A beautiful day in the neighborhood

...Actually, it's THIRTY-EIGHT DEGREES AND RAINING! I have to say, for the first time since we moved here in July, I would like to revoke my Chicago residency. This is just TOO COLD for May. However, I did break out my Lara sweater today, which was a nice suprise since I thought I wouldn't see her again until next fall/winter. Sadly, no Orange Peel outing this week.

Speaking of Madame Orange Peel - thanks so much for your compliments! It's great to get the feedback. This was my first top-down raglan (really!) and I'd love to make another. Probably not for a while, though - all the stockinette hurt my hands.

I've settled on my next project. Although I bought the new Norah Gaughan book, I've picked one of her older patterns, from Vogue Knitting last summer. There's a photo here. The only dilemma is, which yarn to use? The pattern calls for Trendsetter Spiral, which is a) discontinued and b) acrylic. I'm hoping to find a reasonably priced cotton (or linen or silk) blend that has some texture (or variegation) but won't stretch out too much over time. Tall order! I'm thinking of something like Classic Elite Flash, Artful Yarns Olympic, or GGH Linova. Linova is really hard to find online in a color I want, and the Flash and Olympic are both multicolored (or "marled,"I guess) but you can't tell from the photos online how they'll knit up.

What's a girl to do? Well, that brings me to my next topic: my college reunion. This summer is my 10th college reunion and for some crazy reason I have decided to go. All of my friends are going too, so that will be lots of fun...but then it hit me: I can go to Webs! My alma mater is very close to this yarn mecca, but I've never been there! But I read Stephanie's post and saw her photos - so I think this will be just the place to find some awesome summer yarn for this project.

There may be more angst about the reunion as it approaches (at the end of the month). But for now, there is only anticipation about the fibery goodness and friends in my future!

One last thing - I put up a few wedding photos on my flickr account here, in case anyone is interested. (There are none of my sweetie, though, because he likes being anonymous in the blog-o-sphere.)

Ta Da...

I give you...

Orange Peel!



Why the name? Because after seeing this photo - the shirt looks so tight, you'd have to peel it off!! Ha ha. It's actually not tight, just very fitted. I was trying to make it as fitted as possible, in case the yarn stretches out.

Project Specs:


• Green Gable pattern, for sale at Zephyr Style
• Yarn: 4 1/2 balls of Lang Lyra, 54% Cotton, 46 % Silk - purchased at Loopy Yarns
• Gauge: approximately 5.5 sts=1" on US 6s
• Modifications: I added waist shaping so the shirt would go over my tummy! Also, I made the torso a LOT longer. (Note: I am 5'8''.)
• Time to knit: About 3 weeks

All in all, a fun knit! I would recommend this pattern. I would also recommend the yarn, at least to knit with - we'll see how it holds up.

Hmmm...what's next? I have sock yarn for May Project Spectrum - but I need another larger project. I like the idea of having a sock (or other portable) project and a big project going at all times. I'm still finishing the shrug project from the last Interweave, so I have some time to think. There's some cute tops in the new Interweave, but I need to check the stash first. Plus, the lovely Shobhana has a GREAT sleeveless top pattern out...that might be next on the list. So many possibilities! It's a fun dilemma.

Happy knitting, all! Check you later.

Snap back to reality

Oh there goes gravity
-Eminem

The last few weeks have been quite an adjustment for me. Now I know why people go on honeymoons right after they get married. It sort of postpones the inevitable return to earth after so much time spent focusing on your family and friends and minute details of event planning. We aren't able to go on a honeymoon for another couple of months, so the aftermath of the wedding has been a sort of general sagging feeling. Now what?

We're happy and everything, that's not it - it's just that the whole consuming focus of your life is over and you have to take some time to re-balance. So that's what I've been up to. One thing I'm planning is to get trained to be a literacy volunteer. Also, I (hopefully) will be selected to serve on the board of a nonprofit I'm really excited about. Basically, I'm trying to get off the couch and rejoin the human community, where everything is not about me and what color napkins I want. (grin)

That said - the Green Gable, she is almost finished:



She needs a new name since she is SO not green! I won't quite make the April P.S. deadline - but I'm close. Hopefully I can finish this week. For next month - I actually broke down and ordered some yarn from MamaE! But I justified it because I started the second sock for a pair I started last winter. After carrying the sock around in my briefcase for the last week, I gained new appreciation for the easy portability of a sock project. So, we'll see if I finish in the month of May! It will be a challenge not to be distracted by summer knitting projects.

