amongst the sheep and wool, I decided to host my own, private fibre festival.

Schedule of Events

Yarn Winding and Wine Gulping/Tasting: opening night demonstration. Thursday, from 5:30 pm until the yarn has been wound or the manual yarn winder becomes a bit too tipsy.

Knitting: Various projects, various times.

Wool Washing/Picking (Jake the Romeldale/CVM Fleece). This demonstration is much like watching paint dry. Friday and Saturday afternoons. The picking is a good activity to accompany conversation and for the consumption of wine.

Frogging Mr. Rogers: An exciting event involving the complete destruction of an almost fully knitted sweater body. Friday evening. Wine most certainly required to participate in this event.

Spinning (not a very good demo whatsoever). 2 oz of merino fibre, in an over/under spun exercise. Various unpredictable times. Exciting moments to watch for: cussing over broken yarn. Please note, this event is a non-alcoholic event due to the ineptitude of the spinner.

Special Event, Lace Knitting (Maplewing): This action packed event features a lot of staring at the project and copious coffee swilling. Sunday 7:30 am – 10:00 am. An early start to the day, accompanied by the Coronation Street Omnibus. Complete silence required by audience members at this event.

It was an action packed weekend, filled with fibery goodness/badness. You might have guessed I’m still in that state. The one that can’t focus on a single thing or project.

One item did manage to get wrapped up over the weekend. The last of the fleece is washed. While it did not take much effort to actually wash the fleece, it did require babysitting and a lot of time. The water in the house, while hot enough for showering, is not hot enough to melt the lanolin off of a fleece. A canning pot, specifically purchased for fibre arts purposes, was filled with a manageable amount of hot water (so I could wrangle the pot myself) and a generous squirt of blue Dawn. Greasy fiber was then placed in the pot and the heat turned on low over two burners on the stove. The water’s temperature was carefully monitored to prevent it from overheating and potentially felting the fleece. There was a lot of waiting around, and it took about 2.5 hours for each pot to undergo 2 washes and 2 rinses. This was the most effective method I’ve found for getting fleece clean at my house. Some grit, dandruff and vegetable matter remain in the locks, but it is grease free and much cleaner than the first discouraging efforts spent in washing fleece last year. Of the 4.75 lbs of fleece in the box, approximately 3 lbs remain after washing. Probably 2.5 lbs after picking. That’s a lot of fluff.

That box of fleece seemed to replenish itself for quite some time. Tufts of wool would be taken out of the box, and the contents would expand to fill the empty space. What looked like 2 pots worth of fibre on Saturday morning actually expanded into 4 pots of the stuff. Pretty good trick. Spinning practice must now begin in earnest so this wool can eventually be spun this coming winter. With all of the work involved in getting it clean, picked and hand carded, I don’t want to waste much of it through poor spinning.

The Knitting Grumps. I’ve got Them.

2010-10-13T08:06:00.000-04:00

Attempts to knit a variety of things over the two weeks have been to no avail. The Elise mittens, to match the finished-but-not-yet-blogged Edith hat, have been temporarily abandoned, due to a misunderstanding between the pattern and me. The sleeves and button band for Acorns are not appealing at all, despite the eminent arrival of cooler weather. Lace still seems to be the thing so Nancy Bush’s Triangular Summer Shawl (Rav link) was started and abandoned after working about 20% of the thing – calculations show continuing would have been foolish since the chosen yarn would run out well before the project was finished. Many on Ravelry used less yardage than I had allocated, but that wasn’t going to be the case for me. Too bad because it was really quite a nice little knit, intended for filling in the time while waiting for the yarn for Dad’s Peacock Feathers to arrive.

Since there’s still a hankering for lace, Maplewing made it on to the needles over the long weekend and has had a slow start. That 600 stitch cast on was monumental, and was only achieved with the aid of a nap about halfway through. The first section consists of 40 rows, each containing around 600 stitches (varies for edging). Despite being 2-sided lace knitting, this is an extremely easy project due to the simple and intuitive geometry of the pattern. Each pattern repeat of 39 stitches basically involves 2 yarn overs, and 2 decreases. So not really much action all things considered. A certain level of ennui has already attached itself to Maplewing, and it’s probably because there’s a desire to knit something else. What that something else might actually be remains unknown to this knitter. A lot of time has been spent staring at Maplewing instead of knitting on it. The colour is great and I am using a favourite yarn (The Gossamer Web Firebird) so knitting it should be fun. But still, I’d rather stare at it. The halfway mark for the first section could have easily been made but for a lack of enthusiasm for just about anything over the weekend.


All 600 stitches of Maplewing. Bunched up so you can't see anything.

The weekend did rouse the desire to spin. A practice run with some scrap fiber indicated a semi-decent singles could result despite seriously neglecting the wheel for well over a year. An 8 oz bag of merino was hauled out and while the spinning is far from good, a knittable yarn just might be achieved and it was fun. About 2 oz of unevenly spun fibre made it on to a bobbin over Saturday and Sunday. Some greasy fleece made it to the wash, and about 2 more washing sessions should see the end of that necessity. About half of what has been washed has been picked, and carding should begin soon. Picking and carding seem to be good activities to fill in the times when deciding what to do is problematic. Like it was this past weekend.

