Gone Sheepin'

If you're going, hope to see you there (on Saturday)! (you already know what I look like - look to the right!) If not - see you back here early next week with a report on all my goodies...

The Two-armed Monster

So I was happily working on my Shimmer shrug…first sleeve...second sleeve…started the back (oooh, pretty lace pattern!)…and then –

this happened:





The pattern has you join the sleeves to the body, and then finish the raglan sleeves/armholes in the round. This is causing me no small amount of consternation. I considered it a triumph to get all the stitches onto one needle. I dropped a stitch in the body section while doing it, but I figured I could fix it once I got going again with the lace pattern. Then I did one purl row, which also turned out okay. But then when I flipped it over to knit and do the next RS pattern row, I realized that I was creating garter stitch on half the sleeves! (Of course this makes perfect sense since half of the sleeve stitches are going the opposite way, but still.) I tried reading Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Around, which has a variation on this technique – she uses two sets of circular needles, but I couldn’t figure out which set goes where or how. I am so excited about this shrug – but I’m a little frustrated! I hope I can get this all figured out soon. I emailed the designer to get some pointers.

Another fun knitting related story: my co-worker I. is getting married, and some of us are throwing her a shower. I. and I are both crafty, but she is even more so; she tats, crochets and knits, making her own patterns. We work at different sites, but every time we see each other, we always share our latest projects and ideas. So I was trying to think of a way to link knitting and marriage. Then I remembered this quote I had happened upon:

“knit your hearts with an unslipping knot”
-Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

So I’m incorporating this quote into a card I’m making with a marriage and knitting theme, which will accompany the LYS gift certificate I got her. Knitting – the gift for all occasions!

Happy knitting, everyone!

Cotton Fest

Cotton Fest: A Maryland S & W pre-party




Who do I have to thank for this? Webs and Woolwinders, which were both having sales last week. On the left we have Classic Elite Provence in Japanese Lilac. This will become sort of tank top from one of Bonne Marie’s many cool designs. On the right is Dale of Norway Svale. Because Lauren spoke so glowingly about this yarn, I just had to get some. I was thinking about Soleil for this one, but am not sure yet. Finally, down in front we have…drum roll…Debbie Bliss Cathay! I was just too curious not to try it. This is going to become the Drop-Stitch Shrug from Interweave (it’s not in the magazine, but available in pdf format here.) The color is actually a regal, true purple rather than the blue-violet which appears here.

So what else is new? Well, I’ve started a new project: Shimmer from Winter ’03 Knitty. As I mentioned in a previous post, this is a perfect match for some stash yarn, Crystal Palace Mikado Ribbon. I did my best to take an enticing photo, despite the color:






This is the sleeve cuff, which flares out over the hand. The knitted fabric feels sooo slinky - this is going to be HOT! So, this is going to be my “I’m-cool-and-I’m-in-New-York” item, rather than the Rebecca cardi (we ran into a little problem and it is NOT going to be finished in time). Expect an FO photo soon. Plus, the b.f. will be visiting soon (yay!) and he will help me take some photos.

Take care, everybody!

A Baby FO

Hello there! I have been busy, a-knittin’ and a-stashin’. First, I am proud to say that I finally finished seaming the sleeves on Poppy. I just could not figure out the seaming for set-in sleeves, so she has been languishing for some time now. Knitting has taught me that I am a really visual learner, so I usually need more than one knitting book diagram to figure things out. But this time, I read every knitting book I have, and none of the descriptions or diagrams really clicked. Luckily, I have recently subscribed to Interweave Knits, and had access to the Subscriber-Only Content. They have a section called “Beyond the Basics” where there are tutorials on lots of aspects of knitting. The one called Perfect Seams, Part II was my key to finishing this cutie:



Pattern: Poppy, Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora magazine
Yarn: Blue Sky Dyed Cotton, Color 618
Difficulty: Harder than it looks! Lots of picking up stitches. May have been more of a challenge because the yarn I used had a larger row gauge than the yarn specified in the pattern.
Completion Time: I knitted the pieces in a weekend – the finishing took much longer!