Well, that's it for now. Hope all is well in blogland...

Hey from Dallas

Hi all,

I'm writing tonight from a hotel room near the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Yee-hah! I'm at a conference, and we had a banquet tonight at the Historic Stockyards in Fort Worth. Of course, I didn't take my camera! So I'll have to regale you with some funny signs I saw along the roads of DFW:

• TCU: Horned Frogs Explore


• Lt. Ralph Swearingin for Justice of the Peace, Tarrant County


• Bud Sellers (what do they sell exactly? it looked like used cars, but who can be sure?)


• Awesome Transportation (across the road from Bud's, which might explain the *awesome* name of this limo service)

I guess that's enough giggles for one night. Of course, air travel and hotel rooms mean only one thing: copious knitting time! I am working on the Green Gable top from Zephyr Style. After a few false starts (those pesky YOs!), it is swimming along:




I love this yarn! It is sooo bright - I even toned down the color a bit before posting this photo, so as not to blind you all! I think I bought way more than I need for this project, so hopefully I can exchange the remainder for a different color of this yarn to make another cute spring/summer top. On second thought - I should probably see how it wears first.

Anyway, not too much else to report here. Hope you are all enjoying the spring which has come your way, whether a lot or a little!

I figured it out

"I figured it out...with a pencil and a pad, I figured it out"
-The Pajama Game

Lately I have been seized with the desire to buy more and more yarn. You already saw the orange stuff - but if internet LYS-surfing is any indicator of desire, I’ve wanted to buy a LOT more than that. My yarn lust ebbs and flows, but I’ve never understood what brings it on or why it goes away.

I think I've figured it out: I want to buy yarn when I feel like I don't have enough time to knit, or when my current projects are failing. Somehow buying and stashing yarns for future projects feels like progress when I can't "knit" progress.

This makes sense in a way, but is ultimately unhealthy. For instance, I have been seized with the desire to buy sock yarn (is it just me, or is cool hand-dyed sock yarn multiplying like bunnies?!). However, I've only made 1 1/2 pairs of socks in about 10 years of knitting. So there should be no reason to think that buying more sock yarn puts me any closer to having a completed pair of socks. Also, having more yarn (and thus more potential projects) actually works against knitting progress rather than facilitating it. If you only had one project with you on a desert island, don't you think you'd finish it out of sheer boredom, even if you hated it? And for a person like myself who is scatterbrained/always-multitasking/probably-borderline ADD - more stuff, more projects, more details, etc. can quickly add up to no progress at all.

So what’s a knitting girl to do? Just resist the urge to buy. Sounds simple, but maybe writing it here for all you knitter-friends to see will help me actually do it. I do have some lovely cotton yarns marinating in the stash…maybe if I feature them on the blog, I will get the inspiration to DO something with them. Stay tuned for a spring mini stash flash...

P.S.

Hi y'all! Thanks so much for the good wishes and congratulations, not to mention the compliments! In spite of the craziness, things turned out pretty great. I don't know how to get in touch with all of you (I've got to get HaloScan or switch to Typepad or something), but I really appreciate your notes. If you visit again, leave your url or something - I'd love to visit your home on the web!

Meanwhile, I've been working on a wool sweater, which now seems pretty moot. The spring-summer switch has been flung and today Chicago is supposed to hit 77 degrees.

So, what to knit now? Well, despite my lack of pink/red FOs last month, I am a Project Spectrum participant. Combine that with a sale at my favorite LYS, and you get


BAM!
Some spunky orange cotton-silk. This is a new yarn: Lang Lyra. I’m hoping it will "sing" on my needles! I was thinking about making the Picovoli, or maybe another Soleil tank. Any other ideas for a bright slice of orange?

Last night I worked on a swatch, and aside from a little snagging, it knits up beautifully. It's one of those yarns where, even if your stitches aren't perfect (and whose are), once you've done a few rows, the yarn makes them look perfect. Which makes me think: there must be engineers involved making this yarn. It's like designing a building for a quake zone, or maybe a bridge - you can't prevent the forces that would pull the structure apart, but you can account for them and use design to neutralize them. I know there must be textile engineers, or something...I wonder if they are knitters? Or do they just like physics?