Caving in, some Shelter from Knit Purl in Long Johns for a Saddle Shouldered Aran for Peter is heading my way. Since it is selling like crazy and is a yarn of a limited run, ordering became an overwhelming necessity. At least in my crazy mind it did. Red looks great on Peter and it will be fun to knit this colour. Why some Harrisville Designs Highland wasn’t ordered instead (from the same mill at about half the price, and a yarn I love), is beyond comprehension. That’s yarn lust for you. Since the Beaverslide Dry Goods Wool/Mohair in stash was slated for that cardigan, it’s going to move on to become something else for him instead.

Other than a cast on for Portland (Ravelry) and a start on a pair of Wallflower socks, this short week might just bring anything at all. Anything that knocks me out of this fickle and unwarranted grumpy mood soon would be good.

Clippings. And not the Newspaper Kind.

2010-10-07T08:12:00.000-04:00

Last week I met my friend Susan for lunch at a restaurant close to the office. We usually go to the same place for lunch every time we go out, but opted for something different on this day. We were enjoying a glass of wine when a mutual acquaintance sat at the table next to us. Jim is a great guy, and we only know him from bumping into him at lunch at the usual restaurant further up the street. While Jim waited for his buddy to arrive, we enjoyed a drink together, toasting the day’s beauty. Just as our lunch landed on the table, Jim’s 55 to 65 year old companion arrived. As did his fingernail clippers. Yes, you can imagine what happened next. My appetite was somewhat spoiled by one of the clippings landing right in my rather tasty avocado and chicken salad with the fancy chipotle dressing. On comments about the clipping of fingernails being a private bathroom sort of activity as opposed to a dining room one, he got angry and kicked off. It was such a scene, the manager had to come and sort it out along with a bouncer. I've never seen an older guy get bounced before.

As for knitting content, well, there’s none. I’ve been possessed by a video game. Again.

Knitting Honemoon? What Honeymoon?

2010-09-29T07:40:00.000-04:00

While waiting for yarn to arrive for my father’s version of Peacock Feathers, the opportunity to prepare a few small items for winter comfort has been taken. Edith the Hat and Eloise the Matchy/Poochy Mittens (very much like the hat) are the primary focus of attention for the moment. Acorns will probably return to the rotation sometime this coming weekend.

As predicted, that sweet, sweet period of knitting without tears has ended and one of high drama has begun. Perhaps it’s got something to do with finishing with the wedding knitting commitments. Certainly karma has swung its head around to bite me in the ass and hard. While waiting for Nightingale Wing to dry, and hanging around waiting for water changes for a fleece-washing-in-progress, Edith was cast on. Knitting the facing went well, as did the first section of colour work. A provisional cast on was used so that the facing could be knitted to the inside of the hat, instead of sewing it in place later on. During the removal of the provisional cast on, the yarns were accidentally cut too close to sew in or otherwise join without the complete unpicking of the hem and a bit of re-knitting. After a second pass at the hem, there were 2 extra stitches on 1 of the needles. Inspection of the work revealed 2 missed stitches, 1 of which was cut. Yes, cut. I’ve never managed to cut the work before when removing a provisional cast on, so that was a bit of a surprise. However, I knew I should have asked Peter to do the cutting since my eyesight has continued to change and I do need to return to the eye doc for another prescription for lenses. A repeat of unpicking the hem ensued, followed by removing 2 rows of the facing due to the cut stitch. A bit more re-knitting and a bit more re-hemming saw the end of that and beginning of the main body of the hat. That whole process took about 4 hours of fooling around to resolve, and the hem just does not look as good as it did the first time. On Monday morning, the hat decided to drink a complete cup of fresh coffee. Oh yeah. That’s a great start. It was put on some waste yarn and dumped in the sink for a bit of a wash. It looks like the coffee has come out, but the knitting honeymoon is most definitely over. Wah. I want it back.

Nightingale Wing has Fledged

2010-09-27T08:15:00.000-04:00

In comparison to the excitement of knitting Peacock Feathers, this was about as dull as it gets. Knitted to the halfway mark before beginning Peacock Feathers, it was good to split the knitting of this stole into 2 parts. As far as the yarn was concerned, well Nightingale Wing’s Firebird is glorious. Easy to knit with and exhibiting great stitch definition, more is on the way. The finished piece has wonderful drape and a lovely, soft hand. The silk is most certainly apparent in the feel of this yarn. A gentle soak in some wool wash has rendered a slight halo from the cashmere.

Nightingale Wing is a relatively simple pattern, despite being worked on both sides. The edgings have lacework only on the front. The main body panels are 10 stitch repeats, and were easy to memorise. An adventurous beginner could achieve success with this pattern. As with the previous Knitspot designs knitted chez moi, it was very clear and easy to follow. I am working up the nerve to begin either Pine and Ivy or Maplewing, which each have tremendously long cast-ons and are also 2-sided lace work.

Things to love:
Sometimes a dull knit is just what you need.
Really, really gorgeous result.
Fabulous yarn.
Easy to block.
The last of my fall wedding shawl/stole commitments.

Not so much:
Sometimes a knit can be just a bit too dull.

Once again, the pictures I managed to get are not all that great. Many apologies.