The Dyed Cotton (at least the skeins I bought) has a really odd smell – this garment will need a good washing before I can send it off to its recipient. But, I can see now why set-in sleeves can make a really nice-looking garment. And now that I’ve done it in baby size, maybe I can tackle some me-sized set-in sleeves!

In other knitting news, I have made a good start on the Rebecca Wrap Cardi. Apparently, I have a purple fixation going on - check it out:




This pattern lays out a really nice road map for the stitch pattern – it’s so easy to follow and you don’t have to worry about partial motifs, because they’ve already figured out how many will work on a row. My goal is to finish this before the second weekend of May, when the b.f. and I will be going to NYC. We are going to see Avenue Q, and just generally enjoy ourselves. I have never seen a show on Broadway! It will be great fun.

Anyhoo, I guess that’s it for me today. Next post – stash enhancement! Why someone who is going to Maryland Sheep and Wool in two weeks would buy yarn is beyond me. But it’s cotton, so that’s okay, right? ;-)

Happy knitting, everyone!

Happy Endings

Yesterday, as I trudged home from work feeling somewhat under the weather, all I could think about was getting home, putting on some sweats, and curling up to watch a movie. I was somewhat dismayed when I remembered that I had eaten my last Edy’s Whole Fruit popsicle and thus had no sweet movie-watching snacks – but I was too tired to battle my way through the checkout line at Safeway.

So I continued home, and found this:
Godiva chocolates,

and long-stemmed roses.

From whom, you ask? Only the world’s best boyfriend! I keep him anonymous because I assume he would want it that way, so suffice it to say – sweetheart, you’re the best! I love you.

I then settled in with some knitting and a movie, and chomped on the chocolates. Bliss!

On to the knitting. As promised, a photo of the completed baby sweater. Let’s just call it “Rainbow Brite,” shall we?




Pattern: Daisy, from Knitty. (Written by the infamous Yarn Harlot.)
Yarn: Schaefer Yarns’ Little Lola (it’s the same as Lola, just a smaller skein).
Difficulty: Easy peasy! Just lots of ends to weave in.
Completion time: About one week for knitting and sewing up.

This will be for my friend A. On a suggestion from a co-worker, I plan to customize it for a boy or girl by choosing more gender-specific buttons. One baby gift down, two more to go! I am going to try this pattern in my continuing quest for the world’s easiest, best baby sweater.

I have completely stalled on Lucky! I will try to get back into it and work on the sleeves this weekend. Meanwhile, I have finally started working on the Rebecca Wrap Cardi. I have also begun to organize my stash – perhaps there will be more on this later. And Lauren, I have considered being a librarian! In fact I’m still deciding what I want to be when I grow up, and this is still in the list of possibilities!

Happy knitting, everyone – may all your purls be perfect!

Spring Cleaning

As all you knitters know, it can be hard to keep track of all your
knitting stuff: stash, needles, notions, patterns, swatches, ball
bands…the list goes on and on. So I decided to start taking control of
the growing knitting chaos in my apartment and do a little spring
cleaning.

Step 1: Corral the list of projects and materials used into one
place for easy reference.

Months ago, I purchased Char Loving's Knitting Journal for this
purpose, but I hadn't taken the plunge. I somehow decided that I
couldn't put anything in unless it was in the exact
order the projects were completed. (Type A? Me? Naah…) But when I
finally decided it didn't have to be *perfect*, I started putting
stuff in there. Now, I realize how useful a book like this can be for
organizing all those little project-related doodads and details. Here
are a couple of samples:




I don't think this journal will accommodate gauge swatches, but that's
not such a big deal for me since I rip them out half the time anyway.
Mainly it just helps me know what I've made, what I made it with, and
what I thought of the yarn and pattern. And of course, it makes me
proud to see photos of all the neat projects I've made with my own two
hands!