Got Hitched

I know this is a 'before' photo, but trust me: I got married on Saturday!


Me and my dad.

It was a wonderful weekend, nothing went wrong, everything was fun and laid-back. We laughed, cried, danced, hugged and celebrated with our friends and family. I can hardly believe how great it was, and that it's over. But I'm also relieved. More photos and details when we dig out of thank-you notes and laundry.

If I didn't appreciate this before, I do now: I live a charmed life. Hugs to all of you!

Can't think of a good post title

I’m still here, really I am! I have just been so crazy. It’s funny how I think I’m so together, (wedding planning – piece of cake, no stress…) and then I go completely absent on the blog for like three weeks.

But I have been knitting a little, at least! I made a simple scarf with the Be Sweet yarn I told you about – just a whole bunch of stitches cast on, and garter stitch the whole way. It is so warm and soft! And once I got the hang of the loopy-ness of the boucle, it knit up just fine. Here’s a photo:


(And a closeup, because it makes me happy) Otherwise, I’ve been making more fortune cookies, which since I’ve shown you one we are facing diminishing returns to photography – but I think they look good enough for gift giving. Just a wee bit of sewing (tacking, as the pattern says) and they are good to go.

And now – I’m contemplating a new project! And from stash, no less! There’s a pattern in the new Interweave called Streakers Shrug – called Streakers because of the yarn called for, La Lana Wools Streakers. The yarn is dip-dyed, I think, so that one end is natural and the other is colored – and the pattern uses the light colored parts for knitted lace sleeve cuffs. I’m planning to use some Bartlettyarns wool in navy for the body, but then I was trying to decide whether to use a different color for the cuffs. Here’s a pic of the navy, along what I have in the stash that could be a contrasting cuff color:


I thought it would be springy but modern – although maybe the extra color makes it less versatile. What do you think?

Anyway, that's it for me tonight. Hopefully I'll post at least one more time before the wedding, though. If I can just get through this week at work (debatable!) I will be free to relax a bit and do some knitting, so maybe I'll have a progress shot to share. Til then - happy knitting, everyone!

Felted Fortune

I made a felted fortune cookie! I think it is so cute:


The binder clip is just for size. It turned out well, since it is recognizable as a fortune cookie – but I plan to make two small changes when I make the next one: 1) pull the first stitch on the outer edge tighter, so it will curl inward when I felt it; and 2) pull the center tighter when I stitch it together, so the center will lie flatter. But otherwise, a great first cookie!

I’m finding it hard to muster much knitting energy these days. I don’t want to think about the wedding anymore, but because it’s basically the biggest thing in my life right now, it’s hard to focus on anything else. Maybe I should start an afghan or something.

I did try a little swatch of crocheting, using the directions in Debbie Stoller’s new book on crochet, The Happy Hooker. After a few tries, I even managed to make each row the same length! (That pesky turning chain will get you every time.) Whether you like her politics or not, Stoller is a great teacher. So, maybe I will try a crocheted scarf or something!

I also taught my friend E. how to knit. Well, Debbie Stoller taught her how to knit, since I really just read from the Stitch n Bitch book and demonstrated what it said. She picked it up like a champ and is well on her way to a great first scarf. Yay! One more comes “into the fold…”

Well, it's bedtime for me. I swear, the days go by so fast! It's already Wednesday tomorrow...

Be Sweet

While I was away I couldn’t help but stop by an LYS to check out the goods. Every yarn store is different, and sometimes it seems like availability varies by region.

I was lucky enough to find some of the Be Sweet yarn. Have you heard about this stuff? It is handspun and hand dyed by women in South Africa as part of a job creation program in a rural region with a 75% unemployment rate. A portion of your yarn purchase helps support their local school. I love to support efforts like this that serve people's needs, raise awareness and provide a great product all at the same time. I may struggle to be sweet, but I can definitely buy sweet! So this is what I picked:


This is probably my worst blog photo ever, but at least it shows the colors pretty well. I think the colorway is called Heather Mauve. The yarn is boucle baby mohair. So soft!