Nightingale Wing by Anne Hanson
3 mm needles
Firebird in Forest by the Gossamer Web
Finished measurements: 51 x 168 cm (20 x 66”)

In Conversation with a non-Knitter

2010-09-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

Them: Will you knit xxx for me?
Me: No.
Them: Why not?
Me: I knit what I want, when I want with the materials I want to use. End of.
Them: I’ll pay you.
Me: No. No amount of money is worth the fuss generated by the exchange of cash. From experience if it doesn’t fit just right here or there, it’ll be a problem. So no.
Them: But you knit for other people all the time.
Me: I knit what I want, when I want.
Them: Please? Pretty, pretty please?
Me: How much time do you think it would take to make xxx?
Them: A few hours.
Me: Like anywhere from 12 hours and up, depending on the project.
Them: Oh. Really?
Me: How much time do you thing it takes to prepare to knit something?
A: Well, what do you mean?
Me: Yarn selection and swatching takes time. It has to be knitted and washed to see if it works. Even then, there are no guarantees that what worked for the swatch is going to work for the garment. So, how much time?
Them: an hour or 2.
Me: Depending on the nature of the project and the chosen yarn, anywhere from an hour or 2 to several days. And if the yarn doesn’t work out, that’s money down the drain.
Me: So, you want me to give you a good deal of my down time. Would you donate that many hours of your time to say, clean my house?
Them: Giggle. Gulp.
Me: How much do you thing it might cost to make xxx?
Them: 4-50$
Me: That’s a start. For a sleeve.
Them: You can get a ball of yarn at Micheals for $3.
Me: Sorry. I don’t use acrylics of that nature when knitting.
Me: I’ll teach you how to knit if you want.
Them: I don’t have the time for that.

Another For the Birds

2010-09-20T12:28:00.000-04:00

It is amusing me that the two latest lace projects are named after birds. With just about 3 weeks until my cousin’s wedding, and with Natalie’s Peacock Feathers roosting in its new home, Nightingale Wing has returned to top spot in the knitting queue. It feels strange to have these short rows of knitting in hand after being so intensely occupied with the long rows of Peacock Feathers. Nightingale Wing has a pleasing and easy cadence to it, despite being lace on both sides. With a bit more than 9 repeats to go, it feels possible to have this ready to block by the weekend, although that plan may be a bit ambitious.

My father has left to visit with his brother for a few days before returning to Nova Scotia. Long ago he asked for a close fitting pair of woolen mittens to wear underneath his leather ones for working outside in the winter. This weekend provided the perfect opportunity to oblige the request, since his hands were there for the fitting. As an aside, the coffee maker was a big hit and saw heavy use over the 4 days Dad was here.

Nothing special except the yarn mittens, by me
Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Gail’s Autumn Joy, much less than 1 skein
3.25 mm dpn’s

The joy felt in giving Peacock Feathers to Natalie really came as a surprise, and has left me with a rosy glow. That the shawl has provided inspiration for her wedding is very sweet. She will include peacock feathers in her floral arrangements and her hair.

Peacock Fight, or As the Feathers Fly

2010-09-18T10:24:00.000-04:00

As the Feathers Fly. Sounds like the title of a soap opera, but actually, Peacock Feathers is ready. Natalie and I will be exchanging blows over it early next week, so indeed, feathers will fly. Please send an email request for ringside seats. Space is limited, so get your request in early!

This project definitely pushed all of my buttons in the most positive fashion. There were a few tinking incidents, of course. And there was one incident where a number of stitches fell off of the needles leading to a 6 row frog on the last chart before the border, so it was not all total and absolute harmony. Despite the little accident, it was a joy to work from the first row to the last, and definitely ranks as one of my top 10 projects of all time. There’s no explanation for the lack of ennui with this project. It was a big surprise how quickly it managed to get knitted, despite neglecting it for over a full week.

Modifications: The recommended needle size was ditched in favour of a smaller size. The stated measurements for the finished piece were enormous. Since Natalie is not super-model tall, reducing the needle size produced a smaller scale shawl. The finished measurements are 92 x 180 cm (36 x 71”). The first motif (at the neck) was worked on 2.5 mm needles, which were a bit too small. Increasing the size to 2.75 (without frogging the work to date) did the trick.

Could not get a good picture outside.

Things to love:
Exceptionally written, no-squint required pattern.
The knitted result is certainly recognisable as being peacock feathers.

The yarn has a sort of peacock feel to it, flashing a bit of blue and green. Sort of like I imagine a Victorian mourning dress in silk might.

Not so much:
Why, nothing. Even blocking was a good experience.

Satisfaction Factor: Epic.

Peacock Feathers by Fiddlesticks Knitting
1 skein Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silk Thread in Thraven
2.5 and 2.75 mm needles. 2.75 mm crochet hook

This piece managed to get blocked yesterday afternoon, and my father liked it so much that he's asked for one as a gift for his girlfriend. That's quite a compliment, and of course, I agreed. It probably will not come off of the needles as quickly, but it needs to get started relatively soon, since he'd like it as a Christmas present.

Missing it Already

2010-09-13T12:20:00.000-04:00

It’s the same boring story over here. Reading about the continued contentment over current projects must really be irritating. All things considered, knitting drama is more fun to read about. You know, reading about knitting misfortune is secretly more entertaining than reading about knitting joy. It’s just so easy to relate to their difficulties and frustration. This time of happiness will surely not last for much longer, and a bout of knitting failure is sure to sink it’s teeth in and stick around for a while.