Step 2: Unsnarl and tame the circular needles

I also (finally!) got a needle holder. I plan on getting several, but
I started with one for circs because they get so tangled and I can
never find the right one. I ordered it from an eBay store, EHwa
Aprons. The package came quickly and when I opened it, I was
amazed:

(the outside)



(a close up of the inside - the top is satin!)



The stitching is expertly done, and the fabric was so beautiful! I got
to work stuffing all of my needles in, and I am pleased to report that
all but one pair of 13s and one loooong pair of 19s fit! Not only
that, but when I folded and tied it with the attached strap, this is
how small it was:



Awesome. I plan to order more, more, more from this eBay seller! I
think the stash is the next element of knitting organization to
tackle.

So, that's it for today. I took pictures of the rainbow baby sweater,
but alas – the digicam batteries died before I could upload them. That
will be my next post!



Happy knitting, everyone!

Just a Little Knittin'

Thanks, everyone, for your kind comments on Lucky! I am pleased with how it is coming along so far. And Melissa - no worries about the trim! I know it will look great.

I've been hunting around for more cool spring patterns, and I have a few more to share:

• Orangina from Glampyre: I haven’t bought the pattern yet, but I will soon! It looks like it doesn’t have much shaping, if any, so this would be a pretty quick project. And can we say – “I’m a 4-ply convert!”
  
  
• Crumpets from Chiagu, a new online magazine. What a sweet dress! Baby girls get all the cute patterns! I think it would be nice even without the beads.
  

The great thing is that you can buy these patterns on-line, and then download a pdf of the pattern. So easy! Oh, and also in blog-land: there is a Knit-a-long for the Nothin’ but a t-shirt pattern from MagKnits! Go here for more info. I am planning on it!

Continuing in my break from Lucky, I am working on a baby sweater. I bought a skein of Schaefer Yarns’ Little Lola when I was in Philly in January. It is the best baby yarn!! It looks like this in the skein,



…and it knits up like this:



I love how the colors blend one into the next – and they don’t pool, from what I’ve seen so far. I am in awe of hand-dyeing in general, and Schaefer’s method in particular produces beautiful results. I should have an FO picture of this little gem shortly.

Happy knitting, everyone!

New Season, New Duds

It's a new season, which always means... new patterns! I've been thinking about what I'd like to make this spring, and I've got a few ideas:

1. Bolero Jacket
I bought the new Vogue Knitting, which I think is better than the last several issues. I really like the bolero sweater trend. I'm still trying to decide, however, whether it's one that works for me, a long-leg, short-torso, broad-shoulder kind of chick. But if I made one and it didn't work for me, I'm sure I could find a willing friend to take it off my hands! There’s also a cool shrug from Knitty that I think would work well – and I can make it out of stash, which is always a good thing.

2. Nothin’ but a T-shirt
I love this pattern from Alison, published in the new Magknits. This is a classy tee-shirt sweater, but it’s especially fun because of the ringer style. I am envisioning a very modern color choice, like the Blush (hot pink), trimmed with Coffee (dark brown). This would be great with jeans, which I am rarely without.

3. Hourglass Sweater
Since I am always cold, it’s not too late to think about an Hourglass Sweater, made in silk or even a wool/cotton or wool/silk blend. I love the Himalaya Wool Silk at Knit Pixie – but there are too many beautiful colors to choose from! I’m narrowing it down, though - never fear!

4. Rebecca Wrap Cardi
This item is languishing in my Upcoming Projects list – I feel a little guilty because I’ve had the yarn and pattern for a while, even before others who’ve now finished their cardis! I think this will be a great little item to kick around in – but the swatch made my wrists hurt. Hopefully I can overcome this and get on with my cute sweater!

By the way…have you seen those new RY Classic pattern books? They are billed as "a new collection of handknits for the style conscious knitter." So this leads me to wonder whether the Rowan magazine will get less “style conscious.” Sort of makes me think I should wait to re-subscribe.

Otherwise, the Lucky cardi is coming along nicely:



Although, I almost had a heart attack when I read that I have to make 62 inches of ribbing for the trim!! That means 62 inches of sewing, my friends, and if you have gleaned anything from reading my blog you know I am not a seamstress. But I am so excited about this cardi that I'll just have to make it work.