In other knitting news, I started on my first felted fortune cookie! I have one almost finished and if I am diligent and do laundry tonight (heh heh) I could have post-felting photos tomorrow. We’ll see!

My Better Pal Rocks (literally)

I have had so much fun participating in the Better Pal swap. This month was the big “reveal,” where you get to find out who has been secretly sending gifts picked especially for you. Before I tell you who, let me show you what…



The pink bag was made by my BP herself! It has cool drawstrings, and as she suggests, would be a great way to tote around knitting projects in your work bag. I can’t believe she made it! I would really like to learn how to sew, and getting this great bag is fueling my zeal. There is also some ground coffee (organic!) and a tasty organic chocolate bar with a cool retro wrapper. The nubbly item in the front is an Avocado Massage Bar, fancy and heavenly-smelling soap. And last but very cool indeed – a skein of silk/cotton/wool yarn from Farmhouse Yarns. I can mention this now that she knows who I am, but I just picked out some Farmhouse Yarns for my Better Pal! It was all I could do not to take some home for myself – but now I’ve got my own stash to try out! And in a fun “Neapolitan” colorway, no less.

It turns out my Better Pal was none other than Rock Chick! RC, you spoiled me rotten – and sent calming words and thoughts my way at a stressful time in my life. I am so grateful for your thoughtfulness.

Oh crap – I forgot to photograph the beautiful card that was also included – I just discovered it by the computer, where I was looking up the website where you can buy them! You can check them out yourself at www.photoartcards.com. They are quite beautiful and I will be ordering some for myself and for gifts. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the photographer is a knitting blogger...but I'm not 100 percent sure.

I'm out of town for the next couple of days. I don't really like travelling for work, but it must be done. And in this case, it's nice to be included, so I won't complain. See you later, everyone!

Hi-dee-ho

Hello there, everyone. It's been a while since last I wrote! (I think I've said that every time I've posted in the last two months.)

I was writing to a friend today, and I said to her that wedding planning is a marathon, rather than a sprint. Well, sometimes it feels like a sprint too, but that doesn't mean the race is over quickly. And at this point it does feel like a race. We don't have very much left to do, but I am now acutely aware that my wedding will occur in just about a month's time. Man, it seems like only yesterday it was October, and we were just picking the venue! Crazy.

Anyway, there has been a small amount of knitting in these parts. I bring knitting to work more days than not, but most of the time I don't take a lunch break so I don't get any knitting done. Today, though, I headed down to the lunchroom to get in a few stitches. I was knitting like a woman possessed - today's knitting was definitely stress relief!

I'm making this Debbie Bliss baby hoodie pattern from Special Knits. However, I did not have to buy Special Knits, because the pattern was featured in Simply Knitting, the incredibly expensive British knitting magazine I love. I finished the back and I'm working on the front, which includes the hood. As usual, DB has come up with an interesting construction for this sweater. Here's what the front looks like now:


Now that I think about it, I guess I can't say for certain how interesting this construction is, because I've never made anything with a hood. But it seems pretty cool to me.

Short post today, back to eating dinner. Hope everyone is doing fine and looking forward to springtime.

Hello out there

Long time, no post! I haven't been knitting, either. The closest I've gotten to knitting is - wearing my Lara sweater to work today! (ba-dum-bum) I have been thinking about knitting, though. I've been working on designing/locating a suitable motif for my circular yoke sweater, and now that I've decided on one, I can knit the sleeves and can get going on the pretty part!

The other thing is, I recently found out my cousin is pregnant! This will be her first child, and it's a boy. So, I am going to de-stash some Rowan All Seasons Cotton and make a cute baby hoodie from the Simply Knitting magazine. And, I still haven't forgotten about the felted fortune cookies! I'm headed to the yarn store after work.

So, all of this to say I'll be back later with pictures - of something! Not sure yet which of these items will strike my knitting fancy. Til then, have a great weekend!

New and Blue

Yesterday I got the most beautiful and thoughtful gift in the mail. My first pictures didn’t come out, so this is a close-up — but I bet you can guess what it is:

It’s a garter, but what you don’t know is that it was hand-tatted by a friend of mine. She made this from string, people! The photo does not do it justice. Somehow even though knitting involves making a fabric out of a strand of something, this thing called tatting is even more amazing and definitely more intricate. I will be so proud and happy to wear this on my wedding day. There will be no tossing or any other kind of transferring of this item as I plan to keep and treasure it forever. I never thought I would have anything that my daughter (if I ever have one) would want to wear on her wedding day – but now I do. Thanks a million, I.