Peacock Feathers is knitted. This is largely due to Peter's attendance on a sick friend yesterday, giving me a totally free day to myself. I loved knitting this project way too much and Natalie may just have to pry it out of my cold, greedy hands. Admittedly, that’s not a very pretty thing for a bride to have to do. I’m just saying, because, really, in all likelihood she will have to do just that.

Wedding Shawl #1

2010-09-07T07:55:00.000-04:00

With the arrival of a suitalbly cooler weather this weekend, Miralda’s Triangular Shawl was blocked and delivered to my cousin this past weekend. Despite making an error along one whole row (and not discovering it in time to fix it), the shawl came out well, and the error is not readily apparent. It was particularly easy shawl to block using wires since the top edge provided a nice consistent line of loops through which to insert them, as did the points of the triangles. It was probably the speediest blocking job ever, taking less than half of an hour to thread the wires and pin it out. Final finished measurements were 147 x 76 cm (58 x 30 in).

The resulting fabric after blocking is as soft as can be, has a satisfying halo, drapes wonderfully and is very light and luxurious. The yarn was Land O Lace’s LouLou in Andover. It was not nearly as dark as shown in the photo on the site, and could be more accurately described as a medium blue leaning more towards light. The colour shown in the photos is pretty good for a change. This project called for a light fingering weight yarn, which I did not find in a suitably luxurious yarn, so LouLou, poached from another queued project, was held double throughout. I did expect holding the yarn doubled to be troublesome for the nupps, but they were not any more bother than they usually are. Would I use LouLou again? Oh yes indeed I would – the resulting fabric is so, so very beautiful.

Miralda’s Triangular Shaw from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush
4 mm needles
2 skeins Land O Lace Lou Lou in Andover

Continued Contentment

2010-09-05T11:45:00.000-04:00

Knitting Knirvana continues with the start of the Acorns cardigan. It’s ridiculously fun to have a worsted weight project to knit alongside the current lace weights, even if it is a circular knit (not my favourite). Knitting luck holds with another beautifully written pattern, which has been the experience with each of the Twist patterns knitted to date. Last week proved difficult to move forward with lace work after concept-filled, hard-thinking work days combined with sleepless nights. Something requiring some attention was the ticket, but also a project where dropping a stitch would not be the sort of tragedy that screwing up lace weight silk work would. 2 new-to-me cast-on techniques were learned for Acorns: a crochet chain right on the needle, and a provisional cast on over the cable of a circular needle. They were certainly entertaining to learn, and the crochet chain method was the winner for Acorns based on the resulting look of the first row. Since the pattern had been established, it was suitable for everyday knitting in the company of others. Which meant it accompanied Marci and me on a trip to Toronto last Saturday for all things fun. Being with Marci sure did wonders for my soul, and we had a fabulous time in the Big Smoke. It was one of those rare days where just about everything fell into place without effort. Right from parking in front of the salon where we got our hair cut to the acquisition of theatre tickets, lunch and even dinner. Wonderful.


The lumpy mess known as Acorns

Despite being grossly neglected last week, progress moves more quickly than expected on Peacock Feathers, and the love for it still grows. Yesterday saw the end of the 6th chart, which introduced new patterning to the feathers. The 7th chart is the last before the border charts, and is the most substantial of the set (50 rows). I’d like to see the knitting finished for the 7th chart by Friday. It’s an ambitious goal, but certainly possible since there’s nothing on the social calendar to interfere with it. Especially since it’s my intention to stay home and nurse a swollen and badly bruised set of toes, which were injured earlier last week.

The Acorns cardi is just the beginning of a considerable bout of upcoming selfish knitting. A new cardi for Peter will be included on the schedule, but that's something for me as well. After all, I get to enjoy the view. Hallett’s Ledge and Anney are up for consideration in this fall’s knitting sweepstakes too, along with a small pile of hats, mittens, scarves and socks. All for me. Me, me, me. And Peter.

In coffee news, we’ve decided on a coffee maker. A shiny and new one by Capresso. Pictures when it arrives next week.

Project

2010-09-02T08:17:00.000-04:00

Peter: Loves to shop. Pack rat.
Worst nightmare: Wakes up and all of his old “painting” shoes have been hauled away in the trash.
Philosophy: You never know when you’re going to need it.

Gale: Hates shopping, except for yarn. Not a pack rat except with yarn.
Worst nightmare: Wakes up and all of Peter’s old painting shoes are still in the house, and the yarn is gone.
Philosophy: Use it or loose it.

My husband is a dear man that loves to shop. Loves, loves, loves it. Garage sales, re-sale shops, you name it, he wants to shop there. Peter has tried and tried to drag me along with him and I despise every moment. Once he lured me out of the house under false pretenses and took me to a junque shop. I caught the next bus home and he’s never done it again. While Peter loves to shop and spend money, he has a thing about buying something new unless he perceives it to be a bargain. This means if he purchases something for the house, it is not likely to be of good quality. We are continuously at odds about what the best course of action is. At the moment, we use a single serving coffee maker. We have been using this coffee maker for the past 8 years. While it’s great for a single person, the early morning competition for the coffee machine, particularly on a weekend morning, is a real pain. That and the machine actually causes pain by burning fingers getting the filter out for the next cup. My father will soon be here for a few nights, so a couple of weeks ago I mentioned we should consider getting a new machine. One that served up more than 1 cup of joe at a time. As I was uttering the words, I knew I had made a terrible mistake. It has become a project.