Off to Sleeve Island (cue palm trees, ukelele, mai tais)…

Happy Easter

Just a short post today to show you my favorite Easter bunny:



The pink sweater was knitted by moi! And this little bunny (my coworker's little one) has worn it quite a lot, as I understand. I am tickled pink.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Can we talk?

So I’ve been blogging for about seven months now, and I’m thinking about what I might do to spice things up a bit. Blogger is cool and all, and it’s great that it’s free – but it is clearly limited unless you know a lot of html. Then there’s Typepad, which you have to pay for – but you can set up some really cool looking blogs that way. Of course, for the truly adventuresome (or computer-savvy) there is the option of using MT and doing everything yourself. Photo storage is also an issue, since I am knocking at the limit of my free Photobucket account.

Clearly, I am at a blogging crossroads. So I’ve put together a little poll to get some input from you all. If you don’t think either of my choices are the best option, leave me a comment or send me an email with your suggestions. I would really appreciate it!

Which blogging software do you recommend?
	Blogger
	Typepad
	Other
Free polls from Pollhost.com

The Wearing O’ The Green

Paying homage to Bonne Marie, I stepped out in limey-green style for St. Patty’s Day:



I made the scarf first, and then decided that a lime green shirt would be just the thing to make the shades of blue in the scarf *pop*. So far so good!

Last weekend was full of debauchery – a grown up slumber party, bridal shower and bachelorette party in less than 48 hours! Needless to say, I didn’t do very much knitting, lol! I am, however, now finished with the right front of Lucky:



It looks okay so far, but that whole no-room-for-a repeat-at-the-neck-edge is a little weird looking in my book. Hopefully the finished product will look good. Onward to the left front!

Everyone is going nuts over this Martha Stewart poncho business. Someone referenced a design that looked very similar to the Marth-cho, and thought that the name “Freedom poncho” was a reference to the newly-freed style maven. In fact, the pattern is from Twilley’s, and the yarn is called Freedom. Just wanted to clear that one up.

Finally, I leave you with a photo of an item from the Ram Wools catalogue. Is this scary or cute? Let me know what you think!

Blogger Problems

I have heard that some of you have been unable to leave comments; turns out Blogger is having some sort of problem. So, I thought I would add an email link in the sidebar. I look forward to hearing from you, whatever the method!

I Guess I Could Take Up Knitting

Says an ad for Asics running shoes:


"I guess I could take up knitting.
People who knit seem happy.
But then, I’m too competitive.
It seems like highly competitive knitters are frowned upon.

What would you do, if you couldn’t run?"


You know, I don’t pick on runners; why should this running ad pick on knitters? And there’s nothing about knitting that says you have to be anti-competitive to enjoy it. In fact, I think knitting would be a good activity for a competitive person, because you can make it as challenging as you want it to be. You don’t compete with other knitters, but with yourself; I think many runners are this way as well. The average person buying Asics running shoes doesn’t plan on winning the Boston marathon; he/she hopes to finish it or have a personal best time.

As for the broader issue, not just about knitting: this ad is a sad commentary on how women in our society are pigeonholed. You can’t be an athlete and practice “domestic arts,” be a successful CEO and not be a b**ch, excel as a mother and as a worker, etc. When will corporate America acknowledge that we aren’t easily categorized, that we are multi-faceted, multi-talented, and deserve praise and credit for what we attempt and succeed to do every day? It’s really amazing that we get shat upon like this in the media, especially when you consider that women buy or influence the purchase of 85% of all products and services sold in this country. A sobering thought: we fund the companies that publicly denigrate us.

March is Women's History Month. So go do something womanly: go knit, go running, get a subscription to Ms. or Bust or Essence or Bitch. Better yet, write a letter to a particularly egregious company of your choosing and announce that you will boycott their products because of their shameful portrayal of women.

No knitty photos today. Or maybe later this afternoon if I get around to it.