My own knitting news pales in comparison, but I’ll chat about it anyway. As it turns out, I did not elect to write my own pattern for the sweater I had in mind. Why should I, when Ann Budd has figured it out already?! So, I’ve just added some waist shaping to her circular yoke pattern and I’ll insert my own yoke motif when I get to that point. Here’s the progress so far:



Whoopee, pink blob! But after knitting this much with the Cascade Cloud 9, I think I can recommend it if you want to knit with angora but don’t want a lot of fluff. Granted, this is the first angora yarn I’ve used (and actually it's 50% merino, 50% angora) – but it seems to have minimal shedding. I even knitted with it yesterday, while wearing black wool pants – and I could easily pick off the angora wisps. So there you go.

And finally - where is my Rowan 39? Where is my Interweave? They changed the subscriber password on the website, but my new issue (and thus my new password) is no where to be found. Grrr...

Anyhoo, thanks for reading. Hope you are all enjoying early February, whatever your weather. Happy knitting!

What February 1st means to me

This year, it means there are exactly two months until I am a married woman. Anticipating marriage is a total rush, and also somewhat terrifying, but I see a future of contentment and joy too. No foolin'.

I don't have much of my own knitting to talk about today, so the real purpose of this post is to tell you how cool Indigo Muse's felted fortune cookies are. I mean, can you think of a more fun use of Cascade 220 and short rows? Go check them out if you haven't seen them yet!

I'm planning to make these for my bridesmaids. I bought jewelry rolls made of beautiful fabric when I was in Chinatown in San Francisco. Now I am buying unique necklaces for each of them, and I will probably get some other little gift to go in too. But the real treat will be to finish off the gift with those cool plastic carryout containers, and knitted fortune cookies with personalized fortunes! I can't wait!!

My mother's shawl continues apace. It's the only thing I'm working on now, so the end is closer every day. I am still working out the math for my first-ever sweater design, so as soon as that's completed, I'll cast on.

I also listened to my first podcast of Cast On by Brenda Dayne. It's a cool show. It's very different from Knitcast, which I also like. It's like the difference between Garrison Keillor and Fresh Air, for you NPR lovers. Both great in their own right - just different. It's nice to have a selection of knitting podcasts to chose from! Brenda says there are a bunch - does anyone know of other good ones?

Later, y'all. Hope all is well!

I heart my Better Pal

I just got the nicest package in the mail! Look how spoiled I am!
Before:


And After!

I was so excited to see the Newman’s Own chocolates. First of all, I have a huge sweet tooth. Secondly, I am really into socially responsible business and organic products, and these chocolates are both. I’ve bought this candy for others, but never tried it myself! I am super excited to indulge in these goodies…

There was also this cool stuff called Gloves in a Bottle. I’ve never heard of it, but it seems right up my alley. I need moisturized hands for knitting (and for showing off my purty ring, of course!).

I have been wanting to try the Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool for some time, and now I have a stash of it! I think it wants to be a Branching Out scarf, don’t you? Or I could use it to make my first ever crocheted item, once I practice on the yarn in the Cozy Crochet kit my BP got me! Before you know it I’ll be making those Flourish scarves right and left like Purly Whites.

Finally, there were crunchy Utz treats as well. Does my Better Pal know me or what? Thank you, thank you, Better Pal – for great gifts and good wishes as well. Mwah!

Me-me-meme

4 jobs you have had in your life:
Public library clerk
Legislative Assistant in U.S. Congress
Parking lot attendant (at a race track, no less)
Survey researcher

4 movies you could watch over & over:
Clerks
The Pajama Game
The Sound of Music
A Fish Called Wanda

4 places you have lived:
Toledo, OH
Amherst, MA
Washington, DC
Ann Arbor, MI

4 TV shows you love to watch:
House
That 70s Show
CSI: Miami
24

4 places you have been on vacation:
Vancouver, BC
Boothbay Harbor, ME
Ocracoke Island, NC
Nashville, TN

4 websites you visit daily:
Bloglines (this counts for many, including news, blogs, etc.)
Elann
Google (duh)

4 of your favorite foods:
Crème brulee
Asparagus
Broccoli
Fettucine alfredo (so if I eat veggies with the creamy stuff, it’s just as good as a turkey sandwich, right?)