After first mentioning the purchase of a new coffee machine:
Peter: I’ll start looking in re-sale shops for a machine now.
Me: No – you are NOT buying a piece of junk that I have to look at every day several times a day, for many years, until you deem it dead.
Peter: It’ll probably work.
Me: Someone else’s cast-off? Puhleeese! Forget I even mentioned it….
Me (pleading): Please, please, please don't buy some used piece of junk. Please, please, pretty please...

That particular conversation went on for a considerable length of time, but I insisted. No junk.

This morning, 6:25 am, as I am ready to leave for work:
Peter: Your dad’s going to be here soon isn’t he? When are you expecting him?
Me: Yes. He hasn’t mentioned when. He’ll probably leave Nova Scotia after school starts next week.
Peter: Should we get one with a thermal carafe?
Me (still not ready for conversation): Mnnnh. Wha? Oh. You’re talking about a coffee maker. Yes, we should have a thermal carafe.
Peter (looking at e-bay): How about this one?
Me: You can get that at Canadian Tire. How about not spending a fortune on shipping from the US? It’s not the bargain you think it is given shipping and taxes.
Peter: Unnnh. All right.
Short pause…
Peter: How about this one? It’s only $15.
Me: Single serving. No. Please go shopping. No. Sorry. Wait. I’ll go with you. Tonight after work.
Peter: I think it should have a built-in grinder? What do you think?
Me: If you buy one with a grinder, you have to donate your grinder to a friend.
Peter: Well, no grinder then.
Me: Why not?
Peter: Because we use the grinder for other things.
Me: That’s not true. We have a separate grinder for spices.
Peter: I like the grinder.
Me: Our kitchen is tiny. We should get one with a grinder.
Peter: But then it will only be used for grinding coffee.
Me: Well, that’s what we do now.

Later that morning:
Ring….ring….
Me: Hello.
Peter: Have you checked out the link I sent you...

Knitting Knirvana

2010-08-28T06:53:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year, Peacock Feathers made a short debut on the needles. Because I liked it so much, a decision was made to save it for vacation knitting. This, however, is it’s time and what a fabulous project it is. Tiny yarn, relatively small needles and an exquisitely written pattern have made for a rather joyful and satisfying start. The yarn itself is seriously contributing to the peacock effect. It’s Silk Thread II from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in the Thraven colourway, and has hints of blue and green throughout the black. Lovely, and certainly reminiscent of a peacock feather’s iridescence. It’s being made for my friend Natalie, who will wear it for her wedding in mid-October. It will provide a great contrast for her wedding dress, and serendipitously coordinates with the colours she has chosen for her day. It must be fate, since the yarn and pattern had been waiting in stash for at least 3 years. They must have been waiting for Natalie to get married.

As for the pattern itself, well, it is a delight. Large charts mean no eye strain in trying to keep place, and no struggle in counting stitches. When there’s a stretch of plain knitting over 4 stitches in length, the author has printed the number of stitches to be knitted right on the chart, rendering the counting of stitch squares unnecessary. There are written explanations in the directions and next to the charts so any confusion about a particular construct is clear, leaving little to no room for misinterpretation. If you prefer row-by-row written instructions instead of charts, well, this pattern is not for you. Charts and me? We’re best friends. This is a brilliant design and a totally charming knit.

And speaking of the charts, if you are considering this pattern, you will need to refer to the current chart on every right side row, even though the patterning is regular throughout the knit. That’s because the stitch count changes with each right side row and the patterning adjusts to merge newly added stitches into the design.

The needles have been changed from 3.5 mm to 2.75 mm in order to reduce the overall size of the shawl. Pattern measurements state a finished size of 223 x 109 cm (88 x 43"). While that’s a great for wearing with a to-the-floor wedding dress, it’s not really all that great for use later on. So far it looks like it will be about 75 cm (~30”) in length, and about 175 cm (~68”) wide, which seems suitable for someone that’s 165 cm (5’5”).

It really feels good to be head over heels in love with Peacock Feathers and Nightingale Wing. Knitting Knirvana. That’s for sure.

Character Traits

2010-08-23T13:06:00.000-04:00

Depending on your perspective, I am either persistent or stubborn. Whatever. It really doesn’t matter which one is used as the descriptor, giving up really isn’t something that happens very often around here. The Curved (Ravelry) shawl thing though? I give up. It’s not so much that the pattern is difficult because it really isn’t. I keep screwing it up. The body’s been knitted to about the 20% mark on 3 occasions. It was snagged once, so seriously the yarn broke. On the other 2 attempts, some large and gross looking stitches were noticed near the beginning of the work. These stitches were the result of missing a loop in some k3togs that led to having a single extremely long leg around the bird’s eyes in question. It looked bad and the stitches could not be adjusted to overcome the situation. Part of the problem in noticing mistakes is that the yarn is extremely bouncy, and the work is relentlessly scrunched up. Without someone to help stretch the project out for regular inspection, dropped stitches don’t get noticed soon enough in the process. Poor Natalie has been notified and has chosen another pattern. To my delight, it’s Peacock Feathers. She’s got the rest of the week to decide if she would prefer the silk purchased specifically for this shawl many years ago, or the left over’s from the Curved shawl. Whichever she chooses, it will hit the needles soon.