A Small FO

No, not the wee Poppy (I'm still fighting with that one)...just a scarf for moi:



This was made with Noro Lotus in Shade 152. I used a pattern from Stitch n Bitch Nation - thank goodness there are designers out there who appreciate people like me - i.e. who want patterns for even simple drop-stitch scarves. So anyway. This yarn is difficult to photograph due to the shimmery rayon thread running through its center. Obviously the yarn changes colors, but what is not so obvious is that this shimmery thread changes colors too. If I were a better photographer I would show you this! But alas, nighttime knitting does not make for good photographs. Anyhoo, I'll be back again soon. Hope everyone is having a good day!

Little. Purple. Frustrating.

I have been steadily working on Poppy, which I am making out of the Blue Sky Cotton. I am pulling my hair out over this one! Although the BS Cotton is very soft and has great stitch definition, it also (as a commenter on Wendy’s blog pointed out) sheds tufts of cotton as you go. This turns out to be a big problem when you need to rip out. Which I had to do about 6 times as I was picking up the stitches for the collar.

If you are not familiar with this pattern, you can view a photo here. As you can see, there are many stitches to be picked up in order to knit the ribbed border. (Actually there are 162 stitches to be picked up, but who’s counting?) For some reason, at the increase edge on the left front, the fabric’s curvature is slightly different than the curvature of the right front. This is noticeable in the photo below:




I think my main problem was in the row gauge; I had a devil of a time finding enough stitches to pick up. Maybe the left side was more stretched than the right side because of this? I don’t know. I am feeling very Type A about this. However, there isn’t time to rip it out and do it again, if I care about an on-time delivery to its recipient. And frankly, the picking up stitches experience is NOT one I would like to repeat any time soon. But I am frustrated that my rendition of Poppy is not *perfect*. Not only that, but I still have yet to pick up the stitches for the rest of the border! Grrr. More work...

Sigh. So I went back to Lucky last night. She’s the only one who loves me right now! (sniff) Pix again soon when I finish the right front.

Happy knitting, everyone!

Hello out there

Greetings, knit-lings! (not sure why that seemed funny to me, it just did.) All is well in the nation’s capital, except that it seems winter will Just Not End. Winter is still kinda pretty, though:



We were supposed to get 7 inches of snow or something – but it wasn’t nearly as bad as they predicted. Now it’s just cold and windy.

Anyway, I am knitting away on my Lucky cardi. I feel I have made enough progress to show you now. As I said, I’ve finished the back; this is the right front (apologies for the distracting background):



I think I have become something of a convert to 4-ply. I’ve been looking at the new Rowan designs and thinking there may be another dainty sweater in my future. But since I’m not even halfway through Lucky, maybe I’d better wait and see how that goes.

Thanks for the votes of confidence on my GGH Soft Kid color choice. Hopefully I will cast on for this cute cardi this weekend!

Happy knitting, everyone!

Fun Weekend!

I had a fun weekend full of knitting and stashing. First, I got home Friday and had this in the mail:



That’s Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted, in the Mixed Berries colorway. Then on Saturday, I got the new Rebecca magazine. I’ve signed up for the Rebecca29 knitalong, to make this:




Also on Saturday, I hung out at Knit Happens, where I saw Holly and hung out with Wendy. They are a riot! I will have to go sit and knit there more often.

While I was there I bought the yarn for the Rebecca sweater. I wanted it to match this dress I have, but since I didn’t have the dress with me, I agonized over the color choice. Let me know what you think: looking at the pattern above and the yarn and dress combo below, do you think it’s a good match? The GGH Soft Kid also comes in a soft blue or peach, which could also be good...




Meanwhile still knitting on Lucky. No photos, nothing to see here…I've finished the back and am working on the right front. I’m excited that the designer has started a blog! Go visit Melissa over here.

Happy knitting, everyone!

Cotton is from a plant?

Is it just me, or is this a bit snarky?

Here’s what I wrote:

"I have recently learned about the cruel practice of "mulesing" used in the Australian merino wool industry. I am very concerned about this and am looking for sources of knitting supplies that I can be certain are not the result of cruelty toward animals.