4 places you would rather be right now:
Shopping
Hanging out with my mom
A coffeeshop
Someplace sunny and warm
(sounds like a vacation would be in order...)

My little corner of the world

Since my wedding-induced meltdown a couple of weeks ago, I have been trying to cultivate a little serenity in my life. I've started buying fresh flowers again, something that makes me oh-so happy that I rarely remember to do. The serene-green desktop image on my computer is new and also adds to my feeling of calm. And of course - there's yarn! My order from Webs arrived, and I started swatching with the Cascade Cloud 9 I ordered. I felt a few angora wisps tickling my nose as I knit, but they weren't major. The colors are Valentine's Day-appropriate, but that wasn't my intention - they just felt spring-y to me. I probably won't finish the sweater by V-day anyway.

I'm also enjoying reading Zen and the Art of Knitting. It has a lot of wonderful stories about the many ways that knitting can enrich one's life - bringing peace after suffering a loss, building up one's confidence and ability to take risks, gaining patience, making connections with others in the community...the list goes on and on. I have experienced many of these changes in my own life as a result of knitting. But the book also talks about the meditative side of knitting, how some people experience a trance-like state or a sort of 'natural high.' I can't say that I've ever experienced this, and I wonder - why not? It got me thinking about how much I focus on knitting when I'm knitting, and how much I focus on any one thing while I am doing it. I am a consummate multi-tasker, which is helpful in many ways but may limit my ability to 'be in the moment.' Not sure.

This book offers lots of gems for introspection. The following passage was an especially poignant one for me:

Though Cecile doesn't view her handcraft as anything particularly spiritual, still, she said she has gained great wisdom from the practice. "Steadiness is important," she wrote. "Just being steady about one thing when the rest of your life is in chaos can keep it all in balance."

Peace be with you all...

Howdy

Thanks so very much for the warm wishes after I spewed my anti-wedding propaganda. It means a lot to me to know you are all rooting for me! I could get more detailed about what is actually happening, but - sometimes it bores even ME so I can imagine how you would feel. Suffice it to say, I'm now cautiously optimistic that we might just pull off this wedding thing. Fingers crossed...

Even though I have done very little knitting lately, I did do some seaming - which as it turns out was more productive. See below for my moment of zen:


And a closer look:


Project details: Debbie Bliss Lara pattern. Made in Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm 100% merino, hand-dyed (Colorway: Stormy Skies) - purchased at Maryland Sheep & Wool 2005.

This pattern was a dream: so easy to follow and designed with minimal seaming (it's made in one piece). I was really worried that the sleeves would be too long - I lengthened them, but it turned out okay because part of the sleeve is really the shoulder. I would love to make several more - maybe even one in a cotton blend.

I have some projects to finish, but of course my mind is already on the next new project. I ordered a new yarn from Cascade called Cloud 9 - they have it at Webs - and am planning a short-sleeved sweater to wear this spring. I don't think I can call it my own design, but it borrows some ideas and motifs and combines them in my own way. I'm excited and waiting on pins and needles for my yarn to arrive in the mail.

Catch you later!

Three simple rules

Rule #1: Don’t get married.

Rule #2: Well, okay, getting married is a good thing. But if you’re going to get married, whatever you do – don’t get stressed out about the wedding. After all, it _is_ only one day.

Rule #3: Okay. Get married, and – like it or not – you will probably have some stress about your wedding. But just remember: don’t let your stress get in the way of your knitting!

So these days I'm breakin' all the rules. I haven’t knitted anything to speak of since my return flight from Christmas, and it doesn’t help that I have so many projects going that it all seems a little overwhelming. I have four WIPs – two sweaters that need seaming, mom’s shawl (nope, didn’t finish for Christmas), and a toddler sweater that was sort of meant to be a holiday gift.

Anyway, I guess I’m trying to say that the blog may be a little quiet for a while. It’s been so nice to hear from you all over the holidays, and I owe each of you a note. Normally I am an excellent multitasker but even for me the brain is on overload. So, begging your pardon – I'll be back later.