In contrast to the Curved shawl, Nightingale Wing is a sincere pleasure to work. This will be offered up to my cousin alongside the error-filled Miralda’s Triangular Shawl (Ravelry), which has yet to be blocked. She can choose which one she wants for her wedding day. Hopefully Nightingale wing will stretch in width considerably, since it only measures about 33 cm (13") wide. About 40% of the stole has been knitted so far at a rather leisurely pace.

Working with the Firebird from The Gossamer Web on Nightingale Wing is a dream. It feels soft, yet the crispness of silk is evident as it slips through your fingers. The presence of the merino and cashmere keeps it from being overly slick. The knitted fabric displays the fluidity of the silk content with a subtle glow and stitch definition is very nice indeed. It will be great to see what sort of halo develops upon washing, and how much give the yarn will have in the blocking. I am totally in love with this yarn however it all ends up.

Finale for Fiore

2010-08-15T02:30:00.000-04:00

Fiore de Melanzana was overdyed a couple of weeks ago since the light blue bits in the yarn (impossible to photograph) were not tickling my fancy. It managed to get blocked yesterday. What a beauty she turned out to be. Now dark grey in colour, with loads of interesting knitted details, Lisa (Peter’s step-mother) will hopefully like it. Simple to block and fun to knit, there’s nothing more to be said about this piece.

Fiore de Melanzana by Anne Hanson
4 mm needles
Fearless Fibers Laceweight Merino in Charcoal

2010-08-12T08:40:00.000-04:00

The Acorns cardigan, from the fall 2010 Twist Collective, has become the latest obsession du jour. It’s such an obsession that the pattern was purchased on release date and after fussing about with what yarn to use for a few days, it was ordered before week’s end. Everything about this cardi is enchanting. The neckline, the acorns, the shaping. What’s not to love? So feminine and yet not overly so. It’s a good thing the yarn is still in the mail, because Natalie’s wedding shawl would certainly get thrown aside. This charmer would most certainly be on the go if anything suitable were available in stash. Stalking the progress of the various versions on Ravelry is very much on the top of my to-do list.

As for Natalie’s Curved (Ravelry) wedding shawl, it progresses very slowly. With no stretches of plain knitting in this piece, each row requires careful attention. The yarn can easily be snagged by the needle in the k2 and k3 tog’s so taking care with needle insertion is a must. It’s a simple 6 stitch repeat over 4 rows, but if you need to tink for any reason, it can be difficult since the stitches tighten into tiny knots as soon as they slip off of the needles. Getting your needle back into those k3tog’s can be more than a little pain in the ass. There is no purling in this shawl, so to distinguish the right side from the wrong side rows a knot of coloured yarn was tied to the front of the knitting. That’s made it easier to work out which row of the repeat is next when picking it up. After researching other versions of this shawl on Ravelry, the advice another knitter was taken and a provisional cast on used to get started. Knitting a few rows in the provisional yarn added to the stability of the first row and the loops look just fine now. Thank you Ravelry. About 15% of the body has been knitted so far. Hopefully the weekend will see good growth on this item. This is one of those knits where if it gets put down, it might not ever get picked back up again. Yes Mary Lou – it’s unadulterated stubbornness that is keeping this one going. That and I do not want to disappoint Natalie. Working on the border of this sucker should be better.

The first Pinata (Ravelry) sock was frogged and started again. It was eating up yarn at an alarming rate. There is enough for a pair of socks, but cutting the cuff and leg lengths down to ensure enough for the foot is necessary since more yarn than initially thought was used for the Tiny Tea Leaves cardi. The sock knits up lightening fast, and is serving to entertain me when the curved shawl becomes too much.

And on another note, I keep purchasing yarn for Maplewing and then using it for other purposes. Somehow I managed to stumble upon The Gossamer Web on etsy. Less than 2 weeks ago, 3 skeins of yarn were ordered – 2 for Maplewing and 1 for Nightingale Wing. Is it ever scrumptious. Most of the offerings in the shop are too fine for my knitting tastes, but Firebird fit the bill. Slightly lighter in weight than Zephyr, this promises to be a delight to work with. It is 60/20/20 merino/silk/cashmere blend that is expected to bloom slightly on washing. The spinning looks even and tight, and the colour is wonderful. A skein has already been wound up for use for Nightingale Wing and will hit the needles soon. This may become my go-to lace yarn. The photo below does not represent the lovely forest green that is the true colour. Crappy camera, and crappy photography skills. Sorry.

Miralda, Curves and Pinatas

2010-08-06T08:03:00.000-04:00

Last weekend provided a plethora of comfortable knitting time. As a result, Miralda’s Triangular Shawl (Rav) flew off of the needles with yarn to spare. Given the yardage requirements in the pattern, I did expect to use all three skeins that were purchased for the purpose. A full skein remains untouched. The top section of the shawl was fun and easy to work. After grafting the 8 edging stitches together, the shawl was laid out for a quick look and a mistake was noticed. Unfortunately, this knitiot did not inspect the charts for problems and blindly forged ahead. While not paying attention to the quality of the chart contents, they were slavishly followed. What that means is each of the small diamonds on the bottom of the large border pattern has the same error: a missing k2tog/yo for each and every small diamond in the border. Yes, errata exist for this problem. No, I did not look for errata. Dumb? Yep. Very dumb. It's going to get blocked anyway, but another one will most likely need to be made. We'll see.