What is your policy about the treatment of the animals which are the source of your yarn? I would be very grateful for a response and would be glad to share it with the knitting listservs of which I am a member."


This is the response I got from a yarn company which shall remain nameless:

"We do not buy any Australian wool at all. If you know our products and you say you do, you would realize that over half of our line is fancy Italian ribbon, eyelash and ladder yarn. This is nylon which does not come from wool. The remainder is cotton which comes from a plant, rayon which is also plant fiber and alpaca from a friend's farm in Pennsylvania. Plain wool is very cheap and we prefer to use exotic luxury fibers such as silk, alpaca, suri and mohair. Our superwash merino comes from a friend in New Zealand who actually owns the purebred Merino at her farm."

Need I be told that cotton is from a plant? Someone must have had a ‘knot in her yarn’ when she wrote this…

In general, the responses have been very positive. When I first wrote yarn companies about the mulesing issue, I didn’t realize that I was writing while most of them were away at TNNA. I’ve re-written a number of the companies and gotten good response. I have heard from 11 companies so far. I will post a summary soon, I promise!

New Project

Hello there. Long time no see! I have been away – I was in Orlando on a business trip. Yes, a business trip to Orlando in the middle of February. It was definitely all work and no play, to the point that I didn’t get more than a few rows done on Lucky. But this weekend, I started cheating on Lucky anyway, with this:



This is Poppy from Debbie Bliss, in the Cotton Angora book. In the foreground you’ll notice my current drug – I mean YARN of choice: Blue Sky Alpacas’ Blue Sky Cotton in the Orchid color. This project is the perfect marriage of yarn and color. This sweater is for a 1 year old, and this yarn is soooo soft. I believe this cotton is organic. Also, the pattern is a dream – it’s really well-written and quick. I started knitting on Sunday morning, and as of almost noon on Monday, I have only a sleeve to go. Here is my progress so far:



A couple of others in blog-land have done this pattern and had good success. I will be sure to post a picture when it is completed. It always makes me so happy to make baby items – I think about the child it’s for, and how they will grow – it’s so positive and life-affirming.

Well, that’s it for now. Happy knitting, everyone!

Luckier by the Minute

I am plugging away on Lucky. Surprisingly, even though I am working on US 3s, it seems to go pretty quickly. I am enjoying the clover lace pattern, and the increasing and decreasing isn't too bad. Now I'm closing in on the raglan shaping:



Dare I hope that Lucky can be a spring sweater, rather than a fall sweater?

Although normally I knit more than one project at a time, I find that this project is more than enough to keep me occupied. Maybe this project will spark a new direction in my knitting: more challenging projects, but fewer projects. We'll see.

Everyone is talking about the new Rowan - some websites have previews of the magazine. I don't want to look at the previews because it will spoil the surprise when it finally arrives in my mailbox!

I am still in search of the perfect yarn for Clapotis. I was at the DC Stitch 'n' Bitch meeting yesterday, and someone had yarn from Serendipity. It was sooooo soft. It was like touching a cloud, I kid you not! So, I may just pick a colorway that seems good and go for it. I'd better hurry - it was 55 degrees in Washington today! Some people are saying winter's over already. Having lived north of the Mason-Dixon line most of my life, I'm not so sure.

That's pretty much it on the knitting front. Work is pretty busy right now, so my posting has been (and will continue to be) somewhat sporadic. I have a big meeting coming up, and after that - a little R & R. I'm thinking about either getting out of town for a few days, or having a little day spa experience. Should be fun either way!

By the way - check out the birthday gift Amelia got! Totally beautiful. We should all have such friends!

**UPDATE** Okay, I am really inspired by Amelia's Simply Marilyn sweater. The DB Cashmerino Superchunky is super-expensive. I found some Cascade Ecological Wool at One Fine Yarn for $15 for a whopping 478 yards. So, I would only need 2 skeins to make this lovely sweater! I am wondering if it is reasonably soft and lightweight. Does anyone have experience with this yarn? Gimme a holler if you do!