The misery known as the Curved Shawl with Diamond Edging (Rav) has begun. Well, sort of. Misery because there’s lace work on both sides, and because it’s been started more than 6 times without the sort of success I want. The cast on edge is the issue. It’s a backwards loop cast on, and the first row has k3tog’s, which really look bad after they are worked. Since those loops are used in the edging, they need to look good. Perhaps a few rows should just be worked and then blocked to see what happens with it. It is going to be a slow knit as well. Slow because the yarn is very thin and smooth (dropping, running stitches are a problem for me with such a smooth yarn), there are no rest rows, and because the k3tog’s are a bit difficult to execute even with super pointy needles. With a bit of luck, the pattern will become second nature in a few more repeats. It’s the beginnings and ends of the rows that aren’t sticking with me.

After a few tries at it last night, I gave up on the Curved Shawl and cast on a sock in DK weight yarn. The leftovers from the Tiny Tea Leaves cardigan were pressed into service for Pinata Socks (Rav) by Star Athena. After 3 lace projects in a row, these are super fast, super easy and super fun. It is so very gratifying to see something grow so quickly after all of that lace work. The cuff is a garter stitch band, with the leg picked up after it has been grafted together. It should be possible to finish the first sock this evening and work the second cuff. I’ll need those straight needles (used for the cuff) to seriously get on with the Curved Shawl this weekend, so dilly-dallying with the socks is not an option.

Of Babies and Brides. Well. Sort Of.

2010-07-31T17:48:00.000-04:00

It’s pretty obvious I have a thing about knitting for babies and small children. It’s such a thing that whenever someone pregnant comes into view, I practically fall down running to purchase a pattern and yarn for the chosen victim. What may not also be obvious is that the same feelings arise for brides, although not quite to the same extent: the bride must be important to me.

There are now two brides to knit for at the moment and I’d better get moving on those commitments. My young cousin and a friend of mine are both getting married in the middle of October, a week apart. When knitting for a bride, they are given a wide variety of patterns to choose from, and they can also select the colour they’d like to have. My cousin chose Miralda’s Triangular Shawl (Ravelry) from Knitted Lace of Estonia. It’s a great selection for her since she is very, very small, and the shawl is also diminutive. My friend has chosen A Curved Shawl with Diamond Edging (Ravelry) from Victorian Lace Today. These projects ought to keep me occupied for the rest of the summer since lace is what I’m feeling these days. There’s really nothing like making a confection that floats on the slightest breeze, yet will keep the shoulders of a beautiful bride good and warm. Love it.

Here’s the start of Miralda’s Triangular Shawl. So far it has been a relatively fast knit, starting off with 331 stitches on the needles. The first section was worked on a quiet Sunday in early July, and represents about 20% of the knitting. The nupps might prove to be challenging, especially since the yarn is being held doubled. The yarn is Land O Lace Lou Lou, which is a lovely blend of alpaca, silk and cashmere. This will be my cousin’s something blue.

It is good to be finished with Fiore di Melanzana’s knitting. This will be one big wrap after blocking. Maybe this weekend will be cool and dry enough to do that. Humidity and the blocking sheet sticking to my body while the pinned work stayed put led to the snagging of Sally Rand. Risking that with Fiore is just not going to happen. When the bridal shawls are done, it will most likely be back to satisfying the current obsession with Ann Hanson lace projects. Maplewing perhaps?

Fiore and more Fiore.

2010-07-27T18:40:00.000-04:00

Fiore di Melanzana is now well past the halfway mark. The last of the flower repeats has arrived at the very moment when ennui with the project has seriously started to settle in. Getting this final repeat done and moving on to the lacewing section should kick interest up a notch though, since they were so much fun the first time around. Knitting the second flower section was easier than working the first, and that can be directly attributed to a strategy that included the actual counting of stitches whilst knitting. Yeah. Counting actually helped. Go figure.

This pattern is exquisitely written. Rather thoughtfully, an indication of how long the piece should be after reaching a certain point in the knitting has been provided. Comparing the length to the instructions has illustrated, as usual for me when knitting lace, the row tension is tighter than it should be. Instead of getting 9 cm (3.5”) per pattern repeat, I am getting 7.5 cm (3”). To get the necessary length, an additional repeat of the flowers was added to each side of the stole.

A trip for work may be scheduled for the time we were anticipating going to San Francisco, so we may not make it this there fall. Regardless, the wrap will head west even if we do not, where it will probably make at least one trip to the theater.

Despite the luscious nature of this yarn, over-dying it is under consideration. The pale blue flashes throughout the knitting don't thrill me, although it has received many compliments during the time it's been dragged around town for the knitting.

I am totally in love with the bugs. Behold.

Last weekend an attempt at blocking was made for Sally Rand, which did not make a knitting debut here on the blog. It managed to get snagged, and all attempts to stretch it out were halted. I’ve been trying to work the stitches back into place with little success. Anyone got any hints?

I've got a Crush.

2010-07-14T07:57:00.000-04:00

On Anne Hanson. All of a sudden, I’ve become obsessed with/possessed by her shawls and stoles. Last weekend Fiore di Melanzana was started, and 4 other patterns are waiting in the wings. We are hoping to go to San Francisco to see Peter’s family late in the fall, or sometime over the winter. This stole will make a good gift for Peter’s tall and very elegant step-mother. The stole is worked in two pieces, from the centre out. Each piece has three sections: flowers, lacewings and arrowheads. The knitting is going slowly in the flower section, and would most likely proceed at a better pace could I get over the fact that the motif, is ever so slightly off of being symmetrical. Needless to say, a lot of mistakes are being made, although that becomes less of a problem with each passing row. It’s that slow learning curve thing again. At the moment, breaking the yarn once the end of this section is reached so the second flower section can be worked on is under serious consideration. there’s lace work on both sides through the flower and lacewing sections. The yarn, chosen quite some time ago for this project, is Fearless Fibers Laceweight Merino Wool. Wonderful is a place to start when describing this yarn. Great stitch definition, exceptional handle and garment texture. I could go on. And on…

On the vision front, it is almost completely back to normal. That the headaches and eye twitching are mostly gone from constantly straining to focus is a relief. It’s been expensive changing lenses for glasses on a regular basis, and there’s at least one more set to purchase in the next 4 to 6 months, but so what! Sight is far more precious than that!

Pink. Really, Really Pink.

2010-07-06T19:07:00.000-04:00

About once a month one of my uncles and I used to have lunch at a particular bar. For the past 6 or 7 years, on most occasions, the same lovely woman has provided sweet and gentle service while we sip on barley pop and catch up. She is expecting her first child, a girl, in about 2 weeks time. She’s been very good to us all these many years (yes, I know she’s paid for that), and a sweater for her soon-to-arrive little girl felt like a good idea.* In order to get something to her before the start of her maternity leave, the Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi seemed like a good bet, since time was becoming short. It took longer to buy buttons than it did to make this confection. It’s pink and I love it. Passionately.

* Any excuse can and will be used (by me) to knit for a baby or small child.

Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi by Melissa LaBarre for MadelineTosh
Needles: 4 and 4.5 mm
Size: smaller than 2
1 skein and a bit Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Apple Valley Road

Modifications:

Knit in a yarn very close to a DK weight (light worsted?), this intentionally knitted up a bit smaller than the pattern recommended using the stitch counts for the smallest size. The bodice was shortened by .75 cm (1/2”) and the length from the underarm shortened by 2.5 cm (1”). The finished measurement of the cardigan is 4 cm (1.5”) smaller than the smallest size in the pattern.

Things to love:

The yarn and colour. As usual, stuff from Blue Moon Fiber Arts is nice to work with. The colour had me absolutely enchanted, and certainly was a motivating factor in moving the project along.
Pretty little puckers around the yoke.
Simple finishing with polished looking details any little girl would love.
Speedy result.

Not so much:

Those pretty little puckers are achieved by doubling the stitch count, rendering the needles very crowed on the last ruched rows. This would not have been a problem if the recommended circular needles had been used.
Needle size changes throughout the yoke. Pain in the butt to remember to change the needles.

The next time I have lunch at the bar, it will not be in the company of my uncle, who sadly (and unexpectedly) died in mid-June. He was way too young.

No Dogs were Harmed

2010-07-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

Angel usually loves to dress up, but not today. She's also usually a great model.

A Dog in Sheep's Clothing (Rav) by Kristin Nicholas
Scraps from Stonehedge Fiber Mill in Shepherd's Wool
4.5 and 5.5 mm needles

Shawl that Jazz

2010-06-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

It was a fast and furious knit. For some reason, this mindless stretch of garter stitch just flew by for me. Perhaps it was the joy of actually being able to knit without a struggle. As the rows got shorter, the determination to finish just became stronger. So, here we are. Finished. Since today is damp, and it will not possibly dry before tomorrow, there will not be a blocking session - it's just going to go to the office to ward off the air conditioning.

Shawl that Jazz (Ravelry) by Samantha Roshak
2 skeins of Twisted by Blue Moon Fiber Arts in Green Eyed Monster
5mm circular needles

Me, Me, Me

2010-06-23T20:01:00.000-04:00

Guess what? I am actually knitting something for myself. Yes. For me. It’s time to get selfish with the knitting for a while. My vision is improving as the days pass, and simple projects do progress rather well. On Sunday Peter went to visit some friends on Lake Erie, leaving me blissfully alone for most of the day. Long having admired Shawl that Jazz, it had a great start between loads of laundry and other household chores. This is a great project for those times when you just want something easy for your hands to do. That the resulting garment is attractive doesn’t hurt a bit either. Since the turning points for the short rows were hard to distinguish from the rest of the knitting, markers were put in the work. When the marker comes up, it’s time to turn the work and move the marker a stitch for the next row. Sure beats struggling to see the turning point. Yarn is being consumed at a rather alarming rate though. About 60 short rows have been worked so far, and more than half of a skein of yarn has been used. While the rows are considerably shorter than at the start of the project, more than 90 rows remain until more dramatic shaping takes place. Having done the math, there are 28666 stitches in the body of the shawl, and more or less 10000 in the ruffle. About 13000 stitches have been knitted so far, and there should be about 5000 stitches remaining in this skein. Scooter! I am skeered of running out.

On a side note, we had an earthquake today. It was strange to feel something like that. Details here.